1] What is the Great Tribulation?

Before Jesus Christ returns to this earth and establishes the Kingdom of God on this earth (the “sabbath” rest of the millennium) mankind will go through its darkest and most frightening time in all of history. In "Mystery of the Ages" Herbert W. Armstrong writes the following:

“Mankind is nearing the end of his rope. But even now, God will not intervene to save this defiant humanity from itself until man is finally brought to the point where if God delayed longer in intervention, man would annihilate himself. God will not intervene and usher in the next world under the kingdom of God until the remnant of mankind has been brought to fully realize human inability to solve problems or bring worldwide peace in happiness and joy. Man must be brought to realize his helplessness and futility without God....

“Jesus foretold the great tribulation--a time of trouble so great that, unless God does intervene, no human being would be saved alive. But, for the sake of his Church, God will intervene supernaturally before total destruction of humanity. Mankind will be brought to acknowledge human insufficiency without God....These are the very last days of Satan's evil world (p.130-131).”

In Matthew 24:21-22 Jesus Christ said the following about the time right before He would return to earth: “For then there shall be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”

In lesson five we saw that the 6000^th anniversary of God creating Adam and Eve will be sometime around 2040, give or take a few years. As we will see shortly nine out of ten prophesied resurrections of the Roman Empire have risen and fallen and the last of them is already beginning to form with the European Union. Putting these two facts together we can see that the majority of those alive today will live to see the beginning of this terrible time called the Great Tribulation in the Bible. This final great world war is prophesied to go for 3 ½ years (Daniel 12:7-13, Revelation 11:2-3, 12:6, 14) before Jesus Christ returns to prevent the annihilation of the human race.

Matthew 24:21-22 implies that God will probably cut short the 6000 years allotted to man to live cut off from God. If God does allow the tribulation to begin and end before the 6000 years is up, this may help to explain why Satan is let loose for a little while after the millennium (Revelation 20:3). God may cut short the 6000 years by 5 or 10 or 20 years or whatever and give that time to Satan after the millennium to be allowed to deceive mankind for a brief time for a specific purpose God has in mind.

2] Who and what is the Beast?

Over a quarter of the Bible is devoted to prophecy and most of those prophecies have to do with the time of the end or the latter days (Isaiah 2:2-4, Daniel 11:40-45) – phrases that are used to refer to the time of the end of man's rule just before Jesus Christ returns and brings the Kingdom of God to this earth.

Much of Bible prophecy can be difficult to understand but there are keys to help us to understand it better. Most of the prophecies in the prophetic books (the second half of the Old Testament) are in a very random order. The only way to understand them and where they fit in is against the background of the two books that give us the chronological framework or skeleton that helps us to find out where the rest of the prophecies fit into the picture. Those two books are the book of Daniel in the Old Testament and the book of Revelation in the New Testament.

The prophecies of these two books give us an orderly story flow of world history and prophecy ahead of us. The prophecies of books of nd Revelation show us that the major world power in the final world war leading up to the return of Jesus Christ will be a military power known as the beast.

Who or what is this beast power? In Daniel 2 we read about a great dream that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had that Daniel interpreted for him. God had given a vision about the great empires to come right up until the return of Jesus Christ. It was a prophecy of four great kingdoms to rule the ancient world. Daniel explained the meaning of his dream this way:

“You, O king, are a king of kings…you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others” (Daniel 2:36-40).

In Daniel 7 we read that lso had a dream of these four great kingdoms but instead of seeing a statue of a man made of gold, silver, bronze and iron like Nebuchadnezzar did, he saw four wild beasts – a lion, a bear, a leopard with four heads and a wild beast more terrible than the other three.

These four great ancient empires are plainly identified from history as -:

1)     The Babylonian Empire (625 – 539 BC)
2)     The Medo-Persian Empire (539 - 330 BC)
3)     The Greco-Macedonian or Greek Empire (333 – 31 BC)
4)     The Roman Empire (31 BC – 476 AD)

In Revelation 13 we read about a beast that is a combination of the four wild animals in Daniel 7.

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

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

If we count up the number of heads and horns of the four wild beasts of Daniel 7 we come up with seven heads (remembering the leopard has four heads) and ten horns – the same number of heads and horns of the beast of Revelation 13.

The first three wild animals of Daniel 7 were a lion, bear and a leopard and the beast of Revelation has the mouth of a lion, the feet of a bear and is like a leopard. It is obvious from these facts that the beast of Revelation 13 is a composite of the four great empires pictured by the four wild beasts of Daniel 7. (The Bible often uses animals as symbols for nations as we do today. eg. America – an eagle, Russia – a bear, etc).

Herbert W. Armstrong wrote that the Roman Empire “absorbed all the others, occupied all their territory, was greater and stronger than all. It included all the royal splendor of ancient Babylon, thus having the head -- the strongest part -- of the lion. It had all the massiveness and numerically powerful army of the Persian Empire -- symbolized by the legs, the most powerful part of the bear. It was the greatest war-making machine the world had ever seen, and it also possessed the swiftness, the cunning, the cruelty of Alexander's army, symbolized by the leopard” (Who and What is the Prophetic Beast, p.8).

Now the Roman Empire fell in 476 AD and yet this great beast is prophesied to dominate the world and make war in the Great Tribulation to occur in our day leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. How do we explain this?

In Daniel 2:40-44 we read: “And the fourth kingdom (the Roman Empire) shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others…as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile…

“And in the days of these kings (pictured by the ten toes) the God of heaven will set up a kingdom (the stone cut without hands that smashed the toes and then the rest of the great image) which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

The two legs of iron symbolize the Western and Eastern divisions of the Roman Empire. The ten toes are an extension or revival of the Roman Empire (a United Europe) that will exist at the time that Jesus Christ returns and sets up the Kingdom of God on earth. As there are five toes on each foot some of the nations that form this United Europe will be from Western Europe and others will be from Eastern Europe.

Another point that will help us understand these prophecies about the beast is that the term “king” and “kingdom” are used interchangeably to refer to both the kingdom and the ruler or king over that kingdom. The head of gold represented both the kingdom of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar who ruled that kingdom (Daniel 2:36-37). The end-time beast is not only a revival of the Roman Empire but also is a term used to refer to the Hitler-like ruler who will rule this United European power. Revelation 19:20 talks about how when Christ returns that the beast and false prophet will be captured and cast into the lake of fire.

In Revelation 13:3-5 we read: “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?' And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.”

After the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 AD three barbarian kingdoms ruled Rome before Justinian, the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, regained control of Rome in 554 AD in what became known as the Imperial Restoration. The deadly wound to the Roman Empire was thus healed. It was to continue for 42 prophetic months or 1260 days. Using the day for a year principle (Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6) this would be 1260 years. Various resurrections of the Roman Empire continued for centuries. The empire of Napoleon, who was crowned as a Holy Roman Emperor, collapsed in 1814 - 1260 years after 554 AD. This marked the end of an era. Willis West wrote of Napoleon's empire saying “so closed a government that dated from Augustus Caesar” (Modern History: Europe from Charlemagne to the Present Time, p.377).

This prophecy may be dual and refer to the end-time revival of the Roman Empire. Some near fatal wound may strike it from which it will be healed. This could be a great economic collapse such as happened in 1930's when the Germans traded freedom from security and elected Hitler. Alternatively it could be a near fatal wound to the leader of this Beast power who might be healed supernaturally by the false prophet.

In Revelation 17 we read of another beast. The Apostle John in his vision wrote: “And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement…

“The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits (Rome is known as the city of seven hills). There are also seven kings (or kingdoms). Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth (the original Roman Empire plus seven revivals), and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them” (Revelation 17:3-6, 9-14).

The seven heads are seven kingdoms and it is said of those that “five have fallen, one is and one is yet to come.” These are seven successive revivals of the Roman Empire that rise and fall after the original Roman Empire. The ten horns represent the same thing as the ten toes of Daniel 2 – ten rulers and/or nations that give their power to a great end-time ruler over the final revival of the Roman Empire that will be based in Europe. They will make war with Jesus Christ at His return and be defeated by Him.

Now what about the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel 7? Do they represent successive revivals of the Roman Empire or do they represent the ten rulers and nations that form the last revival of the Roman Empire during the Great Tribulation?

In Revelation 17:3-5 we read about a rich woman – a great harlot clothed in scarlet and purple called “Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth” who is responsible for the death of a great number of true christians. A woman is a symbol of a church (2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 19:7, Ephesians 5:22-27) and this is a great false church who rides or controls this beast. The Catholic Church has dominated all the revivals of the Roman Empire since the Imperial Restoration of Justinian in 554 AD.

We know that the ten horns of the beast of Revelation 17 are the ten kings or nations that shall form the last revival of the Roman Empire. Daniel 7 isn't quite so clear about what the ten horns are on the fourth wild beast that was more terrible than the other three (Babylon, Persia and Greece). By comparing the facts of history with the clues given in Daniel 7 about the little horn that came up amongst the ten horns we have strong evidence that these ten horns are ten successive revivals of the original Roman Empire.

“I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots…Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words… The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law” (Daniel 7:8, 19-20, 24-25).

Comparing these verses against Revelation 17 it is easy to see that this little horn is the false church – the great harlot who persecuted God's people. It talks about this little horn intending to change times and law. This it did by changing from the Sabbath to worshipping on Sunday.

The little horn subdued the first three of the ten kings / kingdoms. Before the Imperial Restoration in 554 AD there were three foreign barbarian kingdoms that ruled Rome – the Vandals, the Heruli and the Ostrogoths. These three foreign barbarian kingdoms believed in a form of Arianism which differed from the Catholic Church's view of God as a trinity. Because of this difference of belief they were successively driven out of Rome at the behest of the papacy. After those three barbarian kingdoms there have been six more so far with one yet to come.

This comparison of history with these clues about the little horn show us that the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel 7 are ten successive revivals of the Roman Empire up to the return of Jesus Christ. Now because the beast of Revelation 13 is a composite of the four beasts of Daniel 7 this means that the ten horns of the beast of Revelation 13 also represent ten successive revivals of the Roman Empire up to Christ's return.

We have already seen that the meaning of the seven heads and ten horns of the beast of Revelation 17 is different from those of the beast of Revelation 13. The seven heads of the beast of Revelation 17 represent the last seven of those ten revivals of the Roman Empire – those revivals controlled by the Catholic Church. “[They] are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come” (Revelation. 17:10).

We can see by this verse that the Apostle John in his vision is at the point of time of the second last revival of the Roman Empire which we know from history was the time of Hitler and Mussolini during World War 2. It was around this point in time that Herbert W. Armstrong came to understand these prophecies about the beast. This revealing of the understanding of these prophesies was foretold in the book of Daniel where we read in Daniel 12:4: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

The ten horns of the beast of Revelation 17 represent the same thing as the ten toes of Daniel 2 – ten rulers and/or nations that give their power to a great end-time ruler over the final revival of the Roman Empire that will be based in Europe.

This final great revival of the Roman Empire based in Europe will be a great political and military power that will work hand-in-hand with the great false church which will be led by a great false prophet (Revelation. 20:10) who, through Satan's power, will be given the ability to perform great miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10) and encourage people to follow the beast – the government of the coming United Europe. It will be a union of both church and state like the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages.

“Responding to…growing socio-economic and political crises, a great charismatic leader will ultimately arise in Europe. As the Bible has shown us, he will secure a church-state alliance that will offer peace, security and prosperity to a desperate world. Ten European leaders, representing the end-time successors to both the eastern and western legs of the Roman Empire, will temporarily unite and lend their power to this future leader. For when people become genuinely frightened about their future, they are apt to trade freedom for security - just as many Germans did in the 1930's” (The Beast of Revelation – Myth, Metaphor or Reality, p.52-53).

Another key to understanding the prophecies of the Bible is to recognize some of the other names that are used for this final revival of the Roman Empire. It is also called by the name of Babylon in many prophecies.

From the days of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel the name Babylon has come to signify man's political, economic and religious system apart from God. The word “Babylon” means confusion. It is Satan's counterfeit system of God's government and kingdom promising unity, security and prosperity. The political, economic and religious system that started with Babylon (the head of the image guiding civilization's thoughts and actions) did not end with the fall of Babylon. It has continued through all the empires that followed it and will continue with the authoritarian government of this final revival of the Roman Empire.

The name “Babylon” is used synonymously for both the great false church and the city from which she rules (the Vatican inside Rome) as well as the United Europe. The great false church is called “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:5). She is a mother church – her daughters being the Protestant churches that sprang from her keeping the same pagan festivals and teaching the same false doctrines. She has been a harlot committing fornication with the kings of the earth (Revelation 18:9). God's people are not to be directly involved with this world's politics (John 18:36). This great false church has corrupted itself controlling the nations of Europe and becoming a political machine.

Babylon is also the political and economic system based in Europe. In Revelation 18:9-11 after God destroys this system we read: “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore.”

Another name that is used in the Bible for this coming United Europe is Assyria. The Assyrians were a great empire that ruled the Middle East before Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire. The ethnic people who dominated this empire migrated into central Europe and became the people we know as the Germans today. In Isaiah 10:5-6 God says: “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath.” The prophecies of the Bible indicate that the German people will dominate this coming United Europe as they did during the days of the Holy Roman Empire and during the last revival when Hitler conquered much of Europe.

3] What is the Image, the Mark and the Number of the Beast?

In Revelation 13 not only do we read about a great empire called the Beast but we also read about another beast (that was like a lamb but spoke like a dragon) and then we read about an image of the beast, a mark of the beast and the number of the beast. What are these mysterious symbols?

In Revelation 13:11-14 we read: “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.”

This other beast was like a lamb but spoke like a dragon. Now a lamb is a symbol of Christ (1 Corinthians 5:7) and a dragon is a symbol of Satan (Revelation 12:9). This beast pretends to be christian but it is guided by the Devil. This second beast is the same great false church represented by the great harlot of Revelation 17 who controlled the revivals of the Roman Empire and the little horn of Daniel 7 who persecuted the saints of God (Daniel 7:25). The image of the beast we can see from history was the governmental structure of the Roman Empire that the Catholic Church structured itself after.

Will Durant writes the following showing how the Catholic Church structured itself in the pattern or image of the Roman Empire: “As Judea had given Christianity ethics, and Greece had given it theology, so now Rome gave it organization…The Roman gift was above all a vast framework of government, which, as secular authority failed, became the structure of ecclesiastical rule…The Roman Church followed in the footsteps of the Roman state” (The Story of Civilization, vol.3, p.575, 618-619).

In Revelation 13:15-17 we read: "He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

Notice carefully what the above text tells us:

1) "He" - the great false church - "caused" all to receive the mark. It is the church - not the civil government, which forces this brand on people
2) It is the same power which CAUSED the martyrdom of saints.
3) It brands on the people the mark of the "beast" - that is the mark of the Roman Empire, NOT the mark of the church.
4) The mark is received in the right hand and in the forehead.

So the mark is that of the Roman Empire, which the Roman church shall cause the Western world to receive. This mark is plainly a mark of disobedience because true christians will be martyred for not receiving the mark (Revelation 14:9-10, 20:4).

The inevitable conclusion is that the mark is something of a religious nature because it is forced onto people by the great false church and that it originated with the Roman Empire, not the church, which a cunning devil would seize upon as a means of cleverly deceiving people into breaking one of God's commandments and it involves a direct connection with holding a job - engaging in business - earning a living. What commandment would Satan cleverly influence people to try and substitute or break which would seem the least of the commandments? Why the Sabbath, of course!

Where did Sunday keeping originate? Not with the Catholic Church but with the pagan religion of the Roman Empire. It is the day that the ancient pagans assembled at sunrise to worship the sun. And it was Constantine, a Roman Emperor, not a pope who made Sunday the official so-called Christian day of rest. The Catholic Church itself has said: “Sunday is our MARK of authority. The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact” (The Catholic Record, Sept. 1, 1923).

The true Sabbath is a mark or identifying sign between us and God that we are His people (Exodus 31:12-17) and it is also like the mark of the beast as it is received on the forehead signifying accepting it mentally and on the hand signifying obedience by work or rest (Exodus 13:9, Deuteronomy 6:1, 8, 11:18).

After the Council of Laodicea in 363 AD people were not only forbidden to work on Sunday but also had to work on the Sabbath. Laws became so strict that no man could not hold a job or engage in business, unless he worked on Saturday and rested on Sunday. The church branded anyone who kept the Sabbath as a heretic, to which they were tortured by the Roman state police until they died if they didn't recant. The great false church caused the martyrdom of great numbers of God's people in such a way and such a martyrdom is prophesied to happen yet again (Revelation 6:9-10, 20:4)!

Sunday-keeping has already been the mark of the beast in past centuries where men couldn't hold a job or engage in business unless they worked on Saturday and rested on Sunday. Duality is another key to understanding prophecy. What has happened will happen again. History often has a habit of repeating itself.

Sunday-keeping is the mark of the beast. It will probably be accompanied by a physical apparatus to enable identification of those who can and cannot do business. A physical means of prohibiting business to the faithful may possibly be the revoking of electronic banking privileges to anyone who keeps the Sabbath.

In Revelation 13:18 we read: “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666." This is the only place in the Bible which talks about this number. What is this mysterious number and how is it both the number of the beast and the number of a man? John Ogwyn writes the following explaining this mysterious number:

“Before Arabic numerals became accepted in the Western world in the 13th century, letters of the alphabet doubled as numerals. Most of us are familiar with Roman numerals, where the letters of the Latin alphabet have numeric value. In this system 1 = 1, V = 5, X = 10 and so on. Hebrew and Greek, the languages in which the Bible was primarily written, both used similar systems. In such languages, any name could have numeric value by converting each of its letters to the number it represented and then adding them all together.

“That brings us to the earliest proposed solution to the meaning of 666. It is a tradition attributed to Polycarp - disciple of the same Apostle John who wrote Revelation - preserved in the second-century writings of Irenaeus. The number 666 is 'contained in the Greek letters of Lateinos' (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible). [L=30, A=1, T=300, E=5, I=10, N=50, O=70, S=200] This fits well. Revelation was written in Greek to Greek-speaking churches in Asia Minor - and Lateinos is a Greek term meaning 'Latin man' or 'Roman'. This is certainly the name of the Beast for 'Roman' is the name of the empire itself as well as every citizen of it…

“The founder of ancient Rome was Romulus, from whose name 'Rome' and 'Roman' are derived…The Latin name Romulus is written in Hebrew as Romitth. In the Hebrew language this too adds up to 666. Thus, in both Greek and Hebrew, the two main languages of the Bible, the number 666 is stamped all over the Roman Empire” (The Beast of Revelation – Myth, Metaphor or Reality, p.52-53).

4] What are the major battles that will occur during the Great Tribulation?

Now that we have set the scene and explained who the beast power is, how does the Great Tribulation actually begin? What triggers it off?

We saw before that the key to understanding the order of events that will occur at this time is by understanding the Books of nd Revelation which, for the most part, have their prophecies in a chronological order.

In Daniel 11 we find the longest prophecy or collection of prophecies in the Bible. This series of prophecies describes the course of history from the time of Daniel to the time of Jesus Christ's second coming. They cover some 2500 years of history of events to occur in the Middle East. Towards the end of the prophecy it gives a broad outline of the events that will occur during the Great Tribulation which lead up to the return of Jesus Christ.

The prophecies show events to occur involving two powers called “the King of the North” and “the King of the South” due to their geographical location in relation to the land of Israel or Palestine. When the Greek empire was divided amongst Alexander the Great's four generals, the King of the North became the ruler of the Seleucid kingdom that controlled Syria and the land north of Palestine. The original King of the South was the ruler of the Ptolemaic kingdom that controlled Egypt. In time Rome conquered these lands and became the new King of the North.

1] Europe conquers the Middle East.

The end-time revival of the Roman Empire – the coming United Europe – is the King of the North during the Great Tribulation. The context of the end of Daniel 11 showing the countries that are conquered by the King of the North tell us that the King of the South will be an alliance of Arab nations. Let's now read about how the Great Tribulation is triggered off.

In Daniel 11:40-43 we read: “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack [or push, KJV] him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.”

An Arab power known as the King of the South at the end of Daniel 11 will push or attack this power for whatever reason. This war begins with this United Europe sweeping through the Middle East and invading many countries including Israel. Like the Germans in World War 2 it will be blitzkrieg or “lightning war”. In this prophecy, the geographic areas of Edom, Moab and Ammon refer to modern-day Jordan and the Palestinians, who have close ties with Europe and will be allowed to be independent after Europe's Middle East invasion. Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia will be conquered and occupied by European forces (Daniel 11:42-43). Keith Stump makes these comments about this passage:

“Why will Europe feel compelled to intervene in the Middle East? Here prophecy is silent. Europe's ire might well be precipitated by a sudden cut-off of vital oil supplies—the industrial lifeblood of the Continent. Or it might be triggered by some sort of jihad—'holy war'—waged against the West by Muslim fundamentalists. Or possibly European forces will intervene in the Middle East under the pretext of 'peacekeeping'—in an attempt to end escalating regional hostilities before they spiral out of control. Whatever the provocation, prophecy reveals that Europe will act swiftly to protect its interests—dispatching troops into the Middle East!

“The European power—this king of the north or Beast—will occupy both the state of Israel and some of her Arab neighbours, according to this clear prophecy of Daniel. Europe will attempt to impose peace on the war-torn Middle East—by force of arms! The Beast will seek to do what diplomats and statesmen have failed to do. In some quarters, the Beast might even be welcomed as a kind of saviour!” (The Middle East in Prophecy, p.33). In 2001 the Arab OPEC nations deliberately drove up the price of oil in order to boost their profits by slowing down production and thereby increasing demand. Europeans pay 3 times as much as Australians do for fuel and 5 times what Americans pay. If such a thing happened again the power-hungry ruler of the coming United Europe could quite easily use it as an excuse to take over the Middle East.

This prophecy shows that Europe will continue on and conquer Libya. This will partly be for strategic purposes. The Roman Empire did a similar thing by conquering North Africa and maintaining control over the whole Mediterranean coastline and sea. By conquering Ethiopia and possibly Arabia this European power will also be able to control all of the Red Sea. Prophecy is silent as to whether or not it continues on from Ethiopia and conquers more of Africa later on in this final world war.

The prophecy mentions that the people of Edom, Moab and Ammon will be spared. An interesting prophecy in connection to this is Zechariah 14:1-2 which says that about half of the city of Jerusalem will be taken captive at this time. One might ask why is only half of the city taken captive?

The old city of Jerusalem is the part of Jerusalem that it is the religious heart of the city. The old city is surrounded by walls that were last re-built around the 1500's. It is roughly square and is only about one square mile in size. Outside are the new suburbs and main business centre of the city. It is the old city containing the buildings of religious significance such as the Dome of the Rock and the Wailing Wall that is argued over by the Jews and Arabs.

It is divided into four quarters. The Christian quarter (NW) contains sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where the Catholics erroneously believe Christ was crucified and buried. Then there is the Armenian quarter (SW), the Jewish quarter (SE) where the Wailing Wall is, and the Arab Quarter (NE) where the Dome of the Rock is.

In 1948 Palestine was split into two by the United Nations. The western half of Palestine and western half of the old city of Jerusalem were given to the Jews to control. The eastern half of Palestine (including the area known as the West Bank [of the Jordan River]) and the eastern half of the old city of Jerusalem became a part of Jordan. For many years the old city was under divided control – half being controlled by Israel and the other half by Jordan.

The Arabs were never happy with the agreement and fought to destroy the Jews in their land. After threatening events by Egypt, Israel launched a pre-emptive strive in 1967 (the Six Day War) and when Jordan retaliated, Israel counterattacked and took over the West Bank, Golan Heights and control over all of the old city of Jerusalem. The Jews currently (and possibly mistakenly) believe that the Temple of Solomon's day was on the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock is. Many of the Jews have wanted to pray on the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock is but the Israeli government holds its own people back from doing so in order not to incite the Arabs into another war.

Currently the old city is fully controlled by Israel yet Zechariah says only half of the city will be taken captive. Europe and the Vatican are much more sympathetic to the cause of the Palestinians who want complete control of part of Palestine than they are to Israel's cause. Europe is mainly interested in the Christian and Armenian quarters and may give control of the Arab and Jewish quarters over to the Palestinians if they don't win it through negotiation before the Great Tribulation.

In Matthew 24 Jesus Christ gave a long prophecy detailing events that would occur leading up to His return. In this chapter he spoke of something called the abomination of desolation. He said: “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.' Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'…

“Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:1-3, 15-22).

The prophecies that He spoke were dual and answered two different questions that the disciples had asked Him. The first question was “When will these things be?”, referring to the destruction of the temple where one stone would not be left on top of one another. This occurred in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple that was standing in Jesus' day. The second question was “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” The disciples expected the Kingdom of God would come in their lifetime.

Jesus spoke of “the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place”. We read of this in Daniel 11:31: “And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.” According to the UCG booklet “Is the Bible True?”: “This refers to the momentous events of Dec. 16, 168 B.C., when a crazed [Antiochus Epiphanes – Greek ruler of Syria] entered Jerusalem and killed 80 000 men, women and children (2 Maccabees 5:11-14). He then desecrated the temple by offering a sacrifice [swine or pig flesh] to a pagan god, Jupiter Olympus. This outrage was a forerunner of a comparable event that Jesus Christ said would occur in the last days (Matthew 24:15)”.

Another “abomination of desolation” occurred in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple that stood in Jesus' day. At this time Titus captured Jerusalem and erected an idol on the devastated altar ("Wars of the Jews", Book IV, Chapters 5-6). Daniel 12:9-13 shows that there will be yet more “abomination of desolation” that will occur in the end-time.

Raymond McNair makes these comments on the end-time abomination of desolation: “It appears, then, that some form of Temple worship will first be reinstituted by the Jews. Otherwise, how could the sacrifices be 'cut off'? However, whether there will be an actual temple—or just a sacrificial altar as in the days of Ezra—is not certain. Yet a strong argument can be made for the former since the Apostle Paul says that the final 'man of sin'—the false religious leader…who will be in partnership with the Beast dictator—will enthrone himself 'as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God' (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

“It should be noted that quite a number of Jews are right now engaged in reproducing implements of Levitical worship and drawing up plans for a new house of worship on the Temple Mount. If they do actually build a temple or altar in the years to come, this would certainly fan the flames of Arab hatred toward Israel. And it should be easy to see if Europe's leaders make any pretence of promoting Jewish temple worship, Islamic fundamentalists might well be driven to violent action” (The Coming War for the City of Peace, World Ahead, Sept-Oct. 1997, p.20).

In Daniel 12:11 we read: “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.” Since the Great Tribulation is to last 3 ½ years it appears as if the abomination of desolation by the coming United Europe, will occur 1290 days (43 months) before the return of Jesus Christ.

In Revelation 11:1-3 we read: “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.”

In Daniel 12:7 we read: “Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.”

Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles and the power of the holy people (Israel) will be shattered for a time, times and half a time before Jesus Christ returns. A time is a year, times refers to two years and half a time refers to half a year. In total that is 3 ½ years, which according to Revelation 11:3, is equivalent to 42 months and to 1260 days according to Revelation 12:6-14. So from these verses we see that the abomination of desolation occurs 1290 days before Jesus Christ returns and then a month later (1260 days before Christ's return) Europe invades the Middle East.

There is one more number of days spoken of in Daniel 12:12 where we read: “Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.” So what event occurs 1335 days before Jesus Christ returns? The church has traditionally believed that this is the time when God's people will be told to go to the place of safety and have 75 days to get there before Europe invades the Middle East and the Great Tribulation begins.

2] Europe conquers America and Britain and takes them into captivity.

Now since the prophecies of Daniel 11 focus on events that will happen in the Middle East and the land of Israel the next major war offensive is not to be found in that chapter but is covered in many other prophecies, and that is the invasion and captivity of the other Israelite nations – America and Britain - by Europe.

America and Britain will probably stand up to Europe for its invasion of the Middle East, especially America who have been staunch allies of the state of Israel. Whatever transpires in the aftermath of the Middle East invasion will lead to this power-hungry United Europe launching a major assault on our Israelite nations. The result will be that the war against America and Britain (and possibly Canada) will wipe out a third of its people, another third will die of famine and disease and another third will be deported as slaves.

In Jeremiah 30:3-9 we read: “'For behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel AND Judah,' says the Lord. 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.' Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. For thus says the Lord: 'We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. 'For it shall come to pass in that day,' says the Lord of hosts, 'that I will break his yoke from your neck, and will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.”

This is an end-time captivity of both the Jews (Judah) AND Israel (America, Canada, Britain, NW Europe, Australia and New Zealand). “That day is great, so that none is like it” refers to the Great Tribulation before the return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection which will include King David over all the tribes of Israel.

The prophecies in the Book of Ezekiel were directed mainly to the House of Israel, not the House of Judah. Ezekiel lived in the last days of the Kingdom of Judah before it was taken into captivity in Babylon. The House of Israel had already been deported to Assyria over 100 years before Ezekiel so we can see that most of the prophecies of Ezekiel refer to the time of the end before Christ's return.

Of this same terrible captivity Ezekiel wrote: “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber's razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment [a reference to God's people in the place of safety]. Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel…One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them” (Ezekiel 5:1-4, 12).

In the next chapter of Ezekiel he wrote: “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God!' Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.' Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

“And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. In ALL your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate” (Ezekiel 6:1-6).

All of our major cities will be laid waste. Those who survive the initial war and who don't die of famine and disease, which often follow in the wake of wars, will be deported as slaves to Europe and other places.

The American and British people who are deported as slaves and the nations under European control will be forced to accept the religion of the great false church and the mark of the beast (Sunday-keeping). Many who don't will be killed. Today there is a great ecumenical movement to unite the Anglican (Church of England) and Protestant churches with the Catholic Church. This will gain momentum when the Pope at this time will start performing great miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9). Eventually they will be united under force of arms if not before then.

Could the phrase “ALL your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste” be a reference to nuclear war? In Isaiah 9:14 we read the following, “Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch and rush IN ONE DAY.” This may refer to a surprise nuclear attack against our Israelite nations.

Given the military superiority of the United States and Germany's historical pattern of launching “blitzkrieg” or surprise lightning war this would be the most likely scenario. Even today the French have nuclear submarines that have over a dozen SLBM's (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles) each of which contain 10 nuclear warheads. These submarines have a grand total of over 150 warheads capable of destroying that many target cities in a very short space of time.

We know that our Israelite nations will be taken into captivity in the Great Tribulation but what proof is there that it will be the coming United Europe that will defeat America and Britain?

In Revelation 18:7-8 we read the following about this political and religious Beast power called Babylon in this chapter: “In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.”

In Isaiah 47:5-9 we read a parallel account of this prophecy: “Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter [end-time successor] of the Chaldeans [Babylon] for you shall no longer be called the Lady of Kingdoms. I was angry with My people. I have profaned My inheritance, and given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; on the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily. And you said, 'I shall be a lady forever,' so that you did not take these things to heart, nor remember the latter end of them. Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, who dwell securely, who say in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children'. But these two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day: the loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness.”

These prophecies show that it is this European power that God will use to punish His people Israel – not just the Jews but, as Jeremiah 30:3 points out, those nations descended from the “lost 10 tribes” of Israel – America and Britain. The reason there is so much focus on this Beast power in the Book of Revelation is because they will be the rod of God's anger against His people who have turned so greatly from His way of life. God will allow the cruel hand of this German-dominated Beast power to humble His people so they will turn back to Him in heartfelt repentance.

In Isaiah 11 we read this prophecy about what will happen at Jesus Christ's return: “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush [India], from Elam [Eastern Europe] and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea…There will be a highway for the remnant of His people who will be left from Assyria, as it was for Israel in the day that he came up from the land of Egypt” (Isaiah 11:11, 16).

In Isaiah 10 we read: “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath. I will give him charge, to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off not a few nations. For he says, Are not my princes altogether kings?…

“Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, 'I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his hty looks.' For he says: 'By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent; also I have removed the boundaries of the people, and have robbed their treasuries; so I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man” (Isaiah 10:5-8, 12-13).

Verse 20 gives us the time frame of this captivity of Israel showing it is at the time of the Great Tribulation. “And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.”

In Isaiah 10:13 it says that this Assyrian-led power will have “robbed their treasures”. John Ogwyn makes this comment about this point: “Taking advantage of confiscated wealth from conquered America and Britain as well as slave labor, those at the helm of this system will, for a short time, enjoy unparalleled wealth” (The Beast of Revelation – Myth, Metaphor or Reality, p.57). Revelation 18:11-14 gives a long list of the goods that will be traded in this rich Babylonian political and economic system and finishes the list with “and bodies and souls of men.” As Isaiah 11:11 indicates it will sell its American and British slaves to people in many nations. The distinction between bodies and souls of men could mean the organs of dead slaves will also be sold.

Now what about the other nations such as Australia and New Zealand who are also descended from Israel? Will they be conquered by Europe or by some other power? In World War 2 it was Japan, allied with Germany, who were the threat to Australia. Will history repeat itself? Are there any possible indications from the Bible of what might happen to them?

In Isaiah 60:9 we read of an event to occur soon after Christ's return: “Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; and the ships of Tarshish will come first, to bring your sons from afar.” Israelite slaves will come back from Tarshish. The western branch of Tarshish is Spain. There was also an eastern branch of Tarshish who became the Japanese people (The Modern Day Descendants of Dodanim and Tarshish, p.8-16).

Isaiah 11:11 speaks of Israelite slaves returning from Cush. There were also two branches of Cush. One became the Ethiopian people and the eastern branch of Cush became the Indian people. Craig White makes these comments about Cush: “The prophet Isaiah also proclaims scattered Israelites from 'beyond the rivers of Cush' (Zeph 3:10) will be liberated after a period of captivity. Here the Aramaic renders Cush as 'Hodu' which means India in the Hebrew” (Australia the Fair, Australia the Condemned, p.3).

In the past both Japan and Indonesia have cast longing eyes on the continent of Australia and there would be nothing to stop either of them from invading Australia and New Zealand when they no longer have the protection of the United States. These are only possibilities. Only time will tell who God will use to punish the Israelite nations of Australia and New Zealand.

Japan doesn't appear to be a part of the great Russian and Asiatic alliance spoken of in Ezekiel 38 and 39 which we will look at later. This may be an indication that Japan will once again be allied with Europe during the Great Tribulation and may again become an imperialistic and conquering nation.

In Joel 3:1-3 we read the following: “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land. They have cast lots for My people.”

Joel here indicates that the birthright lands of North America and Australia, along with Palestine, will probably be divided up amongst Israel's enemies. Craig White offers this interesting speculation as to how this might occur: “Australia itself may be divided up by secret agreement between India, Japan and Indonesia. For instance, Japan may take the Eastern States; Indonesia the Northern Territory and South Australia; and India Western Australia. (Similarly, Russia may have Alaska returned to her by Europe if she keeps out of the coming world crisis; the Caribbean's may be given the South-east USA; Mexico the South-West; Japan may take Hawaii and Europe will divide up the rest of the North American continent)” (Australia the Fair, Australia the Condemned, p.3).

There is a very interesting prophecy in Ezekiel 21:14 which reads: “You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike your hands together. The third time let the sword do double damage. It is the sword that slays, the sword that slays the great men, that enters their private chambers.” The coming World War 3 will be far more devastating than either World Wars 1 and 2.

And again for the third time, world war will be triggered off by the German people. Isaiah 10:7 says the following about Assyria / Germany at this time: “Yet he does not mean so, nor does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off not a few nations.” The Germans are a cultured and very efficient people capable of many great and wonderful things yet they periodically become an aggressive and proud people who are capable of such terrible things as well. In the World Tomorrow God will tame this aggressive tendency in their nature when they are converted and receive God's spirit (Isaiah 19:24-25).

Europe's invasion of the Middle East and Europe's conquest of America and Britain will occur at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. The next two great war offensives – Europe attacking Russia and Asia and the counterattack by Russia and Asia occur during the last year of the Great Tribulation known as the Day of the Lord. The Bible does not really elaborate on any other war offensives that occur in the two years between the conquest of America and Britain and Europe's attack on Russia and Asia.

We can speculate on a few things that might occur. Europe will be dominated by the great false church that rules from the Vatican. All of Central and South America follow this great church so they will probably be tied into Europe and follow them, especially at this time when the Pope will perform great miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9).

Europe may also continue to expand its empire all throughout Africa. The white people in South Africa and Zimbabwe are also of Israelite descent and will be punished along with the rest of Israel. The African nations that were a part of French-west Africa are already tied in financially with Europe as the Central African franc is interchangeable with the French franc. A similar arrangement exists with the third world countries of the British Commonwealth and the European Union. Like in World War 2 the Israelite nations of Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Finland) might be invaded and controlled by the German-led United Europe.

Like in World War 2 Japan might expand its empire throughout much of East Asia and possibly Australia. It's possible that Russia, China and the other nations of Asia may have its hands full dealing with Japan for much of the early half of the Great Tribulation to worry about Europe before turning the tide on Japan.

3] Europe invades Russia and Asia.

Let's now pick up the outline of the Great Tribulation from where we left it off in Daniel 11. The next thing that happens is the following: “But news from the east [Asia] and the north [Russia] shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life” (Daniel 11:44 – 12:2).

The fifth and sixth trumpet plagues described in Revelation 9 talk about two massive war offensives. The first one appears to be a bio-chemical assault on Russia and Asia by the Beast power which lasts for five months (Revelation 9:1-11). Rumours of hostility toward Europe from Asia (the east) and Russia (the north -Moscow is almost due north of the Holy Land) will cause the Europeans to launch a pre-emptive strike against the powers of the East. The fifth trumpet signals 'locusts' and 'scorpions' rising out of the 'bottomless pit' and tormenting men for five months. This may be describing modern helicopters and tanks of the Beast, perhaps using chemical or biological weapons (Revelation 9:5-6).

4] Russia and Asia counterattack and conquer Europe.

The second war offensive is a massive counterattack by the Asiatics that sweeps across and destroys most of Europe with an absolutely massive army of 200 million.

In Revelation 9:13-19 we read: “Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates'. So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.” A third of mankind who are left after the destruction of the four horseman will die in this war.

In Isaiah 10:12-13 we read: “Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his hty looks.”

This massive army will devastate Europe and this end-time Babylon will fall. “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen…The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore…

“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.' Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!…Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down…For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived” (Revelation 18:2, 9-11, 19-23).

In Revelation 17:16 we read: “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot [the great false church], make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.” When everything begins to fall apart for Europe the European leaders will turn on the great false church.

5] European and Asian forces gather at Armageddon, combine and proceed to Jerusalem to fight Jesus Christ.

In Daniel 11:45 we read: “And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.” The leader of this United Europe and the 'false prophet' will have established themselves in Jerusalem, which they will have surrounded and occupied at the outset of the Great Tribulation. They will, by the time of the invasion from the East, have large military forces in the Middle East.

“It is at this very stage in these plagues that the demons, possessing these rebel leaders (Revelation 16:13-14), will mobilize military forces of 'all nations'…in the valley of Megiddo [Armageddon], 70 miles northeast of Jerusalem, to fight against the returning beings from outer space—Christ and His angels. They will yet try to overthrow the divine power and continue to rule the world themselves. They will resist to the end! But these human leaders shall be fighting supernatural power! Their fate will be awful! Their flesh will consume away off their bones even while they yet stand on their feet!” (Where Are We Now in Prophecy?, p.16).

“Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south…And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths…And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be—'The Lord is one,' and His name one” (Zechariah 14:3-4, 9, 12).

6] Russian and Asian forces attempt to conquer Israel when they are regathered by Christ in the land of Israel.

Many have blindly assumed that when Christ comes, there will be no opposition but that is not true! Many of the Gentile nations shall not submit until forced to. The Europeans shall be subdued and conquered in the battle before and at the time that Christ returns but the populous nations of Russia and Asia that God up to this point has not dealt with will still need to be brought to submission. When Jesus Christ begins to rule the world and has brought those left of all the tribes of Israel back and restored them to prosperity in the land of Israel, a great Eurasian union of nations shall mount an attack against them. The Israelites will not have to fight in this battle. They shall have learned by then that God fights their battles for them!

“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him…Persia, Ethiopia [Cush], and Libya [Phut] are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you…In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely…You will say, 'I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates'…You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud…

'And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel', says the Lord God, 'that My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel…And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord'…It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea [east of either the Dead Sea or Sea of Galilee]; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. (Ezekiel 38:1-23, 39:11-12).

The Mongols and northern Chinese descend from Magog. Russia comes from Rosh and Moscow from Meshech. Persia is Iran. Ethiopia and Libya are mistranslations. The original words are Cush and Phut. There were both western and eastern divisions of Cush and Phut. The eastern divisions became the Indian and Pakistani peoples. From Gomer descended the peoples of south-east Asia.

These nations will probably form the Asiatic army of 200 million that destroys Europe. There is another attack by peoples described as coming from Gog and Magog after the millennium (Revelation 20:7-9) but this particular battle mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is to occur at the beginning of the millennium. Ezekiel 38:8 shows that Israel will have been brought out of captivity and re-gathered in the land of Israel when they attack. After the attack we read in Ezekiel 39:21-22: “I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward.” The world from that time forward shall truly know peace when Jesus Christ is acknowledged as King of kings by all nations.

5] Will God's people be protected and how will this be done?

What will happen to the church at this time? Will it be protected from all of these terrifying events? When Jesus Christ explained what will happen in the Great Tribulation He said the following in Luke 21:36: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Watching and praying always here are two conditions of being accounted worthy to escape all these things. To those end-time members characterized by the traits of the Philadelphian church, Christ says to them in Revelation 3:10: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” This is an obvious reference to the Great Tribulation. Those who persevere with God's way of life and supporting His work will be afforded this protection.

How will this protection occur? In Revelation 12:6-17 we read: “Then the woman (the church) fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days…Now when the dragon (Satan) saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

The church flees to the wilderness which means a desolate, deserted place. God's church is fed and nourished by God in this place both physically and spiritually. Satan sends a flood after the church which could possibly be a reference to armies but God will deliver the fleeing church from this threat. Enraged, Satan will go after those who fail to make it to the place of safety. Many of these will be martyred and this martyrdom is prophesied by the fifth seal (Revelation 6:9-11).

Notice that this place has been PREPARED by God. It is a literal place of protection rather than just being protected wherever you are. Some of God's people do flee to this place of safety while others do not make it to the place of safety. They are still God's people and keep the commandments but, for whatever reason, this protection is not afforded to them. Many of this generation are half-hearted christians and because of this lack of zeal some members will have to go through the Great Tribulation.

To the Laodicean members Christ said, “Because you say, 'I am rich [physically and materially], have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked [spiritually] — I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire [the fiery trial of the Great Tribulation], that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:17-19).

There have been a couple of forerunners of this protection to the church at the end-time. Shortly before the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD the early church fled to Pella on the other side of the Jordan River. Josephus records that the church left after a sound was heard in the Temple: “Let us remove hence”. Also using the day-for-a-year principle, the church fled for 1260 years from the persecution of the great false church from 325 AD when the Council of Laodicea forbid sabbath-keeping until 1585 when religious freedom from the persecution of the Catholic Church was ensured after the defeat of the Spanish Armada by the English navy and God's hand.

In Psalm 91:1-7 we read: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.' Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you."

In Isaiah 26:20-21 God says: "Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment until the indignation is past.” It says chambers - an enclosed location. God shut the doors of the Ark and nobody could get into it. When God shows the church's leadership what to do, some members no doubt will decide that it is too early, the wrong place or the wrong way to go and will stay behind. Others will probably find that leaving family, friends, homes, jobs and personal possessions more than they can bear and, they too, will probably stay behind.

Is it a place or could it be several places? The verses in Revelation 12 say "a place (singular)" and "her place (singular)". The Bible also talks about keeping the feast in the place (singular) where God chooses to place His name even though there are many Feast sites around the world. Given the logistical nightmare it would be to bring members from every continent to one place in the world it is also possible that there could be a place on each continent for the church to flee to. Whether there is one place or multiple places of refuge for God's people only time will tell.

In Luke 17:28-32 we read: “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot's wife.” What this means is when the call comes to flee, when the directive is given, we must go - we must not linger as Lot did and we must not turn back around as Lot's wife did.

While God's people are protected in the place of safety God will empower two converted leaders to be His two witnesses calling this world to repentance. They will be given miracle-working powers to help get their message through to this sinful world.

In Revelation 11:3-12 we read: “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy (like Elijah); and they have power over waters to turn them to blood (like Moses), and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

“When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified (Jerusalem). Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.”

God will empower them with miracle-working power and they will preach to this sinful world for 1260 days before the Beast power will be able to kill them. Their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 ½ days before they will be resurrected. The loud voice from heaven saying “Come up here” is that of an archangel mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 when the first resurrection will occur. Since they are killed 3 ½ days before the end of the Great Tribulation which lasts the same length of time as their 1260 days of witnessing then their mission will begin 3 ½ days before the Tribulation starts.

They are called “the two olive trees and the two lampstands”. A lampstand is a symbol of a church (Revelation 1:20). So, in a sense, they are called the two churches. It would appear as if these two men are representatives of two churches. They could be representatives of those members protected in the place of safety and those who are not. Another possibility is that one could be a representative of the largest Church of God (UCG) and the other representative of the rest of the smaller church groups and/or “Stay at Home” Church of God.

The only other occasion where two olive trees and lampstands are mentioned is in Zechariah 4:11-14 in reference to two individuals referred to as Joshua and Zerubbabel. Joshua and Zerubbabel were two of the leaders when the Jews returned from Babylon and rebuilt the Temple. The two witnesses would appear to be a type of these men. Zechariah 1 and 2 talk about how the people were taken into Babylon and then it speaks of Joshua and Zerubbabel who helped rebuild the Temple after a remnant of the Jews returned from Babylon. In the New Testament God's people are also called the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16).

During the apostasy of the 1990's most of the church went back to spiritual Babylon and only a minority held onto the Truth and rebuilt the Work of God. Zerubbabel is described as having a prominent role in building the foundation of the rebuilt Work of God. It is in this context where the phrases “'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah. 4:6) and “Who has despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10) are mentioned in the Bible. Joshua is described as a brand plucked from the fire (Zechariah 3:2). It's possible that he may be plucked out of the Great Tribulation and begin his work after the other of the two witnesses.

In Malachi 4:5-6 we read: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” This church leader will play a part in restoring proper family relationships in the Church of God in the end-time. Like Elijah he would be “a voice crying out in the wilderness” (John 1:23) of this sinful world. There is a good case either way that this individual is either Herbert W. Armstrong who led the Church of God for much of the 20^th century or one of the two witnesses, specifically the one who performs miracles like Elijah (no rain falling from heaven).

At the same time that the two witnesses prophesy to the world Satan will empower the false prophet who leads the great false church. In 2 Thessalonians 2:9 we read: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.” The world will be amazed at the miracles that will be done by the forces of good and the forces of evil at this time.

Many hundreds of thousands will turn to God during the Great Tribulation when they will suffer terribly. Our work will finally bear fruit and they will remember the truth of God being preached by God's church today. In Revelation 7 we read about two groups of people that will be protected before God's wrath is poured out on mankind during the Day of the Lord (the final year of the Great Tribulation). The first are a group of 144,000 people of the 12 tribes of Israel. Why they are singled out from the rest of those protected is a great mystery but they obviously will be converted by this point in time.

The other group is a far larger group of people who also have repented during the Tribulation. The apostle John wrote: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'” (Revelation 7:9-10). The angels about to unleash the trumpet plagues are told “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads” (Revelation 7:3). These are sealed (probably a reference to God's spirit) and are protected from the plagues of the Day of the Lord.

6] What are the seven seals?

The Book of Revelation is a book that REVEALS what the future will be. That is why it is called “The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place” (Revelation 1:1). Christ, not any man or angel, is the one who is able to reveal to us its true meaning (Revelation 5).

The events of the end-time leading up to Christ's return are revealed to us in an interesting pattern. Jesus Christ is pictured before the throne of God as being the only one worthy to open a scroll that is sealed with seven seals. As He opens each seal a specific event takes place. There are seven seals in all. The seventh seal opens up seven trumpet plagues and the seventh of those trumpet plagues further opens up the seven last plagues. So let's now look at what great event each of the seven seals represents. In Revelation 6:1-8 we read:

“Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, 'Come and see.' And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bo ; crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

“When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, 'Come and see.' Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

^“When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come and see.' So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.'

”When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, 'Come and see.' So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

These are the famous “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. The word “apocalypse” is simply the Greek word for Revelation. What do these four horsemen represent? There are some clues in those verses above to help us understand their meaning but to truly understand them we need to look to Jesus Christ, the Revealer, to explain to us their meaning. Fortunately Jesus Christ has explained them to us in plain language elsewhere in the New Testament. In his great Olivet prophecy, named because He was on the Mount of Olives at the time, He gives us an overview of the major events that lead up to His second coming. This prophecy is found in Matthew 24 (Parallel accounts are also found in Luke 21 and Mark 13).

What is the first major event that Christ tells us about? In Matthew 24:4-5 we read: “Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.”

This is a parallel of the first seal – the white horse. We are told in Revelation 19:11-15 that when Christ returns He is also on a white horse. The first horseman is a clever counterfeit of the real Jesus Christ. Jesus, on His white horse, has a sword which comes out of his mouth. The first horseman has a bow in his hand. The white horse of the first seal represents false religion – that of the great false church which will support and feed the power of the United Europe.

Let's look at the next major event that Christ tells us about. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” The red horse of the second seal represents world war. Revelation 6:4 says that the red horse takes peace from the earth – war!

Following on from that Christ says in Matthew 24:7: “And there will be famines”. The third seal, the black horse represents great famine. “He who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.'” Food prices are very high because food is so scarce. There is also a major famine prophesied to occur in Israel due to a great locust plague (Joel 1) prior to the invasion by the coming United Europe (Joel 2).

After famines Christ then tells us that there will be “pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7).

The fourth seal, the (sickly) pale horse represents disease. AIDS, the Ebola virus and / or other diseases will sweep around the world in the wake of the terrible wars which often lead to such diseases and famines. The reference in Revelation 6:8 to “the beasts of the earth” refers to animal-borne diseases.

Revelation 6:8 also tells us that the “Four Horseman of the Apocalypse” - false religion, war, famine and disease - will kill A QUARTER OF THE POPULATION OF THE WHOLE WORLD! That's nearly one and a half billion people!

We know that war will kill a third of the Israelite nations and another third will die from famine and disease. Two-thirds of the population of the nations descended from Israel (America, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, NW Europe and Israel) only brings us up to about 250 million people. That leaves over a billion people from the Gentile nations who will be killed by war, famine and disease leading up to the Day of the Lord. As well as an end-time fulfilment of these four seals there is also a progressive fulfilment of the seals. The intensity and death toll of wars, famines and diseases (as well as earthquakes) has increased dramatically over the past century.

On the heels of those four seals will be the fifth seal which will be a martyrdom of many of God's true church. In Revelation 6:9-11 we read: “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”

Thousands upon thousands of true christians were killed at the behest of the great false church during the Dark and Middle Ages. In this symbolic vision they ask when they will be avenged and are told that there will be yet another great persecution and martyrdom of true christians in the end-time.

In Matthew 24:9-13 after He gives the meaning of the first four seals, Jesus then says: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” It's interesting to note that the church will be hated by all nations for Christ's sake. While the church and the Work of God is not anywhere near as recognized as it used to be when Herbert W. Armstrong was alive it will once again be recognized by the whole world at this time.

In Mark 13:9-13 Christ's explanation of the fifth seal is recorded this way by Mark: “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

Revelation 12 tells us that some of God's people will be protected in a place that God has prepared for them while some are not. Satan will vigorously go after the rest of God's people that aren't protected at this time. A great many of them will be martyred. Many members who are lukewarm and half-hearted when they recognize the seriousness of what has come on the world will once again be zealous and repent.

Others will go along with the rest of the world in accepting the mark of the beast (Sunday-keeping) so as not to be punished by the state. Some unconverted family members of church members will betray them and tell the state about their beliefs. Many will be brought before courts and rulers to give account of their beliefs. God tells those who are delivered up to rulers that He will inspire their words so they give a witness of the gospel to those who are persecuting them.

It is only after describing the meaning of the fifth seal does Christ tell us in Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a witness unto all nations.” The primary fulfilment of this prophecy will be through the preaching of the two witnesses accompanied by many great miracles.

Over the initial 2 ½ year period of this world war 5 of the 7 seals of the Book of Revelation will be opened with devastating impact on the peoples of all the world. This will primarily be the time of Satan's wrath stirring the nations up to do battle since he knows that his time left before his banishment is very short (Revelation 12:12). The last year of this 3 ½ year period will be a time of God's wrath on mankind when He corrects the nations in order to bring them to repentance.

The heavenly signs of the sixth seal will herald the beginning of this time followed by the seventh seal which opens up the seven trumpet plagues. Isaiah 34:8 says: “For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, the YEAR of recompense in the controversy of Zion." Using the day for a year prophetic principle (Ezekiel 4:4-6) we understand that the Day of the Lord will last approximately one year in length.

Marking the beginning of the Day of the Lord is the sixth seal which we read of in Revelation 6:12-14: “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs, when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved out of its place."

In His Olivet prophecy Jesus said: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” (Matthew 24:29). In Joel 2:31 we also read: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.”

Technically the Great Tribulation is the period of Satan's wrath up to the beginning of the Day of the Lord, though, in general terms we call the whole 3 ½ year period the Great Tribulation, much in the same way we include the Last Great Day when we speak about the Feast of Tabernacles.

In Luke 21:25-26 Christ's words are recorded this way by Luke: “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.”

Blockbuster movies such as Deep Impact and Armageddon have made popular the concept of cosmic catastrophism - the belief that heavenly objects such as meteors, asteroids and comets could hit our planet and the devastating impact that they might have on planet earth.

Certain verses in the Book of Revelation give the impression that God may use a similar method to punish the nations during the Day of the Lord. There are two verses in Revelation 8 which talk about a great star from heaven and a great mountain burning with fire hitting the earth.

During the sixth seal the sun and moon become dark (possibly from some cosmic dust) and these events are accompanied by an enormous earthquake such that islands and mountains are moved out of their place. The stars of heaven falling to the earth appear to be a reference to a great meteor shower.

The last plague at the very end of the Day of the Lord is identical to the sixth seal - a worldwide earthquake such that every mountain and island is moved out of its place accompanied by a great shower of hailstones (Revelation 16:17-21). Could those hailstones also be meteorites?

In light of these two similar plagues, what could cause seismic stress on such an incredible worldwide scale that every mountain and island are moved out of their place? Whatever causes it, it appears as if it may happen twice - once at the beginning of the Day of the Lord and another time at the end of the Day of the Lord.

After the sealing of the 144 000 and the great multitude in Revelation 7 so they are protected from the plagues of the Day of the Lord the seventh seal is then opened.

In Revelation 8:1-2 we read: “When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.” The seventh seal opens up the seven trumpet plagues.

7] What are the seven trumpet plagues?

Following on the heels of the sixth seal are the first four trumpet plagues. The first trumpet describes hail mingled with fire and blood hitting the earth and causing fires which destroy a third of the earth's vegetation. “The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up” (Revelation 8:7).

Hall mingled with fire was one of the ten plagues which fell on Egypt. The Book of Revelation describes quite a number of plagues that are similar to those which fell on Egypt - waters turning to blood, plagues of darkness and boils appearing on man and beast.

Hail mingled with fire appears to be a reference to a great meteor shower. The second and third trumpet plagues describe two much larger objects hitting the earth.

“Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed” (Rev. 8:9).

The second trumpet plague is described as "a great mountain burning with fire" which hits one of the oceans causing destruction to a third of the ships and a third of the creatures in the sea. Such destruction would probably be caused by a massive tsunami like that seen in the movie Deep Impact.

It says in Revelation 8:8 that it also causes a third of the sea to become blood. This object appears to have a reddish cosmic dust that comes off it to cause the sea to take on the appearance of blood. This same reddish dust may be why the first trumpet plague is referred to as hail mingled with fire and blood and why the moon takes on the appearance of blood at the time of the sixth seal.

The third trumpet plague describes "a great star from heaven” hitting the earth poisoning a third of the rivers. “Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter” (Revelation 8:10-11).

The fourth trumpet plague is a plague of darkness so that a third part of the sun, moon and stars' light does not shine. “Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night” (Revelation 8:12).

In Amos 8:9 we read: “'And it shall come to pass in that day,' says the Lord God, 'That I will make the sun go down at noon, that will make the sun go down on a clear day'”. This may possibly refer to the same event. It's possible that this may be similar to what happened in Hezekiah's day (2 Kings 20:8-11) with the earth suddenly being rotated by a number of degrees forward and the sun appearing to set early.

The fifth and sixth trumpet plagues describe two massive war offensives. The first one appears to be a bio-chemical assault on Russia and Asia by the Beast power which lasts for 5 months (Revelation 9:1-11, Daniel 11:44). The fifth trumpet signals 'locusts' and 'scorpions' rising out of the 'bottomless pit' and tormenting men for five months. This may be describing modern helicopters and tanks of the Beast, perhaps using chemical or biological weapons. The second is a massive counterattack by the Asiatics that sweeps across and destroys most of Europe with an army of 200 million (Revelation 9:13-19, 18:1-8).

The first four trumpet plagues follow the massive earthquake and meteor shower of the sixth seal. The plagues released by the seventh trumpet don't follow, but instead lead up to the climaxing worldwide earthquake and meteor shower (?) of the last of the seven last plagues. Is it possible that this is a great comet coming from one direction and then coming back the other way? If, hypothetically, it was, then the effects of its tail would occur in reverse order due to the fact that the tail of comets always point away from the Sun?

If the seas and rivers becoming like blood at the end of the Day of the Lord are due to reddish meteor/cometary dust it may also play a part in the darkness plagues and the boils which affect man and beast that occur at the end of the Day of the Lord.

In Revelation 16 we read about the last seven plagues which are released by the seventh trumpet at the very end of the Day of the Lord climaxing in the return of Jesus Christ. The first six of these last plagues are described as boils appearing on man and beast, seas again becoming as blood, rivers becoming as blood, men being scorched by the heat of the sun, great darkness and the Euphrates River being dried up to allow the Eastern armies to cross on their way to Armageddon. When ancient Babylon fell water was diverted and dried up a part of the Euphrates River.

The great Eastern armies meet the armies of Europe already deployed in the Middle East on the ancient battleground of Armageddon (the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel). At this critical juncture in time Jesus Christ returns and they are stirred up by Satan and the demons to perceive Jesus Christ as a common enemy (as an Antichrist or invader from outer space). They proceed to Jerusalem to fight Him and are defeated by Christ and all the resurrected saints who come with Him.

In Matthew 24:30-31 Jesus said: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

In Revelation 19:11-16 we read: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The very last plague is poured with the voice of the seventh angel crying out: "It is done!" The greatest earthquake of all time rocks the whole earth! "And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth…Then every island fled away and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent" (Revelation 16:18-21). Combined with this earthquake will be an incredible shower of hailstones (meteorites ?) with some weighing as much as a talent or 100 pounds. Isaiah 24:19-20 says that: "The earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard."

This earthquake will cause the Mount of Olives to split in two and shake Jerusalem like the mighty earthquake of Uzziah's time (Zechariah 14:3-5). Jesus Christ returns to the earth with the sound of a mighty trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:16) in power and glory as the hills and mountains melt and wax at His return (Psalm 97:5) due to the phenomenal volcanic activity shaking the earth at this time. At this time of the seventh trumpet will be the first resurrection of all of God's people who have endured to the end and they will meet Christ in the clouds with their new powerful spirit bodies – born into God's very own family (1 Corinthians 15:50-53).

In Zechariah 14:7 it says that at even time it shall be light. This may be due to Christ's brightness filling the sky, making it like day or we may see something like a repeat of Joshua's long day. In such a dramatic awesome spectacle God intervenes in human affairs and ushers in the Wonderful World Tomorrow.

After this dramatic battle the marriage supper of Jesus Christ and the Church will occur (Revelation 19:9). Satan and the demons will be cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3) and will not be able to broadcast their impulses of sin and disobedience to the world. Will Jesus Christ return on the Feast of Trumpets and Satan be bound nine days later on the Day of Atonement? We don't know for sure. Only time will tell but it's an interesting possibility.

Then will come the great Exodus of all 12 tribes of Israel back to Palestine of which the Exodus of Moses' day was a forerunner (Jeremiah 16:14-15, Isaiah 11:11-15). Christ will deal with Israel first and only later begin to work with the Gentiles. Once they are settled in Palestine the remainder of the Russian and Asian armies will come and try and conquer the returned Israelites (Ezekiel 38, 39). God will fight for Israel and defeat them and from there on will be a millennium of peace and prosperity.

In Amos 5:3 it says: “For thus says the Lord God: “The city that goes out by a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which goes out by a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” A similar thing is mentioned in Isaiah 6:13. This indicates that the population of our Israelite nations will be decimated by the end of the Great Tribulation to where only a tenth will survive into the millennium. All indications are this will be the case for the whole world as well, but that remaining tenth of the world will have been humbled by God and realize that God's way is the only way to peace. They will rebuild the destroyed cities (Isaiah 61:4, Jeremiah 33:7) and the world's population will rapidly expand once again (Isaiah 27:6) as Christ sets up the Kingdom of God here on earth and rules the world from Jerusalem.

However the plagues of the Day of the Lord are brought upon the earth by God they will be terrifying events. Coupled with the horrific world war that will come upon the whole world, the heavenly plagues of the Day of the Lord will ensure that this will be the greatest period of trouble "since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21). Thankfully God will cut it short and send Jesus Christ to finally bring peace and happiness to this world which so desperately needs it.