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One shall be taken and the other left
One shall be taken and the other left
The mid-Tribulation invasion of Judea and Jerusalem
Luke 17:36
By Craig C. White
https://www.spreaker.com/embed/player/standard?episode_id=8092980&autoplay=false
In Luke 17:36 Jesus gave a prophecy that one day two men will be standing in a field. Then one man will be taken away and the other man will remain.
Luke 17:36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
This passage might sound like it is describing the Rapture but it isn’t. Instead it is describing the invasion of Judea and Jerusalem by the Antichrist during the Tribulation period. First of all this prophecy was given to the Jews before the Church existed. Jesus gave this prophecy to his Disciples. Secondly this prophecy was given in the city of Jerusalem. It concerns the nation of Israel and more specifically it concerns the city of Jerusalem. Jesus also told us when this event will happen. It will happen on “the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:30). I know that the term the Son of man can refer to the Messiah but on this day the armies of the Antichrist will invade Jerusalem.
The day when the Son of man is revealed is not a good day. It is the time period when God will allow Israel’s enemies to oppress them. God will first use Israel’s enemies to judge Israel. Jesus will then judge Israel’s enemies at the end of the seven year long Tribulation period.
Amos 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
The second half of the Tribulation period is called Jerusalem’s “Great Tribulation” (Mat 24:21). The man in the field will be taken away at the beginning of Jerusalem’s Great Tribulation on the day that the Antichrist invades Jerusalem and Judea.
One man will be taken away and the other man will remain. Where did Jesus give this Prophecy? Luke tells us. In Luke 17:11 Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. Along the way Jesus met a group of lepers. He healed them and told them to show themselves to the priests at the temple in Jerusalem.
Luke 17:11-14 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
This is off of the subject of being taken or left but I cannot pass by these verses without saying something about them. Jesus sent the lepers to the priests at the temple. It was the priest’s duty to declare that the lepers were now clean (Lev 14:2). Jesus knew that sending the lepers would upset the priests. You see, no person had ever been healed from leprosy and then presented themselves before the priests. The health of the lepers proved that Jesus had the power to heal. The priests knew that the Prophet Isaiah said that the messiah would heal the sick.
Isa 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
Jesus used healing as a sign to prove that he was the Messiah. This was his message to John the Baptist.
Mat 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
After the lepers showed themselves to the priests Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees in Jerusalem. The Pharisees were a sect of religious leaders. So Jesus was in Jerusalem when the Pharisees challenged his authority. They asked him “when would the kingdom of God come?”
Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Jesus answered the Pharisees in Luke 17:21-25 and then went on to tell his disciples what would happen during the days of the Son of man. That is the day of God’s judgment of Israel and wrath on earth.
Jesus, his disciples, and the Pharisees were in Jerusalem at the time this was said.
Luke 17:26-29 And as it was in the days of Noe (Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
There is a day coming that will bring a terrible time of judgment for Israel. Things will be the worst in the city of Jerusalem. It is called Jerusalem’s Great Tribulation (Mat 24:21). Folks in Jerusalem will be going about their lives as usual. But then all of a sudden something terrible will happen. Jerusalem will be attacked by the Antichrist and his army. Half the people will be taken captive. One person will be taken and another will remain.
Jesus warns the people in Jerusalem not to return to their homes! Obviously they will be alerted to some sort of eminent threat. They have been warned by the presence of the Antichrist in the temple and by his plundering army. They will be tempted to return to their homes in order to retrieve their personal belongings. Jesus warns them to not go home!
Luke 17:30-31 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
This is the same day that is described in Matthew 24 below.
Mat 24:15-18 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Jesus warns the citizens of Jerusalem and Judea not to go home because danger awaits them there. If they return to their houses they will be killed, abused, or taken captive. Does the Bible tell us about a day when the homes in Jerusalem will be in jeopardy, a day also when one out of two people will be taken away? Yes it does.
Zechariah 14:1-3 tells us that before the day of the Lord, Jerusalem will be attacked. The homes will be robbed, and the women will be raped. One out of two people will be taken away as slaves!
Zechariah 14:1-3 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
This invasion of Jerusalem will happen halfway through the seven year long Tribulation period. It will begin on the day that the Antichrist attacks Jerusalem. The same day that the abomination is set up in the Holy place. It marks the beginning of Jerusalem’s Great Tribulation. Three and a half years after this invasion Jesus will return to defend Jerusalem.
In Daniel 11:44 this future invasion is likened to the invasion of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanies in 167 BC. Antiochus ordered his soldiers to kill people in their homes. Half of the people who survived were taken away as slaves. The future Antichrist will attack Jerusalem in much the same way.
Here is an historical account of Antiochus Epiphanies’ attack on Jerusalem in 167 BC.
2 Maccabees 5:11–14 When these happenings were reported to the king, he thought that Judea was in revolt. Raging like a wild animal, he set out from Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm. He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of virgins and infants. In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery.
Like Lot’s wife who wanted to return home; anybody returning to their house on this day will be killed or taken as prisoner. Meanwhile away from home, two men will be standing in the field. One will be taken away as a slave and the other man will be left in the field. In this way one half of the people in Jerusalem will be taken away as slaves just as Zechariah 14:2 (above) tells us.
Luke 17:32-36 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
At the start of the Great Tribulation the Antichrist will invade Jerusalem and his army will go from home to home taking every other person prisoner. In that way one half of all Jews found in Jerusalem will be taken away as slaves. The other half will suffer through the Great Tribulation inside of the city (see the end of Zechariah 14:2).
Luke 17:37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Everywhere there is a Jew in Jerusalem their enemies will find them.
Read more about Jerusalem’s Great Tribulation and also about the day when the Son of man is revealed in my book Israel’s Beacon of Hope
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Kir is Kerak – Damascus refugees will soon flee to Kerak, Jordan!
Kir is Kerak
Damascus refugees will soon flee to Kerak, Jordan!
By Craig C. White
The Prophet Amos condemned Damascus. He said that God would send an army against Damascus and that the Syrian people would become refugees in Jordan. This prophecy was fulfilled when Tiglath-pileser the Assyrian king conquered Damascus (734 B.C.) and carried the Syrian (Aramean) captives away to Kir (mountainous region in western Jordan). However, like many bible prophecies this may also refer to a current event. Today the city of Kir in Jordan is called Kerak. Kerak is in south western Jordan east of the Dead Sea. It has a population of about 20,000. Not including the tens of thousands of Syrian refugees already there.The citizens of Kerak are poor and mostly Christian. By the way Kerak is in the Moab region of Jordan and is very likely where the Judean refugees will flee during Jerusalem’s Great Tribulation!
There are about 600,000 Syrian refugees in western Jordan today. This is further evidence that the destruction of Damascus as described in the bible is eminent. It is also evidence that the God of Israel is the one true God and that we all had better heed his word and we had also better humble ourselves before him while there is still time! In Amos 1:5 the plain of Aven is a valley in the northeast part of Lebanon near the Syrian border. Today it is called the Bekaa valley. It has been suggested that Saddam Hussein hid WMD’s here before the invasion of Iraq.
Amo 1:3-5 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: 4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad. 5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.
God used the terminology to send a fire to mean that the Assyrian army would besiege the city. Just as the ancient Assyrians assaulted the city in 734 BC, I think that the Turkish army will do likewise soon. The palaces of Benhadad refer to the ancient thrones of Syrian Kings in Damascus. Like the ancient invasion, this future invasion will also destroy Damascus’ seat of government in the old part of Damascus.
Tens of thousands of Syrians have already taken refuge in Kir (or Kerak) in western Jordan. Many more will join them as Damascus flees. Bible prophecies are coming true. There is a terrible time of Satan’s anger and of God’s judgement coming on all of the world. It is High Time to surrender your soul into God’s care.
Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 also predict the destruction of Damascus, Syria. They both offer details that can be observed today!
For a verse by verse study read Isaiah 17 predicts the destruction of Damascus
Read my new book The complete guide to Syria in end time Bible Prophecy
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Not so fast with the apostasy
Not so fast with the apostasy
“A falling away” is the casting out of Satan from heaven
By Craig C. White
The Greek word “apostasia” is translated as “a falling away” in 2Thessalonians 2:3 below. Most Christians assume that apostasia refers to the apostasy of the Church. But hold on one minute. The word apostasia may have a little different meaning than you first thought. A falling away actually refers to the casting out of Satan from heaven.
2Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
The Greek word “apostasia” is used three times in its masculine form in Mat 5:31, Mat 19:7, and Mar 10:4. In these three verses “apostasia” always means “divorce”. Apostasia is used twice in its feminine form in Acts 21:21, and 2Th 2:3. It is translated as “forsake” and as “a falling away”.
Interestingly the root of the Greek word apostasia comes from these two words.
1) aphistēmi
Phonetic: af-is’-tay-mee
Thayer Definition:
to make stand off, cause to withdraw, to remove
to excite to revolt
to stand off, to stand aloof
to go away, to depart from anyone
to desert, withdraw from one
to fall away, become faithless
to shun, flee from
to cease to vex one
to withdraw one’s self from, to fall away
to keep one’s self from, absent one’s self fromStrong’s Definition:
to remove, that is, (actively) instigate to revolt; usually (reflexively) to desist, desert, etc.: – depart, draw (fall) away, refrain, withdraw self.
And also from this word:
2) apo
Phonetic: apo’
Thayer Definition:
of separation
of local separation, after verbs of motion from a place, i.e. of departing, of fleeing,
of separation of a part from the whole
where of a whole some part is taken
of any kind of separation of one thing from another by which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed
of a state of separation, that is of distance
physical, of distance of place
temporal, of distance of time
of origin
of the place whence anything is, comes, befalls, is taken
of origin of a cause
Origin: a primary particleStrong’s Definition:
A primary particle; ” off”, that is, away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literally or figuratively): – (X here-) after, ago, at, because of, before, by (the space of), for (-th), from, in, (out) of, off, (up-) on (-ce), since, with. In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc.
So in its most basic form the word apostasia means to actively cause something to be removed away from some place near. Just like God will cause Satan to be removed from heaven.
Now let’s think about this. The Apostle Paul gave the early Church two events that must happen before the Tribulation begins. Namely a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed. Since these two events have not yet happened they are also signs to the Church that the Rapture has not yet occurred. If apostasy of the Church is a sign of the Rapture then how do we know when there is enough apostasy? There has always been apostasy in the Christian Church. That isn’t much of a sign. Besides, in some parts of the world many people are turning to Christianity. Many Christians are being killed for their faith. These martyrs haven’t fallen away from their faith. So the end time must not be near. Not so. The end time is near. It is upon us but the apostasy of the Church isn’t the sign.
I don’t tell you this because I want to be right. I am telling you because I think that we may all soon witness a bright shining light streaming through space towards earth as Satan is cast out of heaven. As a matter of fact we may witness several bright shining lights streaming through space towards earth as Satan’s demons follow. When you see the bright shining light hurtling through space towards earth, recognize it as Satan falling. Know that Jesus will follow closely behind.
Here is something to consider. Ezekiel chapter 38 says that Turkey will lead Iran, Libya, and Sudan into Israel. All of these nations are fighting in Syria. Jeremiah 49:23 says that the destruction of Damascus will begin at Hamah and Tell Rifaat in northwestern Syria. The Turkish Army is amassed near Hamah and Tell Rifaat now. Turkish President Erdogan is threatening to attack. I think that Turkey will attack northwestern Syria and then march southward to destroy Damascus. Then Turkey will lead the forces that are now fighting in Syria into northern Israel. The Golan Heights are only thirty miles away from Damascus. Nahum chapter 1 describes Jesus Christ coming in a fiery whirlwind to the Golan Heights. I think that Jesus will return to cause the Turkish led invaders to retreat when they enter the Golan Heights of Israel. I think that Jesus will collect his Church at that time. I think that Satan must be cast out of heaven before Turkey invades northern Israel.
Read my commentary titled The Fall of Satan and Rise of the Antichrist
Read my book The Fall of Satan and Rise of the Antichrist
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Old Damascus neighborhood must be destroyed
Old Damascus neighborhood must be destroyed
The city of my praise
By Craig C. White
Most Christians are familiar with the Bible verse that says that Damascus will become a ruinous heap. But the Bible defines a specific Damascus neighborhood that must be destroyed.
Isaiah 17:1-2 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
Has Damascus already become a ruinous heap? Some outlying neighborhoods have. But the central core of Damascus remains relatively intact. Does this satisfy Bible prophecy? Not yet. Jeremiah chapter 49 identifies the neighborhood of Old Damascus with its Old buildings and ancient renown.Jeremiah 49:25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
Two different Hebrew words for city are used in the verse above. The city of praise is a fortified city that has been celebrated in song. When God says “how is the city not left” he could be communicating his astonishment that even after a terrible assault on Damascus, the city has still not surrendered. When God calls Damascus “the city of my joy!” he is specifically saying that he delights in the cities old buildings. So we are looking for the destruction of the old part of the city. The neighborhood of Old Damascus is the seat of Syria’s government as well as its center of ancient history. Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city on earth. It was founded by the Aramaeans over four thousand years ago, and was inhabited two thousand years before that. Damascus is a living depiction of human history.
Map of Damascus with the neighborhood of old Damascus outlined in red. This is the area of Damascus that the Bible pinpoints!
Video showing the devastation of the al-Dukhania neighborhood east of Damascus
After you view this video you will understand that the Bible does not require Damascus to be destroyed by a nuclear bomb as so many Bible prophecy buffs teach.
Read my commentary titled The nations are disquieted over Syria
For the entire story read my book The complete guide to Syria in end time Bible Prophecy
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Who will destroy Damascus?
Who will destroy Damascus?
End time Syria in a nutshell
By Craig C. White
Russia and Iran have given the Turkish Army permission to enter Syria. Some Bible pundits expect to see a war between Russia and Turkey. But I don’t find a military clash between Turkey and Russia described in Isaiah chapter 17 (the destruction of Damascus), or in Jeremiah 49:23-27 (also the destruction of Damascus), or in Ezekiel chapter 38 (the Turkish led invasion into Israel). Other Bible pundits expect to see a war between Iran and Turkey. But in Ezekiel 38:5 Turkey leads Iran, Libya, and Sudan into Israel. So it is doubtful that Iran will fight against Turkey beforehand.
Ezekiel 38:5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
Iran and the Syrian Army are now in southern Syria causing trouble for Israel. Still other Bible pundits say that Israel will destroy Damascus. Israel wants to avoid starting a regional war so they must tread somewhat lightly against Iran and Syria. Israel certainly doesn’t want to destroy Damascus. Nowhere in the Bible does it identify Israel destroying Damascus. As a matter of fact the Prophet Jeremiah describes the northwestern Syrian cities of Hamah and Arpad (Arpad is called Tell Rifaat today) being terrorized before Damascus is destroyed. The Turkish Army is in northwestern Syria now and they are beginning to terrorize these cities. Since the destruction of Damascus begins in Hamah and Tell Rifaat; it is evident from Jeremiah 49:23-27 that Turkey will destroy Damascus.
Jeremiah 49:23-27 Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet. 24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail. 25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy! 26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts. 27 And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.
A similar scenario happened in 734 BC. Back then Israel asked Assyria (northern Iraq) to help fight the Syrian Army. After Assyria conquered Syria then they invaded northern Israel (2Kings 16-17). I think that this will happen again. I think that this time Israel may ask Turkey to help fight the pro-Syrian forces on Israel’s northern border. After Turkey destroys Damascus then they will lead the forces that are now fighting in Syria (namely Iran, Libya, and Sudan) into the Golan Heights of Israel. Ezekiel chapter 38 says that Turkey will lead Iran into Israel.
Iran is a Syrian ally. Iran and Turkey are on opposite sides of the Syrian war but make no mistake; Iran and Turkey have been getting along very well over the past several years. Since Ezekiel 38:5 describes Turkey leading Iran into Israel we should expect to see Iran join forces with Turkey soon.
Read my commentary titled The nations are disquieted over Syria
Read my commentary titled Will Israel ask Turkey for help to fight Syria in the Golan Heights?
Read my book The complete guide to Syria in end time Bible Prophecy
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But of that day and hour knoweth no man
But of that day and hour knoweth no man
What day is this referring to?
By Craig C. White
A lot of Christians point to this verse and conclude that nobody can know the day that Jesus Christ returns for his Church at the Rapture.
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
But which “day” is Jesus referring to? Jesus is not referring to the day of the Rapture. Jesus is not referring to his second coming. Jesus is telling the Jews living around Jerusalem to watch for the Antichrist approaching. The Antichrist along with his armies will enter Jerusalem and capture or kill the Jews living there. This day begins Jerusalem’s great tribulation.
Jesus warned of great danger in Jerusalem and Judea at a time when its citizens were living their daily lives as usual. He said that it would be like the days of Noah just before the flood. He said that life would be going on normally just like in Sodom before God rained fire upon the city. The following verses do not pertain to Church age believers. They are not describing an abundance of sin on earth. They are not describing the days before the Rapture. They do not refer to Jesus Christ’s second coming. They apply to the region around Jerusalem. It will be life as usual just before the Antichrist invades Jerusalem and Judea during the middle of the seven year tribulation period. This begins Jerusalem’s great tribulation (Mat 24:21).
Luke 17:26-29 And as it was in the days of Noe (Noah), so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Mat 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
In the verse above, the “Son of man” isn’t referring to Jesus Christ. The Son of man is the Antichrist! One minute things will be happening as usual. Then suddenly Israel’s enemies will attack!
Luk 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.
Read my commentary titled One shall be taken and the other left
If you really want to understand Matthew 24 then read my book Judea Flee! Jerusalem Wait! It was written to the Jews just like Matthew 24.
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We should expect to see a bright shining light in the heavens as Satan hurtles though space towards earth!
We should expect to see a bright shining light in the heavens as Satan hurtles though space towards earth!
By Craig C. White
Considering the fact that world events suggest a near time destruction of Damascus and a subsequent Turkish led invasion into Israel, this has been on my mind more of late. Before Turkey leads the forces that are now fighting in Syria into northern Israel, we should expect to see a bright shining light in the heavens as Satan hurtles though space towards earth!
I know that everybody thinks that “a falling away” in 2Thessalonians 2:3 is the apostasy of the Church but everybody is WRONG! A falling away is the casting out of Satan from heaven to earth. Satan must fall from heaven before he can empower the Antichrist. These two things must happen before the Tribulation begins. So Christians really should not be surprised when they see Satan falling through outer space like lightning. But I’m certain that they will be.
We are going to begin in a strange place with the battle of Gog and Magog but I promise you that we will end up back in 2Thessalonians.
There are three battles called “Gog and Magog” in the Bible. We know that Satan is on earth deceiving the nations to attack Israel for two of them. The first battle of Gog and Magog is described in Ezekiel chapter 38 and seems to be forming now in Syria. The second battle of Gog and Magog is described in Ezekiel chapter 39 and will happen at the end of the seven year Tribulation period. Ezekiel 39 describes the same battle as the battle of Armageddon. We know that Satan will empower the Antichrist to oppress Israel during the Tribulation. So Satan is cast out of heaven well before the battle of Armageddon.
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
The third battle of Gog and Magog is described in Revelation chapter 20 and will happen after Jesus Christ rules on earth for one thousand years. Satan is let out of hell before that battle begins!
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Every battle of Gog and Magog represents the collective rebellion of the original nations of the old world (primarily the nations from northern Africa to India). These are the Islamic nations of today. Satan will lead these nations against Israel.
So if Satan will be on earth to lead the nations into Israel during two of these battles; then we should expect Satan to be on earth during the first battle of Gog and Magog as well. We should expect Satan to be cast out of heaven and to fall to earth like lightning before Turkey leads the forces that are now fighting in Syria into the Golan Heights of northern Israel!
Jesus said…
Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
The word that is translated as “lightning” means to glare or shine brightly. So Jesus is describing a bright shining light rather than a brief flash like that of a lightning bolt.
The fall of Satan is a recurring theme in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
The King of Tyre is compared to Satan.
Eze 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Yes Satan has fallen from his previous estate as one of God’s most glorious angels. BUT Satan is still in heaven.
Jesus said this just before he went to the cross
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Two thousand years latter God has not yet judged the world and Satan has not yet been cast out of heaven.
There will be a war in heaven and Satan will be cast out. This happens some time before God establishes his kingdom on earth. We know that Satan will be on earth during the Tribulation period; even before the Tribulation begins. So it is possible that Satan will be cast out of heaven before the Rapture. I think that we will see that happen very soon.
Rev 12:7-12 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Satan had already fallen from his initial state of glory but was still traveling between heaven and earth during the time of Job.
Job 2:1-2 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
We should expect to see a bright shining light in the heavens as Satan hurtles though space towards the earth!
According to 2Thessalonians; two events must happen before the Tribulation begins. These two events are a “falling away” (or the falling of Satan from heaven to earth) and the revealing of the Antichrist with blasphemy against the God of Israel and his son Jesus Christ, and also with fake miracles.
2Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
The Christians in Thessalonica were worried that the Rapture had not happened. They thought that the Tribulation had begun. The apostle Paul assured them that the Tribulation had not begun because Satan had not yet fallen from heaven to earth so that he could empower the Antichrist.
When you see the bright shining light hurtling through space towards earth, recognize it as Satan falling. I think that we should expect to see this soon!
Read my book The Fall of Satan and Rise of the Antichrist
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Resurrection
Resurrection
Because Jesus lives we will live.
By Craig C. White
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ happened three days after his death. Every person will also be resurrected. The Resurrection is the raising up again to life of the dead.
1Co 15:3-4 Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
What hope do we have that we will be resurrected? Because Jesus rose bodily from the grave we have confidence that one day we will rise likewise!
Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Christ rose in his physical body. All people who trust him will also rise in their physical bodies! The verse below is part of a song. This song will be sung by the citizens of Judea at Christ’s second coming.
Isa 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Jesus Christ died and then rose from the dead in his physical body. He now sits on the right hand of God in heaven.
Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Because Jesus rose up alive in his body, we can have confidence that we will also rise from the dead to eternal life.
1Th 4:13-14 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Even your loved ones who are dead will live again. All who put their faith in Jesus will rise up again in their bodies and live! We will be raised bodily and live forever with God. That’s the way God meant life to be. Life is Eternal. Can’t you see that this is true? Do not think that you won’t see your family again. You will see them if they have faith in God.
Joh 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Every person will come out of the grave. The faithful believing will live. The unbelieving and wicked will be thrown into the lake of fire forever. This is called the second death (Rev 20:14). There is no coming back from the second death. Don’t harden your heart towards God. Don’t stiffen your neck! There is eternal life at stake, and eternal hell to pay! Humble yourself and pray. God will hear the prayer of an open heart. Jesus died in our place. God raised him again so we would have hope for our own resurrection.
By the way, I expect the next resurrection to occur in the next year or two. I’m going to run down to the cemetery and greet them.
Resurrection note: It may be that just as Jesus Christ was raised from the grave on the third day; that when he returns to Israel at the end of the Tribulation period he will also revive the surviving Jewish people for two days and then raise up from the dead all believing Jews since Abraham on the third day.
Hosea 6:1-2 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Read more about resurrection, heaven, and hell in my book God’s Great Expectations
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The sign of Jonah
The sign of Jonah
The destruction of Mosul may be Israel’s last sign that Jesus is their God
By Craig C. White
The ancient city of Nineveh was known for its bloodshed and cruelty. Back around 800 BC God sent the Prophet Jonah to the city of Nineveh with a message, “Repent of your evil ways or the city would be destroyed in forty days!” That generation repented but it seems that this generation doesn’t want the chance.
Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Today the ruins of Nineveh lie within the city limits of Mosul, Iraq. Mosul in the Nineveh Province is the home town of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group known as ISIS. Since June 10th, 2014 ISIS in Mosul has been behaving in the same way as the ancient Ninevites. They have committed horrific atrocities against their fellow countrymen in the Nineveh province of northern Iraq.
On July 24th 2014 ISIS blew up the shrine to Jonah in Nineveh.
In Jonah’s day the city of Nineveh repented however God finally judged the city in 612 BC. The Prophet Nahum foretells the destruction of Nineveh. The city was flooded by the Tigris River and was then besieged by three nations. Babylon, Persia, and the Medes plundered Nineveh for two months leveling the city. Today the same three nations are fighting against ISIS in Mosul. They are Iraq, Iran, and the Kurds. Perhaps God will send another flood along with these three armies to once again overwhelm Mosul at Nineveh!
Nahum 1:8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
Conditions in Mosul are the same as they were in ancient Nineveh. There is overflowing bloodshed. The Mosul dam is in danger of bursting. The same three armies are set against it. Nahum likely also foretells the destruction of Mosul.
Nahum 3:1-3 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
God spared the city of Nineveh in Jonah’s’ day. Jonah was upset because the people of Nineveh repented and escaped God’s punishment. God reminded Jonah that many innocent lives would be lost during the destruction of Nineveh. I suppose that most of us today would be happy to see ISIS in Mosul wiped out. In the book of Jonah God reminds us of the human tragedy his judgment brings. Moral of the story; repent while you still can!
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Folks wanted proof that Jesus was God so they demanded a sign. Jesus gave them the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was inside of the fish for three days Jesus also rose from the grave in three days. But there may be more to the sign of Jonah. Long before the Mosul dam was ever built Bible scholars have wondered if the preaching of Jonah was also a part of the sign. The grammar of Mathew 12:39-41 leads some Bible scholars to think that the subject of Jesus’s comment was the preaching of Jonah.
Matthew 12:38-41 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
The Greek word translated as “sign” means miracle or supernatural wonder. Notice in verse 41 that the men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. They did not repent at the miracle of surviving in a large fish for three days.
The unbelieving religious rulers in Jerusalem demanded a sign from Jesus. Jesus told them that they would not be be given a sign except for the sign of Jonah. Jonah was sent to ancient Nineveh to tell them to repent because God’s judgment was coming on the city. The destruction of Mosul could be the end time sign to Israel that Jesus is truly their God and that their time of trouble is at hand.
Jesus said that an evil generation desires to be shown a sign. We should already know and honor God because it is evident that he has created all things and also because has given us his word. We should not require a sign in order to motivate us to repent from our unbelief and rebellion. Nevertheless Jesus gave his generation the sign of Jonah.
Perhaps this generation will repent at the preaching of Jonah when Mosul is flooded! If Israel repents at the preaching of Jonah then they will narrowly escape God’s coming judgement on the city of Jerusalem and on the nation of Israel.
Jesus said that even the men of ancient Nineveh will rise from the dead and condemn his generation for its unbelief. It seems to me that this generation is about to witness another sign of Jonah. ISIS in the city of Mosul rejected Jonah’s offer of repentance by blowing up Jonah’s shrine. A terrible time of God’s judgment is coming upon Israel and also upon all of the earth. Only by repentance from unbelief can we escape it.
I suspect that the Prophet Nahum describes the fall of ancient Nineveh as well as the demise of modern day Mosul. I think that Mosul will fall soon by a flood and by the same three armies that wiped out Nineveh.
Since I wrote this I have learned that the dam just north of Mosul is very unstable and requires continuous maintenance. The capture of the dam by ISIS and the recapture of the dam by the Kurds has disrupted its maintenance schedule. In 2007 the Army Corp of Engineers declared it the most dangerous dam in the world. If Mosul falls I will count back forty days to see what significant event may have happened on that day.
Read about ISIS in Bible prophecy in my book The End of ISIS is near!
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The nearer that Turkey gets to Israel, the nearer that Jesus will get to Israel
The nearer that Turkey gets to Israel, the nearer that Jesus will get to Israel
Rapture fuse is lit!
By Craig C. White
We are very near to the return of Jesus to collect his Church. It is easy to identify and to watch the events that lead up to Jesus’ return. As Turkey and their allies move nearer and nearer to Israel we can know that Jesus is on his way. Jesus will return to cause the Turkish led forces in the Golan Heights to retreat! Turkey is in northwestern Syria now. Turkey will attack Hamah and Tell Rifaat first (Jer 49:23-27). Turkish President Erdogan said that the Turkish Army could attack at any moment. Then Turkey will move south to destroy Damascus. Finally Turkey will lead the forces that are now fighting in Syria into the Golan Heights of Israel (Eze 38). I think that Jesus Christ will return at that time to fight against the Turkish led invaders in the Golan Heights (Nahum 1:3-8). Jesus will also take away Christians when he comes.
The Rapture fuse is lit! The nearer that Turkey gets to Israel, the nearer that Jesus will get to Israel. By the way, today the Turkish Army is 300 miles away from the Golan Heights of Israel.
Turkish President Erdogan is the Antichrist. He will destroy Damascus and then invade the Golan Heights. Jesus will return to turn them back and to take his Church away. Afterwards I think that a peace deal will be made beginning the seven year Tribulation period.
Read my commentary titled Bashan Carmel and Lebanon Nahum 1:4 MapRead my commentary titled Jesus will fight on the Golan Heights
Read my commentary titled Magog Made Easy!
Read my book Jesus will fight on the Golan Heights
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High Time to Awake 