Whole Bible Prophecy: Horror and Hope

By Bruce S Bertram

Whole Bible prophecy is melding, blending or weaving all of the words God has given us into a complete picture of what He wants from us, what happens when we don't give it to Him, and what will happen if we continue to reject Him. Each prophecy or verse is like a color in a paint-by-number kit. When all are applied, the picture becomes clearer.&

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Word of God Ministries
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9780997501452

Book preview

Shofar

THE WORD OF GOD MINISTRIES

Whole Bible

Prophecy

Horror and Hope

Bruce S. Bertram

Presenting a view of biblical prophetic writings, interpreted using the whole Bible.

© Bruce S. Bertram 2022

Whole Bible Prophecy

Published by The Word of God Ministries

This book may not be reproduced in whole or part without the express written consent of the author or his agent, except for small sections for personal use or quotes that are properly attributed.

www.wholebible.com

YouTube channel: The Whole Bible Christian

ISBN 978-0-9975014-4-5

All art © 2022 Bruce S. Bertram except for the basic outline map drawing of the Fertile Crescent © 2022 Isaiah Wilhelm and front cover art background © 2022 Lynette Wilhelm

ESV Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version, The Classic Reference Edition, © 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

KJV Scripture quotations are from the King James or Authorized Version.

NASB95 Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible 1995

update copyright 1981, 1998 by the Lockman Foundation.

Table of Contents

1 Horror and Hope........................................................................ 1

Repent ......................................................................................... 3

The Church................................................................................ 10

Peeking ...................................................................................... 16

Peace and Safety ....................................................................... 18

Three Keys to Understanding ................................................... 21

The Basics ................................................................................. 24

Hate, Love, Curse and Blessing ................................................ 26

Defining Faith ........................................................................... 28

The Person and Work of the Prophet ........................................ 31

False Prophets ........................................................................... 36

Spirit Sight ................................................................................ 38

The Deceiver ............................................................................. 40

Prophecy Reveals a Spiritual Battle .......................................... 44

Learn the Past, Know the Future............................................... 45

Tribulation................................................................................. 49

An Overview ............................................................................. 50

The Reason for the Season ........................................................ 53

Judgment Begins in His House ................................................. 55

2 Interpretation ........................................................................... 57

Prophetic Timing ...................................................................... 60

The Time of John ...................................................................... 63

Cycles of Fulfillment ................................................................ 65

Prophetic Language .................................................................. 69

Words, Association, and Wordplay .......................................... 72

Dreams and Visions .................................................................. 76

Movie Trailers ........................................................................... 79

Newspaper Exegesis ................................................................. 80

Stand-Ins or Types .................................................................... 85

Goddess of Reason .................................................................... 87

Evolution ................................................................................... 92

Notions We Already Have ........................................................ 94

Name Changes .......................................................................... 96

Sacred Names............................................................................ 98

Numerology ............................................................................ 101

Expositional Constancy .......................................................... 102

How Do We Know? ................................................................ 104

What Good is Prophecy? ........................................................ 106

3 God’s Promise and Prophecy ................................................ 109

The Promise ............................................................................ 109

The Body of Sin ...................................................................... 112

The Body of Christ.................................................................. 116

Idolatry .................................................................................... 121

Chronology ............................................................................. 124

Event Orientation .................................................................... 127

The Ripe Time ........................................................................ 128

The Old World Order .............................................................. 129

The United States in the Bible ................................................ 133

The Church in the Bible .......................................................... 135

Families of Man ...................................................................... 138

What is the World? ................................................................. 141

Nations and Nature ................................................................. 143

4 The Apple of God's Eye ......................................................... 149

Hate for Israel ......................................................................... 151

The Adulteress Redeemed ...................................................... 152

Prophecy in God's Holidays .................................................... 157

Times and Seasons .................................................................. 160

Faith-Filling ............................................................................ 164

Much More.............................................................................. 166

Appointments with Yeshua ..................................................... 171

Jerusalem................................................................................. 173

The Temple ............................................................................. 174

The Ark ................................................................................... 184

Gathering the Outcasts of Israel .............................................. 187

5 Tribulation Like No Other .................................................... 190

The Four Beast Kingdoms ...................................................... 192

Babylon ................................................................................... 194

Dress for Action ...................................................................... 200

The Earthquake ....................................................................... 202

Stars......................................................................................... 205

Numbering the Days ............................................................... 206

Kings of the North & South .................................................... 210

The Hot Spot ........................................................................... 212

Image of The Fertile Crescent ............................................. 213

The Endurance of the Saints ................................................... 216

God’s Wrath and Man’s Wrath ............................................... 221

Anointing ................................................................................ 222

The 70 Weeks of Daniel ......................................................... 224

The Agreement for One Seven ............................................... 227

The Temple Rebuilt ................................................................ 229

A Tale of Three Women ......................................................... 230

Image: Scroll of Authority ...................................................... 234

6 Scroll of Authority ................................................................. 235

Judgment Belongs to Yeshua .................................................. 239

Seven Seals ............................................................................. 240

Seal 1: The White Horse Rider ............................................... 243

Seal 2: The Red Horse Rider .................................................. 246

Seal 3: The Black Horse Rider................................................ 246

Seal 4: The Pale Horse Rider .................................................. 249

Seal 5: Martyrs Under the Altar .............................................. 251

Seal 6: Earthquake, Blood Moon, Black Sun ......................... 255

Elders ...................................................................................... 257

144,000 Sealed from 12 Tribes ............................................... 257

A Great Multitude ................................................................... 262

Seal 7: Eye of the Storm ......................................................... 265

7 Day of the Awakening Blast .................................................. 267

Trumpet 1: Mix of Fire, Blood & Hail ................................... 275

Trumpet 2: Burning Mountain ................................................ 277

Trumpet 3: Wormwood........................................................... 278

Trumpet 4: Third of Sun, Moon, Stars .................................... 280

Trumpet 5/First Woe: Poisonous Locusts ............................... 281

Trumpet 6/Second Woe: Army, Witnesses ............................. 285

Mouths ................................................................................ 289

Mighty Big Angel, Little Sweet Scroll ............................... 292

The Two Witnesses ............................................................. 294

Trumpet 7: Mystery of God Fulfilled ..................................... 297

Third Woe: Dragon, Beasts, Messages ............................... 299

Signs in the Heavens ........................................................... 301

The Dragon Thrown Down ................................................. 303

An Unholy Trinity............................................................... 306

The Blasphemous Little Horn or Worthless Shepherd ........ 307

The Abomination(s) Causing Desolation................................ 314

The Second Beast: Antichrist.................................................. 317

The Image ........................................................................... 320

The Mark ............................................................................. 321

Buying and Selling .............................................................. 330

The 144,000 Victorious .......................................................... 335

Listen Up! Last Chance! ......................................................... 336

First Angel: Choose God .................................................... 337

Second Angel: Your Kingdom Babylon is Toast ............... 339

Third Angel: Go With the Beast, Go All the Way .............. 341

The Hour to Reap Has Come .................................................. 343

A Note on Conquering ............................................................ 345

8 Yom YHVH ............................................................................ 347

Bowl 1: Painful Sores on the Mark ......................................... 349

Bowl 2: Sea of Blood .............................................................. 349

Bowl 3: Springs of Blood ....................................................... 351

Bowl 4: Scorching Sun ........................................................... 352

Bowl 5: Darkness They Will Feel ........................................... 353

Bowl 6: Euphrates Dry, Frog Spirits Gather Armies .............. 354

Bowl 7: Great Earthquake, 100 Pound Hailstones.................. 356

Prostitute Riding a Scarlet Beast............................................. 358

The Fall of Babylon the Great ................................................ 363

Rider on a White Horse........................................................... 366

Armageddon: Treading the Winepress ................................... 368

Refusal to Repent .................................................................... 374

9 Resurrection & Rapture ........................................................ 375

The Last Trump....................................................................... 377

The Timing of the Rapture ...................................................... 378

Wrath and the Rapture ............................................................ 381

The Resurrection ..................................................................... 382

Three Phases of Resurrection.................................................. 384

What Does ‘Coming’ Mean? .................................................. 385

In the Air or On the Ground .................................................... 387

Taken....................................................................................... 389

The Church in Revelation 4-19 ............................................... 390

Meta Tauta, After These Things .......................................... 395

Hidden From Wrath ................................................................ 397

Falling Away ........................................................................... 401

End Like a Flood ..................................................................... 402

10 Your God Reigns .................................................................. 405

Marriage Supper of the Lamb ................................................. 406

Yeshua Touches Down ........................................................... 408

Cleaning Up ............................................................................ 410

Survivor Population ................................................................ 411

The Spirit is Poured Out ......................................................... 413

A New Name........................................................................... 414

A New Temple for Everyone .................................................. 414

Return to Eden ........................................................................ 415

Yeshua on the Throne ............................................................. 417

Israel Completed ..................................................................... 418

God's Rest ............................................................................... 418

The Earth Subdued .................................................................. 421

Life Expectancy ...................................................................... 423

Living Under the Rule of Iron ................................................ 424

The Deceiver's Final Defeat .................................................... 426

The Last Enemy is Destroyed ................................................. 428

The Books Are Opened ........................................................... 428

New Everything ...................................................................... 432

Yeshua Gives It Up ................................................................. 433

11 The New Jerusalem .............................................................. 434

Almost 1,400 Miles Square..................................................... 434

Living Accommodations ......................................................... 436

Life in the Big City ................................................................. 436

No Temple .............................................................................. 438

Gates and Jewels ..................................................................... 438

Who’s In, Who’s Out .............................................................. 439

12 Happily Ever After .............................................................. 441

What is Certain ....................................................................... 441

A Different Sort of Timeline................................................... 444

Timeline in Outline Form ....................................................... 452

Daniel Lays Out the Full Scope of God's Plan ................... 452

Image: Daniel Lays Out the Full Scope of God's Plan ....... 454

John Fills in Some Details ...................................................... 455

Image: Agreement for One Week; Middle to End .............. 457

Image: Agreement for One Week; Before Start to Middle . 458

Image: Yeshua Takes the Throne of David ........................ 462

Kingdoms and Spiritual Forces ............................................... 463

What Do We Do? .................................................................... 464

Choose God ............................................................................. 468

Topical/Scripture Index............................................................ 473

A note on the cover art: It's sideways in order to emphasize that this book is a different way of looking at Bible prophecy.

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1 Horror and Hope

Malachi 4:1–6 ESV. For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers wil be stubble. The day that is coming shal set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shal rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shal tread down the wicked, for they wil be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.

These words from God through Malachi summarize the horror and the hope of prophecy. The arrogant and evildoers will be destroyed, but those who fear His name will be made whole and will tread down the wicked. There's a lot more to it, which is explored in this book (and His), but that's the basics.

Because of the prophetic horror described in this and so many other Scripture texts, many philosophies have been developed by Church leaders that have churchgoers avoiding the horrible prophetic events. One such is that The Church will convert everyone before Jesus comes back, making the horror unnecessary.

Another is that everyone who believes in Jesus will be whisked away; disappearing before the final horrors start in something called the rapture. A third is that most or all of prophecy has already happened and we don't have to worry at all.

Comparing these philosophies of men and others like them with the Bible, many inconsistencies become apparent. When questioned about them, the teachers of these philosophies are

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unable to adequately give an answer for the hope that is in you. It is painfully obvious that none of the philosophies matches the whole of Scripture. There are big holes in all of them because verses that contradict are ignored or given a spiritual meaning that is entirely manufactured. After years of study and questioning, the conclusion is that these philosophies are vain hopes and

visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:16–17 ESV. Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD,

‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’ "

The inconsistencies are resolved, not in more of the philosophies of men, but in going back to reading the whole Bible and doing all of what God tells His children to do. Embracing the whole of the Word causes understanding to flower, and bore the fruit recorded in these pages. We cannot despise the word of the Lord by ignoring all or part of His Laws and hope that it will be well with us. Real hope lies in the whole of God's living and active Word, applied in every way to everyday living.

Ezekiel 7:26 ESV. Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor.

They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders.

Perhaps this is a self-evident truth, and one might ask why make a big deal out of it in this book (and our other books). The reason is that the whole of the Word is most assuredly not being taught by The Church, much less lived. Therefore, the Bible is misunderstood and misapplied, including prophecy. Spiritual maturity is weak, and churchgoers are not prepared for horror either in daily living or what is coming.

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God tells us what will happen (prophecy) for several reasons. One is to show that dumb idols can't do what He can do.

Another is to tell His servants what is going to happen, and give us hope that He is always ahead of the game and will protect us. A main reason for prophecy is to reveal iniquity.

Lamentations 2:14, ESV. Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.

Revealing iniquity (literally lawlessness) is full of hope, because the soft hearted person has a chance to correct behavior not in line with God's Word before it's too late. Since judgment begins in His house (1 Peter 4:17) we need to heed God's warnings and sweep the iniquity out of every room in our own houses.

This book was written to give real hope to those who hunger and thirst for God's Word, and address the vain hopes and deceptive visions with clarity from the mouth of the Lord.

Together we will unravel the fictions, reveal iniquity so it can be remedied, strengthen faith, advance spiritual maturity, build up hope, and prepare for whatever God has in store for us, both in daily living and the future.

Repent

There was about 400 years of silence from God after Malachi. But His Words from that time easily connect us to the words of John the Baptizer arriving on the scene after that silence:

Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:1).

John ministered in the spirit of Elijah, commanding people to repent or remember the Law as Malachi said. After John was arrested, Jesus kept the message of the ages going by repeating the same command.

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Matthew 4:17, ESV. From that time Jesus began to preach, saying,

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Momentous prophetic events were occurring right before the eyes and ears of the people present at the time. The kingdom of God was at hand. The hope of man, given in the promise from our Father, arrived in the body and teachings of His Son.

The announcement of His Kingdom, certified by miracles of healing and signs of power, was prefaced by a command of repentance for entry (remember the Law). Repent means to change direction. The change God has always had in mind is for people to stop stubbornly following their own heart (or doing what seems right in their own eyes) and follow God's heart. Those who obey the command enter into the kingdom, and the kingdom is established further in the hearts of those who respond. This part of the kingdom has been growing steadily since the Garden.

Yet the physical part of the kingdom at the time of the Incarnation was not established on earth as it is in heaven. The throne of David still awaits its rightful occupant. Repentance is a continuing command, but now it is more urgent than ever because the time is short and the horrible part of the prophecies is imminent. King Yeshua is coming with His armies and an iron rod.

The son of Zechariah was the voice of one crying in the wilderness in the spirit of Elijah, warning people to make straight paths for the King. Many paths were straightened in repentance at that time, but The Day announced by Malachi and many other prophets got postponed. Alas, the King was rejected by His subjects (or the leaders of His subjects) and His reign wasn't completely realized on earth as it should have been.

Our King wasn't honored and crowned with gold the first time as was His right. Instead, He was mocked, despised, crowned with thorns, tortured and killed in the worst way imaginable. His

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ascension to the throne of His kingdom on earth was delayed, but now we are in the time of the end of worldly kingdoms when that will be rectified. The King is coming a second time, and on this trip, He will not be denied. In preparation, the cry from the wilderness is going out again, and repentance is still commanded.

Luke 3:4–6 ESV. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every val ey shal be fil ed, and every mountain and hil shal be made low, and the crooked shal become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and al flesh shal see the salvation of God.’

The promised kingdom of heaven has always been at hand. It is as near as a soft, faithful and obedient heart. Make his paths straight is another way of saying Repent. John and Jesus are still crying out by the Spirit and from the pages of Scripture, telling people to stop going the way that seems right in their own eyes and walk in God's ways instead. The wise will heed the command and make His house ready.

Matthew 24:45–46 ESV. "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

The son of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the son of God adopted and fostered by David's son Joseph had to deliver their message outside the recognized religious system of the day. That system had become very corrupt. The religious leaders mishandled the Word of Life in such a way as to block people from gaining spiritual maturity and getting close to the Father.

Matthew 23:1–4 ESV. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they

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preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not wil ing to move them with their finger.

Jesus is still standing at the door knocking with the same message of repentance, and it is still directed at a people who claim to know His name. Religious leaders are still corrupting the plain teachings of God's Word of Life, and the solution again has to be repeated from outside that corrupt system. God continues to command The Church along with people everywhere to return to straight paths, fill in valleys of sin with righteousness, and make low the hills and mountains of pride.

The message to repent was directed at a people who claimed to know, and should have known, their God, and the time of your visitation (Luke 19:44). It has echoed down through the centuries and settled in the hearts of believers everywhere. We wait for another time of visitation soon, and prepare by filling our hearts with His Word in every way we can. We don't want to miss the next time of our visitation (although it will be much harder to miss than before). Whole Bible Prophecy is another echo of that repentance message, needed today perhaps more sorely than ever.

Whole Bible prophecy proceeds from Whole Bible

Christianity. Whole Bible Christianity is taking in the whole Bible and establishing it in a soft heart, living all of God's instructions every day. This is explained more thoroughly in our book Whole Bible Christianity. Without living all of His Word, prophecy won't make a lot of sense.

The process of whole Bible living can be compared to the

good ground in the Parable of the Seed in Matthew 13:8, Mark 4:8 and Luke 8:8. Good ground is a soft heart responsive to every word spoken by God. Another example is in John chapter 6:52-58, where Jesus tells His disciples to eat His body and drink His blood.

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By this, He means our souls are to consume all of God's Words and live them in the same way we consume food for our bodies and live. His Words are Spirit and Life.

John 6:63 ESV. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.

The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Every word God speaks is always moral, living and active.

Believers in humility receive the Word implanted (James 1:21) in the good ground of a soft heart of flesh. This Word was from the misnamed Old Testament, because the likewise misnamed New Testament had not been written at the time of the gospels. The New Testament is Scripture, but none of the words or events recorded in those books overrides or replaces any of the so-called Old Testament. There is no old word, no new word, no divisions of civil ceremonial or moral. The only thing old

about the covenant is our hearts of stone before conversion.

If the heart is hard, fully or partially, the seed of the living Word either cannot find purchase or just bounces off the hard ground. A hard heart sits in judgment on the Word, handing down false and deceptive visions. We are told by the hard hearted that some of the Word is old and no longer part of daily living, or that it is fulfilled which somehow means eliminated.

A person with a hard heart is like a spectator at a sporting event who does not understand the game. All the plays except the most basic are just a puzzle. In the spiritual game, a spectator has only a limited understanding of the most basic concepts such as repent because the Word is a puzzle. Hard hearts aren't conducive to following much about the Word or prophecy (Hebrews 5:12-13).

Ezekiel 33:31–33 ESV. And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a

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beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it. When this comes—and come it wil !—then they wil know that a prophet has been among them."

To understand prophecy the Bible has to become a part of us by living all of its Words all of the time. That is the starting point. This doesn't mean living the Law only externally or as doctrines of men learned by rote. It means a planting of the Word in a soft heart that yearns to be guided by His Spirit in every way.

Without actually doing what God says, prophecy will be nearly incomprehensible and subject to all sorts of false visions. If we don't follow what He plainly says He wants His people to do, then how will we be able to believe something like prophecy, which takes more insight and wisdom?

Deuteronomy 8:1–2 ESV. "The whole commandment that I command you today you shal be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.

And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

Prophecy cannot be studied as an isolated subject apart from the rest of the Word and expect to fully understand it. His people are to be careful to embrace the whole commandment and

remember the whole way of God. Rejecting any part of the Word (it's old, eliminated, or for someone else) creates gaps in understanding all of it. The Bible is an integrated whole, and in order to achieve a balanced understanding of any one part of it, the entire book must be read and God's instructions followed. Like our brother Israel, Gentile believers must also be careful to do the whole commandment.

The foretelling of events is an extension of all the plans and purposes of God, of living as He wants us to live.

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Nehemiah 9:13–14 ESV. You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant.

When we apply all of His Law or Instructions filled with love and the Spirit as much as we are able, it changes us from spectators to active participants. It’s the difference between sitting in the stands and getting a personal experience of the game right in the thick of things. If, instead of living it, we stand around judging the Word, cutting it in pieces and parceling it out to different people groups (Jews, the Church) and refusing to follow the most basic instructions, then how could we possibly understand prophecy?

God is really the only prophet, since all knowledge of the future comes from Him. He made the first (Genesis 3:14-19) and last (Revelation 22:12) prophecies in the Bible, which makes Him the Alpha and Omega (beginning and end) of prophecy as in everything else. He has declared to whoever would listen what was going to happen (the end) from the beginning, to accomplish His purpose and pleasure. Happily, He is a loving God.

Hope is in living as He instructs, and is what He asks of us on many occasions. This is what it means to be faithful. Our Father uses words like watch, stay awake, conquer, and persevere

quite a bit in His preaching and prophecy. He doesn't ask us to hunt down the beast and kill him. He doesn't say we should be salvation police and judge someone else's walk with Him. There is no assignment from our Father to find out exactly what constitutes the mark of the beast. We are to grow in His love and grace, practice the fruit of the Spirit, encourage one another to love and good works, and stay alert for His return. Believers can study the

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Bible and prepare for bad stuff happening as we need to, but our focus is on glorifying God in our behavior and our teaching.

The Church

Before we really get into the prophecy stuff, we have to address the elephant in the room. And it's not the symbol of the Republican Party in the United States, either. The elephant in the room is The Church.

We have to talk about it because it claims for itself the authority to declare what is biblical and what is not. Often this is while ignoring the very Bible they supposedly endorse in favor of philosophies of men. Leaders constantly preach about acceptable and unacceptable Christian behavior, presuming to dictate lifestyles and discipleship methods apart from the Word. They sit in judgment on the Word and pass their judgments on to unsuspecting sheep, and in turn cast out and shun those who actually follow the whole of the Word. Leaders keep their sheep in malnourished ignorance as they focus on sentiment and dole out tiny pieces of the Word, reserving for themselves the sole authority to interpret.

Of course, ‘The Church’ in this book is a general way of referring to the visible Church, and all the secret organizations connected with it, in all its fractured, denominational (or non-denominational), bureaucratic, backbiting, Word-denying glory.

The Church is all the churches, organizations, para-church groups, denominations and related entities claiming to follow the Bible and Jesus, and/or the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and presume to speak for Him. This includes Catholics, Protestants (or non-Catholics), Muslims, Messianics, and Jews. It is organized in groups around schools of theology, traditions or personalities using by-laws, statements of faith, extra-biblical books, creeds or

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confessions, and has only a smattering of the Word of God. This is a fair generalization as we'll see when we get to the Prostitute.

The Greek word ekklesia (a-clay-see-ah), is translated in the New Testament by the English word church. But The Church as we see it today was unknown until about the third century and after. An ekklesia is simply a gathering or group of people, also known as an assembly. The Church is an ekklesia, and the Body of Christ is an ekklesia, but the Church is not the Body of Christ.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew words edah (a-daw) or qahal (ka-hall) are the similar words for congregation or assembly.

The Septuagint (sept-to-a-jint or sept-to-jent), is the Greek translation of the Old Testament made by Hebrew scholars about 300 years before the Incarnation. Since it is a translation of the OT

Hebrew into Greek, the Hebrew words for congregation or assembly ( edah or qahal) are usually translated by the Greek word ekklesia, even when talking about Israel. But Church translators do not use the word Church in the translations of the Old Testament.

In general, the Bible only mentions believers and non-believers (sometimes in an assembly or congregation). Believers are called the Body of Christ, the Bride, branches of a vine, an olive tree, the remnant, saints, and other such names. As Jesus said, where two or more are gathered in His Name He is there in the midst. But He also says of others that I never knew you.

A churchgoer is one who simply attends a church (or other congregation) and is not necessarily a believer. They tend to

draw near with their words and honor me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from me, and their reverence of me consists of tradition learned by rote (Isaiah 29:13 NASB95). In this book, believer means a born-again person, grafted into the Body of Christ, whose heart is dedicated to following all of what God says to the best of their understanding and ability.

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The Church grew out of a well-intentioned effort by believers to extricate themselves from first century Jewish and Roman wars and persecutions. But it has ended up as something that is completely unrecognizable compared with Paul's ideal of the Body of Christ. People in The Church have done many good works, but the good has been outweighed by many serious bad things from leadership. Most of the good has been done in spite of The Church, not because of it. A big chunk of The Church regards itself as a replacement for Israel, which the Bible never verifies. It has manufactured philosophies to shore up its position, authority and power, but most of them only touch on the Word at best.

There are many genuine believers in God and His only begotten Son within The Church (perhaps misled), and those believers are part of the Body of Christ. But the word church is not in the original languages. It is only in translations of the Bible.

There is also not a single reference to Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Calvary Chapels, Vineyards, Catholics, Protestants or any others anywhere in the Bible. These have developed into what could be thought of as clubs. There are different flavors of clubs (churches, synagogues, mosques) but they all pursue whatever is right in their own eyes rather than wholly and specifically what God says in the Bible. The clubs have appropriated Bible culture and names and strained very hard to be included with the Body, without really doing what the Head of the Body commands.

Though the word ekklesia is used of assemblies in Israel throughout the Septuagint (and even one in Acts 7:38), no one in the Church translates ekklesia as church in the OT. Church translators only use church in English translations of the (erroneously named) New Testament. They want to see the Church as unique and separate from Israel, starting at the time of the apostles. The assembly of believers or ekklesia is much different

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from the Church. His assembly includes all believers everywhere and every-when. The Body of Christ has always been around since the foundation of the world. It did not just pop into existence at the time of Acts chapter 2, it was just energized. It has multitudes of members from all nations and tongues. Believer's names have been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 17:8 ESV (underline added). The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwel ers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world wil marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

The identity of a believer is in Jesus our God and Messiah, and in the eating and drinking of His Words (meaning to hear and obey). Believers can be recognized by the combination of their behavior and their testimony. Those who do what He says and testify that Jesus the Christ is God in the flesh and the Messiah are different from other ekklesias.

Some clubs talk about Jesus all the time but don’t do what He says (Lord, lord Matthew 7:21, 25:11, Luke 6:46). Other clubs fancy themselves as obedient but deny that Jesus is God in the flesh (1 John 4:2,3; Revelation 2:9) such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. The congregation in the wilderness, as Stephen called Israel at the giving of the Law (Acts 7:38-39), heard the gospel but didn’t unite it with faith. In other words, they didn't do what God said (Hebrews 4:2). Churchgoers are in the same boat. True believers on the other hand hear God with us in the Law, follow it, and recognize Jesus for who He is. Law, of course, is all the instructions for living coming from God and Jesus (both instruct the same things) given to God's people at any time.

The Church as a whole resembles physical Israel at a low point instead of the Body of Christ at its best. It is teaching some

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of the milk of God's Word, but not the complete nutrition of the whole Bible. A little truth is mixed with a lot of lies. As a result, most inside The Church are malnourished and spiritually weak, with impaired hearing and needing salve for their eyes (Revelation 3:18). Being ignorant of large portions of the Bible causes them to be unable to hear God speaking, and won't respond as He directs to the horrors of prophetic fulfillment coming soon.

Nicolaitan is a general name for the false teachers who infest The Church and lead astray from the Bible. They are mentioned only twice by name in the Bible, but they are still with us. Wolves from among your own selves is another name in warnings to us by Jesus and Paul.

Matthew 7:15–16 ESV. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Acts 20:29–30 ESV. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves wil arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

We are seeing the fruit of wolves all throughout the Church. Biblical correction is rejected in favor of dictates commanded by personalities. There are no grapes on the thorn bushes or figs on the thistles. It's easy for The Church to point the Nicolaitan finger at cults, but it's much harder to admit that The Church as a whole is now overrun by ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing. Your own pastor, rabbi, imam or priest is likely in that category. Anyone who teaches that parts of the Word are old,

for Jews only, or are fulfilled and eliminated, and so on is a suspect. Especially as they refuse to repent.

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Clubs denying that Jesus is God in the flesh, and those who deny that the Law is a valid lifestyle and discipleship method, are in the same sinking boat with wolves such as Jezebel, Balaam, the Nicolaitans and the synagogue of Satan (Revelation 2-3). The choice is the same as that presented by John the Baptizer and Jesus. Stay in the sinking boat and keep uselessly bailing, or repent and row to the shore of the complete Word of God.

We can clearly see that the biblical Body of Christ is not the same as the Church. The Body concerns itself with trust in God and obedience to all of His Words. Modern-day Nicolaitans in The Church promote loyalty to man-made theology, Confessions, Creeds and By-Laws however good. If you don't regurgitate what they teach then you are a divisive person and shunned or encouraged to search for fellowship elsewhere. After all, they do not want their deceptive visions destroyed by the Truth, which would take away their power and blow away their house of cards.

The Church is a man-made construct not unlike the Tower of Babel. It does not follow God very well at all, which is likewise illustrated for us by Israel and Judaism through the centuries. The squishiness of philosophies of men cannot be relied upon as a foundation for spiritual maturity. It turns out the Bible is enough, when you just read it and do it. You might need some help here and there, if only to navigate through the twisted teachings of the Nicolaitans. But believers have to want to do all of His Words. His Word works best when we hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Bad shepherds lord their power, education and/or position over lay people. They teach falsely, telling us things like the unchanging Word of God (John 10:35) was changed or eliminated by Jesus. These wolves are everywhere present in the entire Church, and have mostly obscured the plain message of the Word.

One gains wisdom and understanding enough to see through all the

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childish, outside the Bible stuff by diligent study and application of all of what God says to the Body.

Hosea 14:9 ESV. Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

It’s hard for Nicolaitans to see past ideas they are convinced are truthful, even if they aren’t. But this is not a book about all the different opinions. Scripture interprets Scripture, and here prophecy is analyzed by the whole Bible. Some of the revelations herein will scare the daylights right out of you, but overall they will give hope. These revelations will be explained more thoroughly and biblically here than you may have heard.

Peeking

Nope, this is not a city in Asia. We love to peek at the future. If we can get a handle on what’s going to happen we can adjust our plans to take advantage of good things, or make tracks to get away from the bad. This is why astrology and other forms of fortune-telling are so popular. Even though it's wrong, comfort is seemingly offered and a little confidence given in the midst of uncertainty. It doesn’t matter that the confidence is mostly false; even false confidence goes a long way toward easing the anxiety (or guilt) that so often plagues us.

Isaiah 46:9-10 NASB95. 9"Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I wil accomplish all My good pleasure’;

As Isaiah declares, our God of hope showcases His unique knowledge, power and control in prophecy. He will accomplish all His good pleasure (emphasis on the word good). Biblical

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prophecy comes from God and gives us a solid peek into the real future. Its main purpose is to glorify Him. It encourages believers and warns unbelievers. It gives people a chance to repent. It shows that no other god or spirit can even come close to being in His class. He declares the end from the beginning, meaning both that He knows what is going to happen before it happens, and also that He guarantees His purposes or goals will reach fruition.

People don’t like God’s prophecies, in part, because they are completely accurate and true. This is in stark contrast to man’s astrology, crystals, omens, witchcraft, deceptive visions, philosophies of men, and much of Church teaching. God tells us things we don’t want to hear; astrology and other philosophies tickle our ears. Humans prefer our own methods using our own understanding (divination, communication with spirits, witchcraft, pastors or rabbis cheerleading messages, and so on) because we want the power to know what will happen and change it to suit ourselves. It’s another way of unseating God from His throne.

The other part of our dislike of God’s prophecies is that they point out our disobedience and require a change. He doesn’t make syrupy, non-specific prophecies designed only to build our self-esteem. God is painfully honest and direct about humanity’s shortcomings. He also demands changes, and has provided a Way for us to get clean and get back to Him. Usually, He attaches a message of repentance from lawlessness to His prophecies. In other words, stop doing our own thing and do His. But we’re too busy worshipping images of ourselves, making our own decisions and following our own inclinations (known as narcissism). We just don’t want to be bothered with reminders that the end of those efforts is death. We close our eyes and think that if we can’t see death then it isn’t really coming for us. One of the reasons the end comes like a flood is from ignoring what He says.

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Nahum 1:8 ESV. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

Peace and Safety

Whole Bible prophecy is melding, blending or weaving all of the words God has given us into a complete picture of what He wants from us, what happens when we don't give it to Him, and what will happen if we continue to reject Him. Each prophecy or verse is like a color in a paint-by-number kit. When all are applied, the picture becomes clearer.

Too often, interpreters grab parts of Bible books or verses and patch them together while attempting to plug in current events.

They ignore passages that don't bear on the message they want to convey, and over-emphasize those passages that seem to confirm their thinking. Some well-meaning scholars spend a great deal of time on such things as textual accuracy, word definitions, and cultural changes, all of which are important. But meaning and application frequently escapes them because they don't actually do what God requires. The question is, can the average non-scholar type person (such as this writer) take the scholar's efforts in delivering a text in his or her own language and reach the truth without having it explained by a scholar? This book answers yes!

None of the Bible stands alone. God has breathed out a complete picture of His will and plans in His Word, and anyone who wants to understand that picture not only has to look at all of it, we need to live all of it. All of the colors He provides must be used. It's not easy to do this because so many calling themselves teachers (pastors, rabbis whatever) are teaching so many wrong things. It can be confusing. These teachers want secure jobs, so they make it seem as if a scholarly education is necessary to properly understand the Bible. But an education is no guarantee of

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understanding. In fact, a scholarly education tends to get in the way more often than not because pride rears its ugly head.

James 3:1 ESV. Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Imagine if a scholar worked years to get to be a tenured professor, pastor, priest, rabbi or famous author, only to find out they were almost completely wrong. Do you think that person would simply admit it and change their approach? Would they confess to leading people astray for many years? Could they admit that they doled out such tiny parts of the Word to their followers, mixed with huge doses of philosophies of men, that the followers stayed malnourished and unable to handle even the smallest of life's problems? Generally, that's a big no to all those questions. It's more likely that a long-time leader in that position would rather defend his position to the death than repent. We see an example of that when the bulk of the Pharisees and Sadducees are confronted by the King standing right in front of them and they refused Him.

Many church leaders lose a faith they never really had in the first place and turn to the self-worship of atheism. Other deluded leaders suddenly decide there is no hell or some other such false teaching. These are obvious and their positions are self-destructive. On the other hand, the pastor or rabbi convinced their group is right and who is, perhaps, a real believer, but then have their eyes opened to the whole of the Word, is in a tougher position. Like Paul. A leader like that would have extremely difficult decisions to make, and you don't see the choices being made in the right direction very often at all.

If it does happen, and they start living and teaching the whole Bible, it means the end of their reputation, income and position in whatever church (or related organization) of which they were part. Paul and a few others did it throughout history, but it is

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a very difficult path to follow. No wonder there is such a heated defense made by churchgoers when trying to present the truths in this book and others like them to The Church.

Scholars have done great work for the most part in delivering a text in a language non-scholars can understand. After that, however, many tend to spend too much time on scholarly viewpoints and not enough on just how the texts apply when compared together and brought into daily living. We can benefit from the scholarship and at the same time take into consideration one of the biggest impediments to understanding the Word: the unwillingness to do everything God says. The scholars have their place in the Body of Christ, but what is more important is a loving heart intent on following every Word with diligence, reading and doing the whole Book.

All the world's troubles can be traced back to rebellion against anything to do with God. Imagine a place and time with no war, disease or pestilence. Paradise. Perfection. Eternal life with a loving Father and Messiah. We had peace and safety, and didn't want it. We chose and still choose to pursue our own ways and goals. But apart from God and His life, we just create death and destruction.

It is apparent that our world has already gone to the dogs and is ready for judgment. You can see it in the way churches cater to people with money, and the way people with money use it to further the destruction of godly culture. It is in the distancing of ourselves from the morality and life in God's Law, with the Church leading the way. It is illustrated for us in so many of the ways we treat each other, from the ho-hum reactions concerning the slow disappearance of our God-given rights, on around to the spinelessness of political leaders who take them. People think everything is fine and getting better, but while we are thinking

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peace and safety, the storm bearing sudden destruction is on the horizon and coming fast.

Three Keys to Understanding

The place to start for understanding prophecy is, well, The Beginning. Genesis 3:15 is a promise of a Messiah, and the rest of the Book traces this promise through to the end of world kingdoms. The book of Genesis is the back drop for every succeeding event or prophecy. In loving grace, God made a perfect world and created perfect beings to live in and take care of it. Dad and mom (Adam and Eve) decided to ignore His Word and go their own way, and every child since has done the same thing. Some of us have repented and strive to order our lives after His wisdom and ways. But the majority of people insist on continuing the sin of Adam, doing what seems right in their own eyes.

Writing a book on prophecy isn’t easy. There are a lot of philosophies of men through which we have to wade to get to the biblical truth. Lots of books have been written, lots of sermons preached, and there's lots of interpretations. It's taken a long time of wide-ranging, intense study to get to this point, and a lot of the effort