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Articles from Genesis: The Patriarch's & The Flood: Fact or Fiction? *

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My book, Revelation; The Second Coming of Christ, Armageddon & The Millennium, is the result of an on-going ten-year study (as of 2005) of Genesis and Revelation. I must point out that without a thorough understanding of Genesis you may miss some of the nuances of Revelation, and it would be hard to understand some of the events of Revelation and what causes them. I suggest you first read my book Genesis: Creation, The Patriarchs and The Flood, Fact Or Fiction?

I have not changed the order of any of the events in Revelation to fit a pattern. Instead, the occurrences I list follow the chronological order of Revelation. I believe that the Seven Seals will all occur during the Tribulations, but not necessarily in the order that they are given. The first four seals will cause death to 1/4 of the inhabitants of earth. The Seals are signs, given to warn us that the next events will soon occur.

The Seven Trumpets are also signs, which result in the death of 1/3 of the human race and destroy 1/3 of the earth. However, the Trumpets are worse than the Seals, and they end with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the sound of the Seventh Trumpet. The Seven Trumpets probably occur in the sequence given. They could all be the result of the struggle between world powers for control of the Middle East. They are signs foretelling the formation of a world power referred to as The Empire, and the destruction that will occur prior to the 3 1/2 year occupation of Israel, which will culminate in the appearance of the two witnesses, and their 3 1/2 day death. The following day is called the Day of the Lord, and also the Day of Wrath. This begins the "Retribution" which is comprised of the Seven Plagues.

The Seven Plagues will all occur during one day (see Is. 47:9), the Day of the Lord, but again not necessarily in the sequence given. They could all be results of the war for control of the Great City referred to as Babylon, which may be Jerusalem. On this one day the city will fall, and the Battle of Armageddon will occur. I believe it is at the time of Christ's return (prior to Armageddon) that the First Resurrection (resurrection of the martyrs/believers) occurs, and when living believers of Jesus Christ will be caught up or "raptured" to join Christ. Then the Thousand-Year Reign will occur.

At the end of the thousand year reign of Christ on earth Satan will be released, and The Battle of Magog will occur. After The Battle of Magog, the Second Resurrection (resurrection of the dead/non-believers) and The Last Judgment will occur, and The New Heaven and Earth will be formed. Believing Christians will then reign with Christ forever.

I must note that there is good evidence that the predicted future events of Revelation may have already occurred. The number 666, which is stated as 616 in some manuscripts, may refer to either of two Roman Emperors, Nero or Gaius Caesar. The fall of Rome to the Scythians may have been the predicted fall of Babylon. However, if you have read my book on Genesis you know that prophecies often predict more than one event, so there may still be the fall of another empire, and a future destruction of Babylon. And it must be noted that Jesus had not yet returned to earth to reclaim Israel as his own.

A part of the proceeds of the book are a tithe to the Lord, without whom I can do nothing. I hope this study builds your faith and gives you the hope of a new and better life in Christ.

 May God be with you always,

 T.R.

One of the best pieces of advice I have come across on how to study the Bible comes from The New American Bible, which states, "Even if you read your Bible in an up-to-date American translation, such as this one, you need guidance. Therefore read the introductions to the Bible books, and pay attention to the footnotes! Know that if you want to understand what God wants to tell you through Scripture, you must first understand what the writer wants to say. The Bible is man's words and God's word. One must understand man's word first in order to understand the word of God." The Catechism of the Catholic Church also has a great commentary on interpreting the Bible, which many people take literally.

Paragraph 110 of the Catechism states, "In order to discover the sacred authors' intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. "For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in variou types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression."

Paragraph 115 of the Catechism states, "According to ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral and anagogical (leading) senses. Along these lines we must realize that the Bible is made up of several different literary forms. The New American Bible categorizes them this way: The Parable, a short fictitious narrative from which a moral or spiritual truth is drawn Christ's parables); The Allegory, a figurative story with a veiled meaning (Genesis 2:3: 4:1-16; 6-8; 11:1-19). The Beast Fable, used by the author to convey his message (Genesis 3:1-15); The Short Story and Historical Novel, or midrash in which the core of the story is historical, but in which the writer used traditions, and without taking time to find out what actually happened, he fashions them to bring out a religious lesson (Genesis 37-50); The Problem Story, that tries to show ways to solve political or other issues such as the "race" issue (Ruth); and The Speech as Literary Device, in which the speeches or sayings of persons may not be verbatim, but which the writer may ascribe the words to a person of authority (1 Kings 8:14-21, often used in the Acts of the Apostles).

Correctly interpreting the Bibles is especially true when it comes to science. Paragraph 159 of the Catechism states, "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth contradict truth. Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are."

Interestingly, this view was probably brought about as a result of the work of Galileo in the 16th century (during the time of the Inquisition), who was on the verge of being considered a heretic by the church hierarchy, because he believed the earth was not the center of the universe, nor even of our galaxy. Galileo proved the theory of Copernicus, who first proposed that the sun was the center of our galaxy, and the earth revolved around the sun; not the other way around, which was the position of the church. The church did not accept this fact until the 18th century, only 200 years ago.

The point is; we have to use our own God-given reason when we interpret the scientific aspects of the Bible. A classic example of this is Joshua 10:13 which states, "And the sun stood still, and the moon stood halted, until the people had taken vengeance on their enemies." Of course the sun stood still! In relation to earth we now know the sun is basically stationary at the center of the galaxy. But, what the writer believed (and what tradition stated) was that the sun revolved around the earth, and therefore the writer wrote that the "sun stood still". Reason demands that we do not take this literally.

There are many different ways to interpret the Bible. Literalists or fundamentalists interpret and explain the Bible literally (Jonah was swallowed by a whale). At the other end of the spectrum, liberalists qualify the whole Bible as another book of fairy tales. Many main-line liturgical churches (Catholics, Lutherans, etc.) fall somewhere in between, using a middle of the road approach, a sound balance between fundamentalism and liberalism; or as I like to think of it a sound balance between faith and science. You have to choose which of these views you wish to adhere to. I personally prefer the middle of the road.

Revelation was written at a time when the early Christian community was under persecution and stress. It was written to increase the hope and determination of the new church. It is considered not only as prophetic (knowledge of the future) writing, but also as apocalyptic writing. The word "apocalypse" is a transliteration of the Greek word apokalupsis, which means disclosure or revelation. Apocalyptic writings claim to reveal hidden things imparted by God, particularly hidden events in the future.

Revelation is much like the book of Daniel because the visions of the writer may be symbolic, and the explanations of the visions are often given in other passages or chapters within the book. Revelation is probably comprised of several different visions, each vision with several parts: Chapters 1-11, Chapters 12-13 and Chapters 14-22. Chapter 17:8-18 gives an explanation of Chapter 17:1-7, and a partial explanation of Chapters 12 and 13. Some historians believe the letters to the churches (Chapters 1: 9-3:22) were added at the time of final edition.

Because the "Revelation of John" were about events that were to occur several years into the future, the writer of Revelation could not have understood what he saw, and he had no way of accurately describing what he saw. Therefore, some of the descriptions are fantastic and ambiguous. Some of the visions and their explanations (especially Chapters 12 and 13) may also have more than one meaning.

(This appears to be how the Tribulation Events of Revelation occur)

Seven Events
1 Event The Tribulation

Seven Seals
The Seven Seals occur to 1/4 of the earth.
1 Seal Death by sword. Mk. 13:7 wars
2 Seal Death by famine. Mt. 24:7 famine
3 Seal Death by plague.
4 Seal Death by wild beast.
5 Seal The Martyrs Mt. 24: 9 put to death
6 Seal The earthquake Mk. 13: 8 earthquake
The sun turns black.
The moon turns red.
Mountains and islands are shaken.

2 Event The 144,000 Israelites. Lk. 21:12 witness
The Faithful in Heaven (Martyrs?)
7 Seal Silence in Heaven for 1/2 hour. Mk. 13:19 distress

Seven Trumpets
1 Trumpet Hail and fire.
2 Trumpet Blazing mountain.
3 Trumpet Burning star. Mk. 13:24 falling star
4 Trumpet Darkness. Mk. 13:24 darkness

The first four Trumpets occur to 1/3 of the earth.)
The final three trumpets occur to all the earth.

5 Trumpet Locusts.
Five months of pain.

6 Trumpet Army of 200,000,000

3 Event The three and a half year occupation of Israel. Mk. 13:14 horrible abomination

4 Event The three and a half day death of the witnesses. MK. 13:20 time shortened

5 Event 7 Trumpet The Day of the Lord. Mk. 13:26 Son of man
The Appearance of Christ and the 144,000 on Mt. Zion.
The Reaping of The Harvest (explanation of the Rapture?)
The Winepress of Gods Wrath

Seven Thunders (God's voice)
1 Thunder God commands the writer to eat the Scroll.

2 Thunder God commands the angels to pour out their seven bowls. The Day of Wrath

Seven Plagues
Because of the mention of the Euphrates these probably happen in the Middle East.
1 Plague The virulent sores.
2 Plague The sea turns to blood. Lk. 21:26 ocean turmoil
3 Plague The rivers and springs turn to blood.
4 Plague The sun scorches people with flames.
5 Plague The empire is plunged into darkness . Mt. 24:29 dark
People in pain.
6 Plague The Euphrates River dries up.
The arrival of the kings of the east.
The preparation for Armageddon.
7 Plague Lightning, thunder and earthquake.
The great city called Babylon is split.
Islands vanish and mountains disappear.
90-pound hailstones fall from the sky.
The people curse God.

3 Thunder God announces that the "end is come."

4 Thunder God commands the people to leave Babylon, "come out my people, away from her." (Escape of the 144,000?)
The Fall of Babylon.

5 Thunder God commands the people in heaven to "praise our God."
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The Battle of Armageddon.
Satan is locked up for 1000 years.
The First Resurrection
The 1000 year Reign of Christ

6 Event The release of Satan
The War of Magog
The Second Resurrection.
The Book of Life
The Last Judgment
The Second Death, the lake of fire.

7 Event The New Heaven and Earth.
The New Jerusalem.
The River of Life.

6 Thunder God tells us "Look, here God Lives among human beings."

7 Thunder God tells us "Look, I am making the whole creation new."

Note that there are Seven Events. Four of these include the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, the Seven Plagues and the Seven Thunders of the Day of the Lord; none of which end by themselves, they each continue into the next event. The Seventh Seal begins the Seven Trumpets; the Seventh Trumpet begins the Seven Thunders and includes the Seven Plagues; the Seventh Event begins the New Heaven and Earth. The Seventh Trumpet announces the Day of The Lord/The Day of Wrath and has Seven Plagues; they are complete and they fulfill God's anger before he creates the New Heaven and Earth. The Seven Thunders complete the Mystery of God.

There is a lot of confusion about the Chapters 12, 13 and 17 of Revelation. However, Chapter 17 give us an explanation of the other chapters.

V.1 Come here and I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute (the city v. 18) who is enthroned beside abundant waters (large numbers of people v. 15).

v. 3 A woman riding a scarlet beast that has seven heads (v. 9 seven hills and seven kings *probably representing kingdoms or empires.) and ten horns (v. 12 ten kings who have not yet been crowned, they will possess royal authority along with the beast, but only for an hour.)

v. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and glittered with gold and jewels...with the disgusting filth of her prostitution; on her forehead a cryptic name; Babylon the Great.

V.7 I will tell you the meaning of this woman and of the beast she is riding, with the seven heads and ten horns.

v. 8 The beast you see (emperor or empire) was once alive and is alive no longer (Does this mean non-existent at the time Revelation was written? If it does, the Roman Empire cannot be the future empire spoken of, because it was in power over Israel at this time.), it is yet to come up from the Abyss (The release of Satan and the locusts.), but only to go to its destruction. And the people of the world whose names are not written in the book of life will be astonished to see how the beast (emperor or empire) once was alive, is no longer, and is still to come.

v. 9 The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman (city v.18 ) is sitting. They are also emperors (*Empires over the Israelites. Probably the 1. Egyptian, 2. Assyrian-Scythian, 3. Babylonian-Chaldean, 4. Medes-Persian, 5. Greek and 6. Roman Empires). Five (*empires) have gone (1. Egyptian, 2. Assyrian-Scythian, 3. Babylonian, 4. Medes-Persian, 5. Greek), one is here (6. Roman) and one is yet to come (7.?); once here he (the empire with ten heads) must stay but only for a short while (the same phrase as Rev. 20:4 in which Satan is released at the end of the Thousand Years "but only for a short while.")

V. 11 The beast (*empire) who was alive, (one of the earlier Egyptian, Assyrian-Scythian, Babylonian, Medes-Persian or Greek empires); and is no longer (not the then existent Roman Empire), is at the same time the eighth and one of the seven (The eighth empire is the same as one of the seven empires. But, since it was alive and is no longer it cannot be the same as the Roman Empire, it must be one of the Egyptian, Assyrian-Scythian, Babylonian, Medes-Persia or Greek empires) and is going to its destruction (it will stay for a short while before being destroyed.). Where do the Mongol and Ottoman Empires, that also controlled Israel, fit into this?

v. 12 The ten horns ... are ten kings (*leaders, countries) who do not have power yet but will have royal authority. But the Lord and his followers; the called, the chosen and the trustworthy will defeat them.

v. 16 But the ten horns (kings/leaders/countries) and the beast (*emperor or empire) will turn against the city and destroy it. God has influenced their minds to agree to give their power to the beast until God's words are fulfilled (*total destruction of the city?).

Revelation 13:11 states, "Then I saw a second beast (anti-Christ), emerging from the ground: it had two horns like a lamb, but it made a noise like a dragon. This second beast exercised all the power of the first beast (empire), on its behalf making the world and all its people worship the first beast, whose deadly injury had been healed."

The number of the beast is the number of a human being, the number 666; 666 could be symbolic for someone or something trying to attain the perfect power of God. God's number is 7, three seven's would be the triune God; 666 would not achieve this perfection.

There is speculation among Christians as to which countries were, or will be, part of the empires in Revelation. The empires that included the land of Palestine in their domain before Revelation was written were the Egyptian, Assyrian-Scythian, Babylonian-Chaldean and Medes-Persian Empires. The Roman Empire controlled Palestine at the time of the writing of Revelation. Since then both the Mongol and Ottoman Empires have controlled Palestine (modern Israel). The Crusades were fought to free Palestine from the Ottoman Empire.

The European countries included in the earlier empires that controlled the land of Palestine were; Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, England, Wales, Italy, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Austria, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria and Greece; the Asian countries were Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia; the African countries were Egypt, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Morocco. Any of these countries may form an alliance with the others and become the ten kingdoms and eighth empire of Revelation.

There is also some misunderstanding about the Roman Empire. Because Rome sits on seven hills it is assumed that the city spoken of as Babylon must be Rome. Then, because the Vatican is in Rome, it is assumed that the Vatican is Babylon. This assumption that the Vatican and Rome are the same as the Babylon of Revelation is given credence by the fact that the Vatican was once the political power of the Holy Roman Empire.

However, the "Roman Empire" which controlled Palestine during the time of Jesus' life, and the "Holy Roman Empire" are not the same. The Holy Roman Empire was a Germanic (not Roman) empire. This suggests that the Holy Roman Empire or Catholic Church is not the "Roman Empire" of Revelation.

I have already noted that the eighth empire is probably not the Roman Empire. If we consider the "empire" of Revelation as a religious empire, it could include the Moslem countries of the Middle East and northern Africa. The Middle East Moslem countries include Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia; the African Moslem countries include Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. Any of these countries may form an alliance and become the ten kingdoms and eighth empire of Revelation. This would be similar to the historic Assyrian-Scythian Empire.

From the description of the city of Babylon in Revelation it appears that the city is a political, financial and possibly religious city. The use of the name "Babylon" for the city that is the capitol of the world empire, and the use of the term "kings of the East" may provide us with a clue as to which former empire is yet to come two more times; once as the Seventh Empire, and again as the Eighth Empire. "Babylon" may be Jerusalem, which has been corrupted (according to some people) by Moslem influences. Since the anti-Christ may be predicted (in Daniel) to seat himself on the wing of the Temple (Mount) when he proclaims himself world leader/messiah I suspect that he will make Jerusalem the capitol of his empire. Thus, Jerusalem will be the Mystery Babylon of Revelation. The term Mystery Babylon may well apply to the mystery that Babylon (current Iraq) is able to become an empire again. However, the city could also be New York City, home to the headquarters of the United Nations, and the New York Stock Exchange.

Sargon of Akkad, a Semitic ruler, conquered Babylon about 2300 BC. Sargon II of Assyria (Assyrian Empire) conquered Israel about 720 BC. The Scythians (Tartars/Monglos) under King Partatua, allied themselves with the Assyrians in about 653 BC. Partatua's son, Madyes, defeated and killed the King of the Medes (whose country we call Media or Persia, current Iran). Media then remained under control of the Scythians until 625 BC. Cyrus, king of the Persians, overthrew the Median empire in 558 BC. The Arab tribes of Ishmael, and the Scythians were undoubtedly some of the people of these last two empires.

Ethnically speaking, we would not normally include Iran and Afghanistan in the "Arab" countries. The Iranians and Afghani's are of Persian descent, and many of them still speak Persian, the language of their ancestors. However, when the Persians conquered the Medes they did not treat them as conquerors. Medes were appointed to places of power under Cyrus and his successors, and the kingdom was often referred to as the "Medes and Persians" (Dan. 5:26). The influence of the Arabs on the native people of Persia remains to this day. The Persian language contains many Arab words, and it is written in the Arabic alphabet. Iran and Afghanistan should be included in the "Arab World" because they are both primarily Moslem countries. About half the people of Iran are Arabs; and Afghanistan is now the home of Osama bin Laden, an Arab from Saudi Arabia. Incidentally, the kingdom of the Medes included the current countries of Azberbijan and Kurdistan, and the areas known as Luristan, Ardelan and Arak Ajemi.

Isaiah 14:25 may support the theory that the Assyrian-Scythian Empire may be the empire of Revelation, "I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down." Verse 29 states, "Do not rejoice you Philistines (people of Palestine, possibly the Palestinian Arabs), that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting venomous serpent." This may imply that Assyria is where the Ant-Christ will come from. Christ is called the "root of Jesse" (Is. 11: 10) and the "root of David" (Rev. 5:5). The only mention of the "root of the serpent," which could be interpreted as the serpent of Genesis, and "the serpent, called the Devil, and Satan" of Revelation 12:9, is this one verse in Isaiah.

This leads me to believe that the seventh and eighth Empire of Revelation may be a revival of the Assyrian-Scythian or Medes/Persian Empires, which are now made up primarily of the Middle East Arab countries. It would also explain how the seventh and eighth Empires (which according to Revelation are the same) include the people of Magog, the Scythians, who are the current Mongols, Magyars, Tartars, and Turks. However, much of this same are is the area of the former Babylonian-Chaldean Empire, which is current Iraq, and parts of all of the surrounding countries.

We can look at the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, for an understanding of when the coming of the Lord and the beginning of the Millennium will be. Mt. 24:3. "Tell us, when this is going to happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the world?" The events mentioned are: many persons claiming to be Christ, wars and rumors of wars (but the end will not come yet) nation fighting against nation, famines and earthquakes in various places.

"This is only the beginnings of the birth pangs. You will be handed over to torture and put to death, people will fall away and betray and hate one another, many false prophets will arise, increased lawlessness, love in most people will grow cold, but those who stand firm will be saved. When you see the appalling abomination (*statue or temple to a deity?), which Daniel mentioned, set up in the holy place those in Judea should flee to the mountains, then there will be great distress unparalleled since the world began and will never be again. If that time (*of distress) had not been shortened (*the 3 1/2 days of Revelation) for the sake of the chosen, no human being would have survived. If anyone says Christ is here do not believe them for false Christs and false prophets will arise, the coming of the Son will be like lightening striking in the east and flashing far to the west. Immediately after the distress of those (*shortened days, the tribulation) the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven and come on the clouds. Then the trumpet will sound to gather the elect." Who are the Elect? They are probably those who believe Christ is Lord, but only after he appears; possibly the Israelites.

The Jews are not wrong about the appearance of the Messiah. To them the Messiah will come as a Priest King God, and as a warrior, the Lion of Judah, to set up the final reign of God. That is exactly the way Jesus will come at the Millennium. The Israelites didn't recognize Jesus as the Messiah because of the way he came and the way he died.

When we are discussing the events of Revelation, questions invariably arise as to what the disasters are, and when they occur. If we take the descriptions of the disasters literally, and in the order in which they are given, it would appear that the Seals happen first, then the Trumpets, and finally the Plagues. The First through the Fourth Seal appear to be war; and famine, death and destruction which are probably a result of the war; and they only occur to 1/4 of the earth. This could easily be the Middle East, but it could also be anywhere else.

The Fifth Seal is the martyrs asking how much longer God is going to wait before he takes vengeance on earth. The Sixth Seal appears to be an earthquake, because earthquake is mentioned. However, the sun turning black, the moon red, stars falling unto earth, mountains and islands shaken, sounds like the result of fallout from a volcano or bomb blast, or from the impact of a meteor. If it is a nuclear blast, it is unlikely that it occurs in Israel, because the war of Armageddon with its 200,000,000 troops may occur within 3 1/2 years. No army would enter this wasteland after a nuclear attack, because of the threat of radiation, and because there would probably be nothing left to fight for. Therefore, I suspect that the Sixth Seal is a meteor impact or a conventional bomb.

The Seventh Seal is repetitive of the Sixth Seal because of the earthquake; and because the Seventh Seal begins the Seven Trumpets, they may be the same. The First Four Seals mention hail, fire mixed with blood, burning vegetation, a blazing mountain falling into the sea, a star blazing like a torch falling onto rivers, and the sky turning black; this again sounds like a meteor or fragments of a meteor. This could also be the result of a nuclear rocket sent up to destroy an approaching meteor; it has been discussed by scientists as a way to avert a collision with a meteor.

The Fifth Trumpet sounds like war with airplanes, possibly using biological weapons. The Sixth Trumpet sounds like troops following up this biological assault with guns and artillery. The Seventh Trumpet is a warning of the Seven plagues, which appear to occur to the city (*of Jerusalem) within one hour. This is supposedly the worst destruction to occur since the creation. The Seven Plagues sound like the results of a war, which would easily destroy Jerusalem in one hour, and would seem like the end of days. This could also be the result of some unheard of form of God's Wrath. The only way Jerusalem would be inhabitable after all this destruction, especially after a nuclear blast, would be if God changes it!

I personally believe that believers will be saved from the Wrath, even though they may go through the Tribulation. Romans 5: 9 states, "How much more can we be sure, therefore, that, now that we have been justified by his death, we shall be saved through him from the retribution of God." Thessalonians 1: 10 states, "It is He who saves us from the retribution." It does not say we are saved from tribulation. The Greek word for tribulation is thlipseos; which means tribulation, trouble or affliction. The Greek word for retribution in Romans 5: 9 and Thessalonians 1:10 is orge; which means wrath or anger, as a state of mind. This is the same word used in Revelation 6: 16-17, referring to the "great day of wrath." The two different words used here make it clear there are two different events occurring.

1 Cor. 15:50 tells us "mere human nature cannot inherit the Kingdom of God: what is perishable cannot inherit what is imperishable. 51 "Listen, I tell you a mystery, we will not all sleep, but we are going to be changed, 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 53 for the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory."

1 Cor. 15:42 tell us, "It is the same too with the resurrection of the dead: 43 what is sown is perishable, but what is raised is imperishable; what is sown is contemptible but what is raised is glorious; what is sown is weak, but what is raised is powerful; 44 what is sown is a natural body, and what is raised is a spiritual body." The Christian dead will be changed and given a spiritual body!

1Thes. 5: 9 states, "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." This says that we will not suffer wrath, it does not say we will not suffer tribulations. Revelation 15: 1 says states, "the seven last plagues - last because with them God's wrath is completed." The Wrath is the Seven Plagues. The term "wrath" is used in Revelation in reference to the "great day of their wrath," (Rev. 6: 16-17, 11:18). Rev. 19:16 states, "he will rule them with an iron scepter. He (Jesus) treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty." This clearly shows that The Wrath does not occur until Christ comes. Rev. 18:4 states, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues." God is obviously calling out his people here, so that they may be saved from the plagues. If his people weren't still there he wouldn't need to call them out. If the "Reaping of the Harvest" is the Rapture, it occurs in Revelation 14, before the explanation/occurrence of the Seven Plagues.

When will the Wrath occur? If you are a Christian and are "caught up" when Christ comes you won't have to worry, because you will be "immortal." 1Thes. 5:3 tells us when the wrath will come. "While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly." Matt. 24:14 says, "And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

The pronouncement of the reign of God Almighty occurs in Rev. 19:6, at the coming of Christ. v. 15 "So when you see the appalling abomination, of which the prophet Daniel (Dan. 9:27) spoke, set up in the holy place (let the reader understand) those in Judea must escape to the mountains." This suggests that Christ, and the Wrath, will come when there seems to be peace. I believe this peace will occur after the Anti-Christ kills the two witnesses (which will be a time of peace) and then proclaims himself God. Christ will then come to show the Anti-Christ (and those people who follow him/believe that he is a god) that he is not God at the Battle of Armageddon.

How long is the Wrath? One writer believes it is the difference in days between Daniel's 12 Chapter in verses 11-12; 1290 days and his 1335 days, or 45 days. I personally believe that the time may have been shortened from the final week of Daniel 9:27. The last half-week may be the 3 1/2 day death of the witnesses in Revelation. Mark 13:20 says, "And if the Lord had not shortened that time, no human being would have survived; but he did shorten the time, for the sake of the elect whom he chose." Who are the Elect? In this case, the elect are those chosen by God not to experience an extended period of tribulations or The Wrath.

How will we know when the Second Coming of Christ is near? Luke 21:9 gives us some signs. "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once. 10 Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; there will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven." Those signs are happening now.

If the chronology of Revelation is correct, Christ will come after the Tribulations, but at the Wrath. Mark 13:24 tells us the signs to look for. "But in those days, after that time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, 25 the stars will come falling out of the sky and the powers in heaven will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send the angels to gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of the sky." He will come at the Seventh Trumpet, and we will join him. Only then will he tread out God's fierce Wrath at the Battle of Armageddon.

According to one writer the book of Psalms places the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ within 13-1/2 years of each other. He states, "There is a timetable in the book of Psalms that has been visible now ever since the fig tree budded. It describes the wars against the Jews in 7 individual wars against the nations. Each war is described in the chapter that aligns with the year the event took place. One example is the budding of the fig tree. It is recorded in Chapter 48, and it happened in 1948. Correlating events continue on through Chapter 119. Chapters 120 through 135 speak of the Lord dwelling with us here on the earth as in the millennium period. Chapter 136 through the end of Psalms speaks of the period Satan is released from the bottomless pit and tries to influence the nations on the earth again. This period appears to be 15 years, or chapters."

Is it coincidental that Abraham, the man that God promised Palestine to, was born 1,948 years after the creation of Adam? In 1948 Israel became a nation in the land of Palestine again. Seventy-five years after God's promise to Abraham, in the year 2023 AA (After Adam), the Hebrews entered Palestine for the first time. Is there a connection with the date 2,023 and the Second Coming of Christ? We should also note that Abraham, the 20th generation from Adam, was not allowed to enter Palestine, but that the next generation, the 21st or 3x7 generations (using the Godly number 7) did enter Palestine. How many generations have there been since the birth of Christ? Is it significant? Could there be a tie-in with the 21st century?

But, we must be careful, because people impersonating Christ will come before Christ does. Mark 13:21 "And if anyone says to you then, 'Look he is there. 'Do not believe it, for false Christ's and false prophets will arise and produce signs and portents to deceive the elect, if that were possible."

The anti-Christ must also appear before Christ returns. 2 Thes. 2:3 "Let no one seduce you, no matter how. Since mass apostasy has not yet come nor the man of lawlessness been revealed - that son of perdition and adversary who exalts himself above every so called god proposed for worship, he who seats himself in God's temple and even declares himself god. v. 9 This lawless one will appear as part of the workings of Satan, accompanied by all the power and signs and wonders at the disposal of falsehood -." Don't be fooled by the first person to claim he is God, even if he performs miracles.

Mark 13:28 gives us another sign of the end times. "Take the fig tree as a parable; as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 So with you when you see these things happening: know that it is near, right at the gates. 30 In truth I tell you, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. 31 Sky and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels in heaven, nor the son; no one but the Father." The fig tree may be the reforming of the nation of Israel. It may also be the revival of the Holy Spirit and Christianity on earth. The generation may refer to the generation that sees the reformation of Israel.

According to some Bible scholars the generation that sees the reformation of Israel as a nation will see the Second Coming of Christ (Matthew 24:32-36). The Bible contains two generations: the generation that did not enter the Promised Land for 40 years and the 120 years of Genesis 6:3. The longest generation in the Bible is 120 years; the shortest is 40 years. If these numbers are correct and the fig tree is the reformation of Israel in 1948; then the Second Coming of Christ could be any time from 1988 to 2068. If a generation is the 75 years from the time Abraham was told the Hebrews would enter Palestine, until the time they did enter it, then the date of Christ's Second Coming may be the year 2023. However, we know that Christ was not born in the year 0 AD, but that he was probably born 6-8 years before that. We need to add 6-8 years to our current date to know how many years we actually are from the birth of Christ, or subtract 6-8 years from the predicted times. In 2000 we are actually 2,006 to 2,008 years from Christ's birth. Many people and cultures have predicted a change in the world as we know it around the year 2000. The Incas predicted the end of the world would occur on Dec. 23, 2013. It's believed they used the winter solstice on December 22, 2013 as the end of current time.

Hosea may also give us a clue as to the time of the coming of Christ. Hosea 16:2 states, "after two days he will revive us, on the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his presence." Some scholars believe that we should use the prophetic one day equals 1,000 years when interpreting this verse. That the prophetic day equals 1,000 years comes from 2 Pt. 3:8 "that with the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." This would mean that after 2,000 years Christ would raise up the Israelites. But, does it mean that they will be raised up 2,000 years after this statement was made, 2,000 years after Christ was born, or 2,000 years after Christ died? If it means 2,000 years after the statement was made in about 720 - 730 BC, the time has passed. If it means 2000 years after Christ's birth or death it could be from 2000 to 2033. If we expand on this theory we could suggest that, according to the Bible, God created the world about 4000 years before the birth of Christ. It has been 2,000 years since the birth of Christ, and if 2,000 is when he comes again to reign on earth for 1,000 years as it currently exists, then the current earth will have existed 7,000 years; 7 is considered the Godly number.

Many scholars believe that, because of the prophecy of the 70 weeks in Daniel, that the temple has to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. The temple was already rebuilt after Daniel's prophecy. Therefore, it may not have to be rebuilt again prior to Christ's Second Coming. However, 2 Thes. 2:3 states that the second beast will seat himself in God's temple and declare himself god. "Let no one seduce you, no matter how. Since mass apostasy has not yet come nor the man of lawlessness been revealed - that son of perdition and adversary who exalts himself above every so called god proposed for worship, he who seats himself in God's temple and even declares himself god." The second beast/false prophet/Anti-Christ cannot seat himself in God's temple and declare himself God unless there is a Temple of God. But, the ruins of the temple are still there.

Daniel's prophecy also talks about the horrible abomination on the wing of the temple. This horrible abomination is thought to be a statue to a false God. The horrible abomination is first mentioned in 1 Maccabees 1:54, when Antiochus Epiphanes erected an altar of Baal Shaamen (the Olympian Zeus) on the Jewish altar of burnt offering. Today The Dome Of The Rock stands on the Temple Mount. This may be another horrible abomination because it is built as a place of worship for the Moslems. The call to prayer each day for Moslems professes that, "God is Greatest; I confess that there is no God but God; I confess that Mohammed is the Prophet of God." The Jews would not agree that Mohammed is a Prophet of God, and therefore, The Dome Of The Rock would be considered a horrible abomination. If this is the horrible abomination spoken of in Daniel, it is already there; all that is left is for the Anti-Christ to proclaim himself God.

What will happen to those who refuse to accept Christ as Lord and Savior, or who do evil? Rev. 20:5 tells us, "The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended." Since the martyrs and the dead in Christ have already come to life, the dead are the non-believers. In Matthew 13:41-43 Christ says, "The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of falling and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Anyone who has ears should listen." The key here is "his kingdom." Christ's kingdom is not formed until after he appears. People are given ample time during the Tribulations to believe in Christ. They may also be given time during the 1,000 year reign of Christ. It is at the end of the Millennium that the nations are led astray by Satan, that the War of Magog occurs, and that "fire is rained down on them from heaven." (Rev. 20:9)

The Second Coming should not be confused with the end of the world, in fact the words "end of the world" do not appear in the Bible; the words "the end," "the end of time" and "the end of days" are used. Some people believe Christ will reign on earth for 1,000 years after the Second Coming. Then heaven and earth will be changed and God will rule in the New Jerusalem among his people. In Matthew 13:49-50 Christ says, "This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the upright, to throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth." This is at "the end of time" which is probably after the Millennium. Since heaven will be on earth after the Millennium, there is no end of the world, just a New World. Since "there will be no night there" (Rev. 21:25) there is no way to tell time, thus it may be "the end of time".

The third century BC Chaldean astronomer Berosus, who lived in Babylon, wrote the book Babylonaica, or as Josephus refers to it the Chaldaica. Berosus claimed to be a priest of the God Marduk (Bel). If this is true he was probably a member of the Magi. Berosus believed that he knew what astronomical event causes the catastrophes at the end of time. He states, "Some suppose that in the final catastrophe the earth too will be shaken and through clefts in the ground will uncover sources of fresh rivers which will flow forth from their full source in large volume. I, Berosus, interpreter of Belus, affirm that all the earth inherits will be consigned to flame when the five planets assemble in Cancer, so arranged one in a row that that a straight line may pass through their spheres. When the same gathering takes place in Capricorn, then we are in danger of the Deluge." There was an alignment of five planets in the northern hemispheres in early 2002, this may be the "consignment" of fire of Berosus. It may actually happen until the same gathering occurs in Capricorn.

I don't know if the planets aligned at the time of the flood, but it appears that Berosus believed the future catastrophe is composed of rivers of flame or fire; possibly volcanic flows, that may occur when five planets align near the constellation Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. When the signs of the zodiac were first named, the winter solstice (the day when the sun is farthest from the earth) occurred in the Capricorn section of the zodiac. The date of the winter solstice is December 22; which is the date when the ancient Incas believe the world as they knew it would end. This is very close to the date when we believe Jesus was born, and a bright star appeared in the sky. Could history repeat itself?

I've taken the following passage from the website at http://www.newjerusalem.com/worldsend.htm. I suggest you read the entire site, it provides some interesting views and insights into the "end of time," the anti-Christ and the Second Coming of Christ.

"Seven hundred years ago, St. Malachy, the abbot of a great monastery in Ireland, produced a prophetic list which he gave as a royal gift to the King of France. In this list, he gave a cryptic name to each of the popes who would reign over the Roman Church from that time until the until the end of the world. The short names have been remarkably accurate describing the circumstances of each of the popes which have come. There are only two remaining on the list after Pope John Paul II. The pope before John Paul II, John Paul I, was named: "Mediate Lunae" or "Of the term of the moon." He reigned exactly 30 days: the term of the moon! The current Pope, John Paul II's cryptic name on Malachy's list is: "Laboris Solis" or "The labor of the sun." This likely refers to the passage: "and the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light, for the powers of heaven will be shaken." (Matt.24:29) From this it becomes clear the TIME OF TIMES will actually occur during the reign of the present pope: John Paul II !! The pope to follow John Paul II, is termed: Gloriae Olivae" or "The Glory of the Olive", which refers to a period of world peace, and to the reconciliation of Israel. The LAST Pope on the list of St. Malachy is termed "Petrus Romanus" (Peter the Roman). Malachy's only written comment is on this last pope:" (In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge his people. The End.)"

Because the descendants of Noah (as listed in Genesis, Ezekiel 38 and in Revelation 20:10) are important at the Second Coming of Christ, and after the Millennium, let's look closer at the names. "Magog the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" are mentioned as the primary names in Ezekiel 38. Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer and Beth-Togarmah are also mentioned. While many people interpret Rosh as Russia, if we look at rosh as used over 600 times in the Hebrew Old testament, and use a concordance we find that the word rosh is an adjective and means chief, captain or leader. This verse should be interpreted as "Magog chief prince of Meshech and Tubal." Meshech and Tubal are both sons of Japheth. Meshech is either Moscow or Moschi (a people on the borders of Armenia and Colchis in Turkey). Tubal is thought to be the Georgians of Russia, and possibly the people of Portugal. Since the leader Gog is mentioned as being aligned with these nations in Ezekial, these are probably the nations involved in the battle of Armageddon. In Revelation 20 Gog is the chief prince of Magog. These are two different battles, but the same armies may be involved. I've taken the following passage from my book on Genesis.

Most writers interpret Meshech as the Muscovites of Russia and possibly the Pole, Finn, Lapp, Czech, Slovak, Yugoslavian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, related groups. Tubal is interpreted as the Siberian, Albanian, Georgian, related groups; and Spain and Portugal. Persia is interpreted as Iran, Cush as Ethiopia, and Put as Lybia. Both Cush and Put were sons of Ham, and their lands were part of the Persian Empire, as were most of the Arab Middle East countries of today. Gomer was a son of Japheth, and is interpreted as the Cimmerians. The Cimmerian people include the Cimbri (a Germanic tribe that eventually entered Germany, France and Italy), the Gauls of France, the Gaels of Scotland and Wales, and the Celts of Ireland. Gomer may have been corrupted/transliterated into the word German. The Germanic tribes include the Saxons of England; the Franks of France; and the Teutons, Jutes and Goths of Germany and Scandinavia. Finland is not included in the ethic group of Scandinavian countries, because the Fins are related to the Huns, Turks and Mongols. This means that Gomer comprises most of the European countries. Togarmah was a son of Gomer, Beth-togarmah means ''house of Aramea" which is now Turkey.

If we believe Ezekiel will come true, then the Turkish-Hunnish peoples of Meshech (Russia and the eastern European countries), Tubal (Georgia, possibly Spain and Portugal), Persia (Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, possibly the Arab countries of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon), Cush (Ethiopia), Put (Lybia), Gomer (Germany, France, the western European Countries and possibly the United Kingdom) and Beth -Togarmah (Turkey) will join forces to come against Israel.

The words "north" and "far north" are mentioned several times in Exekial 38 in conjunction with the home or country of Gog. Many writers interpret this to mean a land far to the north of Palestine/Israel such as Russia. But, to the Israelites a land to the north might have meant something a lot closer. In Jeremiah 4: 6, wher eGod is talking about the destruction of Israel it states, "For I am bringing disaster from the north..." Jeremiah 25:9 talks about the destruction of the House of Judah, where God says. "I shall send now for all the families of the north (Yahweh declares, that is, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon my servant) and bring them down on the country and its inhabitants (and on all the surrounding nations)" Here the "families of the north" is Babylon, which is actually north east of Israel.

In Jeremiah 6:22 -23 God says "Look a people is coming from the land of the north, from the fare ends of the earth a great nation is riding; they are armed with bow and spear, they are cruel and pitiless; their noise is like the roaring of the sea, they are riding horses, they are ready to fight against you as one man, against you, daughter of Zion." In this case the destruction is upon Israel by the Babylonian-Chaldean empire. But, in Jeremiah 50:41-42, God is referring to the destruction of the Babylonian-Chaldean empire by the Assyrian-Scythian empire, "Look, a people is coming from the far north, a might nation, from the far ends of the earth. They are armed with bow and spear, they are cruel and pitiless; their noise is like the roaring of lions, they ride horses, ready as one man to fight you, daughter of Babylon." These are almost exactly the same words, but refer to two different destructive empires. Could the "nations of the north" be the former Babylon-Chaldean empire (current Iraq) and her northern Arab and Tartar/Mongol allies; or could it be the former Assyrian-Scythian empire and it's southern Arab allies? We must remember that a large part of this battle appears to include the "Kings of the East."

Many writers believe the "kings of the East" refers to Russia and China. I tend not to agree with this belief. If we research the use of the words "sons of the East" "princes of the East" and "kings of the East" we will find that they are probably the part Hebrew - part Egyptian people we call Arabs. The first mention of the "sons of the East" is in Genesis 12. Abraham sent away his Egyptian slave Hagar and her son Ishmael, who was Abraham's first born son. Because Abraham was distressed at having to send his first born son away God told him, "Do not distress yourself on account of the boy and your slave girl. Do whatever Sarah says, for Isaac is the one through whom your name will be carried on. But the slave girl's son I shall make into a great nation." This would have happened sometime around 1850 BC.

Ishmael grew up in the Paran desert and became an archer. The Paran desert is the in Iran which is east of the land of Canaan. In Genesis 17:20 God tells Hagar that Ishmael's sons will be twelve "rulers" and they will become a great nation. In Genesis 25:16 the twelve sons of Ishmael are also called tribal "rulers." Judges 6:3 states that Midian and Amalek along with the "eastern peoples" marched against the Israelites. Midian was one of the four sons of Abraham's Egyptian wife Keturah. Keturah's sons were considered the leaders of the four tribes of southern Arabs. The Midianites were later referred to as Ishmaelites (Judges 8:22-27 refers to Midian as Ishmaelites)." The "kings of the East" may well be the twelve northern Arab tribes of Ishmael, and the four southern Arab tribes begun by the sons of Abraham's wife Keturah.

In Revelation 20 only Gog and Magog are mentioned. Most writers interpret Magog as the Scythians or Tartars. The first century writer Philo identifies Magog with southern Russia. In an eighth century reference the Great Wall of China was called: Sud Yagog et Magog "The Rampart of Gog and Magog." The Moslems refer to Gog and Magog as Vadjudj wa madjudj in the Koran. Bible commentary writer Chuck Missler believes they are the Magyars of Russia and Hungary. The Tartars are called Turks (a branch of the Aschins or Kushuns / Huns / Magyars) in western Asia. In eastern Asia they are referred to as Mongols. The areas of these peoples include southern Russia, China, Mongolia and Manchuria. This is the land of Magog. Incidentally, this area was once considered the Mongol (Magog) Empire.

The Aschin Huns / Kushuns were a Mongol tribe who nearly destroyed the Roman Empire; they defeated the Goths (Germanic tribes) of Eastern Europe; and they invaded Gaul (France). After they were defeated, the Huns were absorbed by the other racial strains of Europe. The Name Asia and word Hun may be a corruption or transliteration of the words Aschin or Kushun. And the word China may be a corruption or transliteration of the word Aschin or Ch'in; which was associated with the Sinites, one of the tribes of the sons of Canaan, who was a son of Ham. The battle of Gog and Magog may not involve the Arab nations nor the European nations, but may involve the Mongol / Tartar nations.

May God be with you always,

T.R.

If you have questions, log on to the Christianity Forum on the "T.R.'s Tips" Message Board / Forum

Basic Theology: http://www.basictheology.com/

Hypertext Bible Dictionary: http://www.bible.gen.nz/dictionary.htm

Bible Encyclopedias: http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/sabaoth.html I http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/

http://bible.crosswalk.com/Encyclopedias/CondensedBiblicalCyclopedia/ I http://www.searchgodsword.org/enc/isb/

Catholic Bible Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/

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