There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
b. The doctrine must concern and be connected to our salvation; that is, it must be salvific.
i. There is, therefore, a distinct difference between what must be true in order for us to be saved and what must be believed in order to be saved.
c. Christ’s virgin birth is connected to salvation because it speaks of His sinlessness and supernatural origin, which are necessary for salvation.
d. Anyone born the natural way would have been—short of divine intervention—a sinner like the rest of us (Rom. 3:23; 5:12); and the virgin birth (i.e., supernatural conception) was one way to circumvent this.
II. Why the Virgin Birth Matters?
a. The virgin birth is necessary to secure both a real human nature and also a completely divine nature.
III. Objection: Pagan Mythology/Plagiarism?
It would have been unthinkable for a Jewish sect (which is what Christianity was initially) to try to win new converts by adding pagan elements to their gospel story. To mix in bits of paganism would have been anathema to most Jews.
“There is no clear parallel to the notion of a virgin birth in pagan literature, only of births resulting from intercourse between a God and a woman (of which there is no suggestion in Matthew and Luke), resulting in a being half-divine, half-human, which is far different from the biblical Christology”- John Frame
Consider some of the usual suspects:
Horus – the best Egyptian account of the myth tells us that that Horus was not born of a virgin. There’s no virgin birth story there to copy.
Dionysus: like so many of the pagan “parallels,” he was born when a god (in this case Zeus) disguised himself as a human and impregnated a human princess. This is not a virgin birth and not like the Holy Spirit’s role we read about in the Gospels.
Mithra: he’s a popular parallel. But he was born of a rock, not a virgin. Moreover, the cult of Mithra in the Roman Empire dates to after the time of Christ so any dependence is Mithraism on Christianity and not the other way around.
False cause fallacy. This fallacy occurs when someone argues that just because two things exist side by side that one must be the cause of the other.
As Boyd and Eddy note, “Similarity is not the same thing as sameness. Parallel terms do not equate to parallel concepts.” (The Jesus Legend, pg. 142)
IV. Objections to Miracles: “I can’t believe in a miracle such as the virgin birth”
“In my own case, the virgin birth was a stumbling block to my coming to faith—I simply could not believe such a thing. But when I reflected on the fact that God had created the entire universe, it occurred to me that it would not be too difficult for Him to make a woman become pregnant. Once the unbeliever understands who God is, then the problem of miracles should cease to be a problem for him.” (Craig, AI, 125)
The rejection is miracles is a metaphysical issue. 1. If God exists, miracles are possible and actual. 2. God exists. 3. Therefore, miracles are possible and actual.
V. Textual Issues
The Sign in Isaiah 7: 14: Since the context of the chapter requires a short-range prophecy – giving a sign to King Ahaz – how can this be applied to the birth of a child some 700 years later, as claimed in Matthew 1:22-23?
b. It is best to read Isaiah 7-9 as a unit.
c. Immediate context:
i. The context of Isaiah 7 is the attack on Judah by the kings of Syria (Damascus) and Israel (Samaria).
ii.The aim of the attack was to depose the king of Judah, a descendant of David, and thereby to end the Davidic dynasty, which God had established and promised to always sustain.
iii.The current king of Judah, Ahaz, was a man of superficial faith. God’s promise in Isaiah 7:7–9 that both His adversaries would come to an end is met with no response of faith on the part of Ahaz. God even offers to give Ahaz a sign, but Ahaz refuses to take God up on His offer – “I will not put the LORD to the test,” he replies, using Deuteronomy 6:16 as an excuse.
iv. God then addresses the entire house of David (using plural pronouns, which means He is not addressing only Ahaz). God takes the initiative and gives the sign of the virgin who will give birth to a son and call him Immanuel.
VI. Who is the special child? Only Jesus?
Isa: 7: 13-14: Some hold that the sign has a single fulfillment—that is, the sign points originally and solely to the birth of Jesus as the “ultimate” Messiah.
VII. Who is the special child? Double Reference? Typology?
“Double Reference”: There are, therefore, two separate prophecies side-by-side each having their own fulfillment, but with only one fulfillment per prophecy.
Isa. 7: 13-14: It is very likely that Isaiah pointed to a woman who was present at the scene of the prophet’s interview with Ahaz. In this case the woman could be a member of the royal family, or, more likely, the prophetess with whom Isaiah has sexual relations shortly after this (see Isa.8: 3).
The sign in 7:16–17 applies directly to Ahaz’s own day. Isaiah’s son Maher-shalal-hash-baz is the near fulfillment (Isa. 8:1–4). In favor of this view is the similarity in language between Isaiah 7:14–15 and Isaiah 8:3–4, the child’s birth is called a sign (Isa. 8:18), and the fact that he once again references Immanuel (Isa. 8:8). Simply put, God would give Ahaz a sign that within a few years, both Israel and Syria would be crushed. This was a sign of deliverance to Ahaz.
d. Many commentators think that this was immediately fulfilled when a young woman in the royal household shortly married, conceived a son, and named him “Immanuel.” Before this boy came to eat solid food, Israel and Syria would be defeated.
e. Even if the prophecy does include an immediate application to the time of Ahaz, however, the prophecy cannot have been fulfilled completely by the birth of someone like Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isa. 8:1, 3) or by Hezekiah, as some have suggested, since 9:6 prophesies the birth of a son whose name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”—a statement that could apply only to the Davidic Messiah (read Isa. 7-9 as a unit).
V. Translating “Virgin”
a. While the word ‘almah can refer to a virgin, it does not specifically mean ‘virgin.’ Its basic meaning is primarily related to adolescence, not sexual chastity.” “Almah” can mean “virgin,” as young unmarried women in ancient Hebrew culture were assumed to be virgins. It occurs nine times in the Old Testament, and wherever the context makes its meaning clear, the word refers to a virgin. (For his detailed reasons, see Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, vol. 3, Messianic Prophecy Objections, section 4.3.
b. Betulah: This is commonly considered to mean a virgin, exclusively. It is argued that if Isaiah had really meant to say a virgin, then he would have used this word. betulah, while it could refer to a virgin, often simply means a young woman. Some of his observations:
Genesis 24:16 includes the phrase, “a betulah whom no man had known.” Here, the qualifier, “whom no man had known” (which means “whom no man had slept with/had sexual relations with”), is added, showing that betulah by itself was not enough to indicate virginity.
In the following verses, “young woman” makes sense while “virgin” does not: Isaiah 23:4; Ezekiel 9:6; Job 31:1; Joel 1:8 (referring to a widow); Isaiah 47:1 (the betulah loses her husband and her children in verses 8 and 9).
In cognate (related) ancient languages, the equivalent of betulah often can refer to someone who is pregnant or has had intimate relations.
The Septuagint translators, 200 years before the birth of Christ, rendered ‘almah here with Greek “Parthenos” (a specific term for “virgin”) they rightly perceived the meaning of the Hebrew term; and when Matthew applied this prophecy to the virgin birth of Christ (see Matt. 1:23), it was in accord with this well-established understanding of parthenos (“virgin”) as used in the Septuagint and in other Greek writers.
The idea is that Isaiah was simply saying that a “young woman” would give birth, not a virgin. While the near fulfillment may have reference to a young woman giving birth, the far or ultimate fulfillment clearly points to a woman miraculously conceiving and giving birth.
A paper delivered at the International Conference of Reformed Churches, in Seoul, Korea, on October 20, 1997. Extracted from Ordained Servantvol. 7, no. 4 (July 1998), pp. 69-74.
Part IIThe Question of Cessation
An issue that continues, in large part, to divide between the Reformed tradition and the charismatic movement is whether certain gifts of the Spirit, essential to distinctive charismatic spirituality, are present in the church today. Specifically, the debate focuses on prophecy and tongues, and, to a lesser extent, the gift of healing.39 With the complexity of this issue and the time limits on us here in view, I confine myself to some reflections on the disagreement currently present within the Reformed community as to whether a credible case can be made from Scripture, with the passing of the apostles from the life of the church, for the cessation of these gifts, particularly prophecy.
2:1. Objections to cessationism
A number of Reformed writers hold that such a case cannot be made and that we should be open, in varying degrees, to the possibility or perhaps even expect that one or more of these gifts may occasionally be given today.40 Further, and more significantly, in 1991 the synod of the Reformed Churches of Australia adopted, and subsequently has acted to defend, the view that prophecy continues today, and so may be expected and sought.41
An overall objection to the argument for cessation is that “it is clearly a too-simple and too-mechanical conception of things.”42 Such a “streep-theologie,” as it has been labeled, involves positing a discontinuity, a break, between the apostolic and postapostolic periods of the church that draws more from the New Testament than it will bear. More particularly, substantial objection is taken to the view of most cessationsists that the continuation of prophecy in the church today would undermine the sufficiency and completeness of the biblical canon. To the contrary, these noncessationists maintain, New Testament prophecy is not on a par with existing Scripture or apostolic teaching but has a lower (nonbinding, presumably fallible) authority, so that cessationists are deemed guilty of creating a false and entirely unnecessary dilemma. I respond to these objections here in reverse order.
2:2. A lower view of N. T. prophecy
There are a number of problems with the lower authority view of prophecy which I can do little more than indicate here.43
First, this view does not have an adequate explanation for Ephesians 2:20 and 3:5, where within the apostle’s sweeping outlook (2:11ff.), the prophets are pictured, along with the apostles, as part of the foundation of the (one) church-house being built by the exalted Christ in the period between his resurrection and return.44 The (New Testament) prophets, like the apostles, belong to the (temporary) time of laying the church’s foundation, not the period of the superstructure that follows. Specifically, their foundational role, together with the apostles, consists in providing a foundational, once-for-all revelation to the foundational, once-for-all redemption accomplished by the “cornerstone,” Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 3:11).45
Second, the two explicit instances of nonapostolic prophecy in the New Testament — the prophecies of Agabus in Acts 11:28 and 21:10-11 — do not support the view that it was nonbinding and/or fallible.46 To the contrary, there is no indication in these passages that Agabus spoke anything less than the inspired word of God. In fact, the lower authority view of prophecy is unable to offer a single supporting New Testament example.
Third, some brief comments may be made about several texts frequently offered as evidence that (nonapostolic) prophecy has a lower authority.
In 1 Corinthians 14:29, the passage most often cited in support of the lower authority view, the verb applied to prophecy diakrino has a broad semantic range; it may have a variety of senses, depending on the particular context, and may be variously translated (“evaluate,” “test,” “judge,” “weigh”). Here there is nothing in Paul’s usage to demand that, because what is prophesied is subject to “testing,” it is therefore fallible or had a lower authority.47
It is difficult to see how 1 Corinthians 14:36a provides convincing evidence of lower authority prophecy. Paul’s question there (“did the word of God originate with you?”) is almost certainly addressed not to the prophets specifically but to the whole church at Corinth, in relation to other churches (see v. 33b). Together with the question in the latter part of the verse, it is “biting rhetoric”;48 it has the force of something like “Does the truth begin and end with you?,” “Do you have a corner on the gospel and its implications?”
Nor does Paul’s peremptory command to the prophets in verses 37-38 establish their lower authority. No more than his sharp rebuke of Peter in Galatians 2:11-14 means that the latter did not teach with full, infallible authority when he properly exercised his apostolic office. At issue here (and throughout this passage) is not the content of prophecy (and its relative authority), but the conduct of those who prophesy.
Of itself 1 Thessalonians 5:20 (“do not treat prophecies with contempt”) does not seem to carry much weight, if for no other reason that in 2 Corinthians 10:10 Paul uses the same verb to describe his opponents derogatory assessment of his preaching, as “beneath contempt” (New English Bible). True, this applies to the formal side of his speaking (his “style”), in distinction from that of his letters, but a disparaging reflection on content as well can hardly be eliminated.
Fourth, 1 Corinthians 12:28, it seems to me, presents the lower authority view of prophecy with a monumental predicament. Here the order is expressed: “… first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, ….” There is general agreement that this ranking has to do with value or usefulness.49 If that is so, then the lower authority view is left with the following conclusion: in the church, prophecy, always subject to evaluation as fallible and therefore never binding on anyone, is more useful and edifying than teaching based on God’s clear, authoritative, and inerrant word! Prophecy takes precedence over such teaching! An obviously unwanted and unacceptable conclusion, I would hope. Yet how, on this view, can it be avoided?
Finally, virtually all who hold the lower authority view insist that such prophecy as does or may occur today is always subordinate to Scripture and must be tested by it, so that its unimpaired sufficiency and authority is not only not threatened but maintained.
But, we must ask, how will such testing take place? Prophecy in the New Testament (e.g., Agabus), and as it allegedly takes place today, sometimes has a specificity that simply can’t be evaluated by existing Scripture. For instance, a particular course of action urged upon an individual or group on the basis, say, of the contents of a dream, can’t be judged by the Bible other than where the proposed action would involve violating a biblical commandment.
For the rest, it is a matter of trying to judge “apples” by “oranges.” Scripture by its very nature is silent just on those details that give the dream its specific and distinct (and sought-after) “revelatory” significance and appeal.50 The tendency of this view, no matter how carefully qualified, is to divert attention from Scripture, particularly in practical and pressing life issues.
2:3. The organic nature of revelation
Rather than it being the cessationist position that is “too mechanical,” it is those who hold that prophecy does or at least may, in principle, continue today, I suggest, who have too abstract and too inorganic a conception of the origin and nature of the New Testament canon and so of the role of New Testament prophecy. What this view fails to assess is that the prophetic activity described in the New Testament takes place, by the nature of the case, in an “open canon” situation (relative to our 27 book canon); in other words, prophecy occurs at a time when the New Testament documents were still in the process of being written. To put it another way, the “canon” (=where God’s word may be found) for the church during its foundational, apostolic period was a fluid, evolving entity, made up of three factors: 1) a completed Old Testament; 2) eventual New Testament and other inspired documents, no longer extant (e.g., the “previous letter” mentioned in 1 Cor 5:9), as each was written and then circulated; and 3) an oral apostolic and prophetic voice. Provocatively stated, the church at the time the New Testament was being written, was not and could not yet be committed, as a formal principle, to the sola Scriptura of the Reformation; they lived, to be sure, as we do today, by God’s word, but in doing so they lived by a “Scripture plus” principle of revelation and authority. The noncessationist view being considered here, certainly despite its intention and its clear desire to subordinate contemporary prophecy to Scripture, nonetheless takes us back, anachronistically, to the open canon situation of the early church. But that happens without the control of a living apostolate or, apparently, of those with the companion gift mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:10, which most likely functioned for infallibly distinguishing between true and false prophecy.
This view, it remains difficult for me to see otherwise, opens the door to revelation in the life of the church today that is neither (inscripturated) special, redemptive revelation nor general revelation. What is affirmed is a third kind of revelation that goes beyond both. It is more than “revelation” in the sense of the Spirit’s illumination for today of already revealed truth (Eph. 1:17; Phil. 3:15),51 more than thoughtful reflection and prayerful wrestling, prompted by the Spirit, about contemporary circumstances and problems in the light of Scripture. In view is additional, immediate revelation, that functions, especially where guidance is concerned, beyond Scripture and so unavoidably implies a certain insufficiency in Scripture that needs to be compensated for.52
But God does not reveal himself, as this view would in effect have it, along two tracks — one public, canonical, for the whole people of God, infallible and completed; the other private, to individual persons and groups, fallible and continuing. I do little more than assert that here, but that assertion, I take it, the fabric of Scripture from beginning to end, as a covenant-historical record, massively supports. During this century, especially, I remind us, we have become increasingly aware that the Bible is a redemptive — or covenant-historical record, not a systematic-theological textbook or a manual of ethics (as there has been a long tendency to treat it, at least in practice); it is “not a dogmatic handbook but a historical book full of dramatic interest.”53 But there is need as well to recognize, much more frequently than has so far happened, the redemptive-historical rationale not only for the content but also for the giving of revelation. Here, once again, the historia salutis-ordo salutis distinction proves crucial. Revelatory word is tethered to redemptive deed, in the sense of once-for-all accomplishment, not its ongoing application.54 With the completion of the latter (redemption) comes the cessation of the former (revelation).
2:4. The working of the Spirit
Finally, I wish to say here that any sound theology of the Holy Spirit will be left with a certain remainder, an unaccounted-for surplus, an area of mystery. The cessationist position, at least as I wish to maintain and defend it, is least of all driven by a rationalistic discomfort with the supernatural or a desire to have everything tied up in a nice, tidy little package. The truth of John 3:8a, for instance, has to be respected; the sovereign working of the Spirit, like the wind, is ultimately incalculable.
At the same time, however — and this appears to be an increasing danger in our time — we ought not to embrace a kind of “whimsy of the Spirit,” a heightened preoccupation with the unexpected and incalculable and unusual in what he is presently doing in the world. For in his own sovereignty the Spirit has seen fit to circumscribe his activity and to structure what he does today largely according to the patterns revealed in Scripture. Those patterns, not what may take place beyond them, need be and must be our only concern. The truly incalculable in the Spirit’s working today ought to remain just that, unexpected and, more importantly, unsought. Conversely, what can be anticipated ceases to that extent to be unpredictable.
It seems to me that this point is being missed by proponents of the view that the New Testament leaves prophecy an open and live, but no more than optional, possibility today. In the New Testament there is nothing optional or merely possible about prophecy. It was a normal and integral part of church order and life. When God’s people gathered for worship there was nothing unusual about the occurrence of prophecy; it was an expected element in their worship (e.g., 1 Cor 12-14). For the church today prophecy is either mandatory and therefore ought to be sought (1 Cor 14:39), or it has ceased. To entertain some other, presumably more “moderate” option only confuses the church, with the unhealthy consequences I have already tried to indicate.
The cessationist view is accused — I’ve heard it often enough — of trying to “put the Spirit in a box.” But we must not fail to recognize that for now (that is, in the postapostolic era of the church), until Jesus comes, according to Scripture, the Spirit has sovereignly chosen to “box” himself in. The dimensions of this “box” we may never minimize; they are large and liberating, indeed awesome. But, in the freedom of the Spirit, they are fixed. That was the rediscovery granted especially to the Reformation and led, inevitably, to its two-front stance — against the tradition principle of Rome, on the one hand, against the Radical Reformation with its claims of extrabiblical revelations, on the other. On both fronts it asserted what it saw threatened: the inseparability of word and Spirit (Spiritus cum verbo), the unbreakable bond between the Spirit’s working and the inscripturated word.
That struggle is not over; it is in fact perennial and carries the potential for undermining the power of the Reformation today. In the name of the Spirit, some continue to place church tradition on a virtual par with Scripture and others claim new revelations and guidance apart from Scripture. Nothing on a par with Scripture and nothing apart from Scripture — that remains the critical issue. Of that Reformed churches surely owe it to the Lord of the church continually to remind both themselves and those in the charismatic movement.
Notes
If it is necessary to say so here, the issue is not whether all spiritual gifts have ceased; they have not (what is at issue is whether or not revelatory word gifts continue). Even less is the issue that all who hold to the cessation of gifts, like prophecy and tongues, do so because they are trapped in an Enlightenment, deistic mind-set that has no place for the direct, supernatural activity of God in creation or within believers (although that may be true of some cessationists). No work of the Spirit, I take it, is more radical, more impressive, more miraculous, and more thoroughly supernatural, than the work he does — now, today, a work of nothing less than resurrecting people who are nothing less than “dead in transgressions and sins” (Eph. 2:1, 5). Beyond any human capacity — rational-reflective, intuitive-mystical, or otherwise — he makes them “alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11). Also not at issue is whether God heals today in medically hopeless situations, in response to the prayers of his people (cf. Jam 5:14ff.), only whether the gift of healing is given today to some, in distinction from others.
E.g., L. Floor, Heilige Gees, 96-100/Die doop met de Heilige Geest (Kampen, 1982), 179-85, W. Jonker, Die Gees van Christus (Pretoria, 1981), 228-36, 242-45; J. Maris, Geloof en Ervaring — van Wesley tot de Pinksterbeweging (Leiden, 1992), 243-50; cf. J. Versteeg, Het gebed volgens het Nieuwe Testament (Amsterdam, 1976), 58-61.
The Pastoral Guidelines adopted by the synod and the report (“Word and Spirit”) on which they are based, are perhaps most easily accessible in the Theological Forum of the Reformed Ecumenical Council, vol. XX/2&3 (Sept. 1992): 2-48. This double issue also includes a Response I was asked to provide (49-56).
“Dit is egter klaarblyklik ‘n té eenvoudige ‘n té meganiese voorstelling van sake” (Jonker, Die Gees, 243, who also considers cessationist argumentation to be relatively “krampagtig” (“desperate”), 244).
The authors cited above (n. 40), apart from Floor, do not so much argue this view as assume it (as more or less self-evident?). Here I interact particularly with the extensive argumentation of W. Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today (Westchester, IL, 1988) and Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, 1994), 1049-61; cf. 1031-43, which overlaps with Floor and the Report of the Reformed Churches of Australia; among other proponents, D. Carson, Showing the Spirit (Grand Rapids, 1987), 91-100; R. Clements, Word and Spirit. The Bible and the Gift of Prophecy Today (Leicester, 1986). Special note should be taken here of the extensive critique of Grudem’s views to which Norris Wilson devoted his 1993 paper to this Conference (Proceedings, 116-135). My own objections, briefly expressed here, are substantially the same. Among more recent Reformed critiques, see esp. G. Knight, III, Prophecy In the New Testament (Dallas, 1988), O. Robertson, The Final Word (Edinburgh, 1993), and R. Ward, Blessed by the Presence of the Spirit (Melbourne, 1997), 60-67, 81-87.
If prophecy were equivalent to preaching, then obviously there can be no objection to it continuing today. But this often held view of prophecy, I take it, is almost certainly not the (revelatory) gift in view in the New Testament in passages like 1 Cor 12-14, Eph 4. Nor should there be objection, it’s perhaps worth adding here, to what today is often called prophecy — spontaneous, more or less unreflecting Spirit-prompted insight into the application of biblical truth to contemporary needs and situations in the church.
In view here (as well as in 3:5) are not Old but New Testament prophets, and revelation given through them, along with the apostles, from the vantage point of the realized eschatological endpoint of redemptive history; the concern of the immediate context, 2:11ff., is not the unity/continuity between old and new covenants, but the newness of the new — the inclusion of Gentiles with Jews in the church. This view, I take it, is not subject to serious question exegetically; see, e.g., Grudem, Gift of Prophecy, 89-92, my Perspectives on Pentecost, 93, and, representative of the virtually universal consensus of recent commentators and monographs, A. Lincoln, Ephesians. Word Biblical Commentary, 42 (Dallas, 1990), 153. Hardly convincing, in my judgment, is the contrary argumentation of J. Roberts, Die opbou van die kerk (Groningen, 1963), 122-129.
Grudem argues at length that here the “prophets” are not the prophets mentioned elsewhere in Paul but the apostles (“apostle-prophets,” “apostles who are also prophets,” Gift of Prophecy, pp. 45-63). But, grammatically, that is highly unlikely at best. See esp. D. Wallace, “The Semantic Range of the Article-Noun-kai-Noun Plural Construction in the New Testament,” Grace Theological Journal, 4.1 (1983), 59-84. Nor is it likely contextually; in 4:11, Paul’s next reference to prophets, in a related context (concern with the makeup of the church), he clearly distinguishes them from the apostles (4:11; cf. 1 Cor. 12:28).
This verse is important as indicating the revelatory matrix for the eventual emergence of the completed New Testament canon.
Grudem, for one, has gone to considerable effort to indict Agabus with (well-intentioned, minor) error in the latter instance (Gift of Prophecy, 96-102; Systematic Theology, 1052-53; so also Carson, Showing the Spirit, 97-98.) In general, this attempt suffers from the demand for pedantic precision imposed on Agabus. J. Hilber observes pertinently, “If one’s judgment is rigid enough, similar ‘errors’ in OT predictions can also be cited” (“Diversity of OT Prophetic Phenomena and NT Prophecy,” Westminster Theological Journal, 56 (1994), 256). Here I can only observe further that Acts 21:11-14 need to be read with an eye to Luke’s overall narrative flow, noted above (the worldwide, foundational, apostolic spread of the gospel to include non-Jew as well as Jew). Read in that framework, what transpired at Caesarea, including Agabus’ prophecy there, is most naturally read as a fuller account that parallels the tightly compressed description of what was said to Paul earlier at Tyre (v. 4 — urged “through the Spirit” not to go on to Jerusalem). For a more extensive response to this view, see Perspectives on Pentecost, 65-67.
Both these instances, in turn, illustrate the sweeping truth expressed earlier by Paul himself in giving the Ephesians elders an overall account of his unique ministry: “I know only that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me” (20:23). The fact that on both occasions disciples (perhaps even Agabus himself and others who prophesied) sought to dissuade Paul in no way compromises the Spirit-breathed, infallible truthfulness of what was prophesied. Also, if Agabus made errors, that apparently was lost on Luke. There is no indication that he records this incident other than as it serves his overarching purpose to show the advance of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. What Agabus says is “what the Spirit says to the churches” (cf., e.g., Rev. 2:7).
Note that the Bereans “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true,” and are commended for doing so (Acts 17:11). Does that testing mean that what Paul taught them did not have full, infallible, apostolic authority? Hardly. No more, then, does the testing of prophecy mean that it has a lower, less than fully inspired authority. Pertinent here is the substantial semantic overlap, over the entire range of their usage, that exists between the verb “examine” (anakrino) in Acts 17:11 and its cognate diakrino in 1 Cor. 14:29. That overlap, an overlap that includes as well the use of “test” (dokimazo) in 1 Thess. 5:21, can be seen most conveniently in the semantic domain analysis of J. Louw & E. Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (New York, 1988), 331-32, 363-64 (esp. sec. 27.44-45, 30.108-09).
Fee, First Corinthians, 710.
E.g., Fee, Empowering Presence, 190; Grudem, Gift of Prophecy, 69.
Furthermore, unlike the Scriptures (and general revelation), which are always accessible and open to interrogation apart from their interpretations, on this view there is no access to the underlying revelation nor any way to distinguish it from its fallible report/”interpretation” by the one prophesying. Question (which, unless I’ve missed it, is not really addressed by advocates of this view): why would God reveal himself in such an ambiguous, not to say “inefficient” way?
The issue, then, is not whether God can be said to “reveal” himself today; of course he does. But in what sense?
To put my concern here another way, this view blurs the essential difference between being “led” by the Spirit (Rom 8:14) and being “borne” by the Spirit (2 Pet 1:21). The former, the privilege, note, of all, not just some, believers, is not to be confused with the latter, the special, revelatory, redemptive-historical role of some, long since over. To use Calvin’s classic figure of the Bible as the eye-glasses indispensable for understanding ourselves and the rest of creation (e.g., Institutes of the Christian Religion [Philadelphia, 1960], 1:6:1[Vol. 1, 70]; 1:14:1[160]), prophecy, on this view, is an additional lens that enhances vision; it temporarily augments or, on occasion, may even replace the Scripture-lens. That seems a fair assessment, especially in the light of how prophecy is usually understood to function today.
G. Vos, Biblical Theology. Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids, 1948), 26; “The circle of revelation is not a school, but a ‘covenant’” (17).
See esp. the comments of Vos, Biblical Theology, 14-17; “Revelation is so interwoven with redemption that, unless allowed to consider the latter, it would be suspended in air” (p. 24).
Author
Currently, Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadephia, PA.
B.A., Calvin College, 1958; B.D., Westminster Theological Seminary, 1961; Th.M., 1962; Th.D., 1969; Graduate studies, Georg-August Universität, Göttingen1962-1963; Westminster, 1965-. He is the author of:The Centrality of the Resurrection [= Resurrection and Redemption]; Perspectives on Pentecost. Calvin and the Sabbath.
Contributor: Jerusalem and Athens; Studying the New Testament Today; The New Testament Student and Theology; The New Testament Student at Work; The Book of Books; New International Version New Testament (editorial committee consultant); Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation; The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos (editor); Biblical Principles & Business: The Foundations; Inerrancy and Hermeneutic; Dictionary of Christianity in America; Theonomy: A Reformed Critique; Right with God; The Vitality of Reformed Theology; Dictionary of Paul and His Letters; Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?
I have heard the destruction of Babylon by fire in one hour at the end of the Tribulation Period referred to as The Last Prophecy in the Book of Revelation to be fulfilled before the Second Coming.
It may be the last prophecy to be fulfilled before the Second Coming if we do not count a final attack on Jerusalem and the Battle of Armageddon.
Anyway, on Apr. 13, 2025, a reader sent me some links to videos that are about some stunning events in the land of Babylon (Iraq) that are not too far from the ancient city of Babylon (where there has already been a limited amount of repairs and construction) that I believe many students of Bible prophecy would like to know.
I do not want to bore you with complicated teaching that you may not be interested in, but some prophecy teachers allegorize the Book of Revelation.
Some teach that Babylon in Rev. chapters 17 and 18 is New York City, the U.S., the EU, etc.
I hold a literal view and have been teaching for more than 30 years that the ancient city of Babylon will be rapidly rebuilt during the Tribulation Period, and it will be the headquarters of the one-world economic system and the one-world religious system.
I do not think Babylon needs to be a big city like New York City.
I think it will need only a few buildings for offices, staff, AI, a communication system, etc.
Here are seven reasons why I believe Rev. 17-18 should be interpreted literally, not allegorically.
One—All of the other cities mentioned in the Book of Rev. were literal cities.
When God said Ephesus, He meant Ephesus (not the EU).
When God said Jerusalem, He meant Jerusalem (not New York).
When God said a city, He meant a city, not a nation or a group of nations.
So, I believe that when God said Babylon, He meant Babylon, not the U.S.
Two—Zechariah 5:5-11 is about a woman called Wickedness who represents commerce and false religion.
Wickedness will be moved to the land of Shinar (the land of Babylon) at the end of the age.
I believe Wickedness and Mystery Babylon the Great are one and the same, and commerce and false religion will be located at rebuilt Babylon at the end of the age.
Three—Virtually all Bible scholars trace false religion and world government back to Nimrod and the Tower of Babel (just a few generations after the Great Flood).
Add to that the fact that Rev. 17:10 teaches that a false religious system existed in five previous kingdoms before the Roman Empire came on the scene.
Those five kingdoms are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece.
So there was false worship at the Tower of Babel and at Babylon.
In fact, Nebuchadnezzar built the statue that he ordered his world leaders to worship (including Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon (Dan. 3:1).
Four—Isaiah said Babylon’s final destruction will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Isaiah. 13:19).
Ancient Babylon wasn’t destroyed by fire and brimstone like Sodom and Gomorrah. (It was buried under water when the Euphrates River changed course.)
But three times in Rev. 17-18, God said Babylon will be destroyed by fire in one hour.
This means Babylon must be rebuilt so it can be destroyed by fire.
Five—Isaiah said that after Babylon is destroyed, it will never be inhabited again (Isaiah 13:20).
But there are a few people living in Babylon today.
This means Babylon must be destroyed in the future and never inhabited again.
Six—Isaiah 14 teaches that Israel will be in the land when Babylon is destroyed.
But Israel wasn’t in the land when the Medes and Persians diverted the Euphrates River and captured Babylon.
Seven—After the final destruction of Babylon, the bricks that it was built with will never be used again.
But some of the bricks in the limited construction that is there now are used bricks that were taken from ancient Babylon.
This means Babylon will have to be destroyed again, so none of the old bricks will be used.
Know that there are many prophecies about Babylon in the Old Testament books of Isaiah and Jeremiah that are repeated in the Book of Rev., chapters 17 and 18. For example:
Isaiah 13:21 says, satyrs or demons (devils and false spirits) will dance in Babylon after its final destruction. We go over to the book of Rev., chapter 18:2, and we read that Babylon will become the habitation of devils and false spirits.
Jeremiah 50:15 says, as she (Babylon) has done, do unto her. We go over to the book of Rev. chapter 18:6 and we read, reward her even as she has rewarded you.
Jeremiah 51:7 says Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand. We go over to Rev. 17:4, and we read that Mystery Babylon has a golden cup in her hand.
Jeremiah 51:7 says the nations have drunk Babylon’s wine. In Rev. 18:3, we read that Babylon has made the nations drunk on wine.
Jeremiah 51:8 says Babylon has suddenly fallen. In Rev. 18:2 we read that Babylon is fallen, is fallen.
Jeremiah 51:9 says Forsake her. Rev. 18:4 says Come out of her, my people.
Jeremiah 51:13 says Babylon sits upon many waters. In Rev. 17:1, we read that Mystery Babylon sits upon many waters.
Isaiah 14:4 refers to the Antichrist as the king of Babylon. We know he will rule over every nation on earth, not just New York City, or the U.S., or the EU.
I don’t believe these things are a coincidence.
I believe God tied the prophecies in Isaiah and Jeremiah to the prophecies in Rev. 17-18 for a reason.
And that reason is that the ancient city of Babylon will be quickly rebuilt in the Tribulation Period.
I want to give you one of the problems that I believe has caused students of prophecy to go astray.
It will set the stage for the stunning event that I am leading up to.
Rev. chapter 18 teaches that Babylon will be a place of global commerce and global shipping at the time that the city of Babylon is destroyed.
World leaders, merchants, shipmasters, and sailors will bitterly weep when they see the smoke from Babylon (Rev. 18:9-18).
Erring prophecy teachers have said the city of Babylon is not a place of global trade and that it is too far from water for shipmasters and sailors to see the smoke.
It has been my position that world leaders, merchants, shipmasters, and sailors could see the smoke over the internet.
Elon Musk is even launching satellites to make that possible.
Anyway, here is the stunning event (use the video links above).
A large port, called the Al Faw Grand Port, has been built at Babylon to accommodate global commerce.
Construction started in 2020, and it is now complete.
Billions of dollars have been pledged, and there is a plan to build a canal and a road to bypass Iran’s threats to close the Suez Canal and the Houthis’ attacks on shipping through the Red Sea.
Global traders are anxious for an alternate route.
The last prophecy to be fulfilled before the Second Coming in the Book of Revelation could be coming on the scene now.
Here are more current events that seem to indicate that the end of the age is near:
One, on Apr. 18, 2025, Israel shot down a Houthi missile that appeared to be aimed at Bethlehem.
Two, concerning the U.S. and Iran negotiations over Iran’s nuclear weapons program: on Apr. 18, 2025, it was reported that Iran gave the U.S. a written proposal for a three-phase deal:
Phase 1— Iran will temporarily reduce uranium enrichmentto 3.67% in return for access to frozen financial assets and permission to export oil.
Phase 2—Iran will permanently end high-level enrichment and allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections, including surprise inspections, in exchange for wider U.S. sanctions relief and the EU not imposing UN sanctions.
Phase 3—Iran will transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to a third country in exchange for the U.S. Congress approving a new nuclear agreement with Iran and lifting primary and secondary sanctions against Iran.
America’s negotiator, Steve Witkoff, welcomed the proposal, the Ayatollah Khamenei called it a good first step, and skeptics said Iran is just stalling for time to rebuild its air defenses and missile program.
(My opinion: Highly regarded and well-informed prophecy teacher Bill Koenig and his wife Tania have been very skeptical of Witkoff’s negotiations and have even implied that Witkoff may betray Israel. Iran doesn’t keep its agreements, and I find Witkoff’s immediate acceptance of Iran’s proposal very troubling.)
(Update: On Apr. 20, 2025, it was reported that another round of negotiations has been set for Apr. 26, 2025.)
Three, on Apr. 18, 2025 (Good Friday; also called Crucifixion Day), the incoming U.S. ambassador to Israel (Mike Huckabee) made his first official visit to Israel.
Huckabee immediately went to the Western Wall (called the Wailing Wall because Jews have shed tears there for about 2,000 years), where he placed Trump’s handwritten prayer for the peace of Jerusalem in a crack between some stones.)
Huckabee said Trump gave him the handwritten prayer and asked him to make his first official act as ambassador to Israel the placing of the prayer in the wall.
Huckabee inserted the prayer and then read Psa. 121 at the Western Wall.
Huckabee was scheduled to formally present his credentials to Israel’s president on the day after Easter.
(My opinion: It is just speculation, Trump’s attitude toward Israel is an indication that he would support the rebuilding of the Temple on the Temple Mount. The fact that Trump chose a staunch Bible-believing, Israel-supporting Christian to be his ambassador to Israel is not insignificant and could well be an act of God who fulfills every jot and tittle of His Word. This is not to say that Trump is the Antichrist, because I have often said that I do not think he is, but it is to say that some think he would support a rebuilt Temple.)
Four, on Apr. 20, 2025, Joel Rosenberg (All Israel News) reported that Mike Huckabee and his wife attended a sunrise service at the Garden Tomb in East Jerusalem to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
Hundreds of Christians from all over Israel and the world were there for the same reason.
Huckabee said he and his wife are not only representatives of the U.S. government in Israel, they are also representatives of Jesus Christ.
Five, on Apr. 18, 2025, it was reported that Franklin Graham led prayer at a worship service at the White House on Wednesday night and that he preached at a White House service on Thursday night during Holy Week.
Following Graham’s prayer on Wednesday, Trump said,
Nearly 2,000 years ago, during this sacred week, the living Son of God entered Jerusalem in triumph.
Soon after, the Savior of mankind, who brought truth and light into the world, was betrayed, arrested, tried, beaten, nailed to a cross, and crucified.
For our sake, He gave up His life, and as the very great Rev. Billy Graham once said, “God proved His love on the cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’”
At the White House worship service on Thursday, Graham preached, worshipers took communion, and students from Liberty University provided special music.
Five, concerning wars and rumors of wars: on Apr. 18, 2025, U.S. Sec. of State Marco Rubio said Pres. Trump has spent 87 days trying to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Rubio added that the U.S. will not continue this effort for weeks or months on end.
He said there must be significant progress in the next few days or the U.S. is prepared to abandon the effort.
Six, Pope Francis died on Apr. 21, 2025.
Following a period of mourning, a conclave will gather to elect a successor.
Pope Francis removed several conservative Cardinals and replaced them with liberals.
There will likely be a lot of speculation that Saint Malachy’s 900-year-old prophecy will come into play and the next pope will choose the name Petros Romanus (Peter the Roman) and be the False Prophet.
Be careful: True prophecy comes from Scripture.
The predictions of others may or may not be true.
We need to wait this out and see what happens.
FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).
Finally, are you Rapture Ready?
If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. Jeremiah 23:21 SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: 2 Timothy 4:1–8
“If God is the author of my ministry, then I, though alone, am superior to the whole world. If prophets are not called by God, they may increase a hundredfold in number, but what they speak means nothing, for we must believe in God alone.” That is what Jeremiah seems to be saying here. We now see the reason for his saying that the prophets ran but were not sent; that they prophesied but have received no commands from God. This passage specifically teaches us that no one is worthy of being heard unless he is a true minister of God. Two things are necessary to prove that: a divine call as well as faithfulness and integrity. So we may safely reject anyone who pushes himself forward, pretending to be a prophet, for God alone may claim the right of being heard. A simple, naked call is not sufficient for a prophet; he who is called must also faithfully labor in prophesying the words of God. Both are mentioned here, for Jeremiah says the prophets ran, though they were not sent; and they prophesied, though they were without a command from God. The same idea is repeated here in two different Hebrew clauses, but the stronger expression is found in the second clause, for sending properly refers to a call, and commanding refers to the execution of the office. God, in the first place, chooses his prophets and commits to them the office of teaching. Then he commands them what to say, dictating to them, as it were, his message. Thus a prophet may not declare anything he devises but only be a herald of God’s message.
FOR MEDITATION: When we hear men speak on behalf of God, how can we know that they are true prophets? Jeremiah says we can tell a prophet is true if he is called by God and speaks with faithfulness and integrity only the words of God. Think of that the next time you listen to someone whose reputation appears to be more important than the message of God’s Word. Most importantly, pray for your church leaders daily, that they might simply be heralds of God’s message.
Calvin, J., & Beeke, J. R. (2008). 365 Days with Calvin (p. 132). Day One Publications; Reformation Heritage Books.
They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. Isaiah 13:5 SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Joel 1
Trouble from nearby nations does not appear to threaten Babylon, but the prophet warns that calamity will come to them from a distance. Likewise, though everything appears calm and peaceful right now and we are not at variance with our neighbors, God can bring enemies from the end of heaven. Therefore we cannot promise ourselves a lasting and prosperous condition when we are not threatened with an immediate danger. If Isaiah’s prediction had reached the inhabitants of Babylon, they would undoubtedly have laughed at it as a fable. Even if they had paid some respect to the prophet, they had such a strong conviction of their safety that they would have despised Isaiah’s threats as idle and groundless. Consider this example. When we preach about the present threat of the Turk, everyone thinks it is a fable because the Turk is still at a great distance from us. But we see how quickly he overtook those who were at a greater distance and were more powerful. So great is the insensibility of men that they cannot be aroused unless they are chastised and made to feel the blows. Let this warning to the inhabitants of Babylon be a warning to us. Before it is too late, let us dread the threats that the prophets utter, so that the same thing may not happen to us as happened to those wicked men who, relying on their prosperous condition, were so terrified when the hand of God attacked and struck them that they could no longer stand but sank down bewildered.
FOR MEDITATION: The incredible shifts in alliance during the twentieth century demonstrate the truth of Isaiah’s warning. The Lord can raise up enemies where we least expect them. His threats of judgment are not idle.
Calvin, J., & Beeke, J. R. (2008). 365 Days with Calvin (p. 118). Day One Publications; Reformation Heritage Books.
“I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications” (Dan. 9:2–3).
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God’s sovereignty doesn’t eliminate the need for prayer.
Have you ever wondered if it’s Biblical to pray for things God has already promised in His Word to do? Is it proper to pray, say, for the salvation of sinners, knowing that God will redeem all the elect anyway, or for Christ’s return, knowing it is a sure thing? Daniel gives us a clear answer. God prophesied through Jeremiah that the Babylonian Captivity would last seventy years (Jer. 25:11–12). When Daniel read that prophecy, he realized that the time was near for his people to return to their homeland. That inspired him to pray fervently. In Daniel 9:19 he cries out, “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Thine own sake, O my God, do not delay.” He was in tune with God’s Word and understood that somehow his prayers were part of God’s plan. The exact relationship between God’s sovereignty and our prayers is a mystery, but it is clear that somehow God’s Word and our prayers are co-laborers in achieving God’s will. Like Daniel, you and I live in a time when many of God’s promises seem near fulfillment. Never before have world events pointed so dramatically to the nearness of the return of our Lord. Consequently, this is not the time for complacency or over-enthusiastic speculation. It is the time for careful Bible study and fervent prayer.
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Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for His faithfulness and the sure promises of His Word. ✧ Ask Him for spiritual wisdom and insight to discern His will and then live accordingly.
For Further Study: Jeremiah 24:1–25:13 gives some background to Judah’s captivity in Babylon. After reading those verses, answer these questions: ✧ To what kind of fruit did God liken Judah? ✧ What did God say would happen to King Zedekiah? ✧ What warning did the prophets give to Judah? ✧ What was Judah’s response? ✧ How would God deal with Babylon?
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1993). Drawing Near—Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith (p. 76). Crossway Books.
Unlike any other time in the church age, we see a multitude of signs telling us that the Tribulation period is rapidly approaching. However, like pieces to a jigsaw puzzle scattered about on a tabletop, we don’t yet fully recognize how they will all fit together to complete the biblical picture of the end times for Israel.
In one grouping of pieces, we see the world’s obsession with Israel and Jerusalem, precisely as the prophet Zechariah predicted for the last days (12:1-3). The purpose of the upcoming UN Conference on Palestine’ set for June 2-4, is to set in motion a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East conflict. The member nations hope to impose their seven or ten-year peace accord upon Israel during the UN’s celebration of its 80th birthday this coming September.
The UN initiative also calls for an immediate ceasefire of all hostilities in the region, with Israel giving up all the territory it acquired in the Six-Day War of 1967, including East Jerusalem.
Obstacles
While the upcoming meetings at the UN point us in the direction of Daniel’s seventieth week (see Daniel 9:27), they don’t quite get us there; something is missing. First, we notice at least two key obstacles that stand in the way of the UN imposing its will on Israel.
First, President Trump opposes the two-state solution offered by the UN. In addition, he has promoted the ideas of clearing all the Palestinians out of Gaza, settling them in other Arab nations, and creating a Palestinian State within the borders of Saudi Arabia. He has established a starting point for negotiations that’s far afield from the tried and failed solutions of the past.
Second, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will certainly refuse the UN plan. He has oftentimes rejected the idea of a return to pre-1967 borders, recognizing that such a solution would be suicidal for the Jewish people living in Israel, and he’s absolutely correct! With the backing of a popular and highly influential US President, Netanyahu stands on firm ground in his resistance to the UN plan.
The Antichrist Will Confirm the Covenant
Furthermore, the Bible tells us that the antichrist will confirm the upcoming peace covenant with Israel, which initiates Daniel’s seventieth week, the seven-year Tribulation for the world. Daniel 9:27 mentions the “many,” which suggests the inclusion of other nations in the deal. However, they are not the ones who will impose the prophetic peace accord upon Israel such as the UN intends to do later this year. The two prominent participants in the biblical peace accord will be the antichrist and Israel.
In Isaiah 28:14-22, the Lord admonishes Israel for entering into a future “covenant of death,” which is almost certainly a prophecy concerning the accord the nation will make with the antichrist. God will judge the nations for dividing the Land (Joel 3:1-3), but He will hold Israel’s leaders responsible for agreeing to the antichrist’s terms. In other words, Israel will agree to the deal that kicks off Daniel’s last week; it’s not something the nations will impose upon Israel apart from the consent of its leaders.
The Hidden Piece
The missing piece to all that we see happening with the UN, Israel, and Jerusalem is the Rapture. It’s the key piece that enables the completion of the puzzle.
It’s possible that the coming “man of lawlessness” is already involved in some way with the UN Conference on Palestine. However, he cannot take center stage on the world scene until after Jesus removes His church from it (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). In the meantime, we might have guesses concerning his identity, but we cannot know for sure. Because the Lord is restraining him at the moment, he can’t lead the peacemaking negotiations until after we are gone.
The Rapture will also remove the US as a key obstacle to the UN plan. The ensuing chaos will instantly remove America as a world power and greatly limit its ability to defend Israel. I believe that the Gog/Magog invasion will happen after the Rapture as the participants take advantage of a greatly weakened US.
The radically changed landscape of the post-Rapture world will also give the antichrist the perfect opening to convince a war-weary Israel to agree to his covenant of peace. After the Gog/Magog war, he will be able to make his deal all the more appealing by allowing for the rebuilding of the third temple, which Israel greatly desires at the moment but won’t receive as a part of the UN Conference on Palestine, which will likely take away their access to the Temple Mount.
Of course, the current UN agenda for Israel and Jerusalem is prophetically significant. I always expected the Rapture would occur before I heard even any mention of a possible seven-year peace accord with Israel. The fact that the nations of the world are considering such a plan tells us we surely live in biblical times.
Until the Rapture occurs, the UN’s plan seems headed for failure. After that, however, the antichrist will be free to take control of the negotiations and make Israel an offer they will not refuse.
Jonathan Brentner is an author, writer, and Bible Teacher with a passion for encouraging believers with a sound biblical worldview and the nearness of Jesus’ appearing.
In a recent article entitled “The Devil’s Puppets,” we were discussing some of the devil’s puppets who are a part of the evil globalists’ coalition. That wicked cabal that seeks to depopulate and enslave the world and to set up the reign of the antichrist. The international bankster gangsters, the WHO, the U.N., the WEF, and all of Klaus Schwab’s young global leaders, as well as independently mega-wealthy multi-billionaires such as Gates and Soros and the entire Davos crowd.
Interestingly, there is another group of bad actors who qualify as puppets of the devil and who have been wreaking havoc on planet Earth for quite some time. At least some of these other evil puppets were seen in visions by the prophet Ezekiel roughly six hundred years before the first advent of Jesus Christ. These particular visions that Ezekiel beheld, however, were of a future time that coincided with the second advent of Jesus Christ.
As of this writing, the fulfillment of the visions recorded in the book of Ezekiel in chapters 38 and 39 about a specific coalition of nations that unite to attack Israel in the latter days has yet to come to pass.
Although these prophetic visions have not yet occurred, an alliance of the very puppets of the devil mentioned in the vision is forming and firming up right before the eyes of all who are watching and paying attention to Bible prophecy with eyes wide open, here on planet Earth at the beginning of the year 2025.
The alliance at this time consists of Vladimir Putin of Russia, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. These three being the leaders of the nations that are the main players in the visions that God showed Ezekiel.
Xi Jinping of China and, oddly enough, Kim Jong-Un of North Korea are also working with this coalition, at least at the present time.
Russia, Iran, and Turkey, along with Libya and Sudan are mentioned together by their ancient names in the prophecy recorded in the book of Ezekiel chapter 38, as a coalition that would assemble together to attack Israel in the latter days, only to be supernaturally defeated and utterly destroyed by God Himself on behalf of the nation of Israel.
This odd alliance forming right now is made up of the most unlikely characters when you take their individual ideologies, theologies, and backgrounds into account.
The main characters are those mentioned above, and they are the ones we see specifically forming pacts with each other in conformance to Ezekiel 38.
The one that is a bit of a mystery in this alliance is Kim Jong-Un of North Korea, who, along with Xi Jinping of China, is not mentioned in the Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecies.
Even though Kim Jong-Un can be considered a part of the nations of Central Asia along with China and Xi Jinping – both of which are aligning themselves with Iran and Russia, and though each of these two men could be considered “kings of the East” in reference to a biblical end times prophecy found in Revelation 16:12-16 – there is just such an oddness about this alliance.
As of January 2025, Putin of Russia and the Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran (ancient Persia) are right now in the process of developing and signing a pact that includes military cooperation.
Kim Jong-Un has been assisting Iran in missile technology for a number of years and is now also aiding Russia in Putin’s war against Ukraine with actual boots on the ground.
Iran has also been aiding Russia by providing drones to attack the Ukrainians with.
China is cooperating with both Russia and Iran and is Iran’s biggest oil- buying client. Russia and Turkey just celebrated the opening of the nuclear power plant the Russians built for the Turks.
Erdogan of Turkey has, in recent months, been making loud, boisterous threats about invading Israel and has been giving asylum to some of the Hamas demons who are wearing an Israeli target on their heads.
Erdogan, who is Sunni, and Khamenei, who is Shiite, may not agree on who the true inheritor of the mantle of Mohammed might be, but they, as hard-core Islamists, share an out-of-this-world hatred for Israel and all things Jewish.
There are so many things these puppets of the devil do not share in common, and yet there are also certain things they do hold in common.
Who would ever imagine that atheistic, communist, Marxist leaders such as Putin or Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-Un would ally themselves with the most fanatical of all Islamic religious leaders, such as the Ayatollah of Iran or Erdogan of Turkey, who is a close second to Khamenei when it comes to ruthless Islamic fanaticism.
Who would believe that Sunni Muslim dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey would align with Shiite Iran and its tyrannical leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? And, how in the world does Kim Jong-Un – who, by following in the footsteps of his father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather, Kim il-Sung, keep the citizens of North Korea enslaved inside a “cult of personality” with his own unique brand of Marxism – fit into this group of Jew-hating mega egomaniacs.
Those are just a few observations regarding some of the extreme differences that don’t seem to be slowing down the coalition building that is right now going on between these particular unlikely allies.
On the other hand, some of the things these puppets of the devil do have in common are listed below.
Each of these dictators/tyrants seems to envision themselves expanding their empires and, thus, their personal power.
Though they are already quite mega-wealthy as individuals, all want more.
They all wish to replace the geo-political power base of the West with their own.
They all also want a new world order, but not the one the Globalists and their Western puppets are proposing.
They all accuse Israel of committing genocide against the people of Gaza and turn a blind eye to the atrocities of Hamas on Oct.7, 2023, as well as all terrorism committed against Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iranian proxies.
They all have their eyes fixed on the amazing bounty of natural resources that exist in Israel.
They all seek to go down in history with the legacy of a hero to the peoples of their own nations.
They are each evil tyrants completely out of touch with the will of God.
They all recognize that there is power in numbers.
None of them can be trusted at all, even by each other.
Each of them appears to be completely ignorant of Bible prophecy.
Each and every one of them is a “Puppet of the Devil.”
Although they may have certain things in common, puppets of the devil each have their own individual agendas that take precedence over common agendas with their fellow puppets of the devil.
Both their individual and their common agendas spell bad news for all decent peace-loving people.
Satan, the devil, uses all of his puppets to gaslight, create fear and chaos, crush freedom, cause much harm to, and attempt to snatch people away from God. It matters not to Satan that the ideologies and theologies of his puppets differ greatly or even oppose each other.
A prime example of this is the overthrow of the brutal dictator Bashar Assad in Syria by Sunni rebels backed by Erdogan of Turkey. Assad had longed been backed and propped up by the Shiite Mullahs of Iran and Putin of Russia.
Just as the centuries-old feuding between Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam are united in their hatred of Israel, all of the diverse puppets of the devil are united in their hatred of anything, anyone, and any ideas that have to do with freedom, anything Jewish, or with God Almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
All puppets of the devil are fulfilling Bible prophecy each in his own way as well as together, and it appears that every one of them is oblivious to that fact, as well as to this other important fact, God is in control.
It is worth repeating. God is in control.
As we race toward the fulfillment of end-times Bible prophecies, none of the seemingly crazy events occurring on planet Earth daily – such as one major natural disaster after another like super destructive fires and earthquakes, droughts and frigid arctic cold-blasts, tornadoes and torrential rains, roaring seas with gigantic waves including tidal waves, volcanic eruptions, or the bizarre geo-political alliances that we see rapidly manifesting right before our eyes, nor geo-political or domestic political intrigue based on treachery and deception – should be even the least bit surprising.
Our Heavenly Father, who declares the end from the beginning, has prepared us with relevant prophetic scriptures like the following, scriptures that shed light on this darkening world.
“For you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that you are not troubled, for these things must come to pass, but the end is still to come. Nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and pestilences and famines in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 28:4-8).
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut to pieces, though all the people of earth shall be gathered against it” (Zechariah 12:2-3)
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws nigh” (Luke 21:28).
“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe to those who inhabit the earth and the sea! for the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows he has but a short time” (Revelation 12:12).
It matters not whether it be the evil globalist coalition of the devil’s puppets or the Ezekiel 38, 39 coalition of evil puppets, or all of the devil’s puppets from all of the nations gathered together for one last futile attempt to defeat God Almighty at the final battle of “Armageddon” in the Jezreel Valley of Megiddo which lies at Israel’s doorstep.
Any and all “puppets of the devil” are doomed to utter failure. Doomed to failure and then banned from the new Heavens and the new Earth after they are all deposited into the Lake of Fire, which was prepared especially for them (Matthew 25:41).
No matter how dark things might become in the year 2025, perhaps even in the face of President Donald J. Trump and his new administration’s best efforts, remember always that our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus are in control of the prophetic timeline and everything that either happens or doesn’t happen, even when it may appear otherwise.
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).
No politician or world leader, including Trump, can prevent or even delay the inevitable prophetic fulfillment as it is revealed in Bible scripture according to the will of God Almighty. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Trump and his administration can make it harder for the evil puppets.
They can throw sand, so to speak, into the gears of the globalist machine, and they can and should fight back as best they are able to do so against any and all of the devil’s plethora of vile godless puppets in their efforts to do what is righteous.
However, there is only one savior, and His name is not Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump is a unique man, granted, and quite likely chosen by God for a time such as this. But he is a man nonetheless. An imperfect and flawed human, just like all the rest of us. Although DJT has proven to be pro-Israel and pro-Christian – and to recognize that it was the hand of God that turned his head, thus saving his life at the rally in Pennsylvania – whether or not he has full and true understanding of Israel’s role in prophecy as well as the covenants with the God of Israel remain to be seen.
Our Savior’s name is Jesus, and He is the only one who possesses unlimited supernatural power.
Jesus alone wields the Almighty supernatural power that is going to be required in order to completely dismantle this hideous, satanic, octopus-like geo-political monster engineered by the devil and his puppets that has, over time, meticulously and cunningly placed this world into a stranglehold.
Pray for Donald Trump and all whom he has appointed to help him in the good fight, but trust in Jesus, and don’t be surprised by anything that happens in the coming year of 2025.
As we observe the devil and all of his puppets worldwide aligning themselves with end-times Bible prophecy and doing all they can to rapidly bring about the conditions for the Rapture to happen and the Seven-Year Tribulation to begin, we should remember this.
No matter what happens, trust in Jesus first and foremost and in all ways. Be assured that the day when the trumpet blows and Jesus calls us home is not very far away. Stay steady, be ready, and rejoice!
Blessings of protection and peace in the midst of all storms to all of God’s beloved children in the precious name of Jesus.
Rick Segoine
***
All are welcome to visit ricksegoine.com to download E-book copies or order paperback copies of my book, From God to Eternity. Or to listen to and download original gospel songs, read other articles, or watch podcasts called “Father Knows X” with my son Gabriel.
Note to all readers: My computer was hacked and damaged beyond repair. I have been without a computer for four days. I am now learning a new computer and system. If you sent me an email that wasn’t answered, I probably won’t get around to answering it. I apologize. I am also way behind on what is going on, but here is the article I was working on when I was hacked.
A faithful reader recently sent me the words to the first verse of The Battle Hymn of the Republic and a link to an article by Leonard Grunstein (retired attorney, banker, author) that caused her to think of it.
The words are:
Mine eyes have seen the Glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored,
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
On Dec. 31, 2024, Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) posted an article by Leonard Grunstein (author, attorney, banker), who was responding to a crowd of Muslims that chanted “Mr. President, take us to Jerusalem” during a speech by Turkey’s President Erdogan. Grunstein noted that Erdogan has often said in the last four years that Jerusalem belongs to Turkey.
Grunstein ended his article by saying Jerusalem does not belong to Turkey.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! God’s truth is marching on.
Consider these words from Zech. 8:2-8.
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.”
God’s Word is truth (II Tim. 2:15), and Mr. Erdogan would do well to abandon the lie that Jerusalem belongs to Turkey.
On Jan. 7, 2025, Tim Moore, Director and Senior Evangelist at Lamb and Lion Ministries, wrote:
The greatest of all the end-time signs is the existence of Israel.
The “dry bones” have been regathered into a modern nation-state (Ezekiel 36-37) that continues to survive despite the concerted efforts of satanically inspired purveyors of hate.
For those who have visited the Promised Land, you have witnessed the beauty and wonder of a restored Israel with your own eyes.
For those who have not been able to visit Israel, a nation coming back from the dead as prophesied testifies to the Lord’s doing.
The miracle that is Israel is truly marvelous in our eyes!
(My opinion: I agree. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! God’s truth is marching on, and it is marvelous in the eyes of those that are watching.)
(By the way: “Watch” is a command, not a suggestion.)
Here is more truth from the book of Zechariah (Zech. 12:1-3).
“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”
The Creator of all things said all who attack Jerusalem (at the end of the age) will be cut in pieces, and there are not enough people on earth to capture Jerusalem.
Israel is under attack on seven fronts today (from Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syria, Hamas and others in the Gaza Strip, Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and from terrorists inside Israel in Judea and Samaria), and all her attackers are losing.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! God’s truth is marching on.
Many of those that are attacking Israel today are proxies of Iran.
Iran is threatening to attack Israel soon.
On Jan. 9, 2025, Harbinger’s Daily posted an article by Robert Gottselig (Director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry in Canada), and Gottselig said:
Students of God’s Word know that Iran will continue in its demonic plans to attack Israel until the God of Israel brings it to a decisive end, as we read in Ezekiel 38-39.
The truth is that the Iranian regime’s days are numbered, and they ought to tremble before the God of Israel—who neither slumbers nor sleeps.
God is indeed taking note, and judgment will come one day soon.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! God’s truth is marching on.
Here are more reasons to believe this way.
One, on Jan. 8, 2025, Jimmy Evans, founder and former senior pastor of Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo, Texas, said he loves Bible prophecy and he intends to focus on teaching it the rest of his life.
According to his website,
We are living in a moment of widespread uncertainty.
People are fearful.
The news is almost always negative.
That’s because we are living at the end of the end times.
But God gave us Bible prophecy not to cause fear but to bring hope.
It is more important than ever to bring our message of hope to those who are confused, frightened, or upset by the state of the world.
We want to prepare believers for the return of Jesus Christ.
(FYI: I do not know why Jimmy Evans said end of the end times, but I know that the Battle of Gog and Magog will take place in the latter years and latter days, and some prophecy teachers believe latter years and latter days means at the end of the end times. I believe pastor Evans is right and am delighted to see the truth of Bible prophecy marching on.)
(More: On Jan. 14, 2025, it was reported that Russia’s Pres. Putin and Iran’s Pres. Pezeshkian will sign a comprehensive partnership pact with far-reaching military implications in Moscow on Jan. 17, 2025.)
Two, concerning Israel being a great army and expanding its borders at the end of the age: a key provision of Israel’s ceasefire agreement with Lebanon requires Lebanon to remove Hezbollah from south of the Litani River.
Lebanon has not met that requirement, so on Jan. 8, 2025, Israeli officials said they will not withdraw their military from Lebanon until Lebanon meets it.
(More: Lebanon said its military is not strong enough to do it, so the Biden administration has transferred more than $100 million ($95 million that was appropriated for Egypt and $7.5 million that was appropriated for Israel) from Egypt and Israel to Lebanon. The problem is that Hezbollah has infiltrated Lebanon’s army, and they will wind up with part of the money and can use it to fight Israel.)
Three, concerning wars and rumors of wars at the end of the age:
On Jan. 8, 2025, U.S. jets carried out multiple strikes against two underground Iranian-backed Houthi weapons storage facilities in Yemen.
On Jan. 9, 2025, the Houthis in Yemen launched three drones at Israel. All of them were shot down.
On Jan. 10, 2025, the U.S. and UK attacked ports, a power station, and some military infrastructure in Yemen.
Four, concerning bad leaders, leaders with reprobate minds, etc. at the end of the age, according to Zero Hedge as of Friday morning (1-10-25), the LA fires have:
Killed at least ten people.
Forced the evacuation of 180,000 people.
Destroyed more than 10,000 structures.
Caused up to $150 billion in preliminary damages and economic losses.
The LA Times reported that the Santa Ynez Reservoir (a critical 117-million-gallon water source that could have prevented a lot of this) has been empty and offline for almost a year.
(My comment: I have been asked if I think the judgment of God is falling on LA. I do not know. But I do know that one way God judges people is to give them bad leaders. He does this to motivate repentance and prayer. He will help those that repent and pray. But He may ramp it up if they don’t repent and pray.)
Five, concerning bad leaders, leaders with reprobate minds, etc., at the end of the age: according to The Expose on Jan. 10, 2025, the UK is expecting freezing temperatures in the coming weeks, and it only has one week’s worth of natural gas.
The low gas reserves are a result of the UK’s reliance on wind farms, but the wind speeds have been low and the wind farms are not producing enough energy.
(My comment: The UK citizens have been turning away from God and Israel for years. God is loving and patient, but there will be a payday someday, and elections have consequences.)
Six, concerning world government: on Jan. 8, 2025, Vasko Kohlmayer (author, grew up in Communist Czechoslovakia), expressed his opinion that globalism is collapsing.Top of Form
Some of his reasons include:
The election of Donald Trump.
The resignation of Justin Trudeau.
The possibility that the governments of Austria, Germany, France, Britain, and others could fall.
Kolhmayer says public discontent is reaching a boiling point.
(My opinion on this: Jesus said there will be distress of nations with perplexity – discontent on earth – when His return is near; see Luke 21:25-27.)
Kolhmayer believes the globalists were largely successful in controlling the public discontent with demonization and censorship for a while, but those tactics started failing when Elon Musk bought Twitter (now platform X) because Musk reaches people all over the world, and he started letting the truth come out.
Kolhmayer said:
The globalists are the real enemies of Democracy.
The truth is the exact opposite of what they claim.
(My opinion: Several times, Jesus warned about deceit at the end of the age. Discontented people will eventually cry out for a man with a plan; there will be a world government, but God’s people will not be here. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! God’s truth is marching on.)
Seven, concerning globalists demonizing and censoring people: on Jan. 9, 2025, Pres. Biden delivered a eulogy at the funeral of former Pres. Jimmy Carter at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.
Carter’s casket was on a stage in the Cathedral.
The stage floor had a large Christian cross emblazoned on the floor with four more smaller Christian crosses emblazoned on the floor around the large cross.
Carter’s casket rested over the center of the large cross (where the vertical and horizontal bars crossed) with the four smaller crosses surrounding his casket.
Carter was a Christian, and to be surrounded by one of the most important Christian symbols on earth is very appropriate.
But here is the issue: Democrat Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been criticizing Pres. Trump’s nominee to head the Defense Dept. (Pete Hegseth) for, among other things, having a Christian symbol tattooed on his body.
She thinks this makes Hegseth an extremist.
FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).
Finally, are you Rapture Ready?
If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.
On Dec. 26, 2024, Israel Hayom reported that senior Israeli officials believe Trump has just two objectives regarding Gaza and Israel that will go into effect on Jan. 20, 2025.
The release of the hostages.
An Israeli victory over Hamas.
Israeli officials also believe that:
Trump will cancel all of Biden’s restrictions on Israel.
Trump will provide Israel with all the weapons Israel needs.
A new day is coming.
Israel’s military will grow stronger.
Israel’s borders will be expanded.
Israel’s enemies will continue to fail.
(My opinion: Israel must still go through the Tribulation Period, and the entire world will be against her, but God is strengthening Israel before that day arrives.)
Here are more signs that a new day is coming.
One, on Dec. 31, a CNN reporter asked Pres. Trump about his past comment that there will be “hell to pay” if the hostages are not returned by the time he assumes office on Jan. 20, 2025.
Trump replied:
Let me put it this way: They had better let the hostages come back soon.
Two, on Dec. 24, 2024, TV7 Israel News reported that HTS (the Turkish-backed terrorist group that helped bring down the Syrian government) wants the UN to oust Israel from Syria.
Three, concerning Turkey’s participation in the Battle of Gog and Magog (a great war in the latter years and latter days): on Dec. 25, 2024, it was reported that the son of Turkey’s Prime Min. Erdogan called for Turkey to conquer the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
(My opinion: When the Battle of Gog and Magog takes place, God will destroy Turkey’s military along with the militaries of Russia, Iran, and several other Islamic groups. The defeat of those militaries will open the door for the rise of a world government. It will be a different day on planet Earth.)
Four, on Dec. 28, 2024, Israel’s Foreign Min. said the people ruling Syria are not people that have been elected to run the nation.
They are Islamic terrorists that have seized the government.
(More: On Dec. 29, 2024, Syria’s new leader said drafting a new constitution could take three years, and it might be four years before Syria could hold an election.)
Five, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog: on Dec. 25, 2024, Israel’s Chief of Staff, Halevi, said,
Let Iran, its proxies, and the entire Middle East know that anyone who attempts to undermine the stability and security of the State of Israel, the IDF will stand firm against them.
Israel is ready to strike at any time and in any place.
(My opinion: Israel attacking Iran is not the Battle of Gog and Magog, but Iran retaliating with the help of Russia, Turkey, and other Islamic groups and nations would be.)
Six, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog: on Dec. 26, 2024, it was reported that the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have fired five ballistic missiles and five drones at Israel in the last ten days.
The head of Israel’s Mossad suggested that Israel should strike back at Iran instead of striking back at the Houthis.
It has been reported that Israel’s Prime Min. Netanyahu said, “Iran is a different issue which will be dealt with at the appropriate time.”
Seven, concerning anti-Semitism and corruption in the UN: on Dec. 27, 2024, the Houthis took responsibility for an overnight missile attack on Israel’s Ben Gurion airport.
The Houthis said the missiles hit their target, but Israel said they shot them down.
Anyway, on Dec. 28, 2024, UN Sec. Gen. Guterres blasted Israel for its recent retaliatory attacks on the Houthis without saying one word about the Houthis firing missiles at Israel.
(My opinion: The nations on planet Earth should have no part in a corrupt world government, but the day is coming when the entire planet is subjected to the most evil government that ever existed.)
Eight, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog: on Dec. 27, 2024, the Prophecy News Watch (PNW) staff reported that,
Turkey is involved in reshaping the new Syrian government (sending in military and political advisors; helping with the restoration of Syria’s navy, air force, ground forces, etc.).
Turkey is showing an increased hostility to Israel (accusing Israel of breaking international law by committing genocide and being an occupying power in Gaza, presenting itself as a defender of the Palestinians, declaring Jerusalem a red line for Muslims, urging the international community to act against Israel, etc.).
Turkey’s relationship with Russia and Iran is growing.
Turkey has one of the most powerful and best-equipped military forces in NATO (355,000 active personnel, 378,000 reserves), and it has a strategic advantage by being closer to Israel than Russia and Iran are.
Erdogan has long expressed a desire to rebuild the Ottoman Empire.
All these things seem to be lining up with Ezekiel’s prophecy of the Battle of Gog and Magog in the latter days and latter years (Ezek. 38-39).
Nine, concerning world government: on Dec. 29, 2024, FobiddenNews Substack reported that King Charles III (in a Christmas Message to the world and to the UK that was posted on the official website of Buckingham Palace) said,
It is only by embracing a global framework – a true partnership of nations, as envisioned by the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset – that we can address the profound challenges before us.
For some unknown reason, later in the day, the posting was removed, and a videotaped watered-down version was broadcast.
But several people managed to get the original posting before it was removed.
According to the screenshot, King Charles III also said,
The time has come to face an undeniable truth: the concept of absolute sovereignty, as we long understood it, must evolve – indeed, it must be dismantled – for the good of humankind.
A unified global governance is not merely an ideal; it is a necessity if we are to safeguard the future of our planet and our people.
The time for half measures has passed. Our survival demands courage, cooperation, and a willingness to embrace transformative change. If we do not act decisively, we risk a future marked by fragmentation, instability, and despair.
There was also an announcement that King Charles III will host a global forum in early 2025, convening leaders, thinkers, and innovators to discuss the practical implementation of this shared vision.
>That the world will be divided into ten regions at the end of the age.
>That a leader will be appointed (not elected) over each region.
>That the Bible calls these ten leaders the Ten Kings, and that the Ten Kings are a prelude to the rise of the Antichrist.
>That the process of creating regions is called regionalization (Google this).
>That the EU was selected to be the first region to rise, and its structure, laws and morals are the pattern for the other nine regions to follow. (Structuring the Ten Regions the same way will make it easier to merge them into a one-world government, and this makes King Charles III’s involvement and call for a global forum in early 2025 interesting.)
>That one of the other nine regions will be the North American Union (NAU; called continental integration, merging nations on the continent of North America), and this makes Trump’s statement about annexing Canada interesting).
>The transformation of the world from sovereign nations to a world government officially went into effect on Jan. 1, 2016, when the “Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” goals went into effect. UN Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon hailed it as the “start of a new era” and said there is now a “new universal agenda.”
>World leaders decided they would take 14 years (2016 to 2030) to transform every nation on earth and that hopefully the masses won’t rise up and oppose them; that we are now a little more than halfway through the transformation period, and we can expect the transformation to pick up pace and severity.
>This process of merging the ten regions into a one-world government is called global integration.
>This is part of Pres. Obama’s “fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” Pres. Biden’s “New World Order,” Klaus Schwab’s “Great Reset,” etc.
(My opinion: Some or all of the Ten Kings may be given power before the Rapture, but as far as I know, the Bible does not address that.)
Another reminder:
I am writing this on Jan. 1, 2025. We are now 3 ½ years from Israel’s 80th birthday – 1948-2028. In Psa. 90:10, the prayer of Moses says, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten [70 years]; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years [80 years], yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”
The length of a generation is debatable, but some prophecy teachers believe a generation is 70-80 years. They know that Jesus was talking about His Second Coming when He said, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree [Israel]; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled (Matt. 24:32-34). This may be another major indication that a new day is coming soon.
FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).
Finally, are you Rapture Ready?
If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.
“Your house and your kingdom will endure forever.”That’s God’s promise to King David – a pledge and prophecy that came to fruition through the nativity and Jesus’ birth. Matthew Chapter 1 opens with a genealogy of Jesus, describing the Messiah as “the son of David and the son of Abraham.” And Luke Chapter 1 corroborates Jesus’ tie to David when Gabriel approaches Mary and reveals she will bear a son. Verses 32 and 33 read, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary is being given a prophecy here that we first see recorded hundreds of years earlier in 1 and 2 Chronicles and 2 Samuel – in particular 2 Samuel Chapter 7, verse 16. It is here in 2 Samuel, God, through Nathan, tells David about his everlasting kingdom — a kingdom build and fulfilled through Jesus’ loving sacrifice.
And that love is the centerpiece of the biblical narrative. The nativity gave way to the cross and the cross gives way to our true freedom and forgiveness. But a full understanding of both the Old and New Testaments — and the prophecy therein — is what opens us to fully understanding what all of this means. Listen to the finale of “Jesus and the Prophecies of Christmas.”
When we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are celebrating one of the most improbable miracles in all of human history. You see, the truth is that not just anyone could have showed up and claimed to be the Messiah. According to the Scriptures, the Messiah had to come from a very specific bloodline, the Messiah had to be born at a very specific place, and the Messiah had to be born at a very specific time. It was exceedingly unlikely that anyone would ever be able to fulfill all of those prophecies, but Jesus did. The prophecies about the first coming of Christ that we find in the Bible are powerful evidence for the reality of the Christian faith, and yet these prophecies are rarely taught in our churches today.
Even though the birth of Christ is most commonly celebrated on December 25th in the western world, scholars openly acknowledge that Jesus was not actually born on December 25th. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, people did not start celebrating the birth of Christ on December 25th until hundreds of years after the time of Jesus…
In the 3rd century, the Roman Empire, which at the time had not adopted Christianity, celebrated the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) on December 25th. This holiday not only marked the return of longer days after the winter solstice but also followed the popular Roman festival called the Saturnalia (during which people feasted and exchanged gifts). It was also the birthday of the Indo-European deity Mithra, a god of light and loyalty whose cult was at the time growing popular among Roman soldiers.
The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. As Constantine had made Christianity the effective religion of the empire, some have speculated that choosing this date had the political motive of weakening the established pagan celebrations. The date was not widely accepted in the Eastern Empire, where January 6 had been favored, for another half-century, and Christmas did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century.
The Bible does not give us a specific date for the birth of Christ, but based on the chronology that we are given in the gospel of Luke it probably happened during the fall months.
And as I noted earlier, the Messiah could not have been just any random person.
In my new book entitled “Why”, I explain that the Scriptures mandate that the Messiah must come from an extremely unique bloodline…
-He had to be a descendant of Abraham. (Genesis 12:3)
-He had to be a descendant of Isaac. (Genesis 21:12)
-He had to be a descendant of Jacob. (Numbers 24:17)
-He had to be a descendant of Judah. (Genesis 49:10)
-He had to be a descendant of Jesse. (Isaiah 11:1)
-He had to be a descendant of David. (Isaiah 9:6 and Jeremiah 23:5)
-He had to be a descendant of Solomon. (2 Samuel 7:13)
In addition to coming from a very specific bloodline, the Scriptures also require that the Messiah must be born in the town of Bethlehem.
This is what Micah 5:2 tells us…
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, 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.
The Scriptures also require that the Messiah must be born of a virgin.
What are the odds of that happening?
I think that Henry Morris was being quite generous when he assigned a probability of one in 40 billion…
Consider also the matter of the virgin birth, which was prophesied over 500 years before its fulfillment. “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The imminent fulfillment of this amazing prophecy was finally announced to Mary’s espoused husband, Joseph, also by Gabriel: “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20).
There has been no other virgin birth recorded in all human history, in comparison to perhaps 40 billion normal births since Adam. However, an evolutionary skeptic might argue that such a thing is theoretically at least possible, especially in view of such modern genetic developments as artificial insemination, cloning, etc., as well as examples of parthenogenesis among animals. So perhaps we could assign a probability of one in 40 billion to a human virgin birth (or better, virgin conception—the actual birth being fully normal in Jesus’ case).
On top of everything else, the Scriptures require that the Messiah must be born at a very specific time in human history.
Daniel chapter 9 contains some of the most complex prophecies in the entire Bible. As I explain in my book, that chapter gives us a very specific timeline, and it also gives us a way to check to see if we have interpreted that timeline correctly. Daniel 9:26 says that the Messiah must die before the city of Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed, and of course the city of Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 70 AD.
What this means is that the Messiah had to show up before 70 AD, and that is precisely what happened.
At just the right time, and in just the right place, the Messiah came into the world. I recently came across an editorial that discussed just how unlikely this really was…
Some people love math. I barely tolerated it; just enough to get by. Then there are people that have a passion for statistics, and others love to postulate on statistical probabilities, adinfinitum.
OK, let’s try this scenario on for size. What are the chances that a virgin teenage girl, say 13 or 14, named Mary, who lived in the village of Nazareth along with her fiance Joseph, would immaculately conceive by the Holy Spirit and later give birth to a little boy, after traveling fully pregnant, on a donkey about 90 miles — a 4-5-day journey on foot — to the birthplace of Joseph’s ancestor, King David? This little baby would grow up to eventually save humanity from their sins. Come on, stat-people and mathematicians, I’ll wait for your answer.
Overall, there are over 300 prophecies in the Bible regarding the coming of the Messiah that were fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
After He rose from the dead, Jesus explained the importance of fulfilling all of those prophecies to His disciples. The following is what Luke 24:44 tells us…
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Yes, anyone could theoretically show up and claim to be the Messiah.
But there is only one man that fulfilled all of the criteria set forth in the Scriptures.
Jesus is the Messiah, and that is definitely something worth celebrating.
Jesus’ birth story has captivated billions of people for more than two millennia, as the Bible details a loving God’s decision to send His Son to die for the sins of humanity — and live again.
From the manger to the cross, the journey has shaped and molded every facet of human history. One of the most compelling realities surrounding the nativity narrative is Jesus’s birth was foretold long before the manger, with the Old Testament including important prophecies pointing toward Christ.
In fact, this promised Messiah is mentioned throughout the Scriptures, with specific details — including His birth in Bethlehem — noted hundreds of years before angels visited Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph.
CBN News explores this reality in a new, four-part holiday podcast, “Jesus and the Prophecies of Christmas,” a show diving deep into the incredible prophecies at the heart of the manger story. Each episode centers on a different piece of the prophetic puzzle surrounding Jesus’ birth.
The first episode of “Jesus and the Prophecies of Christmas” — featuring for King & Country’s Joel Smallbone, Greg Laurie, Jeff Kinley, Ray Comfort, Jesse Bradley, and Shane Idleman — explores the role and power of biblical prophecy, Jesus’ presence throughout the Old Testament, and why the baby in the manger was a fulfillment of God’s promises to humankind.
Smallbone opens the show by proclaiming he’s captivated by the reality of “God coming to earth in the most vulnerable state, as a baby.”
“God, in all of His majesty and magnificence, is like, ‘I’m going to come into this tiny being, living and breathing being, and I’m going to do this because I have such great love for these creatures that are made in My image that I want to … offer hope, and healing, and redemption to this … sort of species that has kind of gone awry,’” he said. “And I just think it’s got all of the layers of an incredible story, and … I believe it just so happens to be a true story, which makes it even more … magnificent.”
Kinley, a prophesy expert, notes the Christmas story is told yearly “with great emotion” — and with good reason. For him, the most compelling part, though, is the Creator’s decision to show such sacrificial love for His creation.
“Here is the Creator of the world coming to be a creation, if you will,” he said. “He’s the God-man, 100% God, 100% man, and yet He submitted Himself to creation.”
Kinley continued, “He was born into a world that He Himself created. He was laid upon straw, presumably, that was made by Him. All the things that He made, He submitted Himself to it.”
This idea that Jesus proffered Himself to creation is fascinating — and one of the most remarkable aspects of the nativity story are the pieces of evidence backing this claim.
“If someone wants credible evidence the Bible is God’s Word all he has to do is take some time to study the prophecies, because only God knows the future,” apologist Ray Comfort notes in “Jesus and the Prophecies of Christmas.” “We [don’t] know tomorrow’s forecast; we haven’t got a clue. They just take a stab. But God’s Word predicts the future before it came into being, and it establishes [His] divine fingerprint all over Scripture. So prophecy is wonderful.”
Ultimately, Kinley, Comfort, and other theologians and pastors believe biblical prophecy — defined as a prediction of what’s to come — is tried, true, and verified.
It’s the glimmers of Jesus’ birth in the Old Testament — written hundreds of years before the nativity narrative — they believe offer some of the most compelling evidence of Scripture’s authenticity.
Listen to episode one of “Jesus and the Prophecies” of Christmas — and tune in tomorrow, Dec. 14 (subscribe here) for the next installment — an episode set to explore key figures in the nativity story and how they reacted to the prophecies given by God and angels.
I’ve read the book of Daniel several times. Recently, I read a verse that I’d never noticed before that got me quite excited. In Daniel chapter 12 God instructed Daniel to seal up the prophecies in the book until the last days. He describes how knowledge will increase dramatically as the Second Coming of Christ approaches.
As I look at what’s going on in the world this makes me think that the last days are upon us. So many prophecies seem to be fitting together in ways that people have not seen for 2000 years. Could you please comment on this?
Sincerely, Susanna
Dear Susanna,
Of course, you are referring to Daniel 12:4: “But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
The prophecies do seem to be opening up for us to see and understand. And of course, knowledge is doubling every year or so; as result, I’m getting rather excited, too.
Old Testament Prophecies – Book of Daniel
The book of Daniel provides an overview of world events from the days of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon all the way to Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection and subsequent millennial reign. Daniel forms the framework for the book of Revelation and for the understanding of biblical prophecy.
Daniel’s 70 “sevens” prophecy encompasses the chronological framework for the history of the Jews from now until eternity. Again, the book of Revelation fits into this framework. It’s really impossible to understand what’s going on in Revelation without understanding the book of Daniel.
Daniel’s generalized overview occurs in Daniel chapter 9. Daniel was reading the book of Jeremiah when he realized that the 70 years of Jewish Babylonian captivity was coming to an end. Daniel wondered what would happen next–exactly what many Christians today are also wondering about our own times. Understanding these prophecies can help us understand what God has revealed to us about His plan for the End of the Age.
Along with asking God to tell him what came next for Israel, Daniel spent time in prayer, confessing the sins of Israel and pleading God’s forgiveness for those sins.
Daniel’s overview begins with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream-vision in Daniel 2.
Prophecy 1 – Nebuchadnezzer’s dream
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a huge multi-metallic man with a golden head, chest and arms of bronze, belly and thighs of brass, and feet and toes made out of iron mixed with clay. He then saw a mountain coming out of the sky which hit the man on the toes and feet. The mountain crushed the man into powder, and the mountain grew to fill the earth.
Daniel explained to Nebuchadnezzar that the different metals represented different kingdoms. Babylon was gold; Media-Persia was silver; Greece was bronze; and Rome was iron. The iron mixed with clay represented a future conglomeration of loosely federated governments united around one man whom Daniel identifies as the antichrist. The nations were in chronological order from top to bottom. We see here the devolution of human governments. The value of these kingdoms begins with gold and ends with iron. Also, notice that the nations increase in power over time. Babylon was a terrible foe; however, its wickedness and power were nothing to match the wickedness, strength, and power of the Roman Empire.
I suppose that the lesson here is that all governments degenerate over time and that God is ultimately in control of each of them.
As explained in the book of Revelation, the 10 toes represent 10 nations, occupying the area of the old Roman Empire. These nations will come together in the last days in an attempt to destroy Israel and take over the world. The nations don’t get along very well just as iron doesn’t mix well with clay. Revelation describes these nations, along with several others, that will all be led in a loose coalition by the antichrist.
The mountain which destroyed the multi-metallic man is a picture of the resurrected Jesus Christ at His Second Coming destroying the wickedness of the Gentile nations on earth. The mountain which grew to fill the earth is a picture of the millennial reign of Christ on earth.
Prophecy 2 – 490 Years and the Reign of Jesus (Messianic Kingdom)
God sent the angel Gabriel to give Daniel an answer to his prayer concerning what God had planned for Israel.
Gabriel shared that God had another program for Israel when the 70 years were concluded. This plan was for 490 years. As you read the verses below you will see how the book of Revelation fits into this passage.
Daniel 9:24 is the overview: Seventy “sevens” are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.”
Daniel 9:25-27 gives the details: “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven. In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Remarkably, this passage looks 560 years into the future to predict the very day when Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, April 6, 30 A.D.
In Daniel 9:24 we learn three facts regarding God’s plan for Israel.
1. First, God’s program for Israel extends for 70 “Sevens” (70 x 7 = 490 Sevens). “Seven” is the Hebrew word “Heptad.” This is a generic word which can mean seven of anything. It is similar to our word, “Dozen” which can mean twelve of virtually anything: twelve bananas, twelve pencils, twelve years. The context of this passage helps us to determine that here the word “Heptad” is referring to seven years. One “Seven” equals 7 years. (70 X 7 years = 490 years.)
2. Second, this program applies to Israel. “Your people and your holy city.”
3. Third, this program will continue until Christ establishes His Messianic Kingdom.
Gabriel shared six characteristics of the Messianic Kingdom of Christ’s l000-year reign on earth.
– To finish transgression: refers to Israel’s national transgression of rejecting the Messiah. At the Second Coming, transgression will be ended because they will accept Him as Savior.
– To put an end to sin: the national sin of Israel will end.
– To atone for wickedness: refers to the reconciliation for all in the Cross of Christ. At the Second Coming Jew and Gentile alike will recognize and believe in the atoning work of Christ.
– To bring in everlasting righteousness: Christ’s Kingdom is set up on earth for a millennium.
– To seal up vision and prophecy: After 70th week all prophetic announcement and visions will be confirmed and fulfilled.
– To anoint the Most Holy: refers to the Millennial Temple which will function during that time.
God reassured Daniel that He still has a plan for Israel. After 490 years Israel will be restored to their land and will prosper in a glorious future.
The first sixty-nine “sevens” (483 years) (Daniel 9:25) began at the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This decree is described in Nehemiah 1:1 and 2:5-8. Historically, the “20th year of Artaxerxes” was 444 B.C. Using the Jewish calendar of 360 days per year and the fact that the prophecies began on the first day of the month, we know for certain that this period began on March 4, 444 B.C.
Prophecy 3 – Birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ
The 69 “sevens” are broken down into two phases: One seven and sixty-two “sevens.”
1. Seven “sevens” tells of the time during which the temple was rebuilt. It took 49 years. Ezra and Nehemiah both helped in the rebuilding and spoke often of the troubled times occurring during this process.
2. The 69 “sevens” concludes when the Anointed One, the Ruler comes.” From 444 B.C. until the coming of Christ on Palm Sunday is 483 years or 69 “sevens.” 483 prophetic years (360 days adjusted to 365.25 days =5.25 days difference between the Jewish calendar and our present-day calendar. 483 X 5.25 = 2535.75 days or about 6 years and 11 months. Subtract adjustment… and…483 Jewish years from March 4, 444 B.C. to Palm Sunday is April 6, 30 A.D. (see Robert Anderson’s book, The Coming Prince).
This is one way that Anna and Simeon knew that it was about time for the Messiah to be born so that they could carry out their planned worship of Jesus as a baby.
To a believer in Christ, Daniel’s 490 year prophecy is a tremendous confirmation of the Word of God!
We live in a day in which the Word of God is under attack on every hand. Many mock it, and thousands ignore it; yet, here is a tremendous confirmation for all of us to see this prophecy fulfilled in absolute detail to the very day.
Of course, most of Israel was blinded to it all, as many are blinded to how God is working today as well.
Several things occur between the end of the 69th seven at the beginning of the 70th (Daniel 9:26).
Prophecy 4 – Death of Jesus Christ
First, “the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.”
This is one of the prophecies in the Bible of the death of Jesus Christ.
“Cut off” describes his death. Isaiah 53:8 describes Jesus as “cut off from the land of the living.” Jesus mentioned often that he must go to Jerusalem and die (e.g. Matthew 16:21).
One of Holman Hunt’s most famous paintings of Jesus hangs in the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, and is called “The Shadow of Death.” Christ is pictured as a young man in Joseph’s workshop. The sun is setting. Christ stretches out his hands after a hard day’s work. At that moment, the artist catches Jesus’ image. The shadow on the wall shows a man with arms outstretched like He’s dying on a cross.
Jesus Christ lived his entire life in the Shadow of the Cross. He came to die on that cross for the sins of Israel and for the sins of the entire world.
After 69 “sevens” – 483 years, Jesus was “cut off”.
Prophecies 5, 6, 7 – Jerusalem Destroyed, Antichrist, Church Age “Gap”
“The People of the Ruler who will come” refers to the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D.
More than three million Jews were killed. Masada occurred. When you are in Rome be sure to see the huge arch of Titus standing at the entrance to the Roman forum which commemorates Titus’ his victory over Israel. Seeing the coming Holocaust, Jesus wept for Jerusalem as described in Matthew 23.
“The Ruler who is to come” is the Antichrist. He’s the little horn of Daniel 7:8 and the Beast of Revelation l3.
A time gap occurs after the end of the sixty-ninth “seven” and before the beginning of the seventieth “seven”.
At the Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, 30 A.D., God’s prophetic time clock stopped. The hands stand poised at 69, indicating that there is still one seven-year period left.
We have no indication giving insight into how long until the 70th “seven” commences. After all, long gaps of forty years occurred between the crucifixion and the destruction. Today we are in the gap, waiting for the last seven years to commence, but in His Word, God has revealed much information concerning his plan for this “seven,” so that we can understand the times in which we live.
The Seventieth “Seven” (Daniel 9:27) begins when the antichrist makes a peace treaty with the nation of Israel for seven years.
“He” is “The Ruler of People Who Will Come”. The Romans came in 70 A.D. The antichrist will be descended from them. “Many” refers to the Jews and the nation of Israel.
Daniel sketches the outline of 70th seven; Jesus roughs in the picture with the Olivet Discourse; John fills in details with the Book of Revelation.
This is why we don’t have to be baffled or surprised by what we see in Europe and the Middle East. I believe that God is preparing to restart the clock. The teams are lined up and the ball is about to be snapped.
Amazingly, Israel has never been assimilated into another nation. In 1948 Jews came home from all over the world. Sociologically, this has never happened with any people. When’s the last time you saw a Babylonian walking around? They’re all gone. But not the Jews.
We’re told elsewhere that the Jews will accept the Peace Treaty with the Antichrist who rules Europe because they are fearful of the threat of the “King of the North.”
When a Bible student sees Israel aligned with the West, and not the North or South or East, he or she is not surprised! This is simply a sign of the times. The teams are lining up. We may one day witness the Antichrist taking control of a ten-nation confederacy in Europe by subduing three nations.
Incidentally, the Jews will mistake the Antichrist for their coming Messiah and the beginning of peace for the initiation of the Millennium.
Notice that the Rapture does not restart God’s prophetic clock. No one knows exactly when the Rapture may occur. It could come at any moment.
Prophecy 9 – Antichrist Led by Satan – Abomination of Desolation
In the middle of the 70th “seven” (3 l/2 years, 42 months, l260 days) Satan falls from Heaven and indwells the Antichrist (Revelation 12:9-12; 13:4).
Then, the Antichrist breaks the peace treaty and does two things:
1. He forbids the offering of sacrifices in the Temple (Daniel 9:27). This indicates that Israel will have a Temple during this time.
2. He sets up the Abomination of Desolation on the altar in the Holy Place in the Temple.
The Abomination of Desolation is mentioned by Christ in Matthew 24:15-16. The Abomination of Desolation as described in the Old Testament refers to anything which desecrates the Temple of God. The Abomination of Desolation is a resurrected image of the Antichrist that the Antichrist forces people to worship as God or face death (Revelation13).
Prophecy 10 – Great Tribulation
Jesus said that this is a sign for the godly to flee. The Antichrist will then launch the greatest wave of Anti-Semitism that the world has ever seen.
Three and a half years of Great Tribulation will then begin as the Antichrist tries to wipe the Jews off of the face of the earth. As the time of great tribulation comes to an end, Jesus returns with the Armies of Heaven and defeats the Antichrist (Revelation 19).
Prophecy 11 – Second Coming of Jesus
The Messianic Kingdom begins and the six characteristics of Daniel 9:24 will occur.
Today, we see the rise of Israel as a state, its alignment with the West, its possession of Jerusalem, its plans to rebuild the Temple, soon to be deployed Iranian nuclear missiles, and the beginnings of worldwide anti-Semitism: all of which are preparing the way for the Beast, Watch closely the rise of the European Union,
We see it all as God preparing the scene for His program with Israel. We don’t look for 70th seven. We look for our deliverance (1 Thessalonians 1:10). We look for our blessed hope (Titus 2:13).
Here is a good way to think about the Second Coming: “We plan as though Jesus isn’t coming for 1,000 years, but we live as if He is coming in the next 10 minutes.” Israel’s immediate future is desperate, but she will repent and turn to God, trust in the blood of Christ, and have a glorious future with the Lord. By the way, the same future is available to all who apply the blood of Christ to themselves.
Susanna, I know that I answered a lot more than you asked, but hopefully this overview will help you to make sense of Bible prophecy and how it applies to what is going on in the world today, as well as to remind you that God is in control of our future, and has been since the beginning of time.
Sincerely, Roger
Editor’s Note: Pastor Roger Barrier’s “Ask Roger” column regularly appears atPreach It, Teach It. Every week at Crosswalk, Dr. Barrier puts nearly 40 years of experience in the pastorate to work answering questions of doctrine or practice for laypeople, or giving advice on church leadership issues. Email him your questions atroger@preachitteachit.org.
This article is part of our larger End Times Resource Library. Learn more about the rapture, the anti-christ, bible prophecy and the tribulation with articles that explain Biblical truths. You do not need to fear or worry about the future!
Thirty days of exalting Jesus through selected verses with pictures representing the prophecy, life, death, resurrection, and Second Coming of our Savior.
Charles Spurgeon on the prophecy of the virgin birth: “And, first, we see here, in speaking of this birth of Christ, a miraculous conception. The text says expressly, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.” This expression is unparalleled even in Sacred Writ! Of no other woman could it be said beside the Virgin Mary, and of no other man could it be written that his mother was a virgin.“
“There is the finite and the Infinite, there is the mortal and the Immortal, corruption and Incorruption, the manhood and the Godhead, time married to eternity! There is God linked with a creature, the Infinity of the august Maker come to tabernacle on this speck of earth—the vast unbounded One whom earth could not hold and the heavens cannot contain—lying in His mother’s arms! He who fastened the pillars of the universe and riveted the nails of creation, hanging on a mortal breast, depending on a creature for nourishment! Oh, marvelous birth! Oh, miraculous conception! We stand and gaze and admire. Verily, angels may wish to look into a subject too dark for us to speak of! There we leave it, a virgin has conceived and borne a Son“. A sermon, The Birth of Christ
Charles Spurgeon on Christmas: “Though creation may be a majestic organ of praise, it cannot reach the compass of the golden canticle—Incarnation! There is more in that than in creation, more melody in Jesus in the manger, than there is in worlds on worlds rolling their grandeur round the throne of the Most High.” Sermon “The First Christmas Carol“, A sermon by Charles Spurgeon, Dec 20, 1857
You, Lord God, who created me, say, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet You will not forget me. You have inscribed me on the palms of Your hands; my walls are continually before You.
Lord, You order my steps as of a good man, and You delight in my way. Your delight was with the sons of men. You take pleasure in those who fear You, in those who hope in Your mercy. You, the Lord of hosts, say that I shall be Yours on the day that You make us Your jewels. And You will spare me as a man spares his own son who serves him.
I, who once was alienated and an enemy in my mind by wicked works, now You have reconciled in the body of Your flesh through death, to present me holy, and blameless, and above reproach in Your sight.
May I never be numb to the amazing truth that You delight in me—and may I respond to that delight by living a life that honors You!
Author Joel Rosenberg believes some of the events unfolding around us hold biblical significance, particularly when it comes to Israel and the Middle East.
Rosenberg, an expert on biblical prophecy who now lives in Israel, recently spoke with CBN News about Hamas, the war in Gaza, and how current events might play into what the Bible says about future happenings and the end of days.
“That is the No. 1 question I’m getting asked … ‘Can you put this [current moment] in a prophetic context?’” Rosenberg said. “I would say, No. 1, we’re definitely in a birth pang, right? Jesus speaks in Matthew 24 that there’s going to be contractions and releases, moments of wars and rumors of wars, and kingdom against kingdom, nation against nation, as well as earthquakes and famines and other disasters.”
He continued, “Those are contractions and, just like when your wife gets close to delivering, … the contractions are longer and more painful, and the release moments are shorter.”
Watch Rosenberg break it all down:
Rosenberg said Israelis were living in a time of release on Oct. 6, 2023, as it was safe, prosperous, and secure — the safest it had been in modern history.
“You’d have to go back to the days of Solomon and David when the kingdom was peaceful and secure,” he said, noting Israel had just come off making four Arab-Israeli peace treaties and normalization treaties via the Abraham Accords. “We were just about to finalize another deal — the biggest peace and normalization deal in Israeli history — and that would be with the Saudi government.”
But all of that peace was obliterated by Hamas’ horrific terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, an event he said was the “longest contraction” modern Israel has faced.
“I would add that, just in context, I believe COVID was a biblical Matthew 24 contraction where … a lot of people died. But the other part was … not only was there this terrible health pandemic, plague, a biblical plague, but even the American government could say in an instant, ‘You can’t go to church. You can’t leave your house. You can’t go see your friends, but the strip clubs could stay open. The casinos could stay open. The bars could stay open — the liquor stores, but not churches. That was a contraction.”
Another contraction, he said, is Russia’s elongated war in Ukraine, a chaotic and deadly ongoing event further creating international stability.
Rosenberg cited Amos 9:9 while discussing Israel’s current war after the Hamas invasion. That verse reads (NIV): “For I will give the command, and I will shake the people of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground.”
He believes Amos 9:9 is a recurring prophecy, but that the current war in Israel is another “shaking” that falls under its umbrella.
“I don’t believe Israel’s under judgment … in other words, God didn’t send this enemy, but God … allowed it,” Rosenberg said. “Why? To shake us, to help us realize that most Israelis either haven’t read, don’t remember, or don’t care about Psalm 23, in which David, our greatest king, told us the Lord is our shepherd.”
He said some Israelis forgot, due to security, the realities inherent in this Scripture.
“We forgot as a nation that there are ravenous wolves trying to destroy us,” he said. “It shows what a moment of release of security we felt like we were in. But I think this is a wake-up call.”
As for the Palestinians of Gaza, Rosenberg said he believes they are facing a “biblical judgment,” appealing to Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV) to make his case. Those Scriptures read:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Rosenberg said the Abrahamic Covenant makes it clear God will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who do not.
“If you curse Israel every day for 76 years, and you want to … elect a genocidal government, even if later you don’t want that, but what are you going to do now?” he said. “I believe we’re seeing a judgment. Doesn’t mean God doesn’t want to show mercy. Also, we need to pray as Christians. Who else is praying for the Palestinians? We need to be. We need to show compassion. But there’s a judgment going on from 76 years of hatred, hostility, cursing, and now, you know, an attempt at genocide against Israel and the Jewish people.”
Considering the prophetic verses in Bible books like Ezekiel — particularly the Gog and Magog prophecy — Rosenberg broke down his beliefs on what’s happening now and how it might relate.
“In terms of watching where we are going, there’s no question in my mind that we’re seeing the chess pieces on the board align in a manner that’s consistent with the prerequisites of Ezekiel 38-39 happening, the war of Gog and Magog,” Rosenberg said, referring to the Bible chapters that purportedly predict Russia, Iran and Turkey attempting to invade Israel.
But Rosenberg was also careful in addressing these issues, reminding Christians not to read too closely into what’s happening. He said dynamics can and do quickly shift.
“I just want to caution people who are interested in those prophecies … don’t try to jump to a fast conclusion,” he said. “The data doesn’t support yet a conclusion, but it definitely supports [the premise], ‘Isn’t this interesting?”
Watch above for more from Rosenberg on these topics.
In times of struggle, a vision of grander glory is often enough to move us beyond our current circumstances. We find encouragement in glimpsing the vastness and power of God’s plan.
When Ezekiel and God’s people are weary and desperate for hope, God gives His prophet an unusual vision: He shows Ezekiel the temple—not as it is, but as it should be. The temple symbolizes Yahweh’s presence among His people. It points them toward proper worship and life. It reminds them not only of who He is, but who they are meant to be. As we tour the temple with Ezekiel, we see that God intends to restore not only the temple, but also proper worship (Ezek 40:1–42:20).
John the apostle’s vision recorded in Revelation echoes Ezekiel’s: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea did not exist any longer. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:1–2). This new Jerusalem, this new hope, promises restoration, revitalization, and reconciliation. It’s more than just a structure—it is a way of being.
When Yahweh casts visions of this life restored, He shows His people that He cares deeply about His relationship with them. He will make it right. He will enact His plan through Jesus, the bridge and the reason why God can proclaim, “Behold, I am making all things new!” (Rev 21:5). This is our hope, now and always.
How do Ezekiel’s and John’s visions of the future give you hope? How should your relationship with God change in light of this?
Leadership requires accountability, yet many leaders of the past considered themselves above rebuke. Even when their deeds failed to catch up to them in their own lifetimes, history judged them clearly. History often remembers and records people as they really are. And if history doesn’t recall the truth, God does.
Ezekiel was firm in his rebuke of the leaders of his time—Yahweh commanded him to be: “And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and you must say to them, to the shepherds, “Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel who were feeding themselves! Must not the shepherds feed the flock? The fat you eat, and you clothe yourself with the wool; the well-nourished animals you slaughter, but you do not feed the flock’ ” (Ezek 34:1–3).
During Ezekiel’s lifetime, the leaders of God’s people were not being leaders at all. They were looking out for themselves rather than the good of the people. The same is true of leaders in our own time. If absolute power corrupts absolutely, as John Dalberg-Acton remarked, than surely we are all at risk of losing our way. Rather than responding with dismay, we should determine to take right action and speak the truth.
We must be people who seek God above ourselves. We must be people who put the needs of others before our own. We must want the glory of God among all people, above all things. We are all leading in one way or another, and others are watching us. That gives each of us an opportunity to lead by example. And any leader who is led by something other than God’s will ends up corrupt. Ezekiel’s criticism presents us an opportunity to change—to accept our rebuke and choose to live above reproach. Will we take it?
How should you change your approach to leading others in light of Ezekiel’s rebuke? What needs to change for you to live above reproach?
the description of the temple (Ezek. 41) is followed by a description of rooms reserved for priests (Ezek. 42). But I shall press yesterday’s discussion a little farther and briefly discuss two more of the ways these chapters have been interpreted.
(3) Many older commentators argued that chapters 40–48 are straightforward symbols of what is fulfilled in the Christian church. There is some truth to this view. It is given impetus when one observes, for instance, that John’s vision of the holy city in Revelation is drawn in substantial part from the language of Ezekiel. But the same passages in Revelation spell the weakness of this interpretation. When John uses the language of Ezekiel (or of Daniel or some other Old Testament writer), he regularly transmutes it, or picks up its words and phrases without putting it to exactly the same use. Although John’s description of the holy city leans heavily on Ezekiel, John’s city has no temple, for the Lord God and the Lamb are its temple (Rev. 21:1–22:5). In that sense, Revelation is not a direct and immediate fulfillment of a string of symbols.
(4) It is better, but messier, to take these chapters as belonging to the borderlands of apocalyptic literature and typology. The symbolism includes numerical features; its future-orientation springs not from mere verbal prediction or simplistic symbolism, but from structures of patterns and events that point forward. We have already glimpsed this sort of thing in chapters 38–39, depicting the final battle, when God sovereignly moves to destroy all his foes. Read this way, chapters 40–48 envisage the messianic future, but in the symbolic categories of Ezekiel’s present. The temple is a kind of enactment or incarnation of the presence and blessing of God in the age for which pious Israelites yearned. On this view, the theological themes and pastoral comforts of these chapters include: (a) God’s presence remains continuously as the fount of all blessing. (b) God’s people are perfectly restored, the perfection of his plan and of their experience bound up with the perfection of symmetry in the building. (c) Because God is perfectly present, fullness of life and fruitfulness flow from God’s presence to all the barren places of the earth. This is a transformed universe. (d) The worship of God is central, and undertaken exactly as God demands. (e) Justice and righteousness are the order of the day, seen in the perfect allotment of land and responsibilities.
If this is largely right, the ultimate hope lies at the very end of history—but that end has already invaded history itself, in these last days. The consummation is not yet, but the kingdom has dawned.1
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