Walk thru Revelation: Last Generation Pt 3

This particular episode covers the last three “birth pangs” that Jesus highlights in Matthew 24, or at least references. As can be seen on the image included, the first three birth pangs have occurred in history to date. That leaves the final six yet to happen.

• Northern Invasion (Gog/Magog)
• One-world government/final global kingdom
• One-world government broken into 10 districts
• Rise of Antichrist
• False peace and security
• Signing of the 7-year Covenant between Israel and Arab nations

Of the events listed above, we do not know when they will occur. The Bible appears to be silent on that. For instance, some provide good reasons why they believe the Gog/Magog War will be before the Tribulation, while others provide great reasons it’ll occur within the Tribulation. Still others believe it is the same event known as Armageddon yet others believe this event occurs at the end of the Millennial Kingdom. Obviously, it is up to each individual to thoroughly research and land on the premise that makes most sense to them as they understand Scripture.

The other thing we do not know is the date upon which these events will occur. We do not know when the Tribulation will actually begin on the calendar, though it appears from Scripture that we know the event that kicks it off. This is true of the Gog/Magog War, specifically when the final global kingdom will begin, when the Antichrist will rise to his preordained position, etc. The Scripture is silent on these things.

At most, we can see certain “signs” occurring that confirm to us we are closing in on these events, but even then we need to be careful. For all intents and purposes, it seems as though we are heading toward the final global kingdom at breakneck speed. Logically, we assume that things are moving quickly and the installment of this final global kingdom could happen very soon. However, things could also fall apart too and the formation of this actual global kingdom may yet be a ways off, as far as God’s timing is concerned. It’s risky to make announcements.

I was cruising through a few videos this morning and noticed one person placed a comment something along the lines that Jesus is coming in 2024 and we can know this by looking at the signs. No, we cannot know this at all. When Jesus said no one knows the day or hour (Matthew 24:36), He wasn’t speaking in only terms of the exact day and the exact hour. He was literally saying that we cannot know when He’s going to return and furthermore, we should not even be concerned with it so that it becomes all-consuming. On the other hand, there is a specific crown in store for those who gladly look forward to the return of Jesus (2 Timothy 4:8).

It seems clear that when the Antichrist does rise to his position, he will do so through political means, not physical war. He arrives on the scene with a bow but no arrows and has a crown. The fact that he has no arrows indicates his political machinations. He is going to be able to get people to side with him and schmooze his way into people’s confidence. A good politician knows how to do this and it happens in the business world all the time, as well as in the political arena.

His big achievement will be to broker a peace deal in the Middle East, between Israel and surrounding Arab nations. No one has done this yet, though many US presidents have tried. Not one has been successful. This is reserved for the coming man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2), and he will be successful where others have failed. When he does manage to broker a peace deal, the world will see him as something special and certainly leaders within Israel will tend to see him as the long awaited Messiah, though they’ll find out in just three and a half years into the peace treaty that he is anything but Messiah.

It is this peace treaty that actually physically starts the coming Tribulation. Unbeknownst to Israel, they will be entering into a deal with Satan himself since Antichrist will be fully empowered by Satan and given all his authority. At that point, God will have had enough of Israel’s treachery and spiritual adultery and will begin pouring out His wrath onto this world. He does so for two reasons. First, the world deserves it because of how blatantly this world not only ignores God but His commandments, trying desperately to overturn everything that God has done. Second, God begins His purging of all the rebels in Israel to gather to Himself the final remnant of Jewish people who become totally sold out to God in Christ. It will be these Jews who survive the Tribulation and enter the Millennial Kingdom where they will fully enjoy the absolute fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Halfway into the Tribulation, Antichrist will defile the rebuilt Temple. Of course, the reason he supports Israel at all is because he wants/needs the Temple to be rebuilt or at least enough of it to be rebuilt so that the sacrificial system can once again begin to occur. This will also result in the creation of the rebuilt Holy of Holies where Antichrist will go into and seat himself there, declaring to be God.

Once this occurs, many Jews will realize the mistake they made and will run to the hill country of Israel where God will protect them for the remainder of the Tribulation. Satan, through Antichrist and False Prophet will turn their attention on the rest of the saints that they will have access to, killing multitudes. As Jesus has said this period of the Tribulation, the last three and a half years, will be the most violent in all of history and will never happen again.

For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:21-22)

Note the last sentence that Jesus utters in the text above. Some take that to mean that Jesus will actually shorten those days, but according to Fruchtenbaum and others, it really means that a specific end has been decreed by Jesus and it won’t simply continue to go on. Jesus’ appointed return will be the event that ends the Tribulation/Great Tribulation.

Just a quick note on the “abomination of desolation” or the “abomination that desolates.” In Matthew 24, Jesus is referencing the event that occurred because of Antiochus Epiphanes IV in about 168 BC. Then, on his way back from Egypt after being halted from attacking that empire by Roman soldiers, he went back up to his home territory in Syria. On the way, he stopped in at Israel and there, he attacked Jews and desolated the Temple standing them. He did so by going into the Holy of Holies and sacrificing a pig on the altar. He then sprinkled the blood around inside the Holy of Holies. Finally, he brought in a statue of Zeus and some historians say he placed a mask of his own face over Zeus’ face. It was an obvious attempt to declare himself to be God.

Antichrist will simply go into the rebuilt Holy of Holies and likely sit on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant and declare himself to be God. This will be an event likely seen by the entire world instantly and he will be generally well-received as the Final Mahdi (Islam), the Maitreya (or Christ Consciousness; New Age), and Jesus, depending upon a person’s religious persuasion. In essence, Antichrist will be the guy the lost of this world is looking for, while authentic believers will see through it and make themselves scarce.

Of course, once this occurs, False Prophet will demand everyone worship the Antichrist or die. The coming Tribulation/Great Tribulation will not be pretty and anything that is happening now or will happen outside or before the coming Tribulation will pale in significance to the violence and evil that will prevail during those seven years.

We will get into the Times of the Gentiles with our next episode of A Walk thru Revelation. Please look for that.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective