More than a million people have now contracted the novel corona virus. It has infected 190 countries, and more than a billion people are now spending their time inside their homes, waiting for the virus to end its contagion. This is the first time that we see all peoples of different races and of different beliefs and religions doing the same thing. This had not happened in the sixth century when the bubonic plague nearly wiped out Western civilization or when a fifth of the world’s population succumbed to the influenza pandemic or what we now know as Spanish flu. Technology and globalization have severely contracted the world and made it as a small highly interconnected community. When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 as the first coronavirus pandemic, it was beamed not just on billions of the world’s televisions but to billions of phones and computers. The speed that news about this new health concern is incredible.
Is this the end of humankind as some says it is? What do the ancient scriptures say about what is happening in the world today?
This is not the end, but, possibly, the beginning of what many call tribulation. Tribulation is an era prior to the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This fact had been forewarned to us by both the Holy Bible and even, by the Noble Qu’ran.
In this paper, I will explain why these things are happening now and why these events are not at all THE events which will lead to the end of the world, as we see it. This period is given to us as a preparation, an opportunity for us to further improve or further deteriorate. I lifted Chapter 5 of my book, “ The Holy Way” to explain these events based on what the Bible says.
A defiled world and How God would end it someday
When Lucifer rebelled against God, God thru Wisdom ordered him banished from heaven and thrown into the earth. This explains why the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 5:19 that this world came into the power of the Evil one, who is Satan, or Iblis to Muslims.
As this world is under the power of Satan, God’s chosen race cannot live in this defiled world. The fact is—the chosen people are commanded not to love the world or the things in this world (1 John 2:15). James, the apostle, even wrote a strongly worded letter in James 4:4:
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Why is it that the world is defiled? In the eyes of God, the world has hated him since the beginning of time. That’s why the world, this one, and everything in it, is destined for destruction.
The end of this world is a certainty. 1 Peter 4:7 says, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober- minded for the sake of your prayers. “
But as to when God will do it, no one knows except the One True God.
Will God judge the creation in this world in the end? No. God will not. It is Jesus Christ who will. In Acts 17:30-31, Jesus was described as a “man whom he has appointed.”
“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31, ESV)
Why is it that it is necessary to end the world? It is essential to bring the world back into the fold of God, destroy evil and give the reward to the chosen ones of God.
There is a process though, and it should be shown to everyone that there is a man who was appointed by God to judge the rest of humankind. This is as much as the Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:20.
“He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.”
The Signs
Are there signs given by Jesus Christ prior to the Day of Judgment? Yes, there are signs given by Jesus Christ himself. Why did God give us these signs? Matthew wrote in 24:44 that those elected to be with God should be ready for the coming of Christ.
“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Are there signs given to at least alert us if Jesus Christ is near? Yes. In Daniel 9:25, we find this passage:
“Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.”
What the Prophet Daniel wrote here gave us hope that there is a period of time which God gave as a sign when the coming of Christ will happen. Daniel says that there shall be “seven weeks” from the destruction of Jerusalem which happened in 70 AD to the “coming of an anointed one, a prince.”
Some interpret this by using 2 Peter 3:8 which says “ one day is like a thousand years for the Lord”, as if to say that a day in God’s speak is equivalent to a thousand earth years. If we use this as a basis for determining when will the coming of Christ be, then, seven weeks equals to about 49 days, which, if we are to use this logic, means that Christ will come 49,000 years which began in 70 AD. Meaning, the possibility that Christ’s coming will not happen during our lifetime.
Yet, Jesus Christ says that “for the sake of those who believe, those days shall be shortened”. The apostle Matthew in 24:29-31 wrote the very sequence which Christ gave to them while the Messiah was still here on earth.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
- a tribulation
- heavenly signs (“the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”)
- Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory
- Sending of the angels with a loud trumpet call to gather the elect from the four corners of the earth.
- In Daniel 12:7 ESV, these things will happen “for a time, times, and half a time.”
“And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.” - In Matthew 24:3, as Jesus sat with his disciples, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?”
The Tribulation
While Christ himself and all the other prophets from the Old Testament gave signs about the coming of the last days, what is certain about all these is the uncertainty of Christ’s coming (Matthew 24:44).- “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
- This explains why all those who believe should always be ready because Christ will come “like a thief in the night,” as what is stated in Revelation 3:3:
- “Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”
- Second, the time would be shortened. In Matthew 24:22, we find that :
- “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
- In Daniel 12:7 ESV, these things will happen “for a time, times, and half a time.”
- “And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.”
The bible spoke of two strands of the tribulation: the first one involves tremendous physical hardship imposed upon the true believers while the second one happens at this very moment which involves the testing of faith by believers of Christ. What threads these two phases together is the continued proselyzing of false Christs who appeared first even while Jesus Christ was still alive and became highly active during the propagation of the Faith by the disciples. - Jesus Christ told of an era of tribulation, described in Matthew 24:21 as a great one “such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.”
- In the Greek, tribulation comes from the root word “thlipsis” from “thlibo” which means “to crush, press together, squash, hem in, compress, squeeze in turn.” This tribulation is not just hardship—but real honest-to- goodness suffering.
- There would be tremendous physical, mental and emotional stress experienced by the true believers of Christ. This so-called “squeezing of the juice” which the rootword thlibo came from, is from the practice of squeezing the oil out of olives. Tribulation will lead to deaths of believers as stated in Matthew 24:9 ESV : “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.”
- Those slain during these times will cry out before God, and this will usher in the countdown towards the last of days.
- Revelation 6:9-11 ESV: When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
- The first phase of the tribulation has already been fulfilled with the Roman persecution of the Christians up until 70 AD with the burning of the Jerusalem temple. The second phase of the tribulation is more lethal because it involves the trial of faith. And we are, I think, at the cusp of it today.
- Why is tribulation important? The tribulation is a process by which the faith of the true believers are tested. In 1 Peter 1:7, we find:
- “So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
- The tribulation is also a way for us to listen and be faithful of God’s instructions. Proverbs 13:1-25:
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. …” - During this time however, the great archangel Michael will protect the chosen people, as stated in Daniel 12:1:
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.” - The Psalmist in 119:1-5 says:
“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!” - The Appearance of anti-Christs propagating false doctrine
From the time of Christ’s ascension into the heavens and the giving of the Holy Spirit, anti-Christs and those who claim to be Christs had continually appeared to mislead the chosen ones of God from the true path towards salvation. - “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18)
- This is happening as we speak. In Matthew 24:1-51 ESV:
“Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying,
“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray…” - How would one determine the anti- Christs? In 1 John 2: 15-18, we find that these anti-Christs shall be those who “preach the love of this world, instead of the love of God.”
- “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.”
- These people will also be the ones who denies about Christ, as sayeth in 1 John 2:22:
“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” - How do these anti-Christ deny of Jesus? In 2 John 1:7, you will know those who deny the humanity of Christ.
- “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
God reiterated this in 1 John 4:3: - “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
- These anti-Christs will spread lies against Christ. Their words will test those of faith. Many will succumb to sin and will disbelieve Christ and his promise, as stated in 2 Peter 3:3-4:
“Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” - A Time of Difficulty
The world will be in utter chaos. Sin will proliferate everywhere. This is described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 as a “time of difficulty”:
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable,slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” - Hosea writes in 4:2 that: “There is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.”
- Total global disorder will break out, with peace and order problems troubling many nations. States will then begin warring against each other. While political violence abounds, the situation becomes totally unbearable with the arrival of natural calamities such as famines and earthquakes, as what Matthew wrote in 24:7:
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” - The Rise of a World Order
Eventually, a new world order will arise out of the political chaos, brought together by states in the hopes of global security and stability. This global order will begin by dominating the world economy, as stated in Revelation 13:16-18: “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” - One man will control this new global order composed of a federation of ten big states. This man will control maritime trade as revealed in Revelations 13:1:
“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.” - God gave this man the power to exercise authority over the earth for 42 months.
- During these times, this man will utter lies, deceit and blasphemous words against God.
“And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. “(Revelation 13:5) - Through the deception by this Leader, some will depart from the true faith by devoting themselves to divination and devil worship.
- “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons “ (1 Timothy 4:1)
The love of many will grow cold. People will hear wars and rumors of wars. - “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)
- “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6)
- This blasphemous world system will cover the entire world. Peoples of the world, except the elected ones, will succumb to this world system. John used the word “prostitute” here to mean the giving of consent in exchange for worldly security and protection.
Revelation 17:1-18: Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” …
Those who will hold faith though, says Isaiah 33:6 are those who fear the Lord:
“And he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.” - When everything is in chaos, the true gospel will be revealed.
- “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)
- With the revelation of the true Gospel, the Holy Spirit will again be poured out into the world. Men and women of faith will prophesy.
- “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17)
- A momentary peace will reign upon the earth before the coming of Christ.
“While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3) - The Astronomical Signs
When the True Gospel has been revealed while the world is under the power of a hegemon and humanity appears to continue disbelief, then, astronomical signs will then show up in the skies, as what it is written in Matthew 24:29:
“ Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the heaven and the powers of the heaven will be shaken.” - Signs will influence tidal waves
These astronomical signs will affect the motion of our seas and oceans such that, it will create distress among peoples of the earth, as stated in Luke 21:25-26:
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” - This will last for a week, according to Daniel 9:27: “And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
- Earthquakes will happen everywhere. In Luke 21:11, we find that:
“There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. “ - These wonders will occur both in the skies and on earth, suggesting tremendous volcanic-like activities as what was described in Acts 2:19:
“And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.” - The Arrival of Christ like Enoch
People will raise their heads (Luke 21:28) to wait for the appearance of Christ (Titus 2:13). When the situation turns at the brink of total global collapse, then all peoples on earth will see the wonderful arrival of Christ with his numerous angels from the East (Matthew 24:27) to gather the elect. (Mark3:27). - All the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see Christ appear in heaven (Matthew 24:30) like lightning (Matthew 24:27) and with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16) which will awaken those elect from their deathly state. Those angels with Christ will number in the tens of thousands as what was prophesied by Enoch.
“It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, (Jude 1:14)” - All eyes will be on Jesus Christ, as stated in Revelation 1:7:
“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” - The rulers of the world will hide in the caves out of the fear of the inevitable, as stated in Revelation 6:12-17:
“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” - Those who hold their faith unto Christ, will not suffer harm anymore.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) - Sealing of the Chosen ones and Ascension with Christ in the air
Then Christ will begin to gather his elected ones by sealing them first (Revelation 7:3). The hidden name of Christ will be revealed on the foreheads of the elect, a sign that separates them from the unchosen people. Christ will issue a command for the dead to raise up and be sealed as well as those who are alive by this time. They will all be sealed. - After the sealing, those who are alive will now be caught in the air.
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) The tent of the meeting will be opened to receive those caught up in the air. - “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened “(1 Revelation 15:1-16,21)
- Those who are caught up in the air will enter the tent of the meeting for their own protection.
Psalm 27:5-14: For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! … - Afterwards, there will be a battle between Satan and Christ. The Archangel Michael shall make war and defeat Satan and his forces, as written in Revelation 12:7-12:
“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. …” - Satan will be defeated and chained in the utter depths of Sheol. Christ and his flock will reign on the earth for a thousand years.
- “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:2)
- Christ and all those with him during this time—both those who survived the reign of the blasphemer and those who already died and sacrificed their lives for Christs—they will reign with Christ on earth as judges for a thousand years.
“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6 - After the 1,000 years, Satan and the Beasts with him would be released for the final battle with God’s believers (Revelation 20:7). In Daniel 11:31 we find that this event will happen:
“Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.”
Christs and his priests will triumph over Satan by bruising his feet (Romans 16:20). Christ will then gather all nations and will separate the believers from the non- believers.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matthew 25:31-36) - There will be a second resurrection.
“Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29) - Satan will be cast out of the world so that all will be judged.
“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” (John 12:31) - Christ will be the one who will destroy all the works of Satan upon the earth.
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8) - In Job 20:5, we find the triumph of the wicked is for a short time:
That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? - Then, the heavens will disappear with a roar, the sound of it like burning.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” (2 Peter 3:10) - After the disappearance of heaven, all creation will now be ready to be judged— those who held their faith for eternal life and those who sinned, to everlasting damnation.
“And come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:29, Matthew 25:46) - And Christ will judge them, says John 5:22 , while sitting on his white throne.
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15) - Christ will judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). “ On that day,” wrote the Apostle John in Revelation 2:16:
“..according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”
Thrones will be placed where Christ will take his seat, as what is written in Daniel 7:9 ESV:
“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. - Christ will banish those from his left to the eternal fire, while those on his right, the privilege of being with him until eternity.
“Then he will say to those on his left,‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ “ (Matthew 25:41-46) - In the Day of Judgement, angels whose tasks were to mediate between God and men, will also plead before Christ to spare men from being thrown into the pits.
“ Then there is an Angel by his side, a Mediator, chosen out of thousands, to remind a man where his duty lies, to take pity on him and to say, `Release him from descent into the pit, for I have found a ransom for his life; his flesh recovers the bloom of its youth, he lives again as he did when he was young.” (Job 33:23-25)
- Trumpet sound will herald the changing of forms
- “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:52)
- Conclusion
- Can we change this algorithm of humanity’s destruction? If our ancient scripture foretells our future, can we then alter that future? We can thru God’s mercy.
- God is an unchanging One, a God of Love and Justice. While these things have been foretold, and this Revelation has been sent to us as a warning, we, as individuals, can be saved from all of these.
- God is a merciful God. The end time is a necessary event because God loves us, and God wants to be with us in the end.
- However, we cannot be with God, if we ourselves, remain in our present condition. God cannot change Himself—He is what He is.
- But, we can be changed, since we are all creations. We can be pure if we follow God’s path towards perfection.
- That explains why there is a tribulation—to allow us to do retrospection, cleanse ourselves of filth caused by sin, and submit ourselves to God. This is a choice, an exercise of our will which God gave us.
- This “free will” is not evil. Free will is not a license to do whatever we want. We can will ourselves to be good towards our fellow men. We can will ourselves to live pure and holy lives. We can will ourselves to end even the most difficult issues of our time.
- As how we created languages or algoritms to govern our lives in the present, we can also create an algoritm that follows God’s instructions.
- The question which usually is being asked by many—If God is love, then, why does he desire for our destruction? The presumption of the question is wrong.
- God does not want to destroy us— what God wants destroyed is EVIL. Why? Because evil is not the nature of God. God is the purest of the pure, hence God cannot be with impunity. Whenever there is impunity, there is the wrath of God.
- If God does not love us, God would have destroyed us completely during Noah’s time. God did not, because by destroying us, God is going against His Own Nature, which is being compassionate, merciful and love. That explains why, in the last days, God gave us the Day of Judgment—a special day when we will be judged based on the laws which God us and what we agreed to abide with as a creation of God.
- Why are we to be judged? Because God gave us the free will to choose and by having this privilege or to some people, this is a right, then, by operation of logic, we are thus responsible for exercising free will. We are responsible for every action or choice we make in our lives.
- For us to live with God, we cannot just do so as we sin. Do you like to live with one who always contradict you or is rebellious or is always against you, in eternity? Of course not! Every house has its own set of rules, of law. Sin is a transgression of God’s laws. Therefore, it is entirely logical for God to require those who want to live with God eternally to follow His Laws.
- As we now stay in our homes while this COVID-19 epidemic spreads throughout the globe, use this time to study and know God. Read the Bible. Read the Noble Qu’ran. Read the Bragavat gita. Read the ancient scriptures.
- These ancient scriptures have nuggets of truth within them. Study them. Study what God really said. Believe in the most fundamental things that God gave us. God did not complicate His Message because by complication, comes abstraction, and by abstraction, difficulty in comprehension and most commonly, lead to a misunderstanding.
- Knowing God means accepting His Nature, and by acceptance means understanding of His Acts and words. Amen.
This passage tells us the following events which are happening now and will happen very soon.
