Aliens and the Antichrist: Unveiling the End Times Deception (28 page)

Hebrews 9:28
(bold emphasis added)

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for him shall He appear the second time
without sin unto salvation.

Interestingly, movies such as
Independence Day, Signs,
and
War of the Worlds,
becoming increasingly popular these days, are prophetic to a certain extent, yet frequently depict otherworldly invaders as the bad guys, which will not always be the case when Jesus returns to Earth to establish his kingdom, as shown in Isaiah 66:15-16. (Fallen angels will have their place in the skies as well, which I will discuss in the next chapter, but most of the world will actually perceive everything backward, claiming allegiance with the Antichrist instead of with God.)

The Antichrist will be very successful in convincing the people of Earth to unite together to fight this massive invasion from God, for he (the Antichrist) will convince everyone that this invasion is from a terrible enemy intent on global destruction. Exactly the opposite will be true, however. God’s invasion will be defensive rather than offensive. His primary objective will be to defend Israel from the forces of the Antichrist, and that he will do quite successfully. The battle of Armageddon will be a bloody mess, that’s for sure!

The movies I just mentioned are no accident. As I already stated, I believe it is true that the science fiction authors of today are right about how the heavens will be shaken (Matthew 24:29); in this respect, many Hollywood movies are prophetic. The skies may very well be proliferated with otherworldly spacecraft during the days of the Antichrist, just as they most likely were during the days of Noah (Genesis 6; Matthew 24:37; Luke 17:26). The greatest threat of all on Earth in those days, however, will be that of the deception coming from the Antichrist, and the fallen angels and demonic beings aligned with him, rather than physical destruction. Physical destruction only destroys the body
temporarily,
but deception creates a condition where a person’s soul and spirit are destroyed for all eternity (Matthew 10:28).

Matthew 24:29

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

Genesis 6:1-6*

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of

men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

*Fallen angels openly cohabitating with humans and interbreeding with them is the biggest distinguishing factor that differentiates the days of Noah from today. These unnatural unions were the primary impetus to the profound corruption of the entire world in those days.

Matthew 24:37

But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Luke 17:26

And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

Matthew 10:28
(bold emphasis added)

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Just as the rapture has its distinguishing characteristics, so does the second coming, or advent, of Christ. Following is a brief list of these characteristics:

and John (Revelation 1:7, 19:11-21). Not one of these scriptures refers to the rapture of the church. Because there are so many scriptures listed here, I’m not going to reference them as I’ve been doing throughout this book, because they would take up too much space. I recommend either downloading e-Sword or maybe even doing something crazy like investing a dollar to purchase a Bible at the local dollar store, where Bibles are usually sold for a buck.

• While the rapture of the church can occur at any time,
many
things
must
happen before the second coming of Christ. This is one of the primary reasons the second coming of Christ cannot be the rapture of the church. Many signs either have already occurred or are currently in progress. Some of these include conflicts with people, such as wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9), nations against nations (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8, and many others), and the persecution of the Jews by all nations (Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:9-11; Luke 21:12; Joel 3; Zechariah 14; Revelation 12:13-17). Other signs include famines (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:7-8), pestilences (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:12-17, and many others), earthquakes (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8, and many others), an abundance of wickedness (Matthew 24:12; 1 Timothy 4; 2 Timothy 3, etc.), and the Gospel of the kingdom being preached to all nations (Matthew 24:13-14). As stated previously, all of these signs either have happened already or are currently in progress, but there are other signs, extremely specific events, that have not happened yet. For example, for the abomination of desolation to come to pass, as mentioned in Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:7-11; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; and Revelation 13:14-18, the temple and temple sacrifices must first be reestablished by the Jews. Furthermore, for the Antichrist to sit in the temple of God and claim to be God, it’s highly likely that he will sit on the mercy- seat of the Ark of the Covenant, where God’s spirit once sat (Exodus 25:22). This means that the mysterious Ark of the Covenant (made famous in the movie
Raiders of the Lost Ark),
which has been missing since Babylon invaded Israel over two thousand years ago, must be found and placed within the temple. In addition to these events that must transpire, all the national boundaries of Europe, a western portion of Asia, and a northern piece of Africa must be redrawn (Daniel 7:8, 7:24, 11:44—more on this in the next chapter).
⁵
Furthermore, the Antichrist will be revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:8), the Jews will flee into the wilderness in mass (Matthew 24:16), and there will be great signs in the heavens and on Earth (Matthew 24:4-31; Luke 21:11, 21:25-28; Acts 2:16-21; Revelation 6:12-17, 8:7-9:21, 11:1-13, 12:13-17, 13:1-8, 14:1-11, 16:1-21,

18:1-24). Some argue that the abomination of desolation was already fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanies, who put an end to Jewish sacrifices and sacrificed a pig on the altar in the temple of the Lord. A close examination of
all
of the signs that must happen, however, reveals that this person was only a type of Antichrist who didn’t quite fulfill all of Satan’s plans. The simple fact is, Antiochus Epiphanies was not the Antichrist, because he’s come and gone—and was not destroyed by Jesus Christ himself. This proves beyond a doubt that his actions, while they were an abomination, were not
the
abomination of desolation spoken of in prophecy.

•   While the rapture of the church precedes the great tribulation, the second coming of Christ will occur at the conclusion of the great tribulation (Zechariah 14; Joel 3; Revelation 19:11-21, and many others mentioned above).

•   Christ will obviously appear to all the inhabitants of Earth when he returns to establish his kingdom on Earth (Hebrews 9:28; Matthew 24:30, and many other scriptures which note God’s obvious, visible kingdom on Earth).

•   During the second advent of Christ, Christ will set foot on Earth when he establishes his kingdom (Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14, 7:18; Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33; Revelation 11:15).

One of the scriptures most commonly mistaken for a passage referring to the rapture of the church is the passage in Matthew 24:29-42. It is paralleled in Luke 17:34-37, where Jesus speaks of two in a field. One is taken while the other is left behind. So first we have a similarity to the rapture with the English word “taken.” Second, Jesus stated in these passages that no one knows the day or hour of his return. This is still not a reference to the rapture of the church, however, simply because no one knows the day or the hour of the second coming of Christ. Preceding this discourse, Jesus starts out in Matthew 24:6 by clearly stating that certain things must happen before he returns, and this is clearly not the case with the rapture of the church (Philippians 3:20-21; Titus 2:11-13—early Christians believed the rapture of the Church could happen at any time). While no one knows the day or hour of Jesus’s return, we do know that it won’t happen until certain things happen first, so it is possible to know how
soon
it’s going to be by watching for all of the signs Jesus gave. It’s just not possible to know the exact day or hour.

The most telling reference to what being
taken
refers to in these two passages is found in Luke 17:37 and Matthew 24:27-28; Jesus’s disciples asked where these people were being taken, and Jesus clearly answered their question: where the body is, there will the eagles also be gathered together. In other words, the ones taken away at the second advent will be those killed in the battle of Armageddon, who will make the carcasses for the eagles to eat, as pictured in Matthew 24:27-28 and Revelation 19:17-21. Those who are left will be the survivors of the battle of Armageddon, and they will be permitted to live on in the millennium, as in Zechariah 14:16-21 and Joel 2:29-32.

Luke 17:31-37
(bold emphasis added)

In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And He said unto them, Wherever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

Matthew 24:27-28
(bold emphasis added)

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Zechariah 14:16-21
(bold emphasis and bracketed comments added)

And it shall come to pass, that
every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem
[during the battle of Armageddon] shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

Joel 2:29-32
(bold emphasis added)

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance,
as the LORD hath said,
and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

2.2. More Than One Resurrection of the Dead, and More Than One Rapture

As mentioned earlier, two primary factors lead to the confusion as to when the rapture of the church will occur in relation to the tribulation. The first factor, which I have already discussed, is the common mistake of mixing up the rapture of the church with the second coming of Christ. I hope that I have provided enough information to distinguish these two events. The second leading factor contributing to the confusion of trying to figure out when the rapture of the church will occur is the fact that there is more than one rapture.