Have you been confused about when the Old Testament saints would rise? The whole end times timeline has confused me, until today. Pastor Stephen Davey paused in our study of Revelation to answer some questions he had received from the congregation. I’ll try to explain the timeline answer here:
We are currently in the church age. At the time of the rapture, the dead in Christ will rise (1Thess 4:16b) first. This means that after the trumpet call (1Thess 4:16a), the first thing that will happen is the dead bodies of Old Testament and New Testament believers will rise from their graves (their souls have always been with Christ). They will join with Christ. Then the believers who are alive on this earth will join with Christ.
After the rapture we have the tribulation period. At the beginning of this time, there will be no believers left on earth. But during the tribulation, some believers will emerge.
At Christ’s second coming, He will return to establish the Millennial Kingdom with:
- Old Testament believers
- New Testament believers who died before the rapture
- New Testament believers who are raptured
- Tribulation martyrs (believers who died during the tribulation)
Tribulation believers who did not die during the tribulation will also enter into the Millennial Kingdom.
At the end of the Millennial Kingdom, those who did not believe in Jesus will be judged. At that time, they will recognize that Jesus told the truth – there was only one way to eternal life with Him (John 14:6). All who believed in Jesus will enter into eternal life.
So, where will you fit in this picture? Are you a member of the family of God? Here’s how you can know.
I taught revelation several times – even wrote a Bible study on it. You just cannot study it enough–there’s always more to learn for sure. My favorite part is the letters to the churches – so personal, so applicable, so many cool details. Enjoy the rest of your study!