by Guy C. LaMar & Leonard V. Johnson
Here are things to ‘Watch’ for in the near future.
In the Books of Mark and Luke, the Lord Jesus Christ tells His followers to ‘Watch’ world events that will proceed His Second Coming:
“ … ‘Tell us, when will these things be? …’”
The utter destruction of the temple came approximately forty years later after these words of our Lord Jesus, “ …’ Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’”
They continued, “ …’ And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?’”
“And Jesus answered them, began to say: ‘Take heed than no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ [saying that Jesus was the Christos, the Messiah] and will deceive many.’”
Now certainly, we can look around our lands and – without naming names – we understand that that’s a prophecy that has surely come true. There are a lot of people who have been utterly deceived about who Jesus Christ really was, what He stood for, and what was His teachings and His doctrines.
He continues, “’ But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.’”
In the Book of Luke we hear the word “commotions,” ‘you’ll hear of wars and commotions.’
And then He goes on in verse 8 of Mark 13 – “’ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.’”
Now, we have often wondered, and we tend to believe, that this reference ‘kingdom against kingdom’ might very well be what was prophesied in the Book of Daniel. ‘The final kingdom of the North,’ and ‘the final kingdom of the South.’
- Europe will work to reorganize – a final Holy Roman Empire.
- European nations begin the reparation of their gold.
- Steps are taken towards the formation of the final ‘king of the South’ – an Islamic federation alliance of nations.
- A final United States of Europe – a ten-nation combine (see Rev. 17:12) – will have a ‘great army’ (Daniel 11:9-10).
- The US dollar and US dominance will decrease.
- US debt will continue to increase.
- The rising trend of a ‘no cash’ society will increase, eventually, the United States of America will become a whole cashless society.
“’ And there will be earthquakes in various places, …’”
Certainly, earthquakes which will cause utter devastation.
“ …’famines and troubles.’”
- Weather sorrows and troubles around the world.
But, He adds, “’ These are the beginnings of sorrows.’”
Because there are even more things to happen after this!
Our Lord Jesus continued – and this is not just a WARNING for His end-time prophets, but also for all His saints –
“’ But WATCH out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues [and in their churches]. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.’ …
‘Now brother will betray brother to death, and father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.’”
- Scoffers in the last days.
Here our Lord Jesus is not just speaking of the people of this world, He is also speaking about many of our own so-called brethren who will literally turn on each other. Notice this from the apostle Paul –
“For you, brethren, … if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” – Galatians 5:13, 15.
- The continuing of civil unrest, terror, and the dividing of the United States of America.
- Trade wars will continue.
- Morality prophecies fulfilled.
- The continuation of news media and other Internet censorship continues causing complete deafness of hearing the word of God (see Amos 8:11-12).
- Jews in Jerusalem will get government authorization to begin animal sacrificing.
“ … ‘And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.’”
So here begins – possibly twelve end-time prophets – a mission and power from God the Father and Jesus Christ to begin prophesying – testifying - to kings, to world rulers, to the captured (and even subjugated) elect of God, to a great religious leader and political leader – standing before the god of the earth (Satan the devil) – WARNING for 3 ½ years!
- The fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 and Matthew 28:19-20.
Our Lord Jesus continues, “’ So when you see, the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not’ (let the reader understand), ‘then let those who are in JUDEA flee to the mountains.’”
We can turn to the Book of Daniel to help us understand just what Jesus is saying in this two-fold prophecy -
“’ So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.” – Daniel 11:30-31.
In approximately 168 BC, the Hellenistic King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, enraged, attacked Jerusalem and executed many Jews! He outlawed Jewish religious rites and sacrifices kept by observant Jews and ordered the worship of Zeus as the supreme god. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed, many were slaughtered, and Antiochus established a military Greek citadel.
The apostle Luke had added, “’ But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its destruction is near.’”
The nations which surround Jerusalem today are – Iran, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey.
The armies of:
- Iran - In terms of overall military strength, the Iranian armed forces rank 14th in the world out of 137 countries that are ranked in 2019. With some 523,000 active-duty forces and another 350,000 reserves, Iran has the largest standing military in the Middle East. 1
- Syria - Syrian Arab Republic military size for 2018 was 257,500.00, a 7.74% increase from 2017. 2
- Jordan - Jordan's military size for 2018 was 101,500.00, a 12.5% decline from 2017. (ibid).
- Iraq, as in the Afghan Taliban - The Taliban has been gaining territory and is now stronger than ever since the start of the war. Its manpower has also been expanding. Estimates given by US officials have risen from 20,000 fighters a few years ago to 60,000 in 2018. 3
- Egypt - As of 2020, the army has an estimated strength of 340,000 of which approximately 120,000-200,000 are professionals and the rest conscripts. 4
- Turkey - Turkey's military size for 2018 was 512,200.00, a 0.04% increase from 2017. 5
And we are talking about Islamic nations which are surrounding Jerusalem!
According to some surveys, almost all of Iran's 82,000,000 people are Muslim, with 90% of those being Shi'a, almost all of these from the Twelver sect. The largest religious group in Syria is Sunni Muslims, who make up about 74% of the population. Islam is the official and largest religion in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan. The vast majority of Jordan’s population, about 97.2%, adhere to Islam. In Iraq, 95–99% of the population are Muslims. Islam is the dominant religion in Egypt with around an estimated 90.3% of the population. In Turkey, population in 2021 is 85,042,738, with 99.20% Muslim.
- A seven-year peace deal will be implemented in the Middle East.
“Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week [after 3½ years] He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” – Daniel 9:27.
“And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, …” – Daniel 9:27b.
The apostle John prophesied of this “one” –
“Then I stood on the sand of the sea [speaking of the Mediterranean Sea]. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name …” [the blasphemous name, 666 – as in ROMULUS, the first king of Rome and it was after him that the city of Rome and later the Roman Empire was named. The Greek name for Romulus was LATEINOS. All citizens are called ROMANS.
L = 30
A = 1
T = 300
E = 5
I = 10
N = 50
O = 70
S = 200
______
666
The apostle Paul, also, speaks of this “one” –
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away [recall what our Lord Jesus Christ said in Mark 13:9, 12], and THE MAN OF SIN is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.
“ … So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’
“And he was given a mouth [the Roman Catholic Church] speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months [3½ years]. … Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon [a Catholic pope]. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, … He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven [the atmosphere] on the earth by those signs … telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast … He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”
Do you recall the past “Holy Inquisitions”!? A group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy. It happened before. It will happen again.
“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and [bond], 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 [one who has converted to Catholicism. You will have to make a conscious choice to receive it] …”
The False Prophet will make the worship of the beast almost irresistible. You will be promised protection, eternal life, peace, and prosperity if you worship the being who claims to be God and receive his special mark. People will line up to get it!
- The time of the Gentiles will lead to Armageddon.
- The Red Horse of WAR!
“’ Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath [the Day of the Lord] has been accomplished; … He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women [possibly he will be a homosexual], nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.’”
“’ Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god [speaking here of the United States of America, the UK and her Commonwealth nations, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand], which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.’”
“’ At the time of the end the king of the North shall attack him; …’” – here speaking of this Islamic federation alliance of nations.
“… ‘and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, … and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. … But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.’”
The apostle John mentions these ‘kings from the east’ –
“Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.” - Revelation 16:12.
So here’s another whole group of people! Think the nations of the Far East – Japan, China, Korea.
Mighty powerful prophetic Scriptures (as in the books of 2nd Timothy, Habakkuk, Amos, Daniel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Romans, Revelation, Isaiah, 2nd Corinthians, and Psalm), including those Scriptures which must be fulfilled before the beginning of the ‘great tribulation,’ as well as others that also need to be fulfilled before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ – which are very POSSIBLY in the works right before our eyes!
So, ask yourself these IMPORTANT questions:
- When will the ‘great tribulation’ begin!?
Will it begin in 2021, 2022, 2023, or so far away in the future that no human alive will be around!? Or, could the ‘great tribulation’ begin today!?
- What occurs before the ‘great tribulation’ during the “beginning of sorrows”!?
- What occurs during the ‘great tribulation’ also called the ‘Day of the Lord’!? Is this the ‘time of the Gentiles’!?
- When is the earliest that the ‘great tribulation’ can begin!?
- What is the ‘Day of the Lord’!?
- Who are the 144,000!?
Certainly, COVID-19 and its variants are NOT the end of the world, but could this nearly worldwide pandemic be THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!? Obviously, the novel virus called COVID-19, or rather the China Virus, or as I call it, the Fauci Virus, is wreaking havoc all around the world.
So, the above is certainly things which we should be ‘watching’ for and studying on.
This world has NEVER seen things as it is now seeing! □
Bibliography
1) “Persian Might: How Strong Is Iran’s Military?” RadioFreeEuropeRadioLiberty, 09 Jan. 2020. https://www.rferl.org/a/persian-might-a-look-at-tehran-s-military-capability-amid-the-u-s--iranian-conflict/30368967.html. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
2) “Syrian Arab Republic Military Size 1985-2021” macotreds. https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/SYR/syrian-arab-republic/military-army-size. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
3) “The US is greatly downplaying the size of the Afghan Taliban” TRTWorld. 7 Jan 2019. https://www.trtworld.com/asia/the-us-is-greatly-downplaying-the-size-of-the-afghan-taliban-23152. Retrieved 15 Aug 2021.
4) “Egyptian Army” Wikipedia.com. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
5) “Turkey Military Size 1985-2021” macrotreds. https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/TUR/turkey/military-army-size. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO STUDY
A Book of the Past - And the Future - Greetings friends around the world! I welcome you Vienna, Austria, Singapore, Croatia, the Philippines, as well as the United States of America. Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries! I’m your servant Leonard V. Johnson.
The Two Witnesses - In the Book of Revelation sometimes it talks about 1,260 days, sometimes it talks about ‘time, times, and half-a-time’ - 3½ years. And, ‘forty-two months’ is 3½ years.
The MARK of the BEAST (PDF)
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The Day of the Lord - Part II - During the evening hours of Tuesday, January 12th, 2010, we began to hear reports [...]
'Tell My People Their Sins' SERMON
"The Day of the LORD" Part I SERMON
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