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Prophecy
Understanding Bible Prophecies can be quite overwhelming and confusing to read through, especially because of the way in which they were written, using vivid, symbolic, expressive terms that instil futuristic imagery into the minds and thoughts of readers. Deciphering these prophecies can reflect varying plausible scenarios that the specific nature of the prophecy cannot be undeniably or conclusively derived. The resultant effect is that there are many interpretations of these predictions circulating the world over across the media spectrum, often being positioned as the definitive truth, but the final meaning is not likely to be 100% accurately predicted by humans.
The purpose of prophecy is to inspire hope, to change people’s mindsets and to warn of potential consequences if the trajectory of worldwide human behaviour deviates from God’s instruction for us all to love one another, to be honourable, compassionate, trustworthy, forgiving, to be spiritually minded, not to sin, to worship and pray to God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. However, history has shown us that humans are frequently susceptible to doing the wrong thing, behaving badly, pursuing other beliefs, often dedicating most of their time to worldly pursuits instead of submitting themselves to God in prayer, in their thoughts and in their actions.
Definition
A prophecy is a message inspired by God, a divine revelation transmitted to a select few individuals and Prophets in written form or by way of verbal repetition through successive generations. The Bible says that prophets “spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20, 21).
God uses several methods to transmit his thoughts to his prophets, one of which is Visions, which were sometimes given whilst the Prophet was awake and fully conscious. (Isaiah 1:1; Habakkuk 1:1) Some were so vivid that the recipient participated in them. (Luke 9:28-36; Revelation 1:10-17). At other times, visions were conveyed while the recipient was in a trance (Acts 10:10, 11; 22:17-21) God also transmitted his message by dreams while the prophet slept. (Daniel 7:1; Acts 16:9, 10). Another method was through mental guidance, whereby God influenced the thoughts of his prophets to convey his message. This is the essence of the Bible’s message: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3: 16-17 NKJV).
Different Types of Prophecy
Judeo Christian Bible scholars have determined that there are two kinds of prophecy, namely, Historicism and Futurism. Historicism prophecy commonly deals with past events, whilst Futurism (Apocalyptic) prophecy, focuses on the end of human history as we know it, which deals with events into the future, especially in regard to the second arrival of Jesus Christ which is featured as a repetitive theme of this type of prophecy in the Book of Revelation.
Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which the prophecy was fulfilled, which is similar to the process used widely in philosophy, anthropology, and sociology. In essence, the historical approach involves asking questions such as ‘where did this come from?’ and ‘what factors led up to its existence?’ in effect, assigning a high degree of focus on the role of process and eventuality. In Christian eschatology (theology concerned with the final events of humankind), historicism is a method of interpretation of biblical prophecies which associates symbols with historical persons, nations and events. Bible scholars have applied Historicist methods to ancient Jewish history, the Roman Empire, Islam, the Papacy, the Modern era and to the End Times.
The Futurist/Apocalyptic view has been growing in popularity since the 19th century and interprets portions of the Book of Revelation, the Book of Ezekiel, and the Book of Daniel as future events in a literal, physical, apocalyptic, and global context, currently followed by millions of Christians and U.S. Evangelicals, however is generally rejected by Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Lutherans, and Reformed Christians. These interpretations generally predict a resurrection of the dead and a rapture of the living, wherein all true Christians are gathered to Christ prior to the time God’s Kingdom arrives on earth. They also believe a tribulation will occur, which is a 7 year period of time when believers will experience worldwide persecution and martyrdom, but within this context, they differ on when believers will be raptured, showing that there are three alternate views: 1) before the tribulation; 2) near or at the midpoint of the tribulation; or 3) at the end of the tribulation.
Futurist/Apocalyptic prophecy is identifiable by a number of characteristics:
- There is a more intense use of symbols
- There is a more frequent reference to visions than in historic prophecy
- It originally dealt with the distant future which is now being identified as the ‘near future’
- Prophets frequently mention an interpreting angel who helps them understand the message received
- There is often intense contrast between good and evil, sometimes symbolised by light and darkness as is evidenced in the Book of Revelation’s description of the great divide between Jesus Christ and Satan.
Scripture & the Holy Bible
Whilst the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, it later transitioned to Aramaic whereas the New Testament was written in Greek and later progressed to Latin. As other languages became more prevalent, the demand and necessity for additional versions of the Bible grew. The Old Testament Bible has been translated 700 times whilst the New Testament has been translated into 1,549 of the cumulative world estimate of 6,900+ languages and dialects combined. The first English translation of the Bible was hand written by an Oxford Professor and Theologian in the 1380’s and since then an additional 104 versions have been released, ranging from Old, Middle to Modern English.
Depending on which version of the many Bible translations currently in circulation around the world being read by believers, theologians, scholars and people searching for answers, there are many instances where word substitutions and changes to the written terms of reference are invariably influencing differing interpretations and meanings. Each new release, intended to translate into the vernacular (languages and dialects) spoken and read by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region, into associative words that they are likely to understand, in many instances, is a deviation from the original intended meaning that generates varying interpretations.
Example:
Through the passage of time, over centuries, several English words mean differently today than what they meant 500 years ago. The King James Version Bible quotes Jesus, saying the following words: “Suffer the children come unto me.” (Mark 10: 14 KJV). In the 17th Century, when this version of the Bible was written, the word ‘suffer’ meant ‘permit’ or ‘allow’. Many present-day readers do not know this fact because the word ‘suffer’ has a different meaning today. This is just one example of many other words included in the bible that require contextual interpretation to convey the intended modern meaning.
The constant discovery of new manuscripts called for new bible translations, so when the King James Version was first translated in early 1611, only a few Greek manuscripts were accessible to use in the New Testament’s Translation, but by 1881, approximately 1,500 known Greek Manuscripts had been identified with just over 100 that had been written on ancient papyrus (paper). All of the bible translations made before 1947 did not use the Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts, so the Bible had to be translated again to further expand on the ancient scripture that had been discovered.
The Purpose of Prophecy
To help us understand and prepare for the future with the aid of ‘some’ details about what to look for as time goes on.
Many of the most famous Bible prophecies, such as those included in the Book of Daniel and Revelation, predict the progression of power from one nation to another and also include some details about how that progression affects people’s lives. These prophecies are typically the ones written with figurative language, then I saw a second beast coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.” (Revelation 13:11, NIV). As we acknowledge the use of symbolism, we infer that this beast represents a mighty person or nation. It appears as a lamb, loyal and placid but it speaks aggressively, like a “dragon”, inferring that it might look like our saviour Jesus Christ (“Lamb of God”) but it won’t speak peacefully and lovingly like Jesus did, suggesting that its intention is to deceive humanity.
The “Lamb of God”, is a reference to the only Son of God, Jesus Christ, who became the perfect sacrifice to die in our place on the cross. Jesus was perfect and without blemish in the sight of God and thus was able to take away the Sins of the world because Sin requires a perfect sacrifice, and Jesus, who was without Sin, became the sacrificial ‘Lamb’ to free us from the Control of Sin. It is by the blood of Jesus Christ that we have been set free. It’s the use of expressive language and symbolic messages than can endure through the test of time, over many centuries and still convey ‘some’ understanding of what the future holds for us, therein helping us in our spiritual growth. Rather than being told exactly which person was going to do what and when, figurative imagery conveys a bigger picture.
Prophecy Fulfilled
About a quarter of the Bible was prophecy when it was originally written, and approximately half all prophecies have already been fulfilled with Jesus having verified over 300 hundred prophecies during his life on earth, 33 of which were prophesies being realised in the 24 hours before he was crucified. The probability of that happening by chance is mathematically infinitesimal but defined as a Decillion Quintilliard or 10 to the power of 33.
Jesus Christ is the subject and goal of a majority of the prophecy throughout the Old and New Testaments. He was what inspired the prophets through the centuries to testify beforehand of the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of our Saviour. The 8 examples below represent just a tiny fraction of the significant number included in Bible scripture that are intended to provide an insight into the accuracy of fulfilled prophecies.
Prophecy 1
Jesus prophesied (approximately 2,000 years ago) that the Gentiles (a word that refers to non-Jews) would trample upon Jerusalem until the end times. So when Jesus gave this prophecy during the first century of this era, the Jewish people had considerable control over the city of Jerusalem, even though they were forcibly interwoven into the Roman Empire, they were afforded the freedom of having a Temple in Jerusalem allowing them to practice their religious beliefs. About 40 years after Jesus’ prophecy, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and forced the Jewish people into exile. Source: King James Version Bible, New Testament, Book of Luke 21:24. 14 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Prophecy 2
This was written approximately 600BC where the prophet Isaiah addresses the ‘House of David’, meaning the family and descendants of King David, and speaks of a virgin being pregnant and giving birth to a son. Isaiah says this in the context of it being a sign from God. He also says that the child would be referred to as “Immanuel”, which means, “God with us”. Source: King James Version Bible, Old Testament, Book of Isaiah 7:14 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Prophecy 3
Was written in the 8th Century BC includes a prophecy revealing that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah. This prophecy is specific in that it very clearly states the town and locality whilst eliminating all others throughout the world as a place in which the Messiah would be born. It narrows all possibilities to one tiny village just south of Jerusalem. Throughout the span of the past 27 centuries, from the days of the prophet Micah up through to the present time, Bethlehem is credited as being the birthplace for just one person who is widely known throughout the world as Jesus Christ. Source: King James Version Bible, Old Testament, Book of Micah 5:22 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
Prophecy 4
Around 700BC, the prophecy written by Isiah about a servant of God who endures abuse at the hands of sinful people. This servant offers his back to those who beat him, his face to those who rip out his beard, and himself to those who mock and taunt him. This prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus Christ, who lived about 700 years after Isaiah. As written in the New Testament (approximately 32 AD), Jesus was beaten, mocked and taunted shortly before his crucifixion by the Romans. In Matthew 26:67 it states that they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?” Source: King James Version Bible, Old Testament, Book of Isiah 50:67 67 “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands” 68 “Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?”
Prophecy 5
Written about 700BC and fulfilled around 32 AD, states that God’s servant, Jesus Christ, would be accused and that he would remain silent before his accusers, like a lamb being led to slaughter and did not protest the accusations or attempt to defend himself in any way. Jesus was crucified by the Romans a short time later, being punished for the Sins of others, so that we could be forgiven through his wounds and ultimate death. As explained in the New Testament, such as in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus was crucified for our sins, and he was sinless. Christians understand that this ultimate sacrifice, redeemed us all from Sin in the same way that lambs and other animals were once sacrificed as a symbolic way of cleansing before God. All of us can be accepted into the Kingdom of God, as though we were sinless, if we accept Jesus as our saviour. Source: King James Version Bible, Old Testament, Book of Isiah 53:7
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Prophecy 6
Isaiah, who lived about 2700 years ago, prophesied that there would come a time when God would arrive and heal the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, the mobility of the lame, and the voice of the mute. Jesus did each of these things in a spiritual sense, in offering truth and salvation, and in a literal sense by performing miracles of healing, fulfilling this prophecy around 28 AD. Source: King James Version Bible, Old Testament, Book of Isiah 35:4-6 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.
Prophecy 7
Written in the first century AD, these passages listed below, speak of Jesus Christ, the anointed one who preaches the good news to the poor, frees the people who are imprisoned, heals the blind and releases the oppressed, where in passage 21 Jesus relates the bible passages of Isiah, written around 700 years earlier to himself. Source: King James Version Bible, New Testament, Book of Luke 4:14-21 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Prophecy 8
Written around 500 BC of a future king presenting himself to Jerusalem while riding on a humble donkey which foreshadowed something that happened about 530 years later, as explained in the New Testament Book of Luke 19:35-37, where he wrote that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and presented himself as the Messiah, the King.
Source: King James Version Bible, Old Testament, Book of Zechariah 9:9 7 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Our Impending Future
Throughout 2020, we learned that if a crisis seems big enough or if the people are scared enough or the common good is made important enough that we want our governments to exercise authority that we would never have accepted before and we are willing to surrender our most basic rights and freedoms.
Looking at all of the technological advances that have become more prevalent over the past 10 years such as Artificial Intelligence, Facial Recognition, Location Tracking, Digital Identification, Block-Chain, RFID Chips, Vaccination Passports, Invisible Biometric Tattoos, Nano Particles & Brain Micro Chips, the level of control that can be applied to all humans is slowly taking its grip on people’s freedoms. Some of these conversion mechanisms are already being acquired voluntarily by individuals across the world, but it’s envisaged that at some point in the near future that these technologies will be imposed by mandates, threats of fines, increased taxes and activity restrictions as well as by coercion, intimidation and peer pressure.
Many Bible scholars and religious followers believe that a One World Government will impose the “mark of the beast” which scripture suggests is a physical mark on your forehead or right hand, possibly in the form of an RFID Chip or an Invisible Biometric Tattoo with personal details on it inclusive of a Digital Identity that can be used for tracking and controlling us with the aid of Facial Recognition technology currently being installed across the landscape. It is believed that this will need to be preceded by an engineered collapse of the financial system where all paper/plastic money is made worthless and replaced by a global digital currency. In this scenario, all the governments of the world will likely have to surrender their sovereignty to a global government that will control this digital currency for all of humanity by the impending arrival of a charismatic leader (Satan) that will coordinate resources on a global scale to enforce a new doctrine of control and worship. This will ultimately give rise to the “mark of the beast” to make sure that people cannot buy or sell anything without it. “And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (13:16-17) Book of Revelation.
The arrival of the beast (Satan) will deceive many into thinking that he is a saviour because of
– Healings and signs of supernatural encounters will make it seem like this is the Holy Spirit
– Miracles will be performed to convince people that they come from a god-like being
– Many will be deceived into thinking that the supernatural manifestations they see are from God
However, Bible Prophecy also states that
– People will be forced to worship an ideology that conflicts with God’s Laws
– Anyone that doesn’t adhere to a global authority will be punished
– Worshipping anything or anyone that is not 100% of God will be seen as being satanic
– There will be a global religion forced upon the global population – the absence of free will makes this satanic
– People that don’t submit themselves to the forced ideology will be persecuted or killed
– Disobedience will result in restrictions being placed upon individuals prohibiting them from buying or selling
Technology at Work
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is an advanced identification mechanism in which an individual is tagged with a specific ID number that with the use of radio waves, a computerised reader (hand held or Wi-Fi based) can scan a tag’s unique serial number and access any stored information. The device, which is inserted through the skin in a procedure that takes less than 3 minutes, is no bigger than a grain of rice. In addition to tracking and identification capabilities, this technology enables centralised authorities to block individuals from buying or selling anything or travelling to specific locations on specific modes of transport. This technology is already being used (tested) in Sweden and China as a precursor to global expansion.
An alternate view to the RFID implants is that the bible words used in this prophecy suggest that an individual’s beliefs (forehead) and the right hand could also represent an individual’s actions, as the decision to accept the “mark of the beast” is a personal choice. However, God clearly explains in His Word what this “mark” actually is, stating that when this powerful leader known as the Beast rises to power, the world will ultimately be divided into two groups – those who obey the Beast and those who refuse. The “mark of the beast” is tied to obedience and worship so the decision to accept or reject the “mark” will present a great world test that all of humanity will have to face. Those who take it will incur God’s wrath but those who refuse it will have His favour.
New and improved versions of this technology, known as Biometric Tattoos which appear invisible but can be made visible under ultra violet light, already exist and are available for those individuals who want to monitor their body temperature, hydration levels, UV exposure, and other bodily factors, with some hospitals already having started trials to harness this technology to diagnose and treat patients. These are just some of the covert benefits being proposed to induce voluntary individual adoption, but it’s believed that the ultimate plan is to force the human population to accept this technology being applied to their bodies and that the authorities will use threats, fear and very real consequences that will make it extremely difficult for people to reject the “mark of the beast”.
The Neuralink Corporation’s microchip technology has been developed by a company co-founded by Elon Musk that aims to connect humans with computers where the idea is to allow these chips to record the electrical signals that the brain produces, process them in real time (as they are generated) and send the information via Bluetooth to an app on a mobile device. This would allow people who cannot use their hands to control their mobile and eventually to enable them to use any Bluetooth hardware so that they can use their brain to directly control a computer. This technology could potentially also be used to control people’s decisions and resultant actions as it is implanted inside the skull on the brain and will be used as an interface with the internet. Elon’s video explaining this technology is available to watch on YouTube.
End Times Signs – Bible Extracts
Jesus said that just prior to his return, people’s attitudes and behaviours would be exactly the same as they were during the days just prior to Noah being saved from God’s wrath upon humanity. During Noah’s day, belief in and obedience to the one true God and his ways was almost non-existent (only Noah was righteous). People were going about their lives with no thought of the true God or the consequences of their lifestyles but when the flood came, some who had heard the preaching of Noah realised that what he had said was true, but it was too late for them to escape the wrath of God.
In these current (End Times), the great majority of people on earth are displaying similar attitudes and behaviours to what existed over 4,000 years ago during Noah’s time, below are a few examples:
- Humanity have become materialistic
- The majority of humans are denying God’s existence
- The institution of marriage has been relinquished by millions
- There has been an increase of hypocrites within the church and an increase of religious cults
- Deadly diseases, famine, wars, stress and cries for peace have become increasingly prevalent
- Violence & sexual crimes against children, men and women have affected millions around the world
- People have substituted fantasy (Santa Claus, Crystals, Zodiac, Witchcraft) in place of Christian truth
- People ignore the Ten Commandments as a moral code, committing adultery, stealing, lying, and murder
Some common pitfalls of human nature during these current times include wrongful worshipping (spending the majority of your thoughts and time on vices), which by definition is the practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in our society. Vices are usually associated with a transgression in a person’s character or temperament and can include such things as sin, depravity, iniquity, wickedness, and corruption which is evidenced by social media, gaming, extra-marital affairs, multiple sexual encounters, watching porn, lying or trusting science instead of having faith to name a few.
In addition, these pitfalls represent some of the Prophecies included in the Book of Revelation, depicting calamitous ‘End Time’ trials and tribulations in the months and years ahead, which were written as a warning to all of humanity, that evil influences would ultimately be paid for by death and destruction, both spiritually and physically. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold (Matthew 24:12-18 KJV). Iniquity is the inner act of wilfulness against God which involves the attitudes of the heart. Scripture specifically identifies the following iniquities: Bitterness (Acts 8:23), Greed (Acts 8:18–23), Lust (Job 31:1–12), and Stubbornness (I Samuel 15:23). Based on the teaching of Jesus and other passages of Scripture, iniquity is doing our own will instead of God’s will, even if our own will appears to us as “doing good.”
7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, 7 Bowls (God’s Wrath)
The Bible reveals that a powerful evil spirit known as the Devil (Satan, Antichrist) and other evil spirits have politically, philosophically, and religiously deceived the entire world into rebelling against the one true God and his teachings. Bible Scripture in the Book of Revelation reveals End Time prophecies intended to warn humanity of impending widespread deception, counterfeit miracles, and the appearance of false prophets. Each of these evils will contribute to an event that will deceive an innumerable number of people throughout the world. The Antichrist, will convince his followers he is the answer to the world’s problems. The Apostle Paul tells us that those who become caught in the Antichrist’s web of deceit will be guilty because they freely choose to enjoy evil whilst denying the truth.
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament section of the Judeo Christian Bible revealed by the Apostle John who describes a series of prophetic visions which culminate in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The 7 seals of Revelation, come from the Scroll that only one person can open, namely the ‘Lamb of God’ who was slain (Jesus Christ) and as the Apostle John watched the Lord open them, he saw the events of each of its 7 sections, and recorded what he saw according to the direction of the Lord. The 7 Seals (Revelation 6:1–17; 8:1–5), 7 Trumpets (Revelation 8:6–9:21; 11:15–19), and 7 Bowls (Revelation 16:1–21) are three series of End Times judgments from God which are connected to each other. The judgments get increasingly worse and more devastating as the End Times progress.
SEAL 1 (White Horse) – The Antichrist is portrayed as riding a White Horse because he will have the appearance of being good and be given a crown of authority, the means to conquer and the time for his assignment. It will not be of his own might or power, but “will be allowed” by God for His purposes. This is because the majority of mankind will continue to choose wickedness, so God will give these people over to what vice they have chosen to follow.
SEAL 2 (Red Horse) – This depicts that peace will be removed from the earth because the Antichrist is a master of deceit, speaking of peace but will really be seeking to conquer. As the Lord said, there will be wars and rumours of wars.
SEAL 3 (Black Horse) – Shows darker times ahead, with food becoming scarce and expensive. John heard direction given not to harm the oil and the wine. This is possibly a sign to remind us that those who trust in the Lord will be helped.
SEAL 4 (Pale Horse) – The Apostle John’s descriptions of the colours describing the 4 Horses of the Apocalypse convey ‘Imitation White’, ‘Fiery Red’, ‘Dark Black’ and ‘Bleak Pale’ like the pallor of a sick person. Transitioning from alleged peace to people killing each other, wars, inflation and then a quarter of the earth will be inflicted with death by sword, hunger, death and beasts of the earth. Insights gleaned from the perilous times Christians went through in the early church, show that if the Lord wants us to experience something, that He has a purpose and a plan and that He will give us the strength and means to handle anything that we will face.
SEAL 5 (Martyrs Cry Out) – This is clearly referencing Christians who will have died for their faith, been slain for the Word of God and the testimony which they held. White robes will be given to them and they will ask of the Lord, how long will it be until He will judge and avenge those who killed them? The answer will be, “a little while longer”, until the number of brethren, fellow servants of the Lord, are killed as they had been, until the number of them is complete.
SEAL 6 (Celestial Signs) – This will be the beginning of the second coming of our Lord. Everything will be go dark (sun, moon and stars) in preparation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will come in all His glory and illuminate the whole earth.
SEAL 7 (Rapture) – The Lord is merciful, but He is also just. The day of the coming of the Lord, with the rapture of His church, will also be a day of reckoning. There will be silence in heaven, because this is when the saints and angels will come with Jesus, to claim His own from this earth.
The 7 seals are prophetic involving what both the church and wicked will go through, while the trumpets and bowls are reserved solely for the wicked, because they are the judgment and wrath of God.
The 7 Seals include the appearance of the Antichrist (Revelation 6:1–2), great warfare (Revelation 6:3–4), famine (Revelation 6:5–6), plague (Revelation 6:7–8), the martyrdom of believers in Christ (Revelation 6:9–11), a devastating earthquake causing enormous destruction, and astronomical upheaval (Revelation 6:12–14). Those who survive the 6 Seals are right to cry out, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:16–17).
The 7th Seal introduces the 7 Trumpet judgments which include hail and fire that destroy much of the plant life in the world (Revelation 8:7), the death of much of the world’s aquatic life (Revelation 8:8–9; 8:10–11), the darkening of the sun and moon (Revelation 8:12), a plague of ‘demonic locusts’ that torture the unsaved (Revelation 9:1–11), and the march of a demonic army that kills a third of humanity (Revelation 9:12–21).
The 7th Trumpet calls forth 7 Angels who carry the 7 Bowls of God’s wrath (Revelation 11:15–19; 15:1–8). The bowl judgments include painful sores afflicting people that accept “the mark of the beast” (Revelation 16:2), the death of every living thing in the sea (Revelation 16:3), the turning of rivers to blood (Revelation 16:4–7), an intensifying of the sun’s heat (Revelation 16:8–9), great darkness and an intensification of the sores from the first bowl (Revelation 16:10–11), the advance of the Antichrist’s armies at Armageddon (either a literal or symbolic location) (Revelation 16:12–14), and a devastating earthquake followed by giant hailstones (Revelation 16:15–21).
Together, the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls of the End Times comprise “the great day of God’s wrath” (Revelation 6:17) and serve to judge the Antichrist’s kingdom of wickedness. Revelation 16:5–7 declares of God, “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve. . . . Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”
Futurist interpretations generally predict a resurrection of the dead and a rapture of the living, wherein all true Christians are gathered in Christ prior to the time God’s kingdom comes to earth. They also believe a Tribulation will occur (a 7 year period of time when believers will experience worldwide persecution and martyrdom). Futurists differ on when believers will be Raptured, but there are three primary views: 1) before the Tribulation, 2) near or at the midpoint of the Tribulation, or 3) at the end of the Tribulation. There is also a fourth view of multiple raptures throughout the Tribulation, but this view does not have a mainstream following, that said it could be entirely possible.
Some believe that the Tribulation is thought to occur before the Second Coming of Jesus and during the End Times. Another version holds that it will last seven years in all, being the last of Daniel’s prophecy of seventy weeks. This seven year period may be further divided into two periods of 3.5 years each, from the two 3.5 -year periods in Daniel’s prophecy where the last seven years are divided into two 3.5 year periods.
The Story of Salvation
The central message or theme of the Bible is God’s plan of salvation, which is his way of providing deliverance from Sin and Spiritual Death through repentance and Faith. In the Old Testament, the concept of salvation is rooted in Israel’s deliverance from Egypt in the book of Exodus. The New Testament reveals the source of salvation through Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus, the promised Messiah enables believers as being saved from God’s judgment of Sin and its Consequence, which is eternal death. God reveals himself to humankind and in this we discover his nature and character, his love, his justice, his forgiveness and his truth. Many have called the Bible a guidebook for living the Christian faith. 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 109) KJV.
Jesus will return (to judge the living and the dead). In (Matthew 24:29-31) Jesus revealed that he will return in the future to judge the living and the dead. This is a core Christian belief that is reflected in the Apostles Creed, which is a summary of Christian beliefs that was written many centuries ago and is recited by Christians during church worship services. 29 “Immediately after the distress of those days” ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Because of their desire for all to repent and reap the benefits of this change in the human heart, God the Father and Jesus Christ are going to give humanity one last opportunity to accept their offer of eternal life and sonship in the Family and Kingdom of God, but prior to this opportunity, humanity will suffer the wrath of God. He will punish them for their rebellion, eliminate all evil, and remove any physical and spiritual opposition to his government.
Final Scripture Extracts
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 Luke 21:34 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth Luke 21:35 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 21:36.
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders Thessalonians 2:9 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved Thessalonians 2:10
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed Mark 8:38.
References
https://www.adventistreview.org/archives/2001-1513/story4-1.html
https://inspiredmessage.com/2022/03/21/sign-of-seventh-trumpet-donald/
https://www.100prophecies.org/bible-prophecies.htm
https://rcg.org/realtruth/articles/101105-001-prophecy.html
https://ourworldindata.org/marriages-and-divorces
https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/barlow/the_second_advent_of_christ.htm
https://justdisciple.com/lamb-of-god/
https://preachthewordatheartland.com/2017/02/10/all-scripture-is-inspired-of-god/
https://www.myfreetextures.com/excellent-old-brown-paper-texture-background/
https://www.susancanthony.com/absue/bibproph.html
https://www.rapturebibletruth.com/the-seven-seals-of-revelation.html