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From Magic City Morning Star J. Grant Swank
Prophecy Fulfilled: Put your Newscast alongside the Bible Jesus predicted that prior to His Second Coming there would be an increase in wars and rumors of wars. Read Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 for detail. The reason? Because Satan knows that his time is short before the return of the Prince of Peace, Christ. Therefore, demonic forces use the brief time frame to bring exceptional angst to the world public, knowing that when Christ returns as King of Kings there will be a millennial reign of goodwill. Further, the increased warfare in the Middle East is particularly significant in that it is at the "navel of the planet" where the human race began. Adam and Eve were created by God in Eden. The Bible states the rivers flowing in that geography. That detail points to the larger circle we refer to as the "Middle East." Coming near the close of the Church Age, we realize that humanity has now come full circle - starting with the first couple we now come close to the rule of the Son of God. The warring has always been. In Eden Satan as a serpent began the conflict by testing the consciences of Adam and Eve. Their free wills defied Creator God in favor of the evil one. That resulted in what theologians call "The Fall." Nature fell. Supernature fell. In that fall eventuated disease and death. Creator God had hoped for a human race that would inhabit the planet forever - no disease, no death. However, consequences of the First Parents' disobedience brought to the fore both.. We have to deal with them until this very moment and on into the future. Even during the millennial reign of Christ, there will be disease and death for His earthly rule will not bring in the full bliss of heaven. The New Heaven and New Earth still awaits the close of the millennium. At that close, the final White Throne Judgment will consign the damned to the Bottomless Pit and Lake of Fire and Brimstone forever. It will also welcome the redeemed of all time into the Father's everlasting domain where no sin can enter. Now we are experiencing via the daily news biblical prophesy unfolding. It is unnerving. But it is also calming to the believer in that the latter knows that all prophecy must in fact be seen through to the very letter. God is God. God's Word will unfold according to His time and method. In that, the Christian finds his peace and hope. Again, it is most significant that the wars and rumors of wars not only envelop the entire planet but in particular the Middle East. Biblical terms such as Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Galilee that once were relegated to the Sunday school lessons are now on the lips of the most secular. In other words, whether they want it or not, all thinking persons are forced to take in the specifics related to God's turf - the Holy Land. And more particularly God's Holy City - Jerusalem. One of the most fascinating details impinging on all this trouble in the Middle East has to do with the next temple to be constructed. It has to be built upon the original site of King Solomon's temple. Nowhere else will do. And it will have to usher in the minutia of that temple's priestly regalia, furnishings, and ritual. There are religious Jews now planning on that minutia to the last detail. The problem is that if Jews think they are going to establish that temple on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, they will have to deal with the people who hate them the most - the Muslims. Further, the second holiest site to Islam, the Dome of the Rock, is placed squarely in the yard of Solomon's original temple. Can the two edifices stand alongside one another? How will Jews ever put foot on the Temple Mount to construct their Holy Place and Holy of Holies now that Muslim guards threaten their lives? Christians into biblical prophecy answer these difficult questions by stating with God nothing is impossible. Of course, that is true. Therefore, the faithful leave the future unfolding of deity's predictions to God alone. He has made ways where there have been no ways. Biblical information reminds the believer that God's thoughts are above our thoughts. Therefore, His eternal mind has already laid in place the manner by which the next temple will find its fruition. There are so many specifics related to the present Middle East tension, that is, specifics already pronounced in Holy Scripture. Biblical prophecy is one of the most alluring studies anyone can explore. All the more so when placing the Bible alongside today's daily newscasts. MORE: Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 24, Jesus' Predictions Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple 1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age 3 Now 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?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all[a]these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,[b] and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. The Great Tribulation 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,'[c] spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. 23 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. The Coming of the Son of Man 29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The Two Witnesses 1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there." Jesus commands John the Beloved Disciple, recipient of this heavenly vision, that he, John, was to do some measuring, that is, some deciphering of happenings focused on the next Temple. 2 "But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months." Jesus informs John that Gentile pagans will have their diabolical way in Jerusalem for the last half (42 months divided by 12 equals three-and-a-half years) of the about-seven year Tribulation period, the latter closing out the Church Age. The Church Age began with the First Coming of Christ. The Church Age will conclude with the Second Coming of Christ. The "trampling" includes the AntiChrist desecrating the next Temple to be constructed as well as laying low by his armies' might the city of Jerusalem. 3 "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." The number of days, that is, 1,260, equals three-and-a-half years, realizing that in the first century a year equaled 360, not 365, days. Changes in the calendar have yielded an additional 5 days since the first century. These 1,260 days are the first three-and-a-half years of the Tribulation, the "days of vengeance," to use Jesus' terminology. The Tribulation's first half then is given as 1,260 days and the second half is given as 42 months, both totaling a 7-year period. However, the Tribulation Period will be shortened somewhat for the believers' sake, according to Jesus' predications in Matthew 24. In other words, the last month of the second half - the 42nd month - will not be a complete month. Christ's return will interrupt it - the day and hour known only to the Father - sometime during that 42nd month. The two witnesses are not mentioned specifically by name. Therefore, their identity is open to speculation. Some believe them to be Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents the prophets. Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. They then appeared in their 'soul bodies' since they had left planet Earth for heaven. Also, in the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, Moses and Elijah are mentioned in the context of End Times. These two preacher witnesses give forth the gospel message. However, they and their preaching are rejected by the evil world, therefore, they are symbolically pictured in this vision as clothed in "sackcloth." Sackcloth is the garb of those in mourning, those distressed and grieving. Moses and Elijah, returning to tell the world of its need to repent, will be welcomed by the sinners' hostility. The preachers will grieve because of the hard heartedness of the global community. 4 "These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth." See Zechariah 4:3, 11-14. 5 "If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies." This is how anyone who wants to harm the two preachers must die. The witnesses' speech will appear as flames of fire. Their speech will be powerful enough to slay the enemies of the gospel. In parallel, consider how New Testament apostle Peter informed Ananias and Sapphira that they lied against the Holy Spirit. With that, Peter's forceful, truthful words resulted in both exposed liars immediately falling dead to the ground. 6 "These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want." Elijah was able, via divine powers, to keep the skies from raining for three-and-a-half years. Moses was able, via divine powers, to turn water into blood and bring about other miracles, experienced as plagues for the Egyptians who rebelled against Moses' message concerning Jehovah, the true God. 7 "Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them." After three-and-a-half years, that is, 1,260 days in first century counting of a year's duration, "the beast" will confront the witnesses. That creature is usually interpreted by biblical scholars as the demon-possessed AntiChrist political ruler. The AntiChrist will flash upon history's stage as appearing from "the Abyss." The AntiChrist will attack the two witnesses and kill them, though no mortal prior to that time will have been able to harm or murder the two witnesses. 8 "Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified." The AntiChrist will not permit the witnesses' corpses to be buried. Instead, he will want those dead bodies to lie in Jerusalem's street for the entire world to witness that he had the power to kill them. No doubt worldwide media will give coverage to that murder scene. 9 "For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth." For three-and-a-half days worldlings will celebrate the deaths of God's preachers. The unsaved will be ecstatic that finally God's preachers have been silenced so that the evangelistic sermons won't ring any longer in their unrepentant ears. Actually, a global holiday will be set aside for partying and gift giving in order to weld the worldings together in jubilation over God's men being slaughtered. 11 "But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them." The two witnesses come back to life, that is, they are resurrected, after three-and-a-half days. The world is stunned, in utter shock. God's two preachers have returned; worldwide media will give coverage to that miracle. Anger and surprise will combine to bring the unsaved to an unbelievable rage. 12 "Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on." God's two witnesses will then hear heaven's call to return to eternal life abode. They will ascend from the planet's surface, disappearing into the atmosphere. The unsaved will see them disappearing before their eyes. No doubt worldwide media coverage will attend that event, too. 13 "At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven." Earthquakes are prevalent today. Another one is described as occurring when the two witnesses leave Earth for heaven, having accomplished their mission of preaching repentance to a grossly sinful world population. The quake will yield a tenth of Jerusalem destroyed. Seven thousand citizens will die in the quake. Those who do not die will marvel, "terrified." With this there is an encouraging note: Those who are "terrified" by the quake start to glorify God of heaven, not the gods of the occult, New Age, and Earth religions. No one glorifies God unless ones comes into saving grace. Those outside saving grace are not in tune with glorification. Therefore, biblical scholars conclude that these who glorify the true God have become redeemed; therefore, the righteous remnant enlarges by these new converts. 14 "The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon." The three woes are mentioned in Revelation 8:13: "Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice, as it flew in midheaven, 'Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the Earth, at the blast of the other trumpets which the three angels are about to blow!'" (RSV). The first woe is Revelation 9:1-12. The second woe is Revelation 9:12-11:14. The third woe is Revelation 12:12. The Seventh Trumpet 15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." There is exceedingly much praise to God because of the faithful witness of the two preachers. There is also glory given to God that the two preachers have made it safely back home to heaven. The ecstasy also accents the coming return of Christ, the second person of the Trinity, who will rule for the millennium upon the planet. That will be when the "kingdom of the world" will become "the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ." That reign will be forever in that it will continue into the New Heaven and New Earth upon the closure of the millennium and the dissolving of the planet. 16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign." The twenty-four elders are mentioned earlier in Revelation as representing the saved of the Old Testament period and the saved of the New Testament period: 12 elders standing for the twelve tribes of Israel and 12 elders standing for the twelve apostles. These saved of all time are pictured in the vision as enthroned in heaven before deity. They fall on their faces in humility before Creator God. They exclaim in praise with thanksgiving for the all-powerfulness of the God of revelation. After all, He is the one who overpowers the devil, AntiChrist and False Prophet of the Tribulation Period so as to establish the Son, Christ, upon His millennial throne. 18 "The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great– and for destroying those who destroy the earth." The wordlings continue in their rage because they won't repent, even coming to salvation when deity's anger has been expressly exhibited in their midst. Therefore, judgment is near. The Great Accounting is close at hand, that is, coinciding with the Second Coming of Christ. There will be two dimensions to that judgment: the judgment of condemnation for the damned and the judgment of commendation for the saved - "your saints and those who reverence your name both small and great." 19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. John then envisions the fantastic display of heaven's temple - the ark of the covenant, flashes of lightning and thunder claps as well as another earthquake with hailstones. MORE: End Times Prophecy: Book of Revelation, Chapter 13
The beast coming out of the sea is the yet-to-be-revealed political leader - Antichrist. He has ten horns; see Rev 17:12 to read that the ten horns are ten political leaders who will give their allegiance to the Antichrist. They will rule together for "one hour" - that is, a brief time in comparison to all of history. They will attack Christ's work but eventually Christ will topple them (Rev 19:20). Some speculate that these ten will rule over the old Roman Empire geography that would place them in the present-tense European Union. Since "ten" is symbolic, the number does not necessarily have to tally a literal ten. Moreover, there is an aggressive effort within the EU to secularize all of Europe, hence the start of replacing any presence of God with Satan's presence. The Antichrist also has seven heads; see Rev 17:9 to read that the seven heads represent seven hills on which the prostitute sits. (The prostitute is graphically described in Rev 17. She, Babylon, "the great harlot," is the religion of hell, that is, the prostituting of the true Christian faith). The city of seven hills in geography is Rome, the hills being Quirinal, Viminal, Esuiline, Palkatine, Caelian, Aventine, and Capitoline. The seven hills are also seven political rulers, "five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while. . ." (Rev 17:10) The five rulerships that are past tense are the Chaldeans, Egyptians, Babylonians, Medes-Persians and Gracians. The one that "is" is Rome of John's day (the apostle John being the recipient of Christ's revelatory vision). The one that has "yet to come" is the revived Roman Empire of the Antichrist rule. The Antichrist wears upon his head "blasphemy," that is, he is of Satan's domain. 2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. The dragon is Satan who gives his dynamic evil presence to indwell the Antichrist. One of the beast's heads is wounded. With the heads representing hills, then one of Rome's hills will be attacked by an enemy to the Antichrist. However, the Antichrist will overthrow the attacker, retrieving the whole of his headquarters city. About the dragon, it is interesting how Christ uses that symbol in that Satan appeared at the start in Eden as a snake. By the close of the Church Age, the snake will have consumed scores of damned souls so as no longer to be handsomely slim but bloated to the size of a dragon. 4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" Worldlings worship Satan, hence today's open Satan worship as well as the supposedly more respectable apostasy consuming many within various denominations. When Christian truth is prostituted, such as concluding practicing homosexual lifestyles to be sanctioned of God, then Satan worship takes the place of Christian truth. Therefore, the Church of Satan may appear occultic and grotesque or refined but void of biblical truth. Clergy of Satan may be satanic priests and priestesses or they may be Protestant and Catholic clergy who have sold out their ministries to unbiblical teachings. The Church of Satan may be a coven or a sanctuary within the community. Worldlings will be enamored by the political charisma of the Antichrist so as to exclaim, "Who is like unto him. Who can ever even think of overpowering him?" 5 There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Christians aligned to biblical truth of course readily will recognize the Antichrist to be hell's stooge on earth. As the Antichrist gives forth with demonic conceit and "blasphemies," genuine believers will know him to be of Satan. The Antichrist rule in particular vengeance will be forty-two months, or 3 l/2 years, the last half of the almost-seven-year tribulation period (Rev 11:1-2). (It will be almost seven years for in Matthew 24:21-22 Christ predicts that that time frame will be abbreviated somewhat for the believers' sake). During that time, knowing his rule is short, the Antichrist will vehemently curse God's name, any truly Christian place of worship and blaspheme the holy powers of eternity. 7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.. The Antichrist, his political rule being global, will single out especially genuine Christians for persecution. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. All unbelievers on the planet will worship the political leader in his offer of world peace. (Rev 4:1-2 pictures the Antichrist as a rider on a white horse, holding only a bow in his hand, a crown on his head. He goes forth to conquer. The Antichrist here is represented as one offering peace for he has only a bow - absent an arrow - in his hand. His crown represents his political power. With the offer of worldwide peace, he goes forth to lure all peoples).Religious Leader: The False Prophet 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. Ruling alongside the political leader Antichrist will be the city-of-seven-hills' religious leader False Prophet. Since he is false he is not of God. He is of Satan. He has two horns like a lamb. That is, he appears lamb-like or as a Christian, follower of the Lamb of God. In fact, he is just the opposite for when he opens his mouth he speaks the doctrines of the dragon (Satan). In other words, he endorses apostasies such as the present-day teaching that practicing homosexual lifestyles are approved of God. The False Prophet will acquiesce to the Antichrist. In reality, the political leader and religious leader will work in concert under demonic authority. This is similar to the political and religious dimensions that condemned Jesus to death - the Roman rule and the Judaic temple regime. All the more impacting is that both Antichrist and False Prophet will be overthrown by the Ultimate Political Leader / Ultimate Religious Leader - Christ - the King of Kings (politics) and Lord of Lords (religious). The False Prophet will order the world to bow down to the Antichrist. Christians will disobey that order; worldlings will obey that order. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. The False Prophet will act out amazing fetes, including miracles (Matthew 24:23-25) for Satan can performs miracles just as he does daily via cultic practices. Such splendors will lure worldlings into allegiance to Satan. The False Prophet will include in his agenda making a statue of the Antichrist. The statue will particularly celebrate the fact that the Antichrist overthrew the enemy who previously had attacked one of Rome's seven hills. 15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. The False Prophet will cause the statue to speak. That of course is believable today, though when Christians read that prophecy in previous eras it might have seemed impossible. However, with machines now equipped with human voices, we now take that phenomenon as not a phenomenon at all. The False Prophet will command those in the environs of the statue to bow down to it, symbolizing their worshiping the Antichrist. Those who refuse will be martyred. 16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. The False Prophet causes everyone to be marked on right hand or forehead with the symbol of the Antichrist rule - 666. Those with the mark are able to engage in commerce. Those without the mark will not be able to engage in commerce. For those without the mark, they will either die because of lack of food, fuel and medicine or the mark will be leveled just prior to the Second Coming so supplies last into the millennial reign. Or God will miraculously provide as He did for Hebrews during the forty-years wilderness sojourn, giving manna and quail for food as well as keeping shoes from wearing out. In Rev 14: 1 Christ reveals that genuine Christians will receive God's mark upon their forehead. Could it be that 7 is that mark since 666 is Satan's mark? Or, since Christ unfolded the Revelation mostly in symbolism, we could leave the literal understanding to the future. However, the symbolism given does represent 666 as less than the divine number of perfection, 7; that is, the work of Satan is less able than the work of God. In other words, God tops Satan. Satan's 666 is his straining to be 7, an old satanic plot in seeking to overthrow the divine throne in order to be deity. (As an aside, there are 3 sets of sevens in Revelation: 7 trumpets, 7 seals, 7 bowls of wrath - 7 topping 3 sixes or 666). After studying Revelation 13, it is spiritually enriching to study Revelation 19, the Second Coming hope that sets forth the defeat of the Antichrist and False Prophet. "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. . ." (Rev 19:1). "The beast was captured and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone" (Rev 19:20). MORE: The Second Coming of Christ: Revelation: Chapter 19 ah! Salvation is from our God. Glory and power belong to Him alone. His judgments are just and true." Eternity's perspective provides angels and heavenly saints the foresight of Christ's descent through space toward Earth. They are ecstatic that the AntiChrist and False Prophet rule is soon to be wrapped up. Satan is about to be bound in the bottomless pit. The about-seven year tribulation period is almost over. Christ is soon to reign for a thousand years upon the planet He created. The twenty-four elders represent the saved of all time. They symbolically represent the saved of the Old Testament period, thus pictured as twelve elders. They symbolically represent the saved of the New Testament Church Age, thus pictured as twelve elders. Twelve plus twelve equals a total of twenty-four elders representing the saved of all time. Christ, the Groom, is about to rescue His bride, the redeemed. The wedding feast soon will commence. The menu will be the dead bodies of the defeated in the Armageddon Battle. Vultures will feast upon the corpses in Israel's northwest Valley of Megiddo. "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." 11 Christ symbolically is pictured as riding on a white horse. The color of the horse represents purity. Christ is labeled as "Faithful and True" for He is just that. He is in contrast to the unfaithful and false AntiChrist and False Prophet who will have ruled during the almost-seven year tribulation period. Further, because Christ is faithful and true, he judges fairly. He is about to judge the Earth, putting to His left the goats and to his right the lambs. (Matthew 25:31-46) Goats represent the spiritually rebellious. Lambs represent the redeemed souls who follow the Shepherd, Christ. 12 Christ's eyes are symbolically pictured as "like flames of fire." That is, He returns with righteous anger and pure justice. The world has been turning against His gospel; now it is time for His fury to judge free will mortals will who have stubbornly rejected His saving grace. On His head are symbolically pictured "many crowns." That is, Christ rules with unlimited power - "crowns" in the plural. He is the Almighty God from everlasting. In contrast Revelation 6:1-2 symbolically pictures a rider on a white horse. That rider carries a bow without an arrow. He wears one crown on his head. That rider is the AntiChrist who will appear with bow but no arrow, that is, supposedly on a mission of world peace. There is no arrow so he apparently is not about to kill. He carries only the bow, the sign of peace. He rides on a white horse, appearing to be pure. He has only one crown on his head, that is, his power is limited. He goes forth to conquer; that is, he temporarily takes over much of the world for evil. Though appearing without an arrow, he does slaughter the martyrs. He is not in reality on a mission of world peace but worldwide conflict. Further, he will reveal himself to be not at all pure but instead the agent of blasphemy. 13 Christ is symbolically pictured as wearing a cape dripping with blood. The cape represents His royalty. The blood represents His blood shed on Calvary. From seven body fountains Christ shed His blood: two hands, two feet, His side, His head via the crown of thorns, and His back, riveted with blood strips from whippings received Thursday night. Seven stands for divine perfection, hence Christ providing the perfect sacrifice as the slain Lamb of God. He offered Himself willingly upon the altar of the cross.. He became Atonement Lamb. He became sin for us, the sinful. It is by His blood that souls are wiped clean of their sins. Further, Christ received the title of "Word of God." Therefore, in addition to his title being "Faithful and True," He is also known as the "Word of God." This is likewise written in John 1:1-5, 14: the Word (Christ) is God, the Word (Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us, and by the Word (Christ) the world was created. 14 Armies in heaven accompanying Christ at His Second Coming are the redeemed saints of all time. They are dressed in "pure white linen" which represents their commitment to Christ's holiness. They too ride on white horses; that is, they are symbolically pictured as in the company of Christ the Pure One who makes their surrendered souls pure. 15 Christ is symbolically pictured as having a sword coming out of His mouth. It is an exceptionally sharp sword. The sword of the Lord is the Word of God. Therefore, Christ will speak and world events will occur accordingly. Just as His mouth spoke worlds into existence - something from nothing - at His Second Coming the Monarch will speak. In that speaking, the Armageddon Battle will cease, the dead falling to the ground. He will speak, bringing into being the judgment of goats and lambs. He will speak, thus concluding the about-seven year tribulation period. He will initiate the "rule of the iron rod." In His anger against the planet's ongoing evil, Christ will "trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God." During the Church Age, Christ ruled with forgiving love for those who repented of their sinful ways, following Him. But at the Second Coming, Christ will return in just anger upon those who have rebelled against His saving grace. 16 Christ has inscribed on his robe the titles of "King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords." Replacing the temporary evil AntiChrist kingly rule and the False Prophet's hellish lordship, Christ will doom their souls to hell. 17-18 At the Second Coming's victory of Armageddon, the dead will fall to the ground.. Vultures then will be commissioned by an angel to eat their dead bodies. "Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, captains, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great." Saints will not be eating the wedding feast menu. It will be for the birds only. Saints, the bride, will be content to be with the Groom Christ. The eating will be left to the vultures. 19-20 John the Beloved Disciple on the Isle of Patmos, recipient of this vision from Christ, then sees the "beast," that is, the AntiChrist of Revelation 13 in particular. The AntiChrist political ruler of the about-seven year tribulation period will have amassed his militia for 21 The Armageddon armies are all defeated by the sharp word of Christ. Vultures from the sky "gorged themselves on the dead bodies."
Preaching a Pre-Tribulation Rapture weakens the Church However, untold thousands believe in the "secret rapture of the church" prior to the tribulation period. This is because untold thousands don't want to have to think of suffering through a tribulation time frame. The late Corrie ten Boom called this pre-trib rapture teaching the "American doctrine." Go figure. The belief in a secret rapture of believers before the tribulation is also because of a best-seller, "The Late, Great Planet Earth," by Hal Lindsey which was set loose in the l960s.. It has been a paperback aggressively pushed by practically every evangelical / fundamentalist engine going. Theologians, videos, films and preachers bolster up this myth with their earnest preachings and teachings. Yet this is nothing but a myth, accented as much by certain theologically conservative Protestant segments similar unto the Roman Catholic underlining of the immaculate conception of Mary. Nevertheless, if there is no biblical support for such a Mariology teaching, it is bogus.. Likewise, the pre-tribulation rapture teaching is bogus. The pre-trib rapture concept was manufactured in the 1800s in an 18 year old Plymouth Brethren girl's dream, told to her Pastor, John Darby, and then relayed to C. I. Scofield who bought into the dream as revealed truth. Scofield placed this pre-tribulation rapture notion as a footnote in his popular Bible, hence the spread of the myth. However, just the opposite is biblical truth. In Matthew 24:29-3l, for instance, the rapture ("gathering together") is placed in the same time frame as the open second coming of Jesus Christ. And all of this is "after the tribulation" (verse 29). That is it in a nutshell! Yet pre-tribulation rapturists sidestep this clear passage for more oblique passages. The latter are twisted and turned in order to fit into the "American doctrine." Yet such twisting is not sound exegesis. And for biblically-riveted evangelicals and fundamentalists to commit this drastic error is bordering on the horrific. All other passages in Scripture relating to the "gathering together unto Him" must refer back to the literal time line provided by Jesus in Matthew 24. One must not use a symbolic passage in the Book of Revelation or any other symbolically-based section of the Bible by which to draw a pre-tribulation rapture doctrine. Further, one must not take words of the apostle Paul so as to insert them opportunistically into a conjured pre-tribulation string of Scripture references. Yet this has been done ad infinitum. Instead, Jesus' literalism of Matthew 24 must be used as the benchmark for all other "gathering together" themes of Scripture.. One starts with literalism and moves into symbolism when seeking to understand Scripture; it is not the other way around. During the 1970s and 1980s there was much written and preached about a pre-tribulation rapture. This has wound down some in the last decade or so. Why? Today, with the world situation being what it is, there is not that much risk-taking in preaching dogmatically the pre-tribulation rapture. Why? Is it because there are many who are beginning to question its validity? Is it because the world state is so uncertain that to go out on a limb with a false hope may ricochet? One wonders, with world events progressively becoming more and more anti-Christian, why the pre-tribulation rapture persons are not celebrating each dawn as the day when Jesus may return to earth. Such is not the phenomenon on a large scale. Furthermore, it may be because the next generation has not bought into this notion. In any case, it is a myth, a legend of conservative Protestantism's own conjuring and has no base in the Holy Scriptures. Yet these very Protestants are the ones who ardently point out the myths of Catholicism while holding to some of their own myths. Both segments of Christendom need to do some serious housecleaning of manufactured legends in order to return to the simple Bible truths; otherwise, the church suffers from severe lack of knowledge. What is so frightening about holding to a pre-tribulation rapture? It is more than mere academic quibbling. Holding to such a notion is drastically weakening the church worldwide. The church should be preparing for spiritual battle against the most evil forces arrayed by hell. Instead, the church is languishing with a false hope. This is all orchestrated by the demonic powers in order to eventuate in a limp army of believers. And to see that through in this age of laxity in religion does not take much on the part of the dark powers. In addition, the apostate segment of religion is doing its fair share of blackening truth. Does it take much intelligence to realize that there are awesomely wretched days yet ahead for the righteous remnant? Those who are not strong will drop--fall away, as biblically predicted. They will be too numerous to contemplate. But for those who are truly into carrying the daily cross there will be nothing able to thwart their zeal for Christ. Already the remnant is being strengthened by the Spirit of light. He is gathering His own together in the power of the resurrection and the might of the revealed Word. There numbers are few; but their ardor before the Father is lovingly honored. Set your vision upon the difficulties yet to be. They are but the trials permitted by the coming Christ. At the close of the tribulation period, then there will be the gathering together of the believers from the four corners of the earth. They will greet Jesus in the clouds as He descends through space, having left the right hand of the Father in heaven. The gathering together ("rapture") and the second advent then will be realized as one and the same event occurring at the end of the tribulation time frame. Jesus' declaration in Matthew 24:29-3l states it clearly. J. Grant Swank Jr. © Copyright 2002-2008 by Magic City Morning Star |