End Times- We are here!!
There are a lot of issues that need to be brought to light. First it is important to know when the Second coming occurs. Many believers have been taught that there is a Rapture that occurs at some point prior to the Peace covenant spoken of by Daniel. This idea I have not been able to find or confirm in scripture. I believe that the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus is at the battle of Armageddon when he comes to rule and reign on earth and defeat the wicked. The concern I have is that the church is not ready, prepared or knowledgeable enough in the scriptures to even understand where we are or what is happening. Certainly with the idea that the church will be Raptured out before anything starts will lend cause for the possibility of many to be deceived and not recognize what is going on. For example if the Mark of the Beast is put into place many Christians will say it is a precursor to the event because they will not believe they will be present. Which will allow them to be deceived about what is truly happening.
I want to preface this by saying that until recently within the last couple of years I was a pre-tribulation Rapture believer which the word Rapture is found nowhere in the bible that I can find. As I am sure that many that will read this are also pre trib rapture believers. Terms used to describe his coming are a gathering, changed, or day of the Lord. I am no longer a pre trib rapture believer after studying the scriptures.
Once we go over the fact that the Second Coming of Jesus is a one time event that happens at the end of the tribulation period, I want to go over some scriptures that indicate how close we are to these events and what will happen during this time.
As I said I have been taught and was under the belief that a pre-tribulation rapture could happen at any time and to be ready. Now lets explore the scriptures to show that there is no pre-tribulation rapture but that His second coming is at the end of the great tribulation period. I also want to reiterate that the word "Rapture" is not found in the King James Version of scripture.
Our Lord makes statements in the sermon on the mount that we can use to begin our discussion.
At the beginning of of his statement to the disciples in Matthew 24:3 the disciples ask him "..Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?" He responds to them saying in verse 4 and 5 "..Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many." Now this statement for me always meant that people would be saying that they are coming in his name saying they are the Christ and deceiving many, like your Jim Jones and your David Karesh's but as I study more it came to my light that this is saying that many will come in His name saying He is the Christ or in other words they have that part right but yet they(the pastors or preachers who preach Christ) will deceive many. Now the question is how? Of course there are a variety of ways but as I thought on this, one of the thoughts that keeps entering my mind is what more deceptive could you be than to tell the body of believers that there was this huge time of trouble and tribulation coming with a lot of prophecy surrounding it and then say don't worry too much about it because you won't be here. But you are actually going to be here! The Christian is being deceived into believing that they won't be here, so they are unprepared, and lacking knowledge in the events or in the prophecy, so they will not able to recognize what is happening. What could be more dangerous? My concern is for my brothers and sisters as they are being put in a position of not being understanding of what is really happening because of a lulling of the church into the belief that they will be taken out and will not participate in the tribulation period.
The question that the disciples ask lead the Lord into giving them a rundown of events leading up to his return. In Matthew 24:15 and 16 Jesus says " When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:" Now this leads one to ask, what is the "Abomination of Desolation" ? This event is portrayed in Daniel Chapter 9 and in Revelation Chapter 13 along with other references in scripture but basically it is when the "beast" or "anti-christ" will stand in the temple and defile it. Now what comes to mind is that He tells us when "we" see it. If the church is not here who is He talking to? I believe that this is a simple analogy but yet very important. Then the Lord warns those in Judea to flee. So He is telling us this will be a very dangerous time.
Now further study into this event also tells us that this happens mid-way through the 7 year period spoken of in Daniel Chapter 9. This event is what kicks off the 42 months of great tribulation spoken of in Revelation. So if we are supposed to recognize this event we must be here to do that right? I don't find another explanation for this event other than we are supposed to pay attention for this event which in turn means we will witness it. If this is the case the pre-tribulation rapture idea is not possible.
In Matthew 24:21 after this event occurs the Lord goes on to say "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." This tribulation is the time that the "beast" is in power. The Lord then tells us in verse 29 thru 31 of Matthew "Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
Now how do you get anything else out of "Immediately After the tribulation of those days" ? As He states in verse 29. He described the event that starts the great tribulation, He tells us that it is the worst time ever and then He goes on to tell us He will gather us IMMEDIATELY AFTER the time of tribulation. How can He gather us twice? Certainly doesn't seem possible.
Now there are other places in scripture that talks about the day of the Lord. In II Thessalonians Chapter 2 versus 1-3 it says "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him. That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." Now the apostle Paul is clear that the Lord is not going to gather us until the man of sin is revealed. Well that doesn't happen until the abomination of desolation. So how can he gather us before this. Scripture never contradicts itself so this is a confirming scripture that we will be here during the tribulation. Another verse that is confirming this idea is from I Corinthians 15:52 and it says "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
Now the interesting part of these two different verses is both are confirming what our Lord said in the book of Matthew. In Matthew the Lord warns of the abomination of desolation which is the same event as the man of sin being revealed and the Lord also informs us that He will come back at the sound of a trumpet and it is confirmed in Corinthians that He will come back at the sound of a trumpet and I believe the trumpet is the last trumpet of revelation which is the trumpet that sounds before the battle of Armageddon. There are also other verses that can be shown that confirm the saints will deal with the beast. In Revelation Chapter 13 verse 7 it says "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." Daniel chapter 7 verse 21 confirms that the beast or horn as he is called in Daniel makes war with the saints and will prevail as you can see by what it says "I beheld the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; " In Daniel chapter 7 verse 22 it says "Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." This verse confirms the reference to the time of the Tribulation and what will be happening during that time. Most believers that believe the Lord comes before the tribulation starts use these verses as testimony but read them carefully. I Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 say " For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." These verses again confirm the sound of a trumpet in reference to the Lord's return. The term many pre-tribulation believers use is a term called "caught up". This term is found in I Thessalonians 4:17 which reads"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Now the problem with this concept of a pre-trib rapture is not this verse one must read 4:16 of I Thessalonians it says " For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" This is what I am saying. Scripture always confirms itself. This verse again mentions the sound of a trump(or trumpet) this is found in several places in scripture to include Revelation. It matches with all the rest of the verses about the topic and you reach the conclusion that there can be only one Resurrection(or Rapture) this happens at the Second coming of our Lord at Armageddon.
In Revelation Chapter 20:4 and 5 it says "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection." This first resurrection includes those who came out of the tribulation so if that is the case and this is the first resurrection it must happen immediately after the tribulation of those days as the Lord said it would. Right? How else can you explain this. There is a description of the lord being readied to come to defeat the beast just prior to the verses in Chapter 20 just quoted and as part of this description in Revelation chapter 19 verse 7 it says "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made herself ready." Now the Lamb is another name for our Lord and the wife is the Church and the marriage is talking about the church and the Lamb. So if the wife has made herself ready and this hasn't occurred already then the Church must be here during the tribulation. So as I realized this truth it makes one wonder how so many are missing it. I have so many concerns regarding this issue.
If a person believes that they will not be here during the tribulation, will a person believe they are in the tribulation. Remember scripture teaches several truths regarding being aware of what is happening.
Lets start with II Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." This verse speaks volumes about studying the word and that includes putting together the truth thru confirming scripture one to another. When you study it is imperative that you understand the entire concept. As I have shown the scriptures confirm over and over that the Lord will come with the sound of a trumpet and that his coming will not come until certain things have happened. Amazingly enough if you read down this chapter it is actually talking about deception surrounding the Lord's coming. lets look at the next three verses of II Timothy 2:16-18 which say "But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a "canker": of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some." So if you read these passages Paul tells everyone to study to shew themselves approved and then talks about the second coming of the Lord and the fact that a poor or erred doctrine can overthrow someones faith. Wow! This is what I am talking about to the church now in regards to the pre-tribulation doctrine and how it can cause problems with someone's faith.
If a person believes that they will not be present during the great-tribulation will they recognize that they are in it? People live how they believe. Obviously continuing to teach that the church will escape the tribulation will mislead the saints to be asleep and not aware of where they actually are in prophecy. So when you have this idea you will not be able to see that you are about ready to sign up for the mark of the beast because you will not believe that you are going to be present when this mark of the beast is implemented. But if you understand the teachings that are confirmed over and over in scripture that the church will be here and there will be lots of suffering by Christians during this time then you will at least have the knowledge to know not to put yourself in this situation and take the mark of the beast. Remember II Thessalonians 2:11 says "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:". This verse is talking about the end time and once the "beast" is on the scene. Now in Matthew 24:13 it says "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." This verse comes from the words of our Lord. Now lets think about this, He is talking about the end times and He says "..he that shall endure unto the end.." There are two questions to think about. What does the word endure mean? And what is the end?
Well the word endure means "to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it" straight from Websters dictionary. That gives me the impression if you endure the end time until the end then you shall be saved. So if He is indicating that enduring until the end is important how does that fit with a pre-tribulation rapture theory? Wouldn't he say something more like "hang on till I get you" or "believers will escape the tribulation because I will get you and bring you to myself" if the idea of the church escaping was the doctrine? He tells us in verse 29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days.." then he goes into seeing Him coming. How can you get anything other than the church and believers will go through the tribulation based on what I have shared in putting together the verses.
Lets take a look at Matthew 24:43-51 from the King James version as all scriptures that I use come from that version.
"43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Now as you read this my concern is for the servant who is lacking knowledge and thinks in his heart that the time is delayed he will turn on his fellow servants. So I ask myself what could this be talking about. Well to me it fits very well with a servant who believes in the pre-trib rapture theory. As you will have a few servants who will know that the Lord is not delayed that he will come at the end and the end is not here yet because you haven't endured the time yet. Because with all the scripture on the topic someone who is studying will know that they have a very small window of when the Lord will come but will not know the exact day and hour obviously. But someone who believes in a pre tribulation rapture theory will not know but yet may see that their theory or hearing that their theory is wrong from studied believers and those believers will turn on the ones who refuse to take the mark because they know what is going on and those believers that don't know will not agree and go ahead and take the mark. This idea of a pre tribulation rapture theory that is being addressed here and the damage it will cause those that are not studied and knowledgeable of what is really happening. It ends with "weeping and gnashing of teeth" that is not a good ending for the evil servant.
I want to point out what Revelation chapter 20 verses 1-6 say from the King James Version:
20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
As you read these verses it tells you who is involved in the first resurrection in verse 4, specifically those "...which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Now if people from the tribulation period are involved then there is no pre tribulation rapture as this clearly says that this is the "first resurrection". I even had a preacher try to explain this by indicating that when the rapture occurs that we only receive transitional bodies until this time when we receive our permanent bodies. He was trying to compensate for the pre tribulation rapture and explain this section of scripture so that the two ideas weren't conflicting. But this does conflict. Please read I Corinthians 15:52-54 as follows.
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Not only do these verses confirm that at the this time when we are gathered to meet the Lord that we will put on immortality at that time but also that it occurs at the Last Trump! When the dead are raised that is a resurrection.
Here is the definition of the word resurrection from the websters dictionary.
"the resurrection : the event told about in the Bible in which dead people will be brought back to life before the day of final judgment
: the act of causing something that had ended or been forgotten or lost to exist again, to be used again, etc."
Now lets think about this, we know what the definition of resurrection is, we know that according to I Corinthians that the dead will be raised and we know that this is a resurrection. This scripture is talking about the church because "Death is swallowed up in victory" because of this resurrection. This is confirmed in Revelation 20:6 where it says that "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power,...". So the key here is that those that take part in the first resurrection Death has no power. Paul writes in his letter the key points I am trying to point out. First, that it happens at the Last Trump. Second that we put on immortal bodies at that time. Third that we have victory over death at that time. Fourth that the dead are also raised along with the living. So this meets the definition of resurrection. Since it meets the definition of resurrection and we know that the tribulation saints are involved from Revelation and they take part in the first resurrection then there is only one explanation.
Christ comes back to get the bride at Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation period and we as the church or bride will go through this time. Which means we need to get ready for what is coming and not be deceived by those that are teaching that there is a pre tribulation rapture.
Timeframes given in Daniel Chapter 9
Listen there are many scriptures that indicate when the end time will be. The Sermon on the Mount gives us three separate narratives on what things will take place and the order of those things. The Sermon on the Mount was given to us by our Lord and certainly is what we as believers should pay attention to. But our Lord referred to Daniel and told us in Matthew 24:15 "...(whoso readeth, let him understand:)" this places Daniels visions as a primary importance and the reference to the end time.
The prophecy of Daniel's 70 weeks begins in verse 24 and ends in verse 27 and this is what is written in scripture from the King James version:
Daniel 9:24-27
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make and end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be Seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
Now the seventy weeks are completed when Christ returns at Armageddon. So what is different about what I am going to say than that which is already said. First, I don't believe the church is getting out of the tribulation period. We as believers are going to go through this event. Scripture confirms in many places that the Lord will come and get us at the end.
First lets talk about how we know how long a week is. A week is seven years. We know this for a reference to
Abrahams service to Laban to wed Rachael. Gen 29:27 says "Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years." So know that a week is 7 years based on this passage we also now can know that Daniels 70 weeks is a period of 490 years.
As you can see by the verses above there are three periods of time that make up the 70 weeks they are divided into a 62 week period(threescore and two weeks), 7 weeks and one week. Now many scholars believe the 7 weeks happen before the sixty two weeks, however when one looks at prophecy you must make it true from the future. There are actually more than one reason that causes me to find that the time in question the 7 weeks or 49 years did not happen before the 62 weeks. First the time it took to build the temple was only about 24 years in secular history. This is well short of the 49 years talked about. Secondly according to secular history the temple was built around 515 BC. The Lord was crucified around 30 AD. This amount of time is approximately 545 years. 62 weeks is 434 years. which means that there is 111 years longer that the temple was up but why doesn't that time count. Well it doesn't count to the time because the Jews were not in control of the temple mount for the entire 545 years. In fact in secular history there is about 111 years that is documented in secular history that the Jews did not have control of the temple mount during the 545 year time period. The key to the 62 weeks is the Jews having control of Jerusalem and the temple mount. Amazingly the 434 years is relative to the time that the Jews were in control of the temple mount and it is documented and the numbers work in secular history. Now given these two bits of information there is another issue that emerges so if the Jews have to be in Israel and in control of the temple mount for time to count, why wouldn't the time now count? They are in control of Jerusalem and the temple mount. The issue before wasn't whether the temple was up, the issue was who had control of the mount and for 111 years the Jews during the 545 year time period did not have control of the temple mount and the difference adds up to 434 years or 62 weeks until Messiah was cut off.
Now the key to this is when does the 70 weeks end? They end at Armageddon and when the Lord is anointed King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So it appears there are 7 weeks plus 1 week that are not yet accounted for in history. So the total is 8 weeks or 56 years left. Now we know the end and we know the beginning which is the 62 weeks so when are the other 8 weeks in time. Well the issue is when did the Jews take over Jerusalem. Prophecy must make sense from the future. In Isaiah 66:7 and 8 it says "Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a things? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." This passage is talking of the birth of our Lord and the travail that Israel would go through after the birth. Then it talks of Israel's rebirth in the Holy Land. The rest of the passage is about the end time. This is confirmation that the rebirth of Israel as a nation has huge significance in the end time picture.
In Matthew 24:34 it says "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." How long is a generation. In Psalms 90:10 it says "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years,..." so it numbers our days to 70 years and 10 additional if strengthened. Now the parable of the fig tree tells us when these things are beginning to pay attention. Isaiah 66 is an end time prophecy and talks of the rebirth of Israel as the passage culminates with His reign. So when did Israel get born or reborn? This happened in 1948. So now you say well it is 2013 now and you just told us that there are only 56 years left total so from 1948 adding 56 years only gets one to 2004 so you must not know what your talking about. Well wait a second, the time of 1948 is important but not directly for the 70 weeks. It is important for the "this generation shall not pass" issue utilizing the teaching of the fig tree one realized that believers must be able to discern the sign of the times and that Israel being reborn is a sign of the times. The times will only last for a generation. Add seventy years to 1948 and you get 2018 add an additional ten and you get 2028. Oh so now this brings one closer to the issue. In Matthew 24:33 the Lord says "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." So it is important that this generation being talked about sees these things. One of the first signs of the end is the rebirth of Israel in the Holy Land. So we can start are generational time clock there. I actually believe that to see these things and then remember to put to use the parable of the fig tree one must have been about 5 in 1948. So in other words someone who is 70 today(2013) can remember the rebirth of Israel.
But remember Daniel's 70 weeks are dependant upon "...thy people and upon thy holy city,..." as in Daniel 9:24. So did Israel have Jerusalem or the temple mount in 1948? No they did not. I will make this the next question, so when did they get Jerusalem and the Temple mount? Well the answer is 1967 after the 6 day war. Remember the key was Jerusalem and the Temple mount. The Jewish flag flies over Jerusalem. I realize that the temple is not up. But the Jews are in control of the city and the area and have been since 1967. So lets add 49 years to 1967 which is the 7 weeks that was mentioned in Daniel. When you do that you get 2016.
Then approximately 2016 brings in the peace covenant. Peace covenant is spoken of by Daniel in verse 27 of chapter 9. This brings in the final week which would end in about 2023. So as we do this lets think. A generation is 80 years if strengthened which as we discussed earlier would end in 2028 from 1948. To see this happen in 1948 you would have to be about 5 so that means you would be 80 in 2023.
Now lets address the issues that are mentioned in the One week. One of the issues with the covenant is what brings it in. Normally I would say war and we are on the sixth trumpet of revelation now. But the war may or may not be what brings in the covenant. The beast or prince to come will not be revealed for sure at the time of the covenant. He will not be revealed completely until the abomination of desolation, the event that starts the 42 months or 1260 days that are left until the Lord returns. But there are some other significant issues that happen in the one week. After reading Daniel chapter 8 I think verse 14 which says "And he said unto me, Unto two thousand three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." The verse indicates to me that from the time the sanctuary is built and complete until the coming of the Lord is 2300 hundred days. Which means that the temple will not be built until the covenant is made which will give Israel about 9 months to build the Temple. They will begin to pray and sacrifice at the Temple. Then in Daniel chapter 12 verse 12 it says "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days." This 1335 days amount of time seemed to offer confusion to me as what event would take 1335 days until the coming of the Lord. Well as I was studying this topic the issue that takes place first to start this cycle of terrible tribulation is the war that occurs in Heaven in which the devil is cast to the earth. Rev 12:12 says " Therefore rejoice, ye heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Now this event must happen before the beast who receives his power from the dragon or devil. So as you develop a timeline. It makes sense that 75 days before the abomination of desolation that this event would occur. Certainly one could not argue that you would be blessed to make it through the entire 1335 days that the devil was cast to the earth. So the next event is when is the sacrifice and oblations taken away. Daniel 12:11 says " And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninty days." This is thirty days longer than the 42 months as told in the book of Revelation. Now the issue is from my opinion that the devil will take 45 days to prop up the beast to convince the world to stop the Jews from sacrificing and praying at the temple and kick them off the temple mount. Then it will take an additional thirty days to set up the beast's image in the temple before he blasphemes there at the abomination of desolation.
This should hopefully give some explanation into these events. I am not saying that the last couple of times the 1335 or the 1290 explanations have to be the only explanation but they do explain what the significance of those numbers could be. This would also include the 2300 days. We know that it will be cleansed 2300 days from the time I believe it is built until the Lord comes back. I believe the covenant allows the Jews to build the temple and it takes about 9 months to complete it.
The issue now is with this timeline that the church seems not to be aware of in large part and the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture in the mainstream Christians are in great part unprepared, lacking knowledge and certainly are not paying attention to the signs of the times. I want the believers across the world to see and wake up to what is going on and where we are, we do not have a lot of time and the issue is multifaceted. The beast I believe will be muslim, the false prophet will be muslim, the islamic religion is already worshiping the dragon they just don't know it. The world has 2 billion muslims. Very soon Christians will be faced with a world that is hunting them worldwide and they will not be able to participate in the economy. The six hundred threescore and six is I believe a financial or economic warning as that number is mentioned twice in the old testament both in relationship to Solomon's earnings. The muslim's already set their governments up with a two headed system. They already have a religious and political leader as their form of government. I want Christians to understand and begin to get prepared. We must understand that we will go through this. There is no such thing as a pre-tribulation rapture and time is running out for the church to wake up. I realize that scripture teaches most will not find the right way but lets tell as many as we can to wake them up.
The Whore of Revelation
Lets look at where we are in the world. Christians please pay attention to what is going on in the world, this is the best warning I can give..
Lets start with history. Many Christians believe that the "beast" or "prince that will come" is from the old Roman empire because the Romans destroyed the Temple in approx 70 AD. Well the idea that the 'beast' will come from the old Roman empire is true and scriptural. But many Christians believe that this individual will be European. But evidently many have not looked at history and the actual area covered by the Roman Empire. There are at least 10 nations that are currently Muslim run countries that were part of the old Roman Empire. So I don't think that the 'beast' must be European but more likely will be muslim. Islam has 2 billion followers, they hate Jews and Christians they can have a 200 million man army. They are worshiping 'satan' and don't know it.
Well if you know where the Roman Empire was located you find that a large portion of the Roman Empire covered the middle east and the northern part of Africa. Who lives in these areas today? The largest portion from Turkey through the middle east and the northern part of Africa are controlled and populated by muslims.
Lets ask ourselves some basic questions. Since the beginning of the nation of Israel who have the Israelites had trouble with. Would you say it is the Europeans or those that live in the area of the middle east and northern africa? Now you could point to Hitler but that was a more recent event and not something you find throughout history. History shows that the nation of Israel has had problems with the Egyptians, Babylonians and peoples or tribes from the area of the world that they live in which is the middle east area. Who lives in the middle east?
Arabs live in the middle east. The currently still are at war with Israel. Lets take a look at Iran(Persia) currently wants Israel destroyed. Egypt and the muslim brotherhood want Israel destroyed. Palestinians currently want Israel destroyed. All of the countries or people I just mentioned are all muslim.
Muslims also do not have any use for Christians. They will attack and kill any 'infidel'. An 'infidel' is anyone who does not believe in Islam or in other words worship 'satan'. This includes both Christians and Jews. Jews are God's chosen people according to scripture and we as Christians have been adopted into Abraham's seed. Muslims are at war with Christians and Jews, the idea that the catholic church is at war with Christians and Jews and that the pope would be the false prophet and that a European would be the 'beast' just doesn't make sense.
Many Christians are not paying attention to what is really going on. There are approximately 2 billion muslims in the world. Muslims who are in control of governments already have in place a two headed government system in which they have a political leader and religious leader. This form of government should sound very familiar. Why? Because it is the same type of government system that the 'beast' and 'false prophet' will put into place. Certainly if you have a basic knowledge of scripture you should recognize that the government system operated by the muslims is very similar to that of the 'beast' and 'false prophet'.
Scripture teaches that the bride of Christ is the church. The Bride is a pure, white clad, good figure full of believers(saints) of our Lord. Then scripture refers to a "whore" in the book of revelation. Now if we believe as Christians we are the bride of Christ then what or whom would be a 'whore'. A whore is the worst type of abomination that is possible. What is the opposite of someone who worships God and our Lord Jesus? That would be someone who worships the devil, well that is who allah is. Allah is satan, no doubt. Christians need to wake up and understand this. The muslim world is bowing 5 times a day to the devil and they don't know it.
So the 'whore' would or the abomination would be the opposite of purity or in other words the purity found in our Lord. So whoredom is found in the works of the devil. So the people that follow the devil or 'dragon' of Revelation would be a whore.
Many believe the false prophet will come from the papacy. But the catholic church is not worshipping 'satan'. I do not agree with many of the ideas of the catholic church but they certainly are not the worst abomination that there could be. The reason I bring this up is that many believe that the 'false prophet' will be the pope. Part of the reason many believe this is due to Revelation 17:9 which says "And here is the mind which hath wisdom, the seven heads are seven mountains in which the woman sitteth." Now Rome is known to be the city of 7 hills. Well hills are not mountains. So the correlation between this verse and the catholic church and more specifically the pope really doesn't seem valid. But are there seven mountains in Islam. Yes, Mecca the most holy city of Islam is actually surrounded by seven mountains, isn't that amazing?
Lets look at this a little further. I have mentioned that the greatest abomination or what a whore would be is a belief or worship of the devil or 'dragon'. The one world government that is coming is given its power from the 'dragon' or devil who is also called satan.
So are muslims worshiping the devil? Lets remember that scripture teaches that Jesus is the "King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords" and there is no other which Catholics do believe this: whereas muslims do not. Muslims believe that in the end time, that a person called Jesus will come and renounce Judaism and Christianity and prop up their prophet muhammad. They believe the person they call Jesus will kill Christians and Jews and will assist their mahdi which is the leader of the muslims. They believe they will control the world under their mahdi and that this person called Jesus will help the mahdi. This theory of the end time should sound eerily similar to Christians . Can you imagine if a person who goes by the name of Jesus and can perform miracles and takes on the role of the false prophet in the one world government being able to confuse and baffle Christians, especially when Christians in large part are taught they will not be here during the tribulation period. Especially if this person looks similar to the classic idea of what current Christians have in mind of what the Lord looked like. The muslim end time scenario has a two headed government system with the mahdi and a person called Jesus. This is a parallel to scripture as far as the 'beast and 'false prophet' for Christians. Most Christians do not even realize the teaching of the muslim faith. The muslims also believe that we are nearing the end time and it will start very soon. They are preparing also.
Lets look at how the muslims are a copy cat religion developed by the devil to insult God. The people following the muslim faith are nothing more than pawns to the devil and they dont even know they have been duped. Christians for the most part don't know the similiarities of the two faiths in the sense that they really are a copy cat faith. Jews the chosen people of God were selected after the flood through the blood line and a covenant made between God and Abraham. Abraham had two sons one promised of God who was Isaac the other was named Ishmael who he sired with his handmaiden before Isaac. Isaac went on a special trip with Abraham in which Abraham was directed to sacrifice Isaac to test his faith. During the special trip the sacrifice was a symbol of what was coming in the sacrifice that our Lord made. Abraham was stopped just before he was to kill Isaac by God. Now in contrast muslims believe that Abraham and Ishmael went on a special trip where they found the stone in Mecca. Which is the most holy place for islam. The place that Abraham and Isaac went was amazingly enough the temple mount. So Abraham went on a special trip with Isaac which lead to the most holy place of the Jewish faith and of course for the Christian faith it is also a very holy place as the same place is where God in the Bible proclaims he will put his name there on the temple mount. Muslims believe Ishmael and Abraham took a special trip and that also developed into a special place. Now lets move forward. The Jews then a few hundred years later have a Prophet give them the Law and ten commandments,beginning to organize their faith and to write the first tenants of their faith. His name was Moses. Now the muslims many years after that end up having the same type of copycat issue. Moses wandered through the desert for 40 years putting together the tenents of the Jewish faith and the Law. In around 600 AD the muslims have mohammad wandering the desert babbling the tenets of the muslim faith he did this over many years. I believe that muhammad was possessed by the devil or a demon and babbled his stuff. Lets remember this happened after the complete Biblical scriptures were written so satan had time to read what was said in scripture. He had time to twist and skew everything. So the muslims receive their tenants through muhammad, then they also lay claim and build a site on the temple mount and claim it is one of their most holy places. In their tenants they call their god allah. lets be clear allah is satan. In scripture satan is known as the great deceiver, in the koran the muslim holy book allah is called the best deceiver, I am not kidding. The word halal in hebrew means satan, the word halal in arabic means crescent moon, allah in the koran is called the crescent moon. Wow how much more can you say?
Now in the end time the beast of revelation will defile the temple and usurp all authority and declare himself above all. Even above the current muslim faith. The muslim faith is where he will come from I believe and it will be the basis of his tenants but he will usurp that authority and declare a new path.
Now lets think about the comparison to Christ. Christ came from the Jewish faith and when He came He declared He was the only way to the Father. He brought in Grace with his sacrifice and resurrection.
Now remember satan is a copycat and he is trying to insult God. So satan develops a warped faith, claiming to come from the same bloodline, gives that faith similiar stories, and actually claim the temple mount is a holy place for this warped faith.
Now if we play this to the end and realize the 'beast' and 'false prophet' get their power from the "dragon" who is satan. The religion that is a whore is a religion that worships the devil. So I believe the 'beast' and 'false prophet' will be muslim. Then to have the 'beast' claim to have all power and authority and persecute Christians and Jews and test their faith, this is the final insult to God.
We as Christians must wake up and realize what is going on and turn to our Lord for guidance and be wise when dealing with the situation. We have an enemy who is real and is seeking to devour whomever he can.
What do we need to think about?
1. What is next?
I believe there is strong evidence that the first five trumpets of revelation have blown. If this is the case then the next thing on the horizon is a world war. This war will kill a third of mankind. That is about 2 billion people. Now lets put this in perspective, that is all of China, The US, Russia, Japan and maybe a few more. Scripture indicates that the war will start in the river Euphrates. This is Syria, Iraq and Turkey. Well did it already start? We have been in that area of the world for more than a decade. Obviously, 2 billion have not died yet. But there is no time limit as far as how long the war will last other than the limits put on by Daniel's timeline. See the " Do you understand the Endtime timeframes given in chapter 9 of Daniel's prophecy" to understand what limits there are for this war. Obviously you are or should be aware of the conflict in Syria.
Does the war have to occur before the peace covenant spoken of by Daniel, I believe that the answer is no but it seems that the reasonable answer would be yes since a peace covenant generally is brought in after war. So I am looking for the war to take place first then the covenant.
2. How do we prepare for the 3.5 years of tribulation while on the run?
This is a good question, I believe that we need to have a supply of Bibles and from there we are going to have to rely on the Lord, I think that having a safe place is necessary and that Christians will be hunted by the "beast", like Hitler hunted the Jews. So we will need to work together, have safe places and supplies. Our main supply should always be Love for the Lord and possession of as many copies of his word as we can store up to share and meditate on.
3. Will money will be of value?
During the Endtime, trade will collapse. This will either enable the mark of the beast to come into play or the mark of the beast will collapse trade.
4. What is the mark of the beast?
Well i am not sure what the actual implementation will be or in what form, but it is certainly a belief system(worship) along with an economic system(trade or commerce) that if you take or sign up for when the one world government is in place you will be condemned and face the lake of fire.
5. How do churches help one another to flee and spread the word?
First the CHURCH is the body of Christ. That means if you are a born-again believer that you are a member of the Lord's church. So I think that Christians will have to put aside some of the beliefs that currently separate us and join together as the body of Christ as we are supposed to be doing anyway. We will be at war with the enemy who is none other than the "dragon" or "satan" . He will be trying to kill all of us.
So the body must recognize first that we will go through this time and therefore be ready and prepared in knowledge of what this means. Then we have to understand the sequence of events. We also have to realize that Islam is the religion of the 'beast' until he usurps that and turns everything into a religion that follows just him. Islamists currently worship 'satan' they just don't know it, but we as Christians should recognize that they are worshiping the 'devil' and they are our enemy. They want to eradicate all Christians and Jews now, that isn't going to get better as time moves forward.
Once we realize we are going through this time and recognize who our enemy is I think we can then begin to mount a preparation on how to best support one another. We only have ten years or so before the end and about 5 and a half to 6 years or so until the 'great tribulation' begins. So we need to get moving.
6. What do we need to learn?
We need to go back to basics. Look at Acts 2:38 and many other passages that can teach us how to walk upright with the Lord. We will need to understand the idea of fasting, praying and to really pray for wisdom. Learn to really depend on the Lord and his bounty and pray believing without out doubt. We also need to be thankful and remember to praise him always like our example in Job. When times are at their worst to turn to the Lord with thanks and not allow doubt or self indulgence or the sorry for me attitude to seep in.
There are many more things to add to this and I am sure as I go I will add more. I am hoping that Christians will read this and begin to open their eyes and that we can start to form alliances and work together. I am or will be adding contact information so that we can start networking as those who are trying to prepare and walk upright following our Lord.
Review of issues.
As we have discussed the events that are coming are serious, life altering and can determine an individuals eternal home. So lets review what issues are important for people to know. First I want to say that you need to study the scriptures and know for yourself what they say. Please pray as you study asking for wisdom and knowledge from the Lord. To change your mind and focus on what is coming prayer, study and a willing heart will be necessary.
I want to take you on a review of what is coming in basic language and tips on what is coming. Present time is November of 2013. I am not going to be able to give you a direct order of events in the sense that some things are not able to be specific. But I can tell you a breakdown of events and a rough outline of what scripture says. So lets begin.
The first thing a person needs to do is to find the LORD and repent of their sins and accept the Lord Jesus into their life as their Savior. Realizing He is the only way to eternal life. Once a person has accepted Christ we are to then follow Him. As part of that process prayer, a daily walk and study of scripture is very important.
That being said from this point on I am talking to the church or body of believers to let them know what will be upcoming for them. We need to wake up and see what is going on around us. Many are living and not paying attention. Our nation which was founded on faith in the Lord has backslidden and turned into a cesspool full of abomination. Our nation has taken prayer out of schools, authorized abortion(1973-Roe Vs.Wade), allowed gay unions and fallen away from the principle of working to eat. These issues have filtered into the core of the last generation. We have a huge entitlement problem in our last generation which is breaking the financial backs of those that do work. The public and governmental acceptance of the gay lifestyle which is an abomination that according to scripture even defiles the land has caused great harm on our nation. Schools not allowing prayer and teaching atheistic views to our children has also caused great harm not to mention removing truths like the 10 commandments from our courthouses and government offices. Honesty is not important in our society if you wonder if this is true just ask our President.
The last generation consists of people who are born after 1976 or so. This generation is going to be disrespectful, full of themselves, dishonoring and high-minded. Well it isn't necessarily individualized but if you take a look at those born after this time versus those that are older you definitely can see a change and an overall attitude from this generation. Now a generation in Psalms is 70 years and 80 if strengthened but I believe that you really notice a change in the attitude of people under 40 and more especially the youth of today those under 25 really have a bad attitude. All generations have said that the next generation is worse but this really is the case with this one. This isn't natural growth, this generation has become deviant and it really started with the sixties and free love and moved backwards to more deviancy.
So as we move forward the bulk of Christianity has not been paying attention to the rapid advance of Islam. This false religion of Islam that worships Satan and those involved do not know that their god is really Satan have grown in leaps and bounds across the world. They are going to be the tool that the antichrist uses as his weapon against Christians. We need as the body of Christ to fight against the advance of Islam especially here at home in our own backyard. I realize America was founded on the basis of accepting all faiths and not interfering with a mans right to believe what he wants but lets not stand on the sideline with this issue. This particular faith is one of destruction and is certainly against Christianity and our Lord. The muslims that have moved here and that are cropping up here are wanting to rule with their ideals and Satanic worship. We must stand fast and pray and continue to ground ourselves in the Word of God to hold ourselves strong and keep them from taking over. I believe we can have resistance and survive the onslaught of attacks that we will have but there will be lots of losses and according to scripture in Revelation 13:7-8 it says:
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
We will not worship him(the beast) if we are Christians but we will be overcome. But there is hope that some will be able to endure to the end. Many Christians will be killed by the 'beast' but some will endure. But we have to realize we are in a battle and this battle is not what you think. This battle is depicted in Ephesians which says in 6:12:
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
The tool that will be used against Christians in the end times I believe will be the 2 billion muslims that are currently worshipping Satan and do not realize that they are actually worshipping Satan but they are being influenced now to kill and eradicate all Christians and Jews. So they are primed for the task.
Now what is going to be happening in the near future is like this. The first five trumpets I believe have already blown. So we are working on the sixth trumpet which is a world war that will kill a third of mankind which is about 2 billion people. Now when this war comes and it will, a third of mankind will die. I think that this war will bring in the peace covenant. The muslims will be in the middle of the peace covenant with Israel surrounding this war. Now if you use Daniel's timeline this peace covenant will happen within a time frame between September of 2015 and June of 2016. I think the war will happen first but it could happen after the covenant is made also. The temple will be built due to the peace covenant and will take about 9 months or so to build. Then there will be 2300 days until the temple is cleansed which is about 6 years and 3 months. So from now until the covenant is made we have between 2 and 2 and a half years. So we do not have long. If this works where the war happens first then we have a short time to live until this war occurs. Now in our age it wouldn't take long to kill 2 billion people with nuclear weapons. So the war could only take a few days or a year or two. So it could start anytime and probably already has. The war will start on the river Euphrates.
The river Euphrates which runs from Turkey thru Syria and Iraq. So with all the problems in that area of the world and the war in Iraq it could have started but maybe not, it could have also started in Syria too and just hasn't developed yet. The issue is clear that we will see two billion dead during a war between now and the end. I personally believe that the war is what will bring in the covenant and allow the Jews to build their temple. They will be allowed to sacrifice and pray until there is 1290 days left. Then with 1260 days left you will see the abomination of desolation. Now lets not play with this issue. You will have the muslims playing a huge role in all of these things. The muslims will have the world following this train of thought that they should have control of the temple mount. They will stop the sacrifice and prayers at the 1290 day point which will be lead by the 'beast' and the 'false prophet' spoken of in Revelation then at 1260 the abomination of desolation will occur.
This is all going to happen in a very short time. The abomination of desolation will happen sometime between early 2019 and the very first part of 2020. Then there is 42 months or 1260 days or 3.5 years to go of great tribulation.
During this time of great tribulation the world I believe will be in economic and military control of the 'beast'. The mark of the beast will be implemented to buy and sell. Christians will be hunted like the Jews of the holocaust. Jews will again also be targets. This will be the worst time of suffering for mankind in history. Muslims will be the tool for the 'dragon' and the 'beast' to use as weapons against Christians and Jews. We will be unable to participate in the economy. We will need to turn to God for deliverance. Many Saints(Christians) will lose their life in testimony of our Lord. But those who lose it for his sake will certainly find it in eternity. During this time I think will be the most glorious time for God. He will show his power and the love that the Saints have for our Lord will glorify him all the more. We will be victorious because we have studied and know the truth. This will be a difficult time and doubt cannot creep in. This is why this message is so important. Our fellow servants will turn on us and rat us out to the Satanically led muslims who will be hunting us. But if we are studied, knowledgeable and strong in our faith we will gain victory and know that our Lord loves us and will allow us the blessing of eternal life in glory. SO please know what the scriptures say, pray with a diligent heart and one that is open to the mysteries of wisdom contained in the scriptures. You may want to avoid this issue but brothers and sisters I am telling you we are very close even at the doors of the toughest time in history. If you are planning to retire and are 40 stop planning to retire, and start turning to the Lord for guidance and deliverance. Remember we get our Joy from Him and let no man take that away. We need to praise God for his righteousness and blessing of knowledge. He is a great God who has shared with us the testimony of these events and the foreknowledge of how to walk through it. Bless His name and look forward to His coming. He will put down the enemy and cast them into the Lake of Fire. Count yourself blessed always for the fact that He loves us and will never forsake us. Glory to His name. Praise God.
All scriptures come from the KING JAMES VERSION.
This text was written and completed by DEAN NAYLOR
Dated: 11-28-13
If you have input or comments or want to talk you may contact me at dean.naylor69@gmail.com