Bible Discussion Thread Page 2

Hi Jimbob. To your last question first (from Revelation 12:9), I understand that Satan & his angels are cast upon the Earth AT the revelation of the Anti-Christ, when Satan stealthily begins to fulfil his power & will against Israel & upon Earth's inhabitants through the Anti-Christ.

"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent" ( Revelation 12:12-14).

So then to your earlier point: "(Also the wrath of God, and this time period of Satan having great wrath on the inhabiters of the earth are not the same time periods, Satan will persecute, even beheading Believers. God's wrath is poured out on all non-believers in Jesus Christ)."

When we look at the Matthew 24:21 reference you gave: "For then shall be great tribulation", this verse comes immediately after vv 15 onwards: the appearing of the abomination of desolation. When Israel sees the Anti-Christ, they ought to flee, for the Great Tribulation is upon them. I read that the Great Tribulation starts with the revelation of the Anti-Christ & his revelation can only occur when the Restrainer is removed. Is it God Who removes the Restrainer? I believe so, which means that God has now declared that He is done with this unbelieving world, taken His saints in the Rapture, with Satan now exercising his full control & rule through his puppet & all this will climax at Christ's Second Coming & the final battle. So when I read "the Great Tribulation", I read it as "the Great Tribulation of God's Wrath", not just more suffering to all.

You are replying to a comment by "Eric rod"

When you Say pre post, Do you mean signs?

Hi Eric. I'm unsure whether you're enquiring about the 'snatching away' of true believers (otherwise referred to as the Rapture), or to the time of the Great Tribulation. I think it might be the former, to which there are three broad positions to the Rapture: pre, mid, & post Tribulation. That is, when Jesus returns for His Church, will it happen before the Great Tribulation (of seven years), in the middle of it, or at the end of the seven years? Those who hold to a specific position will have their Scriptures to support their belief. This is just a brief answer to you, as I can't ascertain the full nature of your question or what your understanding of this is.