Expert: Cooper P. Abrams III - 8/22/2005

Question
Pastor Abrams,

My question centers specifically on the verses 1Thess 5:3 and 2Peter 3:10.

Is the verse from Thess. referring to the rapture or 2nd coming?  Next, why would the inhabitants of earth use the phrase "peace and safety"?  Aren't we told that the events preceding both the rapture and 2nd coming are to be negative in nature: war, famine, pestilance, etc.

I assume the verse in 2 Peter is speaking of the 2nd coming.  Why, then, is Christ's coming depicted as a "thief in the night"?  When He comes with His saints to the battlefield of Meggido, He comes as a conquering king in full view of earth's inhabitants, correct?  

Answer
Hi Aaron,

  There is a lot of confusion about the coming rapture, tribulation, second coming, millennium and the new heavens and earth.   It is not complicated as people make it and the problem is that many try to interpret these events without understanding the whole picture of what is future to us.    The popular Pre-wrath view is an example of a false view that was born out of ignorance and not understanding the whole picture.

  1 Thess. 4:13-15 is refering to the rapture which is a part of Jesus' second coming.     He comes first before the Tribulation (Daniel's 70th Week)  to take believers of this age to heaven, but he does not actually come to earth.    "we meet him in the air".   The rapture is the resurrection of Christians from this present time called the Church Age,   The Church Age began in Acts 2 when God instituted the local church and will continue until the rapture.    His return at the end of the Tribulation is His Second Coming when He purges the earth of sinners and then sets up His promise Kingdom to the Jews.

  2 Peter 3:10 refers to the final judgment of Rev. 20:11-15 and the events of Rev. 21-22, which follow the end of the Millennium, when God will destroy by fire the present earth and makes a new heaven and earth.   (Rev. 20:7-10)   At the second coming, at the end of the Seven year Tribulation the heavens and earth are not destroyed, only the unsaved are taken off the earth and placed in Hades to await the final judgment.  

1 Thess. 5:3 is referring to the coming Tribulation or Jacob's sorrow.   At the beginning of the Tribulation the Antichrist will come to power offering peace and safety to the world.   He will make a covenant with Israel to protect her, but in the middle of the Tribulation he will reveal his truth self, be possessed by Satan and being to persecute believers who are saved after the rapture.      He will come deceiving most of the world who seek for peace, but reject God's peace.

The rapture will come unexpected.   It is like it was in Noah's day.   He preached righteousness for 120 years, but the people rejected his message from the Lord.    But then the rain began and it was too late for them.     Christ is being preached now, but most people still reject the Lord's mercy and grace.    People at the time of the rapture will be living their normal lives and suddenly will find themselves in the midst of the judgments of God and "left behind."

  The battles (plural) which happen at Meggido (Jezeel Valley) end with the Second Coming.   Armies from the east (China, etc) will cross the Euphrate river and attack Israel and the armies of the Antichrist.    It is actually a series of battles....which end with Christ's sudden Second Coming in which he destroys all these armies.    As they see the Lord coming in the air the armies turn from fight among themselves,  to attack the Lord and He destroys them all and only believers Jews and Gentiles are left on earth.

  There are many events involved in the end times.  The key to properly understanding them is to understand that the Tribulation is God beginning once again to work with the nation of Israel and also people on the earth.   He in this present dispensation (church age)is work with the Gentiles and not with Israel as a nation.   
the next prophectic event will be the rapture.  At the end of the seven year Tribulation the Lord will give Israel the land He promised them and He will rule the world for thousand years (millennium) on the throne of David and Israel will be the dominate nation on earth.

  If you have other questions please write.    It is a involved subject with many events and as I said lots of people get them mixed up and out of place.     Thanks for writing.

  I am writing a commentary on the Book of Revelation and hopefully by the end of the year will have it posted on my web site...   bible-truth.org    

  If you email me at cpa@bible-truth.org I will send you a chart that shows the major part of these events graphically.

Cooper Abrams