AFTER THE GREAT TRIBULATION

“When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed” (Dan 12:7b).

“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.  Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days” (Dan 12:11-12).  I believe Jesus will come back on an unknown day during this 45-day period.  

So, a person will be “blessed” because they will see the end of Satan’s rule and the return of Jesus as the Messiah.

THE RESTORATION

Restore: “To bring back to its original state by repairing or rebuilding; to bring back in good health and vigor; to put back into its former position, to reinstate” (Oxford American Dictionary, Heald Colleges Edition, 1980). 

“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive…” (Matt 24:22). 

Jerusalem will be in utter ruins, and in many places people will be without the basic necessities of life: Food, water, shelter, and medical attention.  There will be a great cry for relief, which I believe Jesus will start to alleviate immediately.  As the new king of the earth, Jesus will ensure that the people of the earth get the basic requirements to keep going until the infrastructure, systems and logistics of society can be rebuilt: Starting with Jerusalem and Israel, then nations that supported Israel will be relieved first.  

“In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent.  I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, declares the Lord, who will do these things” (Amos 9:11-12, Acts 15:16-17).

Peter, speaking to the crowd, speaks of the future.  “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing my come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus.  He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:19-21).

Jesus is the Restorer.

Isa 49:6, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.  I will also make you a light to the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Why Israel first, then the other nations?  Obviously, the Messiah’s primary focus is the salvation and restoration of Israel.  But in other matters, Israel is primary.

“…[the gospel] is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Rom 1:16).

“There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile, but the glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Rom 2:9-10).  As you can see in Amos 9:12 above, the restoration of Israel also includes the nations that bear God’s name.

THE WEDDING

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roaring of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting, ‘Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.  Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!   For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.’  Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints)” (Rev 19:6-8).

The wedding is important.  For the believers it represents a change in status, a work completed, and a new relationship for the future.  We can only imagine the significance of what will transpire and what that will mean to each of us.  In one sense it is the corporate Body of Christ realizing a new status, but as individual members of the Church, the Body, the significance is profound for each individual.

In the scriptures, I don’t see a record of a wedding ceremony, symbolically or otherwise.  Does that mean it is metaphorical?  That is certainly possible.  What happens at the wedding or how it takes place is a mystery.  If there is a wedding, we can assume it will happen somewhere in heaven, because it is one of the reasons people, both the living and the dead, are gathered and given white linen garments.

WEDDING FEAST

“Then the angel said to me, Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! And he added, These are the true words of God” (Rev 19:9).

In the Bible marriage feasts usually last a week (John 2:1-11), with honored guests sitting nearest the honored couple.  In some cases, the most honored guests sit down to eat first while the other guests wait and visit.  After the meal, the guests retire to different places around the banquet and adjacent rooms or grounds for more visiting. 

Matthew 22:1-14 talks about a person in the feast without the proper wedding clothes.  It could be argued that the improperly dressed person and the five foolish virgins would not have been in the rapture.  A person without the proper clothes would not be able to even be in attendance, because they would not have been gathered up.  People in the rapture will be changed into the proper clothes (fine linen) for the wedding, which implies a sort of pre-judgment taking place based on a person’s eligibility…a passport to the coming events.  When they discover that they have been left behind, the five foolish virgins plead to be let into the wedding feast, but they are denied entrance. 

We can assume that there will be seating arrangements, but we can’t know the details.  Will it be one large assembly or a series of small intimate groups?  Will Jesus symbolically serve the large assembly by breaking bread and blessing the wine, and then passing it left and right?  Or will he be present at small gatherings, like the Last Supper, to serve and eat together?  Maybe both.  We can only imagine.

REWARDING OF THE SAINTS

There are two judgments: One at the end of the Tribulation and another at the end of the thousand-year reign.  

The first judgment is where rewards are given to the believers based on what they have done.  At the sounding of the seventh trumpet the twenty-four elders say, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty...” “The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great - and for destroying those who destroy the earth” (Rev 11:17-18). 

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.  The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended” (Rev 20:4-5).

The second judgment is commonly referred to as “the great white throne judgment,” and is found in Revelation 20:11-15.  The passage concerning this judgment specifically says all people are gathered before a great white throne, and “If anyone’s name was not found in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” 

“Behold, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Rev 22:12).

“You cannot be saved by works, it is the gift of God, so that no man may boast” (Eph 2:8-9).  But after you are saved, you are expected to grow in the faith and knowledge of God, like a seed planted in good soil.  You have been born again into a new kingdom, and the works of the new kingdom are the opposite of the world you came from. 

The scriptures tell us Christians are rewarded for faithfulness and obedience, but I don’t think we really grasp the significance of the rewards or being made rulers of something.  Most people are just happy to know they are going to go to heaven.  You hear people joking about feeling the door slam on their heels as they just make it into heaven, or talking about the satisfaction of just being gatekeepers. 

The idea is that most people don’t the focus on the rewards or are uncomfortable discussing it.  Rewards are not what motivate them.  Generally, people don’t focus on the rewards part, because in the here and now, it really isn’t important.  We are not faithful and obedient because we expect payment.  But the rewards are a fact and the rewarding will take place.

WHERE WILL WE LIVE?

“Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (Rev 21:9-10).

The angel shows John a gloriously magnificent and huge city.  How can it have the name of bride and wife?  Like the saints, is it also the bride and wife?  No. The verse says the Holy City is prepared for Jesus Christ and the believers like “a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Rev 21:2).  

The Greek of this verse reads, “And the new city holy Jerusalem I saw coming down out of heaven from God, having been prepared as a bride having been adorned for her husband.”

The New Jerusalem will be our new home, and we won’t need to use elevators and stairs. “Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their windows?” (Isa 60:8).  I know.