Published  Senior Experience, Nov-Dec., 2007  First Baptist Church, Norfolk, VA.                                  

  PROPHECY YET TO BE FULFILLED         

How will Mideast Peace be Possible?

"I believe that peace is impossible as long as the insurgencies continue and terrorists prevail. There must first be a decisive catastrophe visited upon the aggressive nations. Ezekiel tells us that very thing will occur when the nations aligned with Russia and Iran “seek a spoil” by invading Israel at a “time of peace”…with Israel’s cities no longer protected by walls. God will destroy their armies and pave the way for the defeated nations to agree to a Covenant.

It is commonly believed the Antichrist will offer “peace” to start the Covenant. The peace of Ezekiel 38-39 and Seal One of Revelation, I believe, should occur prior to the treaty of Dan.9:27. The aggressors will not be in a position to bargain over peace terms once their armies are destroyed. The initial peace will be under the compromised “iron of democracy” as Mystery Babylon (Vatican Rome) seeks to “mix with the clay" of autocratic nations. This initial peace obviously begins prior to Daniel’s Seven-Year Covenant. Dan.2:41-43; Dan.9:27.

The aggressors are represented by the “clay” of nations that reject principles of Democracy. But the “strength of the iron” will prevail over the aggressors until time for God’s judgment.  Before delivering Israel at the Gog and Magog war, God allows Mystery Babylon to work her strategies to establish the initial peace. But when God destroys their armies, the weakened insurgents will accept the peace terms. Antichrist, one of the “many who agree” to the Covenant, will participate. Only with Mystery Babylon destroyed at Midweek by the Ten Kings of petroleum-power, who then support the Antichrist, will the Beast be able to subject all nations beneath his absolute dominion! Rev.17:17.

Peace begins thru the strength of the Iron; not thru the instability of the Clay. Great Babylon will succeed in uniting religions, rulers and regimes under Rome and world government. In the midst of such so-called peace, the leader (Gog, prince of Meshech and Tubal) will rally the support and supply surrounding nations with armaments and seek to annihilate Israel. Russia has the means and motivation to subvert the strength of democracy by arming the aggressors.

So it seems there are two phases to the peace process. By arming aggressor nations, Russia paves the way for the Gog and Magog war! God’s judgment on Babylon allows Ten Kings acting like Trojan horses to infiltrate the global Network System!! Their destruction of Babylon “in one hour by fire” will occur half way into Daniel’s 70^th Seven…at Passover-time when God’s Kingdom Power comes to earth thru Two Witnesses; they appose the Antichrist for 42 months; 3½ years; 1260 days!!! Rev.11:3-11; Rev.12:10-17; Rev.13:5-17; Rev.18:1-19.

Mideast Peace and Daniel’s 70^th Seven

If the Jewish tradition occurs that Elijah may appear during the eight days of a Passover Festival of Unleavened Bread, the peace treaty would have to begin in the fall of the year. There would be 1260 days from the Covenant to Passover in the springtime 3½ years later. From Babylon’s fall by fire, another 1260 days would complete the 7-year period at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. Exact timing for the Covenant will determine if the date to start the Mideast Peace allows a 2520-day countdown prophesied by Daniel for two 3 1/2 year periods at the End of the Age.

The Antichrist would be revealed by breaking the Covenant when Babylon falls and the two Prophets come from heaven! At the end of the first 1260 days, at Passover time, these two Prophets from heaven begin “standing before the God of earth” against the Beast who sets the abomination in the holy place of Israel’s 3^rd Temple!! It will remain desecrated for the 1260-day 2^nd half of 2520 (7x360) days; then the Beast kills the Prophets and they lie dead until one of the days of the Feast of Tabernacles!!! Matt.24:15,21; 2 Thes.2:3-4; Rev.11:1-7.

The weakened position of the aggressor nations, following the war of God and Magog, may provide the backdrop for the aggressor nations to accept the peace. The Antichrist will not assume great power at the start of the 7 years since he will be “one of many” who agree to the Covenant. He will not be given power to kill the Witnesses until the end of the 7 years.

The second countdown of 1260 days ends with the Beast killing the Witnesses. “Some must taste death” for up to 3½ additional days since no one knows the last day in advance. This is the short period for which Jesus prepares His followers to be faithful to the end. Mark 8:38 to Mark 9:1; Rev.12:10-11; Rev.11:7-12. Believers know the Prophets must “rise up after 3½ days” while the world celebrates. Survive or not, they must glorify Christ until He appears.

The hope of the Saints will climax with the last Trump for Christ’s coronation and coming in great power and glory! Rev.11:15-19; Rev.19:15-19. How amazing that prophetic “time ends and the mystery of God is finished” just days before Tishri 15 or 16 to start the Feast of Tabs and to redeem Israel on one of their days of celebration! Rev.10:6-7. What a commentary on the meaning of Jesus’ words: “Some (who survive and are still standing when the Son of Man is about to come in GLORY; Matt.16:27-28) will not taste death, by any means, until they see the Kingdom of God having come in Kingdom POWER” thru the two Witnesses for 1260 days. Mark 9:1; Rev.12:10-11; Rev.11:7-12!!!

In the Bush administration's plans for a Mideast Summit, the “seven” years would have been possible in 2007 only if a Mideast Covenant was signed on Nov.15 this year so as to end 7 years later at the Feast of Tabs. Of course, we don’t know for sure if the Jewish tradition for Elijah to appear will be fulfilled during the Passover Festival. With the eventual desecration (not destruction) of the 3^rd Temple, the final 1260-day Endtime will begin. But since the last day is unknown in advance, no one can set an exact date for Christ’s return. Believers will know the “end is near” for 1260 days “while the Abomination sits in the temple”. Matt.24:15, 33.

On the last day, as signs occur in the sun, moon and stars, even Israel will “know their redemption and kingdom are near”! Luke 21:28, 31. For unbelievers, except for the remnant of Israel who hope for the Messiah, this day will come “as a thief” when armies gather to Armageddon!!  Jesus urges believers to watch and Israel to “watch and be begging (Greek text) to escape all these things and to prevail to stand before the Son of Man”!!! Rev.16:15-16; Luke 21:36.

The Endtime is on the immediate horizon only when Mystery Babylon unites all religions! Anticipating its inclusiveness, John “measured the Temple, altar and worshipers” prior to the two Prophets coming from heaven and the Abomination sitting in the Temple!! Rev.11: 1-2; Matt. 24:15. They will prevent the destruction of the holy city, Jerusalem, and its third Temple, during 1260 days of history’s greatest tribulation for Jews and Christians!!!

God identifies this period to launch the “times for restoring all things” (predicted by Peter in Acts 3:21). He calls it the “NOW of (3½ times) for His Kingdom Power and the Authority of His Christ”. Rev.12:10-14-17; Rev.11:1-7. I have yet to see this truth being recognized.      

We must not set dates prior to the actual signing of the Endtime Peace Accord. Only when the “final solution” to the Jerusalem problem fulfills Dan.9:27 can anyone consider the Day of the Lord as being “near”! Whether the Jewish tradition of the time for Elijah’s coming is true or not, God manifests His Kingdom Power until the deaths of the two Witnesses/Prophets. They will appear in Kingdom Power when Ten Kings destroy Babylon the Great and give their authority to Antichrist. Many think Jesus cautioned against setting the “day and hour” for a Pre-Trib Rapture. That “Day” refers to His coming “after the tribulation”! Matt.24:29; Mark 13:27. He did not mean Daniel’s “1290 days” are cut short prior to the Tribulation; but after the end of Great Tribulation!! Specific events must occur before that Day arrives!!!

The two Prophets will be killed and “some standing there must still taste death” at the end of their 1260-day task of manifesting God’s Kingdom Power before anyone expects the Day and Hour Christ appears. Mark 9:1. While survivors wait for signs of the last day, Great-Tribulation saints watch for Christ’s coming after seeing the abomination placed in the Temple. They will “wait”; then “watch”. Better to know “what” to expect than wonder “when”.  

The final countdown of 1260 days will have ceased “in the days the 7^th Trumpet is about to sound that God’s wrath has come and the appointed time to judge and reward believers, both small and great and to destroy earth’s destroyers”. Rev.10:6-7; Rev.11:6-18. Jesus cautions against knowing when the last HOUR occurs because even the world will see the Witnesses rise up on the last DAY prior to the last HOUR, the "hour of trial". Rev.11:12-14; Rev.3:10; Luke 21:34-35. The last recorded words of Jesus, prior to His coming, “blesses those who watch with great expectation” for His presence even as the Beast’s armies are gathering to Armageddon. Rev.16:14-16.

During great tribulation believers make the countdown knowing Daniel's 1290 days will be cut short. The shortening of Daniel’s first 69 sets of Seven by 21 days was a type for shortening Daniel’s 1290 days at the deaths of the two Prophets. Rev.12:11; Dan.12:11. The three weeks cut short during the 69^th set of Seven on Palm Sunday, overlaid on a Gentile calendar of 68 Sevens, is like the final short-cut of 26 or 27 days during the 70^th Seven. Matt.24:22. Jesus wept because no one knew the former “day of expectation” to applaud their King. Luke 19:41-44; Zech.9:9.

The final days end with specific signs on one of 3 days of a full moon. Dan.12:11; Rev.11:3-12; Rev.12:6, 14; Rev.13:5-7; Rev.16:12-17; Rev.6:12-17. The “last countdown day” ends within 3½ days of the Feast of Tabernacles/Ingathering which occurs on Tishri 15, or on a day before or a day after. “On that day Christ will be king over all the nations”. Zech. 14:9, 16.

The days of Israel’s annual celebration at this feast includes the destruction of their enemies at Christ’s sudden appearance in great glory and power. On that unknown DAY after the Witnesses complete their 1260 day task and during the continuing signs in the heavens and earth and seas, Yeshua, the Lamb, rescues 144,000 Jewish “Firstfruits” from Mt. Zion after the last martyr dies and the world’s armies are “gathered to Armageddon”! In the final HOUR, with His enemies destroyed, “God will show mercy to all”!! Jesus Christ and those who “overcome to the end will rule the nations with a rod of iron”!!! Rom.11:25-33; Rev.19:15; Rev.2:25-26.  Mel Miller; lastday@lastday.net