Even if in our days most people believe that the world will go on
until when, in a remote future, a great cataclysm causes the destruction of the
planet, history reveals a surprising amount of doomsday predictions, proclaimed
by spontaneous prophets, churchmen, astronomers, mathematicians and science men,
who inspired by unusual cosmic events, or important social changes and turbulent
disorders, develop a personal interpretation of the situation and even of some
Scripture fragment, and in their search of prominence, do not hesitate to seduce
others with the purpose of gathering their own followers. (Click here to consult list)
Failed predictions bring confusion, but also cause skepticism about
the prophecies and promises of Scripture. Today, most people are refractory to
any prediction regarding religion, and since the Bible contains so much
prophetic revelation, some consider it as a source of fanciful statements, even
if so many of its prophecies proved to be fully reliable, as those about the
fate of some ancient nations, or those about the birth place of the Messiah, the
time of the beginning of his preaching, the events of his life and the
circumstances of his death, and also the prophecies of Jesus about the
destruction of Jerusalem.
However, there are still many prophecies to be fulfilled, as that of
the words of Jesus to his disciples, when on the Mount of
Olives, they asked him: Tell us
what will be the sign of your coming
and of the end of the
world? (Matthew
24:3)
2 In answer, Jesus spoke about the signs that would precede his return,
and said for his disciples of all times: Take heed that
you are not deceived, for many will come in my name saying... the time is near. Do not follow them! (Luke 21:8) For as the lightning comes from the east and shines up to
the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man. (Matthew 24:27 and Luke 17:24) To avoid being misled by
wrong predictions, all who believe in the words of Jesus must seek to discern
the signs of the time he described, keeping in mind his warning; for he said:
If anybody tells you: «Behold! Christ is here», or «Behold! He is there», do not believe it, because false
anointed (christs) and false prophets shall
rise and perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the
elect. (Mark 13:21...23) If the moment of the return of
Christ and of the end of this world could be calculated, Jesus would not have
said: As for that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son; only the
Father, (Matthew
24:3) but then I
will come like a thief, and you will not
know when I come. (Revelation 3:3)
3 In regard to the return of Jesus, Paul writes: Christ, having offered himself once forever to abolish the
sins of many, will manifest a second
time, and not about sin, but for those who expect him, to be saved. (Hebrews 9:28)
The return of Christ is a true and comforting event that Paul calls
it the happy expectation, (Titus 2:13) because it does not mean
the end of all things, but the beginning of a new world under the rule of the
Son of God. However, the systematic reports of date for his return and of
doomsday, together with the rise of countless religious sects, really favor the
much desired confusion by those that Paul calls the
evil spiritual forces which dwell in the heavenly regions; (Ephesians 6:12) and from this
viewpoint, the improvised religious prophets really disguise themselves as apostles of Christ, just as
Satan disguises himself as an angel of light,
(2Corinthians 11:13...14) and their vain foretelling gives
way to the derision predicted by Peter when he writes: Know first, that in the last days shall come scoffers, of
those who walk according to their own desires, and they will say: Where is the promised presence of Him?
Because from the day our ancestors died, everything goes on as in the beginning
of creation. (2 Peter
3:3...4) Faced with so many
lies, most people behave like the shepherds of Aesop's fable, who got used to
the frequent cries for help of one of them who shouted to the wolf! for joke,
so when the wolf really came, all of them ignored him and lost their
sheep.
Chapter 2
4 These are two declarations of the self-proclaimed prophets, which
are opposed to Scripture:
Before the end of the world the Antichrist will come.
Christ is already reigning over the Earth, but his presence is
invisible.
Antichrist and Apostasy: In regard to the appearance
or the rise of the Antichrist, here are some common wrong interpretations
found on the Internet:
«Who will precede the second coming of
Jesus? It will be preceded by the Antichrist, which is to be
revealed»
«The more significant event preceding
the return of Jesus will be the appearance of the
Antichrist»
«It was later clarified by his
disciples, that the reappearance of Jesus was to be preceded by a mysterious
figure, an emissary of Satan, who would lead the fight against the Messiah and
his followers, and for this reason was called
Antichrist»
«Continuing our consideration to try to
understand what possible future awaits the world in the coming years, we will
stop briefly in a thesis, now quite debated among the experts in prophetic
revelations, which would consider near the time of the Antichrist and the return
of Christ»
We also find in one Bible version, a subtitle added on the
2nd chapter of the second letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, which
says: «The return of Christ will be preceded by the
manifestation of the Antichrist».
There is also who understands the word Antichrist as before Christ, taking the prefix
anti con ante or against as ante or before. On the Greek text we
read ἀντίχριστος (antichristos), a word composed by ἀντί (anti), meaning opposition, and χριστος (christos) or anointed.
Furthermore, some identify wrongly the Antichrist with the symbolic
wild beast of Revelation, but this is impossible, not only because of the time
of its manifestation, also because of the fact that the beast represents an
absolute power, united by a single thought and purpose, while the members of
Antichrist are many and self-directed, following their own interpretations and
doctrines.
5 Both Paul and John, deny the interpretation of those who want to
place the rise of the Antichrist in a time close to Christs return; Paul
writes: This unknown offender is already at work, but as soon
as that which retains him is
removed, then will be revealed the offender, which the Lord shall declare
spiritually dead and will
annihilate at the time of the manifestation of his presence.
(2Thessalonians 2:7...8)
The Apostle wrote these words around 65 AD, so in his day, the Antichrist that he calls unknown offender, was already secretly at work, but could not have the chance to take hold
until what stopped him was withdrawn, that is, until all the apostles of Christ
with their authority over doctrine, were dead. Besides, when Paul says that the
Lord would declare him spiritually dead, and that he would destroy him at his return,
predicts that the Antichrist would remain active for a very long
period.
In harmony with the words of Paul, John wrote: Dear sons, this is the last hour; and as you heard that the Antichrist must come, many antichrists have already appeared,
by this we know that this is the last hour. They came up from us, but they are not
of us, (1John 2:18...19) So the coming of the antichrist is
by no means restricted to a short time before Christs return, for in the days
of the apostles there already were many
Antichrists, whose only obstacle was the apostolic
authority.
Paul calls them superlative apostles, (2Corinthians 11:5) and writes to the
congregations: I am afraid may be that as the serpent
deceived Eve through his cunning, your thoughts might be led astray from the
sincerity and the purity in regard of Christ, because when someone comes and
preaches another Jesus of he who we preach, or about receiving a different
spirit from the one you received, and accept a different gospel of that you have
accepted, you listen willingly. (2Corinthians 11:3...4)
6 The way taught by Jesus to his disciples is simple, they ought to
walk by faith, not by sight. (2Corinthians 5:7) After the New
Covenant, holocaust and temples were no longer needed; honoring God's name only
required a deep desire to do His will; and this means to become familiar with
His will and purpose, to follow the way of Jesus, and to put faith in His
promises and in His redemption through Christ.
But some who considered themselves superior to the apostles in
education, wanted to interpret the simple apostolic doctrine through the
philosophy and mysticism present in the cults of the nations, disregarding the
guide of whom at Pentecost, had received from God His holy spirit, as an
acknowledgement of authority and truthfulness.
The death of the apostles made possible the rise of the Antichrist,
which Paul calls the adversary who exalts himself over anything considered
divine or object of reverence, and taking seat in a divine place, holds divinity. (2Thessalonians 2:4) The apostle had already warned the
disciples about his works, saying: do not be
confused ... by statements allegedly inspired or by any letter attributed to
us, which says that the Day of the
Lord is imminent ... because it cannot arrive before apostasy before the manifestation of
the man of sin, the son of destruction, the adversary... (2Thessalonians 2:2...3)
After three centuries, the Antichrist or Apostasy had taken seat in a
divine place, and the apostolic teaching had been obscured and adulterated by
the concepts espoused in Christianity. So when John wrote: this is the last hour, it really was the last hour
for the genuine Christian congregation, which after many persecutions, descended
symbolically into Hades or grave. However, Jesus said: the gates of Hades will not prevail against it, (Matthew 16:18) because he will raise it
up at the time of the manifestation of his
presence, which as Scripture says, will be preceded by an Elijah who must come to
restore all things. (Matthew
17:11)
7 What is the meaning of the word apostasy?
The Greek combined word ἀπoστασία (apostasy), comes from απο, (apo) meaning distant, aloof, out of..., and from
στασις (stasis) meaning position or situation. In the Greek world, this
word meant to take distance or to separate.
In a restricted sense, it is used to refer to a change of opinion or
belief, in particular, to the rejection or criticism of the own religious
doctrine.
The writers of the New Testament identify as apostasy any religious doctrine opposed or strange
to Scripture, even when endorsed by tradition. It is therefore clear that
the Apostasy or Antichrist integrates all those of whom Paul writes: The time is coming when they (the Christian disciples)
will no longer
endure sound teaching, and according to
their own desires, will surround themselves with teachers to hear what pleases
them. They will no longer listen to the
truth and shall turn aside to false stories. (2Timothy 4:3...4)
8 In harmony with these words, we read: many
deceivers have come out to the world, which
do not acknowledge publicly that Jesus
came in the flesh. This is
the Deceiver and the Antichrist. (2 John 1:7)
In what sense does the Antichrist deny that Jesus came in the
flesh?
Here are the philosophical theories concerning the nature or flesh
of Jesus, sustained by Christendom:
♦ Docetism emerged
towards the end of the apostolic age
and developed after the death of the apostles. It was a Christological doctrine
concerning the nature of Christ. Its name comes from the Greek verb
δοκεῖν (dokein), which means to
seem or to have an appearance of, because it claimed that Christ's flesh was pure appearance as
that of a specter or a ghost, and held that the suffering and humanity of Jesus
were not real but apparent, since he
only was God. (Jesus was not human)
Among the main docetites were Simon Magus, Basilides, Valentinus and
Marcion.
♦ Apollinarianism
held that Jesus was not fully human, but he was God. (Jesus was not human)
♦ Nestorianism stated
that Jesus was both God and man
because he was two beings joined
together. (Jesus had two natures at once, so he
was not really human)
♦ Bishops Eutyches and
Dioscorus, claimed that Jesus was both God and
man, but that they made up a
single being, and his humanity was
absorbed in the divinity. (Jesus had two
natures at once, so he was not really human)
♦ Monophysitism
(from the Greek μόνος, monos or one, and φύσις, physis or nature) is the term used in the Catholic theology and
in Western historiography, to indicate the type of Christology formulated by the
Patriarch of Constantinople Eutyches, who stated that Jesus' human nature was
absorbed by the divine, so that he was
only present in the divine nature. (Jesus was
not really human)
♦ 325 The Council of Nicaea established that
Jesus was both God and man. (Jesus had two natures at once, so he was not really
human)
♦ 451 The Council of Chalcedon established
that there were two natures in
Jesus, one human and one divine, united in one only divine person.
(Jesus had two natures at once, so he was not
really human)
♦ The Catholic
Christology recognizes in the person of Jesus the two natures, human and divine, as defined
dogmatically in the Nicene Creed, which is the result of the development of the
early ecumenical councils, principally the Council of Chalcedon. They decided
that in Jesus, the divine nature and the
human nature are united in the one person of the Word, which already
existed, therefore, not in a moral-accidental union, but in a
physical-substantial (hypostatic union) on the person. (The same theory of the two natures at once, but expressed
in a more ambiguous and complicated way. It really denies that Jesus was a man
like his brethren, because no man has two natures.)
This is the Christology currently accepted by the Catholic Church,
the Orthodox Church and many Protestant churches.
Chapter 3
The man Jesus Christ
9 The much controverted philosophical theories adopted by Christendom
in the course of the four centuries that followed the death of the apostles,
misrepresented the true nature of God's mediator, depriving of sense the value
of his redemption.
But which was the apostolic teaching about the nature of
Jesus?
Paul writes: For God, there is only one mediator between Him and
mankind, the man Jesus
Christ, who at the established time, gave himself as a ransom for
all. (1Timothy 2: 5...6) Jesus is
not in care of angels but of the progeny of Abraham, for this reason he had to be like his brothers in all
aspects, to become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things
pertaining to God, and able to expiate the sins of the people. And precisely
because he suffered in person and was
put to trial, he is qualified to
help those who are being tried. (Hebrews 2:16...18)
Another important fact is that Jesus was born as a Jew, and therefore
was circumcised and bound to obey the Law given to Moses, that remained in force
until the New Covenant. He himself declared: Do not
think that I came to abolish the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. Verily I say to you:
until heaven and earth shall pass away, not even an iota (the smallest
letter of the Greek alphabet) or a bit of the Law
shall pass away till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17...18) Now, according to the Law of
Israel, any person fallen under slavery could be legally redeemed by a man
belonging to his same family, a brother or a relative, but nobody else had the
right to do it. This means that in order to redeem the human family from slavery
to sin and death, the nature of Jesus could only be one, human, because if he
had not been born as a man like his
brothers in all aspects except for sin, the law that he must comply to the
smallest letter, would not have granted him this
opportunity.
Paul says: We do not have a high priest
who cannot understand our weaknesses, on the contrary, because apart from sin, he found himself in our same
condition, (Hebrews
4:15) and in the days of his life as a man, he offered prayers and
supplications, invoking intensely with
tears Him who could save him from the power of death, and was heard because of his respectful fear of
God, for though he was a son, he learned obedience by the things he
suffered, and having been made
perfect, he became the agent of
eternal salvation for all who obey
him. (Hebrews 5:7
9) Because as through the transgression of one man, many were made
sinners, through the obedience of one man, also many could be made
righteous. (Romans
5:19)
10 However, Jesus said to some Pharisees who wanted to
discredit him: truthfully, truthfully I say to you:
before Abraham came to be, I
was. (John
8:58)
What does this mean?
His words confirm that before he voluntarily gave up his life, and
this means his divine nature, to be born on Earth, he was known as the Firstborn
of the divine sons of God, and as his spokesman or Word, as a correct
translation of the words beginning Johns Gospel, assert: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (ho theos) and
the Word was divine (theos). (John
1:1) This is the only true and proper translation of the words of John,
because when the Greek word theos
is not preceded by the definite article ho, the meaning is not God but divine,
and Scripture applies it to the angels and even to the judges of Israel, because
of their responsibility to judge Israel through the Law that God gave to
Moses.
The accuracy of this translation is further confirmed with these
words of Jesus while praying to God: Now you, Father,
glorify me at your side with the
glory I had at your side
before the world came to be. (John 17:5) It is worth stating that
Jesus says: the glory I had and not the glory I have, because this
excludes again the fact that he had two natures at once.
Scripture discloses the personality of Gods Firstborn, when
personifying Wisdom, he discloses himself in these words of the book of the
Proverbs: Yahuh created me as the first fruit of his
way, before his most remote
works. I was established from aforetime, from the beginning... when He set
the heavens, I was there, when on the face of the abyss He outlined a sphere...
when He established the foundations of the Earth, then I was an architect at his side
rejoicing for the conditions of His
Earth. And my delight was with the
sons of man. (Proverbs
8:22...31)
Paul quotes Psalm 40,
assigning to Jesus these prophetic words: When
entering the world, (when Jesus goes to John for baptism, as an
acceptance of Gods design for him) Christ says: «You
were not pleased with sacrifices and offerings, but you prepared for me a body.
You did not accept burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin; then I said: Look! I come, in the scroll of the book it is written about me, to accomplish,
oh my God, your will». (Hebrews 10:5...7) The will of God was to redeem
mankind from sin and death, and only a man as any other in all aspects but sin, like the first
man was until he committed transgression, was qualified to carry out His
purpose.
Chapter 4
The invisible presence of Christ
11 What can we say of those who assert that the return of Christ was
announced by the First World War of 1914, and that Christ rules on Earth since then but his presence is
invisible,?
In 2009, the defenders of this statement distributed pamphlets that
said:
Lasting Peace and Happiness Just
Ahead!
Besides wars, from 1914 onward, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, and
violence have escalated to an unprecedented degree worldwide. Sadly, in spite of
advanced science and technology, mankind is totally helpless when it comes to
solving these difficult problems. All of this proves beyond any doubt that since 1914, the sign Jesus gave
regarding the time of the end is right before our eyes. Jesus Christ has begun ruling in the
invisible heavens. The world has entered its time of the end!
It is important to bear in mind these words of Paul for the disciples
of Christ: learn from us the principle of not going beyond what
is written, so that no one feels superior to others, (1 Corinthians 4:6) and pay heed to
Jesus' warning: Take heed that you be not deceived... (Luke
21:8) If someone then says to you: «Look, the
Christ is here or he is there!» do not
believe it, because there shall arise false anointed (Greek:
christos) and false prophets, who shall show great
signs and wonders to deceive, if
possible, even the elected. Behold, I
have foretold it! Therefore, if they say to you: «He is in the
desert» (a distant or hidden
presence), do
not go out; «He is in the inner rooms» (a concealed or invisible presence), do not believe it. For
as the lightning that comes from the east, shines to the west, so shall also be
the coming of the Son of man. (Matthew 24:23...27)
Wars and Conflicts
12 Could a great war be a sign of Christ's return?
The world has undergone several major wars and conflicts since the
words of Jesus, but some dare to say that before 1914, the world enjoyed of peace and of general
security, forgetting the wars, some of significant consequences and with
millions of victims, which reduced the population of their time in an even
larger percentage than the modern world wars, and together with the great
epidemics, eradicated more than half of the European inhabitants, and entire
populations in Asia and Africa.
The fact is that the terms used by Luke when referring to wars, do
not exclude at all the world wars, as some pretend, because the Greek terms πολέμους, (polemous) and ἀκαταστασίας, (akatastasias) are applied to
all wars and conflicts, independently of their
length, of the number of victims and nations involved in them, and because of
this, the Great War of 1914 cannot be prophetically
significant.
This is a brief report of some major conflicts since 1000
CE:
♦ The Hundred Years War,
(1337-1453) was essentially a power struggle between the kingdoms of France and
England, even if it involved other nations. France began the conquest of the
British territories on French soil, and the battles went on for 116 years.
Slowly, the French armies conquered the British possessions, the last ones were
the territories of Normandy in 1450, and of Aquitaine in 1453. This year has
been considered the end of the war although no treaty was signed. The estimated
number of deaths caused by the war was 3,500,000, an enormous havoc if we
consider the European population at the time.
♦ The Thirty Years War
was a series of armed conflicts that devastated the European continent since
1618 to 1648. The fighting began in the central territories of the Holy Roman
German Empire, and later involved many European countries. Thus, during the
second half of this period, the war spread to France, to the Netherlands, to
northern Italy and to Catalonia in northern Spain. This war was one of the most
destructive conflicts in the European history until then, with more than
4,000,000 deaths.
♦ The War of the Spanish
Succession was an international conflict fought between 1701 and 1713, when
the treaty of Utrecht was signed. It was originated by the death without
descendants, of King Charles II of Spain, the last representative of the House
of Habsburg. The succession to the throne confronted France, Bavaria and its
prince Maximilian Emanuel II, and the Archbishop of Cologne, with England,
Austria and some other states of the Holy Roman Germanic Empire, united in the
so-called Grand Alliance or Imperial Alliance. In Spain the war developed into a
civil war that lasted until 1714; its main result was the introduction of the
House of Bourbon, with King Philip V. The estimated number of combatants who
died in the confrontation is of 1,251,000.
♦ The Seven Years War was
a conflict in the years 1756 to 1763, which involved the major European powers
of the time, including Great Britain, Prussia, France, Austria and the Russian
Empire. Winston Churchill defined this war as the true first world war, as it
was the first conflict that not only was fought on European soil, but also in
every place where the European countries had colonial possessions. The number of
combatants that died was estimated in 1,358,000.
♦ The American War of
Independence was also called American Revolution, and confronted between
1775 and 1783, the thirteen American colonies that subsequently formed the
United States of America, with the Kingdom of Great Britain. During this war,
the European powers fought on different fronts and the conflict spread to the
West Indies, India and the European countries. France, Spain and the Republic of
the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands, were in favor of the rebels,
while Hessen and Hanover favored England. The death toll in the conflict was
about 620,000 men.
♦ The French Revolution
in 1788 to 1799 was a period of utter convulsion, social, political and
cultural, which resulted in a death toll ranging from 2,000,000 to 2,500,000
people. Its main and most immediate consequences triggered a change of scene in
the history of the Western world.
♦ The Napoleonic Wars
(1799-1815) constitute a set of conflicts in the period of the rise, rule and
fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. These wars confronted France with several nations
and coalitions of European states. The number of combatants and civilians, who
died because of these wars, has been estimated in
9,746,400.
♦ The American Civil War
began on April 12, 1861 and ended on April 9, 1865. It was fought between
the United States of America and the Confederate States of America, a political
entity resulting from the confederate union of the secessionist states. The
estimated number of victims in the four years of war was of
617,528.
♦ The War of the Triple
Alliance (1865-1870), also known as the Paraguayan War, was a conflict
between Paraguay and three allied nations, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. This
war was the bloodiest conflict in the history of Latin America. The death toll
was at least of 1.100.000 people.
♦ The First World War,
also called the Great War and the War of the Trenches, was the largest conflict
fought until then and distressed the world between July 28, 1914 and November
11, 1918. Twenty-eight nations participated in it, confronting in two large
coalitions: the Allied Powers of Britain, France, Russia, Italy and the U.S.,
and the Central Empires of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. The
estimated number of deaths was 26 million people.
♦ The Russian Revolution
was the result of a series of social, economic and political events, which gave
the Bolsheviks the rise to power. Between 1917 and 1959, the first forty-two
years of Communist rule, the human losses caused by the repression, the
deportation to death camps, the forced labor sentences, the mass shootings and
by the food shortages created by the deportation of millions of farmers, are
estimated in more than 60 million people.
♦ The Second World War
(1939-1945) was a conflict that confronted the Axis Powers: Germany, Italy and
Japan, with the Allies: France, Britain, the United States and Soviet Union. The
total number of victims is estimated at 53,547,000 people.
♦ The Chinese Revolution
led to a political upheaval that in 1949, brought to power the Communist Party.
The revolutionary process began in 1920 and ended almost thirty years later with
the defeat of the Nationalists, and the Communists' victory that gave rise to
Mao Tse-tung. The balance of the deaths related to the political, religious and
intellectual repression exercised during the years of his rule, is estimated in
almost 80 million people.
Chapter 5
When you see all these things
13 According to the words of Jesus, wars between nations would not
signal the return of Christ or of the end of this world; in fact, he declared
that wars and conflicts must happen first, but the end is not
imminent, (Luke
21:9) besides, when he spoke to his disciples of the things that would
precede his arrival, he did not say that the signs would mean: he is already here or he is invisibly present and already ruling, as some who consider
the Great War as a signal say. He told them this parable: Now understand this comparison with the fig tree: as soon
as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is
near. So also, when you see all these things, you shall
know that he (the Son of man) is near, at the gates. Truly I say to you, this
generation will not pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth
will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father. (Matthew 24:32
36)
What are all these things
that the disciples of Jesus are to see happen at the same time to indicate the closeness of his
presence?
Jesus said:
nation will rise against itself and kingdom against
itself
14 Let us consider
Lukes Gospel, chapter 21, verses 10 and 11.
Interlinear translation:
Literal
translation:
Literal translation:
That time, he said to them, nation will be
incited against nation and kingdom against kingdom; there will be major natural
disasters, and in various places there will be epidemics and famines.
(Luke
21:10
11)
Emphatic translation: That time, he told them, nation will be raised against
itself and kingdom against itself, there will be major natural disasters, and in
various places, there will be epidemics and
famines.
But why do we translate nation
against itself and kingdom against itself?
In Luke, chapter 11, verses 17 and 18, and in Isaiah 19:2, we find a similar
statement to support the accuracy of this translation.
Interlinear translation:
Literal
translation:
Literal translation:
Every kingdom against itself
divided shall be desolate, and house against house falls down, and if also Satan is divided against himself, how
will he maintain standing the kingdom of him?
Emphatic translation:
Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate and a
house against itself falls down; and if also Satan is divided against himself,
how will he keep his kingdom stand?
We find another confirmation in one of the prophecies of Isaiah, when
he describes the situation on the last days of this world. He says:
Interlinear translation:
Literal translation:
And I set Egypt against Egypt, and they fight each one against brother of him and each one against fellow of him, city
against city, kingdom against kingdom.
Emphatic translation:
And I will set Egypt against itself, and
each one will fight against his brother, each one against his companion; town
against town, kingdom against itself.
15 Besides, when John sees the second of the four riders who travel
over the Earth before the Great Day of God's indignation, he says: And out came another horse, bright red; to its rider was
permitted to take away peace from Earth, so that men should slay one another,
and he was given a huge sword. (Revelation 6:4)
So, the prophetic message of The
revelation that Jesus Christ received from God, to show his servants the things
that will happen in rapid succession, (Revelation 1:1) the prophecy of Jesus
on the Mount of Olives and Isaiah's prophecy concerning the end of days, convey
a similar message, and even if the prophecy speaks of Egypt, the reference to
the great city symbolically called Sodom and
Egypt, (Isaiah 11:8) in
prophetic Scripture, commonly represents the world and its human
society.
So Jesus made a difference
between the wars and conflicts that would occur over time and a situation of
general instability within nations themselves, at the time prior to his
arrival. He said to his disciples: As in the days of
Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of man
(Luke 17:26) And what was the situation
in the days of Noah? At that time the earth was
corrupt before God and filled with violence. God looked at it, and, behold, it
was ruined because humanity had corrupted its way. Then God said to Noah: «The
end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence
because of them, and behold, I will destroy them with the earth». (Genesis 6:11
13)
So the main troubles for nations will not come from foreign
aggressions but from inner divisions, political strife, anxiety and restlessness
motivated by the general immorality and corruption, will of national
disintegration, and a growth of violence and delinquency.
Chapter 6
16 Jesus went on to say::
σεισ΅οί τε ΅εγάλοι καὶ κατὰ τόπους λοι΅οὶ καὶ λι΅οὶ ἔσονται
seismoi te megaloi kai kata topous loimoi kai limoi
esontai,
major natural disasters
in different places, and famines and
epidemics
major natural disasters in different places
Why translate the term σεισ΅οί (seismoi) as natural disasters and not simply as
earthquakes? The reason is that in the common Greek (Koine) of the writings of
the New Testament, this word is applied to any natural disaster, earthquakes,
tempests, and other. We find it translated as tempest or storm in Matthew 8:24
were we read:
καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισ΅ὸς ΅έγας ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ
kai idou seismos
megas
egeneto en tκi thalassκi
and
behold, a great tempest broke out at sea
We often hear of serious natural disasters around the world, and the
fact is that over the last decades, the disasters attributed to nature have
visibly increased; earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, and cyclones are
now common news, even in those places where they had never been seen. As many
scientists and researchers say, in the recent years these phenomena have been
increasing exponentially, both in frequency and destructive
power.
The secretary of International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of United Nations, stated on the 2012
report that in the last twenty years, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and
avalanches, and extreme temperatures, caused the death of millions. The number
of people affected by natural disasters from 1992 to 2011 is: by flooding:
2,437,000; by drought: 1,141,000; by hurricanes: 628,000, by earthquakes:
759,708, by extreme temperatures: 156,770.
Daniel Sarewitz, professor of science and society at Arizona State
University, declared: The world has seen a marked
increase of these natural disasters, from about 100 a year in the 60s, to about 500 per
year in the early 2000s. And Omar Dario Cardona, professor at the
Universidad de los Andes in Bogotα and Director of the Center for the Study of Disasters, said
to the BBC in answer to the question of whether in the future could be expected
an increase in natural disasters: We do not only
expect an increase in the phenomena that cause natural disasters, but also an
increase in their frequency.
...and
famines
17 Among the population of the world, one person out of eight suffers
from hunger. This is what FAO (Food
and Agriculture Organization) says on the world hunger report SOFI 2012, of the
Agency State of Food Insecurity in the World, written by the WFP (World Food Program) and IFAD (International Fund for
Agricultural Development). This report shows that worldwide, the number of
undernourished people is 870 million and that 200 million children under five
suffer from malnutrition, a situation responsible for one death in every three
children.
According to the United Nations, thirty-six million people die of
hunger every year, and this means 100,000 per day or nearly one per second. The
director of the WFP representation
in Geneva said at the seminar Fighting Hunger Together: «Hunger kills more people each year than the virus that
transmit AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis».
In 2011, the FAO report
of the Brazilian Agency of FAO and
WFP, informs the international
community about the alarming and dramatic conditions of the hunger in the world,
conditions that have worsened with the rising of food prices, which increase
with the aggravation of the international economic crisis, and with the annual
population growth of nearly eighty million new mouths to
feed.
Besides, the frequent and unpredictable meteorological phenomena
caused by global warming and climate changes, devastate in the agricultural
regions, the crops vital to the world.
According to the briefing note of the World Food Day, Tele Food 2011,
Between 2005 and 2008, the world prices of basic
foods have reached the highest level of the past 30 years. In the last eighteen
months of the period, the price of corn has risen 74%, while the price of rice
has almost tripled through a combined increase, in a 166%. The book of
Revelation says: ...a voice among the four living
creatures said: «A measure of wheat for a denarius and three measures of barley
for one denarius...». (Revelation 6:6) These words indicate
that in the described period, a small amount of basic food will cost the
equivalent of a day's wage, which at that time was one
denary.
... and epidemics
...
18 The word epidemic
(from επί-δήμος: epi-demos, that literally means against the people), is used to
describe a disease that infects a large number of people. In public health, this
term defines all infectious diseases that affect a community, producing more
cases than those considered as normal.
Despite the great advances in medicine, the fact is that infectious
diseases like AIDS or malaria, as well as tuberculosis, which was thought to be
practically eradicated, are the cause of countless deaths in all places on
Earth. Besides, the diseases associated to allergies and autoimmunity are also
growing rapidly, and so does cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The WHO (World Health Organization) reports
a considerable increase in mental and neurological problems, which affect about
450 million people. In fact, neurological problems and chronic diseases have
created an emergency in the global health system.
Professor Alexander Tomasz
of Rockefeller University in New York, stated after collecting a large
amount of data, that we are on the threshold of the post-antibiotic era, in
which diseases considered unimportant today, could become lethal. He stated that
many scientists predict for the coming years a true and proper medical health
catastrophe. The resistance to antibiotics developed by infectious diseases in
recent years has assumed a great importance, and the ECDC (European Centre for Disease
Control) argues that this fact represents the greatest threat of the
future.
All these things are in harmony with the words of the prophecy of
Jesus to his disciples, and with the revelation received by John, who writes:
and a pale horse appeared. It's rider's name was
«Death» and «Hades» was following close. They were given authority over a fourth of
the earth, to kill with sword,
famine, deadly plague, and wild beasts of the earth.
(Revelation
6:8)
Chapter 6
19 When Jesus speaks of the signs to precede his arrival, recalls a
prophecy of Daniel that through prophesied historical events (see the article
Daniel and Times of the Nations), sets the time of the cleansing of the
Sanctuary or Heavens. (Revelation
12:7
9 y 12) A correct interpretation of these events
provides the possibility of a more or less approximate calculation of this
future event, which does not seem too distant. If it is so, many of the things
that we actually see, could be indicating that also Christ is near, at the doors, however, it is important to
remember that calculations and speculations on the precise time of his arrival,
are useless, for as Paul says: You know very well
that the day of Yahuh comes like a thief in the night. (1Thessalonians 5:2)
Jesus, after repeatedly warning his disciples that they would not know the moment of his arrival,
told them: it
is not for you to know the moment that according to his
authority, the Father has established, (Acts 1:7) but stay very
attentive that your hearts are not dulled
by feasting, by drunkenness and by the
anxieties of this life, and that day comes upon you suddenly, like a trap,
because it will befall on all those who inhabit the face of the whole Earth.
Watch and pray at all times, that you may have the strength to escape all that
must happen, and stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:34...36)
20 When the time for the end arrives, will someone still stay alive?
Jesus answered to this question when he said: Then
there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the
world until now, nor will ever be again. If those days were not shortened, no
one would be saved, but for the elect's sake, those days shall be
shortened. (Matthew
24:21...22)
So the end of this world will not come as the result of a nuclear war
but of a great tribulation that includes, not Armageddon, which is only the name
of a place, but the war of the great Day of
the Almighty God, (Revelation 16:14...16) and this war will not destroy the
Earth and will not mean the end of all mankind.
John writes that after this, all the princes of heaven will bow down
before God, and paying Him tribute, they will say: We
thank you Yahuh, God Almighty who is and who was, because exercising your great
power, you have established your
kingdom. The nations became irate, but your indignation arrived, and the time to judge the dead, to give reward to your servants the
prophets and the saints, and to those modest or powerful that show respect for
your name, and of destroying those who are destroying the
Earth. (Revelation
11:16...18)
21 Since ancient times, God announced time after time through His
prophets, His purpose for Earth and for mankind,. Many of them described an
Earth where peace would reign, and on which the righteous would dwell; an Earth
from were those who choose evil and injustice, would be removed and destroyed
forever.
Prophet Isaiah recorded these words from God: Behold, I am setting up new heavens and a new earth, and the
former things shall not be remembered or come up to the heart. (Isaiah 65:17) In keeping with these
words, in the book of the revelation to John, he writes: I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: «Behold, the
Temple of God is with mankind and shall stay with them for they shall be his
people. God himself will intervene on their behalf and he will wipe away every
tear from their eyes, death shall be no more, nor mourning or crying or pain,
because the former things passed
away». And he who sat upon the throne, said: «Behold, I make all things new»; and went on to
say: «Write, for these words are
trustworthy and true». (Revelation 21:3...5)
King David, who was also prophet, writes: Yahuh loves justice and will not forsake His faithful; they
will be protected forever and He will eradicate the seed of the impious. The righteous shall inherit Earth and dwell
forever on it... Trust Yahϊh and follow His way, then He will lift you up to
inherit Earth, and you will see when He destroys the ungodly. (Psalm 37:28...29 and 34) and Solomon wrote: Righteous men shall dwell on Earth, men of integrity will remain in it, but
the impious shall be cut off and disloyal men will be eradicated from
it; (Proverbs 2:21...22)
And Jesus declared to the multitude that followed him: Blessed are the
meek, for they shall possess the Earth in
heritage. (Matthew
5:4)
