What is the next event to watch for as far as Bible prophecy and an end times time line?

The world is quickly changing Economy,Iran,Iraq,2012,etc. It is hard to keep up with.I am interested in how others feel about it. What event or events may be coming and why.If you are a Christian where do you think we are and if your not what do you think about living in the last days and what is coming with 2012 right around the corner....

reply to post by kleah

It is also interesting that the ark of the covenant is supposed to be revealed to the public.I never heard if the press conference in Italy took place this afternoon but it is odd that this kind of comes out of nowhere.

reply to post by kleah


Yes they did have the press conference in Rome.

'Ark of the Covenant' about to be unveiled?

But I expect an attack on Israel as described in Ezekiel 38-39 could occur at any time. Or perhaps the chaos in Iran or North Korea will trigger a nuclear event?

FYI: David Flynn is predicting that the tribulation possibly begins on July 9, 2009 for a host of reasons laid out in his Temple at the Center of Time book. The 2 witnesses and the Antichrist will make their appearance in 2 weeks, if that model is correct. For that to occur something major will happen in the next week and you will see it fall into place.

I'm still skeptical but there is so much going on news-wise, it conceivably could happen in the next 2 weeks.

Confirming The Sequence Of End Times Events

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” (Matt. 16:2-3)

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matt. 24:15-16)

For then there will be great distress (Great Tribulation), unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. (Matt. 24:21)

When it comes to developing any kind of time line concerning the End Times, the watershed event has to be the Abomination that Causes Desolation. Why? Because from that time forward, the Bible gives a very clear sequence of events.

First, the Abomination is the event that kicks off the Great Tribulation, a period of judgments 3 1/2 years long.(Matt 24:15,21) After the Great Tribulation, the Lord returns and following His return the Millennium begins. After the Millennium comes Eternity. Any one on Earth during this time will be able to predict these events with reasonable accuracy.

Second, we who study prophecy can also count backward from the Abomination that Causes Desolation and predict the sequence of events leading up to it by applying our knowledge of Scripture.
How Does That Work?

Well, we know that the Abomination involves the anti-Christ standing in the Temple in Israel, proclaiming himself to be God. (Daniel 9:27 and 2 Thes. 2:4)

But that can’t happen until some other things take place first. Obviously the anti-Christ has to be revealed. And the Jews have to build their Temple. This is something that can’t happen until they experience a change in attitude causing them to demand a Temple regardless of the consequences. Today less than 1 in 4 citizens of Israel want a Temple built, but even if every one of them did just the hint that they were going to build one would send the rest of the world into a tizzy. It simply wouldn’t be permitted.

Some major event has to take place to convince the Jewish people that building a Temple in Israel is the right thing to do in spite of all the trouble it could cause, and some world leader has to have enough clout to convince the rest of the world, especially the Moslem Middle East, to let them do it.

Daniel 9:27 also reveals that as the End of the Age approaches, a leader from among the people who destroyed the Temple in 67 AD will confirm (enforce) a 7 year covenant with Israel that includes permission to build a new Temple, and that in the middle of this period he will commit the Abomination that Causes Desolation. That explains the persuasive world leader. He’s the anti-Christ, and he wants the Temple built for reasons that have nothing to do with Israel. The unanswered question in Daniel’s prophecy is why the Jews would desire a Temple at that particular time.

Our knowledge of the Old Testament tells us that a Temple was necessary to fulfill the requirements of the Levitical worship system. So then, because of the uproar it would create, it seems logical to assume that the Jews would only want a Temple if they felt it was absolutely necessary for the Nation of Israel to re-instate their Old Covenant worship of God.
How Does That Happen?

Toward the end of his two-chapter prophecy that speaks of a great end times battle between Israel and its neighbors (Ezek. 38-39), Ezekiel noted that God is going to use this battle to reveal Himself to Israel and the world once again. The way He’ll do this is to give Israel a decisive victory in the face of such overwhelming odds that everyone on Earth will realize that only God could have done it. Ezekiel wrote that following the battle God would gather all His people alive at the time to Israel, not leaving any behind. (Ezek. 39:28)

So this battle is the event that compels a national return to God in Israel. And when all the living Jews in the world are suddenly drawn to Israel because God has called them there, they’ll demand a Temple so they can resume their Old Covenant relationship with Him. If He was calling them through the Messiah into a New Covenant relationship they wouldn’t need a Temple, so it has to be a resumption of the Old Covenant. Their New Covenant call, prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31, happens later during the time of the Two Witnesses (Rev 11) and they’ll respond to it toward the end of the Great Tribulation, according to Zechariah 12:10.

Also on the heels of Ezekiel’s battle, the anti-Christ will emerge with a plan to restore peace to the Middle East. He first appears as a peacemaker as foretold in Daniel 8:25. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. I prefer the King James translation of the second sentence, which begins, “By means of peace he will destroy many …”. So the battle of Ezekiel 38-39 creates the circumstances for both the anti-Christ and the Temple to appear on the scene, setting the stage for the Abomination that Causes Desolation.
Connecting The Dots

Using our Bible knowledge to back into the present from the Abomination that Causes Desolation, so far we find the sequence looks like this.

The Abomination can’t happen till the Temple’s built. But that can’t happen till a 7-year covenant is confirmed permitting its construction. (By the way, this 7-year period is often called Daniel’s 70th week because it’s the last week of years in a prophecy consisting of 70 weeks of years given to Daniel in about 538 BC. Dan. 9:24-27)

The 7-year covenant can’t happen till someone from among the descendants of the Roman people emerges with a plan for peace in the Middle East. And that can’t happen till the battle described in Ezekiel 38-39 puts the Middle East in all out war.

Ezekiel’s battle can’t happen until God is ready to reveal Himself to Israel again, bringing Jews from all over the world to Israel clamoring for a Temple so they can re-instate their Old Covenant relationship with Him.

For all of my 25 plus years as a student of prophecy, scholars have been expecting the Battle of Ezekiel 38. Yet the conditions that make it possible have never been met. For one thing, the participants are not all in place, but more importantly Israel has never known a single day of peace, let alone the prolonged period necessary for them to be described as a peaceful and unsuspecting people, the way Ezekiel did (Ezek. 38:11). Something has to happen to make them feel like they no longer have a threatening enemy while leaving Iran, Russia, and the other nations Ezekiel identified in position to attack.

Recently, several writers, myself included, have seen two other Old Testament prophecies as likely preludes to Ezekiel 38. In Psalm 83 it appears that all of Israel’s next door neighbors will rise up in an attack intended to destroy the Jewish nation, and Isaiah 17 specifically mentions Israel’s destruction of Damascus. The defeat of Israel’s neighbors fills in two more blanks in the end times sequence. First, it explains why none of them are mentioned in Ezekiel 38, when logic dictates that they should be right in the thick of things. Second, it reveals how the Jews can be caught with their guard down. With Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, Lebanon, and the others defeated, Israel will finally have some breathing room. Since Russia and Iran have traditionally used these neighbors as proxies rather than having a face-to-face confrontation, Israel may feel there’s no longer any threat from them either.
But Wait, There’s More!

And neither God’s revelation to Israel nor the emergence of the anti-Christ can happen until the Church is gone, for two very good reasons.

1. In Acts 15:14 James clearly prophesied that after the Lord had taken the church He would return and rebuild the Temple. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: “After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it” (Acts 15:14-16).

After the Lord has taken the Church, He’ll return and rebuild the Temple. Two Greek words are critical to our understanding of this passage. The one translated tent also means Tabernacle, a reference to the Temple. The one translated taking means to lay hold of, or take up in order to carry, or carry away. I believe it’s a veiled reference to the Rapture of the Church preceding God’s return to Israel.

If so, it’s consistent with God’s way. He seems to focus either on Israel or the Church, never both at once. In the greater context of the passage James was illustrating this very point from the other end of the Church Age. He told the gathered Apostles that God was setting Israel aside while He took from among the Gentiles a people for Himself. But after He had taken them, He would return to restore Israel.

Later, Paul alluded to this sequence in Romans 11:25-27. I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

As I’ve pointed out before, in Paul’s day the phrase full number was a nautical term that stood for the number of crewmen necessary before a ship could legally set sail. Apparently God has assigned a specific number to the church before it can be raptured. When that number is complete, the Church will “come in” to the place prepared for us. Come in was another nautical term meaning “to arrive at the intended destination”, which Jesus described as His father’s house in John 14:1-3. Then God will turn again to Israel, reversing the hardening of Israel’s heart, taking the blinders from their eyes, and offering salvation once more.

2. In 2nd Thessalonians 2:6-7 Paul explained that the anti-Christ could not be revealed until the power that’s restraining him is taken out of the way (literally out of the midst). To most evangelical scholars the power Paul wrote about is the Holy Spirit as resident in the Church. Since this power is sealed within us (Ephe 1:13) it stands to reason that if the Holy Spirit is taken we have to go too. Here’s another hint of the Rapture of the Church, this time preceding the appearance of the anti-Christ.

So if the Rapture has to precede both the revelation of God to Israel and the revelation of the anti-Christ to the world, then the Rapture has to precede the battle of Ezekiel 38 as well. Since no one knows what the full number of the Church is, no one can know in advance exactly how long before Ezekiel 38 the Rapture will take place. It could literally happen any day, and there’s no day more likely than any other. For that reason we can’t locate it any more specifically in the End Times sequence than to say that it must precede Ezekiel 38.

But apart from that, the sequence of events will go like this. The Battle of Psalm 83/Isaiah 17, the Battle of Ezekiel 38, anti-Christ’s appearance as a peace maker, the 70th week of Daniel begins, the Abomination that Causes Desolation takes place, then the Great Tribulation, the Second Coming, the Millennium, and Eternity. The first of these could be very close. So close that you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

Yea I know its a wall of text but it explains alot and lets ya know what to watch for.

Keep an eye on the European Union. From my perspective (as well as many others), it is the final revival of the Roman empire. Daniel 7 speaks of the beast representing the Roman empire. Outside of the first three beasts speaking of the Babylonian, Persian, and Greek empires, the 4th beast was unlike any other. It was more of a machine than a beast. There were Ten horns on it's head and a smaller horn with eyes plucked out three of the horns (3 failed attempts to revive the roman empire before the holy roman empire emerged). Holy Rome survived until the 19th century. The 20th century has seen 5 additional attempts to revive the united Europe or modern Roman Empire. World War I with the Germans. The Soviets. World War II with Hitler and Mussolini. And after World War II, the signing of the Treaties of Rome to create a European Union. Today there are 27 nation-states but only 10 member-states that share power. Revelation 17:12-13 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.

Interesting how the 10 member-states share power of the EU in 6 month incriments. I believe Germany is the ruleing nation right now. It's just a hunch but a very visible and BIG hunch. Keep an eye on the coming beast nation of the European Union. America will see it's demise as the "time of Jacob's trouble" rolls on. America and Britain are the modern-day decendents of Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. The modern-day descendents of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel will all feel the "time of Jacob's trouble" spoken of by Daniel. Matthew 24 outlines this time known as the tribulation. The church will be present. No rapture as matthew 24:29-31 state the same event of 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-53. It all happens AFTER the tribulation when the "LAST TRUMPET", "TRUMPET OF GOD" or "7th TRUMPET" sounds.

A little of my take on current issues. Oh, and there doesn't have to be a literal temple built. There can be tabernacles as in David's days for sacrifices. Also, the christain body is a temple so maybe the abomination of desolation is the anti-christ killing christians. Just a thought.

reply to post by Locoman8
I see you had to throw in your no rapture point of view. Good post aside from that.

Originally posted by Locoman8
Oh, and there doesn't have to be a literal temple built. There can be tabernacles as in David's days for sacrifices. Also, the christain body is a temple so maybe the abomination of desolation is the anti-christ killing christians. Just a thought.

Good post!

Also, a church (temple?) can be a group of people meeting in someone's home.

Romans 16 (King James Version)
3Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:

4Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

5Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.


Matthew 18(King James Version)
20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

[edit on 30-6-2009 by BetweenMyths]

reply to post by dthwraith


Yeah, I did. Thanks for the kudos beyond the rapture POV. If you want, we can get into it again. This thread is a prime opportunity for that. If not, well, thanks again for the kudos. Stars help with kudos.... just saying.

From my perspective and I will use the bible for this

1 Thessalonians 5
The Day of the Lord

1Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.

This was impossible under the Bush administration and just after 9/11.
Under Obama he has even talked about it numerous times in his speeches.
Very strong possibility in the next 4-8 years.

Also

Revelation 17 (Amplified Bible)
1ONE OF the seven angels who had the seven bowls then came and spoke to me, saying, Come with me! I will show you the doom (sentence, judgment) of the great harlot (idolatress) who is seated on many waters,

2[She] with whom the rulers of the earth have joined in prostitution (idolatry) and with the wine of whose immorality (idolatry) the inhabitants of the earth have become intoxicated.

3And [the angel] bore me away [rapt] in the Spirit into a desert (wilderness), and I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast that was all covered with blasphemous titles (names), and he had seven heads and ten horns.
4The woman was robed in purple and scarlet and bedecked with gold, precious stones, and pearls, [and she was] holding in her hand a golden cup full of the accursed offenses and the filth of her lewdness and vice.

5And on her forehead there was inscribed a name of mystery [with a secret symbolic meaning]: Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes (idolatresses) and of the filth and atrocities and abominations of the earth.

6I also saw that the woman was drunk, [drunk] with the blood of the saints (God's people) and the blood of the martyrs [who witnessed] for Jesus. And when I saw her, I was utterly amazed and wondered greatly.

7But the angel said to me, Why do you wonder? I will explain to you the [secret symbolic meaning of the] mystery of the woman, as well as of the beast having the seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

8The beast that you saw [once] was, but [now] is no more, and he is going to come up out of the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and proceed to go to perdition. And the inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been recorded in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will be astonished when they look at the beast, because he [once] was, but [now] is no more, and he is [yet] to come.

9This calls for a mind [to consider that is packed] with wisdom and intelligence [it is something for a particular mode of thinking and judging of thoughts, feelings, and purposes]. The seven heads are seven hills upon which the woman is sitting;

10And they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one still exists [and is reigning]; the other [the seventh] has not yet appeared, and when he does arrive, he must stay [but] a brief time.

11And as for the beast that [once] was, but now is no more, he [himself] is an eighth ruler (king, head), but he is of the seven and belongs to them, and he goes to perdition.

12Also the ten horns that you observed are ten rulers (kings) who have as yet received no royal dominion, but together they are to receive power and authority as rulers for a single hour, along with the beast.

13These have one common policy (opinion, purpose), and they deliver their power and authority to the beast.

14They will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings--and those with Him and on His side are chosen and called [elected] and loyal and faithful followers.

15And [the angel further] said to me, The waters that you observed, where the harlot is seated, are races and multitudes and nations and dialects (languages).

16And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will [be the very ones to] hate the harlot (the idolatrous woman); they will make her cheerless (bereaved, desolate), and they will strip her and eat up her flesh and utterly consume her with fire.

17For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His own purpose by acting in harmony in surrendering their royal power and authority to the beast, until the prophetic words (intentions and promises) of God shall be fulfilled.

18And the woman that you saw is herself the great city which dominates and controls the rulers and the leaders of the earth.

This is a very interesting bible chapter, if you don't understand it let me explain it. The great harlot or Babylon the Great represent all religious organizations that God disapproves of, but not the people themselves. The beast of verse eleven was the League of Nations, but became no more, it reemerged as the United Nations. They act to destroy all organized religion God disapproves off. How is this possible?

Verse 17 God makes them surrender their national sovereignty to the UN.
Which is going to be shocking and surprising to the whole world.


[edit on 30-6-2009 by Blue_Jay33]

[edit on 30-6-2009 by Blue_Jay33]

reply to post by Locoman8

LOL i dont know what else we could cover on the rapture bro, heck we covered every single angle already

reply to post by Blue_Jay33


Been a long long time since someone caused me to take notes! Wish I could star this!

reply to post by Blue_Jay33


I respectfully disagree with the UN and say it's the EU.

reply to post by Locoman8


Yes, but the EU will have to back the UN which is worldwide, and just the EU power is limited to well the EU.

There is a side bar to that, the Anglo-American power has to also back the UN in this, since Great Britian is a major player in the EU thats the angle that agree's with what you mentioned.

reply to post by dthwraith


Thanks, glad you enjoyed it

[edit on 30-6-2009 by Blue_Jay33]

reply to post by Blue_Jay33


The UN has no real power though. It's just suggested. How many times have the United States went against the UN's suggestions? The EU has one thing not many people talk about. They represent the majority of NATO. That gives them a great advantage in NATO regulations. Also, the EU will eventually grow in power. The assumption is that the United States will lose world power when they see their demise along with Britain. This will put the EU in line with takeing over as the world's superpower. They will have to compete with China, Russia, and India for this role. They will take over with the EURO when the U.S. Dollar fails as the world bank currency. Remember, it's one SUPERnation that becomes the world dominant Beast of revelation. I'll write much more on the "Beast" of revelation when I have more time. I have to catch some Z's.

reply to post by Locoman8

The UN has no real power though. It's just suggested. How many times have the United States went against the UN's suggestions?

Exactly, this mimics the fall of the ancient city of of Babylon in one night to the Medes & Persians. It seemed impossible, Babylon was one of the most fortified cities of the ancient world. It had a double walled fortification system with a river moat, an impossible siege situation for any army to attempt to take. It's not a surprise that God maneuvered this to free his people to go and rebuild Jerusalem.

Later on Jerusalem was way less fortified and it took the Roman Armies almost 6 months to take it down in 70 CE.

I agree with you that the UN seems to have no real power right now, because it's members haven't given it the authority it needs to have that level of power. But the scripture says that changes because God put the idea into their minds. The info-structure is in place it's just not being used.

reply to post by Blue_Jay33


I think the same can be said about the EU. It's a modern revival of the Roman Empire and both Daniel and Revelation give a symbolic beast for this revival. Iron and Clay mixed at the feet of the statue? The 4th beast of Daniel 7? The harlot woman riding the 7 headed beast (7 mountains, also consider that Rome is the "City on Seven Hills")? It all points to a united Europe. If anything, the UN will be overpowered by EU states.

reply to post by Locoman8


The mixed iron & clay represents the last governments before that statue gets crushed by God's Kingdom. The clay part means they aren't as strong as previous world powers because many are democratic and can be voted from office.

As far as EU and NATO is concerned it's most powerful members are France & Great Britain both nuclear powers that have permanent seats on the UN security council. So don't get me wrong the EU has to support it, they have that level of power, because of just those two members alone.

2012 is a facade created by demons to make it seem ok once the world continues afterwardas which it will unti if the prophecy is correct 2016 and or 2017

www.youtube.com...


there is my youtube page, read about the htoo twins video.

I wrote on the comments of the video, they seem to be or fit the prophecy of lasalette perfectly.


if it is them then 2016 0r 17 is the date to look for.



peace.

reply to post by JesusisTruth


If you deny the importance of 2012, you are blinding yourself. I'm still skeptical but very observent. This is how all christians should act. Those who claim to be prophets and set DATES will be proven right or wrong by that date. So let's not count our chickens before they hatch. Things are rapidly takeing place in bible prophecy and right now you'll see the downfall of the United States and the english speaking countries (modern decendents of Joseph) and the uprise of the European-based EU. This is the 7th revival of the Roman Empire as prophecied by Daniel (10 horns. 3 uprooted by the small horn which were the failed attempts to revive the roman empire after the fall of Pagan Rome. 7 full revivals including the Holy Roman Empire, Germany in WWI, Germany and Italy in WWII, Russia in the Cold War, and now the EU, signed by the Treaty of Rome after WWII. The small horn in Daniel is that of the Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church... once again based in Rome.... the City on Seven Hills).

Don't be too quick to rule out 2012. It may be the beginning of tribulation, or the 3 1/2 year Great Tribulation which would put your date of 2016 in perfect alignment with the 2012 prophecy.