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Rev. Ronald C. Purkey claims no originality for this Bible study outline.
However,
every outline posted on this website has been taught by Rev. Purkey.
To see more Bible study outlines go
to page two: More Bible Study Outlines.
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THE COMING PROPHETIC EVENTS
INTRODUCTION:
For the past two Sundays I have been bringing messages designed to strengthen our
faith for the future.
1. Recently we have looked at the
question:
a.
"What is this world coming to?"
b.
And the answer of course is that it is coming to an end!
c.
We have considered:
(1)
The dangers to any study of prophetic events.
(2)
As well as Paul's instruction to Timothy concerning the last days.
a. To help us
understand the history of God's dealing with this world, it is beneficial to divide
time into basic periods of time.
b. From the beginning
of this world until the end of the world we can see these seven distinctive
periods as we study the Word of God.
c. For purposes this
morning we want to focus on the age in which we now live, the Church Age and the yet
to come Prophetic Events.
I. THE CHURCH AGE (The Age of Grace). (Matthew 16:17-20; 1
Peter 2:4-9)
(We are NOW in the Age of Grace)
1. The Church.
Jesus
said that He would build His church.
2. The Message.
The
key events in the church age are (1) the death, (2) the burial and (3) the
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
3. The Length.
Unlike
the other dispensations, the actual length of this dispensation is not given.
4. The End.
However,
the signs of the times suggest we are living in or near the end of this age.
5. The Building.
Jesus
established the local church during His ministry upon earth, and He will
continue to build it until He chooses the time to take all believers home with
Him.
(Matthew
6. The Outcome.
He
reminds us that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.
7. The Plan.
Nothing
will prevail against God's eternal plan.
PASTOR PURKEY’S NOTE: Our job as a Christian is to be a
soul-winner. We are to witness to others about (1) the death, (2) the burial
and (3) the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We need to tell our loved ones and
neighbors how to be saved and ask them to accept Christ as their personal
Savior.
II. THE RAPTURE. (1 Corinthians
15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
(1
Thessalonians 4:16-17) 16 For
the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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.
1. The Next Biblical Event.
The
end of this dispensation will be signaled by the next event on the timeline of biblical
prophecy is the rapture, when Christ returns for all the saved.
2. The Transport To Heaven.
Our
English word "rapture" comes from a Latin term that means "to
transport" or "take away."
3. The Event Clearly Described.
Although
the word is not found in the Bible, the event it refers to is clearly
described.
(1
Cor. 15:51-52) "Behold, I shew you a
mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
4. The Trumpet Will Sound.
Jesus
will come as "the trumpet will
sound."
a. In the OT, the
single blast of the trumpet was either a call to war or to worship.
b. At the rapture,
Jesus will usher us into His presence and we will worship Him.
c.
At the same time, the trumpet will signal God's final battle with Satan.
d. Before our nation
declares war on another country, the first act is to call the ambassadors home,
to get them out of harm's way.
e. In much the same
way, God will protect us from His "wrath" as the battle begins.
f. There are those
who believe that the believer will have to go through the tribulation, but I
believe that God's Word teaches us otherwise.
(1
Thess. 5:9) “For God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(2
Corinthians 5:10) For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done
in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
1. Only For Believers.
Immediately
following the rapture, all believers will stand before "the judgment seat of Christ."
2. Place For Rewards.
Paul
instructs us that "the judgment seat" is a place of reward or loss of
reward.
3. Judged In Heaven.
The
way we lived our lives will be judged in heaven.
4. To Determine Rewards.
Not
to see if we are saved or not, but to determine rewards.
5. According To Obedience.
The
Bible mentions many rewards, and at this judgment seat, these rewards will be
meted out according to our obedience to Christ.
IV. THE GREAT TRIBULATION.
(Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:15-26; Revelation 9:18-21)
(Matthew
24:21) For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no,
nor ever shall be.
1. Suffering Will Come.
After
the rapture, all believers will stand before "the judgment seat of
Christ" in heaven, the unbelievers left on the earth will face a period
known as The Great Tribulation.
2. Satan Will Rule.
As
believers are removed, Satan will have greater rule.
a.
He will establish an unholy trinity. (Satan, the antichrist, and the false
prophet.)
b.
He will take the place of God the Father.
c.
His servant "the beast" will take the place of the Son. (Antichrist.)
d. And the
"false prophet" the deceiver, will take the place of the Comforter,
the Holy Spirit. (Religious leader.)
3. Skillful Political Leader.
The
"beast" will not be a terrible creature, but a global leader who will
be beast-like in nature. (The antichrist.)
a.
He will be a brilliant political ruler.
b.
Perhaps he is living today.
4. Solution For Peace.
This
antichrist will come for 3 1/2 years with a peace plan for Israel and the
entire world.
5. Sham For Hope.
The
later 3 1/2 years will have tremendous chaos.
6. Surprising Evil Power.
There
will be many saved during the tribulation, but it will be very difficult to
live for Christ because of the power of evil in the world.
7. Solemn Armageddon Battle.
This
period of time will come to a close with a great battle, the battle of Armageddon,
at which time the Lord will return to the earth.
V. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
(Matthew 24:16-30; Revelation 19:11-16)
(The King Is Coming: This is not to be confused with the
Rapture.)
(Revelation
19:16) And he hath on his vesture and on
his thigh a name written, King Of Kings,
And Lord Of Lords.
1. Coming To The Earth.
At
the Rapture Christ will come in the air, but at the Second Coming, He will come
to the earth.
2. Coming With His Saints.
At
the Rapture, Jesus will come for His saints, and at the Second Coming Jesus
will come with His saints.
3. Coming As Righteous Judge.
Jesus
will come as a righteous judge and to make war with those who oppose Him.
4. Coming To Destroy Enemies.
He
will make short work of the enemies, as He destroys them by His Word.
(Revelation
19:21) “And the remnant were slain with
the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his
mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”
PASTOR PURKEY’S NOTE: Simply
put, I believe that we have been in the “end times” since the days of the
Apostle Paul. I believe that Jesus can come in the Rapture at any time. I
believe that there is nothing that I (or you) can do to stop or speed-up the
Rapture or the Tribulation – even Jesus Christ Himself does not know when this
will take place (Matthew 24:36, 40 & 42); only God the Father knows when
the Rapture will take place. I believe that only saved people (living and dead)
will be caught-up in the Rapture.
I believe that the Rapture will
trigger the Tribulation period. It will last seven years, and during the last
three and one half years there will be “Great Tribulation.” Everyone left after
the Rapture will go through the Tribulation including the USA. The Nation of
Israel will be the focus, and Israel will turn to Jesus Christ as their Messiah
and Savior. The Jews will be the main preachers during the Tribulation; it will
start with 144,000 Jewish preachers. Many will be saved during the Tribulation,
but they will still have to go through the agony of Satan’s rule for seven
years. It will be during this time that the Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem
and the Antichrist will be revealed. The Tribulation will end after seven years
when the King of kings, Jesus Christ, returns (in the Second Coming) to set up
his kingdom. (“And
except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for
the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” – Matthew 24:22) All saved
people in heaven will return with Him and enjoy the glory of peace and
righteousness of Christ’s rule (the Millennium). At this time Satan, the
antichrist, and the false prophet will be in hell.
I believe in a Pre-Tribulation
and Pre-Millennial Rapture. My ministry today is preaching the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, evangelism, and teaching the saints the Word of God. My ministry has
not changed in over fifty years. I look for the “Blessed Hope” of the return of
Jesus Christ today, or tomorrow, or soon. I believe that the Rapture is
“imminent,” and can take place at any time. I use a Scofield Study Bible, and I
took part of the Scofield Reference Bible study course through Moody Bible
Institute in Chicago in 1967.
I believe that today most
professing Christians in America and most church in America are
“amillennial." Many of our hymns are amillennial. But I am not. It’s
old-fashioned, but I believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and I am
Pre-Millennial! This is where I am coming from. I hope it helps you understand
what this preacher believes.
VI. THE KINGDOM AGE. (2
Corinthians 15:20-34; Revelation 20:1-6)
(Revelation
20:1-2) 1 And I saw an
angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great
chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
1. A Thousand Years.
Revelation
20:1-2 tells us that at this time Satan will be "bound" for a
"thousand years."
2. The Millennial Reign.
This
is the Kingdom Age or The Millennial Reign.
3. Throne Of David.
Jesus
will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem to rule the whole world in a
divine monarchy.
4. Reign With Christ.
In
Rev. 20:4 the "thrones" refers to those of us who were raptured who
will reign with Him for a thousand years on earth in our glorified bodies.
(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.”
5. Period Will End.
This
dispensation will end at the close of the 1000 year period of time.
6. Satan Is Loosed.
Satan
will be loosed for a season and mount a futile rebellion, which will be
immediately squelched by our Lord.
7. The Final Judgment.
Then
will come the Great White Throne Judgment.
(Revelation
20:11) And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and
there was found no place for them.
1. Satan’s Eternal Place.
Satan
will finally be "cast into the lake
of fire."
2. Christ Rejecter’s Doom.
All
who died without Christ, whose names are not in "the Book of Life" will be "cast into the lake of fire."
3. Separation From God.
This
is the judgment upon the dead (spiritual) and there is only one sentence
pronounced…eternal separation from All Mighty God.
VIII. ETERNITY: ALL THINGS MADE NEW. (Revelation 21:1-22:21)
1. After this, the earth will be
destroyed and God will create a new heavens and earth for us to enjoy for all
eternity.
2. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1).
CONCLUSION: What's
this world coming to? That's a good question. A better question is: What's coming to this world? For those
who know Christ, the future is glory. For those who refuse to surrender to
Christ, their future is judgment.
We
know what this world is coming to…but what
will we do with this knowledge? The Bible says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” People need to know,
and who
will tell them? "For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall
they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher?" (Romans 10:13-14).
The
rich man in hell lifted up his eyes from the torment with the desire that his
family not have to come to the same end that he did. But it was too late for him to witness to them.
Will
we wait too long? How many souls will be damned for all eternity: (1) Because
we failed to go…, (2) Because we
failed to witness…, and (3) Because
we failed to let them know what we know?
* * *
REFERENCES: References used in these Bible
studies are the King James Bible (KJV), The Moody Bible Commentary, Dr. J.
Vernon McGee © Thru the Bible Radio Network ( www.ttb.org ), the Scofield Study
Bible, the Believer’s Bible Commentary, Dr. Charles J. Woodbridge Bible
Outlines, Dr. Lee Roberson’s Sermons, Dr. Charles Stanley: ( http://www.intouch.org/ ), Don Robinson’s Bible Outlines,
Women’s Study Bible, The Bible Reader’s Companion Ed. 3, The Nelson Study
Bible: New King James Version, KJV Bible Commentary, Wiersbe’s Expository
Outlines of the New Testament ed. 4, Dr. David Jeremiah: ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/ ), Dr. Cliff Robinson’s
Bible Outlines, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines of the Old Testament, Dr. Alan Carr’s The Sermon
Notebook, With the Word Bible Commentary, Wiersbe’s “Be” Series: Old & New
Testaments, RBC Ministries ( http://rbc.org/ ), selected
illustrations, and other references.
REV. RONALD PURKEY’S OFFICE
E-mail: Ronald Purkey
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