Good evening, everyone!

For the last few years, I’ve tried to decide what to do with my writing. I posted individual articles on thoughts and topics as well as my study notes of different Bible books. I was attempting to find my niche in the writing world, discover what I wanted to write about, but more importantly, I was looking for exactly how God wanted to use my writing.

I’ve decided to take the two areas of ministry I feel the strongest about, teaching and speaking, and use them as writing templates. My plan is to post a couple of times a week, one providing a study on a Biblical passage or topic, and the other a message regarding whatever God gives me. I’m sure there will be some overlap, but this should provide me with some structure.

Self-valuation has never been my strong suit, perhaps because I sought validation from faulty sources, so I anticipate some bumps along the way. But I’m determined to be faithful with what God gives me at the moment. Any and all prayers for this expedition are greatly appreciated.

***************

For my first study, I’d like to look at something that’s interested me from the time I was small. The return of Jesus. And I’ll break it down into a series.

There are actually two returns recorded in the Bible. The first one is when Jesus descends into the air and calls all believers, alive and dead, to Him, commonly called the Rapture.

The second takes place at the end of the Seven Year Tribulation and is known as the Second Coming due to the fact that Jesus actually touches down on earth. He descends to the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem and confronts His enemies, destroying all of them. After He settles everything, He sets up His kingdom on earth which will last for a thousand years, called the Millennial Reign.

Now, I know what little I just shared probably raised all kinds of questions. That’s totally understandable since the return of Jesus is one of the most complex and most debated areas of biblical prophecy there is. And at some point, I’ll probably look at the different aspects of it. But for this first study I want to look specifically at the Rapture and why most people have a hard time understanding it.

Some people don’t believe there will be a Rapture of the church or that the Bible teaches it. Others that accept the Rapture are unsure when it takes place in the end times timeline. Some believe it occurs before the Tribulation, known as the Pre-Tribulation or Pre-Trib view, some think it’s halfway through the Tribulation, known as the Mid-Tribulation or Mid-Trib or Pre-Wrath view, while still others believe it happens after the Tribulation, known as the Post-Tribulation or Post-Trib view. Still others hold different beliefs which are original in their ideas or are a combination of others.

Personally, I believe in the Pre-Trib view for two important reasons. First, I believe the Bible directly teaches this, and in coming posts I’ll share scripture that supports that view. And second, and most importantly, the Pre-Trib view acknowledges the larger picture of end time prophecy, God’s plan of redemption from beginning to end.

That is what most people miss. After the fall, what was God going to do to bring the world back to Himself? Without recognizing that the history of the world for 6000 years is God’s plan to redeem mankind and how He chose to do that, no interpretation of end times events is viable.

If you give someone a list of directions to a location, but you fail to give them the starting point, they can follow the directions to the letter, but never reach the correct destination. Also, you can’t build a house unless you start at the foundation which gives you something to build on. The same goes for making sense of what the Bible says. You have to start in the right place and stay on the right path. You can’t take bits and pieces on their own.

So, to get started right, let’s go back to the beginning, Genesis 3:15, 21. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.”

God created a perfect world including man and woman. But the first couple corrupted God’s perfect creation by sinning. God would have been totally justified in destroying them and starting over. Yet instead, He decided to provide a way to redeem them and all their fallen descendants.

He told the enemy that He would provide a savior through mankind. The savior would be injured by the enemy, but He would also destroy the enemy in the process. He showed how this would take place by shedding innocent blood to clothe the fallen humans.

Now, what does all of this have to do with Jesus’s return? It’s the beginning of the story of mankind’s redemption with Jesus’s return being the ending. God’s perfect world was off-track because of sin, but He had already initiated a plan to correct it by providing a redeemer. Exactly when and how He’ll do it I’ll show in future posts, but the wheels are already turning.

That’s enough for the moment. We’ve established that God loved mankind enough to create them perfect and to initiate a plan of redemption after man sinned. Next time we’ll look at Enoch, Noah, the flood, and the hints they give.

Until next time!

---

Do you know Jesus? Do you have a personal relationship with Him? According to scripture, all anyone must do is recognize their sin condition, realize that Christ died to pay for that sin, and ask Him to save them from it. Salvation is a gift of grace we receive by faith. Meet Him today! Contact me at kenneth@kennethmbriggs.com if you need more information.

---

Thanks for stopping by! Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think!