These parables indicate that after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, God gave up the children of Israel and focused His attention on the church. Therefore, at the time of Christ’s crucifixion, the history of the children of Israel was suspended. This suspension will continue until the end of the church age, when God will once again visit the children of Israel. Then the last of Daniel’s seventy weeks will begin. After this seventieth week, there will be the millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. The millennium will be followed by the new heaven and the new earth with the New Jerusalem. That will be eternity.
Antichrist will be extraordinarily powerful. For this reason, the Jews will be afraid of him and will be compelled to make an agreement, a covenant, with him that is intended to last for seven years. According to that covenant, Antichrist will promise the Jews that he will not persecute their religion. However, in the middle of the last week, the last seven years, Antichrist will break this covenant. He will force the Jews to stop offering the sacrifices, and he will seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is God. Speaking of Antichrist, the man of lawlessness, 2 Thessalonians 2:4 says, “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or an object of worship, so that he seats himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself that he is God.”
In the Bible the last of the seventy weeks is divided into two parts. What divides this week in half is Antichrist’s breaking his covenant with the Jews, forbidding the continuation of the sacrifices, and seating himself in the temple. The Bible does not say much about the first half of the seventieth week; however, it has much to say about the second half. This second half is called “time, times, and half a time,” that is, three and a half years; it is also described as forty-two months and twelve hundred sixty days (Rev. 11:2-3; 13:5).
While Antichrist is moving on earth, the Lord Jesus will begin to move from the heavens to the air. We are not clearly told at what time the Lord will begin this move. As a result of careful study, I would say that this will begin very close to the middle of the last seven years. Revelation 12 indicates that the manchild will be raptured to the throne of God. From the book of Revelation we also know that the last three and a half years will begin after the manchild is raptured. At the time of the rapture of the manchild, the Lord Jesus will still be on the throne in heaven.
Furthermore, the one hundred forty-four thousand, first-fruit to God and the Lamb, in Revelation 14 will also be raptured to the throne of God. These one hundred forty-four thousand firstfruit will not be taken to the air; rather, they will be taken to the heavens, even to the heavenly Mount Zion. The rapture of the firstfruit to the heavens is typified by the firstfruit in Exodus 23:19 being brought into the house of the Lord for God’s enjoyment: “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God.” According to Revelation 14, the harvest, the majority of the believers, will be left on earth to pass through the second half of the last seven years, which will be the period known as the great tribulation. Shortly after the manchild and the firstfruit are raptured to the throne, probably the Lord Jesus will begin His descent from the throne to the air, concealed in a cloud.
Where does 1 Thessalonians 4 fit into this picture? The rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4 must correspond to the reaping of the harvest in Revelation 14. This harvest will be reaped, raptured, probably at the end of the last three and a half years. This means that the harvest will be reaped toward the very end of the great tribulation.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Paul says, “Let no one deceive you in any way; because it [the day of the Lord] will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” After the apostasy and the revealing of the man of lawlessness, there will be the appearing of the Lord’s parousia. The revelation of the Antichrist will be completed during the last seven years. This revelation of Antichrist must be first, and then there will be the appearing of the Lord’s parousia.
In verse 8 Paul says, “And then the lawless one shall be revealed (whom the Lord Jesus will slay by the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearing of His coming).” This indicates that the Lord’s coming (parousia) will first be hidden and then will appear openly. This also indicates that the Lord’s coming involves a period of time. It will remain in secret for a period of time, and then will appear to the public. The Lord’s parousia will take place secretly during the last three and a half years. Then when the Lord Jesus slays Antichrist, His parousia will appear. Therefore, the Lord’s parousia will begin with His coming from the heavens to the air and will be completed with its public appearing.
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