blog.Tribulationperiod.com

January 25, 2002

August 31, 2018

Virtually all prophetic teachers of today are certain that the kingdom of antichrist will cover “all the earth,” or “the whole world,” or “wherever men dwell,” or “the face of the whole earth,” or “all that dwell upon the earth,” or “the earth and them which dwell therein,” or “throughout the whole world,” or “in all the world,” or “Asia and the whole world, etc.” They may be correct, and I am prepared for such an event, but I really believe his kingdom will only affect those sections of the world known to the inhabitants of Israel when John wrote the Book of Revelation. Before I make my case in Scripture, please consider the following:

USE OF THE HYPERBOLE IN PROPHECY

THE WORD HYPERBOLE COMES FROM THE GREEK – IT MEANS “TO DELIBERATELY THROW OUTSIDE OR INSIDE A MARKED LINE FOR EFFECT, MAKING THE AREA LARGER OR SMALLER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS, EXAGGERATION FOR EFFECT, NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY, EXAGGERATING OR DIMISHING BEYOND THE FACT, EXCEEDING THE TRUTH.” IT IS USED AT TIMES IN PROPHECY TO IDENTIFY A SMALL AREA AS ONE THAT IS MUCH LARGER. IT IS NOT A LIE BECAUSE THE HEARER OR READER IS ACQUAINTED WITH THE USE OF HYPERBOLE AS AN EXAGGERATED STATEMENT. THE EXPRESSIONS “THE WHOLE EARTH, ALL THE WORLD, WHERESOEVER MEN SHALL DWELL ON THE EARTH, ETC. ARE, AT TIMES, NOT REFERRING TO THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE EARTH FROM POLE TO POLE, AND AROUND THE 360 DEGREE EQUATOR. I BELIEVE THIS HAS CAUSED MANY TO EXAGGERATE THE SIZE AND STRENGTH OF THE FINAL EMPIRE OF ANTICHRIST. GOD USES THE HYPERBOLE QUITE OFTEN THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE.

Daniel 8:5,21,22
[5] And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west ON THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
[21] And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. [22] Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

(And yet we know that the Empire of Alexander did not stretch across the FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH)

Daniel 2:32-34,38,39
[32] This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, [33] His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. [34] 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.
[38] And WHERESOEVER THE CHILDREN OF MEN DWELL, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler OVER THEM ALL. Thou art this head of gold. [39] And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule OVER ALL THE EARTH.

(And yet we know that the Babylonian Empire did not extend WHERESOEVER THE CHILDREN OF MEN DWELL, and we know that Alexander’s Empire did not bear rule OVER ALL THE EARTH as we know it today)

In these next verses we are going to see how God means for us to be able to delineate between the whole world as we know it today, and the whole world as it was known in prophetic times. We are certain the fourth beast was the Roman Empire, and we know it did not dominate the whole world as we know it today. However, we know for certain that Christ’s coming kingdom will dominate the whole earth as we do know it today. So when we see the expression UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN, we can say it represents the earth as we know it today.

Daniel 7:3,23-27,11-14
[3] And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
[23] Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour THE WHOLE EARTH, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. [24] And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. [25] 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. [26] But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. [27] And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
[11] I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. [12] As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. [13] I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Now, as you read the expressions describing the size of the antichrist’s kingdom in Revelation, go back and forth to Daniel and compare his expressions concerning the world coverage of those kingdoms with John’s expressions of world coverage in Revelation.

Revelation 13:1,2,5-12,16,17
[1] And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. [2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
[5] 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. [6] And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. [7] And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over ALL kindreds, and tongues, and nations. [8] And ALL THAT DWELL UPON THE EARTH shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. [9] If any man have an ear, let him hear. [10] He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. [11] And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. [12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth THE EARTH AND THEM WHICH DWELL THEREIN to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
[16] And he causeth ALL, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: [17] And that NO man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Revelation 17:12-18
[12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. [14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. [15] And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. [16] And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. [17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. [18] And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over THE KINGS OF THE EARTH.

Please note that both Daniel and John, when referring to the world as we know it today, used expressions marking it as being “under the whole heaven,” or “from one end of heaven to the other,” or “the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”

Daniel 7:27 + Matthew 24:31 + Mark 13:27
[27] And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
[31] 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.
[27] And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the UTTER-MOST PART OF THE EARTH TO THE UTTER-MOST PART OF HEAVEN.

Romans 1:8 + Colossians 1:5,6 + Acts 19:27 + 24:5
[8] First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD.
[5] For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; [6] Which is come unto you, as it is IN ALL THE WORLD; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
[27] So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom ALL ASIA AND THE WORLD WORSHIPPETH.
[5] For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:

Revelation 12:9,17
[9] 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.
[17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Daniel 2:39-44
[39] And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule OVER ALL THE EARTH. [40] And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. [41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be DIVIDED; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be PARTLY strong, and PARTLY broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall MINGLE themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not CLEAVE one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. [44] 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.

This final kingdom of antichrist does not sound like a kingdom that dominates the whole world as we know it today. It is to be a kingdom partly strong, and partly broken, and the individual parts don’t cleave together very well. It sounds like a bunch of the descendents of Ishmael, the six sons of Keturah, and the two sons of Lot mingling their blood lines together to form the Islamic world Israel now faces. They certainly have never gotten along with Israel, and they cannot get along with each other. But they will come together as a rag-tail empire to attempt to destroy Israel. I really believe most of the believers in this world are going to be waiting for an antichrist that will dominate every nation on this earth, and I don’t believe it will happen. He will arise in Syria, lead 10 Islamic nations against Israel, control the area once dominated by the Old Roman Empire, and that will fulfill all the prophecies written about him as dominating “all the world.” This has far reaching implications if I am right, such as the mark of the beast only being put on those sections where the Old Roman Empire once stood.

August 28, 2018

In Parts 1 through 5, I presented a case to show that: (1) The two witnesses of Revelation 11:3 are two flesh and blood men who preach in the Spirit by which Moses and Elijah proclaimed God’s word, (2) They represent the Assembly of Israel, who dispensed the Old Testament Word and its Law by the Spirit, and the local called out Assemblies of Christ known as churches, who dispense the Word by the Spirit in the New Testament Law of Liberty in Jesus, (3) John the Baptist was, and is, the spiritual Elijah for all who believe his message that Jesus was, and is, the Messiah, and (4) Israel rejected the gospel message of both John and Jesus, for which they have paid a terrible price. The price that they have paid has been under a curse associated with them as the fig tree of God. Luke quotes Malachi 4:5,6 in Luke 1:16,17, and gives us an inspired interpretation of the “heart of the children to the fathers,” in order that we will not be led to understand it as our immediate families. Malachi is referring to the need for the children of Israel to turn back to the faith of their forefathers, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joseph, David, etc.

Malachi 4:5,6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: [6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and THE HEART OF THE CHILDREN TO THE FATHERS, lest I come and SMITE the earth (erets – land) with a CURSE.

Luke 1:16,17
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. [17] And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and THE DISOBEDIENT TO THE WISDOM OF THE JUST to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Luke interprets “the heart of the children to the fathers” to mean a turning of repenting hearts of “the disobedient to the wisdom of the just” that justified their forefathers. John came to turn the disobedient children of Israel in his lifetime to repent of their ways and turn back to the faith of their fathers in Messiah. It was a cry to be made “just” by repentance, and thereafter live by faith. It is this sort of faith that is to be passed down from generation to generation.

Romans 1:17 – For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The JUST shall live by faith.

The souls of the generation of John’s day had lifted up their own works to justify themselves, and would not live by faith in God’s promise of a seed, for the righteousness they possessed was self-righteousness.

Habakkuk 2:4
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the JUST shall live by his faith.

Their faith was not in the promised seed of Genesis 3:15, which was reaffirmed through Abraham in 22:18.

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Genesis 22:18
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Galatians 3:16,6,7,26
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. [6] Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. [7] Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. [26] For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

John came preaching repentance, because the seed had come, and the kingdom was at hand.

Matthew 3:1,2
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, [2] And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The Seed came preaching repentance in reaction to the gospel, because the kingdom was at hand.

Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The nation of Israel rejected the message of the Seed and of John, and God smote the land of Israel with the curse of Malachi 4:6.

AN EXPOSITION OF THE TWO WITNESSES – PART 5

In Parts 1 through 4, I presented a case to show that: (1) The two witnesses of Revelation 11:3 are two flesh and blood men who preach in the Spirit by which Moses and Elijah proclaimed God’s word, (2) They represent the Assembly of Israel, who dispensed the Word by the Spirit in the Old Testament Law of Moses, and the local called out Assemblies of Christ known as churches, who dispense the Word by the Spirit in the New Testament Law of Liberty in Jesus, and (3) John was, and is, the spiritual Elijah for all who believe his message that Jesus was, and is, the Messiah.

Revelation 11:3
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

There is no question that John the Baptist was the one sent as God’s messenger to prepare the way before the messenger of the covenant, who was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

Malachi 3:1
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

Nor is there any doubt that Malachi 4:5,6 clearly paints John the Baptist with its prediction of a coming Elijah, because Malachi is quoted as such by the Father of John in Luke 1:16,17.

Malachi 4:5,6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: [6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Luke 1:16,17
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. [17] And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Please note that Luke interprets “and the heart of the children to their fathers” to mean “and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.” Since Luke’s interpretation is inspired, I am persuaded that Malachi is referring to the need of the disobedient children to turn to the faith their ancestors exhibited in the promise of a seed, a Messiah, who would one day deliver them. John the Baptist, who came preaching in the spirit of Elijah, proclaimed the message that their forefather Abraham believed.

Genesis 22:18
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Galatians 3:6-9
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. [7] Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. [8] And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. [9] So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Matthew 3:1,2
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, [2] And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Both John, the messenger of the Lord, who was sent to prepare the way before the messenger of the covenant, and Jesus, who came to confirm the covenant, gave the same message to Israel. It was a message that the seed of Abraham had arrived to bring in the kingdom.

Mark 1:14,15
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

But Israel rejected the gospel message of both John and Jesus. They have paid a terrible price since they rejected their Messiah and His message.

AN EXPOSITION OF THE TWO WITNESSES – PART 4

October 23, 2009

In Parts 1 through 3, I attempted to make a case that the two witnesses of Revelation and Zechariah were actually two flesh and blood men who preached in the spirit of Moses and Elijah, and also that they represented God’s Old Testament witness, the Assembly of Israel, and His New Testament witness, the local churches of Christ. I finished Part 3 by saying I would elaborate on the figures listed in the two scriptures that follow.

Revelation 11:3-4
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. [4] These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Zechariah 4:2-3,11-14
And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: [3] And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. [11] Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? [12] And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? [13] And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. [14] Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Since the two witnesses represent the two olive trees, the church and Israel, as their representatives they appear in Revelation as two lamps on a Menorah, fed by the oil from the bowl on top of it. The candlestick is a Menorah with seven pipes that feed seven interconnected oil lamps with light producing fuel. The Menorah itself, with its seven lamps, the number meaning “completeness” or “fullness,” represents the fullness of the Godhead. The oil that gives the light to the world represents the Holy Spirit that presents the Word to enlighten the world in truth. The two olive trees are Israel, the natural olive tree, and the Church, the engrafted wild olive tree, and the two witnesses represent them both. The two olive branches, through which the oil of the Spirit passes from the two Menorah bulb pipes to empty out into the world, are the two witnesses, as attested by verse 14.

Zechariah 4:14
Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

The Menorah of Zechariah 4:2 = The Lord of the whole earth = The God of the earth in Revelation 11:4 = The Fullness of the Godhead that indwells Christ

The oil represents the light of truth by the Spirit through the Word from the Godhead.

The Two Olive Trees = The Old Testament Assembly of Israel and the New Testament local called out Assemblies of Christ, called churches, which are represented by the two witnesses.

The Two witnesses = The two candlesticks or two lamps (two individual lamp bulbs) = The two anointed ones = The two olive branches out of the olive trees.

AN EXPOSITION OF THE TWO WITNESSES – PART 3

October 22, 2009

Revelation 11:3
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

In Part 2, I listed seven things we had established in Part 1. In Part 2 we established: (1) The link between the church with Elijah through John the Baptist, (2) The two witnesses as preaching a message of repentance in the spirit of Moses and Elijah, as they preached by the same Spirit of God, and (3) That they represent the two institutions given the responsibility of presenting God’s word to the world in the past and in the present, the local church and the assembly of Israel.

Revelation 11:4
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

The two witnesses will testify during the last 1260 days of the tribulation period, then the fullness of the Gentiles will come in at the close of the battle of Armageddon, at the Second Advent. At that time Israel will be grafted back into the natural olive tree.

I also believe that the two witnesses of Revelation and Zechariah are the same personages.

Zechariah 4:11-14
Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? [12] And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? [13] And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. [14] Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.