(Why) This Book is not to be Distributed

I realized the need to add this notice when a reader emailed me to thank me for writing the book. He mentioned he had
received it for free from a friend who had in turn been given it by someone else. It was clear that both had innocently
accepted and read the book without realizing it was for sale on a website. When I informed him of this, he
immediately ordered it (as did his friend) which greatly impressed me. He suggested I put this notice in so that other
readers would know that the book is for sale and likewise support my work.

And I would greatly appreciate your support. The proceeds from this book allow me to support my family while I
pursue further research and writing on this subject. (A softcover version is even available at my website and also at
volume discounts.)

If you downloaded this book from a site other than mine (www.EscapeAllTheseThings.com), I would appreciate you
sending me an email to let me know where.
 Illustration 1: The Revelation Roadmap

Tishrei 1, 70th Week of Daniel Tishrei 1, Post-mil Revolt

2017 or 2024 or... 7 Year Secret Pact Between Antichrist & Ten Rulers (e) 2023 or 2030 or... Gog Magog #2
(Rev 20=Eze 38) (aa)
3½ years
Antichrist sets up Nissan 1 3½ years Armageddon
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Third Temple / * 6th Seal — 4th Trumpet Abomination 5th Trumpet 6th Trumpet 7th Trumpet Day of the Lord
Seals Sacrifices start (d) Heav. signs Dark skies Sacrifices stop Satan down(p) WWIV Rapture / Gog Magog #1
Resurrection (Rev 19=Eze 39) (z)
5 months of
2 years Beginning of Sorrows (Mt 24:8) (h) “locust” torture (q)

Four M.E. War Elijah Wormwood Famine, Gather- 1290 Great Tribulation 7 Bowls Millennium
Horse- Damascus, teaches global earthquake Pestilence ing in days Three Woes; Satan's Wrath; God's Saints reign
Men Jordan, & people to & fires, asteroid Wormwood Jordan 30 Antichrist rules; Mark of Beast Wrath Israel&Judah
impact, tsunamis aftermath of the days Strong delusion (2Th 2:4) (r) (Rev 16) regathered
Evil spirits major Arab repent &
to flee to (Rev 6:12=Lk 21:11) (Mt 24:7) Woman left (y) 4th Temple,
influence cities gone
(i) (j) to Two Witnesses (Rev 11) (s)
world (Ps 83; Is 17) Mt. Zion (n) sacrifices
(Rev 6:1-8) (c) * (Mal 4:5-6) flee (Rev 20:4;
(a) (f) (o) Eze 40-48) (ab)
Safety in Judea/Mt. Zion (k) Safety in Jordan (Rev 12:14) (t)

1260 days / 42 months (u) 9 days 1000 years

Today U.S.A. 1290 days (Dan 12:11) (v)
Gone / 1335 days (Dan 12:12) (w)
5th Seal WWIII Pentecost / 6th Seal
2300 days w/o sacrifices (Dan 8:14) (x)
Martyred saints in before 144,000 sealed (l)
heaven awaken * Worm- 144,000 Witnessing (Mt 24:14) (m)
(Rev 6:9) (b) wood (g)

* Boxes straddle the start of the 70th week or Today when it is © 2012 Tim McHyde
uncertain whether they happen before or after those points. EscapeAllTheseThings.com

References: (a):p.17 (b):p.20 (c):p.39 (d):p.32 (e):p.50, 65 (f):p.32 (g):p.58 (h):p.22 (i):p.21 (j):p.25 (k):p.30 (l):p.90 (m):p.90 (n):p.31 (o):p.55
(p):p.52 (q):p.53 (r):p.51 (s):p.94 (t):p.45 (u):p.53 (v):p.55 (w):p.55 (x):p.55 (y):p.22, 57 (z):p.48 (aa):p.47 (ab):p.6
Know the Future
A Bible Prophecy Breakthrough From
Overlooked Keys in the Words of Jesus

Planet X in Bible Prophecy

How A Rogue Star Will Devastate Earth Starting
at Revelation's 6th Seal – And How To Survive It

Revelation Roadmap
The First End Times Timeline Using Strict
Literal Interpretation and the Sabbath Year Cycle

Mystery of Disunity
Why God Wants the Faithful Divided Now and
How Elijah and the 144,000 Will Restore Unity Later

T i m M c H y d e
www.EscapeAllTheseThings.com

Last Updated: Tuesday, November 19, 2013

 How To Use This e-Book
Choose Your Starting Point
This volume, Know the Future, presently consists of three self-contained books. Depending on what interests you most,
you may begin with any of them:
● Planet X in Bible Prophecy
If Planet X, Wormwood, the seals or trumpets or God's non-rapture escape plan interests you most, start
there.
● Revelation Roadmap
For a complete End Time timeline chart that starts with the next prophecy to be fulfilled and covers America's
fall in WWIII, the year of the Rapture and Jesus' return, start there.
● Mystery of Disunity
To understand the 144,000, Two Witnesses, the Woman, Elijah and our coming gathering to Jerusalem where
we will have unity at last, start there.
You may also just read straight through from the beginning as the books have been arranged in what I think is the best
reading order.
Book Navigation Tips
It would be well worth a few moments of your time to review these helpful tips on how to use this e-book to find the an -
swers you are seeking the fastest and easiest way possible.
● Clickable Table of Contents / Title Page — The table of contents is clickable allowing you to jump
directly to a passage of interest—a handy feature that is easily missed. The same goes for book titles on the
title page.
● Clickable Hyperlinks — Like the table of contents, the book uses clickable hyperlinks to allow you to
jump to a cross-referenced section of the book. These are typically styled as blue underlined text. Don't be
shy about using them for fear of losing your place because you can easily get back with a single click or
keystroke.
● Go Back / “Previous View” Button (Alt+Left) — To get back to where you were before clicking a
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● Search the Entire Book (Ctrl+F) — When the table of contents and hyperlinks are not enough, don't
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Ctrl+F (on Windows) to bring up the search dialog and type in a word or phrase you want to search for in
the book. You can see each subsequent match of your query by using the F3 key repeatedly.
Bookmarking Where You Last Read
If you want Adobe Acrobat to remember where you last read and bring up that page the next time you open the e-book,
then in Edit|Preferences (or Ctrl+K) pick Category Documents|Open Settings|Restore last view settings when re-
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Listen to the Book Read To You
By using View|Read Out Loud, Acrobat will read the book text to you.
Need Help?
If after reading or searching the book you need help or do not find a question you have covered or answered fully, please
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book yet. So please do not hesitate to write a brief email or forum post.
Unless otherwise indicated, the Scripture quotations in this
publication are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Cover Design by Thomas Breher

www.ecoverdesign.com

Copyright © 2003-2012 Tim McHyde, All Rights Reserved

www.EscapeAllTheseThings.com

8th Printing, January 2012

ISBN: 978-0-9796887-1-3

Volume Discount Orders Available At

www.escapeallthesethings.com/volume-order.html
 To My Proverbs 31 Wife

Katrina
Without whose influence someone else would have written this book,
while I would still be distracted by the cares of the world
 Table of Contents
(Why) This Book is not to be Distributed........................ii
Choose Your Starting Point............................................v
Book Navigation Tips.....................................................v
Bookmarking Where You Last Read..............................v
Listen to the Book Read To You.....................................v
Need Help?....................................................................v
Glossary.............................................................xi
Preface...............................................................xii
Why Study Prophecy?:
Blessings and Wisdom....................................xiv
Introduction:
Prophecy Confusion – Cause and Solution......1
Biblical Prerequisites to Understanding Bible Prophecy.1
Two Keys of Wisdom That Unlock Revelation...............3
The Biblical Calendar Explained....................................6
How to Identify a Good Interpretation of Bible Prophecy..
7
Part 1:
Planet X in Bible Prophecy
What Started It All........................................................10
Chapter 1:
Skeptical or Scared...........................................11
The Media's Take.........................................................11
Scared? There Is An Escape.......................................11
Chapter 2:
Scientific Support.............................................13
Finally, A Scientist Warning About Planet X.................13
The Bible's Explanation For the Cover-up...................14
Nemesis “Death Star” Hypothesis................................16
What Will Happen When It Comes?............................16
Chapter 3:
“Planet X” in the Book of Revelation..............17
Seven Seals, Trumpets and Bowls — Which Is Next?....
17
The First Five Seals Identified.....................................19
The 6th Seal Through The 4th Trumpet.......................21
Account of Wormwood's Effects Ends – World Nearly,
Too..............................................................................25
Chapter 4:
God's Survival Plan For Wormwood...............27
What To “Call Upon The Name of YHWH” Does Not
Mean...........................................................................27
Righteous Delivered in Zion and Jerusalem................29
The 144,000 Israelites Fulfill The Loaves of Pentecost. . .
30
Joel 2:32 Also Fulfilled On Pentecost .........................31
Chapter 5:
Common Concerns...........................................34
Part 2:
Revelation Roadmap
Chapter 6:
Next: The Middle East Nuclear War.................39
Damascus – Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Amos 1..............39
Israel's Neighbors – Zechariah 12...............................40
Arab-Muslim Conspiracy – Psalm 83...........................40
Egypt – Isaiah 19.........................................................42
Iran, Saudi Arabia – Jeremiah 49.................................42
Jordan – Isaiah 15, Amos, Obadiah, Ezekiel 25..........43
Palestine – Amos 1, Zephaniah 2................................43
Why Would the Muslims Attack Nuclear Israel?..........44
War Timing..................................................................45
Chapter 7:
Two Gog Magog Wars.......................................46
The Gog and Magog Single War Misconception..........46
Ezekiel 38's Israel: Fully Regathered, Secure, Unwalled.
46
Ezekiel 39's Israel: Partial Israel, Before the
Regathering.................................................................47
Finding the Timing of Gog/Magog War #2...................47
Finding the Timing of Gog/Magog War #1...................48
Common Objections....................................................49
Chapter 8:
Daniel's 70 Weeks & The Great Tribulation.....50
The Bible's Central Prophecy......................................50
The Great Tribulation...................................................51
Understanding “No Man Knows the Day or Hour”........56
First Half of the 70th Week..........................................56
Chapter 9:
America's Destruction in WWIII.......................58
Mystery Babylon the Great...........................................58
America In Daniel 7.....................................................61
How the Antichrist Really Takes Control......................64
Chapter 10:
Sabbath Year Cycles & Daniel's 70 Weeks......65
Sabbath Years in the Torah..........................................65
Proving Daniel's 70 Weeks Are Sabbath Year Cycles..67
Identifying the Historic Sabbath and Jubilee Year Cycles
 Table of Contents ix

....................................................................................68 Biblical “Believing”.....................................................105

The Next Sabbath Year Is............................................69 Specifics From Jesus On How To Love.....................106
Chapter 11: The Mystery of Disunity Revealed.............................108
The Revelation Roadmap.................................70 Afterword.........................................................110
Caution On Sharing This Information.........................110
Part 3: Fear Of Missing Elijah's Call......................................110
Mystery of Disunity To Church or Not To Church – “Forsaking Assembly?”....
110
Chapter 12: Questions On “Keeping” The Sabbath and Feast Days...
God’s Word or Unity: Choose..........................77 111
Why Disunity From God’s Word?................................77 Cultivating A Proactive Walk Of Overcoming..............111
Abandoning God’s Word For Tradition........................77
Individuals Can Successfully Follow God’s Word........78
Unity For New Groups.................................................79
Area of Dispute: The Holy Day Calendar.....................79
The Problem of Not Seeing the Problem.....................80
Chapter 13:
Attempted Unicide............................................81
Psalm 133 Says We Should Strive For Unity!..............81
Calls to Larger Unity — Instead of Fighting.................81
Accept the Present Disunity.........................................83
Chapter 14:
Biblical Unity.....................................................84
Biblical Precedents For Unity – The First Century
Church.........................................................................84
God Ordained Leadership: Key To Unity......................85
Chapter 15:
Unity of 144,000 and “The Woman”.................88
Who Are the 144,000 of Revelation?...........................88
When and Where Are the 144,000 Sealed?................89
The Mission of the 144,000 – Fulfill Matthew 24:14.....89
Warnings of the Three Angels.....................................92
Narrowing Down Who The Two Witnesses Are...........93
Another Unified Group of Servants: The Woman........94
Two Unified, Gathered Groups Requires a Leader......94
The Next God-Ordained Leader?................................95
Elijah’s Coming Must Be Dual, Just as Messiah’s.......95
Both Groups Gathered to Jerusalem Under Elijah.......96
Lost Ten Tribes Identity................................................97
Chapter 16:
Discerning a True Prophet...............................99
Characteristics Specific To Elijah The Prophet..........101
Chapter 17:
The Real “Great Commission”.......................102
Whose Great Commission?......................................102
Our True Great Commission: Overcome, Bear Fruit..104
 Table of Contents x

Appendix 1: Appendix 2:
My Testimony...................................................112 The “Thief on the Cross”................................116
 Glossary
This section briefly explains terms used throughout the book to make them familiar to readers before reaching the chap-
ter that explains them.
70th Week of Daniel — This “week” of years spans the final seven years of this age before Jesus' return to reign (in a
sabbath year). The Antichrist and Ten Rulers have a pact to take over the world (Dan 9:27).
Abomination of Desolation (AoD) — At the start of the 1290 days (Dan 12:11) the newly revealed Antichrist sets up
the Image of the Beast idol (Rev 13:14) in the Third Temple (Mt 24:15; Mk 13:14). Jesus said this was the (final) chance
to flee on foot to safety from the GT.
Antichrist (AC) — With the power of Satan (Rev 13:4) and help of the False Prophet, this “man” convinces the
world that he is God (2Th 2:4) and becomes their savior from Wormwood's global devastation—in exchange for worship
and taking the Mark of the Beast.
Armageddon — Conflict at Jerusalem on the DOTL between the AC's forces and Jesus, resulting in their vaporiza -
tion (Zech 14:12).
Day of the LORD (DOTL) — Rather than a period of time, this literally is a single day when Christ arrives to defeat
the AC's forces after the seven bowls of God's wrath on Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur.
Great Tribulation (GT) — The 1260-day second half of the 70th week during which the AC's plan to rule the earth is
realized.
Millennium — The peaceful, prosperous 1000-year reign of the Messiah and his glorified bride as kings and priests
(Rev 20:3-4) over the survivors of the 70th week's climatic events (Zech 14:16-19).
Rapture — Gathering of the saints (resurrected and alive) to heaven immediately following the GT on the Day of
Trumpets (Mt 24:29-31), to reward them with eternal life and rulership (not to escape the GT).
Sabbath Year — The last year of a seven-year cycle in which ancient Israel was told to rest their land, release debts
and slaves. Prophetically, it pictures the sabbath year that Jesus returns to rule and bring peace.
Mystery Babylon the Great — Powerful, principal end time nation that the Ten Rulers hate and destroy with fire as
part of their pact with the AC to bring him to authority (Rev 17-18).
Ten Kings / Rulers — Ten men with power, not over individual kingdoms, but collective world power to enable the
AC rule the world, according to their covenant (Rev 17:17=Dan 9:27).
Third Temple — The next temple built before the GT which the AC takes over declaring himself God there, 30 days
after cutting off the restored animal sacrifices and setting up a image or statue of himself.
Two Witnesses — Two invincible prophets who preach against the AC during the GT at his headquarters in the Third
Temple. (Rev 11:1-4; Dan 11:45; 2Th 2:4). When their witness is finished they will be allowed to die 3½ days before the
resurrection of the dead in Christ on Tishrei 1.
 Preface
My Reason For Writing
When I began studying Bible prophecy anew in 1998, it was not to write a book. It was for research to satisfy my own
personal curiosity. My childhood desire to understand the Book of Revelation had been rekindled and now, unlike when I
was nine, solid answers to hard passages came my way. By 2003, I had made some unique and exciting breakthroughs.
Chief of these was how Revelation's overlooked 3rd trumpet / Wormwood (“Planet X”) prophecy was the key to making
plain sense of the 6th seal through 4th trumpet without “allegorizing” anything there.
Revelation 8:10-11 — 10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell
upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part
of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Since no one else seemed to share this perspective (and I was too excited not to), I wrote a long web page about
Wormwood that year. Since the response was good and the insights continued to flow, I expanded that into an e-book
named Planet X in Bible Prophecy in late 2004. By mid-2006 the continuing research grew into a full-sized book cover-
ing the rest of Revelation's end time roadmap. To reflect the wider scope, I renamed the book Know the Future: A Bible
Prophecy Breakthrough From Overlooked Keys in the Words of Jesus. 1 This is now the 8th edition.
It turns out that I ended up writing the book I would have loved to have had when I was young and still struggling to
make heads or tails of the Book of Revelation. Back then, the best resources I could find were of little help; Revelation
remained fuzzy. The norm for prophecy interpretation then, as now, was to allegorize texts or tell you how a verse means
something other than what it plainly says in its grammatical and historical context. This breaks Scripture (John 10:35)
and requires you to trust another person's opinion that cannot be verified by any plain passage. The few nuggets of verifi-
ably accurate insight to be gleaned usually come only when the authors lapsed from their normal figurative approach.
I tried to make this book different by filling it with verifiable answers that no one has to take my word for. From inter-
acting with thousands of visitors to my website over the years, I know others ask the same questions that I have an-
swered. Although you have probably been frustrated in your search so far, you can take comfort in knowing that I have
been where you are now and promise there are solid answers to be had now. Therefore, it is my pleasure to share my
hard-won insights and help you end your own confusion and frustration easier than it was for me.
“Surgeon General's Warning”
You may have heard that the “truth is stranger than fiction,” but few people have encountered much truth in this world, at
least not enough to really appreciate how accurate that saying is. And merely being familiar with that saying does not
prepare you for when the insights I present clash with the “present truth” (2Pe 1:12) you currently understand. It still may
shock or offend you at first. Thus, even if I lay out plain, logical, verifiable explanations that you are searching for, an
open mind and patience on the reader's part may still be required to be able to receive them. Consequently, this book may
be challenging in some parts for you.
Another challenge for some is when a teaching bears a resemblance to doctrine of a popular denomination. For exam-
ple, this book will cover the personal name of God in order to explain a key prophecy referencing God's name (Joel
2:32). Consequently, readers ask me if I am a Jehovah's Witness because they also teach God's name. The answer is, no. I
am not a member of any denomination, nor do I conform to any of their teachings. I teach only that which the consensus
of the Bible persuades me to conclude after diligently searching out the subject myself (Acts 17:11). I have no agenda to
promote any group's teachings.
Because these kind of issues can arise and turn you off, it may be tempting to quit reading further at some point. I n
my own learning I have experienced the same shutdowns. Yet, I can look back and see how God has often brought the
same truth across my path two or three times so I could finally get past the blockage and recognize the truth as “self-evi-
dent.”2 This has happened to me on many occasions. Remembering that tendency helps me be able to receive the answers
I am looking for.
If this happens to you, ask God to give you a love for the truth (2Th 2:10) so that you will diligently seek it. If you do
not give up, prayers like this made according to his will are eventually answered. Prayer (along with diligence) has been
a big factor in the success of my own personal quest to understand God's Word and ways. God will put people or materi -
als in your path that have the answers you seek. So, pray. (Better yet, pray three times per day if you are not doing so al-
ready, like the “greatly beloved” Daniel did.)
No Prophet or False Pretenses Here
Because so many prophecy teachers before me have created a negative bias in Christians' minds against prophecy, I feel
1 People who know that Jesus' real name in Hebrew was Yeshua, often ask me why I use Jesus in my writing. The answer is that I remember when I first encountered writers using Yeshua instead of
Jesus and how it seemed petty and distracted me from their message. That is why I use our common English name for the Messiah in my writing.
2 I say “self-evident” in reference to that famous saying of German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer: “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second, it is violently opposed, and
third, it is accepted as self-evident.”
 Preface xiii

it is important to state for the record the following about myself:

 I do not claim to be a prophet nor to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Rather, I am just teaching from the Bible. (This
is not to say that I do not believe God set up my life in a way to make the breakthroughs I did. See Appendix 1: My
Testimony for more on that.)
 I do not set dates or make predictions. Rather, I explain the predictions already given to us by God's real prophets.
 I do not claim God called me to interpret prophecy or write this book. Rather, I did this out of personal passion and as
a hobby at first.
 I do not claim to do “God's work” or that my work is “God's ministry.”
 I do not claim to have all the answers, but enough wisdom to provide many solid answers, discovered by myself and
from others.
Personally, I am suspicious of anyone who would claim or do any of the above. Such claims are not provable by or
helpful to anyone but the person making them. My only claim is that my teaching stands up to the scrutiny of literal
Scripture, i.e. the Berean test (Acts 17:11). I have found that the plain literal words of the Bible can make sense to us all
without special inspiration or the Holy Spirit acting as some kind of secret decoder-ring. We need only keep searching
and resist the temptation to think it means something different than what the possible literal meanings allow.
Trouble Understanding? Let Me Explain...
Finally, forgive me for stating the obvious by helpfully reminding you that there are good reasons for everything I con -
clude. I did not write anything that I thought was wrong or did not sincerely believe after much careful consideration of
many alternatives. However, no doubt there are sure to be places where I did not sufficiently list all the reasons or argu-
ments in a way that every person with their own distinct background can continue to think of me as a lucid and sincere
person.
If you are having trouble with a section after having read the book and searched on my private forums, please write
me about it, either by email or forum post and I will be glad to explain it better. I appreciate your feedback because it
guides me in what to improve on and write about next. Write to: Tim@EscapeAllTheseThings.com. Finally, thank you
for your interest in this subject and in purchasing this book.
 Why Study Prophecy?:
Blessings and Wisdom
If you are already excited or otherwise motivated to understand Bible prophecy then you can safely skip this section.
This section is for those who may have received the book as a gift or stumbled upon it and who wonder why anyone
would write or read about Bible prophecy.
Apathy Towards Prophecy
To be sure, most Christians do not care about or have much interest in learning prophecy. There are several reasons for
this apathy. They may think that they already know all they need to know on the subject. A pretrib rapture is commonly
thought to be the next event in prophecy which would mean we will not be here for any prophesied events after that—so
why study it? People of this view are typically unaware that there are other opinions on the rapture timing, or how a post-
tribulation rapture fits the natural sequential timeline of Revelation much more literally.
This plurality of views on every possible topic itself provides another reason for disinterest in prophecy. It comes off
as too confusing and hard for the layman. People reason that if the experts cannot agree on its meaning, then what chance
does the layman have to figure it out correctly? But as this book will make clear, part of the confusion comes from a bib -
lical time seal on the prophecies described by Daniel; a seal that is now gone. What was impossible to understand before
is now possible.
Another problem is that, frankly, Bible prophecy has a bad reputation. It has been marginalized by the many failed
predictions based on it. Most of us can say that we have never witnessed a prophetic prediction succeed but we have seen
countless prognosticators embarrass themselves. This gives the impression that it is futile and foolish to even try to use
unfulfilled prophecy predictively. The casual observer easily concludes that prophecy is understandable only in hindsight
after it is fulfilled, not for foresight. For all these reasons the study of prophecy is often looked upon negatively. Chris -
tians see it as foolish or dangerous to meddle with.
Compelling Reasons to Study Prophecy
Those holding to such views are overlooking several compelling reasons to study prophecy. Firstly, to believe that Bible
prophecy should not be studied is effectively saying we should ignore part of God's word. Of course, when you put it that
way, it sounds almost heretical. The prophetic books and passages were preserved and included as part of the Bible for
the same reasons that the other books were: they are considered the inspired Word of God. Just the fact that it, too, is part
of the inspired words of God should be enough reason to embrace it. The apostle Peter certainly felt comfortable remind -
ing his audience about it:
2 Peter 3:2-14 — 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, ...: 3 Knowing this first, that
there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, ... 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day
is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in
the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise,..the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing
then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness , ...14
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Peter shows how the prophecy provides a good reminder to stay faithful to God, as other Scripture does, albeit with a
healthy dose of fear.
Secondly, Revelation offers a unique promise to its readers:
Revelation 1:3 — Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written
therein:

If we take the Bible at its word, then those who do not read Revelation are missing out on a potential blessing. Again,
to say you do not want to study is effectively saying you already have enough blessing in your life. One of the blessings
of Bible prophecy is that you will have more time to prepare mentally for the radical events and radical escape plan God
has prepared for his servants. When the time comes that God sends someone to plainly explain all of this, those who have
studied will be ahead of the learning curve. This is a valuable advantage in a life-or-death situation like it will be.
Thirdly, if you want to properly understand what the rest of the Bible really means, mastery of Bible prophecy is es -
sential. This may not be clear from the outset, but in hindsight it is obvious. The logic is simple. The way the Bible is
written, its many teachings are sprinkled throughout 66 books. If you ignore that almost one third of the Bible is prophet-
ic, you will understandably be missing some details causing you to interpret some verses and topics incorrectly. The
prophetic books shed light needed to properly understand the doctrines of the Bible. They make it possible to understand
the plans of God, such as the coming “Sabbath” Millennium period of God's saints ruling a war-free world (Mic 4:3) af -
ter man's self-rule lasting six millennial “work” days (explained next in the Introduction).
Given just these three benefits of Bible prophecy, why would any believer not want to get started to find out what it
tells us about God and his plans?
 Introduction:
Prophecy Confusion – Cause and Solution
Discover and avoid the mistakes that keep the Bible's end times roadmap and survival instructions sealed to almost
everyone—and know how to easily discern true interpretations from false!
Can non-scholars like you and I understand Bible prophecy when even the experts cannot seem to agree on what it says?
Judging from the confusion about Bible prophecy today, most Christians would say no and give up. However, the
premise (and promise) of this book is that we can understand—if we have carefully followed the instructions for doing so
found in the Bible itself.
You see, one could describe two main reasons why Bible prophecy teaching is in such a state of confusion:
1. Teachers are simply unaware of biblical prerequisites needed to unlock the meaning of “sealed” Bible prophecy.
2. Strong psychological barriers keep most teachers from accepting and fulfilling the prerequisites.
These prerequisites are found in some very clear verses in the Books of Daniel and Revelation, which we will discuss
next. We will also cover the related psychological barriers to meeting the prerequisites as we go.
Biblical Prerequisites to Understanding Bible Prophecy
These are the overlooked verses in question:
Revelation 1:1 (ESV) — The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the things that must soon take
place...

Daniel 12:4, 9-10 (ESV) — 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and
fro, and knowledge shall increase."...9 He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.
10 ...And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.

Note first that these verses clearly contradict the idea that nobody can understand end times prophecy before it hap-
pens. The prophecies are meant to be understood and useful to “know the future.” Otherwise they are not much of a “re-
vealing” or showing of what must happen!
Next, notice that these verses list a few prerequisites to understanding. By carefully examining these prerequisites, we
will answer the question of what is missing from Bible prophecy teaching today that causes the widespread failure to un-
derstand.
1. End Times Knowledge
God indicated to Daniel that he could not understand the prophecies because he lacked knowledge that would only be-
come available in the “time of the end” when “many would go to and fro and knowledge would be increased.” In the
Bible, going to and fro is an idiom for seeking (2Ch 16:9; Zec 4:10). As for knowledge increasing, this has been happen-
ing ever since the invention of technologies such as the telephone, television, computer, and satellites. But the passage
may be more specific than that. Significantly, the Hebrew verb for “run to and fro” is the same verb for “browsing” (the
Internet) in modern Hebrew.3 Certainly since the advent of the Web in 1995, people have been able to share and find an -
swers like never before. (In fact, this book greatly leveraged the Web to find the Hebraic insights needed to interpret
Scripture literally.)
Quite frankly, this means that the interpretation of everyone who studied and wrote before the end times is au-
tomatically at best incomplete and at worst deeply flawed. Pointing this out upsets some because this means many of
their favorites of prophecy such as Clarence Larkin or Sir Isaac Newton (who studied and wrote on Daniel's prophecies
extensively) are automatically wrong. This is not to say they were 100% wrong on every point and did not find some
gems of wisdom that we can glean. However, we should consider their overall conclusion about the end times roadmap
to be off because of the time seal.
As for those alive now who do have access to end times information, remember that just because knowledge is avail-
able does not mean that everyone searches it out and accepts it. This is because of the psychological barriers I referred to
earlier. A perfect example of this end time information would be the existence of a large unknown planet or star ap -
proaching Earth to cause a pole shift and deep impacts. Only a flyby from such a “Planet X” could adequately explain
the plain literal reading of the 6th seal through the 4th trumpet, in natural reading order. But if a scholar listens to the ma-
jority of astronomers who scoff at such a “Planet X” doomsday scenario—even though Revelation itself predicts cata-
clysms from a literal “death star” called Wormwood—he will be rejecting the knowledge needed to understand Revela -
tion (covered in Part 1).
2. Commitment to Serve God
If a prophecy expert understands the necessary end times knowledge there is another reason why he may still be unable

3 “they will go to and fro” is Ishotetu ‫ ישטטו‬. Leshotet ‫ לשוטט‬means "to browse" the Internet in modern Hebrew.
 Biblical Prerequisites to Understanding Bible Prophecy 2

to understand. Daniel says that the wicked would not understand the prophecies. Righteous individuals or those who seek
to follow God's will and please him will be blessed to understand. Also, Revelation says that it was given to reveal the fu -
ture to God's servants, not to the merely curious or even to Bible scholars. Of course, there are no biblical “righteousness
standards” for being a scholar or teacher; one need only gain certain educational credentials.
Because such righteousness is not required, it is rare if a Bible expert attains it (just like the Scribes and experts in the
law who opposed Jesus). Many who have carefully observed their pastors or rabbis can relate to the low standards of
conduct. It is also obvious to anyone who has been to a church for long that only a minority calling themselves Christians
today resemble anything like a humble “servant” of God. Servants of God are rare in today's world so full of distraction,
deception, hedonism and counterfeit religious piety. Few are taught or expected to live up to the standards of character,
wisdom, and reputation that the Bible heroes habitually displayed. Of course, even the Bible heroes fell short and sinned
on occasion as we can read. But these were lapses from their normal habits. Their devotion to God was demonstrated
through their prayer, fasting, service, charity, integrity, repentance and love for their neighbor.
People who lack that same intent and focus, even if they are Christian, may be believers yet not really servants of
God. As such, they have failed one of the prerequisites to understanding God's mysteries.
3. Rare Biblical Wisdom
Suppose you do find a Bible teacher who fulfills the above two requirements. Why would they still not understand Bible
prophecy properly? Some would say you need the Holy Spirit or “spiritual enlightenment.” Put another way, many think
you need to be a prophet to understand the Prophets! Rather than that, God told Daniel that the wise would understand
the Bible's prophecies. Revelation also highlights the need for wisdom to understand its mysteries (Rev 13:18; 17:9).
Now, there is a difference between being merely righteous (an individual who serves God) and also being a wise servant
or someone who loves the truth and pursues it diligently while serving God.
What type of wisdom would they acquire that enables them to understand the Bible when everyone else fails? Or put
another way, what would be preventing all but the wise from understanding Bible prophecy as the Bible so plainly says?
The Bible – Made Difficult On Purpose
If you have not already noticed, the Bible is a very difficult book. God's written revelation to mankind is not exactly a
plain, easy-to-follow owner's manual or tutorial on God's full plan and will for mankind. Did you ever wonder why this is
so if he is really in a “race with the devil to save everyone possible” in this age?
As we will see later, the Bible itself declares that it was written in a way to make it hard on purpose (Isa 6:9-10) be-
cause God is not trying to save everyone now and has a special resurrection for the unsaved. When Jesus' disciples asked
why he spoke in parables to the masses, he explained it was not given to everyone now to know the revelation of God's
kingdom (Mk 4:11; Mt 13:11; Lk 8:10; 10:21-24). Although many were following Jesus, the disciples were truly commit -
ted (having “left everything” and aware that martyrdom was ahead). They alone were “given to know the mysteries” and
to be shown plainly what Jesus meant.
Blinding From Jewish Traditions
The Twelve also demonstrated the need for this extra wisdom. They had an incorrect expectation that the Messiah would
immediately become king and restore the kingdom to Israel (Mt 16:21-23; Mk 9:31-32; Acts 1:6), not realizing that those
events were for a future, second coming. They were naturally quite shocked to hear that this time he would instead be
crucified. Peter's denial of this shows the difficulty the apostles had in grasping and accepting what the Lord was teach -
ing them (Mt 16:22).
Where did these errors come from? Judaism taught these traditional interpretations and the disciples did not yet have
the discernment to see where they deviated from Scripture without Jesus' help. Long held traditional ideas and expecta-
tions or paradigms make it harder to recognize any truth that is contrary to them. The convoluted way in which the Bible
was written is responsible for making so many erroneous views seem viable and supported by Scripture when, in fact,
they are not.
Blinding From Christian Traditions
When Christians read the above verses, they quite naturally associate themselves with the clued-in disciples and not the
confused masses or confused state of the disciples without Jesus correcting them on certain points. However, is that a
safe association, especially considering the confusion we see in Christianity today? Christians are divided not just over
Bible prophecy but most of the doctrines of the Bible. Since Christians struggle to understand even most of the New Tes-
tament including the many “difficult words of Jesus” (which is even the name of an excellent book by Roy Blizzard, Jr.),
it would seem like a very unsafe assumption.
Naturally, nobody wants to believe that they may have their own psychological barriers or blind spots due to belief in
traditional doctrines which are not quite biblical. Nevertheless, many Christian teachings are at odds with what Scripture
teaches and have negatively influenced believers just like Judaism has (Mt 23). These errant traditions give us a wrong
 Biblical Prerequisites to Understanding Bible Prophecy 3

set of rules and assumptions for interpreting the Bible. If we do not recognize them for what they are and weed them out,
then we will not be able to arrive at the truth. It so happens that now, like then, the wisdom to discern these errors comes
from the plain but overlooked or misunderstood words of Jesus.
Two Keys of Wisdom That Unlock Revelation
There are at least two major keys found in Jesus' words for making sense of the many prophecies scattered throughout
the Bible. Moreover, even if you are as expertly familiar with all the prophecies as a scholar, you will still not understand
them without knowing and applying these keys.
Wisdom Key #1 – Plain, Non-allegorical Reading
The first key is the rule of literal or plain sense interpretation. Jesus implied it here by requiring that no interpretation
of the Bible contradicts any plain verse:
John 10:35 (HCSB) — If He called those whom the word of God came to ‘gods’—and the Scripture cannot be broken—

It may sound like a no-brainer, but few prophecy teachings conform 100% to this rule. Instead of taking Bible prophe -
cy to mean what it plainly says, they usually take an allegorical approach to interpreting the plain words of the Bible. But
“literal interpretation” does not mean that when the text indicates it is a parable, allegory, or a figure of speech, that you
ignore those indicators in a slavishly literal fashion. It just means that you do not take license to treat anything non-literal-
ly without proper indicators present, simply because you cannot make its plain sense fit with your current understanding.
So I use “literal interpretation” to mean a “primarily literal” plain sense and natural reading (in contrast to the common
approach that discards the plain meaning whenever problematic).
For this approach to work, it requires that you read the words at face value. But you must understand what that face
value was according to its original grammatical and historical context. For that reason, this approach is often called the
grammatical-historical hermeneutic.
If this all sounds familiar, that is because it is the same rules of interpretation used in everyday communication. We
could not follow street signs, decipher a map, or order from a menu if we deviated from this method. In other words, we
can and should approach the entire Bible the same way we would approach any other writing or literature.
Why Nobody Can Convince Anyone Else Using Just Verses
Ever notice how convincing someone that they are wrong in their conclusions is not as simple as bringing a contradictory
verse to their attention? It is because people use different hermeneutics which result in different conclusions from the
same verses.
When people use an allegorical hermeneutic, they are free from the constraints of the strict plain meaning of Bible
verses. Using explanations based on allegory, metaphor, typology, or numerology such as Bible codes or other figurative
models, they can assign whatever meanings to a verse that appeal to them. Then no matter what verse someone may
bring to their attention as plainly contradicting their understanding, they will not be able to see it because, to them, that
verse means something other than what the other person thinks it does!
Literal Reading Must Be Consistent
What about the prophecy writers like Tim LaHaye who claim also to interpret prophecy literally? If you look carefully,
you will notice that they invariably deviate from the literal hermeneutic. For example, the argument for the pretribulation
timing of the rapture, depicted in his book Left Behind, is based on typology (types and shadows) and allegories. In fact,
pretrib rapture proponents have even admitted the lack of a literal verse for their position (not realizing how bad this
sounds in light of Jesus' teaching).
Frankly, I do not blame them for allegorizing. It is very hard to wait for that special “paradigm-shifting” end times in-
formation to arrive which can finally show you how the plain meaning of the words make sense. It is too tempting to say
“it really doesn't mean what it says” (just as we all have seen others do).
Not Mixed With Allegory, Typology, Dreams, Visions, or Unctions
Many prophecy experts even back up their prophetic system not with Scripture only, but with dreams and visions or even
personal experiences. Sometimes they are convinced that coincidences were “divine appointments” leading them to their
alternate interpretation.
A good example of this is an anecdote that one minister with a popular prophecy radio show often tells. He relates
that on one busy day he felt “unction” by God to call up the local library to find out if Chernobyl means “wormwood” in
Ukrainian as he had heard but never looked into. Although he was very busy, he “obeyed the unction” this time. Because
the librarian already had been studying the Ukrainian language (!) and could confirm on the spot that Chernobyl means
wormwood, the minister took it as guidance from God to teach him what the 3 rd trumpet really was. (Never mind that
Revelation says explicitly that Wormwood is a star seen falling from the sky which we will see later makes much more
sense in context than turning it into a nuclear reactor leak here on earth.)
 Two Keys of Wisdom That Unlock Revelation 4

Obviously, relying on dreams, visions and coincidences to interpret the Bible relegates plain Scripture to the back
seat. I think this practice is so common among Christians because we all want to believe that God is leading us to truth in
a supernatural way like the apostles were. Also, in Christian culture it is acceptable to make such claims without proof.
Although many do have real inspirations, if you cannot verify the inspiration with literal Scripture (Acts 17:11), it should
be questioned. Otherwise it may become obvious only later that you did not give due diligence to “take heed no man de -
ceive you,” (Mt 24:4) “prove all things” (1Th 5:21) and “believe not every spirit” (1Jn 4:1) as we are sternly warned by
Jesus and Paul. Following these instructions helps you to have the discernment needed to escape delusions today and the
“strong delusion” of the Antichrist (2Th 2:11).
Why “Good Christians” Often Make For Bad Prophecy Students
Assuming these teachers are all well-meaning good Christians, why would such unreliable approaches be used? It is ex-
actly because they are good traditional Christians that they are used! In the specific case of allegorical interpretation, it is
an early church tradition.
The allegorical approach arose out of a need to reconcile biblical teaching to Greek Gnosticism when the church was
coming under criticism and persecution from Greek philosophers. You have no doubt heard homage paid to the “church
fathers” and what they believed in defense of today's orthodox Christian doctrine. The church fathers Clement and Ori -
gen advocated allegorical interpretation two hundred years after Jesus taught literal interpretation—and ever since, the
church has not been able to completely shake its negative influence, especially in the field of eschatology (the study of
end times). And if that is how you have come to perceive Bible prophecy, it is hard for you to see it any other way. Help
is needed to recognize one's psychological barriers and courage is needed to cross over them and be different.
Nevertheless, for the few who do correctly apply this first key of literal interpretation, they usually still come to incor -
rect conclusions because they do not know of or follow the next key for unlocking the Bible's prophetic roadmap.
Wisdom Key #2: The Prophetic “Feasts of the Lord”
A second interpretational key is recognizing that the feasts of the Lord are prophecies of milestones in God's plan
for mankind. These milestone events must each happen on the very day of the festival that pictures them. Rather than
the standard Gregorian calendar, these days are reckoned on God's lunar-agricultural calendar revealed to Israel. Note
that this is not the same as the modern “Jewish calendar” which significantly deviates from Scripture.
All of Bible prophecy, especially Revelation, centers around the fulfillments of the feast days on the biblical calendar.
The brevity and symbolism of Revelation is largely due to its use of shorthand references back to these feasts of the Lord
from the Law or Torah (original Hebrew name for the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy). If you do not know the shorthand used because you have never carefully studied the Torah,
the feasts of the Lord and the calendar they fall on, you will simply not understand the cryptic Book of Revelation.
Paul said the festivals are “shadows of things to come” (Col 2:16-17). Jesus said that all things in the Torah must be
fulfilled:
Did Jesus Come to Do Away With or Fulfill All The Law?
Matthew 5:17-18 (HCSB) — 17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all
things are accomplished.

Jesus here plainly says that not only the writings of the prophets (such as Isaiah) must be fulfilled, but also the writing of
Moses must be fulfilled. This means that the Torah, like the Prophets, is prophetic. Christians miss this crucial clue
because they are taught that this passage means something completely different: that when Christ came the first time he
was “fulfilling all of the Law for us so nobody ever has to do it again.”
Jesus did say he came to fulfill, but the immediate context makes it impossible that he fulfilled everything then. The
Torah will not be completely fulfilled until heaven and earth pass away, which is not hyperbole, but a literal future event
(Isa 65:17; Rev 21:1). Before that, there are the fall feasts that have yet to be fulfilled, including the Day of Trumpets. Je -
sus only fulfilled some of the days of the spring feasts in the first century and none of the fall feasts (see Table 1: Biblical
Lunisolar Calendar on page 6).
Jesus Fulfilled Passover
The first part of the annual cycle that Jesus fulfilled is Passover. Most Christians realize that Jesus died at the day and
hour of the Passover sacrifice, to become our Passover Lamb. Yet they don't realize that Passover is just the beginning of
seven annual prophetic rehearsals in the Torah. This ignorance exists because Christians focus on the New Testament
(NT), largely ignoring the OT. They believe that the OT is obsolete and teaches the “legalism” that Judaism is known for.
This is not true, as Judaism is its own man-made religion that breaks the Torah as Jesus pointed out (Jn 7:19)! They un-
derstand it as the source of the “Jewish Holy Days” rather than “God's Feast Days” as the Bible calls them.
 Two Keys of Wisdom That Unlock Revelation 5

So what other Torah prophecies are there besides the Passover sacrifice that must be fulfilled? To find out you simply
need to turn to Leviticus 23 in your Bible. In that chapter are listed seven special annual festivals (not including the
prophetic Sabbath day).
Jesus Next Fulfilled the Wave Sheaf
What comes next? As every Christian knows, on the third day after Jesus died, he was resurrected. What many miss is
that later that same Sunday,4 he briefly rose to his Father just as he revealed to Mary when he said not to touch him (Jn
20:17). In doing so, Jesus fulfilled the next event on the holy day calendar, called the Firstfruits or Beginning of the Har-
vest. This is the day when the wave sheaf “omer” of barley was presented towards heaven by the high priest. This always
falls on a Sunday, seven weeks before Pentecost Sunday. Thus, Jesus ascended to heaven on the very day that the high
priest was waving the firstfruits' sheaf up to God as prescribed in Leviticus 23. To sum up, Jesus was not only the Messi -
ah and the Passover Lamb but he was also the “wave sheaf.” 5
Thus, if anyone back then understood that these holy convocations were prophetic and that Jesus was going to fulfill
them, then they would have been able to predict which day that Jesus would die and which day he would be resurrected.
The presence of the Second Temple and the priesthood attending it based on the holy day schedule that year made this
possible. In the same way, the rest of the prophetic feast days of Leviticus 23 must be fulfilled on the very day of their
celebration. The Book of Revelation refers to these days frequently. Once you are aware of this, you too can know the
days on the biblical calendar that certain prophetic events will happen (although not necessarily the right day on the
Gregorian calendar far in advance, because of the dependence on new moon visibility and barley maturation).
Throughout this book you will learn where all the rest of the festivals (Pentecost through the Last Great Day) fulfill -
ments are found in Revelation. We will also talk more later about “no man knows the day or hour,” after we come to
understand the 1290 days and GT (without which this popular statement cannot be properly understood). For now, let me
head off any concerns you may have that what I shared above contradicts what Jesus said. It does not because knowing
the festival a future event falls on does not give you the specific date until the new crescent moon is sighted at the begin-
ning of the month that the feast falls in. This will become clearer in the section below on the biblical calendar.
The Biblical Festivals and Their Prophetic Meanings
A list of all the annual festivals, their meanings and fulfillments follows:
1. Passover (Pesach) is not a day as it is commonly referred to, but is the lamb sacrificed on Nissan 14. Its original
observance or fulfillment was during the tenth plague on Egypt before the exodus, serving to protect the Israelites from
the death angel. It is immediately followed by the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot)(UB)
beginning with the Passover meal on Nissan 15. All leaven is removed from homes for this week (Ex 13:7).
Meaning: Passover pictures deliverance from the penalty of sin through the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God.
Leaven pictures sin (1Co 5:8) and seven days, completion. Therefore, UB is fulfilled in the lives of believers through
how we discover and remove sin our entire lives, just as in how during UB week any leaven that was missed earlier is
immediately removed upon discovery.
2. Beginning of Harvest/Firstfruits (Reishit Katzir): On the Sunday after the Sabbath during the week of UB, the
first sheaf or omer of the new uneaten barley harvest is waved before God by the high priest.
Meaning: The sheaf pictures the ascension of the “unleavened” glorified Jesus, the “first” of many sons (Rom 8:29;
1Co 15:20; Col 1:18; Mt. 27:52-53).
3. Feast of Weeks / Pentecost (Hag HaShavuot/HaKatzir): The only annual festival without a fixed calendar date, it
is reckoned by counting seven weeks from the wave sheaf (making it fall on the Sunday after the 6 th of Sivan)6. Two
loaves of baked leavened bread were to be presented as an offering along with animals.
Meaning: An established pattern of equipping of or gifting to the saints on this day with the Holy Spirit outpouring in
the first century as will a repeat outpouring for the end times generation. The Rabbis say that the Torah was given at Mt.
Sinai on Pentecost.
4. Day of Trumpets / Rosh HaShanah (Yom Teruah): The first of the four fall feasts in the seventh month; a feast
day of sounding trumpets.
Meaning: Possible day that the Messiah was born into the world and day of his appearance in the sky for the rapture
of the just (1Th 4:16; 1Co 15:52; Mt 24:29-31).
5. Day of Atonement (Yom HaKippurim): On this day of fasting, two goats were selected; one for God and the other
for Azazel to be banished in the wilderness by a fit man after the sins of Israel were confessed on its head by the high
priest (Lev 16).

4 More details at www.EscapeAllTheseThings.com/crucifixion-thursday.htm

5 If you have ever wondered why God brought just the Jews and Levites back from Babylon only to scatter them again just 40 years after Jesus came, and to bring them back again in 1948, this is a
chief part of the reason: to fulfill Torah prophecies. Part 3: Mystery of Disunity explains this great mystery of the exiles and returns of the Torah-breaking Jewish people in Palestine over the centuries.
6 www.karaite-korner.org/shavuot.shtml
 Two Keys of Wisdom That Unlock Revelation 6

Meaning: Pictures the Day of the LORD when the seven bowls of the wrath of God conclude with Jesus' defeat of
the Antichrist. Azazel is a type of Satan who will likewise be banished this day (Lev 16:21-22=Rev 20:2).
6. Feast of Tabernacles/Ingathering (Hag Sukkot/HaAsif) For seven days, Israel dwelt in temporary shelters to re-
member their emancipation from slavery in Egypt and to rejoice in the great fall harvest.
Meaning: Like the seventh day Sabbath, this seven day feast pictures the utopian 1,000 year Millennium when the
entire world would come to knowledge of God's ways (Isa 11:9) after Jesus' second coming.
7. Last Great Day (Shemini Atzeret) or “eighth [day] of assembly” follows the seventh day of Tabernacles.
Meaning: Jesus interpreted this day as the day when all would drink of the “living waters” of eternal life (Jn 7:37-38).
It pictures the period after the Great White Throne Judgment when all flesh is gone and only glorified children of God
remain.
The Biblical Calendar Explained
It is helpful to understand the calendar used to reckon the festivals:
Biblical Weeks
Weeks begin at sunset on Saturday night, at the termination of the seventh day Sabbath. The Sabbath day is a prophetic
festival of God, as well. Just as the annual festivals declare the plan of God, so does the weekly cycle of six days of man
focused on man's work followed by a seventh day Sabbath of rest focused on God and peace. Scripture declares that a
day is as a thousand years to God (Ps 90:4; 2Pe 3:8). In other words, after 6000 years of man going his own ways (start-
ing when he rebelled in the Garden) producing strife and wars, there will be peaceful 1000 years of man resting from that
by living God's way under the Kingdom of God, God's government on earth. This is why it is called the Millennium.7
Biblical Months
Months begin with the first sliver of the crescent new moon and last for 29 or 30 days until the next crescent new moon.
This is the original meaning of the term new moon, not to be confused with the dark or astronomical new moon as is un-
derstood today and calculated in advance on our Gregorian calendars. Ancient peoples could not generally calculate
when the moon would be in conjunction with the Earth and Sun. Plus, this dark period of conjunction can last up to 3½
days and is therefore not specific; conversely, the first sighting of the sliver of new moon after conjunction makes for a
distinct and visible marker.8
The Torah references months by number, while the modern Jewish calendar uses pagan names acquired during the
Babylonian exile.
Month Name Gregorian Related Festivals / Holy Days
1. Nissan Mar / Apr 1. Passover & Unleavened Bread 2. Firstfruits
2. Iyar Apr / May
3. Sivan May / Jun 3. Feast of Weeks / Pentecost
4. Tammuz Jun / July
5. Av July / Aug
6. Elul Aug / Sep

7. Tishrei Sep / Oct 4. Day of Trumpets 5. Day of Atonement

6. Feast of Tabernacles 7. Last Great Day
8. Marcheshvan Oct / Nov
9. Kislev Nov / Dec
10. Tevet Dec / Jan
11. Shevat Jan / Feb
12. Adar Feb / Mar

Table 1: Biblical Lunisolar Calendar

Biblical Years
The lunisolar calendar described in the Bible does not pay attention to solstices or equinoxes as we are accustomed to
with the solar Gregorian calendar (which, for example, has summer begin with the summer solstice on June 21st or the
longest day of the year). Instead, it is based on the barley in the land of Israel. When the barley reaches a certain stage of
maturity called aviv, it is possible for it to be harvested as early as two weeks later. The ripe barley is needed for the First-
7 See www.escapeallthesethings.com/6000-year-timeline.htm
8 See www.karaite-korner.org/new_moon.shtml
 The Biblical Calendar Explained 7

fruits festival that falls during the first month or the “month of the aviv” (Ex 13:4). This system rules out a precalculat-
ed calendar (such as the modern Jewish calendar) because calculations have no way of predicting when the barley need-
ed for the first month festivals will be ready.
Note that, although the Bible does mention the month of the aviv (Ex 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; Dt 16:1), you will not find
all the information there on how God's calendar works (such as a sighted crescent moon starting the month). You must
also study the living oracles or oral tradition of the Jews that Paul referred to as one of the advantages possessed by the
Jews (Acts 7:38; Rom 3:2). (This is more of the needed “end time wisdom” that has come to light since Israel reformed
in 1948 thanks to such developments as the return of Messianic Judaism.)
Since the barley depends on enough of the Sun's warmth to mature, the calendar stays in sync with the seasons (or in-
tercalates) automatically. The first month is not declared until the sighting of the crescent new moon after aviv barley has
been discovered. This causes every two or three years on average to have a 13th month, called Adar Bet. It can even
mean that sometimes after a year with 13 months, the next year can have 11 months (as some believe was the case for
2000 and 2001, respectively).
Errors of the Modern Jewish Calendar
The Jewish calendar used in Israel today is the Hillel II Talmudic lunisolar calendar. Like the Gregorian calendar, this
calendar is precalculated, rather than observed. This calendar arose out of the Diaspora when the Jews could no longer be
present to sight the visible crescent new moon over Jerusalem or see when the barley was aviv so that they could keep
the feasts at the right time. Hillel II of the Sanhedrin is credited with creating that calendar circa 359AD. He used the cal-
culations of the Arab astronomers in projecting their own crescent moon lunar calendar.
Today, 1300 years later, a problem with the algorithm is evident. This problem causes the new moon to be declared
earlier than the actual crescent appears.9 This tends to make the Jewish calendar look like a dark/conjunction new moon
calendar, which it never was. As a result, the calculated Jewish month starts one to three days ahead of the observed He-
brew month. Thus, the Jewish Tishrei 1/Rosh HaShanah is not ever likely to fall on the biblical Tishrei 1/Day of Trum-
pets from which the holiday is derived. (To know when the holy days fall in any given year, consult a Karaite calendar, 10
not a Jewish/Rabbinic calendar.)
Thus, the Jewish calendar gives you a different reckoning of time than what was in use in the first century when Jesus
kept the feasts. We can deduce that the religious leaders kept these feasts at the right time since the Gospels do not record
any difference between when Jesus observed the feasts and the society around him did. 11
How to Identify a Good Interpretation of Bible Prophecy
Let us recap what we have covered for testing the veracity of Bible prophecy interpretations. We know from Scripture
that we should look for the following signs of a correct explanation:
1. Plain, literal, non-allegorical interpretation (no dreams, words, etc.).
2. Integrates the prophetic feasts of the Lord.
3. Coming from committed righteous servants of God. Of course, this third requirement is difficult to gauge, especially
since most of us never get a chance to know a teacher or witness their conduct.
But there is another rule of thumb or two we can deduce for ruling out 99% of bad interpretations of Bible prophecy pro -
mulgated today.
4. Based on the Book of Revelation and its framework (Rev 1:1)
5. Includes instructions from Revelation to obey, follow or keep during the coming events (Rev 1:3)
The reasoning behind these additional rules 4 and 5 follows.
4. The Primacy of the Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is distinct in several ways, but what really makes it stand apart from the rest of the prophetic
books is its predominately chronological organization. In the prophetic books of the OT and even the Olivet Discourse of
Jesus (Mt 24), the context and time frame being spoken of may change abruptly from one verse to the next. With few ex-
ceptions (such as Daniel 11) it is simply not safe to assume that any given verse is describing the same or next chronolog-
ical event as the verse previous to it. This makes it impossible to collate and arrange the many prophetic events described

9 Dennis Johnson, who wrote a Master's Thesis on chronology “which demonstrated a synchronization of Egyptian Records, Babylonian Chronology, and Mayan cycles with traditionally significant
events referred to in the Hebrew Bible,” explained this in an email to the author. ”The Jewish calendar has an error of .000006 days per lunation, or one day every 13,475 years. The actual problem
lies with the calculated tropical year. The Jewish calendar uses the Julian year, or 365.25 days while the true tropical year is 365.242199 days. Originally, in the calendar of Hillel, the spring equinox
was calculated to fall on March 25. In reality, this was based on the date of the spring Equinox when the Julian calendar was instituted. Today, the spring equinox is calculated by the Jewish calendar
to occur on April 8 (Gregorian) which represents an error of 14 days. In case you wonder why the spring equinox falls on March 21 today, that was where it was actually occurring according to the
Julian calendar when the rules for Easter were established in 325 AD. Incidentally, the actual reason the Arab calendar is so far out of sync is that it is purely lunar and the number of days in the
tropical year are not evenly divisible by the number of days in a lunation.”
10 See www.karaite-korner.org/holiday_dates.shtml and www.karaite-korner.org/holidays.shtml
11 The Talmud also states that the Sanhedrin was using the observed crescent moon/aviv barley calendar then, which the Hillel calendar originally mimicked.
 How to Identify a Good Interpretation of Bible Prophecy 8

throughout the Bible into a useful, complete, sequential timeline. (Which, by the way, is yet another way by which God
sealed the meaning of the prophecies as promised in Dan 12.)
Revelation resolves this dilemma by providing the missing chronological outline. It is organized around a framework
of 21 serial events consisting of seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls which span the approximately 2000 years
between the first and second comings. Despite some (purposely) confusing similarities, we can be sure the 21 events are
not parallel.12 Revelation's needed chronological framework makes it essential in the explanation of any prophecy of the
Bible.
There is another reason as well. Using a consistently literal interpretation approach does not of itself ensure success.
There is still the problem that many verses are unclear or ambiguous (again, because the Bible was written to be difficult
and sealed). Without an established and reliable framework based on the clearest and most important prophetic verses,
you are effectively reading the less clear verses out of their “Revelation” or revealed context. If you do, you will not
know for sure which of the possible literal readings of the words is the correct, intended one. This helps explain why
even those teachers who try to follow a literal approach can still come to wrong conclusions.
The Optometrist Antichrist from Syria?
For example, one teacher claiming thousands of hours of study of Middle East history says the Bible teaches that the An-
tichrist will come from Syria; President Bashar al-Assad to be specific. The odd thing is that even in two separate radio
show interviews by him, he never touched on how Bashar fulfills the identification requirements of Revelation 13, which
is the most important passage on the Antichrist in the Bible. He instead focused on other prophetic chapters from Isaiah
(10, 14, 30, 31) and Daniel (11). While interesting and provocative, his theory almost exists only in a vacuum from Reve -
lation.13 I concluded that he had not studied Revelation enough to formulate a complete timeline to fit his Antichrist iden-
tity theory into. Without fully addressing Revelation, an eschatology is probably incomplete and therefore very unlikely
to be accurate.14 Lots of incorrect interpretations will seem good until all the verses that weigh in on its subject are con-
sulted.
5. Includes Revelation's Survival Requirements
If someone does base their eschatology on Revelation and even provides a complete timeline that links other prophecies
to it, there is still one more test from Scripture you can use to discern the validity of it. It is derived from the unique con -
ditional blessing promised in Revelation:
Revelation 1:3 (HCSB) — Blessed is the one who reads and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep [Or
follow, or obey] what is written in it, because the time is near!

Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promises a blessing to the reader and doer of its words. Yet has anyone
explained to you the nature of this blessing? Or what we are to keep or follow?
Let us understand it now. You may not have noticed, but there are instructions in Revelation that have to do with es-
caping different threats such as Wormwood or the Antichrist's mark. If you follow Revelation when the time comes, you
will have the blessing of standing through it all. Jesus' instruction to pray for the strength to escape these events (Lk
21:36) makes perfect sense exactly because they will require radical action on our part. You would not need strength to
perform difficult acts if merely knowing about these events and “accepting Jesus into your heart” were enough. Blessings
come not from simply believing what God says, but from obeying him (Jas 2:14). (Yet, if you fear you will be unable to
obey for whatever reason when the time comes, consider that there will be many needing God's assistance to follow his
instructions, which must and will be made available.)
Revelation's Required Actions
Here are some of the verses in Revelation showing us future events that will require action on our part (all of which are
explained later in the book). Some instructions are explicit while others are implied:
Revelation 18:4 (HCSB) — ...Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins, or receive any of her plagues.

Right before she receives her judgment of fire, we will hear this command to emigrate from the nation code-named
“Mystery Babylon.”
Revelation 12:14 (HCSB) — The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her
place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time.

After fleeing Babylon and other parts of the world (since eventually the Antichrist will rule the entire world), the
righteous are required to go to a single specific place prepared for their protection from him.

12 The seven trumpet angels do not appear until the 7th seal is opened and the seven bowls of wrath angels do not appear until the 7th trumpet blows (Rev 8:1-2; 11:15-19; 15:1-5).
13 On the positive side, I was still actually able to glean a good “difficult verse” explanation in listening to him. I recommend the serious Bible student gives every teacher who comes his way a listen.
14 It takes one to know one. My own eschatology resembled this before I had my Revelation breakthrough in 2003...more on that later.
 How to Identify a Good Interpretation of Bible Prophecy 9

Revelation 14:9-10, 12 (HCSB) — 9 [3rd angel]: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or
on his hand, 10 ...He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, ... 12 Here is the
endurance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith in Jesus.”

God is strongly against the idolatrous act of taking the Mark of the Beast. Those who do will be unable to escape his
wrath (although their deceived state leading to this does not warrant damnation).15 Receiving such a strong warning
against taking the mark certainly makes more understandable the previous extreme requirement to move (Rev 12:14).
Revelation Without Responsibility
Given all of these instructions to “God's servants,” is it not strange that most prophecy teachers assign them to someone
else such as “believing Jews” or disobedient people “left behind,” leaving nothing for God's true servants to obey and be
blessed by during the events that are predicted?
A perfect example of this is the pretribulation rapture teaching. It would have you believe that all faithful Christians
will be in heaven before almost anything in Revelation happens, making its instructions and predictions completely inap -
plicable to us.16 If it seems inconsistent to you that God would give his end times servants a vision of the future with in-
structions that they were to “keep,” only to take them away before any of it happens, then I encourage you to follow your
instincts and continue searching for an interpretation that does not have that inconsistency.
Conclusion
The riddle of the confused state of Bible prophecy teachings is solved. Christian interpreters have overlooked many vers -
es, some of which are quotes from Jesus (whose every word they should carefully be considering if they are his follow -
ers). His words contain the guidelines and instructions that must be followed in order to understand the sealed prophe -
cies. Revelation finally puts the prophecies in order and gives you actions for survival through them “all” until Jesus
comes. Merely being a Christian is not enough to understand or survive the prophecies, and ironically brings along many
Scripture-breaking paradigms that act as barriers to complete, proper understanding.
When it comes to any subject, the view that is the most believed or most popular is not necessarily the right one as
one would assume. Truth is not decided by majority or consensus. Given all the Christian confusion over Bible prophecy,
it should come as no surprise that this truism holds true here, too. Let literally-read, non-allegorized Scripture be your
guide to the truth, rather than what is popular or what you have always believed or been taught, and you will be one of
the “wise” few who God promised would understand and escape what is coming in the end times.
The rest of the book applies the keys you just learned to provide a complete end times roadmap based on the Book of
Revelation. The timeline includes potential years of fulfillment and instructions on what God expects you, as one of his
present or future faithful servants, to do.

15 See www.EscapeAllTheseThings.com/mark-beast-unpardonable-sin-rapture.htm
16 No wonder I get so many emails from Christians telling me to stop being distracted by prophecy and just preach the gospel, not realizing they have effectively asked me to censor or at least ignore
nearly one third of the Bible.
 Part 1:
Planet X in Bible Prophecy
What Started It All
When a friend first started telling me about “Planet X” in March 2002, I found it hard to believe. He described a 10th
planet several times larger than Earth headed our way on a trajectory that would take it close enough to cause global
catastrophes. These included severe earthquakes, a polar shift (whatever that was), 200+ mph winds, widespread vol-
canic eruptions, and tidal and crustal waves all resulting in the death of a large percentage of mankind. Although fantas-
tic-sounding, the possibility of an event like that was not too hard for me to imagine. I had already heard that the global
flood of Noah was likely precipitated by another body passing near the Earth and triggered the rains and fountains of the
deep to open.17 I also saw that end times Bible prophecy spoke of Earth “reeling like a drunkard” (Isa 24:20) along with
some clearly described impacts (e.g. Rev 8:8). I remembered Comet Schumacher-Levy smashing into Jupiter in July
1994 and the shock waves that ripped through Jupiter's surface. It was clear to me that cosmic catastrophes do happen
from time to time in our solar system, and could again. As unpleasant a thought as that is to contemplate, I had no prob -
lem with accepting that scenario. Rather, I was skeptical because of something else. The time frame I was given for this
doomsday planet's arrival was the next year!
“How could this be right?” I thought. If this thing is that big and that close, how could it not be visible to observato-
ries already? And before it is visible, scientists should already see it affecting the orbits of the outer planets, so why are
they not talking about that? Why is this only talked about on the Internet and not by real scientists in the mainstream me -
dia? And even if there is some conspiracy among the observatories and scientists to hide this information from the public,
how could they succeed with all the amateur astronomers out there? What does NASA have to say on this? Where did
this time frame come from?
Most people at that point usually decide that there are too many problems with this scenario and do not give a second
thought to what sounds like a hoax. However, I was too curious to see if there were any satisfactory answers to my ques-
tions. So I went on the Internet looking for them.
To my disappointment, instead of finding a qualified scientist talking rationally on this very scientific subject, I found
only non-scientist sources (such as “ZetaTalkers,” New Agers, channelers, etc.). Nevertheless, I decided to stay open-
minded to the issue, remembering it is unlikely anyone could prove conclusively that another planet-sized body orbiting
our Sun did not exist (given how difficult it is to prove negative existential claims). However, the main reason why I did
not entirely discount the predictions was because of what I had learned from my studies into end times Bible prophecy
which the Planet X story of cosmic disruptions already seemed to fit well.
Still, I kept looking for a qualified scientist offering real scientific evidence for Planet X (PX). I had found in the past
that if an interpretation of an unfulfilled Bible prophecy is correct, you will find confirmation in scientific and other
sources. Not only that, but the scientist I sought would have to offer a reasonable explanation for how it could be coming
soon and not be seen or making news.
I was soon rewarded for my patience by finding a uniquely qualified scientist who affirmed Planet X's existence and
explained the process by which it could cause the abnormalities going on recently in solar and Earth weather. He also ad-
dressed NASA's silence on the subject and shared his knowledge of their internal research programs tracking the very
thing they denied.
With the explanations I needed to answer my doubts in the realm of physics, I was ready to go into further study of
Bible prophecy on the matter. What I discovered was that, in addition to a very specific description of exactly what the
devastation from Planet X's passage should be, Scripture also gives specific survival instructions...which of course an-
swers the very next question everyone has after becoming convinced that PX is a threat—what to do about it.
This book was written to share what I learned about these subjects in the hopes of helping others to “escape all these
things” as Jesus instructed in Luke 21:36. May God grant you wisdom (Jas 1:5), understanding (Mt 24:15) and repen-
tance (Acts 11:18).

17 Possibly Mars. See www.creationism.org/patten/PattenMarsEarthWars/PattenMEW07.htm

 Chapter 1:
Skeptical or Scared
The Media's Take
To be sure, with what the mainstream media says about Planet X, it is a challenge for someone to remain open-minded on
the subject. If you do not bother to research the subject on your own, here is what you would probably hear and believe
about Planet X:
Planet X: The purported 10th planet makes an appearance in our Hoax section below, but it belongs here in the Mystery section, too,
because there may in fact be another planet-sized object out beyond Pluto. If one exists, searches that are under way or planned will
likely turn it up...
...
Planet X or a comet will destroy Earth: Hoaxes and doom seem mutually attractive. This hoax crops up every now and then, and it has
not happened yet, but let's not let that fact get in the way of a good story. Recently, NASA was purported to have hidden evidence of a
comet that was heading our way. If you’re reading this, please note that this page was published after the predicted time frame for the end
of the world.18
As the article states, the problem with the PX theory is that it is simply unconfirmed by the established science com -
munity. This is true and the major problem that I had with getting too worked up about PX myself. Even at the time of
this writing, there is still no reputable scientist that has made an observation of it or at least one that has made such pri-
mary evidence for it publicly available. The article then cites a failed doomsday comet prediction to imply that NASA is
telling us everything they know and that PX is also a hoax to be disregarded until NASA tells us something different.
But Wait –Stop and Think
Yet, is that the end of the matter? Can we assume from this that PX is nothing we need to pay attention to? Can we sim-
ply decide to not give it another moment's thought so we can feel good again about all our plans that PX would get in the
way of?
But wait...before you tune out on this issue, did you even notice the faulty reasoning used by the article to imply that
PX is a hoax? Let us think through the logic presented. If it were true that an Earth-wide disaster “has not happened yet”
(which it has, according to Genesis 6), does it follow that it will never happen? If a recent comet rumored to bring “the
end of the world” passed harmlessly, does that automatically make us safe from PX?
What you may not realize is that the article's short sound-byte-sized coverage of the subject leaves out any mention of
the evidence we do have for PX. What you should realize already if you are a Bible reader, is that the end of the world
(as we know it, called “the end of the age” in Mt 24) is coming according to many Bible prophecies. In fact, there happen
to be several prophecies (such as in Rev 6-8) speaking of the end times that sound awfully similar to what scientists say
would happen if a large object passed nearby in the immediate path of the Earth's orbit.
Scared? There Is An Escape
Of course, that is terrifying news that nobody wants to hear. I have learned over the years when telling people about end
times Bible prophecies that it has the opposite effect on most that you would think it would have. Rather than motivating
them to find out what changes they can make in their life now to help them meet the challenge, it tends to paralyze them
with anger, depression or fear. Either they do not like the thought of having to change their life for anything or they as -
sume there is no solution to this large problem that I just dumped on them.
I want to address that concern right here. In the prophecies talking about how much trouble Planet X will bring, it
also tells us specifically that there will be survivors, most by “time and chance” and some by the hand of God. And God
has mercifully included enough clues to figure out what to do to be sure you are among them. For as terrible as this disas -
ter will be, it will not be the end of all life. The Bible tells us that after surviving the greatest “Man vs. Nature conflict”
that earth has ever seen since the Flood, we will then have to face the greatest threat ever seen from Man or Society. I am
talking about the Great Tribulation under the global “Beast” (Antichrist) dictatorship. According to the timeline we are
given in the Revelation trumpet plagues, it will arise as a direct result of the global chaos left in the wake of all this.
However, the plan of protection for both scenarios is the same, as we shall see.
God does have a plan to protect his servants, just as you would expect from the many stories of deliverance found in
the Bible. Yet you might be surprised how many Christians could care less about it. Over the years I have met Christians
who believe in something like fate or predestination, often stating whatever “God decides” for them is what they will be
happy to suffer through. Some even believe that martyrdom is something to aspire to. For these types, it would be helpful
to read in the Bible all the places where God tells us to “choose.” If we do not believe we possess the power and respon -
sibility to choose how our life turns out, then we probably do not have the motivation necessary to invest the time and ef-
fort it will take to discern whether Planet X is a real threat and then take the steps necessary to face it successfully. Only
18 Cosmic Myths, Hoaxes and Mysteries, MSNBC, March 25, 2003
 Scared? There Is An Escape 12

those who diligently seek shall find the truth, and diligence comes about things we care about.
To be sure, it will go easier if we make changes in our lives in advance. Human nature resists this, preferring to stay
in a comfort zone, betting on the chance these doomsday predictions will be wrong like all the other failed doomsday
predictions of the past. But that is not how the wise think. They heed warnings and take action (Pr 22:3; 27:12). There-
fore this information is for those who fear God and want to survive with his help. It was clearly the intent of Jesus of
Nazareth, the Messiah, that we survive or he would not have instructed us to do so in his Olivet Discourse. He said of the
end times:
Luke 21:35-36 (NRSV) — 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times,
praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

But notice that action on our part is indicated. It begins with studying to find out what to watch and pray for. Once
you find the answer to that, it then requires some life changes, big ones or small ones, depending on how your life is or -
dered already.
And here's an important word of clarification: trying to save yourself for the love of yourself is not what Jesus was
talking about. He was talking to those who love God, the Creator and Ruler of heaven and earth as revealed in the Bible,
and who show this by trusting in him and obeying his instructions (Rev 14:12). Premature death is not usually expedient
for those who have already sacrificed everything that is in the way of serving God and who have lived according to his
ways consistently. Such servants are more useful alive than dead as trained, willing instruments in God's hands. But those
who still love and trust in themselves more than God will not be counted “worthy to escape.” God will not help you es -
cape if it would be better for your personal development to get caught in what is coming. Either the easy way or the hard
way, all must learn the ultimate result of relying on their own strength and understanding. The time to repent from our
own ways and turn to God with our whole heart is before we find ourselves in need of saving (Isa 55:6). Since Christiani-
ty and Judaism have not properly taught repentance, repentance from a scriptural perspective will be a theme touched on
throughout this work.
Not Trying to Convince You of a Planet X Conspiracy
I believe this book presents a reasonable case for the existence of a space threat, notwithstanding the lack of traditional
verifying evidence such as images from NASA. However, proving the existence of PX to my reader is not my goal. My
goal is to help you to consider the possibility as I did, and through doing so open your mind to the possibility that Revela-
tion's Star Wormwood is literal. This may completely change how you understand Bible prophecy just as it has for
me.
 Chapter 2:
Scientific Support
A few months after I first heard about Planet X from my friend, I received an email from a past client of mine. I had done
a programming project for him four years earlier and he still needed help with it at times, which I had to provide for free.
Unfortunately, I had hastily agreed to unlimited free support on the application I wrote for him (forgetting that software
always stays in use much longer than its programmers ever imagined). Nevertheless, a deal is a deal and I did not want to
be known as someone who breaks his commitment when he is no longer happy with what he agreed to. So I looked at his
problem, found the solution and emailed back the instructions for the fix.
Finally, A Scientist Warning About Planet X
I noticed in his email that he had a new website for his enterprise. When I looked at it, something interesting caught my
eye. He had a link on his site to an interview with a scientist named James M. McCanney on the subject of PX. I had
never heard of him, but in listening to it I learned that he was a real scientist, at one time with Cornell, who said that PX
was real and that NASA has been aware of this for 30 years! By honoring an uncomfortable commitment, I was blessed
with an answer (not an unusual coincidence at all for those who serve God).
I studied McCanney's website and every radio show interview by him that I could find. I was pleased to discover that
he provided answers for all the questions and doubts I had concerning PX, which we shall cover in this chapter. Reassur-
ingly, he did not claim to have pictures or enough evidence to prove it exists. I say this because I have heard individuals
claim they could “prove” PX existed when they realistically could not. Realistically, only space agencies like NASA have
the resources and reputation to “prove” scientifically to us that PX exists. That said, if you take the time to look, you will
find a fair amount of evidence leaked from NASA and other sources, summarized here. Later we will move on to prophe -
cies of a similar threat (including instructions for facing it).
Why is NASA Silent On Planet X?
After the turn of the millennium, NASA made news about several new dwarf planets such as Eris, Sedna, and Xena.
Those small, harmless objects orbiting beyond Pluto fit only one definition of the term “Planet X.” The definition we are
concerned about is a large undiscovered body which can pose a threat to Earth. Regarding that PX, NASA offers no sup-
port for its existence, leaving people to consider it a hoax. However, back in the 1980's, NASA was the first to announce
the discovery of a large planet, as reported in the June 19, 1982 edition of the New York Times:
Something out there beyond the furthest reaches of the known solar system is tugging at Uranus and Neptune. A gravitational force keeps
perturbing the two giant planets, causing irregularities in their orbits. The force suggests a presence far away and unseen, a large object,
the long-sought Planet X. Astronomers are so certain of this planet's existence that they have already named it “Planet X - the 10th
Planet.”
A week later they retracted it and have been publicly silent ever since. Yet, there is sufficient evidence that they have
had an internal project tracking PX, as this NASA internal document records years later:
NASA ADS Astronomy Abstract Service
Title: Search for Planet X
Authors: Harrington, Robert S.
Affiliation: Naval Observatory, Washington, DC.
Journal: In NASA, Washington, Reports of Planetary Astronomy, 1991 p. 53 (SEE N92-12792 03-89)
Publication Date: 10/1991
Category: Astronomy
Origin: STI
NASA/STI Keywords: PERTURBATION, SKY SURVEYS (ASTRONOMY), SOLAR ORBITS, SPACE OBSERVATIONS (FROM
EARTH), NEPTUNE (PLANET), URANUS (PLANET)
Bibliographic Code: 1991plas.rept...53H

Abstract
The observation of the region of the sky in which it is believed Planet X should now be, based on perturbations observed in the motions
of Uranus and Neptune, was determined, and there was no reason to update that determination. A limited area of that region was
photographed, and that will be continued. A given area is photographed with the twin 20 cm astrograph in New Zealand on two
successive nights near the time that area is in opposition, and these plates are blinked in Washington to identify anything that has moved.
The predicted region is in the south, which requires observations from a southern station, and it is in opposition in the April to June
period, which means observations have not yet started for the year. Blinking will be done as soon as the plates are received in
Washington.19
If PX really is coming and NASA has been watching it for years, one would naturally want to know why they are not

19 adsabs.harvard.edu
 Finally, A Scientist Warning About Planet X 14

talking about it. James McCanney has dealt closely with NASA during his career, having had access to their data while
he was at Cornell, and can explain why this is. He claims this is because NASA is under congressional order not to tell
anybody if they discover a doomsday scenario coming. This is the same edict that restrains public officials from telling
the public of an impending disaster and causing a panic. It has to go out through some official channel if it goes out at
all. If this is true, then in light of NASA's demonstrated knowledge of PX, it is more disturbing that they have been silent
about it than if they had continued to update the public since their initial discovery, like they do with comets or new plan -
ets like Sedna and Xena. Do they know that its passage will not be harmless like Comet Hale Bopp in 1997 (which fol-
lows a similar orbit and is thought by McCanney to have been part of PX's entourage at one time)?
Far Fetched? Suspend Your Disbelief For Now
Many would readily dismiss the above cover-up explanation as just a conspiracy theory. However, I encourage the reader,
especially if he believes the Bible, to stick with me through the end of the next chapter at least and see how the Book of
Revelation requires something exactly like the PX “myth” to fulfill its details. Once you see that in your Bible yourself
for the first time, you can decide whether the PX that NASA once talked about is going to be the fulfillment, or if it will
be something completely different and as yet unknown by anyone.20
The Bible's Explanation For the Cover-up
So how can it be that our governments would withhold information this important from us? How could there be such evil
in control that would conspire against us to the degree indicated in this book? And how can a global conspiracy be effec-
tively orchestrated through the centuries so that it does not die out soon after the men who invented it and their immedi -
ate successors pass away?
Once again, the Bible has answers. The Bible describes a global conspiracy that has continued from the “fall” of
Adam. It tells us that for almost all of earth's roughly 6000 year history, Satan, the fallen angel, has been allowed to run
around interfering with the world and is even called “the god of this world” (2Co 4:4). God still intervenes and keeps his
master plan on schedule, but Satan has his own plan (which actually serves God's purposes as well or it would not be per-
mitted, of course). We are told that Satan has his own “seed” or offspring (Gen 3:15; Mt 13:38), his own kingdoms
through the millennia (Dan 2; 7; Rev 17:10) and his own rulers that he places over them (Lk 4:5-6). Through all of this,
he “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9) including believers. In fact, Revelation 12, 13, and 17 together blatantly depict
the governments of this world as Satanic.
What is Satan using his power, influence and deceptions to accomplish? Revelation says that at the very end of this
age there will be a 3½ year period of Satan's wrath called the “Great Tribulation” (Dan 12:1, 11; Mt 24:21) during which
Satan's will is enforced over the entire earth by his appointed ruler called “The Beast” (Dan 11:40-44; Rev 13:7-8). Un -
der this dictatorship, he will force everyone to take the mark and worship him in order to have food and engage in trade
(Rev 13).
Of course, nations do not give up their sovereignty willingly. If a global calamity including economic collapse, world
war, and severe famine were to happen, they would gladly give it up to anyone who could unify the world to restore
peace, prosperity, and most importantly: the food supply. (And it would not hurt if that person would claim and be able to
convince people he was God – 2Th 2:4.)
The passage of an object like Planet X will set up exactly that scenario. And therein lies the motive for the cover-
up. If people knew about it in advance, they would prepare in numerous ways to greatly soften the blow and not need sal -
vation from and give power to the Beast. Only by keeping people in the dark can Satan maximize the devastation needed
to make way for his global dictatorship. This is why you will not hear about it in the news until it is too late to do much
about it. Satan does not want you to know and God is allowing it so that those who do not have a love for the truth can
receive their prescribed “strong delusion” (2Th 2:11-12).
Why No One Sees It
If we accept that NASA knows about this object but will not tell us for whatever reason, then what about the amateur as-
tronomers who are not restricted from telling? Why are they not reporting it? The problem, according to McCanney, is
that a lack of brightness and position makes it hard to see. Its current location makes it visible only in the spring, rather
than all year round. Yet, even then, you have to be on the right place on Earth because of its skewed elliptical orbit. Mc -
Canney claims that it actually approaches our solar system from below the ecliptic (plane of the planets' orbits) meaning
the best viewing is from the Southern Hemisphere which is mostly water and less densely populated. McCanney com-
ments on this in his writing about the NASA abstract (quoted above) from his website:
In 1991 Robert S. Harrington, head of the Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C. wrote an internal abstract which culminated over a
decade of theoretical and observational astronomy with a team of experts. He was in charge of the NASA directed search for a large
planet at the edge of our solar system that had been perturbing the orbits of the outer planets. Many previous attempts had been made, all
20 Again, the point of this book is not to convince you that NASA and the government are lying about Planet X. The point is to show you important new insights into prophecy that reveal a threat to our
survival that nobody is talking about yet you would want to know about in advance if you had the chance.
 The Bible's Explanation For the Cover-up 15

leading to incorrect results ... but this time Harrington was certain that he had found the location of the large rogue planet. What is
interesting is 1) NASA for decades had sponsored a search for this object with the highest level staff members available, 2) it was fully
aware that something big was entering our solar system and 3) as you will see ... it seems that anyone associated with the results has been
silenced either by death or by fear. A shroud of secrecy and deception surrounds this entire story.
Part of the discovery of Planet X was based on the fact the outer large planets Uranus and Neptune were being pulled DOWN in their
orbits. No other effect could cause such a change in the orbits of these planets except the existence of a very large previously
undiscovered celestial object which had to exist down and in the direction of the unexplainable motions of these outer giant planets.
Harrington knew that it had to be BIG and it had to be down below the plane of the planets (the ecliptic). He also knew that since it had
not been there before that it must be a new body entering the solar system.
Harrington wrote a brief abstract telling of his final trip scheduled to New Zealand in the spring month of May to perform the blink
photographic session with a 20 cm astrograph (approximately 8" aperture high precision camera). This seemed like what should be a
routine observation and so sure was Harrington of the location of this object in the sky that he planned only two successive nights for the
two required photos. These would be returned to Washington to determine the location and size of the new object.
An 8" camera in 1991 to 93 (the date that we believe Harrington made his final expedition ... NASA information is scarce) was not very
large so we are not talking about professional grade equipment ... that is, this object was expected to be very large and Harrington knew it
would be only visible during the month of May from a very southerly remote location on Earth. He chose New Zealand over the rugged
uncharted regions of Patagonia in South America.
Thus, a big reason why it is not obvious to the world already is because it is best viewed close to the South Pole—
where there are fewer people and fewer observatories to find it. Similarly, when dwarf planet 2003 UB313 Eris was dis-
covered, Mike Brown explained that the reason it was not discovered sooner was because it orbits 45 degrees off the
ecliptic which is an area less searched by astronomers.
McCanney reports another problem. At times there is much haze in the atmosphere that makes viewing a diffuse, dim
object like PX hard to do unless you are looking directly at it from a 90 degree angle (which is only possible from the
South Pole itself). All this, in conjunction with the science establishment's cover-up, gives the coming object the condi -
tions needed to blindside the majority of Earth's inhabitants.
A NASA scientist warns of the possibility of being blindsided. David Morrison, Director of Space & Astrobiology at
NASA's Ames Research Center spoke before Congress on the threat of cosmic impacts. He wrote:
It is possible for a comet to 'sneak up' on Earth, escaping detection until it is only a few weeks from impact. A perpetual survey is
required to detect long-period comets, and even with such a survey, we cannot be sure of success.21
Another Cosmic Blind Spot
There is another reason why such an object would not be easily seen. Objects that approach us from our sunward side are
obscured by the glare of the Sun and are nearly impossible to see. Here are two examples of asteroids that recently
“blindsided” the Earth from the direction of the Sun. First, from March 8, 2004:
An asteroid large enough to have flattened a city buzzed Earth earlier this month and was not seen until after it flew harmlessly by.
The space rock approached Earth in the glare of the Sun, a blind spot that made it impossible to see during the day or night from any
terrestrial vantage point. The event illustrates the potential of a surprise hit by an asteroid, astronomers said.
In a telephone interview, Williams explained there was no way to see the asteroid until it moved out of the Sun's glare and to the opposite
side of Earth in relation to the Sun -- Earth's night side.22
Here's another one from December 19, 2004:
Astronomers spotted an asteroid this week after it had flown past Earth on a course that took it so close to the planet it was below the
orbits of some satellites.
The rock approached Earth from near the Sun and so would have been nearly impossible to detect prior to close passage . It soared over
Antarctica -- underneath the planet, Washington State University researcher Pasquale Tricarico told the Asteroid/Comet Connection.
Astronomers are aware of this significant blind spot for asteroids that approach Earth while in the glare of the Sun. Only a space
telescope could detect such objects before they arrive. 23

What Evidence Is There?

With NASA's cover-up and the difficulty of an observation for amateurs, scientific evidence is scarce. McCanney does
not claim to have pictures of this object (such as the dubious ones found on the Internet) nor does he offer orbital data or
estimate when it will come (such as 2012 as is popular but highly doubtful if everyone is talking about it). He mainly
points to the perturbations in the orbits of the planets as proof of its existence. As mentioned earlier, scientists noticed the
orbits of Neptune and Uranus were not as expected in the mid-1800s. These deviations could not be explained by miscal -
21 Comets and Origin, P.254
22 www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/asteroids_miss_020319.html
23 www.space.com/scienceastronomy/asteroid_close_041222.html
 The Bible's Explanation For the Cover-up 16

culations in the masses of the planets, as the direction of the deviations was downward according to McCanney.
Nemesis “Death Star” Hypothesis
Related to the PX theory is the Nemesis hypothesis, advocated by physicist Richard Muller. 24 It offers an explanation to
the pattern of extinction events at regular intervals similar to the comet impact that is widely accepted to have eradicated
the dinosaurs. If there was a brown or red dwarf binary companion distantly orbiting the Sun, it would regularly pass
through the Oort cloud, scattering comets. Some of them would be sent towards the inner solar system, potentially collid -
ing with Earth.
Evidence for this theory comes from the Oort cloud and one of its inner members, Sedna (discovered by Mike Brown
in 2003). There appears to be an uneven distribution of objects in the Oort cloud, as if a large body had cleared out a
path. Sedna itself, smaller than the moon, appears to be one of these displaced Oort objects. It is more than three times
further out than Pluto, with a wildly eliptical orbit. As there are no planets or stars on its path to account for its position -
ing, it also could be evidence that a Nemesis-like object is out there causing trouble. 25
What Will Happen When It Comes?
Regardless of what is out there and coming our way, a direct impact from a large object is not necessary to cause catas-
trophes. Because of gravitational and magnetic fields, it will be able to disrupt things on Earth from a distance, just as it
is allegedly already doing to the solar system. Here is what McCanney says (from www.detailshere.com/mccanneyin-
fo.htm):
The effects on the Earth are very clear, both from my theoretical work and from what the ancients describe. There are episodes of
mountain building. There could be a pole shift caused by a gravitational tidal wave that moves through the surface mantle of the Earth.
There would be flooding both from tidal waves of the oceans, tremendous atmospheric storms and also from a huge pollution influx of
oil and water -- hydrocarbons and water -- from inner planetary space onto Earth. And all of these things have been seen in the past.

The Bible talks about, for example, when all the vermin, bugs, insects and snakes came out of the ground and overran the Earth [Ex 7-8
—Ed.]. This was a direct result of the electric fields penetrating the mantle of the Earth and causing these creatures to leave the ground
and come out of the ground. The atmospheric conditions include the increase in the number of volcanoes going off.

I want to mention that these planetary objects do not have to come necessarily that close to Earth to cause even dramatic Earth changes.
Electrical discharges can occur between the planets even a distance apart. These, in fact, have been measured with NASA satellites
where, in the 1990s, we saw incredible electrical discharges flow between Jupiter and Earth, taking out a number of our communication
satellites. The scientists at that time were totally puzzled that outer space could do this. They still don't understand the very electrical
nature of our solar system. My book explains, in fact, how this works in a theoretical sense, and it also explains in a practical sense the
effects it would have on planet Earth.
Hopefully the reader can see from what little we have covered of the secular accounts of a largely unknown space ob -
ject threat to life, that it demands further investigation. As discussed earlier, when we hear about negative theories like
this, we have to choose our reaction wisely. Some understandably choose to ignore such horrible things. Sometimes we
react to bad news not in disbelief of its reality, but in disbelief of our actions being able to make any difference about it.
This again causes complacency or paralysis. If you have read this far, you are one of the lucky few to have heard the truth
about this threat early enough to do something to prepare for it. Do not waste that knowledge. Keep reading and find out
where Scripture talks about this threat from space and what to do about it.

24 For an overview on Nemesis watch The Universe - S06E02 Nemesis The Sun's Evil Twin www.youtube.com/watch?v=72mdxdUg9to or http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvi...win___Nemesis/ or
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_%28hypothetical_star%29 (Ignore references to “billions” or “millions” of years.)
25 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90377_Sedna#Origin
 Chapter 3:
“Planet X” in the Book of Revelation
As mentioned earlier, it was only because of my familiarity with Scripture that I chose not to ignore the seemingly absurd
and unconfirmed rumors of Planet X when I first heard them in 2002. At that time I was already two years into a period
of renewed interest in prophecy. It was prompted by exposure to a new breed of prophecy teachers who emerged at the
end of the '90s out of the Messianic and Hebraic Roots movements. Excited by their fresh ideas, I found myself research-
ing, discussing, and thinking about Bible prophecy on a daily basis, which led me to a number of new conclusions and
insights. (This was possible because I worked on the Internet programming Bible software for a remote client.)
One of the concepts that came out of this prior research was the conclusion that the four trumpets of Revelation 8 de -
scribed an incendiary meteorite storm, an asteroid impacting the ocean, and our atmosphere polluted from volcanic activ-
ity with enough dust to block a third of all the light from the Sun, Moon, and stars. While I was not sure what “Worm -
wood” of the 3rd trumpet could be, I was convinced that we would soon find out when all of these things came to pass
right before Pentecost (early summer) in the year before the GT began. Given this timing, I saw that this would be the
trigger event to the rise of the global Beast government (spoken of in Revelation and Daniel). In other words, before I
even heard about PX, I was already convinced that a group of one or more celestial bodies headed our way would be re-
sponsible for what Revelation 8 literally described. So as far as I was concerned, if science would not confirm a threat
like PX, Revelation and Daniel already did.
Let us look at how the PX theory fits Revelation—the most important prophetic book in the Bible and the only one
that generally sets things in clear chronological order. With the PX insights we will now be able to read it literally even
though in the past it has been hard to see how Revelation 6, 7 and 8 could literally be fulfilled just as written. 26
Seven Seals, Trumpets and Bowls — Which Is Next?
7 Seals 7 Trumpets 7 Bowls Millennium
Past or Future? Heavenly signs God's Wrath Kingdom of God
Illustration 2: Revelation's Basic End Time Outline

Revelation contains a series of 21 sequential developments represented by seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls,
which are described from chapters 6 to 19.27 Although the most popular Christian interpretation says that all of these
events are future and mostly happen during the “seven year” GT, we will see that the best fit within the plain literal
meaning is that the first five seals have already been opened. This leaves us today awaiting the visible signs of the 6th
seal, before the 3½ year GT.
How do we know that the first five seals are past? While the 6 th seal details an unprecedented, literal, global cata-
clysm which can only be considered unfulfilled, the preceding seals have a much broader trend-like nature and readily fit
historic developments. But be advised, it took understanding the other 16 events that follow the seals before I concluded
this. Therefore, do not be alarmed if you find the proofs below inconclusive at first. You can come back to them after
seeing the strong proof for the 5th trumpet being the GT (not the 1st seal as most of us have been taught).
First Four Seals—“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”
Revelation 6:1-8 (HCSB) — 2 [1st seal]...a white horse. The horseman on it had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a
victor to conquer. 4 [2nd seal]...another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its horseman was empowered to take peace from the earth,
so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him. 5 [3rd seal]...there was a black horse. The horseman on
it had a balance scale in his hand. 6 Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a
denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius—but do not harm the olive oil and the wine.” 8 [4th seal]...a pale green horse. The
horseman on it was named Death, and Hades was following after him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill by
the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.

The question is whether these four horsemen are completely symbolic or metaphorical or are they somehow, in some
way, literal (as I contend is almost always the case). By comparing other parts of the Bible to this prophecy, we will see
why there is no need to allegorize them.
Zechariah's Parallel Four Horse Chariots Prophecy
In Zechariah four chariots with horses of similar coloration to Revelation's are introduced. Coincidentally they appear in
the exact same chapter and verse numbers as Revelation's description of the horsemen:
Zechariah 6:1-8 (HCSB) — 1 I...saw four chariots coming from between two mountains. ... 2 The first chariot had red horses, the
second chariot black horses, 3 the third chariot white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—[all] strong horses. 4 So I
inquired of the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 The angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven

26 For example, it has only been since the 1950's that scientists believed that major asteroid impacts happen on Earth. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_Crater#Daniel_Barringer
27 Note that some call them all “judgments” but only the seven bowls are denoted as such.
 Seven Seals, Trumpets and Bowls — Which Is Next? 18

going out after presenting themselves to the Lord of the whole earth. 6 The one with the black horses is going to the land of the north,
the white horses are going after them, but the dappled horses are going to the land of the south.” 7 As the strong horses went out, they
wanted to go patrol the earth, and the Lord said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. 8 Then He summoned me saying,
“See, those going to the land of the north have pacified My Spirit in the northern land.”

There are some differences between this passage and Revelation's. The horses are in a different order, which is typical
of Old Testament (OT) prophecies when you compare them to the parallel one in Revelation. Another curiosity is how
the color of three out of four horses exactly match but the fourth horses do not seem to agree. In the KJV, they better
match (“grisled” vs. “pale”) but more accurate modern Bible versions struggle with what to make of the fourth horse in
each book, judging from the wild variations in how they render it. The struggle seems to come from fitting the color label
given to a reasonable equine color classification. Revelation's pale horse is really in Greek a chloros (where we get the
word chlorophyll from) or green horse but since no literal green horse exists in equine science and its rider is named
Death, pale was chosen by the KJV translators. Most modern translators follow suit with “pale” or compromise with
“pale green.” Zechariah's grisled horse is called a dappled, mottled, or spotted horse by other translations.
Slight differences like this between obviously parallel OT and New Testament (NT) passages do not have to concern
you too much. Just understand that the Bible we have has not been perfectly preserved (although well enough to keep the
important truths intact, of course). To make matters worse, there is evidence that the Book of Revelation was not even
originally written in Greek, but in Hebrew or Aramaic. 28 If that is the case, it is easy to imagine that a poor choice by the
Greek translator gave us a green fourth horse in Revelation that is hard to match up with the more original dappled horse
of Zechariah's Hebrew.
Alternatively, differences like this may not have to be viewed as a contradiction at all. They can often be overlapping
or complementary information. In this case, the horses may have mostly green-colored spots. Corpses, including those of
dead horses, can take on a green tinge, explaining the association between green and death—if green is really what the
original Revelation stated.
Horses Ridden By Evil Spirits Influencing Earth – Biblical Precedents
Nevertheless, it is safe to say that the extremely similar passage in Zechariah is a parallel of Revelation's four horsemen
and can help illuminate it. If so, what does it tell us? We are plainly told that the four chariots are carrying “spirits” that
are sent out from heaven after presenting themselves to God there (v. 5). Then they go out to “walk to and fro through the
earth” as the KJV puts it, to quiet God's spirit. There is no doubt that these are not God's angels, but evil spirits, if you
look at the results of what they do and compare what the Book of Job says:
Job 1:6-7 — 6 ...the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD
said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking
up and down in it.

If there is any further doubt that the four horses and chariots of Revelation and Zechariah are literal rather than
metaphorical, two precedents serve to alleviate it. In the time of Elijah and Elisha we find that normally invisible spirit
horses and chariots made sudden dramatic appearances:
2 Kings 2:11 (HCSB) — As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated
the two of them.

2 Kings 6:17 (HCSB) — Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He
looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

At another time, God has an audience with his royal court in heaven including evil spirits. They come up with an evil
plan that he allows because it fulfills his will, much like the four horsemen do: 29
1 Kings 22:18-23 (HCSB) — 19 Then Micaiah said, “...I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and the whole heavenly host was standing
by Him at His right hand and at His left hand. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ So
one was saying this and another was saying that. 21 “Then a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ 22

28 “...Revelation was written in a Semitic language, and that the Greek translation...is a remarkably close rendering of the original.” - C. C. Torrey; Documents of the Primitive Church 1941; p. 160
“We come to the conclusion, therefore that the Apocalypse as a whole is a translation from Hebrew or Aramaic...” - R. B. Y. Scott; The Original Language of the Apocalypse 1928; p. 6
“When we turn to the New Testament we find that there are reasons for suspecting a Hebrew or Aramaic original for the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, John and for the apocalypse.” - Hugh J. Schonfield;
An Old Hebrew Text of St. Matthew's Gospel; 1927; p. vii
29 It is somewhat shocking when you put all these related passages together to discover how God communicates with the evil spirits, even directing them. Even worse, it clearly states that what they are
doing is God's will, or fulfilling his will at least. This is difficult to accept because we generally assume that Satan and the demons are going around doing things against God's will, in some
competition for our souls and disrupting God's plan to save us to some extent. However, we should ask what exactly is God's plan? Surprisingly, the Bible says it is not to save everyone now. God
knows he first needs to provide us all with unfettered free will with which we can learn the most and build the most character. Later we can use that full human experience to make an informed choice
to go his way and receive eternal life. He does not shove his religion down our throat nor does he keep a monopoly on the market choices. Thus, letting Satan and the demons loose to deceive in this
way actually does us a service on that mission. They provide seemingly viable alternative gods (e.g., Allah), alternative philosophies (e.g., evolution), and scientifically unexplainable alternative
supernatural powers (e.g., witchcraft, psychics, UFOs, etc.) that we all have considered or even embraced. Ultimately, we will all realize that they do not work nor bring happiness, making us fully
ready to try God's way when it is revealed to us at last. (See Part 3:Mystery of Disunity for more details)
 Seven Seals, Trumpets and Bowls — Which Is Next? 19

“The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ “He said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ “Then He said, ‘You will
certainly entice him...Go and do that.’ 23 “You see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the
Lord has pronounced disaster against you.”

The First Five Seals Identified

With the help of Zechariah and another parallel prophecy found in the Olivet Discourse, we can understand the four spir -
its' role as follows:
1st Seal – White Horse (Rev 6:1-2)
This spirit appears as a flawed counterfeit of the white horse of Jesus from Revelation 19, going forth “conquering” with
great success, although not militarily as you would at first think (until you read and compare against the 2nd seal). This
spirit's actions seem to have brought us the Catholic Church's and her daughters' deception of a counterfeit of Jesus' true
teachings beginning in the 4 th century AD. Confirmation of this is found in the Olivet Discourse where Jesus gives us a
parallel list of developments. The first thing he mentions is that many will come “in his name” saying he is the Messiah
and they will deceive many (Mt 24:4-5).
What other group comes in the name of Jesus and tells people Jesus is Christ but does not tell them the whole story,
deceiving its followers? Remember that one third of the world is Christian, following the unbiblical doctrines of Catholi -
cism to some degree. For example, even Protestants congregate on Sunday following the tradition decreed by the Pope
rather than on Saturday following the precedents of the Bible.30
2nd Seal – Red Horse (Rev 6:3-4)
The next spirit inspired a belligerent ideology that succeeded in taking peace from the world so that people kill each oth-
er, and is associated with a great sword and the color red. This partly fits Islam, the religion of the great sword started by
Mohammad with its fruit of conflict and war since its beginning in late 7 th century unto this day. By the way, it is rumored
that Islam is behind the other ideology of Communism that has also been instrumental in taking peace from the world
(and is associated with the color red, as in Red China).
Imagine how much more peaceful the world would be without Islam and Communism. This, too, is paralleled in the
Olivet Discourse, where Jesus says wars and rumors of wars are not a sign of the end times because they will happen
long before that, as the history of war shows (Mt 24:6).
3rd Seal – Black Horse (Rev 6:5-6)
This spirit does not create famine, as it at first seems to imply. Checking the next seal where famine is plainly listed as an
outcome confirms that when it means famine it says so. “A quart of wheat for a denarius” represents a day's food for an
entire day's wages. Barley would feed three people but was nutritionally inferior and intended for animals. The price of
oil and wine is not affected, which again rules out famine. As luxury foods of that time, this would benefit the rich.
Thus, this seal with its scales used in trade appears to be describing the development of economic systems controlled
by the rich, also known as the “money changers” 31 that cause the general population to have to work more for necessities
than they should. Most people do not give a second thought to our economic system with international fractional reserve
banks, worthless fiat currency such as paper banknotes, the business cycle of inflation, recession/depression, booms and
busts. But it does not have to be this way and will not be so when the system is replaced during the Millennium. As Prof.
Carroll Quigley, author of Tragedy & Hope: A History of the World in Our Time, described it:
The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands
able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole...Their secret is that they have annexed
from governments, monarchies, and republics the power to create the world's money...
This is the dark side of capitalism which developed after the 16 th century and is associated with the color black (e.g.,
“in the black” means making a profit.) It is difficult to peg when this seal began exactly, but chronologically it must fit af-
ter Islam and before the next seal.
4th Seal – Pale / Green Horse (Rev 6:7-8)
This is another misunderstood seal. It is not describing the massacre of one fourth of the world's population at once.
Rather, this spirit has the authority to bring the marked increase in premature, unnatural death in all of its forms including
from wars, famines, plagues, disease, and wild animals—over only one quarter of the world.
This refers to the scourge of even primitive technology invented by man that made killing and raping of the earth on a
great scale possible. It includes the disruption of nature's balance, famines, plagues and a greater ability to go to war with
greater casualties, as seen in the world wars and purges. The development and proliferation of nuclear weapons and other
30 See Isa 66:23. The book Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola is a recommended resource for learning how unbiblical the origins of even Protestant churches are, such as the building, order of worship,
tithing, pastors, etc.
31 For a good education on this eye-opening subject, get The Money Masters video: www.TheMoneyMasters.com
 The First Five Seals Identified 20

weapons of mass destruction is only the latest manifestation of this spirit's ride. 32
When this spirit was released exactly is also hard to determine, but it makes sense that the ability to kill people more
efficiently came after the moneychangers were able to enrich themselves off the people. It is said that the Rothschilds are
one of the chief international banking families and have profited from wars, such as Napoleon's loss at Waterloo.
5th Seal – Martyred Souls Under Heaven's Altar Plead (Rev 6:9-11)
This seal is often misunderstood as being the beginning of great martyrdom of the saints during the GT. However, a care-
ful examination of it reveals something quite different. The spirits of the martyrs are already there in heaven at the fifth
seal resting (because they are told at the end to rest for a little longer). Therefore, what the 5th seal really describes is how
they actually wake up at some unknown time and speak up to request they be avenged.
The literal reading of this passage presents a problem for the Christian doctrine that people go to heaven to “be with
the Lord” consciously after they die. The description of being swept under the altar where you sleep (unconsciously) until
the end of the age contradicts this. However, how they rest until after more of their brethren are martyred fits well with
how the resurrection of the dead (and rapture) happens just after the GT period of martyrdom ends. It also fits with how
many plain verses in the Bible indicate that when even the righteous die we “rest,” “know nothing,” “have no reward”
until we “rise to our reward” or “come to life,” not receiving eternal life until “the age to come” (Dan 12:13; Ecc 9:5; Jn
3:13; Mk 10:30; Lk 18:30; Rev 20:4).33 This is instead of ascending to consciousness in heaven immediately after death.
The other problem with this passage is that the plain reading tells us that the souls under the altar are resting, wake up
for a moment of consciousness to ask a question, then are put back to sleep. Does God really do this? It is tempting to
say it does not mean what it plainly says and therefore must be some sort of allegory or metaphor.
Resting Souls “Disturbed” Twice In Bible
Yet, there is another precedent of this type of thing found in 1 Samuel 28 in the incident where King Saul asks a medium
to call up the spirit of the prophet Samuel for him. The narrative states that Samuel himself is actually brought up (rather
than a deceiving demonic spirit as typically happens). This extraordinary event obviously shocks the medium (she
screams!) and prompts the now-conscious Samuel to demand to know why Saul has “disturbed” him by “bringing him
up.” It is a surreal scene. Nevertheless, when put together with the 5 th seal, it begins to make sense. It means that on rare
occasions and for special purposes,34 God has restored temporary consciousness to certain people's souls after they die,
and that is what the 5th seal describes as taking place in heaven. When this happens is not specified.
Soul Sleep Heresy?
Some Christians have a hard time with accepting the idea of “soul sleep” (as they would label the above interpretation).
One difference here is that there is no denial that we go to heaven when we die, as soul sleep denies. Your soul certainly
returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7). The question is whether you are fully alive and conscious. There is one passage that
should be carefully considered before deciding.
Revelation 20:4-5 (ESV) — 4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also
I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the
beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a
thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead [i.e., the unrighteous] did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first
resurrection.

Note that even the dead souls of the martyred righteous saints are said to only “come to life” at the time of their reign
with Christ. They receive glorified spirit bodies which enable them to live for 1,000 years and beyond. If they were al-
ready alive and conscious spirits from the moment of their arrival in heaven after death, then why do they need to come
to life as it says? Even though they are righteous, they endure a period of not being alive or conscious, just as the unrigh-
teous dead souls who come to life after the Millennium clearly must do. This means that whether you are righteous or un-
righteous, your consciousness waits (in heaven) as an inert spirit until your assigned resurrection.
By the way, I know that this teaching is a radical departure from a very comforting Christian doctrine of being con -
sciously alive with Jesus at death. I do not wish to dash anyone's hopes, but it was necessary to correct this in order to
show how all the seals make plain literal sense, even the difficult 5 th seal. If you cannot accept it, do not let it bother
you or deter you from finishing this book. (The timeline covered later does not depend on making literal sense of the
5th seal.)
1st - 5th Seals Recap
We have seen that the first four seals show evil spirits inspiring evil human systems that worsen gradually and continue
visibly to the present day. In the case of the 5 th seal, it describes something that takes place entirely in heaven, with no ef-
32 Some accounts report that the inventors of missiles and the microchip were inspired by dark spirits.
33 See www.EscapeAllTheseThings.com/thief-on-the-cross.htm for further discussion and evidence of this.
34 The Transfiguration may be another example in how Moses & Elijah talk with Jesus about his coming death (Lk 9:31).
 The First Five Seals Identified 21

fect on affairs below. That being the case, we must consider it in the past as well, and not expect some visible earthly sign
of the 5th seal opening before the 6th seal comes.
The 6th Seal Through The 4th Trumpet
That brings us up to verse 12 and the 6 th seal, which is the first seal that does not possibly fit with any historical event. It
is therefore properly considered the next seal to be fulfilled. We will next see how the 6 th seal fits what the hypothetical
Planet X does as it makes its closest approach to Earth, and how the 7 th seal, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th trumpets fit what is ex-
pected to happen after we encounter its debris and objects orbiting it.
6th Seal — Heavenly Signs, Earth Changes, Panic As PX Nears
Revelation 6:12-17 (HRV) — 12 And I looked when he opened the sixth seal and there was a great earthquake and the sun became
black as sackcloth of hair and the whole moon became like blood. 13 And the stars in the sky fell on the Earth, like a fig tree that casts
its unripe figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 And heaven was melted as scrolls that are rolled up, and every mountain and
every island were moved from their place. 15 And the kings of the Earth, and the great [ones], and the rulers of 1000s and the rich and
the strong and all the servants and sons of freedom hid themselves in caves and rocks of the mountains 16 Saying to the mountains and
the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the Lamb, 17 Because the great day of wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

It would be an understatement to call this a frightening scene! Let us take inventory of everything that we have de-
scribed there.
A Great Earthquake
Until recent times, this description of a global earthquake moving every island and mountain out of place must have
sounded like hyperbole. I remember doubting its literalness myself—until the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. That 9.3
magnitude quake caused some of Sumatra's islands to move many feet out of place. Now take that and imagine it every -
where at once, before a single impact on Earth. There is understandably not much research on Near-Earth Objects (NEO)
causing earthquakes, but astronomers admit the possibility.35
A Total Solar Eclipse & A Total Lunar Eclipse?
The “sun black as sackcloth of goat's hair” describes a solar eclipse well. When the Sun is eclipsed, the rays of the coro -
na look much like wispy goat hair coming out from the jet-black middle. Conversely, if the Sun is only blocked by some -
thing in the atmosphere, rather than the Moon, it would appear to be only dimmed (just as we will see at the 4 th trumpet)
without appearing black as sackcloth. For the Sun itself to appear black, you have to have light escaping around it, mak -
ing a contrast with the jet black middle, exactly as we see in total solar eclipses.
A lunar eclipse would fit the Moon turning blood red and how some manuscripts say “full moon,” which is when lu-
nar eclipses happen. If the sack-clothed sun is indeed a solar eclipse then this would normally place a two-week gap be-
tween these two eclipses. Just do not consult an eclipse table to predict when it will happen. Such tables do not factor in
the gravitational influence of Wormwood, seen later at the 3 rd trumpet as responsible for everything. This is important if
you remember that the reason that solar or lunar eclipses do not happen every month is because the orbit of the moon is
offset five degrees from the Earth's. Therefore, most of the time the Moon is above or below Earth's shadow and no
eclipse happens even though it is a full moon. If the Earth or Moon were perturbed by a visitor to our solar system, an
unexpected eclipse could occur.
There is also the possibility that the most plain literal reading Revelation (and the parallel in Joel 2:30) describing a
simultaneous solar and lunar eclipse is what is intended and will happen. This would of course require another NEO to
pass exactly between the Earth and the Sun at the time of the full moon. This is not crazy because other events that fol-
low also depend on a NEO to explain them.
Meteor Shower
The best explanation for the “stars falling to Earth” is not actual impacts from stars but a meteor shower, also commonly
called “shooting stars.” Notice that it says it will be like figs falling from a tree in a mighty wind or like the “sky dissolv-
ing/rotting/crumbling” which also would be the impression given by a meteor shower. PX is reported by those who have
observed it to be dragging much debris and dust with it. If such a debris trail was left in our path from an object intersect-
ing our orbit just ahead of us, this would cause a meteor shower as described. This, by the way, is also how regular annu -
al meteor showers like the Lyrids or Aquarids happen. The Earth passes through the trail of debris left by a regular comet.
Atmospheric Dust and Prelude to Pole Shift
Some of the previous four events may describe things that we are all familiar with and therefore are not unique by them -
selves (but significant if they happen in rapid succession together, as in this case). When we have “the heavens departing
like a scroll” and “every mountain and island being moved from their place” in relation to each other, this is something
new to modern man. We are not talking about continental drift here at about the same rate that your fingernails grow. It is
35 The great New Madrid 8.0 earthquake of 1812 occurred after the Great Comet of 1811 finished its closest approach.
 The 6th Seal Through The 4th Trumpet 22

describing sudden global catastrophism. This fits the expectation that PX's gravity and magnetic field will be so strong as
to cause the crust and mantle of the Earth to get out of sync and exhibit wrinkles or “crustal/mantle waves.” The heavens
departing like a scroll is more difficult to explain. Comparing another description of this event in Isaiah helps:
Isaiah 34:4 — And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall
fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

This is exactly what verses 13-14 say, but with more detail and out of order. (Most Bible prophecies outside of Reve -
lation do not give events in chronological order.) The extra detail is that the heavens are rolling up like a scroll as well as
falling or dissolving/crumbling as an explanation for how they disappear. So, what we have here is stars falling and also
completely disappearing as if the sky was a scroll being rolled up. But what is rolling things up? The same material that
appears as shooting stars when smaller would fill the atmosphere and block you from seeing the distant stars at all. If it
came all at once, it would look like someone had just rolled up the sky. Perhaps this is why John does not simply say,
“clouds appeared.” This is different than normal local water vapor clouds. Something moves in completely and at once
globally. People near Mt. St. Helen's for the 1980 eruption reported thinking of this verse as the gas plume rolled in and
blocked the sky suddenly.
Global Panic and Run for Cover – Not the Wrath of God
The 6th seal ends by describing the response of humanity to all these frightening wonders. People from every strata of so-
ciety in every country run for cover basically proclaiming that it is essentially Judgment Day.
Yet is it? Casual readers of Revelation easily take the panicked population's conclusion as gospel and consider the 6 th
seal as the actual wrath of God. However, that conclusion would make for two wraths of God since nine chapters later
the “seven bowls full of the wrath of God” are declared by a “voice from heaven” (Rev 15:1, 7; 16:1). Few readers catch
that neither God, nor an angel, nor John, nor Jesus nor anyone from heaven label the 6 th seal as God's wrath. It is
frankly only the biblically illiterate masses saying it. In other words, this “wrath of God” declaration is a red herring (and
a great example of how Revelation takes great wisdom and diligence to understand properly).
Judging by their panic, it seems that at the end of the 6 th seal people are finally aware of the four trumpets coming fast
and this is why they are heading to the mountains and underground despite the great earthquake they just survived. Un-
doubtedly, they reason that it is better to risk being buried alive in a possible cave-in than to face certain death from fall -
ing rocks or other projectiles in tornado-like winds. By the way, the human response to the 6 th seal should dispel any
doubts about the 6th seal events not being intended literally. This type of global panic after the previous global frights
confirms we have no allegory here!
When is the “Beginning of Sorrows/Birth Pains”?
We left off above tracing the Olivet Discourse's parallel to Revelation 6 in Matthew 24:6 (equated with the 2 nd seal).
Verse 7 mentions nation against nation (WWIII), famine and earthquakes (the 6 th seal - 4th trumpet). However, verse 8
says “all these things are the beginning of sorrows” leaving a doubt as to whether the sorrows includes the first five seals,
too. If they do then we have been having 2000 years of birth pains, which does not make much sense given a woman
only has birth pains for at most a few days at the end of her nine month pregnancy.
Thankfully, the Olivet Discourse is not exclusive to Matthew, but recorded also in Mark and Luke. In cases like this,
it is important to check all the parallel passages before drawing conclusions. If you look at them (Mk 13:3-13; Lk 21:7-
19), note that Mark and Luke both delineate the period of wars and rumors of wars when "the end is not yet/will not be at
once” (Mk 13:7=Lk 21:9) from the beginning of sorrows/birth pangs period in the next verse. Luke adds that the world
war, famine and earthquakes everywhere include "fearful events and awful signs from heaven" (Lk 21:11). This clinches
it that the beginning of sorrows/birth pains refers to WWIII and the coming of Wormwood at the 6 th seal and does not in-
clude our time before that. In other words, rather than us already being in the birth pains for nearly 2000 years now, they
do not begin until late in the first half of the 70th week, lasting at most five years.36
Destructive Global Winds Restrained Until the 144,000 Sealed
Revelation 7:1-8 (NIV) — 1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the
earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east,
having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the
sea: 3 "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." 4 Then I heard the
number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. 5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of
Reuben 12,000...[etc.]

Revelation 7 is an “inset chapter” that interrupts the narrative to give information about other things that do not all se-
quentially follow the 6th seal. This includes some events that happen around the same time as the 6 th seal (vs 1-8) and oth-
36 Note that while our own lives may be full of sorrows already, that is something different!
 The 6th Seal Through The 4th Trumpet 23

er events that happen much later (vs 9-17). The part we are interested in describes global winds that angels must restrain
to keep them from harming the land, sea and trees. Yet how can winds capable of such destruction be produced on all
parts of the Earth at once? As we already heard from McCanney, when a large body passes close enough, it can disrupt
Earth's rotation due to its magnetism and gravity. Earth's atmosphere will lag behind the change in direction, resulting in
tremendous devastating global winds (which do not happen immediately because of the angels).
Answered here is the apparently rhetorical question posed at the end of chapter 6 of “who shall be able to stand?”
The winds are being supernaturally held back only until after God seals his servants with his name on their foreheads.
The implication is that this will protect them from the effects of the first four trumpets on the land, sea and trees. This is
confirmed at the 5th trumpet where the 144,000 are untouchable by Satan's army of fallen angels ascending from the bot -
tomless pit.
7th Seal — Angel Hurls Judgment to Hit Earth On Pentecost
Revelation 8:1-6 — 1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven
angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the
altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4 The smoke of the
incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it
with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the Earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

After the explanation of Revelation 7, we pick up the chronological narrative again with the 7 th seal in chapter 8. Af-
ter a pause, an angel in heaven hurls fire from the altar at Earth to cause thunder and shaking there. This is interesting
considering that the 1st and 2nd trumpets which follow next picture objects hitting the Earth. It seems that, were it not for
the actions of this angel, Wormwood would pass with much less trouble. This points to God wanting this to happen, even
directing it to bring certain effects (which are needed to make the GT possible, as we shall see).
Although this seal may seem completely allegorical, there is reason to believe it will be fulfilled literally. In 2002,
three asteroids passed by Earth, each progressively closer to hitting Earth than the last. An asteroid on January 7 missed
us by a little over 8 hours. The next, on March 8, missed us by 4.5 hours. Then on June 14 an asteroid missed the Earth
by about one hour! The whole series could be warning shots across the bow. But even more interesting is how the first
two of the asteroids came towards the Earth out of constellations that picture altars—Libra and Ara—the altars of sacri-
fice and wrath respectively. From this we can see that the 7th seal can be literally fulfilled by having the meteorites and
the asteroid that comprise the 1st and 2nd trumpets coming at us from one of these two possible altar constellations.37
This pause before the angel throws the fire at Earth appears to fit the time we just read about when the winds are held
back until after the 144,000 are sealed. In fact, there is a real connection. The mention here of “thunder, rumblings, light -
ning and earthquake” is reminiscent of the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. According to Jewish tradition, Moses re -
ceived the Torah on Pentecost. We will see evidence later that the sealing of the 144,000 happens on Pentecost as well,
just ahead of the unleashing of the global winds and the four trumpets of Revelation 8.
Let us recap before we go on. The 6 th seal describes what apparently happens as Wormwood (or some other body
brought by it) makes its closest passage to us and we encounter smaller objects left in our path. The pause of the 7 th seal
is a momentary lull, probably when the 144,000 are sealed before the global winds rip and any big impacts happen. Next,
we will see that the first four trumpets describe what happens when Earth then passes completely through the worst of
Wormwood's debris field and is impacted by meteorites and a mountain-sized asteroid.
1st Trumpet — Severe Hail of Meteorites From PX's Debris Field
Revelation 8:7 (HRV) — [1st trumpet]...there came hail and fire mixed with water, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of
the earth was burned, a third of the trees were burned, and all the grass of the earth was burned.

Although hail usually means frozen droplets of water that reach Earth, this choice of word seems to come from a limi -
tation of the original language Revelation was written in. I could find no word for “meteorite” in the biblical vocabulary
(and “brimstone” refers to burning sulfur rock, which you can still find if you visit the site of Gomorrah near the Dead
Sea). It appears that when “hail” is associated with “fire,” it must be talking about rocky hail, or meteorites, not ice hail.
It makes no sense that grass and forest fires over all the Earth would follow icy hail, but makes perfect sense after a
worldwide flurry of burning meteorites. Rocks and ice are expected to be associated with PX. When a large body travers -
es our solar system, it can drag these materials behind it from the asteroid belt. Earth would encounter such objects upon
passing through PX's trail.
2nd Trumpet — Mountain-Sized Piece of PX's Tail Hits the Ocean
Revelation 8:8-9 (NIV) — 8 [2nd trumpet]...something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea

37 It is discoveries like this that have made me more and more convinced that everything mentioned in Revelation has a literal fulfillment, rather than figurative meaning only.
 The 6th Seal Through The 4th Trumpet 24

turned into blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

A mountain burning with fire hitting the ocean is a reasonable description of a several kilometer-sized asteroid glow-
ing as it enters Earth's atmosphere and then impacting the most likely place for it to hit: the ocean. Asteroids are de -
scribed as “mountains in space” by astronomers.
The result of the impact described fits scientific models created in recent years. According to studies conducted at the
University of California, an asteroid of this size would be so hot by the time it hit the ocean that it would make a large
part of the ocean water anoxic (oxygen deficient) by simply boiling the oxygen out of a large area of the sea. Sea temper-
ature would rise dramatically and the hot water would kill billions of sea creatures in a very large radius. The warmed,
anoxic water would provide a perfect environment for the growth of red algae, i.e. “red tide.” Here blood may be describ-
ing the appearance of red algae, which thrives in anoxic waters.
However, turning waters to blood is a Hebraic idiom found in the Torah. John, the writer of Revelation, was himself a
Jew and well acquainted with the Torah. If you study Exodus 7:17, Psalm 78:44; 105:29 you can see that “turning waters
to blood” is a Hebrew idiom for turning waters deadly so that they are undrinkable and inhospitable to all marine life,
rather than meaning the waters turn to literal red blood.
The destruction of one third of the ships is explained by the giant tsunamis that would result. They would move for
hundreds of miles in every direction until they struck the seaports of distant coasts.
3rd Trumpet — Waters Polluted From Wormwood's Debris
Revelation 8:10-11 (NIV) — 10 [3rd trumpet]...a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the
springs of water-- 11 the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters...

Without knowledge of PX doomsday theory, this trumpet is very hard to understand. We saw in the previous trumpet a
very clear description of an asteroid entering Earth's atmosphere and falling into the sea. Here we have something that, at
first, sounds like another impact. This time it is not in the ocean but on the land. Yet this is not described in the clearest
manner it could be. Oddly, the great star is said to fall from the heavens upon “the rivers and springs of water.” That can-
not be describing a second asteroid hitting Earth because it is impossible for a single object to impact only rivers and un -
derground waters. Therefore, it must be describing some other kind of interaction from Wormwood manifesting on Earth.
There is an important clue in the fact that this time it is not a star but a “great star” and with a name: “Wormwood.”
Previously we have seen shooting stars described which are not really stars at all, but small rocks that when burning up in
Earth's atmosphere appear as the size and brightness of distant stars. Then we saw a burning object so big that it appeared
mountain-sized because it also lit up in our atmosphere before a clear impact. This lit-up object is different. It sounds at
last like a real luminous star near our solar system. That conclusion is reinforced by it having a meaningful name, just as
major bodies like stars, planets and comets are given.
This detail would point away from the Planet X theory towards the Nemesis “death star” hypothesis mentioned earli-
er. The idea of the Sun having this deadly twin red dwarf star is reasonable given that roughly two thirds of stars in
38

the galaxy have a companion star and the majority of stars are of the hard-to-see red dwarf size class. 39 Most as-
tronomers doubt we live in a binary solar system because our Sun's twin has not yet been found (and the usual logic goes
that “if it existed, we would have found it by now”). Nevertheless, the Bible says another great star is going to be visible
in the sky in the future after the catastrophes begin.
So if it is a great star how does it affect only the rivers and underground waters? One thing is for sure, it could not it-
self be passing close enough to sprinkle “star dust” on the waters without scorching the planet. However, it may be bring -
ing satellite objects such as its own planets, comets or asteroids that could get close enough to bring toxic substances like
hydrogen cyanide into our water supplies. Another is that the polar shift or crustal waves such objects cause break up the
springs and dirty the rivers or the sheer number of dead rotting bodies from the previous trumpets contaminate the waters
(like happened after the 2004 Sumatra Earthquake). By blaming Wormwood for contaminating fresh waters it may be
speaking indirectly of the cumulative effects of the previous disasters Wormwood brought.
What About The Chernobyl Interpretation?
As mentioned earlier, a popular interpretation of “Wormwood” is that it refers to the Chernobyl reactor leak of 1986. Up
until a few years before hearing about PX, this was the best explanation I could find as well. However, as we just saw,
the 3rd trumpet literally describes a “star” or a body in space with a proper name, not an earthly man-made effect. It is
also hard to explain how nuclear fallout would only contaminate the rivers and springs and not all the air and land too.
Finally, unlike a literal passing star, a nuclear reactor leak does not fit in with the surrounding trumpets, all describing
disturbances from space and the sky.

38 Or the dark star theory of Andrew Lloyd of www.darkstar1.co.uk with Planet Nibiru orbiting the star.
39 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_dwarf en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_star
 The 6th Seal Through The 4th Trumpet 25

Planet X theory is so compelling as an explanation because it explains the entire progression of the four trumpets co-
hesively, naturally and literally, whereas Wormwood being nuclear war/fallout is an allegorical interpretation which
leaves you unable to explain the other three trumpets literally (not to mention the 6 th and 7th seals which PX explains
quite literally). You are forced to find allegorical meanings for them as well, such as saying the obvious burning mete-
orites of the 1st trumpet are nuclear missiles, etc. These answers were good attempts in the times before the end times and
PX, but now look forced and pale by comparison.
4th Trumpet — Sky Darkened From Fires, PX Debris, Volcanic Ash
Revelation 8:12 — [4th trumpet]...And a third of the Sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of
them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.

Some take this trumpet to mean that after everything that has happened, the Earth will be spinning one third faster,
thereby decreasing the shining of the day and night by one third. While it is certainly possible and likely that the move -
ment of the Earth will be different after Wormwood passes (even necessitating a new calendar—Dan 7:25), this is proba -
bly referring to something else. If a shorter day period is the intended meaning here, then there is no need to mention the
light sources. It could simply have stated that the day was shorter, not that the day and night were darkened. Instead, the
description goes to pains to list each possible source of light and how they all were “darkened” by the same amount.
Therefore, the most logical explanation would be something in the air will be blocking incoming light. Atmosphere par -
ticulate could obscure light in this way as cloud cover does.
This particulate matter can come from several sources. The smoke of the worldwide grass and forest fires in the 1 st
trumpet alone would be enough to darken the skies, just as Kuwait's burning oil wells did during Operation Desert Storm
in 1990. The satellite objects/debris field could also contribute (as it seems to in causing the sky to depart like a scroll in
the 6th seal, perhaps to a lesser degree days later). Finally, airborne ash from volcanic eruptions has historically darkened
the skies and lowered global temperatures. Volcanism would be heightened both from Wormwood's gravity and from the
2nd trumpet impact on Earth.
In its June 1989 edition, National Geographic featured an article entitled “Extinctions” which detailed the findings of
scientists studying the effects of ancient asteroid impacts. It predicted a darkened sky after an asteroid impact and world-
wide fires, exactly as the 1st and 2nd trumpets portray. It described the following scenario on page 686:
Giant meteorite strikes Earth, setting the planet afire. Volcanoes erupt, tsunamis crash into the continents. The sky grows dark for months,
perhaps years. Unable to cope with the catastrophic changes in climate, countless species are wiped off the face of the planet.
The article posed that great fires resulting from an asteroid would destroy crops, trees and vegetation. Windstorms
created by the fires would destroy buildings hundreds of miles from the impact. Dust and smoke spread by the jet stream
would block much sunlight, thus altering the world’s climate and the chances of human survival.
Decoded View of 7 Seals, Trumpets and Bowls
At the start of this chapter you saw an illustration of Revelation's basic “7-7-7” framework. If we incorporate the insights
covered in this chapter, here's what it would look like, grouped and labeled for clarity:

4 Seals Evil spirits 6th Seal - 4th Trump 5th - 7th Trump 7 Bowls Millennium
influence world Wormwood effects Great Tribulat. God's Wrath Saints rule
Illustration 3: Revelation's Framework Grouped for Clarity
The dotted line designates the present where we are awaiting the 6 th seal. The 5th seal is not shown because it is un-
clear if that is past or present, and will remain so until the 6th seal happens.
Account of Wormwood's Effects Ends – World Nearly, Too
A transition is signaled by the last verse of the 4th trumpet before the 5th:
Revelation 8:13 (NIV) — ..."Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the
other three angels!"

The 5th trumpet must be something even more serious to merit such a special warning that even Wormwood lacked. It
is. It begins the GT when the Antichrist takes over by offering the only solution to Wormwood's mess. (We will pick up
that thread in the Revelation Roadmap.)
To sum up, from the 6th seal to the 4th trumpet we have a linear account of the direct effects (earthquakes, dust, meteor
shower, impacts, fires, destruction) and possibly only secondary effects (waters poisoned, darkened skies) from Worm -
wood's near passage. Just imagine the terrifying results. Once the smoke clears, everyone will have to face a world in
ruins and chaos:
 Most Homeless: Winds, fires, hail and quakes will level housing.
 Account of Wormwood's Effects Ends – World Nearly, Too 26

 Communications Out: Satellites and telephone lines knocked down.

 No Electricity: If you still have a home, the lights will be out as certainly all the power lines will be knocked, burned
or blown down.
 No Running Water: Pipes travel underground and are therefore vulnerable to the quakes and crustal shifts. In addi-
tion, you need power to clean the water and pump it through the pipes that are left intact.
 Travel Troubles: Roads, bridges, rails, docks or runways will be blocked with abandoned vehicles or broken, split or
completely destroyed—making travel difficult or impossible in places.
 Famine: This leaves fuel and surviving food supplies hard to deliver to the supermarkets (which only have a few days
of inventory on the shelves). With that and the fact that crops in the fields and orchards for the coming harvest are
damaged from the hail and fires, worldwide famines will surely follow (Mt 24:7).
 Unrest, Rioting, Looting, and Chaos: It always follows. When human beings are under enough stress, their true
selfish, wicked nature comes out. To compare this to recent disasters, the 2004 Sumatra tsunami disaster or 2005
flooding of New Orleans are probably closest. Just as New Orleans no longer functioned as a city but was a toxic
mess that had to be temporarily abandoned, no doubt people will have to abandon their cities to find food and safety
from the chaos and violence after Wormwood. However, one difference with Sumatra and New Orleans was that the
rest of the world was fine and could marshal relief efforts. Wormwood's disaster will be much worse as every city and
country will be busy dealing with their own problems. The resulting chaos and pandemonium will be unimaginable.
Armed gangs will be able to loot mostly unopposed.
 Year Shortens to 360 Days: This is explained in chapter 7.
Imagine Most of Today's Population Gone
To fully comprehend how bad what is coming will be, we must consider the potential toll in human life. We can only
speculate on this question as there are no casualty figures given for any events prior to the 6 th trumpet war (where it says
one third die). However, there is a period of approximately nine months from when Wormwood's passage begins (early
summer) until when the Beast rises to lead the world out of the crisis in the following spring (details in the Revelation
Roadmap). I believe that most of the population will have died during those nine months. Here's why:
Just consider the cumulative global impact of each seal and trumpet that Wormwood causes. Fires, cold, toxic waters,
famine and chaos will be everywhere for months. Consider how ill-prepared and “soft” the mostly urban world popula -
tion is today for living without infrastructure delivering their food, water, heat, clothes and security. If rescue takes
months to come, many more will die from exposure, attrition and conflict. By then the will of the survivors will be
crushed. They will be prepared to accept help from anyone under any conditions just to have some food, peace and secu -
rity again—but not God's people, as we shall learn.
 Chapter 4:
God's Survival Plan For Wormwood
We learned in the last chapter that Wormwood begins troubling Earth and its inhabitants at the 6 th seal:
Revelation 6:12-14 (HRV) — 12 ...he opened the sixth seal and there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of
hair and the whole moon became like blood. 13 And the stars in the sky fell on the earth...14 And heaven was melted as scrolls that are
rolled up, and every mountain and every island were moved from their place.

If you study Revelation enough, you will learn that in most cases what we read there was already spoken about else-
where in the Bible. In fact, only by looking at all these parallel passages together can we understand Revelation. Similar -
ly, the 6th seal has a parallel in Joel:
Joel 2:30-31 (HCSB) — 30 I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will
be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and awe–inspiring Day of the Lord...

Joel mentions both the solar and lunar phenomena, aptly summarizing the other astrophysical aspects of the 6 th seal as
“wonders in the heavens and in the earth.” It also confirms that we are not talking about the similar events at the end of
the Great Tribulation when the sun is darkened and the moon gives no light (Mt 24:29), but rather, events years before
that, when the moon turns to blood. This distinction is key because many people confuse the 6 th seal with the post-tribula-
tion “sun turned to darkness, moon not giving light” signs (Mt 24:29) which Jesus said would immediately precede his
return. Yet these are different events (blood moon vs. dark moon) at completely different times (6 th seal vs. 7th trumpet).
Now notice the next verse's comment on who survives these events:
Joel 2:32 (HCSB) — Then everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount
Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised, among the survivors the Lord calls.

Care must be taken not to read this verse too hastily. Most readers would conclude from it that God delivers all who
cry out to him in trouble. They probably do not realize that God actually has a personal name that is used here. In the He-
brew, the word traditionally (and incorrectly) translated in most Christian Bibles as “LORD” is ‫( יהוה‬YHWH), also
called “the sacred name.” For this reason, those who insist on only using God's sacred name have come to be known as
“sacred-namers.” A sacred-namer might cite Joel as proof that his sincere attempts to vocalize God's name correctly
please God enough for him to deliver him. Yet, this would be a superficial understanding of why Joel 2:32 mentions
God's actual “name” being called upon by those delivered.
What To “Call Upon The Name of YHWH” Does Not Mean
The call upon the name of YHWH cannot refer to any one-time emergency supplication to God by just anyone. We know
this because Scripture tells us that the answering of prayers for deliverance in times of trouble is something reserved for
the righteous—those who already have been diligently seeking YHWH for some time.
Psalm 34:15-19 (NIV) — 15 The eyes of YHWH are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 the face of YHWH is
against those who do evil,...17 The righteous cry out, and YHWH hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 YHWH is
close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but YHWH delivers
him from them all;
Proverbs 15:29 — YHWH is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

Before God brings disaster, warnings are always issued first to wake people up and bring them to repentance of their
own unfettered free will choice. Once the disaster begins, any repentance that results is now forced and meaningless.
God is not impressed with the repentance of those who have waited until they have a gun to their head:
Isaiah 55:6 — Seek ye YHWH while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
Jeremiah 11:14 — ...pray not for this people...for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

The story of the flood is a perfect illustration of this. God gave the antediluvian world 120 years of warning through
Noah's preaching and his public construction of a ridiculously large ship. The ark had plenty of room for responders to
the warning. However, none believed—until rain began to fall for the first time in history (Gen 2:5)—no doubt a shock to
those outside the ark. Yet the door to the ark had been closed, and despite the calls of the wicked for deliverance, it
would not be opened to them.
Likewise, those receiving deliverance in Mt. Zion will be the righteous, as the wicked do not know or call upon God's
name. Yet they are not saved because they pronounced the divine name with the correct vowels and accent. Obviously,
God does not base salvation on what facts someone knows or because they address their prayers to “YHWH” instead of
the titles “Lord” or “God.” If that were how it worked, then, again, any wicked person who gained this information could
 What To “Call Upon The Name of YHWH” Does Not Mean 28

attempt to use these “magic syllables” to save himself.

God's Name Fallen Into Disuse
Understanding the significance of the divine name is a key to understanding our instructions in Joel 2:32. The fact is that
knowledge of the name is indeed very rare, even among those few who have read the entire Bible. If it even occurs to
them that God has a name, most of the time they believe it is either “The LORD,” “God,” “HaShem,” or “Adonai.” Yet
none of those are his name; they are just English and Hebrew titles.
On the contrary, the Hebrew Scriptures reveal that his name is four letters long and spelled Yod-Hey-Waw-Hey, best
transliterated into English as “Y-H-W-H.” Since the divine name actually appears 6,828 times in the Hebrew text, you
would think that it would be better known. Unfortunately, due to a tradition of replacing the name, it is not. It started
with Judaism and continued with Christianity.
Traditional Judaism has long considered the name too sacred to pronounce and has forbidden its use. Instead, adonai
(“lord”) or HaShem (“the name”) are used in place of pronouncing YHWH. Christianity has followed suit by translating
YHWH as “LORD” or “God” in most of their English Bibles (the ASV being one notable older exception, along with
many new translations coming out of the Hebraic Roots movement).
However, there is a major problem with these traditions. They break YHWH's express will as found throughout the
OT to use his name. For example, the Torah was commanded to be read out loud every seven years (Dt 31:11) which re-
quires vocalizing the divine name 1820 times alone. Many of the Psalms even encourage declaring God's name repeated-
ly. As well, the verse we are considering from the Prophet Joel leaves no doubt that to “call upon the name of YHWH” is
proper.
The vast majority of people who read these verses about YHWH's name do so because they are Jews or Christians
and under the influence of those respective religious traditions against the name. If it even occurs to them to ask about
the contradictions between their religion's doctrines and what Scripture says on any subject, they are given the opinion of
one of their denomination's revered wise men, explaining how those verses do not really mean what they literally say.
This usually works as most people do not have the discernment to see through these explanations nor the confidence in
themselves to believe they can be right while the experts are wrong. For those who are not satisfied with the explanation,
they have still another reason to ignore what the Scripture really says. Members of an organized religion realize that their
membership depends on accepting its “statement of faith.” To hold and confess views which contradict the party line
would get oneself ostracized from the organization—and from one's friends and business contacts there. Few love the
truth so much that they are willing to face receiving the “left-foot of fellowship” while being told, “So, you want to de-
velop your own views on what the Bible says? Well, let us help you do that by keeping your friends here and our services
from cluttering your schedule!”
Misinformation On God's Name
Even those who have had the bravery to leave organized religion in search of truth may still not know exactly what
YHWH's name is. False teachings that we have accepted tend to stay with us until we take the time to question and dis-
prove each of them; something we typically never get around to. This maintains our incorrect paradigm which acts to fil-
ter out any information to the contrary (called the paradigm effect by Joel Barker).
This is especially true regarding the divine name. If anyone is taught anything on the divine name, they are taught
this: “we cannot know the pronunciation for sure because the original vowels of YHWH were replaced in the Hebrew
Scriptures with the vowels for adonai.” This is the universally accepted view among scholars. Because of this, people
look past the Bible to all kinds of external sources for clues. They come up with all kinds of answers for how to pro -
nounce YHWH. The most popular guesses are “Yahweh” and “Jehovah,” but there are many other “Hebroid” permuta -
tions of the consonants and vowels in common use.
Unsurprisingly, few take the time to find out for themselves what the best Hebrew manuscripts actually say, instead of
trusting what “they say” to be correct. In Jerusalem in 2002, I was fortunate enough to have met Karaite Jewish scholar
Nehemia Gordon, author of The Hebrew Yeshua vs. The Greek Jesus and learn the following on this subject.
Finding God's Full Name in Oldest Hebrew Manuscripts
The Ben Asher manuscripts are the most ancient complete texts of Scripture. If the Aleppo Codex or Leningrad Codex
B19a (L) versions are checked the spelling of the words adonai and yhwh are found to be as follows (consonants capital-
ized and vowels in lowercase bold):
aDoNaY (hataf patach cholam kamats)
Y'H-VaH (sheva no vowel kamats)
The vowels of the two words are clearly different! If the word YHWH truly had the vowels of adonai, then it would
show up as “Yahovah,” instead of “Y'h-vah” as it does. This rules out the adonai replacement theory, but one vowel is
missing. We can be sure of this because in biblical Hebrew a hey (H) does not appear in the middle of the word without a
 What To “Call Upon The Name of YHWH” Does Not Mean 29

vowel. What happened to the vowel? With the ban on the pronunciation of the name, the scribes apparently did not want
people to accidentally pronounce YHWH when reading it, so they removed one vowel.
Thankfully, they did not do this consistently in every manuscript. The B19a (L) manuscript is the earliest complete
Masoretic manuscript (and the basis of BHS/Biblical Hebraic Stuttgartensia). Here, the divine name is not written consis-
tently in all 6,828 instances as Y'H-VaH, but in over 50 instances appears as Y'HoVaH, with an “o” appearing in the
place of the missing vowel (e.g. Mal 4:5). It is significant that no other vowel besides “o” ( cholam) was “accidentally”
inserted into the divine name. Apparently, the scribes forgot to suppress the name in a few instances. As they pronounced
what they were copying, they probably followed the natural tendency of writing exactly what they were vocalizing, rather
than omitting the cholam as it was written in the original.40
“Y'hovah” would also agree with the vowels used in the many compound biblical names starting with the first three
consonants of YHWH, such as Joshua, son of Nun (“YHWH saves”). Nevertheless, please note that when these same
first three letters appear at the end of a name, they receive different vowels, such as with Isaiah /YeshiYaHu.41
Obviously, Y'hovah is very similar to the popular pronunciation “Jehovah”—perhaps more similar than you realize.
Jehovah is rejected by many as a transliteration for various reasons, such as the fact that Hebrew does not have a “J”
sound. Most raising this objection do not realize that when Jehovah was coined, the J was actually pronounced as Y,
like a Germanic J. Thus, Yehovah and Jehovah are pronounced the same. (Except that the Hebrew texts indicate that
the accent is on the last syllable, as in Y'hovah, rather than on the second syllable.42)
Even with these corrections made to “Jehovah,” some people reject anything remotely similar to it, believing that
such renderings require that the word YHWH descend from the Hebrew root H-V-H meaning ruin, calamity, and de-
struction—concepts they find unpalatable as the root meaning of God's name. However, this is yet another piece of mis -
information that is cleared up by digging into some sound biblical Hebrew scholarship. Since yod and vav often inter-
change when a Hebrew root is conjugated, the root of YHWH can still be H-Y-H, meaning to be (as Ex 3:14-15 points to
and scholars generally accept as correct).
Finally, I must hasten to add that “Yehovah” should be considered as only an approximation of the Hebrew word ‫יהוה‬.
It is based on a Sephardic style of pronunciation of Hebrew, one of several styles. It is not clear if any of them are the
same as the original pronunciation Moses used. Therefore, short of an audio recording of Moses or Jesus speaking the
name, we cannot be 100% sure we are properly pronouncing ‫יהוה‬.
How Would A Large Group Learn God's Name Today?
This overview of God's name served two purposes. First, obviously to reveal God's name referred to in the verse,
which is of special interest to those who have always wanted a definitive answer to this question. Second, even readers
who have not been aware of God's name can now appreciate how obscure it is even among the two main Bible-based re -
ligions. To learn God's name today, first one must be lucky enough to realize that God has a personal name, despite how
nobody seems to know or care about it (except Jehovah's Witnesses who get it wrong and are considered a cult for their
unorthodox beliefs). Then, one must search diligently for it, discover it and confirm its veracity for oneself. Misinforma -
tion, deception, opposition and even rejection are constant obstacles all along the way. You can see why the very name of
our Creator that a nation of millions once used daily has now become essentially lost and shunned by the few who do
know it.
With the barriers to learning, knowing and using God's actual (correct) name today, how could Joel's prediction of a
group of people doing that come to pass? Not easily. The key to our answer is to look back to the last time a group knew
and called upon God's name. It was of course ancient Israel who knew the name and were specifically commanded to use
it for all their oaths. The patriarchs of Israel were prophets so they heard, knew and used God's name and passed it down
to the nation. Later when their descendants became enslaved in the polytheistic culture of Egypt, it appears that it became
essentially lost there, too. When the prophet Moses was commissioned at the burning bush to set them free from slavery,
this may be why he asked God his name (Ex 3:13).
In the same way, for people today to learn and use God's name it would have to come through a prophet. The prophet
would not come just for that purpose or to overcome the biases to the name already mentioned. It is more that when a
true prophet of Y'hovah God is sent, he knows the name of the one who sent him, and reveals that name to those
he is sent to, just as Moses and all the prophets knew and used God's name . In other words, Joel's prophecy of people
who call on God's name indicates that there is a prophet among them leading them to the safety they have. We will
see further evidence of this as we go on.

40 You can see this in the Interlinear NIV Hebrew-English Old Testament by John R. Kohlenberger III.
41 Yahweh, Yahueh, Yahuweh and other “Hebroid” inventions do not conform to ancient biblical Hebrew.
42 Hear it pronounced at: www.EscapeAllTheseThings.com/yhovah.htm
 Righteous Delivered in Zion and Jerusalem 30

Righteous Delivered in Zion and Jerusalem

So where are the righteous supposed to “take refuge” from Wormwood? Let us continue now in Joel 2:32 to find out.
Joel 2:32— And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of YHWH shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in
Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as YHWH hath said, and in the remnant whom YHWH shall call.

Notice the context: “for in Mt. Zion and Jerusalem there shall be deliverance” or as some translations render it “be-
cause in Mt. Zion and Jerusalem there shall be an escape...” In other words, the method by which Y'hovah's righteous are
delivered is through a place of deliverance (at least initially). This natural reading of things would seem wrong, tempting
us to twist it, if we did not already understand from Revelation that the previous two verses in Joel refer to a global catas-
trophe brought on by Wormwood starting at the 6 th seal. During a global catastrophe, a safe place is desperately sought
by all, and Y'hovah is going to provide one for his servant, just like in the days of Noah (except in Noah's time no one
else besides the righteous survived, which is not the case this time).
Joel's “Delivered” Are the 144,000 Firstfruits on Mt. Zion
We already saw Revelation identify the 144,000 as God's servants who will be able to stand through Wormwood. Could
they be the same ones Joel talks of? Revelation 14 describes the identity of our 144,000 Israelites who have just received
a seal on their foreheads (Rev 7:3):
Revelation 14:1-5 — 1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had
his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a
loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and
before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are
blameless.

It says that the 144,000 Israelites “who shall be able to stand” through Wormwood are also gathered together at Mt.
Zion, just as Joel said those who call upon Y'hovah's name would be. The 144,000 Israelites are then at least part of
the group of whom Joel 2:32 speaks.
So what are they doing on Mt. Zion with an obvious representation of the Messiah (the Lamb)? The clue to the an -
swer for that comes through what the 144,000 Israelites are called in verse 4, “the firstfruits.” The term “firstfruits” prob -
ably has no significance to most Christians. But to those who understand Torah, it tells them immediately that this
scene has something to do with the annual Feast of Pentecost.
The 144,000 Israelites Fulfill The Loaves of Pentecost
Pentecost (Hebrew: Shavuot) is an early summer feast of Y'hovah. It is one of the three times per year that all the males
of Israel were to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Notice the instructions for Pentecost remembering from before that
what is said here is prophetic and to be fulfilled:
Leviticus 23:17, 20 (NIV) — 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with
yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to Y'hovah. ...20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before Y'hovah as a wave offering, together
with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to Y'hovah for the priest.

What we are seeing in Revelation 14, then, is the fulfillment of this Torah passage regarding the Feast of Pente-
cost. Let us compare the two in order to see this:
The Lamb = The Priest
The priest mentioned here is the high priest. The Lamb is Jesus (Jn 1:29) who, ever since his death as the Passover lamb,
became the High Priest for the fulfillment of Pentecost and the other holy days (Heb 3:1).
The 144,000 = The Two Leavened Loaves
The two loaves represent firstfruits of the harvest of the two houses of Israel—Judah and Ephraim—into which the
twelve tribes became grouped (Eze 37:15-21). Moreover, we already read that the 144,000 also come from the twelve
tribes. Neither the two loaves nor the 144,000 Israelites represent the entire houses of Israel as represented as two sticks
in Ezekiel 37, but just the firstfruits of the harvest of righteous Israel (Rev 14:14-16), or 12,000 from each entire tribe
(Rev 7), i.e. “the cream of the crop.” They are “redeemed from the whole earth” where the twelve tribes have been scat-
tered until the Messiah regathers them (Eze 37).
The “Lost Ten Tribes” are not completely lost to everyone, although they themselves are unaware of their own identi-
ty. The majority (not all) of the 144,000 Israelites will come from the USA, UK and the other Western Democracies
where the Lost Ten Tribes migrated. This, by the way, is the reason that these nations are generally Christian, acknowl -
edging the same God of the Bible that their Jewish brothers do, rather than one of the many other pagan gods worshiped
 The 144,000 Israelites Fulfill The Loaves of Pentecost 31

in the world. It is in their blood, and more importantly, guided by Y'hovah. God's intent that Israel be his chosen people
was not defeated despite their rebellion and exile (see Part 3 for more coverage of this fascinating topic).
Mount Zion = Before Y'hovah
The presentation of the two loaves had to be done by the high priest “before Y'hovah.” This referred to the holy temple
where he dwelt, on Mt. Moriah, or Mt. Zion. Although Mt. Zion is technically a different mountain on which David
founded the City of David, throughout the Prophets Mt. Zion poetically refers to either all of Jerusalem or specifically
the Temple Mount. Therefore, the 144,000 Firstfruits on Mount Zion would fulfill the Pentecost requirement that the two
loaves be presented before Y'hovah. This is confirmed here by the thunderous voice of Y'hovah himself described as
coming forth (Rev 1:15; Rev 10; Ps 29 the “Psalm of the Seven Thunders”) as well as the heavenly court in the throne
room of Y'hovah acknowledging the Firstfruits by singing with them.
From this analysis we can see that Revelation 14:1-5 does not have to be taken figuratively as is typical in Christian
interpretation, but can describe the literal fulfillment of the Pentecost rehearsal as described in Leviticus 23:17-21. In
fact, to fulfill all Torah as Jesus said must happen, something similar to what Revelation 14:1-5 describes must literally
happen. The 144,000 must literally be presented on the Temple Mount on some future day of Pentecost before the Messi-
ah returns to reign.
This is probably when and where the 144,000 sealing described in Revelation 7 takes place, given how little time
there appears to be between the start of Wormwood's effects at the 6 th seal (before Pentecost) and the impacts at the 1 st
trumpet (immediately after Pentecost)—the prescribed time boundaries of the sealing. Under current political conditions
this scene would be impossible because Jews are not even allowed to go on the Temple Mount to pray, let alone 24,000
of them (Judah + Benjamin) gathering with 120,000 “Gentiles” (the other ten tribes). Only remember, this happens after
the 6th seal has hit and everyone, including those who would normally stop this sort of thing, are running for shelter.
Nevertheless, all of the 144,000 must be in position before the 6 th seal happens. This would likely be accomplished by
God sending a prophet to notify them that it is now the time to escape to Israel, per the prophecies. I expect the promised
end time Elijah (Malachi 4:5) to arrive first and do this. Moreover, Israeli immigration policy which limits tourist visits to
three months would probably have to change to give everyone enough time to move there in waves and get settled. If an -
other war against the Muslims were to come, perhaps immigration restrictions would be loosened to help repopulate Is -
rael.
Joel 2:32 Also Fulfilled On Pentecost
If the above passages were all we had on the subject, we could already be fairly confident that the 144,000 Firstfruits are
sealed in Jerusalem on Pentecost when Wormwood is passing. However, there is one more passage that will make this
conclusion unavoidable for even the most skeptical. On the day of Pentecost when the baptism of the Holy Spirit fell
upon the Jewish followers of Jesus of Nazareth gathered in Jerusalem, notice which prophecy Peter quoted:
Acts 2:14-21 — 14 ...Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, 16 ...this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: ... 18 And on my servants and on my
handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and
signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before that great and notable day of Y'hovah come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Y'hovah
shall be saved.

Astounding! Peter was inspired to quote Joel 2:30-32 on the very day of Pentecost, even though none of what is de-
scribed in those last three verses of Joel 2 was fulfilled that day. Peter's apparent over quote was not a mistake. The Holy
Spirit inspired this to interpret Joel 2:30-32 for us. Peter referred to those around him who were just baptized in the Holy
Spirit as a forerunner of those whom Joel referred to as calling on the name of Y'hovah in Mt. Zion right “before the Day
of the Lord.” Therefore, this passage finishes our examination of Wormwood prophecies by bringing us full circle back
to Joel 2:32, where we started. It makes for a strong case that the 144,000 Firstfruits of Righteous Israel, who call
upon the name of Y'hovah, are sealed with protection from Wormwood in “Mt. Zion” on the Feast of Pentecost
right before the four trumpet catastrophes of Wormwood's passage begin.
This means that Act's Pentecost in the first century was only a partial or intermediate fulfillment that serves to show
us what to expect when Pentecost is completely fulfilled during our visitation from Wormwood. We can expect the same
baptism of the Holy Spirit to be poured out at least once more on God's servants on the Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem.
(What better time is there for the power of God's Spirit to return to manifest widely in his servants than when the world is
facing global catastrophe and about to be deceived by the Beast?)
Why Only Mt. Zion? – Protected in Jordan Next
Now, you may wonder why protection is only available in Mt. Zion and how it has enough room for the potentially mil-
lions coming. First, Mt. Zion does not mean only Jerusalem. In some contexts it includes the much larger surrounding
 Joel 2:32 Also Fulfilled On Pentecost 32

area of Judea. It turns out that God's protection plan for the GT that follows Wormwood requires you to already be in that
very region. In the Olivet Discourse Jesus said, “when you see the Abomination of Desolation, those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains...for then there shall be Great Tribulation” (Mt 24:15). This instruction is not some side comment
for a small subset of the body who “happen” to be in one particular area. Rather, this instruction will be relevant to essen -
tially all the saints left after Wormwood passes because they were gathered to Mt. Zion/Judea to be safe from it!
Where do they flee to through the mountains? Daniel indicates one place that the king of the North does not conquer
(Antichrist) after he makes Israel his headquarters (Dan 11:45, 41). It's called “Edom, Moab, and...Ammon” (i.e. south,
central and northern Jordan, respectively). Nearby Jordan must therefore be the place we all flee to after Judea. This two-
staged protection plan is hinted at by Zephaniah:
Zephaniah 2:1-2 — 1 [1] Gather yourselves together, yea, [2] gather together, O nation not desired; 2 Before the decree bring forth
[mark of the beast?], before the day pass as chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come...

How Do We Know When It Is Time For Us To Move To Israel?

I have been asked this question often over the years. The Bible does not tell us how exactly God plans to get us all there
or what event our departure immediately follows. Nevertheless, we have enough details in Scripture to get an idea of
when it is possible and when it is definitely not.
We learned that the 144,000 Firstfruits must already be at Mt. Zion before Pentecost for them to be sealed there that
day. Yet it appears that something radical must happen in the Middle East first to allow 144,000 non-Muslim, Gentile and
Jewish believers to move to Israel securely (without being kicked out after three months due to longstanding Israeli im-
migration policy). Moreover, a big change is in order to allow the construction of the prophesied altar on the Temple
Mount and the prophesied resumption of the morning and evening oblation (Dan 9:27; 12:11) right before the GT begins
(the halting of these sacrifices is the chief sign we are given for the start of the GT—Mt 24). The solution to all of these
needs could be found in the unfulfilled prophecies speaking of another (and probably final) Arab/Muslim-Israeli conflict.
This conflict is brewing now with the tension between Israel and Iran over Iran's uranium enrichment which Israel has
threatened to bomb (like they did to Iraq's). This is prophesied to happen before the GT. (See chapter 6 for details.)
However, even if we see this war, the altar under construction, or a completed altar with sacrifices being made, all it
tells us is that one or two prerequisites are out of the way. It still does not mean that the 70 th week is imminent or that it is
time to drop everything and move. The required Third Temple may still be built much later, perhaps in response to the
Wormwood devastation. (Israel might be inclined only then to turn back to God as a nation. They would then begin to
erect the Third Temple after decades of preparation by groups such as the Temple Mount Faithful under Gershon Sa -
lomon and Temple Institute under Rabbi Chaim Richmond.) Regardless of when the Third Temple is built, there has to
be a much clearer, unmistakable indication given to God's servants so they know when to move. What could it be?
“Elijah truly shall come first...”
The last time God had to move his people, he raised up a prophetic leader. Moses led the Israelites in the exodus from
Egypt and beyond. In the case of a move to Israel from all parts of the globe, God must again raise up someone with
clear, demonstrable power and authority (something none of us who know our Bibles recognize in existence today). It
calls for a true prophet working signs and wonders for this just as it does for a group to exist who know and call upon
God's actual correct name.
It just so happens that there is a prophecy of a great end time prophet. Malachi says “Elijah” is to come and properly
teach a return to the faith and commandments of God before the Day of the Lord (Mal 4:5, Mt 17:11). Jesus even said of
him that he would “restore all things” or “fulfill all things” (Mt 17:11 Lamsa). Revelation also predicts two prophets
called the Two Witnesses who do miracles reminiscent of the miracles of Elijah and Moses. Since Elijah was more of a
teacher of repentance and Moses more the gatherer and mover, perhaps the gathering prophet will not be Elijah but his
partner of the Two Witnesses.
Whoever this gathering prophet is, he will probably also train and prepare the 144,000 for their sealing/waving—and
their subsequent mission (see the Revelation Roadmap and Mystery of Disunity for more details). Therefore, it seems
probable that most of us will be moving to Israel only after this prophet appears on the scene to tell us that it is time to
follow the scriptural instructions regarding moving forth out of Babylon to Jerusalem (Rev 17-18; Jer 50-51; Joel 2). To
move now before that door is open would require facing many present obstacles of immigration rules, lack of work and
high taxes and cost of living in modern Israel. If we wait until God's timing, we will have miracles and other factors
working against the current obstacles for us.
Summary
Through having carefully put together all of these survival instruction verses (Joel 2; Rev 7; Rev 14; Lev 23; Acts 2) we
can now understand the following key points:
 Joel 2:32 Also Fulfilled On Pentecost 33

 Scripture warns us about Wormwood and describes how the servants of God must be delivered from it: This is
clear simply from how God sends his angels to hold back the global winds and deliver the 144,000 right before the
four trumpets devastate the Earth as Revelation and Joel record.
 Those delivered are both the 144,000 Firstfruits and “the Woman” of righteous descendants of Israel who “call
upon the name of Y'hovah”: The linking between Revelation 7 & 14 and Joel 2 is undeniable because they both
have his divine name and are both in Mt. Zion/Jerusalem on Pentecost to be delivered from the same description of
Wormwood's passage. “The Woman” is also implied in this survival group since they are found later protected during
the GT.
 Wormwood deliverance is promised only in “Mt. Zion”: Joel and Revelation both specifically mention Mt. Zion in
connection with those whom Y'hovah delivers from Wormwood. There is simply no indication of another place of de -
liverance. This perhaps is hard to understand or accept for some, but it is confirmed by several other prophecies such
as the Olivet Discourse.
 Wormwood's objects will begin hitting Earth immediately after the 144,000 Firstfruits are sealed on Pentecost:
The suspicion of this fact was first raised by the rumblings resulting from the angel throwing fire at Earth during the
7th seal—right before flaming meteorites first begin hitting Earth at the 1st trumpet. These rumblings are reminiscent
of the scene at Mt. Sinai when tradition says the Torah was given—on Pentecost (or certainly within days of that ac -
cording to Ex 19:1). Peter's quotation of Joel's description of Wormwood's effects (Joel 2:30-31), also on the day of
Pentecost, confirms this is the correct time frame. This is not so strange, but again, fits the pattern of how God has
worked in similar matters through history. For example, immediately after righteous Lot left Sodom, fiery rocks
rained down from heaven on the wicked (Lk 17:29). Again, on the very day that righteous Noah and his family moved
into the ark, the Earth shook, the springs of the deep burst, and the first rains ever began, bringing the flood (Gen
7:11-13; Lk 17:27). This is, by the way, what “just like in the days of Lot and just like in the days of Noah” refers to:
how the wicked are judged immediately after the righteous are taken to safety. 43
Pentecost...Of Which Year?
The big question after understanding all of this is, of course, “when will it happen?” For a few years, I could only say for
sure that Wormwood could not come that year or the next, given the absence of a prophet to call people to Jerusalem.
The exodus would take some lead time to accomplish, perhaps two years from his first appearance (Jer 51:45-46). How -
ever, in 2005 I realized I had forgotten something learned a few years before in my research. I am referring to the demon -
strable fact that the 70th week of Daniel is in fact a sabbath year cycle. The ramifications of this are huge and will be
covered in Part 2/Revelation Roadmap.
No Time To Waste
After reading this far, you now are among the few alive who have foreknowledge and understanding of Wormwood and
other disasters coming before the rapture and how to escape them. However, knowledge alone is not going to help you.
You must act on it.
It is human nature to put off things that do not seem urgent to us. So when I state (as of this writing in 2012) that
Wormwood cannot come any time soon, I feel responsible to qualify that with a warning against procrastination, apathy
or distraction. I hope you do not decide to put what is coming out of your mind and let the cares of this world take hold
of you again. Jesus warned about this pitfall specifically:
Luke 21:34-36 (HCSB) — 34 “Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life,
or that day will come on you unexpectedly 35 like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 But be alert
at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of
Man.”

Jesus said we have to keep our focus on the big picture and right priorities. The knowledge you now have should help
you to reassess your priorities and motivate you to change them accordingly so that you stay alert and keep the right fo -
cus. Mystery of Disunity in particular will provide helpful guidance on how to move in that direction. Begin seeking God
in prayer about these things as Jesus said and do not stop until you stand before him.

43 See www.EscapeAllTheseThings.com/days-noah-one-taken-left.htm for a full explanation.

 Chapter 5:
Common Concerns
After finishing the previous chapters on what's ahead and God's escape plan for it all, it is clear from the questions of past
readers that some have some doubts or concerns. In this new section for the 8 th edition of the book, the more common
concerns will be addressed.
Do You Have to Be One of the 144,000 To Survive?
When one first reads about the 144,000, it is easy to make the mistake of assuming that they are the only ones saved in
the end times. Yet, as we saw, Revelation 12 describes the “Woman” as being protected, too. Unlike the 144,000 who are
sealed to be safe wherever they travel (probably in order to accomplish the end time global witness of Mt 24:14), the
Woman is made up of the rest of the believers including those who are older or with young children and needing to be
kept in a safe, nurturing environment in Jordan (Edom, Moab, Ammon – Dan 11:41). Compared to the 144,000 there will
no doubt be millions of us making up the Woman.
Also, do not forget that some of the general population will survive Wormwood without God’s protection. We know
this because of all the people around to take the Mark of the Beast after. Once Wormwood hits, there will probably be
many of these who hear the 144,000's messages (Rev 14:6-12) and repent to escape being enslaved or beheaded (if possi-
ble).
Unbelieving Spouses, Finances, Passports, Smarts
If you have an unbelieving spouse or a spouse whose belief simply does not go so far as to accept the explanations of this
book, then it may be discouraging to hear of the coming end time exodus. The idea of a move like that may overwhelm
you if you have young children, rebellious teenagers, lack of money or no passports. Some are even concerned that they
may miss out because they are not “smart enough” to understand the Bible properly yet or may simply not feel “righteous
enough.”
There is no reason to be anxious about any of these perceived obstacles if you look at the exodus under Moses when
God gathered and saved all of his people who were in much worse circumstances. He took poor, probably illiterate
slaves and not only set them free and moved them to safety from Pharaoh's army, but also paid them back wages on the
way out (Ex 3:22)! If you doubt God would do that again, then you may be missing a parallel between both events:
Exodus 19:4 (HCSB) — You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me.
Revelation 12:14 (HCSB) — The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her
place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time.

The eagle's wings imply that we can expect miracles and other supernatural help for this exodus just like the last one.
Therefore, even if you are correct in thinking that you will not be strong enough, supported enough, financed enough,
smart enough or righteous enough to make it, that is not a problem. God will give everyone who wants to obey his plan
to escape the help they need to do so. If we were expected to be able to overcome all the obstacles on our own strength
or understanding (Pr 3:5) then Jesus would not have told us to pray for strength to escape (Lk 21:36).
Moving Early Just In Case
After learning that God plans to move us to safety from Wormwood, some become anxious and reason that it would not
hurt to move to a safer place as soon as possible. One belief is that if America is Mystery Babylon and it says "come out
of her my people" (Rev 18:4) then as soon as you understand that it would be best to get going. Others in America worry
about the conspiracy rumors of plans for martial law and putting resisters in secret concentration camps (allegedly al -
ready constructed throughout the country). If you research prophecy long enough on the Internet, you will run into ideas
like these that can make you wonder if you should not be moving early, just in case.
The most obvious problem with moving early is that we do not yet know the exact place to move to. Without further
revelation from God nobody knows for sure where it will be safe from the many things coming. To move early under
only the best human wisdom would be an expensive gamble at best and at worst could bring a more sure and immediate
disaster of ordinary causes.
As far as things like martial law stopping us from moving, it might help to remember that God is going to command
his servants to move, including specifically “flee Babylon.” It makes no sense that God would give instructions that ev -
eryone cannot follow because of closed borders or camp lockups. When the apostles were imprisoned and God wanted
them somewhere else, God broke them out (Acts 12:7).
Finally, all of this thinking overlooks the fact that the majority of God's servants cannot afford or manage an early
move like this. Therefore, if a move like this will really be necessary, then most of God's servants would perish. Yet God
is not only saving paranoid, radical, rich, nomadic prophecy watchers who do extreme things like this, just-in-case. There
are millions of upright believers who are too poor, too level-headed and too busy trying to make ends meet to pick up and
 Chapter 5: Common Concerns 35

move to a place on the basis of slim information or rumors. Thankfully God has a plan to save them all that does not re -
quire such gambles. We only need to ignore the rumors, put aside our anxiety and wait for God's call.
Not a Salvation Or Crown Issue, But an Opportunity
If you are still worried about being ready or making it through the end times, it may help to realize that it is just a ques -
tion of physical survival. Your success at living longer has nothing to do with your spiritual survival or salvation, or even
your “crown” (rule with Christ during the Millennium). You will still be glorified at the end of the age if you miss the es -
cape plan from Wormwood and meet your end prematurely. Some would then ask, why bother trying to survive if you
would just be resurrected and given your crown anyway? The answer is you would miss out on experiencing and seeing
all of God's plan unfold and the transition from this age to the next. I, for one, do not want to miss witnessing any of that.
Dollar Meltdown / Gold & Silver / Stocking Up
Instead of moving, more people are convinced of the wisdom of "stocking up." This means investing in survival food,
water, guns and ammo and/or in gold and silver coins. Of all the approaches to end time readiness covered so far, this is
the most reasonable-sounding one. Does not the Bible teach that the prudent see trouble coming and prepare? Did not
Joseph "stock up" in his time? Are we not as believers supposed to be wise and a light? And if we are prepared when oth -
ers are not, can we not then powerfully witness the gospel to unbelievers in their moment of need? Stocking up is much-
trumpeted for such reasons.
Regarding gold and silver some say that if we are living in the end times, investing in metals is simply a prudent thing
to do. They view it as similar to buying an insurance policy, as precious metals are likely going to keep rising in price.
When the economy is bad and gold and silver are breaking records people all the more are attracted to precious metals.
This idea can be compelling and tempting to the prophecy-savvy. However, there are serious problems with it, prob-
lems that are not explained by those selling goods or often considered by those buying them. If you think the strategy
through carefully for yourself, it is not hard to find major issues.
You Against the World
First, consider the record of how past crises have played out. Remember New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina? The rov-
ing gangs of looters? Police were overwhelmed and so shopkeepers were left to defend their own stores from looters.
Even police officers were looting!
Keep in mind that this was just one city that was receiving plenty of outside help from areas untouched by devasta-
tion. If our civilization collapses everywhere due to the global end times catastrophes spoken of in Revelation, the situa-
tion will be much worse than New Orleans. Nobody will be completely safe. There will be no escaping trouble and no
amount of preparation will insure anyone's survival. In desperation most will join looting gangs and steal from those who
have stockpiled what they need. If a global disaster hits, you probably will not be able to keep your supplies for long un -
less you have a personal army and are willing to kill those who come against you.
Risk and Expense
While gold and silver do have potential to make speculators a lot of money, it can be hit or miss. People who bought in
the times of the last recession (early 2000's) or current recession of the late 2000s will be quick to tell you how much
money they have made. However, if you look at a 20 or 36 year history of gold 44, you will see the drops that can affect
speculators. There are many points, such as the '70s or '80s, where if you had bought gold then you had a long wait be -
fore you could sell it even at your buying price. I used to collect gold and silver coins and I remember the depressed
prices of the '80s and '90s well. If you are seeing precious metals in highs, the lows cannot be too far behind. People ex -
perienced this after Y2K when the speculation-propelled gold price dropped. For this and other reasons, investors do not
normally allocate much of their portfolio to gold and silver. Once again, the challenge will be keeping your gold and sil-
ver from hostile parties if you are among the few who has the foresight to acquire some.
Another big problem with stocking up is that it is prohibitively expensive for most. It would take sacrifices in most
family's budgets to find the money to pull off even a partial amount of supplies or coins. Most people are already living
paycheck to paycheck and may just have to eat their stocks at the end of a month long before the end comes. This sounds
like no problem until you factor in the higher cost of buying survival foods compared to food at the supermarket.
Depreciation
This highlights yet another disadvantage to this strategy: if the end of the world does not come as planned, a negative
return is to be expected on your investment. After Y2K, many people who bought food supplies did the same thing—
they simply ate them. That does not sound so bad, "no harm no foul," except that they still were harmed financially from
the unnecessary investments in Y2K prep. Therefore, technically, it is improper to call these preparations investments as
some do; they are a disaster hedge or insurance. Real investments put your money to work for you and have an anticipa -
tion of growth. This means that putting money into stocking up represents an additional opportunity cost compared to a
44 goldprice.org/gold-price-history.html#36_year_gold_price
 Chapter 5: Common Concerns 36

real investment. These “safe” stored consumables lock up money so that they generate no interest or have any chance of
growth. If someone takes the same money and puts it into real investments or even stores it under their mattress, typically
they would have done better.
In other words, it is wiser to save or properly invest your money rather than tying it up in assets that will not work for
you or are not sure investments and even save you from the end of the world. (Note: I am not talking about stocking up
for local issues such as living in hurricane alley, tornado alley, the San Andreas Fault, etc. In those cases some small af -
fordable prep can help you greatly.)
Self-Sufficiency/Survivalism
Another common trap is the notion of learning survivalism or returning to a “more simple life.” People argue that if you
know cataclysmic events are coming in the future, then you "should" do what you can to prepare yourself, right? After
all, "God helps those who help themselves." (A saying that is not in the Bible, actually). Also, if the end times do not
come in your lifetime, you still have valuable skills such as farming, hunting, or self-sufficiency to call upon whenever
you need them in natural disasters, storms, being stranded, shipwrecked, etc.
I explored this option myself by going to a survivalist trade show while I still lived in Austin, Texas. They were sell-
ing MREs (meals ready to eat), guns, ammo, camping equipment, survival manuals and the like. Mixed in was a lot of
sovereignty thinking. For example, one shortwave radio show host priced his book for sale not in dollars but "20 FRNs."
"What's a FRN?," I asked. The reply came, "Federal Reserve Note." (Sovereignty teaches that we do not have real money
and we do not even have real dollars anymore. Very intriguing. A Bible teacher I know stopped payment on his house
mortgage once he became influenced by this teaching because he believed that what they loaned him was not real money.
He lost his house and moved to Israel.)
God Will Save City Slickers, Too
Needless to say, the survivalism trade show sure made me feel overwhelmed and seriously question the concept. I think
all I bought there were a few pocket-sized books on edible plants and other survivalism topics that I never read or used.
Nevertheless the trade show was not a complete bust. It helped me to realize that self-sufficiency and survivalism were
not easy and not for me. The problem is most of us are city-slickers or suburbanites who are not cut out for farming or
living out in the woods. It does not make sense that God expects all of us to completely change direction as adults and
spend all our time now learning how to be farmers and survivalists while maintaining jobs and families at the same
time...all without any explicit confirmation of it. Not everyone can do this on their own and if it is how God saves his
people, then again, quite frankly, most are doomed.
I do know some who went down this avenue. I met a family who moved to Panama to buy cheap farming land, have a
ranch and become self-sufficient. It only took them a few years to arrive at the same conclusion I did. They realized they
were making it harder than it had to be. They returned to the USA as soon as they sold their land. They are trusting God
to warn them in time to leave if they need to.
Following Conspiracy Websites
No matter how much wisdom you learn from this book, it will still be hard to stay out of fear and anxiety if you read
conspiracy websites. In fact, a large percentage of the questions I receive relate to concerns over things found on conspir-
acy theorist websites. To be sure, conspiracy sites are highly interesting. They are full of new intriguing ideas such as the
Illuminati, Freemasons, and other nefarious groups ruling the world behind the scenes, among many other shocking and
provocative revelations. Besides this, many think they will help you to know more specifically what the enemy has
planned and how to be ready for it. They hope to have an edge on end time preparation beyond what the Bible provides
for; even to better know the timing of when things are going to fall apart.
WorldNetDaily.com (WND) is a popular site of this kind. A good example of the types of stories you will read there is
one on transhumanism.45 It posits that attempts to upgrade and remove the limits to human capacity is an end time trend
that will mature under the Antichrist who will make war against God. If scientists are truly creating hybrid human-ani -
mals then this indicates the end must be around the corner and we should probably pay attention to it, right? Certainly,
this sounds like one of many things going on in the world that we should be aware of, even if they are not exactly shown
in the Bible.
Predictively Unreliable and Unhelpful
The problem with this approach often becomes evident only with time. After a few years of reading WND and even more
radical sites, I noticed a disappointing pattern. Just like with the repeated prophecy doomsday or rapture dates you proba -
bly have seen, I saw that there is always a new trend alert or crisis or conspiracy coming down the pike. Conspiracy sites
would predict a dirty nuke or suitcase nuke attack, or imminent war in the Middle East, or the Mark of the Beast (in the
Real ID or other new legislation or technology), etc., yet never once did I see any of these predictions prove accurate or
45 www.wnd.com/?pageId=334589
 Chapter 5: Common Concerns 37

helpful.
Even if they were, what could any of us do about them anyway? If God does not provide an escape from the real
threats coming, we are all doomed. So in the end, these articles only gave a constant stream of new things to fear and
worry about. Regarding that, Jesus asked which of us by worrying can add a cubit to our height (Mt 6:27)? He also said
that if we focus on God and his kingdom all these other things will be taken care of (Mt 6:33). The point is that, in the
end, certain areas of study only distract you from truly productive pursuits, like the Kingdom of God.
Like the speculative article on transhumanism mentioned above, conspiracy reports certainly did not help me to come
any closer to a proper understanding of Bible prophecy. They quoted a Bible verse or two, like the transhumanism article
does, but under careful scrutiny the Bible support is too often out of context or forced at best. I learned to stop wasting
time on such rabbit trails and focus again on finding out what the Bible actually predicts, as hard as it is at first (...and
second, and third). Like the Bible says, we have a "more sure word of prophecy." If you want to know what's coming,
that is where it is best to go. Conspiracy sites are not going to provide better answers than God's Word.
Financial Fall of America
For decades it has been said that the US economic system is a house of cards based on fiat currency, excessive deficit-
spending, and unsustainable debts which makes a collapse “inevitable.” The Great Recession of 2008 only increased the
support of this kind of talk. What if the US dollar falls or the American economy crashes? Should we not prepare for this
possibility? Some think so, and join the survivalists above in recommending gold and silver. But is it a sound strategy?
The same problems with stocking up listed in the section above apply here as well. Supplies cannot save you in a
breakdown of civilization like the end times will one day bring. Neither can some precious metals save you if the US col-
lapses economically so that the dollar is worthless causing panic to break out. A default of the dollar would not just affect
America because the dollar is the reserve currency of the world. If it or America disappears, it would bankrupt the world
and cause pandemonium everywhere.
In fact, we see exactly that described in Revelation 18 when America the Babylon is gone. However, the way her end
is described contradicts these economic collapse theories. It says that when America falls, she will still have the global
economic hegemony that she has today. This is evidenced by the merchants who have “grown rich from her” (v. 15)
“weeping” that nobody is left there in this prime marketplace to buy their goods (v. 11). So unless America's military de -
struction is decades away, it is not easy to rectify the economic collapse rumors with continued economic primacy de -
scribed in Bible prophecy.
Conclusion
If you have concerns that are not specifically addressed in this chapter, it may help to look through the above answers for
the underlying principles behind them. When you have heard what is coming and what God's plan is to save his servants
from it, you do not have to fear anything making you miss out on the escape when the time comes. Neither do you have
to waste time and money on other end time strategies before then, which will not save you anyway.
 Part 2:
Revelation Roadmap
After writing and releasing Planet X in Bible Prophecy, I did not rest on my laurels. I was curious about the rest of the
seals, trumpets and bowls of Revelation, as I am sure you can relate. Thankfully, I did not remain in suspense for long be-
cause figuring them out turned out to be easier than anticipated. Whereas, earlier in life, these mysterious passages
seemed ridiculously hard, now most of them fell into place relatively quickly and easily. Why the difference? The Worm-
wood breakthrough covered in Part 1 provided a solid foundation to build upon which accounted for the ease of further
progress.
A Jigsaw Puzzle Analogy
To illustrate how this works, I like to use the analogy of assembling a jigsaw puzzle. When you first look at all the pieces
laid out on the table in front of you, it is not clear where any given piece will end up fitting. You can see that some are
obviously corner and edge pieces, therefore you begin with them. Once you have the easier “low hanging fruit” done, it
becomes possible to see where some of the inner pieces connect with the outer border framework. After more and more
of the puzzle is correctly completed, pieces that earlier seemed able to fit anywhere eventually come down to having only
one single place where they can fit.
It is the same with the pieces of the end times Bible prophecy puzzle strewn throughout Revelation, Daniel, the Olivet
Discourse, Paul's letters, the OT Prophets and the Psalms. Once you have the 6 th seal through 4th trumpet of Revelation
sorted out, the rest of Revelation's seals-trumpets-bowls framework becomes identifiable. That would be equated to the
completed outside border of the jigsaw puzzle. Upon that you can then find where the rest of the prophecies of the NT
and OT must fit through clues from parallel NT prophecies or through simple deduction (like we will see with the timing
of the Middle East nuclear war).
The chapters that follow pick up where Part 1 left off and explain the end times events and prophecies from Revela -
tion and elsewhere. The last chapter of Part 2 puts everything together in timeline table.
 Chapter 6:
Next: The Middle East Nuclear War
Most Christians are familiar with the Bible's prediction of the “Battle of Armageddon” between Christ at his return and
the world's armies under the Antichrist. Yet, few know about the other war coming years before that, even though it has
much more coverage in the Bible. In fact, it will probably be a nuclear war. Multiple cities and their inhabitants will be
incinerated in minutes. The world will be shocked and probably outraged, as well.
Israel Will Nuke Damascus and Other Muslim Cities
Who will fight this unexpected nuclear war? The biggest recognized nuclear powers will not engage in it. Instead, Israel
will strike out with her nuclear weapons against several neighboring nations. She may do so to repel a final Arab-Muslim
onslaught overrunning her New Hampshire-sized borders again (like the Yom Kippur War). It may also be in reaction to
Muslims finally possessing the nuclear weapons needed to fulfill their threats to destroy the State of Israel. (A single suc -
cessful nuclear strike on Tel Aviv could accomplish this). Either way, Israel will have no choice but to resort to the so-
called Samson Option nuclear policy.
The Samson Option is Israel's version of MAD, or mutually assured destruction. Although she officially neither con-
firms nor denies it, it is well known that Israel has had nuclear weapons for decades. Her nuclear policy is named after
the hero from Judges who, although defeated and blinded, took out a large number of his enemies, including all their
leadership (Judges 16:4-30) in a final costly act. Paralleling that story, if Israel's very survival is threatened, the Samson
Option will immediately kick in. Damascus will be only one of the cities wiped off the map in the process, leaving very
little of the Muslim Middle East left, in spite of the grave international consequences that are sure to result.
After the Islamic nation's humiliating defeat, shock waves will reverberate throughout the world. The price of oil will
no doubt spike for some time after, bringing economic hardship to the world as a direct result.
Why It is Not Well Known
One of the reasons for this war's obscurity lies in how it is not mentioned anywhere in the Book of Revelation. Instead,
the prophecies that directly indicate this war are all in the OT, which is much less studied by Christians than the NT. Fur -
ther, most people simply cannot conceive of anyone being crazy enough to use nuclear weapons or of a modern nation's
capital being wiped out forever. A person in this paradigm is likely to conclude many of these prophecies are already ful -
filled or to mistake them for some other future event such as the Battle of Armageddon.
Already Fulfilled? Not If A Dual Prophecy
We will cover several prophecies, some of which are unmistakably unfulfilled, with others having partial or even com-
plete historical fulfillments. Keep in mind that just because a prophecy was fulfilled once, does not mean it cannot be
fulfilled again. Some believe that all prophecy as a rule has at least dual fulfillments. That claim is hard to prove, howev-
er, as we shall see, these same prophecies of destruction on Muslim cities are repeated in several of the Major and Minor
prophets. When clearly unfulfilled and possibly already fulfilled prophecies are repeatedly found side by side, it implies
that both prophecies will have a (or another) fulfillment in the end times.
Damascus – Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Amos 1
Isaiah 17:1 (HCSB) — An oracle against Damascus: Look, Damascus is no longer a city. It has become a ruined heap.

Here we are plainly told that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will one day be gone. Some say that this prophecy was
partially fulfilled in 732 BC when the Assyrians conquered Damascus (Aram). But Damascus never ceased to be a city.
On the contrary, Damascus is widely claimed to be the “oldest continuously inhabited city” in the world. 46 In fact, the
continued existence of Damascus today often appears on Bible skeptics' lists for reasons why the Bible is not true and
cannot be trusted!
Jeremiah 49 confirms this fiery fate leaving Damascus abandoned:
Jeremiah 49:23-27 (HCSB) — 23 About Damascus: Hamath and Arpad are put to shame... 24 Damascus has become weak; she has
turned to run; panic has gripped her. Distress and labor pains have seized her like a woman in labor. 25 How can the city of praise not
be abandoned, the town that brings Me joy? 26 Therefore, her young men will fall in her public squares; all the warriors will be
silenced in that day. ...27 I will set fire to the wall of Damascus; it will devour Ben–hadad’s citadels.

Amos may also predict end times fiery destruction in Syria:

Amos 1:3-5 (HCSB) — 3 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Damascus for three crimes, even four, because they threshed
Gilead with iron sledges. 4 Therefore, I will send fire against Hazael’s palace, and it will consume Ben–hadad’s citadels. 5 I will break
down the gates of Damascus. I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven, and the one who wields the scepter from Beth–eden. The
people of Aram will be exiled to Kir.

46 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus
 Damascus – Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Amos 1 40

Today, the most well-known way of turning a major city into a burnt heap of ruins is, of course, from a nuclear blast.
Isaiah 17 later gives reason to suspect it is a nuclear bomb from Israel:
Isaiah 17:12-14 (HCSB) — 12 Ah! The roar of many peoples— they roar like the roaring of the seas. The raging of the nations—they
rage like the raging of mighty waters. 13 The nations rage like the raging of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away,
driven before the wind like chaff on the hills and like dead thistles before a gale. 14 In the evening—sudden terror! Before morning—it
is gone! This is the fate of those who plunder us and the lot of those who ravage us.

From this passage, we learn other key things about this conflict:
1. Part of a wider war (“many peoples...many nations”)
2. Results from an attack on Israel (“plunder...ravage us”)
3. Begins and is decided in a single night (“evening...morning”)
Israel's Neighbors – Zechariah 12
Yet these conclusions about the nature of this war do not depend on Isaiah 17 alone. That Damascus' destruction results
from Israel's nuclear bombs during an Arab/Muslim-Israeli war is supported by several OT prophecies. Zechariah 12 is
one of them.
Most Christian prophecy teachers consider Zechariah 12 to be a prophecy of the Battle of Armageddon. Up until
2000, that is what I assumed, too. But after recognizing the plain and most likely meaning of Isaiah 17, I looked again at
Zechariah 12 and saw some problems with it being the Battle of Armageddon I had overlooked before:
Zechariah 12:2-6 (HCSB) — 2 “Look, I will make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering for the peoples who surround the city. The
siege against Jerusalem will also involve Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who try to lift
it will injure themselves severely when all the nations of the earth gather against her. 4 ...I will keep a watchful eye on the house of
Judah but strike all the horses of the nations with blindness. 5 Then [each of] the leaders of Judah will think to himself: The residents
of Jerusalem are my strength through the Lord of Hosts, their God. 6 On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a fire pot in a
woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the right and the left, while Jerusalem
continues to be inhabited on its site, in Jerusalem.

Judah Will Consume All the Peoples Like a Torch Among Sheaves
Did you catch it? Here the armies of Judah are the ones who bring the victory. Judah, the ancient tribe from which we get
the name “Jew” makes up the State of Israel today (in fact, they almost named it the State of Judah). Israel already pos-
sesses the nuclear weapons that can literally burn up their enemies like a torch does to dry grass. However, when Jesus
returns after God's seven bowls of wrath, he alone will supernaturally wipe out the enemies of God at Jerusalem. Revela-
tion 19 shows a sword coming out Jesus' mouth to defeat God's enemies:
Revelation 19:15 (ESV) — From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a
rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

Zechariah 14 describes the effects of this sword (or “breath of his mouth” as Paul says – 2Th 2:8) on the people:
Zechariah 14:12 (ESV) — And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against
Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in
their mouths.

By the way, some teachers say that this describes the effects of nuclear weapons. That sounds good until you consider
that God allowing a nuclear weapon to be detonated around Jerusalem would leave radioactive fallout on his capital.
Also that idea contradicts how Jesus is shown as the source of the plague (Rev 19:15) and not some external bomb.
“All the Nations of the Earth” – Yet Not Armageddon
Verse 3's “all the nations of the earth” is the main reason people peg this prophecy as part of “Armageddon.” This would
contradict the conclusion that this battle will be short and only involve Israel and her neighbors. The original word there
for “earth” is eretz. This Hebrew word is tricky because it can mean land (as in Eretz Yisrael, or Land of Israel; 1Sa
13:19) or earth (as in hug haaretz or “circle of the earth”; Isa 40:22) depending on the context and usage. In this case,
based on a correct understanding of the context as not Jesus' Armageddon fight but Judah's pretrib fight, “land” seems
like the better choice, referring to the nations “surrounding” Israel as verses 2 and 6 directly mention.
Arab-Muslim Conspiracy – Psalm 83
Psalm 83 may also be a prophecy of this war. Yes, prophecy. Many overlook that the Psalms are prophetic even though
the NT quotes many of them to explain why Jesus did certain things. He had to fulfill all prophecies about his first com -
ing, including from the Psalms.
Again, up until 2000, I had other ideas about this prophecy. Just as with Zechariah 12, I was taught that this psalm
 Arab-Muslim Conspiracy – Psalm 83 41

was a prophecy of Armageddon. The reason given was that if you count the nations listed in the chapter, there are ten,
just like there are ten heads or ten horns of the final Beast Empire which will take control of Jerusalem where the “An-
tichrist's” headquarters will be.
Not Armageddon
However, the reasons for the nations' attack simply do not fit the Antichrist's takeover of Jerusalem. Look at what the
psalm says:
Psalm 83:2-5 (HCSB) — 2 See how Your enemies make an uproar; those who hate You have acted arrogantly. 3 They devise clever
schemes against Your people; they conspire against Your treasured ones. 4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation so that
Israel’s name will no longer be remembered.” 5 For they have conspired with one mind; they form an alliance...

The Antichrist will take over Israel for his headquarters so he can present himself as God in the Third Temple (2Th
2:4) which he will keep in place and sit in. By contrast, the Muslims would without a doubt destroy the temple and every-
thing Judaic in Israel according to the stated goal to wipe out all memory of Israel's name.
Nuclear Destruction Described Again
Psalm 83:13-14 (HCSB) — 13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like straw before the wind. 14 As fire burns a forest, as a flame
blazes through mountains,

This passage likens the fate of the attackers to that of being burned up or turned to stubble, which again fits nuclear
blasts well. Nukes also create the strong winds or storm-like effects described.
Does God Do It Himself Supernaturally?
One bothersome thing is that the psalmist asks God himself to do it, rather than to empower Judah directly to do it with
her weapons. Before it bothers you too much, remember that the psalmist also goes on to ask that they be dealt with as
God did with the other enemies of Israel including the Midianites, Sisera, Jabin, Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah and Zalmunna (vss
9-11). The Book of Judges describes the defeat of all these enemies. In none of them did God bring supernatural victory,
like through an angel. Instead, he blessed Israel or inspired them with a winning strategy, such as in the case of Gideon
against the Midianites (using only 300 men to surprise and terrify the Midianites at night using torches in pitchers).
So a fulfillment of Psalm 83 does not require God to burn Israel's enemies supernaturally. Thus, we should look for
Israel to defeat her enemies in a way that looks surprisingly “lucky” or “smart” to the typical secular observer. This has
been exactly the case in all of modern Israel's other thrilling military victories. (For this reason, it is said by military
strategists that Israel's victories are impossible to emulate.)
All the Modern Islamic Enemies Identified
Who does the prophecy say these enemy nations are exactly?
Psalm 83:5-8 (HCSB) — 5 they have conspired with one mind; they form an alliance against You— 6 the tents of Edom and the
Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, 7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre. 8 Even Assyria has joined
them; they lend support to the sons of Lot. Selah

In Israel in Crisis: What Lies Ahead?, David Dolan identifies them:

The first seven people groups were all located east of Israel. They were semi-nomadic tribes whose fluid boundaries often overlapped.
The first two, Edom and the Ishmaelites, have also become synonymous today with the entire Arab-Muslim world. This is because both
peoples are thought to have migrated further south into the Arabian peninsula--the seat of Islam. On top of that, Ishmael is an important
figure in Islamic theology. So in modern terms, these names could be referring to the oil-rich country of Saudi Arabia, which backed
front-line Arab forces in 1948 and 1967, or to the entire Arab-Muslim world that stretches from Morocco to Oman. I believe the former
option is the most probable one.
Moab was situated due east of the Dead Sea, with Edom to its south and Ammon to its north. The other listed eastern tribes--the
Hagrites, Gebal and Amalek--mingled in this area. Of course, the name Ammon is very much still with us today. It is the capital of the
modern Kingdom of Jordan (usually spelled Amman in English). The fledgling country where these ancient tribes roamed played a
pivotal role in both the 1948 and 1967 wars.
It is not hard to identify the modern equivalent of Tyre. In biblical days, it was the leading city of Phoenicia. The area is now part of the
battle-scarred country of Lebanon. Israel’s northern Arab neighbor officially took part in both the Independence and Six Day wars,
although her military contribution was negligible. Since 1970, south Lebanon has been the most active battle zone between Arab (and
Iranian) Muslims and Israeli Jews.
...
One of the main Philistine towns was called Gaza. The modern city by that name has served as the unofficial seat of the Palestinian
autonomy government, while the Gaza Strip is home to over one million Palestinians. This provides a strong hint as to who the modern
equivalent of the ancient Philistines might be. An even greater hint is the very name “Palestinians,” derived from the ancient Philistines.
 Arab-Muslim Conspiracy – Psalm 83 42

Although they were not a significant military power in 1948 or 1967, Palestinian Arabs were at the political center of the wars that broke
out in those years. Had their leaders wholeheartedly accepted the 1947 United Nations partition plan, as a few recommended,
surrounding Arab states would have found it morally difficult to attack the emerging Jewish State. Palestinian sufferings over the years
have provided a potent excuse for the enduring “holy war” struggle against re-born Israel.
The last nation mentioned in Psalm 83 is the powerful Assyrian empire, which acts as “a help to the children of Lot,” i.e. to Moab and
Ammon. The biblical Hebrew literally states that Assyria has become “an arm” to Lot’s descendants. The great empire stretched over the
territory of several modern countries, including western Iran, parts of Turkey, most of Syria and even very briefly along Egypt’s Nile
River. But it was centered in what is today Iraq, with its capital, Nineveh, situated on the banks of the Tigris river.
Baghdad took a very active role in the 1948 and 1967 Mideast wars. However, it was mainly a supporting role, with Iraqi forces
bolstering those of Jordan and Syria. In that sense, Assyria’s modern equivalent was literally acting as a “helpful arm” to the eastern
front-line states.
So to summarize, the modern countries where the ten ancient people groups resided are Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, the Lord’s land
itself, Iraq and probably Syria.
Dolan would probably revise his analysis today to include Iran which was indeed part of Assyria as he touched on,
given that Iran is Israel's archenemy (and Jeremiah 49's prediction of its devastation) and pursuing nuclear weapons.
Egypt – Isaiah 19
Egypt is not mentioned in Psalm 83's perspective of the conspiracy to destroy Israel, but she is mentioned in Isaiah 19 as
receiving devastation, just like Damascus is in Isaiah 17:
Isaiah 19:4-18 (HCSB) — 4 I will deliver Egypt into the hands of harsh masters, and a strong king will rule it.... 5 The waters of the
sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry. 6 The channels will stink; they will dwindle, and Egypt’s canals will be parched.
Reed and rush will die. 7 The reeds by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the cultivated areas of the Nile will wither, blow
away, and vanish. 8 Then the fishermen will mourn. All those who cast hooks into the Nile will lament, and those who spread nets on
the water will shrivel up. ... 10 ...all her wage earners will be demoralized. 11 ...Pharaoh’s wisest advisers give stupid advice! ... 13 ...Her
tribal chieftains have led Egypt astray. 14 The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of confusion. [The leaders] have made Egypt stagger
in all she does, as a drunkard staggers in his vomit. 15 No head or tail, palm or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt. 16 On that
day Egypt will be like women. She will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of the Lord of Hosts when He raises it
against her. 17 The land of Judah will terrify Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble because of what the Lord of
Hosts has planned against it. 18 On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the
Lord of Hosts. ...

How the “sea” of the Nile river at overflow dries up is not specified. Some speculate that in a war with Egypt, Israel
would bomb the Aswan High Dam or divert the Nile in a narrow chasm in the upper Sudan. Nevertheless, just as Isaiah
17 implicates Israel at the end by explaining it came from nations trying to rob her land, so does Isaiah 19. It says the
Egyptians are feeble like women owing to their dread of Judah (again, the modern State of Israel). Conquest by Israel
may also be indicated by how five cities of Egypt become Hebrew-speaking (and eventually loyal to God in the Millenni -
um). Bad leadership is given as a reason for Egypt's situation. Egypt has already battled Israel four times under such lead-
ership with grave economic and human consequences.
Iran, Saudi Arabia – Jeremiah 49
Modern Iran is represented by the biblical names of Persia and Elam, although there is some debate over whether Elam is
not part of Iraq instead.
Jeremiah 49:35-37 (HCSB) — 35 ...I am about to shatter Elam’s bow, the source of their might. 36 I will bring the four winds against
Elam from the four corners of the heavens, and I will scatter them to all these winds. There will not be a nation to which Elam’s
banished ones will not go. 37 I will devastate Elam before their enemies, before those who want to take their lives. I will bring disaster
on them, ...I will send the sword after them until I finish them off.

Elam's devastation will be so bad that it causes all the inhabitants to scatter. With Iran's nuclear reactor and uranium
enrichment facilities, it is not hard to imagine a bad radiation leak or uranium contamination scattering the population. Is -
rael's threat to attack Iran's nuclear program could easily play into this (covered below).
Jeremiah 49:28-33 (HCSB) — 28 About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor...the Lord says: Rise up, go against Kedar, and destroy the
people of the east! 29 They will take their tents and their flocks along with their tent curtains and all their equipment. They will take
their camels for themselves. They will call out to them: Terror is on every side! 30 Run! Escape quickly! Lie low, residents of Hazor
...32 Their camels will become plunder, and their massive herds of cattle will become spoil. I will scatter them to the wind in every
direction, those who shave their temples; I will bring calamity on them across all their borders . ...33 Hazor will become a jackals’ den,
a desolation forever. No one will live there; no human being will even stay in it as a resident alien.

The passage describes the total military devastation of Saudi Arabia causing the inhabitants to be scattered world-
 Iran, Saudi Arabia – Jeremiah 49 43

wide. Verse 33 states that Saudi Arabia's desolation will last forever, unlike Iran's.
Jordan – Isaiah 15, Amos, Obadiah, Ezekiel 25
Isaiah 15:1, 6 (HCSB) — 1 An oracle against Moab: Ar in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a night. Kir in Moab is devastated,
destroyed in a night. 6 The waters of Nimrim [northern part] are desolate; the grass is withered, the foliage is gone, and the vegetation
has vanished.

There is no historical record of the fulfillment of this prophecy (and even if there was, that does not rule out it being
dual). The interesting thing that may tie it to the coming war is that it again mentions destruction in a single night like
Isaiah 17. The associated desolation of the land and vegetation is consistent with nuclear blasts.
Obadiah 5-9, 17-18 (HCSB) — 5 If thieves came to you, if marauders by night— how ravaged you will be!...6 How Esau will be
pillaged, his hidden treasures searched out! 7 Everyone who has a treaty with you will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with
you will deceive and conquer you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you. He will be unaware of it. 8 ...will I not eliminate
the wise ones of Edom and those who understand from the hill country of Esau ? 9 Teman, your warriors will be terrified so that
everyone from the hill country of Esau will be destroyed by slaughter. 17 ...the house of Jacob will dispossess those who dispossessed
them. 18 Then the house of Jacob will be a [blazing] fire, and the house of Joseph a [burning] flame, but the house of Esau will be
stubble; they will set them on fire and consume them. Therefore no survivor will remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.

Obadiah says Jacob will dispossess Jordan's land after burning them like stubble. Jacob is the original name of Israel.
In end times prophecy, it might refer to the Lost Ten Tribes especially when it is mentioned with the house of Joseph
(while the House of Judah refers to what is mainly modern Israel). As discussed in the Mystery of Disunity, these Lost
Ten Tribes have migrated mainly to the Western Democratic nations where Christians are concentrated and therefore
where those with “the faith in Jesus” (Rev 12:17; 14:12) mostly come from. If the verse about Joseph burning Esau is
part of the end time fulfillment of this prophecy, then it could mean that American forces already in the area strike Esau.
Ezekiel 25:12-14 (HCSB) — 12 ...“Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah and incurred grievous guilt by taking
revenge on them, 13 therefore ...I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off both man and animal from it. I will make it a
wasteland; they will fall by the sword from Teman to Dedan. 14 I will take My vengeance on Edom through My people Israel, and they
will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath...

Ezekiel 35:7, 9 (HCSB) — 7 I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will cut off from it those who come and go....9 I will make
you a perpetual desolation; your cities will not be inhabited.

Ezekiel 25 and 35 confirm that Israel will bring the end of Edom (and, with it, the complete annihilation of the de -
scendants of Esau):
Jeremiah 49:1-5 (HCSB) — 1 About the Ammonites...Why...has Milcom dispossessed Gad and his people settled in their cities? 2
Therefore look, the days are coming ...when I will make the shout of battle heard against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a
desolate mound, and its villages will be burned down. Israel will dispossess their dispossessors...3 Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is devastated;
cry out, daughters of Rabbah!... Milcom will go into exile together with his priests and officials. 5 Look, I am about to bring terror on
you— ...from all those around you. You will be banished, each man headlong, with no one to gather up the fugitives.

Moab (central Jordan) will also be destroyed, although not completely. A remnant will return (Jer 48:47). Ammon
(northern Jordan), will be partially destroyed prior to becoming possessed by Israel.
Palestine – Amos 1, Zephaniah 2
Amos 1:6-10 (HCSB) — 6 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Gaza for three crimes, even four, because they exiled a
whole community, handing them over to Edom. 7 Therefore, I will send fire against the walls of Gaza, and it will consume its citadels.
8 I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod, and the one who wields the scepter from Ashkelon. I will also turn My hand against Ekron, and
the remainder of the Philistines will perish. The Lord God has spoken. 9 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Tyre for three
crimes, even four, because they handed over a whole community of exiles to Edom and broke a treaty of brotherhood. 10 Therefore, I
will send fire against the walls of Tyre, and it will consume its citadels.

Zephaniah 2:4-5 (HCSB) — 4 For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a ruin. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and
Ekron will be uprooted. 5 Woe...nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines: I will
destroy you until there is no one left.

Until the 2006 withdrawal, Gaza was Israeli. Now that it is full of Palestinians, the devastation of Gaza becomes con -
ceivable along with the other Palestinian areas which would marshal soldiers against Israel.
Other Prophecies
There are many other prophecies that could fit this same war, including several of the “burdens” of Isaiah from chapter
 Palestine – Amos 1, Zephaniah 2 44

13 through 24, Zechariah 9, etc. More details about the war may be found there if the reader cares to dig deeper. The
same enemy nations above are mentioned together in prophecies of desolation against them there, too. However, watch
out for a few that seem to fit but do not, such as the following:
Ezekiel 38 & 39
Ezekiel 38 and 39 contain several clues pointing to a different timing. Both include statements about “everyone will
know the Lord,” “from that day forward,” “never will he hide His face from them again” and “never will they pollute his
name again.” This cannot describe a pretrib event before the Antichrist comes and convinces the world that he is God
(2Th 2:4). Instead, compare these chapters with Rev 20 and 19, respectively, to see how they match two separate post-
tribulation battles: (1) Satan's final rebellious attack on a defenseless Israel, and (2) Armageddon with the birds feasting
on the fallen's flesh (Eze 39:17-20=Rev 19:17-20). See chapter 7 for a full explanation of the Gog Magog War.
Isaiah 29
Isaiah 29 may seem at first to refer to this same war. Yet notice that in verse 6 God says he will visit Israel's enemies with
thunder, storm, fire and earthquake and they will disappear like they were just a bad dream. Unlike Psalm 83, there is no
simile used or comparison to Israel's past victories on her own. At face value this means God's supernatural power will
accomplish it, just as Revelation 19 says about Armageddon.
Why Would the Muslims Attack Nuclear Israel?
Currently, the Islamic nations listed in Psalm 83 are not quite allied militarily as the psalm requires. What has to happen
next is that all the Islamic peoples mentioned there and in other prophecies unite with the described singleness of mind
and (military) purpose. Only extreme states like Iran or Syria already openly express the stated goal of Psalm 83 to cut Is -
rael off completely. They voice a bitter “everlasting hatred” (as Hal Lindsey calls it in his book by the same title) that the
Bible predicted (Eze 35:5; 25:15; Gen 16:13-16; 17:18-21; 21:9; Ob 10-14). They also desire to erase the embarrassment
of an Israeli state in their midst which they have failed to eradicate several times already. Yet Israel's formidable nuclear
arsenal and her will to use it still deters the extreme Muslim states.
Many of the moderate states have peace treaties with Israel. As far as the peace treaties are concerned, the Islamic no -
tion of hudna says it is legitimate to enter into false treaties with infidels and then break them when in a position of
strength. Therefore, it appears that the only thing keeping the Muslims at bay has been Israel's nuclear deterrent. What
then would convince them to disregard the risk of being incinerated and to attack? One possibility is that if they had their
own nuclear weapons and could strike with them first, this would neutralize Israel's nuclear advantage. That nuclear
weapon gap could explain why the Arabs have not attacked Israel together again since 1973's Yom Kippur War.
Iranian and Arab Nuclear Ambitions
Iran is infamous for having a nuclear energy program despite having some of the greatest oil reserves in the world . Could
their nuclear ambitions include nuclear bombs? Jerome Corsi has written a book called Atomic Iran warning of not only
that, but of a wider war involving global powers (which I contend that prophecy does not agree with because of how
quickly and decisively Israel will win).
Yet there is always a good chance you can be wrong when speculating about prophecy based on current events. Cur-
rent developments may seem to fit prophecy only until something even better comes along. It may not be Iran who trig-
gers the war, despite how she obviously shares the same hatred for Israel that the Arabs do. Iran's president has spoken
words very close to Psalm 83's “let us wipe them out as a nation so they are remembered no more.” Yet, Iran is not the
only one who may be developing nuclear weapons. Jordan announced in 2007 her own “peaceful” nuclear energy pro -
gram.47 You may recall that Jordan jumped in the fray against Israel in 1967's Six Day War. We just do not know for sure
who will cause the conflict or how or when.
The important point is that for this prophesied Middle East nuclear war to happen, it seems most likely that the Mus-
lims must first find a way to neutralize Israel's nuclear advantage, probably by matching it with their own. Therefore,
whether it is Iran under Ahmadinejad who provides them or not, I would expect the Muslims to continue to wait until
they have acquired nuclear weapons. Once Israel's enemies possess or are near possessing nuclear weapons, watch for
them to form an alliance and talk brazenly as Psalm 83 says. Israel may preempt their attack or simply crush it as soon as
it begins.
Results of the War
Regardless of what triggers the war, it will happen and we can easily imagine the aftermath of it. The world will be in
shock over the first nuclear attack since 1945. It could be very harmful for the world economy, just as there was a reces -
sion in America following the shocking 2001 World Trade Center “9-11” attack.

47 haaretz.com/hasen/spages/815304.html
 Why Would the Muslims Attack Nuclear Israel? 45

Energy Crunch and Recession?

Israel nuking several M.E. cities could spread fallout in the oil-producing region and disrupt oil production. Even if that
is completely avoided, Iran has threatened to disrupt the oil flow if attacked. She plans to torpedo oil tankers going
through the Strait of Hormuz where one quarter of the world's oil supply passes. The result in either case would be a ma -
jor energy crunch worldwide. The global economy could be hurt with temporarily higher energy prices.
Economic Setback in Isaiah 17
Jerome Corsi claims that sleeper cell Hezbollah agents exist in America ready to strike targets on American soil, perhaps
even with low yield nuclear weapons, in defense of Iran. This could seriously constrict the US (and world) economy even
worse than 9-11 did.
Isaiah 17:4 (HCSB) — On that day the splendor of Jacob will fade, and his healthy body will become emaciated.

The use of the term Jacob (as we saw in Obadiah above) here may confirm that the Western nations (or at least Ameri-
ca) will be hurt economically from the attack on Damascus. A similar “emaciation” of America's economic health, or re -
cession, happened from the 1973 OPEC oil embargo in retaliation for America helping Israel in the Yom Kippur war.
Jordan Destroyed In Preparation For the Woman?
If the destruction of Jordan happens, it could explain how the way is prepared for the Woman of Revelation 12 to flee to
Edom, Moab and Ammon (which Daniel 11:41 lists as the only place that the Antichrist cannot control). Perhaps these
parts of Jordan will be deserted so that they can be prepared specifically for God's servants to stay for the GT. Living in a
desolated land is not so far-fetched when you consider that we will need supernatural protection to be safe from the An -
tichrist there or anywhere, anyway. Also, let us not forget that in the last exodus of God's people when the Israelites wan-
dered the desert for 40 years, God gave the supernatural provision of manna, or bread from heaven, and water from the
rock. The manna ceased on the day they collected the first harvest in the Promised Land (Jos 5:12).
War Timing
We have covered why several of the above prophecies do not fit the second coming of Christ. So when do they fit in the
scheme of things? When can we expect this war to happen? Our choices are few, and thankfully the process of elimina -
tion rules out all but one of them.
Armageddon does not fit as we already discussed. The millennial or post-millennial periods do not work either. The
former is 1000 years of peace and the latter has only one brief war right when Satan is released and then he is cast into
the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:10).
That leaves the tribulation or pretribulation periods. What many do not realize is that Jesus said that the GT will be
similar to the Millennium with its one world government and peace and prosperity. Like Christ, the Antichrist will con-
quer and control all nations who resist him near the beginning of his reign (Dan 11:44=Rev 9:13-21). After that, we have
a picture of peace and prosperity: eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage—until the day that Jesus gathers
his bride in the rapture (Mt 24:38-41).
Thus, only a pretribulation timing fits for this war since it is not a war between the Antichrist and the opposition to his
reign. Although you cannot find any mention of this war in Revelation, the 6 th and 7th seals of Revelation 6 actually re-
quire a major sea-change event just like it to make their fulfillments possible. (Part 1/Planet X in Bible Prophecy details
the reasons why).
For these reasons, I am convinced that the next major prophecy ready to be fulfilled is the Middle East nuclear war.
This will be followed by the coming of the promised end times prophet like “Elijah.” He will gather God's people to
Jerusalem by calling them maybe for a couple of years prior to the 6th seal's arrival (Jer 51:45-46). In other words, I ex -
pect it to happen near the start of the 70th week or final seven years.
 Chapter 7:
Two Gog Magog Wars
According to the last chapter, the next event in prophecy is the M.E. War. Yet many people expect the Gog-Magog War
of Ezekiel 38 and 39 next. Further, since these two neighboring chapters are so similar, the consensus is that they are the
same prophecy predicting a single attack on Israel by the same "Gog." Under that mistaken assumption, most try to iden-
tify a single Gog/Magog, using current events as their guide to ever varying results. This tends to lead to wrong conclu -
sions on the time frame of the prophecies, too. As we shall see, the solution to this impasse is to put aside the identity
question and treat Ezekiel 38 and 39 as not one prophecy but two separate ones. Then when you link them up to two
clearly parallel chapters in Revelation, the meaning and timing of these prophecies becomes clear.
The Gog and Magog Single War Misconception
There are many opinions on who Magog represents and what the timing of the Magog attack on Israel is. When the Cold
War was raging, few doubted that the land of Magog was Russia. Today with Islam having become the new prophetic go-
to bogeyman, some propose Arabs for Gog or Islamic lands for Magog. (This is also why now several Islamic political
figures are in vogue as Antichrist candidates, something that was unheard of before.)
Once you understand the true meaning of these prophecies, it is easy in hindsight to see why they were so difficult.
God has cleverly placed two extremely similar prophecies right next to each other in the Bible. For several good reasons,
most readers naturally assume that these two consecutive chapters are one prophecy speaking of one event.
First and foremost, the chapters have many major parallel elements. Both speak of an attack on the land of Israel from
the land of “Magog” or “Meshech and Tubal.” Both involve many nations besides just Magog. Both wars end quickly
with the complete defeat of Magog through God's intervention.
To make matters worse, the name of the person leading the attack is also the same in both chapters: “Gog of Magog,
chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” If it only said that the same nation was attacking Israel more than once, it would not
be so tempting to merge them. Israel's neighbors have attacked her repeatedly throughout history. Yet, the fact that we ap -
parently have the same man leading the attack in both chapters makes it seem less likely they are two separate attacks.
After all, a man only lives so long and preparing for another attack takes time. Plus, in both chapters, Gog and his nation
are soundly defeated making the saying, "he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day" inapplicable here.
Thus, it certainly seems safe to conclude that there is only one attack by Gog on Israel and it is expressed twice in the
two chapters, just as the most popular accepted theory says.
How To Compare Bible Passages
The "One Gog/Magog War" interpretation seems reasonable until you dig deeper and find an overlooked difference be -
tween the two chapters. Admittedly, normally it is not enough to just find any difference in the details between two simi -
lar prophecies. You need to find a clear contradiction between them that renders them not just different but incompatible.
For example, it would be a mistake to say that since one chapter mentions Gomer joining with Magog and the other
does not, that therefore the chapters speak of two different events. The Bible does not work that way. If you attempt to
use that type of unforgiving matching logic, you will come up with all kinds of incorrect theories, such as there being
more than one rapture, or more than one 144,000, etc.
Instead, when you read the Bible you have to use a more flexible or forgiving matching logic so that you harmonize
compatible differences between accounts. If one passage mentions details A and B and another passage says B and C
then rather than judge them not the same event (A, B ≠ B, C), you have to consider the possibility that they might togeth -
er be describing the same entity with aspects (A, B and C). The harmony of the Gospels, or the attempt to merge the par-
allel Gospel accounts of Jesus' life, uses similar matching.
Despite that consideration, there just so happens to be an irreconcilable difference between Ezekiel 38 and 39.
The difference has to do with who is in the land of Israel at the time of each war. Let us look at the two chapters in detail
to highlight this difference.
Ezekiel 38's Israel: Fully Regathered, Secure, Unwalled
Ezekiel 38 gives significant details about Israel when Gog attacks.
Ezekiel 38:8, 11-12 (HCSB) — 8 After a long time you will be summoned. In the last years you will enter a land that has been restored
from war and [1] regathered from many peoples to the mountains of Israel, which had long been a ruin. They were brought out from
the peoples, and all of them now [2] live securely. 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against [2] a land of open villages; I will come against
a tranquil people who are [2] living securely, all of them living [2] without walls and without bars or gates— 12 in order to seize spoil
and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against ruins now inhabited and against a [1] people gathered from the nations, who have been
acquiring cattle and possessions and who live at the center of the world.’

The Israel described by Ezekiel 38 is very different from today's Israel in two major ways (highlighted in these verses
with bracketed numbers):
 Ezekiel 38's Israel: Fully Regathered, Secure, Unwalled 47

1. Completely Regathered - Magog attacks an Israel that is regathered completely from the nations. This might seem
to fit the regathered Jews living there today for those who do not understand the "Two Houses of Israel" in the Bible. Re-
member, the Jews themselves are only some of all Israel. They are the House of Judah. The majority of Israel is called the
House of Israel or Lost Ten Tribes (LTT) because unlike Judah, they lost their identity after their exile. Today, the LTT
are still mixed in among the nations where God scattered them in punishment until Messiah returns to regather them (Dt
4:27; 30:3; Ne 1:8; Jer 31:10; Eze 6:8; 12:5; Joel 3:2; Zec 7:14; Jer 37:21; Acts 1:6).
2. Defenseless Yet Secure - Before the attack, Israel is living peacefully without any fortifications or thought to de-
fense at all. This is the complete opposite of the picture of Israel's security today. In fact, ever since the very founding of
the modern nation of Israel in 1948, Israel has been at war or preparing for war with her enemies or suffering from civil-
ian terrorist attacks. Due to this, military service is mandatory for both male and female Israelis. Israel even has con-
structed a literal defensive barrier hundreds of miles long consisting of part "wall" and part fence.
Clearly Ezekiel 38 does not describe the Israel of today. More importantly, as we shall see, it cannot be describing
the same Israel as Ezekiel 39 describes Gog attacking.
Ezekiel 39's Israel: Partial Israel, Before the Regathering
Now, unlike Ezekiel 38, Ezekiel 39 does not give any details about the "mountains of Israel" that Gog attacks. But it does
describe major developments that directly result. These changes indirectly tell us what we need to know about the nation
of Israel attacked by Gog in Ezekiel 39:
Ezekiel 39:20-26 (HCSB) — 20 At My table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, of mighty men and all the warriors.” 21 “I will
display My glory among the nations, and all [1] the nations will see the judgment I have executed and the hand I have laid on them . 23
And [2] the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity... 25 “So this is what the Lord GOD
says: Now [3] I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have compassion on the whole house of Israel...26 They will feel remorse for
their disgrace...when they [3] live securely in their land with no one to frighten them. 22 [4] From that day forward the house of Israel
will know that I am the LORD their God.

In reading this passage, it is crucial to realize that it is a direct continuation of the war prophecy and not some discon-
nected tangent as OT prophecies often digress into. It tells us four things that happen as a result:
1. The nations know that their defeat in the war was judgment by God's hand to his glory.
2. They will know why Israel was exiled by God. We do not have to wonder how they will know that because of
the third change...
3. God now regathers Israel to their land and causes them to live securely with no enemies. (This is the same re-
gathering as Jer 23:7-8, Ezekiel 37:15-28 and many other passages refer to.)
4. Israel knows their God from that day forward. (Makes sense since they will not be exiled and scattered again.)
Thus, we can see that the regathered and secure status of Israel in Ezekiel 38 is a direct result of the Ezekiel 39 war
and aftermath! If Ezekiel 39 is a prerequisite to the conditions of Ezekiel 38 then obviously this means that these two
wars cannot be the same war but must be two separate wars.
Further, the sequence must be that Ezekiel 39 comes first then after some time Ezekiel 38 follows. That means these
prophecies are listed in non-chronological order, as is very common with OT prophecies. To put it plainly, we then must
have these two wars in order:
1. Ezekiel 39 = Gog/Magog War #1
2. Ezekiel 38 = Gog/Magog War #2
Finding the Timing of Gog/Magog War #2
As promised, it is not hard to figure out the timing of both Gog/Magog wars once you realize they are not the same war.
However, the second war is the easier of the two to figure out, so we will start with that.
If Gog/Magog War #2 happens to a safe, secure, regathered Israel, then there is only one place where it can fit. The
second exodus or regathering of all Israel takes place at the start of the Millennium. The Millennium is known as 1000
years of peace. That means the war must come sometime after the Millennium ends. The only post-mil war mentioned in
the Bible is also the only other prophecy outside of Ezekiel talking about a Gog/Magog attack: Revelation 20. This
makes it a clear parallel prophecy to Ezekiel 38:
Revelation 20:7-9 (HCSB) — 7 When the 1,000 years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to
deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea.
9 They came up over the surface of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city [Jerusalem, Israel]. Then
fire came down from heaven and consumed them.

Some might object that Ezekiel 38 describes the war ending differently than Revelation 20 because it lists several
 Finding the Timing of Gog/Magog War #2 48

things other than fire sent against Gog:

Ezekiel 38:22 (HCSB) — I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire,
and brimstone on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him.

However, fire is indeed mentioned in both accounts and everything mentioned is related, being precipitation. Revela-
tion 20 is just a very abbreviated (two verse) account of the war. As such, it is reasonable that it only mentions one thing
(fire) and not all the other precipitation God sends to fight Gog/Magog.
Finding the Timing of Gog/Magog War #1
Ezekiel 39 gives several clues to its exact timing. If you have a good understanding of God's plan from Bible prophecy,
just a few of these clues will be enough to know instantly the only place this war fits:
Ezekiel 39:7, 22, 28-29 (HCSB) — 7 So I will make My holy name known among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be
profaned. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel. ... 22 From that day forward the house of Israel will
know that I am the LORD their God. ...28 They will know that I am the LORD their God when I regather them to their own land after
having exiled them among the nations. I will leave none of them behind. 29 I will no longer hide My face from them, for I will pour out
My Spirit on the house of Israel.

There is only one time in God's plan that could claim all of the changes underlined above, especially the part about re -
gathering all Israel to their land and pouring out his spirit on them all (Joel 2:18-29). That time would be the Millennium,
or the 1000 years of God's Kingdom of resurrected immortal glorified saints ruling the earth (Rev 20:4).
For any of these changes to be true "from that day forward" and for God to "no longer hide his face," this war would
have to conclude right before the Millennium begins. That would mean that this war happens on the Day of the LORD it-
self as this verse may be referring to:
Ezekiel 39:8 (HCSB) — Yes, it is coming, and it will happen. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. This is the day I have spoken
about.

Admittedly, that verse certainly could stand to be more specific about which “day” God is speaking about. To clinch
this timing, let us review key points Ezekiel 39 says about the end of its war which mirror a parallel war prophecy whose
timing everyone knows:
Ezekiel 39:3-4, 17-20 (HCSB) — 3 Then I will knock your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand.
4 You, all your troops, and the peoples who are with you will fall on the mountains of Israel. I will give you as food to every kind of
predatory bird and to the wild animals. 17 “Son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: Tell every kind of bird and all the wild
animals: Assemble and come! Gather from all around to My sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the
mountains of Israel; you will eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the earth’s
princes: rams, lambs, male goats, and all the fattened bulls of Bashan. 19 You will eat fat until you are satisfied and drink blood until
you are drunk, at My sacrificial feast that I have prepared for you. 20 At My table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, of mighty
men and all the warriors.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.

The parallel prophecy for Ezekiel 39, like Ezekiel 38, is in Revelation. You may be shocked to learn which war
Ezekiel 39 is parallel to:
Revelation 19:17-21 (HCSB) — 17 ...an angel ...cried out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather
together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the
flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.” 19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of
the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against His army. 20 But the beast was
taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed the signs in his presence. He deceived those who accepted the
mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns
with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds were filled with
their flesh.

Yes, this is Revelation's account of the famous "Battle of Armageddon." It happens when Jesus returns with his glori-
fied raptured saints from heaven to destroy the Beast and his armies. Just like Ezekiel 39, it goes into great detail about
how God has prepared a feast of kings and their armies for birds and beasts to dine on. Further, just like Ezekiel 39 al-
ludes to, this prophecy is immediately followed in order by the Millennium when God rules on earth and reveals himself
to all (Rev 20:4).
 Common Objections 49

Gog/Magog #1 Millennium Gog/Magog #2

Armageddon Kingdom of God Satan released on
Day of the LORD 1000 years of peace unwalled villages
(Eze 39 = Rev 19) (Rev 20:4) (Eze 38 = Rev 20:9)

Illustration 4: Timing of the Two Gog Magog Wars

Common Objections
Several objections could be raised against these prophecies being parallel. People viewing this prophecy too narrowly
would say that Ezekiel 39 does not fit Armageddon because Armageddon involves all nations, not just Magog. However,
Ezekiel 39:4 mentions "many peoples" with Magog and even the "judgment hand" of God on "all the nations" as part of
this prophecy (Eze 39:21, 6). Thus, it is not just a Magog vs Israel war as the first few verses of Ezekiel 39 might lead
you to believe. Magog, as the only nation specifically named in Ezekiel 39, could just be only the leading nation. If it is
many nations as it says, it still can fit Armageddon since Armageddon is "all" nations which unavoidably would include
Magog.
Others would complain that Magog comes from the north while Armageddon involves nations coming from every -
where. Nevertheless, careful reading will again reveal that it does not say all the nations with Magog come from the
North, only that Magog is from there.
Another objection centers on Gog. How can these be two wars—1000 years apart—when the same man is leading
them? That is not really a problem. We constantly find in the Bible different people with the same name. Take Avimelech,
for example. There are five in the Bible (Gen 20; 26; Ps 34; Jg 9:22; 1Ch 18:16). Two of them seem related as Abraham
(Gen 20:1-18) and Isaac (Gen 26:1-22) both dealt with a Philistine king of Gerar having this name. Probably this was a
popular name for Philistine kings much like Pharaoh was for the Egyptian ruler. Similarly, the Gog of Ezekiel 38 and 39
can be different men sharing the same name or title.
Gog's Identity?
You may have noticed that throughout this chapter I did not attempt to identify Gog or Magog. By skipping the custom-
ary search for their identity and instead carefully comparing these two chapters to other parallel prophecies, the intended
meaning is finally understandable.
At the same time, knowing the meaning of the prophecy renders the identity of Gog and Magog almost inconsequen-
tial. Here's why: The second war is the post-mil revolt and is therefore so far in the future that it really has no bearing on
the geopolitical scene we understand today. It's no concern to us today who will fight it. The first war, although probably
coming in our lifetime, is Armageddon and involves "all nations," not just a single party named Magog. Once again, what
does it matter who Magog is when we already know that the Antichrist is going to lead every nation along with him
against Christ at his return.
Only prognosticators using current events to interpret prophecy need to be troubled with Gog or Magog's identity
(and we know how unreliable those interpretations have been). Perhaps the very naming of Gog and Magog in these
prophecies was just a planned distraction that God used to confuse these prophecies for so long.
 Chapter 8:
Daniel's 70 Weeks & The Great Tribulation
The Bible's Central Prophecy
The 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 is unquestionably a key prophecy of the Bible. It gives the timing of both the
first and second coming of Israel's Messiah. It predicted the construction of the Second Temple and predicts the morning
and evening sacrifices of the Third Temple and the Antichrist who will stop them and inhabit the temple. It is from the
70th week of Daniel, as interpreted by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse, that the term “Great Tribulation” is derived. Simply
put, without this prophecy a complete Revelation Roadmap could not be constructed.
Daniel 9:24-27 (HCSB) — 24 Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city—to bring the rebellion to an end, to
put a stop to sin, to wipe away injustice, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most
holy place. 25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince will
be seven weeks and 62 weeks. It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times. 26 After those 62 weeks the Messiah will
be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming prince will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come with a
flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations are decreed. 27 He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the
middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until
the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Explaining the 70 Weeks

For the purposes of this book, it is unnecessary to explain all past aspects of this prophecy. The Revelation Roadmap is
based on the unfulfilled 70th week of Daniel or final seven years of this age. I will go over some basics of the prophecy
so you can understand the key 69th and 70th weeks.
The 70 weeks prophecy is about several key prophetic events that will come to fulfillment over the course of 70
weeks or heptads. They are primarily understood as 490 years that cover the two comings of Messiah and start of the
Millennium to bring in everlasting righteousness or the Kingdom of God.
The years appear to start from Artaxerxe's first decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Ezra 7:11-26; approx. 456 BC). When it
says 62 weeks (or really 69 weeks, including the 7 preceding the 62) until Messiah the Prince, it is referring to 69 x 7, or
483 years later when Jesus was baptized and began his ministry as the Messiah (28 AD). However at that point the fulfill-
ment of the 70 weeks seems to have paused with a gap; a gap that we are currently still in as we await the final week.
The 70th Week

69 Weeks Gap 70th Week

483 Years From Decree to Messiah's Ministry Messiah Cut Off Last 7 Yrs
(Dan 9:25) (Dan 9:26) (Dan 9:27)
Illustration 5: 70 Weeks of Daniel with Gap
Why that is and an overview of the other defining points of my 70 weeks understanding follows. Some of these points
are expounded in subsequent chapters.
 Time Gap Between 69th and 70th Weeks: Jesus said that the AoD, which is part of the 70 th week, is yet future. This
means it did not immediately follow the 69th week already. Therefore, there is a clear gap allowed for and required be-
tween the 69th and 70th weeks and Scripture itself delineates it (i.e. 7, 62 and 1 weeks). Not only that, but several of
the six stated purposes of the 70 weeks from verse 24 are not literally fulfilled yet.48
 70th Week for End Times: Daniel 11:35-45 states that the Antichrist shall take over Jerusalem in the “time of the
end” until God's wrath completes things. Daniel 8:9-17 identifies the Antichrist in Jerusalem ending the sacrifices and
committing the abomination in the “time of the end.” Thus, contrary to what Preterists 49 teach, we are still in the time
gap. This requires a yet future 70 th week with a wicked ruler seizing Jerusalem, stopping the sacrifices and setting up
an abominable statue as Antiochus Epiphanes IV did to foreshadow or partially fulfill the 70 th week.
 “He” Who Makes the Covenant is the Antichrist: This can only be the Antichrist, because Daniel 11:31-36 de-
scribes the one who committed the first Abomination of Desolation as speaking despicable things against God, some-
thing that of course does not fit Jesus at all.
 The Seven-year Covenant Is With Ten Kings, Not Israel: Many teach that the 70 th week “covenant with the many”
is a peace treaty the Antichrist makes with Israel. Amazingly, there is not one plain verse to support any part of this.
The meaning of the word HaRabim translated “the many” in Daniel 9:27 is ambiguous and inconsistently used else-
where in Daniel for peoples other than Israel (Dan 11:33, 39; 12:3). There is, however, good support that the covenant
48 For more on the 70 weeks of Daniel, I recommend the free articles by Thomas Ice at Rapture Ready www.raptureready.com/featured/ice/ttcol.html (scroll down to “27. 70 Weeks of Daniel I” through
“38. 70 Weeks of Daniel XII)
49 Preterism is a Christian eschatological view that interprets prophecies of the Bible, especially Daniel and Revelation, as events which have already happened in the first century
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preterism).
 The Bible's Central Prophecy 51

mentioned in Daniel 9 is the same as the secret covenant between the Antichrist and the Ten Rulers detailed in Reve-
lation 17 for destroying Babylon and dominating the world in her place.
 Confirmation of the Covenant Not Public: There is no sign that the start of the seven-year covenant is a public
event that we can watch for and respond to. To the contrary, Jesus pointed to an event 3½ years later as the visible sig-
nal of the GT: the AoD. If it were a conspiracy between the Antichrist and these other men of power to rule together
after destroying Babylon as Revelation 17 describes, then by no means would it be public. This could explain why Je -
sus did not tell us to watch for any treaty as the earliest warning sign.
 Abomination of Desolation Was and Will Be a Statue at the Temple (Image of the Beast): There is surprisingly
much confusion on the AoD considering that Daniel clearly references two fulfillments of this, including one histori-
cal fulfillment by Antiochus (Dan 11:31) and one for the “time of the end” (Dan 9:27=Dan 8:12-17=Dan 12:9-11). It
seems safe to say that the Abomination of Desolation will be the Image of the Beast that the False Prophet com-
mands to be made of the Antichrist for worship. This follows the pattern of how Antiochus, as the type of the An -
tichrist, put up a statue of Zeus/Jupiter for his AoD.
 The 69th Week Predicts the Start of Jesus' Ministry, Not the End: Daniel 9:25's 69 weeks “until Messiah the
prince” are interpreted by some to have ended with Jesus' death or triumphal entry on Palm Sunday. Yet Daniel 9 says
he died after 69 weeks, not at. He was publicly proclaimed by John the Baptist to be the Lamb of God at his baptism
so this is a better natural fit for the first fulfillment of “69 weeks until Messiah the Prince.” We will see later that the
historic sabbath year cycle confirms this. As does the gospel account of when Jesus read from Isaiah in the synagogue
at Nazareth proclaiming it was a sabbath year right after his baptism by John the Baptist.
 No “360-day Prophetic Calendar” Basis: You may have seen date setting based on turning the 70 weeks into years
multiplied by a “360 day year prophetic calendar” value which supposedly allows you to pinpoint the very day of Je -
sus' “triumphal entry” (usually in some year after 30 AD). The major problem with this is that there is no such thing
as a prophetic calendar used or defined in Scripture. Rather, this belief comes from allegorizing the literal 1260 days
or 42 months of the Tribulation because they do not presently fit our 365¼-day year reality (but they will literally fit
after Wormwood passes).
 62 Weeks Work As Days and Years: The 62nd week not only indicated when Jesus' ministry would begin (when
counted from the first seven weeks, or really 69 weeks from the decree), but also gives us the literal week into his
ministry “after” which he was “cut off” (Dan 9:26). This could explain why the prophecy mysteriously talks of
“weeks” alone without saying weeks of what (such as days or years) leaving it open-ended to be either or even both at
the same time. Michael Rood's 70 Week Ministry of the Messiah teaching first alerted me to this dual nature—and
how little evidence there is for the commonly accepted “3½ year ministry” of Jesus. This solved the problem I was
having with fitting together my conclusions of a 3 BC nativity, a 3½ year ministry starting at age 30, and crucifixion
in 30 AD.50 Those data points leave only room for at most a 1½-year ministry. Thankfully the traditional “3½ year
ministry” is not a given but is based on two misinterpreted or mistaken verses which seem to refer to Passover but do
not.51
 The GT is only the Second Half of the 70 th Week: You always hear about the “seven-year tribulation.” It often
makes me cringe when I hear it because in six places the Bible gives it a length of 3½ years.
The Great Tribulation
The GT is directly tied to the 70 weeks of Daniel, so it is natural to cover them both together. This also is a very familiar
prophetic term for the time when the Antichrist will rule from Jerusalem, enforce the Mark of the Beast on the world, and
persecute and “destroy” the holy people. As mentioned earlier, the GT comes soon after the Wormwood episode ends at
the 4th trumpet. For the survivors, it will literally be the end of the world as we know it—until the “New World Or-
der” arrives to replace it with hell on earth as many Bible prophecies describe.
God will bar Satan from heaven and release him to execute his anger on earth for a short time of great trouble . What
makes it unique? For nearly 6000 years, Satan has deceived the whole world and silently controlled all the governments
and institutions. Yet there has been tolerance for national sovereignty and biblical faiths. However, during the GT Satan
will openly rule through the Antichrist and enslave the entire earth with a single world government. He will finally get
away with requiring the worship of its ruler as god with zero tolerance for the biblical faith (or any other). Those who
refuse this idolatry and are not either part of the 144,000 or part of “the Woman” of Revelation 12 hiding at “the place in
the wilderness” (more on that later) will be put to death.
The period is first introduced in the Book of Daniel, but it was Jesus who gave us the term “the Great Tribulation” in

50 Some want to move the crucifixion from 30 AD to some other year, but there are problems with that. For example, the Talmud records that the fall of the temple in 70 AD was followed by exactly 40
years of cessation of miracles in the temple service. This fulfills Jesus prediction that within one generation the temple would be destroyed.
51 John 5:1 is only assumed to be Passover and 6:4 (MT) actually says Passover but the Nestle-Aland 26th Edition has an alternate reading from an older Greek fragment that omits Passover.
 The Great Tribulation 52

the Olivet Discourse:

Daniel 11:45-12:1 (HCSB) — 11:45[the Antichrist] will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he
will meet his end with no one to help him. 12:1 At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch over your people will rise up.
There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people
who are found written in the book [of life] will escape.
Matt 24:15–22 — 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy
place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the
housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19
And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter,
neither on the sabbath day: 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.

Daniel 8:24 (HCSB) — His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever
he does. He will destroy the powerful along with the holy people.

Why God Allows the Great Tribulation (and Suffering)

It is hard to read how God says several times in Daniel that the Antichrist will “destroy the Holy People” (Dan 8:24;
12:7) during the GT, or to comprehend why he would allow the GT to happen at all. Although this is clearly not a com-
plete destruction, it is hard to find a good explanation for even a partial one, unless we understand God's 7000-year plan.
In this plan, God is mostly hands off during the first 6000 years and for a very deep reason. God is the master teacher
and is at work teaching the present world and posterity several important lessons and precedents. He is letting it be
proven that man's way (even with Satan's “help”) does not work and results in great suffering and inevitable genocide. If
he interfered with our free will and did not allow this to take its course, posterity could make the case that we never got a
full fair chance to try other ways than God's way once it is fully enforced with a rod of iron during the Millennium (Rev
2:27; 12:5; 19:15). Consequently, the argument that “God interrupted us right before we were about to get it right and is
forcing us to go his way!” will be baseless with the historical record showing that God waited until “no flesh would be
saved alive” (Mt 24:22) before halting the experiment in human self-governance at the end of the Great Tribulation.
Why the 5th Trumpet is the Great Tribulation
One of the longstanding frustrations I used to have with the Book of Revelation was not being able to find the GT in it.
Surely something as important as the GT had to have its own seal, trumpet or bowl. Yet, for the life of me, I could not
figure out which one it was. This went on for many years, even after properly understanding the post-tribulation timing of
the Rapture. Once someone finally pointed it out to me, I marveled that I had not seen it sooner. Here are the steps to see
it for yourself:
1. Daniel 12:1 points out that the GT begins with the archangel Michael standing up to do an unspecified “something”
at the end times:
Daniel 12:1 — 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...

2. Revelation 12 also mentions future activity of Michael. It details his involvement in a war with Satan that results in
Satan being cast down and barred from heaven. Satan responds by beginning his great wrath which brings three
woes on earth over a 3½ year period during which God must protect his people. (Note that Satan has not been cast
down yet, since he continues to be the accuser of the brethren, as the Book of Job testifies.)
Revelation 12:7-17 (HCSB) — 7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his
angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was thrown
out—the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his
angels with him. ...12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, for the Devil has come
down to you with great fury, because he knows he has a short time. 13 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to earth, he
persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male. 14 The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the
serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time. 15 From his mouth the serpent
spewed water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent. 16 But the earth ...opened its mouth and swallowed up the
river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war against the rest of
her offspring—those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony about Jesus.

Revelation 14:12 (HCSB) — Here is the endurance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith in Jesus.”
[speaking of the 144,000 who are scattered through every nation preaching the Gospel as a witness]

Revelation 8:12-13 — 12 And the fourth angel sounded, ...13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven,
 The Great Tribulation 53

saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels,
which are yet to sound!

“Alien” Torture to Take the Mark

3. Revelation 9 describes the 5th trumpet as beginning with a star or angel (Rev 1:20) falling from heaven followed by
three woes which are equated with the 5th, 6th and 7th trumpets (Rev 8:13; 9:12; 11:14). This begins the five months of
torture of people by alien-appearing locusts, apparently into taking the mark of the beast since it coincides with the
roll-out of the mark.52 (There's no reason to put people in pain and prevent them from dying unless you want to keep
them alive to be marked.53)

Note that I am not equating the angel in verse 1 who falls with the “the angel of the bottomless pit” in verse 11 who
rises and rules over the locusts. The angel who falls matches Satan who is predicted to “fall” from heaven (Isa 14:12;
18:2). Meanwhile, Apollyon/Abaddon is clearly not Satan, too, but probably one of Satan's chief ruling angels cur -
rently imprisoned by God in the abyss who is appropriately labeled the “angel of the abyss.” This distinction is often
lost in a casual reading and especially by a reader who is not familiar with the Book of Enoch which explains the
abyss and why God imprisoned certain fallen angels there.54
Revelation 9:1-6, 11-13 (HCSB) — 1 The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. The key
to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a
great furnace so that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came to the earth,
and power was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or
any green plant, or any tree, but only people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads. 5 They were not permitted to kill them, but
were to torment [them] for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days
people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them. ...11 They had as their king the angel of
the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon. 12 The first woe has passed. There are still two
more woes to come after this. 13 The sixth angel blew his trumpet...

The above parallel passages together say Michael will stand up at the 5th trumpet to cast Satan down and begin three
woes over 3½ years of the GT. Even without Satan named as the fallen angel in Revelation 9:1, the fact that three woes
begin at the 5th trumpet there and also at the fall of Satan in Revelation 12, is very compelling.
Length of the Great Tribulation Given As 3½ Years — Six Times!
Jesus explicitly tells us in the Olivet Discourse (quoted earlier) that the GT begins very soon after the AoD. You may re-
call from above that Daniel 9:27 says that the abomination happens in the middle of the 70th week, or halfway into the fi-
nal seven years. This would indicate a 3½ year tribulation instead of the commonly believed seven. It is critical to estab-
lish this time period correctly for an accurate roadmap. A plethora of verses confirm it as the correct length:
 Half of 7 years: Daniel 9:27 tells us that the AoD and ceasing of the daily oblation will happen in the middle of the
final 7 year period (not the beginning) and Jesus says at the time of the AoD it will be urgent to head to the place of
safety (Mt 24:15) as “great tribulation” follows it (Mt 24:21). Half of 7 years = 3½ years.
 3½ years: Daniel 7:25 says that the Little Horn (Antichrist) will oppress the holy ones for a time, (pair of) times, and
half of time or 1 + 2 + ½ = 3½ years.
 3½ years: Revelation 12:14 says that the Woman is protected from Satan for the same amount of “times” as the Little
Horn oppresses.
 42 months: Revelation 11:2 says that the Gentiles' armies will trample Jerusalem for 42 months.
 42 months: Revelation 13:5 says the Beast (Antichrist) will have power for 42 months.
 1260 days: Revelation 11:3 says that the Two Witnesses prophesy during this same period for 1260 days.
In other words, the 1260 days of the Two Witnesses is the same 42 months that the Temple Mount is trampled (Rev
11:1-3). It is also the same 3½ years that the Woman is protected in the desert (Rev 12:14). All these events relate to the
tribulation when the Antichrist continues for “a time, (pair of) times, and half a time” as Daniel 7:25 says.
Coming Literal 360 Day Year Calendar
The above timing numbers given by Daniel and Revelation present a serious problem to the literal interpreter. For it to be
true that 3½ years = 42 months = 1260 days, you need a calendar with a 360-day year and a 30-day month, which of
course does not fit our present reality of a 365¼-day year and 29½-day lunar month. Therefore, most people who notice
52 Some speculate that the strange alien appearance of the 5 th trumpet locusts may be part of some deception to convince the world that “God“ (the Antichrist ) has summoned our alien brothers to help
with the chaos, reconstruction and government after Wormwood.
53 See www.escapeallthesethings.com/mark-of-the-beast.htm for details on the four pressures to take the mark.
54 While it is true the Book of Enoch is not part of the canon, it is apparently quoted in Jude 1:14 and at one time is said to have been part of the canon before Revelation was added. I am not endorsing
everything in the book, but I do find that its coverage of the abyss and the sin of the fallen angels there harmonizes with the rest of the Bible.
 The Great Tribulation 54

this problem cannot see how the numbers can be literal. They adopt some other, non-literal explanation, such as calling it
the “prophetic calendar.”
However, once you accept star Wormwood to be literal, you can solve this apparent problem literally. It ties in neatly
with the evidence we saw earlier for some large object (either Wormwood or a companion or satellite of it) passing near -
by to Earth to cause the cataclysms of a global earthquake, great winds/pole shift, deep impacts, and possibly simultane-
ous lunar and solar eclipses. If such a large object passed, one additional effect would be a change in the orbital energy
and angular momentum of the Earth and the Moon. Since this passage immediately precedes the GT, there ought to be a
change in the calendar that shows up during that time. In other words, Revelation has hidden in this mathematical puzzle
a prophecy of one more shocking effect of Wormwood's passage: it will change the timing of our year and month.
Ancient Calendars Agree on 360/30
If people doubt the calendar change implied by the literal numbers, it would probably help to learn that our calendar
changed before. Genesis records that Noah endured the flood starting on month 2, day 17 and for 150 days ending on
month 7, day 17 (Gen 7:11, 24; 8:3-4). For a period of 150 days to start and end on the same day of the month like that
requires a 30 day month (150 days divided by 5 months = 30 days a month). Of course, 30 days x 12 months = 360 days
per year. Further, not only the Bible, but over a dozen ancient cultures used the same type of 360/30 calendar 55. This uni-
formity changed around 701 BC.56
If you have ever wondered why we have 360 degrees in a circle and not 365, now you do. When that concept of de-
grees in a circle was invented, the evidence suggests that there literally were 360 days in Earth's circular orbit to model it
after!
According to Donald Wesley Patten, the change to the present 365¼ day year was brought on by a close flyby from
Mars. Mars used to have a different, highly elliptical 720 day orbit intersecting Earth's orbit twice yearly on March 20-21
and October 24.57 Every 108 years Earth would be at an intersect point, too, and a global cataclysm would happen. This
could explain the multiple accounts of cataclysms in the Bible at the time of Noah's flood, the exodus, Joshua's long day,
Hezekiah's sundial, etc. It would also explain why there are so many words and traditions rooted in a negative view of
Mars, whose two moons Phobos and Deimos in Greek mean “fear” and “panic,” respectively.
The same type of calendar change will happen again if Wormwood or a related body passes near Earth on the sun-
ward side. A large body passing in that position would give Earth a net orbital energy gain, causing it to orbit faster and
closer to the Sun, thereby shortening the year by the prophesied 5¼ days down to 360 days. Likewise the length of the lu-
nar month would increase. The moon would have more angular distance to travel to arrive at the new moon position in
conjunction with the Earth and the Sun each month, from 29½ currently up to 30 exactly!58
Another Reason Why the Great Tribulation Cannot Be 7 Years
Another way to prove that the Tribulation cannot be seven years long is by using the 1290 days of Daniel 12, which we
have not touched on yet:
Daniel 12:11-12 (HCSB) — 11 From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be
1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches 1,335 days.

1. Daniel 9:27 says there will be a pact for 7 years and then halfway through it the sacrifices will be stopped and an
abomination erected on a wing of the temple (same day apparently) by the Prince who shall come (Antichrist).
2. Daniel 12:11 confirms that the sacrifices will be stopped and the abomination set up on the same day, adding the de-
tail that it is exactly 1290 days from the end of the 7 years, which indeed is in the middle (not to the very day, of
course).
3. In Matthew 24:15, Jesus says that the abomination spoken of by Daniel would stand (Mk 13:14) in the Holy Place
immediately preceding the GT.
4. Therefore the GT must be less than or equal to 1290 days long and not 7 years long since it starts after the Abomina-
tion which is said to come in the middle of the 7 years.
This confirms that the GT is at most 1290 days or roughly 3½ years long. So why does this myth of a 7-year GT
persist? It seems to come from the assumption that the AC, as the white horseman of the 1 st seal, makes a “seven year
covenant with Israel” to let them build the temple. As stated earlier, none of this has a plain literal verse to back it up. No
verse says that the confirmation of the covenant is done by the AC as part of a public office. Also there is no “tribulation”
that midway through becomes great tribulation. Daniel 7:25 says instead that the Antichrist oppresses, or causes tribula-
tion for the holy ones, for 3½ years only. Jesus likewise said only after the AoD would there be GT.
55 www.britam.org/megaliths/velikovskyworlds.html
56 www.creationism.org/patten/PattenMarsEarthWars/PattenMEW12.htm
57 www.khouse.org/6640/BP047 www.zealllc.com/2002/astrology.htm www.creationism.org/patten/PattenMarsEarthWars
58 See http://xwalk.ca/360vs365.html for details.
 The Great Tribulation 55

1260 Days vs. 1290 Days – Why the 30 Day Difference?

You may have noticed above that Daniel 12 gives 1290 days from the AoD until the end, while Jesus says the AoD her -
alds the GT and Revelation 11:3 says the Two Witnesses prophesy for exactly 1260 days. In other words, at first the 1260
and 1290 days seem to both be talking about length of the GT. Why, then, is there a difference of 30 days?
The reason why the Two Witnesses preach for 1260 days and not 1290, and the Gentiles trample for only 42
months not 43 months, etc., can be deduced easily. If Jesus said to flee Judea to the mountainous safe place prepared for
the righteous remnant (Mat 24:15-16=Rev 12:14), then there ought to be some time allocated after the AoD for that flight
to be of any use. Thus, it seems that we are to deduce that the GT is in fact only 1260 days long. It starts at the 1260
day point, exactly 30 days after the sacrifices are stopped and the AoD is stood up. This works because Jesus never
said specifically that the GT would be “at that day” when you see the Abomination, but “at that time there will be great
tribulation.” He left out the detail of exactly how long we have to flee, which we can easily extrapolate by comparing
Daniel and Revelation.
1335 Days – From the Same End Point, Not Start Point
By the way, the above observation that the 1290 days start before the 1260 days is the reason why I conclude that the
1335-day count also shares the same end point, rather than the same starting point. The assumption of a common start-
ing point would have God telling us that we would be blessed if only we wait until 45 days after the GT ends (or 30 days
after the Millennium begins). Why would God have to give us any specific instructions today in prophecy on what to do
on the 30th day of the Millennium when Jesus will be reigning, Satan bound and God's Word flowing freely (Hab 2:14)?
On the contrary, having instructions now and blessings for following them better fits when the Antichrist is in the
process of convincing and tricking the world to install him as king of the world. Most faithful servants will already be in
Jerusalem, the place they were gathered to right before Wormwood passed in a prophet-led community (Mt 24:15-16).
From Jesus' Olivet Discourse we will know that the Antichrist will soon come to surround Jerusalem with armies (Lk
21:20) and take it over right before he sets up the Abomination—which Jesus said was the drop dead date for fleeing
Judea. We will therefore be understandably anxious about remaining there once the Antichrist is on the rise. We may de-
sire to get out of Judea prematurely and travel to the place in the wilderness prepared for the Woman for the duration of
the GT (Rev 12:14). I believe that this mass exodus, or second gathering (Zeph 2:1) to Edom, Moab, and Ammon (Dan
11:41) may very well commence at the start of the 1335 days. Therefore, the blessing for waiting until then may be that
you are a part of the group and/or a witness to inspiring miracles or other events that God has planned up until the end.
God always seems to like to play things close. For a large group possibly traveling on foot from Jerusalem to Jordan, 45
days seems about right for the move.
2300 Evenings and Mornings
Although Daniel 8 talks about a past fulfillment by a king of Greece (Antiochus Epiphanes IV), it also implies it is a dual
prophecy to be “sealed up because it refers to many days” (v. 26) including the “time of the end” (v. 19). This prophecy
appears to refer to the daily morning and evening sacrifices that the Torah prescribes to be done at the Temple and altar.
Daniel 8:11,13-14 (HCSB) — 11 It made itself great, even up to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew
the place of His sanctuary....13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the speaker, “How long will [the events
of] this vision last—the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and of the host to be
trampled?” 14 He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be restored.”

Apparently, the 2300 days start with the abomination and end when the sacrifices resume. When the 2300 were first
fulfilled by Antiochus' actions during the time of the Maccabees, the altar was restored on Kislev 25 (which Hanukkah
commemorates). It is reasonable to expect that pattern to be repeated with the altar the Antichrist defiles. If it does, then
the 2300 would end 1010 days (2300 - 1290) after the Tribulation ends on Tishrei 1, assuming the count starts with the
AoD.
While previously in verse 11 it talks about the king removing the daily sacrifice, it only mentions here “the daily sac -
rifice” as the start of the 2300 count. This might be to leave room for the latter fulfillment to count from when the sacri -
fices start up again which is a significant event in itself given their absence since 70 AD with the destruction of the tem -
ple. This seems like the best answer but it does bother me that the Torah always orders the daily oblation as “mornings
and evenings,” while here the order is reversed. Also I wish the records of what happened historically to fulfill the 2300
days were more concrete (some say they were really 1150 days, not 2300).
Putting the 1260, 1290, 1335, 2300 Counts Together
The chart below shows how all the day counts in the Bible we covered above relate. Note that the 1290 and 2300 days
start on the same day and the 2300 days is the only count that ends during the Millennium instead of at the end of the
Tribulation (995 days into it to be exact). Apparently it will take two years, nine months, and 6 days for the Millennial
Temple to be built and sacrifices restored after the Millennium begins on Tishrei 15 with the Feast of Tabernacles. Oddly,
 The Great Tribulation 56

this seems to bring you to Kislev 21 and not the expected Kislev 25. Perhaps it still arrives at the right date due to fluctu -
ations in the calendar during the Millennium.
1335 days “Blessed Are Those Who Wait Until...” Tishrei 15 - Millennium
Tevet 16 1290/2300 Abomination of Desolation 2300 days end
Adar 1 1260 Great Tribulation Kislev 21 (or 25?)
Nissan 1 Tishrei 1 - Rapture

Table 2: 1260, 1290, 1335, 2300 days

Understanding “No Man Knows the Day or Hour”

Having covered the significance of the 1290 days, we can now properly understand the most commonly misapplied say-
ing of Jesus on prophecy. Many Christians have come to believe that “no man knows the day or hour” (Mt 24:36) means
we will never know when Jesus is coming before he comes. Some even point to this as proof we cannot understand
prophecy before it happens and therefore should not study it. Related to this is Jesus' saying “I come as a thief in the
night” (Rev 3:3; 16:15; Mt 24:43) which seems to prove a doctrine of “imminency” or the idea that Jesus can come at
any moment. It is time to carefully consider these sayings in their full biblical context to see the problems with common
interpretations and find out what these sayings really mean.
Will We Never Know When Jesus Is Coming?
First, notice that this phrase is in the present tense, not future tense. This detail is important when you note that Jesus of-
ten uses future tense elsewhere in the same Olivet Discourse. If an absolute limit was indeed Jesus' intent, we should ask
why did he not use future tense here, as well? It indicates to me that he purposely left the door open for knowing the date
at some point closer to his coming.
Further, whenever Jesus states this, he never says “therefore do not bother to study prophecy or try to figure out what
you can about the timing” as is often concluded. Rather, his point is that because it is not known when he is coming, we
must guard ourselves against backsliding and being surprised by him (Mt 24:39, 42, 44, 50-51; Mk 13:32, 36). We risk
losing our reward if we fail to heed his warning (Mt 24:51).
Children of Light Will Know At Least 1290 Days In Advance
What if we heed his advice? We find that Jesus' threat to “come as a thief” upon us is conditional on whether we back-
slide (Rev 3:3; 16:15; Mt 24:43). Likewise, Paul said that unlike those in darkness, those who remain children of the
light will not have Jesus come upon them like a thief (1Th 4:16-5:6). So we have clear indication that the righteous will
not be surprised when Jesus comes.
Further, we just saw above when the righteous will know the timing of Jesus' coming, at the latest. Once the AoD
happens, we will know that 1290 days later Jesus will return. At that point there will be no reason to withhold this in-
formation from us. By then God's leaders will have gathered and lead his faithful servants to the place prepared for us
during the GT according to Revelation 12. They will be out of the world and in the camp of the righteous and therefore
no longer susceptible to falling into the temptations Jesus warned would cost them their crown. Similarly, when Noah
was taken out of the world and entered the safety of the ark, there was no way he was going to be tempted to backslide
while the flood raged outside for over a year.
By the way, I used to relay a popular Messianic explanation that this “no man knows” saying was a Hebrew idiom al-
luding to the Day of Trumpets, the only feast day on the calendar that can come by surprise because of the variable length
of the lunar month (sometimes 29 days, sometimes 30). While I am still certain the rapture will be on Trumpets, I never
could find documentation for the idiom theory. This began to bother me. Later I saw that in other cases where Jesus said
we do not know when he is coming, it usually included a warning to stay alert for that very reason. So this theory of Je -
sus saying “no man knows” so we would know contradicted his very reason for saying we must stay alert. Finally, as we
already covered, when Jesus returns, the lunar month will lengthen to 30 days consistently, removing any question as to
when any future Day of Trumpets will fall. Therefore for all these reasons, I no longer teach this idiom explanation. I am
willing to admit my prior error as an example of the need for all of us to be willing to always update our beliefs when
faced with clear Scripture that contradicts them.
First Half of the 70th Week
The GT is well established as only the second half of the 70 th week. So what does Scripture say about the first half? As
we saw, the 1335 days mostly occupy the second half but also spill 45 days into the first half (without telling us specifi -
cally what happens at the starting day). Apart from that, as the Roadmap shows, we can suspect that the first half will be
filled with developments that directly make the GT possible. These developments come out of the seven year/one week
 First Half of the 70th Week 57

conspiracy of the Antichrist and the Ten Rulers. They will probably enable or cause to happen Babylon's destruction (in
WWIII) and Wormwood's devastating passage (keeping it a surprise through control of media). Although it may fall be -
fore the 70th week, they may also coordinate the nuclear Middle East War (through the Psalm 83 war pact). Only after
that series of events will we have the stage set with a Third Temple for the Antichrist to “sit in and show himself that he
is God” (2Th 2:4) and with a chaotic starving world desperate enough to believe and accept him.
We already saw that the 1290 days and 2300 days have to do with the stopping of daily sacrifices. These sacrifices
last stopped in 70 AD with the destruction of the Second Temple. Naturally they must resume again sometime in the fu -
ture before the AoD. Probably the resumption will be in the first half of the 70 th week after the Muslims are defeated in
the nuclear Middle East War, perhaps with the destruction of the Dome of the Rock, which rests over the Holy of Holies
of Solomon's Temple.59
Time of Jacob's Trouble = Day of the LORD
For years I believed as I was taught that the first half of the 70 th week was what the “Time of Jacob's Trouble” referred to.
Jeremiah 30:6-9 — 6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his
loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? 7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time
of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. 8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his
yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him [ enslave him]: 9 But they shall
serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

However, today I see there is no support for this conclusion in the one mention of the phrase by Jeremiah. Instead, I
see many similarities in that Jeremiah passage which fit other descriptions of the time of God's Wrath. Notice how both
oddly talk of men being like women in labor, their faces and hands alluded to as showing their distress:
Isaiah 13:6-10 — 6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall
all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: 8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be
in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. 9 Behold, the day of the
LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For
the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon
shall not cause her light to shine.

What Jeremiah says about the cessation of Jacob's serving among the nations and his return to serve under David in -
stead, is consistent with what we know about the post-tribulation time period called the Millennium. Similarly it men -
tions here the sun and moon going dark which you may recall precedes the rapture and resurrection (Mt 24:29). This is
when King David and the other saints will be resurrected to glorified bodies. Then the seven bowls of God's wrath begins
for nine days concluding with the Day of the Lord. The reign of Messiah and the saints, including King David, begins af-
ter that. Then many prophecies state that the Lost Ten Tribes and Judah which constitute “Jacob” or Israel will be regath-
ered out of the many nations they have been scattered to. None of this can happen before the GT, so the Time of Jacob's
Trouble cannot possibly fit there.
What do we call it, then? As covered earlier, WWIII and Wormwood are the “beginning of sorrows/birth pains” that
Jesus spoke of (Mt 24:8). Since they happen before the GT, that puts them in this first half of the 70 th week. It makes an
apt label for this period (even though the sorrows do not begin until a year or two after the 70 th week begins).
6th Seal – 4th Trumpet 5th Trumpet 7th Trumpet
Wormwood Satan cast down Rapture

Beginning of Sorrows Great Tribulation

3½ Years 3½ Years
Illustration 6: Beginning of Sorrows

59 www.templemountfaithful.org/Articles/temple-location.htm
 Chapter 9:
America's Destruction in WWIII
If you were to describe Revelation's Wormwood passage scenario to a stranger off the street, they would probably say it
sounds like the end of the world, or what they imagine Armageddon might be like. Indeed, the major Hollywood motion
picture called Armageddon is about a comet on a collision course with Earth. It sounds like the ultimate test of mankind
which, once over, lets us breathe a sigh of relief before returning to our normal, comfortable, carefree existence, just like
in the movies.
Unfortunately, Wormwood's passage is only the start of the major tragedies on the Revelation Roadmap. What clearly
follows Wormwood in the Book of Revelation are three more trumpets. Less clear is the fact that among these trumpets
are nuclear World War III bringing America's destruction, an “alien invasion,” (of 5 th trumpet locusts) and the enslave-
ment of the entire world by a satanic global dictator (who deceives everyone into believing he is God himself). The no-
table difference between these calamities and Wormwood is their sources. While Wormwood is essentially a disaster of
Nature, these other problems will be caused directly by Man and Satan. Still, the coming together of these conflicts is so
bleak that no single movie I know of has conceived of such a dystopic vision of our future. To even come close you
would have to watch at least four movies together: Armageddon (1998) about a comet impact, The Day After Tomorrow
(2004) about a sudden ice age, The Day After (1983) about the defeat of America by Russia in a nuclear war, and 1984
(1956) about a completely controlled society (and perhaps a few others).
“America Is Not Mentioned In Bible Prophecy”
Similar to the popularity of the pretrib rapture teaching is the idea that the United States of America is not found in Bible
prophecy. This is believed despite how the Bible has predicted the actions or outcomes of every great empire that affect -
ed the course of ancient history, including Babylon, Persia, Egypt, and Rome. Somehow, the fate of the greatest nation of
the end times is not worthy of mention.
However, this oversight is explainable. America's identity in the Bible is so well-hidden that even the Bible labels it a
“mystery.” Unlike those nations mentioned above whose symbols were often explicitly made plain later in the prophecy
(like the ram and the goat of Daniel 8), America is described in a way that is easy to miss and doubt. I know, because I
have had the experience of trying to share America's identity in the Bible with several people and always found it to be
frustrating.
Unbelievably Bad News is Hard to Hear
Adding to the difficulty, the two main places where America appears in the Bible also describe her sudden, shocking de-
struction. It is hard to believe that the greatest country and the supposed “last remaining superpower” can fall like that
when no single nation seems militarily capable of making it happen. It is hard to comprehend.
While nobody wants to hear that their home country will ultimately be defeated militarily and left as ruins, Americans
in particular have a mythos of the invincibility and greatness of their country that makes this scenario even harder to ac-
cept. Yet as great as it is, let us not forget that America is just one country. Meanwhile, other prophecies show that God is
already going to let devastation as terrible as Wormwood happen to the entire Earth, killing many times more in the
process than the total population of America. Nevertheless, God will allow both disasters. We will see next that the un -
thinkable nuclear WWIII resulting in the end of America is also described as being allowed by God, and understand the
reason for and relative timing of it.
Mystery Babylon the Great
The first prophecies that we will look at are those which refer to America by various forms of the name “ Babylon” (Isa
13), including “Mystery Babylon the Great” (Rev 17-18) and the “Daughter of Babylon” (Jer 50-51, Isaiah 47). (As we
shall cover later, these prophecies have another fulfillment which includes a one world government Babylon that replaces
America the Babylon after she is destroyed.)
Naturally, there are other popular theories for the identity of Babylon. The key to dismissing those other theories, as
always, is reading every verse carefully and literally, just as we have done with other parts of Revelation in this book suc-
cessfully. If you begin to allegorize any part of that passage, or simply ignore a key related verse, you are liable to arrive
at any of the alternative interpretations that are common such as Rome, the Vatican, Modern Iraq or an organization like
the U.N.60
Relative Timing of Babylon's Fall in Revelation 14
My approach to making a brief case for America is to use the one prophecy that actually gives us the relative timing of
the fall of Mystery Babylon. Even though it is extremely helpful for identification and construction of the Roadmap, this
prophecy is not addressed in any other prophecy book I have seen. It is found in Revelation 14 immediately after descrip-

60 See www.aoreport.com/ao/prophecy-studies-mainmenu-47/82-60-reasons-why-iraq-can-not-be-mb for problems with other theories. For the most complete literal coverage, see the book that the
article is based off AmericaTheBabylon.com by Rick Coombes. (Note that I do not agree with his conclusion about who Babylon's conquerors will be.)
 Mystery Babylon the Great 59

tion of the 144,000 being sealed on Mount Zion to begin their mission of preaching the gospel as a witness to all nations
(Mt 24:14):
Revelation 14:6-9 (HCSB) — 6 I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of
the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour
of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” 8 A second angel followed, saying:
“It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, who made all nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.” 9 And
a third angel followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his
forehead or on his hand...

There are several things of significance to note in this passage:

1. Messages are delivered by men: As Part 3 will explain, the angels are not delivering these messages themselves to
mankind (against biblical precedent), but to holy men only who are commissioned to preach them. The 144,000 are
probably most responsible for accomplishing this which is why the angel's messages immediately follow the descrip-
tion of the 144,000 on Mt. Zion. Certainly, Elijah can play a part, too, especially with the first message of the gospel
including repentance which he is predicted to teach (Mal 4:6). This would fulfill what Jesus said about the gospel be -
ing preached to the whole world as a witness before the end can come (Mt 24:14).
2. Three separate sequential messages: The three angels deliver the three messages one after the other in order. Just as
the numbered seals, trumpets and bowls only make sense as being serial, we must accept the plain meaning of these
being in order, especially when it says the second and third angels “followed” the preceding angel rather than John
saying he witnessed three angels all together at once in the beginning of his description.
3. Babylon falls pretrib: If you look carefully, the angels' messages give a good idea on the timing of Babylon's fall.
The first angel warns people to repent before Wormwood. The second angel announces Babylon's fall. Finally, the
third angel warns about not taking the Mark of the Beast. Remember that the mark comes right at the start of the
Great Tribulation at the 5th trumpet. This means that Mystery Babylon must fall before that.
Fall Before Wormwood
We now know Babylon's fall comes pretrib, just as Wormwood does. But which comes first? Look at another account of
Babylon's fall to find out:
Revelation 18:9-13 — 9 And the kings of the earth...shall bewail her...10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment...11 And the
merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more : 12 The merchandise of gold,
and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk... 13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and
frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of
men.

Given the living conditions in the aftermath of Wormwood, there is a major problem with the above prophecy happening
then. We read above about kings being frightened by Babylon's punishment and rich merchants concerned over who
would buy their wide assortment of goods and products, including many food items. Yet, after Wormwood, all classes of
people will be homeless, cold, starving, scared and without security. They will already not be buying (nor be able to pro-
duce) many of the products listed, such as gold and silver, silk, ivory, etc. Food, water and security products will be the
main concern. Therefore, for the concerns of men with the fall of Babylon to make any sense, Babylon must fall before
Wormwood levels the world's infrastructure and civilization.
How and Why Babylon Falls
How does Babylon fall and for what reason? Thankfully, answers are found in Revelation 17 where Mystery Babylon,
the Great Whore who rides the Beast with ten horns, is described:
Revelation 17:1-18 (HCSB) — 1 ...“Come, I will show you the judgment of the notorious prostitute who sits on many waters. 2 The
kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual
immorality.” 3 ...I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names, having seven heads and 10
horns. ...5 On her forehead a cryptic name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT ... 9 “Here is the mind with wisdom: the seven heads
are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. ... 12 The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but
they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to
the beast. 14 These will make war against the Lamb...15 He also said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are
peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. 16 The 10 horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her
desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His plan by having
one purpose, and to give their kingdom to the beast until God’s words are accomplished. 18 And the woman you saw is the great city
that has an empire over the kings of the earth.”

This passage tells us that Babylon falls because the Beast she is riding, or dominating and preventing from ruling over
the earth in her place, rises up against her with the help of ten kings. In fact, the ten kings who wish to rule the earth with
 Mystery Babylon the Great 60

the Beast hate the Whore and gladly give up their sovereignty to the Beast so that they can accomplish her destruction
with fire and rule together. Note that this woman cannot be referring to an organization, church, minor nation or mere
city. It is an empire with a great city that can be burned and takes ten powerful rulers to do so.
So, If I Were to Ask You Which Major Nation Today...
1. Qualifies as being over all nations, or the greatest most influential nation (vss. 1, 9, 15, 17)?
2. Historically is in the way of other empires like Russia, Germany and England (that make up the Beast she rides ac -
cording to the animal symbols—see below) from dominating or taking over the world—pictured by her sitting on the
Beast with the ten horns (vss 3, 7, 9-10)?
3. Is openly despised by not only the Beast empire but by many others including the Beast's allies (vs. 16)?
4. Has influenced the nations of the world with her sinful values and culture? (vss 2, 5; regardless of whether she has
blessed the world in other ways. Remember, in God's eyes, good deeds do not make up for sin, only repentance from
the sin does.61)
...What would your first guess be, apart from the USA?
There are other aspects of this prophecy that do not seem to fit America, such as how Babylon is guilty of the blood of all
the saints and the slain of the earth (Rev 18:24). 62 I will not discuss them all here because they can fill many chapters, but
there are solid answers for every one of these objections already provided in America the Babylon by Rick Coombes.
World War III in Revelation 14 — America vs. Russia, China & Others
The thing to note, as well, is that if Mystery Babylon is America, it would take several nations working together to take
her down, just as the ten kings or kingdoms imply. What would you call a war which leads to America's destruction at the
hands of many nations other than World War III? It is indeed the next prophesied global war. (The nuclear Middle East
War, being regional and over fast, will not qualify as a world war.) Moreover, the 6 th trumpet world war obviously comes
after the 5th trumpet by which time Babylon's fall has happened.
Who will pull off the defeat of the mighty United States? We should obviously look to the enemies of America today,
those who “hate the whore” and can literally “burn her with fire.” Revelation 18 says the defeat will be fiery as well and
accomplished in a single day, even an hour. This points to a nuclear missile strike which would literally incinerate Amer -
ica's cities and set off fires everywhere. It is probably easier to ask which enemies of America do not have nuclear
weapons today (if Iran is not on that list yet, it could be soon).
Jeremiah narrows the list down with its key clue that destruction comes from “a nation from the north” (Jer 50:3).
Russia, the historic archenemy of the USA, would attack from exactly that direction as the shortest route between the two
countries. Although most people cannot conceive of it due to the brilliantly orchestrated “Collapse of Communism,”
there is sufficient evidence that Russia is still communist to the core and against the USA. She has been planning and
continues to plan for a nuclear showdown with the United States. Russia has a visible military alliance with China and
has aided Iran's troublesome nuclear program. Russia is helping Korea, Iran, Cuba, and other communist countries, dicta -
torships, and terrorist organizations to arm and become thorns in America's side. These groups are not interested in hav-
ing a capitalist democracy like the US has. They hate America, the policeman of the world, and wish to see her out of the
way. When we think communists and terrorists are just like us and want only peace and prosperity too, we cannot under-
stand how evilly motivated they really are, nor see their true goals.
To anyone who has not looked into the truth about Russia's intentions, I suggest they begin their study at Jeff
Nyquist's geopolitical analysis website, JRNyquist.com. He has been watching Russia and China for decades and has
even interviewed top military defectors. These defectors tell of Russia's covert long range plans to destroy America. He
concludes from his research (without any help from Bible prophecy) that Russia and China will go to war with America
one day and probably win, because America's “shopping mall regime” eschews the values and ideas that are required to
prepare for and to win that war. He made a persuasive video about his research called Top Secret Soviet War Plans for
America which I also recommend.63
“But Russia And China Have Too Much To Lose”
Some argue that neither Russia nor China would ever attack America while she funnels so much money into their
economies through trade and aid. I tend to agree that killing the goose that lays the golden egg is illogical. However, that
is only true so long as the golden eggs are still coming which will not be the case when Wormwood comes and wrecks
civilization. Therefore, they have little to lose if they hit America around the time of Wormwood, such as just before it
comes. (Given that it is the Satan-sponsored Antichrist and Ten Rulers who are behind the destruction of America, know-
ing when Wormwood is coming is not a problem.)
61 EscapeAllTheseThings.com/america-mystery-babylon-great.htm
62 Compare Matthew 23:34-35 to Luke 11:46-51 for the strange precedent making this guilt possible in God's eyes. It means that America only has to martyr one saint to be guilty of all the saints'
murders in history.
63 www.prophecyclub.com/audio_nyquist.htm www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jeff+nyquist
 Mystery Babylon the Great 61

Ten Kings Not Exactly Ten Nations

One thing to be clear on is that the ten kings or “rulers” do not equate exactly to heads of states of ten nations. They ap-
pear to be ten powerful, influential men, probably Satan's own seed (as the Antichrist is) 64 who can steer the nations
through their influence. They are the ones to whom Satan continued to give power over the kingdoms once Jesus rejected
his own “kingdom offer” during the 40 days of fasting. These men choose who are the heads of state whose strings they
pull. The infamous Illuminati65 may be the closest named group we have as a match for these Ten Rulers. Note, I am not
saying that these “kings” cannot be literal kings, someday. It is just that Revelation 17:12-13 tells us they are men of
power and authority who have not received positions over a kingdom yet. They only receive their positions after they
help the Antichrist to take power and he in return lets them reign under him.
Dual Prophecy of Two Babylons: Mother and Daughter
You may have noticed how many times that Babylon is said to be “fallen...fallen.” One might easily dismiss this repeti -
tion as poetic and insignificant, but when it is repeated in three separate places throughout both the Old and New Testa -
ments (Isa 21:9; Rev 14:8; Rev 18:2) it demands notice. The meaning is that there are two falls to Babylon and therefore
two Babylons being spoken of (Babylon's fall is always described as her end as a nation forever, so it cannot be the same
nation falling, rising and falling again). This idea is verified by Jeremiah who explicitly names a Daughter Babylon and
her Mother Babylon that spawned her. The mother is left separately alive yet humbled after her daughter's destruction:
Jeremiah 50:12 (NIV) — your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who gave you birth will be disgraced...

America began as the colony of Great Britain until her Revolutionary War and Declaration of Independence from the
King of England. America today is one of the few nations that has a prominent and visible mother country who she also
has very close ties to and alliance with. However, for there to be two falls, Great Britain, as the Mother Babylon, would
somehow have to become the great Beast of Revelation 13 that falls after America in the Battle of Armageddon. Is there
confirmation of this transformation anywhere else? The next astounding prophecy we look at confirms the close ties and
mother-daughter relationship between the Babylon nation that remains to be the mark-issuing Beast after the first Baby-
lon falls. Even better, it gives the identity of each through well-known animal symbols used today.
America In Daniel 7
The second key prophecy about America is Daniel 7. Here four beasts are described which it also interprets for us as four
kingdoms:
Daniel 7:1-7 (HCSB) — 1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream with visions in his mind as he was lying
in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and here is the summary of his account. 2 Daniel said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and
suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea. 3 Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4
“The first was like a lion but had eagle’s wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set
on its feet like a man, and given a human mind. 5 “Suddenly, another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was
raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up! Gorge yourself on flesh.’ 6 “While I was
watching, another beast appeared. It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads and was given authority
to rule. 7 “While I was watching in the night visions, a fourth beast appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with
large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it,
and it had 10 horns.

Why the strange bestial imagery instead of naming which nations they are? We learn at the end of Daniel 12 that God
chose to obscure the meaning to seal it up until the end times. Since we are in the end times now as described in Daniel
12:4 (“seal the book until the time of the end...when knowledge shall be increased”) we should be able to understand
them plainly.
End Times or Modern Times?
As this prophecy is 2600 years old, one might wonder if it was not already fulfilled thousands of years ago. Indeed, most
interpreters identify these beasts as ancient nations such as Media-Persia, the same nations that you can find covered in
Daniel 2's golden statue from Nebuchadnezzar's dream. They mistakenly assume that this vision is just a parallel of that
one. However, keep reading Daniel 7:
Daniel 7:8-14 (HCSB) — 8 “While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of
the first horns were uprooted before it. There were eyes in this horn like a man’s, and it had a mouth that spoke arrogantly. 9 “As I kept
watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat... 11 “I watched, then, because of the sound of the arrogant
words the horn was speaking. As I continued watching, the beast was killed and its body destroyed and given over to the burning fire.
12 As for the rest of the beasts, their authority to rule was removed, but an extension of life was granted to them for a certain period of

64 EscapeAllTheseThings.com/beast-antichrist-false-prophet-lake-fire.htm
65 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory)
 America In Daniel 7 62

time. 13 I continued watching in the night visions, and I saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached
the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. 14 He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every
people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is
one that will not be destroyed.

We know from many other places in the Bible such as Revelation 13 that the Antichrist is going to rule all nations of
the world for 3½ years. Here we have described the same thing in the lifetime of these nations; with the Antichrist here
identified as the “little horn” (the Antichrist has many other names throughout the Bible besides that). It even tells us that
they are going to give up their dominion to the Antichrist in exchange for continuing for a little while with him them-
selves. This is beginning to confirm that this is indeed an end times prophecy, despite what most prophecy books teach
you.
Going further, this becomes undeniable when an interpretation of the above is provided for us in the text itself, reveal -
ing the identity of the one who takes dominion away from these nations and the little horn:
Daniel 7:16-27 (HCSB) — 16 ...So he let me know the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘These huge beasts, four in number, are four
kings who will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever...’ 19 “Then I
wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one different from all the others, extremely terrifying, with iron teeth and
bronze claws, devouring, crushing, and trampling with its feet whatever was left. 20 [I also wanted to know] about the 10 horns on its
head and about the other horn that came up, before which three fell—the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and
that was more visible than the others. 21 As I was watching, this horn made war with the holy ones and was prevailing over them 22
until the Ancient of Days arrived and a judgment was given in favor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the
holy ones took possession of the kingdom. 23 “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, different
from all the other kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. 24 The 10 horns are 10 kings who will rise
from this kingdom. Another, different from the previous ones, will rise after them and subdue three kings. 25 He will speak words
against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High. He will intend to change religious festivals and laws, and the holy
ones will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time. 26 But the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away,
to be completely destroyed forever. 27 The kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the
people, the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’

All of these beasts are described as on the earth at the second coming of Jesus Christ, including, of course, the fourth
beast ruled by the Antichrist who Jesus replaces. Since we are in the end times that will experience Jesus' second coming,
these four beasts are modern nations that we should therefore be able to identify.
Identity of the Winged Lion

Illustration 7: Bald Eagle from US One Dollar Bill

What modern nations literally fit these animals that are used to represent the kingdoms? There are prominent modern na -
tions that have animal symbols matching these very beasts. The easiest to identify and the one that has to do with Ameri -
ca in prophecy is the lion with eagle's wings. The lion and the eagle are familiar national symbols, found in dictionaries
and encyclopedias and commonly used in news media.
1. Lion = Great Britain: The lion is a well-known animal symbol of the British people, and of course a one-time world
empire, still prominent today. The college of heraldry also uses the lion for England.
2. Eagle's Wings = America: Found in the Great Seal of the US and more commonly seen on the back of the One Dol-
lar Bill.66 The US dominates the world today.
The leopard and the bear are less certain to me (as is the meaning of the bear eating three ribs or the leopard having
four heads). According to the same college of heraldry, they would be Germany and France, respectively. According to
others, they would be Russia and perhaps Germany, respectively. I lean towards the former because Revelation 13 depicts
the same fourth “terrible” beast here as an amalgamation of the lion, the bear, and the leopard, minus the eagle's wings
66 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States
 America In Daniel 7 63

(explained below) and associates it with the Antichrist.

Now back to the first beast. We must not overlook the fact that ancient Babylon used a lion with eagle's wings as
its animal symbol and that of her chief god Ishtar. 67 It is incredibly elegant how God worked it out that the US and UK
as Daughter and Mother Babylon, respectively, would end up using animal symbols that fit together to match the ancient
symbol of Babylon and identify them collectively as Babylon, just as Isaiah and Revelation refer to them! Incidentally,
one reason many incorrectly conclude that Daniel 7 refers to ancient empires rather than end time empires is because the
winged lion was used by ancient Babylon.

Illustration 8: Winged Lion of Babylon

Significance of the Eagle's Wings Being Plucked
Some commentators believe that the plucking of the wings represents the Declaration of Independence in 1776. There
are problems with this:
1. In Revelation 13 where the same animal symbols are used to depict the one world government Beast as in Daniel 7,
the eagle's wings are still missing and completely out of the picture, rather than detached or as a separate full eagle
as they ought to be if America was still around.
2. When wings are removed from an animal, the animal can live on (with some assistance) but the wings will die apart
from their host. They cannot live on their own and will disappear.
3. The lion who loses the wings does not die or just live on unchanged, but apparently undergoes a great transformation
afterward to become standing like “a man.” How did Great Britain fulfill this after 1776, essentially changing from a
lion into a man? Does it not better fit a yet future radical transformation that will come upon her, meaning the pluck-
ing of the wings is yet future and not speaking of 1776?
The best conclusion is that the plucking of the eagle's wings is the same event as the destruction of Daughter Babylon
described as happening before the Mark of the Beast is warned about by the third angel (Rev 14:9). The lion's transfor -
mation covered next also confirms this timing.
Meaning of the Lion's Transformation After Losing its Wings
What, then, is the meaning of the wingless lion being lifted up above the earth, standing like a man and receiving the
mind of a man (or the heart of a man—as more literal versions render it)?
Daniel 7:4 (HCSB) — “The first was like a lion but had eagle’s wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted
up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.
Daniel 7:4 (KJV) — 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.

Also, is there any significance to the fact that the lion is prominent as the first beast listed and also holds the power
position of being the head of this final Beast?
Revelation 13:2 (HCSB) — The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear’s, and his mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The
dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

I believe this all points to the UK being the place where the One World Beast government will begin or where the An -
tichrist will rise or control first. Daniel says that the Antichrist will rise out of the people who came and destroyed the
Second Temple (Dan 9:26), or the Roman Empire. The UK was a definite part of the Roman Empire when that happened
in 70 A.D. Today we see the Roman Empire reunited again through the European Union, which, again the UK is a part
of.
By the way, does Daniel's “mind of a man” remind you of a verse?
Revelation 13:18 — Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and

67 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar
 America In Daniel 7 64

his number is 666.

If both the beast and the lion have something “of a man,” perhaps that link is meant to tell us that the Antichrist will
come from the lion or UK68
How the Antichrist Really Takes Control
There is much speculation about how the Antichrist comes to power. Some think he will parallel the “3½ year ministry”
of Jesus in every way to be a perfect counterfeit. Others expect him to be some charismatic figure already in political
power today. Such ideas sound reasonable until you understand the literal fulfillments of Wormwood and the fall of
Babylon coming that give rise to the Antichrist.
From WWI we inherited the League of Nations, which failed to grab enough power to do any good. After WWII we
conceived the United Nations, which certainly has had more power, but not the power to stop wars, let alone solve world
problems. In fact, prophecy clearly tells us that WWIII is coming. This time, someone will arise as a direct result that
grabs enough power to stop wars and also bring many solutions to the world—at a huge price. The breakdown of civi-
lization from Wormwood's passage combined with the ravages of World War III will at last create such a dire sur-
vival emergency for the human race that the majority of nations will consent to being ruled by global govern-
ment. This government, known as the Beast, will have the power to force everyone to be marked for commerce and as a
pledge of allegiance and worship to the head of this government who claims to be God on earth.
His claim to be God along with proof in the form of miracles, signs and wonders is the kicker, of course. Neverthe -
less, it is clear from the 6th trumpet war and Daniel 11's mention of the King of the North being troubled by tidings from
the North (Russia) and the East (China), that the Antichrist will not have full consent of all nations, although clearly a
majority of the nations at first. Russia, China and her allies as heirs to America's crown will have the most to lose in sub -
mitting to the Antichrist and look to not do so without a fight, which they will lose. With America destroyed and then
Russia and China defeated, no one will be able to resist the Antichrist until the Messiah comes.

68 For one British Antichrist candidate theory, see www.escapeallthesethings.com/prince-charles-antichrist.htm.

 Chapter 10:
Sabbath Year Cycles & Daniel's 70 Weeks
The Sabbath Year Breakthrough For Reliably Narrowing Down the Timing of Prophetic Events
For me, this is one of the most exciting Bible prophecy discoveries. Not much beats being able to immediately narrow
down the list of possible fulfillment years for prophetic milestones, such as the start of the GT, by one seventh. This is
made possible by the fact that the 70th week of Daniel ends in a sabbath year. Consequently, this means that:
 Jesus must return in a sabbath year.
 The (post-tribulation) rapture only happens in a sabbath year.
 The GT must begin in year 4; the middle year of a sabbath year cycle (Dan 9:27=Mt 24:15).
 Wormwood must come very soon before that, probably in year 3 of a sabbath year cycle.
 Since (as we already covered) Mystery Babylon falls just before Wormwood's passage (year 3 of cycle), the timing of
the fall of America can also easily be ruled out for several years in advance at any point in time, which brings great
comfort to prophecy watchers.
Thus, none of these events can happen “any year now,” but can actually only happen in one out of any given set of
seven years!
Sound Too Good To Be True?
Many think that God would never allow us to know his plan that well because “no man knows the day or hour.” Others
say that to know these things violates “God's sovereignty.” Or perhaps God has to keep us guessing about when the end
is so we do not spontaneously start to “beat the menservants and maidens” once we know for certain there is a delay of X
years (Lk 12:45).
We have already covered previously how “no man knows the day or hour” was not going to remain true forever for
God's righteous servants. God's sovereignty does indeed limit us from knowing many things now, but it is clear that the
end times timeline is not one of them because God states in Daniel and Revelation that he wanted his wise servants in the
end times to understand what he was revealing, including the many timing figures contained in both books. As far as the
human tendency to backslide when God's judgment seems far off, that is only a problem when someone is not fully com -
mitted to God's way of life anyway. The realization that end times events are not imminent just frees them and their free
will from a false sense of urgency that may be artificially keeping them straight. This is a necessary progression for their
growth into a close walk with God when they are ready.
Besides, just as Daniel 12:10 says about the wicked not understanding, it is doubtful that just anyone will come across
this information, understand it and see its importance unless they believe the Bible and have a close walk with God. It is
hidden, radical and requires a high degree of Bible literacy to see, something the secular or casual, lukewarm or nominal
Christian does not yet possess. It will look like foolishness or just another subjective speculation to them.
Sabbath Years in the Torah
Most Christians have not studied the Torah or the OT in detail, so they are unfamiliar with the sabbath years (Hebrew:
shmittah), and related Jubilee years (Hebrew: yovel). Similar to how the seven day weekly cycle ends in the Sabbath day
(Saturday), sabbath year cycles are a group of seven years ending in a special sabbath year. Israel was given specific in-
structions regarding these years, the primary of which was for farmers not to cultivate or harvest their land.
Exodus 23:10-11 (ESV) — 10 For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest
and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat...You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.
Leviticus 25:2-7 (ESV) — 2 ...the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. 3 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you
shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land ...You
shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your
undressed vine...6 The Sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your
hired servant and the sojourner who lives with you, 7 and for your cattle and for the wild animals that are in your land: all its yield shall
be for food.

Later, these requirements included the release of debts and slaves:

Deuteronomy 15:1-2, 12 (ESV) — 1 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. 2 ...every creditor shall release what he
has lent to his neighbor 12 If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the
seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
 Sabbath Years in the Torah 66

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Sabbath

Sow, prune, Sow, prune Sow, prune Sow, prune Sow, prune Sow, prune Land fallow
gather gather gather gather gather gather Slave & debt
(Lev 25:3) release
(Lev 25:4-7)
Illustration 9: Sabbath year cycle
Related Jubilee Years and Their 49-Year Cycle (not 50)
Related to this is the Jubilee year, the only other special recurring year in Scripture. It is basically a heptad of sabbath
years, in the same pattern as the Sabbath day and sabbath year cycles, with one difference:
Leviticus 25:8-10 (HCSB) — 8 “You are to count seven sabbatic years, seven times seven years, so that the time period of the seven
sabbatic years amounts to 49. 9 Then you are to sound a trumpet loudly in the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month; you will
sound it throughout your land on the Day of Atonement. 10 You are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land for
all its inhabitants. It will be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and each of you to his clan.

This confusing passage can leave you wondering if the cycle spoken of is 49 or 50 years long. Most people under-
stand it to mean 50, but this view actually breaks Scripture: the requirement that Jubilees follow every seventh sabbath
year. A Jubilee cycle of 50 years falls out of sync with the sabbath year cycle since 50 is not a multiple of seven. It falls at
the right place for the first Jubilee but with each subsequent Jubilee cycle it drifts a year later each time. Only a Jubilee
on a 49-year cycle stays in sync (7 x 7 = 49). In the chart below you can see the sabbath years (in gray) and directly after
each 7th sabbath year marks (in black) for the correct 49-year Jubilees. The supposed “50-year Jubilee” (in medium gray)
can be found at the 50 and 100 year marks. The first one coincides with the 49-year Jubilee but notice the gap between
the second 50-year Jubilee (at the 100 year mark) and the 7 th sabbath year. That gap breaks Scripture as the Jubilee
should follow a sabbath year.
Table 3: 49 vs. 50 Year Jubilee Cycles with Sabbath Years
Jubilee Cycles: 49 Year 50 Year 100
50

Sabbath Years 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

So why does the Bible refer to the Jubilee as a 50 th year? It is so when you count it the way it tells you to, not from the
last Jubilee as the 50-year cycle proponents do, but from year one of the Jubilee cycle using inclusive reckoning (as is
typical in the Bible). Counting from the wrong starting point breaks the Scripture telling us how to count Jubilees. This
means each Jubilee year is really the first year of the first sabbath year cycle of the next Jubilee year's cycle. In oth-
er words, the Jubilee year does not interrupt the sabbath year cycle, but is always followed by the second year of that sab-
bath year cycle. In this way every sabbath year remains a multiple of seven years away from any other sabbath year in
history.
The Twist: How the Jubilee Year is like Pentecost Day
That leads to the small difference I referred to above. If the Jubilee were to follow exactly the pattern of the Sabbath day
and sabbath year cycles, then the Jubilee would happen on the 7 th sabbath year, or 49th year, itself, as a “sabbath year of
sabbath years.” Instead, it makes the following year, the 50th year, special, in effect giving you a double sabbath year ev-
ery seventh time (fields rest in years 49 and 50). This is why it emphasizes the number 50, to differentiate it from the pre-
ceding 49th year—not because it is a “50-year cycle!”
When understood correctly, the Jubilee cycle mirrors the Pentecost “omer count” cycle from the Torah. After counting
seven weeks from the morning after the Sabbath falling during Passover week, you end up with double days of rest on
that weekend when Pentecost falls: the 49th day is always Saturday or Sabbath day and the 50th day of Pentecost is al-
ways a Sunday. Further, there is similarly no instruction to restart the Sabbath day cycle after the day of Pentecost. In oth -
er words, Pentecost is always followed by Monday, not a second Sunday or new first day of the week that is eight days
from the first day of the last week. With this additional parallel witness we can be sure that the sabbath year cycle, like
the Sabbath day cycle, is an unbroken sequence of years and multiples of seven years apart from each other. Likewise
the Jubilee must be every 49 years, not 50.
Time-Saving Discernment
By the way, a proper understanding of the Jubilee Cycle can save you a lot of time when considering other timelines and
 Sabbath Years in the Torah 67

chronologies out there. Simply find out if it is based on a 50-year cycle. If it is, there is little chance having such a major
error that it can come to correct conclusions. Even if it uses a 49-year cycle, it is still probably wrong if it associates the
Jubilee with the year of Jesus' return, as we shall now see.
Proving Daniel's 70 Weeks Are Sabbath Year Cycles
I explain this all so we can better discern when the Bible mentions a special “year” if it is referring to a sabbath or Jubilee
year. Once you can do that, it is very easy to demonstrate that the 70 th week of Daniel is not just any group of seven con-
tiguous years in time, but specifically aligned on the sabbath year cycle (and with nothing to do with the Jubilee) and
therefore ending in a sabbath year. We can demonstrate this from both internal and external evidence.
70 Broken Sabbath Years
The first clue is in where the 70 weeks derive from. The sabbath years instruction was coupled with a warning to Israel.
If they failed to keep them they would be exiled from the land (Lev 26:34-35, 43). After they did just that, Jeremiah an-
nounced that they would be exiled for 70 years (Jer. 25:11; 29:10). 69 They would not come back until the land had en-
joyed all the sabbath years it had missed (2 Ch 36:20-21).
If the 70 weeks relate to the 70 sabbath years that Judah failed to keep, it would make sense for them also to be tied to
sabbath years. In other words, the 70 weeks of years are all aligned with sabbath year cycles ending in a sabbath year.
Day of the Lord in 70th Week is a Special Day and Year
The prophecies about the Day of the Lord, the day when Jesus returns to judge, avenge the righteous (Rev 6:10) and
reign, provide further confirmation. This day is established by the Bible as coming on Yom Kippur, nine days after the
rapture (Trumpets), which itself comes right when the GT has ended. Jesus said plainly that the GT was the second half
of the 70th week of Daniel, starting with the AoD (Mt 24:15, 21, 29). Several verses attest that his second coming on Yom
Kippur not only occurs on a special day, but also in a special year.
Isaiah 61:1–2 (ESV) — 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

Isaiah 63:3–4 (ESV) — 3 "I have trodden the winepress alone ...trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood
spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had
come.
Isaiah 34:8 (ESV) — For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

This year that God's day of vengeance comes in is described by Isaiah three times as a year of God's favor, recom -
pense and redemption. Both the sabbath year and Jubilee year were years that God's favor allowed the people to subsist
on the plantings of the previous years. The word “redemption” might tip you in the direction of Jubilee since it was a
year when alienated lands were returned to their original owners, something that did not happen on the sabbath year.
Nevertheless, slaves had their redemption in the sabbath year as well.
However, if the last year, or 7th year of the 70th week is called a year of favor, then it suggests that it is a sabbath year
rather than a Jubilee year. The Jubilee is never a 7th year, but a 50th or as far as sabbath year cycles go, an 8th or 1st (de-
pending on how you look at it). This idea would be confirmed if we could see that final, 7th year of the other 69 weeks
were also considered special years, even sabbath years specifically.
The 69th Week Also Ends in a Special Year
It turns out that Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1-2 at the start of his ministry. He called attention to it as a dual prophecy which
was partially fulfilled in his first coming and would be later completely fulfilled in his second coming. Significantly,
Daniel said Jesus' first coming would occur exactly after a full 69 x 7 years or at the end of 69 th weeks (7 + 62 weeks),
with him dying after that 69th week passed.
Daniel 9:25-26 (HCSB) — 25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until
Messiah the Prince will be seven weeks and 62 weeks. It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times. 26 After those
62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off ...

I believe this coming of “Messiah” was reckoned not from his birth or from his “triumphal entry,” but from the year
he officially began his ministry as Messiah. This clearly happened after his 30 th birthday and his baptism by John and be-
gan preaching in full power of the Holy Spirit. His first public announcement after his baptism and fasting came soon af -
ter at the synagogue in Nazareth as Luke records:
Luke 4:16-21 (HCSB) — 16 He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath

69 This works out to 490 out of about 800 years from 1400 BC until the deportation to Babylon around 600 BC. See www.raptureready.com/featured/ice/70-weeks-4.html.
 Proving Daniel's 70 Weeks Are Sabbath Year Cycles 68

day and stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it
was written: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to
proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed , 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s
favor. 20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were
fixed on Him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”

Notice how Jesus read this passage at the start of his ministry with the claim that, “today this Scripture is fulfilled in
your hearing.” For this statement to be true, the year that he read it in also had to be a special year of God's favor, or sab -
bath or Jubilee year. Otherwise the “year of favor” would not have been fulfilled. Notice also how he stopped reading
from Isaiah 61 right before the part about “the day of vengeance of our God.” He could not announce that it was a “day
of vengeance” as he had announced regarding the “year of favor.” This day of vengeance would only be fulfilled when
he returned on the Day of the Lord to fight the Battle of Armageddon in another “year of favor” or sabbath year. If he
had read that section of the verse, he would have invalidated his claim that what he had just read had been fulfilled in
their hearing that day.
Jesus' quotation of Isaiah 61 is incredibly significant and helpful. It tells us that both the last year of the 69th week
which he claimed to have partially fulfilled and the last year of 70th week, which he clearly will come again to fulfill “ful-
ly,” are both a “year of favor.” This makes it even more likely that both were sabbath years, as 7th years can be, and less
likely that both of these 7th years are somehow 50th or Jubilee years.
Messiah
69th Week – Jesus' 1st Coming Servant
Sabbath
1 2 3 4 5 6 Year

Messiah
70th Week – Jesus' 2nd Coming King
Sabbath
1 2 3 4 5 6 Year
Illustration 10: Parallels of the 69th and 70th Weeks

Identifying the Historic Sabbath and Jubilee Year Cycles

Since Jubilee years happen only once or twice a lifetime, we should be able to check history and see if Jesus' ministry be -
gan anywhere near one. I put it this way because scholars do not agree on when Jesus was born, crucified, or when his
ministry commenced. Nevertheless, there are limits to reasonable theories. They all put his ministry as beginning within a
few years of 29 AD. However, they are all close enough together that if the historical Jubilee can be known with any ac -
curacy and no Jubilee falls near 29 AD then we can rule out a Jubilee year for the 69 th week.
Identifying the historic sabbath and Jubilee year cycles is not as hard as it at first sounds. As we covered above, every
sabbath year must be a multiple of seven years from any other, just as every Jubilee year must be a multiple of 49 years
from others. So, if you have evidence for enough such years across history, you can easily conclude the correct cycle.
Establishing enough historic sabbath or Jubilee years to do this requires a detailed painstaking study into ancient his-
tory, which is not my specialty. When something is not my specialty, I always go to the experts and let them present their
cases. My investigation was greatly simplified by the knowledge that the scriptural Jubilee cycle is 49 years and not 50.
Fortunately, the majority of the research out there is based on a 50 years cycle, following the traditional majority view of
the Talmud. This narrowed down the choices to investigate significantly.70
Destruction of Temple in 70 AD – Sabbath Year
The best 49-year Jubilee cycle based research I have found is from Qadesh La Yahweh Press, which is available at their
site for free download.71 As far as the sabbath years go, their research concurs exactly with the research of Christian chro-
nologist Eugene Faulstich. All other scholarly sources I checked were within 6 months of what Eugene Faulstich and
Yahweh.org separately concluded for sabbath years (simply because they assert that the sabbath years begin in the fall in-
stead of the spring, just as they assert is the case for even normal biblical years).
Among many other proof years examined, they both conclude that the year of the destruction of the Second Temple in
70 AD was indeed a sabbath year. They also both date the Feast of Tabernacles of Nehemiah 8 as 456/455 BC (other
scholars often date it a year earlier. Note that because biblical years start in the spring, they always span two Gregorian
years which are listed together with a slash). This year is often selected because Nehemiah 8 records that the Torah was
read aloud during that Feast of Tabernacles, something that the Torah prescribed to be done every 7th time—in the sab-
bath year.

70 www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=18&letter=S#112
71 www.yahweh.org/publications/sjc/sabjub.pdf
 Identifying the Historic Sabbath and Jubilee Year Cycles 69

Although they do not agree on the Jubilee cycle, neither of their cycles places a Jubilee year near 29 AD, ruling out a
Jubilee year for what Isaiah 61:1-2's “year of favor” is referring to.
28/29 AD Also Historic Sabbath Year
Our case would be even stronger if we knew what year Jesus began his ministry. Jesus read from Isaiah in Nazareth early
in the beginning of his ministry, which commenced soon after he turned 30 (Lk 3:23). Thanks to the astronomical evi -
dence for what the Star of Bethlehem was, and when it appeared, we can be pretty certain that Jesus was born on Sep-
tember 11th, 3 BC which appears to be the Day of Trumpets. 72 This would make him turn 30 in Fall, 28 AD, and “about
30 years old” in early 29 AD.
If Jesus was baptized, fasted for 40 days, and made it to Nazareth within six months of his birthday, then his an -
nouncement of a special “year of favor” would have been during the biblical year of 28/29 AD (Spring, 28 – Spring, 29
since biblical years begin in spring, not the dead of winter). If this is correct then 28/29 would be a sabbath year. Does
history bear this out?
According to the research presented above, if 456/455 BC was a sabbath year, then 28/29 AD, exactly 69 sabbath
year cycles later, would indeed be a sabbath year (-456 + 7 x 69 + 1 for no year zero). If Jesus proclaimed a sabbath
year to fulfill Isaiah 61 at the end of the 69 th week, then we can reasonably expect him to fulfill that prophecy fully in an -
other sabbath year at the end of the 70th week.
First Week, Correct Decree to Nehemiah
By the way, this implies that 456/455 BC was the year of the correct decree of Daniel 9:25, which began the 70 weeks
count. This would be the word of Artaxerxes I the King to Ezra (in Ezra 7:11-26).
The Next Sabbath Year Is...
So when is the next sabbath year for our times? You can find out by repeatedly adding seven to any other confirmed sab-
bath year. For example, if you use 70 AD, you would add seven 278 times before you arrive at the first future sabbath
year as of this writing (2016). Therefore, the next sabbath year that has a chance of fulfilling prophecy will be
2016/2017.73 If the 70th week does not start with that cycle, then the earliest it can begin after that will be 2023, and so
on. Refer to the Revelation Roadmap chart to see which year's events can happen based on this sabbath year insight.
Some who have studied sabbath years may disagree with my 2016 conclusion. They may be right. Yet, please note
that getting the sabbath year cycle right is not important to knowing the future. The seals, trumpets and bowls of Revela -
tion give us the sequence of events and do not depend on the sabbath year cycle. We know from this sequence that no
major prophesied event can happen, including Wormwood or the GT, before Elijah comes and gathers us to safety. So
even without knowing the next sabbath year, we can always know we have a couple safe years to go until Elijah appears
and tells us otherwise.

72 www.askelm.com/star/index.asp ad2004.com/prophecytruths/Articles/Yeshua/xmas_star.swf
www.ad2004.com/prophecytruths/Articles/Yeshua/yeshuabirth1.html
73 Judaism considered Rosh HaShanah, 2007 the start of a sabbath year, but this is based on the “holy opinions” in the Talmud, not the best historical evidence.
 Chapter 11:
The Revelation Roadmap
This chapter covers the “Revelation Roadmap” timeline chart of the 70 th week of Daniel or final seven years of this age.
The purpose is to assemble the prophetic events already explained along with other events and details needed to make it,
as much as possible, a complete roadmap of end times prophecy. Naturally, the contents are based on the keys, principles
and insights covered in previous chapters such as literal interpretation, prophetic feast days, 70 weeks and sabbath year
cycles.
No Fixed Dates, Possible Years Only
As many expect from a prophecy timeline, possible years are included (for most events since not all prophecies give
enough detail to determine where they fall relative to other events). Given the rampant date setting practiced among
prophecy teachers and prognosticators, it is important at the outset to explain those years. Contrary to how it might look
at first, there are no set dates or years on the timeline. The reason why was explained earlier: despite the popular hope
or belief to the contrary, the Bible does not tell us “the day or hour” this far in advance. Therefore, the years given
should be considered as possibilities only.
Why Slashes Between Years Like 2016/23
This is why you will see two years separated by slashes such as 2016/23. In other words, as of this publication, 2016 is
the next possible year for that event. If that year passes, then 2023 should be considered the next possible “window” for
the 70th week, and so on. Due to space considerations, more slashes and years are not added, but you would simply add
multiples of 7 years to the year given until you get a year in the future.
Where do the years come from?
Unlike with the date setting you may have seen, the years on this timeline do not come from guesses, dreams, typology,
Psalm 1/Year 1901 logic, Bible codes, or even Jubilee years. Instead, the years on the timeline are based on the sabbath
year cycles explained earlier. If the 70th week is a sabbath year cycle, then it ends in a sabbath year. This is why it was
stated earlier that Jesus must come back in a sabbath year; he returns at the end of the 70 th week. Using the historical sab-
bath year cycle, you can project possible ends to the 70 th week. The year 70 AD was a sabbath year as was 2009 (70 + 7
x 277), 2016 (70 + 7 x 278), 2023, 2030, 2037, 2044, 2051, 2058, 2065, 2072, 2079, etc.
The dates for events earlier in the 70 th week come from the relative timings given in some prophecies, and other de-
ductions. For example, the Abomination of Desolation is 1290 days (3.5 years) from the end of the age. This means that
if Jesus returns in year 7 of the 70 th week, then the AoD will happen in year 3 (7 – 3.5 = 3½). Using this approach, you
can work out the possible timings for most of the earlier events.
When To Rule Out a Window
You can consider each sabbath year and the six years before it as a possible “window” for the 70 th week. For example:
2016-2023 and 2023-2030 are the next two possible windows. Now, as I write this, we are in the cycle of 2009-2016
which has already been ruled out. This is because once a cycle begins, if nothing from the timeline has happened then it's
too late for it to be the 70 th week. In that case, you are safe until the start of the next cycle as far as nasty 70th week
events happening.74
In fact, I ruled out the 2009-2016 window in Fall, 2008 during the revision of the 7 th edition. I felt comfortable doing
this after years of watching events gave me a better feel for what is typical. For me, it comes down to the first event on
the timeline, the Middle East nuclear war and specifically the Arab war pact of Psalm 83:5 leading to it. I do not think
such an alliance can happen overnight especially with a minority of Israel's neighbors being extreme. Given that contin -
ued situation, I determined that the war pact would not come together in time for the 70 th week to begin in 2009-2016. So
I ruled it out before going to press.
Now, well after 2009, it is plainly too late for 2009-2016 to fulfill prophecy. Therefore, in the timeline, the next two
possible windows of 2016-2023 and 2023-2030 are listed instead. If nothing prophetic has happened by 2016, then the
2016-2023 based numbers are ruled out and the 2023-2030 based ones are the ones to consider. If nothing happens by the
end of 2023 (give or take), then you would add seven years to the second group of numbers after the slash in the time -
line, and so on.
Understanding the Timeline
There is a lot of information on the timeline and as a result it may be hard to understand even using the many Scripture
citations provided. Do not feel bad if so. First, do not forget to consult the full-page chart inside the front cover for a
great overview. Second, it might be helpful to know that the timeline itself was not constructed start to finish as written.
It was an iterative process over years using conclusion upon conclusion. As each new insight came to answer one ques -

74 The popular 2012 falls during 2009-2016. 2012 is based on the Mayan calendar's ending and other speculations. Like all other set dates in history, we can trust it to fail. See:
escapeallthesethings.com/doomsday-date-setting.htm
 Chapter 11: The Revelation Roadmap 71

tion, it narrowed down possibilities for other open questions; over and over what at first seemed possible would be clear-
ly impossible. In this way, more and more initially impenetrable questions became solvable.
In general, I started with the clearer big concepts such as the 70 th week layout, GT, biblical calendar, and prophetic
feast days to construct a foundation. From that foundation I then fit in the harder prophecies such as Wormwood, the
AoD, and day of the rapture and Day of the Lord. When I had a literal interpretation for something (that did not break
any of the many verses) I would add it to the interpretive framework.
How To Read the Timeline
Please note the following points about how to interpret the table:
 Sequential Order: With a few exceptions marked with a question mark (?), no event on the list can happen before
the preceding events on the list have happened.
 Events Grouped Together: Events under different names in different prophetic books that are considered the same
event or likely to happen in quick succession are listed together.
 Biblical Calendar Dates: Sometimes the exact day of an event is knowable because it is directly fulfilling one of the
prophetic feast days. These are noted in italics with the traditional Jewish month name (e.g. “Tishrei” instead of the
“7th month”).
 Adjusting for Your Rapture Position: Even if you do not yet hold the post-tribulation rapture position, the informa-
tion on the chart can still benefit you. Since Jesus must return in a sabbath year at the end of the 70th week of Daniel
and the sabbath years are knowable, you can calculate the rapture year for other rapture positions by subtracting 7
years for pretrib, or 3½ years for mid-trib from the given year.
Some Points of Interest
Five Remaining Major Prophesied Wars: These wars are often confused for one another and underreported on other
timelines. They include the nuclear Middle East War, nuclear World War III between America and a Russian-Chinese al -
liance, World War IV between the Antichrist and the Russian-Chinese alliance, “Armageddon”/Gog-Magog #1 at
Jerusalem, and Gog-Magog #2 after the Millennium.
Two Mystery Babylons / Two Falls: Few recognize that when the Bible says “Babylon is fallen, is fallen” not just
once but three times, it is a dead giveaway that it is a dual prophecy (Isa 21:9, Rev 14:8; Rev 18:2). This resolves the
dilemma in Revelation 14 that angels announce a Babylon's fall before the Mark of the Beast becomes an issue. Both
Babylons' falls are marked on my timeline (as #1 and #2).
Jesus' Next Two Appearances: The “second coming of Christ” gives the idea that we will not see anything of Jesus
before then. However, the Olivet Discourse and Book of Revelation have Jesus appearing, albeit briefly, two other times
in between. Each of the next three remaining appearances comes on the fulfillment of a prophetic feast day noted on the
table: Pentecost, Trumpets and Day of Atonement.
Two Gog-Magog Wars, Not One: Neither Ezekiel 38 nor 39 fit a pretribulation timing as is commonly supposed.
They only work literally as two bookend wars to the Millennium. This is evident from a simple comparison of Rev
19=Eze 39 and Rev 20=Eze 38. I have them listed as Gog-Magog War I & II. (See chapter 7)
The Revelation Roadmap
With all the explanation out of the way, here finally is the timeline:
Table 4: End Times Timeline Literal Interpretation and Sabbath Year Cycles

Timing / Event Description

Middle East An Arab-Muslim confederacy will fight with Israel as described in Ps 83,
Nuclear War Zec 12, Isa 17, Jer 49, etc. Israel will win in a single day (Isa 17:13-14) by
bringing out the nukes via the “Samson Option” against the surrounding
By 2016/23...but can come before or armies and cities—before America and Russia can even get involved. This
after the 70th week begins will change the M.E. and make possible the 144,000 gathering on the Tem-
• Damascus gone ple Mount and the raising of the Third Temple. Because Revelation does
• Jordan, Iran, et al. defeated not mention this event, its relative timing is not known. It may depend on
• Israel wins but takes big casual- nuclear proliferation and regime change among Israel's enemies (like the
ties 2011 Arab Spring).
70th Week of Daniel Begins (Tishrei 1, 2016/23)
70th Week Surprisingly, nowhere does Daniel say that the 70th week “covenant” is with
Israel, about peace, or even public. Judging from what it achieves in 3½
2016/23 Tishrei 1 years—the destruction of America and world domination—the best fit is the
 Chapter 11: The Revelation Roadmap 72

Timing / Event Description

• “Confirmation of the Covenant” covenant that the Ten Rulers who hate America make with the Antichrist to
• Antichrist makes secret pact with burn her with fire and give him their power to rule in exchange for having
the Ten Rulers dominion with him (Dan 9:27=Rev 17:12-13, 16-17).
“End Times” The arrival of the end times prophet (Elijah? - Mal 4:5), filling the need for
Elijah Appears someone to A) warn people to flee America before she falls and B) to gath-
er saints of all nations to Mt. Zion / Judea for safety from Wormwood. He
By 2018/25 perhaps comes after the M.E. war or other calamity in the same way that
• Proclaims 1st angel message, the original Elijah arose during the cursed, drought-ridden reign of wicked
warns of America's fall and Worm- King Ahab and Jezebel.
wood coming
• Call to saints to gather in Mt. Zion
Saints Gathered God's servants, including the “Woman” and the 144,000, are led to Judea
to Judea by a true prophet of God to be safe from Wormwood. They set up a com-
munity there for up to two years, possibly ending when the 1335 days begin
2018/25 – 2019/26 (Zeph 2:1; “gather” #1).
• Zephaniah 2
“gather” #1
Beginning of Sorrows/Birth Pains (Mt 24:7-8 = Lk 21:10-11)
World War III Russian forces literally incinerate the USA with (nuclear?) fire in a single
day and hour (Jer 50-51, Rev 17-18; Isa 13; Isa 47). Possibly including a
2018/25, Fall?
communist confederacy of nations (China, Korea, Mexico, Cuba,
• Nuclear World War III – USA vs. Nicaragua, etc) that show America “hatred” (Rev 17:12-18) since perhaps
Russia no nation alone could defeat the USA. This will devastate the world econo-
• America gone / Babylon #1's fall my and security status.
• Russia and China win and take
over
144,000 Sealed The 144,000 are sealed to accomplish their mission of preaching the three
angels' messages (picking up where Elijah left off). They go two by two
2019/26, Pentecost preaching the gospel of the kingdom as a witness to all nations (Rev
• Jesus appears on the Temple 14:6=Mt 24:14, see Part 3).
Mount
Wormwood Begins Great winds globally from pole shift; a great earthquake relocating every is-
land and mountain; sun turned to darkness, full moon to blood; shooting
2019/26, Pentecost stars, meteor shower seen everywhere; stars are obscured by debris / dust
• Great earthquake cloud. Everyone panics and mistakenly thinks “Judgment Day” is here (not
• Sun darkened, moon turns red knowing that the 7 bowl plagues of God's wrath come four years later). A
• Meteor showers global meteorite storm sets fires everywhere burning all the grass and one
• Dust obscures sky third of trees. A mountain-sized asteroid hits the ocean and creates devas-
• Pole shift, great winds tating tsunamis destroying a third of ships and fish globally (Rev 6:12-8:11;
• Meteorite storm and resulting Lk 21:10-11).
fires
• Asteroid hits ocean
Wormwood One third of fresh water supplies “bitter,” shortages worldwide; a “nuclear
Aftermath winter” from atmospheric particulate blocking the sun; infrastructure of civi-
lization broken; famine from burned crops and lack of sunlight (Rev 8:12-
2019/26, Summer 13); length of year has returned back to its original pre-flood 360 days and
• “End of the world as we know it” lunar month to 30 days, making the 1260 day/42 month/3½ year GT possi-
• Security crisis ble.
• Calendar change
Third Temple Built / Sacrifices Start The Third Temple on the Temple Mount must be completed and the daily
morning and evening animal sacrifices started (nearly 2000 years after
Pretrib, exact timing unclear
 Chapter 11: The Revelation Roadmap 73

Timing / Event Description

• Altar must be built ending in 70 AD) (Rev 11; 2Th 2:4) (Note: animal sacrifices only need the
altar to start, not the whole temple.)
1335 Days The blessing of “coming to the 1335 days” is unspecified, but since it is 45
days before the AoD that Jesus said was the time to do a panicked fleeing,
2020/27, Tevet 15 it could indicate when the Woman flees calmly in plenty of time rather than
• Potential day of saints flight from last minute at the AoD as those lacking faith will wait to “see it to believe it.”
Judea to Jordan “The Woman flees to her place prepared in wilderness where she is fed for
• Zephaniah 2 “gather” #2 3½ years” (Rev 12; Zeph 2:1; “Gather” #2).
Jerusalem Surrounded by AC Luke 21:20, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recog-
Armies nize that its desolation has come near.” Winter (Mt 24:20).
2020/27, Winter
Abomination of AC publicly revealed as the Man of Sin (2Th 2) by using his armies to cut
Desolation / off the sacrifices and put up the Image of the Beast statue while demand-
Sacrifices Stopped ing worship as God in the flesh (Dan 12:11, 9:27; 11:31; Mt 24:15; Mk
13:14; 2Th 2:4).
2020/27, Winter
• Image of Beast
• 1290 Days begin
Great Tribulation Begins (Wrath of Satan)
Great Tribulation 30 days after the AoD, Satan is cast down and the GT officially begins on a
spring new moon (Nissan 1, four years after the last sabbath year began).
2020/27, Nissan 1
It lasts for 1260 days/42 months/3½ years. Locusts released from bottom-
• 5th Trumpet / Satan cast down less pit begin torturing people to take the Mark of the Beast. Their appear-
• Locusts released / Mark of the ance is alien-like to mask their true identity and carry out the strong delu-
Beast decreed sion of this dictator who wishes to be worshiped as God with his One World
• 42 months begin of Religion. The Two Witnesses begin their preaching in Jerusalem warning
Antichrist's reign people of the deception. (Rev 9:1-12; 11:1-6; 13:1-18; Mt 24:21)
• 1260 Days of
Two Witnesses' ministry begin

6th Trumpet / The AC must contend with China and Russia (“east and north” of Israel, re-
World War 4 spectively) who are not so willing to give up the rule of the world they just
wrestled from America. He wins with the help of the four angels released
2020/27 approx. from the river Euphrates to establish his kingdom. A third of mankind dies
• World War IV in the process (Rev 9:13-21=Dan 11:44).
• “Tidings out of the east and
north” trouble Antichrist
Two Witnesses Die 3½ days before the Day of Trumpets, in the morning, probably around 6:00
or 7:00 a.m.
2023/30, Elul 27
The 7 Thunders The actual voice of God is heard by everyone. It explains the judgment on
the world about to begin (Rev 10:1-7; Ps 29). Because it will be so plain
2023/30, Tishrei 1 and complete, John was forbidden to include what is said in Revelation in
• Explanation about the 7 bowls order to keep the truth obscured, just as Jesus' use of parables accom-
coming plished.
Two Witnesses Resurrection & As- The Two Witnesses are resurrected right before the rest of the dead in
cent Christ. They are first apparently so they can give the necessary double wit-
ness of the new moon of the 7th month which confirms the start of Day of
2023/30, Day of Trumpets Tishrei 1 Trumpets, 7th trumpet and resurrection of the dead (Rev 11:12; 1Th 4:15-
Evening 17).
• Sighting of the new moon of
 Chapter 11: The Revelation Roadmap 74

Timing / Event Description

Tishrei
Great Tribulation & 70th Week of Daniel Ends
Resurrection “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
/ Rapture archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will
rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in
2023/30, Day of Trumpets Tishrei 1 the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the
• 7th Trumpet Lord.” (1 The 4:16-17) “After the tribulation of those days, he shall gather
• Resurrection of the dead first the elect.” (Mat 24:29-31; Rev 11:11-15;15:1-5)
• Jesus appears in sky with angels
Wrath of God Begins
7 Bowls of Wrath Just as in the days of Noah and Lot, once the righteous are taken out, the
wrath of God can commence (Lk 17:26-36; Rev 16:1; 12-16).
2023/30, Day of Trumpets Tishrei 1-
The marriage supper of the lamb may happen during this time in heaven
10 (Rev 19:6-9).
• Armies gathered to Valley of
Megiddo
• Marriage supper
Day of the Lord The Day of the Lord is indeed a single literal “day,” the day of the “second
coming of Christ.” This is clear from how Joel lists the Day of the LORD in
2023/30, Yom Kippur Tishrei 10 connection with the Yom Kippur fast (Joel 1:14-15). Also Satan fulfills the
• Time of Jacob's Trouble type of the Yom Kippur Azazel goat banished that day (Rev 19=Lev 16). Ja-
• Jesus' 2nd Coming cob's Trouble (Jer 30:6-7=Isa 6:1-10).
Armageddon After returning, Christ immediately fights the “Battle of Armageddon” which
actually takes place at Jerusalem (Rev 19=Eze 39=Zec 14=Isa 13). While
2023/30, Yom Kippur Tishrei 10
2/3 of the world will die during God's wrath (Zec 13:8), the population will
• Gog-Magog War #1 be much less than today's billions due to Wormwood, WWIII and WWIV.
• Beast and False Prophet killed
• Satan bound for 1000 years Satan is bound 1000 years in the Abyss he opened at the 5th trumpet. He is
• “Mystery Babylon Is Fallen” #2 not killed yet so he can be released later to prove man's vulnerability to his
deception even under God's government (Rev 20:1-3 = Lev 16).
Wrath of God Ends
Millennial Reign of Jesus & the Jesus reigns with his glorified/spirit-bodied saints for 1000 years. The
Saints Houses of Ephraim/Joseph & Judah are regathered to Israel in the so-
called “Greater Exodus” (Jer 23:7-8). The resurrected King David rules
2023/30, Feast of Tabernacles Tishrei them as in Two Sticks prophecy (Eze 37:15-28) and the promised New
15 Covenant (Jer 31:31) is established with them.
• 7 months of burying the dead
• 7 years of burning weapons Begins seven years of burning weapons and seven months of burying bod-
• Israel regathered in “Greater Exo- ies (Eze 39:10, 12).
dus”
• New Covenant
Satan Released Satan released from the Abyss to demonstrate that even with God's truth,
From the Abyss his spirit, and government, people can still be deceived and corrupted just
as readily as Adam and Eve were. This removes any doubt that Satan must
3023/30 be destroyed, his purpose having been fulfilled in helping to prove through
• Gog Magog war #2 history only God's way works and only with his help included. (Rev 20:7-10
= Eze 38)
2nd Resurrection The billions who lived and died without adopting God's way are resurrected
and given the full knowledge of it and a chance to try it out for a 2nd lifetime,
3???
this time without Satan's deception, negative peer pressure, or persecution.
• Resurrection to flesh of the lost (Eze 37:1-14=Rev 20:5)
 Chapter 11: The Revelation Roadmap 75

Timing / Event Description

Great White Throne Judgment After all those from the 2 resurrection had their full chance, the Great
nd

White Throne Judgment comes. The righteous gain eternal life and those
3???, Last Great Day
who still rebel against God and his way of peace die the second death in
• 2nd Death – Lake of Fire the Lake of Fire. This fulfills the Last Great Day holy day. (Rev 20:11-15)75
New Heavens & Heaven and earth renewed along with a New Jerusalem. There is no more
New Earth pain, sorrow or death because all physical humans have been glorified to
spiritual bodies (Rev 21=Isa 65:17). It is accomplished that God wipes ev-
Year Unknown ery tear from our eyes (Rev 21:4).
• New Jerusalem

75 For details on GWTJ Period read: www.cgca.net/pabco/lesson21.htm

 Part 3:
Mystery of Disunity
Prophecy Understanding Changes Your Doctrines
My progress in understanding Bible prophecy (as shown in the previous chapters) had an unexpected side benefit: It en -
hanced and radically changed my understanding of the rest of the Bible. Many readers of previous editions of this book
report the same experience and it is likely to happen to you as well. This is possible for a few reasons. Bible prophecy
represents over one quarter of the Bible. If you ignore or misunderstand that large of a portion of any book, it can nega -
tively impact your understanding of the rest of it. Further, Bible prophecy specifically reveals to us God's plans, especial -
ly for the first (approx.) 7,000 years of history, and beyond. When you understand the “big picture” more fully, your dis -
cernment increases dramatically. You may then begin to discern how many of the doctrines and beliefs that you learned
from Christianity come from tradition, or a misreading of Scripture.
For the truth seeker who wants to believe and live only according to God's Word (Lk 8:21), this paradigm shift
prompts them to change their mind about many traditional creeds, no matter how hallowed they may be. It happens
through a domino effect. Each time a belief is changed, it causes some other understanding to no longer work or fit with
your new understanding, prompting further review of beliefs. It fulfills the principle Jesus taught that those who are faith -
ful in what they have, will be given more (Mt 25:29). In other words, if you love the truth and act on each new piece of it
received, more is on the way.
Therefore, the following chapters have been called “challenging” by several readers. They test some fundamental or-
thodox Christian teachings against Scripture and find them lacking. Alternatives are offered right from Jesus' mouth,
statements that you will be surprised you glossed over for so many years. The ideas may bother or offend you. However,
my goal was not to be different, shock, or offend anyone, but rather to answer some questions to which traditional Chris-
tianity had no satisfying scriptural answers. Without tipping some sacred cows, it is impossible to understand many parts
of prophecy not yet discussed.
For those who love the truth, in addition to a deeper understanding about what God wants today from us, you will be
rewarded with some astounding insights on the mysteries of the Two Witnesses, the 144,000, the Seventy(-two) that Je-
sus sent out, “the Woman” and the “end times” Elijah that are simply “breathtaking” as some readers describe it.
These mysteries are beyond Christianity's ability to explain adequately, but those of us who want the truth badly enough
to delve into the Bible ourselves can understand.
 Chapter 12:
God’s Word or Unity: Choose
Why Disunity From God’s Word?
One of the larger sources of skepticism towards the Bible is in how those who profess to follow it are divided into innu-
merable conflicting and oftentimes warring religions, denominations and sects. This lack of unity is ironic considering
how the Bible is accepted by them all as preserving revelation from God for right living that leads to peace and unity. As
even the outsiders perceive, the question of exactly which is the right interpretation of the biblical text is highly debat-
able, and this is what leads to division over time. There are good scholars with good arguments behind just about every
popular and convincing interpretation out there. Thus we see that people throughout history have broken off into separate
belief groups with strong scholarly proof to support their interpretation. With time, each new division can evolve into a
new religion, denomination or sect complete with its own distinct Bible-based creed.
Obviously, all these conflicting doctrinal sets cannot be right. In fact, it is quite possible and likely that all of them
are wrong. All it takes is for each group to have deviated in only one significant way from what the Word of God really
intended, which is not hard to imagine.
This explains why we have so many different religious groups all full of people who believe they are following what
the Bible really says. This fragmentation seems unavoidably bad, much as a divorce does. In a marriage, if there are “ir-
reconcilable differences” or one or both parties is unwilling to change any behavior in the way of a good functional mar -
riage, then a divorce may be better than continuing on with someone with whom you are in constant strife with. 76 Like-
wise, not being able to agree with others who prevent you from following your convictions about God’s truth are valid
grounds for separation and division. So this is actually a pragmatic and necessary phenomenon.
After the “divorce,” the first action that such a newly formed group will usually do is to outline their view of what
God’s Word says in what is called a doctrinal statement. This also is not evil of itself but quite necessary. For if their or-
ganization wants to be able to answer the question of what they believe and practice, they cannot simply say, “here, we
believe this” holding up a copy of the Bible. It is much too long and ambiguous and it requires too much interpretation to
serve as a definitive answer for this important question.
Abandoning God’s Word For Tradition
The real problem comes in later when these groups, which were initially formed in search of and preservation of what
they were convicted to be truth, lose their focus on seeking truth. A new focus on simple self-preservation takes its place.
When it comes to the point that they will not change their traditionally held core doctrines even after being presented
with new findings showing that they are in error (i.e., they break Scripture), now what was originally noble has become
corrupt. What was initially based on great ideals has become just another organization that exists to promulgate its tradi -
tion rather than constantly revising and changing its doctrinal set as part of a never-ending quest for better understanding
and application of the Word of God. Jesus condemned the doctrines of Judaism, the Bible religion of his day, for how
they were based on traditions that negated Scripture:
Matthew 15:1-9 (NKJV) — 1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 "Why do Your
disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." 3 He answered and said to them,
"Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 "For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father
and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 5 "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother,
"Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"-- 6 'then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have
made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 'These
people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "

Note that although he was talking to the leaders of Judaism, his words apply to any religion, denomination or sect that
purports to teach the Bible. All of them come to the same point where they decide what their interpretation of the Word of
God is. To do otherwise would make for a more challenging and fluid environment which is less attractive to most reli-
gious people looking for stability. Organizations which change their teachings often will lose membership and income.
Hurting themselves like this is against any organization’s overriding instinct of self-preservation and growth in numbers
(rather than “growing in grace and knowledge”).
Denominational Unity Only From Fixed Doctrinal Statements
Despite the negatives above, an advantage of a fixed, traditional doctrinal set is a high degree of unity. Anyone who joins
their group knows going in what they will be expected to believe and do. Everyone who is there learns to conform. Order
is maintained. Moreover, anyone who at some later date does not agree with these traditions anymore is soon shown the
76 Divorce is a controversial subject, but bear in mind that Jesus said divorce was instituted because of the hardness of our hearts (Mt 19:8); a condition we all have to some degree. Thus his advice
about not divorcing pertained to couples where both were walking with God by his truth and joined together by God (Mt 19:6) which is extremely rare today.
 Abandoning God’s Word For Tradition 78

door rather than being allowed to sow discord or sweep in some kind of doctrinal revolution. Any midstream doctrinal
change would only lead to the exiting of many others who do not want or agree with a change to the status quo. A popu-
lar proverb that religions operate under is that “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or one.” 77
My Days in the WCG
I personally have experienced this unity during my decade of involvement with the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). It
was a joy to be among people who you knew had the same understanding and practices in worshiping God. I could travel
to any city where they had a congregation and know what kind of like-minded people I would find there. They were
ready to welcome me into their homes without even having met me. We kept the same day of rest (Saturday) and cele -
brated the same biblical feast days on the same feast day schedule. 78 We were able to meet on these times together, taking
time off from work to do so if need be. I have many fond memories of those times together.
However, the WCG was a rare religious organization that actually dared to tamper with its doctrines when convicted
that they were wrong. As one would expect, as soon as they made major doctrinal changes, disunity would set in. It was
like someone pulling the carpet out from under everyone’s feet. Each successive doctrinal change (and there were many)
would put some percentage of the membership in the position of being in an organization with which they could no
longer agree. Many moved on to find or to found another group with which could again agree. Others, like myself, left
and stayed on their own.
Again, this separation may sound like a sad event. If so, we might need to remind ourselves that when God calls us he
is calling us to him, not to any particular group or set of creeds. He uses groups along the way to teach us things, but our
primary allegiance is always to him and his truth as we understand it, not as a group understands it. For none of us can
stand before the throne on Judgment Day explaining our actions with the excuse that we only did what our teacher, pas-
tor or rabbi told us. God is not asking us to substitute anyone’s judgment for our own, but to learn his standards of judg -
ment as revealed in his Word. Jesus stated this as the standard:
Luke 8:20-21 (NKJV) — 20 And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to
see You." 21 But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

If that is not a frightening verse to face, then I do not know what verse is. If we accept this verse at face value then
much, much more is required of us than we have been led to believe. To be in Jesus’ family we must base our actions on
what we understand the Word of God to say ourselves. There is no middleman to trust in for telling us what to do to
please God. We must actually base our relationship with God on doing what his Word says directly, not on what a human
religious authority tells us. If you try to operate that way as part of a typical religious group today, you obviously will not
last very long. And an organization trying to implement this is going to have the continual course corrections that cause it
to break up that WCG had.
Individuals Can Successfully Follow God’s Word
Thankfully, when you are talking about individuals following the Word of God successfully, it is a different story than
with organizations. There is much less stopping an individual from adopting this. This may sound like a contradiction to
the statements above about how the Bible is ambiguous and hard to understand with 100% certainty. Yet they are differ -
ent. It is much harder to express and prove your views to someone else than it is to convince yourself. There are many
points that we may conclude the Bible teaches which would be hard to prove to others. Thankfully, we do not need any -
one else's approval for our conclusions. Quite the contrary, we need to follow our own convictions and not rely on the
opinions of others.
The individual naturally must be willing to make the necessary sacrifices that his convictions require. As related
above, one of these is often to be willing to separate if necessary from his current group, friends, and even family who
are generally not prepared to follow the extreme position of “the Bible only.” Jesus even noted this would become neces -
sary for those who tried to live this way, confirming that this was the correct thing to do:
Matthew 10:34-39 (NKJV) — 34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I
have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 and 'a
man's enemies will be those of his own household.' 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who
loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of
Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Sacrifice is required to follow the truth in a world that generally does what is right in its own eyes. However, lest you
become discouraged about this, remember also the promise Jesus gave concerning those who follow the Word of God in
today’s divisive world:
77 Spock from “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”; also expressed by the Pharisees in John 11:50.
78 Today I would not call the Jewish precalculated calendar invented by Hillel II “biblical” (see Introduction).
 Individuals Can Successfully Follow God’s Word 79

Mark 10:28-30 (ISV) — 28 Then Peter began to say to him, "See, we've left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly I tell
you, there is no one who has left his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields because of me and the gospel 30 who
will not receive a hundred times as much here in this world—homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, along with
persecutions—as well as eternal life in the age to come.

That is a comforting promise. Just remember that there is no telling how patiently long you will have to wait before
you receive it.
Unity For New Groups
Short of some forced solution that abandons a Bible basis (such as the one prophesied in Revelation 13 under the Beast
and False Prophet), it is readily apparent that there will be no way to heal the schisms among the two main Bible-based
faiths until the Messiah comes to set them all straight under his pure doctrine. Ecumenism (unity among Christian
churches or denominations) and Universalism (all religions are equal roads to heaven) amount to ignoring areas of dis-
agreement or saying there is no one truth or path. They will never bring true unity in the truth. The most you could
achieve from them is tolerance and understanding. A necessary focus on what is held in common brings only a wa -
tered-down greatest common denominator truth.
Yet what about small new groups who attempt to maintain their scriptural integrity by staying focused on following
God’s Word only? Can they have unity? To an extent, yes. However, as soon as two or more families or individuals who
wish to follow God’s Word come together, the age-old problem of the ambiguity of the Bible soon arises again to divide
them.
Area of Dispute: The Holy Day Calendar
For example, we see this today among those wanting to celebrate the biblical feast days even though they are not re -
quired (Acts 15:19, 29; 21:25). They have come out of traditional Christianity or Judaism after painfully discovering that
these religions teach their own tradition in place of the Word of God. They hope to be different. These groups attempt to
follow the festival instructions found in the Torah, or the commandments first given by God to ancient Israel to make
them wise and set apart from the nations around them. Yet they still cannot agree on which is the right way to reckon the
dates of these festivals on the current Gregorian calendar. Here are some of the major differences of opinion on just this
issue alone:
 Days: Some say the day begins at sunset, like Judaism observes. Others say sunrise.
 Sabbaths: Some say it is a seventh day Sabbath cycle like Judaism observes. Others say it is a lunar-based Sabbath
cycle.
 Months: Some begin at the visible crescent moon, others the astronomical new moon, others the full moon, and Ju-
daism has its calendar that usually lags the visible crescent moon by a day (and sometimes a month ahead).
 Years: Aviv (ripe) barley-based; equinox-based; or the standard precalculated Hillel II calendar of Judaism.
That is a lot of views—all from reading the same Bible (and that is not even all of them). However, some might still
be wondering to themselves at this point, if things could still work if you just simply find and assemble with people who
already agree on what the right calendar is, or say, who all agree on just doing the Ten Commandments.
What About Just The Sabbath?
Take another example to illustrate how even that is not enough. Observance of the Sabbath day is part of the Ten Com -
mandments (number four) and also dependent on this calendar question. Suppose you find a group who wants to observe
the Sabbath day according to the seventh day reckoning (rather than on Sunday, or according to the lunar cycle, etc.).
Great, but what constitutes “keeping the Sabbath?” There are many questions on this topic alone and everyone will still
have their own ideas, such as:
 Is it a “holy convocation” that requires assembly as the holy days do?
 If so, are we not allowed to travel to meet together using internal combustion engine powered cars or do we interpret
Exodus 35:3 as prohibiting a work fire?
 Can you have a heating fire or do you have to turn off your furnace?
 Are we not allowed to use our computer on Sabbath?
 Are we allowed to use electricity at all on Sabbath?
 Do we have to prepare all our food ahead of time or can we make a sandwich if we want to?
 Do we have to talk only about God and the Bible on Sabbath or is it OK to share details with each other about our-
selves, our work, our lives, our problems, etc.?
 Can you play a board or computer game with family or friends or is that seeking your own pleasure on God’s day or
is it alright as long as it is a Bible trivia game?
 Area of Dispute: The Holy Day Calendar 80

 Can we watch TV or movies at all or only if it is Christian or biblical like Veggie Tales or The Ten Commandments?
 Can we carry money or exchange money with believers on Sabbath or is that prohibited “work?”
 Can we go to a restaurant or buy food on occasional Sabbaths or is that illustrated as clearly forbidden in the story of
Nehemiah 13?
 What about the new moon? Is it a Sabbath, too (Isa 66:23)?
Eating in Restaurants On Sabbath? “That’s A Bad Example!”
Some may read this list and see a few of them as “bad examples” of debatable issues because they are so “obviously for -
bidden”—such as going to restaurants on Sabbath. Yet, this reaction only proves the point. It is precisely when people
see a hotly debated Bible issue “as black and white” that they cannot tolerate people holding other opinions! To such a
person, anyone who goes to a restaurant on Sabbath can have no scriptural defense for that position and is only “refusing
to repent and rejecting the authority of Scripture.” Thus, how could you welcome them to your Sabbath-keeping group if
you view them as willful sinners?
Meanwhile, the person who sees no evil in going to a restaurant occasionally on Sabbath can give you ample reason -
ing on why Torah does not forbid this and how Nehemiah’s decision must therefore be based on other principles (such as
buying food at the market being part of one's work for sustaining himself during the week, etc.). Both parties think they
alone are right and thus are divided on how exactly to keep Sabbath. Neither can prove to the other beyond any shadow
of a doubt that they are wrong. Nor can they understand how anyone can see things any differently than they do.
The Problem of Not Seeing the Problem
Complicating matters further, then, is this common issue of many not even noticing that the Bible can be understood dif-
ferently than how they personally do. For example, we have all heard someone arguing for their view on what the Bible
says because it is “the clear teaching of the Bible” or that “the Bible is very clear on this point.” What astonishing state-
ments these are to others who find it is as clear as mud or to mean something different. If the Bible’s teachings were so
clear then there would not be such regular disagreement over them. No wonder we have the division we do with so many
thinking that they see the “clear” teaching of the Bible (and those who do not see it so “correctly” are labeled mentally
deficient). When someone does not even realize that others can read the same text and reasonably come to a contrary un -
derstanding, their patience and tolerance for different views will be severely strained. It tends to get ugly sooner or later.
For example, one time I posted on my website an article proposing that taking the Mark of the Beast was not the
“one-way ticket to hell” that it is often understood to be in Christendom. 79 It showed how scripturally the mark could be
repented of—if, of course, you survive the seven bowls of God's fury that those left behind will face. Now, normally I get
a steady stream of appreciative and complimentary emails to my site and an angry or abusive email only once in a blue
moon. After posting this article I had the equivalent of a year’s supply of such emails in one week! I was called a “false
teacher,” a “false prophet,” and numerous times told to “repent” because I was “joining the Antichrist.” Yet nowhere did
I suggest taking the Mark of the Beast was a good idea, as the Antichrist will. Judging from the flaming emails I re -
ceived, you would think I had. This is how ugly it can get sometimes if you hold and express a contrary view on a verse
that everyone else assumes is very clearly saying something else.
If having read this chapter the reader has no idea what it is talking about, believing like some that the Bible is mostly
clear “on the things that matter,” then there is probably nothing I can add to change that. I would, however, suggest that
you go find and experience an active Bible discussion group or a Christian's Facebook wall. Proceed to tell people what
you see as the clear teachings of the Bible and watch the reactions and engage them in discussion. If you do this for even
a short time you will no doubt make some disturbing discoveries about how differently others can understand the Bible
than yourself.
This situation is not solvable as things are today. There will always be some question of applying the Bible that can -
not be agreed upon. There is a good reason for this: something is missing and in the next chapters we will figure out
what that is, and what it is not.

79 The article I posted is at www.EscapeAllTheseThings.com/mark-beast-unpardonable-sin-rapture.htm

 Chapter 13:
Attempted Unicide
No doubt, some will have trouble accepting the previous chapter’s bleak assessment of our prospects for unity by follow -
ing the Bible only. It makes no sense to the natural mind that God would call people out of this world to follow his Word
and not give them a way to arrive at his truth together and dwell in unity to support each other. It is simply counter-intu -
itive. As a result, people often reject this notion and forge ahead with their ideals of unity today.
Psalm 133 Says We Should Strive For Unity!
They reason that unity is obviously God’s will in the Scriptures. They will often quote this verse in support of their point:
Psalm 133:1 — Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

They then reason that, despite the present reality and history to the contrary, we should strive for this unity. It can be-
come an obsessive quest for some to attain what they perceive is God’s will for them today.
However, there are a few problems with this. Firstly, this verse actually does not even say “unity.” The original He -
brew actually says, “to dwell even together.” Secondly, even if we take “to dwell in unity” as the right translation, it only
says that this dwelling is good and pleasant, it does not overtly say that it is God’s will that we have unity now. This may
seem trivial, but as Solomon said, there is a season for everything and every purpose under heaven (Ecc 3). Not every -
thing that is pleasant or good is best for us all the time or God’s will for us all the time. We can get ourselves in a lot of
trouble if we take a verse of the Bible out of its context and assume it is telling us today to do something to fulfill it. In
this case, the historical context of the verse is ancient Israel. It is one of the “Psalms of Ascents” that most agree refer to
the pilgrimage to Jerusalem during the annual festivals. So, if we were really wanting to try to fulfill this verse today,
then we would all be going to Jerusalem with family for the annual festivals, something that is prohibitively expensive to
do three times per year if you do not already live in Israel (and living in Israel entails a whole other set of problems to -
day).
In Fact, Our Group Had Unity!
Some people will attest that they had or still have unity with a Bible-based cell group today. They maturely did not make
issues of such minor differences of opinion. One family explained to me how they had half a dozen families who all had
left the same church and instead met together regularly over seven years. This group had no pastor or other typical single
leader and preacher leading. Instead, it was run like a democracy. When issues had to be decided they would be dis -
cussed and voted on. Each person was encouraged to study and share their opinions and the men (only) would each be
given a chance to take a turn teaching the group, rather than one person controlling what was taught and done.
This account may also seem to contradict my point about how unity is not possible. However, the rest of the story
with this group must be told. It was just a matter of time before new winds of doctrine came in and divided the members.
This group actually had several break offs of long time members over doctrinal disagreements through the years. So
rather than successfully growing steadily over time, the group continued at about the same size with a revolving door
membership. Why did it not work? It is because majority rule by vote does not prove which doctrinal view is correct.
Therefore, no amount of consensus could convince those in disagreement to change their mind and not leave. For this
reason, as we will see later, God’s form of government is not a democracy and true lasting unity will not come through a
democracy. Somebody must be able to prove what the right doctrine is to the satisfaction of everyone in the group who is
seeking to know exactly that, per the instruction of Jesus. He must also have the centralized power to cause everyone to
fall in and follow it rather than debate it or vote on it.
Calls to Larger Unity — Instead of Fighting
Is there no solution to this apparent size limit on a workable unity? As is the theme of this chapter, some idealists believe
there is and go ahead with proposals to bring about the unity they believe is our birthright. A chief motivation behind this
comes from the tremendous infighting there is among small Bible-based groups. When groups split over doctrines, they
do not always do so amicably. All too often there tends to be an astonishing amount of “smiting of the menservants and
maidservants” that the Messiah warned against to the end times believers awaiting his return. Many have noticed how the
Internet has brought this smiting to a whole new level. It leaves you wondering how those claiming to follow the one
who said “judge not” can miss the mark so commonly (Mt 7:1).
Inevitable division and disunity over doctrinal issues is one thing, but one's choice of how to handle it is another
thing. This is where it unfortunately tends to get ugly. Many decide that they have a mission from God to point out to the
others how wrong, or in some cases, how “sinful” or “in rebellion” they think they are (whether they asked for their opin -
ion or not). Although the attacks and libel of these people cause a lot of hurt, it must be admitted that they usually are
well-intentioned and truly believe they “do God a service.” And ironically, the more zealous a person is for God, the
more likely they are to make this kind of mistake. It is just sometimes amazing how so many who wish to be diligent at
 Calls to Larger Unity — Instead of Fighting 82

following God’s instructions misunderstand how best to lovingly lead others into doing them.
In response to these “Messy-antics” (a play off “Messianics”) some have naturally come forward calling for large-
scale unity, beyond the small limited cell group unity we talked about in the last chapter. One especially astute newsletter
I received shows real understanding of the cause of the situation and as we will soon see, even hints at the solution that
avoids the man-made doctrinal statement solution (emphasis mine):
The prophets tell us that in the future the ... Messiah will come and teach us by the wisdom of YHWH's spirit (Isa 11:2-3) and the High
Priest will stand with the Urim and Thummim and answer all our difficult questions (Ezra 2:63; 2Ch 15:3). When that happens everyone
will know the true meaning of YHWH's word. Until then we can only do our best with the tools we have to strive for His truth. It is
inevitable that today in the Era of Exile that different people will arrive at different understandings. Only one opinion can be right, but
until the anointed King and anointed High priest come in the end-times we will not know for sure. Until that time we must not let our
differences divide us! ... I believe that those who desire to follow YHWH's Torah should not be divided by their differences in
understanding His word. [We] believe that unity can and must be achieved even when there is NOT uniformity. This requires a certain
degree of spiritual maturity and humility. It is only human that we get frustrated when others do not see things our way. But we must be
humble before YHWH and ask Him to lead us on our walk with Him. If our fellow Torah-keepers approach YHWH with the same
humility then it is not for us to judge them. What unites us is our love of YHWH and our desire to live by His Torah. This does not mean
that [we] do not have heated and fierce debates and discussions. This is an important part of trying to peel away layers of tradition and
deception to arrive at the plain meaning of YHWH's word after 2000 years of falsehood that has kept us in Exile. This search in the
Scriptures is part of our journey with YHWH who speaks to us through His word.

I hear many people shouting for “unity” but what they really mean is “uniformity.” They shout for unity and then kick out all those
who disagree with them from their congregations and movements. Is this truly unity? This is like a democracy in which everyone who
does not toe the party line is denied the right to vote. And then the rulers of the people proclaim that there is complete unanimity! How is
this any different from the Spanish Inquisition? 80

Unity Proposal: Humility, Maturity and No Kicking Out

The writer above believes that unity while following God’s admittedly ambiguous Word is possible today even with our
differences. His proposed solution is to humbly remember that none of us know for certain which understanding is cor -
rect and have the maturity to control our response over frustration with the disagreement of others. He disagrees with
kicking out disagreeable people as part of the solution for unity.
Certainly, the current situation of people attacking each other over doctrinal differences is due to a lack of tolerance.
If people were mature enough and humble enough they would recognize that they are in no position to judge and attack
those with whom they do not agree. They would realize that the only course is to tolerate them for now, as you cannot
change anyone but yourself (assuming that you are not the one who needs to change). Yet, there are big problems with
this unity solution. I believe the writer, clearly showing humility and maturity in his statements, is forgetting just how
hard it is for most people to attain those same qualities! These qualities are not something someone can decide to have
and then acquire overnight. They must be developed over much time, usually at an early age thanks to a good upbringing.
For this reason, there will always be a lack of maturity and humility in us, especially with most of us today coming from
broken homes or dysfunctional families. We might as well ask people to stop sinning while we are at it!
The other problem is that even if somehow we were to get everyone to be mature and humble enough to not attack
each other over their disagreements, this would not change the fact that they fundamentally disagree. If they cannot
agree, then they cannot be together in unity and must remain separated to keep the peace. Then they will naturally seek
out others who do agree with them on what they deem together as important to God. In addition, if one of these people
changes their mind later and disrupts the unity, then this ultimately may require kicking that person out to keep order, and
so on. I empathize with the writer that it is wrong to kick people out when tolerance is a valid choice and is not chosen
because of lack of maturity or humility. Yet, as noted above, sometimes it is the only way to keep peace and order. In fact,
it is also quite a scriptural way of doing so as we will see in the next chapter looking at biblical precedents for unity.
Thus, this call for unity offers no feasible solution for today and really only amounts to a call for appropriate toler -
ance. This is a good thing to be reminded of considering that there is supposed to be obvious wisdom and love among the
faithful. He is also right to point out that most of this will not be resolved until the Messiah arrives to reign and reveal
God’s will for us clearly. However, is it true that we should not expect to have this same divine revelation through a rep -
resentative of God until Messiah himself comes? We will look at this later.
Unity Proposal: “Follow My Interpretation of Ezekiel 37/Acts 15”
Another provocative proposal understands how “agreeing to disagree” is not really unity at all. It therefore attempts to
forge agreement among those who want to diligently follow the Bible. It suggests that the main reason we have been
without unity among Bible believers since the first century is because we have been waiting for Ezekiel 37’s two sticks
prophecy to begin fulfillment today. Ezekiel 37 talks about the regathering and reunification of the ancient two divisions
of Israel: the House of Ephraim (the northern or “Ten Lost Tribes” or “Joes”/Gentiles) and the House of Judah (Judah,
80 Nehemia Gordon, groups.yahoo.com/group/karaite_korner_news/message/524
 Calls to Larger Unity — Instead of Fighting 83

Benjamin, Levi or “Jews”) to be governed under one king again, the resurrected King David (Eze 37:15-28). What does
that have to do with Bible believers today, you ask? There is some very interesting evidence pointing to the Lost Ten
Tribes having settled mainly (but not only) in the lands of today’s prominent Western democracies. 81 If this is true then
the majority of the people believing in the Bible today, commonly called “Gentiles” or non-Israelites, are actually descen -
dants of Israel without knowing it (more on this in the next chapter). The majority of these then could rightly be called
Ephraimites, Josephites, or Joes (as opposed to Jews as the nickname for the House of Judah today).
The proposal claims that all these Joes must be unified together first before the reunification with the Jews can hap -
pen per the prophecy. It argues for a path of unity through following Acts 15’s four requirements laid on the Gentiles
coming to the faith back then—plus around a dozen more additions not found in Acts 15. These include accepting “Two
House Doctrine,” the “Post-Millennial Return of Messiah” and requiring the use of only the “true Hebrew Names of both
the Father and the Son” and circumcision for men.
The intriguing aspect of this proposal is how it builds on the common (incorrect) interpretation of Ezekiel 37 as being
fulfilled today for the stick of Judah through the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. It offers to explain who the stick
of Ephraim is and what they must do to follow suit with a return to the land as well. By this it can claim that the unifica -
tion of Ephraim under later “elected representatives” is God’s will now. Therefore anyone continuing to desire to follow
the Word of God who does not support this proposal is “in rebellion and sinning.” If it were not for the bizarre doctrinal
requirements and the mixture of prophecy, identity and judgment, this proposal could be compelling for many people.
Many are trying their best to understand and follow the Word of God and desire leadership and community to help guide
them.
Problem #1: No Admission/Recognition Of Fallibility
Let us assume the proposal’s doctrinal statement was something that you could completely agree with. In that case, can
you see the main problem from the start that this proposal for unity still holds? Unlike the first proposal, this one does
not take into account how we do not know for sure what is the right interpretation of the Bible today without a prophet or
a priest with Urim and Thummim. It assumes that it already has today's right application of Acts 15 addressed to believ -
ers in first century assemblies of Asia. It finds not just four requirements for believers today but a fifth requirement (of
everyone learning and doing Torah). It next assumes that it is Scriptural to go ahead and add to that already expanded list
even more requirements. There is no acknowledgment in any of this that these interpretations could be wrong and may
need to be changed in the future in the interest of getting back to following the Word of God only, rather than an erro -
neous founding doctrinal statement or the leaders who created it. In other words, this proposal is doomed from inception
not to grow in grace and knowledge with the sincere Bible-only crowd it hopes to attract.
Problem #2: Trustworthy Leader
Another major problem with this proposal is in the choice of the supreme leader over the group. It is in fact correct that a
single overarching leader is needed if you wish to have any chance of order and unity in a group. If we think this through
again, we will see this requires giving up following the Word of God eventually. The proposal plans to have a leader
elected presumably by all the members. That sounds fair and decent, of course, to our Western sensibilities. Yet what if
the leader who you think is best is not elected? What then? What if you really distrust this elected individual based on his
actions or words? Say the person you voted for is elected. What guarantee do you really have that you know what you are
doing in choosing who you did? Remember, this person is going to have the final say on what is the right way to follow
God's Word and also have the authority to tell you just what it is. Will he have the wisdom to really know and how can
you be sure he does?
Going further, let us assume somehow he does have the wisdom initially. Who is to say that he will not become cor-
rupted later like even the great wise Solomon did (assuming he is not corrupt from the start)? Do you really want to give
up your prerogative as an individual to judge what the Word of God requires of you for yourself to some democratically
elected man, when you have a choice in the matter? I do not see how anyone in their right mind (or at least with any ex -
perience seeing the effects of power on fallible men) would agree to be a part of this flawed attempt in creating unity.
Unless, of course, they were especially obsessed with this concept of unity and in belonging to a group to satisfy their de -
sire for fellowship. We must be careful because even something as well-intentioned as finding unity and fellowship can
be classified as an idol if we ignore the facts that it is harmful for us and continually seek after it.
Accept the Present Disunity
Instead, we ought to face the unpleasant reality. Belief in the Bible or even belief in following Jesus is not enough to uni-
fy. It is just as Jesus said, that his words would be a sword breaking up families, including church families (Mt 10:34).
We have almost 2000 years of evidence that we are missing the ingredients for unity among those whom God has called,
despite the various approaches to unity attempted. Attempts to achieve unity among believers will fail without these miss-
81 See www.BritAm.org for research. Note this is not “British Israelism” or some racist agenda.
 Accept the Present Disunity 84

ing ingredients. It is time we find out what they are.

 Chapter 14:
Biblical Unity
After the last chapter examining the shortcomings with typical attempts for unity today, you may be wondering where
that leaves us. Is unity really God’s will at all anymore and can we know this for sure? In reality, that is a good thing to
wonder and ask. Indeed, we must never assume something is God’s will just because it sounds like a good idea or was
his will once. It may not be his will ever or it may simply not be his will today. To best answer this question, we should
begin by checking the Bible, the only provable source of revelation from God, for precedents showing whether it has
been his will before, and, if possible, look for prophecy of it being his will again. Otherwise, we may find ourselves mak-
ing prayers that will never rise above the ceiling. Worse yet, we may end up even acting against his will and headed for
some “learning experiences.” Caution with this is something even the compromised religious leaders of Jesus’ day under-
stood:
Acts 5:38-39 (NKJV) — 38 "...keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to
nothing; 39 "but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it--lest you even be found to fight against God."

Gaza Pullout Example

For this reason, I was careful to check the Bible first when I was asked by a friend in early 2005 to join him in organizing
some sort of Internet campaign against Israel’s Gaza Disengagement scheduled for that summer. The assumption was that
God was against this happening because the Torah deeded Gaza to Israel and that we should therefore say something
against it, putting ourselves in the role of the watchman of Ezekiel 33 to warn people of danger.
I had misgivings about the proposal from the beginning. I already understood that there was a condition to that “deed”
that most were forgetting to mention. This condition was that Israel obey the Torah. Israel today is not following the
Torah, and the precedent is that every time they were in this state before, grave things including the division of their land
happened to them. Also, I did not see it as safe to take upon myself a role as a “watchman” just because I could read what
God said to Ezekiel about how to do this. I did not take Ezekiel 33 as addressed to everyone of all time who believed
they saw something wrong. God had made Ezekiel a prophet and given him a position that gave him the right and re -
sponsibility to speak warnings to the nation for God.
Then I looked a little more into the question by studying the prophecies and I discovered that God planned an end
times judgment on Israel’s enemies in Gaza at the very same time apparently that Damascus would be judged for spon -
soring terrorism and war against Israel (Isa 17 = Amos 1). It looked to me like the Gaza pullout was God’s way of arrang-
ing things for Israel's enemies to receive their prophesied judgment later in Gaza. So instead of expecting civil war, or vi-
olent, effective opposition from the settlers, or even God to stop the pullout as the settlers and Rabbis were praying for, I
expected the Gaza Pullout to be “pulled off” as planned—which it was. 82 The biblical precedents and prophecies told me
this was the most probable result of all the scenarios.
Biblical Precedents For Unity – The First Century Church
So, what do we find in the Bible about God’s will for unity for us? We can confirm right away, as most already know,
that unity among Bible believers is indeed something God has willed, as Jesus expressed:
John 17:20-23 (NIV) — 20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21
that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that
you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me.
May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

You cannot get a much clearer statement than that. Yet, looking around today, one may be left wondering what hap -
pened with Jesus' prayer. To find the fulfillment of his prayer, you have to look to the record of the first century church
after Jesus’ death—and be careful not to blink! For, ever since that time, the story has been one of disunity.
First, let us review the barriers to unity for God’s elect we have been left with today:
1. We are usually not certain how to interpret the Bible correctly.
2. Even if we are sure about any single point of doctrine, we often cannot prove it to others.
3. We have no God-given leaders we can trust to lead the group wisely without abusing the centralized power needed to
unify.
By studying the assembly that Jesus founded, we will see how each of these issues were resolved so that true unity
was achieved. Read these accounts about the early assembly of believers in Jerusalem:
Acts 1:14 (NIV) — They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his
brothers.

82 EscapeAllTheseThings.com/gaza-pullout-end-times-timeline.htm is an article I wrote before the Gaza Pullout started.

 Biblical Precedents For Unity – The First Century Church 86

Acts 2:1 (NIV) — When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Acts 2:42-47 (NIV) — 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to
prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were
together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they
continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 4:32-35 (NIV) — 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but
they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much
grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold
them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Here we have a dramatic example of what real unity for God’s people is like, and the great fruits it brought. Rather
than being mocked and considered hypocrites by the world around them, they were considered with favor. The believers
themselves were actually glad and sincere, unlike how they are too often seen today: usually no happier than the world
around them (where the divorce rate is often lower than in the Christian groups). They were growing rapidly rather than
losing attendance. With the kind of unity and attractive disposition the believers portrayed, it is no surprise that people
wanted to join them and find out how to follow the same kind of happy way of life.
Notice, too, that they actually had an arrangement almost like what today is called a commune. People freely gave
from their possessions for the good of the community, to the point that no one among them was needy. Unlike a com -
mune this did not seem to be required, but was something done out of freewill in seeing a way to fill a need.
Would you be willing to do the same among a group of believers today? Would you join a group, sell your house and
deposit the money with the leaders? Could you possibly trust the leadership to use the funds wisely? If you are wise or at
all experienced with living with other people in a shared environment, probably you would quickly say no because of all
the problems that come with that situation. However, this group was apparently not experiencing such problems and
trusted the leadership enough to hand over their wealth. How could they feel safe doing this?
God Ordained Leadership: Key To Unity
They felt safe because there could be no doubt to the people in this group that their leaders were upright men directly
backed by God. These men were all well-known as the apostles whom Jesus handpicked and taught himself. Just like
him, they healed people and performed other signs and miracles to show that God was also with them. They were not
performing signs to get people to listen to lies, but to teach the same things that Jesus taught them. If there is ever a lead -
ership you can trust to teach right and do right, this was the one. We find the same authentication of the leadership in the
case of the “church in the wilderness” under Moses and later Joshua. God spoke to Moses in front of the whole nation of
Israel and performed miraculous signs through him just as it says were done by the apostles.
By the way, and this is important, these were not just men who claimed to have “heard an audible voice” or had a
dream or vision “from God.” They offered miraculous signs as proof that God had sent them, given them direction, in -
structions, and authority. If someone claims any of these things without having the same certification, they are not fol -
lowing the pattern of Scripture and their claims should be doubted.
With a prophet set up by God to lead (like Peter or Moses) you have at last the solution to the main obstacle to unity
in the faith, namely, knowing exactly what the proper interpretation of God’s Word is supposed to be! Not only have such
men been taught directly or indirectly by God, they always have the ability to hear from God to consult him on what to
do about new situations they do not yet understand. They receive revelation. They can know directly from God what is
his will and what the right interpretation of the previous Words of God is, also.
Prophecy: Key to Dispelling Ambiguity of the Bible, God’s Will
This point is of the utmost importance. We tend to think that the Word of God is perfect, infallible and complete enough
in itself to allow individuals, at the very least, to be able to know God’s will and ways and lead their families in them.
However, when it comes to unifying groups in practice, the Word of God is woefully inadequate. As discussed earlier, for
the purposes of a group following it together they need to be in agreement on the meaning. Without prophecy, they can -
not know with 100% certainty which is the correct interpretation nor be able to fill in the gaps for the many unanswered
questions. This also is a struggle for the individual trying to understand it as well. Moses was the greatest prophet of the
OT to whom God dictated the Torah. Further, he spoke the language of the Torah natively. Nevertheless, even Moses had
to consult with God on several different occasions to know God’s will (as did his successor, Joshua). 83
As touched on earlier, resolving such situations was the purpose of the Urim and the Thummim given to the priest -
hood. Although it is not certain how they functioned, we know that they allowed the high priest to consult with God on
his will. Even the apostles needed to consult with God on what to do when it came to finding Judas’ replacement:
83 Man caught collecting wood on Sabbath, Numbers 15:32-36; Blaspheming son, Leviticus 24:10; Daughters of Zelophehad, Numbers 27.
 God Ordained Leadership: Key To Unity 87

Acts 1:23-26 (NKJV) — 23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they
prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 "to take part in this ministry
and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place." 26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell
on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Notice that they did not vote on it or leave it to someone presiding over the others. They used scriptural methods to
find out who God would choose as the replacement for one of the twelve apostles. This left no room for debate or demo-
cratic vote. Everyone accepted it and followed it because to them it was clearly God speaking through the lots (however
they worked). Imagine if this tool was available today? Whatever the doctrinal dispute was, we could inquire of God and
find out what God’s will was in the matter. It would almost be too easy. (As we will discuss later, God is purposely not
providing this tool now because he has a higher purpose than everyone knowing his will perfectly today.)
What if some people did not like the answer on what is God’s will? What if they did not really want to live by God’s
way of life after all? Under this situation, their true agenda would become evident to everyone that much quicker. No
longer could anyone seeking their own agenda give the illusion of seeking God’s will through the argument that their un -
derstanding of a meaning of a verse was as defensible as anyone else’s was. Today there is often a reasonable doubt on so
much of what is purported to be “the clear teaching of the Bible” by its advocates. With prophecy present, people would
either fall in line with the teaching that clearly came from God or they would face the consequences. In such a situation,
the rules are much different than what we are used to today as another story from the first century church demonstrates:
Acts 5:1-11 (NIV) — 1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full
knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. 3 Then Peter said, "Ananias,
how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you
received for the land? 4 ...What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." 5 When Ananias heard
this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. ...7 About three hours later his wife came in, not
knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is
the price." 9 Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband
are at the door, and they will carry you out also." 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died...11 Great fear seized the whole
church and all who heard about these events.

Group Purity Unity Key

This story of the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira is quite shocking to a Christian’s sensibilities and concept of a supposed
“Dispensation of Grace.” For example, Christians are commonly taught that the reason Jesus did not have the woman
caught in adultery stoned (John 8) was because the “Dispensation of Law” had ended and the harsh penalties like stoning
with it. However, here we find a death penalty executed supernaturally for simply lying. It is most puzzling and disturb-
ing at first.
To help understand Ananias’ and Sapphira’s capital punishment, first let us properly understand John 8. The real rea-
son for Jesus denying the crowd's death penalty is hinted at in his statement, “He who is without sin among you, let him
throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7). If he was implying that no one could judge anyone for crimes unless they were
completely guiltless first, then no justice would ever be done. He had to be referring to something else, a more clear and
present sin. If you turn to the Torah’s passages instructing how to deal with adultery in Israel, you will find that they re -
quire both parties to be put to death (Lev 20:10; Dt 22:22). So, by bringing only the woman to Jesus and demanding her
to be put to death for adultery, they were themselves breaking the law, sinning and perverting justice. This is not surpris-
ing given their evil intent to entrap Jesus: if he gave either expected response they would either condemn him for mob
justice that was the province of the Romans or for doing away with the Law of Moses. Therefore those who cite this pas-
sage as proof that harsh penalties from God were a thing of the past overlook how Jesus found a way to turn the situation
on them without confirming or denying the Law of Moses.
What the lying couple were actually doing was trying to misrepresent themselves as magnanimous people just like the
others before them who had given their inheritances. They were willing to lie to look good while holding on to what was
really important to them: their money. Their money was probably their real god, in place of the true God who everyone
else in the group was unified in following. They were wolves in sheep’s clothing and had to be dealt with immediately.
For this to require their life means they must have been highly accountable for understanding that God was leading this
group through the apostles and to not tempt God by endangering the unity and purity of the group. The accountability is
much higher and the rules are much different when you have God-given prophets leading the group. As Peter said, you
are lying to God (through his certified representative) if you do so.
These leaders demonstrate their authority not only by prophecy but also through miracles:
Acts 5:12-16 (NIV) — 12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to
meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14
 God Ordained Leadership: Key To Unity 88

Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the
sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16
Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were
healed.

Thus, this God-given leadership with prophecy and clear authority helps keep the group pure and thereby better able
to achieve and keep unity. Otherwise, we all know how hard it is to keep the bad elements out or get them out once they
are in.
To solve this, the OT is full of instructions on what to do with those who choose not to conform to the Law. They
were to be “cut off from their people” by a direct intervening judgment of God in response (Ex 12:15; Ex 30:38; Ex
31:14). As we just saw, the NT also records the incident of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira who lied about their
offering and how they were cut off from their people on the spot.
Conclusion
The biblical precedents tell us that to restore working, lasting unity among the faithful on a significant scale, we need the
restoration of the prophetic leader to the remnant. Judging by Scripture, it is evident that we do not have such a leader
from God remaining today. The scriptural pattern for providing such leaders is through a line of succession starting with
a prophet. Moses the prophet laid hands on Joshua, and Joshua had the elders after him with whom the prophetic line
from Moses ended. Then the judges were called independently like Moses or through an existing prophet (e.g. Deborah).
Likewise, in the NT, John the Baptist was raised up as a prophet and he anointed Jesus. Jesus anointed the Twelve who
laid hands on other disciples, like Ananias of Damascus. Ananias laid hands on Paul so he received the Holy Spirit and
Paul did likewise for Apollos, etc. This continued until that line of the prophet leaders from Jesus ended, just like Moses’
line did. Thus, just like in the time of the judges, we live in a time during which the line of prophetic leaders has been
broken and disunity has resulted. Everyone today is left to do what is “right in his own eyes” because there is no leader,
just as the Bible says twice about the time of the judges (Judges 17:6; 21:25).
In other words, if there is no one today who we can trace back to the apostles as having had hands laid on him in ordi -
nation, then it is clear God has not left us with an ordained leader. The only resolution to this situation is for a new
prophet to be raised up with signs and wonders to start another line of leaders. If that sounds like an unrealistically high
bar to set for accepting someone as a leader from God, then stay with me as we look into how prophecy predicts that
those who do not settle for less than that will have it all soon.
 Chapter 15:
Unity of 144,000 and “The Woman”
Who Are the 144,000 of Revelation?
Revelation 7 introduces an amazing mystery of great interest to those who want to understand how today’s disunity
among God’s servants will be resolved. It is the mystery of the “144,000” described in verses 1-8:
Revelation 7:1-5 (NKJV) — 1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of
the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east,
having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the
sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 4 And I heard
the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: 5 of
the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;...[12,000 per tribe]

This short passage gives us scant few details about this future unified group and leaves us with big questions. We
learn only that they are:
1. 144,000 servants: But can this small number really be all who are left of God’s servants at that point? Is everyone
raptured already or does God have others who are not part of the 144,000 also on earth?
2. Sealed with protection: Revelation 6, 8 and 9 tell us what they need protection from: destructive global earthquakes,
winds, fires and deep impacts followed by poisoned waters and a “nuclear winter.” But where are they sealed and
why do they receive this special protection differently from the rest of God’s servants that may exist? Are they on
some special mission? If so, what?
3. Israelites equally divided among all twelve tribes of Israel (minus Dan): This is most puzzling considering that
most of the tribes mentioned are the northern “Lost Ten Tribes.” (The rest are the southern tribes of Judah, Benjamin
and Levi, i.e. Jews) So, a prediction of a large gathering of all twelve of them is as odd as the citizens of the lost city
of Atlantis being reunited in our day.84
Literal or Not?
Thus, from a Christian viewpoint, this passage is impossible to take at face value. With one third of the world being
Christian today, it is hard to imagine that only 144,000 people will be counted as God’s servants and worthy of protection
in the end times. As a result, few accept this passage to mean what it plainly says. Resulting interpretations vary, but they
all have one thing in common: resorting to the use of some degree of metaphorical or allegorical interpretation to resolve
the contradiction between the plain meaning and the Christian paradigm. This commonly includes claiming that “Israel”
does not mean Israel but “represents” the church, which has “replaced” her as a kind of “spiritual Israel.” Such thinking
allows any Gentile Christian group to apply the prophecy to themselves. Who would not be tempted to believe that their
group is the 144,000 that God is going to favor with protection and call “blameless?”
For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses believe that they will be the 144,000, as did the Worldwide Church of God
(WCG). The WCG once even had membership numbers not far off from 144,000. But for any church denomination to fit
this prophecy would require ignoring that it speaks literally about a collection of the scattered tribes of Israel, regathered
in the end times.
We will see as we proceed that this passage can make perfect sense when taken literally and thereby give us useful in-
sight into God’s plan to bring his servants together in unity before the GT. In fact, instead of a pretribulation rapture, this
gathering to safety on earth is the real plan of how God will save his servants through those 3½ years. To see it clearly
just requires bringing all the related passages together and thinking them through critically and carefully with care not to
read anything into them. The areas we will cover include, the “other” 144,000 of Revelation 14, the Twelve and the Sev -
enty who Jesus sent out during his ministry, the Woman of Revelation 12, the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11, and the
“end times Elijah” of Malachi 4. In other words, we will understand the plain reading of the 144,000 account through
connecting other big mysteries of the Bible (which will also become plain along the way). When it is done we will under -
stand clearly how God will unify us in the end times.
Revelation 14, The Other 144,000 Chapter
The first related passage to look at is the only other chapter that directly talks about the 144,000: Revelation 14. People
often wonder if this 144,000 is not a second, different 144,000. As we proceed it will become apparent that only one
group of 144,000 rather than two, can fulfill the prophecies that require 144,000 firstfruits sent on their special mission in
the end times. We will also find at least one of the questions created by chapter 7 resolved here, but not without careful
consideration.

84 In Quest For The Lost Tribes (1999), Simcha Jacobovici claims to have found Lost Tribes, such as Manasseh in India. However, far less than 10 were found and they follow Judaism, not Jesus as
Rev 14:12 requires.
 Who Are the 144,000 of Revelation? 90

Revelation 14:1-6, 12 (HCSB) — 1 ...there on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with Him were 144,000 who had His name and His
Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of cascading waters and like the rumbling of
loud thunder. The sound I heard was also like harpists playing on their harps. 3 They sang a new song before the throne and before the
four living creatures and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4
These are the ones not defiled with women, for they have kept their virginity. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He
goes. They were redeemed from the human race as the firstfruits for God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are
blameless. 6 Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to
every nation, tribe, language, and people.... 12 Here is the endurance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith in
Jesus.”

While chapter 7 told us that the 144,000 sealed servants of God are made up of 100% descendants of all twelve tribes
of Israel, it did not tell us anything more about where they are or for what purpose they are sealed. Now, care must be
taken not to assume that if winds are held back over the entire earth that it means the 144,000 must be everywhere at the
time of the sealing. That is one possibility, but not the only one. If you read it again, the stated reason to stop the wind is
to keep the land, sea and trees on the earth unharmed; not the people.
Another point is how a single angel seals the 144,000—not the four angels over the four corners of the earth. This
would be most reasonable if they are already gathered somewhere together at the time of their sealing. In contrast, when
the rapture or gathering to heaven happens “after the tribulation” (Mt 24:29), God sends multiple angels to gather “his
elect” (elsewhere defined as the “the church,” not “Jews”—1Pe 1:1-2; Col 3:12; Tit 1:1) because they are spread all over
earth (Mark 13:24, 27). (We will see their gathering at the time of their sealing confirmed as we look at further verses.)
When and Where Are the 144,000 Sealed?
Coincidentally, Revelation 14 shows us that 144,000 will all be together on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem at some point. The
question is when: the start of their mission or perhaps the end of their mission at the end of the age with the reigning
Messiah (pictured by the Lamb in verse 1)? Revelation 14 is generally understood to be the second coming. Yet, this in-
terpretation has problems, namely:
1. The Messiah is not returning with just the 144,000 he sealed alive in the end times, but all the servants of God that
died in the faith and were resurrected at his return as Revelation 19 shows.
2. His return in Revelation 19 is also shown to be with all his saints in the air against armies on the ground, rather than
only 144,000 saints standing on the ground with the Lamb.
3. Revelation 14:4 gives us a shrouded but explicit indication as to what day this gathering takes place, and it is not the
day that Revelation 19 indicates Jesus will return to judge (the Day of Atonement):
Rev 14:4 — ...These were...to be the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb.

As Part 1 explained, this passage describes the future fulfillment of the Torah’s prophetic rehearsal of the waving of the
two loaves on Pentecost (Lev 23:17). As discussed in the Introduction, all of the prophetic rehearsals commanded to be
done foreshadow events in God’s plan that would be fulfilled on the very same day of the biblical calendar. Likewise,
Pentecost’s command to have two loaves (representing the Two Houses of Israel) will be fulfilled on the very day of Pen -
tecost by the 144,000 from all twelve tribes of Israel being presented to God and the Lamb. As mentioned above, the re-
turn of the Messiah to defeat his enemies, including banishing Satan, will be the Day of the Lord to fulfill the Day of
Atonement which pictures this exact event by having the scapegoat banished to a place where no one lives (Lev 16=Rev
19).
We can be sure that this scene is at the time of their sealing rather than the end of their mission when Messiah returns.
As we will soon see, their mission is to spread out to all the earth and preach the three successive angels’ messages that
are described in the very next verses of Revelation 14 (starting with verse 6 quoted above). In fact, they will never return
to Jerusalem in the flesh to stand together on Mt. Zion because their work ends with their rapture at the end of the GT. 85
The Mission of the 144,000 – Fulfill Matthew 24:14
What is the important mission of the 144,000? We have to admit that the text of Revelation does not directly state what
the mission of the 144,000 is. Like much of the Book of Revelation does, Revelation 7 and 14 leave gaps that require us
to look elsewhere in the Bible to fill them in. As we have seen, often these gaps are filled in by other parts of the Bible
that were confusing or mysterious of themselves. By combining all the correct parts together they explain each other and
give you that, “Aha! How did I miss this for so long and how could it have ever been any different” kind of experience
that makes studying the Bible such a joy.
The first key passage in this regard is a profound statement of Jesus during the Olivet Discourse:

85 Matthew 24:29; Rev 10:7=11:15-19=1Co 15:51-58 (Mystery of resurrection, reward of eternal life at 7 th trumpet after the tribulation ends that started at the 5th trumpet or 1st woe from Satan).
 The Mission of the 144,000 – Fulfill Matthew 24:14 91

Matthew 24:13-14 (NKJV) — 13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Some may read this passage and argue that the gospel has already been preached to the whole world, either in the first
century according to the NT or by Christian ministries in recent times. Yet the generation who heard the gospel preached,
say before 70 AD, has passed away and was replaced with people who have not yet heard it. Also, in the present age with
many secular dictatorships, communist and Islamic countries, etc., it is impossible for the gospel of the kingdom to be
preached in all the world to all nations by mere Christian ministries.86 Besides, the context here is the very end that we
must endure through until Messiah comes, i.e. the time of the GT when the Beast government rules the whole earth and
we are hated of all men, rather than any time before the end comes. This is important when you realize the purpose of
this preaching is “for a witness.” It does not say it is to save everyone, turn them all to Jesus or that they repent. It is to
serve as a witness for all nations right before the end comes. That witness does not come from a Bible or past preaching;
it requires live witnessing during those few final years of this age.
What is the purpose of this witness? In many cases when this same word for “witness” is used, the following word
“against” is included by the translators, i.e. a “witness against” someone (Mt 10:18; Mk 6:11; 13:9; Luke 9:5; James 5:3).
If that applies here then this preaching of the gospel must be so clear, complete and powerful that it can serve as a wit -
ness or testimony against the world for following the Beast. In the next section, we will see that this is exactly how the
word translated witness is meant here, with the idea of preaching that holds those accountable who hear and ignore it.
The passage we will look at next ties directly to Matthew 24:14’s prophesied preaching and the 144,000’s mission.
Also Fulfill the Prophetic Act of the Twelve
Remember how during his ministry Jesus sent out his twelve apostles and also later his seventy others? When he did so,
he said the same thing to them about doing this “for a testimony against them” as Mark records:
Mark 6:7-13 (NKJV) — 7 And He called the Twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over
unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bag, no bread, no copper in their money
belts-- 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. 11 "And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from
there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and
Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out
many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

There are many other parallels between the Twelve, the Seventy and the 144,000. Read the parallel accounts and see
if you can spot some strange statements that were never fulfilled in his time. They thus require a fulfillment in the end
times by another related group which the Twelve and the Seventy only foreshadowed. Matthew repeats several things
Mark said and adds more details about how they went about their mission:
Matthew 10:5-23 (NKJV) — 5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles,
and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 "And as you go, preach, saying,
'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8 "Heal the sick.. 16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as
serpents and harmless as doves. 21 "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up
against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end
will be saved. 23 "When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the
cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Notice the statement above “you will be hated by all men for my name’s sake” spoken to the Twelve. There is no
record of that being fulfilled then, nor does it make any sense for their time in going through the land of Israel where the
masses loved the message of Jesus and followed after him (notwithstanding the leaders of Judaism who considered Jesus
a threat). Thus it appears to be a prophetic statement about someone else like the Twelve. In fact, this same verse is quot-
ed as part of the Olivet Discourse in Luke 21 about the followers of Jesus in the end times:
Luke 21:17-20 (NKJV) — 17 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. 18 "But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 "By
your patience possess your souls. 20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

To be hated by all men for the name of Jesus is a very extreme situation. It literally requires the whole world being
under the sway of Satan and convinced that people following Jesus are troublemakers in opposition to their pseudo-sav -
ior, the Beast. Well, this is exactly the situation we expect during the GT which the above passage points to (it starts with
the AoD mentioned in verse 20, which is really backing up to explain when this worldwide falling out of favor for God’s
true servants begins).
A further strong proof that the Twelve typify the 144,000 comes from another clearly unfulfilled and prophetic state-
ment made to the Twelve. Notice above how it strangely says that the Twelve will not finish going through all the cities
86 Even more importantly, some would point out that Christianity does not preach the gospel of the kingdom anyway. They preach a gospel about Christ, but not the gospel of Christ.
 The Mission of the 144,000 – Fulfill Matthew 24:14 92

of Israel before the Son of Man comes. This is a clear reference to the second coming, yet the Twelve all finished their
mission long before Jesus even left to come back again. This, then, must also be a prophecy to be fulfilled by the 144,000
who will be on their mission long after the Messiah left and right before he is due to come again at the end of the GT.
From this prophecy to the Twelve (but never fulfilled by them) we can establish that the mission of the 144,000, to whom
the prophecy must apply, will last throughout the GT.
And Fulfill the Prophetic Act of the “Seventy Others Also”
If you are still not convinced of the Twelve / 144,000 connection, there is more evidence in the related seventy emis -
saries. Luke has the only account of “seventy others” sent out on a similar mission after the Twelve:
Luke 10:1-19 (NKJV) — 1 ...the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and
place where He Himself was about to go...4 "Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road... 9 "And
heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 "But whatever city you enter, and they do not
receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless
know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.' ... 17 Then the Seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are
subject to us in Your name."... 19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

It says seventy here in the KJV, but that is not the only possible reading. It turns out that roughly half of the available
manuscripts have the number seventy-two here, which is what most modern translations follow. 87 Which is right and does
it even matter? As one website opined:
...it really doesn’t matter the difference between seventy or seventy-two, it is exciting that Jesus had this many ready to send out to share
the good news of the gospel! I would say, AMEN to that!
I would disagree with this sentiment. Details like this are recorded for a reason. With the clear prophetic statements
given to the Twelve and the Seventy(-two) pointing to the 144,000 we may be able to settle this issue and see that it does
matter. If it were true that the Twelve and the Seventy(-two) were a foreshadowing or intermediate fulfillment of the
144,000 then we would expect there to be a relationship between their numbers as there are in other ways. We find one
right off in the Twelve because it is even explicitly stated in Revelation 7 that the 144,000 are divided into 12 tribes of
12,000 each. What about the Seventy(-two)?
144,000 divided by 70 = 2057.14—not exactly a nice round number. However, 144,000 divided by 72 = 2000. There-
fore, I tend to agree with the newer translations scholarship favoring seventy-two as being the original. This would mean
these numbers are indeed significant and do matter because they clue us to the connection between the 144,000 and the
Seventy-two and the Twelve and their very similar missions.
Why Twelve & Seventy-two – How Many Nations in Genesis 10?
Some may wonder why Jesus sent out two groups on apparently the same mission. My best guess is that it mirrors the
real order of the witnessing of the gospel of the kingdom historically. It went out first to the twelve tribes of Israel, and
only later to the whole world. Still, the world is represented by the seventy nations listed in Genesis 10, right? Seven -
ty-two and seventy again do not match and it appears we have a disconnect.
Once again, how many nations are listed in Genesis 10 depends on which manuscript you read. No manuscript we
have today is exactly true to the original version and they all vary slightly in their readings for certain passages due to
transcription errors in copying the manuscripts over the centuries. Your Bible then is just a compilation of what the trans -
lators decided was most likely the original among the variations. Most Bibles go with the Hebrew Masoretic text and
have seventy nations listed. Yet there is the older Septuagint OT (ancient Greek translation or LXX) which happens to
match more often with the Greek NT quotations of the Hebrew OT. We find that the LXX lists seventy-two nations in
Genesis 10! So, it may very well be that the seventy-two emissaries sent out represent how the 144,000 will be sent out to
all nations. The original Seventy-two who were only sent out for a short time in Israel once again did not fulfill this, as
they did not reach all nations. Like the Twelve, they truly seem to be a forerunner of the 144,000.
What To Expect of the 144,000
Worthy of mention is how the Twelve and the Seventy-two were sent out in pairs, two by two. If we take the 144,000 and
divide them by two, we get 72,000 pairs, or 1,000 pairs allocated for each biblical nation on earth. Probably only God
knows just how the seventy-two biblical nations map to the almost 200 nations today. Still, we can expect that the
144,000 will go out two by two as well.
Further, all the other things that were said and done by the Twelve and the Seventy-two will probably apply to the
144,000. This would include preaching of the pure Gospel and working signs, healings and miracles. While we do still
see healings and miracles today, the quality and availability at the hands of Christians or in churches pale in comparison
to what we read in the Gospels. For example, only a small percentage of Christians who want healings today get them as
87 Such as the ESV, NIV, TEV, CEV, NCV, NJB, and NLT. The HCSB footnotes “72” as possible.
 The Mission of the 144,000 – Fulfill Matthew 24:14 93

compared to how Jesus “healed them all” (Mt 4:24; 12:15; Lk 4:40; 6:19) instantly and completely, with one exception
(Mk 8:24). I myself have been healed through prayer (per James 5) three times, but each time they were only partial heal-
ings. I received instant relief, but the underlying diathesis or weakness was clearly not resolved because the problem
would always come back. Ironically it was not until I found a simple natural cure that I was healed completely so that it
never came back, even years later. If one of the apostles were still alive today, I believe that it would be different.
Warnings of the Three Angels
Revelation 14 has more on the preaching the gospel to all nations right before the end. The verses immediately following
the ones we already examined earlier about the 144,000 say:
Revelation 14:6-10 (NKJV) — 6 Then I saw another angel...having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth --
to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people 7 saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment
has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water." 8 And another angel followed, saying,
"Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." 9 Then
a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his
forehead or on his hand, 10 "he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup
of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

These three successive statements by three different angels require careful thought. We can see in the first angel's
warning the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14’s end times prophecy that the gospel of the kingdom would be preached to all
the nations before the end comes. We asserted above that the 144,000 would help in this, yet at first glance this passage
seems to be telling us otherwise, that angels do it, not men. Yet, we should not assume that these angels who initially
possess these three messages from God are also going to themselves directly deliver them to all men on the whole earth.
It does not actually say that anywhere. It says that the angels have messages to be proclaimed to all and stops short of
saying who will proclaim them. To preach them to all men themselves would break from the biblical precedent of angels
serving as messengers chiefly to the righteous or those called to special purposes by God (and on rare occasions to small
groups such as the shepherds at Jesus' birth). Normally, only someone who receives a message from an angel will then go
forth and proclaim it to many, not the angel himself.
By the way, the reason for this may not be immediately apparent if you have not stopped to ask why it is this way. If
angels were to appear to mankind with messages from God, our free choice would be affected. Any appearance of a su -
pernatural luminous flying being is going to be too attention-grabbing and too convincing to most except the most jaded.
It is hard to deny that such a being is from God. It leaves little room for reasonable doubt compared to a man delivering
the same message. Thus, an angel compels you to listen because of the frightening and convicting nature of the messen-
ger, rather than because you thought carefully about the message on its own and found it appealing to your own internal
desire to seek and follow God’s will.
Mission Span of the 144,000 and Elijah
Whenever Revelation gives sets of events like seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, seven thunders, or three angels,
it is proper to understand them as sequential events. This is where Revelation thankfully differs greatly from the rest of
the prophecies of the Bible where you usually do not know for sure the order of things. Here the chronological order is
evident by the ordinal numbering.
The first message warns people to repent and fear God who made the land, sea and springs (which will all be affected
by Wormwood). The second announces the fall of Babylon the Great. The third warning references the Mark of the Beast
of the 5th trumpet (the start of the GT when the Antichrist begins his 42 month world government reign—Rev 13:5). All
three warnings seem to be released in order and about major prophetic events. These messages go out over a period from
before the 6th seal to at least past the start of the GT, if not to the end of the GT. 88 If the end of the GT is right, it would fit
with what we saw above about the 144,000 mission of going through all the cities lasting until the “Son of Man comes”
(at the end of the GT) as was spoken prophetically to the Twelve (but unfulfilled by them). Meanwhile, the first message
must come before the 144,000 are even sealed (or the warning would come too late to save people from Wormwood).
Therefore, probably Elijah handles the preaching of the first angel's message before the 144,000 begin.
Mission Purpose: Accountability And Availability of Truth
The account of the Seventy-two helped us to better understand their mission, the mission of the Twelve and, by exten -
sion, also that of the 144,000. To hear God's truth from a representative of God who speaks it clearly and correctly brings
accountability. One can no longer claim ignorance after having had a chance to know there is an alternative way of life to
what you have known. It is one thing to be a slave to sin and not know anything different because you have never heard
or seen people walking in reliance on God’s strength, provision and understanding. But, if you have heard these things
and have chosen to ignore them anyway, we are told that at the judgment this will be brought up (Mt 12:42).
88 Part 1/Planet X in Bible Prophecy shows further that the 144,000 are sealed on the very day of the 6th seal.
 Warnings of the Three Angels 94

In this way, God shows himself as fair. He gives the whole earth a chance to know and follow his truth even at its
darkest hour under the government of Satan. When the deception of Satan becomes strongest, the message of God’s
kingdom goes out the clearest and most powerfully as well. Thus, there is always an option available to everyone
whether they want to serve the true God or other gods. The preaching of the 144,000 (and Two Witnesses) will offset the
lies of the Beast.
Narrowing Down Who The Two Witnesses Are
We have already established that, like the Twelve and the Seventy-two who foreshadowed them, the 144,000 will be on a
mission of making a witness against all nations. The Torah says that every word must be established by two or three wit -
nesses (Mt 18:16; Heb 10:28). This is perhaps why they go in groups of two, besides the obvious advantages of the bud -
dy-system such as safety and companionship (Ecc 4:9).
This is reminiscent of the Two Witnesses who will be ministering in Jerusalem for the entire 1260 days of the GT as
Revelation 11 says. Further, the Two Witnesses are explicitly said to have miracles surrounding them, as follows:
Revelation 11:3-6 (NKJV) — 3 "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and
sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."... 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And
if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of
their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

They work miracles just like the Twelve and the Seventy-two, who typify the 144,000. The worst that the Twelve did
was to shake the dust off their feet against those disbelieving towns—there is no record of them shooting fire out of their
mouth like the Two Witnesses will. Back then, however, it was not true that “you will be hated of all men” as will be the
case when the GT is going on over the whole earth. Everyone will have the Mark of the Beast soon after the Beast rises
to power and turns everyone into an enemy of the one true God.
People often ask, “who are the Two Witnesses?” We can get a clue on this from the miracles listed above. Notice else -
where in the Bible where we learn that the first Elijah was known to have withheld rain for a very prophetically signifi -
cant amount of time:
1 Kings 17:1 (NKJV) — Elijah...said to Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel lives ...there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except
at my word."

Luke 4:25 (NKJV) — ...in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine
throughout all the land
James 5:17 (NKJV) — Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not ...for
three years and six months.

An abundance of passages describe the GT as lasting 3½ years long, or 42 thirty day months or 1260 days (Dan 7:25;
Rev 12:14; Dan 12:1; Mt 24:21; Rev 11:2; 13:5; 11:3). So, we have another prophetic foreshadowing in how the first Eli -
jah withheld rain for exactly the length of the GT. During the GT the Two Witnesses will come who also will withhold
rain as Elijah did (Rev 11:6). This implies that the promised “end times” Elijah (Mal 4:5) may be one of the Two Wit-
nesses.
By the way, if you are wondering who the other witness is we have a clue for that, too. The rest of the miracles listed
which do not fit Elijah happen to fit someone else who is connected to Elijah. The miracles of turning the water to blood
and striking the earth with plagues are two miracles Moses did to Egypt prior to the Exodus (Ex 7-10; 1Sa 4:8). The
Transfiguration of Matthew 17 establishes a connection between Elijah and Moses since they were the only others who
appeared in this vision of the Kingdom with the glorified Jesus.
Is this to say that the Two Witnesses will be the physical resurrection or reincarnation of Elijah and Moses? There is
no biblical precedent for such a thing. All past resurrections in the Bible are of people who had just recently died, apart
from the firstfruits raised with Jesus prior to being taken up to heaven (Mt 27:52). Instead, what we see is that when John
the Baptist came with the Elijah prophecy of Malachi 4 applied to him by Gabriel, he was a new individual, not a reincar-
nation or resurrection. We should expect the same thing for the final fulfillment of Malachi 4. The Two Witnesses there -
fore can be expected to be two new people who will somehow carry the mantle of Moses and Elijah respectively.
Two Sticks, Two Houses, Two Witnesses
There is one further clue found in the biblical precedents for helping to narrow down who the Two Witnesses are. When -
ever you find twos in the Bible they always tie back to the Two Houses into which Israel was divided for God’s purposes
(1Ki 12). Ezekiel 37 makes this plain by equating two sticks with the house of Joseph or Ephraim and the House of Ju-
dah, respectively. As it turns out, Moses, a Levite, was from the House of Judah and Elijah was from the House of
Ephraim. Based on the precedent of the twos and how we already have indication that the Two Witnesses will be types of
 Narrowing Down Who The Two Witnesses Are 95

Moses and Elijah, we can reasonably expect when this prophecy is fulfilled that one of the witnesses will be from the
House of Ephraim and one from the House of Judah.
Another precedent of this pattern can be found among the twelve spies sent to search out the land of Canaan. Joshua
and Caleb were the only two faithful witnesses of the land. Joshua was from the House of Ephraim, and Caleb, although
a Kenezite, was appointed to the House of Judah (Num 13:6-8, 16).
Another Unified Group of Servants: The Woman
As we already guessed from the relatively small size of the 144,000, there actually is another group of God's servants be-
sides them gathered for protection right before the GT. This second unified group is the much less known but equally
misunderstood “Woman” of Revelation 12. We will briefly cover this group now because it will help explain more about
who the 144,000 are.
Revelation 12:1-6, 13-17 (NKJV) — 1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her
feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 And another
sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail
drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to
devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was
caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should
feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days... 13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted
the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent
spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth
helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood... 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and
he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

This group is very similar to the 144,000. Just like the 144,000, this group is of Israelite origin, righteous, and receiv-
ing protection. We can conclude this by noting symbolism of the sun, moon and stars repeated from Joseph's dream about
Israel his father, his mother, and his other brothers, respectively, picturing the house of Israel (Gen 37:9). Joseph and his
family were righteous and Mary who gave birth to the Messiah as verse 5 indicates, was also righteous (Luke 1:28). So
this Woman is not the whole nation of Israel as pictured in Ezekiel 37 by a valley of bones and two sticks, but only a
righteous remnant. All of Israel will not be protected through the GT but will as a nation be conquered and deceived by
the Antichrist. They will later serve with him to fight against the real Christ at his return to Jerusalem with the rest of the
nations (Zec 14, especially verse 14 in the ESV and RSV).
However, the Woman differs slightly. Unlike the 144,000 who are sealed with protection wherever they are, the Wom-
an will be gathered and protected through the GT in a specially prepared place impervious to Satan’s attacks (verse 14).
As covered earlier, this place seems to be located in modern Jordan, as Edom, Moab, and Ammon are named as the only
places that escape out of the all powerful Antichrist’s hands (Dan 11:41; Rev 13:7-8, 16-17) and fit the requirement to be
accessible from Judea (Mt 24:16). The only way a region could slip from his grip would be if God specifically intervened
on its behalf, just as we read he plans to do in Rev 12:14 to protect the Woman. Notice also that this place is clearly not
heaven because “the earth helps the Woman” by diverting a flood after she arrives there. So the mention of the eagle’s
wings is not an allusion to a pretrib rapture to heaven. It refers to him providing the same miraculous “travel assistance”
for the Woman that he provided during the Exodus—also referred to as “eagle's wings” (Ex 19:4).
We can see the relationship between these two groups even clearer by comparing Rev 12:17 with Rev 14:12.
Revelation 12:17 — And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep
the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 14:12 — Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. [i.e.,
the 144,000]

After Satan finds he cannot touch the Woman, he goes off after the “rest of her offspring, who keep the command -
ments and have the faith of Jesus.” This exactly matches the description given to the 144,000 in chapter 14. Thus the
144,000 are really an elite subdivision of the Woman. I say elite because the 144,000 are called “firstfruits” who have no
false religion nor have guile in their mouth, all to denote maturity in their walk with God, something that is not said
about the Woman in general. One does not have to be a mature elder before they can be considered righteous and be pro-
tected as the Woman, but to be of the 144,000 you have to be righteous and a firstfruit (i.e. the first of the harvest to reach
maturity). So there may be many mature firstfruits in the Woman group as well, but because they have dependents or oth -
er considerations they might not have been chosen for the 144,000 mission.
 Two Unified, Gathered Groups Requires a Leader 96

Two Unified, Gathered Groups Requires a Leader

By now, we can hopefully see that there are two related unified groups of righteous servants of God coming in the end
times. Yet, how will these groups come about to be in the same place and working together in unity? Does this not de -
mand a leader? What about the related Two Witnesses on earth at the same time whom we have identified as types of
Moses and Elijah? Can there be a connection?
We asserted in the last chapter that when you want to know if something is God’s will today, it is wise to check for
precedents and prophecy. We then covered the precedents to understand what is required to have unity. We established
that Bible history shows that the key is having the right leader. The only kind of leader that will suffice is one that is di -
rectly sent by God. Not only that, but he must also be equipped by God with the gift of prophecy and the ability to per -
form miracles and other signs. In other words, he must be what the Bible calls a prophet. If we are going to have unity
again as they did under Moses and Joshua or under Jesus and the apostles, we will need leaders just like them.
At this point, if a Christian were asked who this coming leader will be, we can guess what they would say. Everyone
knows of the expected second coming of Jesus Christ. The Messiah is prophesied to reign during the Millennium with a
“rod of iron” and perfect righteousness to unify the whole secular world as well as all the lost sheep of Israel. Certainly
this is what we are waiting for to restore all things including unity, is it not? While Jesus will certainly do all those things
including bringing peace and order to the world, there is another person prophesied to “restore all things” before that (at
least that is what the Greek says, but if that is correct it presents problems to be solved below).
The difference is that this individual will not be coming to unite and govern the whole world. His mission involves
leading only the righteous remnant that God has preserved on earth through every generation (Rom 11:1-5). What is the
name of this leader? He is called “Elijah” in the prophecies (but his real name no doubt will be something different, just
like John the Baptist who was also tied to Malachi 4's Elijah).
The Next God-Ordained Leader?
This statement may come as a surprise to the Christian reader, although not to the Jewish reader. Christians think Elijah
has already come in the personage of John the Baptist and therefore Elijah is not on their prophetic radar. Meanwhile, Ju -
daism expects Elijah to come and even includes a place for him at the Passover Seder service. This is similar to how
Christians know the Messiah has come and the Jews still await his (first) appearance. Let us look at the prophecies and
see why the prophecy of Elijah's coming must be fulfilled again just as Christians already accept that the prophecy
promising the Messiah coming must be fulfilled again.
Malachi 4:5-6 (ESV) — 5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he
will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of
utter destruction.”

It is somewhat unclear at first exactly what “turning the hearts of the father to the children” and vice versa means. It
seems to speak of restoration to God’s ways, something that John the Baptist did. Thus, when he was promised by the an -
gel Gabriel to his father Zechariah in the Temple, this same verse was referenced concerning him and expounded on a
bit:
Luke 1:17 (NKJV) — "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,'
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Very clearly, John was to fulfill this prophecy. But there is one problem. When he was asked by the Pharisees to iden -
tify himself, they asked him if he was Elijah and he denied it!
John 1:19-23 (NKJV) — 19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,
"Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you
Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may
give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Make straight the way of the LORD, ' ' as the prophet Isaiah said."

This is actually one of the supposed contradictions of the Bible that anti-missionaries are fond of. What is the resolu -
tion to this problem?
Elijah’s Coming Must Be Dual, Just as Messiah’s
The problem is resolved by recognizing that both are true because the coming of Elijah has dual fulfillments just as the
coming of the Messiah does. In other words, John was a promised Elijah, but only an intermediate one and not the final
and full fulfillment. So, when he said “I am not” the promised Elijah, he was referring to this final one that the Jews ex -
pect to arrive before the Messiah comes to reign. We can see that duality is also required to make sense of Jesus’ own
words about John:
 Elijah’s Coming Must Be Dual, Just as Messiah’s 97

Matthew 17:10-13 (NKJV) — 10 ..His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 Jesus
answered..., "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 "But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did
not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the
disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus apparently contradicts himself as well here in a fashion consistent with John’s contradiction of what Gabriel
spoke about him. The only way for John the Baptist to be Elijah and for Elijah to come is for it to be a dual prophecy.
When a prophecy is dual (as most are), the earlier fulfillment will usually only fulfill some but not all aspects of the
prophecy. This is also a good clue that the prophecy will (and must) see a later manifestation. John the Baptist came be-
fore Jesus’ first coming and turned people back to God’s teachings from Scripture in the midst of the false teachings of
Judaism based on oral tradition. But he did not fulfill all things. Jesus said that the final fulfillment of Elijah would come
before his return to reign and do a greater work that “restores all things.”
But Why Is Elijah Coming?
What could Jesus be referring to when he said Elijah would restore all things and why must it happen before the day of
the Lord?
Jesus vs. Elijah “Will Restore All Things” Contradiction Solved
If Elijah coming to “restore all things” just as we know Jesus will do at his second coming later sounds like a contradic-
tion, then I may have a solution. “Restore all things” is what the Greek manuscripts say. The Peshitta Aramaic has some-
thing significantly different recorded:
Matthew 17:11 (Lamsa) — Jesus answered and said to them, Elijah will come first, so that everything might be fulfilled.

So, the “everything” to be fulfilled must be referring to the parts of Malachi 4 which John the Baptist never fulfilled
but that the final Elijah will fulfill. This resolves any contradiction (and provides yet another example of why it is impor-
tant to check multiple translations).
We have been talking up until now about how unity in following the correct truth of God is missing from God’s rem -
nant after having had it only briefly under a few past God-given leaders. Could a gathered, unified remnant be one of ma -
jor things Elijah will bring back?
In all honesty, there is no verse which directly states Elijah will establish and lead a large group in unity like Moses
and Jesus’ apostles did, although the statements about him turning many to the right understanding of God’s will (and ev -
idenced by John the Baptist’s life) clearly point to him being a leader. Yet, as we have gone to pains to show in detail,
there are no less than two distinct groups described in the end times prophecies of Revelation. Common sense dictates
that a God-given leader will be needed to bring them together and lead them in the purpose God has for them. Further,
biblical precedent also shows that this is how God gathered his people before (with a leader like Moses, rather than by
E.S.P. or sending an angel to each). Finally, we will see inferred connections between these two groups and Elijah.
Both Groups Gathered to Jerusalem Under Elijah
We have already seen that the 144,000 are gathered to Jerusalem where they are sealed. So what about the Woman who is
never directly mentioned there? Does she go directly to Jordan or could Jerusalem be her staging area, too, before she
flees for the Tribulation, just as the 144,000 begin there and also move on later to where they need their protection?
There are several reasons to believe this is exactly the situation.
1. Those commanded to come out of Mystery Babylon before her destruction in Revelation 18 are told to go to
Jerusalem, in Jeremiah 50:28 and 51, the parallel OT prophecy:
Jeremiah 50:28 — The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD
our God, the vengeance of his temple.
Jeremiah 51:6 — Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of
the LORD's vengeance
Jeremiah 51:10 — The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.
Jeremiah 51:49-50 — 49 As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth. 50 Ye that
have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.

2. In Joel 2:30-32 those who are protected by God from Wormwood at the 6 th seal of Revelation 6 (when the sun turns
black as sackcloth and the moon turns to blood) are said to be gathered in Jerusalem or Mt. Zion. See Part 1 for de-
tails on this astonishing interpretation. It offers a plain alternative to the commonly taught typologically based pre -
tribulation rapture for how God will protect his people through the GT.
3. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus gave specific instructions for his followers to flee from Judea right before the start of
 Both Groups Gathered to Jerusalem Under Elijah 98

the GT (“but when you see the abomination of desolation, let those in Judea flee to the mountains” - Mt 24:16). This
shows that he expected them to be there (rather than raptured, or elsewhere on earth). Actually, all of them being
there makes the most sense for the instructions he gave. See, his command to flee is only useful if the “wilderness”
near Judea is the same place of safety mentioned in Revelation 12 which is local to Israel—Jordan as we know from
Daniel 11. The Beast will control the rest of the planet and force everyone to take the mark or be killed outside of this
place (Mt 24:15-16). So if everyone is not going to be gathered there near Jerusalem, then Jesus would have given a
different command that was not specific to Judea.
If this is true about the Woman and the 144,000 being gathered first to Jerusalem/Judea before the 6 th seal then it
would fit exceptionally well in all ways with Elijah being the leader. John the Baptist, Elijah’s “prequel,” came to
Jerusalem and we would expect his successor to do the same, as have most of God’s prophets.
True Unity Requires Being Together
God’s few elect are scattered throughout the world rather than dwelling together. This presents a real problem for being
together and sharing and helping each other. As we saw, the coming Elijah looks like the one who God will use to gather
his people. If someone claiming to fulfill Malachi 4 comes, he ought not to be coming to just make personal prophecies
to us, but to have a weighty mission from God such as gathering the remnant to Jerusalem before global earth changes
occur.
“Oh, That’s Just Jews!”
All the above evidence shows that the future gathering in unity of the Woman and the 144,000 to Jerusalem will be under
the coming prophetic leader Elijah, who may be one of the Two Witnesses. Yet Christian readers may be wondering what
all this has to do with unity being restored to them, since Christians consider themselves Gentiles and the above groups
Israelite (or at least “Jewish”). In fact, the common interpretation of the 144,000 is that they are simply “Jews who accept
Jesus” after the “pretrib rapture of the church” leaves them behind to finally realize their error in “rejecting the Messiah.”
But is this accurate?
As we have already seen above, they are not all “Jews.” We cannot gloss over the fact that the Woman and the
144,000 are clearly identified as all twelve tribes of Israel. This is not splitting hairs. Even though the religion of Judaism
centered in Israel today is named after Judah and rabbis often refer to Israel as the “Jewish People,” this is not the proper
biblical definition. Only at most three tribes can be considered the nation of Judah or “the House of Judah” scripturally:
Judah, Benjamin, and roughly half of the tribe of Levi. This is the exact makeup of the ancient southern kingdom of Ju -
dah, the one who was exiled to Babylon after the northern ten tribes of Ephraim or Joseph were exiled to Assyria. Reve -
lation 7 instead says both houses comprise this mysterious group.
Again, how can groups literally descended from Israel exist today and how does it apply to the average “Gentile”
English speaker?
Lost Ten Tribes Identity
The answer comes to us from an understanding of the “Lost Ten Tribes” of Israel. Yair Davidy, an Orthodox Jew, is the
foremost scholar on Lost Tribes Identity (LTI) today. He summarizes at www.BritAm.org:
According to the Bible ten out of the twelve tribes of Israel split away (2Ki 12:19), formed their own kingdom of “Israel” (2Ki 12:20)
and were exiled by the Assyrians (2Ki 17:18). They forget their identity (Hos 1:9 7:8 Isa 49:21) and became the Lost Ten Tribes. In the
future they will re-unite with the Jews (Eze 37, Isa 11:13 Jer 3:18) of “Judah,” but until then they have a role of their own to fulfill. They
were destined to be situated at the continental extremities of the earth such as North America, the British Isles, Scandinavia, the
Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa (Dt 33:13 Isa 24:16; 26:15; 41:8-9; 49:6), to be the richest (Gen 27:28; 49:25; Dt
33:13-16; Hos 2:8), and most powerful (Num 24:8-7; Mic 5:7-9) nations on earth and to control major international strategic bases (Gen
22:16-17; 24:60). All of these points together with numerous others show that descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes can only be found
amongst Western Nations especially the English-speaking ones.
If this theory sounds familiar to you, you may have heard of British Israelism (BI) which popularized it. Unfortunate-
ly, BI mixed this truth with a racist or antisemitic agenda and became associated with Christian Identity and White
Supremacy groups. As a result, mainstream Christianity rejects BI, effectively throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
However, LTI does not teach that the Lost Tribes are exclusively white or British, and it has exhaustive scholarly research
to back it up.
Christianity also rejects LTI as a “dangerous heresy” because it contradicts its own foundational “replacement theolo -
gy” which is the belief that the church has replaced Israel and inherited her promises. It of course does not help that
groups who hold to BI/LTI are considered cults by orthodox Christianity, giving the teaching another strike against it.
However, if we are seeking for truth then we should evaluate all things against the plain meaning of the Bible rather than
against traditional theology. This is where LTI proves itself. It answers many questions and fulfills many prophecies that
are otherwise conveniently ignored by the Christian Church’s teachings. It may be a heresy to “church doctrine” but not
necessarily to biblical teaching.
 Lost Ten Tribes Identity 99

Questions Left Unanswered If British Israelism Is False

For example, when was the last time you ever heard a sermon at church about how the House of Israel and the House of
Judah were going to be regathered by the Messiah to Israel at the start of the Millennium to teach the world his ways
from Jerusalem? Somehow, Christ’s first disciples were well aware of this as a major point in the fulfillment of prophecy
and the discussion of it was recorded for us:
Acts 1:6-7 — 6 ...they asked of him..., Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said..., It is not for you
to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

Note that Jesus’ answer did not contradict their understanding of the issue but instead affirmed it as important—al-
though too important to reveal to them yet. However, his answer sounds like the one given when they asked him what
would be the sign of his coming and the end of the age: “of that day and hour knows no man.” Indeed, the only time peri -
od that fits for the return of all Israel (who do not even know who they are today and are not seeking God to find out) is
when the Messiah returns and sets up the Kingdom himself.
Yet, once you realize that Israel really has not been lost (Rom 11:1, 26) and replaced by the church (as the reemer -
gence of Judah in the land of Israel since 1948 readily proves) but must return to the land according to the prophecies, it
ought to lead you to wonder where these lost tribes are hiding today? It is not like they are going to rise out of the sea or
arrive on a spaceship. They have to be somewhere on earth, but those who reject LTI do not have a good plain answer to
this. They can point to flaws, inaccuracies or contradictions in the migration histories or other proofs for LTI, but they do
not offer good solutions to the plain prophecies of the Bible that demand Israel to be “sifted” among the nations like
wheat and later regathered without one lost (Amos 9:9). Here are some more questions to try to answer without LTI:
1. Who fulfilled the promise to Abraham that out of his great-grandchildren, Ephraim and Manasseh (who he adopted
and blessed), would come a great nation and a company of nations (Gen 35:11) who would possess the important
gates of their enemies (such as the Panama Canal)(Gen 22:17)?
2. Why did the UK and USA rise to greatness and dominate the world while many other nations continue to be underde -
veloped?
3. Why did they arise right in time as good forces in the world when the evil of powerful imperial, fascist and commu-
nist nations intent on taking over the world needed to be stopped?
4. Is it all a coincidence that America had thirteen original colonies, just as ancient Israel had a total of thirteen tribes
(with the split of Joseph into Ephraim and Manasseh creating the thirteenth one)? That circumcision practiced in the
USA like ancient Israel was required? That we have a twelve-based measurement system?
5. Why does the prophecy to the last, end times church era of Laodicea in Revelation 3 who say, “I am rich and in need
of nothing,” fit the lazy, lukewarm spiritual condition of the rich churches of America? Is it a coincidence that
Ephraim is characterized as saying the same thing, “I am rich” ( Hos 12:8)?
These questions are just for starters and by no means are offered as conclusive proof. There is a wealth of research on
this topic available for the skeptical to investigate. Nevertheless, if one looks at just a few of the specific prophecies
about the birthright blessing last promised to the Lost Ten Tribes of the House of Ephraim in the end times, accepts them
as true and looks for their fulfillment, they cannot say they happened to ancient Israel or certainly not the House of Judah
in Israel today. Unless one has a negative bias against accepting the continued existence and future resurgence of Israel,
the simple and obvious answer is that they were fulfilled exactly where LTI says they were.
Conclusion
Prophecy tells us that the 144,000 and the Woman are going to be gathered to Israel, trained, and then sent to their re -
spective places. Common sense and biblical precedents require a God-ordained prophetic leader to be sent to do the gath -
ering, unifying and teaching—after nearly 2,000 years without a leader or a unified body. By some indications this will
be one of the Two Witnesses who will also fulfill the promise of a real prophet like Elijah in the end times. The most sur -
prising discovery in all of this is that the people who will make up the two groups he will lead are not “Jews” or some-
thing else, but long lost Israelites who we have mistakenly thought of as “Gentiles” all these centuries.
On the other hand, perhaps this is not so surprising. After all, when we stop to think about it, from where did we real-
ly expect to come the ones prophesied to be going out to the world as a witness of God’s commandments and the faith
of Jesus and to be called God’s servants? Where else could they be from, other than the most biblically literate and
biblically influenced people in the world—the mostly English-speaking Western Democracies such as the USA, UK,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France and Scandinavia (and where incidentally nearly all the readers of
past editions of this book have come from)?
 Chapter 16:
Discerning a True Prophet
Will The Real Elijah Please Stand Up?
After discussing all the evidence for how a prophet must come to gather us and restore unity among the faithful, the next
question is how do we tell the real McCoy from all the many false prophets Jesus warned us about? To understand this
important subject, let us start by reviewing the prophecy of the end times Elijah who John the Baptist partially fulfilled:
Malachi 4:5-6 (ESV) — 5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he
will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of
utter destruction."
Luke 1:17 (NKJV) — "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,'
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Numerous people have come and gone claiming to be this Elijah. Jerusalem today is rife with people under this delu -
sion (as well as under other forms of “Jerusalem Syndrome”). Is it possible that one of these people could be God-or -
dained? What are the signs of the authentic Elijah and of a counterfeit? Is a prophet always someone who predicts the fu -
ture accurately or who knows personal things about you that he has no way of knowing? What if someone shows up
claiming to be the one that God sent to lead us together in unity again? What should we ask him?
If we want to wait and watch wisely, we need to be clear on exactly what we are waiting for. The first point to under-
stand is what is a prophet according to the Bible, the only safe source of discernment on this subject. We cannot trust any
person’s words or traditions.
Biblical Prophets Defined
The basic definition of a prophet in the Bible is someone who receives direct inspiration from God. They are not always
a prognosticator but they are always a divinely inspired speaker or messenger. We are told that a prophet speaking for
God received his inspired message through three possible means: either a voice, a vision or a dream:
Numbers 12:6-8 (NKJV) — 6 Then He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself
known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with
him face to face...

When Moses was soon to die, God formally announced a description of the office of prophet that would continue af-
ter him:
Deuteronomy 18:18-22 (NKJV) — 18 'I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words
in His mouth...20 'But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who
speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' 21 "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the
LORD has not spoken?'-- 22 "when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the
thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament for word #1227 identifies five proofs from Deuteronomy 13 & 18 to
certify a prophet:
1. “The prophet must be Israelite, “of thy brethren” (Dt 18:15, 18)”
2. “He speaks in Jehovah's name—“voice of Jehovah” (Dt 18:16) “he shall speak in my name” (Dt 18:19; cf. Dt 18:20),
death being the penalty for false claims to so speak (Dt 18:20; cf. Dt 18:1 ff.; 1Ki 18:20-40)”
3. “Supernatural knowledge of the near future was to be a sign of the authenticity of divine appointment (Dt 18:21-22;
cf. 1Ki 22; Jeremiah 28, esp. Jeremiah 28:17)”
4. “The prophet might perform some other miraculous sign (see Dt 13:1 ff.; cf. 1Ki 18:24; and esp. 1Ki 18:38)”
5. “The final test is strict conformity to (agreement with) the previously certified revelations, by Moses at first and by
the prophets to follow (Dt 13:1-18). The fifth requirement is emphatic, the entire thirteenth chapter being devoted to
it.”
Let us look at the proofs one by one:
Proof #1: Must Be Israelite
For a Christian, hearing that a true prophet from God today must be a descendant of Israel would sound absurd. Yet, as
we saw in the last chapter, God’s plan is chiefly still working through the descendants of Israel as seen in the prophecies
of the 144,000, the Woman, and the Two Witnesses. In other words, he meant what he said that he would make them a
“nation of kings and priests” (Ex 19:6) which of course will only finally happen during the Millennium with resurrected
glorified Israelites (Rev 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). So their rebellion to the Old Covenant did not stop that plan; it just made the
plan more interesting (by dividing them into two houses, one of which would wholly forget their identity as Israelites yet
 Chapter 16: Discerning a True Prophet 101

still be used by him). Paul also agreed when he said, “to the Jew first, then to the Greek” 89 and “God has not rejected his
people Israel” but has preserved a remnant for his purpose (Rom 11:1-5). All these passages mean what they plainly say.
God will continue to use Israelites in this phase of his plan so we can realistically expect the coming Elijah to be an Is-
raelite himself, just as both his predecessors were.
Proof #2: Speaks In Jehovah’s Name
To Christians, this requirement sounds equally absurd. As covered earlier, Christianity teaches using only euphemisms
for God’s personal name called the Tetragrammaton, or “word with four letters.” Thus it seems normal and acceptable to
them when a modern “prophet” speaks in the name of “The Lord,” “Adonai,” ”God,” “Elohim,” etc., just as Christian
Bibles have it. To them it would sound strange for a prophet to stick to the OT precedent of speaking literally in the name
of God, which we learned in Part 1 is something like “Y'hovah” (how Jehovah sounds according to the original Ger-
manic pronunciation).
In 2008, I realized that this proof is key and represents a real practical application for knowing the sacred name: to
detect false prophets quickly and easily. How? Check and you will see that every prophet in the Bible speaks in the
name of Y'hovah, even if it was new to them, like it was for Moses (Ex 3:13). Even though our Greek NT manuscripts
have kurios (lord) in its place, we still know from them that Jesus spoke it because he plainly said he taught it to his dis -
ciples (John 17:6). Further, the Talmud records debates on how to properly dispose of the original Hebrew NT
manuscripts since they had the divine name written on them which they were superstitious about destroying. 90 There are
even Hebrew manuscripts of Matthew extant today (such as Shem Tov) which mark where God's name originally was
used. Therefore all you have to do is listen to an alleged prophet for how he refers to God. If he breaks Biblical
precedent for prophets and does not speak in the name of “Y'hovah,” then he's a false prophet.
Proofs #3 & 4: Knowledge of Future / Miraculous Signs
These two go together since it seems like one or the other goes with every true prophet of God. As Revelation 13 demon-
strates, these proofs alone are not enough to authenticate a true prophet. That chapter predicts that the False Prophet will
be doing miraculous signs and wonders—even calling fire down from heaven as Elijah did—that convince the whole
world to worship the Beast as God and accept his rulership. On the other hand, if someone cannot supernaturally predict
the future or produce a miraculous sign then scripturally you can rule them out as being a prophet of God. They ought to
do one or the other.
Some will point out that John the Baptist (the first “Elijah”) produced no signs (John 10:41). Nevertheless, his no -
table birth caused people to wonder if he was going to be a prophet even without them (Luke 1:66). Thus, although he
did no signs, his birth was one. That along with what he said and did as an adult caused everyone to accept him as a
prophet (Mt 21:26). He preached a message of repentance in agreement with the Scripture, matching requirement #5. In a
matter of months his prediction of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world was fulfilled by the appearance
of Jesus the Messiah.
However, our less prophet-savvy culture would not recognize John the Baptist for who he was. Therefore, if someone
wishes to proclaim themselves Elijah or anyone with authority over you or to guide, lead and gather God’s people, then
they had better produce a sign to prove that God sent them. Make sure you ask them to show a sign of this, accord-
ing to scriptural precedent. It was for this reason that Moses was given the staff that could turn into a snake. God did not
expect the Israelites to accept Moses’ word and he does not expect us who are much more skeptical today. We should
never depend on someone’s word that “I heard the voice of God telling me to tell you what to do.” They actually may
have heard a voice—but whose voice? We are to test the spirits, not blindly accept their clearly supernatural origin as be -
ing from God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). Yet assuming God as the source is the
common practice today among believers. We forget to reason that if it really was the voice of God that a person heard,
then God would have equipped them with signs so that the rest of us could be sure of this important fact, too.
Proof #5: Conforms to “OT”
Due to the ambiguous nature of the Bible, this proof can be hard to judge. We should therefore not try to disqualify
someone using teachings that we cannot verify as clearly, explicitly stated in the OT. An example of a violation of this is
given in Deuteronomy 13. It says that if a prophet tells people to follow after “other gods which you have not known”
that this is clearly a false prophet.
Note that this is different than the Christian definition of a false prophet as someone whose predictions fail. The False
Prophet (Rev 13) will be telling people to set up a statue of the Beast and to worship it. This is clearly against the founda-
tional teachings given to Moses, including specifically the Second Commandment prohibition against worshiping other
gods. Yet, there is no record that he will ever make a failed prediction. Instead, he will have many signs and wonders that

89 Romans 1:16 Note that all the believers in Jesus were Jews for the first 15 years or so and even today there are many so called “Messianic Jews” or people of Jewish descent who are Christians.
90 t.Shab. 13:5; b.Shab. 116a; j.Shab. 15c
 Chapter 16: Discerning a True Prophet 102

certify him in the eyes of people who do not know about the other required proofs.
Kinder, Gentler, NT Prophets?
This list of requirements from the OT may seem inapplicable to some with the understanding that gentile Christians are
under the NC today, and are not Israelites under the OC. Some even claim that today we have “NT prophets” who are not
held to these same standards as these “OT prophets” were. For example, they say a NT prophet does not have to be 100%
accurate like an OT prophet nor have to do signs. They believe that God now uses more loving, gentle, Gentile Christian
NT prophets (who seem to like giving personal prophecies of prosperity to individuals—with lackluster accuracy).
There are several problems with this thinking. Firstly, the NC is not made with Christians but with Israel (just as the
OC was) (Jer 31:31). Moreover, it can be easily demonstrated by reviewing Jeremiah 31 that this covenant is not yet ac-
tive today, or for example all Israel would know God (Jer 31:31,34). It will start only once the Messiah regathers the peo-
ple with whom it will be made, the exiled tribes of Israel still scattered throughout the world (Eze 37:21,26).
Secondly, there is no mention either in the NC details or in the NT of a change in the office of prophet. Thus, there is
simply no scriptural support for God lowering the standards of prophet or otherwise changing what he laid out in the OT.
The best conclusion for someone basing their discernment off of Scripture rather than subjective or external standards
is that these people presenting themselves today as prophets but who do not meet the standards given in the OT are not
some kind of newfangled NT prophet but are false prophets. However, even assuming these are true prophets of God at
all (without any support for this reasoning in the Bible), this question really does not matter since Malachi speaks of a
prophet coming just like Elijah—the OT prophet. Therefore, this list derived from Deuteronomy is a good starting place
for us to build the discernment we need to tell the true Elijah from the imitators who would seek to deceive you.
Characteristics Specific To Elijah The Prophet
To the general list of what to expect from a true prophet, we can add the other specifics we found in examining the
prophecies related to Elijah:
1. Teaching repentance as evidenced by changed actions that you can find outlined in the Bible as well as doing the
commandments of God that apply to believers. So if an Elijah comes asking for merely changed beliefs like the
church brand of repentance, ignore him.
2. Jesus said Elijah would fulfill all things, which according to Gabriel meant turning people to the “wisdom of the just”
or correct understanding of the Bible. So expect from him radical teachings based on the Bible that depart from what
the institutional church traditionally teaches. So if an Elijah appears teaching much the same as you hear in most
churches, ignore him.
3. He may be the one calling people to gather to Mt. Zion ahead of global disasters prophesied in the Book of Revela -
tion. So if an Elijah appears telling you to gather in the USA, Belize, etc., ignore him.
Possibly some of these details may be inexact. Nevertheless, if you test all “prophets” using the five proofs listed
above, it will be hard to be deceived.
 Chapter 17:
The Real “Great Commission”
Having discovered how and when prophecy indicates God plans to restore biblical unity to his servants, the reader may
now be left in either disappointment or disbelief. Being told we have to wait in our present state of disunity and separa -
tion until a prophet comes is not appealing. Most of us want fellowship with like-minded Bible believers under the guid-
ance of someone sent by God who we can trust, who knows the pure truth of the Bible and who will properly teach it to
us. Not being able to have that yet is crushing news for some who are seeking to serve God in truth today. A natural reac-
tion to this is disbelief, especially when you consider that it really does not fit right with our expectations of what God
wants and what he is doing today towards it.
Our traditional Christian paradigm says that God is in a competition for our souls with Satan. Satan is supposedly do -
ing everything he can to deceive and distract us from serving God, while God is doing everything he can to get as many
as possible saved. Anyone who therefore dies without knowing their savior supposedly goes to hell for eternal torment—
or so the theology goes. Using this justification, the Christian church derives its mission from the following instruction of
Jesus to his apostles:
Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) — 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even
to the end of the age." Amen.

This is the so-called “Great Commission” passage from Matthew. But, have you ever compared the version in Mark
that has a bit more that Matthew left out? You probably have noticed this but put it out of your mind because it is quite an
embarrassment to a church-going Christian:
Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV) — 17 ...these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak
with new tongues; 18 "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands
on the sick, and they will recover."

Commission Omission: No Certifying Signs

Where are these signs today that were supposed to “follow those who believe,” those who fulfill the Great Commission?
Does your pastor have them? What about your Messianic Rabbi or Bible teacher or anyone you have heard claim that
they are preaching the gospel to the nations as commanded by God?
If these seem like unfair questions, remember how in the book of Acts we find exactly all these signs recorded as
commonplace among all the apostles. Wherever the Twelve went, and later including the apostle Paul, these signs did
follow among those who believed their message. Paul himself was the one who took up a snake and was not harmed
(Acts 28:3-6). As we already talked about in the last chapter, those miraculous signs are part of the qualifications
promised for prophets after Moses so you would know that they were authentic and God-ordained.
To have these signs commonplace throughout all of Christian history certainly would have been helpful in achieving
the assumed mission of spreading the gospel to every corner of the earth so everyone could be saved. Surely, if God is
doing all he can to save everyone then this would be the way to go rather than leaving the job to thousands of warring,
divided, powerless Christian denominations.
Yet these signs are not to certify “true believers.” Lack of these signs does not mean that a person does not really be -
lieve God and follow the true faith of the Bible. If we are not seeing these signs following the people who claim to have
the mission of the apostles today, it ought to give us pause to question the Great Commission. Signs were a part of it,
meaning that the kingdom taught in the gospel had actually “come near” to those who they came in contact with (Lk
10:9).
So what exactly is going on here? Where are these missing signs and how do we explain the fact that God has left us
in disunity instead? Why has God allowed these churches who do not even “teach them to observe all things that I have
commanded you” but instead teach their own varied and conflicting traditions? How do we explain the disconnect in all
of this? How can this mess be somehow good and what is God’s purpose in doing it this way?
In this chapter we will close this book out by answering these difficult, natural questions that arise from the material
presented thus far including unveiling the mystery of the disunity God has left us in, and what we are to do until unity
returns.
Whose Great Commission?
We will begin to solve this great riddle by first properly defining what our great commission really is—and what it is not.
If we understand and accept by now that the churches have been teaching their own tradition rather than the Bible, then
we will eventually want to review everything that we were taught in that setting in light of the Bible, properly read. This
includes the Great Commission teaching.
 Whose Great Commission? 104

One of the first things to know for properly reading the Bible is the importance of determining who the specific audi-
ence being addressed in any passage is. A common source of Bible misinterpretation is the skipping of this vital step and
assuming an instruction applies directly or indirectly to ourselves when it does not. So let us go back to Mark's Gospel
and see who the audience was.
Mark 16:14-15 (NKJV) — 14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of
heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature.”

The audience obviously is only the eleven apostles remaining (after Judas took his own life). There were many others
at that time who also believed like the eleven did but were not included when Jesus gave this instruction. Why were they
not included? Further, why did he not give the same commission to the believers in the masses when he gave them the
Sermon on the Mount? Since we, also, were not specifically standing there 2000 years ago after being chosen by Jesus to
be in his inner circle, what makes us think that this command applies to us? It is something we must prove applies to us,
not something that we are guilty of until proven innocent. If we take this instruction to the eleven and apply it to our -
selves then we are equating ourselves with them. It certainly is true that accepting Jesus as our Lord is something that we
have in common with the eleven that makes us like them, but there are key differences between the apostles and others
like us.
What Was Special About the Apostles?
Let us consider the Twelve for a minute and how they were different from the other followers of Jesus who are revealed
more in the book of Acts. A review of how they chose Judas’ replacement to restore the apostles to twelve in number
sheds light on this:
Acts 1:21-26 (NKJV) — 21 "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among
us, 22 "beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of
His resurrection." 23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and
said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 "to take part in this ministry and
apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place." 26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on
Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Notice the requirement for being one of the apostles to whom the evangelical commission was directed was that they
were with Jesus from the beginning of his ministry at his baptism by John until the day he was taken. Part of the reason
given for this was so they could be a true witness as it says and also that they had enough experience in the field. Yet,
what may be easy to miss for us today is that, by picking someone who had been around Jesus for his entire ministry,
they would get someone qualified to be an apostle, someone who had been through the “apostle training course” under
Jesus. If God wants to send someone out as an evangelist with the mission of making disciples and teaching people what
Jesus really said and instructed, then they had better understand exactly what that is. However, this is not as easy a re-
quirement to fulfill today as we may think.
The Apostles Understood What We Do Not
Have you ever considered the profound “Sermon on the Mount” of Matthew 5-7 and how hard it is to understand the
teachings contained therein? Many of the so-called famously “difficult words of Jesus” come directly from it. Yet his
apostles were made to understand these things. What about us? How much of those three chapters alone can we honestly
say we understand? We had better understand it all if we want to do the job of an apostle and teach others “all that Jesus
instructed.”
How about the parables of Jesus? To the masses, he only spoke in parables, explaining them to his disciples in pri-
vate.
Mark 4:33-34 (NKJV) — 33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a
parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
Matthew 13:51 (NKJV) — 51 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."

So there is clear evidence that only his inner circle truly understood his teachings. Only they, then, were equipped to
go out and teach. “Why was it done this way?” you may wonder. Can this be right if the purpose of all disciples for all
time was to make everyone understand everything Jesus taught? Read on:
Matthew 13:10-17 (NKJV) — 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered
and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given .
12 "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be
taken away from him. 13 "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do
 Whose Great Commission? 105

they understand. 14 "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And
seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes
they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.' 16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 "for assuredly, I say to you that
many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it ..

Have you ever struggled as a Christian with the plain reading of this passage? Jesus explicitly stated that he obscured
his message on purpose to fulfill God’s will that the masses do not understand the truth and turn and be healed! This is
certainly a difficult passage that causes great problems for the idea that God is trying to save all the world today as the
mission of most churches assumes. Here it plainly says he is not trying to do that at all. In other words, the commission
to the apostles of a full-time unpaid job of spreading the gospel to all nations was for them only, not intended to actually
convert everyone everywhere. So, this is another blow for the Christian theology on which their Great Commission doc-
trine is based.
Therefore, not only is the Christian Great Commission against Scripture, we can also see that nobody but the apostles
had the understanding and skills required to fulfill it! We today along with the masses following Jesus then have so much
hidden from us. None of us has received the one-on-one training that the apostles did and therefore none of us have the
same understanding that the apostles did, even if somehow we could understand all of the difficult words in the Bible he
spoke. If this is the case then how could anyone but the twelve apostles to whom the evangelistic commission was specif-
ically given possibly be expected to carry it out properly? How do we explain the stark contrast between the frequent
public miraculous signs that followed the apostles and the few isolated private miracles that Christians experience today?
Today we have neither the experience, the knowledge, the training nor the signs needed to go out evangelizing people of
the true faith of Jesus, as the apostles had. It is not reasonable to ignore this and go out anyway trying to tell people what
little we understand about Jesus 2000 years later simply because we insist that the apostles’ mission somehow applies to
us.
Does “All Things That I Have Commanded You" Include Itself?
Upon hearing my view, someone commented that as a programmer familiar with recursion (i.e., a function calling itself),
I should see a problem immediately. If Jesus told his apostles to teach disciples all that he commanded them to observe,
“all” implied that those new disciples had to follow the command to make and teach disciples. Yet, if we follow this ar-
gument consistently, several problems become immediately apparent. It would mean there is no distinction between the
apostles' calling and duties compared to others in all the world they are to make disciples of. As we saw above, Jesus said
that not everything that he told the apostles was for others to know. Further, Jesus also commanded them “freely you
have received, freely give.” How could God require all us disciples be unpaid evangelists when so many of us have fami-
lies? Jesus, Paul and the apostles seemed to be mostly without dependents or similar responsibilities that this humble itin -
erant lifestyle would impinge upon. Disciples with families cannot follow everything the apostles were commanded and
while caring properly for their own household (1Ti 5:8). What about female disciples? Are they supposed to trek every-
where preaching the gospel for free rather than raise believing children, or somehow work out how to do both?
The irrationality of this idea reminds me of how Judaism teaches that the Torah has “613 commandments” incumbent
on all Jews. They arrive at this by including every possible instruction, even those to Adam and Noah to “be fruitful and
multiply” (Gen 1:28; 9:1,7). For this reason, Orthodox Jews have large families. 91 Nevertheless, this separates the com-
mands from their specific audience and ridiculously makes it wrong for any believer to not marry and have children
(even the sterile?).
Our True Great Commission: Overcome, Bear Fruit
Why is God not concerned that everyone is saved now? Could there be a higher purpose than forcing salvation on all?
What purpose could that be? To answer that question we need to find out what Jesus stated was the base calling for all
believers, including the apostles who exclusively had the additional evangelical mission we just covered.
Our biblical mission is quite simple, although not easy, and because of the focus on the “Great Commission,” is also
not well-known.
John 15:5-17 (NKJV) — 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me
you can do nothing. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them
into the fire, and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done
for you. 8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have
loved you; abide in My love. 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's
commandments and abide in His love. 11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be
full. 12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ...16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and

91 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Judaism
 Our True Great Commission: Overcome, Bear Fruit 106

appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He
may give you. 17 "These things I command you, that you love one another.

We “who abide in Jesus” are to “bear fruit, good lasting fruit.” What does this mean? In its basic sense, fruit is
the growth that a plant produces which others can use or be nourished by. Fruit improves a plant, making it more attrac-
tive, but it is mainly considered a benefit for others. Fruit also takes time to develop and does not appear until some mini-
mal level of maturity is reached.
Identifying the Fruit
The most important example above of the fruit we are to produce is love. Love is outgoing concern for others. Jesus
taught and demonstrated love constantly in his ministry as an example to us. It is so important that Jesus went so far as to
say that love was key to identifying his followers.
John 13:35 (NKJV) — "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Besides love, there are other examples of fruit that we should strive to produce. P aul describes the exact fruits that
God's spirit is associated with, starting of course with love:
Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) — But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

These are mostly aspects of what we would call good character. Yet, how many Christians do you know who seriously
pay attention to developing character like that in themselves? Not many; but of course self-development is not very excit-
ing work for most compared to going out as an evangelist or engaging in doctrinal debates. Because of such distractions
from this focus, too many Christians wind up having the same fruits that the world around them does or the same fruits,
character or works that they had when they were unbelievers.
For example, some are so intent on sharing about Jesus or arguing what they believe the Bible teaches, that they mis -
treat, verbally abuse, or otherwise forget to love the person. It happens commonly whether it be in person or especially
over the Internet in chat rooms, message boards or email. By acting so, we have lost focus on the fruit that Jesus said
identifies someone as his disciples.
Some Christians dismiss this problem with the claim that people with those behaviors are not “true Christians” any-
way but “false Christians.” Put another way, no true Christian would do such things (in the pattern of the old logical fal-
lacy “No True Scotsman”92). Unfortunately, this explanation misses the sad fact that really all someone needs to do to be
a Christian or follower of Christianity is to accept and profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (and most would add
to that requirement the need to join a church or to be baptized). Thus, people acting unlovingly do indeed fit the defini-
tion of a Christian—and therein lies the problem. The bar to be a Christian is pretty low and different than the bar to be a
follower of Jesus. Certainly this is a shocking suggestion for a Christian reader to hear, but as we are seeing in this book,
Christian theology does not always line up with the words of Jesus that it claims to follow. (This is a big reason why so
many verses bother us when we read the Bible or why so many sayings of Jesus are so difficult to understand.)
If we are tempted to dismiss the importance of this fruit or works focus, Jesus' warning about bad fruits should be
considered. It contains advice on discerning individuals who come to us appearing as prophets, but it applies to fellow
Christians and ourselves as well:
Matthew 7:15-20 (NKJV) — 15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous
wolves. 16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 "Even so, every good
tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 "Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Just as Jesus told us to develop good fruit, he also said to discern religious people coming to us by their type of fruits.
There is also a warning of judgment to us all if do not produce any good fruit.
Biblical “Believing”
A big reason that Christians lack good fruit is the lack of teaching in Christianity on what it means to say you believe in
Jesus. To believe in Jesus is not simply to accept as fact the truth of his existence or his role as Lord and Savior for the
world. It is not a purely mental exercise. If you define it at that level, then even Satan and the demons could be qualify as
believers by the following principle:
James 2:14-26 (NKJV) — 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save
him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and
filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not

92 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
 Biblical “Believing” 107

have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will
show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!

The belief in Jesus as Lord that the Bible teaches is a strong conviction that leads you to take new action based on
that new lordship he has over you, instead of continuing to do what you did before when you were a lord to yourself .
When someone becomes your lord, you must do what they say. Jesus shed light on this very common disconnect in Luke:
Luke 6:46 (HCSB) — Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?

Now we are getting somewhere. To Jesus, if you believe he is your Lord and even call him that, then you better do
what he says otherwise you do not actually “believe” it as it is taught. What does he say to do? He said:
John 14:15 (NKJV) — If you love Me, keep My commandments.

What are the commandments? He told us this, too:

John 15:10 — If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in
his love.
Matthew 22:36-40 (HCSB) — 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is
like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Our Lord's command is to love God and neighbor as yourself.93

Given all this, we can say there are clearly two classes of people that Jesus considered believers:
1. Those who believe in Jesus but whose belief really does not result in fundamentally different actions.
2. Those who believe in Jesus and who focus on doing the things their new Lord said to do; love towards God and
neighbor.
Repentance
To put it another way, the people in the second group have repented or turned back from their ways to God's ways, and
the people in the first group have not made or kept that commitment. To be sure, both groups have changed their beliefs,
but the focus of repentance is on action, not belief.
John the Baptist taught concrete examples on repentance that are very helpful to review. Notice how he also uses the
metaphor of fruit as the measure of repentance:
Luke 3:8-14 (NKJV) — 8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as
our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 "And even now the ax is laid to the
root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." 10 So the people asked him,
saying, "What shall we do then?" 11 He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he
who has food, let him do likewise." 12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" 13
And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you." 14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we
do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

His three examples of repentance all have to do with loving, unselfish acts. These are things that sometimes take great
personal sacrifice to do even once; as well as discipline and trust in God in order to do habitually. That is why consistent
fruits of repentance are rare and not focused on much in churches. (Teaching it and requiring true repentance of members
would be one sure way to shrink a church.)
Specifics From Jesus On How To Love
Jesus' commands to “love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself” is just a summary. Understanding
what this looks like in practice is facilitated by illustrations. Thankfully, Jesus spent much of his time illustrating exactly
that, just as John the Baptist's words do above. For example, the Sermon on the Mount alone has many specifics (Mt 5-
7). Other parts of the Gospels repeat and flesh out areas of change further. Here are many examples that Jesus and the
apostles gave of values and attributes of believers who love God and love neighbor:
 Compassionate (Mt 25:35-40; Lk 10:33)
 Service-oriented (Mt 23:11)
 Sacrificing (Mt 19:21; Jas 2:14)
 Giving, Generous (Mt 5:42; Lk 3:11; Jas 2:15-16)
 Merciful (Mt 5:7; 18:33)
 Long-suffering (Mt 5:41)

93 To answer, “who is my neighbor?” read the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29-37.
 Specifics From Jesus On How To Love 108

 Patient (Lk 8:15; Jas 1:3; 2Pe 1:6; Rev 2:2-3; 19)
 Peacemaking (Mt 5:9)
 Loving (John 13:35)
 Forgiving (Mt 18:21, 35; )
 Fidelity in marriage (Mt 5:27-32)
 Taking action on Jesus' words (Mt 7:24-27)
 Meek, Gentle (Mt 5:5, 22)
 Humble (Mt 18:1-4; 23:12)
 Trusting, Faithful (Mt 6:25-34; Lk 12:21-24)
 Moral (Mt 15:19-20)
 Honorable, Having Integrity (Mt 5:33-37)
 Prays (Mt 6:5)
 Fasts (Mt 6:16-18; 9:15)
 Values the Word of God (Lk 8:21; Mt 10:40-42)
 Not Materialistic (Mt 6:19-21; Rev 3:17; Lk 12:15)
 Not Judgmental (Mt 7:1-5)
 Not Self-righteous nor Hypocritical (Mt 24:51; 6:2, 5, 16; 23:13-29)
Unfortunately, these attributes are not often the adjectives that are used when you ask someone to characterize Chris -
tians. Based on their dealings with other Christians, even Christians themselves instead popularly characterize most
Christians as judgmental, hypocritical and self-righteous—labels you never see directed at Jesus or his true disciples in
the Gospels. Instead, Jesus directed these very labels at the religious leaders of his day: the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sad -
ducees. (Since Jesus was so upright and loving, those leaders in turn were left with only the option of inventing charges
against Jesus; calling him a glutton, drunkard, and a friend of sinners (Lk 7:34).)
Frankly, Christians have a disturbing amount of bad fruit in common with the Pharisees—ironically the last group that
Christians would ever compare themselves to. They think the main flaw of the Pharisees is being “legalistic.” Conse-
quently they avoid legalism or “salvation by works” like the plague (as they should). However, this focus on legalism
misses the real error that the Pharisees made and that Christians make, too: not really loving God and their neighbor with
all their heart but rather loving themselves most and making things harder on their neighbor (Mt 23; Lk 11:46, 52).
Now, none of us are perfect; we will lack many of the good qualities and habits above. However, if we are striving for
them to please God, God knows our heart and is pleased whether the fruits have appeared yet or not. Eventually they will
come, if you have right belief. According to Jesus' brother James, these fruits are evidence of your saving belief (Jas
2:18, 19-26). The actions do not save you or guarantee you a place in the Kingdom; it is still your faith in the Word of
God that saves you (Gen 15:6). Nevertheless, if actions do not ever follow your belief, then your belief is incomplete and
you are on “shaky ground” as Jesus described it:
Matthew 7:24-27 — 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which
built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell
not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a
foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

In case you still worry over not having all the attributes listed above nor manifest them perfectly, remember that this is
not about doing works or being “good enough” to save us. It is about having a belief that leads to action, even if your ac-
tion is most noteworthy for being well-intentioned at first! We practice loving and get better with it over time just like
with everything else (2Pe 3:18). Yet even by practicing them, more people than not will notice your intent of love and see
that it is genuine, not just lip-service or hypocrisy. They will see your good works and glorify God (Mt 5:16). Contrast
this with those who practice religion and looking religious. They get praise from each other but people who see them
usually want to avoid them (and God) because of the bad experience they too often have with them.
Much more could be written on this subject of love, repentance and way of life Jesus taught. Most of the words of Je -
sus deal with explaining how to act in a way that bears good fruit pleasing to God. If we get back to reading the Gospels
and thinking about how to follow them in our lives for ourselves rather than continuing to follow religion, we will be bet -
ter able to stay on focus with Jesus true commission for us.
What To Do With Your Fruit
Once we have some good fruit, are we then supposed to go out telling everyone about it? Are we allowed at that point to
set off actively making proselytes and fulfilling the “Great Commission?” Should we do as the Christian Church does by
 Specifics From Jesus On How To Love 109

asking people, “do you know Jesus?” or “are you saved?” It is not recorded that Jesus ever advocated such a wordy be -
lief-based approach, even to the apostles whom he sent to heal and teach people to observe or do what Jesus instructed.
This approach is summarized in the metaphor of the salt and light:
Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV) — 13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good
for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be
hidden. 15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Here believers are compared to salt and light. This salt metaphor is not immediately understood by most today. Some
say because salt was used as a preservative back then that this means Christians are to be saving the world (just like the
“Great Commission” commands us, right?). Others say salt adds flavor so we are to “season” others in the world with the
gospel. Such unsatisfactory answers are obviously biased by Christian paradigms. It is really not so hard to understand
this passage now that we have seen our true calling of developing good fruit.
Therefore, let us ask, what do both salt and light have in common in the context of the metaphor presented? Both salt
and light are called “good” in the Bible (Gen 1:4; Mark 9:50). Why are they good? They are both beneficial because of
their distinct nature from their surroundings. They are different yet useful and welcome additions to their environment.
One thing to consider about a light is that a light does not make any sound, unless it is broken. A damaged buzzing
streetlight is annoying to those passing nearby. Similarly, salt has taste but it has no smell or stink to it. Instead, its nature
is to improve that which it comes in contact with. Jesus confirms this as the meaning by plainly saying that the light is
our “good works” (not words) that people see and glorify God for. They do this because such works based on love are al -
ways in short supply in this world and set us apart if we exhibit them. People who are full of talk about what they know
or what you should know are a dime a dozen. Who really cares what we say, anyway? It is what we do that really matters.
This is not to say that we should never speak and are to be secret agents all the time. Some few of us are indeed called
and gifted to be evangelists. However, the vast majority of us who are not evangelists have a protocol for how to know
when to speak. A general guideline is that we are to wait until people ask about the hope that lies within us (1 Peter 3:15).
They will ask us if they have seen that we are bearing good fruit, and then only if they are truly interested. If our good
works do not obviously pique their interest then we do not have to try to force the issue in fulfillment of the Great Com -
mission. To do so usually only wastes time, or worse, gives people a needlessly negative opinion of us.
The Mystery of Disunity Revealed
What then is the Mystery of Disunity? Why did God make it so that the initial truth and power of the prophets and the
apostles would be largely lost? Why were we left only with an imperfect record of their words, instead of an unbroken
dynasty of apostles leading and teaching us in truth and power to the present day? Why has he allowed the division, con -
fusion and even false tradition and religion to rule in its place? How could this possibly be according to plan and not a
big mistake?
We can make sense of this only if we have truly shifted our paradigm from the “Great Commission” of evange -
lizing and “saving” everyone today to the correct paradigm of overcoming and producing the good fruit Jesus
called for. Our reward for this will be ruling and teaching with him as kings and priests in the Kingdom (Rev 1:6; 5:10).
These fruits are good character, good habits, good understanding and discernment. If that is our mission then we should
ask what is the best way to fulfill this mission. Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 5:12-14 (NKJV) — 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first
principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is
unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by
reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

To develop our discernment and be good teachers we need practice thinking and experimenting with our ideas. So,
which environment will give us the most opportunity to be provoked into thinking and practicing our plausible-sounding-
at-the-time ideas to find out if they work or not? One where we are sheltered from false teachings under a perfect leader -
ship who we depend on to know all truth and teach it directly to us? Or, the one we find ourselves in today where we are
exposed to all manner of crazy Bible-based ideas that each of us must think about and discern ourselves? The more false
things we are exposed to and either fall for or see through, the better our judgment will be. As a result, we will naturally
go through many more trials and tribulations this way as well, which works patience, another fruit God wants in us (Rom
5:3; James 1:3).
“Fall of Man” – Or His Growth?
Some consider what Adam did in listening to Satan’s ideas as his downfall, as a tragic turning point in human history, the
so-called “Fall of Man.” This is a short-sighted view of that event. In reality, Adam experimenting with Satan’s appealing
 The Mystery of Disunity Revealed 110

ideas was just part of his natural development and learning. How could Adam really learn the value of God’s truth and
way of life if he did not have alternatives to try out and compare their outcomes to? God's perfect instruction could only
go so far. Adam was not omniscient and had to experiment to learn. He could not know that Satan’s philosophies would
not work as well as God’s without trying them. As any parent knows, in many cases children have to find out things for
themselves, even if it is the harder way to go compared to listening to available wisdom and instruction. It is often said,
that which does not kill you makes you stronger. This expresses the truism that we grow in adversity. When things are
going easy for us, when everything is handed to us we grow less.
This philosophy will trouble some because they think that believing something false does kill you, namely kills your
soul for eternity if your mistaken belief makes you turn away from Jesus or the church. They believe that people can thus
be deceived and be lost forever if they die in that state. But this idea is shortsighted, also. It forgets that an all powerful
God set things up this way on purpose and certainly must have a plan that allows for people to experiment, learn, be de-
ceived and redeemable if they die still in the middle of their experimentation and deception (as most will). The plan of a
fair, loving God cannot be one in which someone dies not being smart enough to see through the deception of religion or
confusion from skepticism foisted upon them and end up doomed for eternity. 94 This is why it is acceptable that not ev-
eryone is called now as we saw plainly in the Scripture earlier.
Yet there is a deeper purpose behind this testing as well. If we are going to be given rulership for 1000 years and
life eternal never to be taken back then we must be tested and proven as ready for that. We must go through enough tests
and temptations for God to prove us and for us to arrive at the point where we will never turn back from his ways no mat-
ter what. Before immensely blessing Abraham with being made the father of his chosen people Israel, he tested him in
like manner. The final test was in God’s request to sacrifice his firstborn son of promise, Isaac. This extreme sacrifice
proved that not even his son would be placed above God. As we read earlier in James, Abraham proved by good works
his willingness to give up the son he had waited 100 years for:
Genesis 22:10-12; 16-18 (NKJV) — 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of
the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." 12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand
on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from
Me." ...16 and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your
only son-- 17 "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand
which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall
be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

The kind of blessing and position that Abraham was given is not unlike the reward promised us for going through all
the tests and trials we face alone due to the disunity today among the Faithful. God is making sure that each of us are ful-
ly prepared and tested for our blessing, too.
Like Abraham, we find similar testing among all the figures of the Bible who were promised positions in the King-
dom or elevated in their physical lifetime. The twelve apostles were promised they would rule over the twelve tribes after
they went through persecution and martyrdom in their lifetime. Joseph was enslaved and put in a dungeon prior to being
made second in command of Egypt. Elijah and Moses will both be by Jesus' side during the Millennium and their lives
were full of challenges and solitude. You can find many similar examples in the hall of faith of Hebrews 11. So we see
that the trying and sometimes lonely situation today for believers is not so strange—nor is our coming great reward
strange if we keep the faith and see it through to the end.
Conclusion
We who are called today are called to be kings and priests during the Millennium. That is our great reward and a great
honor, but it also comes with great responsibility. This requires obeying Jesus as Lord to develop the fruit that Jesus in-
structed us to develop so that we can do that job well. To strive too hard after fellowship, unity or proselytes today is a
distraction from our true commission as well as often counterproductive to it. We must put aside all anxieties, all other
idols to stay on task with keeping God and his things first. When the time comes, unity will be restored and those of us
who have been busy preparing ourselves may find that we are used in big roles even sooner than we thought. Praised be
Y’hovah God for setting up this world the way he did with great purpose and meaning and also great opportunity for us
to develop and test our own righteous character.

94 Indeed, the Bible speaks of another resurrection after the first resurrection of the righteous during which time those who thought they died with “no hope” are brought back to learn the truth they
missed this time in a true New Covenant environment where they will be taught to “know Y’hovah.” (Rev 20:5; Eze 37:1-14; Jer 31:31-36).
 Afterword
Where To Go From Here
The Legacy of Know the Future
It has been over seven years since the first edition of this book called Planet X in Bible Prophecy was written late in
2004. It is no understatement to say that the writing of this book has changed my life and the life of many readers. It has
blessed me by allowing me to retire from my Bible software programming job and to focus full time on my family and
my passion of teaching the Bible to others. My readers report blessings of encouragement and renewed excitement for
serving God and studying his word. It brings me great joy to hear every week how powerfully my book impacts others'
lives. I cannot imagine a more favorable role in life than learning and teaching wisdom and righteousness to others:
Daniel 12:3 (ESV) — the wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the
stars forever and ever.

However, do not get the wrong idea that my book brings complete joy and peace to everyone. Judging from the most
frequent questions and concerns I hear, I know some of the conclusions in my book are troublesome or raise further ques-
tions for readers that are beyond the scope of the book. This new chapter has been added to help guide you through them.
Caution On Sharing This Information
Let us start with a pitfall of the excitement factor mentioned above. It is natural to want to share information you are ex -
cited about or think could save others from deception or premature death. I did the same when I first learned many literal
truths of the Bible in my teens from WCG literature. I imagined that everyone would be as interested and excited as I was
to know the exciting Bible truths I learned. Unfortunately, I had to find out the hard way that most people are not only
not interested, but they may judge or persecute you over them. My family thought I had weird ideas and so will your
friends and family if you share this book indiscriminately. You have to appreciate how radical its contents are and how
nonradical the average person is. For this reason Jesus warned of casting your pearls to swine and them turning on you
(Mt 7:6).
A common reason people do not heed Jesus' advice is because they believe they are responsible to warn people of the
coming dangers like a “watchman” and worry that if they do not do so, their loved ones might never hear. These fears are
unfounded. Before trouble befalls the world, God must warn all his servants with someone more impressive and more
persuasive than you or I. They will hear the warning from a real miracle-working prophet just as Israel did before the Ex-
odus (i.e., Moses). Knowing this, I recommend you share this book only with truth seekers and only if you have a thick
skin for the possible harsh feedback.
Fear Of Missing Elijah's Call
Some readers are more afraid of somehow missing the coming of Elijah themselves. Yet, given that they already under -
stand God's plan to warn and instruct all his servants, it is even less likely they can miss Elijah's coming than the rest of
the people who God must wake up, convince, and get moving. You simply need not fear missing out after reading this
book unless you plan to cut yourself off from the world and go live in a cave!
To Church or Not To Church – “Forsaking Assembly?”
Speaking of church, a very common question readers have is about Hebrews 10:25, the text used by churches to prove
that attendance is required on believers. It is not that I instruct people to leave the institutional church, but the typical
truth-seeking person who finds and enjoys my book often already has become dissatisfied with church and only contin-
ues to go out of guilt or not knowing what else to do. Thankfully, if you examine this passage in context, you will find it
does not require church:
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) 24 ...let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together,
as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another,

Notice that the reason given for meetings was to encourage each other, not because church attendance is a “required
sacrament.” If you do not find institutional church services today very encouraging, then it is not surprising because
those type of passive, paid-professional-up-front meetings were not what Hebrews was referring to. Besides, today we
are not limited to only face-to-face meetings to give encouragement. Now we can email, telephone or text message,
watch videos or TV, or even read books like this one that answer the questions that church never did. For example, if you
wonder how Christian meetings and practices came into their present unbiblical form and what alternatives exist, check
out Pagan Christianity? and other books by Frank Viola on the home church alternative or the free book So You Don’t
Want to Go To Church Anymore at www.jakecolsen.com. Once again, I am not telling anybody to stay home, but I do
want them to know the truth that church is optional. Since church attendance is not required, there is no reason to feel
guilty about not liking something that may not be bringing you closer to God.
 Questions On “Keeping” The Sabbath and Feast Days 112

Questions On “Keeping” The Sabbath and Feast Days

Related to this, another frequent question I am asked is how to keep the Sabbath and feast days. Just as with the last
question, I am not telling anyone what to do here. Personally, I follow what Acts 15 says about Torah (which include the
Sabbath and feasts and the entire Ten Commandments): do not be burdened with it. It is a burden to try to figure out the
right way to do today what, in the past, prophets, priests and judges were available to teach plainly and authoritatively.
When the NC arrives and restores the temple, altar and priesthood, the feasts and Sabbath will be taught and required (Isa
66:23; Zec 14:18), unlike today. If you just understand that up front, you will be better able to enjoy the rewarding expe-
rience of learning the Torah and practicing what you can of it.
Cultivating A Proactive Walk Of Overcoming
If you can manage to put to rest all such distractions and fears, you will be in a good position to get down to focusing on
the central issue for believers: overcoming our evil nature to act in love. To help with that, I want to close with an insight
on how our level of righteousness depends on our focus.
Afterlife Focus
Christians are mainly taught to be concerned about salvation. They put their energy into getting loved ones to accept Je-
sus Christ so they know they will go to heaven when they die. They are not taught the focus Jesus had of living a wise
and blessed life now and for that reason most do not shine a light that attracts others, but too often a hypocrisy that re -
pels.
End Time Focus
Prophecy buffs, who rightly see through the pretrib rapture doctrine, recognize the need to prepare to face the end times.
This improves on the afterlife focus. They watch for signs of the end times starting so they can make better decisions
managing their funds, where to live or work, etc. Still, their fruits are generally not much better than Christians' fruits are.
Daily Need Focus
Wise believers realize that they could need God's help at any moment. Everyone is susceptible to an accident, health
problem or attack and would want for God to intervene in such emergencies. More fundamentally, we each have limits to
our strength and understanding (Ps 118:8-9). Since God offers to give us wisdom (Jas 1:5) and other blessings (Mt 6:33),
it is illogical to not take hold of his help daily. Nevertheless, to accomplish this requires the discipline to pray consistent -
ly and fight temptation so to keep faith and a clear conscience before God (1Jn 3:22; 1Ti 3:9).
Love Focus
Overcoming to draw closer to God and have a blessed, long life is wise, but there is an even higher aspiration. When Je -
sus saw how people were like sheep without a shepherd, he was “moved with compassion” and taught and healed them
in response (Mt 9:35; 10:34; Mk 1:41). I have received divine healings in answer to prayer as James 5 and other verses
teach, so it is easy for me to conceive of sick or crippled people I see being healed by my prayer—if I were to become as
upright and compassionate as possible. Although none of us has wisdom or power that approaches what Jesus could of-
fer, we can and are expected to develop ourselves to become lights in a dark world as Jesus was and called us to be (He
5:12; 1 Pet 3:15; Mt 5:13-16). Just think of all the people we might come in contact with and be able to shine light to if
only we continue to master faith, prayer, fasting, obedience and sacrifice.
A loving desire like Jesus had to help, teach and heal others is the ideal motivation for overcoming our evil nature and
becoming more like our Heavenly Father and his Son.
Conclusion
I hope that the above insights give you comfort against the fears and uncertainties we face. For help with further ques -
tions, visit my website EscapeAllTheseThings.com. You can sign up for my free newsletter there and be notified that way
of new articles and developments. Finally, for those readers who desire to bless others with this book, volume discounts
are available at: EscapeAllTheseThings.com/volume-order.html.
 Appendix 1:
My Testimony
How to Get God's Attention and See His Hand in Your Life
Potential buyers of my book often ask if I “felt inspired by the Holy Spirit” while writing it. As explained in the Preface,
this is not a question I like indulging because of our instruction to judge all teachings by Scripture (Acts 17:11), rather
than claims of inspiration. While I do believe God helped to make this book possible, it is not the kind of involvement
that most believers expect, as evidenced by the question above. To understand what kind it actually was, let me share my
story. From it, readers may learn to better recognize God's hand in their own lives and some keys for realistically receiv-
ing more of that help than before.
This Book's Back-story
I wonder how many can remember when they first opened the Bible and what passage they read? I can remember
both. I had just watched the movie The Omen on HBO; the thriller with Gregory Peck as an ambassador who is warned
that his son is the Antichrist. He confirms it by checking his son's scalp to find a birthmark of the number 666. After the
movie, I wanted to confirm something as well: did the Bible really say this? So I blew the dust off our family's neglected
Catholic Bible and opened to Revelation 13. To my surprise, it said nothing about such a mark on the Antichrist but in-
stead said a mark would be on everyone else. Moreover, I found myself so fascinated by all the strange imagery that I
ended up reading all of Revelation. Left confused, I remember wishing I could understand what it all meant; seals, blood
moons, disasters, beasts, etc. Unfortunately, I was only nine and knew no Bible experts or even any Bible students. So I
soon forgot all about my wish. Yet, I am sure that God did not forget...
We were good Catholics, going to mass every Sunday (not just on Christmas and Easter like the “bad” Catholics).
Unfortunately, Bible passages are barely mentioned at church, let alone expounded on. Although this lack of Bible basis
later lead me to renounce Catholicism, in hindsight I recognize that exposure to mass still brought a benefit to this im -
pressionable young child. I believe that the mystical majesty of mass provoked in me a reverence for the holy things of
God, including indirectly the largely unseen Bible. In fact, watching the “holy priests” inspired me to want to be “good”
and to even entertain the idea of being a priest when I grew up. (Let us parents not underestimate the influence on chil -
dren of any religion that shows respect for God and the Bible—even if what is taught is incorrect or as incomprehensible
as pre-1970 mass in only Latin!)
Although you would not know it from my family's Bible illiteracy, we were avid readers and frequented the library
weekly. I remember my parents always reading the newspaper, novels and self-help books around the house. I followed
their example and enjoyed researching whatever topic interested me. I checked out stacks of library books at a time. My
mother, recognizing my inquisitive nature, got me a subscription to Science Digest magazine.
I read it for months until something terrifying dawned on me. To understand what it was, you have to remember that
when you study science, you are force-fed the Theory of Evolution. Although today we have many Creation Scientists,
back then there was no “Creation Science Digest.” With all my reading, I was slowly becoming indoctrinated with the as -
sumption that I was just an animal who evolved by accident, rather than a creation designed by a Creator as my Catholic
upbringing taught me.
So one day the bleak logical conclusion of evolution finally hit me. I realized that if this assumption of evolution was
correct, then I had no soul and no hope of an afterlife. I remember shaking in my bed unable to sleep because of the in-
escapable notion that if I died in my sleep, that would be it...and I would not even know it. Terrified, I cried out to God,
pleading with him to be real and to prove it to me. Just as with my experience of reading Revelation before, I was pro -
voked to desperately want to know the truth. In this case it was the inevitable question: “Does God exist?” Until then, I
had assumed so without proof. Meanwhile, adults who knew much more than me seemed to have proof that all of exis -
tence could be readily and reasonably explained without a God.
It was not until many years later that I had my answer. I was a freshman in high school when my best friend showed
me an ad offering a free Bible teaching. I encouraged him to send for it and in response we received one of those tracts
telling you the gospel and to say the sinner's prayer or invite Jesus into your life. Since we were both Catholic, it was
novel to us and we both did it. Usually people are encouraged to join a church after taking such a step, however, that nev-
er occurred to either of us. We were both introverted students who finished at the top of our class and thus much more in -
terested in information than socialization.
By the next year of high school my friend had another find to share. He handed me a free monthly magazine called
the Plain Truth. It presented a mix of news and editorial content with the Bible, and included prophecy (and the price
was right for students like us: free). I will never forget one article. It was a teaching on the three future resurrections de-
scribed in the Bible (1Co 15:23-24; Rev 20:4, 5; Eze 37:1-14). It covered the resurrection to eternal life for the righteous
who reign with Jesus when he comes. It also gave a very compelling explanation for how God will deal with the not-so-
righteous; all those who lived and died without ever hearing or responding to his Word. Rather than going to hell to be
 Appendix 1: My Testimony 114

punished for something they did not know or understand fully, they will have a “second” (really first) chance to know
and live the unadulterated truth after the Millennium when Satan is no longer deceiving the whole world (Rev 12:9).
This teaching literally changed my life for two reasons. It finally proved that there was viable understanding of Reve -
lation out there. It also allayed my concerns about death. You might wonder how it could have since I still had no proof
that evolution was false and the Bible true. Yet in my mind I had all the proof I needed. The Bible's answers rang true to
me, especially compared to the answers offered by evolution and religion. Evolution's “something from nothing” and
“life was an accident” go against rational thought and the observable “after its kind” pattern to all reproduction. Like-
wise, the Christian doctrine of eternal torment for the unsaved majority makes God unfair and sadistic.
Looking back, I marvel at what I did in response. I had turned 16 just before the end of the school year which meant I
could finally get a job and make money towards a car and all the other things a typical teen desires. However, I was not
so interested in that. Instead, I bought myself a cheap KJV Bible and spent summer vacation reading it cover to cover. I
had decided to dedicate my life to God and I saw that as the only logical next step. How else could I know for myself
what God said? It never occurred to me to join a church and get this information secondhand. I had always studied what
interested me in the past, so this would be no different.
Admittedly, what I read only brought more questions. How did people live for 900 years? Whence came those giants?
With all his wisdom, how did Solomon forget God (and did he ever repent)? Why did God let Satan have his way with
“perfect” Job? Where did the demons come from that Jesus contended with and where are they today? I was both thrilled
and left wanting answers. A lifelong love affair with the Bible had begun (which later did answer all these questions).
To help me with this goal, I started requesting the free booklets advertised in the Plain Truth. I learned much from
them that I missed in my first Bible reading. They introduced me to the shocking revelation that Sunday worship and
Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter were not biblical, but borrowed from paganism. They taught we should
instead be celebrating the Sabbath and other holy days from the OT which are traditionally considered as Jewish holi -
days.
Once again I did not hesitate to act on this new information. Still, I was worried about what my dad might say, since
we all still went to mass on Sunday. When it was time to leave for church the next time, I announced my decision to stay
home. To my surprise my father simply said, “OK, the rest of you get in the car.” (That was too easy!) Likewise one Sat -
urday my father asked me to cut the lawn at his commercial property before an event that night. I refused and offered
Sunday instead. Again he did not say much and I recall him cutting it himself (sorry, Dad, if you read this).
I also learned there actually was a church behind all of this free literature, the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). As
a teenager I was still introverted and uncomfortable with social situations that required me to blend and chat with com -
plete strangers. Thanks to that, I kept my faith on my own just as most of the Bible heroes did, relying on the Word of
God to guide them whether coming to them orally or in written form.
Years passed and I turned my hobby of computer programming into a career. I gained in confidence and sociability.
By 1990 I was finally anxious to start attending the WCG on Sabbath. Before I did, I broke up with my non-believing
girlfriend (for obvious reasons). That sacrifice turned out to be greater than I had imagined. There were very few young
single ladies to date in the local churches; a fact bemoaned by the bachelors in both Connecticut congregations I attend-
ed. (Morning services in Hartford and afternoon services in New Haven.)
Soon after, I wanted to be baptized. I had heard from others that this required several counseling sessions with the
pastor. In our first meeting I remember him pointing out that committing to God's way could cost you your life, and to
therefore count the cost, as Jesus taught. After the talk, we set up the dunking date in his swimming pool. Surprised, I
asked him what happened to all the meetings I had expected? He told me that he only needs several meetings with those
who grew up in the church. Unlike them, my parents were not making me come to church. Since I was obviously coming
on my own, he did not have to wonder if I was serious or if I was seeking baptism to please my parents or peers.
I admired his wisdom greatly. After I learned that he had graduated from Ambassador University, the WCG college, I
applied to go. I easily was accepted with my good grades and his letter of reference. I left a perfectly good programming
job with a big company to head to Big Sandy, Texas in 1991 (and if that was big, you would hate to see “Little Sandy”).
This turned out to be the final Freshman class that would graduate before the college was closed. Thus I arrived just in
time to find the mother lode of eligible single WCG girls. I fell in love with a gal and returned home after the first school
year to announce our engagement.
The next event could be filed under, “You can't make this stuff up.” My dad brought me to visit my Uncle Charles. He
was a widower and apparently had had a very bad marriage with Aunt Doris, because he literally pleaded with me across
the kitchen table to not get married. The man was so serious that he even offered me money! He offered to pay my tuition
for next year if only I “would not marry this girl.” Dumbfounded, I asked him why he would do that. He explained how
impressed he was with me because his own children would never “get their ass out of bed early on a Saturday morning”
and go to a place to “better themselves like you.” I naturally turned him down without a second thought. I married Katri -
 Appendix 1: My Testimony 115

na six months later on a Sabbath after church services in Hartford. Some might find my uncle's “indecent proposal” of-
fensive, but I only felt sorry for him and more than a little flattered by his esteem of me. (It taught me an important les -
son: you never know who is watching and learning from your example and thinking you are doing something hard and
amazing while you take for granted that what you are doing is just what makes sense to you and comes naturally.)
The next six years were filled with work, raising two sons, and many moves including one to Austin, Texas for its
warm weather and high tech job market. I stopped attending the WCG because the founder's successor completely re -
versed all teachings that made WCG special and turned it into just another Sunday-keeping protestant denomination. I
backslid, distracted by the “cares of this world,” and had marriage issues. Repentance began in 1998 after we allowed an
abused woman and her sons to come live in our first home. Having another family with us made me accountable to take
my marriage seriously and get counseling. Living with another family is tough, but I feel God saved our marriage
through it.
As always, a huge blessing followed my doing the hard thing I was convicted to do (and for helping others). This
same family introduced me to short wave and alternative FM radio. The radical teachings, revisionist histories and con-
spiracy theories that the Internet is now famous for were spread on these channels first. It was paradigm-shifting to hear
information that the mainstream media never touches. There were even a few Bible teachers. I heard one teach that the
USA was the Mystery Babylon of Revelation 17-18, doomed for destruction. This was new to me but I saw how it fit bet -
ter than the Vatican theory (as the WCG had taught me). With this my childhood wish to understand Revelation finally
began to be fulfilled.
The next step was the most radical move I ever made, literally, and also brought the biggest blessings of my life. With
my convictions about America's fate and the dire Y2K predictions making news, I felt the best thing to do was to lever -
age my three years of high school Spanish and move south of the border. I looked for a job over the Internet and found
one in Costa Rica. So we bought our tickets and moved there sight unseen in 1999. A prospective employer picked us up
at the airport, but I never did work for him. As it turned out my Bible software employer surprised me by offering to con -
tinue working with me over the Internet. Given the low wages in Costa Rica, this was a major blessing. Especially since
within a few months I figured out that Y2K would be a non-event for the same reason I advise people today not to leave
the USA (see Afterword). With the world not ending after all, we could use the raise.
These are the events that set me up for my breakthroughs. How they came and the layoff during which I wrote them
down is covered by chapter 3 and escapeallthesethings.com/planet-x-nibiru-wormwood.htm.
Lessons To Glean
2 Chronicles 16:9 (HCSB) — For the eyes of Y'hovah roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are
completely His.

This verse tells us God is searching for those who merit his help. This book has related several verses on how to
please God by focusing on prayer and repentance. After reflecting on my life recently, it occurred to me that long before I
prayed much, I was naturally doing other things that attracted attention. I realized that if my Uncle Charles and pastor
both appreciated my desire to seek God and understanding, then certainly God must have as well! How else could an un -
derachieving nonconformist like me move to the tropical retirement haven of Costa Rica at age 31, achieve my dream of
understanding Revelation and the rest of the Bible while there, and retire at age 40 to enjoy my family and teach others
the Bible full time? My success depends on too many happy accidents for me to miss that probably God “showed himself
strong” for me because I consistently made choices and took action towards knowing him better.
Why is this so rare among believers if they really love God, too? Most people have an overriding need to fit in and be
accepted. They tend to trust in experts (e.g., doctors and pastors) to give them better answers than they believe they can
find themselves. Unfortunately, when it comes to God's ways and Word, following the crowd and the experts alone does
not serve us well or win points with God. We need to diligently seek God ourselves (just as my nonconformism lead me
to do). If you think about it, the Bible heroes were all mavericks, not crowd followers or pleasers. We should seek to
think and be more like them, and less like the crowd.
Notice that my story does not mention a single dream, word, or vision from God. If we wait for that to serve God, I
think we miss that the Bible heroes who did were mostly prophets or baptized in the HS so they could later write a part of
the Bible. For us who already have the Bible and are not prophets, it would be better to draw our expectations from saints
more like us. The story of the Jewish deliverance in the Book of Esther has such believers. Although God is never men-
tioned once, his hand is clearly recognized intervening to guide the events and the bold choices that the righteous non-
prophets make throughout the story. We should diligently follow the Bible we have, not waiting for new revelation.
Yet sadly less than 5% of Christians have read the entire Bible! This is why I consider my own Bible reading at 16 so
noteworthy. If you read all of it, you will surely stand out to God, especially if done with the intention to follow whatever
is discovered. If you then act on your own convictions of what would be right or pleasing to God, you will certainly be
 Appendix 1: My Testimony 116

blessed and guided to more insights. If those acts are sacrificial, such as leaving jobs, girlfriends, churches, family and
home country, too, then prepare to be dazzled. You will be in good company; Abraham left home and country and inher-
ited an entire country of his own in return.
If you have problems or doubts along the way as I did, cry out to God as if your life depends on it. You can be sure
that God will bring some circumstances to guide you past them. He might even use a misunderstanding, as my reason for
leaving the USA was. In fact, I have done several things for God in error. Yet God has always given me credit for the sac-
rifices made while sincerely following his Word. So instead of worrying like the crowd does about making wrong con-
clusions in your Bible study or having wrong beliefs, I say study the Bible to “know your God and do exploits” (Dan
11:32). Yes, “go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37). Because:
Luke 11:28 (ESV) — But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
 Appendix 2:
The “Thief on the Cross”
When we attempt to understand the biblical teaching on the afterlife, the famous “thief on the cross” story must be con -
sidered:
Luke 23:42-43 (HCSB) — 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “ I
assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.”

This passage is another of the difficult words of Jesus we encounter when reading the Gospels. The problem is, how
could Jesus make this promise to the thief when he himself already said he would not be raised from the dead until the
third day, fulfilling the sign of the Prophet Jonah?
One explanation is the “comma theory” where the word “today” is followed by a comma making it modify “I assure
you today,” rather than “, today you will be with me”. This comma theory goes against how English translations render
the passage, and is a grammatically awkward way to make emphasis if that was the intent. Jesus never spoke like that
anywhere else in the 121 times he says “I say to you...” using “...today,” for emphasis.
Another explanation is that this is simply “beautiful picturesque language” although not literal. However, we should
always be leery of deciding that a difficult passage must not be literal just because we cannot readily understand it. There
happens to be a literal explanation for it supported by other biblical passages if you look carefully.
Is Paradise Heaven? Not Consciously
The strange use of the word “paradise” must first be understood. Several Bible commentaries say that the word paradise
does not mean “alive in heaven:”
Today you will be with me in paradise,” probably means that as a result of the events of that day, this man would be given salvation. Of
course, it is possible that Jesus is referring to some sense in which this criminal and Jesus would be together immediately after death.
However, this passage does not demand such an interpretation. The term paradise is used in the New Testament to refer to the future
dwelling place of God’s people (see 2Co 12:4; Rev 2:7). The reader should not become so concerned with the question of the
intermediate state that the point is missed. Luke is reminding his readers of that which he has told them often. God forgives penitent
sinners, while the impenitent (the rulers, the soldiers, and the other criminal) are excluded from the blessing.— College Press New
Testament Commentary: with the NIV
Verse 43. In paradise - The place where the souls of the righteous remain from death till the resurrection . As if he had said, I will not only
remember thee then, but this very day.—Wesley's Commentary
In the OT the term “paradise” can refer to a park with trees (Song 4:13; Eccl 2:5; Neh 2:8), a “garden of the Lord” (Gen 13:10), a
“garden … in Eden” (2:8), or can be understood in a future eschatological sense (Eze 31:8). In the intertestamental literature and in the
NT (2Co 12:4; Rev 2:7) the expression is used more and more to describe the final abode of the righteous. It is used in this sense here.
The criminal would experience salvation. He would not “today” experience the resurrection, for the resurrection of the dead will only
occur at the parousia.—New American Commentary
Paradise is the abode of the righteous dead. Put this together with this book's explanation of the literal sleeping souls
under the altar and it is confirmed that they are literally unconscious.
This fits Jesus' statement, “Father, to you I commend my spirit” in Luke 23:46. Why would he say that if he would be
conscious for the next three days taking care of (and using) his soul himself?
Jesus Promised a Spot in the First Resurrection
So what did Jesus promise exactly? He was not promising the thief immediate consciousness in heaven with him. In-
stead, Jesus knew that both their souls would be returned to God. This is as the Bible teaches and what his own final
words reflected. Now, one could argue that because the thief died for his crimes and not as a righteous martyr like Jesus,
he ended up someplace else in heaven other than under the altar. Nevertheless, for the thief's soul to be immediately
among the other righteous dead (martyred or otherwise) was a guarantee he would be in the First Resurrection and part of
the Kingdom of God—the very thing he apparently had the faith to ask about.
In conclusion, according to the literal understanding of the 5th seal (discussed in chapter 3), we can see how Jesus
could promise “being in paradise today” to the thief without it guaranteeing consciousness while there (as Christianity
teaches). It is simply a promise of being in a position in heaven awaiting the first resurrection and a part in the Kingdom,
just as the thief requested. This comes after a period where God is keeping our resting or unconscious souls safe, just as
the 5th seal literally depicts.