Armageddon August 2027

1) The sun will go down at noon (a lot faster than normal), and the earth will be darkened in the clear day.
2) The light shall not be clear nor dark. On this day, it is "not day, nor night". The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light.
3) The stars shall fall from heaven, visible motion westward (and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken).
4) The Sun -- Moon stands as a habitation.
5) At evening time it shall be light.


An important theme is present in various parts of Scripture that deal with the Apocalypse, or the unveiling, the revealing, of Jesus Christ to the whole world. The table below illustrates how the great earthquake is usually coupled with the sun and moon being darkened.

The Morning Stars Ascending and Descending Upon the Son of Man
John 1:51 - And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Jesus Christ promised Nathanael that he would witness greater things than simply telling Nathanael he saw him under the fig tree. The many miracles that Jesus did during his ministry, and especially his resurrection, are a few noteworthy examples. It is clear that the the heavens have never opened and the disciples never witnessed "the angels of God" ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. This must be referring to a moment in time after the resurrection of the dead has occurred, most likely when Jesus Christ comes in power and great glory with all the holy angels with him (Matthew 25:31). I emphasize the use of the word "angels" in these texts. The question remains, what exactly is Jesus talking about? These angels are "ascending and descending". In one sense, the angels could refer to the immortal beings that existed before the creation of Adam. Jesus made the point that he could have called upon twelve legions of these angels to rescue him (Matthew 26:53). However, in another Scriptural sense, the "stars" are also apocalyptically referred to as "angels".
Revelation 1:20 - The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
This is not the only case in Scripture where the stars are referring to angels. An Old Testament example clearly demonstrates the parallel.
Job 38:7 - When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
In the Greek Septuagint, the word for "sons of God" is ἄγγελοί the word for "angels". This is acknowledged in some English translations of this verse. Here, the morning stars are equated to the angels. We do not have do doubt that "angels" are equivalent to "sons of God". Consider the following:
Luke 20:36 - for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. (NASB)
In the New Testament, Christ says the righteous are like the "angels" who cannot die anymore, and called sons of God. Comparing this to what is written in Daniel, the righteous are as the "stars" for ever and ever.
Daniel 12:3 - And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Therefore, after considering the parallels in Scripture between stars and angels, is it possible that the angels ascending and descending the same as the morning stars ascending and descending upon the Son of Man? Recall that God was going to darken the earth "in the clear day" (Amos 8:9). This could be referring to the heavens opening of John 1:51. In other words, all the clouds on earth are going to be removed to maximize the visibility of the sky. Due to the supernatural speed of the rotation of the earth, we will see the morning stars ascending out of the east, and descending in the west.

Chapter 7: The Beasts of Daniel 7

Chapter 7: The Beasts of Daniel 7

The four metals of the image of Daniel 2, followed as they were by the feet and ten toes part of iron and clay, are matched by the four beasts of Daniel 7, culminating in the beast with ten horns, which is also destroyed by the second coming of Christ. It is emphasized that Nebuchadnezzar 'saw' the image, or literally, he had a vision of it (Dan. 2:26,31,34,41,43,45). The same word is used in Daniel 7 of how now Daniel 'saw' or 'had a vision of' the four beasts (Dan. 7:1,2,4,6,7,9,11,13,21). The Daniel 7 vision or 'seeing' was perhaps from God's perspective, Heaven's view of the same realities which Nebuchadnezzar saw from an earthly perspective.
 

The empires of Daniel 2 dominate the earth. The Hebrew eretz can refer either to the entire planet, or to the land- the land promised to Abraham, the land of Israel, from the Euphrates to the river of Egypt. The dominion of the four beasts is therefore over the same area. Daniel saw the beasts arising out of the great sea. This could be a reference to the laver, which is also called a 'sea' (1 Kings 7:23-26,39). This was a huge circular bowl for washing which was set upon 12 bronze oxen, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. They were arranged in four groups of three, facing north, south, east and west, in imitation of the camp of Israel in the wilderness. The beasts therefore arise out of the territory promised to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Rev. 17:15 interprets waters or seas as "peoples". The beasts therefore arise out of the peoples who are to be found in the land of the 12 tribes of Israel. The interpretation is confirmed by the words of the Angel in Dan. 7:17, who says that the four beasts who arise out of the sea are four king[dom]s which "shall arise out of the earth / land".


Dan. 7:21,22 speak of how the "saints" will be persecuted by the beast, and then "the saints" will 'possess the Kingdom'. The "saints" are Israel, the same Hebrew word is used in Ex. 19:5 to describe them as a holy or saintly nation, a nation of saints, sanctified ones. If we understand the Kingdom as primarily the land promised to Abraham's seed for them to 'possess', then this makes sense. That land will be dominated and trodden down by the beast, and then the remnant of Abraham's seed will triumphantly possess it eternally; and that mountain, or Kingdom, will then grow to fill the whole planet.


The little horn devours, treads down and breaks in pieces "the earth" (Dan. 7:23); that has little meaning if applied to the whole planet. The context speaks of destruction and persecution of "the saints", God's people in His land. The reference is surely to the specific land of Israel.
The four beasts are "diverse from one another" (Dan. 7:3), just as the four metals of the image of Daniel 2 do not naturally bond with each other. The four beasts are controlled by four spirits in Heaven who 'strive' with each other (Dan. 7:2). God makes His Angels spirits (Ps. 104:4; Heb. 1:7). Each of those kings or empires had a representative Angel in Heaven. It's not that the Angels themselves strive with each other, they are all obedient to God (see my The Real Devil chapter 2) but they play out before the court of Heaven the situation on earth. Later in Daniel we find Angels likewise representative of kings and kingdoms (Dan. 10:13,20). The comfort is that God is aware of all that happens on earth, and in fact He orchestrates it. The situation on earth is therefore not ultimately spinning out of control. My point in this context is that the four beasts strive with each other and do not naturally bond with each other. This is the same situation as we find in the feet and toes made part of iron, part of clay, mixed with each other but not cleaving to each other. Just as the image stands erect in the last days in order for it to be destroyed, so the sequence of beasts which we have in Daniel 7 are not simply a historical outline of a sequence of empires. Each of them exists in some form in the last days, and are united together in their brief domination of the earth / land promised to Abraham. The first three beasts stand 'before' the fourth one, the original meaning 'in the presence of', rather than previously in chronological terms (Dan. 7:7). The fourth beast has its body destroyed, although the other beasts are also present there and have their lives prolonged "for a season" (Dan. 7:11,12). The historical interpretation of the beasts is not irrelevant, however. The final entity dominating Israel will incorporate aspects of all the previous systems which have dominated the land promised to Abraham.


The fourth beast with the ten horns equates with the legs or iron and ten toes of the image of Daniel 2. This entity will be in existence at the time of Christ's return, because it is to be destroyed by His coming. And we have that same picture in Revelation. Historically, the legs of iron represent Rome, but the beast is not a historical entity, it exists in the last days. So although there are parallels and outline similarities between the metals of the image and the beasts, this is not to say that they are all one and the same. The final beast has elements of all the previous beasts, it is a composite entity including all the elements of the previous systems which have dominated the land and people of Israel. Just as the image stands complete in the last days, so the final beast stands complete. The whore sits on many waters, representing various languages and peoples; and yet she sits upon the beast (Rev. 17:1,3,15). The latter day beast is therefore not one nation but an amalgum of peoples. As the entire image was "terrible" (Dan. 2:31), so the fourth beast system is described with the same word (Dan. 7:7). But Dan. 7:7 emphasizes that this final beast is altogether more aggressive than any previous beast / dominator of the land: "Dreadful, terrible, strong exceedingly... it was different from all the beasts that were before it". This speaks of an entity that is more aggressive and fear-inspiring than the aggressive Babylonians, Assyrians or abusive Nazis. The current IS appear to fit that bill- a reign of terror involving cutting off children's heads and parading their actions on videos, live crucifixion of any who don't agree with them... The same radical difference between this final beast and all previous ones is brought out by the way in which John, after all he had earlier seen, was in shock at the way the beast drunk the blood of the saints, i.e. the people of God, Israel in their land (Rev. 17:6). And the whole world likewise is in shock horror at this beast (Rev. 13:3; 17:8). The entity currently known as the IS hasn't yet struck so much fear into everyone, but the time is surely coming. Dan. 12:1 puts it this way: "There shall be a time of trouble such as never was" for God's people, and they will be saved from it by the standing up of Jesus for His people, the resurrection of the dead and the destruction of the "king of the north". The "time of Jacob's trouble" from which he shall be saved (Jer. 30:7) must be understood in the context of how the phrase "time of trouble" is used in the Bible to describe times of Israel's invasion and suffering at the hands of their neighbours (Is. 33:2; Jer. 2:27,28; 8:15; 11:12,14; 14:8,19; Ez. 7:7). "There shall be a time of trouble such as never was" therefore suggests a time of abuse of Israel such as has never been seen. And this includes the Nazi holocaust, the death camps of Europe, the Babylonian and Assyrian attrocities... It's purely wishful thinking to hope that the IDF and Israel's military technology will stave this off. It will not. Jerusalem is to be taken and the women raped (Zech. 14:2). The beast is to dominate the earth / land of Israel.


The "iron teeth" of the beast (Dan. 7:7) can be connected with the way that "Damascus" tore the Israelites with teeth of iron (Am. 1:3). Damascus is a key player in the future Islamic state which is to be established in the land promised to Abraham. There will be an element of the historical Syrians in the entity which finally dominates Israel. And we can clearly see that in the IS. The same figure of a beast with huge teeth closing in upon Israel is to be found in Joel 1:6, describing the Babylonian and / or Assyrian invasion of the land. Teeth like lions are also mentioned in the picture of men with long hair arising like aggressive locusts out of the earth / land to torture to death those who live there for five months (Rev. 9:4-8). This very much sounds like the long haired jihadist fighters of the IS briefly dominating the land at the end. But they are part of the beast system, which includes this element of teeth because it is a composite figure including all elements of Israel's persecutors.


The beast will "devour" the land (Dan. 7:7), just as the historical Babylon 'devoured' Jerusalem with fire (Jer. 30:16; Lam. 4:11; Ez. 15:5; 19:12; 23:25; Hos. 8:14; Am. 1:4; 2:5) and the Assyrians devoured the land (Jer. 50:17; Hos. 11:6; 13:8; Joel 1:4,19,20; 2:3,5,25). All these verses use the same word translated 'devour' in Dan. 7:7. Clearly enough, the 'devouring' of the fourth beast is a summation of all previous 'devourings' of God's land and people. Even in Old Testament times, this idea of a singular beast embodying all Israel's enemies was not unknown. For Ez. 34:28 looked forward to the day when "Neither shall the beast of the land devour them [any more]". Mal. 3:11 likewise speaks of how "the devourer" will be rebuked by God when finally Israel respond to the Elijah prophet (Mal. 3:1). This again suggests that the final devouring of Israel will be whilst the Elijah prophet is making an ongoing appeal for their repentance and acceptance of Jesus. Once they do so, the devourer is rebuked and Jesus returns to His desperately repentant people.


The beast stamps on others (Dan. 7:7); the same word is used for how Egypt did this to God's people and others within the land promised to Abraham (Ez. 32:2). Although Egypt doesn't figure in the sequence of metals in the image of Daniel 2, the beast incorporates aspects of all Israel's previous dominators- and they include Egypt. We can therefore expect the beast entity to include features of Nazi, Catholic and other historical persecutors of God's people, even though those entities weren't part of the Daniel 2 image. This is why the historical interpretations of 666 and the beast which apply them to Nero's Rome and various Catholic persecutions are not per se incorrect. They were true for their time. But the final persecuting entity will include them all within what it is and what it does.


The Remnant
It is specifically stated that the beast "stamped the remnant" after it had torn and destroyed the land. This may mean that as a result of all the persecution and destruction of the majority of Jews in the land, the surviving remnant is stamped underfoot, or subjected to despite. The very same metaphor is used of how the city of God will be "trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". Those "times" may well refer to the period of 1260 days, three and a half years, spoken of in the prophecies of the tribulation. This trodden down and abused remnant are those who will finally repent and accept Jesus. There are prophecies of how this "remnant" (same word translated "residue" in Dan. 7:7 AV) will finally repent (Is. 10:20-22; 28:5). Is. 11:11,16 speaks of the latter day gathering of this "remnant" from areas throughout the land promised to Abraham- as if there will be a literal taking captive of the surviving Jews left in the land, scattering them throughout the 'land' promised to Abraham. The chronlogy fits well- the beast briefly dominates the land, the majority of Jews living there are killed, a remnant remains, who are stamped underfoot whilst Jerusalem likewise is trodden underfoot, and this leads to their repentance and therefore the return of the Lord Jesus to save them from the IS. It's worth noting that the word "remnant" is used repeatedly of the remnant of Judah who were in captivity in Babylon at Daniel's time and the remnant of them who returned to the land. This would've been how his first audience naturally understood the term- referring to Jewish people who had been taken out of their land by their neighbours (Ezra 3:8; 4:3,7,9; 6:16; Neh. 10:28; 11:1,20; Esther 9:16 "the remnant of the Jews that were in the king's provinces").
Then shall come to pass the word of Zech. 12:8: "He that is feeble among them [s.w. Dan. 11:41 about how many in the land of Israel will be overthrown or made feeble] in that day shall be as David". The suggested allusion is to David overcoming the Palestinian Goliath, who all else feared to make war with as he spoke his blasphemy against God and Israel- exactly the language of Rev. 13:4-8.

The Revival of all the Beasts
On one hand, the metals of the image in Daniel 2, and the sequence of beasts which parallel them in Daniel 7, speak of a series of kingdoms in history which dominated Israel. And yet on the other hand, they must all exist in the last days, under the headship of a latter day Babylon. I suggest this will be fulfilled by the latter day entity which dominates Israel including elements of all the previous empires which dominated Israel. The other prophecies in Daniel contain more detail about these various empires in their historical fulfilment. Elements of those prophecies will therefore also have some application in a latter day sense; various characteristics of those empires will be seen in the final entity which dominates Israel. It will be not only Assyria redivivus  but also Persia, Greece and Rome redivivus. This kind of thing is seen elsewhere in the Scriptures- for often Israel’s enemies are described in terms of their previous oppressors, especially Egypt. Take Is. 52:4: “My people went down into Egypt to live there, and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause”. It was the Egyptians who oppressed Israel in Egypt, but they are here called the Assyrian- because at Isaiah’s time, the Assyrians were the threat to Judah, but they are cast by Isaiah in terms of the Egyptians of previous centuries.


Daniel 7 depicts the various metals of the image as various beasts. The final beast of the last days incorporates all the elements of the previous beasts. But her head will be Babylon, replete with a latter day Nebuchadnezzar. Note that the first three of the empires of Daniel’s image had Babylon as their capital. It is appropriate that the latter day revival of the image and beast has Babylon likewise as its capital. It surely cannot be accidental that in Babylon today, “the ancient temple of Ishtar has been rebricked, replastered and whitewashed… carved into the bricks are reliefs of oxen and a mythical beast called the mushrishu, with the head of a serpent, body of a fish, front legs of a lion, and back legs of an eagle” (Chattanooga New Free Press, April 5, 1987). Latter day Babylon chooses to identify itself as an amalgam of beasts!


The various beasts and metals must all be in existence at the time of Christ's return in order for him to destroy them by his coming. The little stone hits the image on its ten toes- corresponding to the ten horns of the fourth beast of Dan.7. The ten horns must in a sense be in existence at the time of Christ's coming. But so also is the fourth beast, corresponding to the legs of iron- because it is at the coming of Christ that “the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame” (Dan. 7:11). Likewise at this same time, “the rest of the beasts… had their dominion taken away” (Dan. 7:12). The other beasts, corresponding to the earlier metals in the image, are ‘alive’ at the coming of Christ. Just as the image stands complete, so all the beasts are alive in order to receive judgment. The horns are presented as part of the fourth beast; their destruction is part and parcel of the fourth beast’s destruction.

Daniel sees the four beasts (corresponding with the four metals of the image of Daniel 2) all come up together after the waves of the sea are troubled (Dan. 7:3), connecting with the Lord's description of the last day powers around Israel in the same way (Lk. 21:25). The fact they all come up together shows that he was not only seeing a continuous historic vision. The way he sees the beast representing Babylon come up when historical Babylon at the time of the vision had already 'come up' shows it was not a historical description of those powers. The beasts all exist again in the last day, just as all the metals of the image exist together in order to be destroyed together by the Lord’s return. Yet the 'traditional' interpretation of the beasts as depicting the various empires which dominated Israel in the past still holds true; the point is, the final beast incorporates elements of all those powers which once dominated Israel. It is in this sense that the whole image of Dan. 2 stands complete in the last days; the latter day Nebuchadnezzar has beneath him all the elements of Israel's previous persecutors.


Dan. 7:19 describes the fourth beast as having the iron and brass metals of the image of Dan. 2 in it. The fourth beast had feet and teeth, we are specifically told. The lion, representing the head of gold, had feet (Dan. 7:4); the bear, representing the breast of silver, had powerful teeth. The fourth beast has “claws of brass”, but brass referred to the third empire in the sequence of empires in the parallel Daniel 2. The point being, that the fourth beast has elements of the previous beasts in it. And likewise, the final entity which dominates Israel at the time of the Lord’s return in glory will have within it elements of all the previous dominators. Thus the fourth beast had all the characteristics of the other beasts. By it being destroyed through its ten horns being smitten by Christ's return, it is as if the image of Dan.2 is standing erect and complete in  the last days, being hit on the ten toes (cp. the ten horns of the beast) by Christ's return.

The Sign of the Son of Man Matthew 24

Zechariah 14:7 - But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

The LORD is well aware of this day. He has planned it since the beginning of creation. All the events that are to transpire have been carefully considered by him. Nothing will be an accident, although it may seem that many of the events look incidental from a human point of view. The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29). God has revealed this information concerning his Almighty Day of reckoning to his servants so that in the end he may be glorified. His Word will come to pass as scheduled. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry (Habakkuk 2:3). Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants (Amos 3:7). It is his good pleasure to allow you to know these things well in advance. Since we are the children of the day, he does not want us to remain ignorant of the times and seasons in which we live. To understand more perfectly what will happen on the Day of the LORD, he has graciously revealed to us yet another important, unique detail concerning the sky: “At evening time it shall be light.” Considering the data set forth on the solar eclipse occurring on August 2nd 2027 in the afternoon, or more precisely, 12:00 PM, and that if this remained a normal day as it was since the beginning of creation, the light would completely appear once again in the middle of the afternoon around 1:20 PM Israel Standard Time, well before evening time. The words of inspiration force us to accept that supernatural events will cause the light of the sun and the moon to be withdrawn until evening time. The details of how this will occur remain unknown to us, hence, the day "shall be known to the LORD." Regardless of any theory that is put forward, including the theory in which I present in this article, when it is subject to the most intense scrutiny, it fails to meet all scientific criteria of the natural world. In any event, it will require a miracle, which will be a true sign from heaven that the Lord Jesus Christ is present in the earth, and the world will be without excuse. The whole world will see the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.

In spite of not knowing the specific details of what will occur, there are other parts of the inspired Word that give us more clues as to what will happen. Jesus himself, while sitting on the Mount of Olives, the exact location in which he intends to stand and fulfill the following prophecy, said that the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matthew 24:29). If we were to take each of these facets of the prophecy literally, the first two make sense given the fact of the reality of solar eclipses. Both the sun and the moon will be dark. The third phrase, “the stars shall fall from heaven”, may at first glance appear to give us problems. How could we be asked to take this literally? The hard pressed would have to qualify what is meant by a star “falling from heaven.” Of course, if a star collided with earth, knowing how many times larger a star actually is, it would be an impractical expectation. Just as in the case when we say the sun is setting, we are using geocentric language, meaning that this is what appears to be happening from a point on earth. Even so, the stars falling from heaven will appear to do so from one’s perspective looking at the sky. In fact, to say that the stars are “falling from heaven” is equivalent to saying that the stars are setting in the west. If you consider it, every evening during a sunset it is possible to see the sun “fall from heaven.” Therefore, since the sun and the moon will be darkened, the stars will be visible in the sky, and you will see the stars moving in the sky from east to west. “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27). This analogy is used to describe how universal his sign in heaven is. It will be seen by everyone worldwide. Because everyone is located on different points on earth, the sign must be able to be discerned wherever you happen to be. If the stars are setting in the west from a point in Jerusalem, it follows that stars are falling in the west from anywhere. It means that the earth is rotating at such a fast speed that it is possible to discern the movement of the stars. Is it unreasonable to expect this? After all, how would we expect for it to be light at evening time if the rotation of the earth was not supernaturally modified to rotate faster?

God said that he would “cause the sun to go down” at noon, and darken the earth on a clear day. On a natural day, starting at noon, the sun starts to make a natural course downward toward the horizon. Therefore on this day, its course toward the horizon must be special. The sun would appear to take a more dramatic course in the heavens. This is where we consider the fourth phrase of Jesus’ prophecy. “The powers of the heavens will be shaken.” On the day of the greatest earthquake ever recorded in human history, the earth will be removed out of its place (Isaiah 13:13). This will cause all people on earth to see the sky move irregularly, hence, the heavens shall shake. The sun, moon, and stars will no longer be bound to their normal cycles. Only God knows how these heavenly bodies will be manipulated. One facet that has been revealed to us is given by the prophet Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 3:11 - The sun [and] moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, [and] at the shining of thy glittering spear.

Upon first glance of the verse it should be noted that the “and” in between “sun” and “moon” is inserted by the King James translators and is absent from the Hebrew. While in most cases adding words does not interfere with a normal interpretation of an English passage, it does highlight the fact that this is a unique pairing in the Hebrew of the words “sun” and “moon.” This is the only place in the Old Testament where these two words appear together in succession with no modifiers. A look at the Young’s Literal Translation of this passage will prove to be most useful.

Habakkuk 3:11 - Sun -- moon -- hath stood -- a habitation, At the light thine arrows go on, At the brightness, the glittering of thy spear.

The language appears to be borrowed from the incident recorded in Joshua, in which the sun and the moon both stood still about the space of a whole day. However, it is apparent from the context that this is a different incident, spoken of prophetically. In fact, this event is yet to occur. It will occur on the Day of the LORD. When the sun goes down at noon, this is a reference to the moon blocking the view of the sun. Once the moon blocks out the sun, they become one entity to accomplish the celestial miracle, a Sun -- Moon. Another difference in the Young's Literal Translation is that the translators omit the word "still". It is not that the sun and moon need to stand still in the sky, but rather stand together. They stand together to form a habitation in the sky while watching the event from Jerusalem until evening time in Jerusalem. Even while the earth is rotating faster, from Jerusalem, the sun and the moon will appear to move across the sky together. Afterward, the sun and the moon resume their natural paths and cause the light to appear again at evening time. At the light of evening time the arrows go on, and at the brightness, the glittering of the spear.

One basic question I would put forward for consideration would be the following. Given that we have established that the rotation of the earth will be modified to rotate faster, how much will the earth rotate? Will the earth rotate just enough to cause the sun to appear to have moved six time zones until 6:00 PM at evening time, or, will the earth rotate a full day and six time zones? Of course the details are only known to God. However, I would like to submit a simple reason why we might expect the earth to rotate at least a full day and six additional time zones. We find recorded in the Bible of two incidents in which God manipulated the motion of the heavenly bodies. The first instance was the miracle of the sun and the moon standing still for about the space of a whole day.

Joshua 10:13 - And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

It is important to stress the word “about” a whole day, indicating that the amount of time did not quite reach a full day. The next occurrence in Scripture of when the heavenly bodies were manipulated was in the days of king Hezekiah, mentioned earlier. The sun moved backward ten degrees.

Isaiah 38:8 - Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

There are 360 degrees in a circle. Half a circle would represent a 12 hour day, or 180 degrees. Therefore, 10 degrees would represent 12/18, two thirds of an hour, or 40 minutes. At this point we have to make an assumption that the 40 minutes completes the whole day from the day of Joshua.

The fact that these celestial miracles occurred is a testimony to the fact that the sky as we see it today is in fact what we should have seen yesterday. In other words, our sky is a day behind. Although the 24 hours go by, a new day is defined in the Jewish calendar by the setting of the sun. Today’s scientists falsely assume the sun set on a day that it did not when determining the position of the sky prior to Joshua's long day. The diagram below demonstrates this.

It shows the calendar week supposing Joshua's long day occurred on a Wednesday to show from Joshua’s point of view that he experienced an extra-long Wednesday. In order for the sky to catch up, since the time went by, the sun and the moon both need to make an additional course across the sky in a much shorter period of time. In fact, this may be one application of the phrase: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22). The scientists who are responsible for all of our technology that can calculate the position of the sun, moon, and stars from a view on earth start with the basic assumption that what we see in the sky today is in fact what the sky should look like today. Given that we have evidence from Scripture that the earth will rotate faster, is it too farfetched to suggest that God intends to reset the celestial clock on this day? Will he allow the earth to spin a full rotation and allow us to see the sky the way we would have seen it had the sun never stood still? If this is the case, it will give the world an even better opportunity to see the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, to witness the stars falling in the west, more time to see the powers of the heavens shaken, and the whole earth will get a chance to see an impossibility: a Sun -- Moon standing together in its habitation with its brightness diminished, making its path across the sky from east to west. Furthermore, this would create a full day that is "not day, nor night".

Since our sky is a day behind, it should be recognized that the sky we will see on Monday August 2, 2027 should have appeared that way on Tuesday. This is depicted in the second row.

Therefore, when the sun sets the second time at evening time it will become Wednesday. Keep in mind that the sighting of the sliver of a new moon, whenever it occurs, always defaults to the first day of the month. On Monday August 2, 2027 there will be a new moon. The earth will spin so fast that the sun will set twice in a short space of time, well before a natural timing of Wednesday August 4th. Therefore, since the Jewish day is defined by the setting of the sun, there will be two Jewish days in a period of 24 hours. These two days are the rest of Monday Tammuz 29 and almost all of Tuesday Av 1. The Jewish month is normally scheduled to reset to Tuesday Av 1 at the next sighting of the new moon on Tuesday August 3, 2027 at 4:37 PM IDT, nearly 3 hours before that day’s sunset. In any event, the new month will occur between the celestial miracle which already contains a sunset, but before the sun sets the second time at evening time. On that second sunset it will be Wednesday Av 2, and 6 hours later at Midnight would be Wednesday August 4th for Gentiles. Going forward our sky will be consistent with the current day of the week.

One last question to consider is how much time is required to accomplish this miracle? Since the Day is only known to the LORD, only he knows the answer, and therefore the discussion will remain in the realm of speculation and conjecture. Once you consider that it will take some time to rotate the earth an extra time, it becomes necessary to rotate the earth more than 24 time zones in order for the apparent position of the sky to catch up. It will have to spin through at least the number of time zones for each hour the earth took to rotate. Referring back to the first time I mentioned that there was a fulfillment of Amos 8:9 in Matthew 27:45, a time frame is mentioned for the miracle. Darkness covered the land from the sixth hour unto the ninth hour. If this is any clue, I will submit that this darkness that was experienced in the land is a type for the darkness that will be experienced on the Day of the LORD. Since this celestial miracle took three hours to accomplish, on this basis, the earth will likewise be shaken, and the stars shall fall from heaven for the space of three hours. This means that the sun will have experienced a total number of six hours of global supernatural darkness.

Notice in the past from Genesis Chapter 1 just before the first day of creation that there was an excessive darkness. Darkness was upon the face of the deep. Before God created the light, it was dark during the diurnal period we know as light. Although we are not told precisely what time during the first day God created the light, only that it was before sunset, my model shows that at the end of day "0" at evening time (around sunset), God created the light. You would see the light in the following morning on the first day. This means that from morning until evening on day "0" it was dark, or 12 hours of darkness. “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” After the extra-long day in the time of Joshua the earth received a bonus of 24 hours of light, netting an extra 12 hours of light. In the time of Jesus Christ the earth lost 3 hours of light on the day he died. The supernatural darkness occurred when it was normally supposed to be light. The earth currently has a net extra 9 hours of light. The solar eclipse occurring at noon will once again cause the earth to supernaturally lose 3 more hours of light. The earth would still have a net positive 6 hours of light. Therefore, resetting the celestial clock on the Day of the LORD will justify the need to shift the earth an additional 6 time zones of light from noon until evening time! It means that the earth will spin through 30 time zones (instead of 24) in the space of 3 hours, which means the earth would reach a speed of 30/3, or 10 times the normal rotation! The effect of the earthquake will be immeasurable! It will take 1/10 of the normal time of 6 hours, a mere 36 minutes, for the sun to go down at noon to the horizon on its first trip. This situation raises further questions such as how life will be able to survive under such conditions. The force of the earthquake will doubtless cause the waves of the seas and oceans to become tumultuous. "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Luke 21:25-26). Without divine intervention, the natural disasters alone would be enough to annihilate all the mortals. It must be the case that God will divinely control the weather events. God has given Jesus all authority and power in heaven and in earth. Just as in the boat on the Sea of Galilee, with the softly spoken words “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39), he can cause any hurricane, any tsunami wave, or any quaking mountain to immediately cease in its destruction. As children of the day, we need not worry about tomorrow, nor about the events of the Day of the LORD, for tomorrow will worry about itself (Matthew 6:34). Follow the command of Jesus to watch for his second coming and pray always you are accounted worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36).

THE 1260, 1290 AND 1335, DANIEL 12.

THE 1260, 1290 AND 1335, DANIEL 12.

Lets now turn to the events of Dan 12. In broad terms, Daniel’s prophecy really concerns what are often referred to as eastern matters, or the things to do with the eastern leg of the image of Dan 2, which is more obvious shall we say from chapter eight onwards.  Dan 10 through to 12 is a single continuous vision, of various stages or sections, which are essentially about expounding the earlier vision in ch8 of the ram and the goat. The implications of ch8 had made Daniel physically sick, as recorded in ch8v27, and further more in seeking to understand these things, he mourns ch10v2 for a full 3 weeks, before he is blessed with a reply. The reply commences in Dan 10v4 and ends at the end of ch 12. We don't have the time at present, but if you were to take the trouble to look into the detail of the prophecy in Dan 11 I'm sure you'd find them quite staggering accurate. So much so that some have claimed them to be an history of the events.

Towards the end of this exposition of ch8, Daniel in ch12 is conveyed three time periods, which are introduced by a change in the vision which commences in v5. [READ v5-6]. In scripture a river denotes people, here is depicts the people of the Babylonian power who are under the control of what are referred to as 3 men, who are actually Elohim, spirit bodies. Two stand on the banks, or lips as the Hebrew word implies, of the river, and therefore they effectively bound the power of the mouth of the people of Babylon. The third Elohim, the certain man, who is described at the commencement of the vision, in ch10v6, and who depicts Christ and the Saints in military power, stands above the river, in dominance.

One of the two men on the lip of the river v6 asks the Certain man, “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?” What wonders, we might ask? Well the wonders that had been conveyed during the vision which commenced in ch10v4 through to ch12.

There is an initial reply, v7, it shall be for a time, times and half a time, or 1260 years as we've seen earlier from Rev 12. Towards the end of v7we are given further information about this 1260 year period, where we are told that when it concludes, the power of the holy people or people of Israel will have been fully dispersed, and all these things would be finished. So we understand that by the conclusion of the 1260 year period, all the things which are related to the dispersal of Israel, the destruction of the temple, and the abomination of desolation set up, would be finished.

Whilst Daniel v8 hears these things, he understood not, and so he asks himself what shall be the “end” of these things. The reply is given in v9-13, in which a further 2 time periods are provided, a 1290 and a 1335.

In v9 Daniel is told to go his way, to close and seal up the words of the vision until... the time of the end, when by implication the words would be unsealed, and interestingly understood. The time of the end is defined for us in Dan 11v40, when we are told that the King of the South will push at him, and as a consequence the King of the North shall come against him, taking the middle east, and establishing his power in the holy mount of Israel. So we are being told that as we approach the time of these events, the wise will come to understand these things. v10 continues, “Many shall be purified and made white and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly, but the wise shall understand”, by implication the vision, for it was the vision and its implications on the people of Israel that Daniel was seeking to understand.

In v11 we are told that from the “time” that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation maketh desolate is set up, there shall be 1290 years.

So we are being told that from the end of the time just stated in v7, in which Israel's power is dispersed, the 1260 year period, there will be a further 1290 years before the things of the complete vision would be finally complete.

By then we understand from the vision that, v2 the dead will have been raised, judged and glorified, v1there will have been a time of trouble, such as has never been since there was a nation, and ch11v41-43, Russia will have attacked the middle east, taken control of it, and established v45 his head quarters in the Holy mount of Jerusalem; yet he shall come to his end at the hands of the Certain man who stands in control on the river, and non shall help him.

V12 then continues to explain that he that waiteth and cometh to the 1335 will be blessed, after which v13 Daniel will stand in his lot. So after this date we understand that there will be a time of blessing, in otherwords the fulfilment of those great and precious promises that were made to the fathers of old, the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel, with the master as the ruler from his great white throne in Jerusalem.

So we understand the 1290 and 1335 follow on directly from the end of the initial period of 1260 years. But when does the 1260 start. Well by implication with the start of the wonders of the vision, which could have commenced in the 3^rdyear of Cyrus, when the vision was given Daniel, BC535/6, or when the details of the vision commenced, which according to ch11v1was the first year of Darius the Mede, 2-3 years earlier, in BC538.

If we take the earlier date adding 1260 years to BC538, we arrive at AD 723, when nothing particularly appears to have occurred, but we do find that all the events that were associated with the dispersion of the power of Israel had been completed. The taking away of the daily mentioned in v11, is referred to in more detail in Dan 11v31 where its relates how a Greek king called Antiochus Epiphanes would take away the daily sacrifice and defile the temple. This took place in BC 168.

About 240 years later, the Romans also suppressed the daily sacrifice, although   not specifically foretold in this particular vision. The desecration of the holy place lasted until about the time of the Mohammedan rising. Omar the Mohammedan leader took Jerusalem in AD 637, and then set up the abomination of desolation, the Dome of the Rock, commencing in AD 685, and finishing it in AD 691. So we see that by the completion of the 1260 year period, all the things referred to in the first 40 verses of Dan 11 had been accomplished.

A further 1290 years brings us to AD 2013, but if we date the start of the vision from the year the vision was given, the third year of Cyrus, 2-3 years later, we arrive at AD 725/6 and AD 2015/6. The 1335 then finishes in 2058 or 2060/1 respectively.

Show 1260,1290 & 1335 – Dan 12 summary slide.

So in summary from the time periods we have looked at we appear to have established a time table that is consistent with the order and time frames that we would expect from our understanding of other scriptures that we've not had time to look at. We believe, [or show summary slide]

·         from Dan 8 that the end of the desecration of Jerusalem for 2300 evening and mornings would finish in 1967, which it did.

·         from Dan 4, that after 2520 years, finishing AD2005/7, that later day head of gold would arise.

·         From Dan 12, that at the end of 1260 plus 1290, ending in AD2013-16, Michael the prince would stand up following the judgement of the saints.

·         From Dan 7, that after 1260 years ending in AD2060, the power of the little horn of the beast would finally be destroyed.

·         From Dan 12, that after the end of 1260 plus 1335, ending in AD 2058/61 Daniel would be blessed and stand in his lot in the father's millennium.

We believe from Ez (40v1) that there will be a period of one jubilee from Armageddon to the start of the kingdom age. Many things will occur during this time, but we are told in Rev 14v6-7 of a 10 year period of peace in which the Aionian Gospel or truth is proclaimed. We also know that Elijah will be calling the people of Israel out of the wilderness of the nations for a period of 40 years, Mic 7, which we believe will be subsequent to the 10 years of peace, Rev 18v10 suggests the saints will make war for 30 years against the beast, Europe. So we see how that the dates and times for these events do readily fit the timetable that we've proposed.

Show - Time table slide.

In conclusion we don't claim these dates to be fallible, they do represent our best understanding we have to date, and that the dates are accurate to within a few years. Either way we are clearly in the end of the gentile age referred to in Luke 21, and that we are very near if not in the period of time that the Certain man described in Dan 11v40, as the “end of time”. After which Daniel was told the wise, those who understand the truth, would understand the vision in its entirety.

What is very clear from these dates, for instance the 2013, the possible return of the master to judge the household and all those who have a knowledge of these things, is very close. It gives us very little time to respond to the call of the truth, be baptised and develop those fruits of the spirit and the character that the master will be looking for at the judgement seat. Lets be very clear, baptism is the very first step of our development, being a babe in Christ, we are then required to grow into a fully mature man over time, James 2.

Our unreserved appeal to you is that you seek out the truth of these things to your own satisfaction, be baptised, and await in faith the very near return of the master. The spirit adds in Isa 62v1, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” v6 continues “Ye that make mention of Yahweh, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”.

70 Weeks

In recent years, a growing number of individuals have been intrigued by a unique intersection of historical events, biblical interpretations, and numerical patterns. One perspective posits that the years around 2017 to 2019 hold particular significance, potentially marking a pivotal juncture in both global and biblical history. According to this viewpoint, one of these years—2017, 2018, or 2019—could witness the symbolic opening of the seventh seal by the Lamb of God. This event, it is believed, might herald the commencement of a seven-year period of tribulation, as depicted in certain biblical texts.

Central to this interpretation are two notable numerical values: 70 and 49. The foundation of this perspective rests upon Daniel's prophecy of the 70 weeks, where each week symbolizes seven years, resulting in a total of 490 years. Intriguingly, this coincides with the monumental rebirth of Israel in 1948-49—an event that holds immense historical and religious significance. The alignment of these numerical patterns, with Daniel's prophecy featuring 490 years and the establishment of Israel occurring in '49, is thought-provoking, igniting contemplation on the potential connections between these distant occurrences.

Further underscoring this perspective is the historical trajectory of the Jewish people. In 70 A.D., Jerusalem endured a profound upheaval as the city was destroyed, leading to the dispersion of the Jewish population across the world, without a sovereign homeland. This dispersion persisted until the transformative year of 1948/49 when the State of Israel was formally established. This historical arc from 70 A.D. to 1948/49 spans nearly 2,000 years—a period laden with religious and cultural significance.

By adding 70 years to the pivotal year of 1948/49, one arrives at the intriguing period of 2018-19. This temporal link is highlighted not as a prediction, but rather as a thought-provoking element that aligns with the thematic framework being explored.

In the contemporary context, these interpretations resonate with the mounting tensions involving Israel and its neighbors, particularly Iran. The nuclear ambitions of Iran, coupled with its adversarial stance toward Israel, have raised concerns and fueled debates about the region's stability and security.

However, it's important to approach these perspectives with discernment, acknowledging that interpretations of historical events and prophecies can vary widely. Diverse viewpoints exist, and the interplay between historical events and biblical texts is a complex tapestry that invites exploration, reflection, and respectful dialogue.
This date is the year 2017/19 which I believe is a turning point in world and biblical history.I'm convinced that it is the year where tribulation begins,in one of these three dates (2017-18-19) there will be the opening of the seventh seal by the lamb of God,in withen one year or less from that future opening the seven year tribulation as described in the bible will start

this number of 70 and onother number 49.
so beginning with Daniel's prophecy of the 70 weeks meaning years multiplied with 7,the result would be 490 years as we all know,but we all know that 1948/49 was also the year of rebirth of Isreal,very odd that the most famoes of Daniels Prophecies is numbered with a 4-9-0 and then almost two thousand years later the biggest event in jewish history has a 49 in it's date,but other than that if I'm not wrong in the year 70 a.d jerusalem was destroyed and from there the jews were scattered all around the globe with out a nation of there own till the year 1948/49
So we have a 70 a.d. a 70 weeks multiplied by a 7 a 490 years and then a 1948/49,if you add 70 years you'll have 2018-19
So we have a starting point of 1948/49 and an end point of 2018/19 after 70 yearsand now after almost 70 years we see isreal in the center of the most dangerous crises in it's history with a nuclear iran which has vowed it's destuction

August 2nd 2027 - The Day of the LORD

The Day of the LORD
O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD [is] at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 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, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained.

Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD [is] at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. [Let] the high [praises] of God [be] in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, [and] punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah [and] against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 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: Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I [am] strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD [is] near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. So shall ye know that I [am] the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many [countries] shall be overthrown: He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians [shall be] at his steps. And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts [of armour, even] a great company [with] bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: [and] many people with thee. And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: (And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.) Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing [was] as to devour the poor secretly. Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, [that] at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places [that are now] inhabited, and upon the people [that are] gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know [it]? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, [that] my fury shall come up in my face. And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that [is] with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and [to] the beasts of the field to be devoured. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury [them]; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD. And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, [even] a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD. And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I [am] the LORD their God from that day and forward. For in my jealousy [and] in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that [are] upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that [are] with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: Thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save [thee]: (but the LORD [will be] the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel). And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. And it shall come to pass, [that] in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off [and] die; but the third shall be left therein. These shall escape out of his hand, [even] Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:

Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. The chariots of God [are] twenty thousand, [even] thousands of angels: the Lord [is] among them, [as in] Sinai, in the holy [place]. The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand [went] a fiery law for them. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. And [his] brightness was as the light; he had horns [coming] out of his hand: and there [was] the hiding of his power. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. A great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, [even] to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land [is] as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them [is] as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and [when] they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: (For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.) And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the light shall not be clear, [nor] dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: The sun [and] moon stood still in their habitation. It shall come to pass, [that] at evening time it shall be light. At the light thine arrows go on, At the brightness, the glittering of thy spear. I will remove far off from you the northern [army], and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which [is] before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, [and there shall be] a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, [and] so great. And ye shall flee [to] the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, [and] all the saints with thee. He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways [are] everlasting. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: [and] the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? [was] thine anger against the rivers? [was] thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses [and] thy chariots of salvation? Thy bow was made quite naked, [according] to the oaths of the tribes, [even thy] word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. The mountains saw thee, [and] they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, [and] lifted up his hands on high. And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp [is] very great: for [he is] strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD [is] great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end [is] it for you? the day of the LORD [is] darkness, and not light. [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.

And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made [them] afraid. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: And [one] shall say unto him, What [are] these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, [Those] with which I was wounded [in] the house of my friends. And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only [son], and the end thereof as a bitter day. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I [am] the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.





The prophet Daniel is emphatic of a day in our future concerning a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time. This is speaking of the time of the end, when the last indignation has reached its maximum. In spite of the 20th century containing World War I and World War II, and the holocaust of the Jews, this prophecy stands as a reminder to humanity that we have not yet seen the final conclusion of the violence that is prophesied to take place. The “time of trouble such as never was” refers to a crisis in the Middle East that results in an ultimatum concerning the existence of Israel. Most are familiar with the term “Armageddon.” There is only one reference in the Bible to Armageddon. It is also known as the War of God Almighty. It is important to understand that God is in sovereign control of each detail of the calamities that are to take place. This war upholds the righteousness of God in judging the sinful world. The wickedness of man has reached a boiling point. Nations rise up against other nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms. The love of many wax cold. The world is headed into a crisis. The world economies are on the brink of collapse. Everyone is worried about the threat of nuclear war on the horizon. People are worried about what will happen to the peace negotiations in the Middle East. A few years pass. To maintain peace, the land of Israel is divided. Russia decides to spoil Israel. All nations are gathered together in the valley of Jehoshaphat. The United States, Great Britain, and all her English speaking allies push against the king of the north, and do their best to defend Israel and stop Russia and her allies from spoiling her to no avail. Russia pushes back to invade Jerusalem. The fate of the Jews is at stake. Her friends are too weak militarily to give her aid. The Jews are severely outnumbered. At this moment, in their final moment of desperation, the Jews need their Messiah to save them. Half of the city of Jerusalem goes forth into captivity. The Russian army and her allies have broken the last lines of defense and smite two thirds of the Jews. In spite of their best efforts, the Jews cannot defend themselves. They cry out in the name of the LORD their God. It becomes dark in the middle of the day. All of a sudden, a tremor is felt throughout the land. The tremor is subtle for a moment, and then gets volatile. The Jews begin to flee the city towards the nearby mountains. They run for their lives. The tremors are felt throughout all the land of Israel. Again, suddenly, the tremors begin to disturb the ground in all the surrounding regions. The buildings in the cities fall to the ground. The mountains start to move. The birds in the sky are numerous. Then, an extremely loud noise erupts throughout Israel, louder than thunder. The noise comes from under the earth. A tectonic plate from deep inside the earth has slipped. The land mass miles underneath the earth collapses and falls. On the surface, there is a fault line that runs through a mountain in the east of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives. The mountain splits into two halves, causing an unprecedented earthquake. The earth is moved out of its regular orbit. This causes people worldwide to see the stars move. All buildings, including the buildings in the cities on the opposite side of the world, fall to the ground. All who remained inside Jerusalem died from the shock. All of Israel’s enemies are instantly delivered up by the devastating force of the earthquake. The timing of the earthquake is miraculous. Significant geologic changes are made to Israel overnight. Rivers go from Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee as well as the Dead Sea. Mount Zion becomes the most elevated area in Israel. The mountainous terrain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem is turned as a plain.

After the earthquake, the Jews that fled return to their cities. They are convinced that their Messiah was responsible for saving them. They go to Jerusalem to meet him. The Jews are blessed by the grace and supplications that the LORD has bestowed upon them. Their Messiah commissions them to build the Temple, a house of prayer for all nations to come and worship God. The Messiah declares a law unto all nations afar off to submit to his authority. The Jewish nation wants to hold a great feast in his honor at the Feast of Tabernacles. Right after the feast, a gentleman approaches the Messiah and recognizes a scar on his hand. Upon a closer look, he looks at the other hand and notices another scar. The gentleman asks “What are these wounds in thine hands?” The Messiah answers “Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” The gentleman falls to both knees and weeps bitterly. His commotion gets the attention of the Jewish priesthood. The priests also inquire of the matter. As they beheld his hands and his feet, their hearts burned from within. They looked upon him whom they have pierced. Immediately they fell to their knees and with one voice they shouted “Hosanna; Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord!  Adonai Yahoshua the Messiah!”

Chapter 11: Hamas and the Palestinians

   Chapter 11: Hamas and the Palestinians

Article 11 of the Hamas Covenant states: “Palestine is an Islamic Waqf land consecrated for Moslem generations until Judgement Day”. Hamas and radical Islam therefore see the Islamic domination of the land of Israel as required in order that the last day can come. Article 13 continues: “As in said in the honourable Hadith: "The people of Syria are Allah's lash in His land. He wreaks His vengeance through them””. The Palestinians are therefore open to help from the latter day Syrians- the Islamic State, who are clearly empowering Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Hebrew word 'khamas' is the equivalent for the Arabic 'hamas'; it means strength, violence. And we find that this was the word used to characterize the situation in the earth / land at the time of Noah. God intervened because the earth / land promised to Abraham was filled with such hamas. We know from New Testament allusion that the situation at the time of Noah is typical of the last days before Christ's coming; the call is to take refuge in the ark of Christ by baptism into Him. The Hebrew word hamas is quite common in Scripture, and the usages speak of how God is provoked by hamas to bring judgment upon the enemies of His people (Gen. 6:11-13; Mic. 6:12; Zeph. 1:9) and also to intervene in order to save His people (Ps. 18:49; Ps. 72:14). How amazingly appropriate that an organization actually called hamas has arisen in these last days to do violence to Israel! If Biblical history means anything to us, clearly enough God's intervention in appropriate judgment and salvation cannot be far off. Note how Hagar's persecution of Sarah- typical of the Arab-Jew conflict- is described as her hamas (Gen. 16:5).


The military arm of Hamas is the Qassam Brigades; kassam in Arabic means ‘divider’, another allusion to the feet part of iron and part of clay, when the Kingdom of Israel’s oppressors shall be “divided” (Dan. 2:41). Hamas means ‘strong’, and the Gaza strip / Hamas controlled area will be part of the final strong / weak, iron / clay entity that briefly dominates the land according to Daniel 2.


Not only does hamas mean ‘strong’. Gaza, their effective capital for the moment, is the Arabic form of the Hebrew word az, ‘strong’, and again connects with the idea of some elements of the latter day entity of Daniel 2 being ‘strong’ and others weak. It is the same Hebrew word used to describe how Israel’s latter day enemy will be “a nation of fierce [az] face” (Dt. 28:50), led by “a king of fierce [az] face” (Dan. 8:23); the fierce nation will be epitomized and embodied in their fierce king, just as the dominating entity of Daniel 2 is embodied in the form of an individual man. The nation with the face of Gaza is forming itself for the final showdown- before our eyes. The Philistines appear to have had their centre of operations in Gaza, at least at the time of Samson (Jud. 16). And the Palestinians likewise. It’s clear that the Palestinian Hamas movement based in Gaza is the equivalent of the Old Testament Philistines who were based in the same city. Jer. 25:20 continues the relevance of Gaza to the feet of iron and clay, partly strong and partly weak, mixed together in the final system which dominates the land; for we read there that Gaza is inhabited by “the mingled [Heb. ereb , cp. ‘Arab’] people”.

The ‘Palestinians’ were historically destroyed not by Israel but by the king of the north: “Howl, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks” (Is. 14:31). Historically, God seems to prefer to provoke division and confusion amongst Israel’s enemies so that they turn on themselves and self-destruct. The horns hate the whore riding the beast, and there are many other hints at such a scenario in the last days. The King of the North, a re-formed Babylon, or Assyria redivivus, will likely end up conflicting with Hamas, or the final rulers of Gaza, and likewise destroying them.


The prophecy of Zeph. 2:4-13 must be given due weight:

"Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted. Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left. And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures, with meadows for shepherds and folds for flocks. The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will intervene for them and restore their fortunes. I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against their territory. Therefore, as I live, declares the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them. This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the LORD of hosts. The LORD will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations. You also, O Cushites, shall be slain by my sword. And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert".

The "seacoasts" are a very small geographical area. This prophecy has never had such a fulfilment- but God's word will come true. The final victory in the area, however, will be by a "remnant" of Israel, suggesting the majority perish in the last days, just as required in Zech. 14. The fate of Gaza is connected with that of Ashkelon, which is currently in Israeli hands. It would appear that this city must briefly be taken by the Palestinians / Philistines. We note too that the Palestinians / Philistines in Gaza are connected with the people of Cush [North African Moslems, many of whom are fighting for the Islamic State at this time], Moab and Ammon [Jordan / Kurdistan], and a latter day Assyria [which is reforming in the form of the Islamic State / ISIS]. The connection between these groups and Hamas in Gaza is clearly established. The destruction of the 'coastlands', the Gaza Strip, is prophesied as being due to a direct Divine 'intervention'; and that surely speaks of the return of Christ to save the remnant of Israel. The 'remnant' is a term used in Bible prophecy not merely with reference to a numerical minority within Israel, but specifically to the righteous, repentant remnant. The picture seems to be of Israel being crushed militarily until a remnant remain, who repent and turn to Christ. And then He appears for their salvation and the final destruction of their enemies. It's not good news for secular Israel, whatever short term military victories they may achieve in their own strength.