Introduction

Since I love prophecy and how it all ties into the current times and events of the world, and most people seem to be as interested as I am, I’m writing this book to summarize all I’ve learned about biblical prophecy and help others understand the truth of God’s Word. I don’t take the credit for anything in this book. I have studied a few different people’s ideas on prophecy and biblical theology, and many of the words in this book are taken right out of other men’s mouths, but the bible is the ultimate authority on truth so we’ll be studying the words of God more than anything.

I must stress, right at the start here, that fulfilled prophecy cannot be fully realized for what it is until it has happened. There are many biblical prophecies that have already come to pass, but there are many that are coming to pass right now. We cannot know for sure what we’re seeing until the events have come to conclusion. That being said, there is so much compelling evidence and so many clues that it’s almost impossible not to see it for what it is today. Prophecy is coming to pass right before our eyes and today we are living in the times that God spent about 25% of the words in the bible to tell us about. He wanted us to know when the time was right, at the time of the end, and we are there!

The second part of this book, however, is taken directly from the bible and there is no guesswork involved at all. God is very specific about truth and has written His Word for us to understand fully if we love the truth and seek it with all our heart. And, the most important thing to remember is: Understanding prophecy is not important to your salvation, but understanding the truth is the most important thing in the world!

The second part of this little book is the book I wish I had when I began my journey with God. There are so many religions out there and they all teach something different, even the “Christian” churches can teach some significant differences even though they profess to believe the same thing. What is the truth? We will explore that in this little book.

Much of the text in this book will be direct quotes from the Bible with explanations and commentary to help the reader understand the meaning. The Bible is the only real truth, so we should never stray from its pages. While I research with several versions of the Bible and use Greek/Hebrew dictionaries, I use the King James Version of the Bible for accuracy and truth. Some people don’t realize just how many changes are made in the translations of some of the different Bible versions that completely change the meaning of God’s Word and even though they may be easier to understand, they are not accurate. The King James Bible is the most accurate translation we have, period. Many people think that the King James Bible is so far from the original text that it cannot be accurate, but the opposite is the reality. It is only two steps from the original text. The original Old Testament Hebrew was translated into what is called the Masoretic Text by a group of Jews known as the Masoretes and that text was used to create the English translation. The New Testament is translated into English based on the Textus Receptus which was compiled by Dutch Catholic scholar Desiderius Erasmus. While some people argue that this is still not good enough, the important thing to remember is that God preserved His word for us and He didn't give us a book that we cannot understand. 2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

I hope that this little book will inspire readers to do what I did when I had so many questions and got so many different answers. I started reading the Bible for myself! I began by reading the entire New Testament from front to back, then moving to the Old Testament. I definitely don’t want you to take my word for anything said in this little book. But I don’t want you to go out and take another man’s word for it either! Trust in the Word and ONLY in the Word of God! Finding a minister or pastor who knows God is very important, but make sure he is teaching the truth! I only say this because I trusted a pastor who misled me and did not teach the truth. I’m just grateful that God showed me His truth! It could have meant terrible consequences for me if I had not sought out God and His truth on my own.

My recommendation for reading this little book is to have your Bible out and read the passages that I quote from as you read through these pages.

Much of the prophecy discussed in this book is taken from the Endtime Ministries study materials. If you want to study prophecy in detail, I recommend the Endtime prophecy series, “Understanding the Endtime: Level One” from Endtime Ministries as a great place to start! They are easy to find: www.endtime.com or 1-800-endtime. The founder and teacher of Endtime, Irvin Baxter, has been studying prophecy for about 40 years, and has been blessed with understanding and knowledge beyond any I have otherwise seen!

Book 1

Biblical Prophecy

This book will explore the prophecies of the bible in short summaries. It is not intended to be a full prophecy study but is only intended to be a quick guide through some of the major prophecies.

Can prophecy really be understood?

Contrary to popular belief, the bible says that some of us will know and understand the end time!

Dan 11:33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many…

Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Matt 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

1 Thess 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

God gave understanding to His chosen people and they will instruct many with this knowledge!

The bible contains about 30% prophecy and about 90% of that prophecy is about the end times! God wanted us to know when the time was near…

Dan 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

People have tried for centuries to interpret the prophecies of the bible, but they just couldn’t understand. Now that it’s the time of the end we can understand them. It’s not because we’re smarter or more spiritual than people in the past, it’s simply because God sealed them up until the time of the end, which is the time we’re living right now!

Prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ

Only a few of the prophecies concerning Jesus have been listed here. There are many more, hundreds in fact; not even including the ones (mostly from the book of Revelation) that have not been fulfilled yet. The prophecies fulfilled in Christ are too numerous to fully discuss them all in a short book such as this. I am listing some of them with scriptural references so that you may study them in detail if you wish.

The major categories of Messianic prophecy (prophecy concerning Jesus Christ) can be described as:

The lineage of Jesus
The Godlike attributes of Jesus
Things Jesus did
Things that were done to Jesus

I have listed a few from all these categories here.

Event	Prophecies	Fulfillment
Would be the “seed of a woman”	Gen 3:15	Gal 4:4, Luke 2:7, Rev 12:5
Promised seed of Abraham	Gen 18:18, Gen 12:3	Acts 3:25, Mat 1:1, Luke 3:34
Promised seed of Isaac	Gen 17:19	Mat 1:2
Promised seed of Jacob	Num 24:17	Luke 3:34, Mat 1:2
Will descend from the Tribe of Judah	Gen 49:10	Luke 3:33, Mat 1:2-3
Heir to the throne of David	Isa 9:7, Isa 11:1-5, 2 Sam 7:13	Mat 1:1, Mat 1:6
Jesus’ birthplace	Mi 5:2	Mat 2:1, Luke 2:4-7
Born of a virgin	Isa 7:14	Mat 1:18, Luke 1:26-35
Massacre of infants	Jer 31:15	Mat 2:16
Flight into Egypt	Hos 11:1	Mat 2:14
Ministry in Galilee	Isa 9:1-2	Mat 4:12-16
As a prophet	Deu 18:15	John 6:14, Acts 3:19-26
As a priest	Ps 110:4	Heb 6:20, 5:5-6, 7:15-17
Rejection by the Jews	Isa 53:3, Ps 2:2	John 1:11, John 5:43
Jesus’ characteristics	Isa 11:2-4, Ps 45:7	Luke 2:52, Luke 4:18
His triumphant entry	Zec 9:9, Isa 62:11	John 12:12-14, Mat 21:1-11
Betrayed by a friend	Ps 41:9	Mark 14:10, 14:43-45, Mat 26:14
Sold for 30 pieces of silver	Zec 11:12-13	Mat 26:15, Mat 27:3-10
Money returned and a potters field bought	Zec 11:13	Mat 27:3-10
Judas’ office to be taken	Ps 109:7-8	Acts 1:16-20
False witnesses accuse Him	Ps 27:12, Ps 35:11	Mat 26:60-61
Silent when accused	Isa 53:7, Ps 38:13-14	Mat 26:62-63, Mat 27:12-14
Smitten and spat upon	Isa 50:6	Mark 14:65, Mark 15:17, John 19:1-3, 18:22
Hated without a cause	Ps 69:4, 109:3-5	John 15:23-25
Suffered vicariously	Isa 53:4-12	Mat 8:16-17, Ro 4:25, 1 Cor 15:3
Crucified with sinners	Isa 53:12	Mat 27:38, Mark 15:27-28, Luke 23:33
Hands and feet pierced	Ps 22:16, Zec 12:10	John 20:25-27, John 19:37
Mocked and insulted	Ps 22:6-8	Mat 27:39-44, Mark 15:29-32
Given gall and vinegar	Ps 69:21	John 19:29, Mat 27:34,48
Prophetic words repeated in mockery	Ps 22:8	Mat 27:43
Prays for His enemies	Ps 109:4, Isa 53:12	Luke 23:34
His side pierced	Zec 12:10	John 19:34
Soldiers gamble for His coat	Ps 22:18	Mark 15:24, John 19:24
No broken bones	Ps 34:20, Ex 12:46	John 19:33
Buried in rich mans tomb	Isa 53:9	Mat 27:57-60
His resurrection	Ps 16:10, Mat 16:21	Mat 28:9, Luke 24:36-48
His ascension	Ps 68:18	Luke 24:50-51, Acts 1:9

Other prophecies that have been fulfilled

Again, these are only a few of the prophecies fulfilled. There are many others that I have not listed here in order to keep this book fairly small. These should be enough to prove the point though.

The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed as predicted by Jesus

Matt 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

In 70 AD, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. During the destruction, fire was set to the Temple. The fire caused the gold inlay on the Temple ceiling and walls to melt. The melting gold flowed into crevices within the stones. The Romans pried apart the stones to remove the gold. This fulfilled Jesus' prophecy that not one stone would be left standing on another.

Jesus prophesied Jerusalem would be conquered

Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70 AD, and again in the year 135 AD. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were taken as slaves to other countries. During the next several centuries, Jews had established communities on every inhabited continent: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America.

The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is prophesied in Daniel

Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Daniel predicted that the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. This means that before the Antichrist takes power in the end time, the people (his ancestors) will destroy Jerusalem and the temple. This was predicted sometime around 500 BC and was fulfilled in 70 AD. This prophecy is part of Daniels “70 weeks”, and the portion of the prophecy up to this event is 483 years.

Israel would become a wasteland

Deut 29:23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

Since the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, the land of Israel has been described many times as having been a sparsely populated wasteland. In 1867, Mark Twain wrote this about the land of Israel, which at the time was called Palestine, "Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes… the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies… Palestine is desolate and unlovely… It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land." - from Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad.

The exiled people of Israel would return to Israel

Jer 32:37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: 38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

In recent years, millions of Jews have returned to Israel. After the holocaust at the end of World War 2, Jews clamored to return to Israel, even at the cost of many lives. They flocked onto boats that would be attacked by the Palestinians when they reached shore and seemed driven by some unknown force to return home. Today, the nation of Israel is soon to be recognized as a sovereign nation! This event will be part of the confirmation of the covenant discussed later in this book.

If you’re skeptical and don’t really know if you believe this prophecy mumbo jumbo, I have to ask if you really understand the importance and magnitude of this prophecy. Israel was scattered to the wind for 1900 years. Their land was a wasteland for that time. They didn’t die off or become assimilated into the other nations and peoples in almost 2000 years! It wasn’t until the middle of the last century that they returned to Israel and today they are once again a Jewish nation! How is that possible? Never in the history of the world has anything like that happened.

The rise of Alexander the Great was predicted 200 years before he overran the Medes and the Persians in 331 BC

In Daniel chapter 8 we see the rise of the Media/Persian empire, the conquering of them by Alexander the Great, the fall of the Grecian Empire into it's four parts and then a leap to the end time and the rise of the Antichrist and his subsequent defeat by Jesus.

Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. 23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

Daniel 11 goes on to explain a lot more about the historical past leading up to the antichrist as well. If it were possible to trace the lines we could know exactly where the antichrist will rise from, but the four kingdoms following Alexander's reign went through too much chaos for us to be able to figure it out. Maybe the information is out there somewhere and someone will unearth it for us.

Do you think the bible is truth? God gave us prophecy so we could know He is real and believe in Him.

Modern nations in the bible

The United States, Britain, Russia and Germany are in the bible! Believe it?

God chose to use symbols to represent many things concerning prophecy in the bible. He did this to “seal up” the prophecy until the time that he wished us to know; the time of the end.

Dan 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

The symbols are easily understood now that we can recognize them for what they are.

Daniel 7 speaks of four beasts that rose up out of the sea.

Dan 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

The beasts symbolize kings, or nations along with the rulers of the nations as we know them today. When we see a beast in prophecy it is almost always referring to a nation and/or the ruler of that nation. Sometimes it will refer to the nation itself and sometimes it will be referring to the ruler. In order to understand this prophecy, we have to first understand that the beasts are referring to modern nations.

Dan 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

We’re told when these nations will exist.

Dan 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

The event in Daniel 7:9 is the return of Jesus Christ. He will return to put down all government and establish the kingdom of God where He will reign for 1000 years. This means that these kings (nations) will exist at the time of Christ’s return.

The first beast is a lion, and had eagles wings coming out of it. What nation today has the official symbol of the lion? Great Britain, or the United Kingdom as we know it today. (Webster’s Third International Dictionary, Indianapolis Star Jan 4, 1980, Encyclopedia online (Wikipedia)) What current nation came out of the lion? The United States came out of Britain. The amazing thing about this prophecy is; God predicted the US declaration of independence 2400 years before it happened! “I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.” The Bald Eagle is the official symbol of the United States! But, the US also has another symbol. A man: Uncle Sam. God wanted us to know when the time was right, so He gave us so many clues that we could hardly miss! The wings were plucked from the lion and a man’s heart was given to it. Hello USA!

The second beast is a bear. Ever heard of the Russian bear? The bear is the official animal symbol of Russia. (Indianapolis Star Jan 4, 1980, Encyclopedia online (Wikipedia)) And Russia has and is playing a very prominent role in world affairs.

The third beast is a leopard with four heads and four wings of a fowl. The leopard is the unofficial symbol of Germany (Encyclopedia online (Wikipedia)). “…and dominion was given to it.” Germany has been the dominant nation in Europe for the last 100 years and Germany was the prominent leader of the Holy Roman Empire (AKA the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation) for the last 1200 years. Multiple heads on a beast portray the number of times that nation will rise and fall. Germany’s Third Reich fell with the defeat of Hitler in World War 2, and they are now in the Fourth Reich. It’s interesting that the German Leopard Tank has become one of the world’s foremost tanks. The four wings of a fowl very likely refer to the Franco-German alliance. The official animal symbol of France is a rooster.

Another very interesting piece of information about this is that one of the heads was wounded unto death; and his deadly wound was healed. In Revelation we see the beasts again, but now they are all in one beast (the end time one world government).

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

When Germany was defeated for the third time in less than 100 years (Franco-German War, WW1 and WW2), she was cut in half with the Berlin wall to ensure she would not ever again be strong enough to start another world war. It was declared at that time, “Germany is dead. She will never rise again.” This wound was healed on November 9, 1989 when the wall came down and Germany is once again dominating Europe. Germany and its 4^th Reich was dead but now it is alive and thriving once again. The European Union has become the world’s number one economic power, and Germany is by far the strongest country among the nations of the European Union.

The fourth beast is different than the first three, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly. And it had ten horns. The ten horns are ten kings.

Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

We don’t know yet which union of nations or states and/or leaders this will represent. We do know that a world leader (the little horn from Daniel 7:8 above) will arise from this union and will take power by “plucking” or “subduing” three kings, and he will, “speak great things”, and he will “devour (conquer) the whole earth”. He will rule until Jesus Christ Himself, who is the Ancient of Days, comes back to the earth. This man will be what we call the Antichrist. He will be the leader of the one world government that controls the nations of the earth in the end time. He will be an evil man who deceives the world with promises of peace and security. There is a possibility that I will mention here but I want you to know that I am not saying that this is for sure, only that it’s a possibility. The Western European Union, the military wing of the EU, is a group of ten nations that Javier Solana heads up. So far he does not meet all the requirements that would fulfill the prophecies concerning the Antichrist, but he could in the very near future.

So, what have we learned so far? The United States, Britain, Russia and Germany will be on the earth when it is, “the time of the end”. A ten “king” union will produce the world leader known as the Antichrist, and he will rule until Jesus returns. We also know how long this man will rule the world, shown in the following passages:

Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

In Old Testament verbiage, “a time and times and the dividing of time” means; a year and two years and half a year, or three and a half years. Forty two months also equals three and a half years. So we know that this period of time will be three and a half years. This period of time will be the second half of the final seven years as discussed further in other chapters of this book.

The four horsemen

There are a lot of popular theories about the four horsemen. Most don’t make much sense at all. I’ve only heard one that makes perfect sense.

There are two passages that deal with horsemen and chariots with horses. Just as Daniel and Revelation both talk about the same beasts, Revelation 6:1-8 and Zechariah 6:1-8 both deal with the same prophecy.

Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Zech 6:1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. 2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. 4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? 5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. 7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.

The horses represent spirits in the world, as it says in Zech 6:5.

Let’s take a look at each type of horse.

The black horses go forth into the north country and the rider had a pair of balances in his hand, saying, “A measure of wheat for a penny…” Does the northern hemisphere contain most of the capitalistic nations? What is capitalism? Free trade! Black represents capitalism like red represents communism in political and news circles. Can you find the pair of balances on a US dollar bill?

The white horse went forth after the black and the rider had a bow, and a crown, and it went forth to conquer. The Roman Catholic pope wears white, rides in white (his limo, helicopter, etc). If the pope were to ride a horse, what color would it be? White is the symbol of peace. The Catholic church brings a message of peace. The pope wears a crown. Although Catholicism has no standing army, it is certainly a conquering power. When the majority of the people of a nation becomes Catholic; that nation is referred to as a “Catholic” nation, and the Vatican believes it has the right to make political decisions and command the leaders of a nation that is “Catholic”. One of the Vatican’s major goals is to conquer America. Did you know the US Supreme Court is now a majority of Catholics? They are well on the way already.

The red horse was given power to take peace; that they should kill one another, and he had a great sword. What greater military might exists in the world than the combined power of Russia and China? A very great sword! Red is the color of communism. It’s estimated that over 80 million Chinese have been killed in political purges in China since the Communists took over in 1948. The government of the USSR killed 67 million of its own people and Russia is still very much a socialist (communist) nation. Do they kill one another?

The pale horse went south and Death sat on him and Hell followed him and he was given power to kill with the sword and hunger and the beasts of the world. The southern hemisphere contains most of the poverty stricken nations. War, crime, revolution, hunger and beasts of the earth are more prominent in the more backward nations of the third world. The last 100 years have seen more death than the entire history of man (wars, abortions, etc.) The passage in Zechariah splits the pale/green horse in two; into the grisled and bay horses. That makes this prophecy easier to understand in that it has two components: Islam and Death. A very interesting thing about this horse is that the meaning of the original Greek word is interpreted as “pale” in the King James Bible, but the word chloros (khlo-ros'); also means greenish, or pale green. This word (chloros) is also used in 3 other places in the bible: Mark 6:39, Revelation 8:7 and Revelation 9:4. In all three of these other places it was interpreted correctly as green. This horse was also given power over the fourth part of the earth. Since we know these horses are spirits, it is very, very interesting that the color of Islam is green (their flags, etc.), and that there are 1.48 billion Muslims (Islam followers) in the world today. That’s almost exactly one fourth of the world population. This horse went south; and 96.5% of the world’s Muslims are in the southern hemisphere, in Africa and Southern Asia. Can Islam be defined as “Death”? I’ve seen arguments that the terrorists are only the “radicals” and poor Muslims being recruited, but if you look at the history of the men that hijacked the planes on 9/11, they came from middle class and wealthy families. The attacks that are happening everywhere, the suicide bombings, the masses of Muslims chanting, “Death to Israel, death to America”, are not only the poor and radical, it is the mindset of Islam as a whole. Look at what happened recently in Palestine. They knowingly elected a terrorist organization into their government!

The four horsemen and the horses in the chariots most likely represent the spirits of Catholicism, Capitalism, Communism, and Islam. These spirits are in the world today and have been here for a long time. If you think about it, I’ll wager you’ll notice how the spirit of the people living under these forces have different attitudes, ways of thinking, etc; that fit the spirit governing their lives.

The four horsemen of Revelation are also the first four seals, of which there are a total of seven.

There are four groups of sevens in the book of Revelation. Seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials and seven thunders. John was told not to write what the seven thunders said. The seven trumpets are discussed in the next chapter. The seven vials are all “poured out” at the end of the final seven years before the return of Christ, but I will not be discussing them very much in this little book. It’s interesting reading though, and I suggest reading Revelation a few times to really get it in your head.

The remaining seals are: Seal 5 – The saints of God that are already dead are told to rest yet for a little season. Seal 6 – there is much happening here and this seal appears to be the same prophecy as the 7^th trumpet and the 7^th vial. There’s a definite correlation here with the seven trumpets. As you will see in the next chapter, the first 5 trumpets have very likely sounded and we’re right on the heels of the sixth. We’ve already seen that the first four seals have been opened and it’s very likely that we’re in that “waiting period” of the fifth seal, right on the heels of the sixth. Seal 7 – There is silence in heaven for the space of about a half hour. (see Chapter 10 for more information)

Most people are taught that the book of Revelation is a chronological record of the end time events, but there is no real rhyme or reason for thinking that. The 6^th seal, the 7^th trumpet, the 7^th vial, Matthew 24:29, and Ezekiel 38:18-22 all talk about the same things and are representing the same period of time that immediately follows the great tribulation at the end of the final seven years, discussed more in Chapter 10. This discussion of the timeline of events in Revelation is presented in great detail in the, “Understanding the Endtime: Level 3” prophecy series by Endtime Ministries and I recommend getting this set if you’re interested in seeing the proof and the details of my statements.

The seven trumpets

Many people think that the seven trumpets must sound during the final seven years, but there is absolutely no proof of that in the bible. I believe we are on the brink of the sixth trumpet, and I’ll explain why in this chapter.

What are the seven trumpets?

I encourage you to read Revelation 8 through 11 at this point. Each of the seven trumpets is an event or series of events that will take place.

One thing we have to remember; John was shown these in visions and he wrote what he saw, but he had never in his life seen a mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb, a helicopter, high caliber guns firing from tanks or attack vehicles or ships, scorch earth weapons dropped from airplanes, or anything remotely like the weapons and technology we have today. He’d never even heard of these things. He knew oxen and fishing and chariots pulled with armored horses, swords, etc. So we’ll try to follow what he saw with an eye for what we know today. Have you ever been in an art class where they had you try to explain a picture or an object in words only, and then someone else tried to draw what you wrote or said? If you have, you know what I’m saying. If not, let’s just say that it’s very, very difficult to get the real picture painted using only words. There’s some strange language used in Revelation and it’s difficult to get a true picture, but I think you’ll agree that there’s just too much coincidence for it to be coincidence. Take a look…

The first trumpet

Rev 8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

There’s not a lot to go on with this short picture. There’s a high likelihood that this is either World War 1 or another war or something that happened that we don’t know about. What does make sense about WW1 is that they had a “scorched earth” policy where they would drop napalm and burn everything up. 8.3 million people were killed in this war. More than any war ever, in the previous history of man. A significant event I would say.

The second trumpet

Rev 8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Have you ever seen a mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb? Kind of looks like a burning mountain? Hiroshima, Japan was nuked by the US at the end of WW2. Japan is an island out in the sea, so the mountain would appear to be burning out in the middle of the ocean. Nobody has any idea how many sea creatures were killed from that explosion and the resulting radiation, but the really interesting part about this trumpet is, “the third part of the ships were destroyed.” In World War 2, there was a total of 105,127 ships used in the war. 36,387 were destroyed. That is incredibly close to exactly one third. 52 million people were killed in this war.

The third trumpet

Rev 8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

If you research the name Wormwood in the Russian or Ukraine language, you’ll find that Wormwood actually means Chernobyl, and if you read verse 11 in Ukrainian, you’d read, “And the name of the star is called Chernobyl.” There was a nuclear reactor in Russia called Chernobyl that blew up in 1986. I would bet that most of us remember either hearing or reading about it. The first explosion blew the 2 million pound lid off the reactor, and the second explosion sent nuclear radiation up one mile into the atmosphere. It burned in a full nuclear fire for the next three weeks. If you were looking at that fire from a couple miles away, would it look a little like a big lamp? 10 times as much radiation was released as the Hiroshima bombing. It rained incessantly for 5 days. The radiation cloud moved across Sweden, Italy, Germany, Great Britain and even in a very diluted form all the way to the east coast of America. It’s estimated that 125,000 people have died due to that accident, but the most deadly thing about this was that it rained so hard that the water flowed into the rivers and the water was contaminated all the way into Europe. They estimate that 2 million are infected by the radiation but they don’t even really know how many were affected by this and how many diseases and deaths occurred because of it, much less how it’s affecting the next generation. The main theme in this prophecy is the waters. Many men died of the waters because they were made bitter.

The fourth trumpet

Rev 8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

There’s another place in the bible where Jesus talks about this same prophecy.

Matt 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Is it the number of days or the length of the days that is shortened?

Since a third part of the sun and moon and stars were darkened and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise, it must mean that somehow the whole day is shorter, including the night. It can’t mean that the number of days is shortened because there are very specific timetables (number of days, number of months) about the end times mentioned in the bible and that cannot change or God’s Word would be wrong, which we know it is not! So, God can’t change the number of days since He already told us the numbers of days, this means that somehow time is shortened. God has somehow speeded everything up. One possible explanation for this is Einstein’s theory of relativity. But that may be reaching. There is no real explanation for this prophecy except conjecture, and I haven’t heard any good ideas beyond what I’ve already written.

The three woe’s

Rev 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

The fifth, sixth and seventh trumpets are known in prophecy as the three woe’s.

The fifth trumpet

Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit… 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle… 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails… 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Saddam set 700 oil wells in Kuwait on fire during the Gulf war. Because of the smoke from those fires the sky was dark for 3 months. Even at noon the sun was not visible.

The shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for battle, they had breastplates of iron and they sounded like many chariots running to battle, and there were stings in their tails. Sounds just like a military helicopter to me.

Abaddon and Apollyon both mean, “destroyer”. Saddam’s mother had difficulties with her pregnancy and her doctors recommended an abortion. She suffered the whole pregnancy and named her baby Saddam, which means, “the destroyer”.

There are other things mentioned in this passage that I can’t explain (remember that John had no points of reference to describe what he saw) but the picture he drew for us fits the events of the Gulf war too much to be coincidence.

As I said above, it’s likely that the trumpets are “eras”. Each era precedes the other and each will lead into the other. In the days… when he shall begin to sound…

Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound…

As of early 2006, we are very likely still in the fifth trumpet era. With the war in Iraq, and the mounting troubles with China, Iran, Syria and Palestinians, we are likely seeing the next trumpet era beginning now.

The sixth trumpet

Rev 9:13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

The Euphrates river runs through Turkey, Syria, and mostly Iraq. The US happens to have over 150,000 troops stationed along the Euphrates river right now in Iraq and the situation in the Middle East is going red hot, with Israel and the Palestinians, and Iran enriching uranium which everyone knows is to build a bomb to make their wish of blowing Israel off the map come true. China boasts an army of over 200 million. This is the first time in the history of man that this has even been a possibility. China buys millions and millions of barrels of oil from Iran, and both Russia and China are sympathetic with Iran. Today, in early 2006, things look quite like a war could start very soon that could kill one third of mankind. The world currently holds about 6 billion people. To kill 2 billion people most likely means nuclear war and will likely involve the United States. I say this because the US has the firepower for that magnitude of destruction, and because there are only about 300 million in the US so it’s likely China and other countries will take the brunt of the destruction. China has a population of 1.3 billion, and India (just south of China) has another billion. China is also a little touchy about the Taiwan issue. If you’ve been reading the news, you might remember Chinese officials saying that, “American leaders care more about