Category: Last Days

End of Time, Last Days, Times of Distress, Eschatology

The Harlot – The Beast – 7 Heads and 10 Horns

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 3 Comments

The Harlot – The Beast – 7 Heads and 10 Horns

I know this is a difficult subject and a ‘tough read’. So, I will begin and end with…

“SO, WHAT”?

The Bible calls this a mystery for good reason. (NOTE: – At this point, the 7 Seal Judgements are finished and the Church is with Christ, before the Throne of God in heaven) But, in Revelation 17, we read, starting in,

Revelation 17, Verse 1, Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,

verse 2.  “with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”

verse 3.  “And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

verse 4.  “The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,

verse 5.  “and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery,

verse 9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

verse 10.  “and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

verse 11.  “The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.

verse 12. “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.

verse 13. “These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

verse 14.  “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

verse 15.  “And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

verse 16.  “And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.”

“SO, WHAT” does this have to do with you or with me?

While scholars may debate some of the fine details of this particular vision, the main points of application seem abundantly clear:

#1. We are crossing the threshold of a Global Transformation – and it does not look good for most people.

#2. By all indicators, God’s prophecy of the End of Days is well under way.

#3. The Bible says events will turn cataclysmic – very soon.

#4. Culture is not neutral. You will have to choose sides by your actions. Talk won’t work.

#5. Satan is boldly walking through the front door of a worldwide governmental alignment, even as I write this.

#6. The devil is encroaching through the backdoor of seduction, idolatry, technology, perverse entertainment and has crept into the church. He is now in the church, deceiving many.

#7. The majority of the Church is either compromised, asleep, ignorant or afraid to engage the enemy.

#8. A remnant is rising at the Voice of God.

#9. God is calling and it is time you and I mobilize and do the Works Jesus has commanded.

#10. Doing nothing, except being nice and “going to church”, assures you of nothing!

To begin with, there are four great signs and events which mark the rise of the Antichrist and the False Prophet, the deception of millions, leading to the End of The Age. These events will affect every single person on this planet. Be informed in order to get ready.

There is much debate and discussion about the identity of

  1. “BABYLON THE GREAT MOTHER OF HARLOTS” – Ezekiel 38.
  2. “THE ABOMINATION OF THE EARTH” – Daniel 7, and Daniel 9.
  3. THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON – Revelation 16.
  4. “THE BEAST WITH SEVEN HEADS AND TEN HORNS” – Revelation 17.

(Links to resources used for this page are Enduring Word Bible Commentary and Zion’s Hope Videos Parts1,2 & 3  (I suggest watching all three videos, in order, but, video Part-2 may be of particular interest)

To be clear, this discussion is interesting and is helpful, but generally it has nothing to do with our salvation in Christ. However, knowledge coupled with action will be vital in your preparation, as followers and disciples of Jesus for His return. We are to be about His Work in these Last Days.

First, some of the most popular speculations about the Great Harlot are:

  • The Great Harlot could be Rome (the reemergence of Rome as a power),
  • Or, that even New York City, USA, could be the Great Harlot.
  • One view suggest that the Apostle Peter uses the word “Babylon” as a symbolic way of referring to the new world culture at war with the covenant community. The Whore of Babylon is the spirit of seductive culture, actively engaged in the deception and destruction of God’s people. That she rides upon “the beast” means she is propped up by the forces of anti-Christian government.

Just like the beast, who was, and is not and is about to rise, the “Whore” keeps on rising from the dead! A particular brand of her seductive charm may fall into the dust and be buried by the sands of time, but just you wait! Before you know it, she will rise again in another place, known by another name but waging the same destructive war against God’s covenant people.

Be watchful. What we are discussing are signs, first, of the beginning of the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation, also known as the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord or the Last Days, and secondly, the final three and one-half years. We will know that the time is near by the changing of the ‘seasons’, which is occurring now. (By the way, this is an extremely slow moving storm of cosmic proportions).

Keep a watchful eye on these 10 nations as they align together against, and then for an invasion of Israel. 

  1. Gog, a.k.a., Rosh (Russia) and
  2. Rosh (Russia)
  3. Magog (Russia)
  4. Gomer (Eastern Europe-Southern Russia),
  5. Put (Libya),
  6. Cush (Ethiopia),
  7. Persia (Iran)
  8. Meshech (Southern Russia, *Ukraine and possibly the Republic of Georgia)
  9. Tubal (an area in central Turkey),
  10. Beth-Togarmah (Georgia, Chechnya, Turkey/Armenia)

  When they are aligned and armed against Israel, the End of Days Clock is only seconds from God’s intervention in the defense of Israel and the destruction of Israel’s enemies, the dragon and the beast.

COMMENTARY and VIEW by David Rosenthal at Zion’s Hope:  The 10 Nation Confederation, (THE HEADS), of the BEAST from Ezekiel 38, of Daniel 7,9 and Revelation 17:

Nation #1. Gog:  A Reubenite, son of Shemaiah, the prophetic prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and Magog. Gog is identified as a descendant of the prophet Joel, and in Ezekiel 38–39, he is the chief prince of the tribes of Meshech and Tubal in the land of Magog, the mountainous region between Cappadocia and Media.

Nation #2. Magog:  The 2nd son of Japheth, grandson of Noah, and progenitor of several tribes northward from Israel; the mountainous region between Cappadocia and Media and habitation of the descendants of Magog, son of Japheth and grandson of Noah

Nation #3. Rosh:  “the Prince of Rosh” is Asiatic Russia receives confirmation from the Imperial Dictionary. “Evidence exists of an ancient people called Rosh, or Rhos, supposed to be the original stem from which the Russia or modern Russians have derived their race and name.” The scholar, Bishop Lowther says: “Rosh, taken as a proper name, in Ezekiel, signifies the inhabitants of Scythia, from whom modern Russians derived their name. We must conclude therefore, that Ezekiel’s “episode of Gog’s invasion” (A. B. Davidson) points irrefutably and undeniably to the Russians.

Nation #4. Meschach:  Was a Chaldean. The Chaldeans inhabited the coastal area near the Persian Gulf. About 630 Nabopolassar became king of the Chaldeans and in 626 he forced the Assyrians out of Uruk and crowned himself king of Babylonia. Modern day Turkey.

Nation #5. Tubal:  a region in east Asia Minor, perhaps nearly equal to Cappadocia

Nation #6. Persia:  Iran

Nation #7. Cush (Ethiopia):  located on either side or both sides of the Red Sea. As such, “Cush” is alternately identified in scripture with the Kingdom of Kush or ancient Ethiopia.

Nation #8. Put (Libya):  Ancient Libya. In this sense, Libya was the whole known African continent to the west of the Nile Valley and extended south of Egypt. Herodotus described the inhabitants of Libya as two peoples: The Libyans in northern Africa and the Ethiopians in the south.

Nation #9. Gomer:  (was the wife of the prophet Hosea (8th century BC), mentioned in the Hebrew Bible‘s Book of Hosea (1:3). Hosea 1:2 refers to her alternatively as a “promiscuous woman” (NIV), a “harlot” (NASB), and a “whore” (KJV) but Hosea is told to marry her according to Divine appointment. She is also described as the daughter of Diblaim.) The Hebrew name Gomer refers to the Cimmerians, who dwelt in what is now southern Russia, “beyond the Caucusus”, and attacked Assyria in the late 7th century BC.

Nation #10. Beth-Togarmah:  Togarmah is a city mentioned in Assyrian and Hittite texts. It was north of Carchemish on an Assyrian trade route. It may be related to modern Gurun between the Halys and Euphrates Rivers.

These are the 10 Nation Confederation to watch, (THE HEADS), of the BEAST Ezekiel 38, of Daniel 7,9 and Revelation 17. All are Islamic, the Center of which is MECCA.

(For more detail,Watch video #2).

LIST from Ezekiel 38 – Original regional names and current national names:

#1 & #2. (#1 and #2 from Previous List). Gog – Gog and Magog appear in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran as individuals, tribes, or lands. In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land; in Genesis 10, Magog is a man and eponymous ancestor of a nation, but no Gog is mentioned; and centuries later Jewish tradition changed Ezekiel’s “Gog from Magog” into “Gog and Magog”.

The Gog prophecy is meant to be fulfilled at the approach of what is called the “end of days“, but not necessarily the end of the world. Jewish eschatology viewed Gog and Magog as enemies to be defeated by the Messiah, which would usher in the age of the Messiah. Christianity’s interpretation is more starkly apocalyptic: making Gog and Magog, here indicating nations rather than individuals, allies of Satan against God at the end of the millennium, as described in the Book of Revelation. (From Wikipedia).

#3 & #4. (#4 and #5). Meshech, Tubal:  Meshech (also spelled Meshek) and Tubal were sons of Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah who survived the flood with him (Genesis 10:1–2). Meshech (whose name means “long, tall, or drawn out by force”) is the sixth son of Japheth. The land of Meshech is closely associated with that of Tubal, especially in a prophecy of Ezekiel. The region of Meshech is often identified as being north of the Black Sea (southern Russia and Ukraine and possibly the Republic of Georgia), and Tubal as an area in central Turkey.

The land of Meshech is used in Psalm 120:5 as a generic reference to barbarous regions where “those who hate peace” live (verse 6). The lands where Meshech’s and Tubal’s descendants settled figure significantly in some prophecies of Ezekiel, and it is in that book where they are mentioned most. In the prophecy of Ezekiel 38, Meshech and Tubal are ruled by Gog, a prince over those territories: “The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, “Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal”’” (Ezekiel 38:1–3). Ezekiel repeats God’s words of judgment against the descendants of the two sons of Japheth when he prophesies that God will defeat them in a war against Israel (Ezekiel 39:1–5).

Many biblical scholars equate the land of Gog in Ezekiel’s prophecies with Russia, who will attack Israel “from the far north” (Ezekiel 38:15). Meshech and Tubal could be two of the “many nations” joining Russia in their invasion of Israel (verse 6).

The advance of the alliance involving Meshech and Tubal will be like “a cloud covering the land” (Ezekiel 38:9). Some commentators believe this war, often called the Battle of Gog and Magog, will be one of the events leading up to the end-times’ tribulation. Others believe it will occur close to the midpoint of the tribulation, since Israel will feel secure at the time, “dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates” (verse 11).

God will defeat this powerful alliance (Ezekiel 38:22) to reveal His greatness to all the world (verse 23) and restore the people of Israel to a right relationship with Himself (Ezekiel 39:21–29). Meshech and Tubal, despite the strength of their numbers and help of their allies, will fall. (GotQuestions.org)

#5. (#7). Cush: The Kingdom of Kush; Assyrian: was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, centered along the Nile Valley in what is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt.

#6. (#8). Put – Phut or Put is the third son of Ham (one of the sons of Noah), in the biblical Table of Nations (Genesis 10:6; 1 Chronicles 1:8). The name Put (or Phut) is used in the Bible for Ancient Libya, but a few scholars proposed the Land of Punt known from Ancient Egyptian annals.

#7. (#9). Gomer: The Hebrew name Gomer refers to the Cimmerians, who dwelt in what is now southern Russia, “beyond the Caucusus”, and attacked Assyria in the late 7th century BC.

#8. (#10). Beth-togarmah: Togarmah is a figure in the “table of nations” in Genesis 10, the list of descendants of Noah that represents the peoples known to the ancient Hebrews. Togarmah is among the descendants of Japheth and is thought to represent some people located in Anatolia. Medieval sources claimed that Togarmah was the legendary ancestor of several peoples of the Caucasus -including Armenians and Georgians.

These are the 10 Nation Confederation (THE HEADS) of the BEAST Ezekiel 38, of Daniel 7,9 and Revelation 17. All are Islamic, the Center of which is MECCA

From Ezekiel 38, 39:

  1. Gog, a.k.a., Rosh (Russia) and
  2. Rosh (Russia)
  3. Magog (Russia)
  4. Gomer (Eastern Europe-Southern Russia),
  5. Put (Libya),
  6. Cush (Ethiopia),
  7. Persia (Iran)
  8. Meshech (Southern Russia, *Ukraine and possibly the Republic of Georgia)
  9. Tubal (an area in central Turkey),
  10. Beth-Togarmah (Georgia, Chechnya, Turkey/Armenia)

 Revised Map of Eastern Europe

From Ezekiel 38, 39:

  1. Gog, (Russia) and
  2. Rosh, (Russia) and
  3. Magog (Russia)
  4. Gomer (Eastern Europe-Southern Russia),
  5. Put (Libya),
  6. Cush (Ethiopia),
  7. Persia (Iran)
  8. Meshech (Southern Russia, *Ukraine and possibly the Republic of Georgia)
  9. Tubal (an area in central Turkey),
  10. Beth-Togarmah (Georgia, Chechnya, Turkey/Armenia)

 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast: Whatever their exact identity, their actions are clear. They join with the Antichrist in the war against Christ, in the battle alluded to in the sixth and seventh bowls (Revelation 16:12-21).

The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits: The harlot presides over peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. This tells us that the harlot’s influence is worldwide, through her connection to the beast. This will be a truly one-world religion.

The interpretation of the harlot focuses on her relation to the beast: she is utterly connected to the beast and his government. If this sounds unthinkable, remember that throughout history, religion – not true Christianity – has often been the willing servant and supporter of tyrants.

I know this is a difficult subject and a ‘tough read’. So, I have begun with and I will end with…

“SO, WHAT”?

While scholars may debate some of the fine details of this particular vision, the main points of application seem abundantly clear:

#1. We are crossing the threshold of a Global Transformation – and it does not look good for most people.

#2. By all indicators, God’s prophecy of the End of Days is well under way.

#3. The Bible says events will turn cataclysmic – very soon.

#4. Culture is not neutral. You will have to choose sides by your actions. Talk won’t work.

#5. Satan is boldly walking through the front door of a worldwide governmental alignment, even as I write this.

#6. The devil is encroaching through the backdoor of seduction, idolatry, technology, perverse entertainment and has crept into the church. He is now in the church, deceiving many.

#7. The majority of the Church is either compromised, asleep, ignorant or afraid to engage the enemy.

#8. A remnant is rising at the Voice of God.

#9. God is calling and it is time you and I mobilize and do the Works Jesus has commanded.

#10. Doing nothing, except being nice and “going to church”, assures you of nothing!

CONCLUSIONS?

FIRST: The final 7 years of the Great Tribulation, also known as the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord or the Last Days are near. We know this by the change of ‘season’. (By the way, this is an extremely slow moving storm of cosmic proportions).

SECOND: Watch these 10 nations. 

  1. Gog, a.k.a., Rosh (Russia) and
  2. Rosh (Russia)
  3. Magog (Russia)
  4. Gomer (Eastern Europe-Southern Russia),
  5. Put (Libya),
  6. Cush (Ethiopia),
  7. Persia (Iran)
  8. Meshech (Southern Russia, *Ukraine and possibly the Republic of Georgia)
  9. Tubal (an area in central Turkey),
  10. Beth-Togarmah (Georgia, Chechnya, Turkey/Armenia)

When they are aligned and armed against Israel, the End of Days Clock is only seconds from God’s intervention in the defense of Israel and the destruction of Israel’s enemies, the dragon and the beast. (Christians will have been taken from the earth 3.5 years prior, and will already be before His Throne, singing Hallelujahs to the King.

Get Ready. Stay Ready. The struggle is great but the victory is greater!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Additional Reading:

THE MYSTERY OF BABYLON

The 7 Hills of Rome

What are the 70 of Sevens (Daniel’s 70 Weeks)

The Christian Betrayal of Jesus

When does the 7 Years of Tribulation Begin

NO MATTER HOW YOU SAY IT…

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

NO MATTER HOW YOU PUT IT…

Massive riots in France.

Massive riots in Israel.

Massive riots in Ireland.

Riots around the world in 2023.

WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM?

New International Version
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

New Living Translation
Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

English Standard Version
And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Berean Standard Bible
Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

Berean Literal Bible
And because lawlessness is to be multiplied, the love of the many will grow cold.

King James Bible
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

New King James Version
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

New American Standard Bible
And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.

Amplified Bible
Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold.

The world is falling into mayhem and madness. Is this a recent phenomenon, or is it a recurring anarchy?

The Bible verses, posted above, are from a prophetic section of the New Testament book of Matthew.

This, alone, would not be a harbinger of things to come – or, in fact, of things now occurring. But if you read Chapter twenty-four, you will find that this is just one feature of many which define the Last Days, which are occurring concurrently and growing in intensity – worldwide, which would be a harbinger. Listen and read carefully:

Matthew 24:3. “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24:4, “Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.”

  • Deception in the Churches: Matthew 24:5.
    • “For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.”
  • Widespread wars and global conflicts: Matthew 24:6, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Verse 7. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”
  • An increase in widespread famines and earthquakes: Matthew 24:6,
    • “There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
  • Worldwide religious persecution: Matthew 24:9,
    • “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”
  • Worldwide Christian apostasy and hatreds: Matthew 24:10,
    • “At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,”
  • Worldwide rise of false, satanic and ‘new age’ religions: Matthew 24:11,
    • “and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.”
  • Worldwide rise of perversion, debauchery, sexual deviancy: Matthew 24:12,
    • “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, verse 13, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
  • Matthew 24:14,
    • “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

NOW, THE GOOD NEWS

“I have said these things to you, that in me, you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – Jesus, John 16:33.

Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy

“A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me.” Some of His disciples said to one another, “What does He mean when He tells us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I am going to My Father’?” So, they were saying, “What does He mean when He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him, so He said to them, “Are you wondering among yourselves about what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, that you will weep and grieve [in great mourning], but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has pain because her time [to give birth] has come; but when she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of her joy that a child has come into the world. So for now you are in grief; but I will see you again, and [then] your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away from you your [great] joy. (John 16:16-24 – The Amplified Version).

Prayer Promises

“In that day, you will not [need to] ask Me about anything. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name [as My representative], He will give you. Until now, you have not asked [the Father] for anything in My name; but now ask and keep on asking, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete.

“I have told you these things in figurative language (veiled language, proverbs); the hour is now coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf [because it will be unnecessary]; for the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from the Father. I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

His disciples said, “Ah, now You are speaking plainly to us and not in figures of speech! Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; because of this we believe [without any doubt] that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now [at last] believe? Take careful notice: an hour is coming, and has arrived, when you will all be scattered, each to his own home, leaving Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. I have told you these things, so that in Me, you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] (John 16:23-33 – The Amplified Version).

Dear friends, we know that there are troubling times in this world. Do not fall prey to them. Set your mind on the things above, and live.

Hear the words of our Lord and be at peace:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here”. (Jesus – John 14:27-31, English Standard Version).

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Here is a sermon and message from Gary Hamrick, pastor of Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, Virginia, which will put an exclamation point on the ideas contained in this post. (click this link:  HABAKUKK ).

 

THIS MAY BE HARD TO WATCH

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THIS WORLD IS PASSING AWAY

We must recognize that this world is passing away and we are instructed by God through His Word that we are ‘not (to) love this world or the things in this world. (For), if anyone loves this world, the love of the Father is not in (them). For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And this world is passing away along with its desires—but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (see 1 John 2:15-17).

HOWEVER, WE ARE BUT SOJOURNERS

1 Peter 1:1-2, makes a startling revelation in an introduction to this letter,: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.” (The English Standard Version).

The Amplified Bible Version puts it this way, “Peter, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, To those [elect—both Jewish and Gentile believers] who live as exiles, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia [Minor], and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be yours in increasing abundance [as you walk closely with God].

A direct translation from the Greek language defines “exile” as, a sojourner “parepidémos”; sojourning, in a strange place; residing in a strange country; a stranger, a sojourner.

Strong’s concordance reference #3927 “parepídēmos” – a sojourner (foreigner) – literally, someone “passing through” but still with personal relationship with the people in that locale (note the prefix, para, “close beside”). This temporary (but active) relationship is made necessary by circumstances. (These are defined only by the context.)

Also, Jesus tells us, in John 17:14-16, “I have given them (the people whom You have given Me out of the world) your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

WE ARE BUT “PURPOSELY PASSING THROUGH”

We, as Christians, may have become accustomed to and fond of this world into which we were born. We may even be in love with this world, but we are not of this world. We must recognize that we are but exiles and sojourners in a foreign land. Simply passing through, (although nothing about it may seem simple at the time).

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be discovered (as worthless).

“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” (2 Peter 2:3-10-12)

It would seem that the “unbelieving world” knows this better than the “Believers in God”. They (the unbelievers) are working feverishly to avert the coming destruction of this world and the end of the age. Just look at the global effort to conserve and preserve our world from ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ and to make ‘sustainable development” a reality.

But the truth is “The Earth is Groaning”.

  • Red Alerts – Arctic Lands Grow Greener.
  • Scientist Find Record Warm Water in Antarctica, Cause of Glacier Melt.
  • Sea Level Rise could Reshape the United States, Trigger Migration.
  • Climate researchers can now detect the fingerprint of global warming in daily weather observations at the global scale.
  • Groundwater depletion in America’s West.
  • Climate warming disrupts tree seed production.
  • Climate warming speeding up earth’s ocean currents.
  • A worldwide push toward One World Government (Globalism).
  • Worldwide anarchy, wars and rumors of war.
  • Climate changes of historic proportions.
  • Strange new and threatening diseases.
  • Global Pandemics.
  • Droughts, famines and increasing frequency of earthquakes.

“The Arctic is figuratively and literally on fire — it’s warming much faster than we thought it would in response to rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and this warming is leading to a rapid meltdown and increase in wildfires,” University of Michigan environmental school dean Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist, said in an email.”

“The record warming in Siberia is a warning sign of major proportions,” Overpeck wrote.

“Persistently warm weather, especially if coupled with wildfires, causes permafrost to thaw faster, which in turn exacerbates global warming by releasing large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that’s 28 times stronger than carbon dioxide, said Katey Walter Anthony, a University of Alaska Fairbanks expert on methane release from frozen Arctic soil.”

“Methane escaping from permafrost thaw sites enters the atmosphere and circulates around the globe,” she said. “Methane that originates in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. It has global ramifications.”

“That seems to weaken and sometimes even stall the jet stream, meaning weather systems such as those bringing extreme heat or rain can stay parked over places for days on end, Cohen said.”

FEAR-MONGERING or FACT?

The weather channel has an article saying “A new study has found the Gulf Stream is circulating at its slowest rate in at least 1,600 years, contradicting reports to the contrary. Climate change is to blame for the slowdown, the study concluded. If the circulation stops completely, it would have catastrophic impacts on our weather.”

The article briefly states that “some scientists who weren’t involved in the study agreed with the findings, but others said a lack of data left them skeptical of the study. MIT professor Carl Wunsch said the study’s “assertions of weakening are conceivable, but unsupported by any data” in an interview with the AP.

“A separate study, also released in the journal “Nature“, claims the 150-year slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, (AMOC). is a result of natural changes, not man-made climate change. But, both conclude, the slowdown is occurring, and it could impact our weather in the coming years.”

A 2000-YEAR-OLD WEATHER FORECAST:

“Revelation 7:1, says, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.”

HERE IS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE WINDS STOPPED BLOWING:

“It would rarely rain in inland locations (wind moves moist air over dry spots and falls as rain). All land not near a body of water would turn into a desert.

“There would be more extreme temperatures (the warm/cold air over the ground would not be replaced by the steady temperature air of the oceans and seas).

“The trade winds would no longer exist, and ocean stream currents would eventually stop. This would to serious climate changes. (The Gulf Stream keeps Europe warm).”

“After a few days the problem arrives. Without wind systems, warm, moist air won’t move around. Water might still evaporate, but it won’t travel, meaning anywhere away from a large body of water will dry up. Lakes might be alright as the evaporating water will fall back into them and the sea will be fine but anywhere else will get very dry, very quickly. Plants, animals and humans will slowly die from dehydration with most water inaccessible as salt water or ice. Even if we survive this, the problems don’t stop. The equator will no longer shed its heat as quickly, so it will become very warm, mountains may remain cool enough to be habitable but nowhere else will. At the same time, the poles, deprived of heat from the equator, will freeze solid.”

Science is recently saying what the Bible has been saying for centuries.

AN URGENT MESSAGE TO THE WORLD

All of this has been recorded ahead of time and is foretold in great and frightening detail.  You simply need the “eyes to see” and “the ears to hear”.

All of these things and this historic time had been recorded, in various books of the Bible, in particular, the Book of Revelation.

THE ENTIRE EARTH IS GROANING

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.   For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?   But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

Our time for this planet is short, but God says,
“AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME, I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION, I HELPED YOU.”
Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”—

The wise man or woman will turn to God and live, but the fool says in their heart that there is no God!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

If you have the time, please read further:

Frightfully, most Christians have bought into a ‘wait and see if it’s really true, narrative’ fed to us, some by our own religious institutions.

Listen to what the Apostle Peter tells us about this,

Act 2:14 “But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them:

“Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. Verse 15. “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;

Verse 16. But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

Verse 17. ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,
‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;

Verse 18. EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,
I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT
And they shall prophesy.

Verse 19. ‘AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE
AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW,
BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE.

Verse 20. ‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS
AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD,
BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME.

Verse 21. ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

Peter is telling us that the “Last Days” started at or around Pentecost, in the year AD 30, as prophesied in Joel 2:28-32.

Here is additonal proof by the words of Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy, written around A.D. 30, and are found in :

Now here is the scenario as told by Jesus from the Revelation:

The 1st Tribulation Seal – International (Global) conquest and political intrigue, ongoing since AD 1

The 2nd Tribulation Seal – Global Wars and Rumors of War, ongoing since AD 1

The 3rd Tribulation Seal – Global Famine, ongoing since AD 1

The 4th Tribulation Seal – Global Death, pandemics, ongoing since AD 1

The 5th Tribulation Seal –Martyrs, persecution, revealing of the Anti-Christ, the great falling away (apostasy), now underway and growing worse

The 6th Tribulation Seal – Cosmic and Astronomical phenomenon, weather disturbances, cosmic cataclysms. This has not occurred yet, but is on the horizon. This happens after the rapture of the Church.

Global Warming?  Something is happening, folks. But, it is not what we are being told and not for the reasons we are being told by the news media. But, something is happening!

So, how can you know the truth, and what can you do about it? Well, since God is the One allowing it and since His Word (The Bible) has foretold this coming event, I would say “Go to God’s Word and find out for yourself”.  In the meantime, GET READY!

(Click here or on the image above for details about “WHAT IT MEANS TO GET READY“. Please read the entire article, but, Page 31 tells the Christian, specifically, what it means to get ready.)

 

 

THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “The Parable of The Fig Tree – He is Near”, Part 55

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 55

“The Parable of the Fig Tree – He is Near”

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

The Words of Jesus, Matthew 24:32-35.

These verses, by way of metaphor, give us important instructions about the timing of Jesus return and the end of the age and God’s Eternal nature.

However, you must be able to understand that these words of Jesus are Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional and can only be spiritually discerned and can only be acted upon by way of The Spirit of God as they are manifested in the natural world.

Also, these verse should be included as part of a much larger teaching. Here are topical headings of this entire teaching, beginning in Matthew 24:1, which gives us the ‘big picture’:

1.  Jesus Foretells The Destruction of the Temple. (This is prophetic, metaphorical and literal.)

2.  Jesus’ Disciples ask Him About the sign of His coming and of the End of The Age.

3.  Jesus Tells of The Signs, which, although originated in the Spiritual world, are literally manifested in the natural world, leading to of the End of the Age.

4.  Jesus Foretells of The Abomination of Desolation. This is the literal manifestation of the final global defiance of and rebellion against God.

5.  Jesus Tells of The Coming of the Son of Man. This is the sign that it is finished, this time for the world and creation. The Son is coming to remove His Elect from the earth and take us to our Heavenly home, to defeat the two beasts and the antichrist and to exact His Judgement on earth.

6.  Jesus instructs how we can know the season of His return and the End of The Age by using the Fig Tree as a metaphor. Those who have ears to hear, must listen and heed His Words. 7.  Jesus Instructs that No One Knows That Day and Hour of His Return and the End of The Age, but that we are to Stay Ready.

8.  Jesus teaches about the reward and the consequences of readiness through The Parable of the Ten Virgins.

9.  Jesus Teaches About the cost of being slothful, tardy and fearful and the rewards of faithfulness, trust and responsibility.

10. Jesus tells of the Final Judgment, gives the metaphor of the separation of the sheep, (the righteous) and the goats (the condemned) and the rewards of eternal life or eternal punishment.

11. Jesus reveals the plot of His crucifixion and death.

You are born, you live and you will die. You will have one chance at this.  Knowing the sequence of events, the rewards of righteousness and the consequences of rebelliousness is paramount to your survival, both now and eternally.

THE RESCUE OF THE RIGHTEOUS

If you are a believer and follower of Christ, alive on earth when the Sixth Seal is broken, you will be one of those remaining, the remnant, who will live through the most amazing of experiences.

      • You will see the sun darkened.
      • The moon will go dark.
      • Stars falling from heaven.
      • The heavens shaken.
      • The sign of the son of man in the heaven.
      • The people of earth mourning.
      • Jesus coming on the clouds with power.
      • You will hear the angels and the trumpet call.
      • Angels will gather you (Rapture you) with the elect from the four corners of the earth.

You will see the sun darkened, and the moon not giving its light, and stars falling from heaven, and seeing the powers of the heavens shaken. Then you will see the sign of the Son of Man appear in heaven, when all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Then you will see Him send out his angels and hear the loud trumpet-call, and they will gather you and his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

      • You and a multitude will be taken (Raptured) before the Throne of God.
      • You will hear an Elder telling you have come out of the great tribulation.
      • You will no longer hunger, thirst, suffer or mourn.

After these things you will be among the great multitude which no one can count, from come from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches in your hands; and you will cry out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels will be standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they will fall on their faces before the throne and worship God, saying,

“Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Then one of the elders will  respond, saying to you, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, you are before the throne of God, and you will serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over you. You will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on you, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be your shepherd, and will guide you to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from your eyes.”  (also see Revelation 21:1-4)

 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE REBELLIOUS

      • You will see hail, fire, blood fall on the earth.
      • 1/3 of the earth burned up.
      • A huge asteroid hit the seas. The seas become blood.
      • 1/3 the sea creatures die.
      • An asteroid will hit the lakes and rivers.
      • People will die from bitter waters. 1/3 the sun, moon starts darkened.
      • A ‘star’ will fall to the earth.
      • A smoking abyss will open.
      • Locust will ascend from the abyss and will sting people for 5 months.
      • No one will repent of their sins.
      • The sun will scorch people on earth.
      • You will gnaw your tongue from pain.
      • The End will come.

But if you are alive at this time as an unbeliever, a rebel against God, you will have the unfortunate experience of living through the 8 more judgment events, and unless you repent before the sixth trumpet judgment, you will suffer through 7 more disastrous events of hail and fire mixed with blood hurled to the earth; and you will experience a third of the earth being burned up, and a third of the trees being burned up, and all the green grass being burned up.

You will see something like a great mountain burning with fire hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea will become blood, and a third of the creatures which are in the sea destroyed; and a third of the ships of the world destroyed.

Then you will see a great star fall from heaven, burning like a torch, and it will fall on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters.  The star is named Wormwood; and a third of the waters will become wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter.

Then you will see a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars  struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

Then you will hear an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

Then you will see a star from heaven which will fall to the earth; and the key to the shaft of the abyss was given to Him.  He will open the shaft of the abyss, and smoke will ascend out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air will be darkened from the smoke of the shaft. Then out of the smoke will come locusts upon the earth, and power will be given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.  They will not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they will not be permitted to kill anyone, but to torment those remaining on earth for five months; and their torment will be like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.  And you and the other people will seek death but you will not find it; you will long to die, and death will evade you!

You will see locusts appearing as horses prepared for battle; and on their heads will appear to be crowns like gold, and their faces will appear as human faces.  They will have hair like the hair of women, and their teeth like the teeth of lions.  They will have breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings will be like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. They will have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails will be their power to hurt you and other people for five months.  They will have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

Then you will hear a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who has the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels, who are prepared for the hour and day and month and year, will be released, and  they will kill a third of mankind.

The number of the armies of the horsemen will be two hundred million; You will hear the number of them. And this is how you will see the horses and those who sat on them: the riders will have breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses will be like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths will come fire and smoke and brimstone. A third of mankind will be killed by these three plagues, by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone which will come out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails will be like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.

You and the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, will not repent of the works of your hands so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;  and at this point you and others will not repent of your murders, nor of your witchcraft, nor of your sexual immorality, nor of your thefts.

Then the worst of the remaining judgments will fall upon you. You will be  afflicted with harmful and painful sores,  as will all the people who have the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

Then the sea will become blood, like that of a dead man; and every living ]thing in the sea will die.

Then the rivers and the springs of waters will become blood. And you will hear the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, the One who is and who was, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.”  And you will hear the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Then the sun will scorch you with fire. And the people will be scorched with fierce heat; and you will blaspheme the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and you will not repent so as to give Him glory.

Then the throne of the beast, and his kingdom will be darkened; and you will  gnaw your tongue because of pain, and you will blaspheme the God of heaven because of you pain and your sores; and you will not repent of your deeds.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

Jesus has just told about the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal and the ‘Gathering of the Elect from the four winds of the earth’ (the Rapture), now He tells us what it will be like just before the rapture and the beginning of the final 7 years of judgment:

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

A description of the coming Rapture of the saints and of those left behind – So will be the coming of the Son of man – you also must be ready.

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The Reward of the Faithful Servant

They were all called ‘servants’ but only the ones who did what the Master said are rewarded. The wicked disobedient will be cut to pieces and put with the hypocrites where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:45, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant*, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

The Punishment of the Wicked

But if that wicked servant* says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Reward of the Wise and the Rejection of the Foolish

They were all expecting to meet the bridegroom (Jesus) but only the wise were allowed into the wedding party. The foolish were left alone.

Matthew 25:1, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’

But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

 The Rewards of the Faithful and the Punishment Fearful Servants

They were all called ‘servants’ of the Master. But only the faithful are rewarded and the fearful are counted as worthless and are cast into the outer darkness.

Matthew 25:14, “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So, take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Final Judgment

The faithful sheep on His right and the goats on His left. The sheep who showed compassion, mercy and servanthood are welcomed into the kingdom prepared for them since the foundation of the world.

The unfaithful goats on His left are told to depart from Him, and are called cursed, and sent into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels

Matthew 25:31, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 The Plot to Kill Jesus

With His teaching and instructing completed, Jesus reveals that everything we have heard which is planned ahead of time will be set into motion with His crucifixion. The fuse is lit. Nothing will ever be the same again.

Matthew 26:1, “When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “Why Do You Trouble This Woman?”, Part 56

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THE WORDS OF JESUS THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “It Will All Be Torn Down”, Part 54

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional – Part 54

“It will all be torn down”

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them,

“Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly, I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them,

“See to it that no one misleads or deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ (the Messiah), and they will mislead and deceive many people. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.”

The Words of Jesus, Matthew 24:1-8

The date is sometime around A.D. 29. Jesus is speaking to His disciples, instructing and warning them of things at hand, things they must concern themselves about.

Jesus is giving an outline and an overview, a synopsis of the tribulation period, beginning in Matthew chapter 24 with the breaking of the first tribulation seal through the sixth tribulation seal and concluding in Matthew chapter 25 of Matthew with this prophetic pronouncement of:

The signs of the tribulation period  (the breaking of the first through the sixth tribulation seals; the 6th Seal is the beginning of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation.

His glorious return in the clouds for all to see.

The Trumpet blast and the Gathering of His Elect (i.e., the rapture).

The parable of the fig tree as a metaphor for the timing of His Return and the beginning of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, (the final 7 years of tribulation).

A warning to get ready and to stay ready for His Return.

Teaching on readiness and preparation.

An overview on the Judgment.

It is important to recognize that Jesus is speaking directly to His disciples in answer to their question, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus is teaching, instructing His disciples of the things, some of which they will encounter, regarding “the sign of His coming and of the end of the age”.

(I will cover through Matthew 24:31 in this “Part 53”, the partial events of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal, and then complete Jesus teaching on the ‘season’ of these events, the need for preparation and the consequences of being unprepared in the next episode.)

Most teachings on this matter, mistakenly conclude that ALL the tribulation period is contained in one seven year future period. That is a misconception and is erroneous.

The tribulation began at or around the time of the birth of Jesus, with succeeding seals broken, overlapping and intensifying up to our current day, all of which we have seen and have or are experiencing now – except the 6th Tribulation Seal! (Click here for a full explanation with detail comparing Jesus’ prophetic teaching and instructions from Matthew 24, correlated with His extended teachings in Revelation chapters 6 through 8).

Jesus, warning against false messiahs, false teachings, misconception and error on these matters, clearly says, “See to it that no one misleads or deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ (the Messiah), and they will mislead and deceive many people.

 NO ONE has the knowledge nor the authority to restate, reinterpret or to change what Jesus has taught. No man, no woman, no institution, no theologian, no teacher. No one.  It is better to say, “I do not know” or “I am not sure” than to invent a meaning from man’s perspective. Jesus has said, “Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (see Matthew 5:19) and again, “If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” (see Revelation 22:19)

Beware of institutional (false church) deception. It is present and growing at an alarming rate. You have been warned.  (Click here on how to spot a false prophet and false teaching).

Jesus’ next words are repeated with detail and more clarity in Revelation chapters six and seven (and greater details can be found through Revelation chapter twenty-one).

Jesus next words encapsulate tribulations seals ONE through FIVE and conclude with the clear and amazing statement that, ”all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.”  Not the entire period, nor are they the end of all things. They are merely the beginning of birth pains.

Here is Jesus’ enumeration of the breaking of the initial tribulation seals found in Matthew 24:6 through Matthew 24:31 coded in red, which ostensibly had already begun. Please carefully read (Matthew 24) verses twenty-nine through thirty-one and see them correlated and compared them with Jesus’ teaching on these same events in Revelation 6:1 through Revelation 7:17 coded in blue.

Matthew 24, Verse 6. And you will be hearing of (Seal #1), wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

Revelation 6, Verse 1. (Seal #1). 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 the one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Matthew 24, Verse 7. “(Seal #2), For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and

Revelation 6, Verse 3. (Seal #2). 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 people would kill one another; and a large sword was given to him.

(Seal #3), there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Revelation 6, Verse 5. (Seal #3). When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

Matthew 24, Verse 8. “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.”

Matthew 24, Verse 9. “(Seal #4), Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.

Revelation 6, Verse 7. (Seal #4). When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” Verse 8. I looked, and behold, [i]an ashen horse; and the one who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.

Matthew 24, Verse 10. (Seal #5), And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24, Verse 13. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Revelation 6, Verse 9. (Seal #5) When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed 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 live on the earth?” Verse 11. And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also.

(The Abomination of Desolation)

Matthew 24, Verse 15. (Seal #6), So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

Matthew 24, Verse 21. (Seal #6 continued), For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

Matthew 24, Verse 22. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

Matthew 24, Verse 29. (Seal #6 completed), “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Verse 30. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Verse 31. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet-call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Revelation 6, Verse 12 (Seal #6 begins). And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; Verse 13. and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. Verse 14. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Revelation 6 Verse 15. (Seal #6 continued) Then the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; Verse 16, and they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; Verse 17, for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand.

Revelation 7, Verse 1. (Seal #6 continued) After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. Verse 2. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, Verse 3, saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Revelation 7, Verse 4. (Seal #6 continued) And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: Verse 5, from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,  

Verse 6, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

 Verse 7, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,

 Verse 8, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

Revelation 7, Verse 9.(Seal #6 Continued). After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; Verse 10, and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Verse 11. And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,  Verse 12, saying, “Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 7, Verse 13. (Seal #6 Continued). Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?”  Verse 14. I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 7, Verse 15. (Seal #6 Continued – the rapture).  For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.  Verse 16. They will no longer hunger nor thirst, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any scorching heat; Verse 17, for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 8, Verse 1. (Seal #6 COMPLETED). When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Verse 2. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Verse 3. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the [b]saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. Verse 4. And the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the saints before God. Verse 5. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Verse 6. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.”

THIS IS IMPORTANT

These verses from both Matthew and Revelation show:

The first five seals had already begun to be broken as early as A.D. 29.

His glorious return in the clouds for all to see.

The Trumpet blast and the Gathering of His Elect.

The parable of the fig tree as a metaphor for the timing of His Return and the beginning of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, (the final 7 years of tribulation).

A warning to get ready and to stay ready for His Return.

Teaching on readiness and preparation.

An overview on the Judgment.

The Sealing of the 144,000 from the 12 Tribes of Israel.

The multitude saved out of the Tribulation.

The multitude before the Throne of God, i.e., THE RAPTURE.

If you will pray and study and ask God for understanding and clarification, you will see that the first five Tribulation Seals have been broken and that we are at the precipice of the 6th Tribulation Seal – the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord – The rapture and the final 7 years of the Great Tribulaion.

Prepare. Stay Ready. Tell others.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “The lesson of the fig tree”, Part 55.

PREVIOUS:  THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are You To Do With Them?, “You Will Find Rest”, Part 53.

THE MUSTERION OF THE APOKALUPSIS – THE MYSTERY OF THE APOCALYPSE

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Mustérion – The Mystery

A mystery or secret doctrine of which initiation is necessary; in the New Testament. The counsels of God, once hidden but now revealed in the Gospel or some fact thereof; the Christian revelation generally; particular truths or details of the Christian revelation.

Apokalupsis – The Revelation

An uncovering, an unveiling, revealing, revelation, disclosure. The book of the Revelation begins with John the Revelator addressing the seven churches in Asia.

What follows is an amazing prophetic insight of God’s plan and purpose for His creation from Genesis to the End of the Age.

Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, verse 2, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Verse 3. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Verse 4. “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne, verse 5, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— Verse 6, and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Verse 7. BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”

Verse 8. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

I have color-coded certain words and phrases in these verses to draw attention to the Mustérion of the Apokalupsis.  Others are color-coded in red to draw attention to their obvious and transcendent truth.

THE WORD OF GOD – THE ONLY WAY TO SAFETY AND SUCCESS

The cosmos and this world and everything in them, which God created from the beginning, were ‘Good’.  God called all of His creation ‘Good’, and all things were ‘good’ because the process and the outcome of creation was perfectly in accordance to God’s Will, His Plan and His Purpose.

It may sound odd to say, but the scriptures about creation, particularly the creation of Adam and Eve, found in the Book of Genesis, seem to contain several contradictions.

THE FIRST ‘CONTRADICTION’

Revelation 1:1, says, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place…”  These words were written sometime around A.D. 90. Over 1,900 years have passed since this prophecy was written, and according to the God-breathed and Holy Spirit inspired Word of God. The first ‘contradiction’, if that is possible, is if these were ‘to soon take place’, why haven’t they? But that is the wrong question to ask.

The right question to ask is, “Is this is more rock-solid evidence that the breaking of the first tribulation seals began at the birth of Christ and ‘the things which must soon take place’ began to appear around the time John the Apostle wrote his Apokalupsis?”

This prophetic statement fits perfectly with the words of Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy, written around A.D. 30, and are found in :

Here is the Tribulation Timeline, in summary:

Section A.1. The opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began between A.D. 30 and A.D. 69, and perhaps as early as 2 B.C.   Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, up until this day.

So, in this case there is no contradiction. It is a clear and positive explanation of the timing of ‘the beginning of the End of all Things’ – The tribulation had begun.  We are now standing at the precipice of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal – which is the beginning of the final 7 years!

THE SECOND ‘CONTRADICTION’ – BACK TO THE BEGINNING

So, what does Genesis and the creation of man and woman have to do with the tribulation, the Revelation and the End of all Things? It shows that God planned all things to occur just has they have occurred from the very beginning. He planned it all.

Man and woman were created ‘in His image’ but as crazy as it sounds, the Hebrew language reveals, they were created with a flaw. They were created with a ‘as a mere image or a shadowed reflection of the Perfect God; an illusion with a dubious character’; but they were created with the potential of perfection.

This is shown as Adam and Eve sinned and doomed all humankind to live under the curse of sin. But, this was God’s plan all along, so He provided a solution, a Savior, His Son, Jesus. And the plan of Perfecting began.

Genesis 1:1, says, “In the beginning God, (Elohim), created the heavens and the earth. Verse 2. And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Verse 3. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Verse 4. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. Verse 5. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” And, God saw that it was good. (etcetera).

THE MAJOR EVENT

Then, in Genesis 1:26, “God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness.”

This is a major event. The seminal event in all creation. God is making a creature He calls ‘mankind’ in His, (Their), own image and according to Their likeness.

AN ODD THING

In the midst of His creation work, an odd thing occurs.  This is an event, an occurrence in the creation of mankind, which is completely overlooked by the vast majority, if not all, Bible teachers. This is a bit technical, but please pay particular attention, as this is a game-changer.

Genesis 1, Verse 27. “So, God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

It may seem tedious to look at the wording of this verse, as it was written in the original Hebrew language, but it is vitally important for our understanding of God’s Design, plan and purpose:

Verse 27. “So created God, man in His own image, in the image of God, He created him, male and female, He created them.”

man =adam, from ‘adam’; man, mankind. ruddy, i.e. A human being (an individual or the species, mankind.

 In Him own image = tselem = an image; a mere, empty, image, semblance; image, vain show, from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e., an illusion, a resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol, an image, a vain shew, of dubious character.

 In the image = tselem = an image; a mere, empty, image, semblance; image, vain show, from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e., an illusion, a resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol, an image, a vain shew, of dubious character.

 Male = zakar = A male

 Female = naqab = female, from the sexual form.

 Genesis 1, Verse 27 , in other words, says, “So, God, signifying that this is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, created, shaped through a formative process to make man, that is, mankind, ruddy, i.e., a human being, an individual of the species of mankind, in His own image, in the image; a mere, empty, image, semblance; image, vain show, from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e., an illusion, a resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol, an image, a vain shew, of dubious character, of God, yet having potential of being very great, mighty, and consisting as a plural in the ordinary sense, He created him, shaped, created, through a formative process; male and female He created them.”

RECAP:

  1. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, created, shaped and formed mankind.
  2. God created mankind ‘in His Own image’, which initially was a mere faint image of Himself; a vain representation, a shadow of the Original; an icon, a phantom pattern, an illusion, a mere resemblance; a being of dubious nature.
  3. God has deliberately made man and woman with a flaw, and destined them to fail.
  4. God would, through a formative process which would take a millennium, provide a way for man and woman to be redeemed and recreated into His perfect image through a Savior, His Son, Jesus.

 Once again, there is no contradiction. God created man and woman with a flaw – He created you and me with a flaw – and destined us to fail WITH A PURPOSE. He also provided a Savior to redeem you from failure. Through all time, God is perfecting His creation, man and woman, into the very image of Jesus the Christ,

The Purpose of God’s Eternal Plan is “Perfection”.  He is maturing and perfecting you into His image, ultimately to live in Perfect harmony with Him and with one another, in a New and Perfect heaven and earth.

“Because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14

Each and every chapter, verse and word in the Bible, when viewed within this context of God’s Eternal Plan of Perfection, begins to make perfect sense.

Read it. Know it. Believe it. Live it.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

GOD’S PLAN – COMING INTO FOCUS

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 3 Comments

COMING INTO FOCUS

CREATION  –  THE FALL  –  SIN  –  DEATH  –  REDEMPTION  –  TRIBULATIONS  –  THE DAY OF WRATH  –  JUDGMENT  –  BOOK OF LIFE  –  LAKE OF FIRE  –  A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH.

One of the prevalent eschatological teaching (study on the matters of the end of the age) is the Pre-tribulation Rapture and Premillennialism. it was originated by John Nelson Darby in 1833. Darby is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism and Futurism. Pre-tribulation rapture theology was popularized extensively in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren, and further popularized in the United States in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible.

Other eschatological views include:

Preterism (1554–1613)

Historicism (mid 1500s)

Futurism (mid 1500s)

From these views spring major theological positions of

Premillennialism,

Pretribulation Rapture,

Mid-tribulation Rapture,

Post-tribulation Rapture,

Postmillennialism,

Amillennialism, and the

Pre-Wrath Tribulation Rapture.

Because there are a myriad of Church denominational and doctrinal positions, it is understandable that so many differing eschatological views have emerged.

But, with the passage of time, historical events and particularly religious, social, economic, and political developments are revealing the frightening accuracies and the realities of Biblical prophecies which are coming to life and are bringing Biblical prophecies into focus. A reassessment is under way.

In the meantime, however, most theologians and Bible teachers doggedly adhere to their sixteenth century, long-held denominational-based and man-invented views of Biblical eschatology, despite the clarity of scriptures when viewed outside of denominational bias and when examining the emerging evidence to the contrary.

For example, there are those who call themselves Bible teachers or theologians who teach and claim that all Biblical eschatology is metaphorical, and idiomatic, analogical or parables used to explain natural events and their outcomes. This puts Jesus and His Teachings in the category of fantasies, fairytales and lies – although the Bible clearly warns otherwise.

Some other so-called teachers  have been teaching that is no literal 2nd coming of Christ although, again, the Bible clearly and plainly teaches otherwise.

Others teach there will be a 2nd advent of Christ, however, they would have you believe that the second coming will be ‘in secret’, and that Jesus’ visible and actual 2nd coming will not occur until the battles of Armageddon.

And if that isn’t enough, others teach that there will be BOTH a visible 2nd coming as described in Matthew chapter 24, and a visible 3rd advent (coming) of Christ when He will defeat Satan at the battle of Armageddon.  And, things get even more convoluted when it comes to the various denominational doctrines of The Millennium.

Most of these same preachers, pastors and ‘bible teachers’ will tell you that the entire tribulation period is a yet-to-be experienced, future event, putting you at ease when Jesus clearly teaches the very opposite thing. Jesus warns that you must be on the alert, standing at the ready at all times, during “these last days”! (See Matthew 24:36-44)

There have always been debates on these matters, reaching back centuries, some erupting in to divisive arguments, growing into hatreds and even schisms within the Church. Sometime in the 1600s the phrase “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity” emerged (the authorship is disputed). Then, on June 29, 1959 The phrase in its current form is found in Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Ad Petri Cathedram, where he uses it favorably. It has been somewhat successful in the Church’s attempts to ‘agree to disagree’ and accepting that each church can hold their own eschatological positions without the infighting, There continues to be, however, widespread disagreement due to denominational differences.

 WHY DOES IT MATTER?

 You might ask, “why does it matter when the tribulation starts or when Christians are to be raptured into heavens (if at all)?

It matters because Jesus says it in plain face-value language. And, He says that we are to be ready.  Believing the plain language of the Bible and being ready for His Return is proof of True Christianity and only a True Believer in Christ will be guaranteed to join Christ at the sound of His Great Trumpet call and escape the coming ‘Great and Terrible Day of the Lord’.

It matters because being ready requires believing and doing what He has instructed us to do in preparation for His return.

It matters because He has warned that “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

It matters because many Christians are sitting idly waiting for an event that has already begun and they are not DOING what He told them to do and therefore are in grave danger.

It matters because some of our family, friends and neighbors are completely unaware or just don’t believe that Christ will return and God’s final judgments will sentence them to outer darkness.

It matters Because, as Christians, our faith, our convictions and our behavior
Are speaking louder than our words.

And, it matters, especially ‘in these last days’ because, there is a convergence and a concurrence of events and prophecies occurring as never been seen before and they are increasing in frequency and intensity.

Alarming events have, from time to time, caused people to wonder if the End of Days as spoken of in the Bible had arrived.  But, never, have events coincided with prophetic fulfillment as we now see. Once a Tribulation event begins, it may continue for days, weeks, months,  years or decades.  Then, as a second or third event occurs, events may overlap and occur simultaneously.

 Additionally, it is important to note that when a Tribulation Seal is broken, ana an event or a series of events occur which can last for long periods of time.  Most of these tribulation related events will continue to occur until the “Consummation of the Age”. (See The Sixth Tribulation Seal)

Now, specifically regarding the approaching SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST,  Revelation 1:7, tells us, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen.” English Standard Version.

(Revelation 1:7, REPEATED in the Amplified Bible Version:  BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes, that is the nations of the earth will mourn over Him, realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath. So, it is to be. Amen.”

Jesus also teaches, in Matthew 24:20-31, “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His [a]elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

THE EVIDENCE

First in Revelation 1:7, John is warning that the return of Jesus is imminent and that on that occasion “every eye will see Him” which precludes a ‘secret appearing’.  These words along with testimonies of other Apostles, confirm that the ‘tribulation period’ began as early as the birth of Christ and the early tribulation seals were broken (opened) immediately following Jesus’ birth.

Secondly, John’s words mirror and are confirmed by the words of Jesus found in Matthew 24:29-31. These words of encouragement and warning lead to the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal which is the beginning of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and the Wrath of the Lamb (the beginning of the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation, as distinct from the ‘birth pains’ and the breaking of the first 5 tribulation seals.)

HEAR THE WORDS OF JOHN THE REVELATOR, (John of Patmos), “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” (see Revelation 1:9) John is clearly telling us that in or around the year A.D. 95 the tribulation was well under way.

These words of John found in Revelation 1:9 and his reference to the fact the tribulation is under way, he is participating in the early stages of the tribulation period and his words are echoed and confirmed by:

The Apostle Paul, in Hebrews 1:2,   “In these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

This was written Around A.D. 60.

The Apostle Paul, in Hebrews 9:26,  “For then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

This was written Around A.D. 60.

The Apostle Peter, in  Acts 2:14,   “But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. Verse 15. “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; verse 16, but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

Verse 17.  ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,
‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;”

This was written Around AD 60.

The Apostle Paul, in, 2 Timothy 3:1,  “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. Verse 2. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, verse 3, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, verse 4, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, verse 5, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”

This was written Around AD 60.

The Apostle Peter, in 1 Peter 1:20,  “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you”.

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Peter 4:7, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Verse 8. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Verse 9.  Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

This was written Around AD 60.

The Apostle Peter, in 2 Peter 3:3,  “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, verse 4, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?”

This was written Around AD 60.

The Apostle Matthew, in Matthew 24:3, tells us, “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

This was written Around AD 60.

The Apostle John, in 1 John 2:18, tells us, “Children, it is the last hour [the end of this age]; and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists (false teachers) have appeared, which confirms our belief that it is the last hour.”

This was written around AD 90.

The Apostle John, in Revelation 1:9, tells us, “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”

 This was written around AD 95.

SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

I will approach this question using a 3-fold-ministrhy approach.

  1. Christians are called to be servants of Christ.
  2. Christians are called as Ambassadors for Christ.
  3. Christians are called as Soldiers of the Cross.

You are either a conscript in God’s army or an enemy of the Cross of Christ. As a Christian, you are involved in a cosmic battle, a spiritual war fighting for souls, minds and the lives of every person born during your time on planet earth. You may not have thought about it this way, and you may not like hearing it now, but that is exactly what is going on.

It is important to acknowledge, that though we walk in the flesh as mortal men and women, we are not carrying on spiritual warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man.  The weapons of our warfare are not physical weapons of flesh and blood. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,  being ready to punish every act of disobedience, when your own obedience as a Christian is complete.

 Put on the full armor of God for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier, so that you may be able to successfully stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood contending only with physical opponents, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly supernatural places. (See Ephesians 6:10-17)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

 

ESCHATOLOGY – The Study of the End Times – Part 5

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

ESCHATOLOGY – The Study of the End Times – PART V.

THE ANSWER TO “WHEN” – part 3:

Martyrs, persecution, Anti-Christ, falling away– as corresponding to – The 5th Tribulation Seal

(Please Note: The corresponding verses in the books of Matthew and Revelation are color-coded for your reference and convenience).

Matthew 24:9, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. Verse 10, And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Verse 11, And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. Verse 12, And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”

As corresponding to:

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.”

AN IMPORTANT HISTORICAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL MARKER:

The events Jesus describes in verses 9 through 12 had already begun in His day and His disciples suffered this ‘tribulation’ (internal pressure of a tribulation, especially when feeling there is “no way of escape”) of persecution, alienation because of Jesus’ name, the rise of false prophets, lawlessness and death.

Jesus goes into greater detail in the sixth chapter of the book of Revelation, verses nine through 12, regarding this time of tribulation, death, hatred and the falling away of Christians from one another and from faith in God. This is a description of the breaking of the fifth seal of the tribulation scroll, which is the great apostasy, the great falling away from the faith and the great persecution of the Church.

Let’s remember, as the tribulation seals are broken (open), the effects of each seal will overlap with the preceding seals and the effects will compound and  intensify, leading us to the 6th Tribulation Seal, also known as the beginning of The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and the Wrath of the Lamb.

BACK TO:  PART 4 – Click Here.

NEXT:  PART 6 – Coming Soon.

NOTE: CHRONOLOGICAL MARKERS are useful for identifying events in their chronological order, which can help us identify our placement on God’s End of Days ‘calendar’.

Nephilim and The sons of God – in these Last Days

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Genesis 6:1. Now it came about, when mankind began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, verse 2, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Verse 3. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless, his days shall be 120 years.” Verse 4. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

There is confusion and controversy (another phrase for disagreement and discussion) on the Nephilim, what were they, and where did they come from; and the ‘sons of God’ in relation to the Nephilim, who were they and where did they come from?

You can read the commentaries for yourself. I have provided two commentaries for your review and consideration. (the Pulpit commentary from Biblehub.com and GotQuestions.org).

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

In these last days God will give this world over to a great delusion and even the elect will be fooled if that were possible. (see. Matthew 24:24).

“Could the end times include a similar alien deception? The Bible doesn’t directly address the issue, but it is certainly plausible, for a variety of reasons. First, the Bible tells us that the world will unite under the power of the Antichrist. In order to achieve an agreement between all the world’s religions, it would make sense for the “uniter” to come from an entirely new source—an extraterrestrial source. It is hard to imagine one religion becoming head of all the others, unless new, unearthly knowledge were the source of the appeal and power of the new “religion.” This would be in keeping with past deceptions and would be a very effective way to deceive a large number of people.

“Second, this deception could provide an answer to the problem of earth’s origins. The scientific theory that the evolution of life on earth was spontaneously generated still has no answer for life’s beginnings. There is evidence for a “big bang,” but that still doesn’t explain what caused the big bang to occur. If alien beings arrived and gave us an extraterrestrial explanation for life on earth, the origins of the world religions, and even the origins of our planet, it would be very persuasive.

“That said, we should not fear. The Lord has said that He will not leave us or forsake us, and that He will protect us (1 Kings 8:57; Matthew 10:31; Isaiah 41:10). Demons / angels are not omnipotent, nor are they omnipresent. Jesus said that in the end times, His appearing would be like lightning—easily visible to all. He said to be wary of any being that says “I am the Christ” or any group that says “He’s over there” or “He’s in here” (Matthew 24:23-24). He said that vultures gather around a dead body, meaning that if you see a group of people gathering around someone claiming to be Christ, that person is death and a false prophet.

“We should be wary of any person or being that produces signs and wonders without biblical fidelity or the presence of obedience to the Lord Jesus, anyone who provides a way to unite the world religions or governments (Revelation 13:5-8), any being that promotes unnatural sexual relationships (Genesis 6:4; Jude 1:6-7), and of course, any person who denies that Jesus is God (2 John 1:7). Furthermore, anyone who presents a “substitute” Jesus, who represents Him as “a god but not the God” or who claims He was merely a good teacher, simply a human, or even a super-human or an alien creature, is a deceiver.

“Lastly, if demons manifesting as aliens are part of the end times, we should remember that they, too, are created beings subject to a sovereign God and ultimately answerable to Him. Whether in alien form or not, the descriptions of demons in Revelation are frightening (Revelation 9:1-12), but we should not fear those who can only kill the body. Instead, we should only fear the One who can kill the body and the soul in hell (Matthew 10:28). No matter what happens to us on the earth, we should trust that the Lord is the Savior, Redeemer, and Protector of the souls of those who put their trust in Him (Psalm 9:10; 22:5).” (gotquestions.org, alien deception)

CONCLUSION:

I am interested in what the Bible says and indicates. Since the commentators disagree on who these Nephilim and sons of God are and where the come from, and since I am neither a Hebrew scholar nor am I a Bible scholar, I will simply compare these terms, words and phrases from Genesis chapter 6 and Job chapter 1 to see the similarities and differences and try to arrive at a conclusion. Please join me.

The phrase ‘sons of God’, both in Job 1:6 and in Genesis 6:2 is from the SAME HEBREW WORD and means the same thing. There is the strong suggestion they are angels.

The word ‘Nephilim’ means giants; but comes from a root word, naphal, meaning to fall or fallen. So, the idea is that the Nephilim could well have been fallen angels.

The controversy centers around the question, ‘were the Nephilim simply descendants of Seth or were they supernatural beings’? Were they fallen angels, (i.e., demons), or were they just very large and evil natural men?

Another suggestion is ‘were they natural men who had been inhabited by evil spirits or Demons’?

It is important to be informed and to inform others, so we are not caught unaware by the deception of the devil or by his demons.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Here are some excellent resources

Gotquestions.org, alien deception?

Here is another very good resource on the entire matter:

Khouse.org, topical bible study, the Nephilim

 

STUDY NOTES:

Pulpit Commentary: 

(3) the assertion of our Lord in Luke 20:35 is inconsistent with the hypothesis that by the sons of God are meant the angels; and

(4) consistent exegesis requires that only extreme urgency, in fact absolute necessity (neither of which can be alleged here), should cause the sons of God to be looked for elsewhere than among the members of the human race.

3. The third interpretation, therefore, which regards the sons of God as the pious Sethites (Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret, Augustine, Jerome, Calvin, Keil, Havernick, Lange, Murphy, Wordsworth, Quarry, ‘Speaker’s Commentary’), though not without its difficulties, has the most to recommend it.

(1) It is natural, and not monstrous.

(2) It is Scriptural, and not mythical (cf. Numbers 25; Judges 3; 1 Kings 11, 16; Revelation 2, for sins of a similar description).

(3) It accords with the designation subsequently given to the pious followers of God (cf. Deuteronomy 14:1; Deuteronomy 32:5; Psalm 73:15; Proverbs 14:26; Luke 3:38; Romans 8:14; Galatians 3:26).

(4) It has a historical basis in the fact that Seth was regarded by his mother as a son from God (Genesis 4:25), and in the circumstance that already the Sethites had begun to call themselves by the name of Jehovah (Genesis 4:26). Dathius translates, “qui de nomine Dei vocabantur.”

I am interested in what the Bible says and indicates. Since the commentators disagree on who these Nephilim and sons of God are and where the come from, and since I am neither a Hebrew scholar nor am I a Bible scholar, I will simply compare these terms, words and phrases from Genesis chapter 6 and Job chapter 1 to see the similarities and differences and try to arrive at a conclusion. Please join me.

Nephilim and the Sons of God

Bible Word Study:

Job 1:6, New King James Version
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

Job 1:6, New American Standard Bible
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

Son:  ben: son

Original Word: בֵּן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ben
Phonetic Spelling: (bane)
Definition: son

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

afflicted, age, anointed one, appointed to, arrow. From banah; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense

God: elohim: God, god

Original Word: אֱלהִים
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: elohim
Phonetic Spelling: (el-o-heem’)
Definition: God, god

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

angels, exceeding, God, very great, mighty

Plural of ‘elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative — angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

 

New American Standard Bible – Genesis 6:1. Now it came about, when mankind began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, verse 2, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever<mh3605, 834=””> they chose. Verse 3. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless, his days shall be 120<mh3967, 6242=””> years.” Verse 4. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward<mh310, 3651=””>, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. </mh310,></mh3967,></mh3605,>

New King James Version – Genesis 6:1. Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, verse 2, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

Verse 3. And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Verse 4. There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Son:  ben: son

Original Word: בֵּן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ben
Phonetic Spelling: (bane)
Definition: son

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:

afflicted, age, anointed one, appointed to, arrow. From banah; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense

God: elohim: God, god.

Original Word: אֱלהִים
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: elohim
Phonetic Spelling: (el-o-heem’)
Definition: God, god

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:

angels, exceeding, God, very great, mighty

Plural of ‘elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative — angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

Nephilim – Nephilim: “giants,” name of two peoples, one before the flood and one after the flood

Original Word: נְפִיל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: Nephilim
Phonetic Spelling: (nef-eel’)
Definition: “giants”, name of two peoples, one before the flood and one after the flood

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:

giant

Or nphil {nef-eel’}; from naphal; properly, a feller, i.e. A bully or tyrant — giant.

see HEBREW naphal – naphal: to fall, lie

Original Word: נָפַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: naphal
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-fal’)
Definition: to fall, lie

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:

cast down, self, lots, out, cease, die, divide by lot, let fail,

Topical Bible Verses

Genesis 6:4
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Topicalbible.org

Numbers 13:33
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Topicalbible.org

Easton’s Bible Dictionary:

(Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33, R.V.), giants, the Hebrew word left untranslated by the Revisers, the name of one of the Canaanitish tribes. The Revisers have, however, translated the Hebrew gibborim, in Genesis 6:4, “mighty men.”

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary

(n. pl.) Giants.:

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

NEPHILIM

nef’-i-lim (nephilim): This word, translated “giants” in the King James Version, but retained in the Revised Version (British and American), is found in two passages of the Old Testament-one in Genesis 6:4, relating to the antediluvians; the other in Numbers 13:33, relating to the sons of Anak in Canaan. In the former place the Nephilim are not necessarily to be identified with the children said to be borne “the daughters of men” to “the sons of God” (Genesis 6:2, 4); indeed, they seem to be distinguished from the latter as upon the earth before this unholy commingling took place (see SONS OF GOD). But it is not easy to be certain as to the interpretation of this strange passage. In the second case they clearly represent men of gigantic stature, in comparison with whom the Israelites felt as if they were “grasshopers.” This agrees with Genesis 6:4, “the mighty men that were of old, the men of renow.” Septuagint, therefore, was warranted in translating by gigantes.

James Orr

Strong’s Hebrew:

  1. Nephilim — “giants,” name of two peoples, one before the …
    Nephilim or Nephilim. 5302, 5303. Nephilim or Nephilim. 5304 . “giants,”
    name of two peoples, one before the flood and one after …
    /hebrew/5303.htm – 6k

 

ESCHATOLOGY – The Study of the End Times – Part 2

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

PART II.

Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. Verse 2. The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.”

WHY IT ALL BEGAN

The Purpose of God’s Eternal Plan, as I have already pointed out, is “Perfection”.  He is maturing and perfecting His people into His image, ultimately to live in Perfect harmony with Him and with one another, in a New and Perfect heaven and earth.

“Because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:14

Each and every chapter, verse and word in the Bible, when viewed within this context of God’s Eternal Plan of Perfection, begins to make perfect sense.

We also learn that God has included us, He has called us as His disciples, to join Him in His plan, purpose and ways and His mission while in this world.

We are not and will cannot be idle bystanders waiting for the end. We are part of God’s Plan,  part of His Army, to “share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus”. (2 Timothy 2:3-4).

 If we begin in Genesis, which is the foundation of all eschatology, we will see what has happened, what is now happening and what is yet to come. We can trace the stages leading through time and history, to the final epoch of time, known by various names, such as, “The Last Days”, “The End The Age” the “Latter Days” and “The Tribulation Period”.

THE FINAL EPOCH OF TIME, the beginning of LAST STEPS OF TIME, the end of all things, is marked by the birth of Jesus.

This will be more than just a trip through history – this will be a journey of discovery. We will discover, not just WHAT or WHEN certain events happened, but we investigate WHY they occurred, so we can endeavor to know the  purpose.

There are visible and observable signs and ancient writings to help you identify the stages in this progression of time. Most people, however, either don’t recognize the signs or writings or don’t believe in their literal fulfillment. Even among those who believe these prophecies are coming to pass and see the signs, few know what they are seeing, where they are leading or what to do in response. It is my intention to make the truth of these matters intelligible, understandable, believable and useful.

God’s plan is unfolding exactly as He purposed; Each event from

  • The Creation, through
  • the Garden of Eden, and
  • the Fall of Man, to
  • the Great Flood,
  • the Tower of Babel,
  • the Exodus from Egypt,
  • the possessing of The Promised Land,
  • the Destruction of the First Temple and
  • the Jewish Captivity in Babylon,
  • the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus,
  • the Destruction of the Second Temple,

and each event is a sequential step in God’s perfectly coordinated plan to purge, cleanse, refine and rescue His creation and cleanse it from sin in preparation for the final day, the final judgments and the New Heaven, the New earth and eternity with Him.

Our steady march through time has been exactly as Bible prophecy has foretold.  We have entered an era leading to the destruction and, eventually, a rebirth of the heavens and the earth.

DANIEL’S 70 WEEKS – A glimpse into the future

The “seventy weeks” prophecy is one of the most significant and detailed Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. It is found in Daniel 9. The chapter begins with Daniel praying for Israel, acknowledging the nation’s sins against God and asking for God’s mercy. As Daniel prayed, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and gave him a vision of Israel’s future.

The Divisions of the 70 Weeks

In verse 24, Gabriel says, “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city.” Almost all commentators agree that the seventy “sevens” should be understood as seventy “weeks” of years, in other words, a period of 490 years. These verses provide a sort of “clock” that gives an idea of when the Messiah would come and some of the events that would accompany His appearance.

The prophecy goes on to divide the 490 years into three smaller units: one of 49 years, one of 434 years, and one 7 years. The final “week” of 7 years is further divided in half. Verse 25 says, “From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’” Seven “sevens” is 49 years, and sixty-two “sevens” is another 434 years:

49 years + 434 years = 483 years

The Purpose of the 70 Weeks

The prophecy contains a statement concerning God’s six-fold purpose in bringing these events to pass. Verse 24 says this purpose is

1) “to finish transgression,”

2) “to put an end to sin,”

3) “to atone for wickedness,”

4) “to bring in everlasting righteousness,”

5) “to seal up vision and prophecy,” and

6) “to anoint the most holy.”

These purposes are THE END OF ALL THINGS. Notice that these results concern the total eradication of sin and the establishing of righteousness. The prophecy of the 70 weeks summarizes what happens before Jesus sets up His millennial kingdom. Of special note is the third in the list of results: “to atone for wickedness.” Jesus accomplished the atonement for sin by His death on the cross (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17).

The Fulfillment of the 70 Weeks

Gabriel said the prophetic clock would start at the time that a decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem.

  • From the date of that decree to the time of the Messiah would be 483 years. We know from history that the command to “restore and rebuild Jerusalem” was given by King Artaxerxes of Persia c. 444 B.C. (see Nehemiah 2:1-8).
  • The first unit of 49 years (seven “sevens”) covers the time that it took to rebuild Jerusalem, “with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble” (Daniel 9:25). This rebuilding is chronicled in the book of Nehemiah.
  • Converting the 360-day year used by the ancient Jews, 483 years becomes 476 years on our solar calendar. Adjusting for the switch from B.C. to A.D., 476 years after 444 B.C. places us at A.D. 33, which would coincide with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–9). The prophecy in Daniel 9 specifies that, after the completion of the 483 years, “the Anointed One will be cut off” (verse 26). This was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified.
    • AD 33 and the crucifixion of Jesus marks the end of the ‘69 weeks’ or 483 years.
      • The early stages of the Last Days began at or sometime between the birth of Jesus and the destruction of the temple (AD 70).
      • (1).  Jesus called this period the LAST DAYS or the END OF THE AGE in Matthew 24:3-8.

CLUES (PROOFS) THAT THESE ARE THE ‘LAST DAYS’

    • (2). The Apostle Paul called this period the LAST DAYS in Hebrews 9:26.
    • (2). The Apostle Peter called this period the LAST DAYS in Acts 2:14-17.
    • (3). The Apostle Paul called this period the END OF THE AGES in. 1 Corinthians 10:11.
    • (4). The Apostle Paul called this period THESE LAST DAYS in Hebrews 1:1-2.
    • (5). The disciple Timothy called this period the LAST DAYS in 2 Timothy 3:1.
    • (6)  The Apostle Peter called this period the LAST DAYS in 1 Peter 1:20.
    • (7)  The Apostle Peter called this period the LAST DAYS in 1 Peter 4:7.
    • (8)  The Apostle Peter called this period the LAST DAYS in 2 Peter 3:3.
    • (9)  The Apostle John called this period the LAST DAYS in 1 John 2:18.
    • (10). The Apostle John called himself a FELLOW PARTICIPANT IN THE TRIBULATION in Revelation 1:9.
  • Since the birth of Jesus, the first 5 tribulation seals have been broken, have been overlapping and intensifying.
  • From AD 33 until the breaking of the 6th tribulation seal (a future event) is the ‘church age’ of the ‘gap’ of time.
  • The breaking of the 6th Tribulation seal begins the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation (a.k.a., the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, The Days of Wrath, etc.
  • Daniel 9:26 continues with a prediction that, after the Messiah is killed, “the people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” This was fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The “ruler who will come” is a reference to the Antichrist, who, it seems, will have some connection with Rome, since it was the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem.

DANIEL’S 70TH WEEK – The Final Week of the 70 Weeks.

Of the 70 “sevens,” 69 have been fulfilled in history. This leaves one more “seven” yet to be fulfilled. Most scholars believe that we are now living in a huge gap between the 69th week and the 70th week – but the ‘gap theory’ omits the facts of history – it appears, graphically, that the first 5 tribulation seals have been broken and intensifying, leading up to the 6th Seal, the Great Tribulation, The Great and Terrible Day of God’s Wrath . The prophetic clock has been paused, as it were. The final “seven” of Daniel is what we usually call the tribulation period.

 Daniel’s prophecy reveals some of the actions of the Antichrist, the “ruler who will come.” Verse 27 says, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’” However, “in the middle of the ‘seven’, he will set up an abomination that causes desolation” in the temple. Jesus warned of this event in Matthew 24:15. After the Antichrist breaks the covenant with Israel, a time of “great tribulation” begins (Matthew 24:21, NKJV).

Daniel also predicts that the Antichrist will face judgment. He only rules “until the end that is decreed is poured out on him” (Daniel 9:27). God will only allow evil to go so far, and the judgment the Antichrist will face has already been planned out.

Conclusion

The prophecy of the 70 weeks is complex and amazingly detailed, and much has been written about it. Of course, there are various interpretations. One thing is certain: God has a time table, and He is keeping things on schedule. He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and we should always be looking for the triumphant return of our Lord (Revelation 22:7).

It appears we have entered the Last Days as described in the Bible, and the best description of the purpose, length and, outcome of this End of Time, variously known as the “birth pains”, the tribulation and the Great Tribulation, (see Matthew 24:21, Revelation 2:22 and Revelation 7:14) or the Wrath of the Lamb, (see Revelation 6:16), is found in Daniel 12:1,

Daniel 9:24-27 gives us the PURPOSE or the WHY for Daniel’s 70 Weeks..

  1. “Seventy weeks [of years, or 490 years] have been decreed for your people and for your holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression,
  2. to make an end of sins,
  3. to make atonement (reconciliation) for wickedness,
  4. to bring in everlasting righteousness (right-standing with God),
  5. to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet, and
  6. to anoint the Most Holy Place.

So, you are to know and understand that from the issuance of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until [the coming of] the Messiah (the Anointed One), the Prince, there will be seven weeks [of years] and sixty-two weeks [of years]; It will be built again, with [a city] plaza and moat, even in times of trouble.

Then after the sixty-two weeks [of years] the Anointed One will be cut off [and denied His Messianic kingdom] and have nothing [and no one to defend Him], and the people of the [other] prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

And he will enter into a binding and irrevocable covenant with the many for one week (seven years), but in the middle of the week he will stop the sacrifice and grain offering [for the remaining three and one-half years] (NOTE: This occurs at the 6th Tribulation Trumpet); and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until the complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who causes the horror.”

Daniel 12:1-13 gives us an accurate overview, a summary of what has already begun and that which is yet to come:

  1. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, (The tribulation period beginning with the first seal broken sometime around the time of Jesus’ birth or as late as the destruction of the 2nd Temple.)
  2. everyone who is found, written in the book, will be rescued. Verse 2. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. (This begins at and during the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal and is.)
  3. Verse 3. And those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven,
  4. and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Verse 4. But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.” Verse 5. Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream. Verse 6. And someone said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream,
  5. “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” Verse 7. And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that

(a)  it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish smashing the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.  Verse 8. But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so, I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?”  Verse 9. And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time.

  1. Verse 10. Many will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but  those who have insight will understand.
  2. Verse 11. And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up (NOTE: This occurs at the 6th Tribulation Trumpet), there will be 1,290 days. Verse 12.
  • Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 day!s
  • (During the next 30 days (leading up to 1,290 days after the desecration of the temple), Israel is rebuilt and the earth is restored.
  • During the next 45 days (leading up to 1,335 days after the desecration of the temple), the Gentile nations are judged for their treatment of Israel.
  • The dispensation of the millennium begins, and it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3, 5–6).

Verse 13. But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

Sometime in the early stage of the events described in Daniel 12, there will be an event which is so fantastic as to be unbelievable. But I will show the evidence leading to this event, known as the ‘Rapture’ and I will even help you calculate the odds of its occurrence.  You will then be faced with the most monumental decision you have ever faced. You don’t want to miss this.

Back to PART I. –  Click Here)

(PART III – coming soon)

UKRAINE and RUSSIA in Prophecy – The beginning of the End?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

IS THE FUSE LIT, USHERING IN THE ‘LAST DAYS’ AS PROPHESIED IN THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL?

Putin Issues Nuclear Warning

Headlines:

KYIV/MARIUPOL, Ukraine, February 24, 2022.  (Reuters) – “Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Thursday in a massed assault by land, sea and air, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.

“Missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine reported columns of troops pouring across its borders from Russia and Belarus, and landing on the coast from the Black and Azov seas.”

This headline could have read, “The forces of God and Magog invaded Scythia on Thursday in a massive assault by land in an apparent attempt to rebuild the empire.”

Putin issues nuclear warning, as Russia’s assault on Ukraine hits second year. , Fox News,

With the nuclear card in his back pocket, Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Russia will out-suffer and outlast its adversary as Friday marks the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Book of Ezekiel is a prophecy about the end of days, filled with bizarre visions and puzzling revelations. There have been precursor events, foreshadowing events to the final fulfillment of this prophecy. There is much speculation about the meaning and the fulfillment of the words of Ezekiel, but there has never, in all of history, been a convergence and a concurrence of  both historical and prophetic events as we see them now.

Is this the early preparation for the final dramatic act of The End of the Age?

Ezekiel

Chapter 38:1, “And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Verse 2. “Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog (current day Russia), the chief ruler of Meshech (southern Russia and Ukraine and possibly the Republic of Georgia) and Tubal (central Turkey), and prophesy against him,

Verse 3, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief ruler of Meshech and Tubal.

Verse 4. I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them magnificently clothed in full armor, a great horde with buckler (small shield) and [large] shield, all of them wielding swords;

Verse 5. Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia), and Put (Libya, N. Africa) with them, all of them with shield and helmet;

Verse 6. Gomer (southern Russia) and all its troops; Beth-togarmah (the Caucuses region of Armenia and Georgia) from the remote parts of the north and all its troops–many peoples with you.

Theme

Ezekiel the priest, assures his fellow Jews, through this prophecy, that God will one day return them to Jerusalem and restore the temple.

The Jews were restored to Israel in 1948. The temple is yet to be rebuilt, but that day is drawing near.

Beneath the surface and you’ll find timeless lessons about God and his relationship with you: He’d rather forgive you than judge you. He remains faithful even if you don’t. He can use anything—even something bad—to accomplish his greater good. Ezekiel wrote this book to the Israelites living in exile. They needed to know that the God of Israel was God even in pagan Babylon. Ezekiel warned the people that their idolatry would be judged. Later, after Jerusalem’s destruction, he wrote to encourage them that God would bring them back to Judah and Jerusalem. (excerpt from Biblegateway.com).

Author:  Ezekiel

Timeline:  Between 593–571 BC.

Origina Language:  Hebrew

Audience: Jews who were taken captive to Babylonia in 597 BC.

WHO ARE THE ‘PLAYERS’?

Gog – Gog and Magog appear in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran as individuals, tribes, or lands. In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land; in Genesis 10, Magog is a man and eponymous ancestor of a nation, but no Gog is mentioned; and centuries later Jewish tradition changed Ezekiel’s “Gog from Magog” into “Gog and Magog”.

The Gog prophecy is meant to be fulfilled at the approach of what is called the “end of days“, but not necessarily the end of the world. Jewish eschatology viewed Gog and Magog as enemies to be defeated by the Messiah, which would usher in the age of the Messiah. Christianity‘s interpretation is more starkly apocalyptic: making Gog and Magog, here indicating nations rather than individuals,[3] allies of Satan against God at the end of the millennium, as described in the Book of Revelation. (From Wikipedia).

Meshech, Tubal:  Meshech (also spelled Meshek) and Tubal were sons of Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah who survived the flood with him (Genesis 10:1–2). Meshech (whose name means “long, tall, or drawn out by force”) is the sixth son of Japheth. The land of Meshech is closely associated with that of Tubal, especially in a prophecy of Ezekiel. The region of Meshech is often identified as being north of the Black Sea (southern Russia and Ukraine and possibly the Republic of Georgia), and Tubal as an area in central Turkey.

The land of Meshech is used in Psalm 120:5 as a generic reference to barbarous regions where “those who hate peace” live (verse 6). The lands where Meshech’s and Tubal’s descendants settled figure significantly in some prophecies of Ezekiel, and it is in that book where they are mentioned most. In the prophecy of Ezekiel 38, Meshech and Tubal are ruled by Gog, a prince over those territories: “The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, “Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal”’” (Ezekiel 38:1–3). Ezekiel repeats God’s words of judgment against the descendants of the two sons of Japheth when he prophesies that God will defeat them in a war against Israel (Ezekiel 39:1–5).

Many biblical scholars equate the land of Gog in Ezekiel’s prophecies with Russia, who will attack Israel “from the far north” (Ezekiel 38:15). Meshech and Tubal could be two of the “many nations” joining Russia in their invasion of Israel (verse 6).

The advance of the alliance involving Meshech and Tubal will be like “a cloud covering the land” (Ezekiel 38:9). Some commentators believe this war, often called the Battle of Gog and Magog, will be one of the events leading up to the end-times’ tribulation. Others believe it will occur close to the midpoint of the tribulation, since Israel will feel secure at the time, “dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates” (verse 11).

God will defeat this powerful alliance (Ezekiel 38:22) to reveal His greatness to all the world (verse 23) and restore the people of Israel to a right relationship with Himself (Ezekiel 39:21–29). Meshech and Tubal, despite the strength of their numbers and help of their allies, will fall. (GotQuestions.org)

Cush: The Kingdom of Kush; Assyrian: was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, centered along the Nile Valley in what is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt.

Put – Phut or Put is the third son of Ham (one of the sons of Noah), in the biblical Table of Nations (Genesis 10:6; 1 Chronicles 1:8). The name Put (or Phut) is used in the Bible for Ancient Libya, but a few scholars proposed the Land of Punt known from Ancient Egyptian annals.

Gomer: The Hebrew name Gomer refers to the Cimmerians, who dwelt in what is now southern Russia, “beyond the Caucusus”, and attacked Assyria in the late 7th century BC.

Beth-togarmah: Togarmah is a figure in the “table of nations” in Genesis 10, the list of descendants of Noah that represents the peoples known to the ancient Hebrews. Togarmah is among the descendants of Japheth and is thought to represent some people located in Anatolia. Medieval sources claimed that Togarmah was the legendary ancestor of several peoples of the Caucasus -including Armenians and Georgians.

GOD CAUSES ISRAEL’S ENEMIES TO INVADE

Ezekiel 38:7, “You [Gog] be prepared; prepare yourself, you and all your hordes that are assembled around you, and be a guard and a lookout for them. Verse 8. After many days you will be summoned [for service]; in the latter years you shall come into the land that is restored from [the ravages of] the sword, where people have been gathered out of many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual wasteland; but its people were brought out of the nations, and they are living securely, all of them. 9You will go up [against them], you will come like a storm; you shall be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you.”

GOD DESTROYS THE ENEMIES OF ISRAEL

Ezekiel 38:17. ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you (Gog) against them? Verse 18. It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My wrath will rise and show on My face. Verse 19. In My zeal and in My blazing rage I declare that on that day there will most certainly be a [c]great earthquake in the land of Israel, Verse 20, so that the fishes of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, all the creatures that crawl on the earth, and all the men that are on the face of the earth will tremble and shake at My presence; the mountains will crumble, the steep places will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. Verse 21. I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s (invading soldier’s) sword will be against his brother (ally) [in panic and confusion]. Verse 22. With pestilence and with bloodshed I will enter into judgment with Gog; and I will rain on him torrents of rain with [great] hailstones, fire and brimstone on his hordes and on the many nations that are with him. Verse 23. Thus I shall magnify Myself and demonstrate My greatness and sanctify Myself, and I will be recognized and will make Myself known in the sight of many nations; they will know [without any doubt] that I am the LORD.”’

The Prophecy against Gog – Future Invaders Destroyed

Ezekiel 39:1 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; verse 2, and I will turn you around, lead you on a rope, take you up from the remotest parts of the north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Verse 3. Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows fall from your right hand. Verse 4. You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops, and the peoples who are with you; I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and animal of the field. Verse 5. You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken,” declares the Lord GOD. Verse 6. “And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the LORD.

Verse 7. “And I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not allow My holy name to be profaned anymore. But the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Verse 8. Behold, it is coming and it shall be done,” declares the Lord GOD. “That is the day of which I have spoken.

Verse 9. “Then those who inhabit the cities of Israel will go out and make fires with the weapons and burn them, both bucklers and shields, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears, and for seven years they will make fires of them. Verse 10. They will not take wood from the field or gather firewood from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will take the spoils of those who plundered them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them,” declares the Lord GOD.

Verse 11. “On that day I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block the way of those who would pass by. So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, and they will call it the Valley of Hamon-gog. Verse 12. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. Verse 13. And all the people of the land will bury them; and it will be to their renown on the day that I appear in My glory,” declares the Lord GOD. Verse 14. “They will also select men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will conduct a search. Verse 15. As those who pass through the land pass through and anyone sees a human bone, then he will set up a marker by it until the burial detail has buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. Verse 16. And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land.”’

Verse 17.“Now as for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Say to every kind of bird and to every animal of the field: “Assemble and come, gather from every direction to My sacrifice, which I am going to sacrifice for you as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel; and you will eat flesh and drink blood. Verse 18. You will eat the flesh of warriors and drink the blood of the leaders of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fattened livestock of Bashan. Verse 19. So you will eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk,  from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Verse 20. You will eat your fill at My table with horses and charioteers, with warriors and all the men of war,” declares the Lord GOD.

Verse 21. “And I will place My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. Verse 22. And the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God, from that day onward. Verse 23. The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their wrongdoing, because they were disloyal to Me, and I hid My face from them; so I handed them over to their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword. Verse 24. In accordance with their uncleanness and their offenses I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them.”’”

Future Israel Restored

Verse 25. Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on all the house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name. Verse 26. They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid. Verse 27. When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall show Myself holy through them in the sight of the many nations. Verse 28. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then I gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer. Verse 29. I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD.

NOT YET THE END

Ezekiel was written between 593–571 B.C., about 2,600 years ago and refers to a climatic battle between God and the forces of evil, as recorded in the book of Revelation. The word, “Armageddon” ultimately comes from the Hebrew word Har-Magedone, which means “Mount Megiddo,” the predicted location of the battle.

the Battle of Armageddon will be a real battle in the future, near the end of the tribulation. Demonic influences will cause the kings of the earth to gather their armies for an all-out assault on Jerusalem. The Antichrist will be leading the charge (Revelation 16:13–16). Jesus Christ will return to earth with the armies of heaven (Matthew 25:31; Revelation 19:14); His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4); He will defeat the forces of evil (Revelation 19:15–16); He will cast the Antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20); He will bind Satan; and He will set up His kingdom on earth for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–6). At Armageddon the Lord Jesus Christ “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:19), and all things will be made right.

The placement of the future and final battle of Armageddon, as foretold in the book of Ezekiel and as described in greater detail in the 16th chapter of the Book of the Revelation, will occur after the pouring out of the 7th Tribulation Bowl of Wrath – at the end of the Great Tribulation period.

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT?

We are now, by all accounts and appearances, experiencing the breaking of the 5th Tribulation Seal.

1. There are those who will be martyred during this 5th Seal. (Revelation 6:9-11)

2. The Day of The Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

3. The Day of The Lord will not come until the man of lawlessness is revealed and he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

We are on the precipice of the 6th Triblation Seal. We will mericifully be taken from the earth at or before the end of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal and before the breaking of the 7th Tribulation seal.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?

First, you must be prepared for what is upon you. It is my desire to keep this short and to the point:

.

Secondly, you can take heart. The Lord Jesus will take His Own from the earth to dwell with Him in His Father’s House.  He will wipe away every tear from your eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Here is an excellent video teaching on the History of Ukraine and Russia and Eastern Europe, leading to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia:

More Important Prohetic Events:

THE RETURN OF JESUS AND THE END OF THE AGE

WHEN DOES THE 7 YEARS OF GREAT TRIBULATION BEGIN?

WHEN DID THE TRIBULATION BEGIN?

THE JOURNEY TO PERFECTION

SPEAKING OF ‘REAL FAITH’

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3)

REPEAT:  Hebrews 11:1-3,

 “Now faith is

                         the assurance

                                                    of things hoped for,

                                                                                        the conviction of

                                                                                                                      things not seen.

For by it the people of old received their commendation.

                                                                                             By faith we understand that

the universe was created by the word of God, so that  what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

 Perhaps a Better Translation and a better Version taken from the Amplified Bible version:

Hebrews 11:1-3, “Now faith is the assurance, the absolute certainty, the title deed, a rock-solid confirmation of things hoped for, of things anticipated and expected by divine guarantee; it is proof positive evidence of things not yet seen and the conviction of their reality; the comprehension as fact of  what cannot be first experienced by the physical senses. For by this kind of faith the men of old gained divine approval.

“By faith that comes from an inherent trust, an enduring confidence in the power, wisdom and goodness of God, we understand that the worlds, the universe, the cosmos of all the  ages were framed, formed, created put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose by The Word of God, so that what is now visible was not made out of things which are visible.

THERE ARE FEW WHO POSSES IT

The faith as spoken of in Hebrews 11:1-3 is the necessary and key element for all Christians to live and walk effectively in the Spirit of God. It is the litmus test of a Christian’s maturity. This type of faith is difficult to obtain. It is even more difficult to hold onto. And, the cost of this faith is beyond most people’s ability. “It is more precious than gold, which perishes”.

Tragically, these verses have been misrepresented and misused by preachers around the world, specifically from American pulpits, to mislead and manipulate people. It is a ‘name it and claim it’ methodology.

The worst abusers are found in the Word of Faith movement, and in many Charismatic and Pentecostal churches, with other denominations following suit in varying degrees.

The type of false teaching causes the Bible to be seen and treated as sixty-six disconnected books, each having its own message and chronology. Many, if not most, post-modern Bible teachers and preachers will connect the books though a method called eisegesis, a method by which a person interprets and reads information into Bible text that is not there, to make their own points of interpretation. (This is seen frequently when preachers or pastors need to raise money, start building programs, gain popularity or power or are ignorant and errant in their teaching.

God will hold these unfaithful men and women accountable.

The Purpose of God’s Eternal Plan is not that you act as ‘little gods’ in His place or alongside of Him, (which is from the cult of Mormonism).

 The Purpose of God’s Eternal Plan as taught throughout His Word, is Perfection.  He is maturing and perfecting His people into His image, ultimately to live in Perfect harmony with Him and with one another, in a New and Perfect heaven and earth.

This process of perfecting, also known as sanctification, can be difficult and bewildering, but it has been God’s method as seen throughout the Bible.

This type of faith is difficult to obtain. It is even more difficult to hold onto. And, the cost of this faith is beyond most people’s ability. As the Apostle Peter tells us, “It is more precious that gold, which perishes”.  Please read with me the purpose, the result and the cost of obtaining of this kind of faith:

Hebrews 11:4, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

This faith cost Abel his life, though by his faith he was commended as righteous and is commended by God.

Verse 5. “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken, he was commended as having pleased God.

This faith caused Enoch to be taken away by God, though by this faith he pleased God.

Verse 6. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Verse 7. “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By this faith, Noah condemned the world, though by this faith he saved his household and became an heir of righteousness.

Verse 8. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Verse 9. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. Verse 10For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

By this faith, Abraham went out not knowing where he was going, lived in tents, though by this faith he was looking forward to the city of God.

Verse 11. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

By this faith, Sarah received the power to conceive in her old age, through this faith were born innumerable descendants.

Verse 13. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. Verse 14. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. Verse 15.  If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. Verse 16. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

By this faith all died, no having received the things promised. They were strangers and exiles on earth, though this faith they are called their God and have a city prepared for them.

Verse 17. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, Verse 18, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” Verse 19. He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Verse 20. By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.

Verse 21. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.

Verse 22. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

Verse 23. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

Verse 24. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, Verse 25, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Verse 26. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Verse 27. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. Verse 28. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

Verse 29. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

Verse 30. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

Verse 31. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Verse 32. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — Verse 33, who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Verse 34, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Verse 35. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

Verse 36. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. Verse 37. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— Verse 38, of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Verse 39. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, Verse 40, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

((This kind of faith is a far cry from the self-serving ‘naming and claiming’ heresies practiced today, that rquire no sacrifice and no personal service to God, drawing attention away from God in order to raid the treasuries of heaven. But God is no mocked. You will reap only what you sow.))

The Purpose of God’s Eternal Plan is Perfection.  He is maturing and perfecting His people into His image, ultimately to live in Perfect harmony with Him and with one another, in a New and Perfect heaven and earth.

Each and every chapter, verse and word in the Bible, when viewed within this context of  God’s Eternal Plan of Perfection, begins to make perfect sense.

TIME IS SHORT

The world has entered the final epoch of time, known by various names, such as, “The Last Days”, “The End of The Age” the “Latter Days” and “The Tribulation”, which was marked by the birth of Jesus.  There are reportedly visible and observable signs and ancient writings to help you, if you believe in such things. However, most people either don’t recognize the signs or writings or don’t believe. Even among those who believe these prophecies are coming to pass and see the signs, few know what they are seeing, where they are leading or what to do in response.

It requires faith and endurance to navigate and, to survive these last days. The best description of the purpose, length and, outcome of this end time, also known as the Great Tribulation, (see Matthew 24:21, Revelation 2:22 and Revelation 7:14) or the Wrath of the Lamb, (see Revelation 6:16), is found in

Daniel 12:1,

“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 

Verse 2. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

Verse 3. And those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 

Verse 4. But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”

Verse 5. Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream. Verse 6. And someone said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” Verse 7. And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish smashing the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

Verse 8. But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so, I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” 

Verse 9. And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time.

Verse 10. Many will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but  those who have insight will understand.

Verse 11. And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 

Verse 12. Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days! Verse 13. But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

Please. If you do not understand this message, please talk with me. It is urgent that you have understanding and wisdom regarding these matters.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

WHEN DID THE TRIBULATION BEGIN?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE END OF DAYS CLOCK

ARE WE APPROACHING THE FINAL HOUR?

Please ask yourself these most important questions:

  1. When did the tribulation begin?

  2. When was the 1st tribulation seal broken?

  3.  Where are we in the tribulation seals (one through seven)?

  4.  When do the 7 years of Great Tribulation begin?

  5.  When does the “Great and Terrible Day of The Lord” being, and what is it?

  6.  And, When does the “midpoint” (3.5 years of the final 7 years) occur?

You may have heard or have been taught in certain denominations that these are future events which, if you are a Christian, you will never have to experience. But what if the Bible clearly is saying otherwise? What if Jesus, the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy say otherwise?

This can be a great mystery. But, it should not be. Remove the denominationalism and read the clear face-value teachings of the Bible:

You will read in Matthew 24:3-8, “And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the [b]end of the age?”

“And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.“

The phrase “the beginning of birth pains” is a statement made by Jesus in or around the year AD 30 and is a translation of the Greek archē ōdin (ἀρχή ὠδίν). The meaning of the phrase, translated in the KJV as “the beginning of sorrows” is a direct reference to preliminary birth pangs that ultimately lead to the full scale contractions and travail, which leads to the actual birth.

Recognizing the Old Testament reference that Jesus was hearkening to is an essential, but often overlooked, key to determining the timing of the prophecy. Jesus was pointing his disciples to two key passages from the prophet Isaiah.

The first passage is Isaiah 26, a portion of Scripture found in the middle of what is sometimes referred to as “Isaiah’s little apocalypse”. There, the Lord speaks through Isaiah, specifically contrasting the expectations of the Jewish people regarding deliverance, redemption and physical resurrection with the reality of the pain, suffering and travail that they had corporately experienced. In verses 16-18, the complaint of Israel is raised that despite having endured the great suffering of labor, the expected “birth” of deliverance, redemption and resurrection had not arrived.

This makes clear that the Last Days and the opening of the tribulation Seals began sometime between 2 B.C., and AD 30.  Other references which confirm this date as spoken by Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy, are found in :

(Also see “The 5th Tribulation Seal”)

Here is the Tribulation Timeline, in summary:

Section A.1. The opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began between A.D. 30 and A.D. 69, and perhaps as early as 2 B.C.   Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, up until this day.

We are now standing at the precipice of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal .

Section A.2. With the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal we will see that THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31 & Revelation 6:12-16)

Section A.3. Sometime after the rapture of the church, which occurs at the 6th Seal, the Antichrist enters a treaty with Israel. This begins the seven-year tribulation.

Section A.4. At the midpoint of the tribulation (1,260 days later), the Antichrist breaks the treaty, desecrates the temple, and begins to persecute the Jews.

Section A.5. At the end of the tribulation (1,260 days after the desecration of the temple), Jesus Christ returns to earth and defeats the forces of the Antichrist.

Section A.6. During the next 30 days (leading up to 1,290 days after the desecration of the temple), Israel is rebuilt, and the earth is restored.

Section A.7. During the next 45 days (leading up to 1,335 days after the desecration of the temple), the Gentile nations are judged for their treatment of Israel.

Section A.8. The dispensation of the millennium begins, and it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3, 5–6).

(Below here is a more complete description of the Tribulation Timeline. Concern yourself with the first SIX SEALS.)

Section B.1. The ‘tribulation period of birth pangs‘ (Matthew 24:8 & Revelation 6) begins with the breaking of the 1st Tribulation Seal and continues through the 5th Tribulation Seal, during which time we will see the

    • Apostasy,
    • the great persecution of Christians,
    • the revealing of the man of perdition and
    • the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and her enemies.

The 1st Seal of the tribulation was being broken perhaps sometime just after the birth of Jesus up until just after the death and resurrection of Christ. The succeeding seals (Seals 2 – 5) have been broken at various periods of time sometime since A.D. 1 and that we have now entered a time of the intensification of the 5th Tribulation Seal. Jesus refers to this period, the breaking of the tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE as “the beginning of the birth pangs”, and He points out that “this is not yet the end”.

Section B.2. The breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal , also known as ‘THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD’, or ‘THE GREAT TRIBULATION’, is yet to happen. (Matthew 24:29, & Revelation 6:12)

The 6th Tribulation Seal, as described in Matthew 24 we see in Verse 29. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Verse 30. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

Verse 31. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

Section B.3. The “7 years of Great Tribulation” (aka Daniel’s 70th week) begins with the breaking of the 6th tribulation seal, and, will reach the mid-point of the tribulation period, (after 3.5 years) with the sounding of the 6th Trumpet of the Great Tribulation.

Section B.4. Then, the Great Tribulation will end with the pouring out of the 7 Bowls of Wrath.

 THE TRIBULATION JUDGMENTS LEAD TO THE END OF THE AGE

The world has endured, and is enduring, the first five tribulation seals, and is now experiencing the intensifying of the 5th tribulation seal (which will include the appearing of the Antichrist, martyrdom of Christians, the great falling away from the faith,).

You should concern yourself with preparation and the immediacy of the breaking of the Tribulation 6th Seal and the Great and Terrible day of the Lord!

Here is a Short outline comparing Jesus’ account of the Tribulation period both in the Book of Revelation and in the Book of Matthew:

Revelation Chapter 6 – as corresponding to – Matthew Chapter 24

the 1st Tribulation Seal  –  Global conquest and political intrigue

the 2nd Tribulation Seal –  Wars and Rumors of War

the 3rd Tribulation Seal  –  Famine

the 4th Tribulation Seal  –  Death

the 5th Tribulation Seal  –  Martyrs, persecution, Anti-Christ, falling away

The Opening of the 6th Tribulation Seal is The BEGINNING OF the 7 years

“THE GREAT TRIBULATION”

the 6th Tribulation Seal  –  Cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun

  • Sealing of the 144,000

  • The Rapture

  • Multitude from the tribulation before the Throne of God

I will continue through the ‘Bowl Judgments’ in part 2 of this article, but, for the Christian, The Rapture will have occurred by this point and Jesus has taken His Spotless Bride, The Church, to the Throne of God, Her eternal home.

Be Sure. Be Ready. Be Secure.

Receive Him and Declare Him as Lord Today
Become a Child of God Today

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and surrender my heart and my life to you.  I will trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior the rest of my days.

Eternally In His Grip – Your Brother and Friend

Mike Young

PS: Please don’t be confused or deceived by denominationalism. Trust the Bible.The Pre-Wrath-Tribulation view says that (#1). The first tribulation judgement seals were broken (opened) at or just after the birth of Jesus, and (#2). Tribulation seals ONE through FIVE have been opened sequentially, progressively, overlapping, and the effects have been intensifying to this date. 

The SIXTH tribulation seal is still a future event, at which time and Matthew 24, verse 29 “immediately after the tribulation of the previous days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Verse 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. Verse 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His [c] elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

The 7th Tribulation Seal – (click to continue) – The announcement of the 7 Trumpet Judgments.

IS THIS THE END?

16 of the best articles on “Clues pointing to the Last Days, the Beginning of the Days of Distress, Birth Pangs and the Beginning of the Tribulation and the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”.

 

THE END IS NEAR – Or is it? (Part 3)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Where are we now, on the Eschatological Clock?

This can be a great mystery. But it need not be.  Here is the Tribulation Timeline, in summary:

Section A.1. The opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began between AD 1 and AD 70, and perhaps as early as 2 B.C.   Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, up until this day. We are now standing at the precipice of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal .

Section A.2. With the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal we will see that THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31 & Revelation 6:12-16)

Section A.3. Sometime after the rapture of the church, which occurs at the 6th Seal, the Antichrist enters a treaty with Israel. This begins Daniel’s Seventieth Week, also known as the Seven-Year Tribulation.

Section A.4. At the midpoint of the tribulation (1,260 days later, which occurs at the 6th Tribulation Trumpet), the Antichrist breaks the treaty, desecrates the temple, and begins to persecute the Jews.

Section A.5. At the end of the tribulation (1,260 days after the desecration of the temple), Jesus Christ returns to earth and defeats the forces of the Antichrist.

Section A.6. During the next 30 days (leading up to 1,290 days after the desecration of the temple), Israel is rebuilt, and the earth is restored.

Section A.7. During the next 45 days (leading up to 1,335 days after the desecration of the temple), the Gentile nations are judged for their treatment of Israel.

Section A.8. The dispensation of the millennium begins, and it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3, 5–6).

Below here is a more complete description of the Tribulation Timeline. Concern yourself with the first SIX SEALS.

First, notice that the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy refer to the “Last Days” in a time frame that began as early as 2 or 3 B.C. (the birth of Christ Jesus) or as late as 69 A.D. This is a clear indication that the Last Days and the first 5 Tribulation Seals were in the process of being broken (opened) during that time.

NOTE: When a Tribulation Seal is broken, (opened), the events it triggers continue to occur, overlap and intensify until the Great Tribulation period begins – which marks the final 7 years of the Tribulation, also known as Daniel’s 70th Week or the Days of the Wrath).

TO WIT:

Hebrews 1:2,  “In these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world”. (The Apostle Paul).

Hebrews 9:26,  “For then He, (Jesus) would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He, (Jesus), has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself”.

* Hebrews, written around AD 60.

Acts 2:14-17,  “But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15“For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; 16but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel”:

‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,
‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;

*Acts written around AD 60. (The Apostle Peter).

2 Timothy 3:1-4,  “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these”.

*2 Timothy, written around AD 60. (The Apostle Timothy).

1 Peter 1:20, “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you”.

1 Peter 4:7, 8, 9 “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling”.

*1 Peter, written around AD 60.

2 Peter 3:3. “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?”

* 2 Peter was written around AD 68.

(There is also a good teaching video by Pastor and teacher John Piper on this subject:)

REPEAT: When a Tribulation Seal is broken, (opened), the events it triggers continue to occur, overlap and intensify until the Great Tribulation period begins – which marks the final 7 years of the Tribulation, also known as Daniel’s 70th Week or the Days of the Wrath).

Conclusion: The “Last Days” began with the 1st Advent of Christ.

Section B.1. The ‘tribulation period of birth pangs‘ (Matthew 24:8 & Revelation 6) begins with the breaking of the 1st Tribulation Seal and continues through the 5th Tribulation Seal, during which time we will see the

    • Apostasy,
    • the great persecution of Christians,
    • the revealing of the man of perdition and
    • the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and her enemies.

The 1st Seal of the tribulation was being broken just after the death and resurrection of Christ and the succeeding seals (Seals 2 – 5) have been broken at various periods of time since A.D. 1 and that we have now entered the time of the breaking 5th Tribulation Seal. Jesus refers to this period, the breaking of the tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE as “the beginning of the birth pangs”, and He points out that “this is not yet the end”.

Section B.2. Then, with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal , THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD, THE GREAT TRIBULATION, BEGINS. (Matthew 24:29, & Revelation 6:12)

As witnessed by, Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Verse 30. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. Verse 31. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

Section B.3. The “7 years of Great Tribulation” (aka Daniel’s 70th week) begins with the breaking of the 6th tribulation seal, and, will reach the mid-point of the tribulation period, (after 3.5 years) with the sounding of the 6th Trumpet of the Great Tribulation.

Section B.4. Then, the Great Tribulation will end with the pouring out of the 7 Bowls of Wrath.

 – THE TRIBULATION JUDGMENTS LEAD TO THE END OF THE AGE –

The world has endured, and is enduring, the first 4 tribulation seals, and is now experiencing the beginning of the 5th tribulation seal.  Concern yourself with being ready before the breaking of the Tribulation 6th Seal and the Great and Terrible day of the Lord!

Here is a Short outline comparing Jesus’ account of the Tribulation period both in the Book of Revelation and in the Book of Matthew:

Revelation Ch. 6 – as corresponding to – Matthew Chapter 24

the 1st Tribulation Seal  –  Global conquest and political intrigue  (Continuing since A.D. 1, intensifying, overlapping other Seals.)

the 2nd Tribulation Seal –  Wars and Rumors of War (Continuing since A.D. 1, intensifying, overlapping other Seals.)

the 3rd Tribulation Seal  –  Famine (Continuing since A.D. 1, intensifying, overlapping other Seals.)

the 4th Tribulation Seal  –  Death (Continuing since A.D. 1, intensifying, overlapping other Seals.)

the 5th Tribulation Seal  –  Martyrs, persecution, Anti-Christ, falling away (Continuing since A.D. 1, intensifying, overlapping other Seals.)

The 6th Tribulation Seal is The BEGINNING OF the final 7 years of Tribulation. (This Seal has NOT been broken yet. It is the beginning of “THE GREAT TRIBULATION, a.k.a., “Daniel’s 70th Week”, “The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”, “The Wrath of the Lamb” and marks the beginning of the final 7 years of Great Tribulation).

The 6th Tribulation Seal  –  Cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun.

Followed quickly by:

  • Sealing of the 144,000
  • The Rapture (Revelation 7) – (corresponds with Matthew 24:29-31)
      • *It is at this time that all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise “in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” The origin of the term extends from Paul the Apostle’s First Epistle to the Thessalonians in the Bible, in which he uses the Greek word ‘harpazo’, meaning “to snatch away” or “to seize,” and explains that believers in Jesus Christ would be snatched away from earth into the air and ushered before the Throne of God. All others are stranded on earth to face the God’s judgment during the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, which will extend through 7 Trumpet Judgments and 7 Bowl Judgments.
  • Multitude from the tribulation before the Throne of God

NEXT:  Part 4 – The 7 Trumpet Judgments.

PREVIOUS:  Part 2 – Daniel’s 70 Weeks.

THE CULTURAL WAR IS OVER IN AMERICA

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

AND WE HAVE LOST

The Socialist-Globalist movement has won the cultural war

They now hold the political high ground

(what this means to you and to me).

I will make this very simple. If you want more detail, I will provide links to detailed articles and essays.

Communists through Socialism, over the last 75+ years, have infiltrated every American institution and every aspect of American life, indoctrinating our youth, ‘dumbing-down’, corrupting and perverting our educational systems, our systems of justice, our religious institutions and have destroyed the nuclear family unit. They have convinced half the populace that whatever is right in your own eyes, is valid and fair and any other view is racist, misogynist, sexists, fascist, unfair and undemocratic. They have set Americans one-against-another. We are a country divided and easily conquered from within. Simple.

The Socialists-Communist-Globalist movement is primarily made up of and run by the United Nations through U.N.E.S.C.O., the World Economic Forum, using the Agenda 2030 as the blueprint for a Socialist Utopia.

A brief snapshot of the goals of The Socialists-Communist-Globalist movement, as presented by the public relations arm of U.N.E.S.C.O., the World Economic Forum is shown in this short video:

What they promise is found here: Agenda 2030

What they are delivering is shown here: Venezuela, Cuba, China, etc.

How could we have seen this coming? This question, if answered in detail, would be too lengthy and subject to fact and conjecture. If you choose, you can research further on your own.

Here is the bottom-line:  Bible prophecy has warned and foretold of the events that have continued to unfold to this day – with uncanny accuracy and frightening detail.

Since our source is the Bible, most people will not be willing to read it and are even less willing to believe it, although the facts and data is there. So, they lament and succumb.

Here are a few brief articles on this matter:

A Timeline and Chronology of the End Days

Globalism and The Tower of Babel

The Socialist Utopia

Here is a complete outline and guide:

*GOD’S PLAN FOR PERFECTION – Prophecy, World History and the Tribulation

What can we do about it now? There is nothing that can be done to thwart God’s plan for humankind and His creation. Does this mean we, too, are finished? Does it mean we should fold our hands, hang our head and go to oblivion? No, it does not. Hold your head high and let your spirit soar in expectation of a victorious end. God’s plan is for “perfection”. He is completing His plan for all His creation, for you and me and all who believe and follow Christ Jesus.

What we are seeing in this world of chaos and destruction is actually just a small skirmish in a greater war. The greatest of all battles is yet to be fought, and it will be waged by Jesus, Himself, The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! He will vanquish the Beast and the false prophet and cast them into an eternal lake of fire.

God will then create a new heaven and a new earth, without sin, without sickness or death. A place of perfection, in His presence for all eternity.

First, however, you should know that in the beginning, God created man and woman with a flaw which led to sin and death. But He also created a solution to that flaw through a Savior – Jesus Christ.

You should know that God gave each of us a free will and the power of choice. The choice, as found in Deuteronomy, is between life and happiness or death and adversity, both now and for all eternity.

Everything has gone exactly according to God’s Plan to this point, so you have every reason to know He will complete that which He has begun!

It would be best to understand God’s Plan, and align yourself with His Plan –  and live. (*GOD’S PLAN FOR PERFECTION – Prophecy, World History and the Tribulation).

The conclusion of this age with be both terrifying and glorious. You, I and every other person who has ever been on this planet will have experienced or will experience parts of God’s plan, while alive on this earth, and will experience the conclusion of His Grand Design, whether you are alive or if you have been ‘asleep’ (dead) and brought back to life for God’s Great White Throne Judgment.

Natural World History has paralleled and reflected Biblical and Prophetic History. These two views of history began to visibly converge around 1 B.C. and will collide in a violent end at the Consummation of this Age.

So, know ahead of time that these troubled times and this age of tribulation is for our good as God readies us for perfection, to inherit His Kingdom and to live with Him and one another in that perfection – forever!

In the meantime, do not make politics, money, wealth, medicine, knowledge, position or any other earthly thing your hope or your salvation. These things may be useful at times, but it is God, through His Son, Jesus, Who will save you. Endure to the end in that Hope, and you will be saved!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Charlie Kirk on the Global-Marxist Takeover of America

LINK TO:  41 Articles and essays on The Socialist-Marxist-Communist takeover of America and the world; The emergent One World Government Orchestrated from the U.N. by U.N.E.S.C.O. and the World Economic Forum, by way of Agenda-21 and Agenda 2030.