End Times Glossary

1. Eschatology: The study of the Bible's teachings concerning the events of the

end times leading up the return of Jesus Christ and the eternal state.

2. The First coming of Christ: The time of the incarnation when God sent His

Son into the world and was born unto the virgin named Mary.

3. The Church: All those who have been saved by grace through faith and have

been born-again of the Spirit of God from the time of Pentecost until the return of

Christ for His bride, the church.

The Church Age is the time when God is working through the Church to

evangelize the world and to carry out His work in the world.

The Church Age started at the cross of Jesus Christ, was empowered and indwelt by

the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and continues until the rapture of the Church.

4. The Return of Christ for his Church: The time when Jesus will return in

the clouds and gather the church unto Himself.

5. The Rapture: The event described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 when Jesus

returns in the clouds to gather His church, those who have died and those who are

alive at that time, to Himself and take them to heaven.

6. The Tribulation: A seven year period of time when God brings to completion

His covenant with Abraham and Israel and God brings judgment and catastrophe

upon the earth, just prior to the physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth.

The tribulation period is divided into two parts of three and a half years.

The first part of the tribulation period will begin when the Antichrist establishes a

covenant or peace treaty with Israel. Once this occurs, the Antichrist will establish a

false peace on the earth for three and a half years. This first period is referred to as

the tribulation.

The second period of three and a half years is a period when the Antichrist brings

great persecution upon Israel and Christians and God pours out His greatest

measure of wrath and judgment upon the earth. This second three and a half year

period of the Tribulation is called The Great Tribulation.

7. The Antichrist: The word antichrist means a substitute Christ, a person who is

the opposite of the true Christ, and totally opposed to the true Christ.

He is sometimes referred to as "the Beast" or "the man of lawlessness".

He is referred to in Daniel as "A little horn" and "the ruler who will come".

The Antichrist will come on the world scene after the rapture of the church and will

be acclaimed as a hero and savior of the world who will seem to have the answers to

all the world's great problems. There are some who believe he will be Satan

incarnate.

The Antichrist will convince the nations of the earth to submit to his rule during the

tribulation period. The Antichrist will be overcome and cast into the lake of fire by

Christ at His Second Coming.

8. The Little Beast also called The False Prophet: This man will form a

conglomeration of the worlds religions during the tribulation period and will lead the

world, ultimately, to worship the Antichrist. He will be the right hand to the Antichrist.

He too, will be dealt with by Christ at His Second Coming.

9. Millennium: The thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. During this

period Satan will be bound in a bottomless pit and Christ will return the earth to its

original form as in the Garden of Eden.

10. Premillennial: The belief that the millennium is a future event and that Jesus

will return physically to the earth before the millennium and then establish His earthly

kingdom.

11. Amillennial: The belief that the millennium is a symbol of Christ's present reign

among His people. This view does not believe in a rapture of the church but simply a

resurrection of all at the Second Coming of Jesus. The belief that Israel and the

Church are one and the same is a key principle in interpreting Biblical prophecy

according to this view.

12. Postmillennial: The belief that Jesus will return after the millennium. This view

hold that the Gospel will be effective in making the world better and better and will

eventually make this world a fit place for Jesus to come and reign. The millennium is

defined as a time in which most of the world responds in faith to the Gospel and

submits to Jesus, and peace and justice reign on the earth.

13. Preterism: The belief that most, if not all, Biblical prophecies concerning the

end times refer to specific events that happened in the first century. This view hold

that all end times prophesy has already been fulfilled.

14. The Mark of the Beast: During the Tribulation period, the Antichrist will

decree that all must receive a mark on the back of their hand on their forehead that

demonstrates their loyalty and allegiance to the Antichrist. Without this mark you will

not be able to engage in commerce or buy goods. All who receive this mark will

ultimately be thrown into the Lake of Fire at the Great White Throne Judgment.

15. The Judgment Seat of Christ: After the rapture of the Church, while the

Tribulation period is taking place on the earth, those raptured will join Christ in

heaven where each one will stand before "the bema" or the Judgment Seat of Christ,

where the works we have done for Christ since we were born-again

will be tested to see whether or not they were done out the right motive of heart.

Those that were done for impure motives will done away, and those that were done

out of love for Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit will remain and be rewarded.

16. The Great White Throne Judgment: The event described in Revelation

20:11-15, when God resurrects all lost people and judges them out of the Book of

Works and the Lamb's Book of Life. Each one that appears at the Great White

Throne Judgment will be proven and declared guilty of sin and guilty of not repenting

of sin and placing faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation. They will each be cast into

the Lake of Fire.

17. The 144,000: 144,000 Jews who will come to understand the truth of the

Gospel and that Jesus truly is their Messiah. There will be 12,000 from each tribe of

Israel.

God will seal them so that no harm can come to them through the reign of the

Antichrist. They will become great evangelist, and many will come to faith in Christ

during the tribulation period through their witness.

It should be noted that those who are saved during the Tribulation period, will have

not heard the Gospel prior to the rapture.

18. The Abomination of Desolation: An event that will happen at the mid-point

of the Tribulation period when the Antichrist will enter into the Holy of Holies in the

rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God and demand the exclusive

worship of all on the earth.

19: The Battle of Armageddon: During the Great Tribulation the Antichrist will

declare war on Israel and the Jewish people. At the end of the Great Tribulation he

will lead an alliance of nations in battle against Israel that will be centered in the

Valley of Megiddo. The Antichrist's forces will seem to be winning the battle but

before Israel can be destroyed, Jesus will physically return to the earth in His

Second Coming and will destroy the forces making war against Israel.

20. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ: This is the time after the Tribulation

Period and after the Battle of Armageddon when Jesus physically returns to the

earth and establishes His earthly Kingdom called Millennial Reign of Christ.

21. The Eternal State: This is the final eternal state of all. Those whose names

are not found in the Lamb's Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire, and those

whose names are found in the Book of Life will enter into the New Jerusalem.