On Prophecy: Volume I

On Prophecy: Volume I On Prophecy: Volume I By Pete Garcia �Every age has its own kind of war, its own limitingconditions, and its own peculiar preconceptions.� � Carl von Clausewitz It was in the early 1990s that the concepts of Military Revolution and a Revolution in Military Affairs were brought back into the forefront of discussion amongst military theorists. These two concepts are, fluid and difficult to define accurately at timesbecause they attempt to codify the ever-changing character of warfare. Whatever their ideological shortcomings, these two, however, serve a point to be a finer point in distinguishing the unchanging nature of war (why we fight), and its ever-changing characterof war (how we fight). Between the two, the Military Revolution (MR) concept pointed toward the rapid change(s) in the way wars were fought (advancing technology plus changes in tactics and doctrine). These rapid changes often occurred with devastating results until the battlefieldcould be equalized when the enemy adapted either similar weapons or tactics. In terms of geopolitics, MR was/is applied at the swiftness with which drastic political changes occurred, such as the large-scale departure from monarchial empires in the 19th century,to the communist and Islamic revolutions of the 20th. A Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) on the other hand, often speaks to a more subtle, but still significant, paradigm shift, in how wars are fought. This is usually the second and third-order effects brought about by developments in certain technologiesthat expand the depth and scope of battlefield capabilities. These changes usually go on to fundamentally change the character of warfare (e.g., reorganizing an Army, airpower to space power, etc.). As the old saying goes, youride a military revolution; you guide a revolution in military affairs. (Source) Along those lines of addressing change (whether suddenly or subtly), the United States Department of Defense (DOD), along with her varied sister intelligence agencies, have long prided themselves in planning for virtually every contingency, in every domain,known to man. These domains include the traditional ones of land, sea, and air, as well as newer (or revisited) domains of cyber, subterranean, urban, and space. The rapid, 20th-century advancements in technology, have also extended into the weaponizationof non-corporeal aspects of our existence as well. This includes weaponizing information (propaganda, deep fakes, and disinformation campaigns), global surveillance, as well as encrypting communication, and digitizing currency. This last part brings us close to the subject at hand. Intangibles Despite the DOD�s expansive appetite for spreading Pax Americana around the world, there is one domain that has seemingly remained elusive to our modern US Government. In fact, it has become one of, if not, the largest blind spot our national defense has, andit is in regards to religion. This is not to say the Department of Defense refuses to acknowledge its existence. Rather, it simply ignores the obvious, and looks for ulterior, and often, more inconvenient motivations for why people and groups do what theydo. Religious ideology has simply become too politically charged an issue these days to address objectively, even by a supposed unbiased and impartial government. Even after being mired down in an unwinnable and global �war on terror� for the past twenty years,our government has refused to call Islam what it truly is- an ideological time bomb set to erupt any time our true adversary chooses to pull the trigger. It promotes violence as a means to an end and is filled with an army of non-uniformed, stateless soldiersabsolutely committed to our absolute destruction (i.e., Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, etc.). Even after 9/11, Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, the US government (depending on the administration) is more often than not, loathe to actually call these wars against a radicalized ideology. Instead, they often attempt to placate it by calling it a �religion of peace,� and then blame any radicalization by its adherents, victims of westernization, free-market capitalism, YouTube videos, or any other contrived (or real) social injustice. This, even after its warriors themselves, claim to be fighting forIslamic domination. The truth is, religious ideologies, are almost always, the sine qua non (for out which, there is not) causation for why people groups do what they do. Even so-called non-religious belief systems, such as Atheism, end up becoming systems of faith. These almostalways end up in some form of militancy, demanding their views become the accepted and dominant views in their cities, nations, or regions. Atheism, for example, was the ideological foundation upon which Marxism (later Fascism and Communism) was founded upon.Its primary tenet replaced God with government, and those governments, almost without fail, handed over that godlike power to an individual who ended up ruling as a tyrannical despot (Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc.) In the wake of its red tide,hundreds of millions lay dead. Godless regimes were not alone in these power-hungry endeavors, organized religion also shares some of the burdens. Roman Catholicism, at the height of the Dark � Middle Ages, attempted to superficially impose its version of the kingdom of God over the nationsit held in its sway. Tens of millions of Christians, Jews, Arabs, and non-converts were tortured and killed in the unbiblical Crusades and Inquisitions. Similarly, Islam attempted its many caliphates over the centuries (e.g., Rashidun, Sasanian, Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ottoman empires). These empires were built by violently converting former Christian and pagan nations (e.g., Syria, Turkey, Bosnia, Egypt, SaudiArabia, Iran, etc.) into Muslim nations under the pain of death. For them then (and even now), the non-Muslim world was divided into three sections- the dar al-Islam (house of Islam), the dar al-harb (house of war), and the dar al-sulh (house of treaty). Thosenations who were not already Islamized (house of Islam), were either in the house of war (where Islamists waged war against), or the house of treaty (where non-converts had to protect and pay tribute to Islamists). Again, none of this is a secret to anyone,but nobody wants to address it not only as a present issue but the issue. Instead, they dismiss the deaths of hundreds of millions of Jews, Christians, and pagans as an antiquated historical footnote. The in-depth discussion of the aforementioned belief systems, exceed the scope and intent of this brief, so their mentions will only be in relation to the primary subject- Bible Prophecy. However, there are three reasons why religious ideologies (especiallyBiblical Christianity) have become elusive no-go zones for western governments, and those will only be discussed here summarily. Those reasons are political correctness, hermeneutical confusion, and secular humanism. Political correctness (i.e., Cultural Marxism) and human secularism (atheism, agnosticism, nihilism, etc.) have been mainstays in western governments since at least the 1950s. Paradoxically, the rise of these largely atheistic philosophies began to occur atthe same time we were engaged in a bitter Cold War against an atheist superpower. These two (political correctness and human secularism) have been increasingly effective tools in silencing any objective discussion on the subjects of the supremacy of JesusChrist�s divine claims as the King of kings, and Lord of Lords, and to the Holy Bible. It has been so effective in fact, one would be hard-pressed these days to find any official military and/or government literature concerning the strategic geopolitical implicationsdiscussed in Bible prophecy. It is almost as if, from a military perspective, Bible prophecy is a non-factor. The insurgence of hermeneutical confusion (hermeneutics being how one interprets the Bible) on the other hand, has been a particularly insidious one. First creeping into seminaries of the late 1800s, religious liberalism has taken many forms, but its chiefobjective has only ever been to undermine biblical doctrines like inerrancy and eschatology. Academically, this confusion came in the name of higher (meaning and authority) and lower criticism (the physical documents themself). Whereas human secularism andpolitical correctness almost always attack Christianity from without, religious liberalism has been the enemy in the gates since day one. The intent of this article then is to discuss the five major geopolitical events clearly outlined in the Bible. Whether the �top brass� at the Pentagon finds these topics relevant or not is irrelevant; these events are destined to happen. When they do, theywill have massive, military/ economic/ political ramifications not just to the United States, but to the global order as well. Each of these topics will be arranged into the five distinctive categories- what, who, when, where, and why. These events will bediscussed purely in a strategic and logistical manner: 1. The Rapture of the Church 2. The War of Gog-Magog 3. The Four Horsemen (Seal Judgments 1-4) 4. The Kings of the East 5. The Armageddon Campaign ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On Prophecy: Volume II by: Pete Garcia - https://www.rev310.net/post/on-prophecy-volume-ii Foundations Before going through the topics and their subsequent talking points, it is necessary to lay some groundwork. First and foremost, when discussing the Holy Bible, this authormeans it to include both the Old and New Testaments. True Christianity understands the Scriptures to be “God-breathed,” (or God-inspired) to 40 different human authors, over a period of roughly 1,600 years, beginning roughly in the 15-14th Century BC and endingin the 1st Century AD. If the book of Job (the first book of the Bible written) was penned near Job’s life (as many believe), the Bible’s penmanship would be extended to a period of over 2,000years. Consequently, the Bible predates every major literary work that has come to impact our world. These works are, but not limited to: the United States Constitution (1776), the Magna Carta (1215), the Koran (610-633AD), writings/teachings of Buddha (5th-4thCentury BC), and the Hindu Vedas (1200-1000 BC). Furthermore, the Bible is the best surviving literary work of antiquity of any kind, surviving by multiplicity (many copies- LXX, Masoretic, Latin Vulgate, Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.). Not only has it survived,but it has also been validated by the recent archeological discoveries (Dead Sea Scrolls: 1946-57, 2021) proving without a doubt, the modern translations have remained true to form over the past four millennia. Secondly, although many religions have their own version of the world’s ending, the Bible is unique amongst all the world religious texts, in its unequivocal declarationand accuracy of future events (i.e., future to when written). These future forecasts are commonly referred to as Bible Prophecy. Prophecy that is speaking exclusively to the last days, is known as Eschatology, which is Greek for the study of last things. Asfor the literary breakdown of subjects in the Bible (for which there are many), "J Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, lists 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament, and 578 prophecies in the New Testament, for a total of 1,817. These encompass 8,352 verses. Since there are 31,124 verses in the Bible, the 8,352 verses that contain prophecy constitute 26.8% of the Bible’s volume." Source Third, the Bible maintains an “all or nothing” approach with regards to the accuracy of its predictions. Moses, the Hebrew author of the Pentateuch (the first five booksof the Old Testament) laid the gauntlet down in Deuteronomy 18:22 by saying (paraphrased here), if a prophet speaks a prophecy and it doesn’t come to pass, that prophet was not from God. Accordingly, God gives Himself a 100% requirement to accurately predictthings. Furthermore, the Bible does not adhere to the “Nostradamus” approach of using cryptic, nonsensical shotgun-blast approaches to predictions. Bible prophecy is accurate andspecific. Although the Bible does use symbolism in certain places (Ezekiel 37, Revelation) that symbolism is always consistent and can be interpreted from the Bible itself. In other words, the most consistent way to interpret scripture is to take a literal,historical, and grammatical approach to scripture. This has come to be known as the “Golden Rule of Interpretation.” “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamentaltruths, indicate clearly otherwise.”–Dr. David L. Cooper (1886-1965) founder of The Biblical Research Society Lastly, Bible prophecy, in terms of geographic positioning, is Israel-centric in nature. What this means is that any cardinal directions used (i.e., north, south, east,and west) are given from the geographic perspective of Israel. Any attempts to apply specific prophecies in Scripture to modern states by location (i.e., from the north, or east) and superimpose this over say, the United States, is already flawed. When Scripturespeaks of other nations, it almost always does so by referring to "the nations" or to the "sea" (as in the sea of nations and peoples). Overall, the Bible speaks primarily to three major people groups; Gentiles, Jews (Hebrews/ Israelites), and the Church (Greek- ekklesia). Genesis 1-11, speaks to mankindwrit large. Genesis 12 through Acts 2, speaks to/about the Jewish people and only mentions the Gentiles (non-Jewish mankind) in how they relate to the Jews. The Bible does not mention the Church (as a separate entity) until Matthew 16 when Jesus states Hewill build His Church (Matthew 16:18-19). Once the Church comes into focus (the Acts through Revelation), Jews and Gentiles are then only mentioned in how they relate/interact with the Church. The Bible foretells very specific details of events, people, nations, and actions that will transpire at the times they are specified to happen. Below are listed some fulfilledgeopolitical prophecies that can be quantified and validated (all dates are close estimates) by a cursory understanding of basic history: § 1445-1405BC-Moses predicts the scattering of Israel across the world, and global regathering in the last days. The Jews were scattered by the Romans in AD70, as well as135AD, and endured a 1,878 years diaspora, that was, until 1948. (Deuteronomy 32) § 1000BC- David predicts how the Messiah would be killed. King David describes death by crucifixion, over 500 years before crucifixion was even invented by the Persiansaround the 5th century BC. (Psalm 22) § 750BC- Amos predicts Israel would be reborn a nation a second time never “uprooted again” from their land. They were uprooted the first time by two subsequent invasions- Assyrians to the north in Israel, and the Babylonians in the south in Judah. They were regathered in the 5th century under Medo-Persian King Cyrus and allowed to go back to their homes through King Artaxerxes II. They were conquered again by the Romans andscattered a second time, and did not regather until 1948. (Nehemiah 2, Amos 9:14-15) § 740BC- Isaiah predicts how Jesus would be born (of a virgin) and why He would come-i.e., to be a sacrificial lamb to take away the sins of the people. (Isaiah 7:14, 53) § 740BC- Isaiah predicts the nation of Israel would be born in a day. This happened on May 14, 1948. President Harry Truman was the first foreign leader to recognize theirindependence. (Isa. 66:8) § 730BC- Isaiah names the Persian King (Cyrus) 150 years before he was born, and that he would set the Jews in Babylonian captivity, free (Isa. 44:28, 45:1) § 540BC- Daniel (Hebrew captive under Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar) interprets the king’s dreams, detailing the four subsequent kingdoms which would come after Babylon- Persia, Greece, Rome, and a revived Rome. (Dan. 2) § 580BC- Ezekiel (Hebrew captive in Babylon) predicts the rebirth of the nation of a united Israel in the last days. Israel had split into two kingdoms three centuries earlierIsrael (in the north) and Judah (in the south) (Ezekiel 36-37) § 540BC- Daniel was given the 70 Weeks Prophecy, which predicted to the day, the arrival of the Jewish Messiah, also His death, and the seven remaining prophetic years fornational Israel (Daniel 9:24-27) § 500BC- Zechariah predicts Jerusalem would be an unmovable stone that causes distress amongst all the nations. This has certainly been the case since 1967. (Zechariah 12:1-9) § 32AD- Jesus foretells the coming destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple, and the subsequent Jewish diaspora and her return. (Luke 19:44-45, 21:5-24) § 95AD- People from all over the world will have the technology to see the bodies of the Two Witnesses lying dead in the streets of Jerusalem during the yet future, seven-yearTribulation. While this event has not yet happened, the technology necessary for it to take place has. (Revelation 11:8-9) …and they (the Jews) will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until thetimes of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Luke 21:24 (note added for context) The Known-Unknown “There are known knowns, things we know that we know; and there are known unknowns, things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns, things we donot know we don't know.” Former Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, 2002 The unknowable future is the final domain mankind has yet been able to crack the code on, despite all of man's technology and his best attempts. From a military perspective,the future is filled with known unknowns. They'll admit to a certain level of ambiguity when it comes to predicting the future. However, because of their spiritual blindspot, what they are really facing, is a future filled with unknown unknowns. This is whyPaul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, "While they are saying, Peace and safety! then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." As the Bible's prophetic claims have been proven accurate beyond a shadow of a doubt, no other religious beliefs or ideologies can even come close to the volume, accuracy,and veracity of biblical Christianity. It stands to reason Christianity is either extremely lucky (the odds are astronomical), or Christianity is true. If true, then this means, due to the exclusive claims made by God in both the Old and New Testaments, andby all other objective measures (archeology, historical and modern reality, etc.), all other religions are false. What this really means, is that a large percentage of the world outside of Christianity is working with both false assumptions and conclusionsthat will leave them stumbling into a dark, unknowable future. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are monotheistic in nature. This means, there is only one God in their belief systems who exist apart from their creation. Yet, even theseare far too different for each to be true. Contrasting this, Hinduism is polytheistic (many gods) in nature. As logic dictates, monotheism and polytheism cannot both be true. Furthermore, pantheistic belief systems (god is in everything) also disagree considerablywith both monotheism and polytheism. The bottom line though is that even though all religions could be wrong, they cannot all be right. They are each far too different in their constructs to simply “coexist” as the popular bumper sticker states naively. Amongst the major monotheistic beliefs, Judaism predates Christianity by at least two thousand years. Both Judaism and Christianity predate Islam by at a minimum, six centuries(Saudi Arabia was largely pagan until the 6th century AD). Christianity views itself as a continuation of Judaism, often likening itself as fulfilled Judaism, through the person of Jesus Christ. Judaism denies the divinity claim of Jesus and is still awaitingtheir messiah (Hebrew- Mashiach). Islam is also awaiting their messiah (the Mahdi), yet claim relational kinship to Jesus (Isa in the Koran). Like Judaism, Islam also denies Jesus' claims of divinity, likening Him only to that of a prophet. The bottom lineis that both Judaism and Islam deny the divine claims Jesus made of Himself, whereas Christianity accepts it. (Mark 14:61-64, John 6:38, 8:58, etc.) This puts Islam in a precarious situation- if they deny the divinity claims Jesus makes of Himself in Scripture (which our Bible is the only way they even know who He was),then they nullify His ability to be a prophet of God. If He was not God come in the flesh, then He was either a liar or a lunatic, but He certainly couldn't be God's prophet. However, if He was who He said He was, then, Islam is wrong. They cannot have itboth ways. Judaism, also rejecting Jesus' claims, are equally in a precarious situation. This means they would have to deny the strict criteria their Bible (the Old Testament for us)sets for their Messiah. Their Messiah would have had to already have come (Daniel 9:24-26) at a specific time, be killed for a specific reason (Isaiah 53), and die in a certain way (Psalm 22). However, as Paul also states in Romans 11:25, For I do not desire,brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Spiritual blindness is akin to the precarious situation of operating in the unknown unknown. There is one final issue neither Judaism nor Islam can deny; Jesus was a real historical figure, who was crucified o/a the year 32AD by both the Jewish leadership and theRoman military authorities in Judaea. Imagine the outcry from the Muslim world today if scholars attempted to debunk the life of Mohammed? Of course, they would never do it for fear of their lives and also because it goes against the satanic narrative aliveon planet earth today. How about the life of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)? There is far less information about either of these two men than there is about Jesus, yet, no one seems intent on questioning whether or not they actually existed. Thus, despitethe overwhelming evidence, even apart from the Bible (Josephus, Tacitus, Pliny the Elder, etc.), we must conclude the historicity surrounding the personhood of Jesus Christ is unlike any other. “There is no serious historian who doubts the existence of Jesus. There are a lot of people who want to write sensational books claiming that Jesus didn’t exist, but Idon’t know any serious scholar who doubts the existence of Jesus.” Respected historian and professed agnostic, Dr. Bart Ehrman, December 30th, 2011 while interviewed on Atheist Radio. Moreover, the fact Jesus actually existed, must then be contrasted with the supernatural message He carried with Him. The fact that 11 of His 12 disciples chose martyrdomover betraying their faith in Him (John died of natural causes after the year 100AD). This does not even include the deaths of all the disciples of the Apostles, and other Early Church Fathers, who chose death over denying their faith in Christ. One couldargue that many have died for their faiths, from all faiths. Yet, there is a world of difference between dying for a lie, while being deceived, and dying for the truth, because you have been delivered from deception. The fact that Jesus' message is as relevanttoday, as it was 2,000 years ago, speaks to the timeless wisdom and truth Jesus came to share with humanity. Even more than that, this truth would set man free from the bondage of sin, death, and blindness. “I know men, and I tell you Jesus Christ was no mere man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires and the gods of other religions.That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and other religions the distance of infinity...Alexander, Cæsar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires. But upon what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ alone foundedhis empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him." Napoleon Bonaparte, Sainte Helena Author's note: The quote actually compiles two different statementsby Bonaparte in his final discussions at Saint Helena. These were first published in 1823. ---------------------------------------------------------------- On Prophecy: Volume III � Pete Garcia - https://www.rev310.net/post/on-prophecy-volume-ii What do we mean by the defeat of the enemy? Simply the destructionof his forces, whether by death, injury, or any other means�either completely or enough to make him stop fighting. . . . The complete or partial destruction of the enemy must be regarded as the sole object of all engagements. . . . Direct annihilation of theenemy's forces must always be the dominant consideration. Carl von Clausewitz Total War Bible prophecy is more than some titillating story meant to tickle our imaginations. Bible Prophecy foretells the unfolding of God's war against sin, wickedness, and thefather of lies- Satan. Prophecy is history told in advance. The opening act began in heaven when Satan attempted an ill-planned coup d'�tat against his Creator. After being cast out of heaven, Satan began to stalk God's creation,sneaking in and luring them to commit rebellion against their Creator, thus, introducing sin and death into God's perfect world. It was here that God, in issuing His judgments against Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, tells them ahead of time His plan to redeem fallen man, and destroy Satan in the process.The Protoevangelicum (Genesis 3:15) foretold the coming of a Redeemer out of the race of men. Not knowing who this "seed of the woman" would be, Satan turns to a "scorched earth" policy in his attempts to corrupt all of mankind. However, God always has Hisremnant and keeps the race of men alive through Noah and his family. And so it was, every time God moved, Satan countered, and failed, badly. The arrival of Jesus Christ caught Satan and the world off guard. Not only was His arrival, birth,and life predicted in the Old Testament, it was done so in a manner that even the greatest, and most intelligent being in God's created order, Satan, couldn't figure it out. And before it was all said and done, Satan had the Jews and Romans convinced thatkilling Jesus was absolutely the right thing to do. Not realizing his blunder until it was too late, Satan was actually fulfilling God's plans for his own destruction. The death of Christ on the cross was actually Satan's coup de gr�ce (deathblow). The oneevent that sealed and doomed Satan and his fellow fallen brethrens' destiny forever. But we speak God�s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood;for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1st Corinthians 2:7-8) Thus, we need to look at the following prophecies, not just religious events. These are acts of war, being waged first in the spiritual realm, but finding their fulfillmentin the physical. This is God, cleaning up the loose ends so that He can renew, then restore the relationship He had back at the beginning with His redeemed children. The following are listed in their chronological and sequenced order. 1. The Rapture of the Church (John 14:1-3, 1 Thess 4-5, 2 Thess 2, 1 Cor. 15) Defensive Operation: Recall Ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) Offensive Operation: Create the world's greatest crisis so thata fallen world unites into a singular government (Gen 11:1-9, Revelation 13). What: The Rapture (Greek-harpazo, Latin- rapiemur, and English-catchingup) of the Church was first taught by Jesus to His disciples in the Upper Room Discourse (John 14:1-3) the night before His crucifixion. The Holy Spirit, writing through the Apostle Paul, would later clarify this mystery in three of his epistles (1st and 2ndThessalonians, and 1st Corinthians 15). The Rapture, as distinct and separate from the Second Coming, is the only truly signless prophetic event in Scripture. Its timing is the most highly classified secret in God's prophetic arsenal. Although it is signless, the actual event will be neither secret nor silent. It is, for all intents and purposes, a rescue operation for all born-again believers to be takenout of this world before it enters into the final seven years of God�s wrath and judgment. Although the Rapture sets the conditions for the Tribulation, it does not initiate the official start of the Tribulation (Dan. 9:27). Who: The Church (Greek- ekklesia, English- called out assembly).The universal body of born-again believers in Jesus Christ, irrespective of when they lived, denomination, ethnicity, age, etc. It is also believed (although not universally) that children under the age of accountability (age varies according to maturity),as well as the mentally invalid and those unable to make a conscious decision for or against Christ will be taken up as well. The believer who is alive when it happens will be translated (changed instantly) from mortal, to immortal. The believer who has alreadydied will come in their spirit bodies with Christ, and be resurrected into their glorified, immortal bodies. When: This happens before the 70th Week of Daniel (aka...TheTribulation). It is an imminent event, and since the 70th Week is the most highly chronicled week mentioned in Scripture, it can only be imminent, if it happens prior to the event, not after. When it occurs, however, is known only to God the Father [it couldbe argued that Jesus now knows (Revelation 1:1]). Although the imminence is purely from the perspective of mortal humans, it is likely tied to a specific event, such as one of the seven Jewish Feasts like Pentecost (Shavuot), or the Feast of Trumpets. In HisDeath, Jesus fulfilled the following spring feasts in order: The Feast of Passover- His crucifixion The Feast of Unleavened Bread- His burial The Feast of First Fruits- His resurrection If keeping to the same pattern, the next Feast (Hebrew-moadim, appointed time), to be fulfilled is the Feast of Shavuot (Pentecost). This was the feast (back in 32AD) whenthe Church was conceived by the giving of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem (Acts 1-2). Where: Global and simultaneous Why: The final seven years (from Daniel�s 70 Weeks prophecy- Daniel 9:24-27) is appointed to discipline Israel (for rejecting her Messiah Jesus), bring her back into a relationship with God, and destroy all the nations (Jeremiah 30:7-11). The Church does not fit into any of those categories. Furthermore, since the Churchwas not in the previous 69 Weeks, logic follows we will also not be in the 70th. Takeaway: The reason the Rapture of the Church has remainedsuch a mysterious, imminent event, is because God chooses not to reveal His game-changing hand to the enemy (the Devil). Sun Tzu once stated in his epic �The Art of War,� Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.If Sun Tzu could figure out the value in keeping your movements a guessing game for the enemy, surely, God can. If the Rapture happens just after midnight Jerusalem time (my personal theory), it would hit the western hemisphere right around 5:00 PM (or 1700 military time). The suddenremoval of millions of people at rush hour would be devastating to a nation like the United States. While some nations would be impacted more severely than others by the loss of millions of citizens, the collapse of the United States would be an impact felton a global scale (economically speaking). Aside from the immediate devastation caused by millions of driverless vehicles and pilotless planes, emergency services, as well as law enforcement, will be overwhelmed immediately. Furthermore, the Rapture also servesto remove the Holy Spirit�s restraint over evil in the world thus triggering a general and exacerbated period of lawlessness and societal unrest the world has never seen. 2. The War of Gog-Magog (Ezekiel 38-39) Defensive Operation: God supernaturally protects Israel againstoverwhelming coalition What: Capitalizing on the collapse of the United States andthe subsequent global chaos triggered by the Rapture of the Church, a multinational coalition led by Russia attempts a massive military invasion of Israel. Although Israel is unprepared, the coalition is supernaturally destroyed by God (Psalm 121:4). Who: Ezekiel 38-39 lists the aggressor nations by their ancientnames. The modern equivalents are as follows: Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya, Ethiopia/Sudan, plus the former Soviet-satellite nations (aka�the Stans). By-standers who oppose the attack, but are helpless to stop it- Saudi Arabia, the US, and Western Europe. When: This particular coalition of nations has never attackedIsrael before, so this war is yet future, presumably between the Rapture and the official start of the 70th Week of Daniel. Where: Geographically speaking, the invaders will come fromthe furthest parts north of Israel, as well as from the south. The furthest north of Israel is Russia. Interestingly, Russia, Turkey, and Iran are all militarily involved in Syria today and have built up forces there significantly in recent years. Turkey andRussia are also tied up in the reestablishment of Libya (Put). At present, Iran (Persia) is attempting to create a landbridge across Iraq so that it has direct access to attack Israel. The actual war takes place in the mountains north of Israel, potentiallybeing in the vicinity of the Golan Heights and Mt. Hermon. This is where God destroys the enemy forces. Why: The Iranian leadership want to destroy Israel and theirhatred for the Jews is their motivation, pure and simple. However, the other nation's motivations seem to vary. Both Russia and Turkey have been cut out of the energy markets since Israel's recent discoveries of massive natural gas fields off their coast (Leviathanand Tamar). More recently, Israel has worked an economic deal with both Cyprus and Greece, to ship natural gas directly to Europe. Consequently, this cut both Turkey and Russia out of the energy game. As for the Libyans, Sudanese, and other nations, they arelikely used as mercenaries meant to bolster this coalition's overall numbers to overwhelm Israel. Takeaway: Gog and Magog. The fact that we are seeing this coalition form before our very eyes in Syria is a sure sign that the Rapture of the church is extremely near. The reasonwhy this is during this particular war is that God�s �full attention" turns back towards the nation of Israel (Ez. 38:16). Actions by the former Trump administration (halting the European Gazprom pipeline, Abraham Accords, Iranian sanctions, etc.) have financiallyput Russia, Iran, and Turkey into dire economic straits. Russia, Iran, and Turkey (all former rival empires) have never,historically, collaborated economically, militarily, and politically together with a common goal in mind. Listed by their ancient names, modern-day Russia, Turkey, and Iran have formed an anti-Israel/US alliance that are currently building their forces literallytens of miles from the Israeli border (to her north). They are not there because they care about Basher Assad, or his regime. They are there because of their proximity to Israel and wealth (spoils). Two things about this stand out to me: a. Israel�s allies are either unable or unwilling to help (Ezekiel38:13) b. God defeats this coalition so spectacularly, that spiritualIsrael finally awakens, and the people finally demand to rebuild their third temple (Ez. 39:22, 28-29) 3. The Four Horsemen (Rev. 6:1-8) Offensive Operation: God unleashes His wrath against a Christ-rejectingworld; 1/4 of the world's population dies in 1-3 years What: In the opening salvo against a Christ-rejecting world,Jesus takes the sealed scroll from the right hand of the Father, and opens the First four Seal Judgments against the earth and her nations. The two reasons why we know this is the wrath of God and not man is that Jesus is the only one, in all of creation,found worthy enough to open the Seal Judgments, thus triggering the subsequent 21 divine judgments. Who: Jesus initiates all of the judgments that unfold in a sequential,telescopic manner ~Rider on the White Horse- this rider is identified as the Antichrist(the Beast, lawless one, son of perdition, etc.). He initially takes control of the final world government, at a time of great crisis (after the Rapture) promising peace and security (what the world is clamoring for). However, his motives are that of hidinghis iron hand in a velvet glove; death and destruction follow in his wake with the subsequent riders. The Antichrist heads up the Beast, which is the final, global government ruling over the entire earth. (Revelation 6:1-2, 13:1-4) ~Rider on the Red Horse- Presumably, the world entire is notin love with the idea of being brought into global governance. The resistance against him triggers worldwide revolts, and he quickly uses his piecemealed, but highly armed (thanks to a collapsed US) army, air force, and navy to quell dissent. His greatestweapon though is he has the full-backing of Satan and the satanic forces to help destroy any resistance. Thus, peace is taken from the earth. (Rev. 6:3-4, 13:7) ~Rider on the Black Horse- In the wake of war and the collapseof the global economic stabilizer (the United States Dollar), economic calamity strikes the earth with a vengeance, causing severe shortages and catastrophic economic inflationary conditions everywhere. The Antichrist, aided by technology, uses this crisisto introduce a "mark" to be worn by those loyal to himself. This biometric mark bears the number of his name, and will likely gain the bearer with full rights and privileges to buy and sell. It will also likely make the bearer a "hotspot" for internet connectivityand neuro links the bearer to the world wide web. (Rev. 6:5-6, 13:16-18) ~Rider on the Pale Horse- The final rider finds his fulfillmentby providing gratuitous death; power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. The beasts of the earth, as the late Chuck Missler once noted, include microscopic beasts in theform of pandemics. (Rev. 6:7-8) When: After the Rapture, and after the gap in time (potentiallymonths to three years) between the Rapture and the official start of the 70th Week Where: Global Why: The judgments found in Revelation are amplified echoesof previous judgments we see elsewhere in the Old Testament (Sodom, Exodus, etc.) A fourth of mankind is killed in these first four judgments. By today�s standards, this would mean nearly 2 billion persons are killed in just the first two to three years. Takeaway- After the Rapture, the United States will utterlycollapse due to the loss of millions of its citizens. This will trigger a cascading series of events that have global ramifications- economic collapse, militaristic opportunism (taking advantage of the chaotic destabilization), geopolitical posturing, lawlessness,and general breakdown of the old world order. This sets the stage perfectly for the proponents of a singular global government to take over. 4. The Kings of the East (Revelation 16:12) Offensive: The kings of the east initially march against Jerusalemand the Antichrist Offensive: Antichrist is able to get them to declare war againstChrist What: 200M man army mobilizes and uses the Iron-Silk road tomove eastward against the Antichrist. After the 2nd Trumpet and Bowl Judgments, the world's waterways will be rendered unusable, thus limiting (or canalizing) these forces to strictly move by land as the rivers, seas, and oceans are turned to blood. (Rev.8:9-11, 16:3-4) Who: Presumably China, India, Japan, a united Korea, Malaysia,and Mongolia When: Toward the end of the seven-year Tribulation Where: East Asia moves toward Israel. Why: Presumably, the Antichrist�s iron-fisted control over thenations starts to break down toward the end of the seven years. The Kings of the East sense weakness, and rally their forces to move against him while he is preoccupied with destroying the remaining Jews. Takeaway: Historically speaking, China has never attempted toexpand its massive empire westward beyond Nepal. One could argue that against all logic, there has been a supernatural restraint of sorts, holding her mighty nation back. Even though other great powers have crossed the Euphrates in the past (i.e., Alexanderthe Great, Persians, Genghis Khan), that will change. China's move westward greatly troubles the Antichrist, even though the froglike demons summon all the world's forces towards the Valley of Megiddo (Dan. 11:44, Rev. 16:12-14). 5. The Armageddon Campaign (Zechariah 12, 14, Matthew 24:15-31, Revelation 19) Offensive Operation: Christ and His heavenly armies open thesky and destroy all the armies of the world who are gathered at the Valley of Megiddo What: Last great battle during the age of man Who: All the world�s military forces When: 1,260 days from the midpoint of the 70th Week (where Antichristdesecrates the newly rebuilt Jewish temple). Where: Israel. Valley of Megiddo. Bozrah. Jezreel Valley. Jerusalem Why: The Antichrist, who, from the midpoint of the 70th Weekonward, is personally indwelt by Satan himself, realizes that he is running out of time. He tries one last �Hail Mary� (pardon the pun) attempt at wiping out Israel. The reason he is so determined to destroy Israel is if he can then he can break prophecy,and prove God a liar. It will not work. (Rev. 12:13-17) Takeaway: While Armageddon is the ultimate assemblage of military forces in human history, with some estimating more than one billion soldiers gathered, there is no actual fightingin the Valley of Megiddo itself. It is simply the place where the Antichrist�s forces assemble, to go and attempt to wipe out the nation of Israel for the last time. The actual fighting will take place along a nearly 200-mile stretch, beginning in Bozrah downto the Red Sea. (Source: Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of Messiah, rev ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), 317-318). Another common misconception associated with the word Armageddon is that it is the greatest battle in human history. Not true. It is the greatest defeat in all of history.The moment that Christ tears open the sky and rides into view with the host of the heavenly armies behind Him, the battle is already over. He simply speaks a word and all before Him melt from the inside out. The fleeing forces of the Antichrist spread out over 1,600 furlongs (a furlong is about an eighth of a mile). Thus, the carnage is so extensive that the blood from the bodiesof a billion soldiers form a river nearly 200 miles long (Rev. 14:20). That, along with the previous judgment of one hundred pound hailstones (which are melting by this point into a watery mess), and the rivers (freshwater) turned to blood, creates a riverof blood up to the horses' bridle (around four feet high). This will most likely flow from the Kidron Valley (Jehosophat) down to the Jordan River Valley, down south through the Dead Sea to the Red Sea. Conclusion The war that began in the heavens, with Satan's ill-fated revolt, will end with his utter defeat at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. His human and demonic forces are decimated,his two henchmen (the Antichrist and the False Prophet) are cast alive into the Lake of Fire, and he himself is bound in chains and tossed into the abyss for a thousand years. After liberating Jerusalem and saving the Jewish people (this after they cry outfor Him to save them- Zech. 12:10-14, Luke 13:35), Jesus will step foot on the Mount of Olives, splitting the mountain into two. This causes the mountain to split north-south and forms a large valley opening up east and west. After the Judgment of the nations, and the subsequent cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem, and presumably, a large-scale global restoration from the previous 21 judgments,the earth will be renewed back to its paradisiacal state (similar to that as found in Genesis 1-2). Those survivors will enter into what is known as the Millennial Reign of Christ (Rev. 20), and will finally enjoy true peace on earth with Christ physicallyruling the nations. Man's lifespans will go back to centuries, instead of years. The animal kingdom will be restored back to its peaceful state (Isaiah 65:25). The earth will yield its full strength again. Every inch of the earth will be fertile and thriving,there will no longer be wastelands or other unusable areas (Romans 8:20-22). The New Jerusalem will come down and remain in a low-earth orbit, from which, the Church will live and rule and reign with Christ. The Church (the immortal and glorified believers)will finally "inherit the earth" and will be able to move back and forth between the New Jerusalem and the earth via teleportation (1 John 3:1-3). Thus will be life for 1,000 years. Doorstep to Eternity At the end of the thousand years, Satan is loosed once again for "a season" (we are not sure how long this means). He is able to gather an army "whose number is as the sandsof the seas." Presumably, these are the offspring of those who survived Armageddon and were born into the Millennium and have no idea what the world was like with Satan loosed in it. These are deceived and march with Satan to their eternal doom. Revelation20:7-10 says: Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog andMagog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, whodeceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. After this, all the world's population who have ever lived (save the Church and redeemed Old Testament Saints) will stand before the Great White Throne for judgment. Thismeans everyone from Cain (of Genesis 4) through the last Millennial rebel, will stand before God and give account for their relationship with their Redeemer. For those who are not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life, these are cast into the Lake of Firewhich burns day and night forever and ever. For those who are found in the Lamb's Book of Life, these are granted entrance into the Eternal State- a future filled with the wonders and glory of God for all eternity, forever and ever. Just as there will be noend to the eternal torment for those who reject Christ, likewise, there will be no end to wonder and enjoyment and happiness in this final stage of our existence. In closing, John's final words from our Lord Jesus Christ say this in the last book of the NewTestament (Revelation 22:20-21): He who testifies to these things says, �Surely I am coming quickly.� Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM