Great Tribulation - Tumblr Posts
The Little Book of Revelation: The First Coming of Jesus at the End of Days
The Most controversial book ever written about Christ.
This book uncovers a mystery, or rather, a shocking revelation hidden behind signs, symbols, and biblical codes. Based on a twenty-year study, it reveals a post-biblical conspiracy, perpetuated by the church, which has essentially turned prophecy into history. Even though the New Testament is quite adamant about the precise timing of Jesus' one and only coming--prophesied to occur "once in the end of the world" (Heb. 9:26, King James)--we have been led to believe that this event occurred two millennia ago.
But if we fail to understand the Biblical story of Jesus, we'll compromise our prophetic interpretations of the end-times. And that's exactly what we've done! No wonder there is so much confusion among scholars concerning the identities of the four horsemen of Revelation, the so-called restrainer who "is taken out of the way" (2 Thess. 2:7), Elijah who comes to earth "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD" (Mal. 4:5), and the like. How can this book remedy the situation? It accomplishes this by including prophecies concerning the correct timing of the coming Messiah, the Antichrist, and the apocalyptic events.
This is a groundbreaking work whose evidence is rather compelling. It is a very special and highly original book, one that raises some serious questions about the validity of the long-held belief in the historical Jesus. And to that extent, one could say that it fuses the Messianic beliefs of Judaism with those of Christianity.
The book was recently reviewed by BlueInk Review. Some of their comments were as follows: "Beautifully written," "Highly creative literary analysis." "An intriguing study."
The book is available in 3 formats: Hardcover, Softcover, and eBook.
About the Author: Eli of Kittim (pen name) is a published author and an expert on Bible Prophecy.
Read a sample on Amazon by clicking on the link at the top of the page!
World War 3: 2010 Decade
All the prophecies concerning Armageddon seem to converge in the 2010 decade or soon thereafter: the Mayan (their twenty-six-thousand-year cycle ended in 2012), the Sikh (in which, according to Sakhee 15th, the avatar or god man is said to appear around the year 2015), Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri's prophecy (according to which Jesus, the messiah, will appear within a year of Ariel Sharon's death—or 2015); Malachy’s prophecy of the 112 Popes (Pope Francis being the last, according to experts, who was inducted in 2013); Daniel’s Seventy-Weeks prophecy (in which Armageddon is said to be triggered seventy years after the restoration of Israel: 1948+70=2018); and the four Blood Moons that fall on Jewish holy days (apocalyptic omens that are predicted to occur in 2014-15)!
THE END IS NEAR
If you shall see kingdoms rising against each other in turn, then give heed and note the footsteps of the Messiah. —Bereshit Rabbah XLII: 4
"The great Empire of the Antichrist will begin where once was Attila’s empire and the new Xerxes will descend with great and countless numbers" (Nostradamus, Epistle to Henry II).
The Little Book
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19737698-the-little-book-of-revelation
The Lord’s Resurrection in the Last Days In Isaiah and Daniel
By author Eli of Kittim 🎓
According to Isaiah’s biblical account concerning “the last days” (Isa. 2:2) of mankind, “the LORD” will resurrect just prior to Judgment Day. Isaiah says the following:
“Men will go into caves of the rocks, and into holes of the ground before the terror of the LORD, and before the splendor of His majesty, when He ARISES to make the earth tremble” (Isa. 2:19, NASV, emphasis added).
This eschatological passage is echoed in Rev. 6:15-17. Interestingly enough, the Septuagint, an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, translates the Hebrew word “קוּם qum” with the word “αναστη,” which is derived from the Greek word ανάστασις (anástasis) and means resurrection:
Eισενεγκαντες εις τα σπηλαια και εις τας σχισμας των πετρων και εις τας τρωγλας της γης απο προσωπου του φοβου κυριου και απο της δοξης της ισχυος αυτου οταν αναστη θραυσαι την γην. ——-Isaiah 2:19, Septuagint LXX
New American Standard Translation:
“Men will go into caves of the rocks, and into holes of the ground before the terror of the LORD, and before the splendor of His majesty, when He arises [or resurrects: ‘αναστη’] to make the earth tremble.”
Scholars render the Hebrew word “קוּם qum” as resurrection. The word in Hebrew, qum (קוּם i.e., cumi in Mark 5:41), and in Greek (LXX) — anastas — means “resurrection.” The word anastas is derived from the term ἀνίστημι and is the root word of ἀνάστασις: https://biblehub.com/greek/386.htm
Similarly, in the New Testament we find the same Greek word, meaning resurrection, attached to an end-time prophecy:
“THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES [‘anistamenos,’ means resurrects in Greek] TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE.” ——-Rom. 15:12
So what is the purpose of this brief study? We’re trying to show that according to Isaiah’s depiction, “the LORD … arises to make the earth tremble” (Isa. 2:19) “in the last days” (בְּאַחֲרִ֣ית bə·’a·ḥă·rîṯ הַיָּמִ֗ים hay·yā·mîm Isa. 2:2), just prior to Judgment. A resurrection that had occurred two millennia ago would in fact contradict what we just read. Yet the New Testament itself doesn’t contradict this at all, but rather confirms it:
“Once in the end of the world hath he [Jesus] appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. … After this the judgment” (Heb. 9:26-27 KJV).
So, as you can see, the Church’s teaching contradicts both the Old and New Testaments by telling us that this event already happened.
In Chapter 12 and verse 1, Daniel prophesies the death and resurrection of a great prince named Michael—meaning מִֽיכָאֵ֜ל “who is like God”—at the end of days. He writes:
"At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:1-2, NKJV).
The Septuagint, an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, translates the Hebrew word “עָמַד amad” (“stand up”/arise) with the Greek word παρελευσεται, meaning to pass away:
ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται NAS: and earth will pass away, KJV: and earth shall pass away, INT: the earth will pass away (Mt 24:35 Strong’s Concordance) https://biblehub.com/greek/pareleusetai_3928.htm
The Theodotion Daniel 12:1 of the Septuagint translates the Hebrew word עָמַד (amad) as αναστήσεται, which is derived from the root word ανίστημι and means “shall arise.” The word ἀναστήσεται is the root word of ἀνάστασις and means to “raise up” or to “raise from the dead.” Accordingly, notice how the term ἀναστήσεται in its singular and plural form conveys the meaning of resurrection. In the Theodotion Dan. 12:1, we have the singular form ἀναστήσεται (“shall arise"). Similarly, ἀναστήσονται (the plural form in the Old Greek Dan. 12:2) represents an explicit reference to the general resurrection from the dead, thereby establishing its meaning. And since both of these resurrection events (namely, Michael's resurrection followed by the general resurrection of the dead) are set for "the time of the end" (Dan. 12:4), the implication is that they are eschatological in nature!
So Daniel is telling us that at the time of the end, when there will be great turmoil and distress upon the earth, Michael, the great prince—after passing away (παρελεύσεται)—will arise from the dead (αναστήσεται) in order to energize the general resurrection of the dead (ἀναστήσονται)! What does all this mean? Daniel 12:1-2 reaffirms the last-days-resurrection theme found in Isaiah 2:19 and Hebrews 9:26-28. Therefore, Christ’s resurrection could not have happened two thousand years ago, as most people believe:
“[These] men … have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place” (2 Tim. 2:18; cf. 1 Cor. 15:53-55).
Who Are the Twenty-Four Elders of Revelation Chapter 4?
By Author Eli Kittim
“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.” —Revelation 4:4
The book of Revelation does not disclose the identity of the twenty-four elders. However, based on the descriptions given, and the relationship of this passage to other parts of the Bible, we can make certain valid inferences. The illustrations depicting them as sitting on thrones signify that they are reigning with Christ. John MacArthur, a noted theologian and author, writes:
“Nowhere in Scripture do angels sit on thrones, nor are they pictured ruling or reigning. Their role is to serve as ‘ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation’ (Heb. 1:14; cf. Mat. 18:10).”—John MacArthur, Revelation 1-11: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999).
Moreover, The Greek word for “elders” is “Presviterous,” from where we get the English word “Presbyters,” meaning elders or ministers of the Church. Interestingly enough, the same word used in Revelation 4:4 for elder is also used in connection with the visible church on earth (otherwise known as the “body of Christ”) in 1 Peter 5:1. In this regard, Paul writes, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2). According to the gospel of Luke, it is human beings that will rule and reign with Christ (22:30).
Furthermore, the twenty-four elders are clothed in white raiment. Their white garments would also be more consistent with heavenly saints who were once men—and who were saved and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb—than with angelic beings. The color white always signifies the holiness and purity of God (and that’s why I also maintain that the white horse of Revelation 6:2 can only signify Christ; more on that later). For instance, Revelation 6:11 describes the tribulation saints in this way:
“And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”
Similarly, Revelation 3:18 says, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness.”
It is of immense importance to understand the types of crowns these twenty-four elders wear because this theme will ultimately help us uncover important clues about the mysterious identity of the white horse in Revelation 6:2 (the so-called first horseman of the Apocalypse)! In the original Greek text, the twenty-four elders are said to wear golden “stephanous” crowns (Rev. 4:10). A “stephanos” crown is associated with the glory of God, and “stephanos” is the Greek word used for crown in 1 Thessalonians:
“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?” (1 Thess. 2:19).
In fact, a “stephanos” crown is explicitly defined as representing “Righteousness,” since that is the Greek word used for crown in 2 Timothy 4:8:
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
In 1 Peter 5:4 the Greek word for crown—namely, “stephanon,”—represents “the unfading crown of glory”: “And when the Chief Shepherd appears [Christ], you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” What is more, the Greek term “stephanos” is used to represent a kingly or royal crown in connection with Christ’s passion: “And they clothed him [Christ] with purple, and platted a crown [“stephanon”] of thorns, and put it about his head” (Mark 15:17; cf. John 19:2). So, Christ is given a royal “stephanon” crown (which he also wears in Rev. 14:14) that will become a metaphor for his passion, death, and resurrection! The term “stephanos” means crown or crowned in Greek. More precisely, it is “a victor’s wreath.” In other words, the word “stephanos” signifies a victor’s crown, and is intimately associated with the Greek word “niki” (meaning “victory”), which is the Greek word used in connection with Christ’s victory over death in 1 Corinthians 15:54, 57.
The reason this study is so important is that the same Greek terms used in the New Testament to define the crowns of God’s righteousness, God’s glory, and Christ’s victory over death are the exact same terms used in describing the first horseman of the Apocalypse, the white horse! By comparison, the white horseman of Revelation 6:2 also wears a “stephanos” crown: “he was given a victor’s crown and he went away, to go from victory to victory.” In Greek it reads:
“Kai edothi auto stephanos kai exilthen nikon kai ina nikisi.”
The words “nikon” and “nikisi” are action verbs of the noun “niki,” which means “victory.” Some Bible versions mistranslate the words “nikon” and “nikisi” with the words “conquering and to conquer.”
However, the Greek word for conquest is “κατάκτηση,” and it means “the subjugation and assumption of control of a place or people by use of military force,” whereas “victory” means defeating an opponent, or winning a game, race, or other competition. Though they may appear to be similar, the words conquest and victory have completely different meanings. By transcribing the Greek “Nikon” and “Nikisi” (which mean “Victory”) with the English words “Conquering” and “Conquer” (which mean to subjugate people via military force) some scholars seem to insinuate a malevolent figure because they are essentially mistranslating the Victorious Christ into the Conquering Antichrist (which explains why many scholars identify this figure as the Antichrist).
However, there are also accurate translations of Revelation 6:2 that portray this white horseman as victorious rather than one who is bent on conquest. For instance, The New Jerusalem Bible reads: “and he went away, to go from victory to victory” (suggesting from glory to glory; cf. Common English Bible). The New International Reader’s Version says “He rode out like a hero on his way to victory.” Similarly, the Jubilee Bible 2000 says that “he went forth victorious, that he might overcome,” terms that are intimately associated with the righteous, and especially with Jesus Christ. Similarly, Irenaeus, an early church father, held that the first rider of the white horse who is depicted as a peacemaker represents Jesus Christ. And, let us not forget that Revelation 19:11 uses the same exact terminology and symbolic imagery as in Rev. 6:2 to tell us that this is in fact Jesus.
Let us now return to the twenty-four elders. The problem of identifying these figures has to do with how the book of Revelation is composed, which is to say, whether the events it alludes to are written in chronological order or not. There is ample evidence that the end time events are mentioned in detail chronologically, reaching a crescendo towards the end of the book, but there are also overlapping themes that serve the purpose of giving the reader the big picture, as it were, and this seems to be a source of great confusion. Some commentators claim that the twenty-four elders cannot represent the raptured church because they are mentioned prior to the great tribulation, and also because they are depicted as anticipating these coming events. This is partly true. Apparently, the twenty-four elders are mentioned chronologically before the chapters that allude to the rapture, and the death and ascension of Christ (Ch. 5), and prior to Ch. 6 that references the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.
However, Chapters 2 and 3 give us the overall picture (big picture) concerning the church’s tribulation, and beginning with chapter 6 we get more specific details from start to finish. The same holds true for the Antichrist in Revelation 19 and 20. The Satanic figure that is loosed in Revelation chapter 20 is the same Antichrist that died in the previous chapter; but, here, the story is described in more detail. So, although there appears to be a chronological order of events in the book of Revelation, there are also overlapping themes that are played out. Thus, we have the big picture, on the one hand, and details on the other. So then, since Chapters 2 and 3 reference the great tribulation (2:9), and since authority and rule (2:26-27) and white garments (3:4-5) are promised therein to those who overcome, it is more than likely that the twenty-four elders represent the tribulation saints (cf. Luke 22:30). In fact, Jesus says emphatically:
“He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne” —Rev. 3:21
Elsewhere, John the Revelator has a vision:
“Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted” (Rev. 20:4).
In the gospels, Jesus said the apostles would judge the twelve tribes “in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory” (Mat. 19:28). Another clue comes from an “elder” who explains to John the identity of those coming out of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 7:13-14). Therefore, these elders seemingly represent the overcomers of Revelation 2 and 3.
In many ways, Revelation 4 is a throwback to Daniel 7. According to his vision of the end times, Daniel reports that “thrones were set up,” and that “the Ancient of Days took His seat” (Dan. 7:9) in order to pass judgment “in favor of the saints” when “the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom” (Dan. 7:22). The (tribulation) saints will be given into the hands of the beast (Antichrist) for “a time and times and half a time” (Dan. 7:25), but the court will convene and remove “his dominion … forever” (Dan. 7:26).
Why Are There Twenty-Four Elders in Revelation Chapter 4?
The number 24 per se may contain a secret code and perhaps allude to a cryptic date or season when the Great Tribulation will commence, but anything more than that is pure conjecture. Biblically speaking, the figure 24 may have been taken from 1 Chr. 24:3-6, in which David divided the Tribe of Levi into 24 courses (twenty-four courses of Levitical priests rotating to minister in the Tabernacle). Since the tribulation saints represent a priestly kingdom, it would mean that they are probably represented by the twenty-four elders. This last point offers yet another clue to the fact that the twenty-four elders represent men and not angels.
Another view holds that the number of the elders represent the twelve tribes of Israel—as written on the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12)—and “the twelve apostles of the Lamb”—as written on the twelve foundations of the New City (Rev. 21:14). Since we’re discussing tribulation saints, it seems like a proleptic interpretation to suggest that twelve of the elders represent Old Testament saints, and the other twelve New Testament saints. A more realistic interpretation is to ascribe these values to Jews and Gentiles alike. Thus, twelve of the elders could represent tribulation saints from the 12 tribes of Israel (believers in Christ), and the other twelve the remainder of the tribulation saints. In other words, the twenty-four elders may be composed of all the tribulation saints, which would include both “Israel” and the “church.” Therefore, the twenty-four elders of Revelation Chapter 4 seemingly represent a remnant of both Jews and Gentiles (the redeemed tribulation saints) who meet in council before the throne of God in preparation for the coming judgment of the world!
A book that demonstrates the relevance of prophecy in today's world!
How Close Are We to the Gog Magog War and Armageddon?
By Author Eli of Kittim
“Understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end” (Dan. 8:17). The angelic messenger named Gabriel expounds the oracle, which refers to a particular man whom we call the Antichrist:
“Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation [God’s wrath], for it pertains to the appointed time of the end. The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. And the shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king [Alexander the Great]. And the broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation [Hellenistic Empire], although not with his power. And in the latter period [in the last days] of their rule, when the transgressors [the succeeding empires] have run their course, a king [Antichrist] will arise insolent and SKILLED IN INTRIGUE. And his power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will” (Dan. 8:19-24, emphasis added).
Interestingly enough, the abovementioned phrase “skilled in intrigue” means that the Antichrist is someone who has received training in secret or underhand schemes and plots, which would be the equivalent of a modern-day spy who is highly trained in carrying out secret schemes or missions. Not surprisingly, the famed seer Nostradamus refers to him as “the spy.” But, according to Nostradamus, first he will feign amity and tranquility: “Peace and semblance the spy will simulate” (The Prophecies, Century 9, Quatrain 88). Keep in mind that the current leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin, was a spy, an officer in the KGB (more on that later).
Ezekiel, a dominant force in Jewish apocalyptic literature, prophesies that “in the latter years” a mysterious “prince of Rosh” and “Meshech” will come “from the remote parts of the north,” from “the land of Magog,” to invade Israel, “whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations” (Ezek. 38:2, 8). It is customary for Bible scholars to identify the abovementioned locations with modern day Russia, which will be in league with many nations during its latter-day military campaigns. Historical investigations reveal that the term “Rosh” is derived from the tribe of the “Rus” who migrated from Scandinavia and founded Russia (Kievan Rus) roughly around the 10th century of the Common Era. By the same token, the term “Meshech” originates with the clan whom the Greeks called “moshoi,” and whence the name Moscow is traced.
The Septuagint, an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, translates the term “Rosh” (Ezek. 38:2) with the Greek word Ρως, which stands for Ρωσία (the Greek word for Russia). The earlier Ezekiel quotation referred to “the land of Magog.” In ancient times, it comprised the lands where the Scythians once lived, and thus represents contemporary Russia. In his sobering book, Footsteps of the Messiah, the biblical scholar Arnold Fruchtenbaum provides a supplementary elaboration of Ezekiel 38:
“The identification of Magog, Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal is to be determined from the fact that these tribes of the ancient world occupied the areas of modern day Russia. Magog, Meshech and Tubal were between the Black and Caspian Seas which today is southern Russia. The tribes of Meshech and Tubal later gave names to cities that today bear the names of Moscow, the capital, and Tobolsk, a major city in the Urals in Siberia. Rosh was in what is now northern Russia. The name Rosh is the basis for the modern name Russia. These names, then, cover the modern territories of northern and southern Russia in Europe and Siberia to the east in Asia” (70).
The celebrated seer Nostradamus confirms this conclusion and gives us an insightful clue in this regard:
“Then the great Empire of the Antichrist will begin, where Attila and Xerxes descended, in numbers great and countless” (The Prophecies, Epistle to Henry II).
Attila was a Hun. According to historians, “the Huns were a group of Eurasian nomads, appearing from east of the Volga [a river which flows through central Russia and into the Caspian Sea, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia], who migrated into Europe c. 370 and built up an enormous empire there” (Grousset, Rene, The Empire of the Steppes, 38). Maps that show the extent of Attila’s and Xerxes’ empires reveal that they comprised areas of the former Soviet Union and modern-day Russia. Moreover, Nostradamus calls the Antichrist the new Xerxes (see 666 = χξς cf. Ξέρξης/Xérxēs)! The differences between Russia and Persia (Modern-day Iran) are worlds apart! Nevertheless, similar to the future alliance between Russia and Persia (Ezek. 38.5) that’s prophesied in the Bible, Nostradamus pierces through the opaque veil of prophecy to glimpse an intimate alliance built for conquest: “Arabs will be allied with the Poles” (The Prophecies, Century 5, Quatrain 73). The term Poles refers to those who dwell in “the remote parts of the north” (Ezek. 38:6). Here, following, is a prophecy that might lend support to the idea that a military buildup in Asia could ignite the end of the world: “When those of the arctic pole are united together, Great terror and fear in the East” (The Prophecies, Century 6, Quatrain 21).
The book of Daniel furnishes more intriguing clues about the prophesied Antichrist:
“A despicable person will arise, on whom the honor of kingship has not been conferred [he is initially appointed, not elected], but he will come in a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue” (Daniel 11:21).
This is the one who “will speak out against the Most High” as well as “wear down the saints [believers] of the Highest One” (Dan. 7:24-25). Hence, this figure will speak pompous words “against the Most High” God (Dan. 7:8, 25). The Bible says thusly:
“he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done” (Dan. 11:36).
Paul contributes to this discussion by adding the following remark:
“[This is] the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4).
He will forge an immense military alliance (Dan. 9:26; 11:23, 31; Ezek. 38:4-7) that exacts conformity to his One World Government: those who show reluctance will ultimately perish (Rev. 13:8, 15). Scripture says that the Antichrist will rule the world, “but not by his own power” (Dan. 8:23-24), indicating that other governments will “give their power and authority to the beast” (Rev. 17:13). Interestingly enough, the designation “dragon” – who “gave his authority to the beast [Antichrist]” (Rev. 13:4) – happens to be the national symbol of the People’s Republic of China. The reference to “the kings from the east” makes it quite possible that China will eventually unite with, and lend support to the Russian Antichrist (Rev. 16:12). In fact, China is currently one of Russia’s strongest allies. In their unquenchable thirst for power, both the Antichrist and his allies are ultimately bent on world domination. Nostradamus writes:
“A colonel with ambition plots, He will seize the greatest army,” (The Prophecies, Century 4, Quatrain 62).
Bear in mind that Vladimir Putin was a spy, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before entering the political arena. But let’s continue.
According to Bible prophecy, the believers in God “will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time” (Dan. 7:25). This interim is equivalent to 1260 days (Rev. 12:6, 14) or three and a half years. Apparently, the Antichrist will enjoy success for this particular length of time, which is equivalent to forty-two months (Rev. 11:2; 13:5-6). In reference to this specific time period, Jesus warns: “when you see Jerusalem [Israel] surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand” (Luke 21:20). The Antichrist’s forces will soon cover the earth, gathering on the horizon to decimate the world (Isa. 60:2; Joel 2:1-2).
Now, when we look at the four horsemen of the apocalypse, several things become immediately discernible. The white horse of the first seal is an omen given by scripture to indicate the conspicuous purity of the first rider, Jesus Christ (Rev. 6:2). There is no hint of a counterfeit symbol anywhere in the Bible! Hence, we must take this sign at face value. On the other hand, the second seal reveals a terrifying red horse that will “take peace [away] from the earth” (Rev. 6:3-4). It has been traditionally linked to the red dragon that has 7 heads and 10 horns (Rev. 12:3-9). Therefore, the red horse turns out to be a sign of the Antichrist’s arrival, which happens to be contemporaneous with Christ’s earthly visitation (Rev. 12; 19).
The signs of the Antichrist are legion. Of the few and far between literary references which are known, two parallel passages may hold the key to the perennial mystery of the Antichrist who is said to be incarnated at the final point of time (cf. Rev. 12:9; 13; 2 Thess. 2:3-10; John 14:30; Dan. 7:8, 25-26; 8:10-11). One passage – well-known, but not fully explored – is found in the book of Revelation:
“And he causes all, the small and the great … to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should 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. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate [‘psifisato’ in Greek, which means ‘vote’] the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six” (13:16-18).
In Greek, the phrase “psifisato ton arithmon tou thiriou” means to cast one's vote for the number of the beast and by implication refers to the year of his public appearance. The other passage, equally popular, is encountered in the Nostradamus text:
“The year 1999, seventh month, From the sky will come a great King of Terror: To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols, Before and after Mars [Roman god of war] to reign by good luck” (The Prophecies, Century 10, Quatrain 72).
Nostradamus tells us the precise year in which the Antichrist will make his first public appearance: nineteen hundred and ninety-nine. According to popular culture, this was not only the last year of the 20th century (cf. Dan. 10:13), but it also marked the end of the thousand year period that is said to coincide with Satan’s release from prison, when he will gather the armies of “Gog and Magog” for a final great battle while “the beloved city” of Jerusalem will come under siege (Rev. 20:7-9; cf. Rev. 19:19; Luke 21:20-22; Ezek. 38:8-9, 15-16; Ps. 83:2-8). But the most interesting part of Nostradamus’s quatrain is that “the year 1999” confirms biblical prophecy. In accordance with the Nostradamic oracle, if we simply invert the cryptic number of the beast that is embedded in the book of Revelation, namely, the coded trilogy of 666, we get the triple-digit number 999. Astoundingly, this equation confirms the quintessential sign, indeed, the precise year of the Antichrist’s public appearance that is prophesied by Nostradamus, to wit, the year 1999! Accordingly, the year 1999 becomes the all-important sign of the Antichrist; not only a very critical date in human history, but also one that bears a conspicuous similitude to the cryptic number of the beast: 666. Just because that date has elapsed does not make this sign any less significant. The reason for this is quite obvious; the current leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin, actually became acting president in “the year 1999” when Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned! As predicted by the Bible, he did come in a time of peace (“the year 1999” encoded in the number “666”), and was initially appointed, rather than elected, not to mention that he is in fact “skilled in intrigue,” having been a former high ranking Russian spy! Hence why Daniel 8:25 calls him “a master of deception.”
According to all these prophecies, we can thus say with confidence that the Antichrist has not only stepped onto the world stage, but due to the incessant expansion of his military operations is daily increasing in fame and stature. Hippolytus Romanus (circa 170-236 A.D.), a highly prolific theologian of the Roman Church, composed a treatise on Christ and Antichrist in the early part of the third century. To dispel any notions that the term Antichrist is a purely metaphorical construct, Hippolytus writes:
“The Saviour appeared in the form of a man, and he too [the Antichrist] will come in the form of a man.”
The famous War Scroll, also known as 1QM (Dead Sea Scrolls), contains prophecies about a pivotal episode in human history: the final battle at the end of time between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, otherwise known as Armageddon. This decisive conflict has been known since the time of the ancient Persian prophet Zoroaster. According to the War Scroll, Belial emerges in the text as the unequivocal chief antagonist to the Deity. The conspicuous opponent of Belial is the king of the Kittim, one of the professed sons of Greece (cf. Gen. 10:4). And who is Belial’s greatest rival? Insofar as scripture is concerned, it is none other than Jesus Christ. Paul writes:
“What harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols” (2 Cor. 6:15-16)?
Notice that after the death of the king of Kittim (Messiah), which is the main implication of column 16.7-9, the people lose heart and consequently halt their signal to advance. Yet, even though Belial [Antichrist] is prevailing against the forces of Kittim, the devoted priests continue blowing on the trumpets of the slain (cf. Rev. 8:2-13). These specific War Scroll symbols may be traced back to “First Thessalonians, [which] is probably the earliest letter of Paul that we have, written in AD 50” (New Jerusalem Bible, 1367). According to this New Testament letter, Christ will reappear “with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (4:16; cf. 1 Cor. 15:51-52). This Pauline death and resurrection theme may help explain why we find several references to Christ’s atonement in the last days, such as “The Offering of God” (4.1), within the 1QM manuscript. Therefore, the War Scroll story seems to portray the redemptive death of a future king, whose priests nevertheless continue to call on his name insistently and without respite:
“Then they shall gather …. In the morning they shall come to the place of the battle line, where the mighty men of the Kittim fell …. When they stand before the slain of the Kittim, they shall praise there the God of Israel. And they shall say in response: … to God most high” (Column 19, Lines 9-14).
The foregoing quote supplies further evidence that the slain king of the Kittim is associated with the highest divinity. Astoundingly, the faithful stand at his grave and praise him! Other portions of the War Scroll also attest to an incarnate God amongst men during this end time period. Here is such a line: “and he (Moses) [Sic] told us that You are in our midst, a great and awesome God” (10.1). Moreover, the Essenes recount the riveting, Messianic resurrection prophecy of the end times: “the King of Glory is with us …. The Hero of War is with our company …. Rise up, O Hero, take your captives, O Glorious One” (12.8-10), they exclaim. Equally important are the following lines that concentrate on the same resurrection theme:
“Rise up, rise up, O God of gods, and raise Yourself in power, O King of Kings … let all the Sons of Darkness scatter from before You” (Column 14, Lines 16-17).
This messianic death and resurrection theme is reminiscent of an Isaian prophecy concerning “the last days” (2:2):
“Men will go into caves of the rocks and into holes of the ground before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble” (Isaiah 2:19).
In fact, Isaiah describes this apocalyptic battle in the starkest terms, as he prophetically envisions God “waging war with the dragon” (Rev. 12:7; Isa. 27:1) in the air. He writes: just “like flying birds, so the Lord of hosts will protect … and deliver” (Isa. 31:5) his people. In like manner, the War Scroll manuscript indicates that the “king of the Kittim … shall go forth with great wrath to do battle against the kings of the north” (1.4). This is reminiscent of Ezekiel’s prophecy pertaining to the “prince of Rosh” (prince of Russia) who “will come from … the remote parts of the north” (38:15-16) to overwhelm the nations, and “whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth” (2 Thess. 2:8). Therefore, the War Scroll reveals that during this ultimate war of the gods (Christ and Antichrist), “The princes of God” (3.3) will do battle on humanity’s behalf: “You appointed the Prince of Light from of old to assist us” (Column 13, Line 10). You may recall that the book of Daniel references Christ as “Michael, one of the chief princes” (Dan. 10:13; cf. 12:1). In the same vein, the Essenes’ “banners” reflect the signposts that point to the approaching Messiah: “Michael” (War Scroll 9.16), “The right hand of God,” “The appointed time of God,” “The tumult of God,” “The slain of God” (4.6-7; cf. Dan. 10:6), and the like.
It is our contention that we cannot profit by the War Scroll manuscript unless we fully understand its connection to the Old and New Testament writings. In contradistinction to public opinion, our assiduous detective work shows that the king of the Kittim literally represents the God-Messiah in one form or another: as the slain of God or the Offering of God. Here is such an excerpt depicting the death of an anointed one:
“On the day when the Kittim fall there shall be a battle and horrible carnage … for it is a day appointed by Him [God] from ancient times as a battle of annihilation for the Sons of Darkness” (Column 1, Lines 9-10).
The aforesaid quote appears to reflect the terrible violence that will ensue in the aftermath of Christ’s death (cf. Luke 21:22; Dan. 7:21, 25). This prophetic story resonates in other spiritual traditions and personages as well. In short, a messianic figure dies, and then comes a horrible carnage:
“Mabus very soon then will die, [then] will come, A horrible undoing of people and animals, At once one will see vengeance…” (Nostradamus, The Prophecies, Century II, Quatrain 62, Translation by John Hogue).
Although most of the Nostradamus experts, like John Hogue, have mistakenly identified “Mabus” as Nostradamus’ 3rd and final Antichrist, the reality is that this figure actually represents Christ, as this underlying messianic theme is prevalent amongst many prophetic traditions. Accordingly, the word “Mabus” may not be an anagram at all, but rather an acronym derived from the Jewish tradition for Mašīaḥ Ben Yōsēf, the prophesied Messiah who will soon die after making an appearance on the world stage. Similarly, the Scriptures teach that the Antichrist will unleash apocalyptic horrors of such an unimaginable magnitude the world has never known (Matt. 24:21). Since the Antichrist will be infuriated by the manifestation of the Messiah, the intensification of this onslaught against the nations, and especially against all Christians, will be completely overwhelming (cf. Dan. 11:30). That this savage slaughter is not exclusively prophesied in the Bible is indicated by its inclusion in the 1QM (War Scroll):
“On the day of their battle against the Kittim, they shall go forth for carnage in battle” (Column 1, Lines 12-13).
One such paradigm can be found in the Apocalypse of John, commonly called the “book of Revelation,” where we find a book sealed up with seven seals, which has yet to be opened (Rev. 5:1). Teeming with fantastic glimpses of the coming apocalypse, the seven seals represent the great signs of the last days on earth. The book in question appears to hold all the secrets concerning these prophetic events and is itself connected to them. More importantly, the unveiling of its mysterious contents is somehow associated with the commencement of Armageddon, the last great battle of human history. Here is an example featuring a strong angel who puts forth a profound question: “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” (Rev. 5:2). An incorrect answer will ultimately lead to an utter misinterpretation of the entire Bible and its oracles. Fortunately, the correct answer is made explicit: “The Lion … has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals” (Rev. 5:5). Notice the phrasing of the previous sentence: “The Lion … has overcome so as to open the book.” In other words, “the Lion” – “the Root of David” (Rev. 5:5; 22:16) – is Christ, whose victory over death has something to do with the opening of this book of signs (Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah, 117). It will become increasingly clear that the content of the aforesaid quote is a metaphor for the Messiah initiating the final events on earth. After the aforesaid question is proclaimed, we encounter a scene taking place in heaven where a Lamb is standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes … sent out into all the earth (Rev. 5:6). Implicit in this eerily evocative phrase is the idea of “a resurrected individual” (Fruchtenbaum 117). The following verse reads: “And He [Jesus] came, and He took it [the little book] out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne” (Rev. 5:7). Pay particular attention to the fine print, as it were: And He came; but whence did he come? If Christ was already in heaven, as most people believe, he would have been holding the little book in advance. In contradistinction, we are first exposed to the powerful image of a slain lamb that is sent out into all the earth, and then we become privy to the information that Christ arrives in heaven in dramatic style to take the little book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne so as to initiate the coming apocalypse. The foregoing scriptural imagery is haunting in its directness as it attempts to disclose that Jesus is not in heaven during the last days of the world, but on the earth as the slain sacrificial Lamb of God (cf. Rev. 13:8). This messianic ascension theme is a throwback to the vision of the son of man in the book of Daniel:
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man [“bar enash” means human being], coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
In addition, the little book which Christ obtains from the Father anticipates how the final apocalyptic events will eventually unfold once he initiates or breaks the seven seals (Rev. 6; 8). This scenario fits well within the overall apocalyptic context of the “great sign” of Revelation 12 in which an expected child will be born, devoured (killed), and will later be “caught up [ascend] to God and to his throne” (Rev. 12:1-5). Then Christ “broke one of the seven seals” (Rev. 6:1):
“Immediately I saw a white horse appear, and its rider was holding a bow; he was given a victor’s crown and he went away, to go from victory to victory” (Rev. 6:2, NJB).
The biblical term victory is intimately associated with Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, which ultimately results in the conquering of death itself (1 Cor. 15:54, 57), while the metaphor of the bow represents God’s covenant with the human race. The background to the latter symbol can be found in the writings of the Old Testament. In the wake of the great flood, the deity declares to Noah, the apparent savior of the human species:
“I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth” (Gen. 9:13).
Therefore, the first horseman of the Apocalypse (6:2), who is in possession of a bow (the covenant), is evidently none other than Christ himself (cf. Rev. 14:14). Irenaeus, a second century theologian, held the same view, namely, that the first rider of the white horse who is depicted as a peacemaker represents Jesus Christ (Mounce, Robert H, The Book of Revelation, 141). Here is another passage that introduces the prelude to this same event; it represents a deeply unsettling episode in world history:
“And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. … And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God” (Rev. 19:11-13).
The above phrase – “and behold, a white horse” – is identical to the one used in the book of Revelation chapter 6 and verse 2 concerning the first horseman of the Apocalypse. Just as the latter horseman conquered death, the former horseman (from Rev. 19:11-13) is “dipped in blood,” as both scenarios imply that he has been slain. Essentially, Revelation 6:2 and Revelation 19:11 appear to be two sides of the same coin. The composite biblical message indicates that Christ will be the first person to be revealed in the final days of the coming apocalypse. In point of fact, Revelation 19:11 provides more in-depth details into the specifics of Revelation 6:2.
Thus, we have the same story in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Bible), the War Scroll (Dead Sea Scrolls), and in Nostradamus (The Prophecies), namely, a Messiah (Mabus or Mašīaḥ Ben Yōsēf) will appear on earth and will soon die (cf. Rev. 12:4), followed by the appearance of the Antichrist and the horrible carnage of WWIII.
The rebirth of Israel represents, to use a popular phrase, the prophetic clock that started ticking on 14 May 1948 and which continues to wind down to zero so as to proclaim the appointed time of the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10). The rebirth of Israel marks a turning point in apocalyptic expectations, and Christ’s message concerning end time events seems to point toward this 1948 prophetic countdown:
“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matt. 24:34).
But what on earth does he mean by this? In order to comprehend this terse remark, we must inquire into the standard time limit of a biblical generation. The book of Psalms makes known that a generation is equal to 70 actual years (90:10). This 70 year timeline also points to Christ’s incarnation because after its completion God himself vows to walk the earth. Jeremiah prophesies: “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed …, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you’” (29:10). This implies that somewhere toward the end of this lengthy time interval the Messiah will appear and intervene in human affairs. Compare Jeremiah’s prophecy to the seventy week prophecy of Daniel (Dan. 9:2, 24-25). Jesus is indicating that it will take one generation since the rebirth of Israel “until all these things take place” (Matt. 24:34; cf. 1 Thess. 4:15). Modern Israel, then, becomes the preeminent sign as regards the end of days. As to what might occur, we refer the reader to peruse certain key biblical sections – (See Ezek. 38; Dan. 7; 8; 9; 12; Matt. 24; Luke 17; 21; Rev. 9; 13; 19; 20) – among others, so as to gain a more comprehensive view of end time events. Suffice it to say that a great war is headed our way. Jesus warns us of the cataclysmic events that will soon occur during the winter of the great Sabbath (Matt. 24:20). That is when the heavenly signs will begin and all hell will break loose on earth:
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of [the] birth pangs” (Matt. 24:7-8).
According to Dr. Fruchtenbaum, a noted Bible scholar, this passage suggests “a world-wide conflict” such as “World War I” and “World War II” (63-64). Enter World War III (cf. Ezek. 38:4-9, 15-17; Rev. 6:4, 8; 9:14-19; 20:8)! This dire war will inevitably trigger the last great battle between Christ and Antichrist known as Armageddon (Rev. 16:16; 19:11-15). This is essentially the end-time road map. The Jewish sages say:
“If you shall see kingdoms rising against each other in turn, then give heed and note the footsteps of the Messiah.” —Bereshit Rabbah XLII: 4
Astoundingly, both the biblical and extra-biblical prophecies concerning the coming Messiah seem to converge in the latter half of the 2010 decade or thereabouts: the Mayan (their twenty-six-thousand-year cycle ended in 2012), the Sikh (in which, according to Sakhee 15th, the avatar or god man is said to appear after the year 2015), Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri’s prophecy (according to which the messiah will appear after Ariel Sharon’s death—or c. 2015); Malachy’s prophecy of the 112 Popes (Pope Francis being the last, according to experts, who was inducted in 2013); Daniel’s Seventy-Weeks prophecy (in which Messiah is said to appear approximately seventy years after the restoration of Israel: 1948+70=2018); Vilna Gaon’s prophecy, which predicts the Russian invasion of Crimea as a sign of the coming Messiah; Judah Ben Samuel’s prediction of the Messiah appearing after 2017; the Four Blood Moons that fell on Jewish holy days (recent apocalyptic omens that culminated in 2015), the two total solar eclipses that occurred in the span of about seven years (2017 & 2024), and many more. Therefore, the arrival of the Messiah is imminent!
To sum up, both the biblical and extra-biblical prophecies indicate that the latter half of the 2010 decade & the beginning of the 2020 decade are of extreme importance to all the inhabitants of the earth because it is during this time that the long-awaited Messiah will appear to change the course of human history. There is overwhelming evidence that the 2010/2020 decades are the Messianic decades, as we are told in one prophecy after another! Apparently, we are the messianic generation that the prophets of old longed to see. The signs are everywhere:
“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase” (Daniel 12:4).
In conclusion, the underlying theme prevalent amongst all of the aforementioned spiritual traditions is that the Messiah will be the first person to be revealed on the world stage, and will soon be killed. In other words, the Antichrist will not be revealed unless the Messiah’s death precedes this event (2 Thess. 2:1-9). Then a horrible carnage will ensue the likes of which the world has never known (Dan. 12:1, Matt. 24:21). According to Daniel and the prophecies of Jesus, the end will come roughly 70 years after the restoration of Israel, or one generation thereafter. Since seventy years after the restoration of Israel (1948) brings us to the year 2018, we must therefore consider ourselves as being part of that prophesied last generation.
The apocalyptic biblical theme of a full-scale Russian invasion at the end of days (the so-called Gog Magog war) carries a lot of weight with prophecy scholars and is one of the most intriguing prophecies of the Bible. Russia's war with the west, its increasing military presence in the Levant, coupled with the rising number of its Muslim allies proves that the Gog Magog war of Ezekiel is coming true! The Russian invasion of Ukraine, coupled with the current war between Israel and Iran, might indicate that the beginning of the Gog Magog War is close at hand! There’s no doubt about it, a Great War is brewing in the Middle East, which will soon trigger a world war. In fact, the Bible predicts a nuclear war (cf. Zech. 14:12) in the end times that will kill over 2 billion people. According to a recent article entitled NATO vs. Russia War Could Begin Today Or Tomorrow, “Russia is actively preparing for a conflict with NATO, and NATO is preparing for a possible confrontation with Russia.” According to The Guardian, The US plans to retaliate against Russian expansion. So, how close are we to the Gog Magog War? We “know that it is near, right at the door” (Matt. 24:33) because NATO & the US are on the precipice of a major conflict with Russia!
Three Questions On the Rapture: Is it Pre-Trib or Post-Trib? Is it Secret or Not? And is it Imminent?
By Goodreads Author Eli Kittim
——-
Is the Rapture Visible or Invisible?
Although there are a few early references to the “rapture” in certain Christian works——such as the late 6th century “Apocalypse of Pseudo-Ephraem”——the putative “secret rapture” and the “futurist eschatological view” of prophecy were largely developed by Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) and Jesuit theologian Francisco Ribera (1537-1591) during the Counter-Reformation, and were later co-opted by the 19th century Bible teacher, John Nelson Darby. In modern times, author Hal Lindsey popularized this view in his best-selling 1970 book, “The Late, Great Planet Earth.”
Given that 1 Cor. 15.51-52 (NRSV) says that “we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” this New Testament (NT) passage is adduced by Bible prophecy scholars to explain that “the body of Christ” (i.e. “the church”) will suddenly vanish and disappear. Recently, both Dr. Ed Hindson and pastor Mark Hitchcock also used 1 Cor. 15.51-52 to support a secret and instant rapture in which the faithful “in Christ" will evanesce. In fact, in their book “Can we still believe in the Rapture?” they aver that even Jesus will not be visibly seen except *only* by the faithful. Despite the fact that these authors have a penchant for rigorous scholarship, since they tout themselves as Bible prophecy pundits, they have nevertheless prescinded numerous contradictory passages. Rev. 1.7 is a case in point: “He [Jesus] is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him.” Similarly, Mt. 24.30 says: “they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory.” In fact, the coming of the Son of Man is likened to lightning, which “comes from the east and flashes as far as the west” (Mt. 24.27). Therefore, there will clearly be a visible and physical manifestation of Jesus’ coming in the sky! After which “he will send out his angels . . . and they will gather his elect” (Mt. 24.31).
Another reason why the rapture is reputed to be a *secret* is because 2 Pet. 3.10 says that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief.” However, notice that “the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire.” This verse evinces that “a loud noise” will be heard and that the physical properties of the earth will be destroyed in a great conflagration. Thus, the key components of this experience unambiguously comprise audible, visible, and physical phenomena.
A further reason for the supposed “secret rapture” has to do with the postmortem changes in the human body that are said to make it imperishable and immortal (1 Cor. 15.53). But just because “the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15.52), doesn’t mean that the *rapture* is inaudible or invisible. Even if Paul is talking about an eminently spiritualized body doesn’t mean that it cannot be seen. For instance, Jesus is depicted as being both visible and physical after his purported resurrection. By way of illustration, the disciples allegedly “ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead” (Acts 10.41), and he was also said to be physically touched by Thomas (Jn 20.27).
What is more, all the Biblical evidence contradicts the notion that the rapture will be visible only to a select few. For example, similar to Jesus’ loud, audible shout during the rapture in 1 Thess. 4.16, Jer. 25.30 also prophesies that “The Lord will roar from on high . . . and shout” when he appears. This is a running theme throughout the Bible. It’s reminiscent of Psalm 50.3: “Our God comes and does not keep silence.” Thus, the most viable interpretation of these verses must of necessity render the grounds for the “secret rapture” untenable!
——-
Is the Rapture Imminent?
Before we discuss the *timing* of the rapture, it is important to consider whether or not it is imminent. John A. Sproule, a pretribulationist author, once said that "imminence" is defined as the belief that "Christ can return for His Church ‘at any moment’ and that no predicted event will intervene before that return.” However, this is a moot point since 2 Thess. 2.1-3 teaches against the doctrine of imminence and stresses that the rapture cannot take place “unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed.” Second Thessalonians 2.1 is using rapture language (Gk. ἐπισυναγωγῆς ἐπ αὐτόν; “gathered together to him”). Matthew 24.31 uses the exact same word (ἐπισυνάγω) in reference to the rapture! Moreover, there’s a further condition that has to be met before the rapture can take place, and before the “lawless one” (i.e. the Antichrist) can be revealed, namely, someone needs to be removed from the earth.
A common misinterpretation is that this must either be a reference to the *Holy Spirit* or to the *church*, which will be taken out of the way before the Antichrist can be revealed. But if it is the Holy Spirit or the church it would directly contradict the Book of Revelation (7.13-14), which foresees a great spiritual revival during the time of the Great Tribulation (GT). For instance, John the Revelator sees “a great multitude that” came “out of the great ordeal [GT]” (Rev. 7.9, 14). This multitude represents the “church” of Christ, which is obviously present, not absent, during the GT. And without the Holy Spirit no one can be saved (Rom. 8.9b). Therefore, the so-called “restrainer” of 2 Thess. 2.6-7 can neither be the Holy Spirit nor the church. This mysterious figure can only be explained by my unique eschatological view. Since I hold that the first horseman of the Apocalypse is Christ (the white horseman), it is he and he alone who is the restrainer, and after he is slain the Antichrist will be revealed (see my article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/eli-kittim.tumblr.com/post/168159235542/who-is-the-first-horseman-of-the-apocalypse/amp).
Another reason why the “restrainer” cannot be the “church” is because if 2 Thess. 2.1-3 says that the *rapture-of-the-church* cannot occur “unless . . . the lawless one is revealed” first, the text would be contradicting itself later by saying the exact opposite, namely, that the lawless one cannot be revealed unless the *church* (2 Thess. 2.6-7) is removed first. Furthermore, in koine Greek, the church is never referred to as a man, using the nominative masculine singular form of the definite article (Gk. ὁ “ho” 2 Thess. 2.7). It cannot be the Holy Spirit either because if it were to be removed from the earth no one would be saved, thereby contradicting Rev. 7.9-14, among other passages.
So, the only legitimate candidate for the “restrainer” position, in 2 Thess 2, is Christ, who will be taken out of the way (slain; cf. Heb. 9.26b) and then the Antichrist will be revealed! Hence, according to Scripture, the *rapture* cannot possibly be imminent precisely because three significant events must first occur: the rebellion, the removal of the restrainer, and the revelation of the lawless one!
——-
Common Misconceptions
Now we are ready to tackle the actual *timing* of the “rapture” with respect to the GT. But before we do, let us first consider why people hold to a Pre-Tribulation (Pre-Trib) as opposed to a Post-Tribulation (Post-Trib) rapture position.
Before we get started, I need to stress that the second category, the so-called “Mid-Tribulation” (MId-Trib) rapture view, does not really exist. It’s a misnomer. The GT only lasts for 3 and a half years, or 42 months, or 1,260 days, or a time, and times, and half a time (cf. Rev. 11.2; 12.6, 14; 13.5). Thus, there can only be two possible timelines: a Pre-Trib or a Post-Trib timetable. The 7 years (“one week”) alluded to in Dan. 9.27 do not refer to the duration of the GT. Only the phrase “for half of the week” represents the GT. A Mid-Trib position would only be feasible if the rapture occurred in the middle of a supposed 7-year GT period. But since the GT lasts only for 3 and a half years, there can be no such thing as a Mid-Trib view! The “prewrath” position is also problematic because if the Day of the Lord begins during the last half of the GT period, then the Antichrist will not actually reign for 3 and a half years (Dan. 12.7; Rev. 11.2; 12.6; 13.5), thereby contradicting scripture. Not to mention that the GT represents Satan’s wrath (Dan. 7.25; Rev. 12.12; 13.5), not God’s wrath (aka “The Day of the Lord”: Joel 2.31; Acts 2.20), which will follow the 3-and-a-half-year GT period and will last for some time.
Another common misconception is to assume that the phrase “elect” in the NT is exclusively referring to the Jews, not to the church-in-Christ that is made up of all peoples. However, in Mt. 24.31, 40-41 the clause “they will gather his elect” is a direct reference to the church-in-Christ. In fact, in the NT, the term “elect” never refers to the Jews. For example, Rom. 11.7 shows the dichotomy between the elect and the Jews. Moreover, the letter (Col. 3.12) addressed to Christians at the church of Colossae, Asia Minor, uses the term “elect” (KJV/ERV/ASV) to refer to those “chosen” in Christ. Another clear differentiation between “the elect” and the Jews is found in Rom. 11.7. And Rom. 8.32-34 reinforces the doctrine that “God's elect” are those for whom Christ died to justify! The prophetic caveat in Mt. 24.24 (NRSV) makes it absolutely clear that the term “elect” is a sole reference to the body of Christ:
For false messiahs and false prophets will
appear and produce great signs and
omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the
elect.
Finally, let me say a few words about those who deny the rapture. Just because it is a relatively late teaching in the history of the church doesn’t make it false. Due to a renewed interest in the Bible during the enlightenment period, the disciplines of Biblical Criticism, Textual Criticism, and Biblical Eschatology were greatly enhanced. As a result, we know more about the Bible today than we ever did. Furthermore, just as there are clear indications of a future resurrection of the dead in both the Old and New Testaments (e.g. Dan. 12.1-2; 1 Cor. 15.22-23, 51-55), there are also clear indications of a future rapture immediately after the resurrection of the dead. First Thessalonians 4.16-17 reads:
For the Lord himself, with a cry of
command, with the archangel's call and
with the sound of God's trumpet, will
descend from heaven, and the dead in
Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive,
who are left, will be caught up in the clouds
together with them to meet the Lord in the
air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.
Accordingly, the rapture will occur immediately after the resurrection of the dead, when the body of Christ will be transformed from mortality into immortality, unable to die again (cf. 1 Cor. 15.51-55)!
——-
What is the Supposed Evidence for a Pre-Trib Rapture?
Now that we addressed some of the most common misconceptions about the rapture, we can get down to business. Pre-Trib scholars usually point to 1 Thess. 5.9, which says: “For God has destined us not for wrath [ὀργὴν] but for obtaining salvation,” and they interpret this verse to mean that the church will not experience “the wrath of God” (cf. Rev. 16.1). And they’ll usually say something to the effect that “God wouldn’t beat up his bride before marrying her.” They feel that the church *deserves* special privileges and therefore God is *obligated*, according to his word, to guarantee its safe passage from the coming disaster.
However, the GT is NOT God’s wrath; it’s Satan’s wrath! Accordingly, Rev. 12.12 reads:
But woe to the earth and the sea, for the
devil has come down to you with great
wrath, because he knows that his time is
short!
What is more, there never was a time when the church was immune from crisis and persecution. Quite the contrary. Throughout its history, the church has always experienced various forms of persecution. According to the martyrdom accounts, a glance into the life of Paul, or that of the apostles, will quickly prove this point. Scripture doesn’t say that God promises an escape from the tribulation. Quite the opposite. It says: “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14.22 NASB). So it isn’t as if there are a precious few who are deemed worthy to escape. This theology of entitlement is certainly unscriptural and, therefore, unwarranted and without merit.
Another popular verse that’s often cited as evidence for a pre-trib rapture is Rev. 3.10 (KJV):
Because thou hast kept the word of my
patience, I also will keep thee from the hour
of temptation, which shall come upon all the
world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
However, the preposition ἐκ (which is usually translated as “from” or “from out of”) has several other meanings, such as “of,” “through,” “by,” and so the verse could equally imply that God promises “to watch over” or “to guard” (Gk. ἐτήρησας) the believers *through* the hour of temptation (πειρασμός) that is coming upon the whole world: (see https://biblehub.com/greek/1537.htm). Therefore, according to this verse, it’s not entirely clear whether the faithful are removed from the earth or whether they go *through* “the hour of temptation” with God’s protection. It’s not even clear whether the verse is referring to the GT because that event is typically described as θλῖψις μεγάλη (Mt. 24.21) or ἡμέρα θλίψεως (Dan. 12.1 LXX), not as πειρασμός (Rev. 3.10).
——-
The Case for a Post-Trib Rapture
So, where is the evidence for a Post-Trib rapture, and is it conclusive? We’ve already discussed 2 Thess. 2.1-7 and concluded that this text predicts a sequence of eschatological events in which the “Antichrist” will be revealed PRIOR to the timing of the rapture. As we said earlier, 2 Thess. 2.1-3 is teaching against the doctrine of imminence and stresses that the rapture cannot take place “unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed.” We also said that 2 Thess. 2.1 is employing rapture-language (Gk. ἐπισυναγωγῆς ἐπ αὐτόν; “gathered together to him”). And there’s a further stipulation that has to be met before the rapture can occur, and before the “lawless one” can be revealed, to wit, someone must be removed from the earth. Since the Antichrist will obviously be revealed at the beginning of the GT period (cf. Mt. 24.15-21; 2 Thess. 2.3-4) there can’t possibly be a pretrib rapture!
Similar to 2 Thess. 2.3-4 ff., Mt. 24.21 says that the GT (Gk. θλῖψις μεγάλη) will begin “when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place” (Mt. 24.15). Apparently, this is the time period when the GT commences. Then, Mt. 24.29-31 goes on to say that the “gathering” of the Son of Man’s elect (i.e. ‘the rapture’) occurs AFTER the GT (Gk. *μετὰ* τὴν θλῖψιν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων):
Immediately after the suffering 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 heaven will
be shaken. 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. And
he will send out his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather his elect
from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other.
Make no mistake. Matthew 24.40-41 reinforces the previous thematic material——to ensure that it’s understood as a reference to the *rapture*——by adding additional details:
Then two will be in the field; one will be
taken and one will be left. Two women will
be grinding meal together; one will be taken
and one will be left.
The original Greek text of Matthew 24.31 uses the exact same rapture-language (ἐπισυνάξουσιν “gather together”) which 2 Thessalonians 2.1 uses (ἐπισυναγωγῆς “gathered together to him”). In Matthew 24.31, the phrase “gather together” (his elect) is a translation of the Greek term ἐπισυνάξουσιν, which comes from ἐπισυνάγω (“to gather together,” “to collect,” “to assemble”). Matthew 24.31 makes it abundantly clear that Jesus will *gather together* “His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” Once again, according to the 24th chapter and the 29th verse of the Matthean text, the *rapture* will transpire “immediately AFTER the suffering [i.e. GT] of those days” (emphasis added). Thus, the Post-Trib interpretation of Mt. 24 is incontestable! But there’s more.
The clincher, the passage that settles the matter conclusively is Rev. 20.4-6. This passage tells us that those who were killed during the GT took part in the first resurrection. However, given that the rapture is contemporaneous with the first resurrection (1 Thess. 4.16-17), and since those who took part in the first resurrection came out of the GT, it means that the rapture must also take place *after* the GT! Rev. 20.4-6 reads:
Then I saw thrones, and those seated on
them were given authority to judge. I also
saw the souls of those who had been
beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and
for the word of God. They had not
worshiped the beast or its image and had
not received its mark on their foreheads or
their hands. They came to life and reigned
with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of
the dead did not come to life until the
thousand years were ended.) This is the
first resurrection. Blessed and holy are
those who share in the first resurrection.
Hence, if this is the first resurrection that takes place AFTER the GT, then there can’t possibly be an earlier one, as the Pre-Trib doctrine assumes. Remember that we are not speculating here. We are using an important hermeneutical principle of exegesis, called, “the analogy of Scripture.” It means that Scripture should interpret Scripture. Therefore, our exegesis is not only sound but is also within the larger *canonical context* or theology of Scripture. That is to say, we’re not employing an isolated, out-of-context verse but rather a running theme that covers many books of the Bible. The chronological parallels of all these timelines regarding the rapture directly contradict the Pre-Trib theory. And although, admittedly, it would be far more comforting to adhere to the Pre-Trib rapture doctrine, it would be equally deceptive and fallacious since it does not agree with, and is unauthorized by, Scripture.
——-
Further Evidence of a Post-Trib Rapture: The Last Trumpet
But there is further evidence of a Post-Trib rapture based on certain parallel phrases and verbal agreements. There’s a common trumpet-motif that runs across the following passages. Notice, for example, 1 Thess. 4.16, which says that Christ will appear for the rapture “with the sound of God's trumpet.” We find the exact same theme in Mt. 24.31 in which the Son of Man “will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds.” Similarly, 1 Cor. 15.51-52 explicitly states that the resurrection of the dead will take place “at the last trumpet.” So, when is the last trumpet? According to Rev. 11.15, the last (or 7th) trumpet is blown during the time period when the Lord’s Messiah begins to reign over the entire world, so it is obviously a period that takes place AFTER the GT:
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet,
and there were loud voices in heaven,
saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.’
Therefore, the last trumpet is yet another clue of the chronological timetable of the rapture in that it follows, rather than precedes, the GT.
——-
Is the Church Mentioned After Rev. 4.1?
There are those who teach that the rapture of the church is implied in Rev. 4.1, and they further assert that since the church is not mentioned after that in the rest of the Book, and given that the tribulation *is* subsequently mentioned, this would strongly suggest a Pre-Trib rapture. However, given that Rev. 4.1 is specifically referring to John and no one else, it’s not entirely clear whether or not the rapture is implied. Moreover, there’s something amiss about the Pre-Trib interpretation because the church is actually mentioned numerous times after Rev. 4.1. The church is mentioned in Rev. 5.8-10 by way of the 24 elders, which seemingly represent a remnant of the redeemed tribulation saints who meet in council before the throne of God in preparation for the coming judgment of the world! Mention is also made of the Jewish remnant of 144,000 saints in Rev. 7.4. There’s also the “great multitude that no one could count” (Rev. 7.9), which are actually tribulation saints “who have come out of the great ordeal” (Rev. 7.14). The 2 witnesses of Rev. 11 also represent the church, as does the woman of Rev. 12. Not to mention that the “Beast” persecutes the church in Rev. 13, while the Bride of Christ (the church) is referenced once again in Rev. 19.7, even though the rapture presumably hasn’t happened yet. As you can see, the “church” is mentioned many times. These findings would render the Pre-Trib conclusion untenable!
——-
Conclusion
Why would Jesus instruct the church in Mt. 24.23-27 ff. on how to conduct itself during the GT if it had already left the earth? It wouldn’t make any sense. So, no matter how you look at it, it’s abundantly clear from the many proof-texts that we’ve encountered that the *rapture* at the end (or towards the end [Mt. 24.22]) of the GT period represents the soundest position! As far as I’m concerned, the Pre-Trib position has been thoroughly debunked! It is completely bogus and misinformed.
It’s important to know the sequence of eschatological events so that the community of faith can be better equipped and prepared for the GT! And although it is not a salvation issue, Scripture warns that during the GT “false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Mt. 24.24). If that’s the case, then this means that the *elect* are here on earth during the time of the GT:
Keep awake therefore, for you do not know
on what day your Lord is coming (Mt.
24.42).
The point is to be ready! Because once the rapture takes place the doors of heaven will be shut. There will be no more opportunities for salvation!
The Seven Churches of Revelation: History or Prophecy?
By Published Author Eli Kittim
Preachers whose sermons are on the 7 churches of Revelation assume that the context is of historical significance and therefore usually focus on the moral implications, but they completely miss the most important prophetic elements of the text, such as the background setting (i.e. the place where the narrative takes place), the significant players that are mentioned, the temporal sequence of events, as well as the apocalyptic symbolism that weaves everything together into a unity.
Unlike the typical “a-church-after-God’s-heart” homily that you’ve often heard regarding the 7 so-called historical churches in Revelation, I would like to draw your attention instead to the unique setting of the Book, to its arrangement of scenery: its mise-en-scène, if you will! Viewing the first chapters of Revelation from this angle will allow us to gain a new perspective on the Seven Churches of Asia and free our hermeneutic from the typical proleptic and anachronistic interpretations that have been irresponsibly applied to the text time and time again.
From beginning to end, Revelation claims to be an exclusively prophetic Book (cf. Rev. 1.1, 3, 19; 22.7, 10, 18, 19)! If we treat it as a Book on history, however, we will inevitably distort its futurist message, which undeniably comprises apocalyptic visions, and ultimately contradict its authorial intention. Yet that is precisely how the first 3 chapters of Revelation have been traditionally read, that is, as contemporaneous events and happenings during the time of John in the first century CE. But perhaps we are not reading them correctly. I’m suggesting a mode of interpretation that is consistent with the rest of the Book, namely, that the first three chapters of Revelation have a prophetic role to play whose sole purpose is to provide an outline of how the end-times begin!
Bearing this in mind, let us now see how the Apocalypse of John is actually presented to the reader. The Book opens with a declaration to promulgate “the words of the prophecy” (Rev. 1.3 NRSV):
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the
words of the prophecy, and blessed are
those who hear and who keep what is
written in it; for the time is near.”
And so from the very outset this Book claims to contain a prophecy. It does not seem to be interested in conveying history. Next, we are told that John, who is the recipient of this future revelation, is also, by way of the Spirit, an *eschatological* partaker in the coming tribulation or persecution of Christianity in Asia Minor (i.e. Modern-day Turkey), and that he is figuratively situated on the Greek island of Patmos “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” Given that John claims to be “in the spirit on the Lord’s day [i.e. on the day of the Lord]” (Rev. 1.9-11), his mise-en-scène (i.e. the arrangement or setting of scenery) seems to have prophetic rather than historical value:
“I, John, your brother who share with you in
Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and
the patient endurance, was on the island
called Patmos because of the word of God
and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the
spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind
me a loud voice like a trumpet saying,
‘Write in a book what you see and send it to
the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna,
to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to
Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’ “
Thus, John is basically instructed to write 7 letters to the Christian Churches that are facing persecution in Turkey! If we temporarily suspend Eusebius’ “Church History” in which John is portrayed as an exile——the accuracy of which has often been called into question——we can begin to view the *eschatological* scenery that the Book of Revelation is actually depicting. If in fact the Book of Revelation is an overlay of the end-time events described also in Mt. 24, then it must naturally start with “the beginning of the birth pangs” (Mt. 24.8) that lead up to the “great suffering” (Mt. 24.21), otherwise known as the Great Tribulation. And indeed it does! Moreover, we find Turkey also playing a prominent role in Ezekiel 38, the famous chapter on end-times prophecy!
The Ezekiel 38 War
Ezekiel 38 names a confederacy of nations that will invade many countries, including Israel, in the last days. Although there have been debates among scholars as to the precise location of some of these ancient regions, most of them have been identified with a certain degree of confidence. Of the several regions mentioned by Ezekiel, who is putting pen to parchment in the 6th century BCE, the majority of them were located in what we today would call Turkey. For example, Beth-Togarmah and Gomer are viewed as ancient regions in Asia Minor [Turkey].
Although there are admittedly conflicting reports with scholars being divided on the issue of the origins of Meshech and Tubal (as to whether they represent Russia or Turkey), the following list shows some of the historical research supporting a Turkish connection:
1. The Oxford Bible Atlas says of Meshech and Tubal that they’re “regions in Asia Minor [Turkey].”
2. The IVP Bible Background Commentary lists Meshech, Tubal, and Togarmah as “sections or peoples in Asia Minor” [Turkey].
3. The New Bible Dictionary places both Meshech and Tubal in Turkey.
4. Ralph Alexander, Old Testament scholar, in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary says, “Meshech and Tubal refer to areas in eastern Turkey, southwest of Russia and northwest of Iran.”
5. Edwin Yamauchi, scholar and historian places both Meshech and Tubal in modern day Turkey.
6. Mark Hitchcock, pastor, author and well-known prophecy teacher, places Meshech and Tubal in modern day Turkey.
7. Tim Lahaye and Ed Hindson, in their Encyclopedia of Popular Bible Prophecies, also place both Meshech and Tubal in Turkey.
8. Ron Rhodes, author and teacher in his book, Northern Storm Rising, also places Meshech and Tubal in Turkey.
9. Chuck Missler in his article, Meshech-Tubal Tensions with Syria also places Meshech and Tubal in modern day Turkey.
*Source Credit: Dalton Thomas
Therefore, of the eight regions mentioned in Ezek. 38.1-6, at least four of them are identified as parts of modern-day Turkey. And since this invasion is set to begin “in the latter years” (Ezek. 38.8), it demonstrates that Turkey will figure prominently in this campaign!
The other thing to notice, here, is that almost all the nations mentioned in Ezek. 38 were once part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. For instance, Cush comprised the area of modern-day Ethiopia or Sudan, just south of Egypt, Put was where modern Libya and Algeria (N. Africa) are located, while Tubal, Gomer, Togarmah, and Meshech were apparently in Asia Minor. And parts of Persia were also under Ottoman rule during the Ottoman-Persian wars. All in all, Ezek. 38 sounds like it’s describing a resurgence of the Ottoman Empire, consisting of an Islamic coalition of nations! Similarly, in Revelation 12.1, the woman who gives birth to the messiah at the end of days is said to have “the moon under her feet.” That is the symbol of Islam. Therefore, if a revived Ottoman Empire is indicated in the Gog-Magog War, which leads up to the battle of Armageddon, then this means that Turkey must also be either explicitly or implicitly mentioned in the Book of Revelation! Hence the Turkish persecution of the 7 churches in the Book of Revelation!
The Prophecies of Paisios of Mount Athos
A number of extra-biblical prophecies have been attributed to Elder Paisios (1924–1994), a highly respected Greek Eastern-Orthodox ascetic from Mount Athos. They include the prediction that a future geopolitical war between Greece and Turkey will spill over and draw Russia into the conflict against Turkey, which will be the latter’s ultimate demise. Similarly, there’s a prophecy attributed to the 18th century Rabbi Elijah of Vilna, aka the Vilna Gaon, in which he purportedly said that Messiah will come right after “the Russians have reached the city of Constantinople [Istanbul].” In fact, Elder Paisios said that the trigger point of Greek-Turkish hostilities will be reached when Greece extends its territorial waters from 6 to 12 nautical miles. Recently, Greece and Turkey are at variance with each other over the demarcation of sea borders and the right to explore hydrocarbon resources in the Mediterranean. There have been both air and naval incidents, tensions and hostilities have flared up and are steadily increasing since August of 2020. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the incumbent President of Turkey, in violation of international law continues to employ intimidation tactics and war-narratives in an effort to reinforce his expansionist plans. It’s no secret that he wants to rebuild the Ottoman Empire and restore its former glory. He also aspires to become the Caliph, the supreme ruler of the Muslim world! However, France has come to Greece’s aid with naval support in a countermeasure to push Erdoğan back. This situation is a disaster waiting to happen. In fact, Devlet Bahçeli, the Head of the Turkish National Movement Party, recently declared that war with Greece is “just a matter of time.” More to the point, Greece recently extended its territorial waters from 6 to 12 nautical miles in the Ionian Sea, sending a message to Turkey that it will soon do the same in the Aegean! According to Elder Paisios, this will be the trigger point of the conflict. At present, the situation in Turkey is very tense as Erdoğan has *persecuted* and shut down *Christian churches* while reverting Hagia Sophia to a mosque. That’s equivalent to the Israelis turning the Al-Aqsa Mosque into a Jewish Synagogue. It’s deplorable and provocative! It has caught the attention of the international community that has unanimously condemned this action. At any rate, this current standoff might explode into a full-blown war. According to some experts, this armed conflict over oil and gas reserves seems unavoidable! And that’s precisely where the Book of Revelation begins.
The Book of Revelation Opens with the Greek Islands, on the one hand, and the Persecuted Churches in Turkey, on the other!
In Revelation 17.9-10, John mentions the Empire that exists *contemporaneously* with the prophetic events of Revelation as they are temporally unfolding:
“This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the
seven heads are seven mountains on which
the woman is seated; also, they are seven
kings, of whom five have fallen, one is living,
and the other has not yet come; and when
he comes, he must remain only a little while.”
As regards the 8 empires of Revelation 17, John says that “five have fallen.” According to Dan. 2, that would be Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Byzantium. The One that “Is Living” at present is the Sixth One, which presumably persecutes the Christian Churches of Anatolia in the opening chapters of Revelation, namely, the Ottoman Empire of the Turks, which defeated the Byzantines in 1453. Incidentally, we know that John is not referring to the 1st century CE because the empire that “is living” at that time is the 4th (Rome), according to Daniel 2.40-42; 7.7. By contrast, Rev. 17.10 is referring to the prophesied 6th Empire as the “one [that] is still reigning” (WNT)! It could also be said that the Ottoman Empire actually triggered the End-Times (cf. Mt. 24.6-9) at the outset of the 20th century through the unprecedented Christian Persecutions & Genocides of Anatolia (Greek/Armenian), just prior to WWI and WWII, the brunt of which lasted for approximately 7 years, thus symbolizing the Tribulation of the 7 Christian Churches of Asia Minor that usher in the end of days in the Book of Revelation. So, in John’s own words, the empire that “is living” *now* (contemporaneously with the 7 churches) is the 6th empire: the Ottoman Empire. Why would John mention that in chapter 17 and verse 10? It’s obviously not Rome, as most people think. Rome was the 4th empire. It’s probably because the end-times will commence with a conflict pertaining to Asia Minor (Turkey). Think about it. Revelation is inundated with future predictions. Why would it spend its first 3 chapters on past or current events if it is said to be “The revelation of Jesus Christ” that contains information of “what must soon take place” (Rev. 1.1)?
Moreover, John tells us categorically and unequivocally that he was on the island of Patmos “in the spirit” (Rev. 1.10), NOT in the flesh! It appears, then, that John is on Patmos figuratively, not literally, in order to pronounce the testimony, which “is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19.10d). What is more, John doesn’t tell us that he’s in exile. That is an extra-biblical interpretation. It’s a speculation that is not found in the text. This tradition, which says that John was banished to Patmos by the Roman authorities, is not credible because, although banishment was a common form of punishment by Rome for various offenses, nevertheless Tertullian’s account (in The Prescription of Heretics) is flavored with myth and legend given that he claims that John was banished after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it. This obviously fits in the category of urban legends. Nor does the author of Revelation say that he is on the island of Patmos physically. Rather, he says that he is there “in the spirit” in order to give us the scenery, so to speak, the prophetic background of how the tribulation begins “on the Lord’s day” (Rev. 1.10) or on the day of the Lord!
Conclusion
Revelation 1.3 explicitly states that this is an exclusively prophetic Book which is not concerned with past history. The prophetic implications are further reinforced by its author, John, who claims to be “in the spirit on the Lord’s day [i.e. on the day of the Lord]” (Rev. 1.9-11). Thus, the mise-en-scène (i.e. the arrangement or setting of scenery) is itself part of the apocalyptic vision, which implicates Turkey in end-time events related to the Great Tribulation! Turkey is also implicated in the Ezekiel 38 War, which sets the stage for Armageddon, the final great battle between good and evil!
Furthermore, the prophecies of Paisios of Mount Athos center around an end-times conflict in the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey, Biblically represented by Patmos and Asia Minor respectively, “where Satan's throne is” said to be located (Rev. 2.13). Moreover, what lends considerable support to my exegesis is the fact that John connects the timeline of the 7 churches account not with the Roman Empire (the 4th) but rather with the Ottoman Empire (the 6th), which is said to be currently reigning in Rev. 17.10. For example, we know that John is not referring to the 1st century CE because the empire that “is living” at that time is the 4th [Rome]. By contrast, Rev. 17.10 is explicitly referring to the so-called current empire that “is living” and reigning at that time, after “five have [already] fallen.” That would be the prophesied 6th empire, namely, the Ottoman Empire, the continuation of which is modern Turkey! Also, chapters 2 and 3 employ tribulation language, or the language of crisis. Given that chapters 2 and 3 reference the tribulation (θλῖψιν 2:9), and since authority and rule (2:26-27) and white garments (3:4-5) are promised therein to those who overcome, it is more than likely that these represent the tribulation saints (cf. Luke 22:30). Evidence for this comes by way of a parallel passage in Rev. 7:13-14 concerning those coming out of the Great Tribulation who “have washed their robes and made them white.” Therefore, these seemingly represent the overcomers of Revelation 2 and 3! In short, the first 3 chapters of Revelation are part of prophecy, NOT history, featuring Turkey as the epicenter of end-time events! In fact, our traditional proleptic and anachronistic interpretations——in which we have erroneously *added* a “historical” component to the first 3 chapters of Revelation, while *taking* “away from the words of the book of this prophecy”——are strongly condemned by the author himself (Rev. 22.18-19):
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the
prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to
them, God will add to that person the
plagues described in this book; if anyone
takes away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God will take away that
person’s share in the tree of life and in the
holy city, which are described in this book.”
Preterism Debunked
By Eli Kittim
Was 70 CE the Worst Period Ever in the History of the Earth?
In talking about the great ordeal (aka “the great tribulation”), Mt. 24.21 says that there will be the greatest suffering ever in the history of the world before Jesus comes. 70 CE was not, by any stretch of the imagination, the worst period ever in the history of the earth. We have ample evidence of the Black Death (1346-1353), the Flu Pandemic (1918), and the two World Wars that killed over 100 million people, which were far worse than the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. This fact alone severely weakens the Preterist argument of the imminent eschatology of Jesus and the apostles, which is characterised by the notion that the eschaton was supposed to take place in first century Palestine!
Similarly, Dan. 12.1, after discussing the worst period in the history of the earth, goes on to say that the resurrection of the dead will occur during the same time period (Dan. 12.2). Then, the Book of Daniel goes on to talk about “the time of the end” (12.4, 9), which obviously goes far beyond the first century. In point of fact, the Book of Daniel and the Gospel of Matthew offer two conspicuous examples which demonstrate that “the end of the days” (Dan. 12.13), or “the end” of human history (Mt. 24.14), is radically different than what the Preterist interpreters make it out to be, namely, a first century fulfillment. If anything, Scripture’s future end-time prophecies are meant to signal the ultimate dissolution of the universe (2 Pet. 3.10) and the creation of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21.1). Events that obviously haven’t happened yet!
Could the Latter Years or The Day of the Lord Refer to the Time of Antiquity?
Biblically, the “eschaton” is set in the context of a future time-period that is intimately connected with “the day of the Lord” (ημέρα κυρίου)! And as regards the idiomatic expression, the Day of the Lord, almost all Bible scholars believe that it is an event that will take place at the end of the world (cf. Isa. 2.12; Ezek. 30.3; Joel 2.31-32; Amos 5.18-20; Zeph. 1.14-18; Acts 2.20). This, too, debunks the notion that the Day of the Lord was anticipated in the first century CE. Two Thessalonians 2.1-4 warns against such Preterist hypotheses by stating that the Day of Christ has not yet come, and that it won’t come until the arrival of the Antichrist at the end of days.
In fact, Preterism’s interpretative weakness can be exposed through many angles. For example, the end-times war known as the Gog-Magog war in Exekiel 38, which most prophecy experts ascribe to the future, is said to commence “in the latter years” (v. 8)! 70 CE certainly does not qualify as the latter years. It is untenable to suggest this hypothesis which does not fit with any of the end-time biblical prophecies and predictions.
Is the Terminal Generation the one that Will Not Pass Away Until All these Things Take Place?
Modern Greek linguistics demonstrate that “temporal values (past, present, future) are not established in Greek by use of the verbal aspects (or tense-forms) alone” (Stanley E. Porter, Idioms of the Greek New Testament [2nd edn; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1999], p. 25). In other words, just because a verb is in the present tense doesn’t mean that the action is happening at present! So, this point demonstrates that the insistence on the present generation-interpretation does not necessarily square well with the authorial intent. For ex, the Johannine Jesus says figuratively that the hour “is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God” (Jn. 5.25), and will come out of their graves. But we have no evidence that the resurrection of the dead happened in Antiquity. In fact, we have evidence that, according to Dan. 12.2, the resurrection of the dead is a future end-time event. Same with Mt. 24.34: “This generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” What things? Answer: all the future end-time events that are described in Mt. 24. Thus, Jesus is clearly describing the last generation on earth. For instance, the notion that some of Jesus’ followers would not die before they saw him coming in glory (16.27) or in his kingdom (Mt. 16.28) cannot be attributed to a supposed first-century CE context. Since Jesus has yet to come in his glory, it can only be ascribed to an eschatological spectrum of events. Since there is no historical record of these events ever taking place, the context of such passages is ultimately based not on preterism but futurism. In other words, the generation that is alive, at that future time, and sees these signs (as described in Mt. 24.33) is the same generation that will not die and witness the coming of the savior (cf. 1 Cor. 10.11)! In short, the timeline of “this generation” that “will not pass away” (Mt. 24.34) must be interpreted within the context of the prerequisite signs that will take place, not simply on linguistic grounds.
Translation and Exegesis of Biblical Greek Validates the Futurist Eschatology of the New Testament
If you add my particular contribution to the mix——where I discuss the explicit future eschatological verses in the Greek New Testament that refer to the end of the world——it turns out to be the final nail in the Preterist coffin! Phrases like τό πλήρωμα του χρόνου (Gal. 4.4; Eph. 1.10) refer to the final consummation when all things, both in the heavens and upon the earth, will conclude in Christ! Furthermore, the phrase επ´ εσχάτου των ημερων (Heb. 1.2) literally means “in the last days” and is an ipso facto reference to the end of the ages (cf. the alternative expression επ´ εσχάτου των χρόνων; 1 Pet. 1.20). These apocalyptic expressions are built on the term έσχατος (eschatos), which means “last in time.” In fact, the word eschatology is derived from the Greek term “eschaton.”
The Timeline of the Great Tribulation and the Resurrection of the Dead Does Not Square Well with the Apostolic Age
Many Biblical exegetes have traditionally misunderstood the inferred time-period associated with the phrase, “the time is near,” and have consequently assumed that both Jesus and the apostles expected the imminent end to happen in their lifetime. In fact, Bertrand Russell (the famous philosopher) wrote an essay indicating that he is not a Christian because, in his view, Jesus and the apostles were wrong about their imminent eschatology. These events never happened. Albert Schweitzer came to the same conclusion. Thereafter, many subsequent scholars followed suit.
(See the following article, which refutes this notion of imminent eschatology based on the koine Greek of the New Testament).
However, good exegesis requires that we evaluate the idiomatic expression “the time is near” (Rev. 1.3; 22.10) within its proper context, and therefore interpret it in light of the revelations that are associated with it. In other words, why is the warning in Rev. 22.10 not applicable to ancient times? Well, there are certain sign-posts that need to be deciphered first. And, in order to understand the particular timeline in question, we need a clear outline of the sequence of eschatological events. For example, the aforementioned apocalyptic locution “the time is near” is not mentioned in a vacuum as if it pertains to all generations, including that of the Apostolic Age, but rather in the context of the specific judgments of the tribulation period (see Rev. chs. 6–16). This specific tribulation period is inextricably connected to the “Beast” of Rev. 13, otherwise known as the “lawless one” (cf. 2 Thess. 2.3–4) or the Antichrist (1 Jn 2.18).
In order to ascertain the overall prophetic message of Revelation, the hermeneutical principle of the canonical context demands that we coalesce the different Biblical texts, as if we’re reading a single Book, rather than employing isolated, out-of-context passages to construct a subjective theology. For proper exegesis, we also need to use “the analogy of scripture,” rather than form opinions based on speculation and conjecture. In other words, we must allow scripture to interpret and define scripture. For instance, 2 Thess. 2.1–7 predicts a sequence of eschatological events in which the “Antichrist” will be revealed at roughly the same time as the “rapture,” the transporting of believers to heaven at the end of days. Incidentally, the rapture is said to occur contemporaneously with the general resurrection of the dead (cf. 1 Thess. 4.15–17). Since the general resurrection of the dead is an event that is associated with the apocalyptic time period known as the great tribulation——aka a period of “great suffering” (θλῖψις μεγάλη; Mt. 24.21; cf. Dan. 8.19; 12.1–2; Rev. 7.14)——2 Thess. 2.1-3 is teaching against the doctrine of imminence by stressing that the rapture and the resurrection cannot take place “unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed.” Similarly, Daniel places the timeline of the resurrection in prophetic categories by stating that it will occur at the end of days (12.13)!
Let’s not forget that at the beginning of Matthew 24.3 a question is asked about the chronology of the signs of the times regarding these eschatological events:
“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be
the sign of your coming and of the end of
the age?”
It’s important to note, parenthetically, that the apocalyptic phrase “the end of the age” is actually a reference to the end of the world (see Mt. 13.39–40, 49; 24.3; 28.20). So, whatever eschatology one imposes on the New Testament, it must ultimately line up with the enumerated events discussed therein. By way of illustration, Mt. 24.21 says that the Great Tribulation (Gk. θλῖψις μεγάλη) will begin “when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place” (Mt. 24.15). This is further discussed in 2 Thess. 2.3–4 (cf. Dan. 9.27). Apparently, this is the same time period when the Great Tribulation will commence. Then, Mt. 24.29–31 goes on to discuss the “gathering” of the Son of Man’s elect (i.e. the rapture) within the time frame of the Great Tribulation (Gk. μετὰ τὴν θλῖψιν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων). Therefore, the events of the rapture (1 Thess. 4.16–17) and the resurrection (Rev. 20.4–6) echo Daniel’s 12.1–2 reference regarding the general resurrection of the dead which must occur approximately in the same period of time as the phenomena of the Great Tribulation!
Further Evidence of Futurism from Revelation’s Global Wars & Geological Events
Further evidence that the eschatology of the New Testament is uniformly futurist, and not preterist, comes by way of the prophecy of the last empire on earth (Rev. 17.11), which has yet to come, that will play a major role during the time of the Great Tribulation (cf. Rev. 11.7; 12.3–6, 14; 17.9–13). Not to mention the prophetic references, in the Book of Revelation, to major geological events the scale of which has never before been seen in human history. For example, Rev. 6.14 alludes to how tectonic plates had been shifted to such an extent that “every mountain and island was removed from its place.” Revelation 16.20 adds that “every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.” Such cataclysmic events have never been recorded before in human history! What is more, the descriptions in Luke 21 and the Book of Revelation pertain to global, not local, events. For example, Lk 21.10-11 talks about “Nation … against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,” and about earthquakes, plagues, and famines “in various places.” Revelation 6.8 tells us that “a fourth of the earth” will be wiped out “with sword, … famine, and plague.” Similarly, Rev. 6.15 mentions “the kings of the earth” and all of mankind seeking shelter “in the rocks of the mountains,” while Rev. 9.18 says that during this period “a third of mankind was killed by … three plagues.” Obviously, these are not local but global events. Incidentally, the phrase “was killed,” in Rev. 9.18, is a translation of the verb ἀπεκτάνθησαν, which is an aorist, indicative, passive, 3rd person plural form from ἀποκτείνω, meaning “to kill.” It is important to note that many verbs expressed in past tense, such as the aorist or the perfect-tense, do not actually tell us the timing of an event. There are, in fact, many perfect-tenses that are used for future prophecies. For example, Revelation 7.4 uses the perfect-tense τῶν ἐσφραγισμένων for those who “were sealed.” But this event obviously hasn’t happened yet. Similarly, Isaiah 53 is filled with past-tenses and yet it is a prophecy that Isaiah is writing about! Thus, a superficial reading of the text can often lead to erroneous interpretations.
Conclusion
Revelation 22.7, 9, 10, 18, and 19 repeats over and over again that this Book represents an exclusively prophetic Biblical text:
“Blessed is the one who keeps the words of
the prophecy of this book.”
This is also mentioned in the introduction (Rev. 1.3). Yet many Biblical expositors of a Preterist persuasion repeatedly violate Revelation’s reminder by interpreting certain events within a historical context, as if these events were expected to occur during the lifetime of the apostles. Not to mention that the Book of Revelation itself was written sometime around 96 CE and thus postdates the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, which is often seen as the target date of the supposed eschaton.
As we have seen, good exegesis of “the time is near” phrase is only possible by way of the overall canonical context. Thus, Preterism involves a “proof-text fallacy” which comprises the idea of stringing together a number of out-of-context passages in order to validate the assumed imminent eschatology of the apostles. In other words, the Preterist conclusion is not compatible with the overall canonical context. This is equivalent to a coherence fallacy, that is to say, the illusion of Biblical coherence. Preterism also misinterprets the original Greek language of the New Testament, which is interested in the “aspect” rather than the “time” of an event.
I have outlined the overall canonical message of the Bible along with its specific prophetic content. So, when we look at all the prophetic predictions and combine them together to get a holistic understanding, we get a bigger picture of what will occur before the end. Therefore, how close we are to these events largely depends on how close we are to these prophetic signposts, temporally speaking. If you want to explore the prophetic markers of Mt. 24 from a historical perspective, see my article, Are We Living in the Last Days?
Therefore, Revelation’s caveat that “the time is near” is most certainly not a reference to first-century Christianity (cf. 1 Cor. 10.11; Mt. 24.3)! In light of this study, that interpretation would be completely false. Rather, it means that if the reader understands all the Biblical predictions and the specific end-time sequence of events as parts of an integrated whole, then he or she can properly infer if the time is near simply by discerning whether or not the major prophetic events of the New Testament have taken place on a global scale. A close reading of the apocalyptic genre of the New Testament reveals that it is not alluding to a first century fulfillment but to an end-time expectation!
A Critique of the Three Comings of Christ
By Eli Kittim
Mainstream Christianity holds to the three comings of Christ. This modern eschatological position is so bizarre that it has actually devised not one, not two, but three comings of Christ. Some offshoots of this doctrine have additional comings. Here’s a brief summary of this view:
1. First Coming = Christ’s Incarnation, believed to have been witnessed in the first century c.e. (cf. Lk 2.11).
2. Second Coming = Christ will *invisibly* return for the rapture of the faithful (cf. 1 Thess. 4.16-17).
3. Third Coming = Christ will return once again and will be followed by a great multitude of saints (cf. 1 Thess. 3.13).
By contrast, I propose that there’s only *one* coming mentioned in the New Testament (NT), which complements the *one* coming mentioned in the Old Testament (OT).
The Gospel Genre
This is the starting point of all the hermeneutical confusion, which sets the tone for the rest of the Christian Canon. The gospels are not biographies or historiographical accounts. As most Bible scholars acknowledge, they are largely embellished theological or apocalyptic documents that show a heavy literary dependence on the OT. So, the assumption that the gospels are furnishing us with biographical information seems to be a misreading of the genre, which appears to be theological in nature. In comparison with the expository writing of the NT epistolary literature, which is explicit and didactic, the literary style of the canonical gospels can only be described as a theological genre of historical fiction!
The epistles apparently contradict the gospels regarding the timeline of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection by placing it in eschatological categories. The epistolary authors deviate from the gospel writers in their understanding of the overall importance of eschatology in the chronology of Jesus. For them, Scripture comprises revelations and “prophetic writings” (see Rom. 16.25-26; 2 Pet. 1.19-21; Rev. 22.18-19)! According to the NT Epistles, the Christ will die “once for all” (Gk. ἅπαξ hapax) “at the end of the age” (Heb. 9.26b), a phrase which consistently refers to the end of the world (cf. ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων in Dan. 12.4 LXX; Mt. 13.39-40, 49; 24.3; 28.20). Similarly, just as Heb. 1.2 says that the physical Son speaks to humanity in the “last days,” 1 Pet. 1.20 (NJB) demonstrates the eschatological timing of Christ’s *initial* appearance with unsurpassed lucidity:
“He was marked out before the world was
made, and was revealed at the final point of
time.”
The 70-Weeks Prophecy of Daniel
Daniel’s seventy weeks’ prophecy refers exclusively to the end-time and has nothing to do with the time of Antiquity. It specifically alludes to the reestablishment of the State of Israel, a prophecy that was fulfilled in 1948 (cf. Ezek. 38.8)! A common misconception is to assume that the starting point of this prophecy began after the Hebrews returned from the Babylonian exile during the 500s b.c.e. However, this prophecy refers to the end of all visions and revelations, an end-time period that will in effect “seal both vision and prophet” (Dan. 9.24). John MacArthur, in describing Dan.9.24, was once quoted as saying: “It’s got to be a final thing cause everything is a final… . Boy, that’s final stuff, isn’t it? The end, the finish, the seal, seal it up, close it up, that’s the way it is!” If it is “final stuff,” then the prophecy cannot possibly be referring to the time of Antiquity but rather to the time of the end! This prophecy also refers to “times of distress” (Dan. 9.25 NASB), a phrase which is used elsewhere in the Book of Daniel to refer to the time of the end (see Dan. 12.1). Note also that Daniel outlines the timeline of the Messiah’s *death* as occurring *AFTER* the prophesied rebirth of Israel (9.25-26) at the end of days!
The traditional Christian interpretation is further compounded by breaking up the prophecy into two parts: one part fulfilled during the time of Antiquity, the other referring to the last week of the great tribulation (GT). In other words, exegetes assume that there is a two thousand-year gap between the so-called “sixty nine” weeks and the seventieth week. However, there is no Biblical evidence of a long time-gap between these weeks, but rather a successive sequence of events that combines both *princes* within the same context of the eschatological timetable (cf. Dan. 9.24-27), thus rendering the expositors’ imposition on the text unwarranted. That’s why Isa. 2.19 puts the resurrection of Christ in the last days. He says that people will hide in the caves of rocks when “the Lord … arises to terrify the earth” (cf. Rev. 6.15-17). First Cor. 15.22-24 tells us explicitly that Christ will be resurrected in the end-times (an idea also entertained by British New Testament scholar James Dunn).
2 Thessalonians Chapter 2
The author of 2 Thess. 2 warns against deception by stating unequivocally that the coming of Christ for the rapture cannot occur “unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed” (2.1-3). There’s a further condition that has to be met before the rapture can take place, and before the “lawless one” (i.e. the Antichrist) can be revealed, namely, someone needs to be removed from the earth. A common misinterpretation is that this must either be a reference to the *Holy Spirit* or to the *church*, which will be taken out of the way before the Antichrist can be revealed. But if it is the Holy Spirit or the church it would directly contradict the Book of Revelation (7.13-14), which foresees a great spiritual revival during the time of the GT. For instance, John the Revelator sees “a great multitude that” came “out of the great ordeal [GT]” (Rev. 7.9, 14). This multitude represents the “church” of Christ, which is obviously present, not absent, during the GT. And without the Holy Spirit no one can be saved (Rom. 8.9b). Therefore, the so-called “restrainer” of 2 Thess. 2.6-7 can neither be the Holy Spirit nor the church. This mysterious figure can only be explained by my unique eschatological view. Since I hold that the first horseman of the Apocalypse is Christ (the white horseman), it is he and he alone who is the restrainer, and after he is *slain* the Antichrist will be revealed.
Millennialism
Christian eschatology holds that the so-called “second coming” of Jesus will transpire either before the Millennium (i.e. premillennialism) or after the Millennium (i.e postmillennialism). First, a literal millennial kingdom would contradict the Bible because it would imply more than 2 comings of Christ, 2 apocalypses, 2 Great Wars, 2 resurrections, 2 Great Endings, and so on, as opposed to one of each, which is what the Bible teaches. Second, the endtime war that Satan is said to unleash at the end of the millennium (Rev. 20.8) is the exact same war mentioned in Ezekiel 38: Gog & Magog. Third, 1 Thess. 4.17 says that after the rapture “we will be with the Lord forever,” not just for 1,000 years. Fourth, the Book of Daniel is clear that both the Good and the Damned will be resurrected simultaneously, not successively (12.2). By contrast, the second death in Revelation 20.14 is incorporeal, NOT physical. It’s the lake of fire; a spiritual death. It’s a category, not an event. So, only 1 physical resurrection is indicated in the Bible; not 2! Fifth, the only physical resurrection mentioned in the Bible is the one that is called the 1st resurrection, presumably because it comes prior to the above-mentioned spiritual one. And this resurrection is said to occur when the thousand years are finished (Rev. 20.5). And if it’s explicitly mentioned as the first resurrection, then it means that there couldn’t have been an earlier one. So then, how could the same people who would not be resurrected “until the thousand years were completed” (Rev. 20.5) simultaneously live and reign with Christ for a millennium? (Rev. 20.4). They cannot be both dead and alive at the same time! Therefore, Amillennialism (i.e. the view that there will be no literal millennial reign of the righteous on earth) is not obliged to subscribe to the *three-comings-of-Christ* model!
Does Christ Return Multiple Times?
The belief in the *three comings* of Christ equally contradicts a number of NT passages (e.g. 1 Cor. 15.22—26, 54—55; 2 Tim. 2.16—18; Rev. 19.10; 22.7, 10, 18—19), not to mention those of the OT that do not separate the Messiah’s initial coming from his reign (e.g. Isa. 9.6—7; 61.1—2). Rather than viewing them as three separate and distinguishable historical events, Scripture sets forth a single coming and does not make that distinction (see Lk. 1.31—33). Indeed, each time the “redeeming work” of Messiah is mentioned, it is almost invariably followed or preceded by some kind of reference to judgment (e.g. “day of vengeance”), which signifies the commencement of his reign on earth (see Isa. 63.4).
Conclusion
Most people expect Christ to come from the sky. The truth is, he will come from the earth (cf. Acts 1.11). The sequence of eschatological events is as follows: Christ will appear “at the final point of time” (1 Pet. 1.20 NJB; Rev. 6.2). He will die “once in the end of the world” (Heb. 9.26b KJV; Zeph. 1.7-8, 14-18) and resurrect (1 Cor. 15.22-24; Heb. 9.27-28) to rapture the faithful (1 Cor. 15.51-52; 1 Thess. 4.15-17; 2 Thess. 2.1-3) and fight the nations (Isa. 31.5; 63.3; Zech. 14.3; Rev. 19.15)!
The difference between my view and the classical Christian perspective is that I’m convinced that there are not multiple comings and multiple returns of Christ, but *only one* decisive coming at the end of the world, which includes the resurrection, the rapture, and his appearance in the sky!
Are We Living in the Last Days?
By Author Eli Kittim
Mt 24.6-14 (NRSV):
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of
wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this
must take place, but the end is not yet. For
nation will rise against nation [WW1], and
kingdom against kingdom [WW2], and
there will be famines and earthquakes in
various places: all this is but the beginning
of the birth pangs. … Then many
will fall away, and they will betray one
another and hate one another [hate
crimes]. And many false prophets will arise
and lead many astray. And because of the
increase of lawlessness [civil unrest], the
love of many will grow cold. But the one who
endures to the end will be saved. And this
good news of the kingdom will be
proclaimed throughout the world, as a
testimony to all the nations; and then the
end will come.”
The 20th Century Was the Most Violent in Human History
Notice that Matthew mentions that “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places” (Mt. 24.7) as “the beginning of the birth pangs” (v. 8). And then he mentions another signpost, namely, “the increase of lawlessness” (v. 12). If we focus on these 4 prophetic markers——i.e. world wars, famines, earthquakes, and “the increase of lawlessness”——we will gain a better understanding of the specific *timeline* that Matthew has in mind. Francis P. Sempa, a prolific author and professor of political science, once wrote:
“The optimists among us who believe in the
inevitable progress of man, either forget or
ignore the fact that the twentieth century
was the bloodiest, most destructive century
in human history. The century’s two world
wars resulted in the deaths of at least 60
million people. The Russian Civil War of
1917-21 killed another 5-6 million. Between
them, the tyrannical regimes of Hitler,
Stalin, and Mao killed at least another 60
million of their own citizens. Many millions
more were killed in dozens of other, smaller
conflicts.”
Not to mention the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed almost a quarter of a million (226,000) people! Author Matthew White (Historical Atlas of the Twentieth Century, 2010) has even higher estimates of the total number of victims of collective violence in the 20th Century, which indicate that over 200 million people perished due to war, oppression, famine, and disease. No other century even comes close.
The Deadliest Famines in History Occurred in the 20th Century
According to an article in Wikipedia:
“During the 20th century, an estimated 70 to
100 million people died from famines across
the world, of whom over half died in China,
with an estimated 30 million dying during
the famine of 1958–1961, up to 10 million in
the Chinese famine of 1928–1930, and over
two million in the Chinese famine of 1942–
43, and millions more lost in famines in
North and East China. The USSR lost 8
million claimed by the Soviet famine of
1932-33, over a million in both the Soviet
famine of 1946-47 and Siege of Leningrad,
the 5 million in the Russian famine of 1921–
22, and other famines.”
Some of the Deadliest Earthquakes Ever Recorded in History Occurred in the 20th Century
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_20th-century_earthquakes
A Significant Increase of Lawlessness in the 20th Century
Lawlessness also implies civil unrest. The civil unrest that the world has seen in the past century is unparalleled. It would be beyond the scope of this paper to furnish the reader with an exhaustive list of crime figures and statistics of the past century. One thing is certain. The 20th century ushered in, particularly with the advent of two global conflicts, an unprecedented increase of lawlessness and destruction on a scale unimaginable only a few centuries ago. There was also a significant increase in crimes against humanity in the past century, especially due to the rise of fascist and totalitarian regimes (e.g. Nazism, Stalinism, Maoism, etc.). Never before have there been war crimes, murders, massacres, genocides on such a massive scale where, for example, in the case of the Holocaust, approximately 6 million Jews were exterminated. Today, we still hear of hate crimes being perpetrated on large populations and minorities (e.g. ethnic cleansing, police brutalities, terrorism, etc.). Given that society is becoming increasingly lawless, more and more people are being armed with concealed weapons either to perpetrate crimes or to defend themselves and their loved ones.
Conclusion
It is worth noting that there is a prophecy in the Book of Daniel that suggests an *increase in knowledge* in the last days (which would include modern innovations, such as smartphones, computers, satellites, self-driving cars, laser surgery, the internet) as well as *transportation efficiency,* such as increased speed in sea, road, rail, and air transportation, unlike anything we had ever seen or even imagined before. Up until the 20th century people still used traditional means of transportation, such as Horse Carriages to get around. But with the twentieth century came an explosion of knowledge and innovation, from cars to high-speed trains to airplanes to jet engines to space shuttles to computers to nuclear weapons, you name it. Anticipating all that, Daniel 12.4 (ESV) reads:
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal
the book, until the time of the end. Many
shall run to and fro [fast travel], and
knowledge shall increase.”
There are also numerous Old Testament prophecies regarding the future restoration of Israel, which became a reality in 1948 (cf. e.g. Ezek. 36.24; 38.8)! Therefore, it cannot be denied that the 20th century offers the best explanation of the historical causes that give rise to the phenomena of the Little Apocalypse (Mt. 24), which foretells of a worldwide tribulation just prior to the coming of the Son of Man. The 20th century saw the most destructive global conflicts in human history, the Nuclear arms race, as well the highest surge in famines, earthquakes, lawlessness, and deaths on a scale unimaginable only a few centuries ago. That these global wars and disasters have been doubly intensified in the last century is borne out by the aforementioned figures. Thus, there is compelling and irrefutable evidence that we’re living in the last days!
What is the Abomination of Desolation?
By Author Eli Kittim
Given that wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, pandemics, and increased lawlessness are not necessarily signs of the prophesied endtimes, since they’re arguably common in human history, there is nevertheless one sign that is unique to the imminent coming of Christ, namely, the sign of *the abomination of desolation* that is mentioned in Mark 13.14!
The Lukan “Desolation” Begins After Jerusalem Is Surrounded by Encamped Armies
The abomination of desolation is also mentioned in Matthew, but in Luke 21.20-21 (NRSV) we get additional information:
When you see Jerusalem surrounded by
armies, then know that its desolation has
come near. Then those in Judea must flee
to the mountains, and those inside the city
must leave it, and those out in the country
must not enter it.
The key words of the Greek text are κυκλουμένην ὑπὸ στρατοπέδων Ἰερουσαλήμ (Lk 21.20). The term κυκλουμένην means encircled or surrounded. The word ὑπὸ means “by” or “under,” while the word στρατοπέδων is a reference to military bases, camps, or encamped armies. Thus, this verse is explicitly telling us that when you see Jerusalem (Ἰερουσαλήμ) being encircled or surrounded by encamped armies, military bases or camps, “know that its desolation has come near.”
Luke further warns that when the inhabitants first see the encircled armies, “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.” Matthew 24.15-16 similarly says:
So when you see the desolating sacrilege
standing in the holy place, as was spoken of
by the prophet Daniel [9.27] (let the reader
understand), then those in Judea must flee
to the mountains.
So what Matthew calls “the desolating sacrilege,” Luke calls *surrounding armies* which bring about Jerusalem’s desolation. The so-called “holy place” may simply be a general reference to the Holy Land, especially since there is no Temple in Israel at present, nor is one expected in the foreseeable future, given that the erection of a Jewish Temple would necessitate the demolition of both the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqṣā Mosque.
When Daniel refers to the Antichrist, saying that “at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation” (9.27), it could be a reference to a nuclear warhead that might be stored or set up on the *Temple Mount,* a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that is traditionally venerated as a holy site by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. The Temple Mount can certainly be referred to as a “holy place” (or as “the temple” for short). Continuing with the narrative, Matthew 24.21 (cf. Dan. 12.1) says:
For at that time there will be great suffering
[great tribulation], such as has not been
from the beginning of the world until now,
no, and never will be.
So, this “desolation” is an obvious reference to weapons of war and mass destruction, not to some sort of benign religious ritual that takes place inside a literal temple, as most Christian interpretations would have it. In other words, it isn’t simply offensive to religious sensibilities but rather deadly, lethal, and destructive. And this particular meaning would certainly conform to the usage of the term “desolation” in Scripture (see e.g. Ezek. 15.8; 33.29; Dan. 9.18; Zech. 7.14; Mt. 23.38). After all, the dictionary meaning of the word “desolation” is utter devastation, ruin, and destruction, or a barren wasteland.
Similarly, the definition of the word “sacrilege” is a violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred. This can certainly take the form of irreverence to sacred places. Nuclear weapons stored at a sacred site——like the Temple Mount, for example——would be a sacrilege (cf. Dan. 11.31). Such an act would be an abomination, that is to say, something that is decidedly disgraceful and horrific.
For those who are unsure as to whether the abomination of desolation already happened or not (i.e. whether it’s past or future), see my article “Preterism Debunked”: https://eli-kittim.tumblr.com/post/633828381376544768/preterism-debunked
Is Zechariah Describing a Nuclear Attack Similar to that of Ezekiel 38 & 39?
There is a passage in Zechariah 14 that explicitly refers to the end-time when God will finally reign supreme (v. 9):
the Lord will become king over all the earth;
on that day the Lord will be one and his
name one.
Zechariah 14 is seemingly talking about the same climactic time-period that Matthew & Luke are describing. For example, Zechariah 14.1-2 mentions a unique “day [that] is coming” (cf. v.4 “On that day”) when God “will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle.” It issues the same caveat that we find in Luke, including a near verbal agreement, namely, that “you shall flee by the valley of the Lord's mountain” (v. 5) at that time (cf. Lk 21.21). In other words, it’s warning people to escape the blast radius. If that is the case, then it would be appropriate to discuss the aftereffects of that war as described by Scripture itself (Zech. 14.12):
This shall be the plague [blow] with which
the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage
war against Jerusalem: their flesh shall rot
[or dissolve] while they are still on their feet;
their eyes shall rot [dissolve] in their
sockets, and their tongues shall rot
[dissolve] in their mouths.
These are obviously the consequences of a nuclear explosion that cannot be explained by natural disasters or physical illnesses, as, for example, when people’s flesh disintegrates instantaneously before they can even hit the floor. Something similar happened when the US dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. No wonder this period is called the Great tribulation (Mk 13.19; cf. Mt. 24.21; Rev. 8.7), and it’s no surprise that “in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light” (Mk 13.24; cf. Joel 2.31)! Jerusalem will become a *barren wasteland,* as we’ve often seen in such post-apocalyptic films as Mad Max, The Book of Eli, & The Matrix (see 2 Pet. 3.10).
Luke’s pericope also reminds us of the Ezekiel 38 War in which many nations will come against Israel in the latter days (vv. 8-9):
in the latter years you shall go against a
land restored from war, a land where people
were gathered from many nations on the
mountains of Israel, which had long lain
waste; . . . You shall advance, coming on
like a storm; you shall be like a cloud
covering the land, you and all your troops,
and many peoples with you.
Incidentally, there are mentions in Ezekiel 38 & 39 that could be taken as references to a nuclear blast (see e.g. Ezekiel 38.19-20; 39.6-9).
For further details, see my paper “HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO THE GOG MAGOG WAR AND ARMAGEDDON?”: https://eli-kittim.tumblr.com/post/132189853492/how-close-are-we-to-the-gog-magog-war-and
Conclusion
Most Biblical commentators view the abomination of desolation as a “religious” sacrilege, akin to the one perpetrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 bce when he outlawed Jewish rites and desecrated the Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus, according to 2 Maccabees 6.1–12. But today there is no Temple standing in Jerusalem! And although the future *sacrilege* that the gospel writers described certainly has religious overtones——given that the entire event seems to take place on or around the Temple Mount (which is historically considered sacred)——nevertheless it causes utter destruction and devastation, so much so that people have to run for their lives.
So, the answer to our original question (what is the abomination of desolation?) is, most probably, nuclear warheads that will be placed, and subsequently detonated, on the Temple Mount. This would certainly constitute the most horrible sacrilege in history.
Therefore, it’s important to watch the war that is currently taking place in Israel. Jerusalem is said to be the epicenter of the final global conflict that initiates the Great Tribulation! It is this unique sign, then, that heralds the imminent coming of Messiah! And the *Temple Mount,* which continues to be the center of much controversy, should be the focus of attention!
Who Are the Two Witnesses of Revelation?
By Bible Researcher Eli Kittim 🎓
The Coming Elijah & the Two Witnesses: Symbols of Christ
Let’s start from the beginning so that you could understand how various Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT) passages pertain to this topic. Here’s an excerpt from my book “The Little Book of Revelation,” chapter 1, pp. 60-63:
“. . . there are strong scriptural indications
that ‘Elijah’ prophetically signifies the
forthcoming Messiah. In the last book of
the Jewish scriptures, virtually the last
words of the entire OT are as follows [Mal.
4.5]:
‘Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great
and terrible day of the Lord.’ “
“This is probably the single most
perplexing oracle in the Bible because the
only figure who is expected to arrive on
earth during ‘the day of the Lord’ is Jesus
Christ himself [cf. Lk. 17.30; 1 Cor. 1.7; Phil.
1.6; Col. 3.4; 1 Thess. 1.10; 2 Thess. 1.7; 1
Tim. 6.14; 2 Tim. 4.1; Titus 2.13; 1 Pet. 1.13;
5.1; 1 Jn. 2.28; Rev. 1.1]. And he is not only
known as a prophet, he is also known as the
‘Lord’ . . . [Mt. 21.11]. . . . Could it be that
the earlier Elijah narratives, from the
‘books of Kings,’ were prophesying about
the time of the end? Since no ordinary
human is either qualified or prophesied to
accomplish such extraordinary feats, we
are left with only one conclusion: the last
days’ ‘Elijah’ can be none other than the
foretold God-Messiah! In that event, this
oracle regarding Elijah can be viewed as a
subtle allegorical sign of Christ’s
incarnation ‘before the coming of the
great and terrible day of the Lord.’ . . .”
“This type of symbolism is then carried
forward into the book of Revelation where
we find two ‘last days’ witnesses who
prophesy for 1,260 days (Rev. 11.2-13). In
the text, God declares, ‘I will grant
“authority” to my two witnesses’ (Rev.
11.3, emphasis added). But let us back up
for a moment. Was it not Jesus who once
said, ‘All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth’? (Mt. 28.18; cf. Rev.
18.1 . . .). Thus, the biblical jargon is
suggesting an intimate relationship
between these figures and Christ.
Returning to our vignette, the two
witnesses are also capable of performing
astonishing miracles, and just like Moses
and Jesus, they even ‘have power over the
waters to turn them into blood, and to
smite the earth with every plague, as
often as they desire’ (Rev. 11.6; 14.19-20;
19.15; Exod. 7.20). At the end of their
ministry, they are killed in a ‘city which
mystically is called Sodom and Egypt,
where also their Lord was crucified’ (Rev.
11.8). So they prophesy in the same place
where Jesus lived, and they die in the
same city where he died. We think you can
guess the rest of the script: ‘And after . . .
three . . . days the breath of life from God
came into them, and they stood on their
feet [they were resurrected]’ (Rev. 11.11).”
What Exactly Is the Day of Christ?
As I will show later, the two witnesses are symbols of the messiah. But first, in chapter 3, p. 99, of my book I try to explain the pericope of 2 Thess. 2.1-3 (NKJV), where Paul says:
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering
together to Him, we ask you, not to be
soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by
spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us,
as though the day of Christ had come. Let
no one deceive you by any means; for that
Day will not come unless the falling away
comes first, and the man of sin is
revealed, the son of perdition . . .”
“Before we begin our analysis, it is
imperative that we provide a definition for
what Paul refers to as ‘the day of Christ.’
As the preceding segment maintains, this
unique ‘day’ concerns ‘the coming of our
Lord and our gathering together to him.’
This kind of language is used consistently
throughout scripture (cf. Acts 2.1; Mt. 24.
39-42) to represent the concept of the
‘rapture’: the ascent of the living and the
dead into heaven (1 Cor. 15.51-52; 1
Thess. 4.16-17). Hence, Paul is not simply
indicating the human manifestation of
Jesus on the world scene; rather, he is
emphasizing Christ’s postresurrection
activities that begin to have a real and
substantial impact on life as we know it.
By implication, ‘the day of Christ’
primarily signifies the risen Messiah.”
In fact, 2 Thess. 2.1 uses the exact same word for the rapture that Mt. 24.31 uses, namely, episunagógé. That’s precisely why Christ warns us, in Mt. 24.23-28, not to be overly concerned about the earthly messiah, but rather to focus on the risen messiah who comes like lightning in the sky. Thus, Christ’s earthly manifestation can be deemed to be his “unofficial” appearance, so to speak, whereas his postresurrection parousia is the one that’s scripturally regarded as his official coming. It is the ultimate event to which everything in scripture is pointing!
The Two Witnesses: Symbols of the OT & NT Messiah
In order to understand the identity of the two witnesses (δύο μαρτύρων) in Rev. 11.3-12, we must first trace them back to the Hebrew Bible from which they emerge. According to Judaism, there are two Messiahs: one is a high priest, the other is an anointed king of the Davidic line. This is what Zech. 4.14 is referring to when it says (cf. Rev. 11.4):
“These are the two anointed ones who stand
by the Lord of the whole earth.”
In an academic article (The Doctrine of the Two Messiahs in Sectarian Literature in the Time of the Second Commonwealth, Harvard Theological Review, vol. 52, issue 3, 1959, pp. 149-185), author J. Liver writes:
“The problem of the two Messiahs in
Apocryphal literature, especially in the
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and in
the Damascus Covenant, occupied scholars
at the beginning of the present century and
has revealed new facets with the discovery
of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Especially
pertinent to this problem are some of the
texts from Qumran Cave 1, and some
fragments from Qumran Cave 4, recently
published. We shall here endeavor to make
clear the distinctive features of these
Messiahs, their status and their tasks at the
end of days, and to elucidate the historical
setting from which the doctrine of the two
Messiahs sprang.”
However, in the NT, these 2 Messiahs are morphed into one priestly/kingly figure: Jesus the Son of God (cf. Heb. 4.14 and Mt. 2.1–2). Notice the parallels between Christ and the Two Witnesses. They are killed immediately after their testimony is proclaimed; they are killed in the same place where Jesus died; and just like Christ, they arise from the dead approximately 3 days later!
There are further parallels between Christ (Rev. 12.4--5) and the 2 witnesses (Rev. 11.7--12; cf. Acts 1.9), which are stunningly similar. The mainstream view that the 2 witnesses represent Moses and Elijah (signifying the Law and the Prophets) appears to be inaccurate. According to Heb. 9:27, each person is destined to die once, which would disqualify Moses from a second human birth. As for the purported ascension of Elijah, it seems to be a theological narrative that foreshadows the ascension of Christ.
So when we trace the identity of the two witnesses back to the OT and the context in which they appear, we find that they represent the 2 Messiahs of Rabbinic Judaism. But these 2 figures later became coalesced, commingled into one, in the figure of Jesus Christ, who’s given the titles of king and high priest in the order of Melchizedek, who is also a king and priest (Heb. 7.13-17). Therefore, the 2 witnesses appear to represent the coming Messiah: Jesus Christ!
First Comes Christ; Then Comes the Antichrist
“Keep the commandment . . . until the
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
He [God] will bring about at the proper
time— . . . whom no man has seen” (1 Tim.
6.14-16).
On the authority of this fascinating passage, we come to realize that Jesus is not revealed according to the pseudohistorical period of the gospel narratives, but instead, he is manifested “at the proper time”: a forthcoming event frequently alluded to by the NT epistles. We know that Christ will initiate the end-time events by being the first major figure to appear on the world stage (i.e. the first horseman of Revelation). We also know that he’s born in the last days during the completion or “fullness of time” (τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου Gal.4.4; Eph. 1.9-10; see also Rev. 12.5; Heb. 1.2; 9.26b; 1 Pet. 1.20)! For further details, see my paper “WHO IS THE FIRST HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE?”: https://eli-kittim.tumblr.com/post/168159235542/who-is-the-first-horseman-of-the-apocalypse
According to 2 Thess. 2.1-3, the official coming of Christ & the rapture cannot occur until the revolt takes place and the Antichrist (AC) is revealed. This refers to the AC claiming to be God with signs & wonders (vv. 4, 9). Therefore, the basic sequence is that Christ will appear first, unobserved (Lk 17.20), followed by the apostasy and the AC. Then, and only then, can the “official” postresurrection coming of Christ & the rapture take place.
Revelation 11.4 associates the two witnesses with the 2 lamp stands or 2 messiahs of Hebrew scripture. Verse 2 discusses the abomination of desolation (aka the Great Tribulation or GT) when the nations will trample underfoot the holy city (Jerusalem) for 42 months. Verse 3 says that God will give testimony to his 2 witnesses and they’ll prophesy for 1,260 days dressed in sackcloth (mourning attire). Verse 5 says that they will perform great signs. And whoever tries to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies (cf. 2 Thess. 2.8: “the Lord will slay [him] with the breath of His mouth”). Verse 6 warns that these have great authority (exousian) to control the weather and to cause plagues. Verse 7 is the key. It says that when they complete their witness (testimony), the beast that arises out of the abyss* (AC) will make war with them, defeat them, and kill them (cf. 2 Thess. 2.7; Rev. 12.4b).
Verse 8 reveals that they’ll die in the great city which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also Christ was purportedly crucified. Verse 11 announces that after 3 and a half days the spirit of God will enter them and raise them from the dead. The 3 and a half days appear to symbolize 3 and a half years, according to the day-year principle (see Num. 14.34; Ezek. 4.5–6). So Christ seemingly rises at the end of 3 plus years. Moreover, verse 12 tells us that they hear a loud voice from heaven saying “come up here” (anabēte hōde). And they went up in the cloud. Compare Acts 1.9 where the exact same word nephelē is used for Christ’s ascension (see also Rev. 12.5). Nowhere does it say that they prophesied during the GT, as most prophecy experts teach. In fact, the text implies that they arrived first on the scene, because later on, the beast that arose out of the abyss killed them. Since the beast is not revealed until the outset of the GT, and since the 2 witnesses precede him, it means that they must prophesy prior to the GT, during the first 3 & a half years of the supposed 7-year tribulation period.
Conclusion
Christ comes first, 42 months or 1,260 days prior to the “abomination of desolation” (aka the starting point of the GT) because that’s the allotted time given to the 2 witnesses to prophesy (Rev. 11.3). Then, the beast (aka Abaddon & Apollyon, meaning “destroyer” Rev. 9.11) that comes up out of the abyss and initiates the GT will kill him. The beast is also given authority for 42 months (Rev. 13.5). However, the beast’s time slot is equivalent to the duration of the GT. By contrast, Christ’s 42 months cannot occur at the same time, otherwise the rest of the passages would contradict this chronological time frame. How so? Well, according to 2 Thess. 2.7, Christ the restrainer must first be removed before the AC can be revealed. So, Christ must come first. Furthermore, Revelation 6.2 begins with the peacemaker or the white horseman (Christ; cf. Rev. 19.11) before it gets to the second horseman who “was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another” (Rev. 6.4). And since 42 months were also allotted to Christ, his timeline is necessarily not equivalent to that of the AC.
The phrase, “the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit” (Rev. 11.7) suggests either the AC’s resurrection from the dead (Rev. 13.3, 12, 14), or nuclear war (Rev 9.2-3), or both. More specifically, Rev 9.2 equates the opening of the abyss with smoke arising and darkening the sun & the air, suggestive of nuclear explosions (cf. Zech. 14.12). And given that the AC’s authority only lasts for 42 months, it seems feasible that the AC’s resurrection occurs at the beginning of the GT. After the completion of that time period he has no further authority. Which means that Christ will die sometime around the onset of the GT (or in the midst of the 7-year tribulation period as traditionally understood). It seems, then, that toward the end of the GT Christ will resurrect & initiate the rapture!
In Rev 13.3-4, the beast dies and is subsequently resurrected, and the whole earth marvels and worships him. Christ, on the other hand, will be rejected (Lk 17.25; Jn 1.11). That’s an important clue as to who is who! Rev. 13.5 says that the AC was given authority for 42 months. So, it seems as if he’s resurrected first, and then he holds sway for 42 months. Moreover, Rev. 13.7 tells us that he wages war & defeats the saints, and that authority was given to him over every tribe and tongue and nation. In fact, Rev. 13.16 is reminiscent of the passport vaccines because it says that all, rich and poor will receive a mark (charagma) on their hand so that they may not buy or sell without this mark! Seems like we’re getting close to that time period.
If the AC already controlled all the inhabitants of the earth, he wouldn’t need to start a global war. So, if the GT is his attempt to conquer the world, then his total domination must come to an end at the completion of the 42 months. Incidentally, the verse where he defeats the saints is right next to the verse about his control over every tribe, tongue, and nation (Rev. 13.7). And everyone, except the saved, will worship him (Rev. 13.8). So it seems that all the hype starts with his resurrection. And yet we are told that his authority is limited to only 42 months. Rev 11 says that the AC will kill the witnesses (i.e. the messiah) when he comes out of the abyss (v. 7). By the way, this is the exact same time period that Christ is said to *die* as the atonement for our sins. Afterwards, he will *resurrect* and translate us to heaven (Heb. 9.26-28 NRSV):
“he has appeared once for all at the end of
the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of
himself. And just as it is appointed for
mortals to die once, and after that the
judgment, so Christ, having been offered
once to bear the sins of many, will appear
a second time, not to deal with sin, but to
save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
The Quran Mirrors the Bible: Surah 3.55 Echoes Revelation 12.5
By Author & Bible Researcher Eli Kittim 🎓
——-
Surah 3.55 (Quran)
Lo! Allah said: “O Isa (Jesus)! Verily, I shall
cause thee to die, and shall raise thee up
unto Me … unto the Day of Resurrection.
——-
Revelation 12.4-5 (Bible)
Then the dragon stood before the woman
who was about to bear a child, so that he
might devour her child as soon as it was
born. And she gave birth to a son [Jesus], a
male child, who is to rule all the nations
with a rod of iron. But her child was
snatched away and taken to God and to his
throne.
——-
Commentary
The reference to the “great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns” (Rev. 12.3) indicates that this event is taking place in the end-times. That’s because the 10 horns are said to “make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them” (Rev. 17.12-14) at the end of the age! So, the temporal juxtaposition of the “great red dragon” with the pregnant woman (Rev. 12.2) signifies that the dragon and the pregnant woman are contemporaries. In other words, they exist at the same point in time. The idea that “the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child [Jesus], so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born” (Rev. 12.4) means that the dragon wanted to put the newborn to death. The sequence of events continues as follows (Rev. 12.5):
she gave birth to a son [Jesus], a male
child, who is to rule all the nations with a
rod of iron. But her child was snatched
away and taken to God and to his throne.
Curiously enough, the verse doesn’t deny that the newborn was killed. It only affirms that he was subsequently “snatched away” or raptured unto God. The Greek word ἡρπάσθη comes from ἁρπάζω (harpazó), which is the same word used in 1 Thess. 4.17 for the rapture! But this is also a reference to the resurrection of the dead, which occurs simultaneously with the rapture (see 1 Thess. 4.16-17). Incidentally, in this context, the term τέκνον or child seemingly refers to both a spiritual and a physical birth. Given the development of the passage, coupled with the said activities of the “son” (υἱόν)——i.e. dying, ascending to heaven, and so on——it’s quite obvious that, technically speaking, the child (Jesus) is not an infant. Thus, the biblical jargon suggests the initial physical appearance of Jesus on the world stage, who is spiritually born (or reborn) in God.
Revelation 12 clearly indicates that these are all end-time events. For example, cosmic “war broke out in heaven” (12.7). It’s also the time when Satan will be incarnated as the Antichrist & the kingdom of God “and the authority of his Messiah” will come into full view (Rev. 12.10). Further proof is given by the allusion to the Great Tribulation (Rev. 12.14), which lasts for 42 months or 3 and one half years (cf. Dan. 7.25; 12.7; Rev. 11.2; 13.5). Revelation 12.13-14 informs us that the dragon then persecuted the people of God——represented by the woman, the mother church, as it were——but they were protected for 3 and one half years:
[the dragon] pursued the woman who had
given birth to the male child [Jesus]. But the
woman was given the two wings of the
great eagle, so that she could fly from the
serpent into the wilderness, to her place
where she is nourished for a time, and
times, and half a time.
Conclusion
So what does it mean? Revelation 12 is basically telling us that the child Jesus is born in the end-times and dies soon thereafter. Then, the implication is that he is raised from the dead and “snatched away” into heaven. Since the rapture and the resurrection of the dead occur simultaneously, and since this event takes place in the end-times, it must happen during the so-called “Great day of Resurrection,” when all the dead who ever lived will come back to life (cf. Dan. 12.1-2; 1 Thess. 4.16-17; 1 Cor. 15.22-24)!
Surprisingly, that’s precisely what the Quran implies as well. Surah 3.55 seems to say that Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension will take place in the end-times, during the Day of Resurrection:
Lo! Allah said: “O Isa (Jesus)! Verily, I shall cause thee to die, and shall raise thee up unto Me … unto the Day of Resurrection.
Therefore, Surah 3.55 (Quran) seems to echo Revelation 12.5 (Bible).
——-
Who are the “Earth Dwellers” in the Bible? And Will There Be a Zombie Apocalypse?
By Award-Winning Goodreads Author & Bible Researcher Eli Kittim 🎓
There are many pre-tribulation pastors today who are preaching that the so-called “earth dwellers” of the Bible represent a particular class of people who are distinct from the church of God (i.e. “the elect”) and are therefore under God’s judgment. To prove their point, they’ll typically take a verse where the phrase seems to be used in that particular way, and then they’ll make false generalizations that this is how it’s typically used throughout the Bible. Revelation 13.8 (SBLGNT) is a case in point. It reads:
καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ
κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
Translation (KJV):
And all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him [the beast].
The pre-trib expositors typically argue that since the church has been raptured by the time we get to Revelation 4, then obviously the phrase “all that dwell upon the earth” (in Revelation 13 and elsewhere) must be referring to those who have been left behind, namely, the damned. However, since the *great tribulation* is mentioned several times in the Book of Revelation, one would naturally expect that all the inhabitants of the earth, both good & bad, will experience much suffering and turmoil (cf. Rev. 8.13; 13.12; 13.14; 17.8). Besides, this is not the way the Greek phrase οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς is used throughout the Bible. Therefore, these pre-trib pastors are deliberately taking the *meaning* of the phrase οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς (all that dwell upon the earth) out of context!
Their teaching is actually erroneous and misleading. It all starts from a false pre-trib rapture position. The logic goes something like this. Because the church will be supposedly raptured early on, this means that the so-called “earth dwellers,” who are mentioned later in the Book of Revelation, must be a particular class of people who are left behind (i.e. the *unsaved*). Moreover, these teachers often try to impose their own view by wrongly interpreting every instance where the “earth dwellers” are mentioned, in both the OT and NT, as the *unsaved.* But this is a false teaching. It’s not only false because the original Hebrew & Greek do not support these interpretations, but also because they’re mangling scripture by the inaccurate eschatological eisegeses concerning the sequence of end time events. This mishandling of scripture is suggestive of gross incompetence on the part of those who are making these claims!
For example, the Greek phrase τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς simply means “those who inhabit the earth,” or “those who live on the earth.” Whether we look at the OT, the NT, or the LXX, the meaning is the same. This phrase is obviously referring to all the people who live on the earth, irrespective of belief or unbelief. Yet pastors like Tiff Shuttlesworth, as well as other pre-tribbers, falsely interpret the so-called “earth dwellers” as the “damned,” or as a particular classification of people who are left behind. They obviously don’t understand Koine Greek!
When the Hebrew OT talks about “earth dwellers,” it implies the entire world, not just the damned. For instance, Isaiah 18.3 (BHS) reads:
כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֥י תֵבֵ֖ל וְשֹׁ֣כְנֵי אָ֑רֶץ
Transliteration:
kāl (all) yō·šə·ḇê (inhabitants) tê·ḇêl (of the
world) wə·šō·ḵə·nê (and dwellers on)
’ā·reṣ (the earth).
Alternative Translations:
All you people of the world, everyone who
lives on the earth (NLT).
All you inhabitants of the world, you who
dwell on the earth (ESV).
Contrary to what pre-tribbers are claiming, the OT is referring to all the people of the earth, both good and bad, not simply to the damned per se!
The LXX follows suit and uses the Greek terms κατοικουμένη and κατοικηθήσεται to mean “inhabited.” These terms are obviously cognate with κατοικοῦντας, the word that is used in the NT for “inhabitants.” The Greek terms in the LXX are referring to all the inhabitants of a country, not simply to the damned. For example, Isaiah 18.3 LXX reads:
πάντες ὡς χώρα κατοικουμένη·
κατοικηθήσεται ἡ χώρα αὐτῶν.
L.C.L. Brenton Translation:
Now all the rivers of the land shall be
inhabited as an inhabited country.
The LXX uses the terms κατοικουμένη and κατοικηθήσεται——which are derived from κατοικέω (G2730)——to refer to the “inhabited” land, and, by implication, to the “dwellers” or “inhabitants” thereof. In other words, it’s referring to the entire population of a country as a whole, not simply to its evil constituents!
The cognate κατοικοῦντας (G2730) is the word that the NT uses for those people who are “inhabiting” cities (Acts 9.22, 32), provinces (Acts 19.10), as well as the entire world (Rev. 11.10)! For example, the phrase τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ⸃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς (Rev. 8.13) simply refers to all those who inhabit (or dwell on) the earth. In and of itself, this expression does not make a value judgment. Neither does the Greek term κατοικοῦντες (i.e. “dwellers”; see Acts 2.5). Depending on the particular context of a verse, it can take on different meanings. But the above-mentioned phrase is simply referring to the inhabitants of the entire world, not to a certain class of people, let alone the damned. See the *Blue Letter Bible*:
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/inflections.cfm?strongs=G2730&t=MGNT&ot=MGNT&word=%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%BF%E1%BF%A6%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%82
The aforementioned confusion stems from the false theory that Christians will be raptured early on, prior to the great tribulation, which implies that the “earth dwellers” who will remain——and who are later mentioned in the Book of Revelation——must be the damned. But the church is mentioned many times after Revelation 4. And the church will certainly go through the tribulation, which is *not* God’s wrath. So, the Biblical references to the “earth dwellers” concern all people, good and bad, unless otherwise indicated by the context!
Will there be a Zombie Apocalypse?
In the OT, Daniel 12.2 (NIV) was prophesying a general resurrection of the dead:
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the
earth will awake: some to everlasting life,
others to shame and everlasting contempt.
This means that the general resurrection of the dead will include both the saved and the unsaved. According to Daniel 12.2, both groups will be resurrected together. But keep in mind that, according to 1 Thess. 4.16-17, the *rapture* and *resurrection* events will be contemporaneous with each other. So, if the *saved*——who will be resurrected from the dead——are “caught up … in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” then there will definitely be a *zombie apocalypse* because the *damned* will also be *resurrected* and roam the earth!
——-
For further details, see my essay:
Three Questions On the Rapture: Is it Pre-Trib or Post-Trib? Is it Secret or Not? And is it Imminent?
https://eli-kittim.tumblr.com/post/628794727776632832/three-questions-on-the-rapture-is-it-pre-trib-or
——-
Can People Be Saved After the Resurrection & the Rapture?
By Bible Researcher Eli Kittim 🎓
The pretribulational view teaches that there will be many who will be saved during the great tribulation, AFTER the Resurrection & the Rapture take place (cf. 1 Thess. 4.16-17). Is this possible, or does it contradict scripture? Just like the parable of the 10 virgins suggests, when the doors of salvation are finally slammed shut, no one else could be saved. It’s all over. No one can go in or out. The rapture is that end point. Once the church leaves, it’s game over! And even if the tribulation saints could be saved, where would they go? How would they be *rescued* by God, given that the rapture was that final ticket out of here?
Let’s not forget that there are certain contemporaneous events that have to occur during the resurrection and the rapture, just prior to the departure of the church. For instance, scripture affirms that Christ will radically transform God’s elect so that they will resemble his glorious appearance (Phil. 3.21). What is more, 1 Cor. 15.52-53 reveals that the elect will attain a glorious immortality, during the resurrection/rapture process, so that they will never ever die again! That’s when Christ will finally grant God’s elect his “exceeding great and precious promises” so that they can become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1.4). But these divinely transformative events can only occur *once for all* during the resurrection & the rapture. So the question arises, if these momentous events take place once for all, and the elect eventually partake of the divine nature and are raptured out of here, how then can these glorious transformations reoccur over and over again in the absence of Christ, the Spirit, and the Church?
This demonstrates the fallacy of pretribulationism because it falsely maintains that people will continue to be saved even after the resurrection and the rapture. Really? And even if they could be saved, where would they go? The church has already left. How would they be rescued after the church has permanently left? Once again, it shows that pretribulationism is based on fallacious reasoning!
And how could the tribulation saints escape God’s wrath? If they die, how would they be resurrected again, given that the one and only resurrection of the dead already happened? Remember that there’s only one general resurrection of the dead in which both the saved and the damned will be raised together (Daniel 12.2). So, if the rapture already took place and the tribulation saints can no longer be resurrected, how could they escape God’s judgments? How would God rescue them? They would simply be forced to stay here on earth in the midst of unbridled terror? Would God allow his precious elect to remain here on earth during the zombie apocalypse, while his wrath was being poured out in judgment, and while all the rest of the elect were enjoying heavenly bliss?
So, if the tribulation saints could neither be resurrected nor raptured, what would be God’s rescue plan for them? In other words, *after* the resurrection & the rapture had taken place, what could the tribulation saints do here on earth? Would their task be to ride out the storm of God’s wrath during the day of the Lord? It’s reminiscent of Jean-Paul Sartre’s play, “No Exit.” It demonstrates the faulty reasoning and unscriptural position of the pretrib rapture view!
Conclusion
Mt. 24.29-31 says that the “gathering” of the Son of Man’s elect (i.e. ‘the rapture’) occurs AFTER the Great Tribulation (Gk. *μετὰ* τὴν θλῖψιν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων). The clincher, the passage that settles the matter conclusively is Rev. 20.4-6. This passage tells us that those who were killed during the Great Tribulation took part in the first resurrection. However, given that the rapture is contemporaneous with the first resurrection (1 Thess. 4.16-17), and since those who took part in the first resurrection came out of the Great Tribulation, it means that the rapture must also take place *AFTER* the great tribulation. Hence, if this is the first resurrection that takes place AFTER the great tribulation, then there can’t possibly be an earlier one, as the pretrib doctrine assumes. Any way you look at it, the pretrib position doesn’t make any scriptural sense at all.
The reason people will continue to be saved during the great ordeal is because the *rapture* will take place at the *end* of the tribulation period, so that all God's elect will leave together as one church. Once the resurrection & the rapture take place (posttrib), it’s game over. No one else can be saved, or be resurrected, or go to heaven! Once again, these robust and cogent arguments prove that the pretrib position is completely bogus and misinformed.
——-
For further details, see my short essay:
Three Questions On the Rapture: Is it Pre-Trib or Post-Trib? Is it Secret or Not? And is it Imminent?
https://eli-kittim.tumblr.com/post/628794727776632832/three-questions-on-the-rapture-is-it-pre-trib-or
——-