FOCUS ON THE ENDTME : PART ONE
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
God Wants Us To Know, Focusing The Camera, Having Humility
In Our Understanding, The Lord's Unlimited Provision, The
Holy Covenant, The Syrian Question, A Day For A Year, The
Lesson Behind King Sennacherib's Defeat, The Sin Of Israel,
Michael The Archangel, The Threat Of War, Betrayal Of The
Beast, Persecution Of The Saints, The Mountains And The
Islands Flee, Significance Of The Sign Of The Son Of Man
Contrary to the view held by some modern-day Christians, I
do not believe that the Lord wishes for us to remain in the
dark concerning the events of the Endtime. He is not in the
habit of playing a game of 'hide-and-go-seek' with His
children. In the article 'As A Thief In The Night? Not For
Me!', I share the following verse which clearly shows that
we are not to walk in darkness or be spiritually ignorant
concerning the Lord's plans:
"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief." (1 Thessalonians 5:4)
As a study of that chapter and the aforementioned article
will reveal, Paul was referring to the Day of the Lord's
Coming. Thus we see that God wants us to know and to
understand exactly what is happening, or what is going to
happen, so that it will strengthen our faith, and also
encourage us to hang on a little longer until the final
events have been fulfilled. Not only that, but by knowing
what is going to happen, we can better prepare our hearts
for them by having the right attitude. It's possible that we
may even be able to better prepare ourselves physically for
them as well. When the Lord sent His Angelic Messenger to
deliver the Seventy Weeks Prophecy to the Prophet Daniel,
the Celestial Emissary specifically told Daniel to 'know
therefore and understand'. He wanted to make sure that the
Prophet fully understood the important message he was being
given:
"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." (Daniel 9:25)
As another confirmation that the Lord does indeed want to
enlighten us concerning these final events of the Endtime,
consider the following verse found in the writings of the
Old Testament Prophet Amos:
"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his
secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
So again we see that while the Lord may hide things from the
children of the world, just as Jesus sometimes spoke in
parables to conceal their true meanings from His enemies;
because of His special Love for us, He will reveal things
beforehand to we His children:
"And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of
the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing
they might not see, and hearing they might not understand."
(Luke 8:10)
It should be clear then that the mysteries of the future are
contained in the Scriptures. They are there just waiting for
us to read and understand them with the help of God's
wonderful Spirit. In fact, we are told that these things
would be sealed up, or concealed, until the Time of the End;
at which time the knowledge would be given, and our eyes
would be opened to the realities of the events which are
about to transpire:
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book,
even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased...And I heard, but I understood
not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these
things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are
closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be
purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do
wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the
wise shall understand." (Daniel 12:4, 8-10)
Thus we see that while it was given to Daniel to understand
certain events which would occur in his near future, the
meanings of other prophecies were purposely concealed by the
Lord until our present day. It is because of the fact that
we are now gaining a much clearer understanding of some of
these events, that Bible students like myself are convinced
that we are very close to The End of this current worldly
system. Exactly how close we are is still a bit difficult to
ascertain. Based upon my current understanding of the
Scriptures, I personally believe that we may still have at
least another seven years to go before we will see the
completion of all of the events I will be describing in this
article.
As I was pondering these thoughts, a fitting example came to
mind which demonstrates how our current understanding is
slowly coming into focus. Consider one technique used in the
production of a movie or television program. Sometimes when
we are first introduced to a particular scene, the director
will instruct the cameraman to purposely allow the image to
be a bit fuzzy or hazy so that the various objects in the
picture are indistinguishable the one from the other; but
then he slowly adjusts the camera lens to bring the picture
into focus until it is crystal clear; and we can see all of
the details perfectly. In this case, God is like the
Producer making the Endtime movie. Jesus is similar to the
Director who is telling everyone else what to do. The Holy
Spirit is like the Camerman who conveys God's understanding
to us so that the picture slowly becomes clearer, and all of
the various Endtime events fall into their proper place and
sequence.
Before actually sharing my particular 'review' of this
'Endtime movie', it is important that you the reader
understand that my views and explanations in this article
are based upon a Post-Tribulation Rapture. My reasons for
adopting this position are fully explained in such articles
as 'From Armageddon To The New Earth', and in 'The Great
Tribulation And The Rapture'. I encourage you to take the
time to read them so you can gain a better understanding of
the Post-Tribulation Rapture position. In addition, I wish
to clarify that I by no means consider myself to be a
Prophet of God. I view myself simply as one of the Lord's
many scribes and teachers who is trying his best to gain a
more perfect knowledge of the Word of Truth, so that I can
share that knowledge with others. Consider the following
verse from the Book of Acts:
"And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect
knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When
Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the
uttermost of your matter." (Acts 24:22)
The word 'perfect' in the previous verse is derived from the
Greek word 'akribesteron', which means more exactly or more
perfectly. It is synonymous with more fully or more
completely. Our Salvation will also be more perfect, full
and complete on the Day of the Lord's Return when we will
receive our new Resurrected Bodies, and enter into the full
realities of the Spirit World. It is for this reason that at
the sound of the Seventh Trump, we are told the following:
"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he
shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished,
as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."
(Revelation 10:7)
The main point I wish to make is that while I believe that
the information I will be presenting in this article is
close to being accurate, there is no way that I can
absolutely guarantee that it is so. This same rule applies
to all of my articles. While there are certain things wihin
my current belief system about which I am very adamant, such
as the need for all men everywhere to believe in and accept
Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, I do not apply this
same attitude to Endtime prophecy. I humbly admit that I am
not an infallible creature in this area; no one is except
the Lord Himself. As He chooses to reveal more to me, and as
I am able to understand and accept it, I will continue to
update this and all of my articles as is my custom, until
the day that I do have a more perfect knowledge of the
Truth. As Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Corinthians:
"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a
child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put
away childish things. For now we see through a glass,
darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then
shall I know even as also I am known."
(1 Corinthians 13:11-12)
While this verse is speaking in terms of spiritual maturity,
it can also be applied to our quest for Biblical Truth. The
mysteries of the Word of God are given to each of us to
understand according to our personal faith and willingness
to accept them. Sometimes we become so bogged down by, or so
attached to our personal ideas concerning what the
Scriptures might mean, that these speculations of ours can
become idols which prevent us from discovering the Real
Truth. Through our lack of faith and willingness to believe
in and accept the things which the Lord is trying to reveal
to us, we unknowingly place a limit on what He is able to
give us; and it is indeed limitless; for as King David wrote
in the Book of Psalms:
"I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land
of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it."
(Psalms 81:10)
While the above verse may actually be referring to physical
miracles of the past in which the Lord provided for His
children during their forty years of wandering through the
wilderness, and thus is a promise of the Lord's provision,
it also reflects a spiritual reality as well. In a sense, we
are spiritual children; we are babes; and similar to a real
mother, the Lord has an unlimited supply of Spiritual Milk
from which we can draw our spiritual nourishment. This is
precisely what the Apostle Peter was referring to in the
following verse:
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that
ye may grow thereby:" (1 Peter 2:2)
The Prophet Malachi also wrote the following regarding the
Lord's provision for we His children. Not only does the Lord
promise to provide for us, but He encourages us to challenge
Him to prove Himself, just as He proved Himself to Jacob for
twenty years in the Book of Genesis:
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may
be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the
LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven,
and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10)
Notice that in order to be partakers of the Lord's many
blessings, we must first meet His conditions. Following are
some additional verses which can be applied in both a
physical and a spiritual sense. The Lord is more than able
to provide both our physical and our spiritual needs when we
are pleasing Him. All we have to do is ask in faith and
believe that we have been heard:
"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee
the desires of thine heart." (Psalms 37:4)
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)
"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)
"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any
thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all
his ways." (James 1:6-8)
"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we
ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if
we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we
have the petitions that we desired of him."
(1 John 5:14-15)
In this case, we are most interested in obtaining a clearer
understanding of Endtime events. If we sincerely ask the
Lord to show us what the ancient prophecies mean, then we
must have the faith to believe that the understanding we are
given is one which has been guided by His Spirit. I am
reminded of something Mary said when she was moved by the
Holy Spirit to go visit her cousin Elizabeth in the hill
country of Judah:
"He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he
hath sent empty away." (Luke 1:53)
Most Christians who study Endtime prophetic events are
familiar with the term the Last Seven Years. As I explain in
other articles, if my understanding is correct, this final
period of man's rule on Earth may commence with the signing
of a Middle East peace accord between the government of the
state of Israel, and the leadership of the Palestinian
National Authority. As has been the case with previous
agreements, the signing of this important document may be
brokered by the government of the United States of America.
It is most likely that this will be a bilateral treaty;
however, it is possible that it may include other
signatories such as Egypt, Syria, and Jordan which will be
directly affected by such a historic accord.
As I write this in the first quarter of 1998, I do have some
serious reservations regarding Syria entering into such an
agreement with Israel. My reasons for this are spelled out
in such articles as 'The Kings Of The North And The South',
as well as in 'The Seven Heads' series. Despite overtures
from the West, as of this date, Syria continues to resist
making peace with Israel. This stiff Syrian resistance is
due primarily to the unresolved issue of the Golan Heights
which Israel annexed following the 1967 Six-Day War. Like
Egypt and Jordan, it is possible that if the West continues
to apply pressure to President Hafez al-Assad of Syria , he
may eventually soften up and sign a bilateral agreement with
Israel; however, even if he does, I honestly do not believe
that it will last. I base this view on such verses as the
following from the Book of Daniel:
"And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and
they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and
his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall
do exploits, and return to his own land."
(Daniel 11:27-28)
Thus, while I currently view an Israeli/Palestinian
agreement as the most likely fulfillment of the Seven-Year
Covenant mentioned in the Scriptures, I also believe an
accord with Syria offers the next best possibility. If the
covenant applies to the Israelis and the Palestinians, then
its primary purpose will be to resolve the question of East
Jerusalem and a Palestinian State. While I cannot possibly
numerate all of the clauses which may be included in such a
document, according to the Scriptures I have shared in other
articles, I believe that one of the primary clauses will
contain language which will permit the Jews to build the
Third Temple on the top of Mount Moriah in East Jerusalem.
This is the current site of the controversial Dome of the
Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. I believe the following verse
mentions this covenant:
"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." (Daniel 9:27)
As I have explained in other articles, this word 'week' is
derived from the Hebrew word 'shabuwa', or 'shabua', and
actually refers to a seven-year period, and not to a period
of seven days. This symbolism of a day-for-a-year is used
in various places in the Scriptures such as in the following
example where the Lord tells the Children of Israel that,
just as the spies spent forty days spying on the land of
Canaan, they will wander for forty years in the wilderness
because of their constant complaining and murmuring against
the Lord:
"After the number of the days in which ye searched the land,
even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your
iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of
promise." (Numbers 14:34)
Another clear example of the day-for-a-year symbolism can be
found in the writings of the Prophet Ezekiel where we read:
"And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy
right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of
Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a
year." (Ezekiel 4:6)
Based on these verses, and a few others, it is my view that
the 'one week' mentioned in the above prophecy, is actually
referring to the final seventieth week, or the Last Seven
Years, of the Seventy Weeks Prophecy given to the Prophet
Daniel. For more details concerning this interpretation,
please refer to the aforementioned articles, to the article
'The Seventy Weeks Prophecy of Daniel', and to others which
deal with this topic.
If this accord is finalized in the near future, the primary
signatories will most likely be Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
According to the material I have been reading lately, it
appears that Netanyahu wants to skip all of the interim
talks and go straight to the final agreement. This has
included the tough work of defining Israeli borders and
security zones, and the extent of Palestinian-controlled
lands in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Thus far, the
Israeli Prime Minister has only been willing to give the
Palestinians a small fraction of what they are asking for.
Recently, Yasser Arafat referred to Netanyahu's offer of
less than ten per cent of additional land as 'peanuts'.
It has become obvious to everyone that while Netanyahu is
good with the rhetoric, when it comes to delivering the
goods, he has failed miserably. Of course, this should come
as no surprise; after all, this has been the tactic of the
Jews for years. A March 1998 CNN news clip clearly reveals
that the Israelis and the Palestinians are still very far
apart in their negotiations; which makes them all the closer
to war in my view:
----- Begin Quote -----
ARAFAT MULLS U.S. PEACE PLAN
"The Egyptian government reportedly has urged Palestinian
Authority President Yasser Arafat not to reject a U.S. peace
initiative, although both the Israeli and Palestinian
Cabinets have voted against it. Under the plan, Israel would
cede 13.1 percent of the West Bank to the Palestinians over
12 weeks. The Palestinians have said they want 30 percent.
Israel said it won't release more than 9 percent, because
that figure does not compromise national security."
----- End Of Quote -----
The biggest stumbling block to peace has been the fate of
East Jerusalem. With each passing day, the threat of war
looms closer as Palestinian patience runs thin. Despite
Palestinian objections, and even objections from Big Brother
the United States of America, the Israelis continue to try
to dominate East Jerusalem by sending in settlers; and by
building new, or expanding upon current housing projects in
the occupied territories. Given the staunch positions of the
parties involved, it is difficult to see how the current
situation can culminate in anything but war. Netanyahu has
sworn that he will never give up East Jerusalem, while
Arafat claims that he will never agree to anything short of
a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. The
minute Netanyahu was elected into office, I knew that it
spelled trouble for the peace process. Netanyahu is a hawk.
It is written all over his face. He is an unbending reed who
refuses to bow to the winds of adversity; and it may result
in his own fall from power.
It is because of the above issues that the peace talks have
been at a standstill for many months now; and it is a very
dangerous sign. The fact that U.S. President Bill Clinton
was unable to close the gap between these two men earlier
this year is quite significant. This is a clear sign that
neither party is going to allow himself to be pushed into a
corner despite American pressure. Both Netanyahu and Arafat
know exactly what they have to deliver to their people if
they expect to remain at the helms of their respective
governments. Both of these men have been facing a lot of
political turmoil ever since these talks began. Netanyahu's
coalition has basically fallen apart in recent months with
the resignation of some of his key players; and there is
talk that the fundamentalist members of the Israeli
government may soon force him to resign. At the same time,
Arafat is also losing popularity with the more radical
elements of the Palestinian population who view him as a
compromiser who has betrayed their ideals since he ascended
to his position of power and affluence. Thus, both of these
men have been walking a political tightrope.
Considering the volatile situation which exists in Israel,
and the extreme fanaticism which is prevalent in both the
Jewish and the Arab camps, we should not rule out possible
assassination attempts against both Netanyahu and Arafat.
Regardless of what the fate of these men might be, I am
still convinced that this peace accord will be signed sooner
or later. It may be temporarily halted or delayed by a war,
but eventually, an agreement will be reached; even if it is
doomed to failure. God's unerring Word clearly tells us that
this is so. As I have mentioned in other articles, over
twenty-five hundred years ago, the Lord, through the Prophet
Zechariah, foretold of the Endtime war in Israel, and the
coming division of Jerusalem. Notice that this amazing
prophecy specifically says that half of Jerusalem will go
into captivity. This is exactly what is going to happen.
Jerusalem is already divided into East and West; and someday
soon, when Palestinian patience runs out, there is going to
be a war; and the Palestinians are going to grab East
Jerusalem for their capital:
"For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle;
and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the
women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into
captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut
off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight
against those nations, as when he fought in the day of
battle." (Zechariah 14:2-3)
I believe that this may happen towards the very end of the
seven-year period; for as we see here, after the Lord has
allowed Jerusalem to be punished for her sins against Him,
He is finally going to come to her defense at the Battle of
Armageddon. Prior to the assassination of Prime Minister
Yitzak Rabin, events seemed to be headed towards the
creation of a Palestinian State with its capital in East
Jerusalem. Under Rabin's government, an aggressive yet
face-saving land-for-peace formula was being carefully
implemented. As we all know, just like Anwar Sadat who lost
his life when he opposed the radical elements of his
country, Rabin's life was cut short by those who viewed him
as a traitor to Israeli interests.
While the setback in the peace process appears to be
occurring in opposition to the wishes of the government of
the United States of America, Israel's primary financial
supporter and ally, I truly wonder if this is really the
case. It almost appears as if Prime Minister Netanyahu and
the Israelis are purposely making a suicidal push for war.
It may be that behind-the-scenes talks have already taken
place; and that despite the current outward American
'condemnation' of the settlements and expansion by Clinton
and Albright, Israel has already received assurances that
her friend will come to her aid should the situation
deteriorate to a state of war. The threat of all-out war
might in fact be the event the United States government has
waited for in order to justify an even stronger military
presence in the Middle East. This would assure her ability
to protect her own interests there. Eventually the Iraqi
'threat' will disappear, and America will need to replace it
with something else. An Israeli/Palestinian war would suit
American purposes perfectly.
Considering the many shady deals which are made out of view
of the public eye, I personally would not be surprised in
the least if this is exactly what the government of the
United States is hoping for. However, if Israel is relying
upon American military backing in the coming war, it will
prove once again, as I have discussed in such articles as
'The Children Of God And Politics' and 'The Kings Of The
North And The South', that she has still not learned the
lesson the Lord has been trying to teach her for the past
four thousand years. Israel still depends upon the wisdom
and the military might of men; and her alliances with the
same to deliver her from her enemies; and not upon the Lord.
This was her sin throughout the Old Testament, and it
continues to be her sin today. During the forty years that
Jeremiah prophesied against the leadership of Israel, he
said the following:
"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in
man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth
from the LORD." (Jeremiah 17:5)
Several hundred years before, during the reign of one of her
few good kings, Israel was threatened from the north by
Sennacherib, the haughty king of Assyria. In my view, this
proud king was clearly a foreshadow of the Beast to come in
the Endtime. Just as the Beast will magnify himself above
all gods, including the God of gods, Sennacherib did the
very same thing. Consider his taunting words to Hezekiah,
the king of Judah:
"Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the
people of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those
lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand?
Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my
fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out
of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you
out of mine hand? Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive
you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe
him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver
his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my
fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of
mine hand?" (2 Chronicles 32:13-15)
In describing the military exploits of the modern-day King
of the North, whom I believe is synonymous with the Beast,
the Prophet Daniel wrote the following which sounds very
similar to the verses above describing the haughtiness of
this ancient Assyrian king:
"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. 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. But in his
estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his
fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and
with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do
in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall
acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them
to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain."
(Daniel 11:36-39)
Clearly then, the final Beast of the Endtime will follow in
the proud footsteps of vain King Sennacherib. Despite the
fact that the chances for victory against Sennacherib were
not in Jerusalem's favor, Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and
encouraged his people to not lose hope with the following
words:
"Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for
the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with
him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an
arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us,
and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves
upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah."
(2 Chronicles 32:7-8)
Just as the Beast from the north will be destroyed at the
Lord's Coming during the Battle of Armageddon, we are told
that King Sennacherib also met his doom through Divine
Intervention after Hezekiah and the Prophet Isaiah sought
the Lord in desperate prayer:
"And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet
Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. And the
LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of
valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king
of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own
land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they
that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the
sword." (2 Chronicles 32:20-21)
Not only was Sennacherib's army miraculously defeated, but
upon returning to his own land, the Assyrian king was killed
by members of his own family. While the name of the angel is
not mentioned in the above account, based on things I have
shared in the article 'Who Is Hindering The Antichrist?', I
can only wonder if it might not have been Michael the
Archangel. Following the Endtime military victories of the
King of the North in Daniel chapter eleven, notice how the
twelvth chapter begins:
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince
which standeth for the children of thy people: and there
shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there
was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy
people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book." (Daniel 12:1)
Unfortunately, today the situation is very different.
Because of her rejection of the true God, and His Son Jesus
Christ, modern Israel cannot possibly expect the same Divine
Protection which was given to Israel during the days of King
Hezekiah; even though she hypocritically claims to worship
the one true God through her corrupt religion of Judaism. I
discuss the deception of Judaism more at length in such
articles as 'Revelation's Babylon The Great Whore', and 'Is
God A Racist?'. What I find interesting in the above verse
is that it isn't until after the Beast has ravaged Israel
during the three and a half years of Great Tribulation that
Michael stands up in the final chapter of Daniel. In other
words, the implication is that after Michael ousts Satan
from heaven in Revelation chapter twelve, he sits down for
about three and a half years in direct accordance with the
Will of God:
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in
heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were
cast out with him." (Revelation 12:7-9)
As I point out in 'Who Is Hindering The Antichrist?', it
appears that Michael will temporarily be taken out of the
way so that the Endtime characters can come to power. This
will include such people as the Jewish Antichrist, and the
Islamic team of the Beast and the False Prophet. Remember,
one of the primary reasons for the Great Tribulation will be
to purge and purify the Saints; and Israel certainly needs
to be purged of her unbelief! I am reminded of one of the
Lord's pleadings with ancient Israel in the Book of Isaiah:
"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great
mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face
from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I
have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer."
(Isaiah 54:7-8)
Despite the Lord's constant call to repentance which He has
made to His rebellious unfaithful wife, Israel has continued
along her wayward path. Her rebellion was epitomized by her
rejection of her own Saviour in the First Century. In more
recent times, Israel has once again confirmed her rebellion
against the Lord Jesus by the introduction of a bill in the
Knesset which makes it virtually impossible to distribute
Christian Gospel tracts in the state of Israel. Thus, as
Jesus Himself said, the Lord is going to have to totally
break her pride through military invasion and defeat, so
that she will finally bow the head and bend the knee in
total submission to her one true King:
"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I
say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when
ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord." (Luke 13:35)
Almost two thousand years have now passed since the Lord
uttered His judgment against the hardhearted rulers of
Israel. She has had almost two millennia to turn from her
wicked ways. Surely, the time of her judgment will soon be
at hand. However, before that day arrives, certain events
must yet transpire. One of those events is the peace accord
I have been discussing. The main point to remember in all of
this is that, whether war breaks out this year or perhaps
later, the Holy Covenant will indeed be signed; even though
it will only last for a few short years. I have a very
strong hunch that what we are seeing right now in the Middle
East, is that both the Israelis and the Palestinians are
jockeying for the best positions. It is a common tactic in
the political world to act bullish before arriving at the
negotiation table, so that when the parties involved finally
do sit down for serious talks, they will be in a better
position to achieve their objectives. The danger in the
current peace process is that both bulls seem to want to
keep on dancing even though the red flag of warning has
already gone up!
As I explain in 'The Kings Of The North And The South: Part
Two', I believe that the two kings mentioned in the Book of
Daniel may be the presidents of Syria and Egypt. If the
final peace accord is more than just a bilateral affair
between the Israelis and the Palestinians, it is possible
that Hafez al-Assad and Hosni Mubarak may go to Jerusalem to
add their signatures to the document along with other Arab
nations. It is also possible that the final signing by
whatever parties are involved, may occur in Washington, D.C.
If the treaty only involves the Jews and the Palestinians,
then as I stated earlier, King Assad may end up signing a
separate agreement with Israel which he will then turn
around and break. One possibility I have considered is that
King Assad may be using the Palestinian situation to his own
advantage in order to further his personal agenda of a
'Greater Syria'. This might possibly include Lebanon,
Jordan, and Egypt, as well as Israel. As I have noted in
other articles, there has been a long history or wars
between Syria and Egypt, with Israel caught in the middle of
their wranglings.
While the Syrian agenda is speculation on my part, it is a
well-known fact that King Assad is currently the primary
supporter of Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians. I don't
think that Arafat makes a move without consulting with
Syria. Despite the fact that the peace process is currently
at its most difficult point in many months, it is possible
that we may yet see a land exchange occurring in which the
Palestinians will get their capital somewhere in East
Jerusalem, and the Jews will get their new Temple on Mount
Moriah. I don't think the Jews will ever give up East
Jerusalem entirely, but Benjamin Netanyahu may surprise us
by giving a small corner of it to Yasser Arafat for his
Palestinian capital; particularly if it means getting their
Temple. If Netanyahu is somehow able to accomplish this feat
without destroying what is left of his government, I think
the word 'Moshiach' might be on the mouths of a lot of
Israelis. However, as we have already seen from previous
verses, this plastic peace agreement is not going to last:
"Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and
his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall
do exploits, and return to his own land." (Daniel 11:28)
At this point in time, it is still difficult to know the
proper chronology of events. The Israeli/Palestinian peace
accord may delay the coming war for some three and a half
years, or it may evolve as a means of stopping a war which
is already in progress. My current feelings are that unless
there is soon a serious breakthrough in the peace process,
we may see a war before this year is over, possibly even
sooner! The other issue which is still unclear in my mind is
the exact role which will be played by Hafez al-Assad of
Syria. As I have already stated, he may participate directly
in the Israeli/Palestinian peace accord, or he may sign a
separate agreement later. One distinct possibility is that
with Syrian assurances, Arafat and the Palestinians may
finally say that enough is enough, and go to war with
Israel. Assad may then use the war to his advantage as I
described earlier. Of course, the war will quickly escalate
as other Arab nations join in, most of them siding with the
Palestinians. It may then be that a treaty will evolve in
which Assad will be one of the primary signatories.
If the president of Syria is indeed the King of the North,
or the Beast, as I have speculated in other articles, then
ultimately, he is going to renege on the agreement and show
his true colors. This is going to usher in what is commonly
known as the Great Tribulation, or Jacob's Trouble, when the
Saints of the Most High will be persecuted by the Beast. One
school of thought suggests that these Saints are Messianic
Jews in Israel, while another states that they are the body
of Christian believers everywhere. It is all a question of
how far the Beast's power and influence will extend beyond
the borders of Israel. In the prophetic books of Daniel and
Revelation, this period of persecution is described as
lasting a time, times and an half, or time and times and the
dividing of time, or forty and two months, or a thousand two
hundred and threescore days. In other words, it will last
for only three and a half years, and not the full seven-year
period as some erroneously believe:
"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and
shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to
change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand
until a time and times and the dividing of time."
(Daniel 7:25)
"And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the
waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his
left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever
that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he
shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy
people, all these things shall be finished." (Daniel 12:7)
"But the court which is without the temple leave out, and
measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the
holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall
prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed
in sackcloth." (Revelation 11:2-3)
"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a
place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a
thousand two hundred and threescore days."
(Revelation 12:6)
"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. 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."
(Revelation 13:5-7)
Following this period of Great Tribulation, the final three
and a half years of man's evil rule upon the Earth, we are
told that Jesus will return in the clouds of Heaven with
power and great glory in order to rescue His children, to
defeat His enemies, and to set up His Father's Kingdom upon
the Earth:
"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."
(Matthew 24:29-30)
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him,
and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the
earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
(Revelation 1:7)
"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. And the kings of the earth, and the great men,
and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty
men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves
in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to
the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath
of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who
shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:12-17)
Concerning the reference to the mountains and the islands
fleeing away in Revelation 6:14, I currently do not believe
that this is meant to be understood in a literal sense. As I
explain in the article 'The Comet Hale-Bopp, Chernobyl And
The DeathStar Wormwood', while the Book of Revelation does
contain a number of prophecies which may be fulfilled in a
literal sense, it also contains a lot of deep symbolism. To
properly understand this symbolism, one must judiciously
study and compare other Scriptures which contain the same
terminology. If the mountains and the islands were to
actually flee away, then the events described in the
following verses could not possibly occur as everyone would
already be dead. Notice that the mountains and islands flee,
and then the people also try to flee and hide. Therefore, it
is my opinion that these mountains and islands probably
symbolize the rulers of the nations and the peoples of the
world. This view is substantiated by such verses as the
following:
"And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are
seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 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." (Revelation 17:9-10)
"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands,
which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and
clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay,
the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no
place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image
became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth...And in
the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut
out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in
pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the
gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall
come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the
interpretation thereof sure." (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45)
The 'sign of the Son of man' mentioned in Matthew 24:30
above is something which has always intrigued me. In the
Greek lexicon, I discovered that the word 'sign' is derived
from the Greek 'semeion' which has the following meanings:
----- Begin Quote -----
semeion {say-mi'-on}
1) a sign, mark, token
1a) that by which a person or a thing is distinguished
from others and is known
1b) a sign, prodigy, portent, i.e. an unusual occurrence,
transcending the common course of nature
1b1) of signs portending remarkable events soon to
happen
1b2) of miracles and wonders by which God
authenticates the men sent by him, or by which
men prove that the cause they are pleading is
God's
----- End Of Quote -----
Initially, I assumed that the 'Sign' described by Jesus was
referring to the fact that the Sun and the Moon will be
darkened, and that the stars will fall from the heavens;
however, a closer examination of the above verses will
reveal that this may not be the case. Notice that Matthew
tells us that all of these astronomical events will happen
and 'THEN shall appear the sign of the Son of man in
heaven'. This 'Sign' appears to be a separate event which
follows the previous signs. Matthew then says 'and they
shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory'. The participle 'coming' might
indicate an ongoing process which involves a lapse of time.
In other words, this 'Sign' may be something which will be
visible in the heavens for some time; just as comets are
visible in the night sky for periods of weeks or months
before they once again disappear into the blackness of deep
space.
If this idea is difficult for you to accept, consider the
following: If a great celestial sign appeared in the night
sky as the 'Star of Bethlehem' at the time of our Saviour's
birth, it seems appropriate to me that the conclusion of
God's Great Plan of Salvation should likewise be accompanied
by another awe-inspiring celestial event. The Lord clearly
enjoys working in pairs; after all, He is the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End. In many of my articles, I
have made clear connections between verses found in the Old
and the New Testaments. Consider, for example, that Jesus
was the fulfillment of a prophecy given by Moses, who
clearly said that another Prophet would come like unto him:
"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren,
like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he
shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."
(Deuteronomy 18:18)
"Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found
him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write,
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (John 1:45)
"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is
one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had
ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote
of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye
believe my words?" (John 5:45-47)
"For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the
Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto
me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say
unto you." (Acts 3:22)
Another example can be found in John the Baptist who was the
fulfillment of the Prophet Elijah spoken of by the Prophet
Malachi. I discuss this topic at length in the article 'A
Third Elijah: An Endtime Prophecy?'. Aside from these two
examples, there are many other such prophetic pairs found in
the Bible. Thus, in my view, an Endtime sign in the heavens
just prior to the arrival of Christ seems quite appropriate.
One interesting possibility is that the Lord's Second Coming
may involve a warp or vortex being created in the time-space
continuum. This might be what John was referring to in the
previous verse where he describes the Lord appearing in all
of His glory:
"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places." (Revelation 6:14)
While this verse may be suggesting a sudden appearance of
the Lord, as when the brilliant sun suddenly appears from
behind a cloud bank, another possibility is that this 'Sign'
might actually be the Lord arriving from distant space.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the spiritual aspects of
the Kingdom of Heaven, and Heaven itself, that we forget
that there is a physical or semi-physical side to it as
well. You will recall that when Jesus appeared to His
Disciples following His Resurrection. He was in a physical
body; yet He clearly possessed attributes which were of a
Divine Nature. I have discussed this in a number of other
articles. Here are some very convincing examples:
"And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took
bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And
their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished
out of their sight." (Luke 24:30-31)
"And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of
them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were
terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a
spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why
do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had
thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And
while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said
unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece
of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and
did eat before them." (Luke 24:36-43)
"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the
week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were
assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the
midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you...And after
eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with
them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in
the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to
Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and
reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be
not faithless, but believing." (John 20:19, 6-27)
Here we see Jesus appearing out of nowhere on several
different occasions, in a locked room! We also see Him
disappear before the Disciples' very eyes; we see that He is
able to eat; and we see that He still possesses a physical
body which they are able to touch and handle. Based on my
study of the Scriptures, it also seems to me that the coming
Millennium is going to be a very physical reality for both
the Lord and ourselves. In order to rule the world with a
Rod of Iron, the people and nations of the world are going
to have to see and experience the Lord ruling in a very
physical sense. Likewise, when the Lord returns for the
Battle of Armageddon, it is my understanding that He is
going to physically stand upon the Mount of Olives:
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of
Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount
of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east
and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley;
and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and
half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley
of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall
reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from
before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah:
and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with
thee." (Zechariah 14:4-5)
I discuss the importance of the Mount of Olives in Endtime
prophecy in another article entitled 'The Triumphant
Touchdown Of Jesus Christ!'. I encourage you to read it.
Notice that in the last part of verse five above, the
Prophet Zechariah says '...and the LORD my God shall come,
and all of the saints with thee.' I believe that this may be
a direct reference to the Battle of Armageddon in which we,
the Resurrected Saints, will accompany the Lord in the
Battle against the Beast, the False Prophet, and their evil
followers. You will find this Battle discussed in more
detail in such articles as 'From Armageddon To The New
Earth'. In the New Testament, Jude briefly reminds us that
thousands of years ago, the Patriarch Enoch also wrote of
these amazing events:
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these,
saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his
saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all
that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which
they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches
which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
(Jude 1:14-15)
As you can see by the following quote taken directly from
the Book of Enoch, Jude quoted him almost word for word. If
you are one who has doubts regarding the validity of the
Book of Enoch, you may be interested in reading my companion
article 'The Book Of Enoch: Truth Or Heresy?' which explores
the various links between this apocryphal work and the
officially-accepted canon of modern Christianity:
"And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones
To execute judgement upon all, And to destroy all the
ungodly: And to convict all flesh Of all the works of their
ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all
the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against
Him." (Enoch 1:9-10)
Considering the Scriptural evidence, is it possible that the
Kingdom of Heaven isn't just an unseen Spiritual Realm which
surrounds us, and is within us when we accept the Lord, but
that it is also a physical or semi-physical place hidden
somewhere out of our sight in the depths of space, or even
on the other side of outer space? For me personally, it is a
difficult to imagine the Beast, the False Prophet and their
followers fighting against the Lord and His Heavenly Host at
the Battle of Armageddon if they are merely invisible
spiritual beings. While one might argue that it will be the
invisible spiritual beings which control the Beast and his
horde which will be fighting against the invisible forces of
Christ, we need to remember John's words when he said
'...every eye shall see him...'. I further explore these
possibilities concerning the location of Heaven in the
article 'It Is Written In The Stars'.
Based on all of the above, it is quite possible that the
'Sign' of the Lord's Coming might actually be the Lord and
His Heavenly Host physically arriving from the depths of
outer space, from wherever New Jerusalem is currently
located. Just as some comets appear in the night sky for a
period of several weeks or months while they follow their
course through our solar system, it may very well be that
once the Lord's 'Sign' appears in the heavens, it is going
to be some time before the Lord actually arrives here. With
each passing day, that Celestial Light in the sky is going
to grow larger and brighter until the Earth is totally
engulfed in the Lord's magnificent splendor! Consider the
following interesting verse found in the Book of Proverbs:
"But the path of the just is as the shining light, that
shineth more and more unto the perfect day."
(Proverbs 4:18)
If you recall the definition I provided earlier concerning
the word 'perfect', it certainly seems to fit. The day that
the Lord arrives, the Perfect Day, God's Plan of Salvation
is finally going to be fulfilled; as we will then be made
complete when we are resurrected, and/or changed, and taken
up to be with Him in our Heavenly Bodies! Just as I pointed
out that the celestial 'Sign' follows the astronomical signs
in Matthew chapter twenty-four, there is evidence in that
same verse which suggests that there may be a time lapse
between the moment when the 'Sign' first becomes visible in
the night sky, and when the Lord actually arrives in the
clouds surrounding the Earth. Consider again what Matthew
said:
"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."
(Matthew 24:29-30)
Notice the sequence of events here. First we are told that
the world will witness the signs of the Sun and the Moon
being darkened, and the stars falling from the heavens.
While these may be actual astronomical events, I offer
another interesting perspective in the article 'The Comet
Hale-Bopp, Chernobyl And The DeathStar Wormwood'. Following
this first event, the 'Sign' of the Son of Man will appear
in the sky. When the people of the Earth see this 'Sign', we
are told that they are going to mourn. Obviously, a lot of
them are not going to be too happy about this; probably
because they have foolishly rejected the Lord and accepted
the Mark of the Beast. Finally, we are told that they shall
see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power
and great glory.
It seems to me that what the Lord is describing might be a
progression of events and not all one simultaneous event. As
I have said before, being as the Bible is printed material,
we tend to read it sometimes without consciously recognizing
or realizing that there are time gaps in between certain
events. As I was writing this article, a verse came to mind
which definitely seems to fit this picture of the 'Sign'
appearing in the sky for some time while the Lord draws
closer and closer to the Earth; all the while becoming
brighter and brighter, just like a visiting comet! Consider
what the Lord said in the twenty-first chapter of the Gospel
of Luke:
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up,
and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
(Luke 21:28)
In the above verse, the words 'these things' are referring
to all of the Endtime signs Jesus has just spent the whole
chapter describing for His Disciples; and of course for us,
since we will hopefully still be alive when these events
occur. The Lord then specifically tells us that when we see
these things, to LOOK UP and LIFT UP our heads. The first
words 'look up' are derived from the Greek word 'anakupto'
which means to lift up one's self or to look up; and the
words 'lift up' are derived from the Greek 'epairo' which
basically means the same, to lift up or raise up one's self.
This can be understood in two ways:
In a spiritual sense, some believers are going to be feeling
very downcast, discouraged, and maybe even doubting their
faith due to the onslaught of the Beast, the False Prophet
and their followers. As I have described in other articles,
some are indeed going to fall under the delusion of Satan
and forsake the Faith due to the severe persecution; but we
must remember that this time, while it will seem very dark
for the Believers, is exactly what we need; because it will
be a time of chastening and purification; a time to purge
the Saints in the fires of the Lord's tribulation. This is
why the Lord is telling us that when we see these signs
occurring on the Earth, we are to LIFT UP our heads. This is
precisely what Paul told the Hebrews when he likewise wrote
concerning the Lord's chastisements:
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but
grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable
fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and
the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet,
lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it
rather be healed." (Hebrews 12:11-13)
Let me again remind you that the purpose of the Great
Tribulation is two-fold. It isn't only to purge and purify
the Believers, thus making them more righteous in God's
eyes, but it is also to allow the wicked to fill their cup
of iniquity; so that when the Lord pours out His judgments,
everyone will know without a doubt that they are righteous
judgments. So then, the Lord said to LIFT UP our heads, and
the Apostle Paul said to LIFT UP our hands. In other words,
be encouraged! Lift up your hands and praise the Lord! Why
are we to lift up our heads and our hands? Jesus gave us a
very clear answer: 'for your redemption draweth nigh'. He is
coming for us! Notice again that a lapse of time is very
apparent. Jesus said to be encouraged because our Redemption
is drawing near. It isn't here yet, but it is getting closer
with each passing day! He is coming for us!
While this is the spiritual interpretation of this verse,
Jesus was also speaking in a very literal sense as well. Not
only is He saying to pick up our spirits, but He is also
saying to literally LIFT UP our heads! Look to the sky
because you are going to see something wonderful coming! You
are going to see the 'Sign' of His Coming from afar! Perhaps
at first it will be just a fuzzy glow in the night sky
similar to a comet; but with each passing day, it will grow
brighter and brighter, and bigger and bigger! You are going
to get so inspired, that by the time the Lord actually
arrives in the clouds for us, you will be so high on the
Spirit that you won't care what they will be doing to your
physical body! In the story of the martyrdom of the Prophet
Isaiah, we are told that while Isaiah's enemies had his old
body stretched out in the racks, and were literally sawing
him in half, a common form of torture in those days, Isaiah
was so in the Spirit that he was just praising the Lord the
whole time; which upset his enemies all the more! He
probably didn't feel a thing; just like the martyr Stephen
in the Book of Acts when he was stoned to death:
"When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart,
and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full
of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw
the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son
of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried
out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon
him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and
stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a
young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned
Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said
this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:54-60)
Notice when Jesus told us to lift up our heads. He didn't
just say to do it when we see these things happening on the
Earth; He said 'And when these things BEGIN to come to
pass'. This seems like another confirmation to me that
whatever this 'Sign' is, it is going to appear in the
heavens for some time BEFORE Jesus actually arrives here. As
I discussed earlier, the 'Star of Bethlehem' wasn't just
there one minute and gone the next. The Magi from the East
didn't have a pick-up truck to cut across all of those
mountains and deserts at one hundred miles an hour. They had
to travel by mules and camels and such; and it took time. In
fact, if you read the Gospels closely, you will see that it
took them perhaps two whole years to arrive at the house of
Joseph and Mary where they presented the young child Jesus
with gifts. This is explained in detail in my companion
article 'The True Story Of The Nativity'.
At this point, some of you may be wondering how this idea of
the Lord arriving at a slower more leisurely pace can be
reconciled with the belief that He will arrive suddenly and
unexpectedly as a thief in the night. Allow me to refer you
to my article 'As A Thief In The Night?: Not For Me!' where
I fully explain my perspective regarding this belief. The
fact that the Lord will arrive as a thief in the night
brings us to another interesting point. According to my
understanding of the Scriptures, when Jesus comes, not only
will it be dark in a spiritual sense due to the wickedness
in the world, but it may be dark in a physical sense as
well. Consider again what the Lord said in the above verses.
If the Sun and the Moon are going to be physically darkened,
and the stars are going to fall from the heavens, it is
going to be very dark indeed. In fact, according to the Book
of Revelation, one of the Last Seven Plagues is going to
throw the Kingdom of the Beast into total darkness:
"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of
the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they
gnawed their tongues for pain," (Revelation 16:10)
The full extent of the Kingdom of the Beast is one question
which remains unanswered. Some students of the Bible believe
that it will be limited to the Middle East, while others
suggest it may be worldwide in scope. At this point in time,
I honestly do not know. As I have said in other articles, we
need to remember that the majority of the Endtime prophecies
are written from the perspective of how they are going to
directly affect Israel. This is why, for example, in the
prophecies of Daniel, the Angelic Messenger specifically
says 'thy people', meaning the Jews, as in the following
verse:
"Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy
people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many
days." (Daniel 10:14)
If the Lord is going to extinguish the celestial bodies and
not just cause a regional eclipse, then it would seem that
the entire world is going to be covered in darkness. This
may be an implication that the Beast's power will eventually
cover the entire planet. The implementation of the UPC, or
Universal Product Code, and the Smart Card, seem to point to
a worldwide Kingdom of the Beast. Time will certainly tell.
While I hesitate to accept the above verse as an actual
physical darkening of the Sun, Moon and stars, it does offer
a very interesting possibility concerning the wicked gnawing
their tongues for pain. Instead of a 'Nuclear Winter', the
world might experience a 'Divine Winter'. If the Lord were
to really 'turn off' the Sun, the Earth would literally
freeze causing many to gnaw their tongues for pain! In fact,
some time ago, I recall reading an article which theorized
that the Sun isn't so much like a self-contained hydrogen
bomb, but rather it is more like a great light, exactly as
the Book of Genesis describes it. Perhaps it is similar to a
heat lamp. What I also find interesting is that only five
verses after the Kingdom of the Beast is covered in
darkness, we find the following verse:
"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and
keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his
shame." (Revelation 16:15)
The fact that the Kingdom of the Beast is thrown into
darkness during the Fifth Trumpet, may be an indication of
when we might be able to begin seeing the 'Sign' of the
Lord's Coming. As we discussed earlier, the 'Sign' will
appear after the Sun and the Moon have been darkened; and
here we see that occurring during the Fifth Trumpet. Thus it
appears that the 'Sign' may appear in the latter part of the
Great Tribulation. It's not at the very beginning; and it's
not at the very end either. Jesus said when we begin to see
these things happening; He never said to lift ourselves up
at the very beginning; He said when we begin to see these
things happening. This may be an indication that some of
them will have already happened by the time we realize what
is going on. Different people are going to begin realizing
what is happening at different times. It is similar to our
current situation. Some of us understand the deep mysteries
of the Endtime while others do not. We are all helping each
other along in our understanding.
The point is, prior to the Lord's arrival, if we accept a
literal interpretation of these verses, it is going to
become very dark; because there will be no sun shining, no
moon shining, and fewer stars shining as well. It may not be
pitchblack, but it will be close to it! By doing this, the
Lord, whom I earlier described as a movie director, may be
preparing those who are still here, for the Greatest Show on
Earth! When you go into a movie theater, they normally turn
off all of the lights right before the show is going to
begin. Well, at least that is how they used to do it.
Nowadays, with so many things going on in movie theaters,
some theater managers prefer to leave the lights on all the
way up to showtime. But if they do turn them off, or at
least turn them down, it adds a bit of thrill and excitement
to the air. A sudden hush comes to the crowd as they watch
the screen in eager anticipation. Then the curtains are
drawn, and the show begins! In the following verse, perhaps
we see the Lord drawing back the 'curtains' of Heaven to
prepare the way for the leading star of His show!:
"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places." (Revelation 6:14)
The Lord is going to draw back the curtains in order to
reveal the Greatest Show on Earth in spectacular glorious
celestial colors! Previously, I suggested that this might be
referring to the actual sky, or heavens, rolling back
because of some type of warp or vortex being created in the
time-space continuum; in other words, an opening into the
unseen Spirit Dimension around us. Since we already know it
is going to be very dark when this occurs, this would indeed
make the arrival of Jesus Christ and the Angelic Host even
more dramatic! However, let me again say that this is not
the only possible interpretation. It might not be a sudden
quick event. Jesus may arrive from the depths of deep dark
space, or perhaps it would be better to say, from the other
side of the 'cloud of darkness' discussed in the Bible.
Again, allow me to refer you to the article 'It's Written In
The Stars!'.
In some of my articles which discuss the topic of aliens and
UFO's, I explain that there are som New Age advocates who
are expecting the imminent arrival of beings, or 'Space
Brothers', from Outer Space. These beings are said to belong
to a higher spiritual order. If we accept that these beings
are real, then they and their leader might be nothing more
than Satan and the rebellious angels who have been cast out
of Heaven by Michael and his angels. Of course, these evil
intruders are not going to reveal their dark secret to the
people of Earth; they are going to create a lie and a
delusion. In fact, it may very well be that they already
have; and some people are foolishly falling for this evil
deception. According to the 'Space Brother' scenario, these
beings are a benign technologically-advanced race from Outer
Space who are coming in their glowing flying disks to assist
'Mother Earth' in her 'Ascension Plan'. This belief is very
central to New Age thought. There are quite a few New Age
channelers, Native American shamans, etc., who are currently
pushing this program of delusion on the ignorant American
public, as well as on others around the world.
If the Red Dragon and a third of the stars, or angels of
Heaven, are going to arrive first in order to deceive the
world through strong delusion and many miraculous signs and
wonders, pretending to be our saviours, it make sense that
when the Lord returns, He and His Angelic Host might also
originate from the depths of deep space, that is, from
Heaven. There is an old saying which says, 'It's curtains
for you, buddy!'. Perhaps this is what the drawing back of
the curtains, or the scrolling away of the heavens, is for;
to announce the soon arrival of the true King of Kings and
Lord of Lord, who is going to dethrone the evil Usurper,
Satan, the king of empires! This possibility seems to fit
our picture perfectly; because after the kingdom of the
Beast is cast into darkness, with the very next vial, the
Sixth Vial, we witness the Euphrates River being dried up so
that the armies of the kings of the East can come to the
Battle of Armageddon in Israel, where they will fight along
the side of those who have already surrounded Jerusalem:
"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great
river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that
the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I
saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth
of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of
the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of
devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of
the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the
battle of that great day of God Almighty...And he gathered
them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
Armageddon." (Revelation 16:12-14, 16)
I discuss the possible identity of these kings of the East
in my six-part series 'The Seven Heads'. If we assume that
the 'Sign' of the Lord's Coming is going to be physically
visible in the heavens for some time; and that it will
become brighter and brighter with each passing day as the
Lord and the Heavenly Host approach, it is easy to imagine
what kind of an effect it will have upon the darkness which
has fallen upon the kingdom of the Beast. Instead of a
sudden brightness occurring, it seems to me that the
darkness might slowly peel or scroll away as it is
penetrated by the brilliance of the Lord's Coming. It is
this very same brightness which will destroy the Son of
Perdition, that is, the Jewish Antichrist, who will have
usurped the place of God by sitting in the soon-to-be-built
Temple on the top of Mount Moriah:
"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:" (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
According to one ancient prophecy from the book of
Zechariah, it may be that when the Lord arrives, all of the
evil human followers of the Beast who arrive for Armageddon,
are going to melt like wax, just as if they were standing on
'zero ground' of an atomic blast!:
"And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite
all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their
flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,
and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their
tongue shall consume away in their mouth."
(Zechariah 14:12)
This is precisely what happened over fifty years ago to the
poor souls who were looking in the direction of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki when the American government dropped it demonic
devices of death upon the inhabitants of those two Japanese
cities. Their bodies were literally vaporized in seconds!
This possible scenario of the Lord arriving from deep space
presents another question: How can the Lord come as a thief
in the night if this 'Sign' is going to be so apparent in
the heavens for some time prior to the Lord's arrival? Allow
me to offer one possibility. We need to remember that by the
time these events occur, the world will be under very strong
delusion. To them, the 'Sign' might be interpreted as being
nothing more than a great astronomical event, such as
another comet arriving from deep space. They may be
absolutely blinded to the Truth. Only too late will they
realize their error. In this sense, the Lord could still
come as a thief in the night for those who have not
discerned the signs of the times:
"He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say,
It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the
morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red
and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the
sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?"
(Matthew 16:2-3)
On the other hand, another possibility presents itself if we
again consider the delusion embraced by some adherents of
New Age thought. If Satan and his cohorts do arrive from the
heavenlies feigning to be a technologically-advanced race
from the stars, it is quite possible that they will trick
the world into believing that they have come to warn us of
an impending invasion by another evil race from Outer Space
which will soon follow in their footsteps. Short of total
insanity, and complete demonic deception, I cannot possibly
imagine how anyone on Earth could rise up to fight against
Christ at His Coming. They would have to be tricked into
believing that He and His Heavenly Host are something which
they are really not: evil space aliens! If this idea seems
absurd to you, consider the subtle brainwashing which has
been going on for several decades now. Through the
exportation of films produced by the American cinemagraphic
industry, people the world over are being psychologically
prepared for a war against invading aliens.
I suspect that there are certain people in power today who
are very well aware of what the future holds; and even now
they are making preparations for it. No one can deny that
the governments of the world, including the government of
the United States of America, have secret agendas which are
concealed from the general public. In some cases, these
secret agendas cannot be as easily concealed; so they are
presented to we the public under a different guise. Such may
be the case with the Hubble Space Telescope. There have
already been a number of reports and rumors circulating
which state that this telescope may have been designed for
other purposes far greater than what has been revealed
publicly. To add to this mystery, the Vatican also recently
built an observatory in the western part of the United
States of America. One must truly question why an
organization which is supposed to be dedicated to the
spiritual welfare of the people, needs such a thing. Could
it be that both the U.S. government and the Vatican are
waiting for these visitors from the stars? If time is as
short as some believe, it's possible that they have already
detected something on the fringes of our solar system, or
even beyond. You may recall that the comet Hale-Bopp was
discovered three years before it finally made its closest
approach to the Earth.
There is one other point worthy of discussion concerning the
the 'Sign' of the Son of Man and the Lord coming as a thief
in the night. If Satan and his demonic horde, and the Lord
and His Heavenly Host, will be coming from the depths of
outer space, we should question how long such an arrival
will take. Will it require years, or decades, or even
longer? If they were to require technology such as man would
require to make such a journey, then this would seem to be
the case; however, we are dealing with superior beings here.
One topic which has mystified many Bible students over the
years, is the mention in the prophecies of Daniel of certain
time extensions right after the period of Great Tribulation.
There is an additional thirty-day period, followed by
another forty-five day period as can be seen by the
following verses:
"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken
away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there
shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is
he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred
and five and thirty days." (Daniel 12:11-12)
I am wondering if either one of these time periods at the
end of the Great Tribulation might have something to do with
the 'Sign' and the Coming of the Lord. Even if it were to
take thirty days, or forty-five days to traverse the
universe to get here, that would still be extremely quick by
our current standards and means of deep space travel. Thus,
in my view, the Lord could still come as a thief in the
night for those who have not discerned the signs of the
times. To add weight to this possibility, there is a very
unusual decriptive link between Satan being cast down to the
Earth by Michael, and the Lord's Second Coming. Consider the
following two verses:
"And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall
from heaven." (Luke 10:18)
"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." (Matthew 24:27)
No one can deny that if there are two words which perfectly
describe lightning, it is that it is fast, and it is very
bright; and both Satan's fall, and the Lord's coming are
described the same in that regard, right out of the mouth of
the Saviour! Why did the Lord use this comparison? Is it
possible that He was issuing a warning to us? The Apostle
Paul gave us a similar warning in his second epistle to the
Corinthians when he wrote:
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14)
As I have pointed out in articles such as 'Under The Cloud:
UFO's And The Bible', there is substantial Scriptural
evidence which points to the fact that the Lord may use some
kind of a Celestial Vehicle. I am very well aware of the
dilemma this creates for some of us. The immediate question
which arises in our minds is: 'If God and Jesus are
all-powerful spiritual beings, why do they require any kind
of vehicle whatsoever?' Truly, this is a difficult question
to answer; and I humbly admit that I currently do not have a
good answer for it; however, as shown in the aforementioned
article, the Prophet Ezekiel and others saw things which,
according to their descriptions, certainly sound like
glowing, spinning circular craft with brilliant lights, or
eyes, on them. They sound exactly like what we refer to
today as UFO's, OVNI's or flying saucers!
As I have already explained in this article and elsewhere,
there is a very physical or semi-physical aspect to Heaven
and the Spirit World. God and Jesus sit on real thrones. The
Heavenly City, New Jerusalem, is a real City. After His
Resurrection, Jesus still had a real physical body. Now, if
some people can interpret the locusts of Revelation chapter
nine as Apache helicopters, is it possible that the horses
and chariot of fire which took up Elijah to Heaven were
something entirely different from what we imagine? Is it
possible that we have totally misunderstood the 'dove' John
saw up in the sky, and the voice from Heaven at the time of
Jesus' baptism? What about the 'bright cloud' which Peter,
James and John entered into when Jesus was transfigured
before them? Finally, are the 'horses' upon which Jesus and
the Celestial Army ride at the Battle of Armageddon really
just that? If there is one common description given to
UFO's, it is that they are extremely fast, they are very
bright, and they zip across the sky at very high rates of
speed, just like streaks of lightning.
If you are open-minded enough to consider these
possibilities, then perhaps you too will understand that
perhaps Jesus was warning us of the arrival of the False
Messiah from the stars, before His own arrival a few years
later. Having faced his final defeat in the heavenlies by
the forces of Michael and his angels, will Satan, the 'angel
of light', soon arrive with his space fleet of glistening
craft as a 'benign' visitor from outer space? If time is as
short as some of us believe it to be, I don't believe we
have long to find out. Let me make clear that I am not
saying that this is exactly the way it will be. I honestly
do not know. Perhaps all of these things will occur behind
the scenes in the Spirit World; however, we would all be
wise to not thoroughly reject the possibility of an actual
physical invasion. Again, it is no mistake that we are
currently living in an age of scientific and technological
wonders. It is no mistake that there is so much UFO hype
nowadays. It is no mistake that the United States of America
has its eye in the sky. They are looking and watching for
something very specific which they don't want you to know
about; and maybe the Vatican knows what it is!
Regardless of what you personally believe concerning these
things, and regardless of what the 'Sign' of the Son of Man
may be, when it appears in the sky, those of us who have
believed, will give shouts of joy and a sigh of relief;
knowing that it will soon be over; while the unbelieving
nations of the world are going to mourn and wail and seek to
hide themselves in the mountains and dens of the Earth,
because they will know that they are in big trouble! At the
time of the Lord's Second Coming, whenever and however it
occurs, all of the dead Saints of all time will be suddenly
resurrected, their bodies changed, and then raptured, (taken
up), to Heaven to be with the Lord. This will also include
the two sackcloth witnesses of Revelation chapter eleven who
will be punishing the wicked with plagues during the final
three and a half years, while at the same time encouraging
the faith of the persecuted Saints:
"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."
(Matthew 24:31)
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our
vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, according to the working whereby he is able even to
subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3:20-21)
Following the Resurrection and Rapture of all of the dead
Saints of God of all time, we the living Saints will also be
changed and raptured to meet the Lord in the air. This is
another possible reason why there may be a thirty-day period
followed by a forty-five day period. It may require some
time for the thousands, if not millions of dead Saints to be
resurrected and raptured all around the world; then to be
followed by the living Saints. Remember, we will still be
living on the Earth which is governed by all of the laws of
physics, including time, when this occurs. Indications are
that the Lord's Second Coming may only be an aerial event;
He and His Heavenly Host may not touch down on the Earth at
this time. We will simply be called up, just as the two
sackcloth witnesses will be called up:
"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we
which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall
not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)
"And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from
God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and
great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a
great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither.
And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies
beheld them." (Revelation 11:11-12)
Let me again remind you of this usage of the word 'cloud'.
During the Transfiguration, we are told that a 'bright
cloud' overshadowed Peter, James and John; that God Himself
spoke out of the 'cloud'; and that the three disciples
entered INTO the 'cloud':
"While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed
them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud."
(Luke 9:34)
Could this mean that they were simply surrounded by some
kind of brilliant Heavenly Mist, what the Jews refer to as
the Shekinah Glory? Possibly. In Matthew chapter twenty-four
we are told that the Lord will come IN the clouds of Heaven.
Could this simply be a reference to the atmospheric clouds?
Again, it is quite possible. As we have already seen, in the
Epistle to the Thessalonians we are told that we shall be
caught up together IN the clouds. Here again, floating up to
the clouds in the high atmosphere is a distinct possibility,
but is this what it really means? In the first chapter of
the Book of Revelation we are told that He will come WITH
clouds. I have always found this verse interesting as it
says 'with clouds' which appears to indicate that they will
accompany Him. This could be a reference to the angelic
beings which will accompany Him; but does it? Consider the
following Scriptures:
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him,
and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the
earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
(Revelation 1:7)
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the
sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us," (Hebrews 12:1)
"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
(Revelation 19:14)
We are also told that the two sackcloth witnesses of
Revelation chapter eleven will ascend up to Heaven IN a
cloud after they have been dead for three and a half days
laying in the streets of Jerusalem:
"And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them,
Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud;
and their enemies beheld them." (Revelation 11:12)
Everywhere we look where there is a mention of being
transported to Heaven, there is this mention of clouds. When
the Lord has His servants the Scribes and Prophets repeat
something over and over again in the Scriptures, it is for a
good reason. I don't believe that the Lord likes to waste
words. If you are not yet convinced that perhaps there is a
wonderful Truth which has been hidden in the Scriptures for
literally thousands of years, consider this next verse which
describes Jesus' own return to the Heavenly Realm. I discuss
this topic in more detail in my article 'The Triumphant
Touchdown Of Jesus Christ'; but there is a very important
point I wish to bring to your attention:
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he
was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."
(Acts 1:9)
I have read that verse many times; yet it wasn't until now
that my curiosity caused me to look up a word in my Greek
lexicon which has given me a whole new understanding of this
verse. The word 'cloud' is derived from the Greek words
'nephos' and 'nephele' which mean exactly that, a cloud.
There is nothing unusual or revelatory about this word.
Perhaps this is exactly what the writers meant and nothing
more. However, I think it would be foolish of us to totally
reject other possibilities. Without anything else with which
to compare it, how else could the ancient writers have
described a glowing vehicle of Celestial Origin which was
totally outside of anything they had ever seen or witnessed
before? While the word 'nephos' by itself may not cause any
excitement, it is the verb which accompanies it which may
thrill you as it has just thrilled me! For years I assumed
that the phrase 'a cloud received him out of their sight'
simply meant that some large billowy cumulus cloud passed
in front of their line of sight, and thus the Disciples
could no longer see Jesus as He rose to the Heavens;
however, that may be a totally wrong conclusion. This verb
'received' is derived from the Greek word 'hupolambano',
pronounded hoop-ol-am-ban'-o, which has the following
definitions according to the Greek lexicon:
----- Begin Quote -----
1) to take up in order to raise, to bear on high
1a) to take up and carry away
2) to receive hospitably, welcome
3) to take up
----- End Of Quote -----
Isn't that wonderful?! A normal cloud cannot raise anyone
up; it cannot take up and carry away anyone; it cannot
receive or welcome anyone hospitably, BUT a Celestial
Vehicle with an Angelic Crew inside certainly could! While
some rigid traditional Christians may view this as nothing
short of blasphemy, perhaps it is they who are being a bit
short-sighted due to carefully-controlled indoctrination
over the centuries which has been purposely crafted to
spiritually blind people to the facts.
With these exciting thoughts in mind, I am going to bring
part one of this article to a close. In the final half of
this paper, I will be discussing the negative side of the
UFO phenomenon and the 'Space Brothers' school of thought,
as well as other interesting topics including Moses, Jesus
and prophet pairs, the physical nature of the Millennium,
darkness in the kingdom of the Beast, the fate of the
wicked, the Resurrection and the Rapture, the False Prophet
and the Antichrist, the destruction of Jerusalem, the
Battle of Armageddon, and finally, the Heavenly City, New
Jerusalem. We still have a lot of interesting ground to
cover, so I hope that you will join me. I trust that this
article has been an inspiration and a blessing in your life.
[ Click Me ] Go To Part Two . . .