NEW TESTAMENT PROPHECIES AWAITING FULFILMENT
'CP' denotes 'Compare Passage'
NEW TESTAMENT PROPHECIES AWAITING FULFILMENT
The purpose of this study is to examine the many New Testament prophecies awaiting fulfilment before, during, and after the Tribulation, during and after the Millennium, and in the New Earth. In this section of the study we will examine prophecies awaiting fulfilment before the Tribulation. The first of these is presently being fulfilled, and will continue so until Christ comes again to take the church back to Heaven with Him (CP 1Ti 4:1). This prophecy predicts that some Christians will defect from the faith in the latter times and apostatise. Throughout scripture the Holy Spirit repeatedly warns of believers departing from the faith (CP Mt 24:4-12; Ac 20:29-30; He 3:12-13; 6:4-6; 10:26-31). In the latter times in 1Ti 4:1 refers to the entire period of time subsequent to the time Paul wrote this epistle to Timothy until the rapture. Next in this section we will examine Paul's prophecy that predicts the completion of the church (CP Eph 4:11-13). V 12-13 comprise the prophecy, but V 11 has been included to better understand how the prophecy will come to pass. Christ gave the ministry offices of V 11 to the church to bring it to maturity and complete in Him "… unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the fullness of Christ." This prophecy is also presently being fulfilled, and will continue to be until the rapture, after which it will be completely fulfilled when Christ presents the church to Himself, blameless and without spot or blemish (CP 1Cor 1:7-8; Eph 5:27; Col 1:21-22; 1Th 5:23).
Another New Testament prophecy awaiting fulfilment before the Tribulation, and one which the majority of Christians await the fulfilment of with eager anticipation, is that which predicts the coming again of Christ to take all the saints of God, Old Testament and New Testament alike, both living and dead, back to Heaven with Him. Dead saints will be raised up to life and given incorruptible bodies, while the saints still living at that time will be given immortal bodies. Together they will be bodily translated to Heaven to be with Jesus forever (CP Jn 14:1-3; 1Cor 15:51-58; 1Th 4:13-18). This prophecy will be fulfilled at the first resurrection (CP Rev 20:6). In the fulfilment of this prophecy another will also be fulfilled which predicts that the church is the restrainer of lawlessness in the earth (CP 2Th 2:1-7). A falling away in V 3 (KJV), from the Greek word apostasia, in this context means a departure. It does not mean a rebellion, or refer to a great apostasy by the church before the rapture and the revelation of Antichrist, as so many believe. The he who now letteth, who will let until he be taken out of the way, is the church. Letteth means to suppress, restrain, hinder, withhold, this makes the church the restrainer of lawlessness in the earth. When the church is removed from the earth - taken out of the way - Antichrist will be revealed. (For more detailed teachings on this subject see author's comments on 2Th 1:7-10, 2Th 2:1-3, 2Th 2:6-8 and 2Th 9-12 in his book A Question and Answer Study on the New Testament). The first resurrection also fulfils the prophecy that predicts final salvation (CP 1Pe 1:5). Only those destined for final salvation will be a part of the first resurrection (CP Rev 20:6). The first resurrection fulfils also the prophecy that predicts the day of the lord (CP 1Cor 1:8; 2Cor 1:14; Php 1:6; 1Th 5:1-8; 2Th 2:2).
Still yet another New Testament prophecy awaiting fulfilment before the Tribulation which will also be fulfilled with the church is "taken out of the way", is Paul's prophecy predicting that God will send strong delusion to all who remain on earth after the rapture, who have heard the Gospel and rejected it, so that from then on they will only ever believe a lie, and be damned for eternity (CP 2Th 2:7-12). After the rapture salvation will no longer be available to those who have already heard the Gospel and rejected it. They will be damned eternally if they do not repent and accept Christ while the church is still here. This includes our own immediate family members, relatives and friends who we love dearly, as well as professing Christians not truly committed to Christ, and those who are backslidden. Show them this scripture and explain what it means; that the rapture can happen at any moment, for there are no prophecies left to be fulfilled before it takes place (CP Php 3:20-21; Tit 2:13 with Jn 14:1-3; 1Cor 15:51-58; 1Th 4:13-18). After the church is gone from the earth salvation will only be available to those who have never had an adequate opportunity to hear the Gospel and accept Christ as Saviour.
Another New Testament prophecy awaiting fulfilment before the Tribulation predicts the glorification of the saints (CP Ro 8:17-25). This prophecy will also be fulfilled in the rapture. The saints will be glorified when they go to Heaven to be with Jesus (CP Ro 5:2; 8:16-18; 1Cor 15:42-43; Col 3:4). Next in this section is the prophecy that predicts the Judgement Seat of Christ (CP Ro 14:10-12; 1Cor 3:13-15; 2Cor 5:10; Ga 6:9; Col 3:24). This prophecy will be fulfilled in Heaven after the first resurrection. Every believer will have to stand before Christ to give an account of themselves to God for everything they have ever done as a Christian, whether it be good or bad (CP Ecc 12:14 with 1Cor 3:11-13; 2Cor 5:10). In the fulfilment of this prophecy others that predict believers will receive rewards in Heaven will also be fulfilled (CP Mt 5:11-12; 19:30; 20:16, 23; Mk 10:31, 40; Lu 6:22-23; 14:14; Ga 6:9; Rev 22:12). Every believer's earthly works will be examined and openly revealed in their true reality at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Everything believers have ever done during the course of their Christian life - their every thought, their every word, their every deed, their secret acts, their character, their attitudes, their motives, their ministry and their works, will be revealed at the Judgement Seat of Christ (CP Ecc 12:14; Ro 14:10-13; 1Cor 3:11-15; 4:5; 2Cor 5:10; Eph 6:1-9; Col 3:16 - 4:1; Jas 1:2-4, 12, 19, 21; 2:1-4, 9; 1Pe 1:3-7, 17; Rev 22:7, 11-12). Believers' bad deeds, when repented of and confessed during their earthly life, are forgiven in relation to earthly punishment, but they will still be taken into account when being judged for recompense by Christ at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Christ will judge every believer's earthly works, and how those works stand or fall will determine the believer's position in God's Eternal Kingdom. The Judgement Seat of Christ does not determine punishment, but rewards or loss of rewards in Heaven.
In this next section of the study here we will examine New Testament prophecy awaiting fulfilment during the Tribulation (CP Rev 4:1 - 5:14. The things which must be hereafter in 4:1, refers to all the events that are prophesied to occur after the church is raptured to Heaven. They are all described in Rev Ch 4-22. The first is the prophetic revelation of the raptured church in Heaven in 4:4, represented by the twenty four elders seated round about the Throne of God. They identify themselves in 5:9 as the church, redeemed to God by His blood from out of every tribe, language, people, and nation in the earth (CP 4:4 with 5:9 and 1:5-6; 1Pe 1:19). In Rev 5 we see Jesus prophetically as the Lamb of God who gave Himself to die on the cross to redeem fallen man to God, is the only one qualified to open the Book of Judgements, loose the seven seals, and execute the judgements, which will form part of the Tribulation (CP Rev 6:1-2). The opening of the first seal reveals Antichrist, symbolised by the rider on the white horse who went forth conquering and to conquer. He was given a crown because he had brought peace and prosperity to the earth. He has a bow but no arrows, which depicts him as a benevolent dictator. We know he brought peace to the earth in V 2 because after the opening of the second seal in V 4, he is given the power to take it away (CP Rev 6:3-4).