The Pretribulation Rapture

By David J. Stewart
August 2013 | Updated October 2015

1st Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [see: The Day Of Christ] shall not come, except there come a falling away [world anarchy against God] first, and that man of sin [the Antichrist] be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

Mark 13:32, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”

The 8 Kings Of Revelation

Most Bible students only read the New Testament to form their conclusions about “when” the Rapture will occur. Consequently, many people sincerely but errantly conclude a Post-tribulation Rapture, that is, they believe that the Rapture happens AFTER the Tribulation period.

However, by studying numerous Old Testament passages concerning the great and dreadful “Day Of The Lord” (i.e., the 7-year Tribulation period), we are able to discern that the Rapture must precede the horrifying events events of the Tribulation.

The Book Of Revelation:
God's Final Word To Man

(awesome exegesis by Dr. Max D. Younce)


Commentaries On DANIEL...


Videos by Pastor Max. D. Younce...

GOG AND MAGOG - PART 1

PART 2 | PART 3A
PART 3B | PART 4

218 times in the New Testament we are told that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back. Of course, modern orthodox Jews reject Jesus as their Messiah, and they will follow the False Messiah (the Antichrist) when he comes. The Antichrist will make a treaty with Israel, which he will later break and the world will be forced to receive a hand-mark and worship the Beast's image or be killed.


MP3's by Dr. Curtis Hutson

Isaiah 41:26, “Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.”

The Second Coming Of Christ
(a great life-changing MP3 sermon by Pastor Tom Malone)

The Lord Shall Descend With A Shout!
(an excellent exegesis of the Pretribulation Rapture and why timeline charts are so helpful to study the Rapture, by Pastor Richard Jordan.

THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
(Dr. Curtis Hutson provides 6 compelling reasons for a pretribulation rapture!)

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Plain And Simple
(an excerpt from the 338-page book, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow)

Revelation Verse-By-Verse
With Visuals
(Video Series)

Genesis 5:24, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”

Commentaries On REVELATION...

The Luciferian Conspiracy:
World Domination!


"In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." —2nd Thessalonians 1:8

“Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.”
—Revelation 22:20

The 144,000

The Rebuilt Temple

Christ Paid Our Debt Of Sin

If you obey the Bible and it's wrong, you've got nothing to lose; but if you don't obey the Gospel and are wrong, you've got everything to lose forever!

Will the Church Be Raptured Before, During, or After the Tribulation Period?

The Days Of Daniel
(Daniel 12:11-12 explained)

The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb

After The Tribulation Heresy

MEGIDDO: The March To Armageddon
(a fascinating 2:16 hour end times documentary)


Many people ignorantly refer to the book of Revelations (plural); but the Bible contains the book of Revelation (singular). It is the revelation of Jesus Christ; not a revelation of future happenings. Yes, Revelation teaches future prophecy; but the purpose of the book is to reveal the character, nature and Person of Jesus Christ to the reader (John 5:39; Revelation 19:10). Prophecy is history written in advance.

THE REALITY OF HELL VIDEO

Nobody Is Laughing In Hell
(hot sermon by Evangelist Phil Kidd)

Why The Antichrist Must Come Soon!
(MP3 sermon by Pastor Jack Hyles, 1926-2001)

THE UNCHANGING CHURCH IN A CHANGING WORLD (a great MP3 sermon by Dr. Harold Sightler)

Understanding The Times

The Luciferian Conspiracy, Synagogue Of Satan, World Government And International Banking

THE SATANIC MUSIC INDUSTRY | PART TWO (we are living in the last days; by Pastor Danny Castle)


Logic Proves a Pretribulation Rapture

2nd Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

If you read the Holy Bible like a newspaper, you won't understand it. The fact that God says to “rightly divide” (i.e., dissect) teaches us that we must use deductive reasoning to understanding the Scriptures.

Evangelist John R. Rice Teaches The Truth That The "Rapture" Happens Before The Tribulation

Revelation Chart by Harry A. Ironside

Revelation 16:7-9, “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.”


You are welcome to copy and share the above chart, or use it on your own website.

“As a blind man has no idea of colors, so we have no idea of the manner by which the all-wise God perceives and understands all things.” —Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN JESUS COMES?
(an awesome YouTube video sermon by Pastor Danny Castle)

32 Differences Between the Rapture & Second Coming

The following 32 distinctions help to grasp the differences between these two great future events. Keep in mind that the RAPTURE happens BEFORE the 7-year Tribulation period; and then after the 7-years the glorious SECOND COMING (glorious appearing) of our great Lord, King and Savior will happen, when the entire world beholds Him...

The Rapture

The Second Coming

At the Rapture, Jesus comes FOR His Church. (John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17) At the Glorious Appearing (Second Coming), Jesus comes WITH His Church. (Zechariah 14:5, Colossians 3:4, Jude 14, Revelation 19:14)
At the Rapture, Christians are caught up to meet Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) At the Glorious Appearing, Jesus' feet touch the earth (Zechariah 14:4, Revelation 19:11-21)
At the Rapture, Christians are taken up but unbelievers are left behind. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) At the Glorious Appearing, the unsaved wicked (tares) are taken up, but the righteous (wheat, i.e., the tribulation saints) are left behind. (Matthew 13:28-30)
At the Rapture, Jesus will gather His Bride, the Church, unto Himself in preparation of the Marriage of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:6-9) At the Glorious Appearing, Jesus will execute judgment on the earth and establish His Kingdom. (Zechariah 14:3-4, Jude 14-15, Revelation 19:11-21)
The Marriage of the Lamb takes place in Heaven AFTER the Rapture of the Church. (Revelation 19:6-9 War on earth comes AFTER the Marriage of the Lamb at the Glorious Appearing when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords lays the smackdown on evil! (Revelation 19:11-21)
The Rapture will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (Blink. It's over!). (1 Corinthians 15:52) The Glorious Appearing will be a slow coming. Everyone will see Jesus coming with great power and great glory! (Zechariah 12:10, Matthew 24:30, Revelation 1:7)
At the Rapture, only those who are looking for Him (Christians) will see Him. (1 John 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:52) At the Glorious Appearing, every eye will see Him and those who have rejected Him will wail. (Revelation 1:7)
At the Rapture, Jesus will descend from Heaven with a shout (calling for the saints at the resurrection). (1 Thessalonians 4:16) At the Glorious Appearing, no shout is mentioned, although the Lord does slay the wicked with the sword of His mouth. (Revelation 19:11-21)
The “First Resurrection” of Revelation 20:6 includes 5 separate resurrections. At the Rapture, the third of these resurrections occurs. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54. The First Resurrection is only for born-again believers, that is, Christians) At the Glorious Appearing of Jesus Christ, the final of these 5 (of the First Resurrection) will happen. (Daniel 12:2 contrasts the saved with the unsaved, speaking of both the First and the Second Resurrection. The Second Resurrection is only for the unsaved damned)
At the Rapture, a resurrection will take place. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54) At the Glorious Appearing, there is no resurrection spoken of. (Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah14:4-5, Revelation 1:7, 19:11-21)
The Rapture can happen at any time...maybe even now which is why we are to be WATCHING for the return of Jesus Christ! (Revelation 3:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6) The Glorious Appearing will occur at the end of the seven-year tribulation period. (Daniel 9:24-27, Matthew 24:29-30, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8)
At the Rapture, no angels are sent to gather the Church.
 
At the Glorious Appearing, angels will be sent to gather people together for judgment. (Matthew 13:39, 41 & 49, Matthew 24:31, Matthew 25:31, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10)
At the Rapture, those who died in Christ will return with Jesus to recover their resurrected bodies. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-16) At the Glorious Appearing, Christians will return with Jesus already in their resurrected bodies, riding on white horses wearing white linen. (Revelation 19:11-21)
At the Rapture, Jesus doesn't return riding a white horse. At the Glorious Appearing, Jesus will return riding a white horse. (Revelation 19:11)
The Rapture will bring with it a message of hope and comfort. (1 Thessalonians 4:18, Titus 2:13, 1 John 3:3) The Glorious Appearing will bring with it a message of judgment. (Joel 3:12-16, Malachi 4:5, Revelation 19:11-21)
World is deceived. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12) Satan is bound. (Revelation 20:1-2)
Focus: Lord and Church. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) Focus: Israel and Kingdom. (Matthew 24:14)
No signs precede Rapture. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3) Signs precede Second Coming. (Luke 21:11,15)
Tribulation begins. Millennial kingdom begins.
Manifestation of Antichrist. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) Manifestation of Jesus Christ. (Malachi 4:2)
Jesus claims His bride. Jesus comes with His bride. (Revelation 19:6-14)
Marriage Supper Of The Lamb follows the Rapture. (Revelation 19:9) The Great Supper of the wicked follows the Tribulation. (Revelation 19:17)
The world will not see Jesus at the Rapture; but rather, believers ascend go to meet Him in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:17) Jesus will descend bodily and visibly for all to see, just as He ascended bodily and visibly. (Acts 1:9-11)
The Judgment Seat Of Christ follows the Rapture. (2nd Corinthians 5:9-11) The Judgment of the Nations follows the Tribulation (Matthew 24:32-46)
Believers receive a new, immortal, glorified body fashioned like unto the Lord's. (Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54) Saints saved during the Tribulation enter into the Millennial kingdom with their earthly bodies. (Isaiah 65:20)
The Antichrist is revealed after the Rapture. (2 Thessalonians 2:8) The Antichrist is defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire at the Second Coming. (Revelation 19:20)
Israel is persecuted during the Tribulation. Two-in-three Jews in Israel are killed. (Zechariah 13:8-9) Israel is regathered. (Jeremiah 23:5-8)
The timing of the Rapture is unknown. It is a secret. No man, nor the angels, not even the Son, know when this time shall be (Mark 13:32). Only a pretribulation Rapture position supports this vital Biblical truth. The timing of Christ's Second Coming is known, which is at the culmination of the 7-year Tribulation (or, Daniel's 70th week). The Rapture starts the calendar clock for Daniel's 70th week.
World government (New World Order) follows the Rapture. (Revelation 13:15) Christ's reign and government follows the Second Coming. (Daniel 2:34-35)
The Lord gathers the saints (2nd Thessalonians 2:1) The angels gather the saints (the elect, Matthew 24:31)
Both the living and the dead saints are gathered (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17) Only the living saints are gathered (Matthew 24:31)
The trumpet shall sound multiple times, and at THE LAST TRUMP (trumpet blow), we (believers) shall all be changed, glorious resurrected with an incorruptible body (1st Corinthians 15:52; 1st Thessalonians 4:16) The Lord's voice is as a trumpet (Revelation 1:10-11). There is no trumpet mentioned at Christ's Second Coming.
World famine, pestilence, war and sorrow follow the Rapture. (Matthew 24:6-10; Luke 17:31) World peace follows Christ's Second Coming when He reigns from Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:6)

Clearly, clearly, CLEARLY, there is absolutely NO WAY that the Rapture can happen AFTER the Tribulation! The serious and diligent Bible student who considers all of the preceding 32 differences and distinctions between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ can only conclude a Pre-Tribulation Rapture!!! Here is a helpful prophecy .JPG chart by Pastor Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) showing the timing of Biblical events (here's a smaller .GIF chart if you'd like to have it). I like the .JPG chart better.

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Plain And Simple
(an excerpt from the 338-page book, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow)

Clearly, Billy Sunday (1862-1935) concluded and taught a Pretribulation Rapture. Read what Evangelist Billy Sunday said concerning the Rapture in his classic sermon, “The Second Coming Of Christ”...

The Lord does not come to the world at the time of the Rapture, but only reveals himself to the members of His Body. At the time of his resurrection He was only seen by those who believed on Him. Pilate and the High Priest, and those who crucified Him, did not know that He was risen. So it will be at the time of the Rapture. The world will not know that He has been here, and will have no knowledge of Him until He comes with the members of His Body, at the close of the Tribulation.

SOURCE: 'The Second Coming Of Christ' — by Evangelist BILLY Sunday

Evangelist Oliver B. Greene (1915-1976) Biblically concluded and taught a Pretribulation Rapture...

God did not judge Sodom until Lot was safe outside the city walls (Genesis 19). Nor did God utterly destroy Jericho until Rahab was saved (Joshua 6). This will be just as true in the future; God will not judge this earth, nor the wicked in the final judgment, until the Church is taken out of the earth. That promise is clear: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10). This verse definitely refers to the great Tribulation period. The Rapture takes place at the beginning of chapter four. A door is opened in Heaven and a Voice cries out, “Come up hither!” And the Church is raptured out of the earth to meet the Lord in the air. Read I Thessalonians 4:13-18. ...

A PROPHETIC DECLARATION

Revelation 1:7: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

The second coming of our Lord is a vital part of Christian doctrine, and there has never been a time of greater need for the preaching of this truth than today.

It is essential to distinguish the two parts of His second coming. There is definitely a period of time between the Rapture (the time when Jesus comes FOR His saints) and the Revelation (when He comes WITH His saints). The Rapture is mentioned in John 14:3; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15-18; and I Corinthians 15:23.

All these Scriptures refer to the next great event for Christians - the Rapture of the Church - the time when Jesus comes for His saints, and every living, born again, blood-washed child of God will be caught up to meet Him; the bodies of all the saints who have died will be raised incorruptible, and we will all be caught up together to meet the Lord in the clouds in the air.

But there is another group of Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments which distinctly teach another coming, and verse 7 in our present chapter refers to this time when Jesus will come WITH His saints. (In connection with this read Jude 14; Zechariah 14:5; Colossians 3:4 and Revelation 19:11-14).

The statement, “Behold, He cometh with clouds” agrees with Daniel’s statement “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of Heaven” (Daniel 7:13). This also corresponds with the prophetic utterance of the Lord on the Mount of Olives: “They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30b).

All these Scriptures refer to the Revelation - the time when Jesus will come in the air and EVERY EYE shall see Him. When the Rapture takes place, no person will see the Lord Jesus. He will not come to the earth; He will descend in the air, the trumpet will sound, the voice of the archangel will call the saints up to meet Jesus in the air. He will not stand on the earth when He comes in the Rapture, but He WILL stand on the earth when He comes in the second phase of His return. Zechariah 14:4 definitely describes the Lord Jesus standing on the Mount of Olives.

The prophets throughout the era of the Old Testament had two great prophetic themes: Judgment - and Glory. The Old Testament prophet did not see the church age it was a mystery until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul, who makes known that revelation in the book of Ephesians. As the end of the church age draws near, Jews and Gentiles will become wicked as never before on the face of the earth (Isaiah 60:2).

The nations will be gathered in open rebellion against the Lamb of God (Revelation 19:19) and they will fight against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2).

Therefore, the earth must be cleared of evil and ungodly men before the Lord Jesus comes back to reign in glory, with His Church. Before leaving this section, let me point out that Christ is nowhere said to come with the clouds to gather the Church out of the earth. On the contrary, the saints go up in the clouds (I Thessalonians 4:17). God provides a royal carriage to convey the saints from the earth to meet the Lord in the air. Clouds in the Old Testament were the well-known symbol of the presence of the Lord with His people (Exodus 13:21-40; Exodus 40:34-38;
Luke 9:35).

Christ is not only said to come “in the clouds” (Mark 13:26) but He will come with the clouds (Revelation 1:7) and in the clouds (Matthew 24:30). The clouds which attend His coming are symbols of His majesty and glory. Read Psalm 18:9-12. The Lord sits on the clouds, as on His throne. We believers will be caught up in the clouds (I Thessalonians 4:17).

The Lord Jesus ascended in the clouds (Acts 1:9) and He will come in a cloud (Luke 21:27). These facts are very interesting to spiritually minded believers. The statement “every eye shall see Him” is to be taken literally. Every eye will not see Him at the same identical split second - but every eye will see Jesus. One class is singled out from the mass of mankind and mentioned as “they which pierced Him.”

The entire earth will be in open conflict against the Lord God and His Anointed (read Psalm 2), but this one group is pointed out specifically. John is the only one who records the incident of the Gentile spear which pierced the Saviour’s side (John 19:33-37). Pilate admitted three times that there was no fault in Jesus (John 18:38-19:6); but in spite of the fact that Rome knew Jesus to be innocent, they allowed Him to be scourged and crucified. The Jews screamed aloud for His death. They invited His blood to be not only upon them, but upon their children; and their children have inherited that guilt for generations. They will see Him “whom they pierced” (read Zechariah 12:10).

The peoples referred to as “those who pierced Him” are the people whom we know today as Jews.

“All the tribes of the earth shall wail because of Him.” This coming in the clouds in great glory and power will take place over the entire universe at the same identical time. All the peoples of all the earth will see the Son of God coming in the clouds of Glory. In chapter six we will learn that a world-wide prayer meeting will immediately be in progress . . . but the prayers will be unanswered.

Verse 7 closes with the words “. . . Even so, Amen.” That is a double “amen,” and certainly carries much weight spiritually. Amen means “so be it.” The Spirit is saying here, “This is true. It will happen exactly as stated.”

SOURCE: Dr. Oliver B. Greene, a quote from chapter 1 of the excellent book, “THE REVELATION,” ©1963, The Gospel Hour

The mighty Bible teacher, Dr. M.R. DeHaan, states concerning the Antichrist...

"In considering the policy and claims of the personal Antichrist, we must remind you again of a key that will help much in understanding his methods. Remember that he is the Antichrist. As we trace his course through the Word, we find that, like the saints in Revelation, he follows 'the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.' His purpose is to make men believe that he is the true Christ and God, and therefore he imitates Christ, making the same claims and doing many of the same miracles. For this reason both Jew and Gentile will readily accept him as the great master mind and coming deliverer."

SOURCE: THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS, pg. 140; by M.R. DeHaan; 1944; ISBN: 0-8254-2483-6


Two Classes Of Resurrected Saints

Revelation 20:4, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

Here's some powerful Bible commentary concerning the doctrine of the Rapture by one of my preacher heroes, Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951). The following observation is brilliant by Dr. Ironside. The Bible makes a distinction between saints resurrected BEFORE the Tribulation at the Rapture, and the saints later resurrected AFTER the Tribulation (i.e., the saints who are martyred during the Tribulation Period). Clearly, the saints present during the Tribulation period are in a different class than the saints taken up at the Rapture. This is further conclusive evidence of a PREtribulation Rapture:

Those who are martyred under the beast and the anti-Christ in that day will be raised from the dead when the Lord descends to take the kingdom, and will thus form the last cohort of the first resurrection. Notice the order indicated in Revelation 20:4-6. First, John says, “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.” These are undoubtedly identified with the saints who are raised at the Rapture before the Tribulation. Then John mentions another class...

“And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

These are the martyrs of the tribulation period. They have their part in the heavenly side of the kingdom. As to the unsaved, we are told in verse 5. “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” Verse 6 includes the entire company who have part in the various cohorts of the first resurrection. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

It is plain then that there will be saints on the earth during the great tribulation, but they are not members of the body of Christ, as that body is now constituted by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They will be individual believers, as in Old Testament times, and will through grace be enabled to witness for Christ in that day of great distress. They will share in the kingdom and enjoy the blessing of the Lord in a wonderful way, but they are not included in the body of Christ that occupies a distinct place through all the ages to come.

SOURCE: Dr. Harry Ironside, “Not Wrath, But Rapture

The first part of Revelation 20:4 is a fulfillment of 1st Corinthians 6:2, “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” The Apostle John sees these saints, who were taken at the PreTribulation Rapture, judging the world as God promised. Yet, John also sees a second group of saints, those who are martyred (murdered for Christ) during the Tribulation, who will reign with Christ during the millennium period. This is clearly a different class of believers than those mentioned in the first part of the verse. This plainly evidences that the Rapture will happen BEFORE the Tribulation. To read Dr. Ironside's entire exegesis, please read his sermon, “Not Wrath, But Rapture!

Evangelist John R. Rice Teaches The Truth That The "Rapture" Happens Before The Tribulation


Evangelist John R. Rice (1895-1980) Biblically concluded and taught a Pretribulation Rapture...

II. No One Knows Even Approximately When Jesus Will Come

In the Olivet discourse the Saviour discusses the second coming. The clearest point in all His teaching on the second coming is that no one knows when it will be. Consider Mark 13:32-37:

"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."

Now observe the clear teaching of the Saviour that no man can know the time:

1. The angels do not know when Jesus will come.

2. The Lord Jesus Himself while on earth did not know when He would return.

3. Jesus said His second coming was so wholly unpredictable that it was illustrated by the servants waiting for their master's return. The master might come in the evening, midnight, cock-crowing or in the morning. In this world no one can foretell even approximately when Jesus will return and when this age will end. If the more than nineteen hundred years which have already elapsed since Christ promised to return be divided up into four watches or periods to represent evening, midnight, cock-crowing and morning, we find that Jesus is saying that no one can know even within centuries of the time of His return.

4. The all-important teaching of Jesus about His return is that He may come at any moment. His coming is imminent.

SOURCE: Evangelist John R. Rice (1895-1980), chapter 3 from the excellent book, We Can Have Revival Now.

Read THE NEW WORLD ORDER (.PDF file) authored by S.Z. Batten written in 1919. Batten states on page 148, “Christianity has suffered much from the wrong thinking of bad men, but even more from the small thinking of good men.” What a true statement!

Jeremiah 6:16, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”


“Ye that love the LORD, hate evil...” —Psalm 97:10