The Third Temple Period: Transition from the Third to the Fourth Temple Period (Part C)

(Read Part 15)

The presidential debates started this week with the purpose of helping undecided voters in picking the most qualified contender, and confirming the choices already made by those who have committed to a candidate.

The seven-year tribulation period provides the venue for all of humanity living during that specific time to make a choice to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ or the satanically led world system headed by the Antichrist and promoted by the false prophet. Scripture details two specific groups of people who will have the opportunity to cast their votes for or against the only true God at the end of the seven-year tribulation period, and thus seal their eternal destinies. In the next few articles, we will examine the fate of the Gentile people living at the end of the tribulation period.

Two of the most informative chapters in the Bible on prophecy include Matthew 24 and 25. Jesus personally delivered the information to His disciples the week of His crucifixion while speaking with them on the Mount of Olives. Thus, the two chapters have rightly been called the Olivet Discourse of the Lord Jesus, with companion passages in Mark 13 and Luke 21. Jesus told the disciples about the catastrophic judgments that will occur during the seven-year tribulation period in Matthew 24.

Matthew 25 is dedicated to several parables designed to stress the importance to those alive during the tribulation period of being prepared for the coming of the Messiah to earth to inaugurate His kingdom.

Matthew 25:31-46 outlines three truths regarding the judgment of the Gentile people who survive the seven-year tribulation, and subsequently face the final purging of the earth, as the Lord Jesus Christ completes His final phase for taking His rightful place as “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16) on His earthly throne (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14).

Gathering to Judgment (Matthew 25:31-33)

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

Scripture specifies the time of the judgment of the Gentile nations as occurring at the second advent of Jesus Christ. Additional events are also associated with the second coming of Jesus. The main events, in chronological sequence, begin with the Lord Jesus leaving heaven with His saints (Rev. 19:11-16). Jesus physically descends onto the Mount of Olives, resulting in the mountain dividing into two pieces (Zech. 14:4). Jesus subsequently goes to the battlefield in Armageddon and destroys all of the soldiers and leaders that gathered from all nations to fight against Him (Zech. 14:2; Rev. 19:15-19). The catastrophic bloody battle is quickly finished when Jesus destroys all of His enemies with His spoken word (Rev. 19:15-21).

Here we stand; we cannot, and must not, be moved from this distinctive dispensational doctrine.

(To be continued)

Dr. Richard Schmidt is the founder of Prophecy Focus Ministries, having previously served as a pastor and church planter. His love for the prophetic Scriptures resulted in writing a doctoral dissertation on a dispensational perspective on the mystery church age existing between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel. Dr. Schmidt offers seminars on a variety of prophetic topics to local churches and conferences. We are very excited to involve him as a contributing author to Dispensational Publishing House.