Before Jesus returns all of the human race will be in the valley of decision. A study of prophetic Scripture including Joel and the book of Revelation will make this clear.

The Gospel according to Scripture will have spread to every nation. Before the Day of the Lord arrives. Decisions will be made for and against Christ Jesus. Decisions to both live and to die if necessary for the faith. Many who have gone before this Valley walking in the faith will decide that the faith is not worth dying for. Those following Antichrist will be involved in trampling out anything associated with Jesus name. And then there will always be those who have decided that they need no more then their own devices to appease God no matter who he is; so buying into any one religion is not for them. They will not worship any god. But by so doing they make themselves their own god.

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 following the resurrection of His saints, who have died before His coming. Then there will be the wicked, some of whom give full allegiance to the beast system that we see growing up in our world today. These will be destroyed in the wine press of God’s wrath as Messiah returns to finish the battle of Armageddon. Among the wicked there are also those who relied upon themselves, who will be judged at the Judgment of Nations to be worthy of destruction in the lake of fire. This is the sheep and goats judgment of (Matthew 25).

Those then involved in Armageddon are the wicked, who will perish in the initial trampling of the winepress of His wrath when Jesus returns. The wicked who are spread among the nations are represented according to 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 individuals 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 are works oriented. They have helped Jesus’ brethren, who could neither buy nor sell during the Tribulation, and this alone seems to be the reason for their allowed entrance into the kingdom as mortals.

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 Gospel will go out in great power. Repentance will be offered. Many who are in the faith will fall away. Many will die for their faith. Israel will be purged and her remnant will be saved and added back to the people of God.

The timing of the Rapture of the bride is determined in Scripture to occur on this the day of the Lord. This fact as well as the making ready of Jesus’ bride at the end of the age is also made clear in Scripture. Were the valley of decision to come before the Tribulation, there would be no more offer of repentance during the Tribulation. This valley occurs just before the day of the Lord — the millennium. Joel 2, makes this point.

Unbelievable things are coming to this earth when this beast that we see rising is fully matured.

Some believers have already experienced the wrath of this beast as it has begun it’s rise to power. One who has experienced his wrath writes:

“I often asked the torturers, ‘Don’t you have pity in your hearts?’… The cruelty of atheism is hard to believe. When a man has no faith in the reward of good or the punishment of evil, there is no reason to be human. There is no restraint from the depths of evil that is in man… I heard one torturer say, ‘I thank God, in whom I don’t believe, that I have lived to this hour when I can express all the evil in my heart.’ He expressed it in unbelievable brutality and torture inflicted on prisoners.” (Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, Tortured for Christ, p.38).

Today we see men unrestrained by governments or abused by government rising up in the streets. These governments are put there by God to uphold His laws of morality. They will pay dearly at the Judgment for shirking their God given duty. These same leaders will morf into leaders who will trample out the good in favor of what is evil.

Lord Jesus, give me and mine the strength to endure what is coming in this life before we reach the end of our individual earthly walk with You. Let us not be deceived into thinking that this life cannot be difficult for us. We know not what we shall be called upon to face, You do. Prepare us for whatever that might be for us as individual believers. Thank You Father in Jesus name Amen.

Prob. 14:16 A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.

Learn about this time of decision; why it is coming, and about other related prophecy on this blog. — AND THEN THE END SHALL COME. You may want to begin with the “Foundational” section of these articles.