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Moment in the Word Edwin Woolsey

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“Then will appear the 'sign of the Son of Man' in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. Matthew 24:30-31

Immediately preceding the appearance of Christ at the very Last Day (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54), there will be a mysterious sign that His Second Coming is imminent. Prior to His literal arrival, this ominous harbinger will throw the panicked world into absolute chaos as wicked humanity mourns their lost opportunity to be saved since God's Dispensation of Grace ended with Israel's final restoration (Luke 21:24, Romans 11:25). But what is the sudden sign that terrorizes the planet at the End of Time?

After reading the Scriptures noted in the paragraph above, you might have noticed that the horrible sign introducing Jesus' appearance in the clouds, will be the dead walking among us following the Resurrection. Can we prove it? Oh, absolutely!

Regarding the martyred witnesses in Revelation, the Bible clearly states, “And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them (Revelation 11:11).” But is this the General Resurrection or merely an isolated event?

No, this is the Second Resurrection as evidenced by the subsequent proclamation in Heaven, acknowledging God's mighty works, “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet (#7 is the Last Trumpet – 1 Corinthians 15:52), and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.' 16And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying: 'We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead (the Resurrection,) and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small (the Judgment Seat of Christ)—and for destroying those who destroy the earth (the final plagues).'” Revelation 11:15-18

Living Christians will be transformed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-52),” but immediately before that, the dead will rise to walk among us for an interval of time following the General Resurrection. We will see them... hear them speak... and understand that God's Son is immediately coming to judge this unrepentant world and no time remains for salvation since Grace has been withdrawn (Jeremiah 8:20). How long will the interval be when the dead walk among us? Who knows... a minute... an hour... a day? But this is why the tribes of the earth will mourn (Matthew 24:30)! This is why men will say to the hills and mountains, “Fall on us! Bury us! Hide us from the face of the One who sits upon the throne (Luke 23:30, Revelation 6:16)!”

This article has presented several questions; however, the most important thing to ask is, “Am I ready TODAY to meet God's Son while there's still time?” The dead will truly rise and walk among the living, asking them if they made a decision for Christ while their opportunity remained. Sadly, spiritual conversion will be too late then, so make your decision now while there's still time! Repent!



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