There are a number of possibilities after the rapture of the church that could take place leading us into the tribulation period. Many believe that just before the tribulation period begins, the world will be on the brink of nuclear destruction. Nation will rise against nation, and new alliances will form that in time past would seem impossible.

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Russia, for the last 15 years, has been aligning itself with the Islamic world (Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, etc.). This is bad news for everyone. They say that the only reason that Russia didn’t attack the U.S. during the Cold War was because they were afraid Israel would step in and help the U.S. out. Russia has thousands of nuclear warheads pointing at U.S. cities, so they are definitely still a threat. Lately, since the collapse of the SALT Treaty, they’ve determined to build up their nuclear capabilities and once again become the powerhouse by 2015.

But why would Russia be afraid of tiny Israel? You have to remember, Israel is considered today in many parts as one of the top five most powerful nations in the world. They may not get the respect, but they are a major power and a considerable threat. We may not know precisely what Israel’s military capabilities are, but you can bet Russia has a pretty good idea, and aren’t willing to risk a confrontation. It is a well-kept secret, but most military experts around the world believe Israel has nuclear capabilities.

This is where the Islamic nations come in. With a Russian-Islamic alliance, Russia can focus on the West (U.S.), and if Israel tries to get involved, their Islamic allies can take care of the Israelis (in theory). Believe it or not, the Islamic-Israeli peace talks are not at all about trading land for peace. Nobody expects Israel to give up to much in the way of land. This is all about milking Israel for as much as they can before they finally stage their attack. The Islamic world has never accepted Israel and has only recognized Israel as a state to further its purpose of ultimately destroying them. Russia will play a key role in this attack along with many other Islamic nations. This will be a major war, but it will only last for a very short while.

Will the U.S. intervene when this attack takes place? I don't think so. They may protest the attack but will not get involved. The magnitude of this war will be large and the stakes too high for the U.S. to come to the rescue. Besides, it could set off World War III. Israel will be on their own and the power of God will be manifested throughout the world.

I also believe that just before or right in the middle of this war the rapture may occur. As everyone's attention is focused on this mega war and the shocking results, Jesus will come in as a thief and rapture the church. Many the world over will give glory to God for this miraculous victory but they will not change.  They will be in further shock over the rapture.

When God destroys all of Israel’s enemies, they will again rebuild their Temple. The tribulation period could start at anytime just after this attack, but I believe their maybe a period of time that could pass before it begins. It may be as little as a few days, months or even years. I lean toward a gap of several years mainly because I believe it will give the world a chance to get back to normal and forget about the rapture and the Russian-Israeli war. It also seems logical that this would be a good time to place the seven years that the Jews will burn the weapons as fuel of the invading Russian armies spoken of in Ezekiel 39:9-10.

After this battle, Israel will be seen as a major world power and a force to be reckoned with. With all of their enemies defeated, no one will oppose them. New alliances will be made and the balance of power will shift. This will change the world dramatically. One of these new powerful alliances will be headed up by the Antichrist. He will go forth conquering and making alliances, and will form a ten nation confederacy. They to will be a very powerful group of nations. This is when the Antichrist will make his seven-year peace plan with Israel.

During the time just after the stunning Israeli victory, there will be a time of strategic war. Many countries will be aligning themselves with each other and the balance of power will be centered in four main superpowers…Israel, the ten-kingdom empire of the Antichrist, the United States, and China, including its newly acquired republics.

The Antichrist, though not visible, will come on the scene following Russia’s defeat and will begin building his kingdom. During his reign, much blood will be shed and the Bible states that one quarter of the world’s population will die. The antichrist will be diplomatic with those who lend their power to him, but the others he will crush. Three nations will have to be put down. Some believe that the U.S. will be one of them. I do foresee that both sides of the rebellion will use nuclear weapons due to the massive death toll that will be inflicted (1.5 - 2 billion will die).

I also see China and its allies forming a union. This also will be a combination of diplomacy and conquering of lands. North Korea will finally conquer South Korea, China will take back Taiwan and many of the smaller surrounding nations, and Japan will make a pact with both of them. They will then begin their march across the East sometime during the second half of the tribulation period. Their army will number 200 million strong. They will conquer lands and take possessions as they go.

So what we have is a major shuffling of world power. Israel will build their Temple during this time and will burn the weapons of the invaders for seven years. The Antichrist and Chinese governments will form their kingdoms by peaceful means and by force. But during his crusade he will make a peace agreement with Israel for seven years. With Israel out of the way the Antichrist will continue his conquering. It is possible that during his sweep of nations, that the U.S. and its few remaining allies will oppose the Antichrist, and will be destroyed. Israel will not get involved for the sake of the peace accord.

With three remaining superpowers left, the Antichrist will declare himself to be God at the midway point of the tribulation period. Many may wonder why Israel doesn’t oppose him? That is not readily known, but it may be that many will believe that he is the Messiah, especially after killing the two witnesses, being raised from the dead, performing miracles, and causing a statue to talk. They, along with most of the world, will be blinded.

In the end, the kingdom of the Antichrist (most of the known world) and the Chinese empire will meet as allies at Armageddon to face off against Israel. This will be short lived and their armies crushed when Jesus comes back with His Saints. This will begin the Millennial Reign of Christ.

The second possibility is rather simple and straightforward. Actually, this is probably the more likely of the two. When the rapture takes place, I’m sure that UFOs or some paranormal hypothesis will be among the many theories. But I believe the world will be in chaos and on the brink of destruction. War and the threat of war will be breaking out in every corner of the globe. The U.N. will be running to and fro putting out fires and potential nuclear threats. This will be a very unsettling time. Let’s face it, we’re living in a very dangerous point in time and it doesn’t appear to be getting any safer. Read what The Daily News wrote on the findings of a recent CIA report.

According to the report, “Foreign Missile Developments and the Ballistic Missile Threat Through 2015,” China could have as many as 100 nuclear missiles aimed at the United States within the next 13 years.

As if that possibility weren’t frightening enough, it seems likely both North Korea and Iran will possess long-range missiles capable of reaching our shores by that same year.

The world economy will not be faring much better. With rumors of bankruptcy worldwide and greed, man will only be looking out for himself. We only need look at the collapse of Enron to see that. The World Bank will be out of money. For the first time financial institutions will be looking for answers to a failing world economy spiraling out of control.

These are all possible scenarios to what could lead up to the rapture. But truthfully, if Jesus Himself came and announced His coming, most would pay admission to see if it would happen, but none would repent. This world is caught up in the love of money and pleasures rather than pleasing or serving God. Many so-called Christians share that same lifestyle. When Jesus said in Matthew 24:37, “as in the days of Noah so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man”, He was right. Noah warned and preached for 120 years that God would destroy the world with a flood but they would not listen. If it had been me, I would have been knocking on the door of the ark around year 119 of the prediction. But not one person repented.

I believe that Jesus could come today, tomorrow or five years from now, but certainly it will be very soon. I have heard many say that He can’t because that’s when the world expects Him to come, and it wouldn’t be as a thief in the night. Just like in the days of Noah, this generation is caught up in satisfying its own lusts, planning parties and celebrating. Live today for tomorrow we may die. The coming of Jesus is the furthest thing from the minds of this generation.

Why do I come to this conclusion? As I watched the year 2000 come and go, I expected to see a worldwide revival breakout and many people turning from their sinful lifestyles. Instead I saw a world becoming more evil, television becoming more sexual and vulgar, and sin abounding on every corner of the globe. I expected people to be scared. If I weren’t saved I certainly would be. The world was aware that the church believed that Christ could come around the year 2000, but as in the days of Noah, they did not change, but grew more evil. They question the validity of the Bible and are mockers “saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation (II Peter 3:4)".

When Jesus does rapture the church, the world will be sleeping, caught unaware of what has happened. Many will explain away this occurrence, soothing the minds of those who will listen and life will go on as before… then will come great tribulation, the likes of which the world has never seen!