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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
I have a great idea for this New Year! I am assigning Monday as News Day. It will be U.S. and World News—but mainly World News. I intend to gather all the news that pertains to how the world is progressing toward globalism and toward an antichrist government. I think this will be an encouragement for Christians—because we will be able to more clearly see that our Lord’s coming is near.
I have already set up a new page on my blog so you are welcome to look at all the news articles that I will gather from various sources. I think I will probably post up to three articles from the previous week on Sunday afternoon, and then I will pick out one of them to comment on for Monday’s news. I am excited about it! Today I am thinking about the December 30th article, “Putin invites Xi to Moscow to ramp up military cooperation.”
Russian leader Vladimir Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday he was keen to ramp up military cooperation and hailed the two countries’ efforts to counter Western influence.
The relationship between Russia and China, which the two sides have hailed as a “no limits” partnership, took on great significance since Moscow sent its armed forces into Ukraine some 10 months ago. Though Western countries imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia, China has refrained from condemning Moscow’s military campaign, instead stressing the need for peace.
The Russian leader said he expected Xi to visit Moscow in the spring.
Putin said military cooperation has a “special place” in the relationship between their countries. He said the Kremlin aimed to “strengthen the cooperation between the armed forces of Russia and China.”
Anytime bad countries—Communist countries—get together for “military cooperation” I immediately perk up my ears, because I know they are up to no good, especially since they intend to counter Western influence.
In Revelation 16:12-16, we read that in the end (during the Great Tribulation) demons will convince the world leaders to gather to a place called Har-Magedon (or Armageddon). That will turn out to be the end of the world as we know it.
But after that, God will bring in His new kingdom and His Son will rule over the earth for one-thousand years of peace. We should all look forward to that!
This last bowl, interestingly, is poured out into the air. What does that mean? We will get to that in a minute. But first we read here that a loud voice from heaven, the voice of God, says, “It is done.” This could only mean one thing: that this plague is the last one. And when it is done, that will be the end of the Tribulation.
The second thing I want to mention is that when this bowl begins, and all during its devastation, the great battle of Armageddon is raging. The event that sets this plague off is, presumably, a great earthquake. However, there is one scholar, Hal Lindsey who seems to think that it is not really an earthquake, that it is a nuclear exchange. In his book, There’s a New World Coming, he writes,
The [Greek word for earthquake] simply means ‘a great shaking of the earth.’ The earth could be shaken either by a literal earthquake or by a full-scale nuclear exchange of all remaining missiles. I lean toward the nuclear conflict; I believe that when these powers lock forces here, there will be a full-scale exchange of nuclear weapons, and it’s at this time that ‘the cities of the nations fall.’8
I want to return now to my “interesting” comment about this bowl being poured out into the air. If you side with the nuclear exchange idea this makes sense, because nuclear bombs always affect the air. According to an article I read, “Basic Effects of Nuclear Weapons,” the writer said,
Most damage comes from the explosive blast. The shock wave of air radiates outward, producing sudden changes in air pressure that can crush objects, and high winds that can knock objects down. In general, large buildings are destroyed by the change in air pressure, while people and objects such as trees and utility poles are destroyed by the wind.9
This nuclear description goes along well with what is written in verse 19—that “the cities of the nations fell.” That certainly makes sense—that if a full nuclear exchange occurs, the tall buildings in all of the world’s cities (all buildings really) will crumble to the ground. Of course, a very large world-wide earthquake could do this too. Or perhaps both will occur together, the nuclear exchange causing the other.
Now whatever this “great shaking of the earth” will be, there will be six results.
1. Lightning and thunder. To be fair, we don’t know that the cause of this will be due to the great shaking; nonetheless, it will occur. And I’m guessing that it will be dark, except for the lightning flashes, accompanied by loud, terrible thunder.
2. The great city will be split into three parts.Some suggest that the great city is the rebuilt Babylon. Others say that it is Jerusalem—which I happen to agree with. John MacArthur suggests that the splitting of Jerusalem is written about in Zechariah 14:1-8, and that it is not a judgment, but an improvement, preparing the city for its millennial kingdom.10
I agree with that comment. The only uncertainty I have is that in the Zachariah passage the city will be split through the Mount of Olives dividing the city into a northern section and a southern section. Hence that is two parts, not three, as Revelation indicates.
3. The cities of the nations fall.Here is what I talked about earlier. A great earthquake, or possibly a full-scale nuclear exchange will level the great cities of the world. London, Rome, Paris, Berlin, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and all the others will crumble to the ground. In just a few minutes we will see a great judgment of God on the world.
4. Babylon the great falls.We will look at this in detail in the next chapter, so we won’t say much here; except that it will be God’s wrath on the Antichrist’s evil empire.
5. The islands and mountains disappear. Along with the crumbling of the cities, the earth will shift so much that the islands as well as the mountains disappear. Revelation 6:14 seems to describe this same occurrence, except in the sixth chapter the mountains and island only move out of their places. But here they disappear completely. Hence what began in the sixth seal is completed in this seventh bowl. I presume that they will plunge into the earth, as if they are plowed under by God’s great plow when He levels the earth. This again will be God’s preparation for His millennial kingdom.
I invite you to read Isaiah 40:3-5 and Jeremiah 4:23-27. Could this be a prophetical description of what will happen in Revelation 16:19-20?
6. One-hundred-pound hail stones! It is hard to imagine hail this big. As far as we know, the largest hailstone on record fell in South Dakota in 2010, weighing nearly two pounds and measured eight inches in diameter.11 If we calculate how large a 100-pound hailstone would be compared to this one in South Dakota, I come up with one about three or four feet in diameter. That’s pretty big. And I’m sure one stone will kill any human or animal if it falls directly on his head. If you can picture what it will be like when all the city buildings fall and all the islands and mountains disappear into the earth, I imagine that this barrage of hail will level anything that is left.
But since we know that there will be survivors, apparently the hail will be far enough apart that it will miss some people, or perhaps some will be hiding underground.
But will they be thankful to God for their safety? No. Verse twenty-one tells us that they will blaspheme God because of the hail. This tells us that they will know that it was meant for them—to punish them for their wickedness. Hence they will remain unrepentant until the end.
Here is the plague in which we see the beginning of the end of things. It encompasses the preparing of the way for all the armies of the world to come into the holy land for war against God. Hence this plague is not a plague that will immediately produce any more suffering, as was the case in all the other plagues. It is a plague that opens the way for the final judgment. It comes in two parts.
First, this sixth bowl is poured out on the great river Euphrates, causing it to be died up, so that armies from the east will be able to cross over with ease into the holy land for war.
The second part of the plague will come on the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, by way of unclean spirits of demons. These spirits we must believe will be directed by God to carry a message through the three to all of the kings of the world (the kings of the east who will cross over the dried-up Euphrates, and also the kings of the north, south, and west), instructing them to gather together for war against God in Israel. And verse sixteen says that “they [the demons] gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon” (or Armageddon). Warren Wiersbe comments on this place:
The name Armageddon comes from two Hebrew words, har Megiddo, the hill of Megiddo. The word Megiddo means ‘place of troops’ or ‘place of slaughter.’ It is also called the Plain of Esdraelon and the Valley of Jezreel. The area is about fourteen miles wide and twenty miles long, and forms what Napoleon called ‘the most natural battlefield of the whole earth.’ Standing on Mount Carmel and overlooking the great plain, you can well understand why it would be used for gathering the armies of the nations.
It was on this plain that Barak defeated the armies of Canaan (Jud. 5:19). Gideon met the Midianites there (Jud. 7) and it was there that King Saul lost his life (1 Sam. 31). Titus and the Roman army used this natural corridor, as did the Crusaders in the Middle ages. British General Allenby used it when he defeated the Turkish armies in 1917.7
Verse fifteen, which is parenthetical, is written to believers to be faithful and vigilant, constantly ready for His return. Hence this verse assures us that there will be faithful believers during the Tribulation—believers that will survive and go into Christ’s Kingdom.
Last, I want to pose two questions: First, when does the sixth bowl end? Does it end with the gathering, or does it include the battle of Armageddon? It seems to me that it stops with the gathering, but I’m not sure.
Secondly, we have said all along that all the plagues will be accumulative and ongoing. Is that true here? Does this sixth bowl, and also the seventh bowl, contain an accumulation of all the previous plagues? Should we assume in these last plagues that this is a climax and the greatest of the suffering? I’m not sure, but part of me feels that it is; that people are still suffering from all the pervious plagues: from famine and pestilence and wild beasts, and from martyrdom, and from natural/cosmic disturbances, and from demonic activity, and from boils and bloody water and scorching heat, and darkness.
7 Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Victorious (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books) 1985. pp. 117-118.
After about six months of burning heat (from the fourth bowl), this plague will begin without warning; the sun will suddenly be completely blocked out, leaving the earth, or at least part of the earth, in thick darkness. We don’t know, but I suspect that, though there will be a relief from the scorching sunburn, the heat will still remain—like being trapped inside of an oven.
Now the Scriptures say that this plague will be poured out on the throne of the beast—on his kingdom. But where exactly is that? Some say that it will be the rebuilt city of Babylon, which is in Iraq. Others insist that it will be in the city of Rome. But I wonder if it will not extend further that just the city where he resides. How far is considered his kingdom?
Another question I have is: how long will this darkness last? I don’t think it will last to the end of the Tribulation, when the war of Armageddon if commencing, because they will need some light to fight. But I think it will be at least a few months, which I’m sure will feel like a long time.
One author suggested that people won’t even be able to produce electrical power to see in their homes, because most electricity is produced from rivers and bodies of water, and God will have shut that off (as you may have deduced from the second and third judgments). But I suspect that they will at least be able to light candles or use a flashlight. I don’t know. We don’t know how much God will allow.
One thing we do know is that the darkness will be felt and will produce pain—so much that people will gnaw their tongues in pain. That sounds to me like some kind of a nervous disorder. In Exodus 10:21, in the nineth Egyptian plague, it is written that the people felt the darkness. Also, in the prophetical book Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:15), it is written that in the coming day of the Lord it will be “a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” I’m not sure if there has ever been this kind of darkness on the earth. I’m sure that it will be terrible.
Surprisingly, it will not cause people to repent of sins. They, I suppose, will love their sins too much to repent. And, as in the previous bowl-plague, they will curse God because of their pains and sores.
Stephen Nielsen 