The Great Day

By Dr. Festus K. Akinnifesi

The most remarkable story ever revealed starts like this: “…And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon...” The Great Day is anchored on the allegorical story of the woman in Revelation 12 and her adversary, which led to the war in heaven—the root of all wars and woes on earth. In her, the unchangeable and eternal purpose of God for humanity was perfectly sealed. The author presents three stages of war by her Antagonist—a first war in heaven, then many wars on earth—, then a final war from heaven before the messianic kingdom of Christ. The result is a prophecy book that is almost as dramatic and moving as a novel, yet it’s not a fiction. Interpreting the entire end-time prophecies from this vantage point, is what sets this book apart from the rest.
In particular, four unique discoveries have transformed this book to a new prophetic treasure that every Christian must possess.
The reader will discover early in the book, how the invention of another woman—Asherah, the mother of Baal, later coded as Babylon in Revelation 17 became Satan’s greatest game changer.
Who is the real Gog and Magog—the Antichrist that would occupy Israel? Why Russia is not the Gog of Magog of Ezekiel’s prophecy.
Understanding the sequence and purpose of the 21 plagues—the seven seals and the sets of retributory plagues of tribulation—seven trumpets and seven bowls of wrath.
How are the unleashing of these unprecedented apocalyptic plagues linked to the two powerful prophets in Revelation 11?
What will be the roles of the armies of raptured saints following King Jesus for the Armageddon war?
The Great Day is a must read for every Christian concerned about the end-time—our eternal destiny. The entire kingdom agenda of Jesus is about the End-times

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664233805

Dr. Festus K. Akinnifesi

Festus Akinnifesi (PhD), makes end-time prophecy come alive in this classical book that can be a trusted resource for church leaders, pastors, seminary students, missionaries and lay people. The Great Day aims to help readers unravel the myths of end-time prophecies. Dr Akinnifesi is a respected scholar whose work has been painstakingly researched and carefully crafted. As a protagonist of the true Pentecostal gospel, the author is bold and unapologetic. He avoids prophetic hypes, and provides rebuttal to widely accepted stereotypes and makes prophecy easy to understand—separating facts from fads. Dr. Festus Akinnifesi is an alumnus of the Christ For the Nations Institute (CFNI), Dallas, United States. He majored in advanced Leadership and Pastoral Ministry, and a second major in Global Missions. The author has lived in Nigeria, Brazil, Malawi, the United States, and now lives with his family in Rome, Italy. He serves as a bi-vocational minister at the New Covenant Church.

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Copyright © 2021 Dr. Festus K. Akinnifesi

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WestBow Press rev. date: 10/18/2021

Contents

Dedication

Preface

Prologue

Part I. The War in Heaven and Satan’s Strategies (Chapters 1-7)

1.     The Glorious Woman

2.     The Origin of All Spiritual Conflicts

3.     The Theater of Wars

4.     The Saga of the Firstborn Sons

5.     Asherah—The Mother of Baal

6.     The Semiramis Factor

7.     The Man of Perdition

Part II. The Wars on Earth and the Messianic Agenda (Chapters 8-24)

8.     Deciphering the Messianic Agenda

9.     The Kingdom Agenda

10.   The Unmistakable Signs of the End

11.   False Prophets and False Messiahs Will Abound

12.   The Storyline of Tribulation

13.   The Sacred Scroll

14.   Unveiling The Mystery of Revelation

15.   Four Faces of Antichrist

16.   Building the Third Jerusalem Temple

17.   The Great Day Has Come

18.   The Birth of a Nation

19.   The Valley of Hope

20.   The Antichrist as the Beast

21.   Historical Wars As Foreshadows

22.   War Against the Saints

23.   A Time of Trouble on Earth

24.   The Earth Helped Her

Part III. The Wars from Heaven and The Ultimate War (Chapters 25-42)

25.   Let My People Worship

26.   Let Fire Rain on Earth

27.   The Oceans of Blood

28.   Wrath of Darkness and Heat

29.   Multiple Woes on Earth

30.   The Third World War

31.   The Armageddon Gathering

32.   The Antichrist as Gog of Magog

33.   The Biblical Magog of Today

34.   The Ancient Mystery Babylon

35.   Come Out of Her!

36.   God Remembered Babylon!

37.   The Last Occupation of Israel

38.   Retribution for Unfaithfulness

39.   Behold the Last Trumpet

40.   Three Wondrous Signs

41.   The War of Megiddo

42.   The King of kings Arrives

43.   The Flaming Heavenly Armies Fight

Epilogue

Appendix 1. Matrix of the Twenty-One Plagues

Dedication

"To our heavenly and eternal Father,

who has called us into fellowship with His Son.

To our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our eternal King.

And to the Lord Holy Spirit, our Comforter.

May He keep us strong and faithful to the end,

so that we will be

blameless on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

—1 Corinthians 1:8-9

Preface

This book has been in the making for well over a decade, and the journey was not an easy one. In these pages, you’re about to discover amazing new keys to demystify the entire end-time prophecies in a way never before known. That may sound like a bold assertion, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

When I first felt led to write this book in 2003, I also knew that writing such a book would not be an easy task for someone who isn’t in full-time ministry—a bi-vocational minister. Prayerfully, I researched the Scriptures intensively. I studied the books of Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and other prophets, in particular, the teachings of Jesus. I bought several dozen books on end-time prophecies, most of them by the best scholars and Christian leaders on this subject, dating back to early 1900s to recent times. I devoured these books with passion and enthusiasm. But the more I studied these books, the more questions I had on the ambiguity and biblical basis for their interpretations, and especially I noticed the general lack of clarity on crucial aspects. Many authors simply recycle the same century-old ideas and stereotypes that have sometimes been debunked with more facts. I detected some obvious flaws and missing links that I believe most writers and popular televangelists on end-time prophecies have ignored or misunderstood.

Aside from a few emotional teachings on the rapture, most Bible teachers in Pentecostal and evangelical churches rarely teach end-time prophecies, and in particular the book of Revelation. The mainstream traditional church discouraged even discussing the subject. Nevertheless, in most churches, end-time prophecy is probably the subject that is most appealing to Christians, yet has been least taught, least preached about, and least understood. This is not only because it deals with matters of the distant future, but also because it is highly coded and difficult to decipher by simple minds. End-time prophesies can be easily misinterpreted and used by apostate teachers to mislead people.

I first studied end-time prophecies using the book of Revelation in 1998, while I was living in Brazil and preaching and teaching at the churches in Assemblies of God there. Later I began to teach on this subject whenever I was in a new church that allowed for a long teaching series. I taught about end-time prophecies twice—first in 2003 in the Assemblies of God Church of Zomba, Malawi, and then in 2006 at Area 18 Assemblies of God Church in Lilongwe, Malawi where I ministered till late 2011. Each teaching series lasted for at least 22 twenty weeks, focusing on a chapter each week from the book of Revelation as the basis. It included weekly homecell discussions as well. The teaching generated so much interest and discussions. Initially it was a holistic yet chronological study of all end-time prophecies, with emphasis on the book of Revelation. I initially prepared a thirty-page teaching manual on the subject of end-time prophecies for those willing to go the extra mile. The response was tremendous. In all these, I could see a great hunger for this subject among the brethren and pastors.

It was in the midst of the first teaching that the Lord led me to write this book. That morning in 2003, I saw in a clear vision, a magnificent bookshelf that looked like a personal library of a legendary scholar of great status, with many great books. Then a gigantic hand appeared—much larger than any human hand—and took out one of the books from the shelf, a particularly sizeable book. The Lord showed me the book’s front page and title, then turned to its spine so I could see the book’s thickness as well. The title was in bold black letters: The Great Day. There was no subtitle. The Lord turned the book in his hand as if to ask whether I had seen it. There was no voice, but I understood in the vision that the Lord had just commissioned me to write a new book on a topic that is central to his heart: the great day of the Lord. The entire teaching of Jesus centered around this topic.

I was stunned and very excited as I woke up and wrote it down in my diary. Although I had no idea of what I should write, the vision grew stronger every day. Since then I’ve felt like a woman in labor pains who can have relief and joy only after the delivery of the baby.¹

Having invested hundreds of hours in study and research into sound biblical understanding of end-time prophetic literature, I started to write the book in 2008. By 2010, I was close to concluding the book, but I gradually abandoned the manuscript altogether for reasons I can hardly explain – perhaps an author’s blank page phenomenon. Honestly, it was more than that, otherwise I could not have got that far. Looking back, I realize that I nearly lost interest in continuing the book. I stopped working on it for five years. I was distracted by my intense urge to provide direct rebuttals to several popular heretics, atheists, and apostates on the subject. As a protagonist and defender of the gospel, I was appalled at the extent of dangerous heresies, dogmas, blasphemies, deceptions, and lies that were flying around prophetic literature, and I wanted to deal with them all. Like Elijah, I was zealous for God to fight the spirits of error and to put the record straight. I was determined to crush all these false teachings in a single volume.

I had worked day and night to produce a manuscript of more than five hundred pages at the time, with forty-four chapters. Just as I was about to complete the last chapter and then get the manuscript ready for editing, it dawned on me deep in my heart that this book was actually not what God wanted me to write. So, as I said, I abandoned the manuscript. At first, I was hoping to find time to improve it someday. That did not happen until 2016, yet I did not really lose sight of the vision.

My zeal had waned. Even when I spent nearly two years in full-time ministry at the Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI) in Dallas during 2011 and 2012, I had plenty of free time to write, but I didn’t revisit and finalize the book. Instead I spent significant time writing three other book manuscripts.

I never imagined I would find myself at such a crossroads. I could go neither forward nor backward. But the vision for the book remained vivid in my heart, and had never faded since I received it in 2003. I felt like Paul, who said, Woe is me, if I do not preach the gospel! I soon realized that my original goal was to write about The Great Day rather than to wage an all-out fight and too many distractive rebuttals against heresy, apostasy, and false teaching. I had been chasing a mirage. Nevertheless, I kept praying for God’s grace, wisdom, and understanding.

The greatest turnaround came in January 2016, when for the third time I began to teach in a local church a series that focused on the end times. This time it was at the New Covenant Church of Rome, Italy. My original teaching topic was The Gospel of the Kingdom, and I had no intention of teaching on end-time issues, but I believe the Holy Spirit steered my heart and opened my inner eyes to see the crucial link between the gospel of the kingdom and the end-time prophecies of Jesus and the apostles and prophets. There is no way we can understand or fully preach and teach about the Gospel of the Kingdom without end-time prophecies. Jesus and His apostles taught end-time prophecies as the core of the Gospel. So I focused that teaching on the kingdom plan of God. I taught end-time prophecies using the book of Revelation as the basis. I searched afresh for truth. In a way that I’d never before experienced, my eyes began to open to the scriptures on the end times with deeper biblical understanding and insights that connected the dots.

This time, I decided to start afresh and overhaul the first manuscript. While reworking the new manuscript, I avoided my earlier draft as well as the books I’d previously studied. I returned to these only later—to sift or reference key facts when necessary. I also updated my research of literature. In this way, rather than simply recycling the views of popular writers and Bible scholars, I began to study carefully comparing Scripture with Scripture and understanding the prophecies in a whole new way.

This book therefore sometimes challenges the status quo and corrects misinterpretations, and blind spots in our corporate understanding of end-time prophecy. It also exposes Satan’s plans that have been accepted and even integrated into Christendom.

Three new discoveries transformed my manuscript to a new prophetic treasure that every Christian must know. I began to decipher and have a better understanding of the structure and the storyline of the book of Revelation. The veil was removed, I started to understand the entire end times more than I’d ever imagined.

That is one of the keys I would like to share with you in this book. By the help of the Holy Spirit, I want to give you powerful keys to understanding one of the most profound books on earth, the book of Revelation in a way that has never been understood. Do not expect discussions and interpretations of Hebrew, Latin, and Greek in this book (except in a few cases), because these are not my keys to understanding Scripture, nor are they always necessary. Our English Bible is enough for us to understand God’s mysteries coded in this book. All you will need is commitment to follow with me as we dive together into the glorious wisdom of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Please pray along as you read this book. Even if you’re reading it in the bus, train or an airplane without your Bible.

In this book, Jesus will begin to open our eyes to the mysteries of God, and we must be ready to understand what is being revealed to us. As Moses said, The secret things belong to God, but what is revealed belongs to us and to our children forever.¹

I started to discover powerful keys to unlocking the mysteries of the end times, using the book of Revelation as the base, and referencing all prophecies from Genesis to Revelation—including the Old Testament (OT), as well as New Testament prophecies in the Gospels and Epistles. I then developed a storyboard for these, and I also sketched out the prophetic calendar with that understanding, all based on biblical evidence. I shunned the stereotypes of prophetic errors that had been popularized in the church for ages.

My first new and big discovery came when I began to prayerfully study and rearrange the pattern of the twenty-one plagues of the great tribulation era in a new way. Rather than studying the book of Revelation in a chronological order—chapter by chapter and verse by verse—I wrote out the twenty-one plagues and their key scriptures and studied the divinely arranged patterns, like a chessboard. This insight became like a eureka moment for me.

The reader will also find the storyline for understanding the book of Revelation in one of the chapters of this book. As I started to write the new manuscript afresh, I began to have deeper understanding especially of Revelation 12:1-17 in a whole new way. This led me to conclude that the allegorical story of the glorious woman in Revelation 12:1-17 is the eye of the storm that drives and provide clues to all end-time prophecies. Her story serves as prequel to the unveiling, and ultimate consummation of God’s eternal plan for mankind.

It suddenly dawned on me that I had never known anyone that has interpreted the entire end-time prophecies from this vantage point. This was the second big prophetic key that brought a major turnaround for me. It gave me the impetus I needed. With this key, I started to see the entire end-time’s prophecy encapsulated in the allegory of this glorious woman in Revelation 12:1-17. The story of the woman is our past, present and future. If you want to know the next Big Thing on God’s agenda, it is the great day of the Lord, For the great day of his wrath has come; and who shall be able to stand?² We can teach and write books about our mission to the lost, about church planting, and about the urgency of evangelism, yet none of these will make any difference unless we direct people to the urgency of the coming of the Lord. We must remind people of how to take seriously the end times, and how to escape the most dreadful era predicted in the Bible—the great day. It is the central point of most biblical prophecies. It came like a eureka moment to me: Voilà, I’ve got it! I was so thrilled and excited. The reader will soon discover that the story of the glorious woman is woven throughout this book.

I experienced a third new revelation that struck me like a thunderbolt when I started to deconstruct the unwritten narrative and roles of the two prophets mentioned in Revelation 11:1-12. I realized that God intentionally gave the profile of these two Jewish end-time prophets, for a purpose. There is a reason they were chosen. We find important instruction in their backstories, their passion, their prophetic and ministry styles, the power they demonstrated, and the effects of their ministries. In particular, the plagues they unleashed on their enemies—while they lived as great prophets on earth and ministers of God—and the similarity of these plagues with those of the end time, offered proof that their ministries would be linked to ten of the twenty-one plagues. So far, no one has boldly linked these apocalyptic plagues directly to the two prophetic witnesses of Revelation 11:1-12, nor understood their roles.

All this enabled me to see the book of Revelation and the end-time agenda in a more dramatic way than I ever had. I realized that the end-time prophecies are written in God’s mind, as a seamless story that we need the spirit of wisdom and revelation to decipher. These things became the pillars of understanding the whole end-time prophecies from Genesis to Revelation.

Besides these three, one more crucial key came in deciphering the purpose of Babylon—the accursed and unholy woman in seventeenth chapter of the book of Revelation.³ I discovered that this second woman named as Mystery and Babylon the Great existed since ancient time long before Israel became a nation. The reader will discover the historical link of this woman Babylon to the biblical goddess known as Asherah, and how she was systematically invented by Satan as the counterfeit of the glorious and blessed woman presented by apostle John in the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation.⁴ It is in the same way that the antichrist represents the counterfeit of the Christ, and Satan is the counterfeit to God. You will soon discover that this woman was the mother of all anti-God and anti-Christ cults and founder of pagan religions of all ages.

Right off the bat, I want the reader to know that understanding the roles and purpose of these two contrasting women is crucial key to understanding end-time prophecies. The first woman (the Glorious Woman of Revelation 12:1-17) is of God and she is the shadow protagonist, while the second woman (the mystery of Babylon in Revelation 17:1-18) is from Satan, and she is the shadow antagonist. With these, the reader has got a handle on understanding the eternal purpose of God, including reason behind the great wars of all time and the apocalypse—the great day. Those two women also represent two cities: Jerusalem is God’s chosen headquarters on earth, while Babylon is Satan’s earthly headquarters. The reader will know how the Babylon has been shifting its headquarters and camouflaging in many pagan religions through the ages.

In this book—The Great Day—each chapter is unique and self-contained, but also connected to the next. After more than two decades of studying the end-time prophecies, and having read many books about the end time, and having heard numerous references of the end time from the pulpit or on TV, I have come to an astonishing conclusion that despite all that have been written and proclaimed, end-time prophecies are still poorly understood by Christians—lay and clergy alike—throughout the large body of Christians in the world. Many pastors and evangelical leaders generally avoid teaching the subject for lack of adequate depth of understanding, while other avoid teaching it for fear of creating controversies. One minister describes such subjects as putting one’s hand in the bees’ hive. When they do mention it, it is only in a single sermon, to quote a few verses or to read a paragraph inflated with emotion to build a case for end-time urgency, especially regarding the rapture. As a result, average believers are greatly uninformed, and few leaders can answer their questions satisfactorily when they dare ask. Yet the inquisitiveness to know more and demand for a balanced and scripture-based end-time teachings and literature have been ever increasing.

My passion in this book is to ensure that ministers, Christians, and Bible scholars stand on the truth and have adequate understanding of the end-time events and calendar, as well as the urgency of how to escape the impending horrors of the great day of the Lord. This book will call to action, convict, rebuke, redirect, and lead people onto the road toward heaven—a multitude of souls who have been or are now in danger of being deceived and being led on the path toward eternal lake of fire. It will also strengthen Christians and help leaders teach and preach more effectively about end-time prophecies—the aspect of the gospel that matters most. Jesus’s whole teaching was directed to, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He asserted the premise of his kingdom message was to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. The great day of the Lord ushers in the millennium kingdom of Christ. The kingdom gospel is essentially an end-times gospel.

The prophecy given in Zephaniah 1:14-16 displays the urgency of this terrible the day of the Lord and what it will look like: the great day of the LORD…

As we move forward through this book, I must state that these chapters contain fresh keys that will stand the test of time, and you may call it a secret to understanding end-time prophecies. By these keys, every believer can understand the book of Revelation and other related prophecies. Remember too that this book deals with biblical facts, anecdotal evidences, and truths, but not fiction or stereotypes. Its purpose is to convey a great sense of urgency, unveiling universal truth of end-time prophecies through which all who are ready may not only learn and understand how to read and have correct perspectives, but also come to know what to do with end-time revelations.

But as a stimulus, remember that no one can understand end-time prophecies by reading only the book of Revelation. So this book is not about interpreting the book of Revelation chronologically, but weaving a seamless story from the whole counsel of God. In addition, it draws from the apocalyptic teachings of Jesus in the Gospels, and also from the prophets, and mined historical facts. This book sometimes uses these as the base while corralling the entire Scriptures where necessary, depending on the truth that is being revealed, and comparing Scripture with Scripture. We must not get hung up on any particular scripture, but read them all with an open mind.

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has contributed to the success of this book. My prayer is that every Christian, including every leader, scholar, and missionary, will read this book and use it to understand, teach, and evangelize the lost, and to bring bountiful harvest for the Lord. Christ may come at any time, and many who are left behind will also find this book a great treasure to knowing the calendar of the end times, and can then make informed decisions to avoid the traps of the antichrist, and help many to come out of Babylon before the final return of the Lord.

As I write the doxology after my work, it amazed me how many people have contributed without being aware that they have helped someone, and many of them I have never met, but I am very grateful to them. I apologize in advance for anyone that I might have forgotten. I also want to thank all the pastors, elders and leaders, and brethren of all churches and ministries where I have had the privilege to teach on this subject around the world in the last two decades. In particular, I am grateful to many wonderful servants of the Lord who provided platforms for preaching and teaching on the subject, and the list is so long that I cannot mention all the names. Specifically, thanks so much to all the pastors and church leaders, ministers and friends from around the world who encouraged me, prayed for me, and help me in numerous ways to keep the vision of my ministry and this book alive, and have sharpen my better understanding on God’s kingdom agenda. In particular, my special gratitude to:

171995.png Dr. Uzodinma Adeogo Obed and Dr. Chinyere Obed (Mummy Chy), Pioneer General Pastors of the Glory Tabernacle Ministry, Ibadan, Nigeria. Pastor Uzo Obed, was truly a general of God, of this generation, who has left an indelible footprint in the sands of time for posterity of God’s children to remember. As a true shepherd, you have held me by the hand as I walked the trail of bi-vocational ministry over the years, even during your very last weeks before you went to be with the Lord who you have served faithfully you still guided me in ministry matters, including how to get this book published. I look forward to our glorious meeting on the Day of Rapture with our Lord and Savior, King Jesus Christ.

171995.png Revd. (Dr.) Paul Jinadu and Revd. Kate Jinadu, General Overseer, New Covenant Church Worldwide, headquartered in London, UK.

171995.png H.E. Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi (former President of the Assemblies of God in Malawi), for his encouragements when I was a bi-vocational minister in Malawi.

171995.png Dr. (Revd) Jack Hatcher, former Vice President and Provost, Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI), his wife Professor Alta Hatcher, and their son, Pastor John Hatcher—my lecturer and Director of Advanced School of Leadership Pastoral Ministry, CFNI Dallas, for their encouragements in ministry.

171995.png Professor Gabriel and Dr. (Mrs) Akinbola, General Pastors, Glory Tabernacle Ministry, Ibadan, Nigeria;

171995.png Ambassador (Dr) Yaya & Mrs Monilola Olaniran, Senior Pastors, New Covenant Church, Rome, Italy.

171995.png Revd. Charles and Anne Makata, Senior Pastors of Area 18 Assemblies of God, Lilongwe, Malawi;

171995.png Revd. MacDonald Chiudza Banda, former Vice President and Snr. Pastor Assemblies of God Zomba, Malawi.

171995.png Revd. Robert Summers, Senior Pastor, Mount Greek Family Church, Dallas, for his shepherding heart and encouragement.

171995.png Pastor Sunday Awe, General Pastor, Christ Proclaimer’s Global Ministry, Ibadan, Nigeria;

171995.png Pastor Benson and Felicia Ekakitie, Frosinone, Italy, for his friendship and support;

171995.png Pastor Jacob Adekule Aderibigbe, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lilongwe, Malawi;

171995.png Pastors James and Yellena Onibonoje, International Christian Fellowship, Dallas, United States.

171995.png Bishop Solomon and Rev. Comfort Adebayo, Life Changers International Church, Lilongwe, Malawi;

171995.png Pastor Michael and Mrs. Ellen Mwale, Assemblies of God, Lilongwe, Malawi for his friendship and encouragement in ministry during my 12 years in Malawi. In particular, he was interpreting side by side during my teachings of the End-times—starting from the very first time! He was like Silas to my Paul.

171995.png Elder Philip and Dr. Monica Idinoba, Glory Tabernacle Ministry, Ibadan, Nigeria.

171995.png Pastor Frank Chirwa, Assemblies of God, Lilongwe, Malawi, for his friendship and encouragement in ministry.

171995.png Dr. Alfred and Mrs. Maluwa, Area 18 Assemblies of God, Lilongwe, Malawi. We exchanged useful ideas during the early stage of teaching this topic and gathering information to validate some biblical truths.

171995.png Elder Charles and Jane Lumanga, Area 18 Assemblies of God, Lilongwe, Malawi. Both were great encouragers in ministry.

171995.png Revd. Taiwo Ilesanmi, Executive Director, Leadership Development Training, Pretoria, South Africa.

171995.png Elder Kalogwire, Zomba Assemblies of God, Zomba Malawi—a true Barnabas for my ministry in Zomba, Malawi.

171995.png I would also like to appreciate Ms. Polly Harder, former Director, Publishing Department, CFNI, Dallas, for her prayerful encouragements when I was in CFNI Dallas.

171995.png Special thanks to my childhood and age-long friend, Dr. Oluyede and Mrs. Deola Ajayi, Pastors, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Arnhem, Netherlands. Our friendship is a true meaning of "iron sharpeneth iron."

Finally, I’ve saved the best for the last: special thank go to my beloved wife, Adetutu and our five wonderful daughters—Jesulayomi (Kate), Oluwasayo (Jemima), Oreoluwa (Blessing), Tunrayo (Grace) and Olubukola (Favour), for their daily encouragement and support over the years so I could have the mental and physical space to see this work through.

Above all, my gratitude to the Almighty God, who inspired the writing of the book and have continued to lead and guide me in many ways. He has continually strengthened, empowered and helped me, even though He knew that the end product would be imperfect. He kept pouring out what is important in His heart to an imperfect vessel. Without Him this book would never have become a reality. I pray that this book will be used to impact the lives of innumerable people and ultimately bring great honor to the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone knows the deepest heart of the Almighty God.

Prologue

The history of humankind is intertwined with incessant and endless wars in different shapes and forms. Everyone who professes to follow Christ is already in the middle of wars—physical or spiritual. Some wars involve the use of submachine guns, tanks, artillery, and missiles, or cyberwares and there is increasing race for artificial intelligence (AI), but the wars we will encounter in this book are more devastating than World Wars I and II or any other war the world has ever fought. Their impact will make Hiroshima and Nagasaki seem like child’s play by comparison.

If there will be any additional war before Jesus comes in rapture, it will only be a stimulant and not the real war we will talk about in this book.

The beginning of warfare is ancient, and wars have continued to rage, but the worst is yet to come. Jesus declared this unequivocally: Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.⁵ Jesus said he mainly came to bring a sword, and the sword is a weapon of war. In other words, Jesus was saying, I have come to declare war on earth. That war is against Satan and his kingdom of darkness in its entirety.

But many Christians are afraid of war. We love to sing and dance, to pray, and to listen to sermons. We like to evangelize and to do missions, but we abhor the word warfare. I do not mean warfare in flesh, as the world knows it—but Spiritual warfare.⁶ Satan is aware of this, and he has been waging incessant wars from ancient times until now.

It is often said that if you stick a typical sword into the ground, it looks exactly like a cross. The Cross of Cavalry is a declaration of warfare. That’s why Paul said the sword of the Spirit is the word of God.⁷ Jesus brought the word of God, which is the gospel of the kingdom. His word is sharper than a two-edge sword that can divide, expose, and cut asunder.⁸ When Jesus came, the war was already raging on earth, but there was no king to lead the battle. He then came briefly and declared the war. It is not a physical war, but the war that will lead to The Great Day of the Lord. The apostle John warned us of this—but who can stand the great day of his coming?

The gospel of Christ is the gospel of peace.⁹ Even Jesus himself rebuked Peter against the use of the sword, because those who use the word will die by the sword.¹⁰ The cross of Jesus is the true sword. To the Jews, the cross is a stumbling block, and to the Greeks, it is foolishness.¹¹

The most profound and remarkable story ever revealed to the world starts like this:

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. (Revelation 12:1-3)

Then we hear this:

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:7-9)

That was the origin of all wars. The allegorical story of Revelation 12 offers the key to deconstructing a seamless end-time agenda from both hindsight and foresight. It is a sequence-neutral story that can fit anywhere in our collective history. Perhaps it is the de facto ideal prologue of the entire Bible itself. It forms a perfect prophetic storyline for Christ’s story and our story. It brings Israel to the forefront of the prophetic kingdom agenda for this world.

The story presents three stages of war—a first war in heaven, then many wars on earth, then a final war from heaven before the eternal messianic kingdom of peace overthrows the reign of the wicked.

The war in heaven has already been fought in eternity past. The many wars on earth are ongoing, yet just warming up. And the final and ultimate war from heaven is yet to come.

These wars form the main underpinning of this Holy Spirit-inspired book, The Great Day. Don’t forget that the entire Bible is about these wars, and about what comes after the last and greatest war that Jesus himself will fight before he establishes his eternal kingdom.

The first stage—war in heaven—was triggered by the giving of birth by the glorious woman clothed in the sun, with a crown of twelve stars on her head. This allegorical story of this glorious woman represents God’s overarching purpose to save mankind through his Son Jesus Christ. He was brought forth by the nation of Israel (the glorious woman), and he is the full embodiment of the ultimate purpose of God. He is God in flesh, the creator and the image of the invisible God.¹²

As this woman went through pangs of labor pains, a dreadful red dragon with seven heads was ready to devour the male child to be born, and who was destined to rule over the whole earth. The dragon’s principal goal was to thwart God’s eternal purpose through Jesus. The child was snatched up to heaven in his throne.

Next we hear: Then war broke out in heaven. We see the rage and fury of the red dragon, and his pursuit of the sun-clothed woman. Her escape led to the violent defeat and expulsion of Lucifer and his host of fallen angels from heaven. We read that the heavens immediately rejoiced, yet holy angels were sorry for those dwelling on earth because Satan had been hurled down to it. Satan and his angels were hurled down to the earth, having lost their place in heaven. This suggests that this war happened just before Genesis 3, because Lucifer had ministered in Eden as the anointed and covering cherub until this time, before he became disanointed, and became known as Satan.¹³ However, the woman’s labor began before the red dragon showed up.

This first sign in Revelation 12:1, was described as the great sign, and the second sign, described as another sign (v.3) were different episodes of the same story, and they were separated in time. The first sign was pre-creation, or at least before the fall of Man, and the second started from Eden (Genesis 3:1). We will yet see a third sign later, in the tribulation time—a reprisal against the red dragon and his hosts by God and his Son, who is on throne in heaven.

The second stage—wars on earth—represents the beginning of an endless theater of war, starting from Genesis 3:1 to Revelation 20:3. These wars will continue until Christ comes in Revelation 19:11 to bring eternal peace in his millennial reign on earth. The metaphor of the child being snatched up to heaven foreshadows the brief ministry of Jesus on earth and his ascension to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). He came to fill the gap in prophecy, to prepare his armies of the kingdom, to show the will of God, and to fulfill the atonement sacrifice. I have devoted a set of chapters to this primordial war in heaven, to the theater of wars on earth, to the war from heaven, and to the kingdom agenda as underpinned by the prophetic calendar, the rapture, and end-time prophecies.

The war in heaven was against God’s plan to bring forth the male Child of the Woman—Jesus Christ and eternal purpose of God for humankind. The wars Satan wages on earth starting from Eden involve three main targets: the glorious woman (Israel as a nation), her firstborns (the Jews), and the rest of the woman’s offspring (Jewish and non-Jewish Christians). The wars on earth will intensify in the three and half years of the great tribulation period’s first phase, shortly after the rapture, and will reach a peak in the second period. All prophecies agree on this. Satan and his incarnate (the antichrist) are always the antagonists in all the wars. The latter assumes all the authority of the fiery red dragon¹⁴ (Satan) after he emerges out of the abyss as the seven-headed scarlet beast (the antichrist)¹⁵, which is a continuation of the story of the glorious woman. Here I challenge the widely held stereotype identifying the Russian leader and Russia as Gog and Magog (that we are made to believe will invade Israel in the end time). This is a misconception based on faulty interpretation of prophecy that can no longer hold water.

Contrary to the popular view on the identity of the antichrist, this book will unravel the mystery behind Gog and Magog, based on sound biblical evidence and historical facts and anecdotes. When we reconcile the prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel, and John, Rome flies high on the prophetic radar. This book will deconstruct the dramatic showdown—for the entire three and half years of the great tribulation—of the two prophets of tribulation with the antichrist, in a déjà vu of Moses before Pharaoh: Let my people go! It also reflects Elijah before Ahab and the prophets of Baal, The God who answers by fire, He is God. Likewise, the encounters of Elijah and Ahaziah’s soldiers: If I be a man of God, let fire come down! The showdown started with Israel’s rebirthing, which will happen in a single day—a double prophecy, again representing the metaphoric birthing by the glorious woman.

The glorious woman is Israel, and also represents the path to the New Jerusalem. A large part of this book is devoted to this period of hades on earth—largely dominated by prophetic encounters against the antichrist, based on the seven trumpets and seven bowls (vials) of wrath. The prophetic showdown by the two Jewish prophets of great tribulation era are, by default, a direct reprisal against the horrors of the first three and half years—the reign of the antichrist, punctuated by unprecedented cosmic catastrophes on earth. The great tribulation is the subject of a large part of this book, and is presented in a new, fresh, and holistic manner.

The third stage—the war from heaven—is what happens after three and half years of the sun-clothed woman’s self-exile. The two Jewish prophets will have been killed, resurrected, and ascended to heaven as predicted. Babylon would then be finally judged. This signals the end of the great tribulation and the last segment of the great day of the Lord.¹⁶ It will be a mixture of good and bad news for people of that generation—good news because Christ (the male child) will return to the earth as the King of kings, in command of the armies of heaven. His armies will descend to earth and turn it into a burning furnace, a desert, and ashes.¹⁷ That is the great war of Armageddon, which will be fought when Jesus returns to reign. This will put an end to the insolence of the antichrist and his reign of terror. The bad news is that two-thirds of the earth will perish in this war. This final war on earth will make the two World Wars seem a mere child’s play by comparison.

The fourth stage—heaven on earth—will sequence the events of how the King of kings restores all things, builds the millennial city and temple, and reigns for a thousand years, solidly underpinned by Ezekiel’s prophecy. It will literally be like bringing heaven to earth.

This book is scripturally proven with accurate exegesis and anecdotal evidence that is deeply penetrating. It unravels the secrets of end-time prophecies that have been inaccurately taught for generations. These chapters will unlock the mysteries and decode the complex prophetic codes, especially in understanding the book of Revelation and relating it with other prophetic books in the Bible, in a new way. It weaves together the prophetic threads throughout the Bible in a seamless way.

These events will climax in a heavenly built, eternal city descending to the new earth—the new Jerusalem where God will dwell with mankind in the person of King Jesus Christ. The ultimate desire of God was to birth the pregnancy—the eternal purpose of God that Satan had aimed to thwart, and nip in the bud, by targeting the glorious woman (Israel) and her offspring, who are the Jews and Gentiles believing in Jesus.

Believers are prone to error and are often misguided by cultists and apostates because they interpret prophecy from current affairs, including date-setting. This has rendered almost every one of these prophets a liar. This book will deliberately avoid using a current affairs approach that dominates popular prophetic literature, and will instead sift out fads from the facts, and transients from the unmistakable threads of seamless biblical prophecy. I have corralled and scavenged biblical and historical treasures of evidence to bring new truth in a powerful and inspiring way. From start to end, this book has a unique way of keeping the story in motion. Come with me!

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The Glorious Woman

In the only book Jesus directly commissioned, he introduced himself as the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.¹⁸ He therefore commanded John to write whatever was revealed to him audio-visually—what he sees and hears. And Jesus said, These are the words of the Son of God.¹⁹ The Lord also concluded the book by appending his signature verbally, saying, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.²⁰ Jesus thus asserted his authorship of the book of Revelation, and sent his angel to present it to John the apostle for his production and onward transmission to the church. The angel actually did not tell John his own name, or allow himself to be worshiped by the apostle, in order to avoid taking the credit for what was revealed.²¹ The angel was only a messenger. The apostle John was both the scribe and the editor or narrator, just as the angel was the messenger. But Jesus is the chief Author of this most sacred book of all time.

Apostle Paul also corroborated this assertion when he said, In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.²² God spoke through his prophets and then through Jesus. So Jesus not only created the universe, but also revealed the will and the mystery of God to us in his book. That is remarkable!

Now that we have agreed that Jesus has endorsed the book of Revelation, we can start to decode and unpack the mysteries that he has in store for us, and which are recorded in prophetic codes. The book you are holding in your hand, The Great Day, will draw from the whole counsel of God regarding end-time prophecy, and will do so in a holistic way, using both the Old and New Testament Scriptures, and iteratively using Revelation 12 as the main anchor and connector—a perfect key to unlocking the entire kingdom agenda.

The reader will discover new experiences and understand biblical prophecies in a way. In this book, you will encounter disruptive viewpoints with uncompromising evidence and astute biblical exegesis and historical facts. The author sometimes challenges the status quo, and I do not hesitate to throw away long-held and popular but faulty views and stereotypes. That was exactly what Jesus did. He apparently turned upside down the tables of religious hypocrites and corruption of his day. I invite you to come with me as we unpack the mysteries hidden in end-time prophecies of all time, and weave together a seamless end-time narrative from sound biblical standpoints.

Ancient Signs in Heaven

Let me start by saying that if the apostle John, the revelator, were to be a modern writer, he would have considered the story of the woman of Revelation 12:1-2 as a perfect prologue. It could even be a perfect prologue for the entire Bible. In this woman’s story, we see an allegory that appears to be out of time sequence with the rest of the story of tribulation. On one hand, it foreshadows the entire end-time events as futuristic. On the other hand, it gives us a glimpse of what has happened in the past since antiquity. In other words, it can fit anywhere in the end-time calendar—what has happened in the eternal past, what is happening now, and what is about to happen in the near or distant future. That is what makes it so unique and pivotal to our understanding.

Jesus knew that putting this story first would have made even more complicated this book that is already hard to understand for most readers. Many people often skip prologues, and I also sometimes do, especially when they are clumsy and not self-explanatory. One thing we need to know is that Revelation 12:1-17 is the most pivotal passage in understanding end-time prophecies, and it is the main underpinning to this book. It helps unlock gaps in prophecy, and points us to the broader context of the gospel and prophecy. With that in mind, we have just discovered the tip of the iceberg.

Let us discern the prophetic message of the story of the woman clothed with the sun and had the moon under her feet in Revelation 12:1. We will refer to her as the glorious woman.

The apostle John was taken up to heaven in a vision, and he was shown a sign in heaven of a glorious woman clothed with the sun. John describes it this way:

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. … And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her child as soon as it was born. She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and his throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. (Revelation 12:1-6)

What you have just read is the most remarkable story ever told to mankind in the Bible. This is the secret Satan doesn’t want anyone to understand. Few scholars understand the purpose of this allegorical mega-story, and many preachers have tried to avoid preaching it from the pulpit, to avoid misunderstanding. When some do preach it, it is badly interpreted. Yet it is the very key to understanding not only the end times but also the reason for all the woes and catastrophes that have befallen this world, from the time of Adam and Eve until Jesus comes. It explains why the earth has become nothing but a gigantic theater of wars (which we will discuss in more detail in another chapter). In this story, God tells us the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. That is His nature.

These two phrases— a great sign appeared in heaven and another sign appeared in heaven—show that the story is a prophetic metaphor of events rather than a literal reality. It is like the dream of Joseph;²³ he was never binding sheathes with his brothers in the field, nor did their sheathes ever literally bow to his. This dream came to pass in reality but not in the literal description of the dream. Likewise with the dreams of Pharaoh and of Nebuchadnezzar.²⁴ It is the interpretation of the vision that comes to pass. I also believe that the spiritual interpretation of the signs in Revelation 12:1-17 is more important than its literary meaning.

Ideally, heaven (as we know) is the ultimate place of peace. To think of war in heaven is an absolute paradox. Yet the unthinkable happened in this story—there was indeed a war in heaven.²⁵ How can that happen? The apostle John provides more insight to this celestial war, but in figurative terms. In the Old Testament, prophets had revealed how Satan, also known as Lucifer, was hurled down to the earth in disgrace after his attempt to usurp the glory of God.²⁶ Lucifer apparently staged an attempted coup d’état and mutiny against the Most High God.

How did this war happen, and what did it involve? The prophets did not tell us the details of this war. But what was clear is that Satan was destroyed and hurled down to the earth, along with his fallen angels. There will always be people who will side with evil and with the devil. Satan had forever been stripped of his original beauty, glory, and position as Lucifer, the anointed cherub that covers.²⁷ In desperation, Satan raged furiously against all God’s will, purpose, and work. That satanic opposition was revealed to the apostle John in the vision.

Twice we read that the glorious woman fled and escaped from the dragon for three and half years. While John was still in heaven, the woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.²⁸ Remember that there is no desert in heaven. This confirms that it is a metaphor. The apostle John asserts that he saw a sign from heaven, not history nor literal events. After the war in heaven, when the dragon realized that he has been hurled down, he pursued the woman. Again, the woman fled for three and half years to the wilderness: The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.²⁹ Three and half years are same as 1,260 days or forty-two months, also known as a time, times, and half a time. What is the actual meaning of the woman’s escape and flight to a destination where she is taken care of for three and half years in the wilderness? The wilderness is a place of dryness, lack, and discomfort. The flight represents a long period of time before the last forty-two months. It means that Israel will face so much suffering until the end of the three and half years—the peak of their suffering and of all woes on earth.

We also read that, Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, with the intention of drowning the woman and sweeping her away with the torrent. By the way, have you noted how this dragon suddenly became a serpent? When he was looking at the glorious woman, he was a dragon, but when he is chasing the glorious woman he is a serpent—the ancient serpent.³⁰ In the heat of the Armageddon war, we read, He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.³¹

John said, But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.³² The dragon spewing water to drown the glorious woman may represent a confluence of many events that the enemy has orchestrated to annihilate the nation of Israel and to prevent the human race from receiving salvation. It may also mean the deluge of Noah’s day that destroyed the whole world because of the corruption and sin orchestrated by Satan. That was part of Satan’s war tactics—to destroy humanity from within. The earth opening its mouth to help the glorious woman signified how the flood eventually dried up by the earth. Israel and the entire human race became restored through Noah’s family.

The truth is that this ancient spiritual war has been raging for over six millennia, and it is still being fought today, even harder. Everyone on earth is a target of this war, either to be recruited for ultimate destruction along with Satan, or as a target to be destroyed by him because of a relationship with Christ. Since Satan was hurled down to the earth, this war is no longer against God but against his greatest purpose for creating the earth—a habitation for humanity to inhabit, multiply, and have dominion, with God reigning over us as his children. Humanity is at the center of God’s heart and at the pinnacle of his creation. One of God’s greatest plans is to have many sons who will be like Jesus in righteousness and holiness in his eternal kingdom.

Although this war in heaven has been spiritually fought in eternity since ancient times, its ultimate fulfillment is futuristic. Let’s look at the New Testament’s side of the story more closely.

As a matter of fact, this vision of the glorious woman³³ needs to be understood as an event starting before creation, but made manifest in Eden.³⁴ It will end after the last forty-two months of the great tribulation when Jesus comes to reign on earth. If the forty-two months when the woman fled to the wilderness are to be placed, this would occur just as events preceding and culminating in the breaking of the peace treaty with Israel by the antichrist in the tribulation period, when the temple will be desolated, as predicted by Daniel,³⁵ and forewarned by Jesus.³⁶

This glorious woman is beautifully arrayed and radiant like the sun in the light and glory of God. She has the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. The glorious woman is pregnant and is about to give birth to a son. But this was no ordinary child—he is the Son destined to rule over the nations with an iron scepter.³⁷ He is the one to reign in righteousness and justice, and whose kingdom will never end. He is to be the Savior of the world.³⁸ He is the Lord, the Messiah who was to come as the Son of David, but whom David himself referred to as his Lord³⁹—he is the Son of David, yet also the Lord of David! (Matthew 22:45). He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Son of God, yet also the eternal Father. That is a great mystery of God.

But this still begs the question: What was the motivation behind this conflict? When did this war in heaven happen?

Some say the war came because Satan refused to bow down to Adam when God created mankind. But this is not biblical. God created both the heavens and the earth in six days, and rested on the seventh. That implies that both angels and mankind were created in one week, not millions of years apart as some suggest. If that were the case, there would be no space for Satan to minister as a guardian cherub that covers. That is, he would have ministered as angelic guardian of God’s creation in the garden of Eden and then rebelled against God within a week. This makes no sense. That theory either assumes that Satan fell within one week of his creation, or had existed before the earth was created. We know that angels did not exist before God created the heavens and earth. Otherwise, we are unintentionally implying that God is lying when he said, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1-2). Also, there is nowhere in Scripture where God commands angels to worship or bow down to human beings, even though we know angels are ministering spirits who minister to the saints (Hebrews 1:14). It is only Jesus whom God commanded the angels to worship: Let all God’s angels worship him. (v.6). That happens when God finally brought his Son to the world. But Satan had fallen four millennia before God brought his Son to the world. Only God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were preexistent beings before the heavens and the earth were created.⁴⁰ Angels are created beings, and nothing was created without Jesus—he is the Creator of all things.⁴¹

A Woman Clothed in the Sun

The mystery of the glorious woman has often been misinterpreted. Some think she is Mary the mother of Jesus. No wonder some apostate religions try to deify Mary. Well, the story of Mary is probably more than a mere coincidence with this glorious woman (Revelation 12:1-2), but rather a foreshadowing prophecy—or as double prophecy. The bloodthirsty King Herod planned to murder Jesus as a child, along with all male babies in Bethlehem, but God rescued Jesus by commanding his parents to urgently relocate to Egypt. Obviously, Satan had moved him to do that.

Understandably, the son of this glorious woman is to rule the earth: She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and his throne.⁴² So this male Child can be no other person than