Q & A on Ezekiel 38-39, the great tribulation and the rapture
Lesson
XVI
Question: Where does the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 fit
in the overall scheme of world events; will it be part of the tribulation
before or after it?
Ezekiel 38:18-22
We believe, but are not dogmatic, that the events of Ezekiel 38-39 will take place during the last three and a half years of the Tribulation. Here are some reasons for our conclusion. In Ezekiel 38:8,11,14, we notice that each verse states that Gog comes against Israel when “they dwell safely”, a condition that does not yet exist. People are being killed there almost daily.
Ezekiel 38:8,11,14
(8) After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land [that is] brought back from the
sword, [and is] gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel,
which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and
they shall dwell safely all of them.
(11) And thou shalt
say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I
will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling
without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
(14) Therefore, son of man, prophesy and
say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth
safely, shalt thou not know [it]?
A young Israeli visited me a few weeks ago. I was trying to show him that the return of
the Jews to that land was a miraculous event. So I said, “It doesn’t seem to make any sense
for Jews to go to that land to be shot at.” His reply: “
Daniel 9:27
(27) And he shall confirm the covenant with
many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall
make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be
poured upon the desolate.
Revelation 6:2-4
(3) And when he had
opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
1 Thessalonians 5:3
(3) For when they shall say, Peace and
safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape.
In Daniel 9:27, a coming prince will confirm a covenant with
Revelation 6:2 tells of a rider on a white horse. We believe this to be a false Christ, declaring
peace. For verse 4 speaks of a second
rider that comes to “take away peace from the earth.” This indicates that peace has come. Therefore we believe that the tribulation will
begin with a declaration of peace. 1
Thessalonians 5:3 says “when they shall say peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them.” How might this come about?
Isaiah 17:1
(1) The burden of Damascus. Behold,
Damascus is taken away from [being] a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
Revelation 16:14, 19-21
(14) For they are the spirits of devils,
working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole
world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
(19) And the great city was divided into
three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in
remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness
of his wrath.
(20) And every island fled away, and the
mountains were not found.
(21) And there fell upon men a great hail
out of heaven, [every stone] about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed
God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding
great.
Zechariah 14:3
(3) Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight
against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
Isaiah 17:1 foretells the destruction of
Most agree that the last three and a half years of the Tribulation will
be the time that God pours out His wrath.
Ezekiel 38:18-22
We read, in Ezekiel 38:18, that when Gog invades Israel, God says: “My
fury shall come up in my face.”
Then verse 19 speaks of “the fire of God’s wrath”.
Verse 20: “mountains shall be thrown down” and “every wall shall fall
to the ground.”
Verse 22: God rains hailstones, fire and brimstone. All much like
Revelation 16:19-21. What begins as a
human invasion will end with a battle with God Almighty (Revelation 16:14),
when the Lord comes forth to fight (Zechariah 14:3) for Israel. It is because of these verses in Ezekiel
38:18-22, we place the events of these chapters during
the last half of the Tribulation.
Question: How do we know that Jesus will come to take
believers in Him, before the events of the great Tribulation?
Consider 1 Thessalonians
5:1-11.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
(1) But of the times
and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
(2) For yourselves
know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
(4) But ye,
brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
(6) Therefore let us
not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
(7) For they that
sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken
are drunken in the night.
(9) For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
(10) Who died for us,
that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
(11) Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
The chapter begins with the word “but”: a conjunction, but here also a
contrast. For in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,
Paul has described the Rapture of which they had been ignorant! (1 Thessalonians
4:13)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
(18) Wherefore
comfort one another with these words.
Now he writes in verse 1 of chapter 5, “But of the times and seasons
brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly …
[Paul had taught them.
2 Thessalonians 2:5
(5) Remember ye
not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?]
… that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in
the night.”
Remember, the “day of the Lord” is always judgment, well described in
the Old Testament.
Zephaniah 1:15
(15) That day [is] a day of wrath, a day of
trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and
desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick
darkness,
The day of the Lord comes in the night, not in the day. It will come as a thief, unannounced,
unexpected.
1 Thessalonians 5:3
“for when they…
(Note it does not say “ye”. In verse 1 it says “ye”, in verse 3, “they”
and “them”.)
… they say peace and safety. Sudden destruction comes upon them.
And they shall not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:4 But ye, brethren are not in
darkness.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 Ye are all
children of light, children of the day not of the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore, don’t sleep,
watch and be sober.
Then again in verse 7, a contrast between “they”
and “us.”
1 Thessalonians 5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the
night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 “But let us who are of the day be sober
(sensible) putting on the breastplate of faith (Galatians 3:11, the just live
by faith) and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. (?) What is that?
Galatians 3:11
(11) But that no man is justified by the
law in the sight of God, [it is] evident: for, The
just shall live by faith.
Titus 2:13
(13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ;
Titus 2:13 “looking for that blessed hope and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 1:10
(10) And to wait for his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath
to come.
Now read:
1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath
(which comes in the Tribulation. He has
already delivered us from the wrath to come, 1 Thessalonians 1:10) He hath appointed us “to obtain salvation
(deliverance) by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We have been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin.
We are being saved from the power of sin.
We shall be saved from the very presence of sin.
Romans 13:11
(11) And that, knowing the time, that now
[it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than
when we believed.
Romans 13:11 now is (this aspect) of our salvation nearer than when we
believed.
How will we be saved from wrath?
1 Thessalonians 5:10 By Jesus Christ “who died for us, that, whether we
wake (are alive) or sleep (have died) we should live together with him.”
When will this take place?
This has already been explained in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. The dead and living will live together at the
Rapture.
Now compare 1 Thessalonians 5:11 with 1 Thessalonians 4:18.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
(11) Wherefore comfort yourselves together,
and edify one another, even as also ye do.
1 Thessalonians 4:18
(18) Wherefore comfort one another with
these words.
The blessed hope of Rapture before wrath is intended to comfort and
encourage our hearts.
Question: Does Revelation 4:1-2 teach the truth of the
Rapture?
Revelation 4:1-2
(1) After this I looked, and, behold, a
door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were
of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
(2) And immediately I was in the spirit:
and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne.
We believe that it does.
The word “Church” is found in chapters 2 & 3, but is not found in
the following chapters 6-18 in Revelation.
John is in the Church (1 Corinthians 12:28).
1 Corinthians 12:28
(28) And God hath set some in the church,
first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments,
diversities of tongues.
If he saw the Tribulation looking down from Heaven, can we not believe
that we will be with him when these events take place?
The greater part of the Church has already escaped the Tribulation and
we are sure we will also.