Here’s a quick scan of time and history as it relates to the Bible. Read carefully, study and see what you think.
News Headlines. (2018)
The breaking of the 1st Seal in the Book of Revelation says we will hear of WARS and rumors of war and that we will hear of nation rising against nation
There have been thousands upon thousands of wars and conflicts since the time of Christ. Most notable for their scope and breadth are the
- Religious Crusades (1095 – 1291, Muslims vs Latin Church, almost 2 million dead),
- WWI (1914 – 1918, 17 million dead), and
- WW2 (1939 – 1945, over 70 million dead).
Current wars and global conflicts, 2018 (link)
As recently as 1978 the communist military coup on 27 April 1978, known as the Saur Revolution, when the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, (PDPA), took power. Since that day, an almost continuous series of armed conflicts has dominated and afflicted Afghanistan.
The Syrian civil war has drawn the US, Russia, Iran, Turkey, The Kurds, ISIS into this conflict.
Other countries involved in military conflicts as of 2018.
· Iraq. …
· Russia. …
· Ukraine. …
· Yemen. …
· Democratic Republic of the Congo. …
· Mexico. …
· Central African Republic
Wars and rumors of war is nothing new. So, when Jesus says, in Matthew 24:6-8, “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”, to WHICH wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines was Jesus referring? Those in AD 1? Those in AD69? Those later wars? No. Jesus was speaking in the present about an unfolding present and future event.
The LAST DAYS began in our around AD 1 to AD 69. This is confirmed by Jesus and several Apostles in Matthew 24, Hebrews 1:2, Hebrews 9:26, Acts 2:14-17, 2 Timothy 3:1, 1 Peter 1:20, 1 Peter 4:7, 2 Peter 3:3. One of the first, most accurate, and most persistent advocates of the Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church can be found at Zion’s Hope, with videos on this site. Finally, in this 21st century, there are a few prominent Bible teachers who are now arriving at this same conclusions (John Piper, and Corrie Ten Boom) Here is a continuing list of Famines: A list of global famines (link)
Earthquakes: A historical list of global seismic activity (link)
Compare what Jesus said, found in Matthew 24 and what John said in Revelation about these matters.
I have coupled the corollary verses:
Matthew 24:6 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.
Verse 7. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
Verse 8. “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.“
Revelation 6:1 says, “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.”
Verse 2. “I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Verse 3. “When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.”
Verse 4. “And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.”
- But that is not yet the end…all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
- Wars and rumors of wars have been ongoing since the 1st century.
- The breaking of the 2nd Seal brings outright warfare on a Global Scale.
- We have now seen two world wars
- We have seen ‘the sons of Ishmael’ warring with ‘the sons of Isaac’ on an global scale since the time of Christ.
So, how can we tell when the 1st and 2nd Seals of the ‘tribulation’ have been broken?
Let’s skip forward to the 5th Seal events found in Matthew and Revelation.
Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”
Revelation 6:9 “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
Verse 10: “and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
Verse 11: “And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”
- THEN, they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you…”
- Matthew 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
- “ But, the one who endure to THE END, he will be saved.”
Once again, if we are not to endure these ‘tribulations’ why is Jesus warning us to “endure to the end”?
Matthew 24:15 tells us, “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
Verse 16: “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Verse 17: “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.
Verse 18: “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.
Verse 19: “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
Verse 20: “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.
Verse 21: “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
Verse 22: “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
- “When you SEE the Abomination of Desolation. (HEY, DISCIPLES, when you SEE IT? How can you SEE IT if you are not on earth?)
- “For THEN there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
- “…but for the sake of the ELECT”. (THE ELECT are still on earth at this point? The ELECT are still on earth at the 5th Seal of the tribulation? How is that even possible, if they will have been Raptured away?)
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
(Click here to return to Page 2) – (Click here to go to Page 4)
Whitestone Fellowship 