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Silver 1
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Silver 2
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Silver 3
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Silver 4
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Silver 5
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Silver 6
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Silver 7
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Silver 8
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A Study Of Silver: Chapter 1
The End Times Scenario Someday, and I don't know when, (but I suspect within 40 years or less) the Antichrist and the False Prophet will come to power in the political and religious realms and forbid buying and selling through the regular means of trade at that time, which will likely be through electronic transactions completed by using the Mark of the Beast as identification. Unless one takes the Antichrist's mark, which symbolizes worship of Satan and rejection of God the Father and Jesus Christ, they will be unable to engage in normal trade. One will very likely have to barter with commodities to obtain food and necessities. (Rev 13:16-17 NIV) He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Rev 16:2 NIV) The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. (Rev 14:9-11 NIV) A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." In effect, taking the Mark will be the same as swearing allegiance to the devil, and that leads first to painful sores and ultimately to eternity in hell. That's enough to ruin anyone's day. (Rev 14:12-13 NIV) This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." Some say that the Church and the saved will be gone in the rapture before the Mark is required, but that does not seem to be the clear message of the scriptures. Some will die at he hand of Antichrist and the False Prophet as a witness to the unbelieving world, as a testimony to their faith in Jesus Christ. The scripture above clearly shows this. (Rev 14:14-16 NIV) I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. However, not all will die. The harvest of the earth is the rapture, also called “The First Resurrection, and it will happen while believers are still alive on the earth.” Some people will never see death bu go directly from earthly life to eternal life. (Rev 20:6 NIV) Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. What is called the rapture, the harvest of the earth, or the First Resurrection, occurs sometime after the saints have been persecuted and the mark of the Beast is instituted, but we don't know exactly when during the tribulation period that this happens. (Dan 12:11-12 NIV) "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. We do know one thing for certain however, that it won't last more than 1,335 days and it could be less. The end of the 1,335 days seems to indicate that Christ will return at that time and if so, the saints will have been removed from earth before that, because we, and the saved of all ages, will return with him. (Jude 1:14-15 KJV) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Col 3:4 KJV) When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. It is clear that the saved of all ages will return with Christ at his second coming, therefore the rapture must take place some time before the return of Jesus Christ, when he returns to earth to destroy the armies of the world at Armageddon. How long before, we do not know. My guess is that it will be about one year before, but that is only a guess. The rapture could take place shortly after the mark of the Beast is instituted and some believers are martyred, or just before Christ's return, or anytime in-between. We have no way of knowing for sure. The Lord very often does what we least expect, hence the saying, “the Lord works in strange ways.” (Isa 28:21 NCV) The LORD will fight as he did at Mount Perazim. He will be angry as he was in the Valley of Gibeon. He will do his work, his strange work. He will finish his job, his strange job. (Mat 24:44 KJV) Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. We need to heed the warnings in the verses above. (1 Th 4:16-18 NIV) For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Th 5:1-4 NIV) Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. The Lord has not left us completely in the dark though. To the world the end times events and his return will be a shock, like being surprised by a thief in the night. We, the saved, should not be surprised though, instead we should be prepared, and that is our goal in this study, to learn how to prepare for the tribulation period. |
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Find out more about end times prophecy. Read "Countdown To
6000." Click on the chapter titles below. |