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Braxton DeGarmo

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Posts by Braxton DeGarmo:

The War of Gog and Magog! Armageddon! Different? The same?

Temple mount in Jerusalem

We hear and read that a lot of influential believers are convinced we’re in the End Times. I agree. Many wait for a rapture and seven years of tribulation for the Jewish nation. Personally, I disagree. I don’t find any scriptural support for the removal of the church, and we’ve been in the time of tribulation for centuries. Even the Apostle John in Rev 1:9 calls himself a partner in the tribulation.

Those same folks waiting to be taken away consider these two wars as different battles. This is largely due to their reading Revelation as showing a linear timetable with a 1,000-year reign of Christ prior to Armageddon and the final judgment. Again, I don’t see that.

In this post, let’s look first at just who will be involved in these wars. So, let’s look at the War of Gog and Magog first. While mentioned in Revelation 20, that battle is described in Ezekiel 38, with a recapitulation of it in chapter 39.

“Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes–many peoples are with you. “Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them. [Eze 38:2-8 ESV]

What nations are mentioned? Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah. A couple of these are easy ones to identify today. Persia is today’s Iran, while Cush was located in what is today’s Sudan and Ethiopia. What about the others? Smith’s Bible Dictionary equates the land of Gomer (eldest son of Japheth) with the Cimbri of the north and west of Europe during the Roman Empire (Denmark, between the Elbe and the Rhine, and Belgium), the whole of the British Isles at one period, and now the Gael of Ireland and Scotland, and the Cymry of Wales. However, other sources show Gomer covering most of modern Turkey. Beth-togarmah is usually identified as the Southern Caucasus region around Armenia (eastern Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and northern Iran). Put’s identity is a bit problematic. Many associate it with today’s Libya, but a Babylonian tablet fragment from Nebuchadnezzar’s time identifies it as what today would be Somalia and Yemen, on both sides of the Red Sea.

Who is Gog? Even the Septuagint and Masoretic texts don’t agree on the identity of Gog. There is, however, a possible link to the Watchers of 1 Enoch. From reading Ezekiel 38, Gog—described as the “chief prince”—could be a spiritual being just as the angel Michael is called the chief prince of Israel. Yet, in Ezekiel 39, we learn that he is given a burial place in Israel, in the Valley of Hamon-gog. This would seem to point to Gog being human, until we remember that God promised that the fallen angels would die like men (Psalm 82:7). While his identity remains unclear to us today, I would vote for Gog being one of the fallen angels.

And the land of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal? All three were sons of Japheth, although the land is named after Magog. Maps of the early 19th century show the lands of Meshech and Tubal as the lower Caucasus, including all of Turkey (Cappadocia). Josephus identified Meshech with the Cappadocian “Mosocheni”, also known as the Mushki and their capital Mazaca. Ancient Assyrian tablets also identify Meshech with the Muska. These were associated with the Phrygians.  Hippolytus of Rome’s chronicle (234 AD) listed the Illyrians as Meshech’s offspring. The Phrygians existed in what is Turkey today, while the Illyrians existed in what are now the Balkan lands of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Kosovo, and Albania.

But what about Russia? Aren’t they involved, too? Well, I’ll admit that’s not clear. Some translations use Rosh instead of Meshech, and that leads some to identify Russia. However, any link to ro’sh being Russia isn’t supported exegetically or by Hebrew grammar. Plus, it wasn’t until the 16th century that Moscovites were considered descendants of Meshech. While that again leads many to identify Russia with Magog, that association was rather late in history and ignores the more ancient texts.

With an understanding of which territories are actually mentioned in antiquity, it appears that Ezekiel’s war will be comprised of Muslim nations moving against Israel. When we look at the order in which they’re listed and the emphasis on Meshech and Tubal, we might also conclude that Turkey will lead the way, not Iran, which comes second. Following them will be Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, nations around the Southern Caucasus (Syria, Iraq, Armenia, etc.), and Muslim nations of the Balkans. When we look at that region today, this all fits. Iran is falling apart and Turkey is propping up that regime as well as that of Syria. Of all the Islamic nations of the Middle East, Turkey has the largest army.

So, what about Armageddon? Revelation 16:16 is the only biblical usage of the word Armageddon, and John specifically points out that it is a Hebrew name. The name comes from Har Magedon, which has been linked to Megiddo in northern Israel. You will find many teachers translate har as a hill. So, to them, Tell Megiddo, the ancient ruins of a palace and fortress, fits the bill. However, a tell is an artificial hill created by successive layers of building and occupation. It’s an archaeological term, not a natural topographic feature. Plus, according to scholars of ancient Hebrew, such as Michael Heiser and Meredith Kline, har actually means mount, or mountain, and was transliterated into hill in the Greek. In that broad Jezreel Valley there is no mountain, so Megiddo is unlikely to be the location of this battle.

So, if Megiddo isn’t the place, where is it? Again, we need to focus on this being a Hebrew place. Meredith Kline, in his 1996 article “Har Magedon: The End of the Millennium” (the Journal for the Evangelical Theological Society, Vol 39), wondered about the Hebrew spelling—M-G-D (recall there are no vowels in Hebrew; they’re assumed). There are two letters with a G sound—gimel and ‘ayin, which has a back of the throat G sound as in Gomorrah (spelled with ‘ayin). Using gimel for the G could lead a translator to Megiddo. Using ‘ayin, however, leads to mem ‘ayin daleth, which translates to har mō ‘ ed, the mount of assembly (Isaiah 14:13), and that’s Jerusalem or Zion, where God reigns. It would seem that this final battle is for Jerusalem itself.

The final question is, are these the same or different battles? If you believe that Ezekiel’s War ushers in a 1,000-year reign of Christ and that Armageddon is the final battle to wipe out all of Christ’s enemies before the final judgement, then you’ll accept these as separate battles. However, that goes against the totality of scripture. In the Old Testament, Joel and other prophets foretell the coming Day of the Lord and a great battle at that time. These prophecies mean just that, a day. Christ won’t need a week to clean up the mess. I’ve already mentioned that many New Testament scriptures describe a present age and an age to come. Nothing in between. Several mention enduring until the end. What’s to “endure” if Christ will reign for 1,000 years before the end? Plus, logically, if we’re to live and reign with Christ for eternity, what’s the point of a separate 1,000-year period? Some will state that there are seven thousand-year periods in history, modeled after the seven days of the week with a day being like 1,000 years to the Lord. They forget that God rested on the seventh day. How is reigning over believers and non-believers, with enemies still existing, restful?  Earlier, I also mentioned Revelation 20 in which Gog and Magog are mentioned after that mention of 1,000 years, not before. So even John links Gog and Magog to the final battle or Armageddon.

With that, I believe, and propose to you, that these battles are one and the same. Is that war getting close to occurring. Let’s look at that in my next post.

The Real Christmas

The Real Christmas?

 

There are many out there trying to justify December 25th as the day when Jesus was truly born millennia ago. Just the fact that shepherds were out in the fields goes against any December date. Plus, God has consistently used His ordained festivals and feasts as markers for major events. There are no such ordained events in December, including Hannukah, which is a manmade Jewish holiday. History pretty much shows that the December 25th date was chosen to blend in with the Roman holiday of Saturnalia.

 

So, does history and/or the Bible give us clues as to when Jesus was born? Let’s look at history first. Caesar Augustus is mentioned, having ordered the census that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. His reign lasted from 27 B.C. to 14 A.D., so he was around during that whole period. What about Herod the Great, who ordered the slaughter of all males two years and under? Historians seem settled on his death being in 4 B.C., but this is based on a single historical mention by Josephus of his death occurring in a year when there was a lunar eclipse prior to Passover. Since he ordered the deaths of two-year-old males, that would mean Jesus was born in 6 B.C. or earlier. No one seems to think this is the case. More on this later.

 

Now, what does the Bible say? Some scholars believe that John’s title as a seer points to his practice of watching the stars, the signs in the heavens. In fact, “astral theology” was a prominent aspect of the religious life of the Jews and early Christians. This is the belief that what was going on in the heavens were signs of God’s will or His intent to do something. This had nothing to do with determining an individual’s fate, as in astrology as we know it today.

 

In Revelation v12:1-5 we find the woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a wearing a crown with twelve stars. The heavens also showed the dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, standing before the woman ready to devour her child upon her giving birth. In astral terms, the woman is the constellation Virgo, based upon Isaiah 7:14. John describes the dragon as red and says its tail swept away a third of the stars. The dragon is also said to be coming out of the abyss. Both the red color and the abyss (another constellation) point to the southern constellation Hydra. It sits in the southern sky, closer to Virgo than Draco (a northern “dragon”constellation), near the abyss, and there’s a void of stars near its tail. The constellations Corvus and Crater sit above Hydra, and one has seven stars and the other ten. The virgin’s crown would be Leo, which with its nine bright stars, plus the planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars, would appear to have 12 stars.

 

Astronomically, what does this mean? Virgo is a broad constellation that rises above the horizon in spring, traverses the heavens, and begins its descent to the horizon in late summer. The sun follows an imaginary path called the ecliptic, which holds its course 24/7. The ecliptic runs through the night sky as well, showing the sun’s position on the other side of the earth. The ecliptic runs through every zodiacal constellation on a yearly schedule, which takes it through Virgo roughly from September 16 to October 30. However, to say she is clothed with the sun would imply its being in her midst, which only occurs for roughly 20 days during this time span. Because the moon travels its ecliptic once every month, it passes to the east of Virgo (sits at her feet) more than once during those six weeks. However, for the moon to sit at her feet while the sun is in her midst takes us to a roughly 90-minute time window during that 20-day period. Taken as is, this combination isn’t that unique and has occurred four times in the past 1,000 years, the most recent being September 23, 2017.

 

However, the scripture gives us more information, and if we were Magi watching the skies for signs of the Messiah, we would be aware of other celestial pointers. The Magi were, after all, trained by Daniel who was chief of the Magi in his day. The Magi would no doubt associate Leo, the lion, with the tribe of Judah from which the Messiah would come. (Genesis 49:9-10). Leo is dominated by the star Regulus, known by astronomers as the “King star.” Also, astronomers call Jupiter the “King planet.”

 

At one unique point in history, the stars lined up and Jupiter went into conjunction with Regulus. That conjunction began on September 11th, 3 B.C. and continued through September 14th. Jupiter continued along its path until December 1, 3 B.C. when it appeared to stop for a while before beginning its retrograde path. On February 17, 2 B.C., it again joined in conjunction with Regulus. That conjunction on September 11th could account for the “star” of Bethlehem. The Magi would have seen this and ascertained that something wonderful had happened, particularly if they were aware of Isaiah’s prophesies about the Messiah. Yet, they would require time to prepare and to get to Jerusalem, thus Herod’s decision to kill every male child two years old and under, based on when the Magi had seen these signs.

 

If Herod was still alive in 3 B.C., then when might he have died? Revelation 12 goes on to say that the woman fled to the wilderness prepared for her and her child for 3.5 years. Could this point to Joseph taking his family to Egypt until he learned that Herod was dead? If Jesus was roughly two years old when they fled to Egypt, that takes us to roughly 1 B.C. Since there is no year zero, three and a half years bring us to the end of 4 A.D. (I know, that doesn’t seem right but that’s how historians date things.) In 4 A.D. there was a lunar eclipse on March 23rd and Passover started on April 10th. Even if we consider a year zero, that takes us to 3 A.D. and there was a lunar eclipse on March 13th with Passover starting March 29th that year. Either way, this works to fit both the historical and biblical accounts.

 

September 11th, 3 B.C. works as Jesus’s birth date for other reasons. The timing well fits with the birth of John the Baptist, calculated using his father’s time of service in the temple. We know that John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, was of the order of Abijah. The order of Abijah was the eighth order of service as determined by David. In 1 Chr 24:1-19, we find those priestly orders and Jehoiarib was first. In the Ta’anit 29a verse 12 we find a reference to the 9th of Av and the order of Jehoiarib. From that we can calculate when each order served in the temple and in 4 B.C., the order of Abijah would have served in early July. Considering that Elizabeth was six months along and Mary had nine more months to go, Jesus’ birth 15 months later, in September of 3 B.C., fits.

 

 

More importantly, God uses His feasts for important events and September 11th began the Feast of Trumpets that year. Also, Tishri 1, aka Rosh Hashanah today, was the beginning of the Jewish new year and the traditional day of Judean kings’ inaugurations, as shown in the account of Solomon, as well as in Jeremiah and Ezra. And per Jewish tradition, this celebrates the day on which the creation began, the first day of the human calendar. Finally, from the flood account, we find Noah opening the ark to discover the earth had dried. Jewish tradition also discerns from that account that Noah’s birthday was Tishri 1, a belief celebrated by Jews. John likely included this celestial pointer to Christ’s birthday because many Jews would believe that the Messiah would share a birthday with Noah. All of these facts come together to support a September 3 B.C. date, not a December date.

 

So, if Jesus was born on September 11th, 3 B.C., does that hold any importance to today? Many scholars believe He’ll return on Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah). I agree. It’s the Feast of Trumpets, a day of celebration (with no sacrifices made in ancient days). It’s also known as the feast for which the day and hour were not known. Now, I’m not a date setter, but guess when Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah starts next year – September 11th. Gives me goose bumps thinking about it.

#22 – The Fall of “Babylon”

Image of a road splitting to right and leftA couple of months ago, mid-October, I postulated that the reign of the beast had ended on Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah). The signs of such were subtle early on, but those signs went on to accelerate and culminate in a landslide victory for Donald Trump. The Democrat Party was decimated in many ways and will require years to rebuild . . . if they get that chance.

The Beast, aka the Deep State, was/is heavily invested in the progressive Democrat Party in the US, as well as the US intelligence community. Indeed, it’s reliant upon a worldwide intelligence community and progressive governments, and the US is not the only country that has seen a major upheaval in the political realm. Argentina, with Javier Milei at the helm, was first. Italy voted in a conservative leader, Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, soon after. Over the past two months, we have seen the progressive governments of Germany and France fall. Britain is teetering on that brink as well. In our neighbor, Canada, polls show Trudeau, a Deep State darling, falling into irrelevance with his party likely to receive only 5 parliamentary seats in the next election, according to a post-Christmas poll. Yes, IMO, the reign of the Deep State, the Beast, is over.

So, what’s next? Well, the Deep State won’t just roll over and give in. Now comes what is perhaps the most dangerous part. In Revelation 18, we see a richly adorned woman, the whore of Babylon, riding the Beast. I won’t get into the significance of Babylon here, but suffice it to say that the woman represents the corrupt, worldly culture we live in. And with the Beast’s reign ended, it now turns on the woman. We see now the fall of that worldly culture.

Are we headed there? Again, there are signs we may be. Using the US as my model–since I live here and can witness firsthand what is happening–we’re seeing plans being laid to foil the populist conservative movement led by Trump. The Biden administration is laying out all sorts of last-minute regulations and executive orders in their attempt to stop Trump from draining the swamp.

Allow me to get technical for a moment because it’s the Federal Reserve that holds the greater danger. Its current monetary policy is somewhat schizophrenic. They’ve been cutting interest rates as if anticipating a financial crisis, such as happened in 2007 preceding the major recession (depression?) of 2008-9. But that’s where the similarity ends. In 2007, the Fed began buying government securities from its member banks, increasing the supply of dollars and forcing the fed funds rate down. With this “qualitative easing” the member banks accumulated large deposits at the Fed that soon separated interest rate policies from the management of the money supply. Now, the Fed can lower or raise interest rates without having to manage the money supply. This lowers the exponential effect that both lower rates and more “base money” has on the economy.  

Today, the Fed’s balance sheet has dropped from $8.9 trillion to $6.9 trillion in just over three months. So, while lowering rates is usually associated with increasing the money supply, the Fed is trying to lower rates while decreasing the money supply. Fed Chairman Powell added a third variable, called reverse repos, where banks, typically those in trouble, can buy a security from the Fed on a short-term basis. In essence this is lending cash to the Fed. The years of near zero interest rates created a problem for the markets, so Powell raised the reverse repo rates on banks. Between January 2021 and June 2023, the reverse repo market went from near zero to $2.2 trillion. That is basically where the $2 trillion drop in the Fed’s balance sheet went. It’s money that’s not available for other uses. But now (Dec 2024), that reverse repo market “cushion” is almost gone (~$800 billion).

This is where the danger arises. Everything is so out of kilter that should the Fed decide to continue tightening the money supply as well as interest rates (ie, decreases its balance sheet while raising rates), it will break the economy that is used to artificially-low interest rates and bankrupt the federal government, which has to keep paying interest on its $32 trillion debt. On the other hand, if it loosens money and interest rates (ie, adds money to its balance sheet while lowering rates), inflation will skyrocket, making Biden’s inflation look anemic. The Fed has the option of lowering interest rates as well as decreasing the money supply, but that will have its own share of economic pain, as there won’t be money to loan to people and businesses despite the lower rates.

Could this be the trigger to the fall of “Babylon?” Perhaps. Despite all of the euphoria in some circles over Trump’s return to the Oval Office, along with his appointees in crucial offices, we could be in for a very rough ride. And for the conspiracy theorists, this might not be simply due to miscalculations by the Fed. This could be exactly what the Deep State has planned.

 

#21 Has the Beast’s Reign ended?

Image of a road splitting to right and left

It’s now October 16th, 2024, and we didn’t see Christ return on Rosh Hashanah/Yom Teruah this year. However, war in the Middle East has expanded with Israel’s “surprisingly” effective destruction not just of Hamas but now Hezbollah, too. An attack on Iran seems forthcoming, but Israel delays. Why? Perhaps Netanyahu is stalling in hope for a more sympathetic U.S. administration. However, many suspect that Israel is running low on air defense materials and can’t yet afford to prompt an Iranian response. Missiles and drones are “cheap” to produce. Not so with sophisticated air defense systems that cost millions (or more) to produce. The THAAD missile defense system that the U.S. is deploying to Israel cost over a billion dollars to produce. How long will it take Israel to restock? That will depend on the U.S., its main supplier. Yet, the current U.S. administration is threatening to cut military aid entirely unless Israel steps up humanitarian aid to Gaza–in essence feeding its enemies.

With respect to the 42-month reign of the beast, have you noticed a subtle but growing discord within the MSM and others regarding the current government and the beast’s presidential candidate’s campaign? The MSM is becoming increasingly critical of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. It’s subtle, but it’s increasing. And over the last two weeks, we’ve begun to see more and more about the “black vote”–the democrat party’s once reliable and major voting bloc–moving to Donald Trump’s camp. I sense that the beast’s reign is over, although its demise won’t truly come until Christ’s return. That interval is likely to become one of increasing turmoil and violence. Should Trump win the U.S. presidential election, violence is very likely to erupt in every major city. And the Dept of Defense has now authorized the U.S. military to use lethal force to assist state and local governments in quelling such violence. Never in my 70+ years of life, with a block of those years serving in the Army, would I have imagined the military being used to kill our own citizens.

MARANATHA!

#20: Armageddon Revisited

Image of a road splitting to right and left

It’s been a few months since I posted my “review” of Revelation and longer since I wrote about Armageddon, aka the War of Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38. At that time, the Hamas invasion of Israel was a recent event and Israel had yet to invade Gaza in its quest to eliminate Hamas. At that time, the uproar over the massacre of over 1,000 innocent Israelis and the taking of over 200 hostages was great.

 

My, how times have changed. The rise of antisemitism on college campuses with protests against Israel, some of which were violent, has been disturbing, and the response of some universities by not condemning such actions has cost them millions of dollars in support from alumni. Had Christians held protests against abortion rights or “trans rights,” the crackdown would have been swift. As so commonly seen today, “progressives” can protest with impunity while conservatives and Christians are condemned, placed on FBI watchlists, and sent to prison for standing up for God’s morality.

 

The Biden administration has always been two-faced when it comes to Israel. On one side, Biden and his surrogates talk about supporting and never abandoning Israel and its right to exist as a nation. Yet, out of the other side of his mouth, he insists on supporting Hamas via aid to Gaza, a two-state “solution,” and giving monies to Iran. A publicly stated goal of both Hamas and Iran is to drive Israel into the sea and exterminate it. How do you support Israel and factions that wish to destroy it at the same time?

 

However, in the past two months there has been a marked shift in the rhetoric coming from the U.S. government. Have you noticed it? No longer is there talk about never abandoning Israel. The insistence on a two-state “solution” has become more forceful, with Biden even warning Israel not to cross the “red line” by invading Rafah in southern Gaza. Just this week, Democrat Senate Leader Schumer—a supposed Jew who opened his speech by declaring his Jewish bonafides, referencing his family’s losses in the Holocaust and declaring himself a “shomer Yisrael, a guardian of Israel”—threatened Israel with the loss of all aid should it not toe the line drawn by the U.S. He called for new Israeli elections and the removal of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Imagine that. Since 2020 he’s decried election interference by those seeking honest elections in the U.S., and now he’s actively interfering in Israeli elections. Aren’t these the height of hypocrisy?

 

We’re also now seeing a distinct “slow-walking” of military aid to Israel. While the U.S. defense department claims there is no change in policy or deliberate delay in aid, an anonymous senior official in Jerusalem has reported that where military aid shipments came “very fast” at the beginning of the war, Jerusalem is “now finding that it’s very slow.”[1]

 

More concerning, though, is how current administration plans are taking the world one step closer to Armageddon. In his “SOTU” campaign speech last week, Biden announced his directives to the military to plan and implement the construction of a pier on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast. He, VP Harris, and the mainstream media painted this picture of starving Gaza Palestinians eating grass and animal feed in need of food and humanitarian aid, while Palestinian social media showed shawarma stands popping up all over Gaza and people gorging themselves in preparation for Ramadan and its requisite fasting. Who do we believe?

 

Biden also promised no American “boots on the ground,” although the Defense Dept said it would be built by 1,000 military members. But then it became public that they chose to tap Qatar to fund the building project and to award the construction contract to Gaza’s largest contractor, Al Hisi. Qatar is Hamas’ main source of financial support, and Al Hisi is linked to all of Hamas’ construction.[2]

 

The Deep State’s true intent is to build a major pier capable of offloading tons of material aid that can bypass Israeli and Egyptian scrutiny. And this pier isn’t intended to be temporary, despite their rhetoric. It will be a permanent facility giving the “Palestinians,” aka Hamas, shipping access to the world with no restrictions. Food? By all means. Housing materials? Sure, as long as the concrete can be used to rebuild tunnels, not houses. Vehicles? Yep, Hamas needs to move troops efficiently, after all. Armaments? No problem. And should Israel stop any ships for inspection before off-loading, you can bet the world will renounce them.

 

So, how might this fit into Armageddon? Recall from my previous post that the lands of Gog and Magog consisted of areas that now comprise Turkey and the lower Caucasus. Additional research, however, discovered that Hippolytus of Rome’s chronicle (234 AD) listed the Illyrians as Meshech’s descendants, and the Illyrians lived in the area we call the Balkans today. While several of the Balkan nations have Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy as their primary religion, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Albania are predominantly Muslim.

 

As descendants of Meshech, they, too, could become involved in the War of Gog and Magog. If so, how might they get involved? Might they be transported across the Mediterranean and off-loaded at a pier in Gaza? That would be the most expeditious route, and it would open a new front against Israel. Scripture tells us that Jerusalem will be surrounded by its enemies. While a simple pincer movement from within Judah and Samaria by Hamas, Hezbollah, and others could lead to the city becoming surrounded, a new front along the Mediterranean coast could ensure that.

 

We’re one, maybe two steps closer to seeing scripture fulfilled. And that points to Christ’s return being imminent. Maranatha!

 

Addendum: Since posting this on March 20th, 2024, yesterday, March 25th, the U.S. “abandoned” Israel by abstaining from a UN Security Council vote that called for a complete and permanent cease-fire in Gaza, without any mention of the hostages still held by Hamas. In effect, ALL of the nations of the world are now “against” Israel. I believe we will see a dramatic flare-up of hostilities in the Middle East soon.

 

[1] https://israel365news.com/387978/biden-admin-reportedly-delaying-arms-shipments-to-israel/

[2] https://www.jewishpress.com/news/middle-east/qatar/us-taps-qatar-to-fund-gaza-pier-selects-hamas-linked-contractor/2024/03/19/

#19: Revelation in Review

Image of a road splitting to right and leftThis post is a review of what I’ve covered in more detail these past 18 weeks. If you haven’t followed my posts, I suggest you do so.

So, the point of this blog and my earlier posts was to look at modern history and recent events and how they might fit into John’s prophecies in the Book of Revelation. After all, it’s these current events that will usher in Christ’s return. Many expect some cataclysmic chain of catastrophes to bring about the “end of the world,” along with the removal of the church and the rise of a tyrannical world leader set on killing as many Jews and Christians as possible. But is that biblical?

Jesus told us several things that would belie that idea. He said his return would be like a “thief in the night” (1 Ths 5:2, Mat 24:43), and that the days preceding His return would be like “the days of Noah” (Mat 24:37, Luk 17:26) when “they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage . . .” and “the days of Lot” (Luk 17:28) when “they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building . . .” A rapture of the church would be like the thief tripping multiple alarms as he entered the building. Those “left behind” wouldn’t be stupid or suddenly forget that many in the church taught about a rapture. They would be expecting Christ’s return. The rise of a global tyrant hunting and killing God’s people would not likely result in business as usual with eating and drinking, buying and selling, and so on. Am I next? Is he coming for my children? Rampant fear would clamp down on life as we know it.

Instead, as Jesus stated, life will go on as we know it . . . until that terrifying “day of the Lord” when He returns to defend Jerusalem and His people, and defeats both His spiritual and earthly enemies. Even Death and Hades will be destroyed and thrown into the lake of fire. Yet, His people, those who have called on His Name, will be preserved to eternal life with Him in a new heaven and earth.

Many also believe that we’re not to know the hour or the day of His coming. However, that, too, isn’t completely biblical. In Matthew 13:11, He says,

. . . To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

And then we’re told:

32 From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. (Matthew 24:32-33)

4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. (1 Thessalonians 5:4)

This last verse, in particular, should tell us that we’re not to be unaware of what’s happening around us and to know when to expect Him.

When I mentioned not knowing the hour or the day being not completely biblical, I recognize that Jesus told us:

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. [Mar 13:32 ESV] 

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. [Mat 24:36 ESV] 

As I stated in an earlier post, this is likened to a traditional Jewish wedding where upon becoming betrothed, a man was to build a house for his bride. Only when the man’s father was satisfied with that house did he tell his son, “Go and get your bride.” How do I reconcile this verse with those above about not being surprised? I see this verse as a clue to His return. Yom Teruah, the Jewish civil New Year, 1 Tishrei, was known for being the holiday for which the hour and day were not known. As the only holiday to occur on the first day of a month, it occurred only upon being declared by the High Priest after confirmation of the new moon by two or more witnesses. That confirmation could come at any hour on either of two days depending on whether the new moon was spotted before or after 6 pm, the beginning of a new day. The priest announced it with the blowing of trumpets. It was a day of celebration and feasting. With respect to the verses above, only the Father can tell His Son it’s time to return for His bride.

Can we know the date of His return? I believe so. How else could we be prepared? In Matthew, we further read:

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. [Mat 24:44 ESV] 

Note that He says He’ll return at an hour we do not expect. He makes no mention of day or date.

As such, I contend that Christ will return on Yom Teruah. This seems fitting in more ways than being heralded by trumpets and celebrating. Rev 12 gives us clues as to when Jesus was born. When added to other clues in scripture, it appears that He was born on Sept 11, 3 BC. That was Yom Teruah of that year. It’s also Jewish tradition that Yom Teruah is the anniversary of the first day of the creation of man (Adam and Eve), as well as Noah’s birthday. I’ve been told that Yom Teruah was also the traditional day for the coronation of ancient Israeli kings, although I’m still looking for corroboration of that. Many scholars for centuries have taught that the autumn Jewish feasts would be fulfilled by His Second Coming. His return on Yom Teruah fits, just as it appears that His first advent occurred on that holiday. 

While the date of the Lord’s birth is an interesting aside, in reality, it’s superfluous in many ways to us today. We know when Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah will occur in coming years. We can be prepared. However, today it is celebrated as a two-day holiday because of the past traditions, even though our computers can tell us exactly when the new moon will occur. Do we have a clue as to which of those two days it might be? I’ll get to that.

Most people find Revelation to be confusing and not understandable. Yet, when you begin to understand the Old Testament (OT) “roots” to its prophecies, that confusion starts to fade away. The OT is all John had to “work” with, so we need to look at the book with this in mind. Also, many of John’s prophecies were the same as those of some OT prophets—primarily Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Psalms. While the OT prophets foretold of judgments on ancient Israel and neighboring nations, John universalized those to the church and the world today. We talk of OT “types” and “foreshadows” when teaching the New Testament (NT). The same is true for Revelation. Much of what happened to ancient Israel and other nations in the OT will be true of nations today. Revelation’s judgments even follow a pattern set in Leviticus 26.

The Word says that judgment falls upon the household of God first. We see that in Revelation, in which Christ passes judgments on the church first. To summarize, some in the church became loveless, worldly, spiritually dead; followed false doctrine; and allowed complacency to take over. They tolerated immorality, pagan cults, and idolatry while allowing “self” to take control. Christ called on the church to remember its faith and first love, to repent for its shortcomings, and to repeat the works it did at first. The same is true today. Many churches embrace Marxist ideology and/or the LGBTQ+ lifestyles. Many no longer evangelize as that would be seen as unaccepting of other religions or as unloving. Many place programs over true teaching. Many teach that morality is relative, despite the Bible clearly showing it as absolute. Christ said that in the latter days many would fall away (Mat 24:10). He even questioned whether or not He would find faith still in existence at His return (Luk 18:8). For many in “the church” today, it’s guilty as charged.

After Christ’s call for changes in His assembly (church), John moves into three sets of judgments against the world, primarily against those who refuse to follow Him. These judgments fall into sets of seven, as described in Leviticus 26. The Leviticus passages hold a fourth set of judgments, which we see in Revelation as the seven thunders, but John was told not to write those down. Following the OT pattern, these judgments start with a goal of getting people’s attention and drawing them to repentance but increase in severity to a point where they become punitive in and of themselves.

Clearly the seven Seal Judgments began right after Christ’s ascension. We’ve been seeing those events happening sporadically across the globe for centuries. But recently, say starting in 2000, the turn of the millennium, there’s been an uptick in severity. In the seven Trumpet Judgments, we see a third of the trees destroyed by fire and a third of the grass affected as well. The UN started globally tracking wildfires in our forests in 2000. By 2006 a third of the earth’s woodlands had been destroyed by fire. Drought and fire have had a similar effect on our grasslands, although no one appears to be tracking that.

Because of the way we’re educated today, we tend to think of events happening in moments, as in a moment in history. However, history tends to progress in waves, and that’s shown clearly in the OT. God’s judgments occurred over time, not in single moments. Ex., a famine would last years, and Israel wandered the wilderness for 40 years. So, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a third of the planet on fire at any one, given time, despite climate scientists warning of increasing risks of wildfires with each new summer season in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Instead, John’s visions were seeing those waves of history unfolding, with God’s promise to intensify His judgment if people did not respond and repent. As such, the Seal Judgments affected a quarter of the earth but they intensified as depicted by the Trumpet Judgments where a third of the earth has been affected.

Likewise, pestilence, plague, famine (fourth seal), and more seem to be on the rise. Monetary inflation (third seal), too, is on the rise. Pun intended. The undersea volcano (second trumpet?), Hunga Tonga, erupted in January 2022 and ejected more water vapor and aerosols into the atmosphere than any other recorded volcanic eruption. More volcanoes are erupting or threatening to erupt, and each will eject ash and aerosols into the atmosphere. Will that get to a point where a third of the light from the sun, moon, and stars will be blocked (fourth trumpet)? In reality, we’re already close to that point according to satellite data. The powers-that-be continue to deny God’s hand in these events and claim them to be manmade climate change. I guess we can agree that it is manmade—the result of mankind’s ignoring God and proclaiming itself sovereign and equal to God.

I mentioned that many believe in a global despot who comes on the scene to wreak havoc on God’s people. The Bible never explicitly mentions such an individual, while it does mention a “spirit of antichrist” that becomes dominant. In Rev 13, we do learn of two beasts, one from the sea and one from the land. These beasts follow the pattern and hold the characteristics of the beasts in Daniel. As I wrote in an earlier post, I contend that the beast from the sea, with its seven heads and ten crowns, is the global government, or Deep State, as we call it today. The Deep State’s plans for global totalitarianism were delayed (wounded) by the unexpected election of President Trump. As such, I see him as causing the wound to one of those seven heads, while the rise of Biden to that role shows the wound to have been healed. The beast from the land, with only two heads, is manifest by the Mainstream Media (MSM) and corporate world which promote the Deep State and do its bidding. We saw that with COVID where the government let big business impose mask and vaccine mandates while the MSM played cheerleader for everything the Deep State wanted. And it still does. We’re likely to see that again with the imposition of global or state-issued IDs that will restrict travel, buying and selling, and more. The push toward a centralized global currency is leading us quickly to that, and social scores have already been used to debank or deplatform those deemed unworthy by the Deep State elites.

I also proposed a novel interpretation for the number 666 as representing a percentage–two-thirds. The idea of it being the gematria of a global tyrant’s name is far too complex. How do you spell the name? Do you use full names, or just initials? The potential candidates could become endless. However, the word for number, arithmos, in that famous verse applies to counting as in a census. Plus, there are three examples within the OT where one-third of the people survive while two-thirds (the wicked) perish. Ahaziah’s (Ahab’s son) attempted capture/murder of Elijah by three squads of 50 men is a prime example (2 Kings 1:9-13).

In the same way that many expect an individual Antichrist, they also anticipate the arrival of two witnesses. Elijah is expected by all, while some vote for Moses and others vote for Enoch as the number two guy. These witnesses will testify for 42 months prior to the return of Christ. Perhaps we’ll see them. That would be amazing, in fact, and watching fire spew from their mouths would be a spectacular show. I suspect, however, that these two witnesses are simply symbolic for the church. We are to be spreading the Gospel.

Perhaps my biggest “claim” is that this 42-month period is another clue to when Christ will return. Again, I don’t say “thus saith the Lord,” and I recognize that every generation has had its share of people claiming Christ will return in their lifetime. You won’t see me walking the streets, bearded and wearing a white robe carrying a placard saying, “The End is Near.”

Yet maybe it is. If indeed, the beast of the sea secured its reign (also prophesied to be 42 months) with the rise of Biden, and if indeed, Christ is to return on Yom Teruah, when would that be? Three-and-a-half years would place us into the fall of 2024. Recognize that God is a God of order and precision. When He told Abraham that his descendants would be in Egypt for 400 years, they were in Egypt for 400 years. When He told Daniel there would be 70 sevens of years before the temple would be defiled, the times changed, and so forth, there were 490 years until Antiochus IV Epiphanes fulfilled that vision. Halfway through the final seven years, Antiochus defiled the temple by sacrificing pigs on an altar to Zeus within it, which led to the successful Maccabean revolt and Antiochus’ death. That 3.5-year period (42 months) is a foreshadow of the time we’re living in today.

So, what are we looking at regarding Yom Teruah 2024? The two-day celebration will occur on October 3-4 (sunset on Oct 2 through sunset Oct 4). What happened 42 months earlier in 2021? Easter was held on the last day of Passover week—the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread—PRECISELY 42 months before Yom Teruah 2024–April 4, 2021 to Oct 4, 2024. For those who would argue for 1,260 days, that’s using the Zadokite calendar which doesn’t correspond well to the Hellenistic calendar in use in John’s day. John specifically said 42 months (Rev 13:5). To me, this is significant, as God’s timetables are always based on events within the Bible, events that He ordained. At no other time in this decade is there a precise 42-month interval between Passover/Unleavened Bread and Yom Teruah. [That also applies to Easter, but Easter isn’t a holiday ordained by God and listed in scripture.]

Could Christ be returning in 10 months? I can’t say so with assurance, but maranatha!

The beast makes a reappearance in Rev 17-18, but new information is added. The blasphemous names cover its body while its seven heads now represent kings (nations). All told, the beast now introduces a total of 18 kings into the picture, of which five are no more. The remaining 13 kings could well represent the Muslim nations sworn to the annihilation of Israel. These 13 occupy territory defined in Ezekiel 38 as the lands of Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah. Gomer and Beth-togarmah occupy lands of the descendants of Meshech and Tubal, sons of Japheth, which today encompasses a large swath of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and the southern Caucasus. The current war with Hamas, a puppet of Iran and Qatar, is likely to lead to Armageddon, at which time the Lord returns. To see this all develop over the next ten months is not farfetched.

BTW, Gog is mentioned as the chief prince of Magog. He is likely the (fallen) angelic being over that region, just as Michael is described as the chief prince of Israel in Daniel. His being mentioned shows the spiritual side of this battle, which in many ways is really the main battle. Christ ultimately defeats His spiritual foes and those fallen beings will die like men (Ps 82).

So, where do you stand? Are you talking with family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors about Jesus? Do you support the spread of the Gospel to other nations? Spreading the Gospel is the “works you did at first” (Rev 2:5), for which the church in Ephesus was criticized for abandoning. If you think Christ is coming next fall, how will that change your life? For me, it’s time to dig even deeper into His Word, to ask for increasing faith, and to try to reconnect with those I’d hate to see lost for eternity.

This is the last of my weekly posts on Countdown:Revelation. I’m taking a break for the holidays and looking for much-needed time to focus on my next novel. As events occur across the globe that affect what I’ve envisioned coming our way or seem to fit John’s prophecies, I’ll add a new post. Until then, God bless . . . and have a Merry Christmas—even if He was born in September.

Addendum: It’s now October 16th, 2024, and we didn’t see Christ return on Rosh Hashanah/Yom Teruah this year. However, war in the Middle East has expanded with Israel’s “surprisingly” effective destruction not just of Hamas but now Hezbollah, too. An attack on Iran seems forthcoming, but Israel delays. Why? Many suspect that Israel is running low on air defense materials and can’t yet afford to prompt an Iranian response. Missiles and drones are “cheap” to produce. Not so with sophisticated air defense systems that cost millions (or more) to produce. The THAAD missile defense system that the U.S. is deploying to Israel cost over a billion dollars to produce. How long will it take Israel to restock? That will depend on the U.S., its main supplier. Yet, the current U.S. administration is threatening to cut military aid unless Israel steps up humanitarian aid to Gaza–in essence feeding its enemies.

With respect to the 42-month reign of the beast, have you noticed a subtle but growing discord within the MSM and others regarding the current government and the beast’s presidential candidate’s campaign? The MSM is becoming increasingly critical of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. It’s subtle, but it’s increasing. And over the last two weeks, we’ve begun to see more and more about the “black vote”–the democrat party’s once reliable and major voting bloc–moving to Donald Trump’s camp. I sense that the beast’s reign is over, although its demise won’t truly come until Christ’s return. That interval is likely to become one of increasing turmoil and violence. Should Trump win the U.S. presidential election, violence is very likely to erupt in every major city. And the Dept of Defense has now authorized the U.S. military to use lethal force to assist state and local governments in quelling such violence. Never in my 70+ years of life, with a block of those years serving in the Army, would I have imagined the military being used to kill our own citizens. MARANATHA!

#18: The Great Harlot, the Beast, and Satan Released

Image of a road splitting to right and left1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” [Rev 17:1-5 ESV]

In Revelation chapters 15 and 16, we saw the stage being set and the judgments to be made at the end of this era. John continues with this all the way through chapter 20. All six chapters depict some aspect of these final years.

The mistake many make is in trying to read these in a linear fashion. However, when one understands the Old Testament sources of the imagery in these chapters, you gain a different perspective. Ezekiel is the most obvious, but Isaiah (14 & 33), Daniel (2 & 7), Psalms (48, 74, & 82), and even Zechariah 14 are all used by John in these chapters. Seeing John’s references to these Old Testament prophets helps understand how to read these chapters. [Isaiah 66 becomes important later in presenting the new heaven and new earth (Rev 21,22).]

John’s prophecies in Rev 16, specifically vs14-16, clearly reference Ezekiel 38-39 and the war of Gog and Magog. In Rev 17:14, the beast and its kings make war on the Lamb, another Gog/Magog reference. There are multiple references to the end in Rev 18. Likewise in Rev 19:11-20. And then in Rev 20, Gog and Magog are explicitly mentioned after the mention of a thousand years. To read these in a linear way requires three Gog/Magog events. In reality, John’s visions are centered on one brief series of events with only one final ending, Armageddon. He’s showing us different aspects of that period.

Similarly, people stumble over the number 1,000 by reading it literally. Early on in this blog series, the first post actually, I talked about numbers as symbols in Revelation. Ten is symbolic of law and government, while three was first symbolic of the vertical “axis” of creation (underworld, the earth, heaven) and later for the Trinity. Instead of looking at 1,000 literally, as 103 it simply represents a large number, not a “millennial” or 1,000-year imprisonment of Satan or reign of Christ. Traditional amillennialism says there is no reign of Christ on earth, but that He reigns in some heavenly realm. My “amillennial” perspective is that there is no separate 1,000-year earthly reign prior to Armageddon and the judgment seat of Christ, but that He will reign on earth, the new earth, forever after His return. As for the “millennium,” we’ve been living in it—the Church Age.

So, if Rev 16-20 depict events and symbols over a brief period prior to His return, what are we seeing in these chapters? We looked at the Bowl Judgments of Rev 16 already. Rev 17-18 bring us the great harlot riding a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names and having seven heads and ten horns. This beast is the same beast from the sea that we saw in Rev 13. Its characteristics are those of the four beasts in Daniel 7, with the last of those four beasts being Rome, which became the primary persecutors of Christians in John’s time. We see other references to Rome, as well, such as being a city on seven hills. However, just as Rome was the global power of John’s day, the Deep State is the global power of our day.

I talked about this beast in Countdown: Revelation #15-The Beasts, the Mark, and 666. With seven heads and ten crowns I see this as the global “government,” the Deep State. Rev 16 states that the seven heads represent seven kings, with five already gone, one in place, and one to come. There’s also an eighth king that lasts very briefly. The ten horns also represent kings. So, that’s a total of 13 kings at some point. A lot of people spend too much time speculating on who these “kings” might be. Few expect these to be individuals. They could be angelic beings “ruling” over various nations or regions. More likely they represent nations. I suspect we’ll know when we’re in the midst of that trouble, or perhaps only in hindsight.

That said, if I were to throw my hat in the ring and try to identify those nations, I’d likely link them to the nations and regions listed in Ezekiel 38. I talk about this a bit in Countdown:Revelation #11-Armageddon where I discuss the areas mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and why Russia is unlikely to be part of the confederation. Since writing that post I’ve done a bit more research. The Top Ten in military spending in the Middle East are Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Syria, Morocco, Iraq, and the UAE, not necessarily in that order. Israel clearly isn’t going to attack itself. Jordan and Egypt have treaties with Israel, and Saudi Arabia is in talks for a treaty.

Eze 38 explicitly mentions Persia, Cush, and Put, as well as Gomer and Beth-togarmah. Meshech and Tubal were sons of Japheth, whose descendants settled in Gomer, Beth-togarmah, and other areas north of Israel around the Caucasus. Persia is today’s Iran, while Cush included parts of Sudan and Ethiopia. Put’s identity is a bit problematic. Many associate it with today’s Libya, but a Babylonian tablet fragment from Nebuchadnezzar’s time identifies it as what today would be Somalia and Yemen, on both sides of the Red Sea. Also mentioned in Eze 38 is Beth-togarmah, usually identified as the region around Armenia—today’s eastern Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and northern Iran. Azerbaijan is closely tied to Iran already. The central part of Turkey (Cappadocia) was part of Magog, from the descendants of Meshech. Other parts of Turkey, as well as much of Iraq are identified as Gomer by some sources.

So, what can we make of this in light of current events? Yemeni rebels are already attacking Israel with rockets. Somali fighters have been known to fight alongside other Middle Eastern terror groups and were part of ISIS. Iran is a sworn enemy of Israel. Turkey is champing at the bit to fight Israel. Only their NATO membership seems to be holding them back, but there is political pressure on President Erdogan to pull that country out of NATO. Sudan, Libya, Lebanon (Hezbollah), and Syria, too, would readily join in the fight. Iraq, while at odds with Iran (Shi’ite vs Sunni), could become part of this confederation. These countries have armies, but others could provide financing. Qatar already funds the Hamas terror group, and if the Saudis don’t finalize a treaty with Israel, they, too, would help finance if not provide troops to the cause. Finally, although Jordan and Egypt have treaties, the people of Jordan and the Muslim Brotherhood controlling Egypt all want to eradicate Israel. Treaties will mean little, push come to shove. This comes to 13 nations, and should the Saudis, Jordanians, and Egyptians opt out, Oman, Kuwait, and the UAE could readily jump in with funding and/or men. Rats. Just spent a lot of time speculating on who those “kings” might be. As I said, we likely won’t know until it happens.

So much for that rabbit trail. Let’s get back to Rev 17-20.

Who or what is the great harlot then? It is the immoral culture of the world. Why a harlot? Throughout the Old Testament, the prostitute image was commonly used to symbolize those who turned to idolatry, while the righteous were described as a bride. Why Babylon? Babylon was considered the “mother” of idolatry in that it seduced other nations to follow its immoral ways. Israel/Jerusalem was seduced into idolatrous ways, but they never seduced other nations. So, the “mother of” moniker doesn’t fit them. Babylon was the first of the four beasts on Daniel 7, followed by the Medo-Persians, Greeks, and finally Rome. All of these were the “global” powers of their day. The last three followed in the footsteps of Babylon. None worshipped God, the Creator.

The relationship between the idolatrous culture and the government is tenuous at best. The culture and its merchants hold great wealth (Rev 17:4), but the government hates the people (Rev 17:16-17). Are we not seeing that in the Deep State’s desire to depopulate the world? No, that’s not a conspiracy theory. That goal is well-documented in publicly available papers from the U.N. and WEF (World Economic Forum), aka Deep State. In the U.S., our government lies to us all the time, thinking we’re brainless puppets here to support them when they’re supposed to support us. In a like vein, members of the “Deep State” seek power, control, and wealth, all of which come at the expense of the general population.

In Rev 18, we now see the fall of Babylon. This is the demise of the idolatrous culture, which comes about as a result of the battle of Armageddon. “She” is paid back double for her deeds (Rev 18:6). The plagues come in a single day, and she is burned up by fire, judged by the Lord (Rev 18:8). The merchants of the world and the kings of the beast mourn her passing, but they, too, are ultimately consumed.

So, in Rev 17 & 18, we see what happens to the culture, and to some extent, the global elites and government. In Rev 19, we see rejoicing in heaven at the end of the beasts. We also see Christ’s glory and His role in all of this. With this, we see two suppers. For righteous believers, we see the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. For the followers of the beast, we see a more gruesome “great supper of God,” in which the birds are called to feast on the corpses of those killed in the battle. The beast and false prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire, while their followers are killed, and the birds are gorged with their flesh. This chapter is showing us Christ’s victory.

Rev 20 is the point in which much of the futurist theology goes astray by being taken both literally and linearly. Instead, we step back in history here to see Satan bound and thrown into the abyss so as not to be able to confuse the nations. As stated earlier, this “thousand years” is the Church Age. Satan is imprisoned to enable the church to flourish, but at the end, he is released for “a little while.” I believe that short time is the same 42 months in which the church is called to be the final witnesses. If, as I suggested in Countdown: Revelation #15, this 42-month period started at the end of Passover in 2021, we have certainly seen great confusion, a rise in immorality, and growing persecution of the church since. The Hamas attack on Israel could easily be the starting point for gathering his troops “from the four corners of the earth.” However, Satan is also caught and thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where, along with the beast and false prophet, they “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev 20:10).

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. [Rev 20:11-15 ESV]

The remainder of Rev 20 shows us the culmination of current history. Christ is seated on His throne and the final judgment of mankind occurs. We see the end of Death and Hades as they, too, are thrown into the lake of fire. At this point, a new earth and a new heaven are created, and His followers will live for eternity with Him.

Obviously, there is nothing happening in the world today that can point us to this last event, and yet, everything happening in the world today is leading us there. The point of this blog is to look at Revelation through the lens of current events. I hope I’ve succeeded in doing so, to the extent that I could . . . as well as according to how I personally am seeing things play out. I offer no “Thus saith the Lord” assurances that I’m perceiving all of this correctly.

As new occurrences arise, I hope to provide updates, but next week I plan to provide a summary of where we are . . . and where we might be headed in the near future. After that, time for a holiday break and work on my next novel.

#17: Unto Us a King is Born

Image of a road splitting to right and leftAs promised last week, I’m stepping back into Revelation 12 to look at what this section tells us about the birth of Christ. Most of the material below is taken from my book Still Here! The Apocalypse is Now.

So, take a moment to read the verses from Revelation 12. It would seem clear that the woman in these verses is Israel and that the child is Jesus. Curiously, the story in verses 1-5 takes Jesus directly from His birth to His ascension.

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. [Rev 12:1-6 ESV]

After that, the woman flees to the wilderness to be nourished for a time, times, and half a time, or 42 months (Revelation 12:14). That she is carried by a great eagle is reminiscent of Exodus 19 where God bore Israel on eagle’s wings away from the Egyptians, thus seeming to confirm that the woman here is Israel. However, this is the New Testament (NT) and John wrote this, with his penchant for changing metaphors. Here the woman is thought to be the church, which will find both testing and provision in the wilderness. Similarly, that the dragon’s tail swept down “a third of the stars of heaven” is not believed to refer to fallen angels. Instead, two possible options exist. Those fallen could be angels and true saints with whom the devil has battled and who have seemingly died at his hand, just as Jesus appeared to die. The alternative is that these “stars” represent believers who have fallen away because of the devil’s deceptions.

The dragon is a symbol of those nations that persecuted Israel throughout the OT. The word is also used to describe Leviathan, that sea monster that symbolically stands for the nations that persecuted God’s people and represented chaos, the sea. In v12:3, the dragon represents Satan as the persecutor of God’s people. Throughout the Old Testament (OT)—in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Jeremiah, and more—we see this term, and similar ones, portraying Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon as the primary oppressors of Israel. We’ve been reading a lot of Exodus and plague imagery. Soon, we’ll see that John uses Babylon to symbolize the world’s humanistic culture that comes against the church.

The dragon goes after the woman, but the earth comes to the rescue of the woman. A flood was a common symbol in both Jewish and Gentile lore for persecution. And we’ve seen the earth swallow those who come against God before, in the story of Korah’s rebellion. In his anger, the dragon goes to make war on the rest of her offspring. While futurists say that only ethnic Jews are going through this tribulation, v17 contradicts that idea by identifying those offspring:

17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Ethnic Jews would not hold to the testimony of Jesus, and messianic Jews would have been raptured away under the futurist account. Of course, the futurist will counter by saying that these are Jews who have come to know the Lord during the tribulation. That might comprise a minuscule portion of believers but not “the rest of her offspring.”

The idealist perspective, however, looks at the woman figuratively as the people of God. Israel was the people of God in the OT, and they produced the Messiah, but the church represents the people of God in the NT. Since we believers are the temple of God (2 Corinthians 6:16), the reference to the Gentiles trampling the outer courts can also be seen as persecution of His people, us. The two witnesses, again representing the church, oppose that persecution but ultimately appear to succumb to it. And then we have the woman, who is borne on eagle’s wings to a place of refuge, signifying a supernatural deliverance.

The Preterist view will say that all of this was fulfilled in 70 A.D. However, while there are historical reports of some supernatural happenings at that time, nowhere in historical writings (to my knowledge) are there reports of the Jews, the “people of God,” being supernaturally delivered. In reality, the opposite seemed to occur. Yes, there are reports by Eusebius, Epiphanes, and Josephus that early Christians had left Jerusalem because of Christ’s warning in Luke 21:20-24. They did so after the Roman governor, Cestius Gallus, ended his brief siege of the city in 66 A.D. They were not in the city when Vespasian started his siege a short while later. They reportedly fled to a town called Pella across the Jordan; however, modern-day archaeological digs at that site have not turned up any significant evidence to support an early Christian presence there.[1] Since they simply took heed to a prophetic warning, I’m not sure this qualifies as the supernatural deliverance spoken of in Revelation 12.

The question remains. When? Dr. Boccaccini, previously mentioned, believes this three-and-a-half-year period ends the final years of this era, before the final judgment, using the Zadokite calendar. According to him, going the extra 30 days takes us through Passover, or in our case, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The next 45 days take us to Shavu’ot, celebrating the final harvest and the Great White Throne judgment.

I’m still not convinced of this scenario. After all, weren’t the spring feasts fulfilled by Christ’s first advent? Aren’t we waiting for the fulfillment of the fall feasts by His second coming? I made the argument previously that Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah seems likely to be the day of the parousia. By the nature of its timing, it is the feast where no one knows the day or hour of its coming since its beginning relies upon confirmation of the new moon. Only the High Priest (the Father) could announce its start. Plus, it’s a feast that calls for the blowing of trumpets and celebration. I guess the panmillenialists will see how it pans out after all.

As we review all of this, we see that there is great persecution of the church for a three-and-a-half-year period, but that God miraculously delivers His people. During the exodus, God took His people into the wilderness where He provided water, manna, and quail. Should we be fearful that he would do less for us? In my earlier book, Still Here! Surviving the End Times, I wrote of Jehovah Machaçeh, the Lord our Refuge, and pointed to Psalm 91 in detail. I urge you to read that Psalm again and truly focus on what He said through David. And just as early Christians in Jerusalem trusted God’s Word for guidance and deliverance, we must do the same.

Something else about the first five verses of the chapter leads me to suspect there’s more to the story. The astral aspects of this description have led reliable researchers to pinpoint the birth date of Jesus.

I’ve mentioned before that some scholars believe that John’s title as a seer points to his practice of watching the stars, the signs in the heavens. In fact, “astral theology” was a prominent aspect of the religious life of the Jews and early Christians. This is the belief that what was going on in the heavens were signs of God’s will or His intent to do something. This had nothing to do with determining an individual’s fate, as in astrology as we know it today.

In v12:1-5 we find the woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a wearing a crown with twelve stars. The heavens also showed the dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, standing before the woman ready to devour her child upon her giving birth. In astral terms, the woman is the constellation Virgo, based upon Isaiah 7:14. John describes the dragon as red and says its tail swept away a third of the stars. The dragon is also said to be coming out of the abyss. Both the red color and the abyss (another constellation) point to a southern constellation. Draco is near the north pole, so Hydra is a better option. It sits in the southern sky, closer to Virgo than Draco, near the abyss, and there’s a void of stars near its tail. Corvus and Crater sit above Hydra, and one has seven stars and the other ten. These two constellations together form the ark of the covenant in astral theology as well. The virgin’s crown would be Leo, which with its nine bright stars, plus the planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars, would appear to have 12 stars.

Astronomically, what does this mean? Virgo is a broad constellation that rises above the horizon in spring, traverses the heavens, and begins its descent to the horizon in late summer. The sun follows an imaginary path called the ecliptic, which holds its course 24/7. The ecliptic runs through the night sky as well, showing the sun’s position on the other side of the earth. The ecliptic runs through every zodiacal constellation on a yearly schedule, which takes it through Virgo from roughly September 16 to October 30. However, to say she is clothed with the sun would imply its being in her midst, which only occurs for roughly 20 days during this time span. Because the moon travels the ecliptic once every month, it passes to the east of Virgo (sits at her feet) more than once during those six weeks. However, for the moon to sit at her feet while the sun is in her midst takes us to a roughly 90-minute time window during that 20-day period. Taken as is, this combination isn’t that unique and has occurred four times in the past 1,000 years, the most recent being September 23, 2017.[2]

However, the scripture gives us more information, and if we were magi watching the skies for signs of the Messiah, we would be aware of other celestial pointers. The magi were, after all, trained by Daniel, who was chief of the magi in his day, to watch for the Messiah. The magi would no doubt associate Leo, the lion, with the tribe of Judah from which the Messiah would come. (Genesis 49:9-10). Leo is dominated by the star Regulus, known by astronomers as the “King star.” Also, astronomers call Jupiter the “King planet.”

At one unique point in history, the stars lined up and Jupiter went into conjunction with Regulus. That conjunction began on September 11th, 3 B.C. and continued through September 14th. Jupiter continued along its path until December 1, 3 B.C. when it appeared to stop for a while before beginning its retrograde path. On February 17, 2 B.C., it again joined in conjunction with Regulus. That conjunction on September 11th could account for the “star” of Bethlehem. The magi would have seen this and ascertained that something wonderful had happened, particularly if they were aware of Isaiah’s prophecies about the Messiah. Yet, they would require almost two years to prepare and to get to Jerusalem, thus Herod’s decision to kill every male child two years old and under.

September 11th, 3 B.C. works as Jesus’s birth date for other reasons. The timing perfectly fits with the birth of John the Baptist, calculated using his father’s time of service in the temple, six months earlier. Also, September 11th was the Feast of Trumpets that year. Tishri 1, or Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish civil new year, was the traditional day of Judean kings’ inaugurations, as shown in the account of Solomon, as well as in Jeremiah and Ezra.[3] And per Jewish tradition, this celebrates the day on which man (Adam and Eve) was created, the first day of the human calendar. Finally, from the flood account, we find Noah opening the ark to discover the earth had dried. Jewish tradition also discerns from that account that Noah’s birthday was Tishri 1, a belief celebrated by Jews. John likely included this celestial pointer to Christ’s birthday because many Jews would believe that the Messiah would share a birthday with Noah.

There are those who refute this date. Some insist that December 25 is accurate, but there would have been no shepherds or sheep in the fields in December. Some argue for Passover, but Passover was one of the three pilgrimage feasts and Joseph and Mary would have been expected to go to Jerusalem, not Bethlehem. Some argue for 1 Nisan 6 BC, two weeks before Passover, but 1 Nisan was not a God-ordained feast day, and they use 6 BC with the understanding that Herod died in 4 BC. More recent research shows that Herod most likely died in 2 BC. To me, Yom Teruah 3 BC remains the best date.

Plus, I have this nagging feeling that these celestial signs are there for more than that, for eschatological reasons. Why else was this account included here, in Revelation, and not in John’s gospel?

So, Jesus was born on September 11th, 3 B.C. There’s more to this story available in Earnest L. Martin’s The Star That Astonished the World.

This is another reason why I believe our Lord will return on Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets. Isn’t it fitting that He would return on the anniversary of His first advent? And, as I pointed out in my post, The Beasts, the Mark, and 666, there are precisely 42 months between Easter/Passover in 2021 and Yom Teruah in 2024. Are we truly less than a year away from our Lord’s return? Maranatha!

[1] Bourke, S. (2013). The Christian Flight to Pella: True or Tale? Biblical Archaeology Review, 39(3), 31–39, 70–71.

[2] https://earthsky.org/human-world/biblical-signs-in-the-sky-september-23-2017/

[3] Thiele, E. Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1983, pgs. 28, 31, 161, and 163

#16: The Bowls

Image of a road splitting to right and leftAs we progress through Revelation into chapter 14, we’re entering into territory where today’s events provide little or no insight. Chapter 14 begins the final chapter of the history of this age. The final judgments are about to befall those who have rejected Christ, and we now see a preview of this.

As we read Rev 14:1 we find Christ on Mount Zion. That is, he has returned to Jerusalem, along with the 144,000. I mentioned in a previous post that this 144,000 could represent the church in total or could be a subset of believers who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Either way, we can’t take the number literally because, if you recall from the earlier post, these are given the seal of Christ and everyone else is in trouble. To accept this number literally is to accept that only 144,000 are sealed for Christ. It is symbolic of a large number of people and the completed number of the Gentiles.

Beginning in verse 6 we see three angels proclaiming three messages from God. The first proclaims the “eternal gospel” to every nation, tribe, language, and people, and pronounces that the hour of judgment has come. The second announces the falling of “Babylon the great.” While in John’s day, Babylon likely represented Rome, which was the seat of global power and its humanistic, hedonistic culture, today we would understand Babylon as a worldwide culture that embraces sexual immorality and humanism in all of its forms. It is a culture that rejects God. The third angel announces what is to happen to those who worship “the beast” (the totalitarian government of the Deep State) and who take its mark.

What happens to believers from this point on? A voice from heaven tells John to write that those who die in the Lord from now on are blessed. Likewise, we are called to endure, to keep the commandments of God, and to keep our faith in Jesus.

Our preview continues in verse 14 where we see Christ—“. . . the son of man, with a golden crown on his head . . .”—holding a sickle. An angel emerges from the heavenly temple and tells Him it’s time to put in the sickle for the hour to reap has come. This angel isn’t commanding Jesus but relaying a message from the Father in the temple. It’s time. The day and hour have come. The fullness of the Gentiles has been reached. As in the Jewish wedding metaphor, the father, satisfied that his son’s house is complete, is telling his son to go get his bride.

We then see two more angels, one with a sickle and one with authority over fire. The angel with the sickle begins to reap. Jewish tradition holds that many angels are given authority over things on earth. In Revelation alone we see angels controlling the four winds, an angel with authority over the abyss, and another over the waters. This angel has authority over fire, but this fire holds a different purpose. This fire tests the works of those who die. Of course, those who “worship” the beast will find that their “good works” do them no good. Their good works will burn up in the fire.

It’s important to note where those who are harvested end up. While some dispensational teachings hold that this is Christ collecting His church, this harvest goes into the “great winepress of the wrath of God.” This is in line with the parable of the wheat and tares where the tares are gathered first and thrown into the fire, as well as Jesus’ teachings in the Olivet Discourse where two men are in the field and one is taken up, and two women are at the wheel, and one is taken up. That doesn’t represent a Rapture. The Greek says that those taken up are taken away into judgment.

Verse 20 describes the blood flowing from the winepress as being as high as a horse’s bridle and flowing for 1,600 stadia, or about 184 miles. Again, we can’t take this literally. This is considered a topos, a rhetorical technique that was common in that time to show exaggeration. Josephus, in his Jewish Wars 6.406 said that the Jews killed by the Romans in 70 A.D. “deluged the whole city with blood to such an extent that many fires were extinguished by the gory stream.” Quite the hyperbole. Similarly, what John is really saying is that the slaughter is considerable. 

The preview is now over, and we are shown what the final judgment looks like in the Bowl Judgments. It’s my belief that these judgments are not things that occur over an extended period, unlike the previous sets of judgments. If you recall from Countdown: Revelation #9—And Judgment Escalates (10/8/2023), Leviticus 26 holds the pattern for God’s judgments. In that final set of seven judgments (Lev 26:27), we read that God would walk contrary to man “in fury.” The day of the Lord is here. Christ returns to defend Jerusalem and defeat His spiritual enemies for all time. And He’s not coming back with hugs and kisses. He’s coming in fury. We see the extent of that fury in Chapter 15: 5-8:

5 After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

I found references to the angels’ garb and the imagery of bowls insightful. The seven angels are “clothed in pure, bright linen, with gold sashes around their chests.” This imagery is one of Levitical priestly garments. Likewise, bowls were used inside the Tabernacle and the Temple. These bowls—better noted as “bowls used in offerings”—are given to the angels by one of the four living creatures, the cherubim who attend to God. Bowls are utilized 12 times in Revelation, always within view of God’s throne, in His heavenly temple. They are best seen as bowls used for ritual purposes, such as removing ashes from the altar to outside the camp. In this case, they represent that the earth is about to be cleansed of its defilement, sanctified, and prepared for the reoccupation of Christ.

Let’s look at the Bowl Judgments:

2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. 3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” [Rev 16:2-6 ESV]

The first judgment points us to the targets of this wrath—the people bearing the mark of the beast. While not explicitly stated, we can expect the remaining judgments to also afflict these people. The second and third judgments tie into the second and third Trumpet Judgments, but instead of a third of the waters being afflicted, all of the water is affected. The symbolism here reflects upon several Old Testament sources, such a Psalm 79, but most obvious are the ten plagues of Egypt. The first plague was the Nile turning to blood, while the sixth was boils upon the Egyptians. Also recall that darkness (fifth angel) and hailstones (seventh angel) were part of the Egyptian plagues, too.

8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. [Rev 16:8-12 ESV]

and,

17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe. [Rev 16:17-21 ESV]

Again, it’s important not to over-literalize things here. The sea, waters, and sand of the sea are used elsewhere in the book to symbolize people, while the sea also represents the chaos of the worldly system. The target of these judgments is people, those with the mark of the beast. Also, these afflictions are symbolic of the totality of these judgments. The first bowl is poured out on the earth. Next, we see water. The sun represents fire. The seventh bowl is poured out into the air. In John’s time, they understood earth, water, fire, and air as the four basic elements of creation. They didn’t know about oxygen, iron, molybdenum or the other 115 elements. So, when the seventh bowl is poured into the air and it’s pronounced “It is done!”, it represents the completed judgment of all nonbelievers in the most elemental sense.

The other thing to remember is that these aren’t likely to be literal because there will be believers remaining on the earth. So, anything that literally affects the sun would afflict them, too. Likewise with water and air. So, again, we’re seeing the completed judgment of all who bear the mark of the beast—every one of them worldwide. Yet, God’s protection extends over His people, so even if there are physical changes to the sun, water, and air, God protects His people.

What about the throne of the beast? Is that a literal place? Unlikely. More likely is that it represents the sovereignty of the beast over its realm, so the fifth bowl probably affects its ability to rule. And the darkness is again reminiscent of the Egyptian plagues and is found in the apocalyptic passages of Isaiah 13:10; Joel 2:10; 3:15; Amos 8:9; Habakkuk 3:11; and elsewhere. New Testament references that the darkness (separation from God) can cause pain and anguish are seen in Matt. 8:12, 22:13, and 25:30.

Is China involved? Many think of China when they read about the kings of the east in Rev 16:12. However, the east in John’s day was Babylon/Persia. As we see throughout Revelation, Babylon is the chaos agent that God holds responsible for the immorality of the world. Its successors hold control of the world today, but they—the followers of the beast—are about to meet their Maker.

One great question is, when do these occur? Is this some series of cataclysmic events preceding the return of the Lord by an extended period? Probably not, since we’ll see that these appear to lead into Armageddon when Christ returns to take care of business. I read nothing in these judgments per se that would inspire the-powers-that-be to move against Israel/Jerusalem. Instead, as I’ve stated before, the War of Gog and Magog appears to have human drivers that are more likely ideological and economic, as well as spiritual, not the result of such intense judgments.

Plus, since Jesus told us these times would be like those of Noah and Lot, where people are carrying on with life and His return is unexpected, it’s more likely that these judgments, if they precede His return by any length of time, occur in ways that people write off as natural or, perhaps, unexpected. They explain away the earlier judgments as “climate change” or “the world gone crazy,” but then climate and the world both go crazier.

However, to me it is more probable that these judgments are the means by which Christ defeats His enemies at Armageddon. They would rain down on the earth unexpectedly as He returns to defend Jerusalem and defeat His enemies.

Still, we’re already seeing major skin diseases from the COVID jabs—bullous pemphigus, boils, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, toxic epidermolysis, and more. Sea life is dying more rapidly. Example, an estimated 10 billion snow crabs have died in the Baltic Sea in the past 12 months due to warming water. The MSM keeps reporting about the “historic” heat waves affecting the planet and many major rivers, including the Euphrates, are drastically low. The Mississippi River can carry only a third of the barge traffic it once did due to low water. And the growing distrust of government is global. The deep state’s ability to rule is being challenged by more and more people. All of these sound like part of the Bowl Judgments. Perhaps we’re already there, but I still suspect the Bowls are emptied in conjunction with His return.

And then it is finished. The “world’s” armies—more likely the Muslim armies—have congregated against Israel. The battle for Jerusalem rages. The stuff hits the fan, and Christ returns.

As I mentioned in my previous post on Armageddon, Rev 16:16 is the only mention of Armageddon in the Bible. This is the War of Gog and Magog described best in Ezekiel 38-39. We also find descriptions of this final battle in Rev 17-20. While Gog and Magog are explicitly mentioned in Rev 20:8, John uses this imagery from Ezekiel in chapters 17, 18, and 19, too.

We’ll touch on this again in two weeks as we look at the great harlot and the beast. However, next week, as we enter the Christmas season, I’d like to step back to Chapter 12 and look at how those verses help pinpoint the date and time of Jesus’ birth. Hint: it wasn’t in December.

 

#15: The Beasts, the Mark, and 666

Image of a road splitting to right and leftThe beasts of Revelation 13 . . . are you expecting the Antichrist? Are we about to see some totalitarian despot arise to global power and set out to kill believers? Unlikely. More likely this will be much more discreet.

Despite popular belief based upon the Dispensational Futurist viewpoint, the Bible actually doesn’t say anything about an Antichrist (capital A). Folks expecting such a person read it into phrases such as “the Assyrian,” “the man of lawlessness,” and “the man of perdition.” Yet, those phrases are generic and could also mean plural people, much like the “the man of God” could represent any number of believers. What the Bible does mention is “the spirit of antichrist” (little A). This is rampant in the world today.

In the Middle East, believers consider this being fulfilled by Islam, which certainly fits the bill. Just look around. U.S. public schools have been forced to drop anything considered Christian but are encouraged to teach our children about the Koran/Quran. However, in a broader sense, humanism is the real antichrist, in whatever form it takes.

So, if we’re not to expect a global tyrant, what should we expect? Let’s look at the description of the beasts in Rev 13. First, here’s the beast from the sea:

1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” 5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. [Rev 13:1-10 ESV]

What is this beast? Well, two aspects of its description give it away. First, the horns, heads, and diadems, as well as the number ten, all point to government while the number seven points to global government, as in the seven continents and seven seas. The seven heads also tell us there is no one individual leader, as in an Antichrist. The second aspect are the images of a leopard, bear, and lion. We’ve seen those before in the ancient empires of the past. Daniel 7 tells us of four great beasts arising from the sea and these animal images are used there for the first time in scripture. The final beast is also described as having ten horns. Simply put, the beast from the sea is a global government made up of several parts. Today, many would call it the Deep State.

As for the mortal wound that is healed, I puzzled over that. Then, as I began to write this post, a thought hit me. I know, I know, another one of those thoughts. Bear me out. Among the global, elitest government, the U.S. is quite likely to be one of those seven heads. The globalists were giddy with excitement at the prospect of Hillary Clinton becoming president in 2016. Her gaining control would raise the curtain on their big show. She was a shoo-in, until she wasn’t. The election of Trump “wounded” the progress toward their totalitarian state, but the “election” of Biden healed that wound. I previously stated in both of my study guides that the Trump administration was likely a reprieve before judgment on the U.S. escalated, but I hadn’t really connected his election as being the near-fatal wound mentioned in Rev 13:3. Now, it makes sense. It also appears I was correct about Trump’s role in giving us a reprieve. Look at how judgment, as well as Christian persecution, across the globe has intensified since Biden usurped the presidency. (The globalists weren’t about to give Trump another term. They still aren’t.)

What about the second beast, the one that arises from the land. Here’s Rev 13 again:

11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. [Rev 13:11-15 ESV]

Here we see two horns, the mainstream media (MSM) and the corporate world. When the government was legally unable to mandate COVID “vaccines,” who did it for them? The large international corporations, the universities, and others, all pushed along by the MSM. Who filters the news for the masses and spins events to make the government look good or, well, not as bad in most cases? The MSM. Who is debanking conservative groups and individuals, denying them access to the markets and their funds? The large international banks. Who is controlling food resources? Large international agribusinesses. Who produces an image of the beast and enables that image to talk? The MSM. The examples go on, but these groups function as cheerleaders—the false prophets—for the global government.

The beasts are given 42 months to reign. Unlike the two witnesses giving testimony for 1,260 days, John specifically uses 42 months, which we can assume to be in the lunar calendar of his day and ours.

Let’s assume that the beasts secured their positions after Biden was sworn into office in 2021 and have 42 months. That takes us into late summer or fall in 2024.  If I’m correct that the Lord will return on Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah, what would precede that 2024 festival by 42 months? Is there anything that happened in the spring of 2021 that might have significance? Yom Teruah in 2024 is from the evening of October 3rd to the evening of October 5th, with October 4th being the first full day by our Gregorian calendar. Looking back precisely 42 months takes us to April 4th, 2021, the last day of Passover as well as Easter that year.

At no point within this decade does Yom Teruah correspond with the end of Passover or Easter by 42 months, much less both of them. In fact, because of the way Easter is determined to be the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21st (the Paschal full moon), it infrequently coincides with Passover week (Passover plus the Feast of Unleavened Bread) at all, which I always thought strange since our Lord was crucified at Passover. Yet, we see these two separated by exactly 42 months now.

Wow. Could we really be only a year away from His return? Maranatha.

Continuing into Rev 13, we read:

16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. [Rev 13:16-17 ESV]

Unlike being sealed by Christ, a spiritual seal, this mark has to be physical. It will be used to buy and sell, so there must be some method by which that can take place. For years, folks speculated that this would be some form of electronic chip implant. Possible, more so for the back of the right hand than the forehead. However, with the talk of vaccine passports, I expected that to take center stage as this mark, until I read some articles on the digital IDs that are coming. And coming soon.

Fourteen states, mostly Red States BTW, are pushing for digital IDs to take the place of their drivers’ licenses. The powers-that-be (TPTB) with the G20 have just approved the joint rollout of digital IDs, not just for a driver’s license but also for banking, airport security, vaccines, and more. They’re promoting the idea for securing your identity against identity theft, streamlining travel, preventing voter fraud, and all of the best ideas for convenience and security. Sounds wonderful, until they turn off your account, effectively freezing your bank accounts and investments because you don’t agree with them, or you use the wrong pronouns, or declare that marriage is between a man and a woman. Oh, make that a biologic man and biologic woman.

The corporate world is going along with this. A recent store opening for Aldi in the Netherlands requires their app just to get into the store. Then you use the app to scan your items and finally to check out. In the U.S., Sam’s Club is pushing the same concept of using their app to scan items and then check out. Now, exchange the app with your digital ID, and they control your buying.

And how is this ID implemented? A scan of your right palm print or a retinal scan requiring you to put your forehead near or on the scanning device for an accurate read. I can see John envisioning this as a mark on the right hand or forehead.

Now we get to that famous number: 666.

18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. [Rev 13:18 ESV]

A lot of people have spent a lot of time trying to figure out who this man might be. Again, this falls into the line of thinking that the man is the Antichrist (capital A). Irenaeus, a Greek bishop in southern France in the second century A.D., first proposed gematria as the means of determining this identity. Gematria is the use of numbers associated with letters to create a value for a word, or a name in this case. He never wrote of a specific person but suggested the Greek word for “titan” (spelled specifically as Τειτάν), an appropriate name for a king, or more specifically for a tyrant.

Since then, thousands of candidates have been proposed. The problem with gematria is its complication. How do you spell a person’s name? With a full middle name, just a middle initial, no initials, with or without a title, just the first name, just the last name? The possibilities are endless.

Others have suggested that the number is simply symbolic of man, and the Greek word anthrōpos can be used to refer to the nature of man. One option mentioned by Dr. Beale, whom I’ve mentioned in previous posts, was that it’s the number of humanity. Man’s number is 6, as in being created on the sixth day and being just below the perfection of Christ. The nature of man would therefore be body (6), soul (6), and spirit (6)—666.

However, I’ve come to believe in a different meaning to the number. The New Testament (NT) use of the word arithmos, ἀριθμός, used for ‘number’ in Revelation 13:18, always refers to the counting of people, as in a census. Why would it be different in Revelation? Also, the word psēphizō, ψηφίζω, used for the word ‘calculate’ in Rev 13:18, has only one other use in the NT. It’s in Luke 14:28 where Jesus asks if anyone would venture to build a tower without first counting or calculating its cost. John seems to be talking about counting people, as in a census.

What else could this refer to? Recall an earlier post where I mentioned Elijah sparing only one of the three companies of men sent to kill him. That meant two-thirds were consumed by fire from heaven. Zechariah 12-13 also mentions a third. Here is Zechariah 13:8:

8 In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive.

We also see this idea in Ezekiel 5:2, 12:

2 A third part you shall burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city. And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them. … 12 A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed with famine in your midst; a third part shall fall by the sword all around you; and a third part I will scatter to all the winds and will unsheathe the sword after them.

One-third gets scattered and emptied out but are still alive. Two-thirds die. How else do we write two-thirds? Maybe, like, you know, 66.6%. Perhaps John’s not trying to make us hunt down some unknown individual. Maybe he’s telling us that two-thirds of the people will take the mark of the beast. Curiously, while I don’t take any stock in Islam, it teaches that two-thirds of all people die shortly before the coming of their messiah, the Mahdi. Could it be that simple? Yes, it could be, and yet I’ve found this proposed solution to the ‘666’ conundrum nowhere else.

Let’s summarize where we are at this point. And again, this is my take on Revelation, my opinion. I’m not saying anything definitive about the Lord’s return and His timing, but what I’m seeing makes sense. The Seal Judgments have been with us for the past two millennia, while the escalation to the Trumpet Judgments is more recent. John’s visions showed him these judgments at different points in time as they unfolded and continued. Likewise, the beasts have been “rising”—plotting and setting the stage—for decades but only secured their goal recently, with the arrival of the Biden administration in the U.S. Based upon Revelation, that set into motion a timetable of forty-two months, of which 31 months have now passed. If that’s the same timeframe for the two witnesses, then clearly, we’re not talking about Elijah and Moses/Enoch coming back because they should have been here by now. That makes the church His witness. Also, timetables within the Bible are typically set by biblical events, not world or men’s events. The fact that Yom Teruah 2024 falls precisely 42 months after Passover 2021 is, to me, significant and VERY interesting. That timing becomes even more interesting when we note that Easter also coincided with that last day of Passover.

Should we really be expecting our Lord’s return next year? Hang on to your, um, Bibles. The three woes of the final Trumpet Judgments have already started.  I have no “Thus saith the Lord” confirmation of any of this, but the idea prompts me to dig deeper into His word and cling more tightly to Him because the stuff’s about to hit the fan. That’s the bad news. The good news is that He’s coming back soon.

On to the Bowl Judgments next. We see a major escalation of judgment in these, but their timing is also interesting with respect to our Lord’s return.

For those of you in the U.S., I wish you a festive Thanksgiving holiday full of family and friends. See you next week.

#14: Has the Countdown Begun?

Image of a road splitting to right and left

What’s up with all of these three and a half years of this and forty-two months of that? Again, the literalist sees these as a linear timetable. The idealist sees them as figurative. I’ve already mentioned the relationship between three and a half years being reflective of Jesus’ and Elijah’s ministries, while the three and a half days relate to the duration of Jesus’ burial. But what if there’s more to this than meets the eye? [While there is sound reasoning to point to Jesus’ walk on earth lasting only a little over a year, we’ll continue using the more widely accepted period of 3.5 years for His ministry.]

We’ve seen these numbers before in Daniel 7 and 12. While many see these chapters as eschatological or End Times visions, they primarily applied to the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.). In his first vision, Daniel saw four beasts arise from the sea (interpreted by most to be Babylon, the Persians/Medes, Greece, and finally, the Seleucids), with the fourth beast being different from the others in that it had ten horns after which a smaller horn (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) emerged. In these verses we find the following:

25 He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. [Dan 7:25]

This is the first occurrence of this time sequence in the Bible.

Later, in Daniel 12, we find more information about the reign of terror of Antiochus IV. In this chapter, we find the following “timetables:”

11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. [Dan 12:11-12]

At the time of Antiochus IV, divisions between Hellenistic and Traditionalist Jews brewed to the point of civil war. Antiochus intervened on the side of Hellenists, invaded Israel, decreed the Jewish practices illegal, and killed the high priest Onias III in 170 B.C. In 167 B.C., three and a half years into a seven-year period, he defiled the temple by setting up an image of Zeus and having pigs sacrificed to Zeus on the altar. This led to the Maccabean Revolt. After three and a half years (163 B.C.), the Maccabeans won.

Unlike the Dispensational or Futurist viewpoint, most scholars tie this to Daniel’s Seventy Weeks prophecy, with these seven years being the final week, and the cessation of the daily offering and sacrifices (because of the defilement) being halfway through those seven years as foretold in Daniel 9:27. The Futurist perspective sees this as an End Times prophecy.

One of the many things I’ve learned in this study is that everything about the Bible has its controversies. In this case, it’s the calendar. Today’s Jewish calendar, which is also the Hellenistic calendar of the Second Temple Period, is similar to our current secular calendar in that it is a lunar calendar comprised of months of 29, 30, or 31 days, with various days thrown in for correction. In Daniel’s day and for those of the Essene and Zadokite Jewish sects at Qumran that was considered apostate. Okay, I’ve heard of the Essenes and Qumran, but the Zado-who sect?

Zadok was a descendant of Aaron through his son Eleazar and was the High Priest during the reigns of David and Solomon. Indeed, he was instrumental in bringing Solomon to the throne and officiated at his coronation. In Ezekiel 44:15 we read:

“But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord GOD.

The Zadokites did not go astray, and their reward for staying true, they believed, was to remain in the high priesthood, including for that final, purified temple of God at the end of time.

By the time of Christ, however, they had become a small sect isolated from Jerusalem as founders of the Qumran community, where many Essenes joined them. Why? The Hasmoneans had ousted them 150 years earlier prior to the Maccabean Revolt, its victory being celebrated ever since as Hanukkah. The Zadokites preserved the idea of a Davidic Messiah, while the Hasmoneans rejected it. Since Jesus presented Himself as the Davidic Messiah, the Hasmonean leaders rejected Him. Had the Zadokites been in power, it’s speculated that they might not have rejected Jesus as their Messiah. (Think about that for a moment. Had they accepted Him, would He have died for our sins? God’s hand in history is amazing.)

So, how does this play into the various spans of time? In two ways, actually. First, both the Zadokites and Essenes used a solar calendar of 12 months of 30 days each, not a lunar calendar. While the Essene, or Enochian, calendar differed slightly, the Zadokites acknowledged the equinoxes and solstices as special days that were not included in the calendar but separated the four seasons. The result was a 360+4-day year, and a calendar with 12 30-day months. This sabbatical calendar assured that Passover and the other feasts and festivals occurred at the same time each year.

As we look at the above numbers, we can quickly see that they work with a lunar calendar using 30-day months—1,260 and 1,290 are equally divisible by 30. The 1,290-day span adds a month to the 1,260, while the 1,335 number adds another month and a half to the 1,290 number. From this, we see that Daniel used the Zadokite calendar in which the four days were not counted, and his numbers are consistent with history. That the Zadokite calendar was possibly based on the most ancient calendars is suggested by the flood account in which the flood lasted five months, counted as 150 days.

Before getting into the meaning of these numbers, I want to look at the second way in which the story of the Zadokites vs. Hasmoneans comes into play. Daniel 8 continues the prophecy regarding Antiochus IV Epiphanes. In Daniel 8:14 we find reference to “2,300 evenings and mornings” (not days) that are to take place between “the transgression that makes desolate” and the restoration of the sanctuary.

Dr. Gabriele Boccaccini is a professor of Second Temple Judaism and Early Rabbinic Literature at the University of Michigan. His paper, “The Solar Calendars of Daniel and Enoch,” adds credence to the generally accepted belief that this prophecy was fulfilled by the events surrounding Antiochus IV. It was Antiochus IV whom Daniel prophetically blamed for changing “the times and the law” in v7:25. In other words, he changed the “times” from the longstanding solar calendar to the Hellenistic lunar calendar, as well as outlawed Jewish circumcision and other practices. According to Dr. Boccaccini’s work, the 2,300 evenings and mornings (1,150 days) precisely fits the time between the defiling of the temple, which ended the daily sacrifices, and the 25th day of the month of Kislev when the Maccabeans stopped fighting and the eight-day restoration of the temple began. This day marks the first day of the miracle of lights or Hanukkah.[Collins, J. and Flint, P., editors, The Book of Daniel Composition and Reception, Vol 2, Brill Publishing, pgs. 311-328.]

Going further with this, Dr. Boccaccini goes to the end of the 1,260 days (and the death of Antiochus) and adds 30 days. That takes the calendar through the month of Passover. Adding another 45 days takes us to the Feast of Shavu’ot, the celebration of the harvest. How does that apply to Revelation? He postulates that at the end of the 1,260 days, believers will celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, reflective of the Passover supper, and at Shavu’ot, the final harvest of souls, along with judgment before the Great White Throne, will take place. Perhaps.

With the events of Antiochus IV foreshadowing the End Times, in Revelation 11:2 we see the holy city being trampled for “forty-two months” (three and a half years). Is John seeing this in perspective of the lunar calendar of his and our day? Since it’s in the future, that is likely. So, why, in Revelation 11:3, are His witnesses given 1,260 days to prophesy? The 1,260 days is repeated in Revelation 12:6. Is he referencing Daniel by doing so, as he did by adding a N to the word Magedon (Har Magedon) to point to Zechariah? (see post #11). He does this again by referencing Daniel 7:25 in Revelation 12:14:

14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. [Rev 12:14]

From this, we see that John was familiar with the Zadokite solar calendar, as well as the lunar calendar of his day and ours.

For the idealist, this three-and-a-half-year period is symbolic of nothing more than an incomplete timespan, as opposed to seven years marking a complete one. Curiously, while the idealists look at the period as an undefined, incomplete period, they don’t quite know what to do with the mention of 1,260 days. Dr. Beale, in his lengthy discussion of the forty-two months, says only this of the reference to days:

“Twelve-hundred sixty days” has the same interpretative nuance, though the reason the period is named in terms of days is not clear.[Beale, G.K. The New International Greek Testament Commentary, the Book of Revelation, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids, MI, 1999, pg. 468.]

Not clear? It’s my understanding that pretty much everywhere else in the Bible where a prophecy is given in terms of days, it means just that, a day or a portion thereof. Here, however, I think it’s clear John was pointing us to Daniel.

If we look at the events surrounding Antiochus IV and those of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. as foreshadows of the time preceding Christ’s return, both occurred in fulfillment of specific timespan prophecies, such as  in Daniel. When God foretold Abraham that his descendants would be in Egypt for 400 years, they were there for 400 years. God’s timing is precise. For that reason, I always had trouble with the Futurist’s perspective that Daniel’s Seventy Weeks prophecy consisted of 69 “weeks” (483 years) followed by some nebulous future final week (7 years). God doesn’t give us indeterminate timelines.

Should we not expect the precision with John’s prophecy in Revelation? When Revelation 20:3 talks of Satan being released for a little while, it’s likely to be for this 42-month period.

Our challenge is in recognizing when that three-and-a-half-year period begins. Perhaps it already has. Maybe not. If two individual witnesses show up on the streets of Jerusalem, then we’ll know there’s little time left before our Lord returns. Yet, that’s also a big giveaway that will let multitudes know that time is short, the ultimate spoiler alert, and the Bible says that His return will be like a “thief in the night” and the times will be like those of Noah, when no one expected what was coming except God’s chosen, His people. So, no, I don’t expect to see two men on the streets of Jerusalem.

Are there clues as to when He’ll return? Stay tuned.

Next week, we’ll move into Rev 13 and the beasts. Who, or what, are they?

BTW, Rev 12 is an interesting interlude within the book. We’ll take a look at it later. When combined with other information about Christ’s birth, it actually helps us pinpoint the date . . . and it’s not Christmas. Stay tuned for that as well.

 

#13: By Two or More

Image of a road splitting to right and leftIn last week’s post we looked at the trumpet judgments and the 144,000. The final trumpet ushers in the next judgments—the thunder judgments, which John is told not to write down. John then introduces us to the “two witnesses,” although formal introductions probably aren’t necessary.

The identity of the “two witnesses” can be a flashpoint in discussions of the End Times. Folks who look at Revelation literally, see these two as real-life characters, but can we truly expect them to pour fire from their mouths to consume their enemies?

There’s much to suggest that these are real men whose testimonies and warnings are the symbolic fire that spiritually consumes their enemies. That’s how I looked at these witnesses for years. Some believe these two men to be Elijah and Moses based upon the judgments they issue during their 1,260 days and the fact that it was Moses and Elijah who appeared on Mount Hermon at the transfiguration of Christ. However, my money was always on Elijah and Enoch, as they are the only two who never tasted death. Also, it seems right to me that mankind from both before and after the great flood should be represented. But that’s my two cents worth.

While I would not be shocked to see “breaking news” about two old guys in sackcloth preaching on the streets of Jerusalem, I’m no longer convinced that the two witnesses are two real, literal persons. If we look at the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were there to be witnesses to God’s declaration that Jesus is His son. There they stood for the law and the prophets. Jesus has now fulfilled the law and the prophets, so do these two need to return?

So, what if there was another way to interpret these verses? As I’ve stated before, I’m not strictly a literalist who sees all of Revelation literally nor an idealist who sees all of this as symbolic. John could well have seen two real men, but I think he would have known who they were. After all, he actually saw Elijah and Moses during the Transfiguration. Thus, what if this is symbolic?

Most scholars see the witnesses as representative of the universal church. Why number them at two? Well, the Word makes it clear that no one is to be put to death on the evidence of just one witness.

6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. [Deu 17:6]

 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. [Heb 10:28]

And we are talking about the deaths of the multitude of nonbelievers. God’s justice is fair.

Is it so hard to think of the two witnesses as representative of God’s people? In the OT, the prophets often represented the people. On some occasions, they spoke on behalf of God to the people and at other times they spoke to God on behalf of the people.

Let’s look at the first handful of verses about the witnesses:

3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. [Rev 11:3-6]

Here we see the two witnesses identified as the two olive trees and lampstands. What’s that all about?

Scholars point to Zechariah 4 when referencing the two olive trees. In Zechariah 4:1-6 and 11-14 we see reference to two olive trees, or “anointed ones.” The story in Zechariah 4, however, begins in Hosea 1 where we see God forsake His people Israel while prophesying their restoration. It’s that restoration through Zerubbabel and Joshua that we see in Zechariah where the two olives trees represent the “word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” There, the two olive trees represented all of Judah, whereas now, in Revelation, the two witnesses represent all of God’s people as we stand by the Lord, preserved by His Spirit.

However, for us, Zechariah 4 has another emphasis. In it, God was telling the prophet that Joshua and Zerubbabel had divine protection from their opponents and would complete the temple. Likewise, we have His divine protection against our foes.

The lampstand imagery is thought to point back to Revelation 1 in which the lampstands represent the churches. There we saw seven lampstands as a symbol of the completeness of the church. Now, only two are needed to testify against and witness to an unrepentant world. Some scholars point to the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia, the only two for which Jesus found no faults. Indeed, if you look again at Revelation 3:10, Jesus promises not just that He will “keep” us from the hour of trial, but that He does so in order that we shall “try those who dwell on the earth.”

Or, did Jesus give us the example to follow: two by two? When He sent out His 72 disciples, He sent them in pairs. They were to spread the word, accompanied by signs and wonders. If a household refused them, they were to shake off the dust from their feet. Perhaps, the two witnesses represent pairs of believers going out into their towns and elsewhere to share the gospel.

What about the “superpowers” being displayed by the two witnesses? Note first that these “powers” apply to both witnesses, i.e., all of us. I look around our world, and I find it is oh so tempting to call down fire from heaven right about now. Zap! Sign me up for the Sons of Thunder fraternity. Oh wait, maybe Elijah could do that against the captains of fifty (2 Kings 1:8-15), but Jesus chastised James and John for wanting to imitate that prophet. (As a side note, Ahab sent three squads of fifty against Elijah and only one was spared. We’ll look at that as we look at the famous number of the beast: 666. Stay tuned.)

Of course, the literalists see these powers as an instant replay of the prophets’ judgments in the OT. The idealists, however, see these as symbolic. Dr. Gregory Beale, author of perhaps the most complete commentary on Revelation, weighing in at over 1,000 pages, states:

“The purpose and effects of the “measuring” are explained further. Now the fire of the Spirit burning on the two lampstands is seen to be unquenchable, which makes the lampstands themselves spiritually invincible. The souls of the witnesses cannot be harmed because they are protected by the invisible sanctuary within which they dwell. “If anyone wishes to harm them” because of their prophetic witness, then such people themselves will be harmed by the witnesses. God’s assured presence among his people guarantees that they will not be harmed in any ultimate, eternal sense. Therefore, the powers given to them in vv 5–6 do not demonstrate outwardly their prophetic legitimation but indicate rather God’s protection of them. They may undergo bodily, economic, political, or social harm, but their eternal covenant status with God will not be affected. One reason they were measured was so that they would prosper in their prophetic witness despite persecution. Though they may suffer and even die, they will invincibly and successfully carry out the spiritual mission for which they have been “measured” and commissioned . . .”[1]

Rats! Fire falling from heaven would be so much more impressive.

It should also be noted that those who would kill the witnesses will themselves be killed. This is Biblical, as it says in Deuteronomy 19:19 that “then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” By this point in the judgments, the events taking place are no longer meant to induce repentance but are punishments for those who have hardened their hearts, just as we saw with the plagues of Egypt.

When our testimony is complete, the “beast who rises from the abyss makes war on,” conquers, and perhaps kills us. Or so the beast believes. We’ll discuss this beast in an upcoming post but suffice it to say that it represents the governments of the world—the Deep State, as many would call it today. They will think that they’ve snuffed out the Christian witness for good. For many scholars, the three-and-a-half-year period of the witnesses’ torment corresponds to what they believe was Christ’s three-and-a-half-year ministry on earth as well as Elijah’s ministry during which the “the heavens were shut up three years and six months.” (Luke 4:25, James 5:17) Elijah’s ministry saw devastating famine, as we’re beginning to see again. As with Christ’s resurrection, three and a half days later, we’re resurrected and ascend to the Father. For Elijah, “Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” (James 5:18) We are that fruit.

While possible, it’s unlikely that the “beast” literally kills the entire church. Instead, this appears to be hyperbole to indicate that the true church has been “defeated.” The “great city” mentioned is the entire world, as every use of “the great city” in Revelation refers to Babylon the Great, not Jerusalem, Rome, or some other prominent city. As with “the beast” we’ll take a look at Babylon the Great later.

At that point, a great earthquake rattles “the great city” such that a tenth of it is destroyed and 7,000 people die. For the idealist, this portrays a great upheaval that portends the immediate return of Christ. As with the seventh seal and seventh bowl, this group sees the upcoming seventh trumpet as symbolic of the final judgment that comes with the parousia, the Second Coming.

I mentioned the forty-two months above. That’s equivalent to three-and-a-half years, but not necessarily 1,260 days. When John wrote of 42 months, he did so referencing the Hellenistic lunar calendar of the time. 1,260 days is 19 days short of 42 months in that calendar. However, in the Enochian calendar of Daniel’s days, a solar calendar, 1,260 days was equal to three and a half years. It’s likely that John referenced this period in days to link his prophecy to Daniel. This becomes more important as we get to the reign of the beast from the sea.

Have we already entered that period in history? I’m beginning to think that maybe we have. The beast is certainly working overtime to cancel the church. We’ll look at this time period in the next post.

 

[1] Beale, G.K. The New International Greek Testament Commentary, the Book of Revelation, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids, MI, 1999, pg. 488-9

#12: More Trumpets and the 144,000

Image of a road splitting to right and left

As we continue with the Trumpet Judgments, we resume with trumpet #4:

12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. [Rev 8:12 ESV]

What might be happening here?

The graph below shows the Aerosol Optical Thickness map from August 2009. The black areas are those where sensors couldn’t pick up any data. White indicates crystal clear air, while the darker browns show increasing aerosol thickness and reduced visibility.

In July 2023, the map looks like this (the gray means no data):

The affected areas over Canada and the U.S. are due to the wildfires, while the dark areas over the Arabian Peninsula are from seasonal sandstorms. The lightest areas (white) reflect a value of 0.1 which equals crystal clear skies. The darkest brown indicates a value of 1.0 on the above scale. On that scale, a value of 4.0 would mean aerosols so thick you would have difficulty seeing the sun at high noon. So, might areas with a value of 1.0 be considered as close to having one-third of the light blotted out?

While a time-lapse map displaying the aerosol density over time (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/global-maps/MODAL2_M_AER_OD) shows that the optical thickness waxes and wanes with the seasons, I couldn’t find any data to show this issue has increased recently. Yet, that potential exists. See how the Canadian wildfires have appeared in the above map. I mentioned in an earlier post how much water vapor and sulfur dioxide were ejected into the atmosphere by the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano. Both contribute to obscuring the sun, and the water vapor can help trap more particulates in the air. A major, land-based volcanic eruption could launch massive amounts of debris into the atmosphere. Likewise with a meteor strike. These events could certainly result in visual obscurity of the heavenly lights.

Yet, even without a major event such as a volcano, see how polluted our atmosphere has become. There are very few areas of white (clear skies). It won’t take much to tip the scales and blot out a third of out light from heavenly sources. This Trumpet Judgment isn’t some celestial event. It’s right here, close to home.

At this point, God’s judgments take a drastic turn. The previous judgments have been against the earth itself, not mankind. Not now. In Revelation 8:13 we read about an eagle crying out, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, . . .” With the fifth trumpet, God’s judgments begin to inflict mankind.

However, before continuing with the fifth trumpet, it’s important to get an understanding of who the 144,000 are because the demons of the fifth trumpet are unleashed on everyone else. The 144,000 are first mentioned in Rev 7:

3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: [Rev 7:3-4 ESV]

If you continue to verses 5 to 8, you read that 12,000 men from each of the 12 tribes of Israel are marked (sealed) as servants of God. But are they from all 12 tribes? Re-read the list. The list includes Joseph, as it should, but also Manasseh, one of Joseph’s Egyptian-born sons. Manasseh appears to replace Dan. Why?

Dan is consistently mentioned in the Old Testament as idolators. In Joshua 19, we read that Dan was unable to take control of their allotted territory due to a lack of faith. In Judges 18, we read of Dan moving north and stealing the idols from a man named Micah, setting them up as their own. In 1 Kings 12:29 and 2 Kings 10:29, we read that one of the golden calves brought up from Egypt is set up in Bethel and the other in Dan. I believe that Dan is excluded in Rev 7 because of their role in leading the House of Israel into idolatry. Why Manasseh and not Ephraim? Ephraim was just as guilty of idolatry as Dan.

Can we take the number 144,000 literally? If so, then a lot of us are up a creek without a paddle. In Rev 9:4 we read that the demons released with the fifth trumpet are enabled to inflict pain on those who don’t bear the mark of Christ, the seal of God on their foreheads. If only 144,000 are sealed by God, that leaves millions of us out of the loop. However, the scripture doesn’t really say that only 144,000 are sealed. For that to be the case, you would have to read Rev 7:4 literally. BTW, this seal is likely a spiritual one, not a heavenly Sharpie marking our foreheads.

Looking back at the fifth seal judgment (Rev 6:9-11), we saw the souls of martyrs (witnesses) waiting under the heavenly altar of God until the complete number are killed as they were. Then, if you recall, back in Countdown: Revelation #1, I mentioned that 12 is a number of completion and 1,000 represents a large number. So, the 12,000 from the 12 listed tribes now reflects the completed number from each tribe, not a literal 12,000. The 144,000 represents a multitude of believers. I believe that we see part of that multitude, those who have already joined Christ before God’s throne, in Rev 7:9-17.

Another possibility given by scholars is that the 144,000 could also represent a subset of believers. These scholars focus on who these 144,000 might be. Some concentrate on the fact that these are mentioned as being male virgins, blameless, have never lied, and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. We see them again on Mount Zion with Christ when He returns. The use of the word martyr throws a lot of people off because they use today’s definition of the word, while its original meaning was simply “a witness.” However, there is no clear consensus among these scholars. For me, the critical thing is that this number—144,000—is not literal but represents the completion of the number of believers, which, in turn, is a trigger for Christ’s return.

Now, let’s move on to the fifth trumpet’s judgment:

1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. [Rev 9:1-4 ESV]

True to the form of apocalyptic literature, we now see fantastical creatures being released from the “bottomless pit.” This is the same as Tartarus, which in Greek mythology was a deep abyss reserved for horrible monsters and the worst of criminals. It was even deeper than Hades.

Note that these creatures were not to harm the grass, trees, and plants of the earth. In reality, these are already being affected. Also note who are afflicted—” only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

I mentioned fantastical creatures. Here’s what these “locusts” looked like:

7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. [Rev 9:7-10 ESV]

What in the world? With descriptions like this, it’s easy to see why people get confused by Revelation. I know I have been when it comes to just what this vision is showing us. Then, in a time of reflection and prayer, it hit me. This vision could be an amalgamation of many things we’re seeing around us today. I could be way off base but let me step out onto the proverbial limb and you can make of it what you will. Again, I’m looking at this description through a lens of what’s happening in the world today.

First, they’re described as locusts. Locusts were a considerable “plague” in ancient times. They devoured everything green they came across. They could wipe out an entire season’s crops, and God often used locusts as judgment. They could also be extensive. During the ten plagues of Egypt, they covered the entire land (except where the Israelites lived). A couple of years ago, locusts devastated crops throughout East Africa. I believe these demons are described as locusts because the problems they cause will be extensive and “all-devouring.”

Yet, there’s a modern day “equivalent,” of sorts: illegal immigration. Like locusts, a swarm of illegal immigration has been coming across the U.S. southern border ever since Biden took office, to the point where Gov. Abbott of Texas recently declared an official state of emergency, invoking the U.S. Constitution in calling it an invasion. Images of trains with every car covered by people, of lines of people wading across the Rio Grande, and of masses of people huddled under bridges and overpasses to get out of the Texas mid-summer sun show only miniscule glimpses of people looking for a better life. Europe has experienced the same, to the point where the natural-born citizens of some nations there are outnumbered by immigrants.

And like locusts, these people are devouring our resources. The federal government is giving them tickets to wherever they’d like to go, free housing and medical care, and more. The Biden Administration is giving “families”—defined as one parent and one child—$2,200 per month to live. Some families are double-dipping with mother/child and father/another child each claiming the money for $4,400/month. Tell that to the average Social Security recipient of $1,400/month or a Maui fire survivor who got $700 total.

Yet, these “locusts” are also killing people. Driven by the cartels that are not only trafficking people across the borders but also pushing fentanyl and other drugs, these drugs are flooding our cities. We’ve seen more fentanyl deaths in the past two years than ever before. Europe saw this begin a decade ago and now the Moroccan cartels control major cities. The Netherlands has become a narcostate, and when the Port of Antwerp shut down for a workers strike, only the drugs flowed through it. In the U.S., it’s the Mexican and Colombian cartels calling the shots.

In John’s day, horses were expensive and owned only by the wealthiest. In ancient wars, they were often prepared for battle with bronze armor. The image of gold crowns points to kingship, or leadership in a broader sense. Might this show that the powers that be (TPTB)—the wealthy, globalist elites—are preparing for war? China certainly seems set for war to claim Taiwan and the entirety of the South China Sea. The elites of NATO are rumored to be preparing for war against Russia. (Hmmm, rumors of war sounds familiar.)

Next, we see that they have human faces and hair like women. Since women did not go to war and thus, would not be preparing for battle, are these human faces male? Male faces with women’s hair? Was John seeing transgenderism?? I know I’m not alone in perceiving that this craziness seems to have engulfed the world since the pandemic (* see note). Yes, there have been cross-dressers and transgenders throughout history, but they remained in the closet. Maybe it was there all along, and it took the shutdown of schools for parents to wake up to what was happening to their children. Today, parents battle TPTB to regain control over the raising of their children, particularly in the area of gender and sexuality.

The lion’s teeth could have multiple meanings. True, the Lion of Judah points to Christ, but Satan is also compared to a prowling lion. A lion’s roar can be heard from five miles. It is meant to invoke terror and show fierceness. I think terror and ferocity are meant by this phrase describing the demons. LGBTQI+ activists have become ferocious in their activism. TPTB certainly try to invoke terror every time they publicize some COVID variant, most of which will be no more virulent than the original, and that one had a 98.8% survival rate overall.

The breastplates of iron and the noise of their wings being like many chariots may point to modern warfare. In the war in Ukraine hundreds of tanks and armored personnel carriers (breastplates of iron), as well as drones (wings) have been destroyed. I’ve already mentioned that rumors abound that TPTB wish to incite war with Russia and will do so in 2024. China has been increasingly aggressive in the South China Sea. North Korea keeps rattling its saber and has allied itself with Russia. They all seem eager to rush into battle.

Finally, these demons have tails that sting like the scorpions on earth, or perhaps like the sting of a vaccine injection. Terrestrial scorpions inject their victims with poison—some are deadly, some just produce discomfort and pain. The COVID “vaccine” qualifies for this one. According to VAERS and V-SAFE, the CDC’s own adverse reactions databases, it has killed hundreds of thousands of people, while a much greater number have been disabled. So many adverse reactions to the COVID jab were flooding the V-SAFE database that the CDC closed it down recently. Either they wanted to bury their heads in the sand or are hoping the general population will. BTW, the five-month period of torment isn’t literal. It simply points to a brief time.

It’s important to recognize that this judgment leads to the sixth trumpet in which four angels are released to kill a third of mankind. Many of us in the medical profession have voiced concerns from the beginning that this so-called “vaccine” of modifiedRNA (it’s not messengerRNA as commonly misreported) would produce what we call antibody-dependent enhancement. That’s a derangement of the immune system that leads to increased infectivity of the virus, worse disease, and potentially worse (turbo-charged) cancers, immune system dysfunction, and other diseases. That’s precisely what we’re beginning to see with otherwise healthy, young people dying in their sleep or dropping over dead on a playing field, and cancers “appearing out of nowhere” in advanced stages. While some don’t believe that HIV causes AIDS, the COVID spike protein has four segments similar to HIV. With AIDS, there was a lull in cases where it looked like we had AIDS under control, only for it to return with a vengeance. Such a scenario with COVID, along with rising drug deaths, could see a brief period of “torment” leading to widespread death—the sixth trumpet judgment.

I recognize I might have a hyperactive imagination to see these things in the description of the demonic beings released from the great abyss. It could be that John simply saw them as fantastical creatures from hell in line with the popular apocalyptic literature of his day. However, in light of current events and the culture, maybe this is exactly what John was seeing. Perhaps it will take 20/20 hindsight in the near future to understand John’s vision here. 

Sorry, this post got so long. Lots to cover. I’m also sorry if this comes across as too much gloom and doom. I, for one, prefer to be prepared for what might be coming. That, in turn keeps me focused on Christ, our Rock.

BTW, if you received the COVID jab and maybe its boosters, there is a detox process for purging this from your system. It was developed by Dr. Peter McCullough– https://covid19.onedaymd.com/2023/03/dr-peter-mccullough-prescription-and.html. You might want to consider it, but please find a sympathetic physician to help you.

One way or another, it’s becoming more and more critical that you focus on Christ and God’s Word. He is our Refuge and Stronghold. (I love Psalm 91.)

We’ll continue next week with the Two Witnesses.

*Note: The numbers seem to support my perception that there’s been a rapid and sudden increase in the transgender arena. In 2016 there were 4552 “gender affirming surgeries” (GAS). By 2019 that number rose to 13,011, with a slight dip to 12,818 in 2020 due to the pandemic. Despite extensive surfing of the internet, I can’t find stats later than 2019. It’s as if TPTB don’t want us to know the actual numbers. Reuters reported in mid-June 2022 that 1.6 million people over age 13 in the U.S. identified as transgendered, with 300,000 being ages 13-17. I also found a report by Grandview Research showing that the GAS market in 2022 was $2.1B and is estimated to rise by nearly 11% per year to 2030. The average cost of a complete transition (surgeries, hospitals, doctors, meds, etc.) is $50K in the U.S., but only a third of that in Thailand. So, let’s assume that this $2.1B covered only complete transitions in the U.S., not globally. That comes to 42,000 transitions and all of the GAS involved in doing so. For a complete M-to-F transition, there could be as many as five surgeries involved. For F-to-M, it’s three surgeries. Do the math. No wonder they don’t want to publicize actual numbers. In truth, many “transition” just by having top/chest surgery—approx. $1500 in cost—so the actual number of surgeries could be through the roof.

#11: Armageddon

Image of a road splitting to right and leftWith what’s happening in the Middle East right now, I thought I should address these events a bit and take a little jump forward in Revelation’s prophecies. So, I’m “interrupting” the discussion on the trumpet judgments with this one on Armageddon.

I’m sure that, like most people, you have been following the events in the Middle East following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7th. Many bloggers and podcasters jumped right into posting about this without waiting for true facts to emerge. I thought I’d wait several days at a minimum to see what shook out and how these developments evolved. Despite the expected conflicting reports about numbers killed, atrocities, how intelligence agencies missed it, etc. and the rise of “conspiracy theories” about whether or not these agencies actually missed it or allowed it to happen, one aspect of reporting in Christian circles seemed to rise to the top: are we about to see Armageddon?

Revelation 16:16 is the only biblical usage of the word Armageddon, and John specifically points out that it is a Hebrew name. The name comes from Har Magedon, which has been linked to Megiddo in northern Israel. You will find many teachers define har as a hill, so to them, Tell Megiddo, the ancient ruins of a palace and fortress, fits the bill. However, a tell is an artificial hill created by successive layers of building and occupation. It’s an archaeological term, not a natural topographic feature. Plus, according to scholars of ancient Hebrew, such as Michael Heiser and Meredith Kline, har actually means mount, or mountain, and was transliterated into hill in the Greek. In that broad Jezreel Valley there is no mountain, so Megiddo is unlikely to be the location of this battle.

So, if Megiddo isn’t the place, where is it? Again, we need to focus on this being a Hebrew place. Meredith Kline, in his 1996 article “Har Magedon: The End of the Millennium” (the Journal for the Evangelical Theological Society, Vol 39), wondered about the Hebrew spelling—M-G-D (recall there are no vowels in Hebrew; they’re assumed). There are two letters with a G sound—gimel and ‘ayin, which has a back of the throat G sound as in Gomorrah (spelled with ‘ayin). Using gimel for the G could lead a translator to Megiddo. Using ‘ayin, however, leads to mem ‘ayin daleth, which translates to har mō ‘ ed, the mount of assembly (Isaiah 14:13), and that’s Jerusalem or Zion, where God reigns.

Another curious aspect of Rev 16:16 is that Har Magedon is spelled with an ending N. In Zechariah 12:11, Megiddo is spelled with an ending N, which has strengthened the belief of those who see Megiddo as the location of this climactic battle. Yet, look at Zechariah 12:2-3, followed by 9-11:

2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. [Zec 12:2-3 ESV]

9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. [Zec 12:9-11 ESV]

Take note of “On that day . . .” in verses 3 and 9. On what day? The day of the Lord, the day of the Lord’s wrath. It’s a single day on which the Lord returns. And note where they’re fighting: Jerusalem. Israel will see the one whom they pierced, and their mourning occurs in Jerusalem. Megiddo is only mentioned in terms of mourning the death of Israel’s last godly king, Josiah, in the town of Hadad-rimmon near Megiddo. It is most likely that John added the N, as found in Zechariah, simply to tie what he saw to the prophecy of Zechariah.

Reference to this final battle is scattered throughout the prophets, but the most detailed account is in Ezekiel 38-39—what many refer to as the War of Gog and Magog. Many dispensational teachers will say that this mighty battle ends the seven-year tribulation period and results in the defeat of the Antichrist by Christ upon His return. Others teach that this war occurs after a 1,000-year reign of Christ and just prior to the Great White Throne judgment. If you’ve read my blog posts or Still Here! Surviving the End Times, you know that I don’t find a seven-year period of tribulation in scripture (and I’ll discuss that 1,000 years in a future post). There is mention of seven years where the inhabitants of Israel collect fuel from those armies that attacked Jerusalem, but that’s after the War of Gog and Magog. 

I also don’t see an individual Antichrist, but instead a global spirit of antichrist that drives the global government, or Deep State (as we call it today), which is the beast from the sea (more on this in an upcoming post). The Deep State will drive the nations of the world to attack Jerusalem, and Christ returns to finally end it all, to defeat the spiritual enemies of God.

Look at Joel as well:

15 Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. 16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17 The seed shrivels under the clods; the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up. 18 How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer. 19 To you, O LORD, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. 20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness. . . . 1 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. [Joel 1:15-2:2 ESV]

Sounds a lot like Revelation. Note in 2:1 where the alarm is sounded: Zion, God’s holy mountain.

Likewise, Isaiah 24-27 is considered Isaiah’s “Mini Apocalypse” where the whole earth is judged. In 24:23, we read:

Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.

Again, Mount Zion and Jerusalem. In 25:6-7, we also read:

6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.

Which mountain? Mount Zion.

So, where could this latest Hamas incursion into Israel with all of its atrocities lead? Could it lead to Armageddon, the final battle in history, and Christ’s return? Many of today’s evangelical leaders are coming out and saying, yes, it could. I agree. Timing becomes the real issue.

Could Israel’s retaliation against Hamas go so far as to provoke all of the Arab and Muslin world? Perhaps. But what about the non-Muslim world?

If we read Ezekiel 38, we see a conglomerate of nations listed: Magog (possibly Russia), Persia (Iran), Cush (Sudan and Ethiopia), Put (Libya), Gomer and all his hordes, and Beth-togarmah and all his hordes. Smith’s Bible Dictionary equates the land of Gomer (eldest son of Japheth) with the Cimbri of the north and west of Europe during the Roman Empire (Denmark, between the Elbe and the Rhine, and Belgium), the whole of the British Isles at one period, and now the Gael of Ireland and Scotland, and the Cymry of Wales. However, other sources show Gomer covering most of modern Turkey, which seems to fit this scenario better. Beth-togarmah is usually identified as the region around Armenia (eastern Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and northern Iran). 

With respect to Russia’s involvement, that’s not so clear. Gog—who might be a spiritual “prince” just as Michael is Israel’s chief prince—is associated with Meshech (a son of Japheth) and Tubal. Some translations use Rosh instead of Meshech, and that leads some to identify Russia. However, maps of the early 19th century show Meshech and Tubal as the lower Caucasus (descendants of Japheth) and includes all of Turkey (Cappadocia). Josephus identified Meshech with the Cappadocian “Mosocheni”, also known as the Mushki and their capital Mazaca. Ancient Assyrian tablets also identify Meshech with the Muska. These were also associated with the Phrygians.  Hippolytus of Rome’s chronicle (234 AD) listed the Illyrians as Meshech’s offspring. It wasn’t until the 16th century that Moscovites were considered descendants of Meshech. So, today’s nation of Russia might not be involved, but its Muslim “satellite” nations and Turkey are likely to be.

This is certainly an unusual group and consists of several countries we would not suspect of joining forces. Concerning Russia, never in history, until recently, has Russia joined with Iran for any reason, but the war in Ukraine, along with western sanctions, has led to recent trade deals between the two, mainly for weapons. It’s also easy to see Beth-togarmah aligning with Russia. Georgia and Armenia are allied with Russia already, but such an alliance isn’t necessary for them to be involved. And it’s quite easy to see Cush and Put joining with Iran. But what about Gomer?

True, Western Europe is becoming increasingly antisemitic. However, it is also becoming increasingly energy starved. Despite its drive toward renewable energy sources, it’s still heavily reliant on oil and natural gas. The loss of Russia as their major source of both has hurt. The EU’s other major oil suppliers are within either the Russian sphere of influence or that of Iran—Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Libya. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait would be directly affected by an expanding Middle East conflict. So, if Europe must choose between having no energy to survive or joining forces against Israel, which do you think the EU would choose? This seems reinforced by Ezekiel 38:10-12:

10 “Thus says the Lord GOD: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme 11 and say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,’ 12 to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth.

Note their motive—” to seize spoil and carry off plunder.” Maybe as in oil and gas, both of which Israel is developing offshore in the Mediterranean. The Hamas-Israel conflict has led to increased prices of both.

As such, we may not be looking at a purely ideological hatred of Israel. At least not on the human side of things. Of course, this final battle is a spiritual one, and the enemies of God, the supernatural forces driving these nations, will do whatever is necessary to spur on their human chess pieces. If it’s energy to heat homes and power industries that convinces the people of the beast to move against Israel, then so be it.

Many might say that this isn’t the beginning of the War of Gog and Magog because they expect three things: to be raptured out before a seven-year tribulation, for an Antichrist to make peace with Israel and to break that peace 3.5 years into the seven years, and for this war to end those seven years. They can’t, or won’t, accept the idea that those things haven’t and won’t happen, and that Armageddon could be right around the corner.

In an upcoming post, I’ll go into the beasts of Rev 13, the forty-two months during which they’re given full reign, and both the mark of the beast and its number. First, I want to get back to the trumpet judgments in the next post.

#10: The Trumpets Keep Blowing

Image of a road splitting to right and leftLast week, I showed how the pattern for Revelation’s judgments was set in the Book of Leviticus, and then we moved into the first trumpet’s judgment. Let’s continue with the others.

First, let’s recognize that the blowing of these trumpets need not be sequential. Just because John reports seeing, say, the first angel blow his trumpet and then seeing the second angel do so, doesn’t mean that the second angel had to wait for the first one to be accomplished. This is simply the order that John records what he has seen.

Let’s take a look at the second trumpet’s judgment:

8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. [Rev 8:8-9 ESV]

What does a mountain burning with fire sound like? A fiery meteor shooting down from the sky? That’s what many proclaim it to be. However, a look at recent events shows another possibility. Well, relatively recent. This natural disaster occurred in January 2022, but the mainstream media ignored it because it didn’t fit the “climate change” narrative preferred by the World Economic Forum and global governments.

In January 2022 the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai undersea volcano in the Pacific erupted, ejecting over 40 trillion gallons of water—as superheated water vapor—into the atmosphere. Within a week, this vapor circumnavigated the globe. Within a month, it had spread from pole to pole, too. Water vapor is six times more effective than carbon dioxide in trapping heat. The eruption plume extended 30km (18 miles) into the stratosphere and included over 400,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, which converts to sulfates in the atmosphere. Sulfates, as fine particulates, are a major air pollutant, but they are believed to contribute to global cooling, not heating, by reflecting solar energy back into space. Despite these opposing effects in the atmosphere, the volcanic heating of the oceans is no doubt contributing to the heat wave and record-breaking El Niño weather pattern we’re currently seeing, more than the carbon dioxide created by our cars, power plants, etc. . . . and cow farts.

While the undersea volcano in the Pacific is expected to raise water temperatures in the Southern Pacific and Indian Oceans so that they will be 3°C (5.4°F) warmer in October than normal, the Atlantic faces its own warming issues. Three new hydrothermal vents were recently discovered along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Again, they’re injecting heated water into the ocean. Perhaps that’s one reason why water temperatures along the Florida coast and the Keys are in the mid-90°s, with one monitoring buoy recording a temp of 38.3°C (100.94°F) in late July. That’s more like a hot tub than the ocean. NOAA recorded a record-high average sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic Ocean of 24.9°C (76.8°F) in late July.

April 2023–A global map using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showing areas in orange and red where temperatures have been above the long-term average. Photograph: University of Maine

So, what about the rest of that prophetic vision? Already there have been major fish kills reported along the Texas coast. Hundreds of bottlenose dolphins and seals have washed up on California’s shores, dead from eating prey that fed on toxic algae. Coral across the globe is dying and affected beds are becoming bleached. Marine scientists have expressed grave concern that the elevated water temperatures will cause a mass die-off of marine life. A “third of the living creatures in the sea” (not just fish or marine mammals) could well be dying, but we have no way of quantifying that.

I can’t account for ships being destroyed, but perhaps that’s still coming. BTW, another consequence of higher water temps is less wind and rain, which in turn adds to the heat across the globe. It becomes a vicious cycle.

As for the sea turning to blood, could red tide—a form of toxic algae bloom that literally turns the water red—be what John saw? Harmful algae blooms (HABs), the term preferred by scientists, seem to be increasing, and 90% of HABs occur in fresh water. There’s also a snow algae first discovered in 2019, Sanguina nivaloides, which develops a red or orange pigment to save it from the sun. But the pigment also lowers the reflectivity of the snow and speeds up melting. It’s been shown to affect the waters around Greenland, as an example, causing lower numbers of Arctic cod, which feeds the seal and polar bears of that region.

Yes, it’s my personal opinion that we’ve moved into and past the second Trumpet Judgment. The countdown continues.

So, what about the next judgment?

10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. [Rev 8:10-11 ESV]

There’s much speculation about this one, and I think we’re just beginning to see this one. However, one commonly taught interpretation can be tossed out IMO. The word ‘wormwood’ in Russian is chernobyl. As a result, many End Times teachers promote the idea that this judgment shows a meltdown of the Chernobyl-class nuclear reactors worldwide (approx. 40) with a resulting poisoning of the nearby freshwaters. This poisoning causes death to many who drink it. However, the nuclear reactor that had the meltdown in 1986 was outside the town of Chornobyl, Ukraine. A reporter misspelled the name with an ‘e’ instead of the ‘o’ and the misspelling stuck. Personally, I don’t think we’re looking at a nuclear disaster.

Chornobyl is the Ukrainian word for mugwort, artemisia vulgaris. Chernobyl, however, is the Russian word for wormwood, produced by artemisia absinthium. Wormwood is another name for absinthe, which contains a compound called thujone. Thujone was outlawed decades ago in most countries because of its hallucinatory properties. However, in ancient times, absinthe was part of the worship of Artemis because of the drunkenness and hallucinations it caused.

For those who see Revelation as all symbolic, this relationship to Artemis is critical. For them, the mention of wormwood, connected to its use in the worship of Artemis, points to a return to idolatry. Such a return leads to spiritual death. Supporting their idea are the facts that the temples to Artemis were located along freshwater rivers, streams, and lakes, and that stars are frequently symbolic of angels in the Bible. A fallen angel certainly could tie this to idolatry, but how does “blazing like a torch” fit?

That said, by now, if you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I’m not a fan of the “Revelation is totally symbolic” approach. Yes, I agree that there is much that is symbolic in Revelation, such as the numbers used. The understanding of those ‘symbols’ is more or less universal. However, I believe that John was seeing things quite real and understandable.

To consider these visions as symbolic makes these images relative. My interpretation of a symbol might not be your interpretation. Draw a number 6 and put it on a table between two people. One person will see the 6, while the other will see a 9. Why would God give us “symbolic visions” if the scripture is to be instructive for all? As such, I don’t believe that Revelation is all symbolic.

So, what could this judgment be? While a land-based volcano is a possibility, I see a meteor in this prophetic vision. Is that possible? Certainly. With 30 years of monitoring, NASA is reporting increasing numbers of near-earth objects (NEOs). Much was made in the media about one NEO that passed by the earth by less than two million miles in 2022. They called it a “near miss in galactic terms.” However, NASA today reports that 53 NEOs have passed by earth within 1 lunar distance (less than 239,000 miles) so far this year (2023). Three passed by in July 2023 alone. Of the 53 passes, 26 weren’t detected until they had passed by, and five weren’t detected until an hour before they passed by.

Clearly, NASA is concerned. They initiated the DART Program in 2021 and completed it in September 2022. DART stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test. They succeeded in deflecting the moonlet Dimorphos in its orbit around asteroid Didymos by 3 minutes (about 3%). Still, NASA admits that it is unlikely to detect an asteroid or other object approaching from behind the moon until it is too late.

In summary for this post, my own take is that we’re well into these trumpet judgments when you look at current events. But these woes are continuing. Keep your focus in Jesus. More to come . . .

#9: And Judgment Escalates

Image of a road splitting to right and leftIn my previous posts, I commented on how I believe that John saw God’s judgments at various moments in time and that the move from the seal judgments to the trumpet judgments to the bowl judgments reveal an escalation in severity. First, you can see that right in the text of Revelation itself. In the fourth seal judgment, Death and Hades have authority to inflict their pain upon a quarter of the earth. In the trumpet judgments, as we’ll see, a third of the earth is affected. Finally, by the time of the bowl judgments, the whole earth is involved.

However, secondly, the pattern for the judgments in Revelation was laid out in Leviticus, including the escalation we see. In Leviticus 26:14-33, we find the pattern of being judged sevenfold for our sins. God outlines four sets of sevenfold judgments. In Revelation, John sees four sets of seven judgments, although with one set, the seven thunders, he was told not to write them down. Perhaps that relates to Matthew 24:22:

And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Is eliminating the seven thunder judgments God’s way of cutting these days short?

But I digress. Back to Leviticus. Note the following in the passages from verses 14-33:

18 And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins,

and again,

21 “Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins.

and,

23 “And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your sins

and finally,

27 “But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins.

Did you catch it? The escalation? If you don’t listen, I will strike you again. If you still don’t listen, I will continue to strike you. Then God says He’ll walk contrary to you and Himself strike you. Then He walks contrary to you in fury.

In a way, isn’t this what we’re seeing in the judgments of Revelation? True, all of the judgments in Revelation come from God Himself, but the idea of escalation is there.

We find another example of intensification here. In Rev 8:5 we read of an angel throwing a censor filled with the prayers of the saints to earth. It produces peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. In Rev 11:19, we see the temple of God in heaven opened to reveal the ark of the covenant. At that time, we see the same things, plus heavy hail. Then, in Rev 16:18, we again read of the thunder, lightning, and rumblings, but this time the earthquake is so severe it causes the “great city” to split into three parts and the cities of the nations to fall.

With the breaking of the seventh seal, we read that there is silence in heaven for half an hour. I’ve heard that this jokingly means there are no women in heaven, but I’m more convinced it’s the lawyers who get left out. Most scholars believe the silence is in response to all of heaven being awed by what they now see. The seven angels who stand before God are given trumpets, and the first one blows his horn.

The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. [Rev 8:7 ESV]

As noted above, we now see that a third of the earth is involved.

Is this simply symbolic? Every day we read of wildfires somewhere across the globe—the isle of Rhodes, Maui, and Canada to name a few recent fires in the news. A current (Aug 2023) wildfire in northwestern Greece is the largest in the EU since the union started keeping records in 2000. Australia is once again gearing up for wildfire season as winter ends there. If we look at graphs like the following, it’s easy to think that wildfires are increasing:

However, the reality is that the number and severity of global wildfires waxes and wanes. You can see that in the above graph as well by looking at the years on the right side. They don’t show any steady increase by year. The U.S. data, as well as global data, is much the same in its ups and downs.

If you’re looking for data that shows a quarter or a third of the earth’s forests burning at any one given time, you won’t find it. Global data shows that we’ve lost a third of the global forests due to industrialization, population growth, and other reasons for clearing. I don’t think the forests on fire is symbolic of this type of loss. Today, there are 4 billion hectares of forested land. For those of us familiar with acres, not hectares, there are 2.47 acres to a hectare. So, that results in 9.88+ billion acres of forested land across the globe.

The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization has collected data on forests affected by fire since 2000. Currently, the publicly available data only goes through 2017 and of the 236 nations listed roughly half reported no data. Admittedly, many of those nations have little to no forestland. Yet, among those countries without data are nations such as Greece, Australia, and Germany, nations that have been in the news for their fires.

If we look at the data that is available, we won’t see any given year in which more than 566 million acres have burned. And yet, between 2000 and 2004, 25% of the world’s forests had burned. By 2006, over a third of the world’s forests had burned. As of 2017, plus data from 2018 to 2022 in the U.S. and Canada, nearly 78% of the world’s forests have burned since 2000. Could data from the non-reporting countries, plus the data from the past five years, tip the scale even closer to 100%?

How does this tie into Revelation? If you think that John is seeing a third of the forests burning all at one time in the first trumpet judgment, you won’t find such occurring in the global data. As such, you would anticipate this as some future event.

But what if he’s getting a snapshot of God’s ongoing judgment at one point in time. God’s judgments would be cumulative, so at the point where John sees that trumpet blow, the cumulative damage to earth’s trees has reached the one third point. Within this possibility, we moved past the first trumpet judgment in 2006.

What about the other trumpet judgments? We’ll move into those in the next post.

 

#8: The Four Horsemen

Image of a road splitting to right and left

As I stated in the previous post, it’s most likely that Christ was deemed worthy and given the scroll right after His ascension, and the judgments revealed upon breaking the seals on the scroll began to take place immediately. If we consider this to be the case, then clearly, they’ve been running intermittently and simultaneously. That can be seen in history. There have been times of war, periods of famine, nations that have collapsed due to economic inflation, and plagues and pestilence throughout the past two millennia affecting different parts of the world at different times.

Note that just as in judgments shown throughout the Old Testament, the goal of these are to bring repentance and to encourage people to turn to God. However, as people continue to ignore God and lead lives as they see fit, the judgments will escalate and eventually afflict men and women directly.

Let’s look at the first four judgments. First is the rider on the white horse who is given a bow and a crown and is released to conquer. What does the act of conquering infer? War between nations. Second is the rider of the red horse who is given a sword and is to take peace from the earth so that people kill each other. This form of killing doesn’t require war. It’s simply homicide for whatever reason. The third rider sits upon a black horse and has a pair of scales. This rider causes economic inflation. And in verse 8 we see the final horseman:

And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. [Rev 6:8 ESV]

Let’s dig into these a bit more.

Many pastors over the years have taught that the rider on the white horse is Christ. However, this is highly unlikely. Clearly, this rider is sent out by God, as shown by a voice that sounds like thunder, a common description for the voice of God. Why would Christ commission Himself to cause war? Plus, it’s the horse that’s white, not the rider’s being clothed in white. There are numerous candidates for whom this rider represents. The Parthians were a formidable foe for the Romans, known for their horsemanship, skills with the bow, and their conquests. Their king sat upon a sacred white horse. Scholars point to other possibilities, but the Parthian king was imagery that John and his audience understood. That said, the real take-home message here is that war between nations would be inevitable and, throughout the millennia, history has shown this to be the case.

The second rider “rules” over homicide. Need I say more? Look at any given weekend in Chicago or St. Louis or New York, and you can see this happening regularly.

Economic inflation is the judgment of the third horseman—a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley for a denarius (a day’s wage). That would be like a loaf of bread for a day’s wage today. While we’re currently in an inflationary stage thanks to the Federal Reserve flooding the economy with dollars in 2021 and 2022—quadrupling the number of dollars in circulation, inflation has been with us for years. It may seem to wax and wane, but prices never come back down. I’m of the age that when I was in college, gas for my car cost $0.25/gallon during my freshman year, up to $0.75/gal my senior year. The national average as I write this is $3.89/gallon. My parents paid 3% of my dad’s income in taxes—federal, state, and local—in the 1970s. What did you pay in taxes last year?

The final rider is Death, followed by Hades. Here, and elsewhere, these two are personified. We’ll see them again when both are ultimately thrown into the lake of fire and vanquished forever. Yet, note that they’re given authority over a quarter of the earth to bring death by the sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts. The latter—wild beasts—does not literally mean lions, and tigers, and bears. Jewish tradition used “wild beasts” to symbolize persecuting nations.

Also, we probably shouldn’t take the “quarter of the earth” literally either, as we have no way to measure this over the centuries. However, I believe we can use this as a marker of severity. In the next set of judgments, the seven trumpets, we find that a third of the earth is involved. (I’ll talk about this in my next post.)

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that we need to understand the Old Testament roots to many of these allusions. As examples, we see the four horses in Zechariah 6:1-8 and in Ezekiel 14:21-23 we see Jerusalem being subjected to judgment:

“For thus says the Lord GOD: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!  [Eze 14:21]

John now generalizes these judgments to the whole world.

It’s also noteworthy that Jesus mentioned similar events in His Olivet Discourse:

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. [Mat 24:6-8 ESV]

And “the beginning of the birth pains” implies that real labor is coming.

With the breaking of the fifth seal, we don’t see judgment. John saw the souls of believers positioned under God’s heavenly altar. They’re given white robes and told they must wait until the foreordained number of “martyrs” is reached. Interestingly, the next time we see these souls (Rev 7:9), they are clothed in white and no longer under the altar but standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Because of this change, I personally believe we see this scene in Rev 6:9-11 as a marker of time—the judgments have started, but there’s more to come. 

By the way, although today we define “martyr” as someone who dies or suffers greatly for his beliefs, whether religious or not, the original meaning had nothing to do with such an end. μάρτυς, mártys, simply means a witness in the judicial, historical, or ethical sense. So, the martyrs under the altar are God’s people, witnesses to who He is and to His glory, both before and after Christ’s first advent.

When it comes to the sixth seal, I’ll admit it leaves me a bit perplexed. There are scholars who believe the three sets of judgments are actually all one set of judgments being seen from different perspectives—much like witnesses to an auto accident. The driver will report the accident from one viewpoint, while the driver behind him might report something different. Witnesses on the sidewalks might all have different accounts as well. My take is that we’re seeing God’s judgments from different points in time and that there is an intensification of judgment as we move from the seals to the trumpets to the bowls. (As I said, I’ll talk about this in the next post.)

With the sixth seal, I believe we’re seeing a jump ahead in time to the great day of wrath. Have you ever noticed how references to Christ’s return are always referred to as the day of wrath, the day of the Lord, or the day of His return? Why? Most likely because it’s actually one day in time. If you think about it, when He returns, He’s not going to need a week to clean up this mess.

So, with the sixth seal, are we seeing a foreshadow of His return? I think so. Earthquakes in the Bible were representative of two things: a significant shift in governments and theophanies (God’s physical presence on the earth). A Christophany will result in the same. And while all sorts of teachers keep looking for blood moons as some kind of marker pointing to a pending “rapture” or period of tribulation, the three references to such in the scriptures—Joel 2:31, Acts: 2:20, and Rev 6:12—all point to the day of the Lord. Likewise with the sun turning black. Don’t expect these heavenly signs before Christ’s return. The remaining images in Rev 6:13-16 also refer to Rev 6:17: “for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?“

In the next post (as promised, twice) I’m going to delve into why I see these judgments by God as intensifying and why I believe that John is seeing them at different points in time. Until then . . .

#7: Worthy is the Lamb

Image of a road splitting to right and left

Having touched upon the judgment of the church, I should point out at this point that we also can’t take the visions of the book sequentially. In other words, one judgment doesn’t occur followed by the next and so on. As we get to the Seal Judgments, it’s not one horseman riding forth followed by the next. In the Trumpet Judgments, it’s not one trumpet being blown followed by another. More likely, these judgments have been, are, and will occur simultaneously.

My main goal of these posts is to look at Revelation through the lens of what’s happening in the world today. We’re getting there. However, rather than skip over large chunks of prophecy, I’m taking a moment to point out some things in chapters 4 and 5.

As we continue in the book, Revelation moves to a heavenly setting. We see the throne room of God, and it looks much the same as Ezekiel’s vision of the throne room (Eze 1). We again see the living creatures with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle—representing mankind, wild animals, domesticated animals, and birds. Even the brilliance of a rainbow surrounds the throne in both visions.

However, this time we also see 24 elders wearing crowns and seated on thrones before God’s throne. Who are these elders? Well, we know they aren’t angels because nowhere in the Bible are angels depicted wearing crowns. Many pastors teach that they represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles. Perhaps, but since John, the apostle whom Jesus loved, is viewing this, who is warming his throne for him? Maybe these seats are reserved for others. In Daniel 12:13, he is told “But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” His allotted place? A throne maybe? Anyway, the identities of these 24 are subject to speculation and among those things about Revelation that will only become clear upon our graduating to the heavenly realm.

More importantly, the location of Christ, the Lamb of God, is noteworthy. He’s not seated at the right hand of the Father, or on a throne in front of the elders. He’s standing among the 24 thrones, with mankind, as our Intercessor. Dr. David Aune, in his commentary, sees this as an investiture scene. Christ is not enthroned here, nor is He commissioned to perform a task, as was Isaiah in Isaiah 6. Christ has fulfilled the three requirements for an Israeli to become king: 1) anointed or designated as a candidate for kingship, 2) proven himself kingly by His acts, and 3) being exalted to His throne. Yet, He cannot sit on the throne of His kingdom until all is finished—the world being reconciled back to God and the new Eden established.

So, it’s likely that this scene took place upon His ascension, and that the judgments of mankind began those two millennia ago. John seems to reinforce this idea In Rev 1:9 when he stated that he is our “brother and partner in the tribulation.” The tribulation started way back then, not at some undefined point in the future.

In chapter five we see Christ stepping forward as the only One able to take the scroll from God’s hand and to open its seals. His credentials are impeccably perfect. This is a scene of great praise and worship. He alone is worthy!

Finally, we arrive at the first of His judgments—the seven Seal Judgments. We’ll get into the judgments themselves in the next post. But what is this scroll with its seven seals? While being the topic of much debate, it would seem that two main candidates have garnered the most attention.

One points out that land deeds of that time were sealed with seven seals. Proponents of this choice speculate that this scroll is the title deed to the earth, previously usurped by Satan from Adam. This concept gives us an image of a scroll with seven seals attached to the outside. The reality of a scroll sealed this way is that we can’t see the contents of the scroll until the seventh and last seal is broken, allowing us finally to unroll the scroll. As such, we see the judgments depicted in Revelation 6 being unleashed by the breaking of the seals and not necessarily contained on the scroll itself.

The second consideration, however, is based upon a scroll with seven seals found in a cache of Egyptian scrolls. Here, there was a single outer seal, which when broken allowed the unrolling of part of the scroll. Unrolling that part revealed a second seal that, upon breaking, allowed a second part to be unrolled. This was repeated to find the final, seventh seal and roll. The first six rolls, upon being unrolled, were blank, but the seventh held a legal document believed to be a last will and testament. If we use this concept for the scroll in Revelation 5, we don’t find blank rolls with the breaking of the seals, but instead the judgments from God. As such, this scroll appears to hold the judgments of God upon the world, and the seals imply a legal validity to it.

John also appears to allude to Ezekiel 2:9-10:

9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

Note: “. . . words of lamentation and mourning and woe.” Sounds like judgment to me. While Ezekiel 2 talks of judgment on the people of Israel, John universalizes it to the whole world, and this would seem to support the idea that God’s judgments are written upon the scroll. In truth, we’re never told explicitly what the scroll holds, just that the breaking of each seal brings forth a form of judgment.

In the next post, let’s look at those judgments.

 

#6: A log in the church’s eye?

Image of a road splitting to right and leftIn my previous article, I discussed the faults possessed by the seven churches in Revelation and mentioned that many of those traits are common in today’s “church.” But just how bad is it?

The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, recently wrote about how the Woke Church is falling further and further into decay. The acceptance of woke thinking—CRT, Marxist ideology, LGBT acceptance, and more—has produced splits in many churches. Even major denominations such as the Southern Baptists are going through upheavals over this. As a result, many people have abandoned the church altogether.

In addition, the church has abdicated its social position of providing local welfare and support for their communities. Where once it was the church that stepped up to help those in need, they often now shunt that “responsibility” to the government. And we all know how efficient and effective the government is.

So, again, how bad is it?

Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center, under the guidance of well-known pollster George Barna, has been looking at Americans’ worldviews for several years. What is a worldview? In a nutshell, it’s a set of beliefs that shapes how you see the world around you. Everyone has a worldview.

Beginning with their 2020 American Worldview Inventory (AWVI), the CRC looked at what they consider the seven main worldviews:

  1. Biblical Theism (i.e., the biblical worldview)
  2. Postmodernism
  3. Secular Humanism
  4. Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism
  5. Marxism
  6. Eastern Mysticism
  7. Nihilism

How was a person’s worldview determined? The survey asked 54 questions in eight categories to measure beliefs and behaviors:

  1. Bible, Truth, and Morals
  2. Faith Practices
  3. Family and the Value of Life
  4. God, Creation, and History
  5. Human Character and Nature
  6. Lifestyle, Behavior and Relationships
  7. Purpose and Calling
  8. Sin, Salvation, and God Relationship

In addition to their worldview questions, they also asked a variety of demographic and theolographic (i.e., religious background) questions.

So, how did “the church” fare. In their 2022 AWVI, they looked specifically at the beliefs of parents of pre-teens, as well as members of the clergy. While 67% of pre-teen parents claimed to be Christian, only 4% of those “Christians” held a biblical worldview. That was little better than all pre-teen parents where only 2% held a biblical worldview. Pre-teen parents were predominantly Millennials, which held the lowest numbers of those with a biblical worldview.

More concerning, though, was the 2022 data regarding clergy. You would expect Christian clergy to hold a biblical worldview, but, in fact, only 37% of American clergy did (overall). Nondenominational pastors were more likely to hold such a worldview than denominational pastors. Of the Senior Pastors, 41% held a biblical worldview, followed by Associate Pastors at 28%. Worse, Teaching Pastors and Children’s and Youth Pastors sat at 13% and 12% respectively. The lowest level “award” went to Executive Pastors at only 4%.

What kind of worldviews did these surveys discover? Most were what would be considered syncretic—a mix of Christianity with New Age, Postmodernism, Secular Humanism, and the others thrown in. A pinch of this and a pinch of that. Only half of all parents believed that God was the all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect, and just creator of the universe. Of the self-identifying Christians, 76% believed that morality is relative (personal and circumstantial), 81% believed in karma and 64% accepted reincarnation.

With numbers like these, the log in the modern church’s eye is the size of a sequoia.

Today, in 2023, with all of the uproar over drag queens in schools, parents being targeted by the DOJ for expressing concern over their children’s educations, the politicizing of federal law enforcement agencies, extreme political corruption, and more, you would think more people might be turning to God for answers. How has that affected Americans’ worldviews?

The 2020 and 2023 AWVIs looked at all American adults, not just parents of pre-teens. In 2020, just 6% of all American adults held a biblical worldview. Today, that number has dropped to 4%. Older, seasoned adults (65+) held the highest percentage at only 8%, while of adults under 30, less than 1% held a biblical worldview.

Two scriptures come to mind:

I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” [Luke 18:8 ESV]

and,

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. [Matthew 24:10 ESV]

With that, how do you stand? Among the 4%? If not, I suggest you begin to dig deep into God’s Word and prepare for His return. Once He’s back, you won’t have time to catch up.

With the next post, I’m going to briefly cover what is portrayed in Rev 4 and 5. Then, I think we’ll start into the judgments, barring anything urgent that comes up first. 

 

#5: Judgment begins with the household of God

Image of a road splitting to right and left1 Peter 4:17

As we begin to look at Revelation from the perspective of today, it is important that we, too, start by looking at the church. After all, we don’t want to criticize others (nonbelievers) for the splinters in their eyes while living with logs in our own.

Many see the seven assemblies of Rev 2 and 3 as representative of the church at various times (eras or dispensations) throughout history. IMO, their arguments in doing so are stretching things a bit and typically inaccurate. Since the church is seen as the body of Christ, it’s more likely that the faults found within these congregations correspond to faults found generally within the church as a whole, no matter what era we consider.

So, what are those faults? Here they are in list form.

  1. Abandoning the love they had at first (Ephesus, Rev 2:4)
  2. Holding to the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans (Pergamum, Rev. 2:14-16)
  3. Following “Jezebel” into sexual immorality (Thyatira, Rev 2:20)
  4. Eating meat sacrificed to idols (Thyatira, Rev 2:20)
  5. Having a reputation for being alive while, in truth, being dead (Sardis, Rev 3:1)
  6. Works being incomplete (Sardis, Rev 3:2)
  7. Being lukewarm (Laodicea, Rev 3:16)
  8. Boasting of being prosperous and needing nothing (Laodicea, Rev 3:17)
  9. Being spiritually blind (Laodicea, Rev: 3:18)

Many of these are tied together. The teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans involved sexual immorality, as did those of Jezebel (whether a real person or a reference to King Ahab’s wife). Two things come into play here. First, sexual immorality involved a variety of lifestyles, many of which were heterosexual (living together outside marriage, bigamy, abuse of concubines, orgies, and more), not just homosexual.

Second, these fall under an issue called antinomianism, which Paul addressed in a letter to the Corinthians. That error of that church was in teaching that God’s grace was sufficient. So, basically, these believers felt that they were absolved of all moral law, could do whatever they wanted, and still be saved by God’s grace. Today, we see the same thing with those teaching that God is love. So, you can do whatever you want, and a loving God will accept you into heaven with open arms. Nope. Not what the Bible teaches.

How many congregations today tolerate sexual sin and fail to address it? God’s morality is absolute, while far too many churches take a relative stance on morality, as does the culture around it. Some churches go so far as to advertise for gay and lesbian members, while others have pastors preaching in drag. Still others teach Marxist ideology, which is antithetical to the Bible.

The eating of meat sacrificed to idols was also related to sexual sin. It wasn’t so much that a person had to determine whether or not the meat they bought at the market had been dedicated to some idol or false god. Selling such meat in the marketplace was a common practice. No, this applied much more to eating such meat in the presence of said idol. That required attending and participating in the orgy that typically accompanied such feasts.

While the trade guilds and idol worship with its orgies and feasting are not common in the Western world today, such feasting isn’t uncommon in the East among the Hindu and Buddhist religions. In the West, other idols are worshipped: monetary success, abortion, the gay lifestyles, politics, Sunday’s golf game, and more.

Other faults can be seen as related to each other. Abandoning their first love didn’t mean abandoning Christ altogether. Rather, when tied to Matthew 24:12-14, we see it as becoming complacent in spreading the Gospel. Becoming lukewarm resulted in the same, although being called lukewarm implied much more extensive issues. Being lukewarm could result in many works (ministries) being pursued only halfheartedly and incompletely. And how many ministries today might seem Christian in origin while having no true faith behind their work?

Pride, too, can produce a ministry that is seen as alive, but is spiritually dead. These people can boast of being prosperous and self-sufficient, but all along they’re blind spiritually and functioning solely on their own power. Prosperity often leads to complacency, if not downright apathy. The prosperous have what they need, and often that doesn’t include the zeal to spread the Gospel. The prosperous are more likely to engage in virtue signaling.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, we’re told what to expect in these latter days.

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

In this list of traits, we see many of the faults listed for the church in Revelation, ex., lovers of self and money (idols); lovers of pleasure, not God; and appearance of godliness, but denying its power. People read this and think Paul is commenting on characteristics of nonbelievers outside the church, but does he specify that? Is the “church” today really any different?

In my next post, we’ll look at where the church stands in 2023.

#4: Court is in session

Image of a road splitting to right and leftOne more aspect of the Book of Revelation that most aren’t aware of is that it is one long courtroom scene, minus Perry Mason or Bull. This concept is one that’s accepted by many theologians.

Chapter one begins with spelling out the credentials of the prosecutor and judge: Christ. John provides several “digs” at Zeus, who was considered the supreme god of the day. One such statement is in the phrase “. . . who was and who is and who is to come” (Rev 1:8), which is a riff on one of Zeus’s titles in that day. John makes it clear that Christ is God on an equal footing with God, the Father, and that He, and He alone, has the right to judge.

As we move into chapters two and three, the examinations of the seven churches fall in line with the scriptures that say that judgment begins in the household of God (1 Peter 4:17). Seven represents Christ, as the church is the body of Christ. And the examination of each follows a specific pattern:

  1. To the angel of the church in a given city, write:
  2. Jesus is depicted in terms of His Glory, often using descriptions from chapter one
  3. He offers praise or encouragement—I know your . . .
  4. But this I have against you . . . offering some reproof or call for change
  5. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says
  6. An eschatological promise

I believe these seven churches were chosen for specific faults. Some no longer evangelized. Some had given in to the culture, participating in sexual sin or at least looking the other way. Some preferred man’s leadership and wanted only an indirect relationship with God, not the direct relationship He seeks. Only two out of seven were found faultless, yet one of those, Smyrna, was about to go through tribulation.

I think these cities were also chosen for their unique characteristics. As an example, Laodicea, the only city for which Christ found nothing favorable, was known for its poor water. Both cold and hot water had to be imported via aqueducts, so that the water in both was lukewarm by the time it reached the city. Christ called them blind and offered an eye salve, and yet, they were known for their medical school and specifically for an eye salve. He offered them white garments while they were known for an especially luxurious black wool. For more on these churches, see my study guide, Still Here! The Apocalypse is Now.

The remainder of the Book of Revelation deals with the judgments of non-believers. Starting with what are called the Seven Seal Judgments, God begins to deal with mankind’s errant ways. These judgments are meant to get people’s attention and call them to turn to God’s ways, but few pay attention. Today, men call it “climate change,” but if you look back through the OT, you’ll see that His judgments throughout history started with natural “catastrophes” before inflicting judgment on humans directly. The Seven Seal Judgments have been going on since His ascension, trying to get man to turn to Him. But as man continues to look to himself, those judgments intensify in what are called the Seven Trumpet Judgments. Then, ultimately, we see the final judgments–the Seven Bowl Judgments.

Speaking of the OT, this pattern of judgments—four sets of seven judgments—was foreshadowed in Leviticus 26:14-33. Hey, wait a minute. There are only three sets of seven judgments in Revelation. Yes, well, Revelation also mentions the Seven Thunder Judgments, but John was told not to write them down. Perhaps skipping one set of judgments is how God shortens the End Times to favor the elect (Matt 24:22).

I’ve now laid down some foundational material: 1) that Revelation is understandable and edifying, 2) that it is sometimes symbolic in line with it’s being apocalyptic in the literary sense, 3) that we are to discern the season of His return, and 4) that the book’s structure follows the pattern of a courtroom case. With these concepts in mind, let’s begin to take a deeper look at Revelation and tie it to what’s happening in our world today.

 

#3: No Man Knows the Season?

Image of a road splitting to right and left

I recently had the opportunity to talk with a young man who had just been promoted to direct all campus-outreach programs for a large evangelistic organization based in Nashville. He spoke to our group about his own road to Christ and about the need for evangelism today.

I asked him whether or not he felt an increased urgency for such outreach. I asked because I personally feel that the Lord has placed in me a sense of His coming very soon. That is what is prompting me to write this blog, as well as speeding up the timetable for my End Times suspense novels.

His answer was one I frequently hear—that the Bible says we’re not to know the time or season of His return. He used the phrase “time or season,” pulling the phrase from Acts 1:7 where Jesus answered a specific question by His disciples just before His ascension. Yet, His answer seems to note something broader than when He might return.

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. [Act 1:7 ESV]

We’re not to know times or seasons, plural, that have been established by God, the Father. Another translation for seasons is epochs. To me, this is more like Jesus was saying we’re not to know the broader scope of history, the epochs of time, laid out by God. This isn’t the same as saying “the day or the hour” as Jesus told us in Matt 24:36:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

Does this mean we’re not to know the season of His return? The Parable of the Fig Tree is all about knowing the season. We are to be able to discern “when summer is near.”

The Word also tells us that God keeps nothing from His children. When asked about His speaking in parables, Jesus answered in Matt 13:11: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Likewise in 1 Thes 5:4, we’re instructed that we “are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” Which day? The day of His return. Jesus also tells us the End Times will be like the days of Noah and of Lot, as I mentioned previously. Well, Noah knew the flood and destruction was coming. He wasn’t surprised by it. And Jesus also tells us that our eyes and ears are blessed because they see and hear (Matt 13:16). Yes, we’re to keep those eyes and ears open so that we can discern the season of His return.

But what about the day and hour? Are we to know those as well? Well, yes and no. Only the Father will decide the exact time. It’s much like the tradition of a Jewish wedding. Upon being betrothed, the groom was to build a house for his bride. And only when the groom’s father was satisfied with that house was the groom instructed by his father to go get his bride. That said, Jesus made a curious comment in Mat 24:44, the end of this section of scripture about His return. He said, we wouldn’t know the hour of His return, with no mention of the day or date. Can we know the date? More on that to come.

In reality, Jesus’ mention in Mat 24:36 about not knowing the hour or the day is a clue. There’s one Jewish holiday that this phrase pertains to. Yom Teruah—today called by its Persian name, Rosh Hashanah—was ordained by God to begin on the first day of the seventh month, Tishrei. It’s the only holy day to start on the first day of its month, and it was to be a day of celebration, of blowing trumpets, and of feasting.

Why is its being on the first day important? Well, each month began only upon the confirmation of the new moon. The Sanhedrin would send out watchmen into the hills to watch out for the moon, or its absence. Its hour could not be predicted, and because of that, it could fall on either of two days depending upon which side of 6pm—the start of a new day—it fell. When at least two watchmen returned to the Sanhedrin to confirm that it was the new moon, the High Priest, and only the High Priest, would announce the start of Yom Teruah. And he would announce it with the blowing of the trumpets, the shofar.

Sound familiar? I firmly believe that Christ will return on Yom Teruah. I can hear the protests: “But, but, we know when that day and hour will be for each upcoming year. Our astronomical computers can give us precise timing. We don’t need to rely upon watchmen in the hills of Judea. Doesn’t that fly in the face of Jesus’ statement?” Again, yes . . . and no. While we might know when Yom Teruah will start each year, do we know the actual year? Over two thousand years ago, the Sanhedrin was so determined to figure out who the Messiah might be that it repeatedly fudged their calendar in the hope of confirming first one man and then another as the Messiah based upon ancient prophecies. Although it’s currently year 5783 on the Jewish calendar, that year is biblically accurate only to plus/minus four or five years. Allegedly, it wasn’t until 339 AD that the Sanhedrin of that time decided to “fix” the year of the Jewish calendar, leading to the year we have today.

So, how will we know the season? First, by observing what is going on around us with our eyes that see and ears that hear. But the Bible holds another clue. A Bible chronologist I’ve come to know and respect, William Struse, has used the Masoretic texts to try to discern the actual year. In his studies, he’s shown that there were 41 Jubilee cycles between Adam and Abraham and another 41 cycles between Abraham and Jesus. We’re now in the last years of the 41st cycle since Jesus walked the earth, but again, thanks to the Sanhedrin, we have a plus/minus four- or five-year window.

Our Lord’s second coming could be this fall or five years from now, maybe longer but that would appear to fall outside the Jubilee cycle. God is a God of order, and His timing throughout the Bible has always been spot on. When He told Abraham that his descendants would be in Egypt for 400 years, they lived in Egypt for 400 years. He wouldn’t give us a nebulous timetable for Christ’s return. We still need our eyes and ears to understand the season. That said, the Book of Revelation gives us more clues about the potential date of His return. More on that in future posts.

I have one more foundational stone to lay. So, here come da judge, here come da judge. Sorry, I know that dates me. Anyone younger than 40 might not even know where that came from. On to the next post . . .

 

#2: Where I stand on eschatology

Image of a road splitting to right and leftIn my first post, I mentioned that how one approaches the Book of Revelation depends on your viewpoint regarding the End Times. I’d like to look at those viewpoints now, and present my particular take on eschatology, the study of the End Times. This will be a bit lengthy for a blog post, but I found it difficult to shorten, and I didn’t want to break it into two posts.

Theologians note that there are four major viewpoints on End Times prophecies in the Bible. These are the Idealist, Historicist, Preterist, and Futurist perspectives. As I mentioned in my previous post, the Dispensational view, within the Futurist camp, is the dominant one among evangelicals in the U.S.

The Idealist view is that everything in Revelation is symbolic, metaphorical, or allegorical. Under the strict Idealist perspective there is no final victory of, or judgments by, Christ. Most Idealists fall into a modified Idealist camp that recognizes “problems” with the strict viewpoint. Yet, there are a variety of definitions of what “modified” means and little agreement within each group. To their credit, these scholars have pointed out very valid symbolism within the Book of Revelation.

The Historicists fall into two camps. The contemporary historical-critical approach is the dominant academic method of interpretation that came to the forefront in the mid-nineteenth century and continues today. This method seeks to analyze Biblical text in light of its own historical, social, political, cultural, and intellectual setting. In other words, every book of the Bible was written within its own social context—to include all the factors just mentioned—with a specific audience in mind that also lived within that social context. However, one aspect of the method that was condemned by others was its critical and antisupernaturalistic tendencies. Many, such as the Christian Brethren, also known as the Plymouth Brethren, completely rejected this approach as finding things in the New Testament that simply weren’t there—such as there being two authors of Revelation.

In classic historicism, the events of the Book of Revelation have been and continue to take place in what we call the Church Age. In this view, the 1,260 days mentioned in Revelation are symbolic of 1,260 years for the Church Age. However, when Christ didn’t return around 1290 AD, they reset the clock . . . again, and again, and again. This viewpoint became the dominant one in early Protestantism because it dealt with the rise and fall of the Catholic Church and allegorized the papacy as the Antichrist. However, very little in history actually correlated with the classic historicist view and it fell out of favor as they continued to move their goalposts.

The Preterist viewpoint holds that the prophecies of the Bible have all been fulfilled in the past. Full Preterism, which no one today holds to, claimed that Christ returned prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Partial Preterism is the perspective held today. It holds that the prophecies of Revelation were completed in 70 A.D., but that several Scriptures (ex., Acts 1:1-9, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, and 2 Thessalonians 4:16-17) that foretell of the Second Coming and bodily resurrection of believers at that second advent have yet to be fulfilled.

The Futurist perspective holds that the prophecies of Revelation will all occur at some future time. Dispensationalism is the dominant form of Futurism, getting its name from the idea that history has gone, and continues to go, through several eras or dispensations prior to His Second Coming. This is the viewpoint that teaches there will be a seven-year period of intense tribulation that worsens at the three-and-half-year point, that a rapture of the church will occur leaving Jews and others behind to face part or all of this trouble, and that a global despot will arise—the Antichrist—who will lead this persecution. They also teach that the prophecies of Revelation must be interpreted word-for-word. Thus, the confusion so many hold about Revelation as they try to envision what John must have seen about the future. Plus, they believe, along with classic Historicists, that Christ will return to rule in a 1,000-year period prior to the final judgment.

The idea of a millennial rule of Christ forms another way of looking at the End Times. The premillennial perspective holds to this idea of a 1,000-year reign of Christ. Yet, nowhere in the Bible is such a period described unless you read Rev 20:5-6 literally. Going against a literal 1,000-year reign, numerous scriptures talk of the latter days (which we’re in today) and then comes the end (judgment)—Matt 12:32, Matt 24:3, Matt 24:13-14, I Cor 15:23-24, Mar 13:13, Eph 1:21, Rev 2:26, and others—while other scriptures talk about enduring to the end, which seems to make no sense if Christ rules for a millennium before the end. I find it difficult to accept that Christ’s reign is something we have to “endure.” As I stated in my previous post, the number 1,000 is symbolic for a long period of time.

The alternative view is the postmillennial one where there is no literal 1,000-year reign. This camp is divided into amillennial and strict postmillennial views. The latter believe that the church will grow and rise up into a glorious “golden age” that ushers in the Lord upon His return. The amillennial perspective believes that society will continue to deteriorate, and the church will continue to lose influence prior to the return of Christ.

While I go into much more detail about these viewpoints in my study guide, Still Here! Surviving the End Times, this is a thirty-second look at each view. My take on all of this is a bit more eclectic. All of these views tend to put God into a box that matches those beliefs. I can’t do that. I won’t put Him in a box because there are valid arguments within all of these views. Plus, I can’t seem to find a box that’s big enough.

Yes, much, if not most, of Revelation is symbolic (Idealist), and, true, each book in the Bible was written in light of its own historical, social, political, cultural, and intellectual setting (Historicist). Also, many of these prophecies were fulfilled in the past (Preterist), although not always in the ways taught by today’s teachers—Daniel’s 70 Weeks prophecy being a prime example. And there will be significant tribulation prior to Christ’s return (Futurist), although no seven-year period of any kind is described in the Bible.

Finally, I’ve gone from being a dispensationalist (because that’s what I was taught) to being an amillennialist. I find no mention of a rapture or seven-year period of tribulation anywhere in the Bible. Dispensationalists argue that it’s inferred, but God doesn’t infer anything in His Word. Also, there is no mention of an Antichrist (capital A), only of the spirit of antichrist (little a). And I agree that the 1,000-year period of Rev 20:5-6 is symbolic.

As for the postmillennial view, yes, I would love to see the church grow into the “golden age” anticipated by this viewpoint. However, I simply don’t see that in scripture. Again, there’s the idea of enduring to the end. If the church is growing in prominence, what are we to endure? And Jesus Himself made comments that the postmillennial view doesn’t answer. In Matt 24:22 He states that “. . . if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” In Luke 18:8 He asks if the Son of Man will even find faith in existence upon His return. Take a look at our culture today. In the U.S., 68% of adults claim to be Christian, and yet only 4% actually hold a biblical worldview—down from 6% two years ago. Does this show the church rising up to some “golden age?”  Indeed, there appears to be a great falling away from the faith—just as Jesus foretold in Matt 24:10.

Now that you have some idea as to where I stand, I’d like to continue laying some foundational material for this blog. In my next post, I will look at another aspect of End Times prophecy—whether or not we’re supposed to know the time or season of His pending return.

 

#1: Confusing? Daunting?

I know that numerous people over the past two millennia have claimed that Christ would return in their generation. For several reasons, I believe we’re that generation. Am I just another overzealous believer hoping to usher in His return? I don’t think so, and I hope to use this blog to present my case. I hope you’ll tag along as I dig into the End Times.

So . . .  the Book of Revelation . . . daunting, confusing, unknowable. Or is it?

John’s prophecies from the 1st century form the Bible’s only book of apocalyptic literature. For most, they’ve been taught that these prophecies are not understandable. They shy away from the book despite its claim that those who read it aloud, those who hear it, and those who keep what is written in it will be blessed. It’s the book that the vast majority of pastors shy away from, and yet, it’s the book that surveys show most Christians want taught.

So, what makes this book so confusing to people? In a nutshell, it has to do with one’s viewpoint on the End Times. In the U.S., the Dispensational viewpoint is the most common among evangelicals. (More on that in another blog post.) This viewpoint teaches that the words of Revelation are to be interpreted literally. So naturally, when John describes demons being released from the abyss and looking like locusts with faces like men, hair like women, and tails that shoot fire, we’re left scratching our heads and wondering what in blue tarnation is he seeing?

And that brings me to my first point about Revelation. It’s not to be considered literal. The apocalyptic literature of John’s day was full of imagery of dragons, demons, mystical beasts, and more. John, as well as his contemporaries, were likely well familiar with that type of literature, so we can expect his writing to fall in line with the style of the day.

As such, much of what he wrote is symbolic. The numbers used throughout the book are a good example of that. The numbers three, four, seven, ten, and twelve—plus their ordinals—are used extensively. Before three represented the Trinity, it pointed to the vertical “axis” of the cosmos: the underworld, the earth, and the heavens. Four is representative of the created order, or the horizontal “axis”: the four corners of the earth, the four winds, etc. Seven, which is three plus four, is a number for perfection and completion. It’s the number representing Christ (as in His seven churches, seven judgments, etc.) and is used the most within the book. Ten is the number of law and government, as in the Ten Commandments and ten horns representing ten rulers. Twelve is another number for perfection, which represents our Lord. It is three times four. We see it in the 12 tribes, the 12 apostles, and the 144,000 (12x12x1000). And that brings me to 1,000, which is ten to the third power. The thousand-year period mentioned in Revelation symbolizes a long time, not a literal 1,000 years.

My second point is that to understand Revelation, we must understand the Old Testament roots of it. After all, John’s only Bible was the Jewish scripture he was raised with. He had that and the firsthand teachings of Jesus on which to base the theology he presented in the book. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, the Psalms and others are referenced in many places. Yet, John used these references in unique ways. Often, he would take a prophecy for Israel and generalize it for all of us. At other times, he would use incorrect Greek grammar. In those sections he phrased things as they would have been stated under Jewish grammar rules. It wasn’t that he didn’t know Greek, but rather that he wanted to bring emphasis to the concept he was presenting.

My third and final point in this post is that if the Book of Revelation is confusing and not understandable, why is it in the Bible at all? How could those who read it aloud, hear it, and keep to its teachings be blessed if they can’t understand it? Were the people of the 1st century more intelligent? To say that it’s not understandable flies in the face of Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16 says,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

And that includes the Book of Revelation, right? We need to accept that Revelation is indeed understandable and will edify us.

Before looking into current events and how they might relate to the prophecies in this book, as well as in other books in the Bible, I want to lay down some additional groundwork. I hope you’ll stick with me.

 

Is God Love?

Is God love?

Is God love? Well, if you ask most people, yes. And for the short answer, yes.

But the reality is much more complex. By that I mean, what does the phrase ‘God is love’ truly mean?

I bring this up because there is great misunderstanding about this in the church. Some teach that because God is love everyone will go to heaven. Makes no difference whether or not you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior, you’re good to go because God is love, and a loving God won’t condemn anyone to hell. In fact, recent results of the 2022 American Worldview Survey from Arizona Christian University show that 30% of evangelical pastors don’t believe that accepting Christ and confessing one’s sins is necessary. Pastors aren’t the only ones on this bandwagon. Well over a dozen Christian musicians have released songs titled, “God is Love.” A search online will reveal an abundance of teachings and books about God’s love, but when did you last hear someone teach on God’s wrath? In reality, the Bible talks about His wrath more than twice as much as His love.

Paul faced a similar issue in the early church, one in which God’s grace was considered the only thing one needed to gain eternal life. He wrote in detail about this in Romans 5 and 6. The crux of the issue is stated in Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” Those early Christians continued living in sin, sacrificing to idols, and more, expecting God’s grace alone to save them. The issue goes by a five-dollar theological term, antinomianism—the belief that Christians, by virtue of divine grace, are freed not only from biblical law and church-prescribed behavioral norms, but also from all moral law. However, today, the word ‘grace’ has largely been replaced by ‘love.’ Still, the lyrics of one popular contemporary Christian song comes to mind and implies that the grace issue is still alive . . . “grace is all you need.” Well, yes . . . and no.

So, again, what is meant by saying that God is love?

First, we need to know what love is. Is it a warm, tingly-all-over, can’t-live-without-you emotion? Is it simply a form of lust, as Hollywood portrays it? Many, many years ago, our pastor at the time taught on this, and his answer was that biblically, love is not an emotion, but an action. To say that Christians will be known by their love for one another reflects our actions toward each other. To love your neighbor as yourself means to act as God would want you to act toward them.

Therein lies the rub. Do we show others respect? Sure. Do we act with kindness toward others? Yep. Do we try to show them a better way, God’s way, through our own lives and actions? You bet. Do we accept their alternative lifestyles or actions that go against God’s Word and His prescribed way of living? Nope. When someone tells you that as a Christian, you are expected to love unconditionally, they usually mean ‘accept me and my lifestyle’ or you’re being hateful. Sadly, their version of loving will lead them to an eternity of torment.

So, yes, God is love, but He’s also holy and sovereign. He’s prescribed a way of living that He expects His people to follow. He knows we’re not perfect, but He expects us to try and to emulate His Son, Jesus, as best we can. Only through Jesus Christ can we expect God’s grace to redeem us from that eternity of torment. Those who’ve not accepted Christ cannot expect His grace, or love, to save them. Even many who claim to be Christian, but who openly continue to sin and live outside God’s ways, run the risk of Jesus telling them, “I never knew you.” The result, His wrath, is clearly presented in the Bible. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Romans 1:22-32 and 2 Timothy 3:2-5 as but two examples.

Perhaps we should consider one more thing. How does God Himself define love? Those who teach on God’s love typically head to 1 John 4:7 and read on from there. Twice in the next several verses, the text explicitly states that “God is love.” Indeed, He is the epitome of love. As you read that chapter, note that God so loved us that He sent us His Son—an action. In fact, those verses are full of actions—testifying, confessing, abiding, perfecting, and more. No gushy emotions mentioned. God’s love is shown through actions.

While most teachers will stop at the end of the chapter, read on. Specifically, in 1 John 5:3, we read, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”(emphasis mine) Indeed, another action: keeping His commandments. God defines love—”this is love”—as  being obedient and keeping His commandments. That’s certainly different than the common concept of God being love. This is found again in John 14: 15, 23-24: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. … Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.’ “ It’s significant that this is mentioned three times in the Bible.

So, yes, God is love, but He’s also holy and sovereign and wants us to be obedient and keep His commandments. Sin has no place in His presence, and only through Christ is our sin erased by His grace. How does that fit with your understanding and lifestyle?

Do you think Christ to be a myth? Do you see the Bible as a bunch of millennia-old letters written by long-dead men? (They weren’t white men, by the way.) Do the descriptions in Romans 1 or 2 Timothy 3 fit you? Do you follow a religion outside of Christianity? If you answered yes to any of those, you might want to investigate the teachings of Christ for yourself instead of relying upon the hearsay of others. Your eternity depends on your actions now. Being a “good” person doesn’t cut it.

Perhaps you claim to be a Christian. Sexual sin is rampant among self-proclaimed Christians. And it’s not just homosexuality. Pornography, sexual relationships outside of marriage, adultery, and more are common. Living together in a loving, caring, monogamous relationship is still sin if it’s outside of marriage. And sin among “Christians” is not just sexual. Do you cheat on your taxes? Have you “robbed” a business partner by hiding funds or taking an unfair share? Have you ever given false witness against another? Do you lie routinely? Repentance from such is also critical to your eternity.

Sadly, antinomianism is alive and well today. Again, as Christians, we should be striving to eliminate such things from our lives and to live as God wants us to live. We’re not perfect, but the grace of Christ is there for those who are repentant and seek to follow Him. I, for one, do not want to risk hearing the Lord tell me He never knew me.

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