One of my correspondents, Charlie, always asks tough questions.  It’s not always fun to answer such questions, but I suppose it’s good for me.  This week he asked me what is my proposed chronology for the End Times.  While I have written about each of these points  I realized that maybe I haven’t actually spelled it out in one post.

Accordingly I have reposted my proposed End Times chronology here.

1) Psalm 83 war, including the destruction of Damascus, Lebanon, Cairo, and other Arab cities.  The tribes listed in the psalm are the Arab tribes in the nations surrounding Israel.  These would include Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinians, and Egypt.  They may also include the other Arab states of the Arabian peninsula, but it will not include Iran, Turkey, Libya, Sudan or Russia.

I expect this war will be so devastating that Israel will be forced to use nuclear devices.  Some may think this war is the Gog/Magog war, or even Armageddon, but it isn’t.  It is a late Church-Age war, and the Christian church will still be here at this time.

2) A Time of peace, resulting from the Arab defeat, and perceived by some to be the Tribulation.  This will be accompanied by a European leader many identify as “the Antichrist”.   The pope will support this leader, and he will be identified as the “false prophet”.  I believe both of these men will be involved in negotiating the peace deal between Israel and the Arabs.

This will be a peace that will stick, for a time, and I expect that this will be the time that Israel gives up her nuclear weapons.  I expect that the whole world will likely give up their nuclear weapons, after the destruction witnessed during this war.  It is also quite likely that some will fall through the cracks in the shuffle.  Russia has so many nukes that they don’t even know how many they really have, so who will notice if one or two are missed?

I expect they will promise Israel unconditional support if attacked, and this will be why the Russians nuke Rome, and why they are not opposed in their attack on Israel.  If everyone has given up their nukes, except Russia, who would oppose them?  I don’t have a verse for this point, I just know that Satan always has his counterfeits.  Therefore he must produce a counterfeit of the Harlot.

Could the counterfeit be the USA?  I doubt it.  It is more likely Rome.  Rome has the seven hills, after all, and a great false church.  What better city to set-up for destruction?

At this time the real Antichrist will most likely be a minor official, or a figurehead.  He may even be appointed by Israel, or the UN, to administer, or help administer, the Arab territories after their defeat in the Psalm 83 war.

3) This time of peace will end with the Gog and Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39.  I expect this war will begin with the destruction of Rome, the false Antichrist and the pope.  With Rome out of the way the Russo/Iranian coalition will be able to concentrate on the destruction of Israel.  What they will not take into account is that God will personally intervene on behalf of Israel.

The real Antichrist will be one of the voices who protests the Russo/Iranian invasion with “are you come to take a prey?” Eze. 38:13.  He may even stand up publicly and pray for Israel’s deliverance, and thus take credit when the invading armies are massacred by the heavenly bombardment of fire and brimstone (Eze. 39:6).

4) The rapture of the Church will take place shortly after the Gog/Magog war.  This will be shortly after the Antichrist is unveiled, but before he has the power to do them any real harm.  The rapture will be much smaller than many imagine.  The majority of “Christians” will be left behind, and will deny that it was the rapture at all.  I would expect it to take place around the time the peace negotiations are taking place, perhaps shortly before, or shortly after the Antichrist “confirms a covenant” for seven years.

5) The destruction of Rome will necessitate the relocation of the Catholic church in the aftermath of the Gog/Magog war.  The new headquarters is most likely Babylon, or Al Hillah, on the plains of Shinar in Iraq.  Her sister city is one Amman, formerly known as the city of seven jabals, or mountains.  I would not be surprised if Amman is renamed Philadelphia by this time.  This was her name at the time of Christ, and this fact will be used by the Antichrist to point to his city as being the Philadelphia of Revelation 3, and his church as the Philadelphian Christian church.  It will be a time of great deception.

The first signs of the Antichrist are spoken of in Daniel 11:37.  Because of unbelief, however, they will be taken as signs that this man is a Christian, by the professing church: “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women,”  After two major wars started by Muslims, the world will not trust Muslims, but this man, from a Muslim family, will not regard, or care about the God of his fathers, Allah, and this will be taken as a sign of progress, or that he is a “Christian”!

He will repudiate polygamy, at a time when 5 of 6 soldiers from the Gog and Magog war are killed in the battle.  The western church will really think this is a sign that he is a Christian, because they have bought the Roman lie that this practise is sinful.

And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: Eze. 39:2

Yes that’s right, the Antichrist will arise in the aftermath of the Gog/Magog war, which many will have mistaken for Armageddon.  Those nations are primarily Muslim, and this practise has been common in Islam from its founding to today! In fact it predates Islam.

The bible speaks of a similar time, when Jesus Christ returns, and it says what He will do in a similar situation.  Most Christians have read Isaiah 4 and yet didn’t understand it when it was right in front of them.  To be fair, I did not understand what was going on either, until I had read it several times, and prayed about it;

And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. Isaiah 4:1

Their reproach is the same as the reproach of Rachel and of Elizabeth. (See Genesis 30:23, and Luke 1:24-25)

The next verses give us the context:

2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that have escaped of Israel.  3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:  4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst of it by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 

Remember that the “Branch” is Jesus Christ.  None of this occurred during His first coming.  This is an event that is awaiting His return.

Notice also that these women are asking for marriage, not for illicit affairs.  This passage is talking about the time immediately after Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom on earth.  There is a shortage of men, but these women, and men, are all 100% believers in Jesus Christ.  They do not want affairs, but legitimate marriages!  With Jesus rulling, affairs will be punished by death!  Verse 25 of the preceding chapter tells us why there are so many men missing;

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.  26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she [being] desolate, shall sit upon the ground

While the context of the passage begins with ancient Israel, somewhere in the middle the context changes to Armageddon.  While the women of Israel flee to the wilderness for safety, at the abomination of desolation, many men will stay behind to fight the Antichrist!

The story of Hannukah is about how Israel defeated the first Little Horn, Antiochus Ephiphanes, and these men will believe they can defeat the second Little Horn the same way.  This fight will result in the world’s armies coming against Jerusalem, and the deaths of 2/3 of Israel.

 8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.  9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

The people spoken of in Isaiah 4:1 are the very same “third part” of Israel that is spoken of here!  These are the seven women who come to one man and say “give US your name to take away our reproach“, and it also includes that one man!  This is the pattern that will be seen throughout the world, though the object of the passage is Israel!

Some of the two thirds who die may actually be believers in Yeshuah as Messiah, but by disobeying Him they will find they are translated to Heaven in death, and will not live to repopulate the earth during the millennial kingdom.

15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)  16  Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:   17  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  18  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. Matt. 24:15-18

I am convinced that the majority of the world will believe themselves to be Christians, and they will persecute the true church, which will spring up shortly after the rapture.  Technically they won’t be “the Church”, but Old Testament believers.  Saved by grace, but not indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  The Christian Church is a “limited time offer” by God!  Its expiry date is drawing close!

The Harlot is the world religion put together after the Gog and Magog war, but led by the Catholic church, and the protestant denominations.  Their extra-biblical traditions will actually lead them to support the Antichrist!

Interestingly both Satan, the Antichrist, the world’s rulers, and Jesus Christ hate the Harlot!  This is the one thing they all have in common!  Satan will use the false church to put his man on the world throne, but because they have some allegiance to a “Jesus”, they will have to be destroyed before the Antichrist claims to be the Son of God.  They would rebel once they realize that he is claiming to be divine, so they must be eliminated!

The problem with them is that their Jesus is not the Jesus of the bible, but another Jesus.  A Jesus who does not have all the characteristics of the biblical Jesus, but depends on his church doing things for him.  This is something that is commonly taught in false churches today, “that they must create the kingdom of God on earth, before Jesus can return“.  Such a teaching is offensive to Jesus, who depends on no man, and so He will put it in the hearts of the worlds leaders to destroy the false church.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.  II Corinthians 11:4 

Be very careful which Jesus you believe in.  Only the biblical Jesus of Nazareth can save you!

It will be around this time that the Antichrist will die and be raised from the dead.  He will claim that his resurrection proves that he is the Son of God, just as Christians have claimed for some 2,000 years.  It will also be around this time that the 144,000 witnesses are raptured, which makes me think that they will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, just as the Church is. (Rev. 14:1-3)

After this all Hell breaks loose.  I wouldn’t want to be here at that time.

That is the End Times timeline as I see it.  Of necessity this has been a brief overview.  I have included over seven hundred biblical references in The Spirit of Prophecy, which support my contentions.

There are many other events that could be added, and probably some that I have missed.  Nevertheless, I think that if anyone finds other End Times events, they will likely fit within this timeline.  For instance, what is the event that keeps Iran, Turkey, and Russia out of the Psalm 83 war?  The Gazprom natural gas deal between Israel and Russia may have something to do with it, but I am not certain that this is all.  Maybe an attack by Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities?  If anyone has any ideas on this or any other issue, I would be very interested to hear what you think.

Shalom,

Dan