What on Earth is Happening?

You have most probably come to this page for one of two reasons:

1. You’re curious about God and want to find out what on Earth is happening by obtaining more information, as you can see that the world is getting worse and worse each year, and that there is no hope of finding a solution via politicians or any other person for that matter.

2. Millions of people have vanished from the earth and there is widespread panic, and you’re here trying to find answers in order to survive the terrors and destruction.

Booking.com

I sincerely hope number 1 applies to you, as the people who are left behind after the rapture are going to have to endure seven years of tribulation – a time of global suffering and destruction that has never been seen on the earth before. These seven years of tribulation are described in the book of Revelation, chapters 6-19, where we see 21 judgments from God on a rebellious world, where many people will still refuse to repent and will instead raise their fists to Heaven and curse God! (These 21 judgments are the 7 seal, 7 trumpet and 7 bowl judgments - they are literal judgments and not allegorical!)

But even if number 2 applies to you there is still hope, as many people will be saved during the tribulation period. These will be the tribulation saints / martyrs.

Where do we get our answers from?

I have been a Christian since 2006 and have been blessed to attend Bible-believing, Bible-preaching, churches and even so, I had many questions about what’s happening in the world. The problem is that most churches don’t preach or teach end-times / prophecy sermons and this is generally because Bible prophecy isn’t taught in most seminaries. 

Brent Miller, Jr. of Ingenuity Films made the new Rapture-themed film production, Before the Wrath, did research that tapped into Lifeway Research, which revealed that 98% of the church will not teach on anything end-time related. Both eschatology and Israel are marginalized. You read that right: 98%!

Thanks to a small group of dear people at my Church, I found a few legitimate prophecy teachers on YouTube from whom to get most of my answers, and I'll list them later with links to their websites and/or videos.    

So, most of today’s evangelical preachers don’t preach on Bible prophecy yet approximately one third of the Bible is prophecy! This is because God wants us to know that He is the true and living God and it is His wish that none perish, hence He provides many warnings before He judges and punishes. Remember that Bible prophecy is to prepare and not to scare!

·         God warned the people on earth for 400 years before bringing the flood that wiped out every creature, except Noah and his family and two of every animal.

·         God warned the northern kingdom of Israel before sending the Assyrians to take them captive.

·         God warned the southern kingdom before sending the Babylonians to take them captive.

·         God is still warning us today through the Bible and current events. Remember that God always warns before He judges – just think of all the recent earthquakes, tsunamis, locust swarms, volcano eruptions, fires, droughts Coronavirus (Covid-19), wars and pending economic collapse. God is trying to get our attention! People mocked God back then and did not listen – as many are doing today – please don’t be one of them. 

So far, none of the Bible prophecies have proven to be false and have all been fulfilled to the smallest detail. Here are some of them:

 ·         The four world empires are spelt out in detail in Daniel 2; Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. This was written 400 years before the Babylonian empire was born! The revived Roman empire still exists today in the form of the Roman Catholic church and is very powerful and wealthy.

·         There are over 300 Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled through His life, death and resurrection, written hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth.

·         Israel would again become a nation as it did on 14th May 1948. This was predicted in a few Bible verses such as Ezekiel 37:10-14, Isaiah 66:7-8 and Amos 9:14-15

"Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children". - yes, Israel was born in just 1 day to fulfill scripture!

·         The Bible also predicted that the reborn Israel would be supernaturally powerful – Leviticus 26:3 7-8. Look at the wars the reborn Israel has fought, such as the ones in 1948, 1953, 1967 and 1973 – neighboring countries with a combined population of over 20 million fought Israel, which had around 1 million people and far fewer tanks, planes and soldiers - yet Israel won each war decisively!  

So, what’s the significance of Israel becoming a nation for the second time (and in just one day!)? Well, against all odds this event occurred. The Jews were dispersed all over the world – hated and persecuted - yet God has preserved the Jews. This is a miracle – a miracle that is even greater than God bringing the Israelites out of Egypt:          

In the new testament, Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 24:34“Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened”. According to many Bible prophecy preachers (Amir Tsarfati, Billy Crone, Jack Kelley, Jan Markell, Jack Hibbs, JD Farag, John Barnett, Skip Heitzig, etc.) “this generation” refers to the current generation, born after Israel’s rebirth in 1948, as Jesus was talking future times.

Skip Heitzig at Calvary Church has a series of messages called The End is Near?, which is worth your time to watch.

“All these things” refer to the warning signs leading up to the rapture, 7-year tribulation and Jesus’ second coming.

A ‘generation’ is probably 70-80 years - Psalm 90:10 – “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures”.

Many of the generation that was born when Israel became a nation in 1948 are still living today so we know that the rapture could be very soon. 

CJ Lovik update - August 2023

CJ Lovik of RockIsland Books, after studying the sabbatical cycles, is suggesting a rapture no later than the Year of Jubilee that ends on the day of atonement on Tishri 10 2024 (October 12th, 2024). 

God has appointed man to self-govern for 6000 years 3970 to 2031) and not 5999 years. In computing time, there is no zero year, 1 BC was followed by 1 AD.

This 7,000 year calendar is now being published in order to comfort those who are anxiously waiting for the Blessed hope and warning those who mock God and hate his son.

7000-year sabbatical timeline

God is merciful and provides many, many warnings before He judges so I think He may wait until the very last moment (October 2024) before He raptures His Church and then begins to pour out His wrath on the people who are left behind. It will be a terrible seven years of horror and suffering.

The globalists have their 2030 agenda and the tribulation lasts for 7 years so 2024 for the rapture is a real possibility!

Christians will not go through the tribulation as Jesus is not going to beat up His bride - the purpose of the tribulation is to punish those who hate God and to encourage the Jews (and other people who are left behind and can see through the Antichrist) to accept Jesus as their Messiah. 

The rapture will remove all Christians from the earth, which will open the door for the Antichrist to come to power. If the rapture does occur in 2024, the tribulation may start immediately or months or even years later, the Bible does not say. 

With all true Christians gone, there will be chaos on earth and the elites will most probably blame aliens (there have been a lot of UFO sightings to lend this theory some credibility) or they will blame climate change. Either one will panic the people who are left!

Remember, God tends to work in sevens and this is an estimated timeline from the beginning or recorded time:

From Adam sinning to Abraham was 2000 years. These are the years of the Gentiles.

From Abraham to Jesus' death was 2000 years. These are the years that God focused on the Jews, His chosen people.

From Jesus' death to Jesus' second coming is 2000 years. These are the Church years - the years of grace. 

It's estimated that Jesus was crucified between AD28 and AD33 with AD30 being the more popular choice. If AD30 is correct, then 2030 is exactly 2000 years.

AD30 is the most realistic date for Christ's death as, according to both the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud, all the miracles in the Temple stopped in AD30. (I explain this further in the Q&A section below).

I sure do hope AD30 is the correct year of Jesus' death and resurrection beacuse that means we Christians are going to be 'caught up' very soon - Maranatha!

This short video provides research that shows AD30 is highly likely as the crucifiction year...

Sir Robert Anderson

The Coming Prince, written by Sir Robert Anderson in 1894, provides another option of the timing of God’s dealing with Israel during a final 490 year period. 

According to Anderson's detailed calculations, Jesus Christ was crucified in AD 32.

The period began with the issuing of a decree, in 445 BC by Artaxerxes Longimanus, to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:5). The period will end with the return of Jesus.  However, after 483 years, there will be an interruption that will last 2,000+ years, plus a seven-year period known as the Tribulation, or the Seventieth Week of Daniel.

Anderson, in his book, provides the exact number of days from the decree of Artaxerxes to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which was prophesied in Daniel 9.  The following is an excerpt from the book,

From The Coming Prince

The Julian date of that 10th Nisan was Sunday the 6th April, A.D. 32. What then was the length of the period intervening between the issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the public advent of “Messiah the Prince,” – between the 14th of March, B.C. 445, and the 6th April, A.D.32?

THE INTERVAL CONTAINED EXACTLY AND TO THE VERY DAY 173880 DAYS, OR SEVEN TIMES SIXTY-NINE PROPHETIC YEARS OF 360 DAYS, the first sixty-nine weeks of Gabriel’s prophecy.

  • The 1st Nisan in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes (the edict to rebuild Jerusalem) was 14th March, B. C. 445.
    The 10th Nisan in Passion Week (Christ’s entry into Jerusalem) was 6th April, A.D.32.
    And the intervening period was 476 years and 24 days (the days being reckoned inclusively, as required by the language of the prophecy, and in accordance with the Jewish practice).

Calculation of Days

476 x 365= 173,740 days
Add (14 March to 6th April, both inclusive) 24 days
Add for leap years 116 days
Equals a total of 173,880 days
And 69 weeks of prophetic years of 360 days (or 69 x 7 x 360) 173, 880 days.

It may be well to offer here two explanatory remarks.

First; in reckoning years from B. C. to A. D., one year must always be omitted; for it is obvious, ex. gr., that from B. C. 1 to A. D. I was not two years, but one year. B. C. 1 ought to be described as B. C. 0, and it is so reckoned by astronomers, who would describe the historical date B. C. 445, as 444.

And secondly, the Julian year is 11m. 10 46s., or about the 129th part of a day, longer than ‘the mean solar year. The Julian calendar, therefore, contains three leap years too many in four centuries, an error which had amounted to eleven days in A. D. 17527 when our English calendar was corrected by declaring the 3rd September to be the 14th September, and by introducing the Gregorian reform which reckons three secular years out of four as common years; ex. gr., 1700, 1800, and 1900 are common years, and 2000 is a leap year. 

“Old Christmas day” is still marked in our calendars, and observed in some localities, on the 6th of January; and to this day the calendar remains uncorrected in Russia. [for more refer to Appendix 4, p. 306 note 8 in the book The Coming Prince]

Precise to the Day

Daniel’s prophecy of the triumphal entry of Israel’s Messiah was precise to the day.  Anderson’s thorough research and clear documentation support the accuracy of God’s Word and His faithfulness to do as He said He would do in the exact timing that He said it would happen.

The same will be true of prophecies yet-to-be fulfilled.  They will happen exactly as spoken, with the same precision of fulfilment as the Daniel 9 prophecy.  Sadly, looking forward things are never as clearly seen as they are when looking backward.  

But we can be confident because it’s not on our vision that the future “hangs.”  It is on the vision of the One who is omniscient, knowing all things, and sees all things from the beginning of time to the end of the world as we know it and eternity future.  In Him we trust! 

Whether Jesus was crucified in AD 30 or AD32, the rapture could happen at any moment. 

At the end of the day, time is short! We are not saying He will come on October 12th 2024 - the Father could send Jesus to fetch His bride anytime between today and October 2024, or even after October 2024 - we do not know God's exact timing, but we can surely see that we are in the season. The 2000 years of Church history are nearly up.

If you have not repented and turned to Jesus, do so now!

Some people have quoted Matthew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father only”. Yes, we are not to know the day or hour, so whenever you hear modern-day ‘prophets’ predicting the Rapture or Armageddon will occur on a blood moon or on a certain date, know that it will not happen on that day! 

Some of the more notable false predictions are those of Charles Taze Russel, the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who predicted the return of Jesus in 1874 and then Armageddon in October 1914.

Harold Camping predicted the rapture would occur on 6 September 1994 then revised the date a few times, through to May 21st, 2011. 

David Meade predicted the end of the world on 23rd September 2017, as well as a few other dates as well! The Bible never gets things wrong (it is God’s word after all) – false prophets do get predictions wrong (and their blind sheep still follow them).

As a result, Christianity tends to be discredited by these false prophets as they base their predictions on twisting what the Bible says – just what Satan wants! But we also have a responsibility to confirm in our Bibles what these people are telling us – as the Bereans did in the Bible!  

And remember, Jesus was referring to ‘the day of the Lord’, which is His 2nd coming – coming back to earth to judge the non-believers – not the rapture where He meets His people in the air so that they may not endure the wrath to come.

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:36

All of the Church will be saved from the tribulation period. ‘Church’ refers to the true followers of Jesus – not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ will be saved, as there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing who profess to follow Jesus, but they are preying on people to get their money.

So, we cannot know the day nor hour, but we can know the times and the seasons as Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 5:1, “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”

In verse 4, he goes on to say, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief.” Paul is telling us specifically that we will know the times and the seasons - if we are watching we will see the day coming.

Jesus never rebuked His disciples for asking "when will these things happen", but He did rebuke the religious people of His day for not being able to read the signs of the times:

“Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red;’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times!” Matthew 16:1-3

God has maybe allowed this Coronavirus pandemic to occur in order to encourage those stubborn people to turn to Him. When things are going well most people don't feel they need God, but when things go wrong, God is either blamed for the bad things or people repent and turn to Him.

Conclusion

At the beginning of this page we mentioned some of the signs that we are seeing such as the locust swarms, adverse weather patterns, plagues, like the Coronavirus, etc., but the convergence of these signs is the main indicator of the end times (Matt. 24:33).

There have always been wars and rumors of wars, tsunamis, volcano eruptions and so on, but for the first time in history all these things are happening together, as Jesus said they would.

He likened them to a pregnant woman "All these are but the beginning of the birth pains" (Matt. 24:8). At the beginning of her pregnancy the pains are mild and far apart but as she gets closer to giving birth the pain and frequency increases, just like we have been seeing with these recent signs.

Most non-believers in Jesus Christ are very concerned about this Covid-19 'pandemic' and are trying to figure out how to just survive. As Christians, we are not anxious about these world events - we are actually joyful, as this convergence of signs tells us our King is coming for us very soon to take us away from this corrupt Earth and to our new homes in Heaven.

"When all these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28). 

Our joyfulness is actually bitter-sweet as we are filled with joy to be going home, but so sad for those that will be left behind.

If you are not saved, this may be your last chance to repent before the rapture and tribulation. Salvation is a gift that God offers us - all we need to do is accept the gift and it's as easy as ABC:

A=Admit You're a sinner (Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God")

B=Believe Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day (Romans 10:9-10: "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved")

C=Call on Jesus (Romans 10:13: "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved")



What on Earth is Happening: Q&A

What follows are questions that have been posed to me when I speak to people about the Gospel and Bible prophecy, and you may have the same questions. 

Q: Why are so many Christians confused when it comes to Bible prophecy?

A: Besides pastors not preaching on end times there are many pastors who teach 'replacement theology', which tends to be the main cause. These preachers have replaced Israel with the Church so they are trying to reconcile promises made about Israel to the Church and that’s why so many people are confused. Replacing Israel with the Church doesn’t make sense, as God made numerous promises to Israel that He would preserve Israel and that they are the apple of His eye. God does not go back on His word.

Let’s look at the Bible in four stages:

Stage one: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Adam and Eve were the first two humans created and they populated the earth with many sons and daughters. From creation until Abraham was about 2000 years.

Stage two: God had chosen the nation of Israel, through Abraham, to be His people through whom He would bless the earth and through whom He would get the glory. Israel was to be salt and light for the world and for other nations to be drawn to Him through His people, the Jews. Jesus came as the promised Messiah, to be the final sacrifice for the sins of the nation, but Israel were disobedient, rebellious and rejected Him. So, in the second stage (from Abraham to the Cross, another 2000 years), God focused His attention on Israel, but they rejected Him and His offer of salvation.

Stage three is God offering His gift of salvation to the rest of us, the Gentiles, and many gentiles, and some Jews, became Christians. This is known as the Church age or ‘times of the gentiles’ and is from the day of Pentecost, where the disciples received the Holy Spirit (Acts 28:28), until the rapture - 2000 years. This is focusing on the gentiles in the period of Grace, but God’s patience will run out! Once the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25), once the last person (whom God has chosen to be saved - the doctine of election) has been saved, will end the 'time of the gentiles' and the rapture will occur.

Stage four is from after the rapture and includes the seven-year tribulation where God refocuses on His people, the Jews and will save many Jews, and also Gentiles, during the tribulation period. Then Christ will return in the second-coming, as the Lion of Judah, where he will defeat His enemies, judge the lost and rule in the millennial kingdom. 

The millennium will be a time of peace where even "the leopard will lie down with young goats". All enmity among men, among animals and among men and animals will disappear. 

This period is 1000 years, so in total we’re looking at 7000 years from creation to the end of the millennium. God tends to work in sevens, as 7 is the number of completion, so this is very plausible.  

You can read more on this timing at Full Bible Timeline or at the easier to understand Bible Timeline from Houston Baptist University.

Q: Why will Jesus come back now when He's been promising to do this for the past 2000 years?

I was discussing end-times prophecy with a colleague who is a Christian and she said, “I don’t think the rapture will be in my lifetime”. When I asked her on what she based this, her answer was “I’m still young and have my life to live, plus things are not changing that much”.

There is a lot of information in such a short answer! If you are not right with God then you won’t want the rapture to happen, not so? Many people want to ‘live life’, i.e. get drunk, fornicate, steal, lie etc. and once they have ‘enjoyed’ this, then they will turn to ‘boring’ God who will save them from the wrath to come.

We see these artist drawings of angels sitting on a cloud in Heaven playing a harp while looking miserable. That is another of Satan’s lies. The Bible tells us that Heaven and God's wisdom will be so fantastic that we cannot even imagine what it will be like:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

If a person is spiritually dead, they will be blind to the signs, as the people were in the days of Noah. They will not be able to discern the times and will think that nothing has changed in hundreds or thousands of years so why should it change now!? I guess the mockers who lived at the time of the great flood also thought this – until the rains started to fall, but then it was too late.     

For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark., And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:38-39

Peter said in the last days people will mock and ridicule those who look forward to the Second Coming. They’ll say something along the lines of, “Oh Jesus promised to come back, did He? Christians have said that for almost 2,000 years now. Yet things are the same today as they’ve been for thousands of years” (2 Peter 3:3-4). Again, for years now, I've heard people say something similar. And I’ll bet you’ve heard people say something similar too?

And of course, we hear this same argument used in regard to Armageddon as well. It makes sense because Armageddon and the Second Coming of Jesus are linked together. The argument usually goes something like this, "The end of the world? People have been saying that for centuries, but it hasn't happened yet. The world goes on the same as always."

Unfortunately, I hear this repeated over and over again. But think about how absurd it is. How is today the same as it’s been for thousands of years? The exact opposite is true. Today is unlike any other time in human history, and no other generation has been more likely to witness Armageddon and the Second Coming.

Britt Gillette, in his book Signs of the Second Coming, states the following

For thousands of years, man could travel no faster than a horse could carry him. This remained true from the Garden of Eden until the 19th Century. That’s a long time! Yet, in the short span of a century and a half, we’ve upgraded to automobiles that go from zero to 60 mph in a matter of seconds. We’ve gone from men publicly proclaiming manned flight is impossible to jet airplanes traveling several times the speed of sound. Does all this make you think the world is “the same now as it’s always been”?

 Think about the technology that’s probably within ten feet of you right now. For example, you’re most likely reading this book on a phone, tablet, or ereader. Each of those devices has the capability to store thousands of books – the equivalent of a small library one hundred years ago. And such devices are affordable to almost everyone. Compare that to a two thousand book home library a century ago. Only the rich could afford such luxury.

And this revolution isn't confined to books. It’s the same with music. Mozart lived less than 250 years ago. Kings, queens, and the wealthy elite commissioned him to create original scores and entertain them with his musical abilities. Then they paid entire orchestras to gather together and perform for them.

Today? You carry around more music on your iPod than they likely ever heard in a lifetime. And you can play it on demand whenever you want. Look at how warfare has changed. For centuries, battles consisted of hand-to-hand combat. Warriors used shields, swords, spears, and daggers. Sometimes they used horses, catapults, and gunpowder. As warfare evolved over the course of centuries, very little changed in terms of how much damage a single weapon could inflict.

 The 20th Century changed all of that. World War I introduced new rapid fire weapons, TNT, and chemical weapons. These led to the mass slaughter of armies. And World War II? World War II brought gas chambers and systematic genocide on a mass scale. It also gave us the atomic bomb – a single weapon capable of destroying an entire city. And today?

Today, we have drones flying high above the battlefield. They kill enemy combatants who often don’t even know they’re being targeted. Still think “things are the same as they’ve always been?” I don’t.

After thousands of years in which human travel options basically stayed the same, we went from the Wright Brothers to men on the moon in less than seven decades. After thousands of years of slow and incremental innovations in warfare, human beings are now capable of killing every person on the planet.

It’s clear to any reasonable person the past two centuries, and the past few decades in particular, stand in stark contrast to all previous human history. It’s not a debate. It’s a fact.

Also, Israel has to be a nation for Jesus (the kingdom of God) to come... 

And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." - Luke 21 29-33

Israel is likened to the fig tree in the Bible and when the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus cursed the fig tree. The Romans then destroyed Jerusalem in AD70 and Israel has not been a nation since then - until it blossomed in 1948. We are 'this generation'!

And keep in mind that the Bible says, But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, 2 Peter 3:8. 

Two days is pretty quick I would say.

Q: Why are the Jews so special?

My colleague also said that she didn’t like the fact that the Jews were seen as ‘special’ and better than other people. They are special, not because they are better than anyone else, but because God chose a small, weak people to show His power, mercy and grace through. If the Jews and nation of Israel accomplish major things, then God gets the glory and not them, and that’s how God wants it.

Yes, some proud and arrogant Jews also think they are a special people based on their or Abraham’s merit and that God owes them blessings. This is not the case, as God has been punishing the Jews for their unbelief and lack of obedience for thousands of years (just think of the Assyrian captivity, Babylonian captivity, Rome destroying Jerusalem, and more recently, the holocaust where over 6 million Jews were exterminated by the Nazis!).

The world hates the Jews, and Christians, as these are God’s people and Jesus said that the world will also hate us as it hated Him, so please don’t expect the world to embrace you if you are a true Christian or a Jew. (Satan hates what God loves).

God has told us through His Word that Jesus is the only way to Him, and all other ways (religions) are lies.

In John 14:16 Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me”.

There are many religions that are based on ‘Jesus Christ’ (Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Roman Catholicism, the many Charismatic (prosperity) churches, and so on) yet Jesus warned in Matthew 24:24 “For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders, so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”.      

And what’s worse is that many people still follow these false ‘prophets’ who contradict the Bible and make false prophecies as the people simply want their ears tickled. A friend of ours joined a church that states Jesus Christ’s death did not atone for our sin; salvation comes by practicing what you believe, whatever religion it might be, and many other heresies. When we asked the person why they chose this church the sad answer was “It suits my lifestyle and fits in with my beliefs”. That’s how many people are – they don’t seek the truth; they are looking for a religion that suits their lifestyles. Remember that Jesus said "You must be born again"!

Our old lifestyles need to change - we need to take off the old man and put on the new man. It's not enough to simply beleive that Jesus exists because even the demons believe, and shudder. We need to bear the fruit of salvation - the fruit of the spirit will manifest in a believer's life through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. 

It’s also not enough to believe in a Jesus – you need to believe in the true Jesus – not Jesus who is Satan’s brother, Jesus who is just an angel, Jesus who is just a prophet etc. For you to be saved, you need to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh who died for your sins and was resurrected on the third day and now sits at the Father’s right hand - otherwise how has God forgiven your sins? And this salvation is a free gift - you do not have to earn it, just receive it in repentance and faith.  

God is Holy and requires a perfect sacrifice. If Jesus is just a prophet or angel, then he was not perfect – the true Jesus is God in the flesh – perfect and holy. And that’s who we must put our trust in for our salvation. 

Q: The word 'Rapture' doesn’t appear in the Bible.

Yes, that is correct. Just like the word ‘Bible’ doesn’t appear in the Bible.  The word ‘Rapture’ is based on the Latin word ‘Rapturo’, which in turn is based on the Greek word ‘Harpazo’. So, the Bible was translated from Greek to Latin to English and that’s how we end up with 'rapture'.

According to Strong’s Concordance, Harpazo means to seize, catch up, pluck, pull, take (by force). Jesus will come and seize the Church and take us up to Heaven where we will remain for the seven tribulation years. And then we will return with Him when he comes back to earth the second time and lands on the Mount of Olives to defeat the Antichrist and claim His Kingdom.

“Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Just remember that the Rapture happens before the Tribulation, which means that He is coming for us soon! Call it the Blessed Hope or the Great Escape, but He IS coming.

And given the current state of global affairs, it it can’t be much longer until we hear the trumpet. Maranatha! 

Q: How do you know AD30 was the year that Christ was crucified and rose from the dead?

"Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open".((Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, 156-157.)) 

Both the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds record these strange events. After the crucifixion, it is written that:

  • the most important lamp of the Temple menorah went out every night despite every possible precaution. Judah’s Lampstand would be removed, and not shine in her any more. It was given to the witnessing Firstfruits Church (Revelation 11:4; 18:23; 22:5);
  • the crimson thread that reportedly turned white if the Day of Atonement had been successful no longer did so;
  • the Temple doors kept swinging open of their own accord. The Jerusalem Talmud states: “Said Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai to the Temple, ‘O Temple, why do you frighten us? We know that you will end up destroyed. For it has been said, ‘Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars’” (Zechariah 11:1)’ (Yoma 6:3);
  • and the Day of Atonement “lot” that chose the goat for Azal, a black stone and a white stone, came up black every year between AD30 and AD70. (Source)

"Forty years before the destruction of the Temple" tells us it was AD30, as history tells us that the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD70. 70-40 = 30.

Remember that God does not want us to be ignorant and He does provide information to those who seek Him. 

Q: How accurate is the Bible?

Well, nothing has been disproved in the Bible. People have tried to twist and discredit what it says but the Bible has stood the test of time - God does not lie!

Take the book of Daniel - all the world empires were predicted through God giving and then interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream:

  1. the gold head of the statue was the exisiting Babylonian empire,
  2. the silver torso was the next empire of the Medes and Persians (the two arms),
  3. the belly and thighs of brass denoted the Grecian empire under Alexander (after Alexander's death the empire was divided by his four generals and finally into two regions - the two thighs)
  4. the legs of iron represented the Roman Empire,
  5. the feet and toes of iron mixed with clay denotes the final one-world government that will be a mixture of strength and weakness. The ten toes represent the world divided into ten regions, which has already been planned by the elite...
world map 10 regionsSource: https://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=283434&p=1994579

And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. - Revelation 17:12


Let's look at just two more examples - one from the book of Romans and the other from the book of Ezekiel.

Romans 1: 18-31 talks of God's wrath on the unrighteous - those who have rejected Him and His way of salvation through Jesus Christ.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (This refers to the sexual revolution, which was also known as the "free love" movement, that started in 1960, which changed our attitudes about sex and partnership).

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. (The Stonewall riots in 1969 are widely considered the watershed event that transformed the gay liberation movement and the twentieth-century fight for LGBT rights in the United States. The rest of the world follows the USA so most countires thereafter started to decriminalise homosexuality and sodomy, with many LGBTQ Organisations being founded from 1970-2000 and beyond. And they even have a 'pride' month where where this perversion is celebrated).

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Look around you - it's 2024 and the world has gone mad! This madness seems to have blossomed in 2020 and just gotten worse each year since then. Children are allowed to choose their genders, there are no longer just male and female - there are over 100 genders. People can 'identify' as anything and they are so offended if you don't play along with them - And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Matt 24:10. Males are allowed to compete with females and are even winning beauty contests against beautiful women!!

I could could on and on with the deparavity we are seeing around us but I think the scriptures sum it up very well... 

29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Now let's look at the book of Ezekiel that predicts that a coalition of nations will attack Israel from the north. 

Ezekiel begins chapter 38 with a long list of nations that will attack Israel. None of these nations are called Russia, however, the reference to Rosh in verse 2 is a shortened version of the word Russia. This can be determined linguistically and geographically. The Bible describes Rosh as being far to the north of Israel, which was the reference point for Ezekiel’s original audience.

Ezekiel also mentions Ethiopia (Sudan), Libya, Gomer (Germany?), Meshech and Tubal (C. I. Scofield identifies Meshech as “Moscow” and Tubal as “Tobolsk) but I want to focus on just three of these other names / nations…

Gog

Gog is the name of a national leader. We find this in Ezekiel 38:1-2, “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.’” So, Gog is the prince of Rosh, the leader of modern Russia.

The names and places that Ezekiel describes are foreign to us today, but a closer look at Scripture and history will help us translate these into modern terms.

Gog is from the land of Magog (verse 2) - Magog was also the name of one of Noah’s grandsons (Genesis 10:2; 1 Chronicles 1:5), and many scholars believe his descendants settled around the Black and Caspian Seas on Russia’s southern border. Dr David Jeremiah identifies this region as the former “-stan” countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and perhaps Afghanistan), all constituents of the former Soviet Union.

Persia

Persia is mentioned in Ezekiel 38:5 and about 35 more times in Scripture. In 1935, Persia changed its name to Iran. Then in 1979, it became the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Togarmah

Moving down Noah’s family tree, Togarmah was one of his great-grandsons (Genesis 10:3). Ezekiel places this tribe in “the far North” (Ezekiel 38:6). Some believe Togarmah could be the foundation of modern-day Turkey.

I’ve focused on the above three nations as they have always been enemies – Russia, Persia/Iran and Turkey – so mocking Bible critics asked how they could form an alliance?!

All three nations are now allies and are based in Syria on Israel’s northern border - the Bible does not lie!

Russia-Turkey-IranSource: https://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-iran-turkey-agree-to-advance-syrian-peace/

Why will they attack Israel?

Let's ask Ezekiel...

"to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. Ezekiel 38:12

Israel has great wealth. Russia's Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines that link Russia with Germany were blown up in September 2022. Some think it was the USA, who seem eager, under President Biden, to start WW3. In addition there are economic sanctions against Russia.

Israel discovered a huge natural gas oilfield off their coast and are now supplying Europe via Greece. President Putin is not happy that his previous clients are now clients of Israel. Iran hates the Jews and wants to eliminate Israel while President Erdogan stated the following:

"Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan fanned the flames of incitement against Israel and Jews with remarks comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. It was just another in a long line of his vocal criticism of Israel, using incendiary language and anti-Semitic statements to attack Israel and mobilize Turkish and Muslim action against the Jewish State".

We can see why these three nations have become allies!!

When will they attack Israel?

Before Russia attacks Israel, three requirements will have to be met. 

1. Israel must be present in her land. Check! Israel was reborn in 1948.

2. Israel must be prosperous in her land. Check! Israel has a thriving economy that has been ranked as the world’s third most innovative, behind Finland and Switzerland and just ahead of Japan and the United States.

3. Israel must be at peace in her land. Not yet fulfilled.

Ezekiel states [Gog] will go up against a land of unwalled villages; [Gog] will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, having neither bars no gates.” When Russia attacks Israel, the nation will be disarmed.

The book of Revelation tells us that the Antichrist will make a seven-year treaty with Israel in which he will promise to protect the nation. Israel will therefore become dependent upon the Antichrist, disarm her army, and devote all her energy to increasing her wealth.

This could be the red horse of the four horsemen in Revelation 6 (the second seal) and Isaiah 17:1 predicts the total destruction of Damascus, which could be the first step in the Gog and Magog war... 

An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.

Christians would have been raptured by then so we will not be here to see this. Remember, there are distinct dispensations where God focused on Gentiles for 2000 years (as there were only Gentiles on the earth), then Jews for 2000 years (there were 2 people groups on the earth from Abraham onwards), then the Church for 2000 years (there are now 3 groups of people on earth).

When the Church is raptured the Lord will refocus His attention back on the nation of Israel. The purpose of the tribulation is to save the Jews - that's why it's also called the time of 'Jacob's Trouble'. 

From a human perspective, there is no way Israel will overcome this attack from the north - but God will intervene and wipe out the huge army from the north. This will turn the primarily secular nation of Israel back to God - but not to Jesus. The seal, trumpet and vial judgements (Revelation 6-19) are to encourage the remaining Jews to call upon the name of their Messiah, Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us that the nation of Israel is a stubborn nation so two thirds of the Jews will perish but one third shall be saved. 

After the battle of Armageddon Jesus will rule, with His Church, for 1000 years on the earth - this is the millenium period.

Q. What is the significance of the war between Russia and Ukraine?

It is a proxy war with the USA fighting Russia via the Ukraine. The global elites want to rule the world - remember the Georgia Guidestones that were blown up in 2022? They told us they want only 500 million people in the world as that amount is easy to control. The world currenltly has over 8 billion people and they are in the process of getting rid of the surplus of 7.5 billion!

The Covid-19 vaccine has killed more people than the actual virus did! So now these global elites are working on a new virus and pushing for WW3 - evil and wicked people. 

Russia and China have formed an alliance so it looks like the red horse of the Apocalyse could be the third world war with Russia and China against Europe and the USA.

The first 4 seal judgements are what is know as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalyse (Revelation 6:7, 8).

The first horse is white with the Anti-christ sitting on it bringing a false peace to the world. The second horse is red bringing war and bloodshed to the world. The black horse brings famine - look how food plants are being blown up, cows being killed and tankers spilling toxic substances into our rivers - these are the birth pangs.  

The last horse is a pale horse bringing pestilence (plagues - Covid-19 was their test case) and death.

These four horsemen will slay 25% of the world's population - 2 billion people! 

Then in Revelation 9:15, 18 (The 6th Trumpet judgment) indicates that 33% of the remaining population will die. That means 50% of the world’s population will die, or at today’s numbers, 4 billion with about 4 billion remaining!

But, that is not all. There are still the 7 bowl judgments and consider the second advent of Christ as described in Revelation 19:11-21. At this battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16:16), untold millions of the enemies of Christ will be slaughtered.

The blood of the dead will rise about four and one half feet deep for 200 miles (Rev. 14:20). The vultures of the sky will have their fill. It will take some seven months to bury all of the dead, and the fuel from the enemy’s weaponry will supply heating fuel for seven years (Ezekiel 39:12, 9).

What is so tragic is that many people will not repent - God is merciful and wants to forgive sinners but these people love darkness more than the Light: Men were scorched with fierce heat and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory (Rev 16:9)!

Three times chapter 16 tells us that men blasphemed and cursed God as they know that these judgments are from Him, but they also know they could repent yet they hate God so much they would rather die and suffer for eternity.


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