***************************************
Note: Part I: "The Mayan Calendar & Biblical 'End Times" can be read in January, 2013
Note Part II: "The Fall Of Babylon" can be read in February, 2013.
Note Part III: 1st Through 6th Trumpet Plagues Reveal End Time Truths can be read in March, 2013.
Establishing a Global Government Will Signal the Bible's Countdown To A New Earth and New Heavens
Part IV
Four Non-Fictional (i.e., Biblical) Facts about Armageddon
Laying aside any overtly fictional treatment of the subject of Armageddon that one might expect from "Hollywood", and also the covertly fictional treatment of the subject dramatized in "Left Behind" 0books and video games produced by certain church-related groups and authors, it is fair to ask: What is the non-fictionalized (i.e., Bible only) truth about this universally mesmerizing concept called Armageddon??
Let's look at four facts:
I - Armageddon is a ONE DAY battle with no guns, planes, tanks. [34]
Surprised?! "Devil Spirits gather certain men from faraway places together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." (Rev. 16:14,16) These several million are "gathered" "to the battle of that great DAY of God almighty". This is the "Beast's" army. It is led to and corralled on an ancient battlefield… "gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse[Jesus] and against His army" (Rev.19:19)
Rev. 16:14 speaks of a ONE DAY event. All references confirm that the battle of Armageddon is a One Day wipeout from the sky. Miracle-working demons gather (#4863 &4871:"lead together" Satan's bad guys ("kings") who follow lemming-like to the battle #4171, lit. or fig., "single encounter or series") to the great day #2250-5619, lit. or fig. 24 hours or dawn till dark) of God Almighty.
The opposing army is led by Jesus, He that is called "Faithful and True" and "The Word of God" and "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords". (Rev.19:11,13,16 "His army is in heaven on white horses." Rev.19:14)
From this alone the ridiculousness of describing Armageddon as an on the ground war with Satan's Beast putting up a real fight against Jesus' army is just silly. Satan's "army" of millions of conscripts is bombarded from the sky by Jesus with 100 lb hailstones (Rev. 16:21)…All are killed and become "the supper of the great God" for birds. (vs. 17, 18)
The Beast and the False Prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire. (v. 20)
(For full detailed account, see this four page coverage of "Armageddon": Again: HERE )
***
II - Armageddon fulfills God's Pledge of Vengeance for all Martyrs
That little thin time frame of Armageddon will see not only the end of the Beast's 42 months and the death of the Beast & his False Prophet (Rev. 13:11), it also brings together God's fulfilled promise of Vengeance made to the 1st century martyrs (Rev. 6:10,11). This fulfillment will include many, many more millions of martyrs from the end of the 1st century down through the Mark of the Beast time frame. And finally, every martyr from the Mark of the Beast period alone, including the very last martyrs, the Two Witnesses, will be included in the "1st resurrection" (Rev. 20:5) of all those martyrs in heaven. (Rev. Ch. 15)
How many will that be? Statistics are all over the place. Two hundred million hundred up through history till now is a very low figure. The coming tally for the Mark of the Beast period can only be an educated guess based on the following: The current total Christian population of about 2,000,000,000 Catholics and Protestants out of a seven billion world population. When all Truth is known by everybody, who can know which side--God's or Satan's--will be larger and by how much?!
All we know is that the seven billion world population is going to experience death on a scale never seen throughout all history, even though it's all crowded into mostly the Beast's 3 ½ year reign. The 3rd Trumpet caused a third part of the waters to become wormwood, and many men died of the waters…."(Rev. 8:11) How many is "many"?! During the 6th Trumpet we read that "four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a day, and a year, FOR TO SLAY THE THIRD PART OF MEN". (All Satan's: Rev. 9:15, 20, 21
If we say that Satan has half of the world's population of seven billion on his side, which means that over one billion are killed in this one episode.
As the Mark of the Beast retaliation takes shape, we read:" And he, the 2nd Beast (Rev. 13:11) had power to give life unto the image of the Beast, that the image of the Beast should both speak, and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast SHOULD BE KILLED.
How many will that be??
Martyrs in heaven will include a hundred million names at least These are all showered with special honors and recognition, including box seats for the 7th Trumpet "woe" plagues, and capped off with the Armageddon climax of the death of The Beast and the False Prophet and the millions in their army. (Rev. 19:19-21) Kaput!
The "blood is avenged" (Rev. 19:2) by Christ's wipe-out from the sky, and the honored martyrs see it all as they "live and reign with Christ in all He does" during this "thousand years" of vengeance which is forced to take place during the 7th Trumpet time frame. This Biblical Fact shows that the "thousand years" of Rev. 20 is figurative not literal, and is, in truth, the same time frame as the 7th Trumpet, i.e., about two months.
A detailed account of how a precept upon precept application of the Scriptures which have to do with Martyrs in the New Testament serve to prove that pre-trib Rapture Millennialism is false doctrine, can be seen HERE .
***
III - Jesus Doesn't Use His Full 1st Century Power Till The 7th Trumpet
"All Power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt.28:18) Jesus told His eleven disciples in Galilee after His resurrection. Paul et al confirmed this: (Colossians 1:16,17)
Then--right after the end of the 6th Trumpet Mark of the Beast time frame (still in the future)--we read that the "seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying, 'The kingdoms of this world (Satan's Kingdoms of Babylon) are become the kingdom's of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever'." (Rev. 11:15)
Notice again the huge change in the "balance of power" that Jesus allows Satan (II Cor. 4:4) all the way from the 1st century to a time frame called the 7th Trumpet when Jesus takes most of that power away from Satan and proceeds to: a) Bind Satan for the entire Seven vial/bowl Trumpet Plagues which occur during the 7th Trumpet time frame of some two months, which is the same as the figurative "thousand years" of Rev. 20. [34] b) During this binding period while Satan is powerless to help the "Beast", the Armageddon plan is carried out and the "Beast" & and his False Prophet are killed (Rev. 19:20) c) Likewise during this binding, Martyrs from the 1st century through the Mark of the Beast slaughter are united with the arrival in heaven of God's Two Witnesses. They are all resurrected (Rev. 20:5) and honored to "live and reign" with Christ during that whole 7th Trumpet binding of Satan. d)They appear to be in Jesus' heavenly army of hundreds of millions (Rev. 19:14) when God raises His vengeance to a crescendo on Armageddon Day. e) The end of the Armageddon time frame means no more "Beast" to be worshiped by Satan's followers. It also forces the entrance into the final time frame all the features into play, so that--like Armageddon--everything that must happen to end this earth's history will happen. Let's see how this earth's last time frame unfolds:
***
IV - The "Little Season" between Armageddon and Earth's last day….
…"and after that [7th Trumpet/Armageddon] he [Satan] must be loosed a little season." (Rev. 20:3)
Loosed from what?! What indeed, if not his "thousand year" binding? But there was no "thousand years" before he was loosed!! There were only about two months involved when Satan was "bound" to keep him from interfering with all Jesus will accomplish against Satan in that short 7th vial/bowl Trumpet time frame. That time frame is the real figurative Bible Truth for the literal "thousand years" of Rev. 20. As Paul told the "brethren"; they would be "ignorant" to take the number "thousand" in Scripture literally. (II Peter.3:8) Ignoring that warning has allowed Satan to establish huge barriers to end time truth which Jesus and His followers now must reveal to the world.
Once all that "revelation" has been accomplished, Satan is left on his own to thwart God's Biblical conclusion to this earth's history. This is to be done in its last time frame of about three years called "a little season".
When Satan is released from his binding (Rev. 20:7), he alone is in control of his world government. The first thing he does is "to go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth." (Rev. 20:8) After he manages to surround "the camp of the saints and Jerusalem; fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." (v.9)
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone…and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever."
(v.10) Note: The Greek word for "tormented" has two meanings: One; to torture; Two, to test, try, as with a touchstone and gold. Satan is not alive and consciously "tormented" throughout eternity as this Scripture makes clear: (Yet thou shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms…?
***
Satan's attempt to deceive everybody everywhere (v.8) will play a very necessary part in God's plan during a brief period before the last day itself. There are still many thousands--perhaps even several million--who have survived as fake Christians. Obviously, their presence in heaven would be a rotten apple in the barrel. Scripture tells us how God prevents this eventuality:
The deception that Satan spread when he was released must have been that Jesus is never coming back, and things more or less returned to "normal" late in the "little season". "As in the days of Noah they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall it be at the end." As with all things, God was prepared for this final cleansing. (Matt.14:37-51)
***
This brings us to the final time frame in this earth's history which began with the Creation Week. And now--some 6000 years later by careful Biblical reckoning and rejection of all the laughable, theoretical dating techniques--we come to the very end of God's Temporary Earth Model before going on to His Eternal Earth Model.
As it turns out, we have learned that the end of the last great events of the Beast's global government will be accomplished in the one day battle of Armageddon, so will the last great events of the final "little season" time frame be concluded in One Day also.
***
Note: Part I: "The Mayan Calendar & Biblical 'End Times" can be read in January, 2013
Note Part II: "The Fall Of Babylon" can be read in February, 2013.
Note Part III: 1st Through 6th Trumpet Plagues Reveal End Time Truths can be read in March, 2013.
Establishing a Global Government Will Signal the Bible's Countdown To A New Earth and New Heavens
Part IV
Four Non-Fictional (i.e., Biblical) Facts about Armageddon
Laying aside any overtly fictional treatment of the subject of Armageddon that one might expect from "Hollywood", and also the covertly fictional treatment of the subject dramatized in "Left Behind" 0books and video games produced by certain church-related groups and authors, it is fair to ask: What is the non-fictionalized (i.e., Bible only) truth about this universally mesmerizing concept called Armageddon??
Let's look at four facts:
I - Armageddon is a ONE DAY battle with no guns, planes, tanks. [34]
Surprised?! "Devil Spirits gather certain men from faraway places together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." (Rev. 16:14,16) These several million are "gathered" "to the battle of that great DAY of God almighty". This is the "Beast's" army. It is led to and corralled on an ancient battlefield… "gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse[Jesus] and against His army" (Rev.19:19)
Rev. 16:14 speaks of a ONE DAY event. All references confirm that the battle of Armageddon is a One Day wipeout from the sky. Miracle-working demons gather (#4863 &4871:"lead together" Satan's bad guys ("kings") who follow lemming-like to the battle #4171, lit. or fig., "single encounter or series") to the great day #2250-5619, lit. or fig. 24 hours or dawn till dark) of God Almighty.
The opposing army is led by Jesus, He that is called "Faithful and True" and "The Word of God" and "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords". (Rev.19:11,13,16 "His army is in heaven on white horses." Rev.19:14)
From this alone the ridiculousness of describing Armageddon as an on the ground war with Satan's Beast putting up a real fight against Jesus' army is just silly. Satan's "army" of millions of conscripts is bombarded from the sky by Jesus with 100 lb hailstones (Rev. 16:21)…All are killed and become "the supper of the great God" for birds. (vs. 17, 18)
The Beast and the False Prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire. (v. 20)
(For full detailed account, see this four page coverage of "Armageddon": Again: HERE )
***
II - Armageddon fulfills God's Pledge of Vengeance for all Martyrs
That little thin time frame of Armageddon will see not only the end of the Beast's 42 months and the death of the Beast & his False Prophet (Rev. 13:11), it also brings together God's fulfilled promise of Vengeance made to the 1st century martyrs (Rev. 6:10,11). This fulfillment will include many, many more millions of martyrs from the end of the 1st century down through the Mark of the Beast time frame. And finally, every martyr from the Mark of the Beast period alone, including the very last martyrs, the Two Witnesses, will be included in the "1st resurrection" (Rev. 20:5) of all those martyrs in heaven. (Rev. Ch. 15)
How many will that be? Statistics are all over the place. Two hundred million hundred up through history till now is a very low figure. The coming tally for the Mark of the Beast period can only be an educated guess based on the following: The current total Christian population of about 2,000,000,000 Catholics and Protestants out of a seven billion world population. When all Truth is known by everybody, who can know which side--God's or Satan's--will be larger and by how much?!
All we know is that the seven billion world population is going to experience death on a scale never seen throughout all history, even though it's all crowded into mostly the Beast's 3 ½ year reign. The 3rd Trumpet caused a third part of the waters to become wormwood, and many men died of the waters…."(Rev. 8:11) How many is "many"?! During the 6th Trumpet we read that "four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a day, and a year, FOR TO SLAY THE THIRD PART OF MEN". (All Satan's: Rev. 9:15, 20, 21
If we say that Satan has half of the world's population of seven billion on his side, which means that over one billion are killed in this one episode.
As the Mark of the Beast retaliation takes shape, we read:" And he, the 2nd Beast (Rev. 13:11) had power to give life unto the image of the Beast, that the image of the Beast should both speak, and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast SHOULD BE KILLED.
How many will that be??
Martyrs in heaven will include a hundred million names at least These are all showered with special honors and recognition, including box seats for the 7th Trumpet "woe" plagues, and capped off with the Armageddon climax of the death of The Beast and the False Prophet and the millions in their army. (Rev. 19:19-21) Kaput!
The "blood is avenged" (Rev. 19:2) by Christ's wipe-out from the sky, and the honored martyrs see it all as they "live and reign with Christ in all He does" during this "thousand years" of vengeance which is forced to take place during the 7th Trumpet time frame. This Biblical Fact shows that the "thousand years" of Rev. 20 is figurative not literal, and is, in truth, the same time frame as the 7th Trumpet, i.e., about two months.
A detailed account of how a precept upon precept application of the Scriptures which have to do with Martyrs in the New Testament serve to prove that pre-trib Rapture Millennialism is false doctrine, can be seen HERE .
***
III - Jesus Doesn't Use His Full 1st Century Power Till The 7th Trumpet
"All Power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt.28:18) Jesus told His eleven disciples in Galilee after His resurrection. Paul et al confirmed this: (Colossians 1:16,17)
Then--right after the end of the 6th Trumpet Mark of the Beast time frame (still in the future)--we read that the "seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying, 'The kingdoms of this world (Satan's Kingdoms of Babylon) are become the kingdom's of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever'." (Rev. 11:15)
Notice again the huge change in the "balance of power" that Jesus allows Satan (II Cor. 4:4) all the way from the 1st century to a time frame called the 7th Trumpet when Jesus takes most of that power away from Satan and proceeds to: a) Bind Satan for the entire Seven vial/bowl Trumpet Plagues which occur during the 7th Trumpet time frame of some two months, which is the same as the figurative "thousand years" of Rev. 20. [34] b) During this binding period while Satan is powerless to help the "Beast", the Armageddon plan is carried out and the "Beast" & and his False Prophet are killed (Rev. 19:20) c) Likewise during this binding, Martyrs from the 1st century through the Mark of the Beast slaughter are united with the arrival in heaven of God's Two Witnesses. They are all resurrected (Rev. 20:5) and honored to "live and reign" with Christ during that whole 7th Trumpet binding of Satan. d)They appear to be in Jesus' heavenly army of hundreds of millions (Rev. 19:14) when God raises His vengeance to a crescendo on Armageddon Day. e) The end of the Armageddon time frame means no more "Beast" to be worshiped by Satan's followers. It also forces the entrance into the final time frame all the features into play, so that--like Armageddon--everything that must happen to end this earth's history will happen. Let's see how this earth's last time frame unfolds:
***
IV - The "Little Season" between Armageddon and Earth's last day….
…"and after that [7th Trumpet/Armageddon] he [Satan] must be loosed a little season." (Rev. 20:3)
Loosed from what?! What indeed, if not his "thousand year" binding? But there was no "thousand years" before he was loosed!! There were only about two months involved when Satan was "bound" to keep him from interfering with all Jesus will accomplish against Satan in that short 7th vial/bowl Trumpet time frame. That time frame is the real figurative Bible Truth for the literal "thousand years" of Rev. 20. As Paul told the "brethren"; they would be "ignorant" to take the number "thousand" in Scripture literally. (II Peter.3:8) Ignoring that warning has allowed Satan to establish huge barriers to end time truth which Jesus and His followers now must reveal to the world.
Once all that "revelation" has been accomplished, Satan is left on his own to thwart God's Biblical conclusion to this earth's history. This is to be done in its last time frame of about three years called "a little season".
When Satan is released from his binding (Rev. 20:7), he alone is in control of his world government. The first thing he does is "to go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth." (Rev. 20:8) After he manages to surround "the camp of the saints and Jerusalem; fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." (v.9)
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone…and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever."
(v.10) Note: The Greek word for "tormented" has two meanings: One; to torture; Two, to test, try, as with a touchstone and gold. Satan is not alive and consciously "tormented" throughout eternity as this Scripture makes clear: (Yet thou shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms…?
***
Satan's attempt to deceive everybody everywhere (v.8) will play a very necessary part in God's plan during a brief period before the last day itself. There are still many thousands--perhaps even several million--who have survived as fake Christians. Obviously, their presence in heaven would be a rotten apple in the barrel. Scripture tells us how God prevents this eventuality:
The deception that Satan spread when he was released must have been that Jesus is never coming back, and things more or less returned to "normal" late in the "little season". "As in the days of Noah they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall it be at the end." As with all things, God was prepared for this final cleansing. (Matt.14:37-51)
***
This brings us to the final time frame in this earth's history which began with the Creation Week. And now--some 6000 years later by careful Biblical reckoning and rejection of all the laughable, theoretical dating techniques--we come to the very end of God's Temporary Earth Model before going on to His Eternal Earth Model.
As it turns out, we have learned that the end of the last great events of the Beast's global government will be accomplished in the one day battle of Armageddon, so will the last great events of the final "little season" time frame be concluded in One Day also.
***