Left Behind ~ Trailer
A Look Back – Left Behind 1 – Ezekiel 38-39 Attack On Israel
Many people are confused in relation to the subject of this post. There are others who criticize the Left Behind series of books, without having read them, and the Left Behind series of movies, without having viewed any of them. The Apocalypse And Beyond series of posts are not intended to be a study of the Left Behind series of videos or books. There are many sources of information that are used in the creation of the Apocalypse And Beyond articles, with Left Behind being one of them.
The opening scenes in Left Behind 1 show the attack on Israel that takes place in Ezekiel 38, and was prophesied by that prophet of Israel in 587 B.C. The movie shows that attack ending in failure, without the Israeli forces confronting them; God is in control. God will guide the attacking forces to Israel; He will cause the attacking forces to attack Israel (Ezekiel 38:4). God will defeat the attacking forces. The events of Ezekiel 38 are not an allegory. Consider the words of Ezekiel 38:23: “I shall magnify Myself, sanctify myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 38:4 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
4 I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords;
God will bring about victory for the Jews. This invasion by Gog and Magog is not the same as the battle of Gog and Magog which takes place at the end of the millennium, when Satan is unbound and leads a final revolt against God, and loses (Revelation 20:7-10). Remember the question: “Why will God put precious little babies in the time of the tribulation?”
Based on my study of scripture, the Ezekiel 38 attack on Israel will occur prior to the rapture of the church, and the following tribulation. Consider the following video which has highly regarded teachers of eschatology, as they discuss the Ezekiel 38-39 attack on Israel.
The Ezekiel 38 War and the Battle of Armageddon
John Ankerberg Show, Published on Oct 28, 2016
Dr. Mark Hitchcock and Dr. Ron Rhodes explain what the Bible teaches about the Ezekiel 38 war and what happens in the final battle of Armageddon.
Rapture! Tribulation! Millennium! Eternal State!
There is thought that the church will have to go through the tribulation, without an explanation being offered of why infants will be present on earth when the judgments of God are unleashed. There are also believers, those who have been born again and have the Spirit of Christ dwelling within their spirit, who believe that they will be present during the tribulation. They believe that they will be among the unbelieving “earth dwellers” (Revelation 3:10) experiencing the same judgments. It is important to remember that it is the sin of unbelief for which Christ paid our sin debt (John 1:29). It is because of the sin of unbelief that unbelievers are the earth dwellers during the tribulation, and are cast into the lake of fire at the Great White Throne Judgment (John 3:18 and Romans 8:1, Rev 20:15). Most important of any consideration is that God is charge and control of the tribulation, “not the anti-Christ.”
The Apocalypse series of posts will address the issues that may appear to be problematic. Questions from readers will be answered, based on scripture. There are other of my posts that also contain information on the end times. A link to the blogs that contain those posts will be shown at the bottom of this page.
In reference to Christians who believe that the church will go through the tribulation, please! Let me ask! “WHY???” Please consider my following thoughts on the subject of the rapture of the church.
As a parent, we try to protect our children from all danger. We don’t knowingly put our children in harm’s way. God is our loving heavenly father; His protection for His children is much greater. So, here is an honest question that deserves an honest answer:
Why would God cause little babies to go through the tribulation? Consider the words of Christ, as follows.
“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.” (Matthew 24:21)
Revelation 3:10 says that the tribulation will come upon “all who dwell on the earth.” That is a statement that relates to everyone who will be present on earth during the tribulation. So, we must remain on the subject of why God would unleash his wrath, his acts of punishment, on little babies? For those who have infants, let’s make that question very personal. For what reason would God unleash his seal judgments, trumpet judgments and bowl judgments, “on your precious infant?” If you believe that the church will be present during the tribulation, you must come to the understanding that if the church is present on earth during the tribulation, your infant will most likely die from the actions that God will orchestrate. Also, your infant will be affected by all of the terror that the forces of the anti-christ will pour out on those who are present on earth, especially Christians and Jews. Someone, please explain the purpose for those of us who are born again believers in Christ to have to come under the wrath of God. We have already been born again, with the Spirit of Christ dwelling within our spirit, which has been made to be as pure as the Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). There is nothing more than can be done to make us more acceptable to God. The tribulation is designed to draw Jews to accept Christ as Messiah. Gentiles will also be among the “earth dwellers” that will have the opportunity to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. The testing of Revelation 3:10 is designed for “those who dwell on the earth.” The description of that test, which is God’s wrath, is shown in Revelation 6:1-8:6 (Seal Judgments), Revelation 8:7-9:21 (Trumpet Judgments). and Revelation 15:1-16:21 (Bowl Judgments). I encourage every parent to read those verses and then ask yourself: “what does the wrath of God have to do with my child, or with any other born again believer in Christ?”
Revelation 3:10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
It is our faith in God that “perseveres” us from any, and all, things that may happen.
1 John 5:4 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
God’s Wrath (Seal Judgments, Trumpet Judgments, Bowl Judgments)
Revelation 6:1, and following verses (1-17) show that the Lamb of God, “Christ,” opens the seal judgments that will be opened and unleashed onto all who dwell on the earth.
Revelation 8:1-9:21, show that angels pour out the trumpet judgments. (8 vs 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it onto the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake).
Revelation 15:1-16:21, show that angels pour out the bowl judgments. (16 vs 2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.) Those who are earth dwellers gather for their attack on Jerusalem at Armageddon in Revelation 16:16.
Many people don’t consider the severity of the tribulation. Consider the words of Christ. Don’t just look at the words. Read them carefully, and digest how very horrible it will be on earth during the time of the tribulation. We suffer tribulation during our lifetimes, but never will we suffer from such as will be brought on earth by God’s wrath after the rapture of the church takes place.
Matthew 24:21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
It will be after the tribulation that Christ returns to earth, to bring judgment. Consider the Words of Christ.
Matthew 24:29 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Glorious Return
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Those who know Christ would not mourn at his appearing.
Along with Christ will be His angels and raptured believers. The “elect” are the Jews (Deuteronomy 7:6), who are scattered around the world.
Zechariah 14:1-16 New American Standard Bible (NASB) (487 B.C.)
God Will Battle Jerusalem’s Foes
1 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. 5 You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!
6 In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. 7 For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.
8 And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.
God Will Be King over All
9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.
10 All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11 People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.
12 Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. 13 It will come about in that day that a great panic from the Lord will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another. 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance. 15 So also like this plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey and all the cattle that will be in those camps.
16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
Zechariah’s prophecy tells of the battle that comes against the Jews at the Battle of Armageddon, when Christ returns to earth with His Holy ones, angels and raptured saints, and then stands on the Mount of Olives at Jerusalem. The battle will be quick, with Christ defeating the foes of Israel; He will speak victory (Revelation 19:14-15, below).
Revelation 19:7-8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Marriage of the Lamb
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
The raptured saints had just come from the marriage of the Lamb (Christ) to the saints, which took place in heaven.
Revelation 19:7-21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Marriage of the Lamb
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he *said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are true words of God.” 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The Coming of Christ
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
Doom of the Beast and False Prophet
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
The Battle of Armageddon is shown in Matthew 24, Zechariah 14, and Revelation 19. The preparation by earth dwellers for their attack on Israel at the Battle of Armageddon is shown in Revelation 16:13-16.
The punishment by Christ on unbelieving earth dwellers is shown again in Matthew 25.
Matthew 25:31-46 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Judgment
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The verses of Matthew 25:31-41 explain the sheep and goat judgment. The sheep are gentiles who showed mercy on the Jews during the tribulation,”My brethren.” Such mercy shows that those gentiles were compassionate to the Jews because they (sheep) had come to saving faith in Christ as the Messiah. The goats are gentiles who did not show mercy on the Jews. They showed by their lack of concern for the Jews, “My brethren,” that they had not come to saving faith in Christ.
It will be after the tribulation that the millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ with His saints (Old and New Testament), will take place. (Rev 20:4-6). The rapture of the church takes place prior to the tribulation. (Pre-Trib). The tribulation takes place prior to the millennium (Pre-Millennial). The millennium precedes the eternal estate (Revelation 21:1-22:21) (new heaven, new earth, new Jerusalem).
So, please consider my question again. “Why would God put precious little babies in the time of His judgments, and the persecution of the anti-christ? The wrath of God (seal, trumpet, bowl judgments) is just that, “the wrath of God!” It is not the wrath of the anti-christ. Consider again the fate of the earth dwellers.
Revelation 3:10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Little infants do not have to pass a test during the tribulation. What kind of test could be made for them to pass? (Revelation 3:10)
Earth dwellers are also mentioned in: Rev 6:10, 8:13, 11:10, 13:8, 13:14, 17:8. In each verse, earth dwellers are defiant unbelievers in Christ. Even as God’s wrath increases in severity, the earth dwellers continue to defy God.
Let me close by making a statement of fact, as opposed to asking a question. So, here it is!
No little baby will be an earth dweller; neither will anybody else who knows Christ as Lord and Savior. No little baby, or born again believer in Christ, will miss the rapture and find themselves in the tribulation.
The rapture of the church is not an allegory, neither is the tribulation!
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
The Comfort of Christ’s Coming
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
This is the account of the pre-tribulation rapture of the church/new testament saints. Christ will come in the air for the catching up His saints (John 14:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:49-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). He will not come to earth, as He does in Zechariah 14, Revelation 19 and Matthew 24. The deceased church age saints will be raised from death. The saints who are alive will be caught up in the air, along with the deceased saints.; we will meet Christ in the air. From that point forward, we will always be with Christ. We are told to comfort one another with the knowledge of the rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:18). At the second coming of Christ, when He stands on earth (with His raptured saints with him), the “earth dwellers” are not comforted. (Matthew 24:30). The spirits of the Old Testament saints are now in the Presence of God (Luke 16:19-31; 2 Corinthians 5:8), as will be the spirits of the unbelievers who come to saving faith in Christ during the tribulation (and are martyred by the forces of the anti-christ), as are the spirits of believers of the new testament age, both living and deceased. The resurrection of the bodies of the Old Testament saints will take place at the end of the tribulation/Battle of Armageddon (Daniel 12:1-2), along with the bodies of the tribulation saints (Revelation 20:4). The bodies of the New Testament saints will be raptured prior to the tribulation, and will be reunited with their “spirit, soul and body at the time of the rapture (1 Thessalonaians 5:23). After the marriage of the lamb, to these saints, the saints will rule and reign with Christ during the millennium (thousand year reign of Christ), along with the resurrected saints of the Old Testament, and tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Let’s consider a passage of scripture that is common to most believers in Christ, but is one whose total meaning is also missed by many believers in Christ.
John 14:1-6 (NASB)
Christ Comforts His Disciples
14 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going.”5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
The subject is God the Father, God the Son, and the born again believers in Christ. Christ tells the disciples that in God’s house are many dwelling places, for a fact! Christ tells the disciples that He is going to prepare a place for those born again believers in Christ, and that He will return for His believers and take them to “the Father’s house.” Thomas is confused about what Christ is saying. Christ explains three key aspects of Who He is: “the way, and the truth, and the life.” He finishes his discussion by saying, “I will come back from Heaven and take you back with me.” He also said that there is no other way that anyone can go from earth to Heaven without His taking them (verse 6). John 14:6 is often quoted to show that there is salvation, only in the Name of Christ. But, the direct teaching of this passage is that Christ will come back to earth for His believers, “catch them up, snatch them away,” and take them to heaven “with Him” which occurs at the rapture of the church. Christ will not remain on earth when the rapture takes place. He will take with Him, to the Presence of God the Father, those who know him in life as Lord and Savior, and those who had known Him as Lord and Savior prior to their death. The Apostle Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that believers who are no longer in their earthly bodies, will be in the Presence of God. In verse 10, Christ tells believers that they will then stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, the bema judgment (for believers, not to determine their salvation or punishment, but for rewards). The next step in the eternal lives of the raptured believers is the marriage of the Lamb/Christ, to His raptured believers, which takes place in Heaven (Revelation 19:7-8). It is after the marriage of the Lamb, that He/Christ will return to earth, with His bride/church, for judgment on unbelievers (Revelation 19:11-21; Zechariah 14:1-16; Matthew 24:29-31; 25:31-46), and the following thousand year reign of Christ, which is also known as the millennium and the Kingdom of God.
For Your Name Is Holy – I Enter The Holy of Holies – Paul Wilbur
Lord come (in the air) quickly!
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