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The History of The Next 25 Years
Chapter 5: Armageddon and the 10 Kings
EVENTS OF THE SEVENTH TRUMPET
In order to lay groundwork for understanding end time geo-political conditions this work will now skip forward to the timing in the Framework, as laid out in Chapter 4: to the events of the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet. It is at this timing that the geo-political structure of the world at the end time is most evident and this understanding enlightens the entire progression of events.
To begin, scriptures that give the summary sequence of these events will be given with little comment added. This listing of scriptures is very important background information for the subject at hand and therefore presented first, however the concepts of understanding end time geo-political conditions presented in this chapter begin with the subtitle: THE BATTLE OF THAT GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY and the reader may scroll to that point if this scriptural background is already understood.
Summary Sequence Scriptures of the Seventh Trumpet
Rev. 11: 15 "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."
FIRST RESURRECTION
I Cor. 15: 50-52 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
Rev. 14: 1-5 "And I looked, and, lo, a lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred fourty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. 2. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3. And they sang as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and fourty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 4. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God"
Rev. 5: 9-10 "And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10. And have made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
Rev. 20: 4-6 "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given to them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5. (But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.) This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
(What a rare and awesome calling it is to be one of the firstfruits of God!!!)
ANGEL PROCLAIMS THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL
Rev. 14: 8 "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. 7. Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgement is come: and worship him that made heaven, the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
ANGEL PROCLAIMS THE JUDGEMENT OF BABYLON
Rev. 14: 8 "And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."
Rev. 18: 8 "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the God who judges her."
SEVEN VIAL PLAGUES
Rev. 16: 2 [plague # 1] "And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth, and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image."
Rev. 16: 3 [plague # 2] "And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea."
Rev. 16: 4-6 [plague # 3] "And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of water: and they became blood. 5. And I heard the angel of the waters say, you are righteous, O Lord, which are, and was, and shall be, because you have judged thus. 6. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Rev. 16: 8-9 [plague # 4] "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun: and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which has power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory."
Rev. 16: 10-11 [plague # 5] "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds."
THE BATTLE OF THAT GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY
Take Note of the following scriptural comparisons. The scriptural evidence becomes overwhelming that these verses are describing the same events.
Rev. 16: 12-16 [plague # 6] "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go fourth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that Great Day of God Almighty ... 16. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."
Ezekiel 38: 9-10 "You shall ascend and come like a storm; you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all your bands, and many people with you. 10. Thus says the Lord God, it shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into your mind, and you shall think an evil thought."
Rev. 17: 17 "For God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."
Are not these scriptures describing the same events as Rev. 16: 12-16; i.e. an alliance being made between the Beast and these kings for the purpose of fighting the Battle of The Great Day of God Almighty? Take note of the Biblical description of the territories of the kings that fight this final battle. Also note that the 10 kings of Rev. 17: 14 are specified as the kings that fight against Christ. And take note of the timing of this final alliance!
Let us examine the Scriptural Evidence.
Affirmation of God
Rev. 16: 17 [plague # 7] "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, IT IS DONE."
Ezekiel 39: 8 "Behold, it is come, and IT IS DONE, says the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken." Many times in God's Word He uses the phrase "in that day" which is used to denote an end time prophecy of 'The Day of the Lord' which is the time of the seven trumpet blasts, and specifically in reference to the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty. This is the only scripture in His Word in which He says, "This is the day whereof I have spoken."
Rev. 19: 11-16 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war. 12. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14. and the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen white and clean. 15. And out of his mouth goes a sharp two edged sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. 16. And he has on his vesture and thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
Parade of Events:
1. Great Earthquake
Rev. 16: 18-20 "And there were voices, and thunders, and lightenings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. 19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the fierceness of his wrath. 20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found."
Zech. 14: 4-5 "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley: and half the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half toward the south."
Ezekiel 38: 19-20 "For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; 20. So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground."
Isaiah 24: 18-21 "... and the foundations of the earth do shake. 19. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 21. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth."
2. Great Hailstones, Overflowing Rain
Ezekiel 38: 22 "And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone."
Rev. 16: 21 "And there fell upon men great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: And men blasphemed God because of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great."
3. Fowls Given Feast of Flesh
Rev. 19: 17-18 "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18. That you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great,"
Ezek. 39: 4 "You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you, and all your bands, and the people that are with you: I will give you unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured."
Ezek. 39: 17-20 "And, you son of man, thus says the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves. And come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. 18. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19. And you shall eat the fat and be full, and drink blood till you be drunken, of my sacrifice that I have sacrificed for you. 20. Thus you shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots with mighty men, and with all men of war, says the Lord God."
4.The Day of Israel's Reconciliation Forever to God
There are many events of The Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty that correspond to the events described in Ezekiel 38-39 that show these are the same events. There are other implications in God's Word that add considerably to this. Though this work has not yet laid out the details of the templates discussed in chapter four, and though the template of how the fulfillment of the Holy Days of God overlay these events will be discussed in later chapters; a summation particularly of the Day of Atonement will be given here:
Lev. 16: 30 "For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD."
Ezek. 36: 25 "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you."
Ezek. 36: 33 "Thus says the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built.
Ezek. 39: 22 "So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward." (Note: That day is the day of the battle and forward; there can only be one such event)
Psalm 131: 3 "Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and forever." (This is the same event. Note: More will be given on the template of the Psalms of Degrees and how these Psalms overlay the Framework and Holy Days in Chapter 8, The Remnant of Israel.)
5. The Binding of Satan
(Pictured by the Azazel goat of Atonement)
Lev. 16: 21-22 "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness."
Rev. 20: 1-3 "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Isaiah 24: 18-21 "... and the foundations of the earth do shake. 19. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 21. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones on high, (Satan) and the kings of the earth upon the earth."
The multiple evidences of the scriptures show correlation not only of events of the battle, but also of the repentance and reestablishment of Israel by God at the same time. This topic will be covered in much greater detail in Chapter 8 entitled The Remnant of Israel. It is instructive to understand that purposes of God in events are far more multi-faceted than man typically imagines, and God's Word forms a 'fabric' of many threads.
Consider: Who are these massive armies coming against and why? Zech. 14: 4-5 "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley: ... 5. And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains;" Just who is at that location at that time who will need to be rescued and provided with an avenue to flee?
Ezek. 38: 11-12 "And you (the armies) shall say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, 12. To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn your hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land."
Remember, the above verse is in the same context as the day of the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty, and at the timing of the seventh vial plague. The firstfruits have already been resurrected, and yet there are people already established in the land of Israel that " have gotten cattle and goods." After the desolation of the Trumpet Plagues and the Vial Plagues, food will be in extreme short supply. With the chapter The Remnant of Israel prophecies that show a harvest in the land of Israel, even during this Day of the Lord setting, will be shown.
So how does the foregoing information give understanding of end-time geopolitical structure? Let us examine.
End-Time World Geopolitical Structure
Daniel chapter 2 contains an amazing prophecy in which God makes known by a great image of a man the sequence of great world ruling empires from the Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar, to the Persian Empire, to the Grecian Empire, to the Roman Empire, the separation of the Roman empire into two 'legs' and finally down to the feet and toes which depicts the end time structure.
We will pick up the sequence of the structure at the end time depicted in Dan. 2: 41 "And whereas you saw feet and toes, part of potters clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. 42. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43. And whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay."
Dan. 2: 44 defines the timing in which the feet and toes exist: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45. Forasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."
Notice that the ten toes are the final kings which represent the residual governments of this world. Notice also that these two feet and ten toes are destroyed by the stone (which typifies Christ). See also Dan. 2: 34-35
This same structure of ten kings at the end of this age is also revealed in Rev 17. Here we see a beast that has seven heads and ten horns. The Bible gives the meaning of its own symbolism. Let's see the Bible's interpretation: Rev. 17: 9 "And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits." (This type of phrase is emphasizing what is being said as if to say 'Here is the Key to the wisdom God is revealing here". Take care to notice this key; "The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.")
A mountain in prophecy is equal to a government. A woman in prophetic terms refers to a church. The woman in these chapters is depicted as a great whore (verse 2) or great False Church; which controls 'peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues' (verse 15) and specifically the great city from whence she reigns (verse 18). It is important to notice the distinction of 'mountains' or governments and 'kings,' the rulers of the governments.
Continuing:
Verse 10. "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space."
Notice the specific time frame of verse 10. It was written to be understood at one precise time in the sequence of events which in fact it was by God's servant Herbert W. Armstrong during the time of World War II and the Hitler/ Mussolini Third Reich. In the current time frame, six of these kings are fallen. This verse confirms that these events are sequential.
There is yet one final king that will soon come to power.
Verse 11. "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition." We will get back to this verse later in this chapter and apply the Key we are given.
Verse 12. "And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful."
Consider the facts of your Bible:
Ten Kings fight Christ at His Coming
The 10 kings of Rev. 17: 14 fight Christ at His coming.
Christ overcomes them; same verse.
The Stone of Daniel 2: 34 strikes the feet and ten toes (picturing ten kings) destroying the image.
The Kings of Rev. 16: 14 gather to the battle of that Great Day of God Almighty. (Which is the battle when Christ returns)
Rev. 16: 2 identifies at least some of these kings as Kings of the East; (East of the Euphrates River), and verse 14 describes these kings as, "kings of the earth and the whole world".
The Ten Kings Make an Alliance with the Beast
An alliance is made at the sixth vial plague between the Beast, False Prophet, and "Kings of the East ... and the whole earth". Rev. 16: 12-14
The 10 kings of Rev. 17: 12-13 "receive power as kings one hour with the beast."
Rev. 17: 13 "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."
The Ten Kings Destroy the Great Whore
Rev. 17:16 "And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."
What the ten horns destroy is: Rev. 17: 18 "And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."
The timing of the destruction of this great city seems to be during the apparent nuclear exchange at the sounding of the Sixth Trumpet described in Rev. 9: 13-21 and accompanied by the 200 million man army associated traditionally with Asiatic nations.
One might also notice that the proclamation by the angel in Rev. 14: 8 given at the timing of the first resurrection and the Seventh trumpet uses past tense: "And there followed another angel saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."
There is much scriptural evidence that the events of the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty are the same events described in Ezekiel 38-39. As this is the case, the ten kings that give their power to the Beast, and fight Christ at His coming, are the Kings described to do such in Rev. 16, and are the kings, and of the nations and peoples described in Ezekiel 38.
Notice the Biblical listing of who these are:
Ezek. 38: 2 "Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3. And say, Thus says the Lord God; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:"
Verse 5 "Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6. Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with you."
The following excerpt from the booklet The Middle East in Prophecy by Richard F. Ames, gives information about the identities of these nations and peoples.
"Most biblical scholars identify these peoples as those from northern Russia. Wilhelm Gesenius, a 19th century Hebrew scholar, noted that the city of Moscow is derived from the Hebrew name Meshech. Ezekiel continues: "Thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops; many people are with you'" (vv. 3–6).
Notice that the house of Togarmah is from the far north, that is, north of the Holy Land. When you look at a map, Russia is in the far north. Who will join Russia? Persia is mentioned. Most scholars agree that Persia is modern-day Iran. The Hebrew word for Ethiopia is Cush, the eastern branch of which has sometimes been identified with India. The Hebrew word for Libya is Put (Put was the third son of Ham, according to Genesis 10:6), whose eastern branch, like Cush, is also identified with India. Magog is identified with the Mongols and Gomer with Indochina. Togarmah is most likely identified with Siberia.
We can generally agree on the identity of these peoples mentioned in Ezekiel 38. And Bible prophecy shows that these armies certainly will eventually enter the Middle East."
The Assyrian Beast Power will also form a part of the final alliance.
This overview of the final alliance that fights the battle of the Great Day of God Almighty will greatly aid in the understanding of end time geopolitical dynamics.
The Duality of Prophesies of Gog and Magog
Students of prophecy may voice the objection, "Doesn't Rev. 20: 7-10 clearly place the battle with Gog and Magog at the conclusion of the one thousand year millenial period of Christ's reign?"
The answer is: The events described in Rev. 20: 7-10 are the final fulfillment of dual prophecies of Gog and Magog. Prophecy is very often given with an initial fulfillment and a later final fulfillment. There are many examples of this principle in God's word. Such is the case for the prophecies concerning Gog and Magog. There are similarities and reasons God refers to both instances by the same name; but there are also distinct differences that show them to be dual fulfillment of prophecy.
First, let's examine the similarities.
The first three verses of Rev. 20 describe an event at the immediate conclusion of The Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty: "1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."
It is Satan's deception that instigates the kings of the earth to fight Christ at His return. It will also be Satan that goes forth at his release from the bottomless pit at the end of the millennial period and will once again deceive the nations to fight against Christ and His Saints. Compare: Rev. 16: 13-14 with Rev. 20: 7 "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea."
Satan is bound and isolated from humanity at the conclusion of both events; an event pictured by the Azazel goat being taken into the wilderness by the hand of a fit man on the Day of Atonement. Compare: Lev. 16: 21-22 "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness;" Rev. 20: 1-3 (quoted above); and Rev. 20: 10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
Both events represent desperate attempts instigated by Satan to overthrow Christ's government. The origin of the deception and the intended result of the wars are the same. The resulting banishment of Satan from access to deceive the nations is also common to both.
Now let's examine the distinct differences in the fulfillment of these events:
Distinct difference in manner of death / disposal of remains
The armies of the event specifically placed at the expiration of the thousand year millennial period are devoured by fire from God out of heaven. There is no mention of remains, blood, or need for burial. This makes sense because the next immediate event is the second resurrection and the Great White Throne Judgment. It would not make sense that the people of the world, having just been resurrected should immediately be faced with the task of burying the dead bodies for seven months. See Ezekiel 39: 11-12 below.
The destruction of the armies of Ezek. 38-39 are described as: Ezek. 38: 21-22 "And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, says the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother. 22. And I will plead against him with pestilence, and with blood; and I will rain upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone."
The description of the 'pestilence' mentioned here can be found in Zech. 14: 12 "And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."
Zech. 14: 13 confirms that every man would raise his sword against his brother and makes one more definite tie with the day of the battle and the events of Ezekiel 38:21. Zech. 14: 13 "And it shall come to pass, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor."
The dead bodies are given to the fowls of the air to feast on. See Ezek. 39: 4; Ezek. 39: 17-20; Rev. 19:17-18.
What remains of the bodies will be buried over a period of seven months: Ezek. 39: 11-12 "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog. 12. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land."
Men of 'continual employment' are secured to continue to bury men's bones after the initial seven month period. This alone proves this does not occur at the timing of the second resurrection when all, small and great are resurrected at the Great White Throne Judgement. Ezek. 39: 14-16 "And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: and after the end of seven months shall they search. 15. And the passengers that pass through the land, when any sees a man's bones, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. 16. And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land."
There is no mention of any earthquake in the Rev. 20 events.
Another idea that has been presented, recognizing that the prophecies of God and Magog are dual, is that the initial battle takes place some time in the early years of Christ's millennial rule after Israel has been reestablished and rebuilt. This comes from misunderstanding Ezekiel 38: 11 and the timing of the initial remnant of Israel's reestablishment in the land, i.e. the 'time of unwalled villages'. This topic will be discussed in depth in Chapter 8, The Remnant of Israel, 144,000, and The Elijah. It is worth noting however that as Ezek. 38: 20 says, in the great earthquake that happens on the day of the battle, "every wall shall fall to the ground." Does it make sense that Christ would allow rebuilding for several years only to be destroyed in the earthquake?
THE EIGHT GOVERNMENT
Remember the Key of wisdom God gives to unlock understanding of these prophecies?
Rev. 17: 9 "And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits."
Then comes the verse that reveals that's its understanding would be at a specific unique time and reveals these events to be sequential: Vere 10 "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space."
So we now understand that there will be a seventh king ruling a seventh government which is represented by the seventh head of the Beast the Whore rides (or controls); 'which when he comes must continue for a short space.' The duration of this time called 'a short space' is defined in Rev. 13:5 "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."
It can be shown by many scriptures that this time of continuing ends at the Seventh Trumpet blast with the announcement of Rev. 11: 15 "... and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."
Immediately prior to the seventh trumpet sounding another event happens: Rev. 17: 16 "And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." What the ten horns destroy is: Rev. 17: 18 "And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."
The timing of the destruction of this great city seems to be during the apparent nuclear exchange at the sounding of the Sixth Trumpet described in Rev. 9: 13-21 and accompanied by the 200 million man army associated traditionally with Asiatic nations.
This means the Whore is not riding the Beast from the time of the destruction forward. And yet there is this final coalition of Kings under a final governmental alliance with the Beast (and the False Prophet) that fight The Battle of That Great Day of God Almighty. How does God describe this final Rogue Government?
Rev. 17: 11 "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition."
Notice what this scripture is actually saying. Here is a beast described as "the eighth". Traditional understanding has been that if one includes the Original Roman Empire with the later successive 'heads' of the Holy Roman Empire that the woman actually rode it would make this last one also the eighth. The problem is that Rev. 17 is a dynamically sequential prophecy. There is no mention or reference in this chapter to the original Roman Empire as there is in other prophecies. It simply isn't part of the context of this chapter. Understanding this scripture in that traditional sense does not add to the information given. It is the author's belief that God gives important information in every phrase of His Word, and there is no superfluous verse.
Now, let's apply the Key that God gives: The beast is 'of the seven' kings that ruled the governments on which the woman sits. (This alone precludes the original Roman Empire) Obviously since six of these have passed and are no longer alive, this 'eighth' is the seventh king. The words of the verse, "even he" is a doubling of the emphasis on the personal pronoun; for instance he himself, showing this to be refering to the seventh king himself. And then, the verse continues: "even he is the eighth". So what does this actually tell us? Using the key that the seven heads are seven governments on which the woman rides, the eighth would be a government on which the woman is not riding. Why? Simply because this government or alliance will occur after the destruction of 'the Great City'. Which is exactly what God's word lays out. As for the terms of the verse "was" ("power was given him to continue forty and two months"), "and is not" (The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" his is now a rogue illegitimate government), "and goes into perdition" (perdition means destruction).
This destruction of the Beast himself is described in Rev. 19: 19-20 "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake burning with brimstone."
See also Daniel 7: 11, Daniel 11:45, Psalm 149: 5-9, and Isaiah 24: 21.
The Ten Horns on the Beast that the Woman Rides
So how can we understand the horns as part of the Beast that the woman rides? A detailed description will be covered in Chapter 9, The Rise and Nature of the Seventh Emperor, however the answer is very summarily covered by one verse.
Rev. 17: 12 "And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; (During the time the woman rides the beast) but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."
During the time the woman is riding the beast; i.e. the time of the seventh head, these ten kings have received no kingdom as yet. They are however under her control and reign as Chapter 9 will point out.
In that chapter we will examine how God's Word defines the Nature of the Seventh Head, and the coalescing of geopolitical structure of the end time from the beginning of the sequence of events.
Only God can hide understanding written in plain language and in plain view for thousands of years and then open understanding when He decides it is time and as it fits His purpose! And that is precisely His point! It is His Word that will withstand all tests and prove true.
God has set His Church and servants as Watchmen to announce His coming rebuke for the abominations of our nations and peoples; to call for repentance; and to give knowledge of escape, and of His Salvation. Amos 3: 7 "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets." From the beginning of man, God has revealed His Word and prophesies to His prophets.
In fact His Word was written through the inspiration of multiple dozens of men, some of whom did not know the meaning of the things they were given to write; over thousands of years, from a complete range of physical circumstances, cultures, and governments and empires of men; and yet there is a consistancy of theme and precision of fulfillment that proves beyond a doubt that it is the Word of God.
It has been a little over nineteen hundred years since God gave the final framework of prophecy to Christ, who in turn gave it to His servants. Rev. 1: 1 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:"
Though the Book of Revelation was not sealed, much of this prophecy would not have been understood by even God's own church for many hundreds of years. They were given information, but the understanding would come as God opened it up to them and by their process of 'watching'.
Though the initial beginnings of False Christianity were prevalent by the end of the first century, the great false church, pictured by the Whore riding the Beast of Revelation 17, could not have been understood because it did not begin to happen until the early part of the fourth century. It is through the process of 'watching' events (current or historical) and comparing them to the prophecies of God's word, that understanding has been opened. By examining history over the last seventeen hundred years, we can now clearly see a Great Church that has successively reigned over six world affecting governments of men.
Previously in this chapter Rev. 17: 10 was noted as containing a very specific time frame for its understanding: "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space."
Notice again the specific time frame. It was written to be understood at one precise time in the sequence of events, which in fact it was by God's servant Herbert W. Armstrong during the time of World War II and the Hitler/ Mussolini Third Reich. In the current time frame, six of these kings are fallen. It was by the process of study of God's Word, watching current events and a knowledge of history (an important part of watching), and by God's inspiration, that opened the understanding to Mr. Armstrong. With the understanding that the sixth government had fallen, Mr. Armstrong could confidently proclaim that Germany, the modern day descendants of ancient Assyria, would rise again as the seventh government.
God's faithful church and especially the Living Church of God branch has continued proclaiming the events coming soon on this world. You can find this to be true at http://tomorrowsworld.org
God, on His part, continues to open understanding to His servants.
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