Watchman!Watchman! What of the Night?

By Kenneth Stanford

The title Watchman! Watchman! What of the Night? was selected on the basis of the soon-to-unfold Great Tribulation Period (GTP). The purpose of the title is to attract an interest in the reply that the watchman gave: "I see the dawn coming, and also a Night!" It is this approaching "Night" that the watchman saw-which represents the judgments of God and the wrath of man that will unfold during the GTP. In essence the GTP will last for seven years- "the last week" in Daniel's prophecy that concludes "the 367 weeks" upon the Children of Israel. There is a strong indication that "this Night," which horrified the watchman, is likely to commence anytime between mid-2023 AD and mid-2025 AD. You can follow my deliberations in this regard in this second book; however, there is also complimentary information in Who's Paying Attention? Please refer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644717226

Book preview

9781644717226_covere.jpg

Watchman!

Watchman!

What Of The Night?

Kenneth Stanford

ISBN 978-1-64471-721-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64471-722-6 (Digital)

Copyright © 2019 Kenneth Stanford

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Table of Contents

Note

Wonderful Friends

Preview

General Chapter Abbreviations in the Bible and Apocrypha

Abbreviations and Some Brief Definitions

A Brief Overview of the Revelation Given to St. John the Divine, plus the Book of Revelation Amplified

Some Aids to the Book of Revelation

Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39 Amplified

Near-Future Expectations

Salvation during the Great Tribulation Period

Christ—the Hope of the Poor and Destitute

The Challenge

Analytical Review of Daniel 9:24–27

Egypt seeks cash, prestige boost with ‘new Suez Canal’

Map of Red Sea and Position of Makkah (Mecca)

Plan of Millennial Israel and Jerusalem

About the Author

I see the dawn coming, and also a Night!

—Isaiah 21:11–12, Adapted

Note

Concerning Watchman! Watchman! What of the Night? this book is the second part of a two-part series. The first book covering the two-part series is entitled Who’s Paying Attention?

The chapters for Who’s Paying Attention? run in increasing order from 1 to 8. For Watchman! Watchman! What of the Night? the chapters run from 9 to 15. This is to make it easier for cross-referencing. Likewise, the appendices for Who’s Paying Attention? run from A to D, and for Watchman! Watchman! from E to H.

The first book, Who’s Paying Attention?, deals with my personal quest to find the God of All Creation and my subsequent findings relating to the Bible, based on prayerful petitions on many occasions to my God, to be able to understand the Bible as per the mind of God. For me, this has resulted in amazing insights into what the Bible says, and also importantly, what the Bible should say—in areas of Scripture that I believe have either been damaged over time or changed by Satanic influence, mainly in the early years after such inspired writings were compiled. Based on my God-dependent studies, I’ve been inspired to share some of my findings with whoever may be interested, and most importantly who are searching for answers on how to find and know the God of All Creation, the God of the Universe.

The second book, Watchman! Watchman! What of the Night? deals primarily with Great Tribulation Period (GTP), which is fast approaching and, which, according to available information carefully analyzed, through much prayer to my God for divine help and guidance on this very challenging subject, is likely to commence sometime between mid-2023 AD and mid-2025 AD.

In the early days of Jerusalem, the city was surrounded by a city wall for protection. In those days, as evening approached, the city’s gates in the city wall would be closed for protection against any possible night attack from an enemy. During the night, watchmen would be employed behind the parapet on the top of the city wall to scan the outer surrounding areas around the city for any signs of an imminent attack or other untoward activity. The watchmen were the city’s early warning system. They also patrolled the parapeted walls during the day. On occasions, soldiers inside the city would enquire of the watchmen on duty as to the situation outside of the city from the watchman’s vantage point. In Isaiah 21:11–12, Isaiah quotes a prophetic statement, "Watchman! Watchman! What of the night? I see the dawn coming and also a night! In this instance, Isaiah is the watchman who has received a message from the Spirit of his God (the God of Israel) concerning Edom (Seir). I’ve used this statement quoted by Isaiah for the title of the second book—for good reason. According to my understanding, the fast approaching night of the GTP is soon to take effect, a night that is not wise to enter. So the second book’s title consists of an enquiry and an answer. Forewarned is forearmed. Persons whose names are not currently recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life need to be wise and avoid the fast-approaching night! So if you want to escape this world’s woes, which commence in earnest in the not too distant future (mid-2023 to mid-2025 AD?), now’s the time to get right with God"—on God’s terms.

It is recommended that readers prayerfully read both books in the series, and if possible in this order:

First, Who’s Paying Attention? and second, Watchman! Watchman! What of the Night?

It is of vital importance that readers prayerfully ask the God of All Creation for divine help to understand the contents of this two-book series before commencing to read and study these books in earnest. May the God of the Universe bless all those who are willing to honor him of their own free will—in spirit and in truth.

Lastly, where references to various scriptural passages have been included in the books, it would be prudent to refer to the amplified versions of such scriptures within these books—where they exist—in the first instance, in order to obtain a clearer picture of the original scriptural passage.

Wonderful Friends

Remembering wonderful friends who have helped me over many years, may the God of the Universe continually bless all of you:

Winnie

Anna

Olive

Doll

Sally

You are forever in my heart!

Preview

This book primarily deals with my brief exposition of the Book of Revelation as portrayed in the Bible. My brief explication is based on the review of Revelation within the King James Bible (KJV), which was first published in 1611.

The world is rapidly becoming a more difficult place to exist for many reasons, all of which are underwritten by evil. There are many people worldwide who are concerned with global events and the uncertainty of life—for themselves, their families, and their nations. In a nutshell, evil is on the increase everywhere and in many different forms.

The following should be noted:

Strong evidence indicates that Satan and his demons had occupied planet Earth before the creation of man upon the Earth (before Adam and Eve). Refer to Genesis 1:2 and the footnote in the NIV.

Since the fall of Adam and Eve (by eating fruit from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden), all of mankind—i.e., the posterity stemming from Adam and Eve—have God-cursed sinful natures through procreation. Unfortunately, our inherited sinful nature is with us for life in our current bodies in this world.

Mankind of their own volition does not seek God naturally. It takes the Spirit of God to convict human beings of their sinful state and their need for the one and only Savior—Jesus (Y’shua).

Satan currently knows that his time on Earth is fast running out, and that he needs to apply every ounce of his strength and ingenuity to defeat the God of the Universe and thus take full and lasting control of Planet Earth, so he thinks.

Mankind, at large, has and continues to ignore the terms and conditions as laid out by the God of the Universe—in the Bible, that would result in a joyful, peaceful, prosperous, and healthy existence upon this Earth. It is for this reason, and this reason alone, that mankind exists in a very fluid situation, with no guarantee under the current conditions of an idyllic existence—the very condition that the God of the Universe wanted for mankind at the time God created man upon the face of the Earth.

It is primarily for these reasons that evil abounds upon the face of the Earth in many varied forms.

The title of this book (in the two-book series) portrays a question and an answer by the Watchman. This book endeavors to provide a brief exposited answer based on the words as uttered by the Watchman on the near-future events that will come upon this Earth as portrayed in the last book of the Bible: the Book of Revelation. You don’t want to be on Planet Earth when the events of Revelation unfold. To be on the Earth during the Great Tribulation Period (GTP) is not for the faint-hearted. Fortunately, I’ve booked my seat in Heaven, so I’ll be leaving this Earth just before it starts (or sooner). On a sad note, unfortunately, the sufferings and death that will occur during the GTP will make Auschwitz-Birkenau (in Poland) look like a holiday camp. The GTP will be the Holocaust of all holocausts and will outstrip the final demise of Gog and Magog. (The main sufferer in this impending holocaust will unfortunately be Israel.) The demise of Gog and Magog will occur at the end of Jesus’s millennial reign as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Revelation 20:7–10.

In the run-up to my account in Watchman! Watchman! What of the Night?, I have provided additional information which should be read first; this information is included in my first book of the two-book series. This will assist the reader in obtaining a clearer picture as to why my understanding of Revelation flows along the lines that I have presented it.

One aspect that I would like to reemphasise is the subject of Islam as I have portrayed it in the Book of Revelation. God is not against Muslims; I make this quite clear. It is the will of God that all of humanity should be saved from the wrath to come (God’s ultimate wrath on rebellious and unrepentant sinners). The Bible clearly teaches that "all (of humanity) have sinned and come short of the Glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). The Bible also teaches that God’s eternal salvation is available to all of humanity—subject to compliance with God’s terms and conditions, which if met by repentant sinners, now before the Rapture, they will receive the seal of the Holy Spirit upon their lives; in this regard, one needs to note… For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus—the Christ (Messiah)—our Lord (Rom. 6:23). This is St Paul’s reassuring message to the Christians at Rome at the time—which they had to pass on to their non-Christian neighbors. And also, in the Gospel according to St John (refer to Jn. 6:37)—Jesus spoke, And him (or her) that comes to me (seeks me out on God’s terms and conditions), I will in no wise cast out (slam the door of opportunity to obtain the seal of eternal life in their faces).

As I watch with horror at the atrocities that Bashar al-Assad and the Russian Air Force commit against the people of Aleppo (mid to late 2016), I am left in a state of anger against those murderous thugs for what they have done to the people of eastern Aleppo—who are Muslims. My prayer is, May God have mercy upon the people of eastern Aleppo—upon those Muslims, and rescue them from the evil of Bashar al-Assad and his evil allies.

So with respect to chapter 9 (in this book), in particular, Muslims who read my brief amplification, need to do so in a spirit of humility and soul searching, and not allow a spirit of religious indignant anger to rule their thought processes because of what has been included in chapter 9. In the words of Jesus, we all need to be smart detectives by being as wise as serpents and gentle as doves, with the resultant outcome being to our eternal benefit. Having a religion, i.e., by being a member/convert of a religious order (typically, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and all others) will not be the means of securing eternal life, in the ages to come. Only unswerving faith in Jesus (the Christ)—based on God’s terms and conditions will secure this privilege.

Concluding: Unregenerate mankind, that is, all persons who do not know experientially and spiritually Jesus (Y’shua) as their personal Savior and Lord, must endeavor to secure this infinite blessing of knowing Jesus as one’s personal Savior and Lord, coupled with the irrevocable promise of everlasting life (which is offered through The Gospel of Jesus and is in effect until the Rapture)—without delay, before it is too late—in order to miss the GTP. With respect to salvation in Jesus, please refer to chapter 2 entitled, My Search for the God of All Creation in Who’s Paying Attention? and also chapter 13 of this book, entitled, Salvation During the Great Tribulation Period, because for those who turn their backs on Jesus now, they may ultimately end up in God’s Lake of Fire—forever. The time is almost at hand when the events portrayed in the Book of Revelation will commence to unfold in earnest. It is my opinion that the GTP will in all likelihood commence sometime between mid-2023 AD and mid-2025 AD. That’s not too far away, not so?

Kenneth Stanford

October 2016 AD

General Chapter Abbreviations in the Bible and Apocrypha

Abbreviations and Some Brief Definitions

Note, some explanations of abbreviations/words may also be included in the text.

A Note on Calendar Dating

In today’s modern world the prefix/suffix AD is omitted. There are possibly several reasons for this. One is that the western world should not bring offence to those having religions other than a Christian religion, so now a compromise has been reached and the abbreviations BCE and CE have been substituted. BCE stands for before the common era and CE stands for common era; the common era representing the era of modernization as opposed to that of the ancient world, which preceded the era of modernization.

Wikipedia offers a long deliberation on AD with respect to calendar time. Currently throughout most of the commercial world, the calendar adopted is the Gregorian calendar. In the write-up, the compositor(s) note that AD generally precedes the numeric part of the calendar date, where indicated for a specific reason, whereas BC forms the suffix of the date in question. However, where such calendar dates are expressed in Who’s Paying Attention? and Watchman! Watchman! What of the Night?, both AD and BC have been included as suffixes. Typical examples are in the table above.

Chapter 9

A Brief Overview of the Revelation Given to St. John the Divine, plus the Book of Revelation Amplified

Preliminary note: the reader is advised to study (or refer to) the Abbreviations and Some Brief Descriptions—where such words/titles/abbreviations are unfamiliar.

Introduction and gist

The Book of Revelation as originally penned by the Apostle John (on the Isle of Patmos in the Greek Archipelago, in the Mediterranean Sea) is not an easy section of Scripture to understand. Here I’m speaking about the Book of Revelation included in the KJV. Many theological scholars have tendered their interpretations—their eisegesis/exegesis of the Book of Revelation. In this instance, I’m using the KJV as the base for my interpretation. Each chapter in my presentation of Revelation begins with a chapter synopsis. This makes it easier to comprehend the chapter and also for quick reference purposes.

I’ve also briefly expounded within my presentation of the Book of Revelation (KJV), which follows after this short overview. However, in this preamble, my objective is to provide a brief discourse on the Book of Revelation, and not an extensive commentary of the Book. It is more beneficial for readers to digest the main aspects of the Bible in the form of a brief outline as a first pass, and then to build on this information, rather than to wade through screeds and screeds of verbosity—as adopted in many commentaries.

According to reliable historians, the revelation given to John the Apostle on the Isle of Patmos took place sometime during the period 90 AD to 96 AD.

The main reasons why John penned the Book of Revelation to the readership—hinged on and expressed the following:

God’s messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor: Their survival and effectiveness as evangelic Christians depended on unswerving united loyalty and profitability to their Lord in all aspects of life. Without continued and absolute dedication to the risen Christ and his gospel—in thought, word, and deed—as per the teachings of their Lord and his appointed apostles, their effectiveness to maintain themselves as a unified body in Christ would disintegrate and soon fade into oblivion, just like the northern Kingdom of Israel did in 722 BC. So all that remains now, in this present day (2016 AD), are the ruins of these early churches in Asia Minor (Turkey). It is noted from sources gleaned that only ruins of six church sites remain, Smyrna excluded. It should also be noted that Turkey is now predominantly Muslim.

God’s commitment to Abraham—to ensure that the sons and daughters of Abraham (according to their human ancestry) have every opportunity to become true children of the living God based on genuine saving faith in Jesus (Y’shua). This opportunity is currently available through the Gospel of Jesus. During the GTP, the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached by the 144,000 Jewish (Israeli) prophets (refer to chapter 7 of Revelation).

(It should be noted that the only born-again Christians to enter the GTP at its onset will be the 144,000 Jewish prophets and possibly God’s Two Witnesses; the rest of humanity will comprise only of unregenerate persons, i.e., those who are not born again by the power of the Holy Spirit of God.)

God’s commitment to Abraham. In keeping with item (b) above, the Father will also allow chastisement during the GTP to ensure that within the level of such chastisement upon this Earth, that as many Israelis (Jews) as possible will come to their senses and accept the preaching of the 144,000 Jewish prophets as legitimate—that the Y’shua of the 144,000 prophets is in fact the true and only Son of God; and by placing their faith in this Y’shua, in such a manner that satisfies the Father’s terms and conditions for eternal salvation, that they will be saved, i.e., he/she that endureth unto the end shall be saved. The chastisement during the GTP meted out against them (Israelis), will come from above and from human means (typically Israel under attack from the surrounding warring nations during the GTP). This is God’s last-ditch attempt before the onset of the millennial rule of Jesus to secure as many Israelites as possible—as true sons and daughters—who will also augment the eternal posterity of Abraham. With respect to Israel, please refer to Zech. 13:8-9. Of course, God wants to secure as many Gentiles too, before the return of Jesus—who will be accompanied by a great cloud of holy angels toward the end of Armageddon. The main purpose of this great cloud of holy angels is for them to assist in protecting the sheep from total annihilation, then to seek out the goats for judgment and then to destroy the unsaved Gentiles as selected by the Holy Spirit. Digressing slightly: It should be noted that those who do not meet God’s criteria for accountability during the GTP, typically little children and mentally retarded will not be condemned. In this instance, caregivers, and in all likelihood selected by the Spirit of God, will be assigned to look after them at the end of the GTP (refer to Jn. 19:26–27); for in separating out the wheat from the tares, the Judge of all the earth shall do right (refer to Gen. 18:25).

God’s commitment to Abraham—to give him