And he gripped and overpowered the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and [securely] bound him for a thousand years. Then he hurled him into the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and closed it and sealed it above him, so that he should no longer lead astray and deceive and seduce the nations until the thousand years were at an end. After that he must be liberated for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived again and ruled with Christ (the Messiah) a thousand years. Revelation 20:2-4
Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself. She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white--for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God's holy people). Then [the angel] said to me, Write this down: Blessed (happy, to be envied) are those who are summoned (invited, called) to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me [further], These are the true words (the genuine and exact declarations) of God. Revelation 19:7-9
Jesus tells us that the Marriage Supper of the Lamb does not occur until satan is bound and imprisoned in the Abyss. The theory of a pre-tribulation rapture teaches us that the Marriage Supper begins seven years before this, when we are told that the saints are raptured off of the earth. However, we are told repeatedly in scriptures that the dead in Christ are not raised until the last day, John 6. We are shown that the dead in Christ are not raised until the last trumpet sounds, 1 Corinthians 15:52. We are told that the living in Christ can in no way precede the dead in Christ, 1 Thessalonians 4:15 and here in Revelation we are shown that the Marriage Supper does not begin until satan is bound and cast into prison on the last day.
Do not fear the Great Tribulation. If you are truly chosen and called by our Father to be here during these 3 1/2 years, you will be used as no other generation has been used to do the works that Jesus did and even greater works. In times of great persecutions, comes times of great demonstration of the Holy Spirit.
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