At this point, I would like to address some questions that may have arisen in your minds concerning the material covered in this book and its implications.

Question 1. If the "great tribulation" came in A.D. 70, and John, writer of the book of the Revelation, survived past that time, to possibly A.D. 100, why didn't he write about it in the books of the Bible which he authored after that time?

Answer: There is very good evidence that the Book of the Revelation was written prior to A.D. 66. It describes the events of the Great Tribulation period which took place around A.D. 70.

The Christians who fled to Pella were well aware of the destruction of Jerusalem, just as Jesus had foretold. The early church had no doubt that the "great tribulation" had indeed come to Jerusalem. This gave great impetus to the Christian movement, because they could see that Jesus was the Christ, as He had declared, from the fulfillments of the things He foretold; from the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. It happened just as He had said it would.

John mentioned the "great tribulation" as a current event in the book of the Revelation. The first mention is Revelation 1:9, "I John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation..." NENT.

The second mention is Revelation 8:14, "And he spake to me, These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." NENT. This obviously spoke of Christians. It was, a vision of the future of what was about to take place.
Revelation 1:9, quoted above, was not in a vision, but was introductory to the book of the Revelation, yet he spoke of the "tribulation" as if it were a current event.

Matthew Henry, in his Bible commentary on Matthew 24, stated that none of the twelve apostles, except John, lived to see the destruction of Jerusalem, but they left directions to their successors, and that it was useful to them.

He says that when the Christians in Jerusalem and Judea saw the ruin coming, they fled to Pella, across the Jordan. He also states that of the thousands that perished in the destruction of Jerusalem, there was not so much as one Christian.

It is interesting that John's Gospel does not include the prophecies of the Olivet discourse as do the other Gospels. It is likely that the Gospel according to John was written after A.D. 70, and that John did not include those prophecies because they had been entirely fulfilled. This is merely speculation, and should be received as such.

Question 2. If the A.D. 70 desolation was not the fulfillment of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, what events would have to happen before the second coming of the Lord?

Answer: If the "great tribulation" was not fulfilled in A.D. 70, and was yet future, then among other things, it would be necessary for the following events to occur to fulfill prophecy:

1. The temple in Jerusalem would have to be rebuilt. This would mean clearing the land of existing structures.

2. Animal sacrifice would have to be reinstated. This would be a great abomination to God, refusing to acknowledge the sacrifice of His only begotten Son as a permanent atonement, once for all.

3. Jerusalem would have to experience wars and tumults and rumors of (talk about) wars.

4. Her enemies would have to surround her, and throw up a bank [siege wall] against her, hemming her in on all sides.

5. There would have to be famine, pestilence and the Jews would have to be killed by sword (an outmoded weapon).

6. The reinstated sacrifice would have to cease again.

7. The city and the temple would have to be destroyed again, leaving no stone upon another that was not cast down.

8. Their survivors would then have to be scattered into all nations (as they have already been for two thousand years).

9. The "times of the gentiles" would come.

10. False prophets and false Christs would have to appear during the time after the destruction.

11. There would have to be wonders in the sky,

12. Finally, Christ would come again.

After having read this book, you can easily see that these events have all occurred, in the exact order, as foretold by Jesus, in the forty years following the crucifixion of Christ.

If we are unable to recognize these fulfillments that were so literal and precise, how could we ever hope to recognize any fulfillment of prophecy today, or in the future?

Some say that we are going through great tribulation even now, and what of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during WWII, and the holocaust of Hitler's concentration camps? That was against Jews! Christians are being persecuted in many lands right now, and some estimate that over fifty million were killed in the name of Christianity by the Roman church during the dark ages. What of them? What of all the martyrs? Could none of this be the "great tribulation?"

All of these are, perhaps by definition, "great tribulation," but Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not prophesied about in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. Although the hollocaust was perpetrated against Jews, it was not the "great tribulation" of Scripture, because it was not in Jerusalem, and did not involve the destruction of the Temple and the City. The martyrdom of Christians is foretold as a continuing thing in the Bible, but again, it was not exclusively during the "great tribulation" in Jerusalem.

Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, in short, contain very specific prophecies which predict the acts of vengeance and wrath of God upon an obstinate and disobedient generation of unbelieving Jews.

Some of these prophecies are found in the predictions of Jesus in Matthew 23:34. There are many other related scriptures of prophecy in the Bible. They do not address a worldwide conflict and tribulation, but only that which related to Judea and its inhabitants of that day, the Jews.

Question 3. If the "great tribulation" is past history and cannot be repeated, then what can be expected to occur in the future, between now and the second coming of Jesus?

It is not our purpose here to detail what will happen in the future, but rather, to show, unquestionably, what has already come to pass, in fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

However, there are several conclusions which can be drawn. The first is that there cannot be a pre-tribulation rapture of the saints, as many have confidently taught for over a hundred and fifty years, because the "great tribulation" is past. Jesus said, "But watch at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21:36, NENT. The King James Version says: "pray that ye may be accounted worthy to escape." This Jesus spoke, not of an end-time pre-tribulational "rapture" of the church, but of the escape of His disciples from Jerusalem to prevent being killed in the destruction. As we have already stated several times, the saints who were in Jerusalem at that season did escape to Pella in Perea. History bears this out.

Question 4. Will Antichrist come in the future?

Many end-time teachers talk about the coming of "the Antichrist." They are apparently referring to one of the beasts in the Book of the Revelation, calling him "the Antichrist." This is simply not Scriptural. In Revelation 13:1-18, there are three wicked ones mentioned, a dragon, and two beasts (one of which is smitten unto death and his stroke of death has been healed), and there is the image of the first beast.

The Bible does not refer to any of these as "the Antichrist." In Revelation 16:13, the dragon, the beast and the false prophet (which could be the second beast of Revelation 13) are all mentioned, and in Revelation 20:10, all three have been cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

The word "antichrist" appears in only two books of the entire Bible, 1 John and 2 John. "Little Children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists." (Notice, not "the" antichrist, but "many" antichrists.) 1 John 2:18.

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." 1 John 2:22. "and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and that is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is in the world." 1 John 4:3. Before John died, (history says near A.D. 100), the spirit of antichrist was already in the world.

"For many deceiver are entering into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." 2 John :7. This he spoke of the heresies which were beginning to creep into Christianity.

The word antichrist comes from the Greek word "antichristos," meaning: "an opponent of the Messiah."

The only mentions of this word in the Bible are those listed above, and they do not refer to any one individual as "the Antichrist." John was merely warning them of those who would come and oppose the Messiah, as many had already begun to do. So there is no authority in the Scriptures to refer to an individual as "the Antichrist," in regard to end-time events. All who oppose the Messiah are antichrist, of which there are still very many.

Some refer to the "man of sin" in 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, as "the Antichrist," but again, the Scripture does not so name him. "...he that opposeth and exalteth himself against every one called God or an object of worship; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as being God." 2 Thessalonians 2:4, NENT. This Scripture is also used by some to show that the Temple in Jerusalem must be rebuilt before the Lord can return. On closer examination, we find that the word translated "temple" is the Greek word "naos," which is the same word in I Corinthians 6:19, saying: "What! know ye not that your body is the temple [naos] of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

The Greek word for the physical temple building is "hieron" (the entire precincts of the temple). But "naos" (the central sanctuary of the temple) is used numerous times in the Bible to identify the dwelling place of God, in the Spirit, the hearts of men (I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, II Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:21).

In this day, a person totally sold out to humanism would be described as having the "man of sin" sitting in the temple, "naos" (his heart), where God should be. The "man of sin" represents everyone who exalts himself above God in his own heart, and tries to run his own life apart from, and in opposition to Christ. Such a one is sent a working of error from God to believe what is false, because he has not a love of the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).

Most of the confusion concerning the "man of sin" comes from the King James Version. I believe that the rendering of this Scripture from Greek to English could be greatly improved. Perhaps then our theologians could understand it. That is just my opinion, and it's worth as much as it cost you.

Question 5. Since the Temple in Jerusalem was fully destroyed in A.D. 70, does the Bible predict that it will have to be rebuilt before Jesus comes again?

Answer: The Bible makes no such prediction. It is possible, I suppose, that the present-day Jews, in their zeal, could rebuild it, but prophecy does not foretell such.

Standing in the way of such a reconstruction of the temple is the Moslem mosque, called the "Dome of the Rock," which presently occupies much of the location of the temple. Of course that is no problem to God, but the New Jerusalem, described in Revelation 21, has no temple in it, (vs 22) "for the Lord God and the Lamb are its temple."

The Bible makes it perfectly clear that under the new covenant, God inhabits those who are His through Jesus our Lord. He needs no temple building to reside in. He has made for Himself a body, the church, and therein will He dwell.

These facts have been adequately shown both Biblically and historically.

In Romans Chapter ten, Paul wrote: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Romans 10:1-3.

Paul also wrote in Romans 1:13, "Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren...," and this statement he made at least seven times, concerning Paul's purpose, righteousness, baptism, Spiritual gifts, Paul's desperation of life, concerning the dead, and the fact that, to the Lord, a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day.

If we are willing to receive what Paul is saying, we must acknowledge the fact that God does not desire that we be ignorant. He has given us the capability to obtain accurate knowledge about Him, and He expects us to be diligent to learn the truth. Otherwise, we might be like Israel, trying to go about serving God in the wrong way.

This is what I believe is happening in our day. We have, in our laziness, allowed someone else to explain the Bible to us, instead of studying it for ourselves. We are individually responsible to God for what we do with our lives, and no one else can stand in our place. So it is vital that we learn as much of the truth as we can, from the best source (the Bible), so as to dispel the traditions of men (which make the Word of God of non-effect) in our lives.

God has given us inquiring minds, and in much of our secular activity, we use them very well, but when it comes to our knowledge of God, we too often place our trust in men.

Men figure out things, then expound upon what they have found, much as I have done in this book. And we should listen, or read these things, perhaps we will learn something. But, as we have our minds stimulated by men's input, let us turn to God's sources and examine for ourselves if these things be true, as the noble men of Berea did in Acts 17:11.

I have had the opportunity several times, in recent years, to discuss some of my findings, from independent Bible study, with others who have studied in much the same way. It is amazing how we have reached the same conclusions, independently, about so many Bible doctrines. Yet I do not desire that anyone take what I say as truth, without first checking it out in the Bible and the sources cited.

Corporate Bible studies are good, and group discussions are valuable, but never abandon your own individual Bible studies. Try to put aside traditions you have been exposed to, and see what the Scriptures say to you by the power of the Holy Spirit. This I say, not to everyone, but to those who are able to do so. Rest assured, if those things you have been taught are true, they will be reinforced by Scripture. If not, Scripture will expose them.

Do not be apprehensive about the great tribulation which, so many teach, is yet future, when in fact it is past. Jesus came to set the captives free. Incorrect understanding holds us captive. Before conversion, fear of death holds men captive, but afterwards, with the assurance of eternal life, the fear of death can no longer hold us, the "portals of the grave" (gates of hell), cannot prevail against the church because we are in Christ Jesus. Jesus led captive the fear of death which had sway over us. Now we are free to live our lives, and die with that blessed assurance that we shall forever be with Him.

The fear of what is coming upon the earth, especially when we believe error, can cause us much unnecessary anxiety. Here, again, the truth can set us free. "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7.

I am not a great prophet of God, who can give you all the facts about what will happen in the future. I am, however, a reasonably intelligent historian and Bible scholar, who can relate to you those most obvious events which have already come, fulfilling Bible prophecy. I can also assure you that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:23-39. Neither can "tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword." Romans 8:35.

The future is in God's capable hands, and if we place ourselves in His hands, He will fit us into His Master plan, so that all things will work out for our good.

No man knows what lies ahead for us, but be assured that those belong to our Lord will have nothing to fear.

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