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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Ron Rhodes
Read between
April 2 - April 7, 2022
we Christians are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
As we continue to pass through this fallen world as pilgrims, we are empowered by this magnificent hope.
the rapture is imminent
nothing must be prophetically fulfilled before the rapture can occur
The rapture is a signless event that can occur at any moment.
salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
At the end of each day, the Christian is that much closer to the rapture.
patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.
You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Scripture does say some believers will be alive during the tribulation period (for example, Revelation 6:9-11). But these people become believers sometime after the rapture.
The imminent coming of Christ at the rapture should have an incredible practical effect on the lives of individual Christians and the church as a whole.
the key issue is what the Bible actually teaches, not when the belief first emerged.
Just because a doctrine was held early in church history does not mean it is correct.
Conversely, just because a doctrine developed late in church history does not mean it is incorrect.
the entire tribulation period is characterized by wrath
so it makes more sense to say the church is delivered from the entire seven-year period
the seventh trumpet is unrelated to the rapture but rather deals with judgment.
The “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3 NKJV) is the antichrist.
this aspect of biblical prophecy would be much easier if Scripture precisely identified who (or what) the restrainer is.
the antichrist will not only be a powerful figure himself, exercising authority over the whole world, but will also be empowered by Satan. Thus, many interpreters say the restrainer must be powerful enough to stand against Satan. They suggest that no human being or human government has the power to restrain Satan’s work.
the antichrist will rule over a revived Roman Empire (Daniel 2; 7).
Rome already existed in ancient days, but it fell apart in the fifth century AD. It will be revived, however, in the end times, apparently comprised of ten nations ruled by ten kings (ten horns).
the last restrainer of the Antichrist will be the last of the three kings and the government which he represents.4
Once this special work of the Holy Spirit is removed, the antichrist will be manifest.
But how are people saved duruthe tribulation if the Holy Spirit is removed from the world?
This means that if the church is taken off the earth at the rapture (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17), the Holy Spirit will be “out of the way.” This removal of the Holy Spirit’s restraint allows the antichrist, energized by Satan, to come into power during the tribulation period. The
If the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way at the rapture, will He still be active on earth during the tribulation period? I believe He will.
What is to be removed then is the Holy Spirit’s mighty working through the church.
After the rapture of the church, the Holy Spirit will continue His work in bringing people to salvation, but He will no longer baptize them into the mystical body of Christ, the church, nor will He actively hinder Satan from bringing His schemes to fruition. Once Satan has achieved his centuries-long goal, Christ will return and demolish the whole thing!12
There seems to be abundant evidence that the Holy Spirit will be active in the earth during the tribulation period.
He will empower His witnesses (Mark 13:11). Evangelism will be more effective than it has ever been (Matt. 24:14; Rev. 7:9-14). It is reasonable to assume that as satanic activity increases, so will the activity of the Holy Spirit.13 So the Holy Spirit will still be active on earth during the tribulation period. But His work will not be identical to that of the present age.
Jesus’s resurrection ensures our own resurrection from the dead.
we ideally prefer to immediately receive resurrection bodies instead of temporarily becoming disembodied spirits—despite the fact that being a disembodied spirit with Christ in heaven is far better than our present lives on earth (Philippians 1:23).
The Holy Spirit is a deposit in the sense that His presence in our lives guarantees our eventual total transformation and glorification into the likeness of Christ’s glorified resurrection body (see Philippians 3:21).
Our resurrection bodies will be physical. How do we know this to be so? We know it because Jesus was physically resurrected from the dead, and Scripture promises that our resurrection bodies will be like His resurrection body.
This judgment has nothing to do with whether the Christian will remain saved.
Gold, silver, and costly stones may refer to things we accomplish by the power of the Holy Spirit, things we do with Christ-honoring motives and godly obedience.
Wood, hay, and straw, however, refer to perishable things and may represent carnal attitudes, sinful motives, pride-filled actions, and selfish ambition. Fire
seat of Christ may experience a sense of deprivation and suffer some degree of forfeiture and shame.
The Christian’s judgment will focus on his personal stewardship of the gifts, talents, opportunities, and responsibilities given to him in this life.
each of our actions will be judged before the Lord.
At Christ’s judgment seat, He will scrutinize more than just our actions. He will also judge our thoughts.
the scope of the believer’s judgment will include all the words he has spoken.
tremendous damage can be done through the human tongue (see James 3:1-12).
this judgment will take place immediately after Christ meets the saints in the air (at the rapture) and takes them back to heaven.
The crown of life is given to those who persevere under trial and especially to those who suffer to the point of death (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). • The crown of glory is given to those who faithfully and sacrificially minister God’s Word to the flock (1 Peter 5:4). • The imperishable crown is given to those who win the race of temperance and self-control (1 Corinthians 9:25). • The crown of righteousness is given to those who long for the second coming of Christ (2 Timothy 4:8). Revelation 4:10 informs us that the 24 elders (apparently representing believers in heaven) cast their crowns
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the bride is viewed as being dressed in white linen, which is the righteous acts of the saints.
He then predicted an all-out invasion of Israel by a massive northern assault force composed of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Libya, and others. The goal of the assault force will be to utterly obliterate the Jews. With the sheer size of this assault force, Israel will have virtually no chance of defending itself.
a precondition for this end-times invasion is that Israel must be living in security and at rest.
“the last days” (Ezekiel 38:16 NASB) before the Russian-Iranian attack, the Jewish people are “living securely” in “the land that is restored from the sword” (Ezekiel 38:8 NASB).1
a security due to confidence in their own strength.
