Seldom does one fully grasp an inclusive view of End Time Tribulation judgments of God. They include the universe as well as this world. These calamities are added to by Satan’s attempts to force the world into worshiping him and him alone. God will provide an escape and place of refuge for his chosen people of Israel. However, they still must flee to it (Petra/wilderness) without hesitation (Revelation 12:6). That too is another choice for Israel. Those who heed it will likely see the Millennial Reign.

Does one live in the moment or think and prepare for the future? Most of us are immersed in the “here and now,” giving little thought to the future. But we should! For one thing, the end times will soon be the “here and now”; much sooner than many people realize. We need to be prepared! We shouldn’t let it overtake us or surprise us like the thief would try to do (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4).

Take note of 2 Timothy 33:1. The late Billy Graham quoted this same passage in some of his messages.  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.      

Many of these End Time Tribulation calamities can be found in Matthew 24. But there are two sides to these great end-time events. One is those instigated by Satan. He hates people of Israeli descent. People tend to incorrectly put them all in the same identity bucket – Jews. Not so. They are Israelis.

As we go over this short list of plagues, curses, tribulations, earthquakes, volcanoes, violent seas, wars, and disasters, we MUST KEEP IN MIND Revelation 22:12. The best news of all, believers will be in the rapture before the Tribulation begins or (less likely) at the mid-point of the 7-year Tribulation. Our list will not be in chronological order. To do this would entail too much speculation.

Little time will be spent in an exhaustive study of each End Time calamity. This article is to make a stark awareness of what is in store.

We begin with the infamous apocalypse and its four horsemen. In an earlier ahamoment commentary study, we examined this in some detail. These four horsemen are associated with the opening of the first of the seven seals. Each seal is mentioned in Revelation 6:1-8. The first horseman, a conqueror with a bow (no arrows) and a diadem (crown) is given to him. He rides a white horse. He is probably a great leader at the beginning of the Tribulation, but not recognized for who he is (antichrist) until the mid-point in the tribulation when he turns on Israel. He is the horseman who brings acceptable, albeit temporary, peace to the earth with Israel.

The second horseman is given a great sword and rides a red horse, a symbol of death and bloodshed.  The third carries a balance scale, rides a black horse, and symbolizes famine. The fourth horseman rides a pale (light green) horse and is identified as Death for Hades followed. Horsemen 2, 3, and 4 are most likely symbolic of conditions on earth.

All four horsemen are bad omens to those remaining on earth. Click on the highlighted text to the left to read a more detailed discussion of the apocalypse (ahabiblemoment article – 2015).

Be clear…the Rapture and Tribulation are not the same things. First comes the Rapture of believers. What follows is the apocalypse horsemen, the Tribulation, and at the mid-point, the abomination of abominations in Jerusalem i.e., Jacob’s (Israel) Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7). Why is the second half of the 7-year Tribulation called Jacob’s Trouble? Jacob was renamed Israel by God (Genesis 35:10). The people being forefront on Satan’s list of the targeted will be Israeli.

Believers will be transformed into immortal bodies (Matthew 24:30-31). This is also when Israelis will be gathered together from the four corners of the earth. What we currently see in Israel today is but a partial gathering. 1948 set the stage for this event found in Matthew 24:31. Knowledge does help with understanding.

Many know the passage that reads: Kingdom against kingdom. We just reviewed this passage in our previous commentary on Matthew 24. It is an eye-opening list. Look it up and gain knowledge.

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

Matthew 24:8 All these are but the beginnings of sorrows.

The beginning of sorrows? Matthew 24:7 & 8 says this is the beginning of End Time or Tribulation sorrows. Let this be a sign unto all. Recall in a previous ahamoment commentary what is defined as kingdom against kingdom. This means a small, medium, or large group of vested or in common members who connive to not lose their power to another group. They fight one another. A simple example of this could be in politics. Deception, lying, false accusations, and distractions, are in each group’s arsenals. Such has become the main platform of politics today in many nations including the United States. It is identifiable kingdoms (perhaps unions, denominations, localities, race, gender identities, political party, Green Deal agendas or more) within a given geopolitical arena. Since this same passage in Matthew 24 includes son against father, mother against daughter, and neighbor against neighbor it puts an interesting light on the statement often heard today…See (hear) something, say something. Sounds innocent by itself but it isn’t exclusive to bad behavior. Such puts person against person, group against groups, and vested interests against each other. The world is already at this point. Soon it will be open conflict if not already true.

Isaiah 19:2 adds to this list of maladies. It reads city against city, brother against brother, each person against his or her neighbor(s). See something, say something? Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:10 underscore this same concept. Will one find it difficult to recognize that this is a current and trending event? Only if one is not aware, know what to anticipate, and understand what Isaiah 19:2 says. It isn’t a needle in a haystack, but when one does not know what it is s/he is seeking, the same won’t know what it is if already in or at hand.

1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 may not sound or read like a curse, but hidden within this passage is a dreadful omen. It means that there is now a permanent separation between those left behind and those taken. This passage is the rapture. Over half of the earth’s population has been destroyed in the apocalypse. This includes much of the earth itself. David Rossiter once said… One problem with the bible is it says things people don’t like. The result is they try to “interpret” what they wish it to mean instead of taking it at face value (paraphrased).

To cross reference this momentous event read 1 Corinthians 15:52; the twinkling of an eye. Once again, most believers read this as great information but do not understand its consequences. In the twinkle of an eye. It takes longer for the reader of these six words than it takes for 1 Corinthians 15:52 to be completed.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 one can question the death it mentions as a believer. That answer is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Our (souls) do not die. They either go to Hades (nonbelievers) or Paradise (believers). The word in Greek for dying is key-mah’-o. It means the body slumbers in an unconscious state. The way it actually differs from earthly sleep probably is no dreams. We don’t know what the soul, our conscious state, is doing at that time. We know where it resides but not its state of thought.

Other end-time events include Micah 1:4. The mountains will melt under Him, And the valleys will split Like wax before the fire-like waters pour down a steep place. The “him” in this passage is Christ. A valley that splits moving it to the north and the south is a known geological fault line that goes through Jerusalem. The Mt of Olives is where that fault line is located. It is where Jesus will return and plant his feet. It will also be a wide valley providing an escape route for those who are told to flee to the wilderness in order to be put under the direct protection of God when the antichrist seeks to destroy them. NBC published an article about this fault line in 2004. It is a good read.  https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3980139. Old Testament Zechariah 14:4 points this out as do multiple New Testament passages. It is identified by secular science as the Great Rift Valley.

The sad part about this knowledge is that Israelis refuse to connect it to the New Testament. They also seem to reject the Old Testament passage in Zechariah 14:4.

Has this happened before? Yes. In Matthew 27:51-53 we read of a startling event In Jerusalem. Many fail to grasp its presents in scripture. Graves opened and many believers rose right along with and at the same time as the resurrection of Jesus. Why more is not recorded of this either in secular history or in scripture is an amazing curiosity. This opening of a few graves coincided with a major earthquake in 31 A.D.

The two witnesses? Mark of Christ vs the Mark of the Beast? 144,000 Jews. Earth bows before Christ.

There is so much more. We will continue gaining knowledge, about end-time plagues, disorders, and antichrist enactments in our next article.

Rev. Dr. Jstark
2022