Prophecy2021-2027five

J E Bradburn

Preparing the world for Christ’s return http://www.godsplan.org.uk/secondadvent.htm

Many prophetic passages describe the time of Jehovah’s preparation of the world to accept the rule of Christ [Elohim] and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. As Creator of the universe, Elohim will demonstrate His authority and power over everything He has created, as Jehovah’s firstborn Son. https://levendwater.org/companion/append4.html Mankind will have no excuse for refusing to honour Him with the respect due to His name. Why are such drastic measures necessary? Take notice of Paul’s description of humanity’s prevailing attitude at the time of the end.

 

2 Timothy 3:1—5 (KJV)

1 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

2 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”

3 “Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,”

4 “Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;”

5 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

 

Mankind’s attitude and motivation must change. The haughty (behaving in a superior, condescending, or arrogant way), headstrong, unloving, and brutal attitudes that dominate the world at the time of the end must be altered. Jehovah knows that only the destruction of this world’s society—ironically, mostly by man’s own treachery and violence—will adequately shock hardened human minds into realising that “this present evil age” is too corrupt to be preserved.  http://www.godsplan.org.uk/threestages1.htm   http://www.godsplan.org.uk/system.htm Our society is rapidly deteriorating morally and spiritually http://www.godsplan.org.uk/spiritualmaterial.htm   into the ungodly attitudes and practices that Paul warned would characterise the end days. Elohim gave this warning to people perceptive enough and willing to listen http://www.godsplan.org.uk/earstohear.htm

 

Luke 21:34—35 (KJV)

34 “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”

35 “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.”

Surfeiting (an excessive number or quantity of something, especially so much of it that people become sickened, repelled, or bored by it; drugs, beer, strong drink &c).

 

Not willing to repent

Even in the terrifying midst of the dying and destruction of the end time, most people will cling to their evil ways: But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues , did not repent of their works of their hands,  

 

Revelation 9:20—21 (KJV)

20 “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:”

21 “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

 

The task of bringing mankind to repentance is neither simple nor quick, and it cannot happen without suffering. People have demonstrated throughout history that most will not face up to their sins unless they personally and immediately experience sin’s devastating consequences. The world we know will reap the full penalty of its sins.

 

Revelation 14:19 (KJV) “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.”

 

Zephaniah 1:14—18 (KJV)

14 “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.”

15 “That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,”

16 “A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.”

17 “And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.”

18 “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.”

 

Christ describes this time as one of “great distress”:

 

Luke 21:23—24 (KJV)

23 “But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.”

24 “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

 

Jehovah will allow gentiles to “tread the holy city underfoot for forty two months”—a period of 31/2 years—just before Christ returns. (Ha-goyim, “the nations,” meant nations of the world that were not Hebrew.)

http://www.godsplan.org.uk/housesofisrael.htm

Revelation 11:2 (KJV) “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”

 

How the past relates to the future

Elohim ties the future to the roots of the crisis at the close of the age. To understand the importance of Jerusalem at the time of the end, we need to go back in history to the first fall of Jerusalem to gentile control. Jerusalem’s fall back then directly relates to events at the end of the age. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2025&version=CEV  http://www.godsplan.org.uk/Bereshith.htm

  In 586 B.C. the Babylonian Empire captured and destroyed Jerusalem. This momentous event, along with the capture and exile of Jerusalem’s residents, was the final punishment Jehovah meted out on the ancient nations of Israel [northern] and Judah [southern]. It brought to an end the direct rule of king David’s dynasty over the Holy Land and the city of Jerusalem. Christ [Elohim] will permanently re-establish and rule from David’s throne there at His return

 

Luke 1:32—33 (KJV)

32 “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of his father David:”

33 “And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

 

Psalm 106:40—42 (KJV)

40 “Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against His people, insomuch that He abhorred His own inheritance.”

41 “And He gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them.”

42 “Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.”

 

From that time forward the hope of Israel’s and Judah’s descendants has been expressed in this prayer. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/Prophecy2021-20274.htm

Psalms 1: 47(KJV) “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto Thy Holy name, and to triumph in Thy praise.”

Through His prophets Jehovah promised ancient Israel and Judah He would bring them back to their land at the coming of the Messiah. . http://www.godsplan.org.uk/secondadvent.htm

 

However; the prophets also reveal that, immediately before the rule of the Messiah, Jerusalem will once again be under the rule and influence of gentiles. Even today, with a Jewish state re-established in the Holy Land, many other nations, along with the native Arab population, contest Jewish authority over the original city of Jerusalem (East Jerusalem). The Temple Mount (for instance) remains under Islamic control. Jerusalem is still a troubled and divided city, a constant source of international friction. News only today: BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli warplanes carried out intense airstrikes in eastern Syria early Wednesday, apparently targeting positions and arms depots of Iran-backed forces as the region is on high alert. At least 57 fighters were killed and dozens were wounded, according to a Syrian opposition war monitoring group. A senior U.S. intelligence official with knowledge of the attack told The Associated Press that the airstrikes were carried out with intelligence provided by the United States — a rare incidence of publicized cooperation between the two countries over choosing targets in Syria. The official said the strikes targeted a series of warehouses in Syria that were being used in a pipeline to store and stage Iranian weapons.

 

Jerusalem at the time of the end

Jerusalem is the local point of many significant end-time events fore told in the Bible.

 

Luke 21:20—22 (KJV)

20 “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.”

21 “Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into.”

22 “For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”

 

Many prophecies seem to indicate these events will be triggered by the Jews designating a “Holy Place” in which they will again offer morning and evening animal sacrifices. This can, and will, inflame other nations that the leader of the coalition of 10 rulers forming the beast power may intervene, setting up an “abomination” in this designated holy place. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/Ashera.htm

 

Daniel 11:31 (KJV) “And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.”

 

Daniel 12:9—11 (KJV)

09 “And he said, ‘Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.’”

10 “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”

11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” (31/2 years)

 

A defilement that included an idolatrous image in the earlier, prototypical fulfilment of this prophecy.  Deuteronomy 16:21 (KJV) “Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.” Grove = ` Hebrew `Ashēra. Here in the female gender See Appendix 42. https://levendwater.org/companion/append42.html alternatively, it was artificially fashioned and set erect in the ground. It was made of wood or stone.

 

Isaiah 57:8 (KJV) “Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.”

 

Notice the terrible significance Christ places on the event, So when you see standing in the Holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,” Spoken of through the prophet Daniel.

 

Matthew 24:15—21 (KJV)

15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand :)”

16 “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:”

17 “Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:”

18 “Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.”

19 “And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!”

20 “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:”

21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

 

Christ [Elohim] who referred to Daniel 11, which foretold what would occur.in the powers that would vie (contend) for control of the Holy Land for centuries to come. For much of the prophecy these kingdoms were Syria to the north and Egypt to the south, both under Greek rulers following Alexander the Great. Eventually the prophecy describes one of these rulers from Syria as, Antiochus IV also known as Antiochus Epiphanes He would “act deceitfully” by a false peace agreement with the Jews and later come “in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage.

 

Daniel 11:23—24, 30 (KJV)

23 “And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.”

24 “He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.” 30 “For the ships of Chittim (Cyprus) shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+11+&version=KJV

The Apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees http://www.godsplan.org.uk/1Maccabees.htm although not scripture, provides us with history of the period. It describes how Antiochus set himself against the Jews, massacred many of them and plundered the temple at Jerusalem. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/persecution.htm

1 Maccabees 1:20—33 (KJV)

http://www.godsplan.org.uk/1Maccabees.htm http://www.godsplan.org.uk/2%20Maccabees.htm

 

The Temple defiled

Then came the worst. Daniel’s prophecy warned of Antiochus.

 

Daniel 11:31 (KJV) “And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.”

 

The book of 1 Maccabees http://www.godsplan.org.uk/1Maccabees.htm  gives us details. Antiochus now issued a decree that all nations in his empire should abandon their own customs and become one people. All the gentiles and even many of the Israelites submitted to this decree. They adopted the official pagan religion, offered sacrifices to idols, and no longer observed the Sabbath. The king also sent messengers with a decree to Jerusalem and all the towns of Judea, ordering the people to follow customs that were foreign to the country. He ordered them not to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or wine offerings, in the Temple. And commanded them to treat Sabbaths and festivals as ordinary work days.

  They were even ordered to defile the Temple and the holy things in it. They were commanded to build pagan altars, temples, and shrines, and to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals there. They were forbidden to circumcise their sons and were required to make themselves…unclean in every way they could, so that they would forget the Law which the Lord had given through Moses,  http://www.godsplan.org.uk/Lineage1.htm and would disobey all its command. The penalty for disobeying the king’s decree was death. (1 Maccabees 1:41—50 Septuagint with Apocrypha). Then it happened “On the 15th day of the month which was Kislev in the year 145 B.C. which corresponds to 168/167 B.C. “they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar of the temple.

 

1 Maccabees 1:41--50 (Septuagint) “Now the 15th day of the month which was Caaleu, in the hundred and forty fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side:”

  

This appears to have been a pagan altar, probably with an image representing the Greek chief god Zeus, as 2 Maccabees 6:2  tells us that Antiochus defiled the Jewish temple “by dedicating it to the Olympian god Zeus.` 

 

2 Maccabees 6:1-2 (Septuagint)

1 “Not long after this the king sent an old man of Athens to compel the Jews to depart from the laws of their fathers, and not to live after the laws of God.”

2 “And to pollute also the temple in Jerusalem, and to call in the temple of Jupiter Olympius; and that in Garizim, of Jupiter the defender of strangers, as they did desire that dwelt in the place.”

 

After all, to the Greek mind the God of the Hebrews simply equated to the chief god in the Greek pantheon.

 

1 Maccabees 1: 55—59 (Septuagint)

55 “And burnt incense at the doors of their houses, and in the streets.”

56 “And when they had rent in pieces the books of the law which they found, they burnt them with fire.”

57 “And whosesoever was found with any book of the testament, or if any consented to the law, the king’s commandment was, that they should put him to death.”

58 “Thus they did by their authority unto the Israelites every month, to as many as were found in the cities.”

59 “Now the five and twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the idol since, which was upon the altar of God.”

 

Indeed, pigs, declared unclean in in God’s law were offered over His own altar.

 

Deuteronomy 14:8 (KJV) “And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.”

 

The account continues in 1 Maccabees 1:60 (Septuagint) “At which time according to the commandment they put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised.”

 

The babies were hung around their neck, and their families and those who had circumcised them were put to death. Yet as horrible as it were some still resisted, in fact:

 

 1 Maccabees 1:62—63 (Septuagint)

62 “Howbeit many in Israel were fully resolved and, confirmed in themselves not to eat any unclean thing.”

63 “Wherefore they chose rather to die, that they not be defiled with meats, and that they might not profane the Holy covenant: so they died.”

 

Yet many in the resistance lived. The account continues with the rise of the Harmonian priestly family of Mattathias, including his son and successor Judas Maccabeus, who would not compromise with paganism. In the end the efforts of these patriots and their followers were in large measure responsible for eventually pushing out the Syrians.

http://www.godsplan.org.uk/1Maccabees.htm  http://www.godsplan.org.uk/2%20Maccabees.htm

 

Later prophetic fulfilment

Now, with all of that as history, consider Christ’s warning about the abomination of desolation. When He gave it, this part of Daniel’s prophecy had been fulfilled almost 200 years earlier. So Daniel’s prophecy, according to Christ, must have a dual fulfilment. Christ revealed to us the time for this prophecies ultimate fulfilment in:

 

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

 

This recalls another part of Daniel’s prophecy, that in the end of days. this period of tribulation occurs at the end of this age, just before Christ’s return. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/secondadvent.htm

 

Lessons from the first fulfilment

We can learn a great deal about the end time prophecy from the original abomination of desolation Daniel foretold. Antiochus Epiphanes was a forerunner of the end time king of the North, the world dictator the book of Revelation refers to as the “beast.” No doubt this end time ruler will employ the same deceitful and deceiving methods that marked the reign of Antiochus. Furthermore, it appears from what we have seen and the scriptural indications that the end time ruler will feign (To make up or fabricate lies) overtures of peace to the Jews of the modern nation of Israel.

What other parallels do we see? Part of the “abomination” of Antiochus involved the cessation of the daily temple sacrifices https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abomination_of_desolation#:~:text=%22Abomination%20of%20desolation%22%20is%20a,which%20such%20offerings%20were%20made. Yet Daniels prophecy makes it clear that sacrifices will again be ended in conjunction with the abomination of desolation to come.

 

Daniel 12:9—13 (KJV)

09 “And he said, ‘Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.’”

10 “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”

11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”

12 “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”

13 “But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.”

 

For this prophecy to be fulfilled, it appears the sacrifices will again be instituted and an altar rebuilt before the return of the Messiah Christ. In another parallel, Antiochus defiled the ancient holy temple when he erected an idol of the pagan god Zeus and sacrificed swine there. The end time abomination may also involve an idolatrous image at a new temple. What we know for certain is that within the “temple of Jehovah”  there will be an actual person who claims to be Elohim in the flesh.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:1—12 (KJV)

01 “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him,”

02 “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”

03 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”

04 “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

05 “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”

06 “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.”

07 “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”

08 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”

09 “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”

10 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

11 “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:”

12 “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

 

Also, just as the original abomination of desolation marked the beginning of a period of unparalleled horror and misery, so will the final one begin the time of the greatest horror ever, the soon coming Great Tribulation.

http://godsplan.org.uk/greattribulation2.htm

We can be thankful that Jehovah promises to send His Son [Elohim] back to earth to save mankind from self-annihilation in the coming horrible time of mass deceit and destruction, indeed as world events march ever closer to the fulfilment of these prophecies, let us draw closer to Jehovah and Elohim in faith, trusting them to see us through even the worst of times, knowing we are not left without foreknowledge to help us understand end-time events.

 

Matthew 24:15—21 (KJV)

15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand :)” http://www.godsplan.org.uk/earstohear.htm

16 “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:”

17 “Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:”

18 “Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.”

19 “And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!”

20 “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:”

21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

 

Witnesses for Jehovah and Satan

Jerusalem will be the focus of other crucial events during this fateful time. Jehovah will send to Jerusalem two prophets—as His two witnesses—to prophesy and perform miracles on His behalf. Like the prophet Elijah in ancient Israel, they will testify to the whole world that it is deceived, and that it has rejected the true God in favour of an idolatrous lifestyle reflecting Satan’s evil influence. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/thetwowitnesses.htm

 

Revelation 11:3—6 (KJV)

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

4 “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”

5 “And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.”

6 “These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”

 

Opening the seals

In revelation 6 Christ breaks the seven seals and unveils their meaning. The first four represent the religious deception, war, famines, and epidemics (an outbreak of a disease that spreads more quickly and more extensively among a group of people than would normally be expected) that lead up to the time of the end.

 

Revelation 6:1—8 (KJV)

1 “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, ‘Come and see.’”

2 “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and He that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”

3 “And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, ‘Come and see.’”

4 “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”

5 “And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, ‘Come and see.’ And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.’”

6 “And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, ‘A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.’”

7 “And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, ‘Come and see.’”

8 “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”’

 

Satan’s end-time persecution and martyrdom of Jehovah’s people, as described in the fifth seal:

 

Revelation 6:9—11 (KJV) 

09 “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:”

10 “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”

11 “And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, ‘that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.’”

 

And the heavenly signs of the sixth seal (verses 12—16) also begin before “the great day of His wrath” (verse 17) –before  the Day of the Lord. The first six seals correspond to the signs Christ described in His Olivet prophecy http://www.godsplan.org.uk/olivetdiscourse.htm  recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Jesus calls them “the beginning of birth pains” Matthew 24:8 (KJV) “All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

These precede the time of Elohim’s wrath, the day of the Lord. Once these conditions and events begin, they continue to the very end of the age—increasing in frequency and severity like birth pangs. The intensity of destruction rapidly escalates (to become or cause something to become greater, more serious, or more intense) from their cumulative effects as the end approaches.

  The first six seals in Revelation 6 summarise major events and conditions that lead up to the Day of the Lord. The remainder of the book of Revelation concentrates primarily on what happens during the Day of the Lord. At that time Elohim’s judgement will fall on the nations, which are deceived by Babylon the Great. This will occur just before Elohim establishes the Kingdom of Jehovah.

 

Persecution, tribulation, and heavenly signs

It is very important that we understand the relationship between the fifth, sixth and seventh seals.

5th Seal: The fifth seal describes Satan’s war on Jehovah’s people, the end-time persecution and martyrdom of many of those who remain faithful to Jehovah.

 

Revelation 6:9—11 (KJV) 

09 “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:”

10 “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”

11 “And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

 

Christ [Hebrew Elohim] further described the persecution and martyrdom of His faithful servants at this bloody and dangerous time:

 

Matthew 24:9—13 (KJV)

09 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.”

10 “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.”

11 “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”

12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

 

Christ explains what must happen next:

 

Matthew 24:29 (KJV) “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:”

6th Seal

Now notice how this corresponds to the sixth seal:

Revelation 6:12—14 (KJV)

12 “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;”

13 “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.”

14 “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

 

Revelation 6:15—16 (KJV)

15 “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;”

16 “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:”

 

The sixth seal announces and introduces the Day of the Lord.

 

Revelation 6:17 (KJV) “For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” http://www.godsplan.org.uk/secondadvent.htm

 

The prophet Joel that the time of great tribulation and the heavenly signs precede the Day of the Lord. 

 

Joel 2:31 (KJV) “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.” http://godsplan.org.uk/greattribulation2.htm

 

The Day of the Lord arrives

The Day of the Lord is the time of Elohim’s wrath—His judgement on anyone who have set themselves against Him and His people. It is the time of His judgement and punishment of the world for its arrogance and disobedience to Jehovah’s commandments. Notice what happens when Elohim opens the next seal.

 

7th Seal

Revelation 8:1—2 (KJV)

1 “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”

2 “And I saw the seven angels which stood before Elohim; and to them were given seven trumpets.”

 

This is the time written about since the beginning of written prophecy. Even the angels in heaven are silent while Elohim breaks the awesome seventh seal. What it reveals is recorded in symbols portraying the major events of the Day of the Lord.

 

Luke 21—22 (KJV) “For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”

 

The judgements and punishments are announced by seven angels blowing seven trumpets. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/significanceofnumbers.htm The seven trumpets represent the totality of Jehovah’s intervention in the affairs of man at the time of the end. Now: let’s briefly look at the nature of the punishments that make up that intervention.

 

The seven trumpet plagues

The punishments announced by the first four trumpets devastate the earth’s ecology—mankind’s support system devastate the earth’s ecology—mankind’s environmental support system. A third of the trees are destroyed in the first trumpet disaster, a third of ocean life is destroyed in the second, a third of the world’s fresh water supply becomes unusable in the third disaster, and it appears that the atmosphere is polluted and darkened in the fourth trumpet catastrophe.

 

Revelation 8:6—12 (KJV)

06 “And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”

07 “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”

08 “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;”

09 “And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”

10 “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;”

11 “And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”

12 “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”

 

Though many die during these catastrophic events, and, Elohim impresses on mankind that life on this planet exists at His pleasure. The apostle Paul told the Athenians.

 

Acts 17:28 (KJV) “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’”

 

(Hebrew) Elohim is reminding the world in the only language they understand that He, the Creator of life, can also take life away. The calamities of the last three trumpets are then directed specifically toward the inhabitants of the earth, rather than toward their surroundings. Now Elohim begins to punish people directly.

 

Revelation 8:13 (KJV) “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”

 

Revelation 9:14—16 (KJV)

14 “Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, ‘Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.’”

15 “And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.”

16 “And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.”

 

Though these prophecies are couched in symbolic language, the astounding number of deaths caused by smoke, fire and brimstone, indicate that the worlds armies will finally unleash their horrifying weapons of mass destruction. Elohim will allow this to happen. Then the massive devastation of human life will begin. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/armageddon.htm The indescribable carnage from the warfare is part of Elohim’s judgement on rebellious mankind. Shortly, His angels will also release “the seven last plagues” in which “the wrath of Jehovah and Elohim is complete”

 

Revelation 15:1 (KJV) “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”

 

A triumphant announcement

Finally, the most important event of all occurs at the time the final trumpet is blown:

 

Revelation 11:15 (KJV) “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

 

At that time Elohim will “destroy those who destroy the earth.” This includes the entire system called Babylon the Great, whose satanic roots thread back to the dawn of human history. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/book1.htm  http://www.godsplan.org.uk/  

 

Revelation 18:21 (KJV) “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, ‘Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.’”

 

John describes Elohim’s victory at Jerusalem in the Valley of Jehoshaphat http://www.godsplan.org.uk/jehosaphat.htm  In the coming battle:

 

Joel 3:2 (KJV) “I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for My people and for My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted My land.”  http://godsplan.org.uk/fulltentribes.htm

 

Joel 312—14 (KJV)

12 “Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.”

13 “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.”

14 “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

 

“Now I saw [in a vision] 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…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, 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 worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of burning fire and 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.”

 

Revelation 19:11—21 (KJV)

11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.”

12 “His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.”

13 “And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.” [His Father Jehovah]

14 “And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”

15 “And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” [Jehovah]

16 “And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings, And Lord of Lords.”

17 “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God”;

18 “That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.”

19 “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.” [Angels & elect]

20 “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

21 “And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

 

Something else must happen before Elohim can begin His earthly reign: Satan must be restrained and removed from his dominance over the world.

 

Revelation 20:1—2 (KJV)

1 “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.”

2 “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,”

 

  With organised opposition removed, Elohim will then begin the work of bringing genuine peace and righteousness to mankind. In the next chapter we will see Jehovah’s prophets’ description of the incredible world Elohim will build as He restores the rules and ways of Jehovah.