There are five On That Day sequential events to keep distinct in this End Time study:

1. The appointed 7-year time of tribulation for Israel i.e., Jerusalem.
   1. 3 ½ years of a false peace. Temple rebuilt(?)
   2. 3 ½ years of trials for Israel sometimes identified as Jacob’s Troubles    
2. The time between the end of the 7-years of Jacob’s Trouble and Jesus setting up his Millennial Kingdom. He judges the nations between the end of the Tribulation and his Millennial Reign.
3. The 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom. Satan bound and non-influential.
4. Satan is released, his final run at overthrowing Jesus on earth begins for a short time.
5. Eternity: one of two places. Both destinations are permanent, but neither is a grave.

2 Thessalonians 2…

According to God’s timetable, the Day of the Lord and its accompanying judgment will not start until two things first happent: a global rebellion occurs, and the Antichrist is revealed. Paul then mentions what is currently keeping the evil one, man of sin, in check. “And now you know what is holding him back, so that he [Antichrist] may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed” (verses 6–8).

This End Time article will help a learner to distinguish between the 2^nd Advent of Christ [#2 above] and the actual setting up of the “thy kingdom come” as stated in the prayer in Matthew and Luke. This is the central to the raptured believers of believers [pre #1 above].

In the quote from https://www.gotquestions.org/restrainer.html, there is a critical “sequence.’ The Day of the Lord (End Time) begins when there is a total world rebellion against Christianity and the Antichrist is revelation. Anything else is speculation based upon someone’s bias or agenda. There is a restrainer (?) of absolute evil of which scripture does not tell us who or what that may be. THEN…the restrainer is removed from earth. This frees Satan (Lucifer) from being held back even though to look around the world today one might think that has already happened. It hasn’t as of this writing.  

Revelation 12:7-12 (NKJV) Satan Thrown Out of Heaven

⁷ And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, ⁸ but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. ⁹ So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The dragon is Satan. He will have his personal trinity of father, son, and spirit in end time; himself as father, dragon or anti-Christ (Satan’s spokesperson), and the evil spirit or spiritual leader being the false prophet. This is during the 7-year Tribulation; most prominent during the final 3 ½ years. Once the Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem, probably during the first three- and one-half years of the 7-year tribulation, it will be desecrated by the anti-Christ.

“…he was cast to the earth”. This casting of Satan out of heaven was to an existing earth. Perhaps at the time earth was then made void and without form by Satan occupying it. Revelation 12:9 gives us two reasons to conclude this. First, he was cast to earth, so earth was already here. Second, verse 9 tell us that this is also where he specialized in deceiving. We even see this in verse 10.

*Think on this. In Genesis God created an earth. Scripture tells us that God saw it and “it was good.” We find this same conclusion in Genesis 1:4, 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:21, and 1:25. So how did it become void and without form? We consider this to be when Satan and his minions were occupying earth as pointed out in Revelation 12:9 but before the creation of man.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven (Ouranos; God’s place of dwelling), “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come for the accuser (Satan) of our brethren, who accuses them before our God, day, and night, has been cast down. ¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. ¹² Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Now salvation…This is a reference to HOW “they” (mankind) overcome Satan…by the blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ. Salvation is available up to and including #2 in our chart. The accuser (Satan) is bound during stage #3 in our chart. He can no longer accuse or influence man.  Personal choice exists during the 1,000-year millennium. During that 1,000 years it is only man’s personal choices. Satan is bound. He cannot influence or deceive, but man will still have choice or what we refer to as free will.

Verse 12 has significant implications. “Rejoice Oh heavens and those that dwell (occupy) in them”.  Heavens is plural PLUS this verse includes it’s occupants. There are differing commentary takes on this verse. First is creation itself as in the heavens, not just Ouranos (heaven). If the rocks on the roadside to Jerusalem could cry out when Jesus entered the city on a donkey (Luke 19:40), then the stars, planets, and other created things can cry out when Christ returns. Verse 11 is a point in time. Verse 12 is a continuum over time. Rejoice for the provided salvation of mankind.

Others suggest this is only a warning to those who reject a true belief in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “Woe to those…” The woe is to mankind who remain on earth after the rapture. The universe that is set in place is about to be changed with a new heaven(s) and a new earth.

Every beginning has an end. If not, it did not have a beginning. This concept may be tough to grasp at first pass. Think it through. The only alternative is an eternal existence. Something cannot begin from nothing unless created or has always been.

At minimum this defines creation to a proverbial “T”. If there is no evidence of its existence, it does and did not exist. Evolution tries to betray the obvious. Creation means to make something out of nothing. No matter how evolutionists try to manufacture life from something, it won’t ever exist. Genesis 1 says “in the beginning…” The beginning of what? Mortal life. An object may exist, but it is without life. From where did life itself originate? Evolutionists cannot not define life. Their claims include something that existed but evolved. That begs the same question. From what did this original life evolve?

End time began by the hand of God in Genesis 1:1 when he created it out of nothingness. He sustains it. Life ends when he commands it. No matter how many thousands, millions, or billions of years so-called science assigns to something, it had a beginning, but how old did it appear at its creation???. The obvious differentiating factor is the word LIFE. How did life enter into evolution; an inanimate object is lifeless? How can mortal man, a creation himself, assign an age to a created Garden of Eden when it was created as an existing fruit bearing garden that has life? The Garden of Eden did not begin as a bunch of evolving seeds but did have fruit bearing seeds. We see their offspring all around us.

What are the signs of the end? Jesus said that he knows of the events of end time but not the time of the end of the current era. Matthew 24:21 gives us a hint of the end. We know of many wars and wars to end wars, yet wars still exist. Obviously, man is not in control. He can only influence the flow of life’s events and then only to a limited degree.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be”. (NKJV)

Who controls the outcome of man against man or man against God or evil? The end will be a time worse than the time of the great deluge of Noah. Things and sin were so bad during the time of Noah God considered destroying the world He created. What God created was good as mentioned five different times in Genesis 1. We find these times in 1:4, 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, and 1:25. It didn’t take long for Satan to figure out the free-will given to man upon creation was also a weakness; an Achilles heel.

Satan, take note. You were also given a free will upon your creation. When the created wishes to over power the creator…You have made a personal and eternal choice.

Rev. Dr. Jstark
2022