What is the Great Tribulation?

Short answer:

The Great Tribulation will be a horrendous period of suffering and calamitous ordeals never before experienced on earth. It will grip the world in the wake of the Biblically prophesied nuclear war, which will climax World War III.

Bible prophecies, confirmed by studies of both American and Soviet scientists, predict a subsequent worldwide nuclear winter, brought about by soot, dust, and smoke left suspended in the atmosphere by the nuclear explosions. The high-altitude, smog-like pall will reduce sunlight by one-third for many months, causing agricultural production to nosedive. The inevitable result: food shortages and, eventually, global famine. Millions will die.

When the soot and dust finally settle down, the earth’s protective ozone layer shall have been destroyed. Intense heat and deadly ultraviolet radiation will bathe the planet. There will be fires everywhere. The world’s modern conveniences and systems will be devastated. Civilization will be thrown back to the Dark Ages. Survivors will seek refuge in the mountains and caves.

 

Detailed explanation:

 

Christ warned His disciples: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place… then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:15a, 21).

God, centuries earlier, foreshadowed through Ezekiel unprecedented ordeals which will never be repeated again: “And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations” (Ezekiel 5:9).

So did the angel Gabriel in his prophecy to the prophet Daniel: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time…” (Daniel 12:1a).

The Great Tribulation will be a horrendous period of suffering and calamitous afflictions never before experienced on earth.

Fourth trumpet.  The fourth trumpet sound from heaven will signal the Great Tribulation unfolding. immediately following the nuclear war. “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” (Revelation 8:12).

Scientific studies closely parallel the prophetic picture. According to an article in Discover magazine, February 1984 issue: “Computer models demonstrate that a nuclear war involving the exchange of less than one-third of the total American and Soviet arsenal will change the climate of the entire Northern Hemisphere, shifting it abruptly from its present seasonal state to a long, sunless, frozen night.”

Nuclear winter. Revelation 8:12 presages that the brightness of the heavenly bodies will be reduced by one-third or thirty-three percent (33%). This will be the effect of the soot and dust from the nuclear explosions, as well as smoke from burning cities and fuel stockpiles, suspended in the atmosphere, which will screen light from the sun, moon, and stars.

The particulates in the air will be wafted around the world by the wind, creating a high-altitude smog-like layer. It will act like a dense sunscreen that will cut down the amount of sunlight reaching the ground below. Consequently, the surface of the earth will cool down – by some estimates to as low as 13^oF (-10.5⁰C)… and will remain at that level for many months before slowly warming up again.

Needless to say, agricultural food production will nosedive. In addition to the millions of casualties from the nuclear exchanges, more millions of people will die as a result of severe global food shortages.

Fourth vial (or bowl). “And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory” (Revelation 16:8-9).

How can the shift from harsh winter cold to extreme heat happen?

Ozone layer destroyed. The Discover magazine article continued: “This (nuclear winter) will be followed after some months by a settling of nuclear soot and dust, then by a new malignant kind of sunlight, with all of its ultraviolet band, capable of blinding most terrestrial animals, no longer shielded from the sun by the ozonosphere.”

When the sky eventually clears up, the atmosphere’s ozone layer will have been destroyed – Earth’s protection from deadly ultraviolet radiation from the sun will be gone. The planet will be bathed in intense, scorching heat. 

700% hotter sun? “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days…” (Isaiah 30:26a). Heat waves in the past have registered over 100^oF temperatures, but the coming heat factor, if literally fulfilled, the prophecy implies, could rise to as high as 700^oF!

The extreme heat will parch all things, high and low. God said through the prophet:“I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools” (Isaiah 42:15). Springs and rivers will dry up. There will be forest fires, brushfires, and grassfires practically everywhere – much worse and widespread than those happening before the nuclear war: “…the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke” (Isaiah 9:18b).

Cities, towns, and other places spared from the nuclear explosions will burn up just the same later in the extreme heat.

Back to the Dark Ages. The ferocious heat will destroy most power, communications, transportation, utility, and military systems of modern civilization. Fuel tanks of vehicles will explode. Insulation materials covering power lines, whether rubber or plastic, will turn to jelly or melt down. Overheated electronic circuits will stop working. Ammunitions exposed to the extreme heat will blow up.

In short – no electricity, no tap water, no phones, no computers, no TV, no cars, no buses, no airplanes, etcetera. The modern world whose comforts people are presently enjoying will suddenly be thrown back to the Dark Ages.

Survivors in caves. Many people will find places of refuge in the mountains. “Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks” (Jeremiah 16:16).

God had foretold that Christ’s apostles and disciples would be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17); and then later, in the end-time, Bible teachers will be “hunters” searching for refugees to teach in the mountains and caves.

No safe place. “Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence” (Ezekiel 33:27).

Deathly dangers will be everywhere – murderous men foraging in city ruins, hunger-crazed former pets and wild animals roving everywhere, unseen air- and insect-borne viruses and pestilent microbes from millions of unburied, decomposing corpses drifting into even fortified shelters and secluded caverns.

Worldwide famine. With trees and plants withered or burnt to cinders, domestic livestock and even wild game will die off. “O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. (Joel 1:19-20). Thus, the inexorable result: worldwide famine.

The infants and young children who will thirst and starve will be in a most pitiable condition. “The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills” (Lamentations 4:4-5).

Rich and poor alike will grovel for food and water. Members of the moneyed class accustomed to fine dining, gourmet dishes, and pricey delicacies will grab even heaps of manure to fill their empty stomachs.

Roots for food. “Haggard from want and hunger, they roamed the parched land in desolate wastelands at night. In the brush they gathered salt herbs, and their food was the root of the broom tree” (Job 30:3-4, NIV).

Due to unbearable heat during the day, people will forage for things to eat at night. Those in the hills and seacoasts will gobble whatever roots and weeds they will be able to find in order to survive.

Cannibalism! Driven by maddening hunger pangs, some people will resort to the unimaginable. “And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat” (Leviticus 26:29). “Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers…” (Ezekiel 5:9-10a). Horrible!

During extreme conditions in recent times, some people have done the unthinkable. It is thus not too far-fetched to believe that it can happen again. 

A hint from Christ. “For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” (Luke 23:31). As He carried the cross to Golgotha (Calvary), Christ, to console the weeping women accompanying Him, gave them a hint that if men could be brutal in their time, people will become even more inhumane to one another when the trees shall have dried up.

Prophecy confirmed. A future account of the Tribulation saints who will be in the kingdom of God confirms the prophecies. “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat” (Revelation 7:14b-16).

In the presence of God, the saints who will have suffered during the Great Tribulation will no longer experience starvation, burning thirst, and unbearable heat from the sun.

Provision for the righteous. Believers who will have faithfully kept the commandments of God will find safe haven, as well as sufficient nourishment in their highland hideaways.

God promises through Isaiah: “He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil -- this is the man who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. His bread will be supplied, and water will not fail him” (Isaiah 33:15-16, NIV).

Fifth seal . “ And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? (Revelation 6:9-11).

“Souls under the altar”. Below the altar in heaven, a place also known to Jewish sages as the “bosom of Abraham” (Luke 16:19-23), “Paradise” or “third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2, 4a), God’s martyrs plead to Him for justice. However, they were told to wait a while longer for the other martyrs who will also be killed like them during the Great Tribulation.

“And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:9-11).

Fifth trumpet. “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. 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. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power” (Revelation 9:1-3).

The star is actually an angel. He opens the “bottomless pit,” an unfathomable hole in the ground which, according to Jewish tradition, is as deep below the ground as heaven is high above the earth.

Locust-horse-man chimeras. “And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 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. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months” (Revelation 9:7-10).

Tormentors of men. “And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them” (Revelation 9:4-6).

In addition to the deadly ordeals people will be going through during the Great Tribulation, the monsters from the bottomless pit will sting men like scorpions, causing unbearable pain!

Satanic chieftain. “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” (Revelation 9:11). Abaddon is a Hebrew word usually translated as "destruction", found six other times in the Bible (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Psalm 88:11; Proverbs 15:11; 27:20). Translated in Greek as Apollyon ("destroyer"), the term appears to name Satan himself, as the angel was first described as a star fallen from heaven. As king of the locusts, he has power to torment but not to kill, just like Satan when he afflicted Job (“…the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person’” (Job 1:12a, NKJV).

The mention of both the Hebrew and Greek names seems to imply that this time Satan will be the destroyer of both the Jews and the Gentiles alike, comments Fausset's Bible Dictionary.

Great Tribulation cut short.  “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22). With mankind teetering on the brink of extinction, God will very mercifully cut short the ordeals of the Great Tribulation – to save the lives of the elect, His chosen few.

Ultimate destruction. Unforeseen disasters, nonetheless, are still in store for the world. “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:28-29).

In this prophecy of types, Lot is a type of the elect saints; Sodom, the world. The remaining people of the world will be slowly resuming their seemingly soon to be back-to-normal lives when, as soon as the elect are gathered up to heaven… destruction!

 

Excerpted from the booklet Nuclear War-Great Tribulation and the book End Time Decoded by M.M. Tauson. Printed copies available at Amazon.com – For free pdf copies of our e-booklets, click the Booklets and Google Drive tabs on the menu bar.

Bible quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) unless otherwise indicated. 

Who is Antichrist?

 Short answer:

Antichrist is a person who denies the sovereignty of God as Creator and the role of His Only Begotten Son as Savior. He, as a minister of Satan, undermines God’s will for the world and His chosen people.

The apostle John said there are many antichrists. Several notorious men were antichrists: Nimrod, builder of the Tower of Babel; Balak, king of Moab; Haman, prime minister of Persia; Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria; Nero, Roman emperor; Adolf Hitler, Nazi Fuhrer; Saddam Hussein, Iraqi president.

End-time prophecies foreshadow an Assyrian invader who will conquer Israel. Ancient Assyria was located in northern Iraq. Saddam Hussein, the “vile person” in the book pf Daniel, was born in northern Iraq; so were Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the late first “caliph” of ISIS, and his successors. They were all modern-day Assyrians.

The end-time antichrist will glorify himself above God. Unmasked: the “man of sin… the son of perdition,” successor of the “vile person,” a man from northern Iraq, ancient Assyria, a modern-day Assyrian invader-to-be is… the end-time Antichrist!

 

Detailed explanation:

Antichrist.

The word “antichrist” is seen only in the epistles of John in the New Testament. Although not found in the Old Testament, in a general sense an antichrist is regarded as a person who denies both the sovereignty of God as Creator of the universe and the role of His Only Begotten Son as Savior of mankind. “He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22b).

An antichrist is a minister of Satan who undermines the will and purpose of God for the world in general and for His chosen people in particular.

Many antichrists.  John said there were a number of antichrists in his day. “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1 John 2:18).

The “man of sin.” The apostle Paul did not use the term “antichrist”, but he must have had him in mind when he wrote of a “man of sin” who will bring about a great apostasy that will precede the Second Coming of Christ. “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; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

That is how the end-time antichrist will show himself and be identified. In the meantime, let us get to know his forerunners – the most notorious antichrists in the annals of Hebrew history. 

 

Nimrod, the first antichrist.

Nimrod, the builder of the Tower of Babel, is considered by many Bible scholars as the first antichrist. He was a great grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:1-8). The Bible’s account about Nimrod is brief. “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:9).

“Against the Lord.” Why is the statement made twice in a single verse? Why the special emphasis? The word “before” was translated from the Hebrew paniym, which has various literal and figurative translations, such as “face,” “against,” “front,” “anger,” “impudent”. The Septuagint (3^rd-2^nd century B.C. Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) translated the word as “against.” Thus, the phrase “before the Lord” can also be rendered as “against the Lord.”

Tower of Babel. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote about the growing population after the Flood, which destroyed the world: “God also commanded them to send colonies abroad, for the thorough peopling of the earth… but they did not obey God… Nay, they added to this their disobedience to the divine will, the suspicion that they were therefore ordered to send out separate colonies, that, being divided asunder, they might the more easily be oppressed.”

God told the descendants of Noah after the Flood to spread out in order to repopulate the earth. They refused, thinking they would be easier to overpower in small groups. “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4).

Revenge on God. Josephus tells us further: “He (Nimrod) also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! And that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers!” You probably know what happened next: God confused the tower-builders' tongues, causing them to speak in different languages; and so they spread across the face of the earth.

 

Balak, king of Moab.

 Around 1451 B.C., near the end of 40 years of wandering in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land after their Exodus from Egypt, “the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho” (Numbers 22:1, NIV). Balak, the king of the Moabites, was filled with terror at the sight of the huge Israelite multitude, which had defeated other peoples along their way.

Balaam the soothsayer. Balak sent for Balaam the soothsayer (a wizard or seer) to curse Israel. Balaam made three burnt sacrifices and, each time, he heard the words of God. However, instead of cursing Israel as Balak wanted him to do, Balaam blessed the Israelites – to the great dismay and frustration of Balak, who then sent him away (Numbers 22:6-24).

 

Haman the Amalekite.

Haman, an Amalekite, was a palace official of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), king of Persia (ruled 485-464 B.C.). From earliest times, Amalekites had oppressed Israel. Along the way n the Exodus from Egypt, Amalekites attacked Israelites lagging behind.

Haman made prime minister. The king made Haman prime minister. “And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence” (Esther 3:2). Greek historian Herodotus noted that when the Persians bowed before their king, they paid homage to him as though he were a god. Mordecai, a Jew, showed his faithfulness to God by refusing to bow before Haman, the second most powerful man in the Persian empire.

Plot to kill all Jews. Incensed, Haman plotted to kill Mordecai, as well as all the Jews in Persia. With his accomplices, he looked for an auspicious date to execute his evil plan… ” they cast the pur (that is, the lot) in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar” (Esther 3:7, NIV).

Haman then told the king that the religious customs of the Jews were against his best interests. King Ahasuerus issued a decree to have all the Jews killed throughout Persia.

Esther, the queen, Mordecai’s orphaned niece he had raised, learned about Haman’s plot from her uncle. Revealing to Ahasuerus that she was secretly a Jewess, Esther pleaded for the lives of her people.

Haman hanged. Enraged, King Ahasuerus ordered Haman and his sons hanged on the gallows he had erected for Mordecai. The date Haman had picked to slaughter the Jews is today celebrated by the Jews as the Feast of Lots (Purim) sometime in March.

 

Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria.

After Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C., his Greek empire was divided among four of his top generals. Syria, including Judea, fell under Seleucus in 280 B.C. He began a dynasty that ruled until 63 B.C., when Syria became a Roman province.

A Seleucid king, Antiochus IV (ruled 175-164 B.C.), was surnamed Epiphanes (“God manifest”), but was called Epimanes (“madman”) by his enemies. He was one of the cruelest rulers of all time; his cruelty bordered on madness. He tried to unite all the peoples of his kingdom in religion, law, and custom by imposing Greek culture.

Jewish religion banned. He prohibited the Jewish religion, issuing rules against the Sabbath, circumcision, food laws. He introduced the pagan worship of Zeus (1 Maccabees 1:54), with whom he identified himself as God. He erected an altar of Zeus (the Romans’ Jupiter) over the holy altar of burnt offering of the Jewish Temple, sacrificed pigs, and forced Jews to participate in pagan festivals. Jews were put to death if caught with the Torah (first five books of the Bible) in their possession.

Jewish revolt. The Jews revolted in 167 B.C. Trying to quell the uprising, Antiochus massacred thousands of Jews and stole the temple treasures (1 Maccabees  1:20-24; 2 Maccabees 5:11-21). Led by Judas Maccabeus, the Jews defeated the Syrian-Greeks in 164 B.C., and the Temple was cleansed on the 25^th day of the month of Chislev. It is celebrated today by Jews as the “Feast of Lights” (Hanukkah) every year in December.

 

Nero, Roman emperor.

Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) was the fifth emperor of Rome. At age 12, he was adopted by his mother‘s uncle and husband, Emperor Claudius. Four years later, the emperor gave his daughter Octavia to Nero in marriage. Nero poisoned Britannicus, the son and heir of Claudius. So, when Claudius died, Nero became Roman emperor.

Brutal family record. In A.D. 59, Nero secured from the Roman Senate an order for the execution of his own mother – to please his mistress, Poppaea. He divorced Octavia and married Poppaea. He later killed her with a kick when she was with child. Nero next proposed to marry Antonia, his adopted sister; but when she refused, he ordered her put to death. He then married Statilia Messalina, whose husband he had assassinated.

Persecutor of Christians. Nero persecuted Christians in 64 A.D. after a huge fire destroyed much of Rome. Rumors were that Nero himself caused the fire and watched the flames from a tower while playing a lyre. Nero put the blame on Christians and ordered them killed. Many were torn apart by dogs, while others were burned alive at night as human torches.

Nero was the emperor before whom the apostle Paul was brought on his first imprisonment in Rome. In the persecution of Christians by Nero, Paul and Peter were said to have suffered martyrdom.

In A.D. 68, the Praetorian Guard under him rebelled, and Nero was forced to flee Rome. That same year, at the age of 30, he was declared public enemy by the Roman Senate and condemned to death. He died by committing suicide.

Number of the “beast.” Preterist theologians, who teach that most end-time prophecies have already been fulfilled, usually support the idea that, in the Jewish gematria system (letters counted as numbers), the name and title “Nero Caesar,” written in Hebrew as “NRON QSR,” is the numerical equivalent of the “beast”: (N / nun) 50 +( R / resh) 200 + (O / vav) 6 + (N / nun) 50 + (Q / qof )  100 + (S / samech)  60 + (R / resh) 200 = 666.

 

Adolf Hitler, Nazi Fuhrer.

Adolf Hitler, a frustrated artist, in 1919 joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party, a fascist movement in bankrupt and tumultuous post-war Germany. Quickly rising to party leadership, he shortened the first word in the party’s name to “Nazi”. 

Superior Aryan race. The Nazis glorified Germans and other northern European peoples as members of a superior race they called “Aryan.” They claimed that the Jews, Slavs, and other minorities were inferior. Hitler promised to rebuild Germany into a mighty empire that would last for a thousand years.

World War II. Hitler became German Chancellor (prime minister) in 1933, then Fuhrer (“the leader”) with dictatorial powers in 1934. He ignited World War II by invading Poland in 1939. He rapidly regained German territories lost in World War I and conquered most of Europe.

Holocaust. Before the Nazis were defeated by the Allies in 1945, they had methodically killed about 6 million European Jews and some 5 million other people Hitler regarded as racially inferior or politically dangerous. The Nazi genocide is known today as the “Holocaust”.

As Allied forces led by the American, British, and Soviet troops closed in on his headquarters in Berlin on April 30, 1945, Hitler killed himself after just 12 years in power.

 

Saddam Hussein, Iraqi president.

 His first name “Saddam” means “one who confronts” in Arabic. It reminds us of Nimrod, the first antichrist, who, as “a mighty hunter before the LORD” was in “front” of or “against” the Lord. Nimrod had reigned over ancient Erech (Genesis 10:10), while Saddam ruled over modern-day Iraq – both of which are located in the same place.

Saddam Hussein fulfilled a long list of Bible prophecies. Let us see how Daniel 11:21-30, specifically, matched Saddam’s persona and activities.

Rise to power. Daniel 11:21 – “And in his estate…”  (the territory of the Roman Empire under Augustus Cesar, the “raiser of taxes” in the preceding verse; included Mesopotamia, today mostly part of Iraq);“shall stand up a (“vile person,” KJV; “contemptible person,” NIV; “despicable person,” NASU); ‘to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries” (formerly a monarchy, Iraq became a military dictatorship, thus Saddam took power in 1979 as president, not as king).

Daniel 11:22 – “And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken…” (with the ruthless internal security units loyal to him, Saddam jailed, executed, or assassinated his rivals and detractors);

Anti-Israel. “yea, also the prince of the covenant” (probably the covenant between God and Abraham in Genesis 17:7-10, wherein God promised to “give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee… all the land of Canaan”); Saddam denounced Israel’s possession of Palestine (Canaan) and led Arab opposition to the 1979 Camp David Accords ending the conflict between Egypt and Israel over Palestine.

Daniel 11:23 – “And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully…” (Saddam himself negotiated an agreement with Iran in 1975 on border disputes; yet in September 1980, he declared the pact null and void); “for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people” (he wielded power with the support of the small Sunni Muslim minority of Iraq, which had a big Shiite Muslim majority).

Daniel 11:24 – “He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches…”; Arab chieftains in the Iraqi parliament typically passed laws that mainly benefited themselves; however, Saddam used the revenues from Iraq’s huge oil reserves to modernize the country and raise the people’s standard of living.

Weapons of mass destruction. “yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.” Saddam began developing nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), raising apprehensions among Iraq’s neighbors.

Iraq-Iran War. Daniel 11:25 – “And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army…” (Iraq attacked Iran on September 22, 1980 (the “king of the south” has been determined to be Iran in prophecy studies); “and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand” (Iran was able to make their first counteroffensive in January 1981, but Iraq decimated the assault); “for they shall forecast devices against him” (starting 1983, Iraqi forces used poison gas against Iranian troops).

Daniel 11:26 – “Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him…” (countries which were importers of Iranian oil aided Iraq); “and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain” (with their great superiority in number, Iran used human wave attack tactics; but the outnumbered Iraqi forces inflicted hundreds of thousands dead or wounded on the Iranians before falling back).

Ceasefire. Daniel 11:27 – “And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed” (in July 1987, the UN Security Council called for a ceasefire; the combatants laid down their arms a year later in August 1988; but decades later, Iraq and Iran had yet to formally close the conflict).

Daniel 11:28 – “Then shall he return into his land with great riches…” (Iraq had obtained various state-of-the-art weapons from France and the Soviet Union, including thousands of artillery pieces, tanks, armored vehicles, and hundreds of combat aircraft); “and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land” (Saddam’s antagonistic stance against Israel’s possession of Palestine remained virulent).

First Persian Gulf War. Daniel 11:29 – “At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south…” (in August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait at its southeast border); “but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter” (Saddam would not be as formidable as he was in the war with Iran).

Coalition force. Daniel 11:30 – “For the ships of Chittim shall come against him…” (Bible dictionaries define Chittim as “islands and coasts of the Mediterranean Sea,” many of which were UN members allied with the US; a coalition of 39 countries formed by the UN and the US sent forces to liberate Kuwait; “therefore he shall be grieved, and return…”; Iraq was forced out of Kuwait in six weeks; tens of thousands of Iraqis were killed, most of their armored vehicles and artillery smashed, and several nuclear and chemical weapons facilities in Iraq totally or partially destroyed;

Rewards for terrorists. “and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant” (after the war, Saddam further encouraged terrorist attacks against Israel by giving rewards to families of suicide bombers).

Fall of Saddam. Twelve years later, on March 20, 2003, the US led a military campaign in the Second Gulf War to overthrow Saddam and eliminate Iraq's ability to produce WMDs. Baghdad fell on April 9, 2003, and Saddam went into hiding. On December 13, US troops captured him near Tikrit, his hometown in northern Iraq. The Iraqi High Tribunal sentenced him to death for crimes against humanity. Saddam Hussein was hanged on December 30, 2006.

“Vile person” lives on. The misdeeds of the “vile person” do not end with Saddam’s death. The actions of the vile person continue until his end in Daniel 11:45. In Bible prophecy an important character, say, a king, and his successor are usually referred to as the same person (such as the pharaoh of Egypt). Since Saddam is now gone, it looks like further actions of the vile person will be made by an equally, or possibly even more, wicked successor.

Let us delve a little into the background of the most recent “vile person” we have discussed – Saddam.

Modern-day Assyrians. Saddam Hussein was born in Tikrit in northern Iraq, largely the domain of the ancient Assyrian empire. That made him a modern-day Assyrian.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the late first “caliph” or head of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), was born near Samarra, also in northern Iraq. He was therefore a modern-day Assyrian, too.

Less than a week after al-Baghdadi’s death in October 2019, ISIS media announced the new caliph as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. He was born in Tal Afar, northern Iraq, and thus may also be regarded as a modern-day Assyrian.

When Abu Ibrahim died less than a month later, Islamic State named its new caliph as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, the brother of the first caliph and another modern-day Assyrian.

Assyrian invader. Bible prophecies foreshadow an Assyrian who will conquer the Jews. We read in Isaiah 10:24, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt”; and in Micah 5:5b, “the Assyrian shall come into our land… he shall tread in our palaces.”

Assyrians razed the northern kingdom of divided Israel in 721 B.C. In 701 B.C., they were besieging Jerusalem in the south when their huge army was struck by "the angel of the Lord" (2 Kings 19:35), probably with a plague. About 185,000 Assyrian soldiers died, and the survivors turned back. So, the Jews have never been subjugated by Assyrians… yet.

Let us resume reading the narrative of Daniel on the vile person’s activities…

 “Abomination of desolation.” Daniel 11:31 – “And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.”  

That thing appears to be the same object that Christ warned his disciples about. “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:). Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains… For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved…” (Matthew 24:15-16, 21-22a).

“Great tribulation.” The “abomination of desolation” will usher in the “great tribulation,” the most horrendous period of suffering that the world has ever known and shall ever experience! Believers will have their faith shaken during this period of the most terrible ordeals.

Daniel 11:32 – “ And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Under great duress, many of the faithful will give in to the persuasive rhetoric of the vile person and take up his cause. He will praise and reward those who will join him against the covenant. However, the most faithful believers will remain steadfast in their obedience to God.

Daniel 11:33 – “And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.” Courageous Bible teachers and preachers will try to strengthen believers against the vile person’s lies and deceitful promises; but they will be persecuted, imprisoned, and executed by forces under him.

Daniel 11:34 – “ Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.” Terribly oppressed, God’s people will be tempted to accept offers of assistance from supposed do-gooders who will turn out to be actually enemies.

Daniel 11:35 – “ And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” Many believers under duress will give up their faith under pain of death, but some will ultimately turn back to God and regain their spiritual purity.

The end-time antichrist. Daniel 11:36 – “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.”

That sounds like the “man of sin… revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Unmasked at last. The “vile person” and the “man of sin” are one and the same individual. This man from northern Iraq and thus a modern-day Assyrian – he is the end-time antichrist!

 

Excerpted from the booklet Antichrist and the book End Time Decoded  by M.M. Tauson. Printed copies available at Amazon.com – For free pdf copies of our e-booklets, click the Booklets and Google Drive tabs on the menu bar.

Bible quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) unless otherwise indicated.

What is the “abomination of desolation”?

Short answer:

The “abomination of desolation,” Christ said, will bring about the worst suffering mankind shall have ever known. A seemingly peaceful event will lead to the appearance of that object.

A leader will confirm a covenant or agreement with other leaders. One probable covenant: the Abrahamic covenant wherein God gave Abraham’s descendants ownership of the Promised Land. The end-time agreement among leaders will be for a seven-year period. It seems that certain offerings and sacrifices will be allowed under it.

Yet, after only 3-½ years, the first leader will stop the offerings, bring in the abomination of desolation, and destroy the site. The site could be the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where the Jewish Temple once stood.

For many years, end-time prophecy watchers have taught that the abomination of desolation will be a statue of the Antichrist which will be set up inside a rebuilt Temple.

Christ implied, however, that the abomination of desolation will cause instantaneous, far-reaching destruction. People in Judea, upon seeing it, will have to immediately escape to high grounds.

Will the “abomination of desolation” be… a bomb?

 

Detailed Explanation:

Christ gave an inkling of the most terrible suffering which something called “abomination of desolation” will bring upon mankind. “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:). Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains… For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved…” (Matt 24:15-16, 21-22a).

A seemingly harmonious event will lead to the appearance of that dreadful object.

Seven-year agreement. At the start of the last seven years of the end times, a leader will confirm a covenant or agreement with other leaders. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week…” (Daniel 9:27a). The Hebrew word translated “week” is shavua, which denotes a period with seven parts, such as one week (7 days) or one sabbatical cycle (7 years). In the context of the passage, seven years are implied. Hence, the confirmed covenant will be in force for a seven-year period.

Abrahamic covenant? Among many possibilities, one probable covenant is the Abrahamic covenant wherein God gave Abraham’s descendants ownership of the Promised Land. “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18).

The covenant would thus confirm Israel’s right to the Holy Land, although for only seven years.

Agreement broken. After only 3-½ years, however, “in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate” (Daniel 9:27b). The said leader will stop the offerings and sacrifices apparently authorized under the agreement and then destroy the site.

The site, if the covenant is the Abrahamic covenant, will probably be the Temple Mount, a hill in Jerusalem where the Jewish Temple once stood before it was razed by Roman legions in 70 A.D.

Abomination of desolation. For many years, preachers, writers, and end-time prophecy watchers have taught that the “abomination of desolation” will be a statue of the Antichrist which will be installed inside a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. Will it be that, really? Let us scrutinize the term with the help of a dictionary.

“Abomination” – anything that arouses strong disgust or loathing; hence, a revolting object.

“Desolation” – a ruined or deserted condition; thus, devastation, destruction, or barrenness.

“Abomination of desolation”, therefore, signifies something so disgusting because it causes great ruin and destruction.

Instantaneous destruction. In the words of Christ, the abomination of desolation will cause instantaneous and far-reaching destruction. “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: Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day” (Matthew 24:15-20).

People in Judea will have to escape to high grounds without a moment to spare. Those coming down from the flat roofs of their houses will have no time to get anything from the ground floor, not to mention people away from home. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers will be worse off, as they will not be able to run away fast enough. If it happens in wintertime, the hills will be cold and slippery; if on the Sabbath, pious Jews cannot escape far as they may travel only 2,000 cubits (1,000 yards) on the weekly day of rest. 

Total and final destruction. It appears that the abomination of desolation will be the instrument of the Temple Mount’s total and final destruction. Christ uttered a prophecy: “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 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” (Matthew 24:1-2).

The prophecy has not been fully fulfilled yet, because the Temple Mount’s Western Wall is still standing, with massive stone blocks on top of one another. When Roman legions destroyed the Holy Temple in 70 A.D., they did not demolish the Western Wall since it served as the retaining wall that kept the steep hillside from collapsing. The abomination of desolation could fulfill the prophecy. 

Did God play on words? Do you now have an idea of what the abomination of desolation could be? Let us assume that the term is an anagram whose letters we can rearrange and play with to form new words. The results are quite surprising.

ABOM. The first four letters of “abomination” give us ABOM. Now, say it aloud – “A BOM”. Do you hear “a bomb”? Will the abomination of desolation be a bomb?

MOAB. Juggle the letters a bit, and one result spells MOAB, the name of the elder son by incest of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Moab became the ancestor of the Moabite nation, which did not allow the Israelites to pass through their territory in the latter’s Exodus from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land. Much later, the Moabites became vassals of the northern kingdom of the divided monarchy of Israel.  

MOAB is also the acronym for Massive Ordnance Air Blast, the US Air Force’s 9,840-kg (21,700-lb) bomb built for the Second Persian Gulf War in 2003, but used only once – in Afghanistan against the Taliban. It is the largest guided air-dropped weapon in history. The bomb can spread a flammable mist over its target area and then ignite it, creating a massive blast and fireball 40% more powerful than any other conventional weapon in the U.S. arsenal.

Also nicknamed “Mother Of All Bombs”, MOAB sounds like a rejoinder to Saddam Hussein’s boast in 1991 that the impending First Persian Gulf War was going to be the “mother of all battles” (MOAB, too, for short)!

OBAM. Curiously, ABOM further mixed up also produces OBAM, the first four letters of former US President Barack Obama’s surname. Will he in one way or another be involved with the abomination of desolation? Bear in mind that, in 2017, although Obama had finished his two-term, eight-year US presidency, a French group collected over 300,000 signatures in a campaign for him to run for president of France. Will Obama again become a key player on the world’s geopolitical stage?

 

Excerpted from the booklets Antichrist and Nuclear War-Great Tribulation; and the book End Time Decoded  by M.M. Tauson. Printed copies available at Amazon.com – For free pdf copies of our e-booklets, click the Booklets and Google Drive tabs on the menu bar.

Bible quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) unless otherwise indicated.  

Should Christians celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Short answer:

No. Christians should not celebrate Valentine’s Day. God forbids pagan practices, such as Valentine’s Day, which honor false gods and goddesses. The Bible says that if a foreigner joins the Israelites in worshipping God (“YHWH”) that person has to obey the same commandments God gave His chosen people.

Scholars trace the origins of Valentine’s Day to the ancient pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia and Saint Valentine of the early Christian church.

Cupid, originally depicted as an athletic young man, was the Roman god of desire and erotic love. He was the son of Venus, the goddess of love. The Middle Eastern names for the goddess were Semiramis, Ishtar, Astarte.

Semiramis’s husband was Nimrod, the builder of the Tower of Babel regarded as the first antichrist. After Nimrod died, Semiramis gave birth to a boy named Tammuz. She claimed the baby was Nimrod, reborn as a god.

Tammuz and Cupid were both worshipped as the son of the goddess of love. They personified the same pagan god.

Detailed explanation:

Many people in the world today, whether Christians (who comprise approximately one-third of the world population) or non-Christians, observe and celebrate various unbiblical red-letter days in ignorant, or sometimes even blatant, violation of the will of God Almighty, Creator and ruler of heaven and earth.

Pagan practices forbidden. God has commanded: “When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:29-31).

God’s people should not imitate the ways pagans worship their gods, which are detestable and disgusting to the LORD. "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless…” (Jeremiah 10:2-3a, NIV). Following any of the various superstitious practices of other people who do things against the will of God is a folly and just a waste of time.

Only for Israel? Some may argue that God’s commandments are only for Israel. No. The Scriptures explain: “One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you” (Numbers 15:15-16).

To paraphrase, if a foreigner lives with or joins the Israelites in the worship of the one true God (“YHWH”), that person is duty-bound to observe the same commandments God has given to His chosen people – the Hebrew nation or Israel.

“Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people” (Isaiah 56:6-7).

The foreigners and their descendants who will faithfully keep God’s laws will be numbered among His people and taken to the kingdom of heaven. Needless to say, excluded are those who imitate pagans in worshipping their gods – celebrating what we can call unholy holidays.

Valentine’s Day. Although not actually a holiday, but nonetheless an annual red-letter day fondly anticipated by many people, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 each year. On this day, celebrants express their affection for each other and send greeting cards and gifts to their sweethearts and other loved ones.

Origins. Scholars trace the practice to several origins: ancient pagan Roman festival called Lupercalia; Saint Valentine of the early Christian church; old English belief that birds chose their mates in mid-February; and the coming of spring as a time for lovers.

Lupercalia. The festival of Lupercalia was a pagan religious event in ancient Rome celebrated every year near the Lupercal, a cave in the Palatine Hill. (According to Roman mythology, a wolf in the cave nursed the infant twins Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.)

The ancient Romans held the festival of Lupercalia on February 15 as a ritual for protection against wolves. The name of the festival came from lupus (Latin for “wolf”), pointing to a primitive god who protected flocks from wolves.

Saint Valentine. Several Christian saints were named Valentine, but the so-called “day of hearts” probably took its name from a priest martyred by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus for ministering to persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire.

According to tradition, Saint Valentine was beheaded on February 14, around A.D. 269, at the age of 42 or 43 years. In one story, Valentine restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. He fell in love with her and, on the day of his execution, sent a letter to her – “from your Valentine”.

In A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with Saint Valentine's Day.

Birds’ mating season. In England, it was thought that the birds’ mating season began in mid-February, they thus became a symbol of Valentine’s Day often seen in greeting cards and decorations.

The coming of spring. At the onset of spring, many young people get “spring fever” – a hazy feeling of restlessness and excitement. As the temperature rises, birds sing, flowers bud, bees pollinate, and humans become more cheerful and predisposed to romance.

In Europe, Valentine’s Day came to be celebrated as a day of romance from about the 14^th century. Formal, written messages, called “valentines”, first appeared in the 1500s. By the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used.

Cupid, pagan god of love. Cupid (whose name means "desire" in Latin) was the mythological Roman god of desire, erotic love, attraction, and affection. He was identified with the Greek god Eros, also called Amor in Latin poetry. The earliest images of Cupid showed him as a handsome, athletic young man. By the mid-300s B.C., however, he was portrayed as a chubby, naked infant with wings, holding a bow and arrow. Cupid was known as the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. The Middle Eastern names for the goddess of love were Semiramis, Ishtar, Astarte.

Nimrod, the first antichrist. Semiramis’s husband was Nimrod, the builder of the Tower of Babel regarded as the first antichrist. After Nimrod was killed, Semiramis became pregnant and gave birth to a boy. She claimed the baby was Nimrod himself, reborn as a god.

Tammuz. The boy-god was named Tammuz. Both he and Cupid were worshipped as the son of the goddess of love, although called by different names in different countries. The two of them personified the same pagan god.

Are you unwittingly celebrating Valentine’s Day, which, unknown to most people, is honoring pagan gods and the first antichrist? Don’t risk losing your spiritual salvation. God’s prophet said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6a).

If you value love in your life, worship God and obey His commandments. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

 

Excerpted from the booklet Unholy Holidays by M.M. Tauson. Printed copies available at Amazon.com – For free pdf copies of our e-booklets, click the Booklets and Google Drive tabs on the menu bar.

Bible quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) unless otherwise indicated.