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Lucifer’s Furious Frenzy

All who watch end-times developments presently flowing in confluence, as Jesus commanded, know that antediluvian-equivalent evil is building toward Tribulation-level corruption. If not for the comfort we find in God’s Word about prophetic utterances of gloom, the fear factor would be raging, even among the most Spirit-controlled believers.

Sadly, few folks within God’s family during these times have a clue about the rapidly metastasizing violence and wickedness in today’s world.  That is, few Christians within this generation even think about the evil that is building toward the time Jesus spoke about here:

For then shall be great tribulation such as was not from the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21)

However, the comfort God promises believers turns the fear factor into absolute assurance that the raging corruption, lawlessness, murder, and immorality will one day—perhaps at any moment—no longer concern those in God’s family:

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 Thesalonians 4:16–17)

And the proof that this promise is for the comfort of believers of our generation is given in the next thing the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write:

Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

Another sort, an entirely different kind of proof, if not for the above promise, would, if people truly understood what’s going on, terrorize and torture to the point of heart failure. But the proof I’m referring to can’t be seen with our physical eyes. It must be discerned only through spiritual eyes that can peer into the dimension inhabited by the powers and principalities of Ephesians 6:12.

A recent email I received from a friend who posts regularly on Rapture Ready News, and who stays in touch to provide me with news of possible prophetic import, gives significant insight. Mark, who has such spiritual eyes for discerning these matters, speaks, indirectly, to a prophecy that will at a time during the Tribulation greatly accelerate the serpent’s final assault on God’s chosen nation and on all of humanity left behind after the Rapture of the Church.

The world is not yet in that horrendous era, but is heading toward that time of Daniel’s seventieth week and Jacob’s trouble at breakneck speed.

Here is what is scheduled during the middle of that Tribulation.

I refer to Revelation 12, where we read that Lucifer–Satan—is ejected from the heavenlies for the final time. He comes to earth, the prophecy says, with great fury. The prophecy further says, “woe unto those who inhabit the earth, because he knows he has but a short time.”

We often note in these commentaries that we are not yet in the time of Tribulation, but are witnessing the stage being set for it.

Mark, I believe, has correctly surmised exactly the situation we’ve witnessed in the unbelievably evil attack that was launched on Israel on October 7 and the world’s sudden turning against the attacked, Israel, rather than the attacker, which is comprised of many of the nations of Islam.

Mark writes the following:

As I peruse all the stories on line about hatred of the Jews, and its insane intensity against them, I must say that I’m appalled by the level of Satanic ferocity being displayed against them, especially in Europe and the United States. And particularly at institutes of higher learning.

It is as though Satan himself has become unhinged in his preoccupation with his desire to kill every Jew in the world. I do believe that part of his insane rage is due to the “restraining” by the Restrainer and the Adversary not being able to progress with his scheme for global rule and total destruction of Israel and all of Jewry, but having to accede to the limitations placed on him by our Father in Heaven.

Indeed, Lucifer, the old serpent, must, because of God’s restraint against his insane intentions, be angry beyond all understanding of those who aren’t spiritually tuned in to what’s really going on in these closing days of this Age of Grace. And, no doubt, that enragement is bound to grow the nearer the time of the Tribulation approaches.

But for the Christian who studies the whole Word–including Bible prophecy—spiritually discerning that approaching storm that will usher in the King of all Kings shouldn’t cause fear, but assurance of a future as bright as all of Heaven’s glory.

The Rapture of all believers will instantaneously separate us from all judgment and wrath that will deal with Lucifer’s furious frenzy and with the anti-God evil of this fallen sphere. Here is how to be a part of that coming instantaneous separation.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)

The End Is Not Yet With Terry James and Happy Caldwell

Deceptive Slogans in the Propaganda War Against Israel by Dr. David R. Reagan

The pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have broken out across our nation are full of signs
containing slogans that are either blatantly untrue or completely misleading. Consider the following:

1) “Set Palestine Free From the River to the Sea.” Based on the interviews of people chanting
this slogan, it appears that many have no idea what it means. In the first place, Americans who have
always been geographically challenged, have expressed no knowledge of what river or sea they are
talking about!

And when they are told that the chant refers to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, they
still don’t get the point that it is talking about the annihilation of the state of Israel. It’s just a nice sounding chant that rhymes.

For those who do understand the meaning of the slogan, it is an expression of appalling AntiSemitism.

2) “End Apartheid in Israel!” This is a slogan that garners massive support, but the slogan
expresses a total lie. There is no Apartheid in Israel. None! Zilch! Nada!

Two million Palestinians live in Israel. They are citizens of Israel, and as such, they have
complete freedom to live where they please and to use any hospital or means of transportation.

There is no enforced separation of Jews and Arabs of any type that exists in Israel.

Arab Israelis have the right to vote and to serve in the Israeli parliament (the Knesset). They also
have access to all the welfare services of the state. They have every freedom that the Jews have. In
fact, they have been given a freedom Jews do not have! All Jews, except the small percentage of
Ultra-Orthodox, are required to serve in the military — both men and women. Palestinian citizens
are exempted from this requirement, although some voluntarily serve in non-combat positions.
The only Apartheid that exists in the Middle East is in the Arab countries where all their Jewish
populations were forcibly evicted after the Suez War in 1956. The fact of the matter is that no Jews
are allowed to live in Arab nations. That is true Apartheid!

3) “Free Palestine from Colonial Oppression.” This is sheer nonsense. The Jewish people are not
colonialists. They are not outsiders who have taken over someone else’s land. The land they
currently occupy (and much more they do not yet occupy) was given to them by God as an eternal
possession (Genesis 12:1-3, 7, 14-15; 16:18-21; 26:3; 28:4, 13; 35:10-12; Exodus 6:7-8 and Psalm
105:8-11).

The Jews occupied this gift of God 3,500 years ago and lived there for 1,500 years until they
were forcibly ejected from the land by the Assyrians and the Romans. After their final ejection in
70AD, the land laid vacant and desolate for 2,000 years. The few Arabs who lived there considered
themselves to be Syrians because most of the land was owned by absentee Syrian landlords.
During this long time span, the land was never an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
In short, there was never a Palestinian state with a Palestinian government. Nor was there a Palestinian language or culture.

When the Jews began to return to their homeland in the late 1890s, they bought the land at
exorbitant prices. The land was so desolate that the Arabs could not figure out why the Jews wanted
it so badly. For example, by 1900 nearly all the trees in Israel had been cut down. This was due to
the fact that the Turkish empire taxed trees. In the 20th century, as the returning Jews began to
reclaim the land, they started replacing the forests and ended up planting more than 250 million trees
during the century!

4) “End 75 Years of Occupation.” Israel is not an occupying power. The land they are “occupying”
was not only given to them by God, it was also legally granted to them by the United Nations.
At the end of World War I, the area which was known as Palestine was simply a province of the
Ottoman Empire of Turkey. Since the Turks sided with Germany during World War I, the victorious
allies decided to dismantle the Ottoman Empire by dividing its pieces between the British and the
French. The area called Palestine was assigned to the British and they later began to rule it as a
League of Nations Mandate.

A year before the end of World War I, the British issued the Balfour Declaration in November
of 1917. In it they made it clear that their intention was to make Palestine into a homeland for the
Jewish people. At that time, Palestine consisted of the territory that today includes Israel plus
Jordan.

But in 1921, the British Colonial Secretary, Winston Churchill, decided to give two-thirds of
Palestine to the Arabs to establish the Mandate of Transjordan. This area received its full freedom
in 1946 when it was reconstituted as the state of Jordan.

When Churchill made his decision, the Jewish people felt betrayed by the British, but they
expected to receive what was left of Palestine as their state. The remainder was a small sliver of land
270 miles long, with a width ranging from 9 to 85 miles.

In November of 1947, the United Nations voted to divide this sliver of land even further,
dividing it between the Jews and Arabs in order to create a state for each one. Again, the Jews felt
betrayed, but they accepted the offer. The Arabs refused.
Israel came back into existence as a state on May 14, 1948. On that same day, the Arabs could
have taken advantage of the UN resolution and created a Palestinian state for themselves. But they
wanted all the land, so they attacked the new Jewish state with the intention of driving the Jews into
the sea.

Throughout the history of the area since it was cut away from the Ottoman Empire in 1918, there
have been five times when the Arabs were given the opportunity to create a state of their own, and
each time, they have refused:

1) In 1936, the British government appointed the Peel Commission to recommend a solution to
Jewish and Arab conflict in the area. The commission offered the Arabs 80% of the land. The
Arabs said, “No!”

2) In 1947, The United Nations approved a partition of the land into two states. The Jews
received 56%. Again, the Arabs said, “No!”

3) In 1967, after the Six Day War, the Jews offered to allow the Arabs to create a state that
would include Gaza and the West Bank. The Arab League responded with “The Three Nos” —
No peace with Israel. No recognition of Israel. No negotiation with Israel.

4) In 2000, the most liberal Prime Minister in Israel’s history, Ehud Barak, offered Yassir Arafat
the opportunity to create a state that would include Gaza, 94% of the West Bank and East
Jerusalem. The moderator of the conference, President Bill Clinton, said that all Arafat could
say from the beginning to the end of the negotiations was, “No!”

5) In 2008, Israel’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, offered Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the
PLO, the opportunity to create a state that included even more of the West Bank. Abbas said,
“No!”

With this history in mind, you can understand what Israel’s most famous diplomat, Abba Eban,
once said: “The Palestinians have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”

5) “Free Gaza!” This is another nonsensical slogan. Israel granted complete sovereignty to Gaza
in 2005, and did so at great social and financial cost. The Israeli army forcibly evicted 9,000 Jews
from their homes in 25 settlements and turned the entire area over to the Palestinians.
Jews had to blow up their synagogues to keep them from being desecrated by the Arabs. They
also had to dig up their cemeteries and move the bodies of their loved ones to keep the graves from
being desecrated. The removal cost the Israeli government $900 million. Further loses included $120
million in annual flower production and 15% of Israel’s agricultural exports, including 60% of its
tomato and herb exports. Also lost was 70% of Israel’s organic produce.

After Israel’s withdrawal, hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aide flowed into Gaza from
many nations, including the United States. This money was for humanitarian assistance and the
rebuilding of the area’s infrastructure, particularlyhospitals and schools. But when Hamas took over
in 2007, these donations were diverted to the purchase of military weapons and the construction of
over 300 miles of concrete tunnels for launching attacks into Israel.

The Palestinian people were left to scrape out a living as best they could while Hamas built up
its military with the intention of attacking Israel. Also, the Hamas leaders confiscated much of the
financial aide for themselves personally, using it to lives extravagant lives of leisure in the Arab
Emigrate of Qatar. It is estimated that the top leaders of Hamas have a combined worth of a
staggering $11 billion.

“Free Gaza” is an appropriate and true slogan only if it is referring to freeing Gaza from Hamas!

6) “Stop the Israeli Genocide!” This would be an appropriate slogan if it were addressed to Hamas
because the goal of Hamas is to destroy Israel and kill all its Jewish population. But the slogan is
greatly misdirected when aimed at Israel.

Israel’s desire is to live at peace with the Arabs. The only war Israel has ever started is the Six
Day War in 1967, and it did so because the surrounding Arab nations declared that they were going
to attack and annihilate the Jewish state. Israel decided its only hope for survival was a pre-emptive
attack.

The Israeli military has a long established reputation for being the most humane in the world.
When Israel goes to war, it always does everything possible to protect civilians. Israel drops leaflets,
makes phone calls and sends emails to announce targets so that civilians will have time to evacuate.
Also, Israel focuses its attacks on military targets and not civilians. Yes, mistakes sometimes occur,
but mistakes are not war crimes.

In stark contrast, Hamas uses its civilians as human shields. Thus, it launches rockets from the
roofs of hospital and schools, and when Israel announces targets, Hamas forces civilians to the target
areas so that they can use their dead bodies for propaganda purposes. As one expert has put it,
“Israel uses its military to protect its citizens whereas Hamas uses its citizens to protect its military.”
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has long summed up the situation in the Middle East
with these words: “If the Arabs were to disarm, there would be peace. If Israel were to disarm, we
would cease to exist.”

7) “Gas the Jews!” This slogan has actually been used by the Pro-Palestinian protesters. It is
nothing but a horrendous expression of naked Anti-Semitism. It is just one indication that the true
aim of the Palestinians is not to create another Palestinian state. No! The real aim is the annihilation
of Israel.

And when I refer to “another Palestinian state,” I mean that a Palestinian state already exists. It
is the state of Jordan. The state itself was carved out of the Palestinian province of the Ottoman
Empire, and one-half of its population if Palestinian.

Conclusion

The outbreak of massive, irrational Anti-Semitism worldwide is a supernatural event orches-
trated by Satan. He hates the Jewish people with a passion because they are God’s Chosen People
through whom God gave the Scriptures and the Messiah, Jesus. Satan also hates God’s promise to
bring a great remnant of the Jews to salvation through faith in Jesus (Isaiah 10:21-22, Zechariah
12:10 and Romans 9:27).

Satan’s determination to annihilate the Jews is what the Holocaust was all about. It is the reason
he will motivate the Antichrist to focus the second half of the Tribulation on picking up where Hitler
left off in ridding the world of the Jewish people.
But Satan will not succeed:

“He who touches Israel, touches the apple of God’s eye” (Zechariah 2:8).
“He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalm 121:4).
“In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a fiery laver among pieces of wood
and a fiery torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the
left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem will again be inhabited in its own
place — in Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:6).
“And it will be in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against
Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:9).

God has regathered the Jewish people to their homeland for a reason. He is going the bring the
whole world against them (Zechariah 12:3), not because He hates them, but because He loves them.
They have been a stubborn and stiff-necked people throughout their relationship with Him. When
in trouble in Old Testament times, they always turned to Egypt for help. In modern times, they have
relied on the United States. God has always wanted them to rely on Him.

In these end times, as the whole world turns against them, they will be forced to come to the end
of themselves, and in their desperation, they will turn to God for their help, and they will finally
accept His Son as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10).

What a day that will be! Jesus mentioned it when he rode into Jerusalem at the climax of His life.
He said He would not return to this earth until the Jewish people were willing to say, “Baruch Haba
B’shem Adonai,” meaning “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Maranatha! (1 Corinthians 16:22)

[Dr. Reagan earned a doctorate degree in International Law and Politics from the Fletcher School
of Law & Diplomacy, a school of international relations that is owned and operated by Tufts and
Harvard Universities. After a 20 year career teaching international politics at various universities,
he resigned his academic career in 1980 and established Lamb & Lion Ministries — a Bible
prophecy ministry that focuses on end time prophecies concerning the return of Jesus. In 2021, he
retired from the ministry after 41 years of service and has since focused on writing books about Bible prophecy.]

God Gathering Gog-Magog

Many times I’ve remarked, after being informed of one prophetic development or another, something like: “Well…what can we expect at this late hour of the age? It’s all coming together just like it should.”

That’s almost a too-casual look on my part at these things we see happening that prove the truth of God’s prophetic Word. I haven’t, in making such a statement, fully grasped in every instance what is taking place at this late hour. At least, yours truly has been occasionally lax in totally understanding what’s taking place, to some extent. So I’ll say here that it’s my faux pas, not yours, that should be addressed and corrected.

Bottom line of this self-critique is that things are taking place not by natural, prophetic selection—the evolving events that build upon one another by happenstance. These things are actually orchestrated by the very hand of the One who foretold the matters involved. God is in the Heaven-ordained process of pulling all things together for the wrap-up of this quickly fleeting Age of Grace. 

I could point to many areas that validate that this is taking place. However, one stands out profoundly.

The war Hamas started on October 7, which Israel is in the middle stages of finishing, seems to be the catalyst that’s galvanizing the final stage being set for the Gog-Magog battle (Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39). The Lord’s great hand of direction came starkly in view for me when the announcement that a minor player has just become part of the massive gathering of the major Gog-Magog players.

I don’t mean to trivialize that coming attack on God’s chosen people by likening it to a game of two teams opposing one another. Certainly that isn’t my intention. However, the whole of this thing called human creation and God’s dealing with us seems in some way to be a stupendous drama—a great play, that is, as the title of this article implies—directed by the very hand of God.

And what we see happening in and surrounding God’s chosen nation is unimpeachable proof, if we ever needed it, that He isn’t the existential God the agnostics claim, but a hands-on God beyond human comprehension.

And it isn’t the grand orchestration that so impresses me and any child of God. It is, rather, a more-or-less minor element He has just added to the drama He long ago told us about through Ezekiel that makes the goose bumps run up the back of the neck, because it shows just how very near we are to the finale of the great play that’s about to begin.

The “minor element” is the announcement given in the following news item:

MSN: Algerian parliament authorizes President Tebboune to support Gaza amid Israeli assaults

ALBAWABA- In a significant move, the Algerian Parliament has officially authorized President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to enter the conflict in support of Gaza, with a unanimous vote of 100/100.

This decision comes in response to the escalating Israeli massacres against the Palestinian population in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Algeria becomes the second Arab nation to declare official support for Palestine and to confront Israel. (“Algeria Votes to Go to War with Israel,” by CWR, November 3, 2023)

So why does this joining in by a minor Israel-hating, blood-vowed enemy invoke such a back-of-the-neck chill? The following helps us understand:

The key consideration is the content of Ezekiel 38 and 39. What features of these chapters indicate the timing of the invasion, its participants, and location?…

Magog occurs in the Old Testament on four occasions (Genesis 10:2; 1 Chronicles 1:5; Ezekiel 38:2; 39:6). It identifies a descendant of Japheth in the table of nations, which scholars trace to the ancient Scythians. These tribes lived in the region north of the Black Sea and some consider their territory stretched from Ukraine to Siberia. Further, Ezekiel describes Gog as “the prince of Rosh” (38:2, NASB), which also suggests a location in Russia, although the use of “Rosh” is debated…

Added to these are “Persia, Cush, and Put” (Ezekiel 38:5), as well as “Gomer and all his hordes” and “Beth-togarmah” (38:6). Persia is clearly modern Iran, another Islamic nation, whose name was changed to Iran in recent times. Cush and Put are more difficult to identify, as is Beth-togarmah. Scholars consider Cush is the nation of northern Sudan, an Islamic one, and Put is Libya, another Islamic (mainly Sunni) nation, and possibly includes Algeria and Tunisia because the ancient borders extended west beyond modern Libya. (“The Battle of Gog and Magog,” The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, https://www.foi.org/2021/12/10/the-battle-of-gog-and-magog/)

The fact that tiny Algeria—which is almost certainly a major constituent part of the ancient area known as “Put”—is now added to the jigsaw puzzle of the Gog-Magog invading horde shows that God’s great hand of control is at work. This confirms yet again that our Lord keeps every detail of His promises in every instance.

The detail we’re “looking up” for in particular is the Rapture of all believers in Jesus Christ. Here is how to be assured you will be a part of that tremendous rescue from this judgment-bound world.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)  

Ephesians 6:12 Cabal Clutching for Crisis

Have you noticed that the constant reminder about another pandemic being just around the corner has all but disappeared from the globalists’ mantra? Have you noticed that, in its place, a far greater “crisis” now dominates the hourly propaganda served up as news?

They still want us to get the ongoing vaccine boosters, etc., but now the much more immediate crisis is upon us, one that threatens instant death from nuclear holocaust rather than lingering death from advancing viruses.

Whereas an earlier president with a globalist mindset, Franklin D. Roosevelt, tried to calm fears of war with his famous words, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” the present regime seems to be doing all it can to instill fear. The current president continues to send massive amounts of US taxpayer dollars to those who refuse to negotiate for peace in Ukraine, while withholding sufficient funding for America’s staunchest ally, Israel, which faces threat of annihilation by surrounding enemies.

Both of this administration’s dealings with wars raging feed the growing fear that the world could soon suffer its third such global conflict. From the American perspective, it is prudent to consider whether this is because other crises—such as the fear of viral pandemics—aren’t doing the job. That is, the fear of another so-called pandemic just isn’t sufficient to achieve the globalists’ goal of absolute control.

This should be considered in light of the fact that the political party in power, dominated by the New World Order mindset of Ephesians 6:12, is facing the prospect of losing the 2024 presidential election. The president’s poll numbers are the lowest of any incumbent in many years of poll-taking. And any and all attempts to stir crisis that will change things for their cause just haven’t done the trick.

Call me an extreme cynic, but it seems that moving things to the point of World War III might be the ultimate crisis they sense could do the job of instilling fear sufficient to change polling prospects. That is, maybe the fear of a nuclear war might either make the crisis severe enough to change the voters’ minds or even to set aside the 2024 presidential election.

Now, I realize that powers and principalities of the Ephesians 6:12 sort are found within both—all—political entities. This is because the human minions within the cabal are driven by the “Lucifer Syndrome,” as I termed it in a recent commentary. The Lucifer Syndrome is the infection the human race, and particularly the powers that be, suffer from, as I wrote previously.

Iniquity runs rampant amongst the globalist, would-be gods—the human minions within the “powers and principalities” of Ephesians 6:12.

These, under Lucifer’s (Satan’s) guidance, are striving with all the wealth and power they have to usurp God’s authority. They’re attempting to change God’s order of things at every turn.

The following think-piece excerpt describes the Ephesians 6:12 clutching for a crisis that will, they believe, achieve the control they desire.

There is only one mechanism the cabal can deploy to control the masses, says Janet Ossebaard.  That mechanism is fear.  People who are scared can’t think clearly.

Having brought their covid series to an end, Fall of the Cabal’s Janet Ossebaard and Cyntha Koeter ask: What’s next? The answer is mayhem.  Total and utter mayhem.

In the latest in their series, Part 27, it’s time; they said, to meet the World Economic Forum (“WEF”), the biggest and most dangerous political non-governmental Organization (“NGO”) in the world.

“See how they infiltrated every aspect of society, putting their puppets in high places, brainwashing them with their training programs, and making sure the WEF’s wicked goals be implemented on a global scale. Their goals? The same as always: world dominance, a New World Order, depopulation of the masses, and the utter submission of the remaining useless eaters.” (“Fall of the Cabal: The World Economic Forum and the End of Homo Sapiens,” The Exposé, 11/1/2023)

While the Tribulation nears, look for the powers and principalities we struggle against to do whatever is necessary to create the crisis they sense they need to make humanity fearful enough to submit to their Luciferian control. But if you know Jesus Christ as Savior, there is no need to fear these satanic minions.

God’s wrath is about to begin falling upon this wicked world of rebels, and those who know the Lord for salvation are not appointed to God’s wrath (Revelation 3:10). We will be removed in the Rapture when Christ calls His own (all believers) to Himself.

Here yet again is how to be within that Rapture ark when Christ calls:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)

How Near Is the “Fullness of the Gentiles”?

During the course of my conversations with David Hitt, a close friend of many years, he interjected what I believe to be a most insightful consideration. His thinking involves the circumstances surrounding the Rapture, the restoration of Israel, and the possibility of the Rapture occurring during widespread devastation, perhaps a war—one like we see going on at present involving Israel and its hate-filled enemies.

The “fullness of the Gentiles” presented by Paul in Romans 11 has always been foremost in the minds of those who study from the pre-Trib view of Bible prophecy. What exactly does that phrase mean with regard to the time of the Rapture of the Church?

Here are David Hitt’s thoughts:

Isaiah 6 contains the well-known “Here I am.  Send me” passage in which Isaiah volunteers to convey God’s message to His people that they are hardened (deaf, blind, and without understanding).

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. (Isaiah 6:8–10)

God not only informs His people that they are hardened and that He is the one hardening them, but also that He has hardened them to delay their repenting and being healed.

In Matthew 13, when the disciples ask Jesus why He speaks “to them” in parables, He quotes from Isaiah 6:

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:” (Matthew 13:11–14)

In Acts 28, Paul also quotes Isaiah 6, reminding the local leaders of the Jews that they are hardened.

And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Acts 28:24–27)

Paul discloses for the first time a consequence of Israel’s hardening: the Gospel would be extended to the Gentiles:

Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. (Acts 28:28)

However, both of these quotes (Matthew 13 and Acts 28) from Isaiah 6 stop short. They only address God’s hardening of Israel. Returning to Isaiah 6, beginning in verse 11, the prophet then begs God for an answer, and God gives it to him:

Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate…” (Isaiah 6:11)

God will lift Israel’s partial hardening during or just after a widespread devastation. This may be a great war, even a nuclear war given the extent and degree of damage. However, it may also be a direct act of God.  Note that the cities and the houses need not be in “the land” (the Promised Land). They may be in the land or elsewhere.  God continues His answer in verse 12:

And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. (Isaiah 6:12)

God gives five conditions that exist just before his people spiritually awaken: (condition 1) cities lie waste without inhabitant; (condition 2) houses are without people; (condition 3) the land is a desolate waste; (condition 4) the Lord removes men (better rendered in the ESV as “people”) far away; and (condition 5) the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.

In the middle of describing utter devastation (conditions 1–3 and 5), God interjects an enigmatic condition 4: “and the Lord have removed people far away.” The Lord (in all caps) is Yahweh: the covenantal God, and thus the emphasis appears to be on the keeping of a covenant. “People” implies more than one people, i.e. Gentiles. This clause likely refers to the Rapture. Note that condition 5 mentions “forsaken places.” Being listed after condition 4, might God have forsaken them, the Rapture having happened? It’s an interesting thought.

The lack of an explanation for even 4, the Lord’s removal of people far away, makes it a mystery (something hidden).

Now, let’s look at Romans 11, in which Paul answers the question his earlier chapters begged: If Christ is the answer and the law is not, what about the Jews, to whom God had given the law? Has God turned His back on Israel?

I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. (Romans 11:1–4)

The answer is an emphatic “No!” God will save an elect remnant of Israel, and He will save them by grace, not the law. To keep the Gentiles from being feeling superior to the Jews, Paul goes on to say:

I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? (Romans 11:11–15)

Then, after describing how the holy firstfruits of lump of dough renders the whole lump holy, how a holy root can render the entire tree holy, and how branches may be cut off and grafted onto a tree and thereby become holy, Paul reveals a mystery in verse 25:

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.  (Romans 11:25)

The mystery Paul reveals is that the partial hardening of Israel’s elect will end when the “fulness of the Gentiles be (has) come in.”

So, let’s assemble what we have learned. Paul says in Romans 11:25 that Israel’s partial hardening will end when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  In Isaiah 6:11–12, God tells the prophet that He will end His hardening of His people proximate a widespread devastation, likely a great war or a direct act of God.  From these two statements, one concludes that the fullness of the Gentiles comes in on the precipice of or during a widespread devastation, after which God ends His partial hardening of Israel’s elect.

God has one last thing to say to Isaiah to answer his “How long, O Lord?” question:

But yet in [the land] shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. (Isaiah 6:13)

This speaks of Daniel’s Seventieth Week or the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, commonly called the Tribulation.  The stump (the believing remnant of Israel) connects the holy root (Jesus) to the branches (believers) of the pruned and grafted tree (the body of Christ).  Thus, Israel will be reawakened, after which will be Daniel’s Seventieth Week, which reiterates what we’ve already known: the Rapture precedes Daniel’s Seventieth Week, but perhaps in a time of great tumult, even war.  It won’t be the Tribulation, but many believers may think it is.

******

The time of “the fullness of the Gentiles” must be very near, thinking on the signals of Christ’s return flashing all at once during this generation. To be sure to go to Jesus when He calls in the Rapture, you must do the following:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10) 

An Open Letter to Those Who Have Been Taught That the Church Has Replaced Israel

Note: The following is a most relevant open letter which is important to all within the Body of Christ to read. Our prayer is that you will read carefully and understand God’s Holy View of Israel in these end times when the Jewish people are again beginning to suffer hatred throughout the world.

An Open Letter to Those Who Have Been Taught That the Church Has Replaced Israel

Dear Brother or Sister in Christ,

If you are a member of a Catholic or mainline denominational church, you have probably been taught something called replacement theology (and perhaps you don’t even know it has that name). Replacement theology leads those who have adopted it to believe that Israel is no longer God’s people and that the modern regathering of the Jews in their historical land is theologically meaningless. Please know this is an error, and I write this letter to alert you to it so you can study God’s Word and reach your own conclusion.

Replacement theology, sometimes called supersessionism or fulfillment theology, is a doctrine stating either that the Church took Israel’s place as God’s people when Israel rejected Jesus as its Messiah or that the “old” Israel was set aside in favor of a “new” Israel, the Church, upon Jesus’s first coming. No matter how it got there, the Church is now God’s people and the beneficiary of the promises God made Israel in the Old Testament. Consequently, Jacob’s blood descendants have no unique destiny, and modern Israel’s existence has no significance. Because replacement theology is often woven into otherwise sound teachings on redemptive history, many believers aren’t even aware that it is a separate doctrine with its own name. Nonetheless, replacement theology is enshrined in Catholic dogma and runs rampant in mainline denominations, even among those that otherwise take the Bible seriously.

Replacement theology raises troubling implications about God’s character, not the least of which are: if God revoked his promises to Israel, what keeps him from revoking them again, and does God really change not (as Malachi 3:6 says)? Many who have been taught replacement theology have not considered these implications. Perhaps you have, too, but have dismissed them out-of-hand or rationalized them away, possibly because they are too dreadful to imagine. Unfortunately, ignoring the implications does not make them go away.

Rather than addressing these (and other) broader implications, this letter will instead tackle the assumption that lies at the very heart of replacement theology: did Israel really forfeit its blessings? Did God really forsake or move past Israel? Fortunately, if you read the Bible without bias, it gives a clear answer.

One point is worth making before proceeding: I don’t have the ability or the moral duty to force you to reject replacement theology. Only the Holy Spirit can convict. All I can do is call relevant scripture to your attention and invite you to check it out yourself. That is what I will now do.

To keep this letter short and clear, I will rely only on two passages: Isaiah 6 and Romans 11. (If you are a Reformed believer, you tend to read Revelation figuratively, because you have been taught that it is “apocalyptic literature.” I will therefore deliberately avoid Revelation’s many passages affirming Israel’s destiny, knowing that you will be unwilling to read Isaiah and Romans figuratively.)  I will cite the King James Version, but any good version will do.

Isaiah 6 contains the well-known “Here I am. Send me” passage in which Isaiah volunteers to convey a message God has for his people:

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. (Isaiah 6:8-10)

God informs his people not only that they are hardened (deaf, blind and without understanding) and he is the one hardening them, but also that he has hardened them to delay their repenting and being healed. Note that God does not tell them why he wants a delay.

When the disciples ask Jesus why he speaks “to them” in parables in Matthew 13, he quotes this passage of Isaiah 6:

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:” (Matthew 13:11-14)

Paul also quotes this same passage of Isaiah 6 in Acts 28, reminding the local leaders of the Jews that they are hardened.

And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Acts 28:24-27)

Paul then discloses the reason why God hardened Israel, delaying its repenting and being healed:

Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. (Acts 28:28)

According to Paul, God hardened Israel so the Gospel could be taken to the Gentiles.

However, Isaiah 6 continues after the passage quoted in both Matthew 13 and Acts 28. God has more to say to Isaiah about his people. Returning to Isaiah 6, after hearing God’s decree against his people, the prophet begs God for an answer in verse 11, and God gives it to him:

Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate. And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in [the land] shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. (Isaiah 6:11-13)

God promises that he will lift Israel’s partial hardening during or just after a widespread devastation. This may be a great war, even a nuclear war given the extent and degree of damage. However, it may be a direct act of God, acting in wrath. Only he knows.

Why then did Jesus and Paul’s quotations from Isaiah 6 stop short of verses 11-13? The answer is that they were speaking in the First Century. Isaiah 6:11-13 would be fulfilled in the future. They were only talking about Israel’s hardened condition in those days, and not about when it would someday repent. Remember, Jesus was only answering a question from his disciples as  to why he was teaching in parables, and Paul was only making the case for taking the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Now, let’s look at Romans 11, in which Paul answers the question his earlier chapters in Romans begged: if Christ is the answer and the law is not, what about the Jews, to whom God had given the law? Has God turned his back on Israel?

I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. (Romans 11:1-4)

The answer is an emphatic “God forbid!” God will save an elect remnant of Israel, and God will save them by grace, not the law. To keep the Gentiles from being feeling superior to the Jews, Paul goes on to say:

I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? (Romans 11:11-15)

Then, after describing how the holy firstfruits of lump of dough renders the whole lump holy, how a holy root can render the entire tree holy, and how branches grafted onto a holy tree become holy, even branches that had previously been cut off, Paul reveals a mystery in verse 25:

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Romans 11:25)

Though he does not outright quote Isaiah 6:11-13, he affirms the promise God made in those verses to end Israel’s hardening. The mystery Paul reveals is that the partial hardening of Israel’s elect will end when the “fulness of the Gentiles be (has) come in.”

It is important to note that none of these passages are talking about the Church. God has never hardened the Church. He has only hardened Israel, and only temporarily, for the express purpose of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles and building a Church that encompasses all peoples, nations, and languages. This he did at Israel’s great expense, but he will resurrect and magnify Israel because of it. Consider the supreme irony: God hardened Israel to benefit the Gentiles, and so many churches have returned their thanks to Israel by teaching replacement theology.

God’s reply in Isaiah 6 and Paul’s teaching in Romans 11 raise two questions: when will this widespread devastation occur, and when will the fulness of the Gentiles come in? The Bible gives no clear answer; God wants us to depend on him alone for the timing.

However, we can be sure of this – God will restore the elect of his people Israel. That unambiguous Biblical truth, stated explicitly both to Israel in the Old Testament and the Gentiles of the Church in the New Testament, exposes replacement theology as bad doctrine. Now it’s up to the Holy Spirit and informed believers to purge the Church of this sad error.

If replacement theology now troubles you as much as it does me, please do me a favor. Consider giving a copy of this letter to a brother or sister who has been mistaught. You will be helping them and doing a good work for God’s kingdom.

Anti-Semitism and the Fig Tree

The chants ring ominously from college students on the East Coast: “There is no place to hide; Israel is committing genocide.”

College students on the West Coast shout in unison: “There is no place to hide; we want Jewish genocide.”

These and variations of anti-Semitic chanting, obviously orchestrated and coordinated, are increasing throughout colleges and universities across the United States. The attacks unleashed against Israel on October 7 have seemingly unleashed hatred reminiscent of 1939 Nazi Germany.

Students in the East Coast incident above were attacking a college library where Jewish students were hiding in fear, while violent banging on locked doors was accompanied by the above choruses and the further demand: “Let us in! Let us in!”

One young Jewish woman stated that she was told by those at her university—by a professor, I take it—that she should take off all of her jewelry with Jewish symbolism. Anything—like the Star of David—that would mark her as a Jew shouldn’t be worn so the pro-Palestinian protesters wouldn’t be triggered.

Another young woman said she was told by a college official that she should perhaps go into the attic while the pro-Palestinian mob was ranting, trying to get into the library. The girl asked why she, in the United States of America, should have to hide in an attic rather than be totally safe in a room with windows and the freedom to move about unafraid.

The library in question is now disdainfully being called the Anne Frank Library—referring, of course, to the young girl who hid from the Nazis during the persecution of the Jews in Germany during Hitler’s regime.

We who have studied Bible prophecy over many years have understood that Israel is destined to be at the center of the wrap-up of human history while Christ’s Second Advent approaches. As a matter of fact, a good number of us—despite the objections of many in seminaries who see no relationship of Israel to the fig tree parable—have concluded that Jesus’ Olivet Discourse prophecy concerning the fig tree is significant in framing the general time when we will recognize the nearness of His Second Coming.

Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matthew 24:32–35)

The fig tree in Jesus’ parables is considered by many to represent the nation Israel. I believe this is especially true in the case of the Matthew 24 Olivet Discourse reference. And, like the Lord said, we should recognize how near He is to returning; He is right at the door when we see these things come to pass.

Jesus earlier said in that same discourse:

When you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your head, for your redemption draws near. (Luke 21:28)

We’ve gone over time after time all the things Jesus was predicting for the very end of the Church Age. And here He talks about the chief sign of them all: the fig tree—the nation Israel—being front and center when all these things take place.

I previously posted an article titled “The Zechariah Effect.” The prophet said Israel would become “a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone” to all the nations of earth. There is no doubt in the mind of anyone who hasn’t been deliberately hiding from today’s news that Israel and anti-Semitism are dominating all news media. The mainstream forums—i.e., The New York Times, Washington Post, CBS, NBC, ABC, etc.—are mostly calling for Israel to back off from punishing the Hamas in Gaza. They are most generally calling for a ceasefire of some sort. Absent from their reports is much about the bloody atrocities inflicted by Hamas upon innocent Israelis and even visitors from America and other countries.

The following puts into vivid perspective how quickly things are shaping up to produce that “Zechariah effect.”

Since Hamas initiated a brutal and barbaric terrorist attack against Israel and the Jewish people on October 7th, many Americans—Jewish and not—have mourned alongside the world’s only Jewish state and have understood the necessity of a swift and decisive military counterattack. But in the green quads and ivory towers of American academia, a very different reaction has been brewing. For the past two decades, the David Horowitz Freedom Center has shone a rare spotlight on the genocidal Jew hatred emanating from our college campuses. Student organizations like the Hamas-funded and Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Students for Justice in Palestine have infiltrated our universities and turned them training grounds for the next generation of jihadists. In the wake of Hamas’s barbarism, its slaughter and mutilation of innocent Jews, its campaign of rape and torture and beheading, we can now bear witness to the effects that two decades of Jew-hating pro-terror propaganda have wrought in our institutions of higher learning.

At Harvard, arguably America’s most prestigious university, over 30 student organizations signed onto a statement declaring that they “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.”

Not to be outdone by Harvard, the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Brown University released its own statement (co-signed by the Graduate Labor Organization and Teaching Assistant Labor Organization, as well as 25 additional organizations) stating that: “We, the undersigned, hold the Israeli regime and its allies unequivocally responsible for all suffering and loss of life, Palestinian or Israeli.”

At Cornell University, SJP held a rally to “Stop Israel’s Annihilation of Gaza.” History Professor Russell Rickford who spoke at the rally declared Hamas’s barbaric attack which included the rape of women, the beheading of babies, and the deaths of entire families as “exhilarating.” (“Universities Celebrate the Mass Murder of Jews-American Academia Has Descended into Barbarism,” Sara Dogan, Frontpage, October 26, 2023)

My good friend, James Michael Hile, summed up exactly where all this is showing we stand on God’s prophetic timeline:

After observing the coming to life of “the fig tree and all the trees” after World War II and during the second half of the 20th century (1950-2000), we can be assured, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the events that take place just before Jesus’ return are nearing fulfillment. This means His coming is “near, right at the door.”

According to Jesus’ words, when “the fig tree and all the trees” put forth leaves (come alive), we are to absolutely and confidently “know” the Kingdom of God is near, and the generation that is living at that time “will not pass away until all is fulfilled.” The preponderance of scriptural and global evidence is overwhelming that we are the generation Jesus was talking about. (“The Mysterious Prophecy of the Trees,” Michael Hile, https://www.raptureready.com/2023/07/12/the-mysterious-prophecy-of-the-trees-by-michael-hile/ )

Who is the Eighth Kingdom in the “End Times?” The Rise of the Four Great Beasts – By Michael Hile

The desire of some in authority to control the people, property, prosperity, piety, public and private behavior of others has been the goal of many kings, dictators and despots for millennia; at least since the ill-fated tower of Babel was built by Nimrod (Gen. 11:1-9).  The interest in a global government accelerated after World Wars I & II and especially after the first half of the 20th century (1950-present), with many nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) becoming active.

One of those organizations, the Club of Rome, was formed in 1968 and, a few years later in 1973, they released a report revealing their goal of dividing the world into ten political/economic regions that would bring the entire world under a single form of government, aptly called a “New World Order.” [1]

The 10 regions are: North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Rest of Developed World, Latin America, Middle East, Rest of Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and China. The same plan was included in a book published by the Club of Rome called Mankind at the Turning Point. [2]

The interesting point about the Club of Rome’s proposal, is that the books of Daniel and Revelation tell us that the final gentile kingdoms before Christ’s return (seventh and eighth) will be a global form of government that will initially have 10 kings (10 horns) (Dan. 7:7, 23-24; Rev. 17:10-11).  Ironically, these 10 kings, at their beginning, will not have kingdoms (Rev. 17:12) but may be responsible for 10 regions on the earth; perhaps like the 10 regions in the Club of Rome’s proposal.

The Four Great Beasts in Daniel

Daniel, in his dream and visions, during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar (553 B.C.), described four great beasts (kingdoms) that will be present during the “end times” (Dan. 7:4-7, 11-12, 23-24).

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.  And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.  The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings.”

“I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.  “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it”

“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns” (Dan. 7:1-7).

One reason we know the four great beasts (Dan. 7:4-7) will be active during the 7-year tribulation (Dan. 9:27) is their presence (leopard, bear and lion) when the kingdom of Antichrist rises to power (Rev 13:1-8).  Another reason the four beasts will be present in the “end times” is because they will all be judged on the earth by the Ancient of Days immediately after the tribulation (Dan. 7:9-12; Matt. 24:29-31).

The Precursor of Global Government

Daniel’s vision of these last two gentile kingdoms (seventh and eighth) before Christ’s return is initially portrayed as a fourth beast (Dan. 7:7), which is also the seventh king (kingdom) mentioned in Rev. 17:10.  The eighth king (beast, Antichrist) will rise to power soon after the seventh king (kingdom) becomes established (Rev. 13:1-8, 17:10-11). The words “king” and “kingdom” are used interchangeably since the two terms are interconnected.

The fourth beast (kingdom) described in Daniel 7:7 with “10 horns” and the “composite beast” (kingdom) pictured in Revelation 13:1-2 with “7 heads and 10 horns” will be the two final global kingdoms (seventh and eighth) that rule the earth during “the time of the end” (Dan. 12:4-10). The word “composite” refers to having “distinct parts.”

The coming world government (seventh) that is being planned by the global elite is forecast to be in place by the year 2030; however, the Covid-19 crisis accelerated the process so that the globalists may only be a few months or years away from beginning to achieve their dreams.  The United Nations has stealthily revealed their plans on their web site that is called “The Sustainable Development Agenda.”

“The “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDG) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.”  [3]

The World Health Organization (WHO) may play a major role in development of the ten regions by using health as a global justification for imposing laws, rules and guidelines on the citizens of the world.  [4] The World Economic Forum (WEF) with its “Young Global Leaders” program is also playing a big part in the move towards globalism by embracing health and environmental issues as reasons to justify control of the world’s population. [5]

The First Phase of Global Government

The first phase of global government, which may soon be coming on the earth, is described in Daniel’s dream and visions that he had over 2500 years ago (Dan. 7:1-28). It is depicted as a fourth beast that would come forth out of “the great sea,” and it would end up controlling the whole world (Dan. 7:7, 23).  This fourth beast kingdom is also the same as the seventh king (kingdom) mentioned in Rev. 17:10.  The fourth beast kingdom will be a dystopian type of society with a totalitarian form of government, and it will have 10 horns (i.e.10 kings) (Dan. 7:23-24).

“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns” (Dan. 7:7).

Different names have been given to the movement towards global government that we see developing today.  One of the most prevalent names is the “New World Order”  The fourth beast kingdom, after it becomes operational, will end up dominating the whole world. Soon after the 10 horns (kings), which may represent 10 regions on the earth, gain control of the earth, another little horn (prince) will rise to power and conquer 3 of the 10 kings.

“Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings” (Dan. 7:23-24

The fourth beast kingdom, which is the same as the seventh king (kingdom) in Rev. 17:10, appears to be in its rudimentary form today.  The European Union (EU) is already fully functional, and plans are in the works for a North American region, South American region, etc.   The “Declaration of North America” (DNA) signed on January 10, 2023 is a preliminary document that facilitates increased cooperation between Canada, the United States and Mexico. [6] [7]

The fourth beast kingdom, alluded to in Daniel, will be world-wide in scope and may be similar to the 10 geographic divisions recommended by the Club of Rome. Some countries, such as Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and others may not cooperate with the globalist plan. When the “New World Order” becomes operational, it will probably be controlled by a coalition and consensus of the global elite.

Some of these Globalist organizations are the United Nations , UN; World Economic Forum, WEF; International Monetary Fund, IMF; Council on Foreign Relations, CFR; Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Trilateral Commission, TC; World Health Organization, WHO; Club of Rome; Bohemian Grove and Bilderberg Group.

The next phase of globalism requires the merger of the first three beasts (lion, bear and leopard) (Dan. 7:4-6) with the fourth beast (Dan. 7:7) which has 10 horns (10 kings).  This merger of the first three beasts (lion, bear and leopard) with the fourth beast will produce the “composite beast” that is “like a leopard” with “the feet of a bear” and “the mouth of a lion” that has “seven heads and ten horns” (Rev. 13:1-2).

The “Four Great Beasts” merge to become the “Composite Beast”

After the first phase of global government (seventh kingdom) is put in place, it will be operational for a short period of time (Rev. 17:10) before it transitions into the final gentile kingdom (eighth) that will rule the world before Christ returns and sets up his Millennial Kingdom for 1000 years (Dan. 2:34-35, 41-45, 7:19-27; Rev. 13:1-18, 17:11-14, 19:11-21, 20:4).

We know from Daniel’s dream that all four great beasts will be present in the “end times” when they are judged by the “Ancient of Days,” immediately after the tribulation (Dan. 7:9-12, 22, 26-27; Matt. 24:29; Rev. 19:19-20).

In some mysterious way, the fourth beast of the “end times” in Daniel 7:7 will need to morph into the “composite beast” of the “end times” described in Revelation 13:1-2, that John saw “rising up out of the sea.”

How does the fourth beast in Daniel’s prophecy with 10 horns (10 kings), but no head attributed to it, morph into the “composite beast” in Revelation which has seven heads?  Perhaps the solution to this mystery is that the “composite beast” described in Revelation 13:1-2 having seven heads, ten horns and ten crowns is a more advanced form of the fourth beast kingdom that is described in Daniel 7:7.

In order to get “seven heads and ten horns,” like the “composite beast” in Rev. 13:1-2, the heads of the lion, bear and leopard (Dan. 7:4-6) must be merged into the fourth beast (Dan. 7:7).  If you add up all the heads from the lion, bear and leopard (plus the four additional heads of the leopard), and they are merged with the fourth beast (Dan. 7:7), the fourth beast now has “seven heads and ten horns” which is the same as the ‘end times” “composite beast” found in Rev. 13:1-2 and the “scarlet beast” described in Rev. 17:1-7.

The Second Phase of Global Government

As mentioned earlier, the fourth beast kingdom in Dan. 7:7, that has 10 horns (10 kings) but no heads, is the first phase of global government on the earth (seventh kingdom) that will have 10 kings (regional leaders), but they will not rule over any kingdoms (Dan. 7:23-24; Rev. 17:12).  This world-wide global government that does not have a head (no single leader), will be a loosely held coalition of global leaders that will be given limited authority by the global elite.

After the initial phase of global government that has 10 kings is established (fourth beast, seventh king) (Dan. 7:7; Rev. 17:10), the next phase of globalism will involve the merger of the first three beasts (Dan. 7:4-6) in Daniel’s dream and visions (lion, bear and leopard) into the fourth beast that has 10 horns (10 kings) (Dan. 7:7). The second phase of global government, that John saw on the island of Patmos over 600 years after Daniel’s dream, will be a more advanced form of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:7.  It is described in Rev. 13:1-2 as a “composite beast” that has “seven heads and 10 horns.”

“Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 

Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority” (Rev. 13:1-2).

After the seventh kingdom (New World Order) is put in place by the global elite, the eighth kingdom, which will be ruled over by Antichrist, will rise to power and will take control of the seventh kingdom (10 horns, 10 kings) (Dan. 7:7-8, 19-21, 23-25; Rev. 13:1-18).  The “composite beast” in Rev. 13:1-2 which is controlled by Antichrist, is also the same as the eighth king (kingdom) mentioned in Rev. 17:11.

The ten horns that have received no kingdom will receive power as kings for “one hour” with the beast. Perhaps the mention of the 10 crowns in Rev. 13:1 symbolizes the temporary period of time the beast (Antichrist) gives the 10 kings power for “one hour.”  Whether “one hour” is literal or not, it probably represents a short period of time.

“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast (Rev. 17:12-13).

Around the middle of the seven-year tribulation, the eighth kingdom controlled by the Antichrist, will impose his will upon the whole world.  The Antichrist will then exercise his authority for the next 3 and ½ years (Matt. 24:15-22; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 13:3-18, 17:10-14).  After the tribulation has ended, the Antichrist and his armies will assemble in “the place called in Hebrew,  Armageddon,” in the land of Israel in order to fight against the Lord God Almighty (Matt. 24:27-31; Rev. 1:8, 16:16).

These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:12-14).

All four beasts will be judged after the 7-year tribulation, and the beast and false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.  Ironically, the fourth beast (Antichrist) will be judged before the first three beasts (leopard, bear and lion).  The first three beasts will lose their dominion (authority, power and territory); however, their lives will be extended “for a season and a time” (Dan. 7:9-12, 22, 26-27)

“And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Rev. 19:19-21).

The Time to Prepare for the Future is Now

Although it may appear that the forces of evil are winning today and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future, we have read the back of the Book (Bible), and we know who wins in the end!   After the 7-year tribulation has concluded, the Lord will return with His armies (saints and angels) to judge the four great beasts and the enemies of God, before establishing his eternal kingdom which will last for 1000 years (Millennium) (Dan. 7:9-12, 26-27; Rev. 19:19-20, 20:4).

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses” (Rev. 19:11-14). 

As believers and followers of Christ, what should be our priorities in the coming days as we see many of the “end times” prophecies starting to converge in our generation?

Bible prophecy was not given to “scare us” as some may believe.  Rather; Bible prophecy was given to “prepare us” for what is coming in the future. Bible prophecy also testifies to the sovereignty of God, who knows everything (omniscient); even the future (Isaiah 46:9-10).

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:23-25).

It is important not only to run the race but also finish the race in good standing with the Lord so he will say to each of us: “Well done, good and faithful servant…” (Matt. 25:14-30).

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1-2).

Jesus told His disciples that the judgments coming on the earth would happen suddenly, like a trap that closes quickly on its prey.  He predicted that many would be caught off-guard, and cautioned them not to be distracted by overindulgence, desires of the flesh and the daily cares of this life (worldly pleasures). Jesus’ advice to the terminal generation living at the close of this age was to watch for “the signs of the times” pointing to His return and pray that we would be “kept from the hour of Temptation” that would “come upon all the world” (Rev. 3:10).

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36).

                                                                   ♦♦♦                                                                                                 Endnotes:

[1] The Club of Rome—Committee of 300, https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/esp_sociopol_clubrome09.htm

[2] 10 Kingdoms – The Abolition of Sovereignty, https://www.discerningtheworld.com/2012/01/31/10-kingdoms-the-abolition-of-sovereignty/

[3] The Sustainable Development Agenda, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda/

[4] World Health Organization, Dates of constitutional meetings, https://apps.who.int/gb/gov/en/dates-of-meetings-eb_en.html

[5]  How can workplace health equity lead to a fair and just society? , https://www.weforum.org/

[6] The White House ,  Declaration of North America (DNA), January 10, 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20230111030619/https:/www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/10/declaration-of-north-america-dna/

[7] Key Deliverables for the 2023 North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS), January 10, 2023,

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/10/fact-sheet-key-deliverables-for-the-2023-north-american-leaders-summit/

(Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures are from the New King James Version—NKJV)

The End Is Not Yet

“World War III has begun.”

I’ve heard this statement from many sources lately—a good number of them have come from secular pundits like radio talk-show hosts and news commentary panelists. However, more and more, such declarations are coming from Christians who look at the issues and events of the day in light of Bible prophecy.

Indeed, things popping in the Middle East are more than enough to cause the entire world’s population to become angst-ridden. It does look as if the genie’s bottle of global war might have been uncorked.

Again, it isn’t the secular news commentators who elicit my interest in the World War III talk. It is the growing number of declarations by the Bible prophecy watchers that draws my attention.

And I mean no disrespect to or undue criticism of the writers, speakers, and broadcasters of Bible prophecy who are ratcheting up WW III talk. They’re my colleagues and brothers in Christ–even though we may disagree on some aspects of prophecy yet future, such as whether the Rapture will be pre-Tribulation or whether the Rapture will in fact occur at all. (I like to appropriate ol’ Dr. J Vernon McGee’s apothegm in those cases: “They have a right to be wrong. But if they want to be right, they should come along with me.”) 

Better put, that great preacher declared they should come along with the Bible’s take on the issues. And that take is that a Rapture is coming–before the Tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week) that leads to all-out global destruction, culminating in that greatest of all conflicts, Armageddon.

That the WW III talk among communicators within the Bible prophecy community is ramping up can be seen in the following excerpt taken from a well-known contemporary writer:

Right now, we are all witnessing some of the most pivotal moments in all of human history.  For a long time, I warned my readers that a great war would be coming to the Middle East.  In fact, I specifically warned that it would be one of “the 3 wars of the apocalypse”.  I didn’t expect the Great Middle East War to arrive quite so quickly, but here we are.  Once thousands of missiles start flying back and forth, none of our lives will ever be the same again.  We are literally watching an apocalyptic scenario play out right in front of our eyes, and it is all going to begin once Israeli forces move into Gaza…

So here we go.

This is it…

Sadly, there is no way out now.

The clock is ticking, and the Middle East will soon erupt in flames…

We knew that this was coming.

Now it is here.

But even at this late stage, most of the world still has no idea what is coming next… (“Here We Go – The IDF Is Given the “Green Light” as U.S. Forces in the Middle East Come under Fire,” by Michael, October 19, 2023, Rapture Ready News)

The writer does a stellar job of filling in reportorial elements making up his apocalyptic view that there is now no way out. He presents important news of prophetic interest taking place. His reporting on what’s been happening in the conflict surrounding Israel is on the money. He is a very good reporter on things important to the stage being set for fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

I disagree totally with his assessment that there’s no way out, but do agree with his statement: “But even at this late stage, most of the world still has no idea what is coming next.”

My disagreement with his assessment in its totality is based upon the biblical truth that we know this isn’t the time of all-out war on earth, because Jesus foretold:

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (Matthew 24:6)

The Lord then went on to tell about all that must happen up to and including humankind’s final war. He, in His ascended glory, filled out the conclusion, then, by giving John, His beloved disciple and the writer of Revelation, the full scope of the wrap-up of human history.

Most folks absolutely do not know what is coming next, as the writer says. That includes believers (true Christians) who never consider God’s rescue plan for them. That also includes the writer of the above article, who denies the biblical truth of the pre-Trib Rapture. He believes, according to all I’ve learned from his writing, that believers will go through those seven years of horror.

So, while prospects for war are daunting, as we scan the future landscape, we can be assured that “the end is not yet.” We are, in fact, looking directly into the future with Christ’s Words: “Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of war.” With the murderous wars in Ukraine, the bloody war in the Middle East, and the rumors of World War III front and center, proof abounds of where we stand on God’s prophetic timeline.

Yet, again, “the end is not yet.” The Holy Spirit is still in God’s business of restraining the evil intents of Satan and humankind.

Those who study and believe God’s Word–His entire Word—know what is coming next: the Rapture. We know this, because we are not appointed to wrath (Revelation 3:10). And the seven years of Tribulation will be God’s wrath poured upon a rebellious, anti-God world of earth dwellers. World War III is indeed going to happen as part of that judgment and wrath.

Be Rapture Ready so that you won’t experience even one moment of that terrible time.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)