ARMAGEDDON and CHRIST'S SECOND COMING: 21 Prophetic Precursors

PRECURSORS THREE AND FOUR

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS

To set the scene for our next two prophetic precursors let’s be reminded of the scriptural context as outlined by Christ on the Mount of Olives in 31AD.

“And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of your [second] coming, and of the end of the world?’ And Jesus answered and said unto them, ‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many’” [Matthew 24:3-5].

We dealt briefly with the first two precursors [prophetic signs or indicators]— in our first Armageddon blog - false prophets and false doctrines. These serve as introductory precursors to the return of Christ, followed by several others which eventually culminate in the great war of Armageddon.

What are the next precursors, the third and fourth signs?

Christ continues in Matthew 24:6 “And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars…” This is the direct result of what Christ envisaged in v.7a: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom...”

The word “rise” holds a deep and fascinating, yet awesome, revelation for us to consider. The Greek word “egeiro” translated “rise”, means to awake from sleep, or death; to rise out of obscurity; to rise from inactivity to vigour and action.

What Christ is alluding to is the fact that many nations which have not been dominant on the world scene will “suddenly” appear within the universal war arena to occupy their appointed place in fulfilling their divinely designated prophetic destinies.

These national “risings” or “awakenings” is like Christ’s “rising” out of death. The same word “egeiro” is used here in the Greek text. And, the same power that resurrected Christ from the dead—the Eternal God himself—will cause dormant or sleeping nations to arise out of obscurity to take their appointed dominating roles on the world stage—politically, militarily, technically, and economically.

As difficult as it might be to accept the fact that the very same power that caused Christ to be resurrected will cause these nations and kingdoms to rise from obscurity as world forces and primary international significants, occupying front pages of newspapers and newsmagazines worldwide, and featured daily on television screens globally, it will, nevertheless, be the doing of the Eternal God himself.

The Eternal will personally cause these nations to rise to life and pre-eminence just as He did with Christ as Messiah. In Matthew 16:21 Christ predicts that he will be “raised [egeiro] again the third day”. Christ also refers to himself as “egeiro” [raising] the dead [Mat 11:5, Mark 5:41, etc.].

The prophet Joel expresses this soon-to-be-fulfilled prophetic truth at Joel 3:2:

“I [the Eternal himself] will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.”

Note how emphatically YHVH emphasizes the fact that the nations will bestir themselves at his inspiration at the end time, ready for the battle of Armageddon.

Joel 3:9 “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up [Heb. ur: “open the eyes, bring to life” as in a resurrection] the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10 Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears… 11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 12 Let the heathen be wakened [Heb. ur], and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.”

Just before the FINAL BATTLE OF THIS PRESENT AGE three powerful demons will be released by the Eternal to wake up the nations in preparation of that war. Truth to tell, those evil spirits have already been released and are fulfilling Revelation 16:14 by working “miracles”—miracles of economy, miracles of military inventions, of conquest of strategic space platforms, of Artificial Intelligence, and anything that is required to fulfil their God-appointed mission in the valley of God’s judgment of the nations!

Notice Rev 16:14: “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty [the battle of Armageddon!].

A modern day example is the rising [“egeiro”; the “waking up, “ur”] of Russia to great power, and the person of Putin, specifically, being placed in a power position to engage Ukraine in war. This is an act of God. Daniel revealed that to world ruler, Nebuchadnezzar: “… know that the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will.” [Daniel 4:32; 5:19 and 21.]

Of the great gentile world empires, Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greco-Macedonian and Roman empires, it is said in Daniel 4:6, “dominion was given to [them]” [by the Most High] and in verse 12: “they had their dominion taken away” [by the Most High]. World dominion, or loss thereof, is God-determined. He decides who rules when, and where, and how long. The Eternal rules over the international affairs of nations. Therefore, when Christ declared that wars will come, they will come. In fact, as indicated in the notes at the end of this article, over half the nations of the world are enmeshed in war at this very moment! It must be so because Christ declared it as one of the prophetic predeterminants of His second coming.

Another twentieth century awakening [egeiro], BESTIRRED BY ONE OF THE DEMONS, is that of the once sleeping giant of the Far East, China. Its economic and military ascendency is by the Eternal’s pre-planning of world events and prophetic history. The rise [egeiro] of these two super powers, converging with the economic, military and political demise of the USA, is by God’s intervention and his prophetic timing.

The rate of the concomitant collapse of the American economy, its leadership decay, political bungling, international abasement, internal conflicts, moral rot, social malevolence and virulent racial violence—all due to their spiritual rejection of the Law of God—is also orchestrated from the heavens above. It must coincide with several other precursors to converge in Armageddon. As the Eternal causes to rise [egeiro] one set of nations so he debases another nation or group of nations.

The ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war which started in 2014 is not the only war currently affecting the global peace. Internationally nations are at war continually. Since the end of World War II a horrific number of people died in wars, globally. The body-count accumulates steadily. [See notes at the end of this article.]

Most of the wars occur in Africa, Arab-Muslim countries, in the Middle East, the Far East, and South America. The 60 or so conflict zones in the world, involving over 130 nations, tribes and people groups are surely indicative of Christ’s prophetic precursor: “There shall be wars…”

And Rumors of War?

As if the current levels of international hostilities are not enough, other nations are presently preparing for conflicts in the foreseeable future.

As at this writing Wion Gravitas [May 10, 2022, under the heading “Taiwan ‘surrounded’ by Chinese warships and warplanes”] reports China staged war-games around Taiwan engaging warships, aircraft carriers, warplanes, bombers, fighters and submarines—and training its troops in land-based invasion tactics, apparently in preparation for a Taiwan invasion. It is, according to the Wion analysis, a recipe for engaging the USA, Japan and allies in a war with China.

Up to today, May 10, 2022, the USA Government website considered Taiwan to be “part of China”, also stating it “does not support Taiwan’s independence [from China].” America removed those statements from its website, indicating its preparedness to support Taiwan in an armored conflict with China. An alarming intimation! Seems there’s a rumor of serious war looming in the east.

Similarly in Europe, NATO is taking a “provocative” stance by positively considering Swedish and Finnish membership applications to NATO. Russia already warned “retaliating” should Finland be granted NATO membership, stating it poses a “threat to their [Russia’s] security”. Finland’s Prime Minister seems unperturbed after signing security agreements with Britain. Boris Johnston pledged that “they [Finland and Britain] will always come to one another’s aid”, stating that they are “marrying [their] defense capabilities”.

Nations are presently feverishly preparing for war, globally. These preparations are but precursors to the great final conflict to explode in the valley of Megiddo at Har-Magedon, the mountain of the assembly of troops—the place to which earth’s military forces will be drawn by demons for the slaughter “of that great day of God Almighty” [Rev 16:14].

WAR is a divine punishment inflicted upon nations for their sins.

The sad demise, social crumbling, and eventual economic collapse of the United States of America—and that at the hands of its liberally lost, morally moribund, and politically imprudent, irrational, and ridiculous leadership—is also from the Eternal. He appoints the leadership of nations. Therefore weak leadership is preparing a nation for its collapse and eventual destruction by war. Being weakened internally by its own moral dereliction like a body whose immune system has been completely compromised, the viral attacks from its enemies will be used by the Eternal God to debase, humiliate and crush these proudly deluded people. Soon Americans will suffer unspeakable humiliation, experience a tragic economic collapse, and ruinous annihilation. Is the handwriting not already on the wall? What sane leader supplies his enemies with almost a trillion dollars’ worth of sophisticated armaments?

WHY does this happen?

Because, despite the fact that the Eternal gave Israel, his covenant people, good laws that will make them wise and give them spiritual understanding to conduct their individual lives and national and international affairs in such a way as to ensure His great blessings and protect them from their enemies, they nonetheless despise His Laws and scandalously disobey Him. Therefore they will become prey to their ravenous enemies and be destroyed socio-economically, militarily, politically and in every way that matters for the safe continuance of a nation.

History records that this happened exactly as Moses predicted to both the houses of Israel. Ancient Israel derided, loathed, scorned, spurned, and despised the laws of their covenant God, Yehovah. For that insult they were taken captive in 721-718 BC by the Assyrians and nationally displaced to the North-East of the Euphrates—never to return to their homeland—destined to migrate for centuries before they were resettled in new territories as determined by the Eternal. Similarly, too, were the Jews broken, conquered, captured and enslaved by the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar in 585 BC. They will remain broken and at war with their avowed enemies until Christ returns to deliver them. Their war victories of 1948 and 1967 were but in preparation of the Eternal setting the scene for the fulfilment of specific prophetic wars of Daniel and Revelation.

Why the coming wars against Israel, North-Western Europe, Britain and Jewry? Because they despise the GOOD LAWS of God. They are doomed to disastrous defeats economically and militarily due to its political and judicial leadership’s murderously criminal actions. Plainly, their shameless and monstrously wicked ways are to be punished, divinely.

What difference is there between America’s morally unrestrained, decadent, indecent, unethical, irrational, licentiously liberal politicians and its emotionally insensitive, uncompassionate, calloused and cruel medical professionals responsible for the murder of 60 million babies—of their own nation!—and the viciously indifferent and emotionally impervious Nazis? Or, Pol Pot? Or Papa Doc? Or Stalin? Or Mao?

And America is not alone in this shamefully reprehensible and despicable crime! By what moral right can America, Britain, France, and other western “democracies” claim the moral high ground?

Their heinous national crimes are the moral equivalent of the ancient savage barbarians who in their worship of Ba’al, Astarte, Nimrod, Horus, Ninus, Cupid, Venus, Jupiter, et al., sacrificed their new born babies to the rejoicing demons [Ps 106:37] in the deluded and religiously deceived expectation of some material blessing.

The crimes of our ancient forebears caused their historic demise and punishment at the instigation of the Almighty. He caused enemy nations to rise—“egeiro”—from the far quarters of the earth to saddle their ponies to terrorize, torment and massacre His disobedient covenant people. Why should he not punish by war, disease epidemics and famine the rest of the nations? That will prove his impartiality and fairness.

Moses said: “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Yehovah my Elohim commanded me that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons” [Deut 4:5-9].

What the lying and deceived fake news media, who utterly hate the word of God, do not realise is that they are daily broadcasting for all to hear and see the fulfilment of divine prophecies. Unknowingly, and against their ingrained worldviews, perverse psyche, and base value systems, they “proclaim” the prophecies of the One whom they despise, curse and damn as a false prophet [Muslims and Jews] and whose teachings they vehemently deny and discard [the Churchians].

Despite the horror and terror gripping the souls of world citizenry, Christ offers comfort to the believers: “And you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom...” [Mat 24:6-7a].

Wars we are experiencing today are forerunners of Armageddon and Christ’s return. All these are the beginning of sorrows. We are no doubt at this point in history which Christ called “the beginning of sorrows”. The great tribulation is yet to follow.

“Wars and Rumors of war” in the first Century

War is endemic to humanity. It started within the first generation after the creation of Adam and Eve. Cain killed Abel and the slaughter continued ever since. Christ uttered the prophetic precursors of wars and rumors of war and commissioned the Apostles to preach the gospel worldwide even during such times of international conflict, mass murder and mayhem. In the West, during the apostolic period, “Pax Romana” ensured peace by Roman power until circa 52 AD when Rome was challenged by Parthia for the possession of Armenia Minor. Up till then the counterbalancing might of the Parthian Empire in the East, beyond the Euphrates River, ensuring peace even in the remotest areas, enabled the Apostles to carry the gospel to the nations in a relatively peaceful international environment. But whilst fulfilling that commission to “go into all the world” , the Church experienced its own internal war, it being assailed by false prophets and false teachings, bringing the first two precursors—false preachers and false teachings—into tandem with the third and fourth precursors—wars and rumors of war erupting in 52 AD. Fourteen years later the Judean conflict commenced.

Tempestuous times soon prevailed in the Roman Empire, and elsewhere. About 53 AD Paul warned of a false peace that would result in “sudden destruction” [1Tess 5:3]. Circa 64 AD the first governmental and civil persecution against the Church started. Three years later [66 AD] the First Jewish Revolt erupted. Nero entrusted the campaign against the Jews to the veteran Commander Vespasian who commenced a methodical conquest of Judea from north to south. Nero died in 68 AD whilst Vespasian besieged Jerusalem. Civil war erupted amongst the generals for the Emperorship. Vespasian was recalled to Rome due to the internal wars that displaced three emperors in about six months.

Titus, succeeding his father, eventually subjugating and conquered Jerusalem in 69-70 AD. Jewish obstinacy, the vile actions of criminal gangs inside the city, and to the ultimate disgust of the Roman legions at the abhorrent atrocities committed by the Jewish city gangs finally led to the massacre of over 1 000 000 Jews in Jerusalem. The Romans levelled the city, turning Jerusalem into a “ploughed field”. Finally, in 73 AD “the last flames of revolt were put out at Masada where the last rebels committed suicide rather than fall into Roman hands”.

Whilst Jerusalem survivors scrounged out a living among the ashes and rocky ruins of the city, the Church continued proclaiming the gospel message—inter alia, that Christ prophesied wars and rumors of war—and specifically the destruction of Jerusalem [Mat 24:2 ff.] Paul was dead. Peter was dead. James was dead. Only John still served apostolically in the Middle East arena soon to be banished to Patmos, there to receive further detailed revelation of the wars yet to come in the distant future, some of which we are being thrust into, today.

During the first century the world at large was rife with wars and rumors of war. For instance, while Titus completed the conquest of Judea, in the Far East, Japan made major acquisitions, starting in 71 AD, during which period China embarked on its capture of Korea [109 AD].

In Western Europe the Batavian insurrection in Belgian Gaul occurred also in 69-70 AD. Shortly afterward another precursor—earthquake and volcanic eruption on a scale hardly experienced before, devastated three cities. One of the greatest natural disasters of the ancient world took place with the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius, destroying Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabiae. These appalling events were soon followed by the Dacian wars lasting 21 years from 86-107 AD. Indeed, these were fateful decades in the world theatre of wars and rumours of wars.

East of the Euphrates River, in the neighbouring Parthian Empire, consisting of the Jews’ brother tribes [descendants of the Ten Tribes of Israel] found themselves “dispersed among the Gentiles” [James 1:1, 1 Pet. 1:1 and John 7:35] where they were taken as captives in 721-718 BC. These tribal-nations were at war both among themselves and with Rome. There raged a hundred year long struggle for succession to the throne of a waning Parthian Empire. This innumerable multitude Christ, Josephus [first century Jewish general, priest and historian], James, Peter and the Jewish historians referred to as the “dispersion” [Gr. Diaspora] or the “Lost sheep of the house of Israel”. To these warring tribes and nations in the East reaching into China, India and Pakistan and Afghanistan, Christ sent his apostles.

The Apostles preached very successfully so that to this day traces of their labours are present. And, equally significant, is the fact that small pockets of the ten tribes of Israel are still present in aforementioned territories. James issued a stern reprimand to these ten Israelite tribes in the diaspora east of the Euphrates, when he admonishingly asked them: “From whence come wars and fightings among you? [Remember, James is writing to the “twelve tribes (of Israel) which are scattered abroad” (1:1).] James continues: “You lust and have not ...” [These tribes of Israel were constantly lusting after each other’s lands, wealth and thrones]. “You kill ...” [The ruling class regularly engaged in extermination excursions against any would-be pretenders to the Parthian throne.] “[You] desire to have and cannot obtain: you fight and war, yet you have not...” [Js 4:1-2].

These ongoing wars among Israelite tribes and Gentiles during the first century was divine news- casting becoming historic fact, precisely as Christ predicted. This condition continues amongst nations until this day!

The point is simple: from the time Christ made these predictions of wars and rumours of wars, conflicts, battles, murder and mayhem raged all over the globe. These prophetic precursors of Christ were fulfilled slowly but surely. This is not to intimate that there were no wars and rumours of wars before Christ made these declarations, the century before Christ’s birth there were about 40 international wars, conflicts and skirmishes, but it emphasises the fact that this worldwide phenomenon continued unabated.

Today these forerunners occur more frequently and more chronologically compacted.

In the accompanying notes at the end of this article we provide a glimpse of some of the wars and fatalities in recent decades. And, it seems that the situation will escalate dramatically in the next few weeks. Putin might get so desperate that he would insanely engage the world in a limited nuclear war which would be curtailed by the West for the time is not yet ripe for the ultimate onslaught of Armageddon. However, the rapid escalation of the eschatological precursors is indicative of the fulfilment of prophetic indicators rushing headlong towards Armageddon and Christ’s return.

It’s a peloton of prophetic portends presently befalling humanity, threatening the very existence of mankind were it not for the promissory prophetic statement of Christ that these days will be “shortened” [reduced] by his direct intervention. That is the only hope humanity has for survival.

Commotions, uproars, civil unrest, skirmishes, major wars—and the THIRD WORLD WAR, ARMAGEDDON!—is on the immediate historic horizon. Most of us alive today will experience the decimation of billions—yes, billions!—of people globally. Some of us may be directly affected UNLESS we heed Christ’s warning in Luke 21:36: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass …”

NOTES:

Nations Presently at War

Currently there are five major war zones where more than 10 000 combat-related deaths occurred during the years 2020 and 2021.

The Afghanistan conflict tops the list. War started in 1978. Cumulative fatalities reached about 2 000 000 by end 2021. Myanmar’s ongoing internal conflict ranks second by fatalities. 210 000 people died since 1948 with over 5% [11 114] of all deaths occurring last year, indicating an escalation of hostilities.

Next is the Yemeni crisis. 377 000 people died since 2011 averaging 44 000 deaths per annum.

The fourth greatest conflict area up to the end of 2021 was the Russo-Ukrainian War which started in 2012 leading to over 85 000 fatalities. That’s a whopping 12000 deaths annually. This figure is rapidly increasing due to escalating Russian hostilities. Statistics are uncertain and unreliable presently, but considering Putin’s passion for a restored USSR and regaining all lost “Russian” territories, fatalities will skyrocket at an accelerate pace in the foreseeable future.

In Africa the Tigray War, affecting Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan, is a less featured war zone but the area suffered an estimated 300-500 000 deaths. Considering the wars started in 2020 it experienced the highest per annum war deaths on the planet at 100-166 000!

African Civil Wars rage in Somalia [over 500 000 deaths since 1991]. Conflicts continue in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Niger, Tunisia, and Togo Benin Ivory Cost – generally known as the Maghreb Insurgency. Another African war zone is the Kivu Conflict, affecting Dacono, Rwanda, and Burundi. In Nigeria communal conflicts continue as in Mali, the Central African Republic, Uganda, Mozambique, Tanzania, Chad and several other nations.

The Indian-Pakistani Kashmir war resulted in 2 000 000 fatalities since 1947. The North-South Korean conflict produced 3 000 000 casualties since 1950. The Papua conflict in Oceania decimated about 500 000 lives.

Consider the following casualties: Syrian Civil War [500-600 000 fatalities since 2011]; Southern Sudan [400 000+ killings since 2011]; Iraq [1 214 000 casualties since 2003] Darfur [0ver 300 000 since 2003]; Ituri [Congo] [64 000 since 1999] Mexican drug Wars [62 000 lives lost since 2006] Colombia-Venezuela, [221 000 fatalities since 1964]. [Source Wikipedia Article: “List of ongoing armed conflicts.”]

Altogether there are presently over 60 wars and conflicts in the world. Every war has at least two or more belligerents. That means over 120 nations, tribes, and political groups are bent on annihilating each other. Almost all of the gentile world is presently at war among themselves. Here’s a summary: There are 58 active conflict zones; 28 in Africa, 21 in Asia. The rest are in South America, Mexico and Oceania.

Cumulative deaths total over 13 million since “world peace” was declared at the end of WWII in 1945! The slow crawl to World War II’s direct war casualties of 56 million will soon be superseded to levels that will emotionally stun and mentally astonish the collective human psyche. Armageddon is a prophetic REALITY soon to discharge its horror upon an increasingly God-rejecting and lawless humanity. Christ’s return will, mercifully, prevent total annihilation.