In the future, a world leader will emerge and finally bring peace to the Middle East. He will sign a seven-year treaty with Israel. This leader in the Bible is called The Beast and the Antichrist. During that seven year treaty, there will be worldwide wars, famines, plagues, and natural disasters the likes of which the world has never seen. This seven year period is called "The Tribulation." Three and a half years into that treaty, the Antichrist will break the treaty with Israel and declare war. He will also go to the great temple in Jerusalem, desecrate it, and proclaim that he is God. This is called the "Abomination of Desolation" in the Bible. The second half of the Tribulation is called "The Great Tribulation" in the Bible and will be the most horrifying period in all of human history complete with disease, bloodshed, massive natural disasters, and terrifying persecution.
It will end with a worldwide assault by the Antichrist on the people of God as the armies of the earth align themselves against Him. Just when the battle is the worst, Jesus Christ will return and defeat the Antichrist and his armed forces and cast him into eternal fire. Jesus will also have Satan bound and placed in a prison, called "The Abyss" for 1000 years and Jesus will visibly rule the earth, fulfilling all His Old Testament covenants to Israel. This period of the visible and complete rule of Christ as King is called "The Millennium." At the end of it, Satan will be released briefly and he will again fool people into following him. He will try to defeat Christ again and this time will be eternally cast into a place called the lake of fire.
Christ will then preside on a great white throne and judge
everyone who has turned from Him in all of history. People like Adolph Hitler and Osama Bin Laden will actually be resurrected and stand before
Christ to be sentenced just as Satan was and they will be thrown alive into the
eternal lake of fire along with all those who have refused to accept the blood
of Jesus for their sins. When this most Supreme of all Courts concludes, it will
be the end of all evil for all time. Jesus will then form a New Heaven and a New Earth where there
will be no more sin, no more sorrow, and no more death. All wrongs will be made
right and we will finally experience the world as it was meant to be with all
the longings of our souls fulfilled.
In addition to all these events, at some point around The Tribulation, Christ will take all those who believe in Him out of this world and actually meet them in the air. They will literally be "caught up" or raptured by Him and taken to Heaven. This event, known as "The Rapture," could happen before the Tribulation, during the Tribulation, or after it as part of His Second Coming. This writer believes the biblical evidence points to it happening before the Tribulation. Regardless, the only sure way to take part in this wonderful event is to believe the Gospel and give your life to Jesus Christ as Lord.
***Thanks to http://www.gotquestions.org/end-times.html#ixzz3HkbPwmRi for their excellent summation as a source. I also recommend my book, All Things New, available at Amazon.com.In addition to all these events, at some point around The Tribulation, Christ will take all those who believe in Him out of this world and actually meet them in the air. They will literally be "caught up" or raptured by Him and taken to Heaven. This event, known as "The Rapture," could happen before the Tribulation, during the Tribulation, or after it as part of His Second Coming. This writer believes the biblical evidence points to it happening before the Tribulation. Regardless, the only sure way to take part in this wonderful event is to believe the Gospel and give your life to Jesus Christ as Lord.
