Understanding Bible Prophecy and the End Times: A Comprehensive Approach

By P. L. Ditshego

Understanding Bible Prophecy and the End Times is an insightful, practical and thought-provoking book preparing the church, the world, and government leaders to understand:

Gods prophetic time clock and the signs of the end times.
How God controls the course of world history as revealed and proven by the records of scripture.
What is the New World Order; who is behind its formation; what is the rationale for its formation and; what are its characteristics?
Who is the coming super world dictator and what would be the features of his reign of terror?
When will the Church be raptures- pre, mid or post- tribulation?
What is the Mark, the Image and the Number of the Beast that Revelations 13 is warning us against?
Phases of the resurrection and their relevance on the End Time phenomenon.
End Time judgements of God and the Marriage Supper of lamb.
The nature, characteristics and purpose of the Millenial Kingdom.
How can we prepare ourselves in the light of Bible Prophecy and its fulfilment with current events.


Undoubtedly, reading this book will sharpen your perception and make you a sound student of Bible Prophecy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Jun 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514499399

P. L. Ditshego

Raised for such a time as this to be a reservoir of spiritual wisdom and revelation knowledge, Rev. P. L. Ditshego is anointed to quench the spiritual thirst of God’s people internationally. He is particularly hailed as one of the Bible expositors of our time. A prolific author who has written dynamic, profound, and insightful books such as Christ in Me: The Hope of Glory, With Christ in the School of Deliverance, Understanding Bible Prophecy and the End Times, Foundations of Faith, Dynamics of Spiritual Leadership, etc., Rev P. L. Ditshego is highly sought after as a revivalist, conference speaker, leadership and mentorship coach (www.plditshego.org). An astute strategist by skill, Rev. P. L. Ditshego assists spiritual leaders on how to do strategic planning for their church organisations. Together with his wife, Ephania Motlatso Ditshego, they pastor World Back to God Ministries, an apostolic hub strategically headquartered in Soshanguve (Northwest of Pretoria) to raise, equip, and usher ministers into their God-given ministries.

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Copyright © 2016 by P. L. Ditshego.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The book is a comprehensive guide to understanding the mystery of Bible Prophecy and the end times – speaking to the purposes of God for the restoration of His people.

KJV

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic

Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Cover design by: K.E. Nkuna

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 06/15/2016

Xlibris

800-056-3182

www.Xlibrispublishing.co.uk

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Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgment

Dedication

Preface

Module A: The End Times In Perspective

Module B: The Prophetic Revelation Of The Beastly Image

Module C: The Apostle John’s Confirmation Of Daniel’s Revelation Of The Ten-Toed Kingdom And The Little Horn

Module D: The New World Order

Module E: Scriptural Proof Fulfilling The Idea Of The New World Order

Module F: The Timing Of Rapture

Module G: The Judgment Seat Of Christ And The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb

Module H: The Origin, Nature, Purpose And Government Of The Antichrist

Module I: The Promise Of The Coming Kingdom

Module J: End Time Events That Will Transpire In The Run-Up To The Establishment Of The Millennial Kingdom

Module K: The Establishment Of The Long-Awaited Promised Kingdom

Epilogue

Other Titles by Rev. P.l. Ditshego

We would like to hear from you. If you have any enquiries, please direct them to Apostle P.L. Ditshego, Postnet box #002, Private Bag X10, Karen Park Post Office, 0118.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied or reprinted for commercial gain. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request.

Foreword

The study of the book of Revelations is supposed to be prescribed in the Church as this is a book with specific promise of a blessing for reading and understanding it. It is however no secret that it is the most feared and untaught book. Maybe this is because it does not lend itself to evangelistic rhetoric or private interpretation. This makes it a tough book to understand or even commentate on.

Despite that, it benefits to know that the brains and actors of the reformation, notably Martin Luther and the brainy Isaac Newton, saw this Book, together with the Book of Daniel, pivotal to the understanding of world events in the light of God’s purpose and the direction this world is taking. Moving away from the understanding of escatology is therefore a departure from the tradition of the elders.

I hence went through this book with deep interest, having read many similar books. Safe to say this is a vert interesting read, extremely stimulating, eye opening, and a great book towards understanding Bible prophecy. There is simply no book that can ever tell the whole story perfectly, just as the Gospel had to be presented from different sides by several eye witnesses of the same events to bring a construct of the truth. This book however presents a great perspective towards the construction of an understanding of the end times.

I highly recommend this as a great read. It will really help you access that blessing earlier refered to. To those with phobia to study escatology, this will serve as a great entrance into the study, taking you beyond the introduction to the real meat of escatology.

Dr. Phashe Magagane

Acknowledgment

This work is undoubtedly a synergistic work of many minds who through the years have contributed to shaping my better understanding of Bible Prophecy and the End times. For this reason, I would particularly like to acknowledge Rev. B.R. Hicks, the United Church of God Publishers, Dr. Marry Metcalfe, Dr. Paul N. Benware, and the late Evangelist Barry Smith.

Christopher Hudson is also acknowledged for his contribution on his Forerunner Chronicles’ series.

A big thank you to members of World Back to God Ministries for dreaming with me. I particularly would like to express my sincere gratitude to the pillars of my ministry who have been with me through thick and thin. The endless list include:

Ms Granny Mosweu, Ms Letta Mosweu, Ms Pauline Ramoroka, Mrs Yvone Malatjie, Mrs Kgadi Baloyi, Mr Happy Matlebyane, Ms Lebogang Mohlala, Mr and Mrs Motlhose, Mr and Mrs Ntuli, Mr and Mrs Fritz, Mrs Martha Khumalo, Mrs Andronica Mokobane, Mrs Lindiwe Mathebula and his son Kabelo, Mr Cornell Malatsi, Mr Patrick Sono, Ms Phomodiso Moeketsi, Ms Ruth Moeketsi, Wame Confy Seagiso, William Seagiso and Ms Olaotse Synthia Moeketsi.

Covenant partners of World Back to God Ministries are dearly acknowledged for their sterling support to the course I am committed to. These include: Dr Alex Magagane (for particularly proofreading and editing this material), Ms Fancy Coceka Gova and Mr Gabriel Sebothoma (for particularly chipping in financially to contribute to the publishing costs of this book), Dr Thilivhali Mudau, Pastor Tseko Ishmael Motsetse, Pastor Lucas Masemola, Pastor Isaac Modise, Pastor Charles Ramaremela and his wife Lydia,

Pastor Letsile and his wife Kefilwe Matima, my fellow Suca Senior Partners, Holiness Innercity Church (particularly Pastor Sam Kabini and his wife Hlengiwe) Collins Madike (for having my family’s best interest at heart), Pastor Joe Thwala, Pastor Zacharia Molefe and his wife Joyce, Apostle Lazarus Mphahlele, Apostle Jack Koaho and Pastor Ngobeni.

Lastly, how could I forget my beloved wife, Ephania Motlatso Ditshego whose unwavering support to my calling keeps me encouraged and focussed and my four beautiful kids - Botegang, Rebotile, Obotagetse, and Rehloletswe - who make me a proud Dad?

Dedication

To all those who await His coming regardless of their eschatological position.

Preface

In the year 1998 while I was doing missionary work in the province of Limpopo, I received a stunning revelation on the end time events from the Lord. I had just come back from preaching in one of the high schools in the village of Ga-Masemola. After praying I started meditating on the Word and pondered on the possible correlation between the ministry of kings, priests, and prophets in the Old Testament and of the fivefold ministry in the New Testament.

Alas, the Lord answered my question that there isn’t any correlation except that there were prophets in the Old Testament and that we still have prophets in the New Testament. However, the ministry of the Old Testament prophets was mostly that of foretelling while the ministry of New Testament prophets is mostly that of forth-telling.

Then, the Lord took me down a sequence of events through to the end of the age. What He told me was, You see, after the era of Joshua, Israel was led by the judges. As I was following what the Lord’s point was, The Holy Spirit startled me with this assertion, You are living in the era of judges! Stunned by that assertion I asked, Who are those judges? Your Presidents, replied the Holy Spirit.

Then He went on to explain that during the era of the judges, the nation of Israel cried out for a king because she wanted to be like other nations which were governed by heathen kings whose system of government was under the influence of Satan. Simply stated, they lusted for a heathen style of government and despised God’s theocratic form of government.

Then they were given Saul – a king after their own carnal hearts. After Saul had troubled them, God had compassion on them and blessed them with a king after His own heart by the name of David. The Holy Spirit then explained that, what happened to Israel is a picture of what is about to happen in our world because history repeats itself. The Lord clarified that:

There is coming a time when the nations of the world will be fed up with the leadership of these presidents (who are prototypes of Israel’s judges). And, just as Israel demanded a king and; was blessed with Saul (a type of the Antichrist) likewise, there will be a demand for a global king who will replace these presidents!

And, just as it took God’s intervention to remove Saul out of the picture and replace him with David in order to save Israel from his troublesome reign, likewise, God will have to intervene by judging the Antichrist (a type of Saul) and replace him with Jesus Christ, the Son of David – a King after His own heart – to firmly establish the Millennial Kingdom on earth during which the world will experience peace.

Isn’t this answering a question about why the heads of states, intellectuals and prominent figures of the world are making a widespread call for the establishment of the new world order?

The agenda which is being cooked behind secular halls of secrecy to establish the new world order is a master-minded strategy of the devil to set a stage for the coming rulership of the antichrist!

This startling revelation provoked a quest in me to study about the end times and Bible Prophecy. Alas! The journey of research and study was very rewarding indeed. I was stunned by Bible Prophecy and its accurate fulfilment with current events. To this end was this book written. May I then invite you to journey with me to discover the mystery of the new world order and the rationale for its formation; the characteristics of the coming new world government; the timing and purpose of rapture; the coming period of worldwide distress and intense persecution foretold by the Prophets of old, the future coming of the Messianic Kingdom and; how the Church can prepare herself in the light of Bible Prophecy and its fulfilment with current end time events.

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- The Author

Module A

THE END TIMES IN PERSPECTIVE

"He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather to-day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? (Mathew 16: 2, 3).

Learning Outcomes

After the successful completion of this module/specific outcome the student of God’s Word should be able to

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the end times.

• Learn to distinguish between the end time generation and the time of the end times of the end.

• Be able to identify the prophetic signs of the end times.

• Know how to position ourselves in the light of Bible Prophecy concerning the end times.

Understanding God’s Prophetic Time Clock

■ Never has the need for an understanding of the end times and Bible prophecy been as relevant and crucial as it is in this final hour. The reason for this is simple and logical: we are the end time generation!

■ Bible prophecy therefore is necessary as it warns us about future crises. For instance, God warned Noah about the coming flood, Abraham and Lot about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.

■ These and other events indeed arouse a sense of awareness of the fact that God exists and presides over all situations and thus, is capable of warning us and protecting us against terrible situations.

■ Studying scriptures carefully we discover that the subject of the end times and Bible Prophecy actually spans the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelations.

■ For instance, in the book of Genesis, the very seed chapter of the Bible, we read that God revealed that a time would come when Satan’s earthly reign and influence would end.

■ In fact, to Satan God said, And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15).

■ Thus, although Satan intended to destroy the Saviour [Who was prophetically symbolized as the promised seed of the woman] by an the act of crucifixion, yet God’s Word held forth a promise that, with that crucified heel, the Saviour would crush Satan’s head or dominion and authority over fallen mankind.

■ Another example is that of Enoch, the seventh [generation] from Adam who prophesied of the Lord’s Second Coming with ten thousand of His saints to execute judgement on all, and to convict the ungodly for their wicked deeds (Jude 14-15).

■ The subject of the end times is also featured more prominently as a major theme in the Old Testament prophecies whereby they prophesied of the Lord’s day.

■ Daniel the Prophet also prophesied of "a time of trouble" such as never was since there was a nation, and he was told to shut the book until the time of the end (Daniel 11:40).

*¹. The phrase time of the end should be understood within a

broader context because it does not refer to a specific time per se, but to a discernible era during which certain conditions shall have deteriorated drastically. The final days of that era would be marked by specific prophetic events.

■ To illustrate this point, in Matthew 24:1-3 we actually discover that the beautifully carved and polished stones of the temple of Jerusalem and its intricate design so impressed the Lord’s disciples that they wanted to know if the Lord felt the same way.

■ To their amazement, He remarked, …Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down (Matthew 24:3)

■ Apparently the Lord was prophetically speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman Governor in A.D 70. (This issue will be looked into in details later).

■ Shocked by His reaction, His disciples engaged Him privately, Tell us, they asked, When will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?

■ Their question actually pinpointed three things which have to do with the end times and are:

✓ The sign of the Lord’s coming.

✓ The timing of the destruction of Jerusalem.

✓ The end of the world.

■ It seems that in their imaginations, the disciples figured out that the destruction of Jerusalem was linked to the sign of the Lord’s coming and of the end of the world. However, they were much more curious to know when will these things be!

Simply stated, they were curious to know the events signalling the end of the age and the time of the coming of the Lord Jesus

■ The significance of their question is in the fact that Jesus forewarned us that in this world we shall have tribulations, but we should be of good cheer because He has overcome the world.

■ Care should then be taken to avoid confusing general world troubles with actual end times that the Bible prophesied.

■ This then raises a question as to what exactly are the signs of the end times that signal the Lord’s coming, especially in the light of the fact that the Lord clearly stated, …Of that day and hour [of His exact time of His return] no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only (Mathew 24:36).

• However, be that as it may, The Lord Jesus and His apostles - James, Peter, John and Paul - spoke of the last days or more specifically the things that we must look out for as the signs that the end of the age is near.

• These signs of the end times range from moral decline among which an increase in homosexuality is particularly stressed (I Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 1:26); natural disasters (Matthew 24:8); emotional distress of nations (Luke 21:25);

False religious teachings (II Peter 3:3; I Timothy 4:1); Heaped up Treasures (James 5:1-5); Wars and rumours of wars (Matthew 24:6) and shifting economic trends resulting in famine and pestilence (Matthew 24:7), etc.

• NEEDLESS TO MENTION, THESE EVENTS HAVE NOT BEGUN SHOWING UP; THEY HAVE COME TO PASS!!!

And one distinct sign of the end times (Jesus said) will be a striking parallel between the lifestyle of people in Noah’s and Lot’s days and the end time generation.

• Jesus specifically stated,

And as it was in the days of Noe so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe ented into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 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. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed (Luke 17:26-29).

• The attitude of the people of Noah’s generation was characterised by coldness of heart and abundance of idleness that they were totally numb in their spiritual senses to the point that they became blind to God’s impending judgment.

• Alluding to the root cause of the problems of the people during Lot’s time, Prophet Ezekiel exclaimed, Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw it fit (Ezekiel 16:49, 50).

• In spite of Noah’s message of deliverance that warned them of God’s impending judgment in the form of flood, they mocked and ridiculed him as though he was making fun of religion. Isn’t this the same attitude that characterise the people