Articles by: Kenneth J. Ester
End Times Chronology
This is the order of events in the End Times.
The Fullness of the gentiles comes in.
This is where every gentile who will be saved by faith alone, is saved.
The Rapture
The rapture serves multiple purposes. it has a major consequence in heaven as well as on Earth.
First we will follow the Bride in Heaven.
The War in Heaven
The devil is in heaven day and night accusing our brothers and sisters before God. When we suddenly show up in heaven the devil will have nothing left to accuses us of. God will then have the angels throw the devil and his angels down to earth.
Jesus is prepared for the Second Coming
Jesus is seen on a white horse and he is wearing a robe dripped in blood. It describes the armies as wearing "Fine Linen" which is exactly how the Bride is described. In the wedding it clearly says the Fine Linen is the righteous deeds of the Saints. So we know the Bride will at least be a part of the armies who will follow Jesus back on white horses.
This is the only thing the Bible says on what the Bride experiences in heaven at this time. Myself, I believe there will be a lot of joy as we see the loved ones we had lost through the years. I also believe we will be taught a lot of things we never learned here.
Now lets back up to the rapture on Earth
The partial hardening of the Jews is lifted.
For 2,000 years the Jews have insisted that Jesus was not their Messiah. It will take some powerful evidence to open their eyes to the truth. When the rapture happens, some of the Jews will begin to realize the New Testament is true after all, and that means Jesus really was their Messiah. As other end time prophecies happen, like the Two Witnesses and the Revealing of the Man of Lawlessness, more and more Jews will be saved. Before the end, as Paul says, All of Israel will be saved.
The Antichrist is revealed.
After being cast down to Earth, the devil is furious. The first thing He does is possess a man and become the antichrist. This man will be a prince or vice-president of a nation that is part of the ten nation coalition. Not an ordinary coalition but one that literally merges their ten armies into one massive army. He will get the leaders all together and kill three of them in a way that fills the other seven with fear of him. They will give him complete authority over the coalition.
The First Seal
In control of the most powerful army in the world, the AC will go out conquering other nations.
The Tribulation (Daniels 70th week)
The order of this event is very questionable. It will begin when the AC confirms a covenant with many. If you look up the Lexicon and Strongs, the word for confirm means "To be strong, to prevail, act insolently". I dont believe he convinces the Jews to sign a peace treaty. I believe He gives many smaller nations a choice to either join him and give him their armies, or be destroyed.
This has to happen 'after' he is revealed and will likely happen before the 6th Seal. When in this short span of time it will be, I cannot say.
The Two Witnesses
Somewhere around this same time, the Two Witnesses will come on the scene.
The 2nd Seal --- WW3
As the Antichrist takes over smaller nations and grows more powerful, there will quickly come a point where some other nations will stand against him. This will cause a bunch of other nations to be caught up in the middle and choose sides. World War 3 will begin.
The 3rd & 4th Seals --- Famine and Death
These are always consequences of any war. With a World War they will be much worse than normal.
The 5th Seal --- Persecution
Most believe these martyrs are those persecuted by the antichrist. The scripture never even eludes to the beast in any way. The Christians at this time are still few in numbers and the AC is much too busy to worry about them.
The scripture says they are killed for keeping the testimony in Jesus. The testimony here is that Jesus is the only way to the father. It will be the One World Religion that persecutes them this early. The OWR claims that every religion is good and a different path to heaven. The testimony of Jesus will fill the hearts of the OWR with hatred for the Christians.
The 6th Seal --- Gods Wrath begins / Nuclear war
God has often moved by putting it in the hearts of a nations leader to do something. He turned the Babylonians against the Jews and the Romans. Here He will put it in the mind of some nation's ruler, that if he is going down, he will take his enemy out with him. When he fires his nukes, others will react.
The 4th Seal says one quarter of the people will die. Even a World War would not kill 2 billion people. But an all out nuclear war very well could kill that many.
The 7th Seal --- The seven Trumpets are handed to the seven angels.
The important thing to recognize with this is that it is impossible for any trumpets to be sounded if the angels do not have the trumpets yet. So before the seventh Seal is broken, none of the Trumpets or Bowls can happen. All seven Seals must be broken first.
The 1st Trumpet
A third of the earth is burned up. A third of the the trees and all of the grass.
The 2nd Trumpet
Third of the Sea Life dies.
The 3rd Trumpet
Third of the spring waters are toxic.
The 4th Trumpet
The sun and moon and stars become a third darker.
I believe these four Trumpets are nothing more than consequences of the nuclear war. When people consider a nuclear war, they tend to only think about the nukes. They do not consider the aftermath to its fullest. That many nukes hitting the earth will cause the tectonic plates to spring back into place, causing massive earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. There are volcanoes in the ocean that are slowly sliding away from their islands. Scientists believe they will some day fall in and cause massive tsunamis.
The first three Bowls fit this as well.
The 1st Bowl
People get painful sores.
The 2nd Bowl
The 2nd Trumpet kills one third of the sea-life. This Bowl finishes the job and kills the rest of it.
The 3rd Bowls
The 3rd Trumpet made the spring waters toxic. This one finishes it and they all become like blood.
The 4th Bowl
The nukes and volcanoes would throw enough soil and chemicals into the atmosphere to darken the sun (4th Trumpet) but as that clears up there will be major holes in the o-zone. The sun will begin to scorch the people who are out in it.
The 5th Bowl
The sores from the nuclear fall out are not heling. They only get worse and cause severe pain.
This is the first of the judgment events where it says the people do no repent. I believe this is the point of no return when everyone who would turn to Christ have already turned. There will be no more salvation after this.
The Midpoint of the Tribulation.
With the Nuclear War behind them and the world simply dealing with its after effects, the AC will be entrenched as the worlds leader. He will enter the Jews newly built temple and claim to be God. First he will persecute the Jews, but when they escape into the gentile countries, the antichrist will turn his focus on the Christians.
The Great Tribulation begins!
The next 3.5 years will see the Mark of the Beast being issued and the antichrist persecuting the Christians to a point it will be worse than the Holocaust.
Before this point, God gave people proof by prophecy being fulfilled but did not ever truly show His own hand in the picture. He caused it all by mans own devices. But now there is no more salvation. Now God begins to do things by His own hands.
The 5th Trumpet
An angel comes down from heaven holding the key to the shaft of the abyss. It When He opens the shaft, smoke comes out and then locusts which have stingers. I personally believe this is a real life insect that has been living underground and is set loose.
NOTE-1** These locusts are told not to hurt the grass. The first Trumpet said all the grass was burned up. I believe this means the 5th Bowl must happen months or even around a year or two after the first seal in order for the grass to be growing again. This would make sense as after the effects of the nuclear war, the AC will be in full control and there would be a couple of years at least of him persecuting the Christians and pushing the mark.
NOTE-2** The 5th Bowl says those who are stung will suffer for 5 months. They will seek death but not find it. I have often wondered if this means that for 5 months nobody will die. One thing I am certain of however, is that it means the Second Coming cannot possibly happen within 5 months of the 5th Bowl being poured out. If Jesus returns and ends everything sooner than 5 months, it would render the 5th Bowl a false prophecy.
The 6th Trumpet
A great army moves from the East. There are 4 angels which are released. So I believe this army is comprised of armies from 4 nations united. It will equal 200 million. An army this large will not be easily moved. It will need a clear path and the Euphrates River would be an obstacle.
The 6th Bowl
The river Euphrates dries up, making a clear path for the army of 200 million to reach Armageddon.
The Second Coming
There will be a great trumpet. This is not the same trumpet as the last trumpet at the rapture. The trumpet at the rapture was the last time that trumpet sound will be called to prepare and army for God. This trumpet sound is to announce the coming of the King of Kings. As He descends, Jesus will send forth His angels to gather His elect. The Bride is following Him back. The Tribulation saints have their own purpose. These elect will be the 144,000 Jews who were sealed on their foreheads for dedicating themselves to the Lord at such a high level. They will be taken to Mt. Zion where the Lord will set foot and from there they will follow Him everywhere He goes.
The 7th Bowl
Though the 7 Trumpets begin first, I believe the 7 bowls are completed first. The Wrath of God began in the 6th Seal but Revelation 15:1 tells us it is completed with the seven bowls. So the 7th Bowl is the completion of Gods wrath. He cuses such destruction that he crumbles mountains and islands fall into the sea. The worlds layout will not even be the same when He is done. Most of the people will be killed but there will be survivors.
The 7th Trumpet
Praises of the Lords victory.
Jesus has returned to set up His earthly millennial kingdom. He captures the AC and FP and has them thrown into the Lake of fire. The devil is caught and bound then cast into the abyss. Jesus gives us all thrones for we will reign with Him. The dead Tribulation saints come to life and join the bride on those thrones.
The Judgment of the Goats and Sheep
This is also represented by the parable of the Wheat and Tares. -- All of the survivors of every nation will be gathered before him. The believers to His right and the unbelievers to His left. The believers will be welcomed into His kingdom there on earth, so they will not go anywhere. The unbelievers will be killed and cast into the Lake of Fire. So the tares will be removed from the wheat and cast into the fire.
Millennial Kingdom
The Tribulation Saints who survived, and are welcomed into the kingdom, will keep their mortal flesh for the time being. They will repopulate the land and live outside the city. The believers who have their glorified bodies will live in the city. I believe they will have the ability to move from heaven to the city at will.
After 1,000 years, the devil will be set free. All of the survivors of the second coming have died natural deaths. There are no more witnesses. The second coming becomes a myth to many just as the crucifixion is a myth to many today. The devil has no problem deceiving them to believe that those inside the city have it made and keep them down. He will turn them against the city and create a massive army. As they fill the plains, God will destroy them all.
White Throne Judgment
After the Millennial Kingdom, we will all go to heaven and Jesus will seat Himself in the white throne. All of those who died on the plains just before this will be before Him. They will be joined by the countless who are brought from Hades. They will all be judged by their deeds, but those deeds will not decide where they go. They will all be cast into the Lake of Fire. Their deeds will only decide how sever their suffering will be.
New Earth
During this judgment, the old earth passes away. Many believe it is remodeled but I believe it is destroyed. Then God gives us a new earth that will be many times larger than this one. The New Jerusalem that will be placed on it will be around 1,500 miles in each direction and the towers will reach 1,500 miles high. This size is too large for the present earth to be able to handle. It needs to be hundred or even thousands times larger.
On the new earth we will spread out and create new nations and new cities. We will be given new careers and there will be kings and servants and everything in between. Our place in the hierarchy and the position we are given will be according to our rewards. This is where we will live for the beginning of our eternity.
The Fullness of the gentiles comes in.
This is where every gentile who will be saved by faith alone, is saved.
The Rapture
The rapture serves multiple purposes. it has a major consequence in heaven as well as on Earth.
First we will follow the Bride in Heaven.
The War in Heaven
The devil is in heaven day and night accusing our brothers and sisters before God. When we suddenly show up in heaven the devil will have nothing left to accuses us of. God will then have the angels throw the devil and his angels down to earth.
Jesus is prepared for the Second Coming
Jesus is seen on a white horse and he is wearing a robe dripped in blood. It describes the armies as wearing "Fine Linen" which is exactly how the Bride is described. In the wedding it clearly says the Fine Linen is the righteous deeds of the Saints. So we know the Bride will at least be a part of the armies who will follow Jesus back on white horses.
This is the only thing the Bible says on what the Bride experiences in heaven at this time. Myself, I believe there will be a lot of joy as we see the loved ones we had lost through the years. I also believe we will be taught a lot of things we never learned here.
Now lets back up to the rapture on Earth
The partial hardening of the Jews is lifted.
For 2,000 years the Jews have insisted that Jesus was not their Messiah. It will take some powerful evidence to open their eyes to the truth. When the rapture happens, some of the Jews will begin to realize the New Testament is true after all, and that means Jesus really was their Messiah. As other end time prophecies happen, like the Two Witnesses and the Revealing of the Man of Lawlessness, more and more Jews will be saved. Before the end, as Paul says, All of Israel will be saved.
The Antichrist is revealed.
After being cast down to Earth, the devil is furious. The first thing He does is possess a man and become the antichrist. This man will be a prince or vice-president of a nation that is part of the ten nation coalition. Not an ordinary coalition but one that literally merges their ten armies into one massive army. He will get the leaders all together and kill three of them in a way that fills the other seven with fear of him. They will give him complete authority over the coalition.
The First Seal
In control of the most powerful army in the world, the AC will go out conquering other nations.
The Tribulation (Daniels 70th week)
The order of this event is very questionable. It will begin when the AC confirms a covenant with many. If you look up the Lexicon and Strongs, the word for confirm means "To be strong, to prevail, act insolently". I dont believe he convinces the Jews to sign a peace treaty. I believe He gives many smaller nations a choice to either join him and give him their armies, or be destroyed.
This has to happen 'after' he is revealed and will likely happen before the 6th Seal. When in this short span of time it will be, I cannot say.
The Two Witnesses
Somewhere around this same time, the Two Witnesses will come on the scene.
The 2nd Seal --- WW3
As the Antichrist takes over smaller nations and grows more powerful, there will quickly come a point where some other nations will stand against him. This will cause a bunch of other nations to be caught up in the middle and choose sides. World War 3 will begin.
The 3rd & 4th Seals --- Famine and Death
These are always consequences of any war. With a World War they will be much worse than normal.
The 5th Seal --- Persecution
Most believe these martyrs are those persecuted by the antichrist. The scripture never even eludes to the beast in any way. The Christians at this time are still few in numbers and the AC is much too busy to worry about them.
The scripture says they are killed for keeping the testimony in Jesus. The testimony here is that Jesus is the only way to the father. It will be the One World Religion that persecutes them this early. The OWR claims that every religion is good and a different path to heaven. The testimony of Jesus will fill the hearts of the OWR with hatred for the Christians.
The 6th Seal --- Gods Wrath begins / Nuclear war
God has often moved by putting it in the hearts of a nations leader to do something. He turned the Babylonians against the Jews and the Romans. Here He will put it in the mind of some nation's ruler, that if he is going down, he will take his enemy out with him. When he fires his nukes, others will react.
The 4th Seal says one quarter of the people will die. Even a World War would not kill 2 billion people. But an all out nuclear war very well could kill that many.
The 7th Seal --- The seven Trumpets are handed to the seven angels.
The important thing to recognize with this is that it is impossible for any trumpets to be sounded if the angels do not have the trumpets yet. So before the seventh Seal is broken, none of the Trumpets or Bowls can happen. All seven Seals must be broken first.
The 1st Trumpet
A third of the earth is burned up. A third of the the trees and all of the grass.
The 2nd Trumpet
Third of the Sea Life dies.
The 3rd Trumpet
Third of the spring waters are toxic.
The 4th Trumpet
The sun and moon and stars become a third darker.
I believe these four Trumpets are nothing more than consequences of the nuclear war. When people consider a nuclear war, they tend to only think about the nukes. They do not consider the aftermath to its fullest. That many nukes hitting the earth will cause the tectonic plates to spring back into place, causing massive earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. There are volcanoes in the ocean that are slowly sliding away from their islands. Scientists believe they will some day fall in and cause massive tsunamis.
The first three Bowls fit this as well.
The 1st Bowl
People get painful sores.
The 2nd Bowl
The 2nd Trumpet kills one third of the sea-life. This Bowl finishes the job and kills the rest of it.
The 3rd Bowls
The 3rd Trumpet made the spring waters toxic. This one finishes it and they all become like blood.
The 4th Bowl
The nukes and volcanoes would throw enough soil and chemicals into the atmosphere to darken the sun (4th Trumpet) but as that clears up there will be major holes in the o-zone. The sun will begin to scorch the people who are out in it.
The 5th Bowl
The sores from the nuclear fall out are not heling. They only get worse and cause severe pain.
This is the first of the judgment events where it says the people do no repent. I believe this is the point of no return when everyone who would turn to Christ have already turned. There will be no more salvation after this.
The Midpoint of the Tribulation.
With the Nuclear War behind them and the world simply dealing with its after effects, the AC will be entrenched as the worlds leader. He will enter the Jews newly built temple and claim to be God. First he will persecute the Jews, but when they escape into the gentile countries, the antichrist will turn his focus on the Christians.
The Great Tribulation begins!
The next 3.5 years will see the Mark of the Beast being issued and the antichrist persecuting the Christians to a point it will be worse than the Holocaust.
Before this point, God gave people proof by prophecy being fulfilled but did not ever truly show His own hand in the picture. He caused it all by mans own devices. But now there is no more salvation. Now God begins to do things by His own hands.
The 5th Trumpet
An angel comes down from heaven holding the key to the shaft of the abyss. It When He opens the shaft, smoke comes out and then locusts which have stingers. I personally believe this is a real life insect that has been living underground and is set loose.
NOTE-1** These locusts are told not to hurt the grass. The first Trumpet said all the grass was burned up. I believe this means the 5th Bowl must happen months or even around a year or two after the first seal in order for the grass to be growing again. This would make sense as after the effects of the nuclear war, the AC will be in full control and there would be a couple of years at least of him persecuting the Christians and pushing the mark.
NOTE-2** The 5th Bowl says those who are stung will suffer for 5 months. They will seek death but not find it. I have often wondered if this means that for 5 months nobody will die. One thing I am certain of however, is that it means the Second Coming cannot possibly happen within 5 months of the 5th Bowl being poured out. If Jesus returns and ends everything sooner than 5 months, it would render the 5th Bowl a false prophecy.
The 6th Trumpet
A great army moves from the East. There are 4 angels which are released. So I believe this army is comprised of armies from 4 nations united. It will equal 200 million. An army this large will not be easily moved. It will need a clear path and the Euphrates River would be an obstacle.
The 6th Bowl
The river Euphrates dries up, making a clear path for the army of 200 million to reach Armageddon.
The Second Coming
There will be a great trumpet. This is not the same trumpet as the last trumpet at the rapture. The trumpet at the rapture was the last time that trumpet sound will be called to prepare and army for God. This trumpet sound is to announce the coming of the King of Kings. As He descends, Jesus will send forth His angels to gather His elect. The Bride is following Him back. The Tribulation saints have their own purpose. These elect will be the 144,000 Jews who were sealed on their foreheads for dedicating themselves to the Lord at such a high level. They will be taken to Mt. Zion where the Lord will set foot and from there they will follow Him everywhere He goes.
The 7th Bowl
Though the 7 Trumpets begin first, I believe the 7 bowls are completed first. The Wrath of God began in the 6th Seal but Revelation 15:1 tells us it is completed with the seven bowls. So the 7th Bowl is the completion of Gods wrath. He cuses such destruction that he crumbles mountains and islands fall into the sea. The worlds layout will not even be the same when He is done. Most of the people will be killed but there will be survivors.
The 7th Trumpet
Praises of the Lords victory.
Jesus has returned to set up His earthly millennial kingdom. He captures the AC and FP and has them thrown into the Lake of fire. The devil is caught and bound then cast into the abyss. Jesus gives us all thrones for we will reign with Him. The dead Tribulation saints come to life and join the bride on those thrones.
The Judgment of the Goats and Sheep
This is also represented by the parable of the Wheat and Tares. -- All of the survivors of every nation will be gathered before him. The believers to His right and the unbelievers to His left. The believers will be welcomed into His kingdom there on earth, so they will not go anywhere. The unbelievers will be killed and cast into the Lake of Fire. So the tares will be removed from the wheat and cast into the fire.
Millennial Kingdom
The Tribulation Saints who survived, and are welcomed into the kingdom, will keep their mortal flesh for the time being. They will repopulate the land and live outside the city. The believers who have their glorified bodies will live in the city. I believe they will have the ability to move from heaven to the city at will.
After 1,000 years, the devil will be set free. All of the survivors of the second coming have died natural deaths. There are no more witnesses. The second coming becomes a myth to many just as the crucifixion is a myth to many today. The devil has no problem deceiving them to believe that those inside the city have it made and keep them down. He will turn them against the city and create a massive army. As they fill the plains, God will destroy them all.
White Throne Judgment
After the Millennial Kingdom, we will all go to heaven and Jesus will seat Himself in the white throne. All of those who died on the plains just before this will be before Him. They will be joined by the countless who are brought from Hades. They will all be judged by their deeds, but those deeds will not decide where they go. They will all be cast into the Lake of Fire. Their deeds will only decide how sever their suffering will be.
New Earth
During this judgment, the old earth passes away. Many believe it is remodeled but I believe it is destroyed. Then God gives us a new earth that will be many times larger than this one. The New Jerusalem that will be placed on it will be around 1,500 miles in each direction and the towers will reach 1,500 miles high. This size is too large for the present earth to be able to handle. It needs to be hundred or even thousands times larger.
On the new earth we will spread out and create new nations and new cities. We will be given new careers and there will be kings and servants and everything in between. Our place in the hierarchy and the position we are given will be according to our rewards. This is where we will live for the beginning of our eternity.