How Long is an Interlude?
HOW LONG IS AN INTERLUDE? WHEN WILL IT BEGIN?
Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing long-time friends at a high school class reunion. These tend to occur at predictable intervals (e.g., at 5, 10, and 20 years). This event was a lot of fun and attendance was good, thanks to a clear plan and superb execution, including invitations that spelled out the date and time for the event.
The Bible spells out God’s plans for the End Times in great detail (particularly in the book of Revelation) and obviously God’s execution of His plans will be perfect. About two thousand years ago, Jesus told His disciples that only God the Father knows the day and hour when these End times events will occur. But Jesus warned the disciples (and us) to “be on guard!” and “stay alert!” His last words in the Bible are “Yes, I am coming soon.” In consideration of current events and societal trends, these warnings from Jesus should resonate with us now.
Some events during the End times have very clear and precise time periods. For example, the Rapture takes place “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye” (though we don’t know when that instant will be). The Tribulation period will be seven years long, and the earthly Millennial Kingdom ruled by Jesus Christ will be 1,000 years. That will be followed by the eternal state of a new Heaven and new Earth (which is precisely infinite).
One End Times period is described in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, and is commonly referred to as the Interlude. This is the period after Christian believers (alive and dead) are taken to Heaven in the Rapture. There are ceremonies in Heaven to worship God the Father and celebrate the qualifications of Jesus to launch the forthcoming judgements of the Tribulation. The Bible doesn’t state the duration of these events (from the perspective of those on Earth), but this period is generally thought to be relatively brief. In “The Great New Deal” the Interlude is depicted as an earthly period of several months, but it is likely to be shorter or longer (I can’t predict which).
However long the Interlude will actually be, it’s not going to be a pleasant time on Earth, as the removal of all Christians (in the Rapture) will cause great disruption for those left behind by the Rapture, on top of whatever natural disasters, wars, pandemics and civil unrest will plague the pre-Tribulation world. The best place to spend the Interlude will be in Heaven with other believers in Christ (make your reservation now).
To complement the reading of “The Great New Deal,” I am providing a timeline with the chronological sequencing of (1) the chapters of the novel (and the fictional events depicted in them) and (2) the End Times events and eras set forth in the Bible. To download or print this resource: [Great New Deal timeline].
The novel “The Great New Deal” imagines a resource called “Lifeline for the Lost Sheep,” prepared by two fictional pastors to help people understand the End Times prophecies. These End Times events are summarized in pages 18-27 of the novel’s appendix, “Excerpts from Lifeline for the Lost Sheep.”
