This is a sample -Chapter 10
ARMAGEDDON
Imagine that along with the Mark of the Beast and the Antichrist’s abolishing religion and conquering nations in war come the four horsemen, seal, trumpet and bowl judgments of the Revelation prophecy.
There will be famines, and earthquakes. Nations rise against nations in war and men murder each other. Families turn over family members to be put to death, and animals kill people. (Matt. 24:7,Rev. 6:1-8)
• A great volcanic eruption destroys a third of all sea life.
• Hail and fire mingled with blood burns a third of all trees and grass (Rev.8:7).
• A great star falls from heaven, poisoning a third of the earth’s waters (Rev. 8:10-11).
• Day and night reverse (Rev. 8:12).
• A five-month plague of locusts stinging like scorpions leave men in agonizing pain (Rev. 13:21).
• Large hailstones rain down on the earth (Rev. 16:21).
• Rivers, seas, and lakes become as blood, and all sea and aquatic life disappear (Rev. 16:3-4).
• The sun becomes extremely hot, and scorches men with great fear and fire (Rev. 16:18).
There will also be earthquakes and one specifically that kills 7000 people.
After the Antichrist wreaks his havoc upon the earth, armies will go to fight against the him as head of the European Union. Jeremiah 50:41 states: “Behold, a people shall come from the North, and a great nation and many kings shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.” In the Bible, North always refers to the area of the Soviet Union. “A great nation” may be the US. “At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth trembles, and the cry is heard among the nations” (Jeremiah 50:46).
God destroys political Babylon, i.e. the final world empire. As Hitler was the spark for World War II, when he invaded and conquered nations in Europe; the Antichrist’s swift and fast conquest will prompt powerful nations to wage war against him. Daniel 11:40 states that “at the time of the end, the King of the South shall attack him: and the King of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships.”
Russia, the kings of the East, and a great nation from the coast of the earth attack and destroy his kingdom, possibly by a nuclear attack. Hearing of this, he goes out with extreme fury to destroy and annihilate many people,
When armies invade his land, the Antichrist enters into the attacking countries and defeats them. He conquers Egypt and North Africa. Hearing reports from the North and East, he goes forth with great fury to destroy. He ends up at a place prepared for him in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:42-45) and flees to his sanctuary in Jerusalem. He will have control of Israel and portions of the Middle East. Israel and the Middle East become part of Antichrist’s conquered territory, according him the exact borders of the Roman Empire at the time of Christ.
The invading armies attack him in Israel, and the remaining troops of the nation’s join them at the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16, 18; Ezek. 38; Jer. 4, 5, 50; Dan. 11:40-45).
Jeremiah 4:6-7 tells us: “Set up the standard toward Zion: take refuge! Do not delay!: For I will bring disaster from the North, and great destruction. The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations is on his way; he has gone forth from his place to make your land desolate; your cities will be laid waste without inhabitant.”
The Antichrist’s armies, the Soviet Union, the Eastern nations, and the US surround Jerusalem. The river Euphrates dries up, and prepares the way for the kings of the East. God draws the world’s armies to the place called, in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-16).
All the Old Testament prophets refer to Armageddon as “The Day of the Lord.” Jeremiah 46:10 records it as “a day of vengeance, a great slaughter, north of the river Euphrates.” The greatest earthquake in history levels and divides cities around the globe. Mountains cease to be, and islands sink under water.
At the Tribulation’s end, Jesus Christ, shining bright as the sun, appears in the clouds with the saints and legions of angels (Rev. 19; Mark 13:26-27; Matt. 24:30). John Walvord records in his book Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation : “The description of the time of the end confirms Daniel’s revelation that it will be a period of trouble such as the world has never known, trouble of such character that it would result in the extermination of the human race if it were not cut short by the consummation, the second coming of Jesus Christ.”
When Christ returns in the clouds with His legions of angels. The Antichrist and the world’s armies attempt to make war against him. Christ casts the Beast and the False Prophet into the lake of fire, and slays the remainder of his forces by the sword of His word (Rev. 19:19-21).
Shortly after the Tribulation ends the sun darkens, stars fall from the sky, and the moon turns to blood (Is. 2:12; Ezek. 30:3; Zech. 14:1-9; Zeph. 1; Joel 2:1-2, 10, 3:1, 15; Rev. 6:12, 16:9; Mark 13:24-25; Matt. 24:29). The sky will appear as if it is rolling up as a scroll (Rev. 6:14, Isaiah 34:4). The earth returns to its pre-flood state, and God judges the nations (Matt. 25). Christ himself rules the earth for a thousand years, and binds Satan. At the millennium’s end, God frees Satan, and he causes men to rebel against God. They surround the holy city, and God sends fire from heaven to devour them. God casts Satan into the lake of fire for eternity. At this time, the judgment seat of God takes place. Those whose names are not in the book of life; God casts into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).
God creates a new Heaven and Earth. The New Jerusalem descends from Heaven, with streets of gold and walls of precious stones. The glory of God and the light of Christ illuminate the new heaven, and those who placed their faith in Jesus Christ live on for eternity (Rev. 21).
God’s Promise
God provides man the opportunity to seek Him during the Tribulation. “Two witnesses” prophesy for almost three and a half years. Men try to hurt them, and they smite the earth with plagues that cause rain to stop, and water to turn into blood. The beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit makes war against them and kills them. The nations rejoice at their death. God raises them from the dead and lifts them into heaven (Rev. 11:3-13). Tradition identifies these men as Moses and Elijah (Rev. 11:16) because God gave Elijah and Moses the ability to perform miracles. Both of these men also appeared with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration (Matt.17:1-3). Elijah and Elisha together as a team might also be the two witnesses because of all the prophets they performed powerful miracles which included raising a person from the dead.
In addition, during the Tribulation 144,000 witnesses, consisting of 12,000 from each of 12 tribes of Israel, preach the Gospel to the four corners of the earth (Rev. 7:1-9, 14:1-7). Despite the outpouring of God’s anger and judgments, He still desires that men turn to Him. Revelation 9:20-21 declares: “after all of these plagues, man will not repent of his evil ways. Instead, he curses God.” This phrase repeats throughout the entire book of Revelation with each plague issued.
Today we have the Gospel and the Bible which teaches us about Jesus Christ and forewarns the world about the horrific events that are yet to come. Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior will not go through the Tribulation. God takes them out of the world in the Rapture just prior to the earth’s final seven years. II Thessalonians 4:14-18 tells us:
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first:
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.
In John’s vision on the Isle of Patmos, he saw a large multitude of people dressed in white robes, praising God. John asked who these people were. The angel answered him and said: “These are the ones who come out of the great Tribulation, and washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9,13,14). Jesus also tells the church at Philadelphia, He will keep them from the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole earth.
God ushered Lot and his family out of Sodom and Gomorrah before destroying the city. He commanded Noah to build the ark, rescuing his family from the flood. God brings those who have placed their faith in his Son out of the Great Tribulation. The Rapture occurs just prior to and after the sealing of the 144,000. During the Tribulation while God shakes the world with His power, He sends His messenger’s. While a few will look to Him, the greater number of mankind curses God rather than turn to Him.
A major natural disaster may occur at the same time of the Rapture. Some may regard it as people disappearing into another dimension. Others may claim that aliens abducted the missing. Experts will offer their explanations of how the disappearance of these people could have happened. The Rapture will seem unremarkable to most of the world’s inhabitants.
During Israel’s history, God utilized the prophets to forecast calamity and judgment on Israeli kings and on the nation for turning against Him and following other gods and pagan practices. In most instances, if the king or nation repented, God changed his mind and replaced blessings for judgment.
Prior to the Babylonian invasion of Israel the prophet Jeremiah spent his life warning the kings of Israel and the Israelites of the coming Babylonian captivity. In looking at the kingdom period we see that sin progressed from idolatry and worshiping pagan gods to sacrificing children to them. The Israelites torturously murdered their children by burning them in fire to the god Molech. Israel’s habitual sin resulted in the Babylonian captivity and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple. In the Bible, judgment always follows grievous, unrepentant sin, especially idolatry. Before God enacts His judgment, he unfailingly warns of the coming consequence.
When God judged Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone and Noah’s civilization with the flood, he rescued Noah and Lot’s family and warned each of them of the coming judgment. The Revelation prophecy is your warning. Today we have God’s Word written in the Bible, which contains the books of the Prophets and the Revelation prophecy, which details the events of the Great Tribulation and the end of the world. This is your warning heed it.