hyroglyphx
2006-03-07, 18:58
quote:Originally posted by niggersexual:
Why would the Bible indicate that this is the end of time?
Because it is...
END OF DAYS:
The Revelation
“Behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen” –Revelation 7:9-12
The book of Revelation: For nearly two thousand years this final book of the Bible has been an inspiration and yet a mystery to the people’s of God. It is one of the most misunderstood and neglected books, but for those who hear and understand, it has given courage to endure hardship in the name of Christ to a great many more. In times of prosperity, the book of Revelation has been studied to endeavor a greater understanding of eschatology. End Time prophecy, however, does not begin with the book of Revelation. In fact, the End of Days has been discussed by most of the prophets, both major and minor, as well as Jesus, Himself. End Time prophecy is a difficult subject, because much of it is obscure. Nevertheless, this is such a critical area in the fulfilment of God’s plan that to dismiss it would prove to be a huge mistake – a mistake that could have real time consequences in a world not far from the season of harvest.
This final chapter of mine is one that I find the most difficult to write. In fact, its been about three weeks now that I’ve devoted to this chapter. I have to keep updating this sentence because the referencing and cross-referencing is a daunting and arduous undertaking. There is so much that I feel I’m overlooking, and its my concern that a thourough exegesis is given to let the reader understand what is currently happening in the world around us. There is so much information that it is easy to find the passages obscured and misinterpreted. Nonetheless, I have a great commission that has been given me and it is one that I must be faithful to. Above all, I am supposed to proclaim that glory of God and preach the gospel to the lost, just as it is continually being taught to me, not only when I was lost in the Wilderness. Secondly, there has been a widespread prejudice and suppression within the church as a whole concerning anything considered negative. The End Times is considered a negative aspect of Christianity. If you are a true follower of Christ, I hardly see how this would be considered negative. This is a time of rejoicing when we will finally go home to a place that has been prepared for us before the universe began. If I were to, however, only spoke of God’s mercy, I would only be giving you half of the story. I understand very well for those of us that have friends and family that are unsaved, this is very distressing. This is my greatest motivation for writing this book. My heart is, and always will be for the lost. And I ask the Lord, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” God has instructed us to, ‘not seal up the words of this book, for the time is at hand.’ To put it bluntly, this message must be given to you, because it is truth, ‘and the truth shall set you free.’ There is a time coming, and I tell you, it already is here, where all that is contrary to goodness will be reconciled. A Day of reckoning is coming and it would be well with us to gain as much understanding as we can on this matter. The truth is, this Day I speak about is one of great joy for those who have been comforted by the Lamb of God, but for the goats and wolves of this world, it will be a Day of terror. Throughout this book, I have refrained from speaking about this, but as I said earlier, this message has to come across because it is the truth. It’s coming, my dear friends. And what misery for me to know that you won’t be by our side.
TIMELINE:
• Jesus comes as God in the flesh.
• Jesus Christ is crucified for the remission of sin.
• On the third day, the Temple (His body) rose from the dead.
• Jesus Christ ascended to be with His Father and gave us the Spirit.
• The physical temple destroyed, per Jesus’ prophecy, in 70 AD.
• The time of Gentiles and the church-age, from 70 AD to May 14, 1948.
• Under the Balfour Declaration, Israel was restored in 1948.
• Approximately 365 prophecies have been, fulfilled, and are being fulfilled currently.
• >You are here<
• The time of the Gentiles comes to an end. So begins the Rapture of the Church.
• The Anti-christ comes forth to establish a psuedo-peace for 3 ½ years.
• A covenant is confirmed by the Anti-christ with many aggressive nations; the Tribulation begins, which is the 70th week, described by Daniel.
• Russia invades Israel; ¼ of the world’s population dies.
• The midst of the Tribulation and the abomination that causes desolation.
• The mark of the Beast required in order to buy or sell; those who do not accept the mark or worship the Anti-christ will be executed.
• The kings of the east, China, march to Israel. 1/3 of the remaining world population perishes.
• The Tribulation ends.
• The Battle of Armageddon explodes. Jesus returns for His remnant.
• The judgment of the nations begins.
• The Millennium: one thousand years of true peace.
• The King of kings, and Lord of lords, reigns on the earth.
• The Millennium ends, and a little season of evil passes.
• The final rebellion.
• The great white throne judgment.
• New heaven, new earth, New Jerusalem.
• Eternity with God for those saved / eternal separation for the unsaved.
-The seventy year Babylonian captivity of the Jews:
“And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.” –Jeremiah 25:11
-The Grecian empire under Alexander the Great conquers the Medo-Persian empire:
“And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river and ran at him with furious power… The ram which you saw, having two horns- they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between it’s eyes is the first king.” –Daniel 8:5-6, 20-21
-The crucifixion of the Messiah for the remission of sin:
“For dogs have encircled Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look at Me and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and My clothing they cast lots.” –Psalm 22:16-18
-The destruction of the second Temple that proceded Messiah:
“And after sixty two weeks Messiah will be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”
-Daniel 9:26
-The mass dispersion of the Jewish people:
“So I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.”
-Ezekiel 36:19
The spread of the ‘Good News’ about Jesus to all of the world via missionaries:
“Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” –Isaiah 49:6
-Jewish persecution, the Holocaust, and other related afflictions:
“And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, because they have not heeded My words, says the Lord, which I sent to them My servants the prophets.” –Jeremiah 29:18-19
-The Diaspora ends and God gathers His chosen one’s to the land He gave them:
“In the latter years you will come into the land of those… gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations.” –Ezekiel 38:8
Picking up where we left off in the previous chapter, we see that we are living in the parenthesis between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy. This parenthesis of time is the entire age of the gentiles. God has been using the gentiles as His primary source of interacting with mankind. However, this is temporal, because God will once again resume His dealings with Israel. At the end of the 70th week, Mashiac ben David will come for His bride; the church that worships in truth. We will be taken to Him in the Rapture to spare us from the coming judgment that will descend upon the whole earth. There is an ongoing theological debate about when the Rapture will occur. Personally, I think all scriptural evidence states that the church that worships in truth will be taken in the pre-tribulation period. Mid-tribulation and post-tribulation speak disparagingly of our blessed hope that Christ will come for His bride before the Judgement. Of the pagan breed, its all non-sense to them. Mockers and scoffers of all walks of life ridicule Christians for this belief.
“scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For this, they willfully forget: that by the Word of God, the heavens were of old… beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all come to repentance.” –2nd Peter 3:3-9
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.” –2nd Timothy 3:1-4
Despite all of this mockery about Jesus and the Rapture, it will come to pass, whether it be in this generation or fifty from now, it will come. Though the Lord tarries in patience, that all may come to Him, His Word is not slack.
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we will be changed- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead (in Christ) will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible (body) has to put on incorruption (of the spirit), and this mortal must put on immortality… ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.” –1st Corinthians 15:51-55
“For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. –1st Thessalonians 4:15-18
For the Rapture to take place, the ‘time of the Gentiles’ must close through a ‘falling away.’ Essentially, this means that many people will, including those who call themselves, ‘Christian,’ their love will grow cold. They will begin to neglect the tenets that Jesus taught to us and turn to their version of morality. This is more than evident today with the moral degeneracy. Never has the world experienced such a massive display of spiritual bankruptcy as it has in the last decades. Moral relativism has replaced sound doctrine and people are turning to fables and lies, and compromising the integrity of their character. As an opening sequence in Revelation, John gives us a warning as he describes his vision. In chapter 2, he gives the names of seven churches that were located in Asia Minor during the early church period. These seven churches are a representation of the churches that will either stand or fall in the last days. Though you may call yourself a Christian, this is a sobering look at how God may see you.
The Church at Ephesus: (the loveless church)- This is a church that has left its first love; namely, Jesus. This church has abandoned the greatest commandment ever given by God, which is to ‘love the Lord your God, with all your mind, soul, and strength.’ As well, they have failed to love others as themselves, which is, the second greatest commandment given by God.
The Church in Smyrna: (the persecuted church)- This is a congregation that is relentlessly persecuted, even to the point of death. Jesus reminds them that though man may kill the body, they cannot kill their spirit, which belongs to God. He is offering comfort to them in their present affliction that will be their glory in heaven.
The Church in Pergamos: (the compromising church)- This is a church that teaches false doctrines that are contrary to what Jesus taught. They are rogue in their approach to the gospel and teach idolatry. They have willed away clear teachings by trying to excuse and exonerate themselves.
The Church in Thyatira: (the corrupt church)- This church teaches evil doctrines that are seductive to the greed of fleshly and earthly ways. A strong rebuke is given to this church, because they have strayed so far from what Jesus taught. It’s churches like this that often give the whole of Christendom a bad name.
The Church in Sardis: (the dead church)- A congregation such as this one has an outward appearance of righteousness, but inside, its full of hypocrisy. They are spiritually dead because their inward life does not reflect the love of God. Their works are few, if any, and they have forgotten what salvation means.
The Church in Philadelphia: (the Faithful church)- This church is the kind of church that every one should aspire to because it teaches in truth. They have followed the Word of God, an in it, they are joy-filled and bear much fruit in the name of the Lord. When that Day is upon them, He will say to them, ‘well done, good and faithful servant.’
The Church in Laodicea: (the lukewarm church)- This is a church who rides the fence, spiritually and in doctrine. Their rebuke is for their lack of zeal and fruitfulness. Their works are few, and of those, they are done for the wrong reasons. Jesus is telling them, “I wish that you were either hot or cold… I am about to vomit you out of my mouth.” Meaning, Jesus wishes that we were either on fire for Him or simply reject His salvation altogether. When a carnal Christian preaches God with His mouth, but lives in the flesh, he maligns God. And people tend to judge all of Christendom by those who routinely give the gospel a black eye by perverting it. In this way, Jesus is essentially telling them, ‘Turn back to Me and follow Me, otherwise, I have no choice but to cast you away in My indignation.’
In light of this warning, we should aspire to be like the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia that did not receive a rebuke because they worshipped in truth. All across America, and by extension, the world, churches are teaching false doctrines and recruiting droves of converts. This does not impress Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want converts as if it were some sort of quota. He wants people to live as He intended, which is free from bondage and oppression. If they do not repent, they will be left behind to face the Tribulation.
There is, however, another prophecy yet to be fulfilled that most Bible scholars are not united on. Another prophecy has been given to us by the prophet Isaiah concerning Assyria (modern day Syria). I am unclear whether this happens before the rapture or after. I would like to think this happens just before as a final warning to prepare our hearts, but I can’t help to think of the explicit verses given to us by Jesus where He tells us to be ready. Jesus is going to come ‘like a thief in the night.’ He has asked that we be doing all that He commanded, which is to preach the gospel and be a light to a world so full of darkness. He has asked that we heal the sick and visit those in prison and to love even our enemies that they may come to repentance and come to His saving grace. Regardless, of whether Syria’s outcome will come before or after the Rapture is inconsequential. It is Biblical prophecy, and therefore, it will come to pass. Only ‘when’ and ‘how’ are relevant and applicable questions that only the future can tell.
“An oracle concerning Damascus: ‘See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer will be deserted.” –Isaiah 17:1-2
Damascus is the capital of Syria and is said to be the oldest, continuously inhabited city in human history. ‘Aroer’ is a city in south central Jordan. Both countries are staunchly opposed to Israel. We are currently unsure where this prophecy fits, as far as chronology is concerned. Nonetheless, the events described will take place. I personally feel that this event will precipatate the beginning of WWIII. With the newly acquired nuclear technology, at least in relation to all of human history, the world is constantly in fear of nuclear proliferation. Is it so impossible for us to concieve the plausibility of this given the current, hostile disposition of the Middle East? Certainly not! Ask any heads of nations today how serious of a threat this truly is, irrespective of whether they believe in Bible prophecy or not. I believe that his is the event that will unleash destruction on a level never before seen by mankind. Nations will take sides and make war with one another. When this dramatic, sequence of events takes place, the whole world take notice.
“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him… Persia, Cush, and Phut are with them, all with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all his troops-many people are with you… Sheba and Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder?’ Ezekiel 38
For those who haven’t the spiritual discernment or those that lack the knowledge of this intellectual discourse have a difficult time understanding this passage. The book of Ezekiel is a tough read, unquestionably, without the foreknowledge of some scriptual foundation. Allow me to unravel this mystery to greater serve the reader. To understand the significance of the names listed, we have to go back to the beginning. In Genesis 10, we have listed the Table of Nations. All the names listed are progenitors of nations and people groups.
Magog: (Russia) Ancient sources, both Biblical and secular are refering to the ‘Scythians,’ who are modern day Russians. Magog is Russia.
Persia: (Iran) The main ally of this unholy alliance is Persia, who is modern day Iran, which is a cognate of the name, ‘Aryan.’
Cush: (Ethiopia) This refers to the land, south of Egypt, typically denoting Sudanese and Ethiopian lineage.
Phut or (Put): (Libya) In a connotative sense, it is usually associated with the inhabitants populated by the ancient Berbers, which include Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.
Gomer: (Germany) Typically rendered ‘Germania,’ it speaks of the Cimmerians, which are modern day Germans, located on the Rhine and Danube valleys.
Togarmah: (Armenia) These are Turkic tribes associated with Armenia. In fact, the Armenians to this day still refer to themselves as ‘the House of Togarmah.’
Meshech and Tubal: (Turkey) These are the ancient Phrygians or Hittites that comprised the now defunct Ottomon Empire. This speaks of modern day Turkey and the peoples along the Caspian and Black seas.
The nations listed have all at one time or another been hostile to the United States and/or Israel. Most of the nations listed to this day are very much opposed to US/UK and Israeli interests and have expressed plans to harm either of these nations. This brings us to the other names listed in this prophecy. The next set of nations will stand with Israel and apparently will come to her aid when the invasion begins.
Sheba and Dedan: (Saudi Arabia) These were the names of cities located in what is now Saudi Arabia. It is unclear why Saudia Arabia would show contempt towards the actions of these mostly Muslim nations. In all actuality, the Saudi’s routinely have some of the highest percentages of terrorist cells in the world. We do know, however, that Saudi Arabia is also the most Westernized of all the Muslim nations and has done it’s part in thwarting terrorism. It is unclear if they will fight against the invaders or sit quietly on the side-lines. In either case, they will question the actions of its neigbors in days to come.
Tarshish: (Brittain/Spain) The theory concerning Tarshish is one that has been debated for a long time. Without going into a huge discourse, most scholars are firm on the belief that it is speaking of either Spain or Brittain, or perhaps, both. Some scholars suggest that ‘Kittim’ is Spain’s Biblical reference and that Tarshish, then, must definitely be the UK. In Ezekiel’s prophecy, there is also mention that Tarshish, and her ‘young lions’ will engage the enemies of Israel, as well. We can only logically assume that this is speaking of the branches of either Spain (Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, etc) and/or Brittain (United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc). This battle, however, should not be confused with the battle of Armageddon, or ‘Har-ma-Geddon’ in Hebrew. This is only a taste of the Tribulation that will befall on all of those who remain on the earth. From this preemptive battle, ¼ of the world’s population will die, which makes us wonder if nuclear weaponry is employed for there to incur such a high number of casualties.
A question you might be asking yourselves is, “When will this happen and what will be the signs of the times?” This is an excellent question and one that was posed to Jesus by His disciples. Jesus elucidates for us in the gospel of Matthew.
“Now, as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be and what is the sign of your coming, and the end of the age?’ And Jesus said to them,’Make sure that no one decieves you. For many will come in my Name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not alarmed; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My Name’s sake. And many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come. Therefore, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the rooftop not go down to take anything from his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those with nursing babies in those days! Pray that your flight does not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has never been seen since the beginning of the world until this time, nor that ever shall be again. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would survive; but for the sake of the ‘elect,’ those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ! Or ‘There!’ Do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, even the ‘elect,’ if that were possible. See, I have told beforehand. Therefore, if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or, ‘Look, He is in the inner-rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightening comes from the east is visible in the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever a carcass is, there the vultures will be gathered. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give off it’s light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken… But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the Flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” -Matthew 24
Jesus makes it quite clear that we do not the exact time of His coming, but that we can have an estimation based on the events that begin to unfold by watching the things that come to pass. It is with mixed feelings that I report to you that all of the things that were to pass, have passed, for the rapture of the church to happen. After the terrible persecution of the Jews under the Nazi regime, the Allied Forces defeated Germany and its axis of evil. The world did not know where to place the remnant of Jews. It was a joint effort between England and the United States who established the Balfour Declaration. Under this edict, the Jews would again become, Israeli’s, uniting them under one nation, just as their forefathers were. After many reports throughout the centuries, it was clear that the land of Palestine was little more than a Middle Eastern squat, owned by the Ottoman empire and inhabited by Bedouins and other sojourners who had no real intention of establishing or legitimizing the land. It was only until, Israel repatriated that the Arab world would oppose it so strongly, kindling the ancient sibling rivarly that dates back to Abraham, through Isaac and Ishmael.The only thing I can liken this rivlary to, are little children fighting over a toy. Suppose one of my two kids has a certain toy that he or she never plays with anymore. When their sibling goes to play with the toy, then, and only then, does this toy become so utterly important to them. All of a sudden, it becomes a travesty that their sibling is using the toy despite their lack of zeal for it prior, to that time. Catch my drift? This is what has happened in Palestine in the late 40’s and that is continuing with its venom to this day.
“For behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will bring you back from captivity My people Israel and Judah, says the Lord. And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
-Jeremiah 30:3-4
“For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries, and bring you to your own land.” –Ezekiel 36:24
After the Rapture, it is understood that with this many people gone, unexplainably through secular eyes, the world economy will take a nosedive. The nations greatest affected will be the nations that follow God en masse, because a high percentage of them will no longer exist in the earthly realm. Life will become difficult for a small season. In the middle of the 70th week, a European man will come to pick up the pieces. He will work to consolidate the nations and to unify countries into one conglomerate. We already see this kind of unification taking place in Europe with the European Union (EU) and the United Nation (UN). With the exception of England, all of Europe uses the ‘Euro’ as it’s main form of currency. This consolidation of countries will spread worldwide. The economy will bounce back and it will be life as usual, if not better than it is now. A sense of peace and prosperity will be enjoyed for approximately 3 ½ times. The word ‘times’ is difficult to translate in the Bible. It is estimated to be about a year, but the Bible is very careful not to use the word, year. Nevertheless, this just further confirms that Daniel’s prophecy was all the more accurate, because 3 ½ times 2, equals 7. Therefore, this man will be highly venerated and his approval rating will likely be higher than any other that preceded him will. He will essentially be worshipped, as if, to a god. He even establishes a synthetic peace with Israel and works to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. This man is none other than the antichrist. Many people have claimed evil dictators to be the anti-christ, such as Hitler or Stalin, however, the Scriptures make it clear that this man will be loved by many nations. He will be a bastian of hope for all of the world and will decieve many. After 3 ½ times, he will show his true nature and the Jews, in particular, as well as the rest of the ‘Tribulation saints’ (those that have turned to Jesus after the Rapture) will begin to understand his deception. He will trample the Holy city (Jerusalem) for forty-two months. During that length of time, God will provide for Himself, ‘two witnesses’ who will prophesy and preach the gospel for 1,260 days in sackcloth and ashes. They will no doubt speak against the antichrist and will serve as a warning to the people of the world. No one knows who the two witnesses will be. Some speculate that it will be Enoch and Elijah, because they never physically died, and it is appointed unto every man to die a physical death. Others say that it is John the Baptist and Moses. Regardless, these are mighty men of God who are to be revered and their instructions taken to heart. At this time, this psuedo-peace will soon end, and when it does, the earth will experience an extreme chaos never seen before, nor, will ever be seen again.
“Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared for God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” –Revelation 12:6
This picture, no doubt, is referring to the nation Israel, who is coming to their senses. They know the man that the world is worshipping is an idol, and worship belongs to the Lord, alone. They will seek refuge in a sanctuary in which to honor, praise, and pray to God. Just prior, to this occurance, the third Temple will be erected in Jerusalem. But the ‘man of lawlessness’; the son of perdition; the anti-christ,’ will set up the ‘abomination that causes desolation.’ We are not completely certain what this abomination will be, but we can deduce from the passages that it is a ghastly offense to that which is Holy. He will cause the ceasing of worship to set up this abomination halfway through the Tribulation period. This is what was mentioned in the chapter before about the Messiah. When we left off from the book of Daniel, the days were calculated in the following manner: 445 BC to 32 AD, is 476 years. Multiply these years according to the Julian calendar of 365 days per year. This amounts to 173,740 days. Add 116 days for the corrected number of leap years and the difference of 24 days between March 14th and April 6th, reckoning inclusively to Jewsih practice. Thus, the total amounts to 173,880 days. From the time Daniel spoke this prophecy to the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, this formula is exacting.
It is believed that because of the high population that will be taken in the Rapture, the global economy will plummet into the deepest recession the world has ever known. I really don’t think that people understand the devestation this will cause. The Us population has by far, the largest number of professing born-again-Christians, with a total of approximately 65 million; that’s 23% of the population. I realize that an even greater number are professing Christians, but I know from the scriptures that ‘not everyone that says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter heaven… On that Day, I will plainly tell them, ‘I never knew you.” Look at the destruction that incurred due to 9/11. We lost about 3,000 people. The economy was in shambles. Now imagine for a moment what would happen if 65 million people vanished from the United States alone. Think of planes falling from the sky because the pilots loved the Lord. A third of the US police gone because they loved the Lord. One tenth of firefighters vanished because they loved the Lord. Members of Congress, judges, bankers, doctors, lawyers, military members, homemakers, children younger than the age of accountablity, all going home to be with the Lord. The banking system fails, grocery stores, buisness’ of all walks, the military, local, state, and government crippled. Lawlessness abounds and chaos runs rampant in a world that hasn’t a care for morality. The only thing holding this place together were those that loved the Lord. Without their light in this dark world it becomes more bleak. And then, he steps onto the scene.
The world would be bereft of answers or hope. They will then be awaiting their version of the messiah. Perhaps a few days, weeks, or months after the Rapture, the man of the hour comes forth to pick up the broken pieces. He will institute new policies, most noteably, the unification of the enire earth. Countries will join together under one banner in a new world order. Indeed, this man will bring a great unity to a world that desperatley needs it. Because the economy will be destroyed in a single day, food and water will be rationed by the state (one-world-government). In order to buy and sell, you will have to accept a ‘mark’ on either the right hand or in the forehead. This is the mark of the beast, otherwise known as 666. There has been so much debate concerning the mark. Exactly what it is and the symbolism of the number, six hundred and sixty six, is still not completely understood. Most scholars seem to think that it will be some sort of microchip or a derivative of it, possibly with technology that we have not yet been introduced to. This isn’t inconceivable being that microchips are currently being used in pets and Alzheimers patients in order to track them in case they become lost. As well, on my military id card, a small chip was implanted that contained my entire medical history. Instead of swiping an ATM card, you might have to swipe your hand over a sensor and it will debit your account. This is theoretical, but I believe it is entirely plausible. And because there is nothing inherently wrong with this technology and its use is going towards a common good, most people won’t consider there being anything wrong with it. Here’s the problem: God says that taking the mark will also be a deliberate act of denouncing Him and a symbol of allegiance towards the anti-christ. It’s expressed that those who accept the mark willfully and knowingly accept it under these circumstances. There is a catch 22. Anyone who does not take the mark will be executed by the state for failure to obey the leader. What in the world is a person to do? Its implied that most people will fall into line because the pangs of hunger and the threat of execution is more than most are willing to bear. These will be perilous times indeed.
“Do not fear those that can only kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the Him who is able to destroy both the body and soul in hell.”
–Mattew 10:28
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: For your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” –Romans 8:35-36