The Time of the Gentiles
I have created a video on this subject. For newer information and added revelation I recommend watching it. It is found on the bottom of this page.
I don’t like to classify myself or others with terms like dispensationalist, but I do believe there are eras that God focuses on different things on the Earth, but there are crossovers.
The Time of the Gentiles, also called The Age of Grace or the Church Age is that time period of when Jesus died (some say at Pentecost) until the rapture.
Titus 2:11 ¶ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men
Rom 13:11 ś This also, knowing the time, that it is already time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed.
Isa 55:6 ś Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
Acts 17:
30 Truly, then, God overlooking the times of ignorance, now He strictly commands all men everywhere to repent,
31 because He has appointed a day in which He is going to judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He appointed, having given proof to all by raising Him from the dead.
Eph 1:
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
10 for an administration of the fullness of times, to head up all things in Christ, both the things in Heaven, and the things on earth, even in Him
An example of crossovers is Melchizedek in the Old Testament. This was a gentile who worshiped God and whom Abraham met and had dealings and is considered a type of Christ.
And while many people today state miracles and tongues are not around, others, including myself, have seen them. But in general the miraculous is not a common event today but will be common after the rapture during the tribulation.
But before I continue, lets look at some scriptures on this:
Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
It is also known, in prophetic history, as between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel (Daniel 9:24–27; Romans 11). So afterwards, God will then focus on the nation of Israel again.
I think 1 key change as I already shared will be the public and more common miraculous seen in the Earth. God puts a premium on faith, and thus rewards it. Thus the miraculous will be less common before the rapture, and the need for people to be ready. And so having an abundance of the miraculous beforehand would lessen the reward for faith.
John 20:29 Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.
Hebrews 11
1 ¶ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
It is my opinion and belief, that the age of grace, the end of the time of the Gentiles will be most likely the destruction of Damascus or possibly the Ezek 38 war.
Zechariah 9
1 ¶ The burden of the Word of the LORD against the land of Hadrach, and its resting-place, Damascus (when the eye of man, and all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD);
3 And Tyre shall build herself a stronghold, and shall heap up silver like the dust, and gold like the mud of the streets;
4 behold, the Lord will cast her out, and He will strike her wealth in the sea, and she shall be burned up with fire.
5 Ashkelon shall see and fear; Gaza also shall writhe in great pain; and Ekron shall be ashamed for her hope. And the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
9 ¶ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your King comes to you. He is righteous and victorious, meek and riding on an ass, even on a colt, the son of an ass.
13 For I have bent Judah for me as a bow; I filled it with Ephraim, and I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you as the sword of a mighty man.
14 And the LORD shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth like the lightning; and the Lord GOD shall blow the ram’s horn, and shall go out with the windstorms of the south.
15 The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour and trample the slingstones. And they shall drink and be boisterous, as through wine. And they shall be filled like a bowl, and like the corners of the altar.
16 And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people; for they are as stones of a crown, lifted up as a banner over His land.
There seems to be a miraculous and divine work when Damascus is destroyed, as well as the fact God, Himself, will be blowing a trumpet (verse 14), which may be the trumpet of the rapture, as both are being blown by God!
1 Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thess 4:
16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
It seems interesting that God’s divine hand in the world of men happens at the same time he blows His trumpet. I believe this is the end of 1 era and the start of a new one! But it could be the possible next event after this; the Ezek 38 war, where scriptures show even more divine and miraculous help.
I have changed my opinion on the possiility of the rapture. But since we cannot know, I will leave the above theory posted, as it still has possibilities. But I discuss a different timing possibility here:
The Timing of the Rapture
So once the rapture does occur, does that mean grace disappears? That’s what some claim. Some believe no one will get saved after the rapture.
But before we look more closely at this, lets discuss grace.
Someone or somewhere I learned about grace and mercy like this: Grace is getting something you do not deserve and Mercy is not getting something you do deserve.
So God grants unbelievers grace, when they do not deserve it.
Rom 5:8 But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
God will continue to send His Holy Spirit and His dealing to an unbeliever to get them to repent and be saved. I do discuss the subject of the “Unforgivable Sin” here:
And it is there I discuss how an unbeliever can harden his heart against God, but it takes many times over many years, but he can still repent, although his heart condition makes it difficult. Thus seeing a miracle could persuade him.
So grace is important!
Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God
So is grace going to disappear after the rapture? I do not believe so, but His patience will most likely be severely diminished. Scripture does point to tribulation saints existing!
Rev 13:7 And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation.
Here we see the anti-christ is given authority even over the tribulation saints, so they do exist!
But there also seems to be a lack of repentance by some:
Rev 9:20 And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and golden, and silver, and bronze, and stone, and wooden idols (which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk).
21 And they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Rev 16:9 And men were burned with great heat. And they blasphemed the name of God, He having authority over these plagues. And they did not repent in order to give Him glory.
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom became darkened. And they gnawed their tongues from the pain.
11 And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores. And they did not repent of their deeds.
But once the rapture takes place, God removes all those who are most likely born again, leaving those who are carnal Christians who are saved but not born again, living spiritually in Egypt having not crossed “spiritual” Jordan as I discuss here:
Sure there will be those sinners who had not hardened their heart and thus I believe some of those will be saved. It is possible but unlikely that the tribulation saints will only include those carnal christians who repent and become born again, but I do not believe this to be the case.
Scripture does speak of a lie, to deceive the world to keep them from repenting but I do not believe this to be an absolute law and an absolute case, but of coarse I can be wrong. If I am wrong, then the probability of my message of a partial rapture is more proven. Leaving the carnal Christians to become alone as the tribulation saints.
I spoke of this lie here:
https://kingdomgospel.wordpress.com/2017/09/22/the-lie/
But will give a short review here as well.
2 Thessalonians 2
1 ¶ Now we beseech you, my brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,
3 ¶ Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition,
6 And now you know what holds back, for him to be revealed in his own time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming,
9 whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie,
12 so that all those who do not believe the truth, but delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned.
Verses 11 & 12 is the heart of the matter. Does this mean everyone will fall for the lie and be condemned? Obviously not as we see there are Tribulation saints. The “all” would be those who not only “not believe the truth” but also “delight in unrighteousness“. So if anyone fits in that category, they will fall for the lie. Their hearts are hardened.
So I don’t believe its an absence of grace, perhaps a reduction, but only because mankind will have hardened their hearts, again not all, but many!
| 
