Did you watch the timeline review for Living in the Last Days: A Course on the End Times? Watch the full lesson and review the notes below!

Make sure you have your FREE worksheets or the EXPANDED workbook (with printed notes) to dig in! Let’s get more understanding of the Word today! The Last Days and end times are upon us. Let’s get a full understanding of the timeline.

Let’s Review the End Times Timeline:

Rapture Timeline

The Lord Himself will descend from heaven and the church will be caught up or taken.

References: 1 Thes. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; Phil. 3:20-21; Titus 2:13

• When is the rapture going to happen?
  • We don’t know 
  • There are no signs of the rapture 
  • It must happen before the abomination of desolation 
• Paul, even when he was on earth almost 2000 years ago, spoke of looking for the rapture in the present tense
  • Phil. 3:20-21 – “20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body…”
  • Tit. 2:13 – “13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
  • He didn’t know when the rapture would come, so Paul was letting them know to live like it could happen at any time
• Although he anticipated the rapture happening at any time, Paul let them know the second coming of the Lord to reign on earth couldn’t happen until we be taken out of the way (2 Thes. 2:1-10)
  • The day of Christ (v. 2) shall not come unless there come a falling away first and the man of sin be revealed (v. 3) 
  • The man of sin is going to sit in the temple (v. 4), so we know the temple must be rebuilt 
  • It is not rebuilt yet, so we shouldn’t let anyone trouble us like the day of Christ is getting ready to happen (v. 2)
    • NOT talking about the rapture – didn’t know when that would happen  – but about the second coming of Christ to the earth 
  • What is stopping the antichrist, the man of sin, from sitting in the temple of God (v. 3-4), and the abomination of desolation occurring? 
    • He’ll pollute the temple of God, and the holy place of God — makes the world think He’s Christ 
    • Paul told them, “ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time” (v. 6) — already talked to them about it (v. 5) in person, and told them 
    • “The mystery of iniquity doth already work” (v. 7) – the sinfulness, the iniquity, is already happening
    • What is stopping the antichrist’s reveal? “Only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (v. 7)
      • Talking about the body of Christ
      • Letteth – prevent 
      • We are stopping him from being revealed, until we’re taken out of the way 
      • Once we’re taken out of the way, “THEN shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (v. 8)
        • His coming – Rev. 19:11-21; Zech. 14:1-4
• Why will people have the strong delusion (v. 11)? Because they did not receive a love of the truth (v. 10)
• In the book of Revelation, you see the word church used in chapters 1-3, then in chapter 4, he starts talking about the “things which must be hereafter” (Rev. 4:1); after that you don’t really see the church anymore 
  • The term is used at the end of the Bible in Rev. 22:16, but in chapter 4-21 the church is not mentioned and you don’t see the things described happening to the church but Israel, the 144,000, etc. are mentioned 

Rebuilding the Temple

The temple that Jesus said would be thrown down will be rebuilt & the antichrist will later sit in the temple.

References: Mat. 24:1-2; 2 Thes. 2:3-4

• The antichrist will later sit in the temple and make people think he is God (abomination of desolation), so we know it has to be rebuilt
• Every time they have tried to build the temple, there were earthquakes, fires, etc. because it was not time yet 

Ending the Daily Sacrifice

In the rebuilt temple, Israel will make daily sacrifices. Once they are taken away, there will be 1,290 days until the abomination of desolation.

Reference: Dan. 12:11

• Once the temple is rebuilt, there will be sacrifices
  • In the Old Testament they sacrificed a red heifer
    • Heifer – female cow 
  • The Jews have been trying to breed a red heifer for almost 2000 years
    • 1997 – red cow but male so excluded 
    • 2002 – had a patch of white hair so eliminated 
    • 2018 – first time in 2000 years they have a red heifer 
• Once sacrifices cease, there will be 1,290 days until the abomination of desolation
  • Dan. 12:11 – “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” 

Two Witnesses

God will give two witnesses power and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, preach God’s message, and finish their testimony.

References: Rev. 11:1-12; Zech. 4:11-14

• In between the end of daily sacrifices and the abomination of desolation, there will be two witnesses prophesying for 1,260 days
• Two witnesses are described as “two olive trees” (Zech. 4:11; Rev. 11:4)
  • Zech. 4:11-14 – “11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? 12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? 13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” 
  • Rev. 11:4 – “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” 
• Rev. 11:1-6
  • 42 months = 1,260 days 
  • v. 1 measuring the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein
  • “my two witnesses” (v. 3 ) – “these are the two olive trees” (v. 4) 
  • He has two prophets in heaven waiting to be sent to prophesy, ready for God to say go
    • While the world is going crazy and forgetting God, God is still going to have witnesses 
  • v. 6 they’ll have power to shut heaven so it doesn’t rain, and power to turn water to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will 
  • Who are the two prophets? The Bible doesn’t say so we don’t know 
• Will people be saved during this period? Yes
  • The two witnesses will preach Jesus and try to convert people to Christ during the tribulation
  • Some will listen and be saved; people will be beheaded for His name sake
• In Rev. 11, they preach, they’re killed (v. 7), people watch their bodies lie in the street for 3.5 days (v. 8-9), then everyone in the world hears the Lord say come up, and He takes them up to heaven (v. 11-12)

Abomination of Desolation

The antichrist will sit on the the throne in the temple, exalting himself as God.

References: Dan. 11:36-37; Dan. 12:11; Mat. 24:15; 2 Thes. 2:3-4

• Abomination of desolation
  • Abomination – something that is disgusting to God, makes Him sick 
  • Desolation – making something desolate, empty, worthless 

Great Tribulation

There will be “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.” It lasts 3 and a half years.

References: Mat. 24:21; Dan. 7:25; Dan. 12:1, 7; Rev. 13:5

• It will be tribulation like has never been seen 
• Mat. 24:15-21 – “… 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” 
• After the two witnesses are taken up, the antichrist, devil, and the beast have their way
  • Satan, the great dragon, the serpent, the Devil is cast out heaven, cast into earth (Rev. 12:9-10) and has his way 
  • He’s the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2)
    • Air – speaks of heaven (not necessarily before the throne of God) 
  • He’s kicked to the earth and they have their way (Rev. 13 mark, 666, etc. implemented)

Israel Will Flee

After the abomination of desolation, Israel will flee into the wilderness during the great tribulation.

References: Zech. 12:7; Mat. 24:16; Mark 13:14; Rev. 12:6, 14

• Some of Israel will flee to a safe place
• Rev. 12:6, 14-17
  • The woman – Israel – will flee into the wilderness to a place prepared of God and be feed for 1,260 days (v. 6)
    • 1,260 days = 3.5 years of great tribulation
  • The woman and her children will have a safe place – the devil is going to be furious about this
    • The serpent (v. 14) will try to come after them and destroy them (v. 15), but the earth helped the woman (v. 16) 
  • v. 17 – “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
    • God protects a lot of His people during this time after the abomination of desolation 
  • v. 14 she is nourished for a time, a times, and half a time
    • Time (1 year) + Times (2 years) + An Half (.5 year) = 3.5 years

Mark of the Beast

The mark will be required to buy or sell.

References: Rev. 13:16-17; 20:4

• The antichrist is a man, the man of sin
• Rev. 13:16-18
  • The antichrist will work along with the beast and cause “all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (v. 16-17)
• Rev. 13:5 – power is given unto the beast to continue 42 months

The Second Coming of Christ

The Lord will return the earth to reign and defeat those who war against him in the battle of Armageddon.

References: Rev. 19:11-21; Zech. 14:1-4; 2 Thes. 2:8

• Once the beast and antichrist have done their thing for 3.5 years of great tribulation, then Jesus shows up – second coming of Christ to earth
• Rev. 19:11-15
  • v. 11 He judges and makes war 
  • This happens “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (Mat. 24:21-24, 28-30)
  • v. 14 “out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations”
• This great battle is not much of a fight at all – Jesus comes back and defeats them
• Armageddon is only used one time in the Bible – Rev. 16:15-16
  • v. 16 – “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
  • Nations gathered together in one place 

Fowls Eat Flesh

Eagles / folks will gather and eat of the dead bodies from the battle of Armageddon.

References: Rev. 19:17-19; Luke 17:37; Mat. 24:27-28 

• There will be a great feast with all the death that occurred

Millenial Reign of Christ

The saints will live and reign with Christ for 1000 years. Satan will be shut up in the bottomless pit.

References: Rev. 20:1-4

• Millennial – a period of 1000 years 
• Satan is bound a thousand years (Rev. 20:2)
• People that are beheaded during the tribulation for serving Christ are resurrected after Jesus comes back, Satan is bound, and they reign with Christ for 1000 years 

Satan Loosed

After the 1000 years, Satan will be loosed from prison for a little season. He will try to deceive and gather the nations to battle. They will be devoured, and he will be cast into the lake of fire and tormented for ever and ever.

References: Rev. 20:7-10

• Satan is loosed out of his prison for a short time (Rev. 20:3, 7) – we don’t know how long that is 
• During that time he’ll try to deceive the nations (Rev. 20:8)

White Throne Judgment

The dead will be judged out of the books.

References: Rev. 20:11-13; Cp. Dan. 7:10 

• Rev. 20:11 great white throne 
• Rev. 20:12 & Dan. 7:10 – judgment out of the books that were opened and another book (the book of life)
• Rev. 20:13 – sea, death, and hell gave up the dead in them and they were judged according to their works
  • Folks gathered from heaven (Mat. 24:31)- not lost 
  • The ones whose name are written in the book of life are not lost 

New Heaven & New Earth

References: Rev. 21:1-4

• That is where we reign with Jesus throughout eternity 

Lake of Fire

References: Rev. 20:10, 14-15; 1 Cor. 15:26

• Whoever is not found in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire where Satan, beast, and false prophet have been cast into