Below is a what I believe to be a more correct distribution of world events according to Biblical prophecy within the scope of time (past, present, and future). These reflect my conceptual framework described previously, and as the pieces of the puzzle fit together within God's eternal paradigm, and not ours.
A. PAST EVENTS
1. GREAT TRIBULATION: Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus warned about a time of “great tribulation,” referring specifically to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the dispersion of the Jewish people, and the establishment of an abomination of desolations on the Temple Mount (Lk. 21:23). He never said that this would last only seven years, but rather that the Temple would be trampled until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Lk. 21:24), which perhaps could be identified as being fulfilled in 1948, when the nation of Israel was finally reborn. This period of great tribulation would be greater than any previous or even later one, which clearly implies that there would be more tribulations after that. The “great tribulation” that Jesus referred to represents the most catastrophic events in all of Jewish history, even if we compare them to early Biblical times and later events. Their first exile in Babylon only lasted around 70 years, but the Jewish dispersion that began in the 1st and 2nd centuries did not end until the middle of the 20th century, not until after Satan unleashed the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews in order to prevent the nation from becoming reborn. This whole period was “Jacob’s Trouble” (Jer. 30:7), time during which their power would be shattered (Dan. 12:7), but out of which they would be saved and return to the land.
During this long extended time, Christians would also suffer their own tribulations for the sake of their faith (Matt. 24:9; Jn. 16:33; 2 Cor. 4:8-18), even to this day. World populations in general would also suffer part of these global tribulations, since I understand that the wars, famines, and other “birth pangs” that Jesus predicted (Matt. 24:7) are all represented by, and equivalent to, the first Five Seals of Revelation. In this sense, I believe that these first Five Seals in Revelation should be seen as a symbolic illustrations of our past history of 1) conquests, 2) death, 3) destructions, 4) hunger, and 5) persecution of God’s people up to 1948, the year when Israel was rebirthed. During the past almost two millennia, the Gospel was to be proclaimed to the whole world, and Jesus clarified that after that is accomplished, the end will come (Matt. 24:12-14).
2. GOD’S ESCHATOLOGICAL CLOCK: Thus, I believe that after the “anointed one” or Messiah was “cut off” (Dan. 9:26), the last symbolic “week” of Daniel was initiated rather than interrupted. Many allege that this is when the “eschatological clock” stopped, but God has never stopped working! He has been very busy fulfilling the prophecies that needed to be fulfilled up to these days, especially the return of the Jewish people to their land and the reestablishment of the nation of Israel. In addition, most people believe that Daniel 9:27a refers to the Antichrist and the covenant that he will allegedly make with the Jewish people. But it makes much more Biblical and logical sense to understand that this “person” who affirms or strengthens [higbir] the Covenant “with many for one week” is God Himself through His Messiah Jesus, who declared He was going to make a New Covenant with “many” (term also used in Isaiah 53:12, Matt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45; Matt. 26:28; Rom. 5:15), and definitely not within a literal constraint of seven days or years. God was also the one who made the sacrifices to cease in the “middle” of that “week,” also not literally 3½ days or years (Dan. 9:27b). The next part of that verse then refers to some abominations being placed on the Temple Mount in a general sense, since the noun is only implied in the verb “meshamem” (Dan. 9:27c), as in “there will be desolations,” not “there will be one who causes desolations,” as is interpreted by many Bible translators. There is no mention of a person doing this! And ever since the 7th century, a Muslim mosque was established there, clearly representing the “abomination of desolations” (term used by Jesus), and which will last until God’s decree is finally poured out upon “the desolations” or “shamem” (Dan. 9:27d), not an individual “desolator.” This implies that the Muslim religious center that we presently see on the Temple Mount will still be there until the coming of the Messiah, who will destroy it with the breath of His mouth (2 Thess. 2:8).
3. THE ANTICHRIST: There have been many evil empires and rulers in this world during mankind’s existence, but very few are mentioned in the Bible. We only read about those that have something to do with the territorial area around Israel, mostly in the Middle East or around the Mediterranean Sea. Also, since Jesus’ ascension, we have seen our share of many Antichrists, because the spirit of the Antichrist was already present 2,000 years ago (1 Jn. 2:22). So regarding end-time prophecies, we must avoid interpreting them as if they all need to have a future fulfillment, since most of those things were already fulfilled in our past. We must also be aware that whenever a prophecy in Daniel describes the death of the Messiah or Prince of the Covenant, the destruction of the Temple, the dispersion of the Jewish people, and the abomination of desolations on the Temple Mount, those things have already been fulfilled. Thus, most of Daniel’s “beasts” have already entered and exited the world stage, including the dictatorships of Media/Persia, Greece, Antiochus, Rome, the Herodian dynasty, and the Muslim/Arab conquests (yes, even them!). We can identify some dictators clearly, while others are more obscure, but by relating some of the details to actual historical events, we can identify the appearance of Islam and Mohammad with the one who would exalt himself “with the help of a foreign god” (Dan. 11:36-39). He will not pay any attention to any other gods, for he will magnify himself above all, clearly the embodiment of the Antichrist, also the “Beast from the Bottomless Pit,” as described in Revelation 11:7. Daniel 11 adds that he will prosper “until the indignation is accomplished,” which implies that Islam’s dominion will last until the fulfillment of all things. During this time, the “wise” will be “refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end…” (Dan. 11:33-35), referring to the persecution of Jews and Christians since Islam’s inception, even to this day. On the other hand, I understand that the reference to “a time, times, and half a time” (Dan. 12:7) is merely a symbolic extension of time that began when Christianity and Judaism were essentially conquered by the Muslim Ottoman Empire (which I believe is the “First Beast from the Sea”), until it suffered a mortal blow in 1917 at the end of the First World War after more than six hundred years of dominion. In the future, once the saints have been resurrected, a revived Muslim Ottoman Empire, or the “Second Beast from the Earth,” will be free to conquer the entire globe (Dan. 11:40-45).
Besides Daniel 11:40-45, only one more place in this book seems to describe a dictator still in our future. Daniel 7:8 speaks about the “Other Little Horn” (the same “other” horn as in verses 20-21), while verse 24 speaks about a “Different Horn.” The first one is related to four beasts that “arise from the sea” (Dan. 7:3), and the second one is related to four beasts that “arise from the earth” (Dan. 7:17), both having their equivalent in Revelation 13. These “Other Little” and “Different” horns seem to be identical, yet also somewhat different. They are closely related to each other in Daniel, as well as in Revelation. There also seems to be a sequential order in regards to historical chronology. The Other Little Horn comes up from among ten horns (Rome), while three of them will be defeated (Dan. 7:8a). This “Little Horn” could easily represent the Muslim Turkish Ottoman Empire that defeated the Christian Byzantine Empire in 1453, also the “Beast from the Sea” in Revelation 13:1-10. After this, another horn or dictator will arise, “different from the former ones” but very similar to the earlier “Other Little Horn,” who will be taken away for some time, though its life would be “prolonged for a season and a time” (Daniel 7:12). Even though it will also have “eyes and a mouth” that speaks great things, it will be “greater than its companions” (v. 20). I believe that this represents a future revived Muslim Turkish Ottoman Empire, or the “Beast from the Earth” of Revelation 13:11-18, which will come forth from the earlier one after the resurrection of the saints, but it will eventually be “destroyed forever” (v. 26).
I also relate this future “Different Horn” with what is described in Daniel 11:40-45. “At the time of the end,” this future leader will “come into the glorious land,” or Israel, where “tens of thousands will fall” (v. 41). This is clearly a conquest of the Holy Land, since he will pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain, in effect taking control of the Holy Land (Dan. 11:45), but only after the resurrection of the saints. Christians and Jews will not be around at that time to oppose him anymore. IT SEEMS LIKE WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING A SPECIAL TIME BETWEEN THE “DEATH” OF THE “FIRST BEAST FROM THE SEA” IN 1917 (AT THE END OF WORLD WAR I AND THE FALL OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE) AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE “SECOND BEAST FROM THE EARTH,” WHICH WILL BE REVEALED RIGHT AFTER THE RESURRECTION OF THE SAINTS. Is it possible that the older generation that saw the fulfillment of the rebirthing of the nation of Israel in 1948 will also see the final redemption and resurrection of the saints? Importantly, this “Beast from the Earth” cannot take over the Holy Land until after Israel and the Church are removed from this earth, because God’s people are what hold back the “Man of Lawlessness,” according to my understanding of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8. After the promised resurrection of God’s people (Jews and Christians together), the Turkish Ottoman Empire can create a united global Sunni-Shiite dictatorship, perhaps together with the United Nations, the European Union, the Vatican, and Russia. We can see things developing in that direction already, but Jews and Christians are still blocking their empowerment.
4. GOD’S TWO WITNESSES: “The two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth” in Zechariah 4:14 are clearly the same “two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth” in Revelation 11. I understand that these two witnesses are both Israel and the Church, the two people groups who were commissioned to tell the world about the One True God. As evidenced by history, the message of both witnesses was initially accompanied by signs of great divine power, but later on Satan managed to suppress their miraculous power and authority, resulting in their spiritual demise (Rev. 11:7). As stated before, I understand that the “Beast from the Bottomless Pit” represents Satan and his spawning of the vicious religious/political ideology of Islam in this world. Satan created Islam in the 7th century to destroy both Judaism and Christianity, and neither have recuperated their initial spiritual authority once it began to spread. The Christian Byzantine Empire (which had taken shape in the 4th century at the end of the Roman Empire thanks to Constantine’s conversion to Christianity and reforms) was destroyed by the Muslim Turkish Ottoman Empire in 1453. This usurping empire is what I understand as the above-mentioned “First Beast from the Sea” (Rev. 11:10). The “church” also became prostituted and was transformed into the powerful and abusive political Roman Catholic Vatican institution, even collaborating with Satan and persecuting the Jews and unbelievers. In this manner, the Islamic beast made war on the two witnesses and, to all effects, conquered them until 1948, when both received the breath of God and again spiritually stood up on their feet (Rev. 11:11). Israel saw its rebirth as a nation and the true “church” of God also saw a spiritual revival around that time. Satan is still using this evil Islamic instrument to attack both witnesses, but I believe that God will not allow it to gain supremacy anymore, and soon we will be hearing God’s voice from heaven saying: “Come up here!” (Rev. 11:12).
B. PRESENT EVENTS
1. TRIBULATION OF THOSE DAYS: The time right before Jesus’ return, when lawlessness will have increased, the love of many will have grown cold (Matt. 24:10-12), and certain cataclysmic events will be occurring worldwide (Lk. 21:25-26), this period can be classified as the “tribulation of those days” (Matt. 24:29), different from the “great tribulation.” At that time, possibly the present days and our near future, when we see the roaring of the waves and the signs in heaven, people will be fainting with fear. (These are just a preview of what is to come after the resurrection of the saints, when God will unleash His symbolic bowls or cups of wrath upon the unrepentant people.) Yet God’s people are called to endure “to the end” (Matt. 24:13), since we can interpret that the Kingdom of God is near (Lk. 21:31). I believe that these are the same signs of worldwide disasters symbolized by Revelation’s Sixth and Seventh Seals, the latter which consists of a collection of Six Trumpets prior to the final Seventh Trumpet. The worldwide natural disasters that have been increasing in intensity and frequency could be understood as what is meant by these seals, disasters not in a simultaneous manner but in a sporadic and localized fashion, and will serve as the heavenly “signs” that the Jewish people are waiting to see in order to recognize the coming of their Messiah.
What are these cataclysmic disasters or signs? The Sixth Seal and the first Six Trumpets of the Seventh Seal of Revelation describe them in a symbolic sense. Even though the “kings of the earth” and all peoples may feel that this is “the great day of their wrath” (referring to the wrath of Him “who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb”), it really isn’t, because that will come later, once God’s people are out of the way. But what does all this refer to? If taken literally, it sounds like a total annihilation of creation, because it says that all the celestial bodies are cast out of their place and the land masses on earth disappear. No one could survive such a catastrophe! The picture is horrifying! But is this really to be taken literally? What if this Sixth Seal is also to be understood metaphorically? What if it is just enough suffering to make unbelievers tremble and repent? After all, the rest of Revelation still describes human life on earth, and we don’t see an absolute disappearance of all things, which will not occur until much later with the new heavens and new earth. These could represent global crises that are now happening throughout the world, and large numbers of people will die, but it will not be a total annihilation as such. We cannot know how much time will transpire during this whole process, but these disasters could be dispersed in location and timing, not occurring simultaneously around the globe.
In this fashion, the first Three Trumpets describe calamities in which a third of all 1) land, 2) oceans, and 3) rivers are destroyed. Could this represent the widespread contamination of earth, seas, and rivers that has already been evident for the past several decades? Man’s irresponsible actions have caused widespread pollution that has ruined much of our agricultural land, important ocean coral reefs, and a great many rivers and sources of drinking water. The Fourth Trumpet describes a darkening of the sun, moon, and stars, which may not have anything to do with a literal event but with a dark covering caused by heavy air pollution due to man’s irresponsible industrial practices. This could also include an increasing danger from destructive solar rays due to the disappearance of our ozone layer, more frequent and greater solar flares, besides possible global warming as a result of increased carbon gas emissions. All of these things could be indirectly caused by mankind, but they can also be said to have divine permission.
On the other hand, the Fifth Trumpet clearly describes evil powers from the bottomless pit that are going to be torturing those “who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” for “5 months” (Rev. 9:4). Does this refer to widespread pandemic diseases, such as AIDS, etc.? It also speaks about certain creatures preparing for battle, which seem to resemble modern tanks and warplanes, whose leader is clearly Satan. Could this refer to the dictatorships and modern warfare of the Second World War? This was the deadliest military conflict in all of history, and only the allied Christian nations were able to stop this evil advance. An estimated total of 70 to 85 million people perished, which was about 3% of the world population of 2.3 billion during 1940, while Satan also tried to destroy the Jews through the Holocaust. The Sixth Trumpet describes a war, but this time in the region surrounding the Euphrates River. Might this refer to the later wars in Iraq and the Middle East that have been ongoing for several decades since World War II, mainly due to Islamist efforts to dominate the world? It certainly seems like demonic spirits were released at the time of the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York and continuous terrorism worldwide. Could the reference to fire, smoke, and sulfur refer to weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear bombs? Have we already seen some of the effects of the first Six Trumpets? These events allowed by God could be clear admonitions for the nations to repent before the Father calls His people to come up to Him (Rev. 11:12). After the Seventh Trumpet, it will be too late for unbelievers to repent, but God will have given them sufficient warning so that none will have an excuse.
Now is the time when Christians must define themselves as to which side they are on, whether for God and His Messiah, or for the Antichrist. Many Christians may depart from their faith, as they are influenced by deceitful spirits that will abound more and more. “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared…” (1 Tim. 4:1-2). Will we try to appease the growing Muslim powers, joining the new and blasphemous “Chrislam” movement, or do we stay steadfast and true in the midst of our persecutions and tribulations? “Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring” (2 Thess. 1:4).
2. COMFORT AND PROTECTION FOR GOD’S PEOPLE: At our present time in history, the righteous are still suffering along with the unrighteous, and the Jews (as a nation) have not yet believed in their Messiah. Things are probably going to deteriorate little by little, but this might just be the beginning. Perhaps we will soon experience even stronger natural disasters, more nuclear detonations, and great calamitous signs from heaven. In any case, these signs should make us hopeful, not distressed. Jesus said that when we see these things, we can be comforted by knowing that our redemption is near. Yet I believe that many of God’s people could be protected from some disastrous effects, though perhaps not all. Isn’t this what is meant by: “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by” (Isa. 26:20)? There could be miraculous protection for God’s people from the worst of the calamities, as when God protected Israel while living in the land of Goshen. Would God really subject His righteous saints to the punishment meant for their own vindication? Thus, though it is possible that modern Christians and Jews might experience the effects of worldwide disasters during the Sixth and Seventh Seals, perhaps they will not be as directly affected as the unbelievers and they will have the comfort and strength of the Lord during those tribulations. In any case, I understand that when Jesus said that this time would be shortened for the sake of the elect (Mk. 13:20), He was referring to the “tribulation of those days” (Matt. 24:29).
C. FUTURE EVENTS
1. REDEMPTION OF ISRAEL: I believe that we are now living in a time when the Jewish people will soon come to recognize Yeshua as the true Messiah, and then they will experience their full spiritual redemption. God requires that they believe, but He will also be the One to make this possible. The Jewish people have always looked for special divine signs, and Jesus even referred to this. The divinely-caused signs of the Sixth and Seventh Seals will be such eye-openers for the Jewish people that they will recognize them as the announcement of their long-awaited Messiah. They will see these as the “footsteps of the Messiah” (Ps. 89:51), which is a common Jewish concept, and they will finally believe that Jesus is their Messiah. Thus, amidst the cataclysmic global signs, we will see the lifting of the Jewish veil.
Revelation 7 talks about 144,000 Jews who will receive God’s seal of the Holy Spirit during the Sixth and Seventh Seals, evidently representing the whole community of Israel that will come to the saving knowledge of Yeshua (Jesus) as their promised Messiah during these global signs of calamity. This does not contradict the need that each make their own decision, but that as a community, Israel will believe in a collective manner. What I also see as very significant is that verse 14 identifies these people as “the ones coming out of the great tribulation.” This is the only place in the entire book of Revelation where the term is used, precisely regarding the Jewish people. At this point, they are identified as washed in the blood of the Lamb: “…They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14). This moment of their salvation is also described by the prophet Zechariah, when the nation of Israel will look upon Him whom they have pierced, and mourn as one who mourns “for an only child” (Zech. 12:10). The following verses even describe how this will happen! “On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves…” (Zech. 12:11-12).
Even though there has been a gradual increase in Jews coming to the realization that Jesus is their prophesied Messiah, at some point, entire families will individually mourn and weep in recognition of their sin in rejecting Jesus, as they receive this glorious revelation by the Holy Spirit. It will not come by anything external, whether by the teaching of their rabbi or by the preaching of the Gospel. Each entire family will receive a direct revelation from God. This will be the most epic moment in all of Jewish history! How God will do this is impossible to know, but their centuries of denial and rebellion will suddenly come to an end, and they will realize their horrible mistake. This sealing of the 144,000 is also the ultimate fulfillment of God’s original purposes for His kahal (ekklesía, as termed in the Septuagint and New Testament). At that moment, Jews and Gentiles will truly become one congregation of called-out people. God’s “church” or ekklesía will become its true and rightful self, a holy union of both Jewish and Gentile people of God, whom God will literally “call out” from the earth at the moment of the resurrection of the saints.
Regarding this event, Jesus told us to watch the “fig tree,” which clearly represents Israel. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near” (Matt. 24:32). Metaphorically, we might be able to interpret that during the “tribulation of those days,” Israel will “sprout leaves” and “branch out,” ready to produce its “fruit.” Sometime during the years that follow 1948, concurrent with the signs of the Sixth Seal and first Six Trumpets, we will see the salvation of Israel. “So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matt. 24:33-34).
Joel also spoke of this moment of Israel’s salvation right before the Lord calls His own. Jews will first “call on the name of the Lord” and be saved, and then they will “escape” His coming wrath when He “calls” them up: “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls” (Joel 2:30-32).
2. RESURRECTION OF THE SAINTS: The Apostle Paul needed to correct the first century notion that the “day of Christ” (émera tou Xristou) was “close at hand” (enésteken), according to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. (This term should not be translated as “already come” in past tense, because it really speaks about an imminent action in the very near future.) It seems like some people were saying that Jesus’ return was going to be very soon in their lifetimes, so Paul had to give them a clear picture of the events that needed to occur before the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “our being gathered together to him” (v.1), both events mentioned in the same sentence, but in obvious contrary chronological order.[1]
[1] Since Paul is mentioning both things in the same sentence, and in this order, we can get a very confused picture regarding these two separate events. I don’t believe that Paul was teaching about a simultaneous action (as some Postribulationists believe), just as it cannot reflect a chronological order of events (which would be illogically inverted), but that these two phrases simply refer to the entire end-time scenario in a general manner, including the resurrection of the saints (episounagoge) prior to Christ’s second coming (parousia) to establish His Kingdom. Paul had clearly told the believers in Colossi that “when Christ who is your life appears (phanero), then you also will appear (phanero) with him in glory” (Col. 3:4), implying that His saints will be accompanying Christ to earth at His Parousia after being raised from the dead during a previous event, not the same event.
Referring to the arising of the “man of lawlessness” who would proclaim himself to be God and whose destruction would occur at the “parousía” of Christ, Paul clarified that he cannot yet reveal himself until what restrains him is taken out of the way. I understand that this refers to the resurrection of the saints, both Jews and Christians, and then the “Man of Lawlessness” can take over, even though “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (v. 7). And when He comes, the Antichrist will be destroyed “with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming [Parousia]” (2 Thess. 2:8).
Returning to Matthew 24:29-31, we read: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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 out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” We see that certain cataclysmic signs will be perceived in heaven and then the Son of Man is to appear in the clouds to raise His elect, events very similar to what are described in the Sixth and Seventh Seals, which include the first six Trumpets.
But right before the last and Seventh Trumpet is to be sounded and when Jesus receives the order to put in His sickle for the harvest (Rev. 14:14-16), Jesus will appear in the clouds to gather up His people at the “loud trumpet call” of the angels (Matt. 24:31). Jesus will give His heavenly shout to “Come up here!” (Rev. 11:12-15). Paul describes this as the “last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:52), or merely as the “sound of a trumpet” (1 Thess. 4:16).
3. THE WORLDWIDE CALIPHATE AND THE BOWLS OF WRATH: The resurrection of the saints will be at the end of the latter-day tribulations, while the period that follows the resurrection (“one hour,” according to Revelation 17:12) cannot be classified as “tribulation.” During the post-resurrection time, everyone will be willingly devoted to worshiping and serving the Antichrist: “… they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false…” (2 Thess. 2:10-11). They will all be willing to have the “mark of the Beast.” After the resurrection of the saints, this “son of destruction” will finally sit in the “temple of God” and proclaim himself to be God (2 Thess. 2:4). This is often used to defend the idea that the Antichrist will be Jewish, and that the Temple must be rebuilt before the Antichrist can be revealed. But the term “naon tou Theo” can refer to any type of sanctuary dedicated to a divinity, and the Al Aksa Mosque fits this description perfectly. Here is where the Antichrist will proclaim himself to be God. Once Israel and the Church have been removed, the Antichrist will have all liberty to sit in the “temple of God” (the mosque on the Temple Mount) and proclaim himself to be “God” without any opposition. He will be empowered by Satan, since “the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing…” (2 Thess. 2:9-10).
Chapters 17 and 18 of Revelation describe how things will be on earth under the Caliphate of the Antichrist, including his repudiation and destruction of the prostituted “Church” (i.e. the Vatican and Chrislam) before finally being punished by God. This Second Beast from the Earth (the restored Turkish Ottoman Empire), which will have two horns like a lamb but speak like a dragon, will force people to worship the First Beast from the Sea, “whose mortal wound was healed” (Rev. 13:12). He will be performing great signs and miracles so as to belittle Jesus’ own signs and miracles, and he will present himself as even greater than Jesus. Chapters 17 to 18 provide more details as to how this Caliphate will look like, including a description of the “Harlot” who has been riding on the back of the Beast (Rev. 17:3). I believe that this Harlot represents the historically sacrilegious Roman Catholic Vatican and the modern “Christians” who joined Islam under the banner of “Chrislam,” because the Beast will eventually hate her, make her desolate, devour her, and burn her up with fire. This Satanic kingdom could last for “a little while” (17:10) or for “one hour” (17:12; 18:10; 18:17; 18:19), whatever that means precisely. It will be sufficient time for the Second Beast that “was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction” (Rev. 17:8) to believe that he has finally obtained his goal of dominating the world through Islam and to annihilate the Harlot who was “drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Rev. 17:6).
Revelation 16 goes back in chronology to describe the first Four “Bowls” of God’s Wrath upon: (1) the earth, (2) the sea, (3) the rivers/springs, and (4) the sun. Then the “Fifth Bowl” will be poured out upon the throne of the Beast, who will blaspheme God but will not repent. The “Sixth Bowl” will be poured out upon the Euphrates River, which will dry up and allow the kings from the east and from all over the world to join the Dragon (Satan), the Beast (the worldwide Islamic Caliphate), and the False Prophet (Mohammad and his false “messiah” or Mahdi) for making war against the Lamb in Har Megiddo (Armageddon). The “Seventh Bowl” will bring such terrible earthquakes as never before, where many islands will disappear and mountains will fall away (Rev. 16:20). It ends by God pouring out His fearful wrath upon all the inhabitants of the earth: “…The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’” (Rev. 16:17).
4. MARRIAGE SUPPER AND CHRIST’S PAROUSÍA: I am convinced that Christians will not experience those dreadful Bowls of Wrath, nor do I expect that once we are in heaven with our divine Messiah will we be able to see what is happening on earth. Our ecstatic joy might be quenched if we saw their extreme suffering, but we will be totally immersed in our loving and just Savior, knowing that He did everything possible to give everyone the same opportunity to believe in Him and to accept Him as we had.
Revelation 15-16 describes the beautiful sea of glass and the song that the redeemed of God will sing: “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!” (Rev. 15:3). This reflects the perfect fulfillment of the “one new man” in Ephesians 2:15, a perfect blending of the Jewish and Gentile believers in the Messiah as we sing the song of Moses, as well as the song of the Lamb. Chapter 19 offers a more detailed description of the saints in heaven, when all the resurrected believers will be eternally wedded to our Messiah and will be celebrating together the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb.”
Once the Marriage Supper has been celebrated and the Bowls of God’s Wrath (thumós) have been poured out upon all the remaining inhabitants on earth, Jesus and the hosts of heaven will prepare themselves for the battle that has been brewing, so as to finally establish His Kingdom. He is the “Faithful and True” One, who leads His army of angels and the resurrected believers on white horses. “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron…” (Rev. 19:15). This is the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-17), different from the Battle of God and Magog (Ezek. 38-39), which will occur at the end of the Millennium or thousand-year Kingdom of the Messiah (Rev. 20:7-8), even though they sound very similar. For this first war, the Beast and the kings of the earth will have gathered their armies “to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army” (Rev. 19:19). God will afflict those who afflicted His saints when Jesus returns to be glorified in them in order to establish His Kingdom (2 Thess. 1:5-8). Satan will simply be bound for one thousand years (Rev. 20:2), but the Beast and the False Prophet will be “thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur” (Rev. 19:20).
5. MESSIAH’S MILLENNIAL KINGDOM AND THE FINAL SHOWDOWN: Once Jesus returns to earth, we read about the Messianic Kingdom in Daniel 7:27, that says: “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Both redeemed Jews and Christians will rule together with the Messiah for the time of one thousand years, though we may suppose that even this number may be symbolic. In any case, after the Millennium, Satan will be released and he will gather another army, but this will end in “torrential rains, hailstones, fire, and sulfur” (Ezek. 38:22; Rev. 20:9). Satan himself will be thrown “into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).
Then will come the resurrection of the unbelievers and the Final Judgment. Jesus illustrated this in the parable of Matthew 13:24-43, known in the KJV as the parable of the “wheat and the tares.” (The ESV uses the term “weeds” rather than “tares.”) I believe that this parable describes the gathering of the unbelievers (the resurrection of the unjust) before rewarding the believers, because it is referring to the time at the end of the Millennium: “…The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age…” (Matt. 13:39-40). Then the sons of the kingdom will shine in the Father’s eternal Kingdom. This is a reference to the new heavens and new earth that the Father will make for all those who will live eternally with Him, who had participated in the first resurrection (Rev 21:1). At that moment, God will say to them: “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:9). This refers to the New Jerusalem, where the Lamb’s bride will abide with the Lamb, the city where all will be joined together as one united spiritual entity. Thus, the wife of the Lamb will be a group of people living with Him in His eternal city, God’s chosen city and dwelling place.
NOTE: After finishing this book, the following article was published by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) on January 14, 2020 indicating that Turkey is working on raising a united Muslim superpower in the world:
“Turkish President Erdoğan's chief advisor, Gen. (ret.) Adnan Tanriverdi, has been articulating a vision of a unified Islamic superpower. The Justice Defenders Strategic Studies Center (ASSAM), which he chairs, published a draft constitution for a planned Shari'a-based confederation of 61 Islamic countries for the formation and governance of an “Islamic union.” The constitution declares that sovereignty belongs to shariah, Istanbul is to be the capital of the confederation and that the Arabic language would be taught in all schools. Its name will be "Asrica," which is formed from a combination of Asia and Africa. Tanriverdi recently posted a statement reading: ‘The welfare of Turkish and Muslim nations and the establishment of peace and justice in the world hinges upon appearance of the Islamic countries as a superpower on the global political scene.’"
In a video uploaded to YouTube on December 13, which featured another section of the same interview with Tanrıverdi shown in the video uploaded December 14 and which did not have Arabic and English subtitles, Tanrıverdi discussed the coming of the Mahdi and the forming of a union of Islamic countries. He said: "When we ask: “Is there going to be an Islamic union? There will be. How will it happen, when will it happen? When the Mahdi comes, we trust Allah. When will the Mahdi come? Allah, the Exalted, knows. Do we not have work [to do]? Do we not need to prepare the setting? This is what ASSAM is doing. After this setting is prepared, inshallah, there will be an Islamic union.”
"We planned seven conferences," Tanrıverdi continued. "We have carried out two of them, we will carry out one of them now... How may there be a joint-defense system of Islamic countries? This is a subject of a conference. Also, how may the justice system of Islamic countries be? This is a subject of a conference. That's two. The third is: How may there be joint internal security? And the fourth is: How may the foreign relations be? After this is completed, it will be the year 2022. When our seven congresses are completed, a model of the Islamic union, with four main areas of activity administered from the center, will come out."
The final congress is scheduled to take place in 2023, which is the 100th anniversary of the founding the republic of Turkey. President Erdoğan has made 2023 an important symbolic milestone in various ways, including through setting national goals as part of the Strategic Vision 2023 Project.
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