Consummation of History

2012-03-10

Introduction

There are many different viewpoints on the sequence and meaning of the events of the end times. I will discuss my viewpoint on the issues here. On some interpretations I will agree with the majority of conservative commentators, and on others, I will depart from what you see in such circles.

No matter what conclusions you come to, provided a serious, literal view of the Bible when making your interpretations, I think many people agree that it is likely that Christ could return in our generation. If not, I suspect it would be within a generation or two. Many previous generations thought it would happen in theirs, however, so we could very well find that these events may be centuries from now. The imminence of these events should not escape our thoughts, and we need to live our lives accordingly. The imminence of the events was one thing that hastened me to trust in Christ, recognizing that we live in troublesome times.

Defining of Terms

In Daniel, a prophecy is given that there are seventy “weeks” (sets of seven years) that are given until the Millennial kingdom:

Daniel 9:24-27: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

According to this scripture, 69 of these weeks were given from the postexilic rebuilding of Jerusalem until the Messiah was to come, and then be crucified. Since then, there has been a noticeable gap before the 70th week, which is yet to come. After Jesus was crucified, the people of the coming prince, the Antichrist, will come and destroy the Temple and Jerusalem. We know this happened in A.D. 70, and was not included in any of the sets of weeks. Now “he” shall make a covenant during the 70th week. The antecedent for “he” is the prince to come. He will set up the abomination of desolation, which we know from Revelation 13:14-15 is an image of the Antichrist that will be set up in the Temple of God in Jerusalem that people will be forced to worship. This 70th week will largely be the discussion of this document.

During my whole time as a Christian, most Bible preachers I have known have used the 70th week of Daniel and the Tribulation as synonymous terms, which I believe to be fallacious. The Tribulation, as I will demonstrate hereafter, is only the first part of this seven year period. After the Tribulation, God will pour out his wrath on the world, ultimately leading to the destruction of his enemies. I believe the saints will be raptured before this wrath, but will endure the Tribulation period. I propose the following sequence of events:

The chronology of events of the end times.

When demonstrating these events, I will walk through the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, and compare findings from Revelation and other appropriate books when necessary.

In addition, it is apparent that Revelation retells many of the events twice. After the introduction and the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 1-3, Revelation 4-11 goes through the chronology of the events once, and in Revelation 12, there is a noticeable shift that explains the events of Christ’s initial coming, and ascension to heaven, which clearly already happened long ago. This is evidence that the narrative starts over, and it is very apparent that Revelation 13 elaborates the Antichrist’s reign and many of the seals. Also, when one compares the seven trumpets and the seven vials, it is apparent that these events are similar, related and concurrent. The probable reason for the repeating of the vision is because of its certainty and its imminence. Compare with Joseph’s explanation to Pharaoh why his vision happened twice: “And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass” (Genesis 41:32). As Pharaoh and Joseph immediately began to prepare for the famine, we too should be prepared for the events to come.

The Tribulation

Matthew 24:3-8: “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

The disciples ask Jesus some questions that we very well would have asked Jesus if we were there. They asked two questions about his coming: when, and how will we know? Jesus answers the latter first, but first warns them, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” I think there may be a lot of deception regarding these events, and Jesus gives us a stern warning. Paul also warns his brothers, “Let no man deceive you by any means” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). We need to be careful with the Scriptures when listening to these words.

Jesus warns the disciples of the following things in this order:

Compare these with the first four seals in Revelation 6:1-8:

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”

To summarize, the first four seals are as follows:

These are direct correlations, in order, to the four points listed in Matthew 24:3-8.

Matthew 24:9-14: “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

This portion speaks of great martyrdom. This type of affliction causes betrayal, false prophets, and lack of love. Nevertheless, the gospel is preached to all nations before the end of everything.

This parallels Revelation 6:9-11: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

Now Matthew 24:14 talks about when the end shall come, namely, when the gospel is preached to all nations. Therefore, 24:15 and following refer to something that has happened in the meantime, which is the abomination of desolation, an image of the Antichrist, the conquering king on the white horse mentioned previously.

Matthew 24:15 and following talk about the most intense tribulation that the saints will ever know. The saints need to run in hiding the moment they hear of the abomination of desolation. False prophets will do miracles and deceive people. However, it is key to mention Matthew 24:27-28: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” Jesus will return in a bright coming, and that he will gather those who are his. We should ignore and flee anybody who claims to be Christ doing any signs.

It is worthy to mention that the Gospel of Luke departs from Matthew and Mark concerning the abomination of desolation. See the following:

Matthew 24:15: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)”

Mark 13:14: “But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:”

Luke 21:20: “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.”

The difference is that Matthew and Mark are talking about something yet future, and Luke is talking about the historical event of the destruction of Jerusalem. Read the broader context, and this will be rather clear. The same response is required: flee when the abomination of desolation is erected in the Temple, just as those who believed in A.D. 70 fled the destruction of Jerusalem. The abomination is the sign to flee just as the encompassing armies were the sign to flee in yesteryear. The key to knowing this, when you compare the above verses, is that Matthew and Mark specifically shift their audience from the disciples to the actual people who are reading their Gospels that were written down (see the asides written in the parentheses in these verses above).

The Antichrist’s Reign

At this point, I would like to return to discuss the Antichrist, which is mentioned in Revelation 6:2 and in Revelation 13.

First, the Antichrist is a man that is killed, and resurrected from the dead and possessed by Satan.

Revelation 13:3: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” This apparent miracle causes the whole world to follow him as a great leader and worship him.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8: “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” This man is taken out of the way and “that Wicked” is revealed. This “taken out of the way” is a phrase only used elsewhere in Job 24:24, where it is referring to the death of people in general, so this is referring to the Antichrist and his death, not the Holy Spirit, who is not even mentioned in this context, let alone killed! The man dies, but “that Wicked” comes back in his place.

Second, the Antichrist claims to be God.

2 Thessalonians 2:4: “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

Revelation 13:4-6: “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” He not only claims to be God, he demands to be worshipped and blasphemes the real God.

Daniel 11:36: “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.”

Third, he will kill God’s people.

Revelation 13:7: “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”

Daniel 7:21: “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.”

Fourth, he will have some sort of sidekick that will exalt him and make an image of him, which is the abomination of desolation.

Revelation 13:11-13: “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” This man will do wonders to further draw people away to follow the Antichrist Beast.

Revelation 13:14-15: “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” This image is somehow made alive, and those that do not worship it will be killed. We know from Matthew 24:15 that this image is going to be set up in the Temple.

Daniel 9:27: “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” At some point in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel, he will interrupt worship that is going on in the Jewish Temple and set up this wicked idol for worship. This implies that this Temple will be rebuilt at sometime prior to this event. We are still waiting for this event, but we anticipate it greatly because Jewish people have had their own country at its original location since 1948. There also will be some sort of covenant involved with the Antichrist.

Fifth, he will set up some sort of worldwide economic system that replaces cash with this mark that people must receive in their hand or head in order to make monetary transactions.

Revelation 13:16-17: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

I feel the need to stop everything right now and discuss this further. This is more than possible in today’s society. Our money in the United States is fiat currency, which means that it has no intrinsic value in itself; it has value because the government says so. The gold standard and the use of precious metals in our money have long been abandoned. Most people use credit cards and electronic funds transfers to make purchases. Furthermore, we already have the technology to implant biometric chips into people for the purpose of things such as medical records. It can happen any day. This should cause serious concern for all of us, because when this comes, we will not really have anywhere to hide. I do not have much more advice to you except what our Lord Jesus Christ told us:

Mark 13:37: “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

Sixth, there is a number that somehow corresponds with this Antichrist man.

Revelation 13:18: “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” This has caused a lot of speculation since these words were uttered centuries ago, but the only thing I can say is that this is something that will be secret until the day that this man comes to power. In short, we will know how to identify this man when he comes.

Seventh, he very well may be a homosexual.

Daniel 11:37: “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.”

Eighth, he will be destroyed.

2 Thessalonians 2:8: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”

Revelation 19:20: “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” The Antichrist and his accomplice will be cast into eternal fire forever.

The Rapture

Matthew 24:29-31: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

It is clear that these events come after the tribulation, because the text specifically says so. This darkening of the sun and the moon is also mentioned in Revelation, in the same chronological order:

Revelation 6:12-14: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

Revelation 7:1-8 then summarizes the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish saints. Then in Revelation 7:9, we read: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.” The fact that nobody could number them means that this number is huge. In 2 Chronicles 14:9, one million Ethiopians came out against Judah, so it is clear that this number is larger than this since one million could be “numbered.” This is the Rapture.

Revelation 7:13-14: “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

In the second half of Revelation, when the events are retold in chronological order, we also read of the 144,000 in 14:1, and of the Rapture in Revelation 14:14-15: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”

The appearing of a multitude in heaven, which is also called the reaping of a harvest, which follows the tribulation (as I have defined it) and the signs of the darkened sun and moon, makes a good case that the saints do not escape tribulation, but do not face the wrath of God. The saints suffering tribulation but escaping God’s wrath is apparently not a departure of the norm throughout the Bible.

Concerning the suffering of the saints, consider the following:

John 16:33: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Acts 14:22: “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

1 Thessalonians 3:3-4: “That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.”

2 Timothy 3:12: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

Concerning the saints not facing the wrath of God, consider these:

John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Romans 5:9: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

1 Thessalonians 5:9: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

These are only a sampling of the verses available for both of these topics, and the use of a concordance of the words tribulation (or suffering, persecution, affliction) and wrath will yield many results similar to these.

1 Thessalonians 5:4: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” Because we understand the events and the promises of God, we will not be surprised when the events of the Tribulation come to pass.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” The Thessalonians were concerned because they believed that the Day of Christ was imminent, and were sitting around waiting for it to happen. However, they were ignorant of the fact that a falling away must come first. This is not the rapture, because people do not fall up. Falling away is great apostasy, which is alluded to in Matthew 12:9-13. In addition, we must consider that this man of sin will be revealed, which we will somehow be able to identify by his resurrection and the number 666 discussed previously.

The Trumpets and the Vials

Note the comparison of the trumpets and the vials. There is often, but not always, a direct correlation between the trumpet and its corresponding vial.

  1. Hail with fire and blood versus the grievous sore (8:7, 16:2)
  2. Salt water harmed (8:8-9, 16:3)
  3. Fresh water harmed (8:10-11, 16:4-7)
  4. The sun harmed, as well as the moon and stars (8:12-13, 16:8-9)
  5. Darkness, by reason of the locusts (9:1-12, 16:10-11)
  6. The drying of the Euphrates, and the eastern kings (9:13-21, 16:12-16)
  7. Announcing of the Kingdom (11:15-19, 16:17-21)

God will judge the world through these events, and those left on the earth will face God’s wrath. Everything that humankind needs to survive will be affected. Nonetheless, the vast majority of people were not driven to trust God, but instead blasphemed him.

Revelation 16:11: “And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”

Revelation 16:21: “And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”

However, during that time, it seems that there will be some that will not worship the Antichrist:

Revelation 11:13: “And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

After the Antichrist kills two prominent witnesses that are preaching to the people, God brings them back to life, and the two ascend to heaven. People in the city of Jerusalem see this and turn to God. We know these are in Jerusalem, because these are the people that were not destroyed by the earthquake of that city, which is identified as Jerusalem in Revelation 11:8.

Mystery Babylon the Great

There has been great speculation as to what or where this is. Like the number 666, we can only speculate. If the Tribulation and God’s wrath are coming within a few years, I would have my suspicions as to what it is, which I will discuss. But if these events are decades or even centuries off, then the identity of these is wide open.

Before I discuss any theory, let us discuss what we do know about Mystery Babylon.

First, it is exceedingly wicked: “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns” (Revelation 17:3).

Second, it is exceedingly wealthy: “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:4).

Third, it is responsible for murdering God’s people: “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration” (Revelation 17:6).

Fourth, Rome is involved: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth” (Revelation 17:9). Rome was known since antiquity as the city on seven hills. The question remains if this is the actual city, or the Vatican, which fits everything discussed above.

Fifth, there are eight kings involved: “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition” (Revelation 17:10-11).

Sixth, the Antichrist and his confederacy hate Babylon: “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire” (Revelation 17:16). Other kings love Babylon: “And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning” (Revelation 18:9).

Seventh, God’s people are to have nothing to do with Babylon: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). God’s people are warned to leave before it is destroyed by God’s wrath.

Eighth, Babylon exalts itself and believes it is indestructible: “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow” (Revelation 18:7).

Ninth, Babylon is a major importer of every kind of good: “And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more” (Revelation 18:11). After this, luxurious goods are itemized for a few verses.

Tenth, Babylon appears to have a lot of music and a lot of crafts pertaining to it: “And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee” (Revelation 18:22). Compare this society to the line of Cain in Genesis 4, which included craftsmen and musicians.

Eleventh, Babylon wields cultural influence over the entire world: “And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived” (Revelation 18:23).

Lastly, Babylon will be destroyed and become a wasteland: “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird” (Revelation 18:2).

Passages such as Jeremiah 50-51 also explain a bit about Babylon, both of the historical city and of this future Babylon. These are also interesting when considering the possible candidates of our world that fit these descriptions.

The major view, as I had mentioned, is the Roman Catholic Church because it is headquartered in the Vatican, which is encapsulated in Rome. Rome may be somehow involved with this because this Babylon is situated on seven mountains. Historically, the Roman church has killed many Christians that have broken away from Rome throughout history. Many of their leaders have harmed innocent children, and they tried to conceal their wickedness. Popes throughout the Middle Ages ruled over all of Europe in times past, so they were kings in themselves. But when you get to the last several points, the correlation to Rome does not as convincing.

Many years ago, before I knew anything about what the seven mountains meant, I believed that Babylon referred to the United States. Consider these points for a moment:

The Millennium and the Eternal State

When Jesus Christ returns, he throws the Antichrist and his sidekick into the lake of fire, but Satan is sealed in the bottomless pit during a thousand year period, which preachers commonly and appropriately call the Millennium. During this time, the saints that suffered for Jesus’ sake will reign with Jesus (Revelation 20:4). At the end of this period, Satan will be released from his prison, and gather people from around the world in his deception to make war with Jesus, similar to Armageddon in chapter 16. Their destruction will be swift, and at that time, the eternal state will begin, when the New Jerusalem will be established.

This will require more extensive study, and will be concluded and a later time. In the meantime, for more information about the eternal state, refer to the studies The Words are Faithful and True and New Jerusalem.

Why We Need This Information

This information is dire because of the time we live in. Wickedness is increasing on all fronts in our country and abroad, which makes our world ripe for judgment. Just reading about the news makes me wonder how much longer we can possibly have.

A few things are requisite for the Tribulation to come about, many of which are described above, and some are introduced here:

We do not have a solid one world government, but international treaties, organizations and the like show that we are moving that direction. Entities such as NAFTA, the European Union, and the United Nations all tend to prefigure this. Israel is a country again, and has been since 1948. It was not a country for almost 1,900 years. Ecumenicalism is sweeping a lot of religions, including some that name the name of Christ. We use less cash today and more cards and drafts. This is just a foreshadowing of what is coming.

Matthew 24:10 says that many people will be “offended” in the days of the Tribulation. This is a common response when people face tribulation and persecution, as seen in Matthew 13:21. I believe that this future offending may be related to having been fed the pretribulational rapture doctrine for so long because of books and movies that people will be shocked when they must face the great Tribulation.

Let us say for sake of argument that I am wrong, and that the rapture precedes the Tribulation. I would love to be wrong, especially if these events are going to be in the near future. What have I lost? Nothing, but have evaded great suffering. But if I am right, and you believe the wrong doctrine, then you are not going to be prepared for something awful that we are going to face. You will be offended. We live in a society where Christians do not worry about being martyred for the Faith, so it will be a shock. But if we know that we are appointed to persecution and afflictions, we can get back to reality. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”