Bible Correspondence Course 3

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2
THE AMBASSADOR COLLEGE
BibleCORRESPONDENCE COURSE
Lesson 3
An international course of Biblical understanding published by the World-
wide Church of God in cooperation wilh Ambassador College, Pasa-
dena, California . Copyrighl © 1977, 1983 Worldwide Church of God for
the entire contents of this publication. All rights reserved.
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About
Our
Cover.
On the eastern side of the city
of Jerusalem rises a limestone
ridge call ed the M ount of
Olives, This view from the T emple M ount acr oss the narrow
Kidron V alley (in the for eground) shows t he rugged slop es dot ted
with cem eteries, various shrines and churches, This lesson shows
proof from the Bible that the momentous return of Jesus Christ
will not be in secret. It will be a spectacular event. The world will
know when t he r eturning "King of kings" touches down on the
M ount of Olives in great power and glory!
Ambassador College Photo
Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course

THE DRAMATIC RETURN
OF JESUS CHRIST!
When and where will Christ return? Will He come quietly, or will
the whole world know? Has He already returned secretly? Here
is the amazing truth about the SECOND COMING of Jesus
Christ!
N
o NEWS STORY could be more shocking. No
headline could be more spectacular than:
JESUS CHRIST RETURNS! ... or more
ridiculed today.
To the average person, the idea of Jesus Christ
returning to earth is a fantastic fable that has no
bearing whatsoever on the realities of life.
Yet millions of professing Christians still expect
the second coming of Christ- though widely
divided among themselves as to why, when and
how He will appear.
The Promise of Christ's Return
Just before His death and resurrection- before
His departure from the Mount of Olives over 1900
years ago-Jesus Christ promised, "I will come
again" (John 14:3).
And only moments after His ascension, the apos-
tles were startled by the appearance of two divine
messengers who assured them: "This same Jesus,
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven" (Acts 1:11). They confirmed Jesus' prom-
ise that He would come again and told the manner
of His return.
The early New Testament Church believed what
Jesus said and taught His message to others.
Notice what Edward Gibbon said about the early
church in his famous work, The History of the
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:
"The ancient and popular doctrine of the Mil-
lennium was intimately connected with the sec-
ond coming of Christ. As the works of the creation
had been finished in six days, their duration in
their present state ... was fixed to six thousand
MOUNT OF OLIVES- Ancient arch on the Temple Mount in the city of Jerusalem frames the Mount of Olives,
site of Jesus Christ's prophesied return .
Lesson 3 3

years. By the same analogy it was inferred that this
long period of labour and contention ... would be
succeeded by a joyful Sabbath of a thousand years;
and that Christ, with the triumphant band of the
saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who
had been miraculously revived, would reign upon
earth till the time appointed for the last and gen-
eral resurrection" (chapter 15, subheading "Doc-
trine of the Millennium," emphasis ours through-
out lesson).
Not long after Jesus began His church (Matt.
16:18; Acts 2), a competing church was established
which counterfeited or totally rejected basic truths
of God taught by the true church. The church Jesus
built was forced by persecution to "go under-
ground," holding services secretly, communicating
the truth of God privately. Meanwhile, the counter-
feit church flourished. Notice how the truth about
Christ's second coming came to be regarded.
Continuing in his history, Gibbon went on to
show that the belief Jesus would come a second
time to intervene in world affairs came to be
regarded as an error. Within a century and a half
after Christ's ascension, it was treated as a pro-
found allegory-not to be taken literally. The doc-
trine that Christ would return to rule the earth
"was at length rejected as the absurd invention of
heresy and fanaticism" (ibid).
The world today continues to ridicule the idea of
Christ's return. Nevertheless, this message lies at
the very heart and core of the true gospel of the
Kingdom of God-the very gospel Jesus preached
over 1900 years ago!
Three Common Ideas
Among the millions of professing Christians who
still expect the second coming of Christ, there are
hundreds of differing concepts about the time and
manner of His return. The three principal ideas are
the "Post-millennial Coming," the "Secret Rap-
ture," and the "Spiritual Coming."
It was not until about A.D. 1700 that an English
clergyman put forward the idea that Christ's sec-
ond coming would follow the Millennium-the
time during which His Kingdom was prophesied to
rule the earth. But those who maintain this idea
are finding it increasingly difficult to believe that
modern man can ever achieve worldwide peace and
prosperity without the intervention of Christ's
"strong hand" (Isa. 40:10).
Never before this modern age of nuclear weap-
ons have men been capable of destroying all life on
earth. Man is now literally on the brink of blasting
or polluting himself from the face of this planet!
4
That fact alone should tell us why, and partly
WHEN, Christ must return.
The "Secret Rapture"
The second common idea accepted by millions of
professing Christians is the "Secret Rapture."
According to this belief, Jesus will return to this
earth in two phases. First, He will return secretly
to whisk away all true Christians to heaven to
protect them from the time of "great tribulation"
Jesus foretold. Therefore, it is believed that the
Church's promised place of safety is not on this
earth, but up in heaven. The second phase is
believed to be His "public" coming at which time
all will be able to see and hear Him.
But the rapture theory is actually an even more
modern invention than the post-millennial theory.
The early New Testament Church of God never
heard of the "rapture." Nor indeed had anyone else
until about 1830, when it was espoused by a few
people in Britain and later popularized in the
famous Scofield Reference Bible.
Those first few advocates of the rapture theory
fervently believed that they were living in the last
three and one half years of earth's history. When
that length of time was exceeded and Christ still
had not "caught them away," they were forced to
alter their doctrine to a general expectancy that
Christ might return-unannounced-at any
moment!
Thus from those few people the doctrine of the
"Secret Rapture" has spread to most of Protes-
tantism today.
Is Christ Already Here?
The third common idea is that Christ has
already returned. Many assume that Jesus came
the second time as the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost after His resurrection (Acts 2). His
Kingdom was the Church He founded at that time,
say the proponents of this theory, and therefore
today all the churches together constitute the
"Kingdom of God."
But such a kingdom would not fulfill dozens of
plain prophecies. Also, this theory ignores the fact
that the Apostle Paul and other early true Chris-
tians still looked forward to the second coming of
Christ and His Kingdom long after that particular
Pentecost!
What is the TRUTH about the second coming of
Christ?
Let's begin to understand what Jesus taught
about His dramatic return.

LESSON 3
Has Christ Already Come?
Let's notice the plain statements of Christ Him-
self concerning His promised return.
1. Did Jesus warn that some would claim He had
already come before His true return would take
place? Matt. 24:23, 26; Mark 13:21.
2. Did false teachers proclaim that very idea
soon after His resurrection? II Thes. 2:1-2. (The
King James rendering "is at hand" in verse 2 is
misleading. Other translations render this more
accurately as "has come.") Did the Apostle Paul
emphatically refute this false assumption?
Verse 3.
3. Did Paul go on to warn that there must yet
come a further falling into error- an apostasy from
the truth- before the return of Jesus Christ? Same
verse. Did Jesus also speak of this as something
which would occur before He returned? Compare
Matthew 24:5, 11, 24 with Revelation 6:2.
COMMENT: Jesus, the Revelator (Rev. 1:1),
revealed to John the symbol of a rider on a white
horse to picture false ministers and prophets
claiming to represent Christ or His Church. The
real Christ comes on the white horse described in
Revelation 19:11. Here Christ pictures Himself as
returning with a sword (verse 15)- the Word of
God (Heb. 4:12)- whereas the devil's counterfeit
(the false Christ) is pictured with a bow in his hand
(Rev. 6:2).
Recall from Lesson 2 that the perversion of
God's truth marks only the beginning of a long
sequence of events covering over 1900 years. These
would overlap in their effects on the world and
culminate in Christ's return and the establishment
of the Kingdom of God on earth.
4. Before His resurrection, did Jesus make it
clear that His Kingdom was not at that time, nor
ever would be "of this world"? John 18:36. There-
fore, could any or all of the churches of this world
constitute God's Kingdom, as so many seem to
think? Same verse.
COMMENT: This "world" or system (Greek kos-
mos) encompasses all that is characteristic of the
age of man. And certainly, as history reveals, the
churches are a PART of this world! They have
engaged in political struggles, ruled empires and
caused the shedding of much blood, especially in
the Middle Ages. Therefore, if indeed the churches
of Christendom constitute God's Kingdom, then
that kingdom is a part of this world, and Jesus
didn't know what He was talking about!
"IN GOD'S NAME" - Many of history's bloodiest wars were fought in the name of religion. This is why
thousands were slaughtered during the Middle Ages. Could the churches of this world really constitute the
"Kingdom of God"?
Lesson 3 5

Jesus stated plainly: "But now is my KINGDOM
not from hence." Christ's Kingdom did not begin
at that time, though His spiritual CHURCH (Matt.
16:18) did begin on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2),
fifty days after His resurrection.
So Jesus Christ Himself emphatically denied, in
advance, the false concept that later formed the
basis for church-political dominance in the Middle
Ages.
5. When asked by His disciples if He would
restore the Kingdom in their day, what did Jesus
reply? Acts 1:6-7. But were they shortly to receive
power that was NOT of a political nature? Verse 8.
What were they to do with this power? Same verse
and Matthew 28:18-20.
COMMENT: Notice that the apostles were not giv-
en to know the time of the establishment of the
Kingdom, but were to be filled with the Holy Spirit
on Pentecost.
Jesus' disciples did not at that time receive
political power to rule the nations. The Kingdom of
God was not then to be set up. But they were to
receive spiritual power that would enable them to
be "WITNESSES" to the world of Christ's resur-
rection, and to "teach all nations" the ways of
God.
Jesus promised that while He was away in heav-
en, He would be with His disciples (and their suc-
cessors) in spirit only until the end of man's rule
(Matt. 28:20)-until the end of this present age of
human misrule-until His return to set up the
Kingdom of God on earth!
6. What scripture proves conclusively that the
Kingdom of God could not have been established
on earth yet? I Cor. 15:50. Would you say the
people attending the various churches are still
flesh and blood?
When Christ WON'T Return
Another and more modern concept is that Jesus
will come AFTER peace and harmony permeate the
earth for a thousand years, with all the nations in
perfect accord. Could this possibly be true in the
light of the Scriptures?
1. What does Acts 3:21 tell us concerning the
restoration of all things?
2. When Jesus returns, what will the ambassa-
dors of peace be doing, and what will the general
condition of the earth be like? Isa. 33:7-8.
COMMENT: Obviously the earth will be in utter
CHAos-not at peace-before Christ returns! Christ
is coming to restore law and order under God's
government.
3. What scriptures prove beyond the shadow of a
6
doubt that Christ returns before, and not after,
peace and harmony fill the earth for a thousand
years? Rev. 5:10; 20:4.
COMMENT: Your Bible shows that Christ will not
come after a millennium (1000 years) of perfect
human rule. To abolish human misrule and estab-
lish the Kingdom of God to rule over the earth is
the reason Jesus returns a second time. Since res-
urrected Christians will reign with Christ for a
thousand years, He obviously must come before the
thousand years commence!
End-Time Commission Must First
Be Fulfilled
1. Before His crucifixion, did Jesus' followers
anticipate that the Kingdom of God would be
established very soon? Luke 19:11. What did Jesus
say in answer to this mistaken idea? Verse 12.
COMMENT: In this parable the "nobleman" refers
to Jesus; the "far country" is heaven, to which He
returned after His resurrection; the "servants" are
true Christians.
2. Was Christ to receive a kingdom while away in
heaven? Compare Luke 19:12 with Daniel 7:13-14.
COMMENT: Plainly, the parable in Luke 19 covers
the time from Christ's ascension to heaven (the
"far country") until His return to establish the
Kingdom of God on earth.
3. While the nobleman-Christ-is away, must
the servants become profitable by increasing their
talents? Luke 19:13, 15; Matt. 25:15-19.
4. What duty must the servants-true Chris-
tians-especially fulfill before the end of this age
and the second coming of Christ? Matt. 24:14;
28:18-20; Acts 1:8.
COMMENT: Jesus made it plain that the gospel of
the Kingdom of God would be preached to the
world as a "witness" to all nations shortly before
His coming to establish the Kingdom. And He
commissioned His Church to be responsible for
proclaiming that wonderful message of GOOD NEWS
to the world!
Can We Know the Exact Time?
Shortly before His ascension to heaven, Jesus
also made it very plain that certain events would
take place before He returns. He gave an outline of
these events to His disciples upon the Mount of
Olives. In Lesson 2 we studied that outline as it is
recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.
You should reread Matthew 24 and note all the
events which were prophesied to occur before
Christ returns.

Let's see if we can determine from these proph-
ecies the exact time of His coming.
1. Will God's intervention in world affairs and
the second coming of Christ be universally
expected? Luke 21:35.
2. To what period in earth's history did Jesus
compare the time of His return? Matt. 24:37. Did
the people before the Flood really expect God's
supernatural intervention? Verses 38-39. Will
people today expect God's intervention and the
second coming of Christ? Same three verses.
3. What about those who are watching and pre-
paring- will they know the day and hour of
Christ's return? Matt. 25:13.
COMMENT: These utterances of Jesus have often
been taken to mean that only the apostles would not
know the day or the hour, but that we in these last
days would know it. This is emphatically NOT true!
4. Did Peter ask Jesus if He meant only the
apostles would be unable to know the day or the
hour, or if He meant all- even those of us today-
would not know? Luke 12:40-41. What was Jesus'
reply? Verses 42-43. Is Jesus' warning especially
for the generation of those alive "when he comes"?
Notice again Jesus' reply in verse 43.
COMMENT: How plain that none of Jesus' ser-
Lesson 3
AT THE END TIME no one would know the precise day or
hour of Christ's return . But shortly before He returns, His
gospel of the Kingdom of God would be preached to the
world as a "witness unto all nations" (Matt. 24: 14). Herbert
W. Armstrong , Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of
God, is proclaiming that same gospel on "The World Tomor-
row" television program.
vants-not even of this generation just prior to His
second coming-would know the day or the hour!
5. Since we cannot know the day and hour, can
we nevertheless know very nearly the actual time
of His return? Matt. 24:32-33.
COMMENT: Recall that Jesus had already given in
this chapter the signs that would precede His sec-
ond coming. Weare to be watching the fulfillment
of those signs (Luke 21:36).
How Christ Will Return
How will Christ return? Is He coming as a "thief
in the night"? Will He come silently and invisibly?
Is He returning to "rapture" away His Church?
Is Christ coming in two phases-once "for" His
saints to secretly take them to heaven, and then
"with" them to set up His Kingdom on earth?
The Bible gives us clear, concise answers to these
questions.
1. What does I Thessalonians 5:2-3 say is to
come on the world as a "thief in the night"? Are
Christians to be vigilant so this period of upheav-
al- the "day of the Lord"- doesn't catch them
unawares? Verses 4-6.
2. Is Christ also pictured as coming as a "thief'?
7

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"ARMAGEDDON"
VALLEY OF JEZREEL BORDERING MEGIDDO
Bible prophecy reveals that just before God estab-
lishes His rule on earth, armies will gather in the
Valley of Jezreel adjoining Megiddo. They will then
converge on Jerusalem to fight Jesus Christ, who
is coming to enforce peace on a rebellious, war-
> torn world.
"
KIDRON VALLEY - Here Christ will van-
quish the rebellious armies attempting to
destroy Him after He has returned to earth.
Above: Z. Kluger Photo
Left to fight: Ambassador College Photos & Art

Rev. 16:15. Does this mean He will return secretly
or invisibly- in a clandestine manner?
COMMENT: That's a fair question. But here's
another question to ponder: When thieves or bur-
glars come to rob a home, do they come INVISIBLY?
Of course not!
A thief, however, usually comes at night when
the household is away or asleep. He catches them
unawares, off their guard-suRPRISES them! You
never know WHEN a thief is coming. If you did, you
would call the police and be prepared for him. The
big question you would want answered if you
already knew a thief was planning to rob your
home would be when.
So it is with the coming of Christ! He will not
come invisibly-any more than a thief comes invis-
ibly. But He will come UNEXPECTEDLY! No one will
know exactly when He is going to come.
Jesus Himself explained: "Watch therefore: for
ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But
know this, that if the goodman of the house had
known in what watch the thief would come, he
would have watched, and would not have suffered
his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also
READY: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son
of man cometh" (Matt. 24:42-44). In other words,
be prepared at all times for His return!
And so Jesus likened His coming to a "thief" in
respect to the time of His coming and the element
of SURPRISE!
How plain!
3. Now turn to Matthew 24. Does Jesus describe
a tremendous noise which will rend the air at His
coming? Matt. 24:30-31. Isn't this the time when
He will "gather together his elect"? Verse 31.
4. Will Christ's return from heaven also be
accompanied by a tremendous shout? I Thes. 4:16.
Is this the time the saints are "caught up" to be
with Him? Verses 16-17.
COMMENT: Obviously Christ's coming will NOT be
a clandestine, secret event at all!
To Come VISIBLY!
1. When Christ returns, will He be visible to
everyone? Matt. 24:27; Rev. 1:7.
COMMENT: The Greek word astrape used in Mat-
thew 24:27 may mean the lightning of thunder-
storms, or any brilliant illumination. Now what
brilliant light "comes out of the east and shines
even unto the west"? Why, the SUN, of course! Can
you see the sun? Of course you can! Christ's pres-
ence will be "as the SUN shineth in his strength"
(Rev. 1:16). It will be obvious-nobody will be able
to miss it.
10
The expression, "and they also which pierced
him" in Revelation 1:7 does not prove that the
Roman soldiers who were responsible for putting
Jesus to death, or the Jews who were living then,
will be alive at His coming. It actually refers to the
entire human family! The sins of all mankind-
past, present and future-took Christ's life (Rom.
3:23; 5:8). Revelation 1:7 simply shows that all who
are alive when He returns will be able to see Him.
All the rest of humanity, including the soldiers who
crucified Jesus, will see Him later in the second
resurrection. (This resurrection will be covered in a
future lesson.)
2. Did the angelic messengers, who spoke to the
disciples right after Christ's ascension from the
Mount of Olives, affirm that He would return as
He left? Acts 1:10-11. What was the "manner" of
His leaving?-was He seen until He disappeared in
the clouds? Verse 9. Will He at His return again
become visible "in the clouds"? Matt. 24:30.
3. Finally, what does Zechariah 14:4 have to say
about Christ's return to that same Mount of Olives,
near Jerusalem, from which He ascended? Then
He will not make a "near miss" and turn right
around and go back to heaven for three and one
half, seven or 1,000 years, will He? Obviously not!
COMMENT: Christ's visible, loud, unmistakable
THE STORY FLOW OF REVELATION
CHAPTERS 6·11, 14· 16
THE SEVEN SEALS
1st - False Prophets
2nd - War
3rd - Famine
4th - Pestilence
5th - The Tribulation
6th - Heavenly Signs
7th - The Seven Trumpet
Plagues (see box below)
(" DAY OF THE LORD" BEGINS)
I
1st
} 'o;""h••"th,
2nd sea, trees and
The
I 3rd rivers .
Seven 4th
Trumpet 5th - First Woe
Plagues ( 6th - Second Woe
("Day
{ Thl,' Woe - 0'of the
Lord")
I 7th The Seven Last
Plagues. Second
coming occurs.

coming is plainly described in the Bible in great
detail, but there is not one word mentioning a
secret, preliminary "rapture" of Christians to
heaven!
Only ONE "Second Coming"!
Some will still contend that this visible and audi-
ble coming is the second phase of Christ's return.
Here is more proof that this idea is utterly false!
1. Does the resurrection of the dead in Christ
clearly take place at His return? I Thes. 4:15-16.
Does it occur at the exact moment the trumpet
("trump") mentioned in verse 16 blows? I Cor.
15:51-52.
2. Is the trumpet mentioned in I Thessalonians
4:16 and I Corinthians 15:52 the same as the one
blown in Revelation 11:15? Rev. 11:18.
COMMENT: Some will claim that the last trumpet
mentioned in I Corinthians 15:52 is different from
the seventh or last trump mentioned in Revelation
11:15. But notice that the events John describes in
Revelation 11:18 could apply only to the time of
the resurrection when the last trumpet is blown!
John is describing the same momentous event
Paul did in I Thessalonians 4 and I Corinthians 15.
Thus we see that Christ will return and the saints
will be resurrected at the mighty blast of a great
trumpet which will be heard by everyone on
earth!
Significance of the Greek Word
"Parousia"
Those who insistently adhere to the rapture the-
ory claim the Greek word parousia, translated
"coming" in Matthew 24:27, does not mean "com-
ing" at all. They say it refers to His "secret near-
ness." Thus when Jesus' disciples asked Him for
the "sign" of His coming, they were actually asking
for a sign of the "rapture."
What about it?
The scriptures we have studied already have
clearly shown the manner and approximate time of
Christ's return. But what about this word parou-
sia? Does it really indicate a preliminary SECRET
coming after all?
1. The Greek word parousia is translated "com-
ing" in many different scriptures. I Thessalonians
3:13 is one example. Does this verse say that Christ's
parousia is "for," or "with" all His saints?
COMMENT: This verse obviously is not referring
to a secret coming FOR His saints three and one half
or more years before He returns openly "with"
them!
Lesson 3
Wouldn't you think that after Christ had gone
into such detail to answer the disciples' questions
(Matt. 24:3), that He would have at least men-
tioned the "rapture" or His "invisible presence"?
But no such mention is found in this chapter or in
all the Bible!
2. But notice another scripture. At His "coming"
(parousia) , what will Christ do to "that Wicked
[one]" who has seated himself "as God" in the
temple of God? II Thes. 2:4,8.
COMMENT: Clearly, Christ's coming to execute
judgment is His parousia-His visible and
POWERFUL "coming" to this earth!
Notice that not only does this verse show that
the wicked one is to be destroyed at the parousia of
Christ, but it also speaks of the BRIGHTNESS of His
parousia. Plainly, the parousia of Christ is not a
secret, clandestine, INVISIBLE event at all!
Where Will Christians Be Protected
From the Tribulation?
1. What did Jesus say is to happen shortly
BEFORE His one and only second coming? Matt.
24:21, 29. And what happens next? Verse 30.
COMMENT: These verses show that problems of
unequalled severity will trouble the whole world,
but Christ will not return until AFTER this tribula-
tion and AFTER great heavenly signs occur!
2. What did Christ tell His followers in Judea to
do when they see a particular "abomination of
desolation" set up? Matt. 24:15-20; Luke 21:20-
21.
COMMENT: This is exactly what true Christians
did before Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. But
this prophecy, remember, is DUAL. It also gives
Christians in Judea at the end time instructions
about what to do when the "abomination of desola-
tion" is set up. If there were to be a "secret rap-
ture," Christ's followers would not have to be con-
cerned about the winter, the Sabbath, or invading
armies!
3. Did Jesus advocate the "rapturing" of His
followers out of the world to protect them? John
17:15.
4. Does Christ promise to keep the overcomers
of His Church safe in the "hour of temptation"-
the coming Great Tribulation? Rev. 3:10.
5. A "woman" is sometimes used as a symbol for
a CHURCH (see II Cor. 11:1-2; Eph. 5:23-32). Will
God provide a place of safety for the end-time true
Church where it will be protected from the devil
(the "dragon"-Rev. 12:9)? Rev. 12:13-14. Where
will this place be-in heaven or on earth? Verses
14-16.
11

COMMENT: Notice that the "earth" helps the
"woman." No mention here of heaven, or of a rap-
ture!
Obviously, then, the "saints"-members of
God's one true Church-will be on the earth dur-
ing the Great Tribulation-not up in heaven as
proponents of the rapture theory believe! Christ
promises His people a place of safety on this
earth.
Who Returns With Christ?
When Christ returns to the Mount of Olives in
the same manner as He departed (Acts 1:11), He
definitely will not be alone. Notice who will come
with Him.
1. Will all the "saints" (true Christians) be with
Jesus Christ when He returns to the Mount of
Olives? Zech. 14:4-5. Notice the last few words of
verse 5.
2. Did the Apostle Paul speak of Christ coming
"with" His saints, who are now sleeping in death? I
Thes. 3:13; 4:13-14. Do they return from the heaven
of God's throne, or just from the atmosphere of the
earth-the clouds into which they will have risen to
meet Him? Chapter 4, verses 15-17.
COMMENT: Both the resurrected dead in Christ
and living Christians (then made immortal) will
rise to meet the returning Christ in the air, and
then come down immediately with Him to the
earth.
3. Will they stay with Christ forever? I Thes.
4:17. Where will He be? Turn to Zechariah 14:4 and
Revelation 5:10; 20:4 once again.
4. Who else is scheduled to come with Christ at
this time? Mark 8:38; Rev. 19:14.
COMMENT: When Christ came to the earth the
first time, He was mocked, tortured and killed. But
when He returns as King of kings to set up the
Kingdom of God, He will return with GREAT POWER
AND GLORY (Matt. 24:30), and a great army of angels
will accompany Him!
What Christ Will DO When
He Returns
Jesus Christ came over 1900 years ago as a meek
lamb to be slain for the sins of the world. But when
He comes again, He will be wrathful-ANGRY-
toward all evil! He will use His mighty power to
change the ways which have caused all the sorrow
and suffering on earth.
1. What does Revelation 6:15-17 foretell con-
cerning the time of God's wrath on this rebellious
world? Did Zephaniah foretell this same time?
12
Zeph. 1:14-15; 2:2-3. Turn also to Isaiah 13:6-7 and
Ezekiel 7:19.
COMMENT: Most people have heard little or noth-
ing about the "day of the Lord"-and yet the day
of the Lord is described in more than 30 different
prophecies scattered throughout both the Old and
New Testaments.
2. At the very time when the last (the seventh)
trumpet sounds (Rev. 11:15), and Christ returns, is
God wrathful? Rev. 11:18.
COMMENT: The wrath of the "day of the Lord" is
manifested in the seven "trumpet" plagues (Rev. 8
and 9; 11:15-19) which are unleashed consecutively
over a period of months, culminating in the second
coming of Christ and the administering of the sev-
en last plagues (Rev. 15:1; 16:1-21).
3. Is the great personage mentioned in Revela-
tion 19:11 to make war? What is His title? Verse
16. What else is He called? Rev. 17:14. Who is the
"Lamb" of God? John 1:29.
COMMENT: These verses plainly show that Christ
will come with an army of angels to punish and
conquer the rebellious nations of the earth.
4. Exactly WHY will God have to punish man-
kind? Rev. 11:18, last few words; Zeph. 1:17.
COMMENT: God is love (I John 4:16). God and
Christ love all of humanity (John 3:16). But Christ
will be angry at the sins of mankind when He
returns. To SAVE the human race ALIVE (Matt.
24:22), He is coming to punish in love! Otherwise,
man would destroy all life upon the earth!
In love God revealed His WAY of life that leads to
everything good and desirable-including eternal
life-to our first parents, Adam and Eve. But they
rejected that way. Their descendants have contin-
ued to reject God's way for nearly 6,000 years!
Therefore, as any wise and loving father punish-
es his children for their own good when they refuse
to respond to kind and loving verbal admonition,
an all-loving, all-wise God will have to punish this
world to bring it to its senses! The glorified Christ
is coming in all the splendor, power and glory of
God to STOP escalating wars, nuclear mass destruc-
tion, human pain and suffering. He is coming to
usher in peace, abundant prosperity, happiness
and JOY for all mankind.
5. Will the nations of the world also be angry at
this time? See Revelation 11:18 once again. Will
they actually attempt to fight Christ? Rev. 17:14.
COMMENT: This world doesn't want to change.
Man desperately wants to preserve the society he has
established upon this earth. Men do not want God to
intervene and teach them the way to world peace and
prosperity. Instead, they want peace on their own
terms-even though man's ways to "peace" lead

inevitably to more wars and would eventually lead
to cosmocide if allowed to continue.
When Jesus Christ comes to stop world suicide,
the nations will quickly drop their own quarrels.
The joint military forces of the world will then turn
their efforts against Christ and attempt to fight
and destroy Him!
What Is "Armageddon"?
"Armageddon" is a Biblical term directly asso-
ciated with the second coming of Christ. Almost
everyone has heard of it. World leaders and scien-
tists frequently use this term when speaking of the
inevitability of nuclear warfare, and the destruc-
tion of mankind.
Yet few know what "Armageddon" really is!
When World War I broke out, many excitedly
proclaimed "This is the Armageddon war!" Then a
generation later many assumed that World War II
was the war that would end with "Armageddon."
Now the commonly accepted idea is that "Arma-
geddon" is the last battle of a coming war between
the Western democracies and Communism. It sup-
posedly will be a battle between atheistic Commu-
COSMOCIDE! Unless God intervenes, this will be
the final result of man's way.
Lesson 3
nism on the one side, attacking Jerusalem; with
the British and American armies on the other side,
defending it. And at the precise instant of this
battle, it is believed, the second coming of Christ
will occur.
But is this really what Biblical prophecy fore-
tells? You may be surprised at who will be fighting
whom at Christ's coming, and where!
Make no mistake. World War III is on the way!
World Wars I and II were merely small forerunners
of the DESTRUCTION which will break suddenly upon
the nations. This time it will be so hellish, only the
second coming of Christ will be able to save man-
kind from extinction.
That's why God commands us to "WATCH" (Luke
21:36)-to watch world news so we may be AWARE
of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy-and "pray"
to be accounted worthy to ESCAPE the catastrophic
events soon to fall upon this heedless, rebellious
world!
Let's understand exactly how "Armageddon"
fits into Bible prophecy-especially with regard to
the dramatic return of Jesus Christ.
1. In what is the wrath- the punishments- of
God "filled up"? Rev. 15:1.
COMMENT: The seventh or last trumpet (Rev.
11:15) consummates-COMpLETEs-God's punish-
ments on rebellious mankind. How? By announc-
ing the terrifying "seven last plagues"! The Moffatt
translation renders the last part of Revelation 15:1:
"For they [the seven last plagues] complete the
wrath of God."
2. How are these plagues symbolically repre-
sented? Rev. 15:7. (Some translations use the word
"bowl" instead of vial.) Upon what will they be
poured? Rev. 16:1. Will they cause great suffering
upon unrepentant men? Verses 2-11.
COMMENT: Despite this severe punishment, the
nations will adamantly refuse to repent of their
sins and turn to God!
3. What will occur when the sixth symbolic vial
of God's wrath is poured out? Verse 12. Notice
from which direction these kings will come. What
else happens at this time? Verses 13, 14, 16. Let's
carefully analyze what is being depicted by these
verses.
World's Armies Assemble
1. Against whom will the kings of the earth
fight? Rev. 17:14. (We have already seen that the
"Lamb" is Jesus Christ.)
2. Who will incite the nations to fight against
their Creator God? Rev. 16:13-14. Who is the drag-
on? Rev. 12:9.
13

COMMENT: The word "devils" in the King James
Version ought to be rendered demons. There is one
fallen archangel (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-17) called
the "devil," but there are many fallen angels (Jude 6;
Rev. 12:7) oflesser rank called "demons."
3. Are these demons responsible for gathering
the armies of all nations together? Rev. 16:16. (The
proper translation of the Greek in verse 16 should
read: "And they gathered them together.")
COMMENT: At this time, the demons mentioned in
verse 14 will quickly stir up worldwide resistance to
Christ, who will by this time already be in Jerusalem
with His angels and resurrected saints. And so the
battle is actually stirred up, not by men or nations
alone, but by spirit demons ofSatan the devil.
4. What will these evil spirits do to cause the
armies to gather? Verse 14.
COMMENT: Notice that these spirits directly
influence the leaders of nations- deceiving them
with miracles- stirring them to a fever-pitch of
hatred to fight Christ and His army of angels!
5. Exactly where do the demons cause the
armies of the nations to be GATHERED TOGETHER in
preparation for the great battle against Christ?
Read Revelation 16:16 again for the answer.
COMMENT: The "way of the kings of the east" will
have been made ready by the drying up of the
River Euphrates (verse 12). This will enable the
nations to the east to easily marshal their armies
14
RUINS OF MEGIDDO-Remains of city structures,
with Valley of Jezreel in the distance.
and armaments at a place called "Armageddon."
The word Armageddon is a Greek form of the
Hebrew name har Megiddo. It means "hill (or
mountain) of Megiddo." This is the site of the
ancient city of Megiddo, which is about 55 miles
north of Jerusalem, and about 15 miles inland from
the Mediterranean Sea. Anciently, Megiddo and
the Valley of Megiddo (on the southern border of
the Plain of Esdraelon) was an important military
site that guarded a nearby' strategic pass.
For ancient Israel, Megiddo and the Plain of
Esdraelon (also known as the Valley of Jezreel)
becamethe battleground ofthe centuries. Time after
time the blood of battle was shed there. Over and
over again the 13-acre mound of Megiddo was refor-
tified. Today the site is nothing more than an unoc-
cupied, silent mound of historic rubble. Occasional
tourists and archaeologists traverse its rocky face,
but it is not a major military site at this time.
But Megiddo is a symbol!
It is a symbol of war and human conflict. It
overlooks the Plain of Esdraelon and stood at one
of the great crossroads of the ancient world. And as
the prophecy of Revelation 16 indicates, Megiddo
and the Plain of Esdraelon will become the staging
ground or mustering area for the greatest concen-
tration of military might ever assembled!
Prophecy tells us that "ten kings" (Rev. 17:12-
14) will comprise the modern and final end-time
revival of the ancient Roman Empire. It will be a
political, military and religious alliance of incredi-
ble power. A vast and mighty army will be formed
and will find its way into the Middle East. The
religious control of Jerusalem and oil will undoubt-
edly be major factors prompting the maneuver.
Thus the army of this religious "beast" power
will confront the armies of the atheistic "east." But
instead of fighting each other in a battle that would
end in the nuclear extinction of all life (Matt.
24:22), they will, ironically, UNITE their forces and
march southward toward Jerusalem in an attempt
to destroy their common "enemy"-Jesus Christ!
The Great "Battle of God Almighty"
1. What is the name of the ensuing great battle
between God and man? Rev. 16:14, last part.
COMMENT: You will notice the battle is not called
"the battle of Armageddon"-it is called the "bat-
tle of that great day of God Almighty"!
2. Exactly where does the Bible say this battle
will take place? Joel 3:1-2, 9-14. Compare verse 13
with Revelation 14:18-20 and 19:15.
COMMENT: Jehoshaphat means "judgment of
Yahweh" or "judgment of the Eternal." The focal

READY FOR BATTLE-The nations will be angry at Christ when He returns. Vast armies will gather at
"Armageddon" and converge on Jerusalem to fight Him!
point of the battle will be in the Valley of Jehosha-
phat, also called the "valley of decision" in the
Bible. This valley is a deep ravine having steep
sides. It borders the city of Jerusalem on the east.
The Valley of Jehoshaphat, which is situated
between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, is
known today as the Kidron Valley.
3. How is this greatclimactic battle pictured? Rev.
19:11-21. How does Zechariah describe the frighten-
ing manifestation of the righteous judgment of God
in fighting against His enemies? Zech. 14:12. Will the
nations wage war against each other anymore after
Christ's overwhelming victory? Isa. 2:2-4.
COMMENT: Here you have a graphic description
of the war that will end war! Jesus Christ will
utterly destroy those who, in attempting to enforce
human world government, would have destroyed
the earth through nuclear warfare (Rev. 11:18).
The returning Christ will be forced to deal with
rebellious nations in the only language they under-
stand-overwhelming force! Only then will men be
willing to try God's way of life and come under His
government, which leads to genuine peace, happi-
ness and prosperity!
Christ Is Coming Soon!
Through the first three lessons of the Ambassa-
dor College Bible Correspondence Course, you
Lesson 3
have seen that we are indeed living in the very
END TIME of Bible prophecy! You've seen that
God, through His prophets, apostles and servants,
has revealed that certain world events would be
taking place just before the dramatic return of
Jesus Christ to set up the Kingdom of God on
earth. Many of these things are now occurring and
intensifying in their overall effects!
Therefore, you need to "watch" and "pray"
(Luke 21:36). Be vigilant. Keep abreast of world
news. Read The PLAIN TRUTH magazine. (It is
free of charge, just as this course is free of tuition
cost.) It makes world news plain in the light of
Bible prophecy. And by all means study your Bible
and pray to God every day so you may be "ac-
counted worthy to escape" the coming time of
great world trouble!
You have clearly seen in your own Bible that
Christ will come visibly, and with great POWER to a
God-rejecting world to save it from itself. His dra-
matic coming will usher in the beginning of the
Millennium-1,OOO years of peace and prosperity
for all mankind!
People will finally learn to lead happy and abun-
dant lives under the righteous rule of Christ. The
entire world will begin to reap God's abundant
blessings as mankind learns to obey His command-
ments. But more about that wonderful world
tomorrow in the next lesson!
15

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