The Coming TimesDisclaimer: I do not claim to have all the answers. As with everything there is a certain amount of growth that happens over time and this page is my journey to find those answers. Acts 17:11 speaks to what I hope from anyone reading this page as I also attempt to strive toward the goal of being a compitent watchman. This page is my estimation of the order of future events based on my current understanding of Bible prophecy. Jump to a more concise narrative of how I think things may unfold or read on for more detail. I believe there are already prophetic events that have happened such as the re-emergence of Israel as a nation in 1948, but this page is more focused on the coming times than all prophetic fulfillment. I’m not saying this is how events will unfold, as the nature of prophecy historically is that we won’t understand most of the details until they’ve already happened. I’m simply taking what I’ve learned of the framework of Bible prophecy to try and build out a greater understanding of the coming times and what to watch for. This will change over time and in fact several key aspects of how I viewed some prophetic events in scripture have changed to date. As such, this page will likely continually be under construction. Isaiah 28:13 2 Peter 1:20-21 An important point if you’ve arrived here without an understanding of the details of Bible prophecy or even if you have it all figured out. Understand the way prophecy is both hidden and revealed is partially the nature of it being spread through the whole Word of God. Precepts must be understood, concepts are spread across multiple places in both the Old and New Testaments. The Bible is 66 books written by 40 authors over thousands of years, all led by the Spirit of God to give it the cohesive narrative we have today. Whatever doesn’t appear to agree with itself requires a shift in our way of thinking or some great insight to be revealed with a little more digging, but we may yet never understand until eternity. The biggest hinderance to understanding Bible prophecy I’ve come to find is not looking at it through the prism of the Old Testament and Hebrew culture defined by that history. To that end this page will be heavily linked to other pages detailing what I’ve learned about key concepts that are more glossed over here. I highly recommend you follow those links to understand why I’ve come to the conclusions that I have. Matthew 24:4 I’ve recently been digging into some great research by Chris White that has brought new light to the importance of this first warning of the time of the end by Christ. The only way to protect from deception is if you know the truth. You can only spot counterfeit currency if you know what the real one looks like, with all it’s security built in. Likewise, God has given us His Word as the original by which we can discern deceit and lies. Chris White’s work has caused a paradigm shift in my view of how the end times will unfold and I think it’s important to understand and consider the idea laid out in great detail in his book False Christ: Will the Antichrist Claim to Be the Jewish Messiah? I plan on further researching and documenting that journey on the Jewish Antichrist page. With that change in perspective, several things have begun to line up regarding what I think we have to watch for so we’re not in darkness about the signs of the end. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 It’s a joining of the signs Yeshua lays out in the Olivet Discourse along with John’s visions of the seals on the scroll and Chris White’s research on the false christ and coming great deception. If you haven’t made the choice to repent and follow Christ, then when what God said in His Word comes to pass, I hope you will remember that God loves you with an everlasting love. We are all prodigal sons. Luke 15:11-31 We must repent of our sins and transgressions against His Law and call on Yeshua (Jesus) and He will save the truly repentant. He knows our hearts better than we do. If you’re not walking with God, you’re walking away from Him. He desires a relationship with you. I’m not claiming to know everything and could be wrong on some of the order of events. Please open your mind while keeping it guarded with the Word of God. Acts 17:11 Fulfilled PropheciesI think it helps build faith in future prophecy yet to be fulfilled if one can see the track record. There are about 2,500 prophecies in the Bible and of those about 2,000 of them have already been fulfilled. Here’s a short list of 353 prophecies fulfilled in Yeshua. Here’s also some that were fulfilled in 1948 and more. Israel & The End TimesI think the first important thing to point out is that the Old Testament is a collection of Hebrew writings about God’s relationship with Israel and is full of foreshadowing to the future redemption of mankind through His chosen people. The New Testament is a revelation of that Jewish Messiah and a revealing of the spiritual nature of love that naturally falls in line with the law of the Old Testament, the shadows of love. Furthermore, the New Testament contains even more confirming prophecies of the Old Testament that are still related to Israel and her redemption. I like Chuck Missler’s statement, “The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.” Christ’s first coming as the suffering servant to die for the sins of mankind is still not accepted by most of the very people through which that salvation came. For this reason, God is not done with Israel and it is critical when looking at prophecy to understand this. Just because the Hebrews are God’s chosen people doesn’t mean they are right with God, far from it. They will go through a great many tribulations before they put aside their traditions for the Truth and finally accept the Messiah they were blinded to at His first coming in 30 AD. In general though, events foretold in the Bible that have not yet come to pass yet will primarily involve Israel and her promised redemption. (Romans 11) That doesn’t mean there’s nothing outside of Israel in scripture related to prophecy, but she is the focus of much of it. As followers of Yeshua, we are no more Gentile or Jew but one in Christ, natural and wild branches grafted onto the same root, which is Yeshua. For those in relationship with and obedience to Him, our future is certain and we will escape the wrath of God to come, but God is not done with unbelieving Israel and they will be refined through fire. (Zechariah 13:9) Conflict and Peace in the Middle EastTo get to a point of Daniel 7’s view of the political precursor to the kingdom of the man of sin, I believe there has to be some sort of agreement between 10 nations. It is from amonst those 10 leaders that the man of sin rises to power, taking out three of them in the process. How can this happen in the political climate as we know it? There is conflict, on October 7, 2023 Hamas attacked Israel on several fronts, breaking through border fences and killing 1,400 and kidnapping 240 civilians from Israel. This was reportedly triggered from 2023’s Sukkot and Israelis visiting the Temple Mount. In addition, according to Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida in a speech from January 14, 2024, one of the motives for the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 massacre in Israel was the Jews “bringing red cows” to the Holy Land. They understand the significance of the red heifer to the Jews and there are plans, if they are still viable, to perform the sacrifice on Pesach 2024 on the Mount of Olives. The ashes of the red heifer, according to Numbers 19, are the starting point for ritual purification of the priesthood, the people, and the temple. From a Christian perspective, we are told in BIble prophecy a physical temple will exist and the daily sacrifices will be resumed. Daniel 9:27 | Revelation 11:1-2 The Biblical requirements of purification being fulfilled for the first time in 2,000 years are comparable to Israel becoming a state in terms of precursors to prophetic fulfillment. Keep in mind this was given to Israel by God during the Exodus as a perpetual statute. Numbers 19:21 These atrocities, the largest perpetrated on the men, women, and children of Israel since the Holocaust, have clearly hardened the Israeli psyche, determination, and resolve, and rightly so. I believe modern Israel will soon come to a point where they are ripe for deception, battered by their enemies and hated by the world for defending themselves. I believe the mystery of iniquity has been at work for some time cultivating this environment for that very purpose of defining the world in which his great deception can take place. This has also revealed the vocal minority around the world who rally and celebrate Israel’s pain, hatred for Jews under the guise of the plight of the Palestinians, and even celebrating what Hamas did. This taking off the mask and further violence globally against Jews will likely bring about a greater aliyah, immigration of Jews back to the land of Israel, as it is seen as the safest place to be in a world that hates your lineage. It only takes one hatful person among millions to attack Jews wherever they are, but there is definitely more than one among millions willing to do so. Ultimately they will be part of phase 2 of the great tribulation. Revelation 12:17 There is safety in numbers and the Jews are all literally family. This influx of descendants of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob back into the land will only make Israel stronger, regardless of the hatred and after what happened on 10/7/2023, I doubt Israel will tolerate terrorism any longer, especially as she gets bigger, stronger, and more resolute. Spiritually, in times of distress, even those who don’t believe in God search for answers. After 9/11, church attendance was up for a short while and I think all human beings know in their heart of hearts there is a God and when things are out of our control, we grasp for what can give us that sense of control again. For the Jews, God has been a part of their culture over 3 millennia, whether they believed and obeyed the covenantal bond or just carried on the “traditions” from the Mosaic Covenant. In this way, I believe as Israelis feels more isolated and alone against genocidal forces attempting to wipe the family of Isaac and Jacob from the earth, we will see an increase in desire to turn back to God and the Mosaic Covenant to include the rebuilding of the temple. Ephesians 6:11-12 As our emotions and desire for justice grow stronger, let us also step back to God’s Word and understand who our enemy is. The dragon is the great deceiver and he has been hard at work through human history whispering the desires of the human hearts, deceiving his disciples with the trappings of this world and promises in the next to which he cannot deliver. As smart as we may think we are, without God we all fall prey to the devil’s designs. We have our hands, feet, and minds tied behind our backs in a fight against the fallen angel of light who was around at our beginning at creation. Do you not think such a great deceiver is playing both sides to his own end? Whether American politics, global politics, or possibly the rise of a Jewish antichrist, do you think the dragon is not building the playing field on which he will build his kingdom? And when getting the opportunity to, would he not be playing both sides off each other to his ultimate end? Remember that he is locked away for 1,000 years for the express purpose of preventing him from deceiving the nations and in a “little season” he is able to gather armies from all over the earth to battle against the God who has been ruling for 1,000 years. They’ve seen Yeshua’s power and glory and know who He is, yet the dragon is released and he has an army as large as the sands of the sea. Do not underestimate the dragon’s power over humanity as we come into this time of great deception. We must be filled with the Spirit of God and the knowledge of His Word to see the truth through the blanket of deception. Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10 As events in the Middle East unfold, pray for revealing of truth, justice and peace. Pray for those on both sides, pray for the deceptions to be unveiled so everyone can make their decisions without blinders. Just understand that emotions tend to veil the vision in anger and the dragon knows this. He is working to build up his kingdom too, and if my understanding is right, Israel will overcome all her enemies, who are just pawns in the dragon’s game. Israel will become very strong in her resilience and self-preservation, and rightly so. It seems to me that given the future laid out in scripture the greatest deception the dragon could unfold would be to take advantage of the blinded Jews, and their strong desire for the salvation of the Messiah to save them from their enemies, and stand in place of Yeshua presenting himself as their awaited Messiah. They are looking for a strong savior to defeat their enemies. He has been deceiving Islam for over a millenia to share his hatred for Israel. Indeed he has been using one lineage of Abraham against the other for all this time fomenting genetic hatred between Abraham’s seed. He has control of the very enemies against which Israel wants salvation from. Strength and power are respected in the Middle East and that’s exactly what the Jews are expecting of their Messiah. Imagine if this strong leader who defeats Israel’s enemies were also to make an agreement with the Islamic nations surrounding her through something like the Abraham Accords, to allow Israel to rebuild the temple in a showing of respect for Israel’s strength and a sign of peace and cooperation. Not all those around Israel will appreciate this, and perhaps this is the meaning behind the 3 horns that are plucked up by the leader that arises from the ten horns. We also know that God will send a strong delusion that those who refuse to turn to Him will believe a lie. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 The dragon will be part of that delusion through his puppet the man of sin, do not be deceived that Christ has come on the earth to setup His kingdom. Read your Bible and understand He will come from the skies and defeat the deceivers from the earth who came before Him. Modern Israel overcoming her enemies may feel good as justice is accomplished, but remember the possible conclusion of that power and might and pray for the people of Israel. The hour of temptation is coming on all the world, will you be deceived into worshiping the dragon in sheeps clothing and lose your eternal soul, or will you see through the deception we’ve been warned about and stand to the death for the truth? ApostasyApostasy is the falling away from Truth in relation to Biblical teaching. The only other place that Greek word is used is Acts 21:21 regarding teaching to forsake Moses, which is curious in light of what the apostasy may be speaking of more specifically, the harlot rejecting the One True God to go after another god, the dragon in the end, the great deception. This is one of only two events Paul tells us that must happen before the coming of Yeshua and our gathering to Him at the Day of the Lord. The other will be covered later. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 In a Western Christian mindset, the falling away is typically associated globally as falling away from faith in God and His Word. It will take some time, and indeed we have seen it happening over recent generations and this very day. If true, one would place this as the first noticeable sign currently under way that will only get worse over time. While this may be an element of the apostasy, I believe this may be a clearer, short period of time, more on that later. In Western culture different forms of Christianity were the norm and with America’s founding, a nation with freedom of the individual and personal accountability was kept in check by the morals of the people founded in obedience to God. This moral foundation has been eaten away as the world becomes more self-centered, cold and divisive. The Word is still there, but faith and belief in the Judeo-Christian God seems to be waning, and with it the moral foundation. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Galatians 5:19-21 I think just about anybody that holds the teachings of the Bible or with a little grey in their hair can look at the scriptures above and see the truth in them because they’ve been alive long enough to compare the world they grew up in with the world today. Social media has been a huge technological shift that started out innocent, but has grown into a way to gain followers, money, fame, and all this tends to bring with it more self-focus. Self-centered attitudes have taken the world by storm and as a result, the spiritual climate is a growing anger and hatred, the love of many growing cold. I think that technology, politics and things like the pandemic further push those divisions as we’re forced apart. Communicating with perceived virtual people tends to bring out the worst in some as they feel they are behind a veil and can say and do what they want. As opposed to those things of the world and of the flesh, what is its opposite? We’re told that God is Love and I believe we can see in the 10 Commandments the actions, or lack thereof, tied to the fruits of the Spirit of God. Galatians 5:22-26 There are some who believe that Christians will take over the world for Christ and that He will then return to take ownership of the world again only after that. I have heard Matthew 24:14 and Mark 13:10 used to support this idea. I do not hold this view. We are told prior to the end we would be hated by the nations and deceived by false prophets. (Matthew 24:9-24) Given that, I think it’s extremely dangerous for the church to try and conform to the world to gain growth. While it may give the appearance at times of a growing church, it will undercut what makes it the bride of Christ in the first place. Furthermore, the parable of the 10 virgins would seem to indicate that of those awaiting the Bridegroom’s coming, only half are prepared and go with Him to the marriage. (Matthew 25:1-13) Let this be a warning to guard your heart with God’s Word and not fall into deception. If you know the Truth from God’s Word, deception will crumble before your eyes. Jewish Antichrist and ApostasyIf the view of a Jewish Antichrist is accurate it could potentially be dangerous to hold this view, leading those who don’t know what Yeshua said about His return to fall into the great deception. In this paradigm, we would see a man come on the scene, conquering Israel’s enemies and righting some of the wrongs done to Israel in history and modern times. He may point out that good is being called evil and evil good and present solutions to that end. He will come with lying signs and wonders and the man of sin is said to be unstoppable and the world will wonder at him and the great power he wields. It would be a very powerful deception indeed. I think if you go through the study on the fourth kingdom, you will see a hint at the coming political climate that will bring about the kingdom of the antichrist. We as Christians should not be expecting the Messiah on the Earth, but coming in great power and glory in the clouds to gather us to Him. Matthew 24:23-27 Mark 13:21-27 These passages confirm 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, stating that Christ’s coming in great power and glory and the gathering up of His elect will come after the time of great tribulation, which is during this apostasy. However, Bible prophecy is not something the majority of the church deals with because it can be confusing, oppinionated with all kinds of different perspectives that can cause division with some. Given that we are warned so many times about deception though, there are some aspects that need to be clarified so we are not in darkness about what is to come. That is partially the goal of this site. I wanted to share a podcast from Michael Heiser’s Naked Bible podcast from July 14, 2018 titled The Falling Away and the Restrainer. It covers the topic of the falling away and the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 from a more scholarly perspective and it really triggered a lot of thoughts in support of what I understand of the Jewish antichrist paradigm. Global Governance: Consolidating Power Through FearThis has no solid data to point to, but taking the contemporaneous view of Daniel 7 I expect to see some kind of consolidation of global power into four leaders or heads of governance in the world. In short Daniel’s vision sees four distinct beasts (kingdoms or authorities) from the sea, lion with plucked eagle wings, bear with 3 ribs devouring flesh, the leopard with four wings and four heads, and the dreadful beast with iron teeth and 10 horns (kings or rulers). We know these 4 are contemporaneous because Daniel 7:12 states that in the end when Christ comes that the three other beasts have their dominion taken away yet their lives prolonged. This means rather than a historical view of kingdoms to the final one as Daniel 2 does, this is a picture of the political climate at the end. This makes it important in watching the coming times. It is also interesting that Revelation 13 shows these same symbolic animals united in one beast, echoing that the world will give their power to the man of sin. So what is consolidated from all the nations of the world into four groups, is further consolidated to one until Christ returns in glory to defeat those gathered against Him. It also seems that for power to be consolidated so quickly and elements like restricting the buying and selling for those without the mark of the beast during his reign, the would need to be further interdependence politically and finanically to accomplish this quickly and even things like a digital block chain currency replacing physical money so that social credit scores could be used to restrict access to anything in the modern financial system. This would cause those who reject the mark to resort to bartering to survive. It would also mean the deminishing or elimination of those nations in the world today who are too independent, strong, and moral; who would stand up against what is perceived as fulfillment of this end times man of sin. We know the whole world will wonder after him, so leadership in the world will be oblivious or deceived to his identity and they will be willing to persecute any who don’t fall in line, and some are likely actively working to support his arrival. Therefore we should expect that traditionally Christian nations like America will have their moral foundation corrupted and destroyed, leadership will be corrupt and self-centered, and the unity on that common foundation that made America strong weakened in various way. All that is needed is a little chaos thrown into the mix of a confused and foundationless people. Remove all hope of a bright future or any semblance of sanity and rational thought, and work to bring about a nationless nation of which power can be transferred to outside forces through global governance. A quick note on the point of America, I know it’s not a popular perspective to take, but I am a watchman. Knowing the time is short and seeing all these things fall together there are those who are angrily fighting back and trying to change things back to the way they were. I want nothing more than that, but at a certain point it’s time to realize that there is little time on the prophetic clock. Do you really want to spend your time and energy getting involved in political movements fighting against what God has clearly foretold to happen? Do you think you will change what He has already proclaimed will be? Do not forget that we are not of this world, but have been chosen out of it. We are a peculiar people in a strange land called out according to His will to do His will, which is bring as many to the kingdom before time is no more. It’s sad to see what the world has come to, but it’s not unexpected. You can’t change it, you aren’t meant to. These things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. We each have influence with those around us, let us else get our own house in order and spread the good news to those who will listen. Watch and pray! How this ends up looking, whether these are political kingdoms with rulers or areas of control over governments more generically I’m not sure and I don’t expect we will know until it begins happening, perhaps some time after it happens. However it seems in these unsure times with the great reset, global warming, pandemic controls and other such areas the governments are using to coordinate more control over the population. As hard as it may be to believe it is possible that control of the earth’s population could end up in four heads of control, it seems to be getting easier to imagine as time goes on. Rise of the Antichrist: Guard Against Deception of False ChristsThere are many subjective signs, but because the unmistakable signs all center around the revealing of the man of sin at the abomination of desolation, the first glimpses we will start to see of that impending time will be surrounding the rise of the Antichrist. Matthew 24:4 The first thing that Yeshua said to His disciples in regards to their question of the sign of His coming and the end of the world was to not be deceived by anyone coming in His name saying they are the Christ. There have been many who claimed the title of Christ through history, but there is a future personality that will come on the scene with great deception and the power of the dragon behind him. Revelation 13:2 Coming To PowerDaniel 7:20, speaking of the little horn that comes up, states that there are a total of ten horns are ten kings that will arise from this fourth beast, or kingdom, that is diverse from the other three. Daniel 7 This little horn would seem to be the eleventh coming up amonst the ten, a leader of another kingdom, perhaps that represented by the woman riding the beast. It also states that three of these kings will be plucked out by their roots and who fall before the little horn that comes up among the ten. So politically, we should be looking for some kind of leadership of ten people where three of those leaders are eliminated politically or physically and amongst which a new leader comes onto the scene speaking with power and authority and making political waves. Given the events of October 7, 2023 and the resolve that echoes and resonates from the holocaust, I would imagine this leader will not be as tolerant in dealing with Israel’s enemies as his political and/or religious predecessors were. He will be Israel-first and willing to take the political hits to bring about the return to the Mosaic Covenant and commit to rebuilding of the temple, come what may. The First Seal: Daniel’s 70th WeekRevelation 6:1-2 This passage doesn’t explicitly speak to a false christ, but it’s generally accepted to be speaking of the Antichrist. Given that he’s conquering, the bow is naturally taken to be a weapon used for that purpose. However, there could be additional meaning based on the word bow. G5115 - a bow (apparently as the simplest fabric): - bow. And when looking in the Bible for where and how the word bow was used, I came across several uses in the Old Testament as well where it’s referred to in weapon form, but also this. Genesis 9:12-13 So this word used as a weapon and based on the word to bring forth is also used as a token of a covenant. Putting it all together with what I think this may be speaking to, we look to Daniel’s prophecy of the coming Antichrist. Daniel 9:27 To this point I believe we’re looking at the first seal and Christ’s warning of deceiving false christs to be the start of the 70th week of Daniel. This is based on the idea that future prophecy revolves around the 70th week of Daniel and the big sign in the midst of that seven years being the abomination of desolation. Scripture is very clear that there will be a temple present during the end times. Revelation 11:1-2 In order to have an abomination of desolation, there must be a temple of some sort in which to perform it. In addition the daily sacrifice will be stopped, which is also dependent upon a temple, and as stated earlier, the red heifer is central to all of this being possible. This also would speak to the beginning of the apostasy from a Jewish perspective. Whispers of Messiah would grow amonst the orthodox Jews as prophecies appeared to be fulfilled. While many would still be looking to a temple and return to the Mosaic Covenant, the seeds will be planted for 2/3 of Israel to accept a man who comes in his own name and become a spiritual whore going after another god. John 5:43 The Third TempleIn the paradigm of the Jewish Antichrist, the confirming the Mosaic covenant and and restarting the daily sacrifice would necessitate the building of the third temple in Jerusalem, or at least a tabernacle of some sort. I believe this will be the first clear physical sign that we are at the beginning of the end. There are already people building the temple instruments and searching for a spotless red heifer. This is probably the first clear sign that the time is upon us. Without the spotless red heifer, the sanctuary can’t be cleansed and so this is a critical piece to even being able to build the third temple. Numbers 19 Since that time, there have only been nine red heifers that qualified. As mentioned before, there has been recent news of several red heifers being found and shipped to Israel as discussed on the Faith & Friction podcast and elsewhere. While this is a small group in comparison to much of the rest of the more secular nation of Israel, I think there are several factors that could start to grow the religious Israel over the secular such as the unearthing of the Ark of the Covenant or other events that make more real to the Jews of Israel their heritage and future. Daniel 9:27 states that “he [antichrist] shall confirmH1396 the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” From the language of this sentence, it would seem then that the “strengthening” or “binding up of the broken” covenant, would have something to do with the later stopping of the sacrifices. The theory that the antichrist will deceive the nation of Israel into believing that he is the long awaited Messiah plays perfectly into this. If you research what religious Jews are expecting in relation to the Messiah, you begin to see how primed Israel is for a false messiah. They have a lot of extra-Biblical writings that I think will deceive many if this is the case. The blind teachers are leading the blind people. Romans 11:1-12 Again, I highly recommend Chris White’s book False Christ. In the Jewish expectation of the Messiah, there are two different people. Messiah Ben Joseph, the suffering servant who is believed to build the temple and be killed and Messiah Ben David the conqueror. “Rabbi Alshekh’s claim is true where it pertains to the last three verses of chapter 52. The Targum begins its paraphrase with: Behold my Servant the Messiah shall prosper. (15) The Targum continues into the 53rd chapter of Isaiah: And He will build the Temple that was polluted because of our sins. (16) This must be the Messiah, for no one else was to build the Temple according to Jewish religious tradition, but the Messiah. Additionally, several Midrashim take the threefold expressions contained within those scriptures, “exalted, and extolled and be very high,” (17) as an indication that “Messiah shall be more exalted than Abraham ... more extolled than Moses ... and be very high; that is, higher than the Ministering Angels. ...” (18)” | Menorah.org “Jewish tradition alludes to four messianic figures. Called the Four Craftsmen, each will be involved in ushering in the Messianic age. They are mentioned in the Talmud and the Book of Zechariah. Rashi in his commentary on the Talmud gives more details. Rashi explains that Messiah ben Joseph is called a craftsman because he will help rebuild the temple.[3] Nahmanides also commented on Messiah ben Joseph’s rebuilding of the temple.[4][5] The roles of the Four Craftsmen are as follows. Elijah will be the herald of the eschaton.[6] If necessary, Messiah ben Joseph will wage war against the evil forces and die in combat with the enemies of God and Israel.[7] According to Saadia Gaon the need for his appearance will depend on the spiritual condition of the Jewish people.[8] In the Sefer Zerubbabel and later writings, after his death a period of great calamities will befall Israel.” | Wikipedia.org “The mashiach will be a great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah 23:5). The mashiach is often referred to as "mashiach ben David" (mashiach, son of David). He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isaiah 11:2-5). He will be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example. He will be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel. He will be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15). But above all, he will be a human being, not a god, demi-god or other supernatural being.” | jewfaq.org
Now you may be thinking, “well you can’t base prophecy on non-Biblical sources or Jewish beliefs.” However, what I’m suggesting is that the great deceiver will fit in perfectly with the strong delusion so that those without an understanding of the Truth of God’s Word will be deceived. It seems that a lot of what Israel is expecting is open to interpretation to some extent. In fact, many Jews are encouraged to study the Rabbinic writings over the actual Tenach in order to gain a “proper” understanding of the interpretation of scripture. The Bible tells what happened and what will happen. It doesn’t always have to be because God said it should, sometimes God is just revealing the results of man’s actions as viewed from outside space-time. With all the adding to scripture and guestimation, how easy would it be to fall into deception? 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 God’s Word has given us plenty of warnings, if we trust it. The question is, just how many people of the world today actually trust God’s Word, let alone know what it actually says? Even for those that read God’s Word all the time but reject the fulfillment in Yeshua, is it possible to be deceived? What about those Christians who have faith, but don’t know His Word? Malachi 3-4 speaks to the messenger to prepare the way for the Lord, the messenger of the covenant, whom they seek to suddenly come into his temple. Malachi 3:1 Malachi 4:3-6 As a believer that Yeshua is the Messiah, He told us himself in Matthew 11:7-19 that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of this, but what if you believe the Old Testament scriptures but have rejected Yeshua as being the promised Messiah? This same prophetic word of Elijah is tied to remembering the law of Moses. To a culture unenlightened to the fulfillment in the New Covenant, the Old Covenant is all they know. Imagine for a minute that this religious leader came on the scene and started to bring Israel back from their secular ways and back into line with the Mosaic law. He made sense of the Old Testament and connected many missing dots. Then some time after, a leader came on the scene and either started the process of building the third temple and/or successfully held back attacks from the surrounding nations. Do you sense a pattern here after the John the Baptist and Yeshua connection we know? Recall also that “a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” He didn’t have to take the crown, it was given to him. Now from the perpective of the Muslims, this mere thought of an active plan to rebuilt the temple and start the daily sacrifice would be an outrage. It would most likely trigger all-out war with Israel, perhaps the Muslim nations mentioned in several end-times prophecies. And this leads to another potential apparent fulfillment that would be accepted by the Jews as a sign of the Messiah. What is also interesting is that the Islamic prophetic perspective excpects a leader, the Mahdi, to come to power and unite Islam and fight a battle with their enemies. The Al-Masih ad-Dajjal, imposter Messiah, will gain power in the world and be defeated by Isa, a prophet believed to be Jesus. Many of these were written over 1,000 years after the New Testament was completed and seem to take portions and flip them 180 degrees so good guys are bad and bad guys are good. What this reveals is the possibility that the great deceiver has been hard at work through time to develop his minions on both sides with different deceptions so that he can play out the narrative needed to deceive the world. The mystery of iniquity hides in the shadows, conspiring to accomplish control. We are not equipped to do anything about it and that’s why we are told that he will have power over the saints for 3½ years. Daniel 7:25, Daniel 12:5-11, Revelation 13:5 The going forth to conquer is, I believe, revealed in Chris White’s presentation of Daniel 11:40-44, what he terms the wars of the Antichrist, which likely leads into the second seal and Christ’s warning of wars and rumors of wars. I believe the surrounding nations would take great offense to the rebuilding of the temple and trigger the wars of the Antichrist. Daniel 11:40 The Second Seal: Wars & Rumors of WarsMatthew 24:6-7a It really is a subjective thing to say wars and rumors of wars, but a study of the parallels of the Olivet Discourse, the seals of John’s vision and the idea of the wars of the Antichrist bring potential clarity and alignment to this that I would be remiss not to point out. Daniel 11:40-44 Note that many of the above mentioned nations could fit with the prophecied Gog Magog attack, who attack from the North, but include countries from all four corners including Libya, Ethiopia Persia to the East. Ezekiel 38 & 39 are part of the Old Testament and expected by the Jews. From their perspective, this would be a groundbreaking event, potentially fulfilling what they’re expecting from the Messiah. I recently changed my belief on when the Gog Magog attack would take place, I believe Ezekiel 38 & 39 are tied to Revelation 20:7-10 after the millennium is over. However, that doesn’t rule out the possibility that an attack looking somewhat similar would be perceived along with the lying signs and wonders as being that prophesied event. Keep in mind also that both Elijah and the false prophet were known for calling fire down from heaven. 1 Kings 18:36-38 | Revelation 13:13 And Elijah is to prepare the way for the Messiah. Of course as Christians we have a different interpretation of many of these prophecies, but when it comes to deception, it’s about a little truth mixed with a big lie. On a more global scale, it seems that polarization is already ramping up for many reasons and it’s not hard to imagine that conflict could break out all over the world as emotions snap and hopeless people turn against each other over real or perceived crisis, especially a religious one. The Third Seal: Famine and/or Return to Mosaic LawI used to hold solely to the more traditional view that at some point during the wars of the Antichrist there will be a lot of events that will cause famine, disease and earthquakes, which could still be the case assuming the parallel of the Olivet Discourse and the seals. Matthew 24:7b-8 Revelation 6:5,6 However there is also another possibility after looking more at the possible meaning of the balances, wheat, barley, oil and wine in the third seal. First we see the rider has a pair of balances, speaking to a yoke of servitude by law or obligation. Looking where else in the New Testament this word is used would seem to verify this. Christ speaks of taking His yoke on us to find rest and that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30 We also see in Acts 15:5-11 and Galatians 5:1 this “pair of balance” word used relating to the yoke of bondage that couldn’t even be borne by their fathers not being put back on believers. So in the first half of the 70th week of Daniel, could this be pointing to a time before the Antichrist declares himself to be God where the nation of Israel is returning back to the Mosaic law and the related edicts to the daily sacrifice once the third temple is completed? And would this be about the time we would expect God’s two witnesses to show up at the temple to set the record straight? The Two WitnessesThe two witnesses are going to prophesy for 3 1/2 years in Jerusalem. Since they are killed sometime between the first and second woe (5th and 6th trumpets), their ministry must start sometime in the first half of the 70th week of Daniel.
Revelation 11:3-14 They are likely present during the time of great deception speaking the Truth of God’s Word for those who have ears to hear it and punishment to those who don’t. With the timing above, they would come on the scene some time after the covenant is confirmed and perhaps during or immediately after the rebuilding of the temple, perhaps coinciding with the completion of the temple and the start of the daily sacrifice. They would be prophesying through all the wars of the Antichrist and all those in Jerusalem would know them and perhaps some would believe them over the great deception of the Antichrist. None will be able to stop them until their ministry is over during the wrath of God. I believe this is another example of God’s desire to still have the Truth spoken in the midst of great deception and darkness so there will be no excuse. With the emergence of a powerful leader involved in the rebuilding of the temple and defeat of Israel’s surrounding enemies, by the time of the two witnesses arrival, those watching should have surety that the end is very near. The Fourth Seal: DeathAssuming the parallel of the Olivet Discourse and the seals, the Antichrist is given power over 1/4 of the earth to kill with sword, hunger and the beasts of the earth as stated regarding the fourth seal. Revelation 6:7,8 In his presentation linked below, Chris White makes an interesting connection that would seem to point to this time just before the abomination of desolation. He believes Daniel 7 is a view of the overall global political power around the time of the end. The wars of the Antichrist then follow and after the abomination of desolation in the mid-point of the 70th week of Daniel, we see a unified beast in Revelation 13 with all the charactersistics of Daniel 7’s beasts merged into the Antichrist kingdom.
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- Daniel 7 - How to Find the Antichrist 101 - A Pre-Wrath Commentary In addition, if the parallel holds true, it is also during this time that persecution of believers will start to skyrocket, especially against those calling out the events they are seeing for what they are. And if all this is happening suddenly at once with increased frequency, the selfish nature of much of the earth will cause increased hatred. Matthew 24:9-14 Assassination of the AntichristKeep in mind that at this point in time, events are going to start happening very quickly. From this time to the wrath of God starting is likely a matter of a month or so. That same person who confirmed the covenant, rebuilt the temple and pulled together a great army and destroyed Israel’s enemies enters into Israel to the West of Jerusalem, something the Jews are expecting the Messiah to do. It is here Daniel says he comes to his end and none help him. Daniel 11:45 Resurrection of Messiah ben JosephThere are several places in Revelation 13 where we see the Antichrist, the seventh head that becomes the eighth, prophesied to have a mortal wound that is healed. Revelation 13:2-5 Revelation 13:12 Revelation 13:14 Examining what’s expected according to Rabbinical tradition, there is a parellel here because Messiah ben Joseph is expected to die and be resurrected by Messiah ben David. Could God’s intervention in this resurrection be the strong delusion that God sends that much of Israel and the world would believe this lie, rejecting the true Messiah for this man of sin? John 5:43 There is a possibility too that the false prophet, who is pretending to be Elijah, appears to be the cause of the resurrection by God of the man of sin. Elijah was known for resurrecting a boy as well during his ministry and taking credit for a resurrection, unseen in modern history, would certainly be a strong delusion causing the world to believe a lie. 1 Kings 17:17-24 2 Thessalonians 2:6-12 Michael the Archangel Heads to War in HeavenIt should be noted that there are really no chapter breaks and Daniel 11:45 is directly related to the first in the next chapter. The wars of the antichrist are completed and he has pitched his tents at Jerusalem where he comes to his end. Daniel 12:1 There’s a very interesting study on the Restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2 I would recommend looking at. I believe that the restrainer that must be removed prior to our gathering to meet the Lord in the harpazo is Michael. We also see him in Revelation 12 casting the dragon out of heaven. Revelation 12:7-8, 12-13 The woman of Revelation 12 is Israel and I believe that when the restrainer has allowed the revealing of the man of sin and cast the dragon to the earth for a short time, that it coincides somewhat with the resurrection of the Antichrist and whether he is posessed by the dragon or is just given power by him, this triggers the stopping of the daily sacrifice and him declaring himself to be God in the temple. The Fifth Seal: Abomination of Desolation and Time of Jacob’s TroubleFollowing the resurrection comes the event that Daniel places in the midst of the 70th week and Yeshua warns of an unparalleled time of great tribulation unlike any other in history. It is when those in Judea see this event that they should immediately flee Jerusalem into the mountains. How long after the resurrection this will take place we don’t know, but given that he’s camped just West of Jerusalem and has just been resurrected and the dragon knows he has little time, I expect it to be almost immediate. In keeping with the parallel order of Daniel and Matthew, the time just after the resurrection of the Antichrist and the abomination of desolation will begin an unparalleled time of great tribulation. Because of Jeremiah 30:7 and Revelation 12:13-17, I believe this time of great tribulation is split into two parts, the focus of the dragon’s wrath on God’s people, to the Jews in Judea first and then to the remnant and those that hold the testimony of Christ. Matthew 24:15-22 Speaking of our gathering to Christ at his coming, we’re told that it won’t happen until the man of sin is revealed by sitting in the temple claiming to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 If the parallel holds we see in the fifth seal a vision of martyrs asking when they will be avenged and are told to wait as there are more that must be killed. Revelation 6:9-11 Throughout history believers have been killed and I think this fifth seal seems well placed at the time of great tribulation where all those killed for Christ’s sake will be joined by those during the time of great tribulation. The antichrist, now claiming to be the promised Messiah, will have many very fervent followers. The dragon, who is wroth with Israel will use the man of sin and his followers to kill all who reject this freshly minted messiah. This is why Christ said to run to the mountains when they see the abomination of desolation. As mentioned above, there is a possibility that the apostasia is specifically that of Israel, by accepting the false messiah, rejecting finally the true Messiah, Yeshua. It may also be that in Zechariah 13:8-9, the cutting off and dying of 2/3 of Israel is more in the vein of Romans 11, where upon rejection of Messiah and acceptance of the antichrist, those who do now become part of the synagogue of Satan and will die the second death. They may be the instrument of death for those in Israel who do not accept the false christ and who don’t run to the mountains at this time. Joel 2:1-9 It may be that this time just before the day of the Lord we see a great people, who seem to have a supernatural strength where nothing will escape them and when they fall on their sword they aren't wounded, running to and fro in the city and climbing walls and entering houses like a thief is tied to the time of Jacob's trouble. Those of Israel who have been deceived will have a fervent worship of the man of sin, whom they view as the messiah, and become a great army of his followers. They are cut off from the root in unbelief awaiting the second death for their rejection of God. Day of the LordThe next event is actually a group of events that will likely happen around the same time, coming suddenly and unexpectedly to those not watching and aware. I’m calling this next phase the Day of the Lord, but I believe this “day” actually lasts for around 1,000 years. 2 Peter 3:8-10 This would seem to be placing the passing away of this heaven and earth to make way for the new heaven and new earth within the Day of the Lord. So the millennial reign of Yeshua on the earth following the events of the 70th week of Daniel would be “...one day which shall be known to the LORD...” Zechariah 14:7-9 Having said that, under this heading I’m just focused on the start of the Day of the Lord, it will be a busy time of great turmoil for the world and great hope for the bride of Christ. The Sixth Seal: Signs in the sun, moon and starsRevelation 6:12-17 Here we see unmistakeable signs in the heavens recognized as God’s wrath and the people of the earth hide underground. This is tied Isaiah 2:12, 17-21 Joel 2:10-11 Christ’s Return For His BrideCoinciding with the signs in the heavens, and part of them is the Day of Christ. This is the same unknown day or hour of the Day of the Lord, but the Christian version of it. While the Day of the Lord in scripture is tied to God’s wrath, woe and destruction, the Day of Christ is something to look forward to. You could almost call it a blessed hope. Titus 2:13 | 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 Matthew 24:29-31 Here we see the harpazo, the catching away of the bride of Christ, immediately after the tribulation and before the wrath of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 The wording of this clearly promises we will neither be in darkness if we are sober and watchful, but also that we are not appointed to God’s wrath. Revelation 6 ends with the sixth seal and the 7th seal is not mentioned until Revelation 8. There is a break to address a couple other events before the progression of seals, trumpets, thunders and bowls continues. I’m going to jump to the second part of Revelation 7 before the first part because this is the result of the catching away of the bride before the wrath of God is unleashed on the earth. Revelation 7:9-17 Sealing of the 144,000 of IsraelThe remnant of Israel who ran for the mountains at the abomination of desolation and was saved from the dragon for 3 1/2 years are now protected from the dragon in the wilderness. However God makes a point of holding back the coming destruction until 144,000 of Israel are sealed. Revelation 7:1-4 Note that these are of the 12 tribes of Israel. We get a little more detail on them 7 chapters later. Revelation 14:1-5 I know of only one type of people who fit this description, young men. They are virgins, male because they aren’t defiled with women, their mouth has no guile and they are without fault before the throne of God. In Jewish tradition, a Bar Mitzvah is held at the age of 13. The term means “son of the commandment.” It is at this age that Jewish children are obligated to observe the commandments. This would be the age of accountability. I believe these will be 144,000 Jewish boys who understand and love the Lord their God with all their hearts and minds. I believe God will use them as a witness among their parents in the wilderness to bring them to understand after the blindness of Israel has been lifted. Joel 2:12-17 Affirming this combination of salvation of the bride of Christ and the escape of the woman to the wilderness, Revelation 12:13-16, we see a call for repentance and the vision of the bridegroom going forth from his chamber and bride from her closet. I believe if you study the moedim, or appointed times, given to Israel in Leviticus 23 and elsewhere, you will see that Yeshua’s first coming was fulfilled in the spring moedim and His second coming will be fulfilled in the fall moedim. And is it coincidence that the spring moedim and fall moedim are 6 months apart? I don’t think so. I think the 70th week will start during Passover/Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits most likely, and so will end in that season as well. Christ fulfilled the spring moedim in His first coming, will we see the fall moedim fulfilled in His second? A quick preview of the fall moedim:
There is also the season of Teshuvah, or repentance, that starts 40 days before Yom Kippur. If this is the case, then 30 days before Yom Teruah, the day and hour no one knows, Israel will be in a season focused on repentance while the antichrist is killing any who don’t accept him as their messiah. Those who do accept the antichrist are cut off in unbelief, destined to die the second death. These who the dragon already has turn against neighbor and family to fulfill the command of their messiah. The faithful of Israel flee to the mountains with the Christians in Judea, and are doing so during the season of repentance when the sixth seal and the sign of the Son of Man appears. The Christians, who were likely warning them the whole time leading up to this along with the two witnesses, are suddenly caught up while Israel are left behind, provoking them to jealousy during the season of repentance. The days of awe, or repentance, between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur is when I view the period between the sixth and seventh seals where the wrath of God is held back those 10 days to seal the 144,000 and protect them in the wilderness. It is during this time the fulness of the Gentiles has come in and the remnant faithful Israel are unblinded to the reality and repent during the days of repentance leading to Yom Kippur. Calm Before the StormRevelation 8:1-2, 6 Here we see 1/2 hour of silence in heaven when the seven angels are given their trumpets, each triggering disaster for those that dwell on the Earth. The Fourth Kingdom, The Only Kingdom: The Hour of TemptationAs mentioned previously regarding the rise of the antichrist and the four beasts of Daniel 7, the man of sin will not initially rule the whole world. I don’t believe that happens until after the abomination of desolation. Because the exact day prophetic framework seems to juxtapose Israel’s protection from the dragon in Revelation 12:14-16 with the power the dragon gives to the beast in Revelation 13:5, Daniel 7:25 and Daniel 12:5-11, I believe from the abomination of desolation will only be a period of 30 days or so for the duration of Jacob’s trouble and right after that is the beginning of the wrath of God. As mentioned above, it makes sense that the season of Teshuvah would encompass the 30 days of Jacob’s trouble and the 10 days between Christ’s coming and the wrath of God beginning on Yom Kippur. So we have four kingdoms in the world essentially having control over the population of the world before all these things start happening at the abomination of desolation. Later in Revelation 13:1-3, we see these four characteristics combined into a single beast from the sea and tied to a time after one of its heads was wounded to death. Given the short period of time and the remaining words of Revelation 12:17, I believe it will be after the disasters begin to destroy the earth from God’s wrath that all global control will be consolidated under the antichrist and for the next 41 months or so will be the time of the mark of the beast, image of the beast and the global persecution of those left behind that hold the testimony of Christ. I call this the hour of temptation. Great Tribulation and BeyondThis is basically a list of Bible studies from other pages in the order in which I believe they will happen according to my understanding of the Bible. Because each of these studies are much more involved, it seemed better to refer to them in the order of events and allow you to dig into the details of each study. This will also keep the site more consistent if there are any changes to be made in these studies in the future. As already covered, Paul gave a couple signs in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 that would precede our gathering to Him. The second was the revealing of the man of sin. When the disciples asked Yeshua on the Mount of Olives what the signs of the end would be, Yeshua first warned them not to be deceived and then listed several pre-signs. (Matthew 24:3-14) According to Christ, “the end” comes at the abomination of desolation, which begins the time of great tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
For these charts below, click on them to jump to a version with links to relevant scriptures and studies. Coming Times NarrativeHere a kind of guess at the scenario, so take what I say with the grains of salt contained within many salt shakers. Watching nowBefore getting to identifying any suspect individual, I think we should be watching the news as related to any kind of peace process in Israel with more intensive focus on such news tied to the rebuilding of the temple and the requirements to do so. I’m just starting to watch this again with a more focused watching of Israel. I created a google alerts for the words “Temple,” “Abraham Accords,” and “Caliphate” and will be posting whatever I find on seemingly relevant news surrounding Israel in the news blog. The Temple Institute has been working for years to get everything ready to build the temple I would imagine they will be at the center of any movement in this direction so they might be a good resource to keep an eye on as well. There’s some intriguing work done around where the actual temple stood if you want to go down that rabbit hole. It may be entirely possible that the Temple Mount was actually fortress Antonia and the memory of the Jews over 2,000 years has lost the original location in the City of David. I am keeping an eye on how financial collapse or change to accomodate integrated digital currencies could further consolidate power and additionally use that system to later control what can be bought and who can buy it, a kind of ESG monetary policy. This kind of power consolidation may also be coupled with climate politics, and given how God will use nature in His wrath to destroy the earth, there may be legitimate things seen to be coming that will require more cooperation politically and financially. This can further lead to consolidation of power through global governance, where alliances will essentially be divided into four power heads, quartering control of the earth, like Daniel 7 mentions. Here are some candidates:
From this alliance, I’m watching for three political leaders or member nations to be supplanted by another who will speak with power and authority as a natural leader that will be unstoppable as all the stars align for him. If the Abraham Accords continue to gather steam and Egypt and other nations join against all odds, it will have my full attention. Daniel 11:40-45 speaks to the time of the end and the wars of the antichrist where Egypt will not escape and Ethiopia and Lybia will be at his steps. Heading into the 70th weekA leading Rabbi comes to prominence in Israel, teaching and interpreting Torah with a focus on Israel turning back to God. He will begin to bring the hearts of Israel out of secularism and focus once again on returning to the Mosaic Covenant. Whispers of Elijah among the Jews will increase as he then points to a leader rising to prominence. It would make sense looking at things politically now, that the antichrist would show up as a strong man with a very Israel-first focus and a return to the ways of their ancestors. Calling out all the hypocrisy since Israel was re-formed of the Jews being kept from practicing their religion in the land that is clearly theirs while having rocks thrown at them from the temple mount as they pray at the Western Wall, etc. 70th week of Daniel beginsNot putting up with it anymore, he will find some way to make it happen and the temple will be rebuilt, chaos will ensue with some of the neighboring nations and his leadership of Israel will be solidified as the more orthodox Jews view him more and more as a messiah figure. The secular Jews may take some time and the non-Jewish Israelis will likely mostly be up in arms about it (except for the Christians there) because it will be seen as another Nakba. (disaster, tragedy, cataclysm) Temple is rebuiltWhile this leader is dealing with that fallout, the temple is built and the daily sacrifices restart. There are some logistics that will need to happen even if everything is ready to go, this could take a year or more. I think many will be fully intending to go back to Old Testament practices according to the Torah. Whether accepted by God or not is not really relevant, but it seems to me at this point talk of Yeshua will be more and more pushed out of the public square in Israel, especially as this strong man continues to win battles for Israel. In certain corners of Israel, whispers of messiah will grow watching the strong leader conquer Israel’s enemies. Study of Old Testament prophecy will spike among once secular Jews as comparisons are made between the prophecies and the strong leader. In other corners of Israel, whispers of the antichrist will grow watching the strong leader conquer. Study of the Old and New Testament prophecy will spike as these same comparisons are made. The warnings of Yeshua, Daniel, and Paul regarding the man of sin declaring himself to be god and the great tribulation following will be reverberating throughout the Christian/Messianic Jewish community. They will be warning whoever will listen and whether Christians or not, many in Israel will hear this warning and eventually heed it whether they believe in Yeshua at the time or not. The Two WitnessesMy best guess is that about the time the temple is completed and the daily sacrifice restarted, two men will come on the scene, teaching at the rebuilt temple. They will be revealing the prophecies fulfilled by the True Messiah, who came almost 2,000 years ago fulfilling the foreshadows of the spring feasts and bringing in a new Covenant. They will be warning those coming to the temple of the impending doom to befall Judea and the man of sin currently conquering Israel’s enemies. They will speak with power and authority and may or may not yet perform the miracles they’re foretold to at this time. But many visiting the temple will be swayed by these two while more yet will be annoyed with them as street preachers around the world today. Many in Israel may still be viewing the temple with an Old Testament lens. However, at some point the strong leader and his armies will return to Jerusalem in victory. Convinced himself that he is the messiah and filled with pride, he will begin to publicly accept the mantle of messiah being thrust upon him, which will enrage some Jewish sect that views this as blasphemy and they will kill the strong leader. Tribulation Part 1: Time of Jacob’s Trouble at Abomination of DesolationAt God’s command Michael the archangel will stop restraining and go to heaven to cast the dragon to the earth. As part of a strong delusion meant to tempt and test the people, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, God will raise this strong leader from the dead and heal his wound. An enraged little dragon with great power, as we would perceive it now, will give the man of sin filled with pride his power and use him as the dragon proxy. He will stop the daily sacrifice and stand in the temple declaring that he is god and demanding worship from his people. Some in Israel will be caught off guard and reject this man in their temple declaring himself god, meanwhile the Christians and the Jews who have heeded the warning will leave Judea immediately. Matthew 24:15-22 Those who accept the false christ will do anything for him and at his command will turn on their own people who reject with great religious fervor. Those blindsided who reject him will either capitulate or die. If Zechariah 13:8-9 is related to this, about 1/3 of Israel will escape and 2/3 will be cut off and die. I should note that I’m beginning to think the 2/3 doesn’t necessarily have to be killed at that time. Some of that 2/3 may be, but it could be that their acceptance of the man of sin who comes in his own name could very well permanently break those natural branches off the root, Romans 11, thereby solidifying their second death. I think the dragon is perfectly willing to use those who worship him as puppets knowing their fate is sealed with him apart from God. Those who don’t worship the antichrist and are killed would be the souls under the altar at the fifth seal and those who escape are protected from the dragon for 3 1/2 years. Tribulation Part 2: Global PersecutionUpon the escape to the wilderness of those in Judea, the dragon through his proxy puppet will expand his destruction of God’s people globally. It is during this time I believe the institution of the mark of the beast will start and last for the duration of his 1,230 days or so. But before that can begin in earnest or perhaps even at all, there will be a great earthquake and the sun will become black and the moon like blood and the stars falling from heaven. Lightning will flash across the sky. Christians around the world who have been watching these events unfold will have an intense sense of anticipation of what is coming and the redemption that will forever change how they view the world they’ve lived in their whole lives. As the world begins to deal with the impending destruction that will come from what is happening, the sound of a great trumpet will reverberate in the atmosphere and the dead in Christ will be raised and in a flash, probably like the flash that burned the image in the fibers of the Shroud of Turin, those alive will all be changed into our incorruptible bodies and find ourselves heaven with the Lord. Hopefully they have done what they could, not to try and explain all these things to their unbelieving friends and family, but to foster for them a personal relationship with Christ themselves so when this day comes they can join in it together. Bible prophecy is what I would consider the meat of the Word, requiring a larger breadth of understanding God’s Word and I think is only revealed in relationship with His Spirit. Those who don’t believe won’t understand and don’t necessarily have to as long as they are seriously seeking the Lord and in relationship with HIm. This information is important to understand and as I’ve felt called to be a watchman and warn about this information, not everyone can hear it and can even push them away from the Lord if they see it as kookiness. It’s more important for those that the Gospel is the focus and they can learn these things after or in heaven when we all learn where we were wrong about all this information. This has weighed heavy on my heart as of late. The absolute excitement I feel imagining this time is sweet in my mouth (initial reaction) but bitter in my stomach (digesting what it means for those who haven’t accepted Yeshua) to borrow a feeling from John. The remnant of Israel will be protected in the wilderness and the wrath of God is held back while 144,000 Jewish boys are sealed from the 12 tribes with the seal of God. These are the only ones protected from the demon locusts of the coming fifth trumpet judgment. Revelation 9:1-6 After all the events of the sixth seal, heaven is quiet for 1/2 hour and the seven angels are given their trumpets. A censer filled with the fire of the altar is cast to the earth with thundering, lightning and an earthquake. The wrath of God has come, woe to the people on the earth! |
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