"You are not in darkness, brethren, for that Day
to surprise you like a thief."
- I Thess. 5:4
There are a number of things that must occur before the End comes. We cannot know how rapidly those events will play out nor the exact manner in which they will be brought to fruition. But they MUST occur.
The first thing that must occur is: the Gospel must be preached to all nations (Mark 13:10) In quantifying the actual fulfillment of this requirement, it is important to remember that Christ did not say the Gospel had to be preached to every single individual; but, rather, "to all nations". As such, this may already have occurred with the worldwide proliferation of electronic media as well as by missionary work. This conclusion is supported by Jesus' statement to His disciples that they will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before He returns. (Matt.10:23)
Many people look for a 3rd Temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem before the End comes. The Jews see such a necessity in the Talmud (J'T Ma'aser Sheni 29). For Christians this need is based on Temple references in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and in Revelation 11:1-2. These references could be allegorical, though, as Christ referred to Himself as God's Temple under the new covenant. (see John 2:19-21) This notion is supported by a close examination of Revelation 11:1-2 which says only the court outside the Temple will be given over to the (occupying) nations. Physically, it would be impossible for foreign armies to seize Jerusalem and any temple without taking the holy of holies and the altar as well. However, if the passage is allegorical, then the court outside the Temple could represent those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior, and, thus, could be trampled underfoot - independent of the Temple (who is in heaven).
In Ezekiel 38, The Prince of Rosh (likely Russia) is instructed in the last days to be a commander and guard for Gog, of the land of MaGog, of Meshech and Tubal. These are assumed to be tribes that inhabit the high regions of northwest Asia. In 1991 the Soviet Union ceased to exist as both a military and political entity and has since functioned only as a loose confederation of states. So, a stronger alliance MUST be re-established between these republics before the End can come. Both Ezekiel and Daniel foresaw an attack by these nations - in concert with (ancient) Persia, Libya and Cush - against Israel (Ezek. 38:5, Dan. 11:43). John, the Revelator, put the exact number of these forces at 200 million (Rev. 9:16). This is consistent with the prophecy of Noah (Gen. 9:27) that God would enlarge Japheth, who was the father of Meshech and Tubal; and with Dan. 9:26 that the End would come with a flood (of people). The first step in this re-alignment of Soviet states seems, in fact, to already have taken place. In October of 2000, signatories to the 1992 Collective Security Treaty agreed to expand their association to include the exchange of military hardware and to form "joint armed forces" under a "single command and control system". Analysts are already predicting a Eurasian form of NATO will soon result.
If these 6 nations indeed represent 6 of the 7 "heads" of the final beast of Revelation, then we have one more country yet to join. The most likely candidate is the Kaliningrad Exclave. Kaliningrad was a spoil of WWII ceded by Germany to the Soviet Union. In recent months the quasi-independent Kaliningrad region has been enlarged and will, in fact, be INSIDE THE E.U. Further, Jane's Geopolitical Intelligence reports the Russians are NOW MOVING NUCLEAR WEAPONS INTO KALININGRAD; abrogating informal pledges made to the West in the early 1990s. If correct in this conclusion, the 7 heads that will empower the 10 horns of Revelation are now in place.
Those who look for a covenant of 7 years duration to yet be made before the End, have missed the covenant made by the prince of Rosh in 1985 (see Gorbachev page). His covenant had all the required elements of Daniel's prophecy, but was for only 207 days (a week of Hebrew months); making it impossible for the 70 weeks (using the prophetic 30-day month unit of the first 69 weeks) to be fulfilled. Thus, 3 days remain to be under covenant. This 3-day scenario is supported by the fact that from the inception of the Soviet Union on December 30, 1922, till the last official act by its last leader on December 25, 1991, was 3 days short of 70 prophetic years. Further, 3 days is very close to a literal half-week - after which Daniel says the End will come. We must, therefore, watch for a covenant of roughly 7 days - NOT 7 YEARS - to be made by a leader whose manner is sublimely-endearing. (Rev. 13:3-4) The Gorbachev covenant was made with Israel-in-diaspora (the 10 lost tribes). The final covenant will likely be with Israel the nation (the House of Judah), so that none of Jacob's progeny are left out. This final covenant will be difficult to see, as Christ said the end would come upon the world suddenly. THE GREATEST VIGILANCE IS REQUIRED !
Right before the abomination of desolation appears in the holy place, Jerusalem will be surrounded by foreign armies. (Luke 21:20) Exactly how many countries does prophecy say will come against Jerusalem and who are they ? While Daniel and Ezekiel clearly identify these apocalyptic nations as Persia, Libya, and Cush, the geo-political landscape of the Mideast has changed significantly in the 2500 years since the prophecy was given. The ancient Persian empire (ca. 500 bc) today includes portions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan and other settlements in Asia Minor. Cush covers territory in Ethiopia and Sudan. And in September of 1980 Libya (Put) united with Syria to become a single nation committed to the destruction of Israel. Thus, we must be open to the possibility that as many as 8 or 9 regional powers could be participants in this vanguard. For so many nations to encompass Jerusalem without causing world-wide alarm, suggests that the Israelis may do something so reprehensible as to turn world opinion against them beforehand.
The last element to appear before the End will be the appearance of an "abomination in the holy place". This is Daniel's abomination of desolation (Dan. 11:31). There are few precedents in Biblical history that might give us clues as to what this might be. It is not likely that this involves a return to animal sacrifices, as these continued after the crucifixion until 70 AD and did not trigger a world-wide tribulation. Sacrifices have also been performed recently in Jerusalem and in the Hebron Hills by Yehuda Etzion's group without consequence. From 168 BC to 165 BC Antiochus Epiphanes (characterized as a "beast" in his day) caused the sacrificing of (unclean) swine on the alter and erected a statue of Jupiter in the holy of holies. Not even these abhorrent acts caused a worldwide desolation. It is the belief of this author that the abomination of desolation will likely be an atomic weapon. The reasons for believing this are manifold. Prophetic desciptions of the End of the world sound much like the aftermath of a nuclear war. (Isa. 24:1,3,6, 19-21; Isa. 13:6-13; Joel 2:1-2; Zeph: 1:14-15, 18; Jer. 25:32-33; Dan. 12:1; et al) Further, Daniel says the one who makes desolate will come on the wing or pinnacle of abominations. (Dan. 9:27) The "wing" could refer to these weapons coming by aircraft and the "pinnacle" to those coming on the tips of missiles. Use of nuclear weapons would also explain how the End of the world could occur in a single hour. (Rev. 17:12, 18:19) These passages combined with the subject of Gorbachev's 1985 covenant, present an overwhelming argument for destruction of the world by nuclear weapons. It is also worth noting that not a single nuclear weapon has appeared openly anywhere in the Mideast, although several countries are rumored to have them. According to author Avner Cohen, Israel has had nuclear weapons since 1967; and, according to other sources, has on several occasions targeted Russia with them. (Click here to read article.) Knowing this, the Russians will likely not hessitate to act pre-emptively should it appear that Israel might employ its nuclear arsenal. God has prevented any of these weapons from being openly seen, though, so as to make the appearance of the abomination of desolation UNMISTAKABLE!
Jesus said that when the abomination appears in the holy place, we should flee with the greatest urgency and not tarry to take along possessions. This is the strongest testament that a pre-tribulation Rapture will NOT spare the Flock from this ordeal. As such, the reader is urged strongly to remain watchful (Mk.13:37) and pray that you be considered worthy to escape all these things that are about to come upon the world. For, man is about to become more rare than fine gold (Isa. 13:12).
