Antichrist

Satan is not the Antichrist and the Antichrist is not Satan.  The Antichrist is a man, also known as the beast (Rev 11:7; 13:1-5).  “The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority” (Rev 13:2b).  In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul refers to him as the lawless one or the man of lawlessness, also translated as the man of wickedness.  Daniel referred to him as “One who causes desolation” (Dan 9:27). 

Also, Contemptible Person (Dan 11:21), Stern-Faced King, Master of Intrigue (Dan 8:23), Worthless Shepherd (Zech 11:17), the abomination that causes desolation (Matt 24:15).

The Apostle John wrote the letters of 1 John, 2 John and 3 John.  In 1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:22, 1 John 4:3, and 2 John 1:7, he uses the word antichrist to describe, “the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ…he denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). 

Apocalyptic

The word apocalyptic comes from the Greek word, “apokalypsis,” meaning the lifting of a veil or a revelation.  Revelation 1:1 literally begins with, “Apocalypse of Jesus Christ…” or more popularly translated, “The revelation of Jesus Christ…”   Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Joel, Revelation and others, which specifically mention future events, are popularly referred to as prophetic or apocalyptic literature.

Armageddon

“Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Rev 16:16). 

The word Armageddon comes from the Hebrew, “Har Megiddo” or “the Mount of Megiddo.”  Megiddo itself is a mound or tel, located along the south side of the Jezreel Valley.  It looks down into the Jezreel Valley, also known as the Megiddo Valley (Zech 12:11), Ezdralon Valley (also Esdraelon or Plain of Esdraelon), and the Valley of Armageddon.

Jezreel Valley is located in southwest Galilee just south of Nazareth, and extends from the coast between Acco and Haifa to the Jordan River.  It has always been the most fertile ground in Israel.  Jerusalem is approximately 120km  (75 miles) south. 

This little valley, approximately twenty miles long and seven miles wide, is strategically located along the North-South highway, Via Maris - Way of the Sea and the East-West highway - The King’s Road.  Armies seeking to conquer and control Israel, sought to take the Megiddo heights and control the highways intersecting in the valley below.  Over the last 4,000 years, thirty-four known battles were fought in the valley (The Battles of Armageddon, Eric Cline, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 2000).

In preparation for the final assault on Jerusalem, the Antichrist will occupy the Megiddo area and the strategically located mountains around the valley (Carmel, Tabor, Moreh, Gilboa).  The army’s mobile forces will stage in the valley below and on the surrounding hills.  The whole valley and hills, from the sea to the Jordan River, will be destroyed.  After the army is destroyed, the valley and plain will forever be known as the Valley of Hammon Gog, which means “hordes of Gog” (Ezekiel 39:4-11).

This Armageddon war actually will be the war to end all wars (at least for a thousand years when the next and the last battle on earth will be in the Valley of Jehoshaphat).

Church

The Church is spiritual in nature (Ephesians 5), and is not to be confused with the many denominations and churches where people meet to fellowship, study and worship. 

In the Bible the Church is also known as the Bride of Christ (Eph 1:22, Col 1:18).  Other names include: Body of Christ (Romans 12:5), Bride (Rev 21:9), God’s Building (I Corinthians 3:9), and Lamb’s Wife (Rev 19:7, 21:9).  Members of this Church are people who confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead (Rom 10:8-10).  They are also called the Ransomed of the Lord (Isaiah 35:10), Christians (Acts 11:26), the Elect (Matt 24:22), and Heirs (Rom 4:13).

By capitalizing the “C,” I make a distinction between the physical churches Christians attend and the spiritual Church - made up of all believers in Jesus Christ.

Eschatology

From the Greek “eschatos” meaning last, farthest.  “A branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of mankind, and a belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of mankind; specifically: any of various Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the Last Judgment.” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1993).

Jesus Christ, Other Names

There are many biblical references for the names of Jesus Christ; but for this study, I focused on the book of Revelation. 

Firstborn (1:5), Faithful Witness (1:5), Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood (1:5), Ruler of Kings (1:5), Almighty (1:8), Son of Man (1:12, 14:14), the Living One (1:17), Him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the golden lamp stands (2:1), Son of God (2:18), He who searches the hearts and minds (2:23), Him who holds the seven spirits of God and seven stars (3:1), the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, Ruler of God’s creation (3:14).

Also, Lion of the tribe of Judah, Root of David (5:5), the Lamb (5:6, 13:8, 17:14), King of the Ages (15:3), Faithful and True (19:11), Word of God (19:13), King of Kings and Lord of Lords (19:16), “I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (21:6). 

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright Morning Star” (Rev 22:16).

Rapture

The word rapture refers to the event mentioned by the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “And after that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…”  “Caught up” translated into Latin is “rapturo.”  Among many Christians, the debate is not about if the rapture will happen, but rather when the rapture will take place: Before, during or after the Great Tribulation. 

There are four theories about when the rapture will take place: Pre-Tribulation (before the seven years of the Tribulation), Mid-Tribulation (middle of the Tribulation - end of first three and a half years), Partial-Tribulation (some taken, some left at the beginning or in the middle of the Tribulation), Post-Tribulation (after the seven years of the Tribulation). 

The Preterist view is not a rapture theory.  Preterist means, “past in fulfillment,” and proposes that most or all of Bible prophecy has already been fulfilled and the invisible Jesus Christ returned when the Second Coming happened in 70 A.D.

Revelation

The book of Revelation is the Apostle John’s record of his vision of the end times.  Appropriately, it is the last book of the Bible.  John wrote and described what he was shown, and over the centuries, it has been left up to the reader to determine what many of these visions mean.

Satan

As noted above, Satan is not the Antichrist, but people often refer to them as if they were the same person.  Satan is referred to as the dragon.  Revelation 12:9, “The great dragon was hurled down - that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.”  He is also called the accuser (Rev 12:10).

Second Coming

The Second Coming is the actual return of Jesus Christ to the earth at the end of the seven-year Tribulation period.  “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt 26:64).  “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.”  The Second Coming marks the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Lord’s millennial reign on earth (Revelation 19:11, 14).

Theory

For this study, the word “theory” is simply defined as, “a statement of the principles on which a subject is based, theory of music.” (Oxford American Dictionary, Heald Colleges Edition, 1980).  No other meaning is stated or implied.

Tribulation 

Speaking to the disciples of the end times, Jesus said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21, KJV).  The book of Daniel speaks of seven years where the “one who causes desolation,” makes a covenant with many (Daniel 9:26-27).  It would be inaccurate to term this period as a battle between good and evil/God versus Satan.  At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus does not battle with Satan: He speaks a word and the Antichrist’s war against Israel is over (Rev 19:15 and 19-21), and Satan is captured and bound for a thousand years.  The Great Tribulation ends when the armies of the beast are destroyed, and the beast and false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire.

In this website Tribulation and Great Tribulation are used interchangeably to refer to the same event.

By capitalizing the “T,” I make a distinction between the trials and tribulations Christians will face and the Tribulation event itself.