WHAT HAPPENS HEREAFTER ?

WHAT HAPPENS HEREAFTER ?
What in Future – Everybody’s Conceren Today.

Curiosity to know about future, in man, is as old as the human history. It is one of the differences of human beings from other animals. We have a strong desire to know about our future. Many fortune tellers and the so-called predictors of future, exploit this nature of man. The human trend is to work today for tomorrow’s well-being. Students study and work hard for many years aiming a better future. The term future used above refers to a period just ahead a few more months or years during one’s life span, whereas Bible teaches about future, which will go even beyond one’s death. Bible is an incredible book which not only gives the history of the creation of the world, human beings and the things herein, it also gives a clear picture of what the earth and the human beings are going to be in future.


It teaches from the eternity past to the eternity future. Most of these revelations of the things to happen in future were revealed to the apostle John and recorded in the book of Revelation. John had these visions in the island of Patmos, where he was exiled by the Roman emperor Domitian in AD 95 during his severe persecution against christians. Jesus revealed the hidden future of the church, the human race, and the devil to His ‘beloved deciple’. John was asked to write and send this revelations (‘apocalypsis’) to the seven churches in Asia Minor (today’s Turkey). The prophetic message of the book of Revelation is communicated through apocalyptic images and symbolism. This is the most difficult New Testament book to interpret. Although the original readers probably understood meaning of this book without much confusion, in subsequent centuries many schools of thought came up giving various interpretations.

1. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH (Rev 12:1-8)

The most imminent thing which is to take place in today’s world is the second coming of Jesus Christ. The number of prophecies in the Bible regarding His second coming is much larger than that of His first coming. Jesus will appear in the mid-air with angels and with the sound of the trumpet of God (1Thess. 4:16). At His coming, the dead in Christ, whose souls are hidden in the Lord (Phil 1:23, 1Thess. 4:14-17, 1Cor. 15:52), will resurrect in glorious spiritual bodies, and the true believers who are still alive will instantly be transformed into glorious bodies. These two groups will be caught up in the clouds with Jesus Christ whom they longed for (1 Thess. 4:16, 1 Cor. 15:22). This is called the Rapture of the church. The church of God, which consists of the saints in the past and the present, will be with Jesus Christ. The rapture of the victorious church is described in Revelation 12 as child caught up in heaven. The raptured saints will be with the Lord for seven years in heaven. At this point, great rejoicing bursts forth in heaven, and the marriage supper of the Lamb (Jesus) and his bride (church) is announced (Rev 19:1-10). The Lord will honour His saints with crowns and rewards according to their deeds and labor for Him on earth ( Rev 2:10,17; 3:11).

2. SEVEN YEARS OF TRIBULATION (Rev. 6 – 11, Rev 14 – 18).
The seven years just after the rapture, will witness the worst incidents in the history of human race. While rapture takes place Satan will be cast down to earth from the heavenly places in a war lead by the archangel Michael (Rev12:7-9). Satan will work against all the christians who are left behind the rapture. Satan works through a new world leader referred to as “the antichrist” or “ the beast” and the False Prophet is his spokesman.. The nation Israel does not have a worship place at present. The prophecies reveal that just after the rapture, they will re-build their lost temple. By this time, the antichrist will be chosen as the world leader and all his strategies seem to work effectively. His rule is based in Babylon(religious or state) and 666 will be his mark. No one will be able to buy or sell unless he receives this mark on his right hand or on his forehead (Rev. 13:16-18). During the first three and a half years, the antichrist will make peace pact with Israel too. God’s dealings with the Israel and the rest of the nations during this time are written in chapters 6 to 11 and 14 to 18, respectively. While God’s dealings with Israel is depicted by seals and trumpets, His dealings with the rest of the world, is accompanied by the appearance of angels and vials of wrath, and God’s wrath and judgement will fall on the world in general and in Israel, in particular. One third of the whole population will be destroyed during this time. Those left behind will go through this tribulation. Out of them, many will be killed as a result of their refusal to receive the mark of the beast. After the first phase of tribulation, they will be gathered up by the angels at the appearance of Jesus Christ in the clouds. This appearance is in the middle of the seven years (Rev 7:9-17, 14:14, 20:4 ).
After the first three and a half years of his reign, antichrist will turn against Israel and will break the pact and will put an end to sacrifice and offering (Dan. 9:27, 12:11) in the temple of Jerusalem. God will send two witnesses to make the Jews aware that the new world leader (antichrist) is the enemy of God. The two winesses will be killed by the beast and their bodies will lie unburied for three and half days and will be seen by the whole world. After that God raises them back to life and taken up to heaven (Rev 11:3-11). Towards the end of the seven years, the antichrist will declare a war against Israel. This war is known as the war of Armageddon. During the war, Israel will be at the verge of defeat. At this time, Jesus along with His saints and angels, will step on the Mount Olive and fight for Israel in the battle against antichrist (Zech. 14:4,5). Jesus will defeat the antichrist and bring victory to Israel. Israel will then realize Jesus, whom they pierced, is the actual Messiah whom they were looking for. As an outcome of the war, Jesus Christ will cast the antichrist and false prophet into the lake of fire and satan will be bound for thousand years.

3. THE MILLENIUM RULE OF CHRIST ON EARTH( Rev. 20: 4-6)
As a prelude to the thousand year rule by Christ, Satan is bound, preventing him from deceiving people. The millenial reign is the perfection of the first human rule in Eden. Christ and His saints will rule over the whole earth, and Jerusalem will be the capital city. The millenial kingdom is a period of prosperity and good health and the population will be increased. During the rein of this righteous king, the wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid …. (Isai 11:5-10).

4. THE LAST JUDGEMENT (Rev. 20:7-15).
During the millenium, Christ and His saints will rule the people with a rod of iron. This shows that even in the absence of Satan, not all people are obedient to Christ. At the end of thousand years, Satan will be released for a short time. Satan sows seeds of rebellion in hearts of men and he goes out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth – Gog and Magog – to gather them for a battle. They march ahead and surround the camp of God’s people and Jerusalem, the capital of the millenial kingdom. At this time, Jeus and the saints are taken up to heaven and God sends fire from heaven upon His enemies to consume them. Moreover, Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire, where the antichrist and the false prophet had been thrown. After the judgement carried out on the devil and his angels, Jesus appears as a great Judge seated on a ‘Great White Throne’ to judge the human beings. The earth and the sky fled away from His presence and all the dead, great and small, stood before the throne awaiting their judgement. They were all judged according to their deeds recorded in the Books in heaven. All whose names are not inscribed in the Book of Life, were thrown in to the lake of fire, where they will spent their eternity with the devil and his angels in great suffering. This is the second death from there no one can escape.



5. THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH (Rev. 21:1- 22:5)
God’s creation does not end up like a tragedy. The book of Revelation, the apocalyptic prophecy, concludes with glorious scenes that impart hope in believers. After the last judgement on Satan and the wicked, God brings about the New Heaven, New Earth and new Jerusalem as the final destiny of the saints (Rev. 21:1 – 22:5). From the dark chapters of human history which describes human suffering due to sin and its results and the rule of Satan now enter into a glorious eternity where there is no night, no suffering, no tears or death. God dwells among His people. Let us hope and long for “the Tabernacle of God with men” (Rev. 21: 3).
Life Application:
The ultimate victory is of God. God rewards His saints who stand firm for His words faithfully without compromising with the world and the devil. While on earth make sure that your name is written in the Book of Life and you are in the Christ. Flee away from all strategies of Satan to deviate your love and concentration in Christ. We need to be prepared to go with Jesus at His coming. A person left behind will have a lot of suffering, tribulation if willing to resist the devil then. When we prepare ourselves for His coming let us also prepare others for the same by making aware of the things in future.