From: TribulationPeriod.com
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PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 80
August 10, 2002
Part 1
We concluded the exposition of the 12th Chapter of Revelation in Birth Pang Number 43, Part 8, which was the end of an eight part series that began with Birth Pang Number 36 on February 15, 2002. This Prophecy Update marks the beginning of an exposition of the 13th Chapter of Revelation.
Revelation 13:1
[1] And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
The “sea” is the Mediterranean Sea, which was, at the time of John’s writings, a vast shoreline under the control of the Roman Empire – It was a Roman Sea. It is from this area that the last evil empire of John’s beast will arise from its southern Islamic countries of today. The beast’s empire will control what was the known world of John’s day.
The beast is the 11th horn that arises among the 10 horns of the fourth beast of Daniel.
Daniel 7:20,21 [20] And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. [21] I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
The beast is Ezekiel’s Gog, the last chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, who attacks Israel when he thinks it is dwelling safely in the latter years.
Ezekiel 38:3,8,9 [3] And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: [8] After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. [9] Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
The beast is Daniel’s willful King of the North who attacks the glorious land of Israel at the time of the end.
Daniel 11:36, 40, and 41 [36] And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. [40] And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. [41] He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
The beast is the Assyrian of Micah, the one from whom Christ will deliver Israel when he returns as the man who beings in the peace of the Millennium.
Micah 5:5, 6 [5] And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. [6] And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.
The beast is Paul’s man of sin that will be revealed as the son of perdition before “that day” comes.
II Thessalonians 2:3, 4 [3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
The seven heads of the beast are the ten evil empires of man that have affected and afflicted Israel since God called her out of bondage. They are the past great empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome, and the future empire of the Antichrist, which will dominate all the areas the six before it dominated, and will be Islamic in character.
The ten horns are ten latter day kings whose kingdoms did not exist in John’s day as they will exist in the seventh empire of antichrist. The ten crowns represent their power and authority, which they will eventually turn over to the antichrist.
Revelation 17:12,13 [12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
The first six of these empires that represent the seven heads of the beast have been guilty of the sin of worshipping many pagan gods, which is a form of blasphemy again the only true God. The seventh will worship Satan himself through his son.
Revelation 13:4. [4] And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
It is rather ironic that all the extremist Islamic clerics and their countries refer to the United States as “the great Satan” and to Israel as “the little Satan.” They are already worshipping him, and soon they will be worshipping him directly through his son, the antichrist.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 80A
August 11, 2002
SADDAM HUSSEIN – THE MIDDLE EAST WILD CARD!
WHY THE U.S. IS DETERMINED TO REPLACE HIM!
The United States has reason to be concerned about Saddam Hussain, not because of his military genius, or because he has a great army, for he has neither. The reason that we, and all the rest of the world should be concerned about him is because of his complete disregard for any human life, including his family and the people of his nation. One of the Roman Emperors once said of King Herod of Judea that he would rather be one of his dogs than one of his sons. Saddam has the same characteristics. The other Islamic leaders have sufficient intelligence to restrain themselves when it is obvious they are going to lose everything if they fail to do so. But Saddam is not only cold, heartless, and cruel; he is also a madman who makes decisions regardless of the consequences in his mad daydream of becoming the modern Saladin of the Middle East. His illusions of grandeur envision himself as being one who, like Saladin, can unite the Sunni and Shiite Muslins and thus become the Sultan of a vast domain that stretches eastward from Morocco to India. His recreation of a model city like Babylon at its old site was a mere reflection of the man’s belief he is destined to be as great as Mohammad. Do I think he could be the antichrist? No! But I can assure you he would like to fly to the heights the Bible predicts for antichrist before his Armageddon demise. The antichrist will be smooth as silk and more slippery than a greased pig. Saddam Hussain reveals far too much outside, of what exists inside, to be a man we could identify as antichrist.
As an analyst I love predictability – that is what bothers me so much about Saddam. The only thing predictable about him is his unpredictability and I would love to see the end of his regime for this reason. None of the other Islamic nations would launch any missiles carrying biological, chemical, or nuclear warheads. Why? They know that Israel has some 300 Jericho missiles in Negev silos that can support chemical, biological, and nuclear warheads, but they also know that Israel will not launch them against them unless they first launch against them. They have enough sense and compassion that they don’t want to see the people of their nations and their families wiped out. But that is not the case with Saddam. He is just fanatical enough to launch first against Israel, with no regard for the consequences. That is why Israel struck from the air to destroy his ability to produce an atomic bomb in his first nuclear facility.
The economic demise of the once great Soviet Union left them with millions of old obsolete missiles. When they were about to scrap their earliest Scud types out of their arsenal storage tanks, along came Saddam and bought them. He thought he could modify them to carry a biological tip, which the Soviets knew was impossible, but they sold them to him anyhow. In our local homespun way of expressing it, they saw Saddam coming down the road and sold him a pig in a poke, sight unseen. He had the biological and chemical microorganisms and poisonous gases, but he had no way to deliver them. So, during Operation Desert Storm, he launched his ancient Scuds against Israel and Saudi Arabia. Quite frankly, when we rushed antimissile launchers to Israel to defend against Saddam’s Scuds, it was more to calm the Israeli public, so that the Israelis would not get involved in the war. Those old Scuds, and the clowns launching them could not hit the broad side of a barn. If they had been launched out of the back side of a farmer’s north forty, and aimed at a barn on the edge of his south forty, they would probably have landed in the next county twenty miles away. If you will check the old news accounts, then you will discover the ones doing the damage were those that were first knocked off course by interceptor missiles. Well, so much for the past, let’s look at NOW!
As soon as Saddam Hussain disappears from the scene it will be a great relief – I hate unpredictability. When I was a young man, before my turn around in life, I used to love to play poker after school in Charlie Martin’s basement. We only played for pennies, but I loved it because certain kinds of poker had a high degree of predictability. My favorite was five-card stud. And we passed the deal from kid to kid after each hand was over. It was customary for the new dealer to announce what kind of poker we were going to play for his deal. It used to drive me up the wall when one of the guys would announce: “Five card draw, Jokers and one-eyed Jacks wild!” That why I want to see the last of Saddam Hussain – He is a Joker that is as wild as a one-eyed Jack____!
Saddam does not have nuclear weapons. His efforts to obtain them have thus far been thwarted. But he desperately keeps trying to attain them by hook or crook. He does have an arsenal of chemical compounds that can gas and kill large segments of a city environment. I am confident that by using a system of what amounts to mobile laboratories he has now developed biological agents that can be delivered by an aerosol system. I also am confident that the new generation of Scuds he has in his arsenal is now capable of delivering both chemical and biological agents to Israel. Since the weapons inspectors were expelled from Iraq by Saddam it has made it much more difficult to call a spade a spade. Our many highflying spy satellites out of Vandenburg AFB have let us know that that Iraq has continued all elements of its weapons of mass destruction program in the absence of United Nations inspectors since December of 1998. Their high degree of minute surface magnification has shown that Saddam is making the greatest progress in his biological systems.
The aerosol aspect of his biological systems is most disturbing to both the United States and Israel. It is, as I have pointed out, a real possibility that he could launch aerosol heads on modified Scuds into Israel. And, with local air currents to scatter it, many deaths could result. But the main danger is that he might give the biological aerosols to terrorist groups in the United States and Israel, in order to allow an “in country” release of them.
In reality, all the Islamic countries want to see the end of Iraq’s current regime. However, the main fly in the ointment that causes them to publicly oppose our attacking Iraq is this: The majority of the populations with their borders support Saddam Hussain’s bold stand against the United States and Israel! The fact that he previously overran an Islamic nation caused the general Arab public to oppose that vicious action, and it was no problem for the U.S. to get a coalition for Operation Desert Storm. But this time it is quite different. “National Interest” is a nice term for “We want to stay in office and in power.” So the Arab nations are all currently practicing “National Interest.” I can only say this: Saddam has got to go!
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 80B
August 12, 2002
ANOTHER IRAQI ATTACK INDICATOR?
The latest placement of a second Arrow II anti-ballistic missile system in Israel is giving credence to the belief that a U.S. attack will eventually be carried out against Saddam Hussain, unless he is thrown out from political intrigue within his own country. Seventy percent of the total Israeli population is quartered in the narrow coastal strip of Israel from Tel Aviv to Haifa, which makes it the prime target area for the projectiles of Saddam Hussain. Many other areas of Israel have Jews and Arabs living in close proximity. Saddam Hussain has great support among the Islamic masses, but not among their leaders. So, to preclude the possibility of drawing adverse reactions from the Islamic man-in-the-street as a result of a stray Scud killing Palestinians, Saddam’s main target will be the coastal area from Tel Aviv to Haifa.
During the Gulf War in 1991 Israel was hit by 39 Iraqi Scud missiles, most of which landed in the Tel Aviv vicinity. The first full Arrow anti-ballistic missile system was installed some two and one-half years ago at Israel’s Palmachim Air Base, which is well south of Tel Aviv near ancient Yavne. It was positioned to protect the coastal area from Tel Aviv to Netanya, along with Jerusalem and the road leading to it from Tel Aviv.
The second Arrow anti-missile system is being deployed near a triangular airfield area in the northeastern quadrant of North Hadera, and will lie several miles to the southeast of Herod’s ancient seaport at Caesarea. It will complete a coverage shield for all the Jewish population northward to Haifa, and furnish a limited protection for Galilean Tiberius and some of the Jewish settlements around, and in, the fringes of the West Bank.
During the Gulf War the Iraqi Scuds contained conventional warheads, primarily because Saddam discovered it was not possible to fit chemical or biological warheads on his obsolete Scuds. He did not know this when he purchased these early models from a decaying Soviet Union inventory. However, he has since acquired a more advanced series of the Scud, which can be modified to carry chemical and biological warheads. If the United States attacks Iraq directly, there is little doubt that Iraq will launch Scuds against Israel, and there is an excellent possibility some will have chemical and/or biological warheads.
Another reason for the deployment of the second Arrow anti-ballistic missile system is to counter the new Iranian Shahab-3 missiles, which have an effective range of some 800 miles, which is more than enough to hit any target in Israel.
The radar components of the Arrow system are already in place at the North Hadera site. The missiles themselves will be put in place later. The Arrow system is a very effective defense, much superior to the Patriot system used in the Gulf War. It appears the U.S. is going to take a shot at some internal intrigue within Iraq before going forth with a whole hog attack. However, if this doesn’t work, I believe we must attack Iraq. How long we will play out the other possibilities is difficult to say, but we are talking about months, not years, before we are forced to take action. I am hoping Saddam will be overthrown from within.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 80C
August 13, 2002
RESULTS OF SAUDI PRINCE SAUD’S VISIT TO IRAN!
In Special Prophecy Update Number 78E I made a point that the moderates, particularly Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, would be putting pressure on the terrorist sponsoring nations to temporarily call off their terrorist groups in Israel for a short period of time. I pointed out in Special Prophecy Update 79C that they can call off the terrorists for a while if they promise them a Jihad that would eventually follow the period of false peace. Such a false peace would lull Israel into a false sense of security, and thereby allow a blitzkrieg Jihad to be successful. In Update 79C we also outlined the purpose of the visit of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to Iran last week to be a part of the plan to bring this to pass. As a result of his visit two things have been observed to occur this week in the Middle East developments.
First, sixteen suspected al-Qaida fighters who fled Afghanistan were handed over by Iran to Saudi Arabia, which is currently in the process of interrogating them. Prince Saud said that Iran’s “cooperation with us has been very important and significant in fighting the terrorists.”
Second, it appears that Iran may be starting to put pressure on the terrorist groups to begin to diminish their activities. This was reflected by an action on Sunday by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement. Hamas said it might sign, with other Palestinian terrorist groups, a draft political document, which would declare halting attacks on civilians within Israel. This was reported by the Ha’aretz Daily on Monday. Ismail Hania, a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, reportedly said that the document would declare that the Palestinian struggle from now on will be concentrated in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The document includes a clause on endorsing the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. This would be a significant departure for Hamas, who has never recognized the State of Israel, and has always been dedicated to a Palestinian Islamic State that encompasses all the borders of present day Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Representatives from the 13 Palestinian terrorist groups, which include Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Arafat’s Fatah Movement, have been meeting since Sunday to discuss the document. Quite frankly, I feel certain that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad will not sign the document as it is currently being introduced to the groups. I do not believe they are willing at this time to stop the killing of Jews anywhere in Israel, nor to I believe they will be willing to recognize Israel as a state. By the time this document is hashed and rehashed it will probably look nothing like the original draft proposal, and will be of no significance at the present time. However, it is something that they are at least talking about, and it may produce distant fruit.
A week ago, in Update Number 79C, concerning the visit and meetings by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Saud in Iran, I stated: “It will be interesting not to be told what came out of this meeting, but to see if Iran, at this time, was willing to go along with it. As I have stated, from the very first Prophecy Update we ever put up on our web pages, WATCH THE TERRORISTS. When you see them back off, it will be because of external pressure by Iran or Syria. The suicide and hand planted bombings will continue for a while. It is when they cease that one can look upon this as being the calm before the storm.” If the previously mentioned release of al-Qaida terrorists by Iran to Saudi Arabia, and the document the 13 terrorist groups are now considering, came out of Saud’s Iranian meeting, then we could be headed for a false peace. There is many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip, and I am certain terrorist killings will continue to occur for a few months, but this could be the forerunner of a process that will eventually lead to the fulfillment of Paul’s prophecy in First Thessalonians.
I Thessalonians 5:3, 4 [3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 80E
July 15, 2002
STATUS OF SECURITY WALL AND TERRORIST PREVENTION!
This status update, on the security wall and terrorist prevention activities by the Israelis, came from a report by David Rudge in the Jerusalem Post.
Several more contractors have been added to the security wall project, and have started work.
The central section of the security fence is forecast to be finished within five months, according to Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.
The terrorist groups are showing a continuation of preparation for operations.
There has been an increase in terrorist attempts by women and men suicide bombers, but a much larger percentage of those making the attempts have been intercepted by Israeli forces.
Hardly a day passes without one or more suicide bombers being intercepted.
More than 140 of those making suicide attempts were thwarted and are still in custody.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for most terrorist activities to be successfully completed.
END OF CURRENT STATUS REPORT
FACTS AND A STATUS REPORT ON FUTURE EVENTS
1. Life for the terrorist groups is becoming increasing difficult on a week to week basis.
2. Life for the Palestinian population is becoming increasing difficult on a week to week basis.
3. Political domestic woes are becoming increasingly difficult for Ariel Sharon on a week to week basis.
4. The Jewish population is becoming increasingly restless on a week to week basis.
5. The Islamic nations are becoming increasingly concerned over the Middle East situation on a week to week basis.
When all these things are considered, it is reasonable that all the Middle East parties from 1 to 5 are, for the first time, beginning to look for some relief, even if it is only temporary. I have been crying for years, WATCH THE TERRORISTS, because they are the key element as to when this temporary relief for all the parties, including themselves, comes to fruition. Based on what I am now seeing going on between them, I believe that terrorist activity will cease before the dawn of 2003, and a false peace will be in view.
I Thessalonians 5:3, 4 [3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 81
August 16, 2002
Part 2
We concluded the exposition of Revelation 13:1 in Prophecy Update Number 80, Part 1, dated August 10, 2002. We will now continue with Revelation 13:2.
Revelation 13:2 [2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
John is writing in the days of Daniel’s fourth beast, which was prophesied by Daniel more than 600 years before John wrote the Book of Revelation. The fourth beast was, of course, the old Roman Empire.
Daniel 7:7 [7] After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
Daniel predicted the series of beast empires in advance, listing then chronologically as they were to arise. But John, under the rule of the fourth beast in his day, lists them in reverse order as they had already occurred in the past. The third beast had fallen to the fourth beast long before John was born, and was, of course, the vast Macedonian or Grecian Empire of Alexander the Great.
Daniel 7:6 [6] After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
The four wings forecasted the rapid spread of the Macedonian Empire to the four winds of the north, south, east, and west. It was symbolized as a leopard, which gave a preview of the quickness with which it would advance against much greater numerical forces. The leopard is well known for its cunning in taking a prey, as was the character of Alexander as he took his prey, the Persian Empire of Darius. The four heads forecasted the division of Alexander’s vast empire after he dropped dead at a young age. It was divided into four geographical sections. They eventually became known as the territories under the rule of Thrace, Macedonia, Syria, and Egypt.
Daniel 7:5 [5] And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
The second beast empire, which was overrun by Alexander’s armies, was the Persian Empire. It was pictured as a bear because of its great size and slowness of movement when compared with that of a leopard. It was this characteristic that allowed the lightning leopard like strikes of Alexander to defeat it. At first it had two sides, a Persian side, and a Meade side, and was known as the Empire of the Meade and the Persians. But eventually the Persian side rose up and became the more powerful side, such that it became simply the Persian Empire. The three ribs in the bear’s mouth stand for the three kingdoms of Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt, which formed a Triple Alliance to stop the Persian conquests, but were destroyed by the bear.
Daniel 7:2-4 [2] Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. [3] And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. [4] The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
The great sea is the Mediterranean Sea, which is the area that these four great beasts affected in their day and, as such, are pictured as rising out of it. The first of the empires, which was symbolized as a lion by Daniel, was the Babylonian Empire. It fell to the Empire of the Meade and the Persians at the close of Daniel’s life, precisely as he had predicted in God’s word.
So, Daniel goes prophetically forward from the first beast to the fourth, while John goes historically backward from the fourth beast to the first. Then both Daniel and John go forward from the Roman Empire to the future 10 horned empire of the man we call the antichrist.
Daniel 7:8 [8] I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Revelation 17:12 [12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
And both Daniel and John identify the antichrist as coming out of the fourth beast. He comes out as horn eleven in Daniel, and as head seven in Revelation.
Daniel 7:20,21 [20] And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. [21] I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Revelation 13:3 [3] And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Lord willing, in Prophecy Update Number 82, we will deal with this wounded head of John’s first beast.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 81A
August 17, 2002
MORE “STRATEGIC DIALOGUE” AMONG THE 10 TOES!
In January of 2001, in the first update issued by the Dardanelle MBC, a warning was issued concerning a healing reunion that was taking place in the Middle East between nations that will soon make up the 10 toes of Daniel 2, and the 10 horns of Daniel 7. The healing was a pattern of military unity between Syria, Iraq, and Iran that was rearing its ugly head. We began this first update by stating: “The beginnings of a pattern of military unity between Syria, Iran, and Iraq are now immerging in the Middle East. Iraq has recently conducted large-scale military maneuvers on the Syrian border, reportedly by prior agreement with its new President, Bashar Assad. Bashar then made a trip to Iran to hold talks with its President, Mohammad Khatami. The talks were described as a strategic dialogue.”
This healing process is taking time because of past conflicts that have occurred between these three nations, but it progressing because of a common healing balm – Their natural hatred for Israel, which far exceeds their dislike for each other. The great breaches between them occurred in the last decade. Iraq and Iran fought a bitter war that took the lives of millions. In previous updates we have told how recent prisoner exchanges from that war have softened the bitterness between them. The relations between Iraq and Syria, which are ruled by two rival wings of the Baath party, were severed in the eighties, but have been on the mend since 1997, fueled mainly by trade links. We have covered these trade links in detail in previous updates, as well as the sneaky way that Syria is militarily assisting Iraq and receiving oil benefits in return. So, as much as Syria and Iran do not like, or trust, Saddam Hussain, any attack against Israel must include Iraq in order to succeed. This is one of the reasons that Bashar, last month, sent a message to Saddam on the 34th anniversary of his rival Baath party rising to power in Baghdad. In the message he underlined his desire to boost the brotherly ties between Iraq and Syria.
An independent Jordanian newspaper, Al-Hilal, reported that last week Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Iraqi’s Saddam Hussain on the border between the two countries. The article said Assad took his brother, Maher, and the head of the Syrian Intelligence Service with him to the meeting. During the meeting the report stated that Saddam presented Assad with an ancient rifle taken from the Iraqi museum.
Whatever happens to Saddam Hussain is important, but what is most important in the minds of all the Islamic leaders is this – Their own survival and their need for one another in their quest to drive Israel into the sea. Leaders in the Middle East are, of course, important in immediate directions taken in their foreign policy, but any leader in the Middle East is always at high risk of being assassinated at any time. Leaders come and go, but the countries remain, and the countries of Syria, Iran, and Iraq will link together to fight their common enemy, Israel.
The coming 10 horned, 10 toed, union symbolized by the feet of a great statue, and 10 horns on a great beast will be made up of a coalition of Abraham’s descendants, which came not from the promised seed Isaac, but from the intermingled seed of the 12 sons of Ishmael and the 6 sons of Keturah. They have not, and will not, ever mix together into a permanent bond. However, when God puts in their hearts to do so, they will, for some 3 and ½ years, temporarily bond together to fulfill his prophecies concerning them. Some of the 10 nations, like Syria and Iran, will be strong like iron, and some of them, like Morocco and Tunisia, will be weak like clay. They will bond together in a Jihad against Israel and will initially be successful in driving the woman Israel into the Negev, but in the end they will suffer a smashing defeat by the returning Lamb of God at the Second Advent with all his saints.
Revelation 12:6 [6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Daniel 2:41-43 [41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Revelation 17:17 [17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Revelation 17:12-14 [12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. [14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 81B
August 19, 2002
SLAYING OF THE END TIME WICKED ONE BY CHRIST!
Isaiah 11:1 [1] And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Acts 13:21-23 [21] And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. [22] And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. [23] Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus:
Isaiah 11:2-4 [2] And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; [3] And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: [4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay THE WICKED.
LARKIN STATES: “THE WICKED” OF ISAIAH 11:4 IS IN THE SINGULAR NUMBER, AND CANNOT REFER TO ALL WICKED PERSONS IN GENERAL. IT MUST REFER TO A SINGLE PERSON WHO IS CONSPICIOUSLY WICKED. IT IS THE SAME WICKED ONE TO WHOM PAUL REFERS AS REPRESENTING THE ANTICHRIST.
II Thessalonians 2:8 [8] And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
AND IT IS THE SAME WICKED ONE IN REVELATION 19 WHO IS DESTROYED AT CHRIST’S SECOND ADVENT TO BRING IN THE MILLENNIAL REIGN. THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES PAINT A PICTURE OF CHRIST’S SECOND ADVENT, HIS DESTRUCTION OF THE EVIL ONE AND FALSE PROPHET, THE DESTRUCTION OF THE EVIL ONE’S ARMIES, THE BINDING OF SATAN DURING THE MILLENNIAL REIGN, AND EARTH’S ENVIRONMENTAL STRUCTURE DURING IT.
Revelation 19:15 [15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Isaiah 11:5 [15] And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Revelation 19:11 [11] And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Jeremiah 33:15, 16 [15] In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. [16] In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.
Isaiah 11:4 [4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay THE WICKED.
Revelation 19:16-20 [16] And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. [17] And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; [18] That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. [19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Isaiah 11:6 [6] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Revelation 19:21 to 20:3 [19] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. [1] And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. [2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, [3] And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Isaiah 11:7 [7]And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 81AS
August 20, 2002
A SUPPLEMENT TO PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 81A
The Land of Magog Plans to Help Two of the Image’s Ten Toes!
Daniel 2:32,33 [32] This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, [33] His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Daniel 7:21 [21] I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Ezekiel 38:1,2 [1] And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
Micah 5:5, 6 [5] And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. [6] And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.
The land of Magog is Russia. The chief prince of Meshech and Tubal is the Assyrian of Micah. At the time of the writings of the prophet Ezekiel the land of Magog represented what we know as southwestern Russia today, and the descendants of the tribes of Meshech and Tubal were settled in what we know as Syria (See Prophecy Update Number 27). At the time of the writings of the Prophet Micah the Assyrian Empire included all of the land we know today as Syria (See Prophecy Update Number 67, Part 6). So, Russia is the land of Magog, Syria is the home of the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and the ten toes most likely include the Palestinians, Morocco, Algeria, Iran, Tunisia, Lebanon Libya, Sudan, Syria, and Iraq.
The two toes most recently receiving promises of technological help from Magog are Iraq and Iran.
Russia is expected to sign a five-year economic co-cooperation agreement with Iraq in the near future, but a specific date has not yet been fixed. The pact will be worth at least 40 billion dollars in the fields of energy, transport, and agriculture. These are the same fields in which Syria and Iraq have signed pacts of agreement over the last two years.
The second toe being assisted by the land of Magog is Iran. The proposals are already on the table for a ten-year economic pact with Iran. The plan includes a Russian offer to supply up to six nuclear reactors to Iran.
The Iraqi and Russian move comes just a few days before Kim Jong II, the North Korean dictator, is due to visit Russia.
I believe the little horn of Daniel’s fourth beast will lead the ten toes of Daniel’s Image in a vicious Jihad surprise attack against Israel from the north. I believe the attack will come at some point in time from 2004 to 2008. However, I do not expect the forces of Russia, China, or North Korea to be directly involved in the initial attack. They will not come down with their forces until the final battle of Armageddon.
PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 82
August 23, 2002
Part 3
We concluded the exposition of Revelation 13:2 in Prophecy Update Number 81, Part 2, dated August 16, 2002. We will now continue with Revelation 13:3.
Revelation 13:3
[3] And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
The seven heads of the beast represent seven evil empires that that have, and or will, persecute the nation of Israel. They are, from the first to the seventh – Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, Roman, and the soon coming seventh empire of the antichrist, which is the wounded head on this beast, and the little horn that arises from the midst of the ten horns on the fourth beast of Daniel.
Daniel 7:8,21
[7] I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. [21] I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
John symbolizes antichrist as a bleeding head on his first beast, while Daniel pictures him as the eleventh horn on his fourth beast.
Revelation 13:3
[3] And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
The word “deadly” is “thanatos.” It is an adjective used as a noun. It simply mean “death.” A deadly wound is a wound that renders someone dead. A deadly wound, unless miraculously healed, is a wound from which the recipient dies stone, cold, dead. Some say that this represents the fourth beast of Daniel, which would be the sixth beast of John, but this same bleeding head on John’s first beast later becomes a non-bleeding head on John’s second beast.
Apparently, the antichrist, who is represented as being the king of the seventh head, suffers a wound from a weapon of war that would kill an ordinary man, but he miraculously recovers. This would explain the last two sentences in the next verse.
Revelation 13:4
[4] And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
The world, as a whole, has never been privy to a confirmed, visual, return of a man from the spiritual world. We accept the resurrection of Christ by faith. The world has long sought for absolute proof of the resurrection of a stone cold dead human. They may finally receive it in the return to life of antichrist from a wound that would kill any other man. Who on this earth could be said to be “like unto” such a man? And how would one be able to win a war against someone who could keep coming back from the dead? In Revelation 13:12 he is again referred to as “the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed,” and in 13:14 as “the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” When John wrote the Book of Revelation the first five kings, which pictured the “mountain” empires of Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, and Greece, had already fallen, and he was writing during the “one is” Roman Empire, which was the sixth. He indicated that one was yet to come, which will be the seventh empire of antichrist. But if the antichrist, as the king of the seventh empire dies from a deadly wound, and then returns as a resurrected man indwelt totally by the spirit of the dragon, he would, in reality, have been the king of both the seventh and eighth empires. He would be the king of an Islamic Empire that would last for three and one-half years.
Revelation 17:10-14
[10] And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. [11] And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. [12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. [14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
“That was” means the beast was previously alive. “And is not” means the beast died. “Even he is” means he came back to life to be the eighth.
Quite frankly, at times in Revelation, the personification of the antichrist changes. At times he is represented as a dying head on the first beast that comes back to life on the second beast. But in the vast majority of cases, as in Revelation 13, 17, 18, and 19, he is identified as the entire beast.
SPECIAL PROPEHCY UPDATE NUMBER 82A
August 17, 2002
THREE WOES AND THEN A WAKEUP!
HERE FOR THE WOES BUT NOT FOR HIS WRATH!
THREE TRIBULATION WOES THAT WILL OCCUR ON THE EARTH BEFORE THE SAVED LEAVE IT IN ADVANCE OF THE WRATH OF GOD ON THE LOST
Revelation 9:1, 2, 12 – The First Woe
[1] And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. [2] And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. [12] One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
Revelation 9:13-15 – The Second Woe Begins
[13] And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, [14] Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. [15] And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay THE THIRD PART OF MEN.
Revelation 6:8 – Where Most Deaths Will Occur
[8] And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto THEM over the FOURTH PART OF THE EARTH, to kill with SWORD, and with HUNGER, and with DEATH, and with the beasts of the earth. (“GES” IS TRANSLATED AS “EARTH,” AND IS NEVER ASSOCIATED WITH THE NUMBER OF THE POPULATION KILLED, BUT WITH THE SIZE OF THE PORTION OF THE EARTH WHERE THEY WERE KILLED)
I believe that most of the Tribulation Period deaths will occur in the Eastern Hemisphere to the north, south, west, and east of the Euphrates River zone.
Revelation 11:13, 14 – The Second Woe Ends
[13] And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. [14] The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Revelation 11:15 – The Third Woe Begins
[15] And the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
I Corinthians 15:51 – The Mystery is Described
[51] Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Revelation 10:7 – The Mystery is Finished
[7] But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
I Corinthians 15:52 + I Thessalonians 4:16
[52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
AND ALL OF THE SAVED, WHO LEFT THE EARTH ON THE 7TH TRUMPET, ARE BEING JUDGED IN HEAVEN WHILE THE WRATH OF GOD IS POURED OUT ON ALL UNBELIEVERS
Revelation 11:15
[15] And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 11:18 + 16:1, 2
[18] And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. [1] And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. [2] And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
THE BELIEVER’S FAITH WILL BE HEAVILY TESTED BY THE WOES. IT WILL MAKE ALL BELIEVERS MORE ANXIOUS FOR CHRIST’S COMING FOR US, AND VERY THANKFUL WE WILL NOT SUFFER HIS WRATH IN HELL OR DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
I Thessalonians 5:9
[9] For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 82B
August 25, 2002
THE NIGHT JOURNEY FROM THE KORAN
The following verses from the Koran, from the section titled “The Night Journey,” may well give a preview of a prophecy that the Islamic nations feel they must fulfill.
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
Verses 17:1 to 8 and 16
Glory be to Him (Allah) who made His servant (Mohammed) go by night from the Sacred Temple (at Mecca) to the farther Temple (Dome of the Rock and the Al Aksa Mosque) whose surroundings (Jerusalem Temple Mount) We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. He alone hears all and observes all.
We gave Moses the Scriptures and made them a guide for the Israelites, saying: “Take no other guardian than Myself. You are the descendants of those whom We carried in the Ark with Noah. He was a truly thankful servant.”
In the Scriptures We solemnly declared to the Israelites: “Twice you shall commit evil in the land. You shall become great transgressors.”
And when the prophecy of your first transgression came to be fulfilled, We sent against you a formidable army (Babylonian army of Daniel’s day), which ravaged your land and carried out the punishment with which you had been threatened (Babylonian captivity).
Then we granted you victory over them (Medo-Persian invasion which led to Israel’s return to their homeland) and multiplied your riches and your descendants, so that once again you became a numerous people. We said: “If you do good, it shall be to your own advantage; but if you do evil, you shall sin against your own souls.”
And when the prophecy of your second transgression came to be fulfilled
We sent another army (Roman Army of Titus in 70 A.D.) to afflict you and to enter the Temple as the former (Babylonian) entered it before (about 587 B.C.), utterly destroying all that they laid their hands on.
We said: “Allah may yet be merciful to you. If you again transgress, you shall again be scourged. We have made Hell a prison-house for the unbelievers.”
When we resolve to annihilate a people, We first warn those of them that live in comfort. If they persist in sin, We rightly pass Our judgment and utterly destroy them.
Mohammed wrote the Koran more than 500 years after the invasion of the Roman prince Titus and the second destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. So this third warning in the Koran could be used as scriptural justification for the coming Jihad scourging by the antichrist and 10 Islamic nations against Israel within the next six years. The last quoted verse in the Koran sounds somewhat like Daniel 11:44.
Daniel 11:44
[44] But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 82E
August 28, 2002
FIVE MONTHS OF THE 1968 MODIFIED YIGAL ALLON PLAN!
In Special Prophecy Update 65A, dated April 27, 2002 we graphically outlined how Operation Defensive Shield, which is a modified version of the old 1968 Yigal Allon plan, would be methodically carried out by the IDF in the months to follow. The Israelis have carried out Steps 1 to 7 precisely as we predicted. The process began on March 29, 2002. What follows is a direct quote of the 7 steps found in Prophecy Update 65A.
Step 1 – Go into the West Bank and destroy all the organized militant anti-Israeli groups and elements that are a threat to the existence of the State of Israel. Destroy the infrastructure by killing, arresting, or by scattering its leaders and membership.
Step 2 – Do it first in the cities known to have the largest groups of such elements.
Step 3 – Withdraw from the cities, after initial disabling of such elements has been accomplished, and form a ring of security around each one such that all roads and trails into the city can be observed and controlled.
Step 4 – Go into smaller cities and areas and repeat Steps 2 and 3 for each one of them.
Step 5 – Allow the militant elements to regroup in the cities until internal intelligence can reveal their new locations in the city, then go in again and kill, arrest, or scatter them.
Step 6 – Continue to actively follow Step 5, but begin to seek out militants in the remote regions of the West Bank, at the same time searching for the numerous weapons of death stored there for a future Jihad.
Step 7 – Once Steps 5 & 6 have been successfully completed to the degree that a “peace with security” is believed to have been accomplished, then complete what has been envisioned since Step 1. While Steps 1 through 6 are being accomplished be in the process of building a “zone of security” that encircles the entire West Bank. This defensive shield would take in as many fringe Jewish settlements as deemed possible to afford “peace and security” according to their location. Many of the settlements in the deep interior of the West Bank would have to be abandoned. My guess is that between 50 and 70 per cent can be kept in an area deemed by the IDF to be a “zone of security.” The zone would be widest on the eastern side of the West Bank and would extend from the foothills of the Samarian Mountains to the Jordan River. It would be narrowest on the western side of the West Bank. I suspect is might be as much as 12 miles wide in some places on the eastern side, and less than 2 miles wide in places on the western side. END QUOTE
The 7 Step process is continuing. This week Israeli forces, in a house to house sweep of the West Bank town of Jenin, arrested Jamal Abu al Hayja, one of the most wanted leaders of the Islamic militant group Hamas. The Israeli army has been positioned there as part of an operation that began in West Bank towns five months ago. The militant organizations have suffered tremendous loses in their high level positions during this period. It is impossible to completely eliminate all terrorist activities, but Israel is certainly slowing it down. A large number of other militants associated with Jamal were also arrested. Other sweeps by the IDF were also carried out in Hebron, Nablus, and Ramallah. All this is a continuation of the 7 Steps. The only way that Israel can feel confident of an era of “peace and safety” is if they both bring it in, and are then able to maintain it, by their own devices.
The Israeli army has now restricted the sale of certain chemicals in the West Bank that can be used to make homemade explosives. The entry and sale 0f urea, nitric acid, sulfuric acid and potassium nitrate will all be monitored. This is part of the Israeli activity over the past five months designed to prevent attacks against Israel by terrorists. Among others employed have been military curfews, travel bans, and the demolition of suicide bombers’ homes. I know the IDF will keep up Steps 5 through 7 until Israel is satisfied it has done enough to establish the groundwork for what they now believe is sufficient to establish a genuine workable peace. However, it will only be a “false peace” of a rather short duration. Operation Defensive Shield has gotten the attention of all the Islamic countries. They are beginning to realize that every day of the Israeli implementation of their plan is likely to cause them to receive less and less of the West Bank when negotiations finally resume. The only way they can stop the establishment of more Israeli settlements in the West Bank is by bringing in a “false peace.”
Palestinian militant groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad have wreaked havoc by launching repeated suicide attacks on Israeli targets since the intifada began more than 18 months ago. The status quo for the many terrorist groups, and for the Islamic countries that sponsor them, is not acceptable to them. They all have a common goal – Drive Israel into the Mediterranean Sea, and kill as many as possible while doing so. I believe they are beginning to realize that this is not possible through terrorist attacks, no matter how many, or how brutal they are in nature. Instead of the attacks weakening the resolve of Israel to maintain the West Bank, it has strengthened it. And there is absolutely no way under heaven they can ever drive Israel into the Mediterranean. They are coming to realize that the only place they would be able to drive them is into the Negev, which has been the war contingency evacuation area for Israel since 1948. But terrorist attacks will never drive Israel anywhere. They must first lull Israel into a false sense of its own ability to maintain “peace and safety” by its power. How can they do this?
(1) Stop all terrorist activity in all sections of Israel.
(2) Negotiate for the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
(3) Don’t quibble too much over Israel keeping its settlements around the inner fringes of the West Bank.
(4) Let Israel build their defensive wall and zone.
(5) Let Israel think its 7-step plan worked.
Then launch a lightning surprise Jihad from the north by Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran down the western and eastern foothills of the Samarian Mountains, while Palestinians tear through the protective zone to launch shoulder held anti-tank rockets again the Israeli tanks headed north along the Jordan River, and launch rockets from the high bluffs of the Western Samarian Mountains over the protective zone into coastal cities from Tel-Aviv to Haifa, where 70 per cent of the Israeli population is located.
Ezekiel 38:8, 9, 14
[8] After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall DWELL SAFELY all of them. [9] Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. [14] Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel DWELLETH SAFELY, shalt thou not know it?
I Thessalonians 5:3, 4
[3] For when they shall say, PEACE AND SAFETY; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 83
August 30, 2002
Part 4
We concluded the exposition of Revelation 13:3, 4 in Prophecy Update Number 82, part 3. We will now begin with Revelation 13:5.
Revelation 13:5
[5] And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
It would seem by the two expressions “was given” one might be inclined to accept that the antichrist is, at this point in time, a human completely indwelled with all the fullness of Satan and, as such, could be classified as Satan incarnate in human flesh. In any case, this verse certainly compares well with the eleventh horn of Daniel’s fourth beast.
Daniel 7:8
[8] I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
The greatest things spoken from human lips labeled as being blasphemous entail claims made to be God, of God, sent by God, speaking for God, or that direct others to a false god who claims to be the true God.
The antichrist, in II Thessalonians 2:4, not only seems to present himself outwardly to mankind as being God, but almost seems to be trying to prove it to himself.
II Thessalonians 2:4
[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Allah is the God of countless millions of Muslims from one end of the earth to the other. If a man, who was a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, was apparently killed, but appeared to come back to life, and then claimed to be Allah in the flesh, he might well be believed. (See Prophecy Update Number 82)
Many are convinced that the antichrist must be a Jew in order for the Jews to accept him as one who can confirm the covenant of Daniel 9:27, on which they base their assumption. However, I am convinced that the “he” in this Scripture is not antichrist.
Daniel 9:27
[27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
If you want to see the case I make to prove the “he” is not the antichrist, and then read Prophecy Updates 55 to 58 in our prophecy archives at the top of this update.
In any case, the antichrist of Revelation 13:5 continues for 42 prophetic months after he receives the power to do so. All prophetic years are 360 days in length, and all prophetic months are 30 days in length. So 42 prophetic months would equal 1260 days or 3 and ½ prophetic years, as found in the Scriptures that reference this same time period. A “time” is equal to 360 days, “times” is equal to 720 days, and “half a time” equals 180 days.
Daniel 7:25
[25] And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Revelation 12:6
[6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Revelation 12:14
[14] And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Revelation 11:2, 3
[2] But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. [3] And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Believe me; I am acutely aware of the danger of time setting. I have watched many look like fools by time setting in the past, and I may well soon be among them. But if so, so be it. I am very confident that before the year 2008 dawns on this earth the period of 1260 prophetic days will have begun.
Lord willing, I will continue next week in Revelation 13:6 with Prophetic Update Number 84.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 83A
August 31, 2002
A SUPPLEMENT TO PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 83
(Look at Prophecy Updates 82 and 83 before reading this)
Recently, while watching an interview on one of the networks, I heard a man make reference to a Shi’ite Muslim doctrine with which I was not familiar. It was a very interesting teaching that might explain why the Islamic world would readily accept the antichrist as a resurrected man. So, when I checked it out after having issued Prophecy Updates 82 and 83, I was pleasantly surprised to discover what he had stated was true. He said the Shi’ites were very strong in their belief in the Imam. He stated the Imam was “the hidden one who suddenly returns to life to lead Shi’ites to victory and to bring an end to this present age.” At the present time Islamic believers are rapidly approaching 900 million in number. The two great sects are the Shi’ite and the Sunnite. The Shi’ites quote from the Quran (Koran) to identify the characteristics of the Imams as follows: “They are those whom Allah has blessed among the prophets and the verifiers, the martyrs and the righteous.”
According to Shi’ite teachings there were to be 12 Imams, and they were all to die. However, the 12th was to be resurrected in the latter days of this age before it ended.
The 12th Imam was Abul-Qasim, Muhammad al-Mahdi, son of al-Hasan, who was born in Samirra (Iraq). Even though he died physically hundreds of years ago, he is still considered to be their present and spiritually alive Imam. According to the Shi’ites’ he will reappear when Allah allows him to establish the Kingdom of Allah on earth. He is al-Qa’im (the one who shall STAND to establish the rule of Allah). The ancient Greek word for “resurrection” is “anaslasis,” and it means “a standing up again.” In ancient Hebrew the word translated as “stand” for a resurrection is “koon,” and it is found in Job 19:25.
Job 19:25
[25] For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall STAND at the latter day upon the earth:
The resurrected Imam is prophesied to also be Sahib al-Zaman (The master of our time), and Sahib al-Amr (the one who is supported by divine authority).
The parallels between what the Shi’ites believe and what John wrote in Revelation are curiously interesting.
Revelation 13:3
[3] And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Revelation 13:12
[12]And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Revelation 13:14
[14] And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
II Thessalonians 2:4
[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Daniel 7:21
[21] I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; (The saints of Daniel’s time were Jews)
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 83C
September 1, 2002
THE AXIS OF EVIL
The Rome-Berlin Axis, a diplomatic agreement between Hitler and Mussolini was formed in 1936 and reinforced by a military pact signed between Germany and Italy in 1939. Japan joined the pact in 1940. It was an “axis of evil.” I realize that there are certainly many differences between the “axis of evil” that was formed between Germany, Italy, and Japan and the one now in existence between North Korea, Iran, and Iraq, but they are an “axis of evil” in the present Middle East conflict.
Some 63 years ago, when I was 7 years of age, Hitler attacked Poland to begin WW II. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and, when we entered the fray, Japan, Germany, and Italy became known to us as the “Axis” powers, and we, along with the U.K. and Russia, became known as the “Allied” powers. They were assuredly an “axis” of evil.” Many world leaders, and some of our more liberal news distributors, tend to make fun of the labeling of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as an “axis of evil.” Regardless of how you rate our President, it is a very accurate assessment. North Korea is a very evil regime that is armed to the teeth with weapons of mass destruction and precision ballistic missiles to deliver them. I entered the USAF at the outbreak of the Korean War, worked with an ROK unit briefly in Vietnam, and learned a lot about the development of North Korea’s military arsenal before my retirement in 1971 from the Fort George G. Meade USAF Branch of the National Security Agency in the Washington D.C. Complex. Since that time I have kept up with North Korea’s accelerating drive to become a world leader in deadly weaponry.
According to U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton, between these three nations there is “an axis along which flow dangerous weapons and dangerous technology.” He also said that “North Korea is “the world’s foremost peddler of ballistic missile types of equipment,” and that they were developing and exporting missile parts and technology to “notable rogue state clients such as Syria, Libya, and Iran.” The greatest problem for the U.S. in all this transfer of weaponry is the blossoming relationship now developing between Syria and Iraq in all areas of commerce and technology. Syria is acting as the middleman between Iraq and North Korea in the transfer of such material. I have shown the growing ties between Syria and Iraq in many previous Prophecy Updates, which may be found in the prophecy archives at the top of this Update. And I certainly agree with John Bolton’s assessment of North Korea as “the world’s foremost vendor of missile technology that has one of the most robust offensive bioweapons programs on earth.”
At the insistence of the U.S., and with the promise of two power-generating nuclear reactors from us, North Korea supposedly shut down its nuclear program in 1994. However, there are suspicions that it may be secretly reviving it, and thus far they will not let U.N. inspections of it be conducted. The Central Intelligence Agency suspects they may have stockpiled enough plutonium to make one or two atomic bombs before they froze their nuclear program. Saddam Hussain is presently not able to get nuclear weapons from North Korea, but via Syria he can get accurate missiles to launch chemical and biological warheads against Israel.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 83E
September 3, 2002
COUNTDOWN TO A FALSE PEACE IN A 7 STEP PLAN!
There are two men in Israel for whom I have great respect, Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu. They have a better understanding of how to deal with their Abrahamic cousins to facilitate peace than any of their contemporaries. It is perhaps unfortunate that the only type of peace that can occur in the Middle East is a false peace. Nevertheless, these two men know how to being it in. The Israeli children are now returning to school in Israel and Ariel Sharon, in his address to children on their first day back in class, told them that Israel is “obligated to peace.” He then stated what I believe is the hallmark of his policy – He said that in order for there to be peace, three things were necessary:
(1) Knowing how to defend peace.
(2) Knowing how to protect peace.
(3) Knowing how to prevent terrorist attacks.
Israel will never accept a peace based on trusting the nations of Islam and/or the Palestinians. They will only accept a peace based on their personal abilities and expertise to defend it, to protect it, and to prevent terrorist attacks. They have grown to have tremendous confidence in themselves and little, or none, in the rest of the world. And they are quite correct in that policy. It is fully justified historically. However, this has also extended into their relationship with the God of Israel. They have little or no confidence in Him.
In order for Israel to actually say they have “peace and safety,” they must first truly believe they have it. And they will not believe they have it until they are confident they can prevent terrorist attacks. The continuation of Step 7, which was painted in Prophecy Updates 65A, 82E, and 83D, along with the security fencing, will eventually lead Israel to believe they can prevent terrorist attacks, defend the peace, and protect it. When this happens, it will not be too long until their having been lulled into a false sense of security will allow a lightening Jihad attack from the north to be successful, and they will find themselves in the Negev with no one to trust except the God of Israel and His only begotten Son.
I Thessalonians 5:3, 4
[3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Revelation 12:6
[6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Revelation 12:17
[17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 86B
September 21, 2002
SUKKOT – THE JEWISH FEAST OF TABERNACLES
The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (Tents) began at sundown on Friday and will continue for seven days. Although tourism is down drastically, there will be a few thousand Christians that will have processions during the feast. During the time of the earthly ministry of Christ, on the last day of the feast, a special priest would leave the temple mount and proceed southward to the old city of David, under which a spring flowed through the old tunnel of Hezekiah into the Pool of Siloam. Fresh, flowing spring water that flowed throughout the year was looked upon as providing a source of water that provided life year round, as opposed to springs that dried up during the non-rainy season. So it came to symbolize something that provided eternal life. The special priest would collect two pints of water in a golden vessel, and then carry it back upon the temple mount. It would then be carried to the top of the very high altar that stood in the court of the men in front of the steps that led up to the door of the temple’s Holy Place. In the southwestern corner of the altar a small hole had been made that led down under the altar into the subterranean cavern under the temple. This particular feast is a very joyous one, and as the people waved palm leaves they would cry out to the priest on the southwestern corner, “raise your hand, raise your hand,” to show he had poured the water, finally cheering and shouting for joy when he did. The water would proceed under the temple southeastward in a conduit that emptied into the Kidron Valley for drainage of the blood from the sacrifices. It was a picture of living water, which symbolized the living Spirit of the God of Israel going out from the belly of the temple into the world.
It is very interesting to note the words of Jesus on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, probably uttered immediately after the priest poured the water.
John 7:2, 37-39
[2] Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand. [37] In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. [38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [39] (But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
During the time of Christ the Spirit of God in the temple’s Holy of Holies was to be proclaimed to the entire world. It was a single, local, visible temple. Today there are many local temples that God recognizes individually as His local, visible, temples. And it is from these individual bodies that the power of the Spirit is to go forth into the world. The first such church was formed and organized by its head and foundation, Jesus Christ, during His earthly ministry. This church, which already existed as a local church of about 120, was empowered by the Spirit at Pentecost after Jesus was glorified. And, just as the water flowed out of the belly of the temple into the world was a symbol of the Holy Spirit, so does the Spirit flow out of churches of the same like faith and order as the one empowered at Pentecost.
All believers are indwelt by the living Spirit of God and make up the family of God, and truly their witness of the Spirit is to flow out from within them into the world, but a local church that teaches, preaches, and practices the faith once delivered to the saints is also indwelt by the same Spirit in a special way, and its testimony that goes out into the world is to proclaim the truths of all the Word written by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:22
[22] In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
John 4:24
[24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 86C
September 23, 2002
SUKKOT – FEAST OF TABERNACLES CONTINUES
The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (booths or tents), which is still in progress, began last Friday at sundown (See previous Update 86B in Archives). Of all the great feasts of Israel, established in Leviticus 1:1-44, the Feast of Tabernacles is the only one we can be sure has not been completely fulfilled in prophecy. It is one that is directly associated with the coming of Messiah, and was to be a season of great rejoicing. The rejoicing pictured the joy that would one day be manifested at Messiah’s coming to plant His kingdom on earth. The feast is described in verses 39 to 44 of Leviticus 23.
Leviticus 23:39-44
[39] Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. [40] And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. [41] And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. [42] Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: [43] That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. [44] And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.
Verse 40 presents, thousands of years in advance, a picture that became a reality when Jesus made His triumphant entry as the Messiah on His last Passover Feast in Jerusalem, as is recorded in John 12:12-16.
Leviticus 23:40
[23] And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.
John 12:12-16
[12] On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, [13] Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. [14] And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, [15] Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt. [16] These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.
But He was rejected, and the Feast of Tabernacles, although partially fulfilled, has yet to be completed. When He comes at His Second Advent it will be completed, and all nations on this earth will come to Jerusalem yearly to worship at the great Feast of Tabernacles for a thousand years.
The following Scriptures attest to His first coming as the Lamb of God to establish His Kingdom, and of his rejection as their King.
Mark 1:14, 15
[14] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Zechariah 9:9
[9] Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
John 19:14-16, 30
[14] And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! [15] But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. [16] Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. [30] When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
The following Scriptures attest to His Second Advent as the Lion of Judah to deliver Israel from the antichrist and his great army at the final battle of Armageddon, and then to set up His Kingdom and manner of worship for a thousand years
Zechariah 14:3, 4
[3] Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. [4] And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zechariah 12:8, 9
[8] In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. [9] And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zechariah 13:1
[1] In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
Zechariah 14:16
[16] And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Zechariah 6:12, 13
[12] And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: [13] Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (“both” means He will unite the priesthood and ruler offices in Himself, in that He will be both the eternal High Priest and the eternal King)
This is the King and the Kingdom of which Daniel wrote in one of his visions, which will soon be the reality of Luke 21:27, 28.
Daniel 7:13, 14
[13] I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Luke 21:27, 28
[27] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 86D
September 25, 2002
SUKKOT – FEAST OF TABERNACLES LIGHT
The Jewish feast of the harvest, the Feast of Tabernacles, was described in Prophecy Updates 86A and 86B, which appear now in our Archives. The feast is still in progress this week in Israel. In these previous updates we covered its connection with the First and Second Advents of Christ, and with some Scriptures He uttered during its observance during the time of His earthly ministry. The feast also pictured spiritual light going out from the temple courtyard into the world. The events from John 7:1 to 9:41 occurred during the Feast of Tabernacles. In Update Number 86B we covered the picture presented at the feast by the water going out from the belly of the temple as representing the Word of the Spirit going out to a spiritually dead world. In this Update, we will connect a light ceremony of the feast with the ministry of Christ, as it represents the light of God going out into a world of spiritual darkness. The event contained in the following Scriptures occurred during the Feast of Tabernacles.
John 9:5-7
[5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. [6] When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, [7] And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Jesus sent the blind man to the same place the special priest of Update 86A went to collect the water that eventually went out from the belly of the temple into a spiritually blind world. The water pictured the cleansing Word of the Holy Spirit who dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the temple.
Titus 3:5-7
[5] Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; [6] Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; [7] That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
John 6:62, 63
[62] What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? [63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
John 15:3
[3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
John 17:17
[17] Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Ephesians 5:25-27
[25] Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; [26] That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, [27] That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
The following Feast of Tabernacles information was taken from a book by Alfred Edersheim, D.D., Ph.D., titled “The Temple,” Eerdman’s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
BEGINNING OF QUOTED MATERIAL
“At the close of the first day of the feast the worshippers descended to the Court of the Women where great preparations had been made. Four huge golden candelabras were there, each with four golden bowls, and against them rested four ladders; and four youths of priestly descent each held a pitcher of oil, capable of holding one hundred and twenty log, from which they filled each bowl. The old, worn breeches and girdles of the priests served for wicks to these lamps. There was not a court in Jerusalem that was not lit up by the light of ‘the house of the water-pouring.’ The ‘Chasidim’ and ‘the men of Deed’ danced before the people with flaming torches in their hands, and sang before them hymns and songs of praise; and the Levites, with harps, and lutes, and cymbals, and trumpets, and instruments without number, stood upon the fifteen steps which led down from the Court of Israel (men of Israel) to that of the Court of the Women, according to the fifteen songs of Degrees in the Book of Psalms.
It seems clear that this illumination of the temple was regarded as forming part of, and having the same symbolic meaning, as ‘the pouring out of the water’ in Update 86B. The light shining out of the temple into the darkness around it, and lighting up every court in Jerusalem, must have been intended as a symbol of the Shechinah light which once filled the temple, and of that ‘great light’ which ‘the people that walked in darkness’ were to see, and which was to shine ‘upon them dwell in the land of the shadow of death.’ At any rate, it seems most probable that Jesus had referred to this ceremony in the words spoken by Him in the temple at that very Feast of Tabernacles.”
John 8:12
[12] Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
END OF QUOTED MATERIAL
The temple was the dwelling place of the Spirit of God and, as such, the Jews were to carry the light of His Word to all those that dwelled on the earth. Jesus called out His first church, made of His disciples, and they followed Him for almost three and one-half years. He organized them, led them, and taught them during this period. He called them up to a mountain in the fifth chapter of Matthew, and began to teach them what we call “The Beatitudes.” He them informed them what was to go out from them as a local, visible, temple of God’s presence, and from all other churches of like faith and order down through the centuries until his coming.
Matthew 5:1, 2, 14-16
[1] And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: [2] And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, [14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
He continued to teach them throughout his ministry with the light of the truth, the Word of God, and then delivered this last teaching and commission to them just before his departure. It is the same commission delivered to all of His true churches today.
Matthew 28:18-20
[18] And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 87
September 27, 2002
Part 8
We concluded the exposition of Revelation 13 down through verse 10 in Prophecy Update Number 86, Part 7. We will now continue with verse 11.
Revelation 13:11
[11] And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.
This is the second beast, the false prophet of Satan, who is cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone, along with the first beast, the antichrist, at the end of the battle of Armageddon. Their souls do not go to hell to await the final great white throne judgment of Revelation 20:11, they go body and soul into a lake of fire, and are joined by Satan a thousand years later before the final judgment.
Revelation 19:20
[20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10, 11
[10] And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. [11] And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
This second beast, the false prophet, comes up out of the earth, unlike the first beast, that came up out of the sea. He comes up with a doctrine of hell from the interior of the earth (See Birth Pang Numbers 8 and 17 in our Archives). Outwardly he gives the appearance of a little white male lamb in that he will seem to have dedicated his life as a living sacrifice to God. He will be one who is looked upon as the holiest man on earth appointed by God. His outward appearance as a lamb will be enhanced by his holy robes and dress, which will falsely associate him with the true Lamb of God. But what lies inside this whitened tomb of spiritual death betrays who is really is, for his inner being is shown to speak with the power and voice of Satan. And out of his mouth will issue forth edits of the guile of holiness by human endeavor. I am convinced he will be the Pope of Rome – Not the present Pope, but he may well be the one that follows him.
Revelation 13:12
[12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
This false prophet of Rome represents the unholy spirit of the Satanic trinity: Satan the father, antichrist the son, and the false prophet as the unholy spirit. He is one of the unclean spirits of Revelation 16:13.
Revelation 16:13
[13] And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
In order for any occurrence to be officially identified as being a miracle, it must be confirmed as such by the Pope. He will confirm the resurrection of the first beast from a deadly wound as valid, and cause the known world of John’s day to worship him as being sent by God (See Prophecy Update Number 82, Part 3, in our Archives). For an exposition of “them that dwell on the earth,” see Prophecy Updates 77, 77A, 77B, and 77C).
Revelation 13:13
[13] And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
He has the same power as the first beast, being energized by the same Satanic Dragon. He is able to do what the priests of Baal could not do before Elijah – He causes fire to come down out of the first heaven, the earth’s atmosphere, and to strike the earth.
I Kings 18:36-40
[36] And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. [37] Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. [38] Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. [39] And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. [40] And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
II Kings 1:10
[10] And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Please note that in both these cases it identified the one asking and receiving as being a man of God sent by God. The miracles and fire from heaven will convince both Catholic and Muslims that the false prophet is absolutely from God and has the power of God.
The false prophet will identify himself as the Elijah from God, and he will proclaim the apparent return to life from the dead by the first beast to be genuine, and will identify him as being sent by God. But why would God allow the false prophet to delude billions of people into believing that the Wicked one was from Him?
II Thessalonians 2:8-11
[8] And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: [9] Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, [10] And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. [11] And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 88A
October 6, 2002
The Outline of the One War of the Assyrian From Meshech and Tubal!
First, the Assyrian, Leading Daniel’s 10 Horns, Drives Israel Into the Negev Wilderness, Which Begins the 1260 Days of Israel Trapped in the Negev. Then, More Than Three Years Later, Russia Comes Down with the Nations of the Post-Columbus Old World to Answer the Call to the Final Battle of the 1260 Days, Which is the Battle of Armageddon.
Last week I received a query as to when I believed Russia, that now occupies the territory held by the descendants of Magog when Daniel and Ezekiel wrote their prophecies, would come down to attack Israel? I do not believe that Russia will come down until the latter portion of the last 1260 days of the tribulation period.
I am from the old school of the eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds. The old school believed there was only one war. The modern school believes there are two, a viewpoint that was make very popular by several writers in the nineteen fifties, and is the majority belief today. I am persuaded that there is only one war. It begins when the antichrist, who I believe will come out of Syria, attacks Israel from the north, with the armies of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon actively involved in the attack from without, the Palestinian Authority attacking from within, and Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan providing logistical support. This starts the one war that will last for 1260 days. I call it the War of Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. This war ends in a final great battle, the battle of Armageddon. At the time of the writings of Daniel and Ezekiel, the descendants of Meshech and Tubal were in modern Syria and Lebanon primarily, but had also settled in southern Turkey and Lebanon of today.
Please look at Prophecy Updates 27 through 39, and 71 through 76, along with Birth Pang Numbers 15 to 18, for a complete exposition of the War of Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and of its final battle, the battle of Armageddon.
The Antichrist, the Assyrian of Micah 5, the King of the North in Daniel 11:40 to 45, and Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, are all one, and the same, person. There is only one war. It begins the last 1260 days of the tribulation period, and culminates with the battle of Armageddon.
In Ezekiel 38:1-3, God tells Ezekiel to set his face against two things, a person, Gog, who is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and against a land, which is the land of Magog, The chief prince of Meshech and Tubal will lead 10 Islamic nations against Israel to start the war of 1260 days, and the present day occupants of the land of Magog will come down at the end of the war that culminates with the battle of Armageddon.
Ezekiel 38:1-3
[3] And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, [3] And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
The following Scriptures start the War of Gog, who is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, but is also known as the King of the North, and as the Assyrian.
Ezekiel 38:8-12
[8] After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. [9] Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. [10] Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: [11] And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, [12] To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
Daniel 11:40-44
[40] And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. [41] He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. [42] He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. [43] But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. [44] But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
Micah 5:5
[5] And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
The following Scriptures pertain to the last battle in the War of the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, which is the same final battle Revelation identifies as Armageddon.
Daniel 11:45 to Daniel 12:1
[45] And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. [1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Matthew 24:21, 22
[21] For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. [22] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Zechariah 14:3-5
[3] Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. [4] And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. [5] And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
Revelation 16:16-21
[16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. [17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning’s; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. [19] And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nation’s fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. [20] And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. [21] And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Ezekiel 39:4-8, 17-22
[4] Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. [5] Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. [6] And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord. [7] So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. [8] Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken. [17] And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. [18] Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. [19] And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. [20] Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God. [21] And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. [22] So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.
What you have just read is a description of the results of the last battle in the War of the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and it is the same as the battle of Armageddon found in Revelation. Please note the numerous similarities of the battlefield scene in Revelation 19:17-21 that parallel the same battle scene from the preceding verses in Ezekiel 39:17-20.
Revelation 19:17-21
[17] And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; [18] That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. [19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
When the Antichrist, who is also known as the King of the North, the Assyrian, and Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, attacks Israel from Syria, the 1260 days will begin. The 1260 days will culminate with the final battle of Armageddon.
Revelation 12:6
[6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Revelation 16:16
[16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
We are living in an era of time when it would be especially wise for all true believers to heed the warning of Revelation 16:15.
Revelation 16:15
[15] Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Revelation 3:2-4
[3] Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. [4] Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 89
October 11, 2002
Part 10
Please read Prophecy Update Number 88 before reading this update! We concluded Part 9 with an exposition of Revelation 13:15. We will begin now with the exposition of Revelation 13:16.
Rev. 13:16
[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
In my worldwide assignments by AWS and NSA, as a believer that the Bible is God’s inspired word, I was naturally interested in how much the Muslims and Catholics of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia knew about what it taught. I was also interested in what they did believe, and how they came to believe it. Quite frankly, as I talked to the man-in-the-street personages in these areas, I was stunned to discover they know almost nothing about what it teaches. The Muslims can tell you a great deal about what the Koran teaches, and the Catholics can tell you many of the things they have been taught by their parish priest, but they have, in the vast majority of cases, never peered inside either the Old or the New Testaments. Most of them have never heard of the famous mark of the beast, let alone knowing what it is, or where it is to be placed.
The opposite is the case in the post-Columbus New World. In the United States most lost people know about the mark of the beast, and they know it is found in the Bible. Among these most know it is to be placed on the right hand or the forehead. Even atheists and agnostics know about the mark, even though they do not believe it will occur. On several occasions I have seen large banners draping down from the lower railings of U.S. athletic stadiums with 666 on them. The Catholic priests know about the mark, but they do not teach their members. Some of the Islamic clerics know about it, but they do not tell the sons of Allah. It would be child’s play to get the “religious” non-readers of the Bible, and all those in the Islamic world, to accept the mark of the man they believed had been resurrected from the dead. But it would be extremely difficult to get those in most of the post-Columbus New World to take such a mark on their forehead or right hand.
When John wrote the book of Revelation, the “known” world extended across all of the Roman Empire and, to a certain extent, around its large periphery. It included all of Europe, Eurasia, North Africa, the Middle East as far east as western China, and parts of modern Russia. It is in these areas that I believe the mark of the beast would be received with a minimum of difficulty, and the killing of those who refused to accept it would pose no difficulty with the general population. Another reason I believe it would be quickly accepted is this: This area is where I believe the bloodshed, famine, and pestilence associated with the antichrist will occur during the tribulation period. This area makes up approximately one-fourth of the known world today, and survival will be the factor that causes its occupants to take the mark.
Revelation 6:2-8
[8] And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. [3] And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. [4] And there went out another horse that was RED: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a GREAT SWORD. [5] And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a BLACK horse; and he that sat on him had A PAIR OF BALANCES in his hand. [6] And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. [7] And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. [8] And I looked, and behold a PALE horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over THE FOURTH PART OF THE EARTH, to kill with SWORD, and with HUNGER, and with DEATH, and with the beasts of the earth.
The “RED” of the second rider is the blood shed by the antichrist’s war of conquest by the SWORD. The “BLACK” is the color that appears around the eyes of those who are starving from hunger because they have no money to obtain food because of the high price in the PAIR OF THE BALANCES, and PALE is the color of those whose DEATH was caused by PESTILENCE. The area covering THE FOURTH PART OF THE EARTH will be that outlined previously in this update.
Some expositors have boldly stated that THE FOURTH PART OF THE EARTH means “a fourth part of the world’s population,” but that is not the case. Why not? The word “GES” is used for “EARTH.” Nowhere in the Bible has this word ever been used to refer to population, nor do any of the old lexicons state it could have that meaning.
Lord willing, in Prophecy Update Number 90, I will deal with the “beasts of the earth” that close Revelation 6:8, and then proceed on to verse 17 in Revelation 13.