2Thessalonians: Timeline Chapter 1
The following timelines are based on the foundation described in this site on interpretation of scriptures using timelines, which the reader is referred to for further information. The timeline line below illustrates the basic structure of the last days (time since the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ), Hebrews 1:1-2, 2Timothy 3:1. Currently, the active time period we live in Today is in the church age. This is also known as the dispensatoni of grace. This age will continue until the snatching away (rapture) of the dead in Christ and the living believers, then there will be an unknown gap of time before the seven years of tribulation commences, Daniel 9:27. The Lord's return will end the tribulation, Revelation 19:11-21, and begin His millennial reign on earth, Revelation 20:4-6. There is a short interval of time that will elapse after the first 1,000 year reign of Christ, then eternity future will be ushered in, Revelation 20:7-10, Revelation 21:1-27.
The next series of charts build on the base timeline above, to illustrate the plans God has for His all the people of the world. Currently, we are living near the elbow of the church age as shown in the horizontal red bar to the left side of the graphic. Our position on that bar is indicated by the red and gold star. As Paul wrote to the Romans, the time of our salvation (rapture) is nearer than when we believed, Romans 13:11. What was meant by that statement, is that there is nothing that needs to occur before the snatching away of the New Testament church (rapture); it is an imminent event that God the Father can trigger at anytime.
What happens next, is called the "day of Jesus Christ," when the Lord returns in the clouds to snatch away the New Testament church (rapture) to Himself for evermore. That is the moment that the horizontal red bar terminates and then the vertical red bar becomes the active element on the chart. There are three parts to the day of Jesus Christ, that the New Testament church will experience with the Lord. The first, is meeting the Lord in the clouds. Second, is appearing the Lord's judgment seat. It is there that our works after we believed in Christ Jesus, are evaluated and we receive our rewards that we take with us into eternity future. This is not judgment for our salvation, as all those who appear before the Lord at this time are no longer under any condemnation, Romans 8:1, 29-34. Once the saints have been vetted with Christ Jesus, He leads us up to be presented to God the Father, where we remain until the Lord returns to earth to establish the first 1,000 years of His eternal reign over earth, sitting on the throne of David. These three events are shown to the left of the vertical bar, only because of the lack of space and for the purposes of readability.
The following chart is a mapping of the book of revelation on top of the base timeline with the day of Jesus Christ. The yellow horizontal bar representing Revelation 1-3, begins when the Jewish church at Jerusalem was initiated with the resurrection of Christ Jesus, but it is in light yellow, because the prophetic timeline of Israel was suspended due to Israel's fall, Romans 11:11-12. After the snatching away of the New Testament church (rapture), the seven Jewish churches will reform quickly. Revelation 2:1-29 through Revelation 3:1-22 are to prepare them for the tribulation that lays ahead of them.
The next graphic simply shows the period of time known as the wrath of God, the day of the Lord, or Jacob's trouble, which are labeled in the center of the timeline. All three labels are scattered across the pages of scripture. At the beginning of the "day of the Lord," Jesus opens up the seven seals to reveal the horrors that are unleased on earth as a due to Satan's activities, and the consequences that are a result of his activities. The "day of the Lord" is not to be confused with the "day of Jesus Christ," which appears on the left side of the chart, and explained in the above paragraphs.
The next timeline builds upon the chart above and is also part of the timeline charts for 1Thessalonians 4:1-12. It illustrates a summary of experiences the church will enjoy during the end-times, with the green area on the top-center of the chart. Specifically, the church will NOT experience God's wrath, 1Thessalonians 1:10, but will be in heavenly places before God's throne while all the turmoil and judgments occur on earth, Ephesians 1:3, 20, Ephesians 2:6, Philippians 3:20. Near the end of the tribulation on earth, in heaven will be the wedding of the lamb, and those invited to the wedding supper are blessed.
These heavenly events are contrasted with those on the earth during the seven years of tribulation, which constitute the day of the Lord. Both of earthly (darkness) and heavenly (light) events are contrasted on this site on the page discussion 1Thessalonians chapter 5. The purple arrow in the top right of the graphic, illustrates 2Thessalonians 6-10. This points to the singular event, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth to war upon His enemies at the battle of Armageddon, and to establish His millennial reign on earth. For more information on this see the associated page on 2Thessalonians chapter 1.
