Judging Planet Earth

The combination of the Rapture and the Battle of Ezekiel 38 will fill the world with anguish and uncertainty as Daniel’s 70th Week begins. Where did all those people go? How did Israel so utterly destroy that massive invasion force all by itself? How did all these things happen so suddenly?  Why didn’t somebody see this coming and do something to prevent it?

The Seal Judgments

In the midst of all the chaos and confusion one leader will stand out (Rev. 6:2).  He’ll demonstrate  an incredible ability to restore the world’s hope for the future, and promise to bring them peace. The frightened populace will easily be persuaded to follow his lead. He’ll agree to Israel’s demand for a Temple in which to resume their long abandoned worship of the One who had secured their victory.  He’ll do this, not because He wants to help them honor God, but because he has plans of his own for the Temple (Daniel 9:27, 2 Thes. 2:4).

Using their own Scriptures (Ezekiel 48:1-10) he’ll show Israel why their new Temple shouldn’t be built where the old ones had stood. Instead it should be located a few miles north, in ancient Shiloh, where the Tabernacle had once stood. This will leave the Muslim facilities on the current Temple mount intact, at least for a time. After the disappearance of the Church, Islam will fast become the dominant religion of the world and their third holiest place is on that mount. With this bold stroke he’ll bring a semblance of peace to the region, demonstrating that Jew and Muslim can live in peace as neighbors in his brave new world (Dan 8:25). The people of Earth will breathe a collective sigh of relief.

But all too soon wars will start to break out in various places (Rev. 6:3) because this leader’s ultimate goal is world domination and some nations will resist. He’ll convince people that war is a temporary but necessary inconvenience and assure them that everything will soon be all right again. But the combination of wars, food shortages, and runaway inflation will begin taking their toll (Rev. 6:6). The deadly effects of this combination will be felt across one fourth of the Earth (Rev. 6:8).

Though it’s often called a religion of peace, Islam offers the world only two options, submission or death, as the martyrs among believers of other faiths will soon learn. For the multitude of new Christians who witnessed the disappearance of friends and family in the rapture and know from first hand experience the truth of the gospel, conversion to Islam will be impossible and the number of those who will die for their faith will mount rapidly and steadily. (Rev. 6:9) They’ll cry out to the Lord for vengeance but He’ll caution them to be patient for a little while longer because many more will die just as they have (Rev. 6:10-11).

Without warning, a great earthquake that will be felt world wide will trigger volcanic action spewing millions of tons of ash into the air, blotting out the Sun and making the Moon turn blood red (Rev. 6:12-14).  The world’s leaders will run for cover, some intuitively knowing that the Wrath of God they were warned about by the Christians who’ve all disappeared has already begun and they’ll be shown no quarter. (Rev. 6:16-17)

The Trumpet Judgments

As if to confirm the worst fears of these leaders, a storm of hail, fire, and blood will rain down upon the Earth burning up a third of it. A third of the trees and all the green grass will go up in smoke. (Rev. 8:7) A meteor-like object the size of a huge mountain will crash into the sea. The resulting contamination will turn a third of the world’s oceans to blood killing all the marine life in the affected areas. The tsunami this meteor causes will capsize and destroy a third of the ships in the world. Over 50,000 commercial ships will disappear in a single day. (Rev. 8:8-9)

Then another star will fall to Earth and when it does a third of the fresh water will be contaminated. It will be toxic and foul tasting and many people will die from drinking it. (Rev. 8:10-11)

Both the day and the night will lose a third of their light due to the smoke and ash from the fires and volcanoes. Through the choking haze an angelic messenger will bring a warning from the Lord, “The worst is yet to come.” (Rev. 8:12-13)

A fallen angel will open the shaft of the Abyss and smoke will billow forth, further contaminating the already toxic air. Creatures resembling locusts will fly out from the smoke and for 5 months will inflict scorpion like stings on the people. These stings will be so painful people will wish they could die, but there will be no escape (Rev. 9:1-11). The only people on Earth who will be immune to their venom will be the 144,000 evangelists the Lord will have previously commissioned from among the tribes of Israel (Rev. 7:1-8).

Four angels who’ve been bound at the gateway to the East (the Euphrates River) will be released to kill one third of the Earth’s remaining population with plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur. (Rev. 9:13-19) The East is far different from the West and the animosity between Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and other religions the Far East is well established and deadly.  Since 40% of the world’s population is crowded into the nations east of the Euphrates the number of casualties will be enormous as they fight each other for supremacy.

Between the Rapture, the martyrdom, the wars, and the judgments well over 2 billion people will no longer be found among the living on planet Earth as Daniel’s 70th Week approaches the mid point. And yet the Bible gives no indication that the unbelievers who remain will see the error of their ways and change their minds. This is the hardest core of the unsaved, the ones who refused to believe the truth of the Lord and accepted the lie of the anti-Christ instead (2 Thes. 2:10). In their deluded state they’ll think they’re on the side of light not darkness, and right not wrong. They’ll see God as the invading enemy and Satan as their leader, working to protect them. Spiritually, everything will be upside down.

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