The book of Joel tells us that before Jesus returns His people will be in the valley called decision. A study of prophetic Scripture including the Revelation will make this more clear. The Gospel we are told will be preached during the Tribulation. It will be spread to every nation. Decisions will be made to both live and die for the faith. Some will decide that the faith is not worth dying for, so they will give it up in order to save their physical life. Men will decide to follow Antichrist. They will have made their decision against Christ, and they will be involved in trampling out anything associated with Jesus name. And there will still be those who believe that they are good enough to appease God no matter who He is by their good works, but that buying into any one religion is not for them. They will not worship any god.

And there will be those who hear and Believe.

Based on prophetic scripture there would seem to be then three categories of humans on earth at the time immediately preceding the coming of the Lord. There will be of course the saved or bride of Christ. He will return for this Bride who has made herself ready. These will be raptured upon His coming. Then there will be the totally wicked who give full allegiance to the beast system, and a Satanically inspired leader. These will be either destroyed in the wine press of God’s wrath as Messiah returns to finish the battle of Armageddon (or) they will be judged later to be worthy of destruction in the lake of fire at the sheep and goats judgment of the nations (Matthew 25).

Those involved in Armageddon are the wicked who will perish in the initial trampling of the winepress of His wrath. The wicked who are spread among the nations, who are not at that battle, are presented by Jesus as the goats of the sheep and goats judgment and will receive their sentence at the judgment of nations which Jesus explained in Matthew 25.

The third and final group will be the sheep of the sheep and goats judgment of the nations. These nations following this judgment will enter into the millennial kingdom prepared for them and will be ruled over by Messiah and His bride from Israel. They will consist of those who are not Jesus followers but by their works during Tribulation toward His brethren they will enter the kingdom prepared for them. They have helped Jesus brethren who could neither buy nor sell during the Tribulation.

The valley of decision is just that. It will require from each person alive during the time of great tribulation decisions that will effect them for all of eternity.

The timing of the Rapture of the bride is clear in Scripture. I cover it elsewhere in the articles on this blog and in the book extensively. This as well as the condition of Jesus’ bride at the end of the age is made clear in Scripture’s I present.

We are told that there is an Angel over each of the seven churches of Revelation. But during the time of decision it appears that Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17 is answered, for what we see in the end of days is a single angel advancing a single message to the world.

And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;

Revelation 14:6 NASB

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision.

Joel 2:31-32,3:14 ASV

As jesus presents the seven angels over seven churches to represent us in this age, so it would seem that He presents one angel over one unified church body at the end of this age. And this presents one final clear message to a world in the valley of decision.

Learn more about this time of decision in AND THEN THE END SHALL COME, and in the various post listed here under the heading “prophecy explained”. Thanks for visiting.