Tag Archives: the Tribulation

Jews and Christians: Hated by All Nations, Matthew 24:9

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It looks like this Hamas attack, and the resulting war in Israel, has provoked the haters to action. We are seeing now how many of these evil haters—haters of Jews and true Christians—there are. Many of them. And this revelation is a sign that the coming Tribulation and the proceeding Rapture of the Church is very close. Please read the following article.

Global Explosion Of Hate – Another Sign Of The End Times

 BY MICHAEL SNYDER/ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG NOVEMBER 03, 2023

What we are witnessing is truly frightening.  In my entire lifetime, I have never seen as much hate as I have over the past few weeks.  It is almost as if a very large chunk of the global population has suddenly gone mad.  But of course all of this hate did not come out of a vacuum.  

It has been simmering for many years, and now the war in the Middle East has brought it to the surface.  

Humans were created to love and to be loved, and so if you find yourself consumed with hatred you are part of the problem.  Of course we knew that this global explosion of hate would be coming.  The Bible warns us repeatedly about what the condition of humanity will be like in the end times.  One example of this can be found in Matthew chapter 24…

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

When Jesus spoke these words, He was speaking to Jewish believers.

And right now we are seeing a tremendous outpouring of hatred toward Jews and Bible-believing Christians all over the planet.

October 7th was not a one time thing.

Ultimately, radical Muslims will never be satisfied until they have annihilated every single person that is not willing to submit to Islam.

Even though their focus is on wiping out Jewish people living in the land of Israel right now, it will definitely not end there.

So the things that Hamas official Ghazi Hamad recently said on LBC TV should chill all of us to the core…

Ghazi Hamad of the Hamas political bureau said in an October 24, 2023 show on LBC TV (Lebanon) that Hamas is prepared to repeat the October 7 “Al-Aqsa Flood” Operation time and again until Israel is annihilated. He added that Palestinians are willing to pay the price and that they are “proud to sacrifice martyrs.” Hamad said that Palestinians are the victims of the occupation, therefore no one should blame them for the events of October 7 or anything else, adding: “Everything we do is justified.”

This is a man that has been totally consumed by hatred.

And there are millions upon millions of others just like him all over the world.

Since October 7th, we have seen an explosion of anti-Jewish acts that is truly unprecedented…

In Los Angeles, a man screaming “kill Jews” attempts to break into a family’s home. In London, girls in a playground are told they are “stinking Jews” and should stay off the slide. In China, posts likening Jews to parasites, vampires or snakes proliferate on social media, attracting thousands of “likes”.

These are examples of incidents of antisemitism, which have surged globally since the attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on Oct. 7 and subsequent war on the Islamist group launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Thanks to very foolish immigration policies, major cities all over the western world are now absolutely teeming with radical Muslims.

We have been warned for a long time that this would cause massive problems, and now Jewish communities everywhere are living in fear.


In France, large numbers of homes and businesses that are owned by Jewish people are being marked with paint…

France already documented 819 ‘latent’ antisemitic attacks since the war between Hamas and Israel began on October 7, according to Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin.

In Jewish homes on the outskirts of Paris, multiple blue Stars of David have been painted on homes and stone fences.

Swastikas have also been sprayed next to Jewish institutions, and students have been publicly harassed outside of Jewish schools.

Sadly, this isn’t just happening in France.

Similar things are taking place in Germany…

Recent weeks have seen Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, vow to take a “zero tolerance” approach to antisemitism, citing the responsibility towards Israel given Germany’s role as the perpetrator of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were murdered.

Other national leaders have echoed those concerns.

In recent days Scholz has doubled down on the pledge, after assailants hurled two molotov cocktails at a synagogue in central Berlin and the Star of David was found daubed on the facades of several buildings where Jews live in Berlin.

There is no rational way to explain the intensity of this hatred.

And that is because it is spiritually inspired.

Many Christians have commented about the dark spiritual connection to everything going on and how it has a supernatural undertone to it all.

Unfortunately, what we have witnessed so far is just the beginning.

As the war in the Middle East really ramps up, I believe that we will see some truly dramatic terror attacks all over the world.

On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned members of Congress that the threat of terrorism inside the United States has reached “a whole other level”…

Terrorist threats against the U.S. reached “a whole other level” after the Hamas attack on Israel, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told Congress on Tuesday, saying the big players in terrorism have all renewed calls to attack America and its interests.

He said the level of threats has heightened since President Biden took office, though U.S. law enforcement is “better prepared to deal with them.”

“The reality is that the terrorism threat has been elevated throughout 2023, but the ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of attack on Americans to a whole other level,” Mr. Wray said.

From this point forward, things are going to start getting really crazy.

However, God warned us about all of these things in advance, He has a plan, and He is in control.

So even though darkness is rapidly growing all over the world, we should never give in to fear for greater is He who is in you than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

The Contents of The Tribulation

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I’m excited about this new book. If you have been a little confused about future things and about the coming Tribulation, I think this book will help you straighten things out. Here is the book’s contents. Please let me know if you have any questions about the book.

INTRODUCTION    vii 

LEADING UP TO THE TRIBULATION   11

PART ONE: INTRODUCING THE TRIBULATION  

1. The Source and Purpose of the Tribulation   25

2. The Nature of the Tribulation   41

3.Personalities in the Tribulation   59

PART TWO: THE TRIBULATION                                             

     4. The Seals   107

     5. The Trumpets   131

     6. Mid Tribulation Events   153

     7. The Bowls    175

PART THREE: LAST THINGS  

     8. Armageddon, The Fall of Babylon, The Return of Christ, and The Judgment of The Nations   197

The Tribulation: My Latest Book

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I have just finished writing my latest book, THE TRIBULATION. I think it is my best book and I hope you will consider getting it. It is available now at my Lulu website: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/lordteachustopray/

As I have noted on the book description,

This is not a book on all the personal tribulations/trials we may go through [now]. It is on the seven-year Tribulation written about in the book of Revelation, and also in the Old Testament prophetical books. The Tribulation is a product of my study of Scripture, and also from a few other bible scholars whom I trust. As to its content, about half of the book introduces the Tribulation, giving important information as to it setting, its purpose, and its nature. Then in the second half, the judgments (the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls) are expounded on, and each Tribulation event is highlighted. I’m sure that this book will serve you well in your understanding of The Tribulation as it is given to us in the Scriptures.

Why Rome Is Babylon

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When we think of Babylon we normally think of the ancient city of Babylon; and we think of the tower of Babel where Babylon originated. And, of course, we think of the great evil in its idol worship that eventually spread all over the world. And so, I suppose, when we read in Revelation of Babylon and the fall of Babylon, we may naturally think of that ancient city of Babylon, which has to be rebuilt.

But there is another option that I think is more probable. I think Babylon is Rome, and here are six reasons why:

1. After the ancient city of Babylon is destroyed by Cyrus of Persia in 539 B. C., the high-priest of the Babylon religion and his workers fled to Rome. Harry Ironside writes,

When the city and temples were destroyed, the high-priest fled with a company of initiates and their sacred vessels and images to Pergamos, where the Symbol of the serpent was set up as the emblem of the hidden wisdom.  From there, they afterwards crossed the sea and immigrated to Italy, where, they settled on the Etruscan plain.  There the ancient cult was propagated under the name of the Etruscan Mysteries and eventually Rome became the headquarters of Babylonianism.10

Then, as I point out in my book, After the Rapture,

Beginning with Julius Caesar, the Roman emperors seemed to share power with the chief priests. And then, under Constantine the Great, for the first time in history the emperor became both the head of state and the head of the church. Some say that Constantine became a Christian and was trying to Christianize the world. However, others correctly concluded that the devil was working through Constantine to corrupt the church… Hence, as it happened, idolatry was forced upon Christians and many of the pagan practices became part of the church.11

Thus, Rome became just as Babylon was. In fact, it is my contention that Rome, with the Catholic church, is, in fact, the Babylon of Revelation 17 and 18.

2. The false religious system (the harlot) is tied to the Catholic Church of Rome. When we read in Revelation 17:6 that “the woman [was] drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus,” we have a direct link to Rome. It began with the Popes against Christians such as John Wickliffe and William Tyndale, and many hundreds of others; and it will continue in Rome by the Church of Rome in the future Tribulation period.

3. The harlot (in Rev. 17) looks Roman Catholic. Not only does the harlot act like the Roman Catholic Church in her murders (pt. 2), she looks like the Roman Catholic Church. The colors of the harlot’s purple and scarlet, as well as her jewelry of gold, precious stones and pearls, are the colors and the adornment of the Catholic Priests and Cardinals.

4. The woman sits on the seven hills of Rome (Rev. 17:9). From Revelation 17:7-18, we read that the beast has seven heads and ten horns; and the woman sits on the beast. In verse nine we read that the woman sits on the seven hills.

Many scholars say that the seven hills implies Rome—because Rome is known for its seven hills. A group called City Wonders Team has written,

The Seven Hills of Rome are on the east of the Tiber in the heart of the Ancient City and are said to be the origins of the empire. Back in the day (there is proof of civilization on the hills from as early as 1,000BC) the seven hills were inhabited separately, each with its own independent tribe. Eventually, the tribes came together to compete in sports, strengthening their bonds and uniting their villages. And thus, began the great Roman Empire.12

5. The ten toes as well as the ten horns are the ten kingdoms of the beast and represent the Revived Roman Empire (Dan. 2:33; Rev. 17:12-13). This Revived Roman Empire will most likely be ruled from Rome.

6. The city (of Babylon) will be located on a sea port (Rev. 18:17-19). Here is the most convincing evidence yet that Rome is Babylon: because Rome is located on the Mediterranean Sea; but the ancient city of Babylon is not located on the sea, but on the Euphrates river, which may still be dried up (Rev. 16:12).

10 Harry A. Ironside, “Babylonian Religion,” at http://www.biblelineministries.org/articles/basearch.php?action=full&mainkey=BABYLONIAN+RELIGION+%28By+Harry+A.+Ironside%29.

11 Stephen Nielsen, After The Rapture (Saint Paul, Minnesota, published by Stephen Nielsen, 2020), p. 84.

12 City Wonders, “Could you walk the seven hills of Rome?” at https://citywonders.com/blog/Italy/Rome/could-you-walk-the-seven-hills-of-rome#:~:text=The%20Seven%20Hills%20of%20Rome%20are%20on%20the%20east%20of,the%20origins%20of%20the%20empire.

Armageddon: The Purpose of Christ ‘s Return

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In general terms, the purpose of Christ’s return is to judge the evil world and to set up His new kingdom. More specifically, I will lay it out in ten points—with Scripture references.

1. To fulfill the prophecies of His coming. Here are a few of those prophecies.

Acts 1:10-11

And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.

Zechariah 14:4

In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.

2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8

…when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Matthew 24:30

“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

Revelation 1:7

 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

2. To destroy the Antichrist and Satan’s power (2 Thess. 2:8-9).

3. To judge all nations (Matt. 25:31-46).

4. To have the throne of David (Isa. 9:6-7; Lu. 1:32) and to sit on that throne (Matt. 25:31; Rev. 5:13).

5. To have a kingdom (Dan. 7:13-14).

6. To rule over His kingdom with His saints (Dan. 7:18; Rev. 5:10).

7. That the kingdom of the world would become His kingdom (Zech. 9:10; Rev. 11:15).

8. That all kingdoms would serve Him (Ps. 72:11; Isa. 49:6-7; Rev. 15:4).

9. That every knee would bow to Him (Isa. 45:23; Phil. 2:10).

10. That the entire covenant program with Israel would be fulfilled, and they would forever be blessed with physical and spiritual blessings (Gen. 12:2; 22:17).

The Future Fall of Jerusalem

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Many scholars agree that while all the armies of the world are headed toward Jerusalem to fight her, this is when there will be a strike against Babylon to destroy it. Ron Rhodes writes, “What an irony we have here. While phase one of Armageddon is underway, with the antichrist preparing his armies to attack Israel, God will cause a military force to attack the antichrist’s headquarters of Babylon.”2

Rhodes and others seem to think (according to Jeremiah 50:41-42) that Babylon will be attacked and destroyed by a military force from the north. However, I think it is more likely that these verses are referring to the armies of Media Persia in 539 B. C. The future destruction of Babylon (referred to in Isaiah 13:19 and Revelation 18) is clearly God’s own doing, just as He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Now back to the fall of Jerusalem. The clear teaching on this is in Zechariah 14:1-2:

Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

From these verses we see a three-point account of the battle and the fall of Jerusalem.

1. The gathering armies of the world will move into the city, plunder the houses, and ravish the women. What a brutal and ruthless bunch.

2. Half of the people in the city will be captured, and the rest will be left standing among the ruins—a sad picture.

3. Much spoil is taken and divided among them. John MacArthur comments: “Jerusalem will be so overcome by the enemy that the spoil will be leisurely divided in the midst of the city, illustrating how completely Jerusalem will be overthrown.”3

Another Scripture reference on Jerusalem’s fall is Zechariah 12:2-4:

“Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. 3 “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. 4 “In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.

These verses give us a true perspective of what will be going on, or what God will make the nations to become through their fighting over Jerusalem. Verse two tells us that “Jerusalem will be a cup that causes reeling.” What does that mean? I think it means that because of their sin of lust and greed over the spoils of war, they will become drunk with it, and thus disoriented. Hence, they will be easy prey for God’s divine judgment. They, in effect will be trapped. And it will be all of God’s doing. He will gather them together; and He will make them easy targets for His coming judgment.

2 Ron Rhodes, The End Times In Chronological Order (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2012), p. 166.

3 John MacArthur, John MacArthur’s notes on Zechariah 14:1.

Huge Earthquake — More than 2,300 Dead

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The 7.8 mag. Earthquake in Turkey and Syria that had claimed the lives of more than 2,300 people, has brought my attention to what I have been reading in Revelation sixteen. Verse 18 and following, tells us that there will be a great earthquake—the greatest there ever was. It will be so great that it will cause all the cities to fall. And it will cause every island and all the mountains to disappear below the earth. Read it yourself (Rev. 16:18-20).

As great as this quake in Turkey is, the one coming up will be so much greater. I hope you who are reading this will not have to go through it—in the Tribulation. You need not experience it if you are a Christian and are raptured.

Here is an article on this recent earthquake.

More than 2,300 people dead in Turkey, Syria after 7.8-magnitude earthquake

 February 5

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, killing more than 2,300 people and taking down countless buildings. 

The earthquake prompted a search for survivors in the rubble in cities and towns across the region. The death toll is expected to rise. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the numbers could increase as much as eight time as rescuers work to find more victims. 

“We always see the same thing with earthquakes, unfortunately, which is that the initial reports of the numbers of people who have died or who have been injured will increase quite significantly in the week that follows,” the WHO’s senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, told AFP.

Read the full Article

Armageddon — The Fall of Babylon

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The fall of Babylon definitely occurs early in Armageddon. In Revelation 16:19, John said of Babylon: “Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.” Hence, Babylon’s destruction is something that God does. He may do it by a nuclear attack from an enemy nation, or He may do it by His own means—whatever that will be. It seems clear from Scripture that Babylon will be completely destroyed just as Sodom and Gomorrah was (Isa. 13:19; Jer. 50:40). And since Genesis 19:24 states, “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven,” this seems to me that He may do it through the great earthquake (of verse 18). And we suggested earlier that the earthquake may be triggered by a nuclear exchange. I will talk much more about the fall of Babylon in a later blog.

Armageddon — The Gathering

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I found five Scripture passages from Joel, Zechariah, Daniel, and Revelation that speaks of the gathering of armies (or nations). Interestingly, I found from my reading that there is not one clear purpose for the gathering. There will actually be four different purposes or goals. As we read from the following passages, I’m sure we will be able to see the different intentions.

Joel 3:1-3, 9-16

1″For behold, in those days and at that time,

When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will gather all the nations

And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.

Then I will enter into judgment with them there

On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,

Whom they have scattered among the nations;

And they have divided up My land.

3 “They have also cast lots for My people,

Traded a boy for a harlot

And sold a girl for wine that they may drink.

9 Proclaim this among the nations:

Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men!

Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up!

10 Beat your plowshares into swords

And your pruning hooks into spears;

Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”

11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations,

And gather yourselves there.

Bring down, O Lord, Your mighty ones.

12 Let the nations be aroused

And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat,

For there I will sit to judge

All the surrounding nations.

13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.

Come, tread, for the wine press is full;

The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!

For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and moon grow dark

And the stars lose their brightness.

16 The Lord roars from Zion

And utters His voice from Jerusalem,

And the heavens and the earth tremble.

But the Lord is a refuge for His people

And a stronghold to the sons of Israel.

It seems here, from verse three, that the nations will be coming to raid Israel—to take their “fortunes.” But the rest of the passage tells a different story. God will be using their greed to gather them together in order to judge them for their sins against Israel.

Zechariah 14:1-3

Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.

Here is a similar situation. The nations will gather to capture and plunder Jerusalem; but the Lord will take advantage of their greedy gathering, to judge and destroy them.

Daniel 11:40-44

“At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. 41 “He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. 42 “Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 “But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. 44 “But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many.

In this passage, which is describing the final conflict, the objective in battle seems to be to gain power. And for the most part, it will be the Antichrist and his forces against the rest of the world. Here we see that the Antichrist is winning—until the end (see verse 45).

Revelation 16:12-14, 16

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.

13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; 14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.

16 And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.

In this sixth bowl judgment the gathering of the nations of the world are demonically engineered through the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. I wonder what the message will be that the demons will send. We don’t know whether it will be a clear, direct message like, “Let’s all gather together to destroy the Jews.” Or perhaps there won’t be any clear message; perhaps the demons will put them in a mindless trans, and by demonic power they will be pulled to the place of war with a great hook in their jaw (see Ezek. 38:4).

Revelation 19:19-21

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

These three verses describe what happens at the very end of the Battle of Armageddon and the Tribulation. Here we see a fourth purpose for the gathering, to make war against Christ.

To review the different purposes: 1) coming from the nations, to raid and destroy the Jews; 2) again, from the nations, to gain power over other nations; they will gather to fight each other; 3) the purpose of God will be to judge the nations for their sin; and 4) from the nations, to make war against Christ.

As it appears from the text, the nations will probably not think that Christ will show up. But when they see Him coming, riding on a white horse, they will stop fighting each other; and verse 19 says that “their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”

Can you imagine it? You know, there is nothing like the ultimate enemy (Christ) to make you shake hands with the ones you are fighting with. That is what will happen. All the nations—the beast and the kings of the earth (v. 19)—will come together and make peace with each other, and thus combine forces, in order to destroy their real enemy—Christ. Of course, it will happen the other way around!

Armageddon — An Introduction

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I have been writing a book on the Tribulation, and I am at the end of it. The last chapter, which I am beginning now is entitled: Armageddon, The Fall of Babylon, and The Judgement of the Nations.

ARMAGEDDON

When we think about Armageddon we should think of it first as a war, or as an extended, escalating conflict. Then at the very end it will be a bloody battle, normally called the Battle of Armageddon.

In my research I found that some of the most popular authors on this subject seem to be quite sure that the campaign of Armageddon involves eight phases or stages: 1) the gathering of the armies of the Antichrist, 2) the destruction of Babylon, 3) the fall of Jerusalem, 4) the Antichrist moves against the Jewish Remnant, 5) Israel is saved, 6) Jesus Christ Returns, 7) the final battle, and 8) Christ ascends to the Mount of Olives.

Using the same Scriptures, I came up with a slightly different and shorter list of stages. Here are my five stages: 1) the gathering of the armies, 2) A Great Earthquake, or a nuclear exchange, 3) the fall of Babylon, 4) the fall of Jerusalem, and 5) the climax of the battle, or the return of Christ. Also note that I am not positively sure about the order of stages two, three, and four; but I will do my best to explain things as I see them, as you will read in upcoming blogs.