Tag: Revelation

The “Mark” – Prophecy

I’m seeing some speculation among those who study Eschatology (the end times) about something big possibly happening in 2024, which prompted me to write this. Even if something “big” doesn’t happen in 2024, it is beneficial for all of us to be mentally prepared ahead of time for whenever it does happen.

The warning in this writing is DO NOT TAKE THE MARK- whenever it is rolled out because this is UNFORGIVEABLE and will absolutely separate us ETERNALLY from God. Here is the scriptural proof of this statement:

9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Revelation 14:9-13

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They 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 a thousand years.

Revelation 20:4

THE MARK DESCRIPTIONS

So what is this “Mark”? It’s best to NOT SPECULATE, but simply know what scripture tells us and then apply this criteria to anything you may question in the future! Here’s the criteria:

15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e] That number is 666.

Revelation 13:15-18

Here is another thing that will happen to the people who take the mark:

The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

Revelation 16:2

THE SECOND BEAST DESCRIPTIONS

This second beast is symbolic in description as “the beast” but scripture clarifies who this second beast is here:

But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Revelation 19:20

The second beast is a “false prophet” who will be working in tandem with the “first beast.” 

It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.

Revelation 13:12

And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people.

Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

Revelation 13:13

The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.

Revelation 13:15

It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,

Revelation 13:16

so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Revelation 13:17

THE FIRST BEAST DESCRIPTIONS

Who is the first Beast? Scripture gives us criteria to look for on that as well! Here it is:

The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.

Daniel 7:24

Notice that there are 10 kings but that 1 of them subdues (3) kings. 10 – 3 = 7 remain…now look at what Revelation describes:

The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.

Revelation 13:1

Coming out of the “sea” in Greek is: ”thalassa” and the biblical use of this word is:

  1. the sea
    1. used of the sea in general
    2. used specifically of the Mediterranean Sea or the Red Sea

This Beast was seen by Daniel as the last entity to rule the earth, and it will have control over the entire earth. Does this make anyone think about “global governance”? Here is the scriptural support:

“He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.

Daniel 7:23

It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

Revelation 13:7

One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.

Revelation 13:3

People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

Revelation 13:4

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

Revelation 13:8

Jesus (Yeshua) is the “Lamb” who was slain and from this scripture above, we see that it it HIS “book of life”- Does this make more sense of why Jesus said:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

THE ANTI-CHRIST DESCRIPTIONS

My understanding is the Anti-Christ is a member of the first beast.

This king that subdues (3) kings is what has been described as “the AntiChrist.” Again don’t speculate on WHO this is, but know what scripture tells us about this one. Here are the scriptural references:

“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

Daniel 7:8

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.

Revelation 13:5

Note: 42 months is 3 1/2 years!

It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.

Revelation 13:6

But this one will eventually be destroyed. We know this from scripture:

“Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.

Daniel 7:11

As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them,

Daniel 7:21

He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

2 Thessalonians 2:4

9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:15-27 (the words of Jesus)

14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

Mark: 13:14-23 (words of Jesus)

20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Luke 21:20-28 (words of Jesus)

He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.

Daniel 7:25

This time, times and half a time has become understood through Bible scholars as 3 1/2 years, it’s confirmed by scripture too. Here is the confirming scripture:

The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.

Revelation 12:14

The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

Revelation 12:6

And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Revelation 11:13

1260 days divided by 360 days in a year from biblical times = 3.5 years

The use of the 360-day year for accounting and administration lasted until the Old Babylonian period. The same number was used in cuneiform literature for astronomical calculations even later, throughout the first millennium BCE.

Cambridge University

THE DRAGON DESCRIPTION

He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:2

From this scripture, we know that the dragon is Satan, the devil. Satan is the spiritual force empowering the First and Second Beast. (Good to understand if you’re wondering why are world is becoming so corrupt in every way: Is the first Beast forming now?)

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Revelation 12:9

THE FINAL OUTCOME

But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Revelation 19:20

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation 20:10

As I was preparing to write about “the mark” I noticed the prophet Ezekiel wrote about similar events. After studying the bible for the past 5 years, I learned that some earlier events in history are sometimes the “foreshadowing” of future events. I definitely see a connection between Ezekiel’s visions and John’s visions (found in the book of Revelation). 

In Summary, someday in the future, there will be a global governing authority who will rule the world and there will be a false prophet who will deceive many people into taking “the mark” – be aware of this. It is in Bible Prophecy, it will happen someday. Know what scripture says so you are not deceived because you will loose your inheritance in God’s kingdom, if you accept and take this mark. Please share this with others to warn them too.

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Revelation Timeline (Commentary/Subject to Change!)

I started writing about the book of Revelation in February 2022 but stopped after the first sentence, then woke up this morning thinking it’s time to complete this. If you found my podcast, on Spotify or Apple (episodes 201 – 215), you will know I just completed a chapter by chapter reading and discussion on the book of Revelation, so I won’t go chapter by chapter here. This will be a summarization of the events.

My interest in Bible Prophecy (eschatology) started in 2020 when we had that global “pandemic” event, I felt there was a greater signficance, maybe a wake up call, a warning perhaps, and I believe it was, three years later (2023) because of the continuation of global events such as lawlessness, floods, hail, earthquakes, fires, etc. While all these events have been present as long as we can remember, there has been an increase in the intensity of these events since I started paying attention to them, search for yourself. This thought aligns with “Climate Change” focus (which I believe as a focus distracts us from what this really is: a warning from God).

Why is God warning us? I believe He is warning all mankind: there is prophecy written about thousands of years ago which remains yet to be fulfilled, and I believe it’s coming sooner than most people think: the return of Jesus Christ, which will bring about judgement on mankind: believers and unbelievers. I noticed that God often repeats things 3 times, or multiple times, when He wants us to pay attention to something in scripture. I say “God” repeats because I believe that the spirit of God inspired the 40+ authors who wrote what we refer to as “the Bible” telling a consistent message over thousands of years through prophets (in dreams and visions) and through the symbolism of actual events in history giving us a preview of what is to come.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 111:10

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

Proverbs 4:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7

In 2020 when I started seeking to understand, it was so confusing, and I found so many opinions on the sequence, the timing of these events. While, I’m still not certain about the timing of events, I’ve prepared a “Timeline” based on what I found in scripture, but what I think is most important, is our preparation, becoming “Born Again,” (click this link to read more on what this means), I didn’t make a podcast of this post, but plan to soon. Jesus said:

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

John 3:5

The “preparation” is the most important part and once we are prepared, “Born Again,” we will have no fear of the future events because we will have made an alliance, promise, commitment, covenant with God and He sees us as “His Children” whom He protects, shelters and works all things for the good of those who love Him and keep His commands.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

Deuteronomy 7:9 (written by Moses)

Then I said: “LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Nehemiah 1:5 (written by Nehemiah the prophet)

I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Daniel 9:4 (written by Daniel the prophet)

And before anyone claims, the commandments no longer apply , that was the Old Testament, please remember these quotes from the New Testament:

“If you love me, keep my commands.

John 14:15 (the words of Jesus as documented by John)

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

John 14:23 (the words of Jesus as documented by John)

Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

John 14: 24 (the words of Jesus as documented by John)

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Luke 11:28 (the words of Jesus as documented by Luke)

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Romans 6:16 (Paul’s words: we are either obedient to evil spiritual forces or obedient to God)

For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

1 Peter 4:17 (Peter’s words)

So because of all this written above, especially for those who want to “wait until the last minute” to prepare- we may be “at the last minute”- seriously, take a look at what prophecy indicates, then compare this to world events. Knowing prophecy is for our benefit, it will happen, Jesus explains the sequence of events in the chapters of Matthew 24 (the signs) and Matthew 25 (preparation and judgement)

After studying the Book of Revelation, I put together this “End Time Timeline” dated 10/2023- no dates, just what I discovered while reading scripture and this is slightly different from what I’ve heard from other people, the events may not be in this order, but this is the best I could put together from my current understanding of scripture. (It will change, if scripture provides clear evidence that this order of events is not correct.) This is a timeline based on what I found in scripture only, not what others teach. I am seeking the truth, only found in scripture. When we have differing opinions, it’s because we are not fully understanding the word of God. So I welcome anyone who has scripture to support a variation of this timeline because I only want to know the truth, to understand. I’m providing a link to the PDF timeline document for you to reference, download, mark up as you read scripture. Please share any clarifications (with scripture references) that you find relative to the timeline after reviewing, if you find evidence for something different and I will update the document. Hopefully this document will be helpful in recognizing where we are today using this timeline as we watch and experience world events.

endtime-timeline-2023-10Download

As I read the Bible, I found many references to “End Times” throughout scripture, and while many scholars often quote from various places in the Bible, I didn’t have a consolidated reference, so I’m going to do that for you: reference various parts of scripture that you will want to familiarize yourself with if you want more detail. Scripture interprets scripture, gives clarity, and provides detail. There is something that scholars also know: while some events occurred in the past, they were not a complete fulfillment of scripture, but they were a “preview” or a “foreshadowing” of future events, please keep this in mind and pray, asking God for wisdom, discernment and clarification if it is not clear and I believe He will give it to “His Children” who ask for this.

PLEASE SCROLL PAST THESE REFERENCE LINKS FOR AN IMPORTANT FINAL SUMMARY/ACTION PLAN

REFERENCES (with links for further reading):

  • MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO ARE DISTANT FROM GOD
  • Isaiah 30
  • SPECIFIC MESSAGES RE: ISLANDS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
  • Isaiah 11:11,

ACTION PLAN

The only preparation we need is to be “born again” as Jesus said in John Chapter 3. The normal reaction after hearing of the events described in the Book of Revelation is fear, but the spirit of fear this isn’t the spirit God wants us to keep, this is what we have when we DON’T have God’s spirit. If we have the Holy Spirit (we are born again, born of the spirit, a new creation), then we have nothing to fear because God provides EVERYTHING we will need- have faith and trust in Him. Faith comes from reading scripture (the Bible) seeing the repeated history of God’s character, His personality, who He is. Then when we KNOW God personally, from what is written in the bible and from our communication with Him, talking to Him through our prayers. Receiving the Holy Spirit isn’t some long drawn out process, the moment we are sincere in belief, wanting to change our ungodly ways, asking God for forgiveness, with a sincere “surrender” of my will to God’s will (obedience to God), asking Jesus for the Holy Spirit, we will receive the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will begin to work in our life, we will begin to change (this part is a slower, more gradual process) but when we are sincere and our “hearts turn towards God”- God is merciful, loving, forgiving and restores us.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7
by Categories: bible prophecy, bible study, Face Fear, FAITH, God, Healing, Improvement, Love, Make It Count, MUSIC, parenting, Parents, prayer, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, spiritual warfare, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

3, 2, 1…Watching the Countdown (NOW)

Here is the introduction and reason for this post: (click link here)

Time is getting close, some are running out of time and are not aware of what is ahead for ALL of us! Look into this now, “you’ll thank me, many others and most importantly: GOD later” for sharing this information with you!

Here are the links I promised in the introduction:

Revealing Revelation by Amir Tsarfati, you can also find the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other places.

I’m not promoting this book to increase their sales; I have no affiliation, in fact you can hear and see much of this information via YouTube (at no cost), but some prefer to read and other prefer to listen, so either way, don’t delay! The most important is that you comprehend this information.

As I mentioned in the introduction, there are many others (some who have studied bible prophecy for 40 years!) I will provide YouTube links to the main account, you will need to search their videos to to listen to their opinions, and there are many different opinions, but there are also points that all agree, namely:

  1. There will be a final 7 years until the return of Jesus (for judgement this time: both good and bad)
  2. There is an Eternity ahead, nothing to fear, a beautiful future ahead: an abundance of laughter, happiness, beauty, adventure, music, no more tears, immortality, peace and love for those who take action now (Read Revelation 21 and Revelation 22)
  3. There are warnings for ALL of us in the Book of Revelation
  4. We appear to be in the End Times right now: either in the beginning of the final 7 years or just slightly before the 7 years start (there are mixed opinions about where we currently are in this timeline)
  5. There will be a major battle involving Israel forthcoming.
  6. There will be a global governance. It will be both political and religious.
  7. The leader of both will be inspired by evil and will deceive the majority of the population sending them into eternal torment through deception. The deception will involve miracles.
  8. The only way to “save” ourselves is to accept Jesus as our Savior, put all our trust in Jesus, ask God for forgiveness of our sins, change our sinful ways, get baptized, then watch and wait for all this to happen, staying in close contact through prayer and reading the bible so that we do not fall for the forthcoming deception and that we have endurance through trials and testing. Technically we are NOT “saving ourselves”- Jesus did that by his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. This is how it is possible for us to be “saved” only through Jesus, we can’t do it on our own. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father (be in eternity/God’s Kingdom) except through him.
  9. There will be a time when Jesus calls his followers (those who have prepared in advance- see #8) to meet him in the clouds (some will raise from the dead and others will ascend alive and will be changed due to God’s spirit residing in us). This happens before Jesus’ return for judgement of all. Jesus will protect us from God’s wrath. (There are many opinions about when this happens: before, during and towards the end of the 7 year period. I honestly don’t know who is correct. I think the towards the end, but it’s better to prepare now so when it comes we are ready)
  10. The leaders of this political and religious governance will eventually force people to “take a mark” in their right hand or forehead and this will be the only way we will be able to buy or sell anything. They will be all about controlling the population.
  11. The leaders of this political and religious governance will be revealed soon and rule for 3 years and 6 months.
  12. Jesus will conquer them (evil) after this period and he will be recognized as the only authority, the King of All when he returns on the clouds in Jerusalem, Israel, visible by all (made possible perhaps because of the Internet/technology?)
  13. Jesus will rule (here on earth) for 1,000 years. Mortal and Immortal people will be present during this time, the immortal reigning under Jesus, as appointed by Jesus.
  14. There will be a final battle with evil after the 1,000 years are over. God wins, He destroys evil supernaturally forever and Judgement Day occurs (Jesus will be the judge of all of us). People will be raised from the dead for judgement day, then sentenced to eternal life or eternal torture based on the choices they made during their life on earth.
  15. For those who receive Eternal Life, Immortal, new bodies will be given to us. God has prepared a New Heaven and New Earth that will come down and replace what we have today (the present earth will be completely destroyed) and God will LIVE in eternity WITH us!!!

As I mentioned, if you want to see, hear, listen to the various opinions on End Times through a variety of personalities, here are some YouTube accounts to check out- but as always, let the Bible be the “truth checker,” people are not perfect, everyone makes some mistakes and there are “opinions” discussed in each that are open to interpretation, but they have been typically forthright in telling us when it is “an opinion” vs “fact from the bible”:

AOC Network

Behold Israel

El Shaddai Ministries

Endtime Inc.

J.D. Farag

Nelson Walters

Ken Raggio

In addition to those listed above, here are some YouTube accounts that will help you grow in faith:

Answers in Genesis

Got Questions

The Bible Project

One for Israel

Maranatha Bible Church- Chicago

I pray that you don’t take this lightly; that you do something today if you haven’t already. There is much to be hopeful about in the future, and to look forward to, but it all depends on the actions we take today! There will be trials ahead, but don’t loose faith- keep your eyes on Jesus and what he preached. (Read the gospel of John to know more about Jesus- John was one of the original followers of Jesus and he was also the one who received the vision from Jesus that is documented in Revelation)

My prayer for you right now: Dear Jesus, Please open the eyes and minds of those who read this and reveal your truth. Amen.

May God bless you today in some way!

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“Coincidence” – or – We are living in the final 7 years?

(This is a link to the podcast on Spotify for this post, if you prefer to listen.)

Wake Up. When the world took notice of the “pandemic” in 2020, it made me wonder: Is there more significance to this? Affecting the entire world, is this a “wake up” call from God? I think it was. It is now 2022 and the “signs” have not ceased, they have increased. Most who study bible prophecy and are honest about what they discover, will tell you, we won’t know for certain when the final 7 years starts, but approximately 3.5 years into the 7 years, we will know (once the man of lawlessness, AntiChrist, is revealed). Until then we will only see signs, Jesus tells us those signs in Matthew 24.

Preparation Time. I’ve been thinking that we might be in the final 7 years and while the timing of it shouldn’t be our focus, the preparation should. I feel a sense of urgency knowing how long it took me to “get my life in order” (meaning with God). It wasn’t overnight! I can see other people that I care about are just like me before my eyes were opened – so that is what concerns me and brings out this sense of urgency. We may not have much time, but others don’t feel that way or see the urgency like I do. I know I can’t do it for anyone, but I care about them. It is exhausting having conversations when you know that someone doesn’t see it, understand it or doesn’t believe it and I can’t force a belief on anyone, all I can do is pray, which I do. If someone believes, they will take action, if they don’t, they will stay the same. The urgency is always present because we are not guaranteed to live “X” number of years, anything could happen at any time. So the urgency is present whether it is 7 years from now, or if God says our time is up unexpectedly. It is a race against time in that regard.

My Question to God. As I mentioned, it’s not enjoyable telling anyone that there may be a short time before Jesus returns, so I prayed (2/12/22) and asked God if we are in the final 7 years and asked what should I be doing right now? As I’ve done before, in prayer, I ask God about something, then open the bible to see what scripture shows up (it is consistently relevant to me). When I asked the question above, this was the page I opened to:

Then I called my sister and told her what happened and said this doesn’t say anything about the final 7 years so I guess I should back off a bit. But she pointed out, you asked 2 questions: one was is it the final 7 years and the second was what you should be doing. She had a point. So I told her I would try again and let her know.

My answer. I prayed again and asked God to show me something that would let me know if we are in the final 7 years. I didn’t want to affect the outcome of what page was opened (i.e. knowing what part of the bible is Old Testament vs New Testament and turning to a certain area of the Bible influencing the outcome) so I placed the bible on the spine of the book and let it open. Well first, the cover opened and it was a blank page, Second the same think happened, then the 3rd time it opened to Ezekiel 38 (about Gog and Magog). When I saw that I called her again and said this is about the time after Jesus returns, so I guess we are not in the final 7 years. And I went about my day, not giving much more thought to it. But then I watched this video and Amir mentions Ezekiel 38 unfolding! That certainly caught my attention: click here for the video but it was too late at night when I watched it, so I decided I would look into that scripture more the next day, which I did, I searched for studies on God and Magog; I watched this and then re-read the scripture, I can see the third opinion: This war likely will be a long war that could begin before the man of lawlessness is revealed and finish at Armaggedon, when Jesus returns. It was certainly an interesting theory, one that I hadn’t heard before and certainly made turning to Ezekiel 38 more relevant regarding the final 7 years. It seemed to be an affirmation to me. I wouldn’t jump to this conclusion if I didn’t have prior questions answered in this way, some that were future events that occurred the way the scripture indicated, and not the way I hoped it would be. Another point, it’s always God’s will, not ours and no matter what we plan, God’s will/His word, will prevail. This is a humbling experience because we realize we ultimately don’t have control of anything. If you haven’t learned that yet, just wait, you will learn that eventually.

What is next? God doesn’t reveal things without His purpose in mind. As I was reading prior chapters in Ezekiel to get a better understanding, I read Ezekiel 33, verse 6: 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’ It made me reflect, I don’t want to be responsible for someone’s demise, if God is showing me this and telling me we are in the final 7 years, I need to communicate this!

All Christians: I think this applies to you right now too: If your eyes are opened to what is going on in the world, use that wisdom to help those who are not yet aware.

Maybe someone will be impacted by what happened to me, maybe by you, or various sources? I know what happened to me a couple days ago, what has happened to me in the past and what time period I believe we are in right now: The End Times. Even if I am wrong, if I misunderstood or let my personal thoughts influence this, the final 7 years doesn’t matter, but preparation does. (Technically there is a benefit to getting right with God sooner than later, you could possibly not die an earthly death, you could ascend to meet Jesus when he returns, but that shouldn’t be the goal, it is just a benefit if a person has prepared prior to Jesus’ return and is living righteously) 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NOW is the time to prepare, no matter if we are in the final 7 years or if it turns out to be far into the future. Being prepared (spiritually) is the most important thing to do right now. Pray to God, reconcile with God, repair that relationship, ask for His Spirit to guide you daily and give you wisdom and discernment about what is happening right now. If we seek Him, He will reveal Himself in a personal way to each of us. Don’t put this off. What if war happens unexpectedly and somehow you or I am in the area of destruction? Will you be ready? Have you told God you want His presence? Don’t fear what can happen to the body, fear what can happen to your soul. (Matthew 10:28)

God has amazing plans for us in the future, when we become immortal! You don’t want to miss out on this! Revelation 21 and Revelation 22 I can’t wait for this period; I’d like to miss the in between period, but that is not likely!

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