Many Christians today believe there are signs pointing to an imminent rapture of the church. However, the rapture is a signless event; thus, there are not and never will develop signs of the time indicating that the rapture is near. This is true because the rapture is imminent, it could happen at any moment and no prophesied event must take place in order for the rapture to then occur. It is impossible for an imminent event to have signs. If signs are related to an event then it would indicate that it was near or not near, and thus could not hap-pen until after the signs were present. Thus, signs would have to precede the event, which would mean that the event could not happen at any moment until after the signs appeared. Since the rapture is said in the New Testament to be an event that could occur at any moment (1 Cor. 1:7; 16:22; Phil. 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thess. 1:10; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; Jam. 5:7-9; 1 Pet. 1:13; Jude 21; Rev. 3:ll; 22:7, 12, 17, 20) then it cannot be related to any signs at all. However, as I shall show later, this does not mean that there are not signs of the time that do relate to other aspects of God’s plan. Some wonder if there are signs indicating the end of the church age in which we currently live. It would be too strong to say there are signs of the end of the church age. Instead, the Bible indicates what

A PublicAtion Ministry of the Pre-trib reseArch center

“Looking for the bLessed hope and the appearing of the gLory of our great god and savior, Christ Jesus.” titus 2:13

Volume IX • Number 150 • March 2017

Continued on page 2

Ed’s PErsPEctivEs

TribulationAfter The Rapture

tom’s PErsPEctivEs

Signs ofThe Times

by Dr. thoMAs iceby Dr. eD hinDson

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Jesus warned His disciples that in the last days there would be a period of time more horrific and traumatic than any other time in human history. He was, of course, referring to the Great Tribulation: “There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21). The disciples were familiar with this prophesied time of anguish, for many of the Hebrew prophets of old had warned Israel about a future period of intense suffering. The prophet Jeremiah called it “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7). Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the Tribulation is referred to by a variety of names including “the day of the Lord” (1 Thess. 5:2), the seventieth week of Daniel (Dan. 9:27), “a day of desolation” (Zeph. 1:15), “the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10), “the hour of judgment” (Rev. 14:7), and “the great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21). Not only is the Tribulation mentioned in more than 60 passages in the Bible, but more space is allotted to it than any other subject except for salvation and the second coming of Christ. Both the prophet Daniel and the apostle John stated this period would last seven years (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 11:2-3). After rising to power, the evil “prince who is to come” (Dan. 9:26), the Antichrist, will make a covenant with Israel. This event will

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signal the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period. Three and a half years into the Tribulation, at the halfway point, the Antichrist will break the covenant by desecrating the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. This will usher in the Great Tribulation, a period of suffering and terror worse than any that mankind has ever experienced in history. Although the Tribulation lasts only seven years, the devasta-tions unleashed during that time will seem endless to those who must face them.

THE NATURE OF THE TRIBULATION Through various prophetic passages found in the Bible, we learn that the Tribulation will be . . . • a time of judgment for those who reject the Savior • a time of conclusion for those who rebel against God • a time of decision for those who will be forced to choose between Christ and the Antichrist • a time of chaos designed to shake mankind’s false sense of security • a time of unprecedented revival, resulting in the greatest soul harvest in history When will the Tribulation take place? Although no exact date is given, the Bible indicates in Matthew 24:29-31 that it must occur immediately before the glorious appearing of Christ, when Jesus Himself returns to Earth to destroy the Antichrist. It will also occur after the rapture of the church, when all those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ will be instantly removed from the planet in order to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:15-18). Those who view the Tribulation as primarily a time of wrath overlook the fact that it is also a time of mercy and grace. The Lord is not some angry monster heaping catastrophes upon the heads of innocent men and women. In reality, the people who suffer the judgments of God during the Tribulation are not innocent. Not only do these rebels reject God and His free offer of salvation, they indulge in every vile sin known to mankind, including the massacre of those who come to Christ during this time. Even then, God’s hope is that these rebels will at some point turn to Him. The Tribulation judgments therefore serve a dual purpose: to punish hardened sinners, and to move others to repentance. The following Scripture passage exemplifies this

truth: “I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:30-32).

THE TRIBULATION SAINTS The untold millions who miss the rapture because of their rejection of God will still have an opportunity to become saved. The apostle John writes : “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Rev. 7:9). These Tribulation saints, whose numbers are so large they can’t be counted, come to the Lord as a result of the Tribulation’s trials — demonstrating that our holy God is a God who will continue to show His love and mercy to mankind even in the last days. When John asked, “Who is this great multitude?” the reply was “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation” (Rev. 7:14). No wonder the apostle Peter was able to write, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

THOSE LEFT BEHIND In many respects, the rapture will set the stage for the coming Tribulation. Following the disap-pearance of millions upon millions of Christians from the face of the Earth, the world will be in a state of shock and chaos that defies comprehension. This will prepare the way perfectly for the rise of the Antichrist. He will come to power peaceably using diplomacy — as represented by the rider on the white horse, the first of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse (Rev. 6:1-2). His charm and outward compassion will bring badly needed comfort to a populace on the brink of mass hysteria. The controlled media will be used to effectively coerce the world into adopting this new leader as the man of the hour. Ongoing efforts to discredit the Bible and other prophetic books such as the Left Behind series, which foretold the rapture and the rise of the Antichrist in advance, will be a top pri-

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ority of the new world government. Every attempt will be made to convince the confused populace that those who have been left behind are, in fact, the lucky ones, even though nothing could be further from the truth. The spiritual vacuum left by the disappearance of millions of Christians will also enable the Antichrist to further his plan for a forced one-world religion. This pagan religion will unite all religions — with the lone exception of biblical Christianity — into one. In the midst of all this, the Holy Spirit will work through the 144,000 evangelists and the two witnesses in Jerusalem to draw countless numbers of people to Christ during the Tribulation — despite the fact that such a choice will most likely result in martyrdom.

THE 144,000 WITNESSES The seventh seal introduces the seven trumpet

judgments, which is why many prophecy students consider these judgments to be chronological: The first six seals cover 21 months, then the break-ing of the seventh seal introduces the next seven trumpet judgments, which take place during the second quarter or the second 21 months of the first half of the Tribulation. The sealing of the 144,000 “servants of our God” probably occurs at the begin-ning of this period, and they witness all during it, along with the special two witnesses describe in Revelation 11.

THE TWO WITNESSES In the last days, God will have the gospel mes-sage proclaimed worldwide so that people are without excuse about making a decision for Christ. During the first half of the Tribulation God not only uses the 144,000 Israelites from each of the 12 tribes who reach “a multitude which no one could

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number” (Rev. 7:0), but He also establishes in and around Jerusalem two special witnesses endowed with supernatural powers (Rev. 11:3-6). During the Tribulation, two powerful opposing forces will be at work during the same time: 1) the 144,000 servants of God will bring forth a mighty soul harvest, and 2) the enormous sinfulness of those ho refuse to repent. It will be the same as in our day right now, with the church witnessing for the Lord on the one hand, and those who reject the Savior on the other, except that the opposing forces will be intensified during the tribulation period. Also, because the civil government described in Revelation 13 will be under the total control of Antichrist and his evil forces, Christians will be persecuted and martyred in large numbers. Many people will become saved through the soul harvest, but for a while, it will seem as if Christians are on the losing end of the battle because the Antichrist is in control of the world. However, we know that ultimately, Christ—and His people—will be the victor.

WORLD WAR III After his peaceful ascension to power, the Antichrist will initiate what we might call World War III (Rev. 6:3-4) against three of the ten regional leaders who will be in power during this time. Death and destruction will be brought to this earth on a massive scale never before known. This battle may involve a nuclear exchange and will be fol-lowed by widespread inflation, famine, and disease. Possibly due in part to nuclear fallout, plagues will sweep across the land and death will come to a fourth of the world’s population (Rev. 6:5-8). All the while, the Antichrist will be carrying out his vengeance against those who have chosen to follow Christ instead of him (Rev. 6:9-11). And the killing of millions of Tribulation saints will escalate as the world sinks further into death and despair. Up to this point, the judgments that have come upon Earth during the Tribulation are largely the

result of man’s endeavors. From here onward, how-ever, the judgments will be acts of divine retribution. Revelation 6:12-15 describes a massive earthquake so large that “every mountain and island was moved out of its place” (verse 14). Apparently there will be a series of massive volcanic eruptions as well, which will cause the sky to darken and the moon to appear red. The apostle John also writes of meteor-like objects that come crashing down onto the earth. So incredible are these events that Earth’s inhabitants will realize they are witnessing God’s judgments right before their eyes: “The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” (Rev. 6:15-17). Then hail, fire, and blood will rain down from the sky, causing a third of the earth’s trees and grass to burn up. Two more meteors will fall from the sky and kill a third of the sea life, destroy a third of the ships at sea, and poison a third of the earth’s fresh water supply. Darkness will continue to enve-lope the land as the light from the sun and moon is dimmed by a third.

HELL ON EARTH Revelation chapter 9 describes a plague of locust-like creatures that descend upon the earth and have the ability to sting people. For five months, these creatures will torment, but not kill, unbelievers: “Out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their tor-ment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them” (Rev. 9:3-6). If that weren’t enough, armies of demonic horsemen will then be unleashed and kill another third of the world’s population (Rev. 9:13-19). And then it gets worse . . .

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THE MARK OF THE BEAST As mentioned previously, halfway into the Tribulation, the Antichrist will break his treaty with the nation of Israel, desecrate the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, and kill the two witnesses who have been proclaiming the gospel (Rev. 11:3-12). He will then seize total control over the monetary system of the world (Rev. 13:16-18), requiring all to carry his mark, which in some way will consist of the number six hundred sixty-six (666). This is the prophesied mark of the beast, and without it, no one will be able to buy or sell: “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark” (Rev. 13:16-17). Even a few short years ago, such a prospect would have seemed inconceivable. But now, with computerized electronic financial transactions occurring on a worldwide scale, the ability to con-trol and track the purchases of every human being is not only possible, but inevitable.

PREPARING FOR ARMAGEDDON Meanwhile, as the Tribulation progresses, the judgments of God will continue to afflict the ungod-ly. Loathsome sores will break out upon those who have the mark of the beast. The sea and remaining fresh water will be turned into blood. Heat from the sun will scorch the unrepentant, and darkness will envelope the kingdom of the Antichrist (Rev. 16:2-11). Then the Euphrates River will dry up, allowing the armies of the east to march unhindered to Israel to begin the Battle of Armageddon. The bloodshed will reach unparalleled proportions. A tremendous earthquake will level the cities of the world, and hailstones weighing as much as 100 pounds will fall to the earth. Unfortunately, many of the ungodly still will not repent, despite the severity of these judgments: “There was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men,

each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blas-phemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great” (Rev. 16:18-21). And with that, the judgments will draw to an end. The glorious appearing of Christ comes next. He will be in the air accompanied by the armies of heaven, which consist of all those who were raptured to heaven (Rev. 19:11-14). Christ will then descend to Earth in power and glory to win the Battle of Armageddon. He will cast the beast (Antichrist) and False Prophet into the Lake of Fire, and bind Satan in the abyss for 1000 years. Then He will initiate His millennial reign on earth (Rev. 19:19–20:3).

UNDERSTANDING THE JUDGMENTS The book of Revelation includes three sets of judgments (6 seals, 6 trumpets, and 7 bowls)—19 total judgments that will unfold during the seven-year tribulation period. An overview of these judg-ments provides a helpful understanding of how these events will unfold.

Seal Judgments (Rev. 6):Seal 1: The Rider on the White Horse (6:1-2)Seal 2: The Rider on the Red Horse (6:3-4)Seal 3: The Rider on the Black Horse (6:5-6)Seal 4: The Rider on the Pale Horse (6:7-8)Seal 5: The Martyred Tribulation Saints (6:9-11)Seal 6: A Great Earthquake (6:12-17)Seal 7: Silence in Heaven—Beginning of Trumpet Judgments (8:1)

Trumpet Judgments (Rev. 8-9):Trumpet 1: One-third of vegetation is destroyed.Trumpet 2: One-third of the sea will be turned into blood.Trumpet 3: One-third of the waters are contami-nated.Trumpet 4: One-third of the sky is darkened.Trumpet 5: The “first woe”: locust-like creatures plague the earth.Trumpet 6: The “second woe”: An army of 200,000,000 men from the east will destroy one-third of all people.Trumpet 7: The “third woe”: Beginning of the seven bowl judgments.

Bowl Judgments (Revelation 16):Bowl 1: Terrible sores on those who follow Antichrist.

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Bowl 2: Turns all the seas into blood.Bowl 3: All fresh water is turned to blood.Bowl 4: Terrible heat upon the earth.Bowl 5: Supernatural darkness on the earth.Bowl 6: The Euphrates River dries up and an army marched toward Armageddon.Bowl 7: A massive moving of the earth’s crust and 100-pound hailstones.

WHAT BEGINS THE TRIBULATION? The prophecy of Daniel 9:27 tells us exactly what will start the Tribulation: when “he [the prince who is to come] shall confirm a covenant with many for one week.” It seems that the Antichrist will make a covenant with the nation of Israel to ensure their protection. However, he will break this covenant after three and a half years. This does not mean that the treaty itself will be a seven-year treaty, as opposed to one of indefinite length, but that it will be broken in the middle of the seventieth “week” (seven) of Daniel 9:27. Since the seventieth “seven” refers to the seven years of the tribulation period, the reader understands that the treaty will be bro-ken at the halfway point. But this does not mean the treaty itself is merely a seven-year treaty. Daniel’s prophecy may relate to the rider on the white horse of Revelation 6, who comes in peace, for he has no arrows or implements of war in his hand. It appears the Antichrist will offer peace to the world and make a covenant with Israel, bringing peace to the Jewish people, who will then be able to rebuild their temple and reinstate their sacrifices again—for three-and-a-half years! But “in the middle of the week [of years] he shall bring an end to sacrifice and

offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate” (Daniel 9:27). The Antichrist will break his covenant with the Jews in the middle of the Tribulation (which agrees with Revelation 11 and 13) and will launch the greatest time of desola-tion in the history of the world. How long will it last? “Until the consummation, which is determined.” This is the same as “the time of the end,” meaning the end of the 70 weeks or 490 years, which is the same as the “consummation” of God’s dealing with the Jews and the literal coming of Christ to set up His kingdom. In summary, then, the Tribulation will begin when the covenant of peace between the coming new world government (headed by the Antichrist) and the nation of Israel. But halfway through the seven years, the Antichrist will break that covenant and begin to persecute the nation of Israel, and they will become “desolate.” Many Christians think the rapture of the church begins the Tribulation, but while it’s possible the rapture and the signing of the covenant may take place very close together, the Bible is not specific on that subject. Still, there has never been a world ruler who has made a covenant of peace with Israel and then broken that covenant after three-and-a-half years. This obviously means that the fulfill-ment of these events are still future. Maranatha!

Ed Hindson is assistant chancellor and dean of the School of Divinity at Liberty University and Seminary in Virginia, is the speaker on The king Is Coming telecast and the author and general editor of over 40 books.

Faith Bible Church of The Twin Cities My youngest son, David Ice, has launched a new Bible Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota meeting at Northwestern University at Nazerath Chapel. David is a graduate of The Master’s Sem- inary founded by John MacArthur in Los Angeles.

Equipping Hour: 8:15 am Worship Service: 9:45 am

Teaching the Bible verse by verse Phone: (682) 999-0895 www.faithtwincities.com Pastor David Ice

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the condition of the church will be like, the general course of the age, and then warns about some gen-eral trends toward the later part of the church age. The primary sign of the later days of the church age is an increase in apostasy within the professing church (1 Tim. 4:1–5; 2 Tim. 3:1–9; 2 Pet. 2:1–9; 3:1–13; Jude 3–23).

STAGE SETTING The present church age is not a time in which Bible prophecy is being fulfilled. Bible prophecy relates to a time after the rapture (the seven-year tribulation period). However, this does not mean God is not preparing the world for that future time during the present church age—in fact, He is. But this is not “fulfillment” of Bible prophecy. So while prophecy is not being fulfilled in our day, it does not follow that we cannot track “general trends” in current preparation for the coming tribulation, especially since it follows the rapture. I call this approach “stage-setting.” Just as many people set their clothes out the night before they wear them the following day, so in the same sense is God preparing the world for the certain fulfillment of prophecy in a future time. Dr. John Walvoord explains:

But if there are no signs for the Rapture itself, what are the legitimate grounds for believing that the Rapture could be especially near of this generation? The answer is not found in any prophetic events predicted before the Rapture but in understanding the events that will follow the Rapture. Just as history was prepared for Christ’s first coming, in a similar way history is preparing for the events leading up to His Second Coming. . . . If this is the case, it leads to the inevitable conclusion that the Rapture may be excitingly near.1

The Bible provides detailed prophecy about the seven-year tribulation. In fact, Revelation 4—19 gives a detailed, sequential outline of the major play-ers and events. Using Revelation as a framework, a Bible student is able to harmonize the hundreds of other biblical passages that speak of the seven-year

tribulation into a clear model of the next time period for planet earth. With such a template to guide us, we can see that already God is prepar-ing or setting the stage of the world in which the great drama of the tribulation will unfold. In this way this future time casts shadows of expectation in our own day so that current events provide dis-cernible signs of the times. I remember an illustration of stage setting given by the late John F. Walvoord, who was most likely the greatest prophecy scholar of the twenti-eth century when he said, “When you are in the mall and you see the decorations for Christmas, you know that Thanksgiving is near.” In this illus-tration, Thanksgiving is analogous to the rapture, which in this illustration is signless. Christmas represents that which comes after Thanksgiving, which is the tribulation. This would mean in the illustration that obviously the rapture is near since there are signs developing in our day relating to what will take place after the rapture. So there are signs relating to an approaching tribulation period, but no signs for the rapture since our Lord has never given any. Jesus wants us to always be wait-ing for Him. We are waiting every second of every day since we know not when He may come, but we also see the stage being set for what will take place after the rapture and it heightens our anticipation of seeing our Lord face-to-face.

THE SUPER-SIGN OF THE END TIMES I believe that Israel is God’s “super-sign” of the end times. God’s plan for history always moves forward in relation to what He is doing with Israel. Thus, the fact that Israel has been and continues to be reconstituted as a nation is prophetically sig-nificant. Were Israel not a nation again it would be impossible for events of the end-time to occur since so many of them take place in that tiny coun-try or in reference to her. But she has returned and so it is that all other major aspects of Bible proph-ecy are also being prepared for the grand finale of history. There are dozens of biblical passages that pre-dict an end-time regathering of Israel back to her land. However, it is a common mistake to lump all of these passages into one fulfillment time

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Prophetic Stage Setting

frame, especially in relation to the modern state of Israel. Modern Israel is prophetically significant and is preparing the way for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. But readers of God’s Word need to be careful to distinguish which verses are being ful-filled in our day and which references await future fulfillment. Hebrew Christian scholar Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains:

The re-establishment of the Jewish state in 1948 has not only thrown a wrench in amillennial thinking, but it has also thrown a chink in much of premillennial thinking. Amazingly, some premillennialists have con-cluded that the present state of Israel has nothing to do with the fulfillment of prophecy. For some reason the present state some how

does not fit their scheme of things, and so the present state becomes merely an accident of history. On what grounds is the present state of Israel so dismissed? The issue that bothers so many premillennialists is the fact that not only have the Jews returned in unbelief with regard to the person of Jesus, but the major-ity of the ones who have returned are not even Orthodox Jews. In fact the majority are atheists or agnostics. Certainly, then, Israel does not fit in with all those biblical passages dealing with the return. For it is a regener-ated nation that the Bible speaks of, and the present state of Israel hardly fits that picture. So on these grounds, the present state is dis-missed as not being a fulfillment of prophecy. However, the real problem is the failure to see that the prophets spoke of two interna-

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April 20–22MidAmerica Prophecy Conference

Marriot Hotel, Tulsa, OK www.bibleprophecyaswritten. com

April 24–27Grace Evangelical Society National Conference

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tional returns. First, there was to be a regath-ering in unbelief in preparation for judgment, namely the judgment of the tribulation. This was to be followed by a second world-wide regathering in faith in preparation for bless-ing, namely the blessings of the messianic age. Once it is recognized that the Bible speaks of two such regatherings, it is easy to see how the present state of Israel fits into prophecy.2

CONCLUSION With Israel back in her land as a nation and in control of Jerusalem, the stage is set for the other players to align in preparation for their end-time roles. Only in the last sixty years has Globalism become a realistic option for mankind at the practi-cal level. In fact, globalism is so widely held that the election of Donald Trump was seen internation-ally as a win for nationalism over the global world order. Revelation 17—18 indicates that Antichrist’s global empire will revolve around political, eco-nomic, and religious issues. Scripture teaches that the Antichrist will rise to power out of a federa-tion of nations that correlate in some way with the Roman Empire of two thousand years ago. One would have to be totally ignorant of developments within the world of our day to not admit that through the efforts of the European Union there is a coming together of that once great empire in our own day. In conjunction with tribulation events, Ezekiel 38—39 teaches that there will be an invasion into Israel by a coalition lead by “Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal” (Ezek. 38:2). Gog appears to be modern Russia. Coalition partners in the invasion are Persia (mod-ern Iran), Cush (Ethiopia), Put (Libya), and Gomer and Beth-togarmah (modern Turkey) (Ezek. 38:5-6). For the first time in history, Russia and Iran (Persia) have become very close with each other. Turkey is being rejected by Europe and is moving closer to the Islamic camp. The Bible indicates that by the midpoint of the seven-year tribulation (most likely some time before that) there will be a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15-16; 2 Thess. 2:3-4; Rev. 11:1-12). Since Israel captured the old city of Jerusalem in 1967, increasingly efforts are

underway to rebuild a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. That Temple only has to be there by the midpoint of the seven-year tribulation for the Antichrist to defile it. Babylon is depicted throughout the Bible as the focus of the kingdom of man that is set in opposi-tion to God, Israel, and His plan for history. It is not surprising to realize that many biblical pas-sages speak of an end-time role for Babylon as God’s enemy (Rev. 14:8; 17—18). Babylon will be the headquarters for the Antichrist during the tribula-tion. Is Babylon being rebuilt in our day? Yes it is! There are many more items that could be noted that are falling into place for the events of the tribu-lation. With the polarization currently existing throughout today’s world, it is not hard to see this all coming together in the near future. Just think about what the mentality of the world will be like if all true Bible-believing Christians were removed in an instant, at the rapture. Today’s world is certainly on a trajectory that is preparing the way for the global tyranny of the antichrist. These are signs of the times in which we live. Maranatha!

1 John F. Walvoord, Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis, revised (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990), p. 217.2 Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Pro-phetic Events (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Press, 1982), p. 65.

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Who is the King of the North in Daniel 11?

This individual is mentioned in Daniel 11:6, 7, 15, and 40. In various contexts he refers to several individuals: Ptolemy II (285-246 B.C.) and Seleucus II Callinicus (247-226 B.C.), Ptolemy III (246-221 B.C.), who battled Seleucus II. After the death of Alexander the Great (323 B.C.), there was continual struggle between the dynasties of the Ptolemies and Seleucids for control of Alexander’s territory that went on for centuries.

The verses in Daniel 11:6, 7, 15 prefigure the struggle against the Antichrist during the tribulation when armies from the north and south will align themselves against the Beast as recorded in Daniel 11:40-45. “And at the end time the king of the South will collide with him [Antichrist], and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships; and he will [Antichrist] will enter countries, overflow them, and pass through” (Dan. 11:40). This means that during the tribulation the Kings of the North and South will attempt a pincer movement against the Antichrist who will at that time occupy the land of Israel. Though initially successful, Antichrist will ultimately be defeated at the second coming of Jesus Christ. The King of the North does not relate to Gog’s invasion of Israel (Ezek. 28 & 39), they are different players. Maranatha!

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