What`s Really Going On?

By Peter Durbin

Is the end near? I have documented in this book what happened before the earth was created and how it has developed into its current state. I continue with a chronological summary of the almost 6000 years since mankind has occupied the earth and explore the forces that have caused many of the world`s battles, including the past and current wars in the Middle East. This book also compares the historic fall of Israel to the potential downfall of the United States and discusses the real reasons we are having the climate change debate, and how this is being used as a platform for world control. I explore how the powerful World Economic Forum is organising a total world reset of many of the things that we hold dear. The book provides a potential timeline of when the end times may commence and the detailed logic behind this reasoning. I also provide an in depth analysis of the end times, and the devastation that is ahead of us. Is it probable that this will occur within the next decade? I believe that this is essential reading for all who are interested in understanding what the future holds for yourself, your family, and for all of humanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Mar 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9798369495483

Peter Durbin

Peter Durbin is a successful businessman, who has operated businesses in the fields of financial planning, investment and funds management, housing, property development and childcare centres. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Newcastle, is an Associate of the Securities Institute of Australia and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Peter has studied widely in the areas of world history, together with economic, spiritual and political events. He has a deep understanding of the forces that are at play in the world today and what they will mean for the future of the world going forward. Peter has been married to his wife Karen for forty years and has three sons and three grandchildren.

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Copyright © 2024 by Peter Durbin.

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Rev. date: 03/14/2024

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CONTENTS

Introduction

PART 1: THE PAST

1     The Plan

2     The Beginning

3     Timeline from Adam

4     Battles of the Past

PART 2: THE PRESENT

5     Bill and Hillary

6     The Decline of the United States

7     The Limited Resources Debate

8     Climate Change and Fossil Fuels

9     The Great Reset

10   The World Economic Forum

PART 3: THE FUTURE

11   What’s Next?

12   Timing

13   The Rapture

14   The Tribulation—The Seven Seal Judgements

15   The Tribulation—The Seven Trumpet Judgements

16   Mid Tribulation Events

17   The Tribulation—The Seven Bowl Judgements

18   Jesus Returns to Earth

19   Jesus’s Thousand-Year Reign on Earth

20   The New Heaven and the New Earth

21   Heaven

22   Hell

PART 4: OUR RESPONSE

23   The Purpose of Life

24   Common Responses

25   A Wise Response

26   Conclusion

Notes

INTRODUCTION

T here are many events in the world today that are of concern to us all. In the pages below, I have detailed what I believe to be the cause of many of these issues, together with what I believe will transpire in the future. To provide context to this, I will delve into the past, which I believe sheds light on both current events and what lies ahead.

A great deal of the content of this book is drawn from the Bible, together with a wide range of other learned sources. I have an inquiring mind, and I like to understand how things work and fit together. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I do believe that God has provided us with answers to many of the questions that are relevant for the world we are currently living in.

There are a wide variety of topics covered below, and you could write multiple books about every chapter that I have included. I have not attempted to provide an in-depth synopsis of every issue I have raised. There are many skilled writers who have already undertaken this. I have, however, provided a summary and overview of many of the areas that I believe are relevant to today’s world. I have put them into one place in the hope this will enable us to connect the dots of what is really going on in our world today.

I would like to say at the outset that many readers may not like some of the content enclosed. I draw comfort from the fact that when Jesus was on this earth, He wasn’t here to win a popularity contest. He was placed here to do as directed by His Father. He was not influenced by others. He simply fulfilled the purpose of His life here on earth. Some embraced His teachings, whilst others despised him. One’s response to Jesus and His Father is one’s individual choice. Some readers may reject the views expressed below, whilst others will experience a lightbulb moment in which all the pieces of the jigsaw fall into place.

Over many years, my areas of interest have focused on world history, current events, and trying to understand what the future holds. I have never been keen on fiction; I have always been enthusiastic about reading content that is factual and important to life. We have an infinite amount of information available to us in a range of formats on any topic imaginable. We can read accounts of the past, present, future, or anything that interests or entertains us. I am certainly not trying to entertain you, but I do hope that what is written here is of interest to you. If you are keen to understand what the future holds for yourself and your family, then the contents below should be of interest.

It is important to note that we are dealing with facts and not fiction in this book. Much of what is detailed below is widely available public information. It includes writings from well-versed and respected authors, together with the wisdom found in the most published book in the world. Yes, much of the content is taken from the Bible, which is the greatest history book the world has ever seen. The Bible also tells us more about the future than any other book has ever done. It is our greatest source of information. I will attempt to link the information provided in the Bible with some more recent sources to provide one cohesive synopsis of what is currently going on in the world and what lies ahead of us.

Please note that I didn’t say what the Bible predicts. God doesn’t predict things. God knows what will occur in the years ahead. He has chosen to provide us with a significant amount of information about these events to enable us to understand what is ahead of us and to make our own decisions about how we wish to deal with this information.

This is not a religious, history, or prophecy book. This is a reality book. Some readers may have had limited exposure to the content provided, whereas others will have greater knowledge. Those with greater knowledge may not have spent time considering the implications of the information they have gained. Those with less knowledge may find the information overwhelming. Some people may be more concerned about what is happening in their day-to-day lives and less concerned with what is going on around them. This is understandable. Whatever your background, I trust that you will find the information enclosed informative and thought-provoking.

I am neither the first nor will I be the last to put these pieces together. I hope I can contribute to enlightening some readers on what is truly happening in our lifetimes. Some will have a belief in what the Bible has recorded, and others will be sceptical. Nevertheless, I do believe that the Bible is the true Word of God, is without fault or error, and should be used as a guiding light to us all.

This book may be a little different to what you have read in the past. I won’t be looking at things from our perspective. I will be looking at things from an outside perspective—from God’s perspective, an observer who can see the big picture from above. It is possible that we may be so focused on our own lives and looking at things from our own perspective that maybe we can’t see the forest for the trees. I hope this book will cause you to look at the world and life from a different perspective.

Looking at things from a broad perspective, the reality is that we didn’t create the universe, nor are we in control of the universe. Yes, we are gaining more knowledge about how the universe works, but we still do not control it. Satan wants us to believe that the universe created itself or that it happened by chance. He wants us to believe that we are in control of the universe and that we can control most everything in the universe, including the weather. We can’t control these things as we are not God. If you believe that the universe created itself or happened by chance, you are effectively accepting Satan’s version of events. This is the popular view and the well-worn path. The gate is wide open to this point of view.

The alternative view is the less-travelled path, and the gate to this view is narrow. This alternate view says that the universe was designed by the world’s greatest architect, God. God is in control of the universe, and one day He will return to earth in person. If we want to consider this path, we need to consider what God has said to us in the past and what He is saying to us now. The best way to consider God’s view is to read what He says to us in the Bible.

God has spent a lot of time trying to communicate with us through many forms, including the Bible and His wonderful creation. Some people will want to understand what God is saying to us whilst others are happy to continue as they are. Some see God’s view and plan as irrelevant to their daily lives. They believe they have better things to do with their time. I believe that spending a few hours considering what God is saying to us is a prudent use of our time. Once we understand the past, it greatly assists us to make sense of current events and what the future holds.

It is important to remember that life is about choices. We have the choice to do whatever we want. Some people make good choices whilst others don’t. Failing to make a choice is making a choice. We must live with our choices, both here on earth and into eternity. I implore you to choose wisely.

I trust that readers will read this book with open minds, as our reaction to the events described herein will affect our lives in this life and beyond.

Finally, there are two certainties in this world: death and taxes. I won’t be discussing taxes. However, I would like to spend some time considering life here on earth and the inevitability of our eventual passing. This book is therefore aimed at people who are alive and who expect to die at some time in the future. If this doesn’t describe your position, then there is no need for you to read this book. Conversely, if you do fit the above criteria, then the content of this book may be of interest to you.

PART I

THE PAST

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CHAPTER 1

THE PLAN

I am looking at the past, present, and future of the world from God’s viewpoint and not our own. The best reference point to access God’s viewpoint is the Bible. Not all readers of this book will be avid readers of the Bible, and some may not believe that the Bible is the true Word of God. Nevertheless, I present below some reasons as to why I believe that the Bible is a reliable document that we can trust.

In my view, the Bible is the greatest history and prophecy book of all time. By way of explanation, a prophecy is the revealing or foretelling of a future event by divine inspiration. The Bible tells us more about the history and the future of the world than any other book has done or will do in the future. A good starting point is to understand what the Bible is and what it is not.

The Bible is called God’s Word, but God didn’t physically write it. The Bible was written over a period of some 1,500 years and by more than thirty-five authors who were inspired by God to write their respective book or books of the Bible. God’s inspiration refers to His direction to the human authors to compose and record His message to humanity in their original writings. He did this in a couple of ways. Sometimes inspiration occurred when God spoke directly to the author. Nevertheless, despite the variety of authors and the time over which the Bible was written, the Bible is totally consistent in its message.

So why should we believe that the Bible is true? Firstly, there is a multitude of physical evidence to confirm that the Bible is historically true. Copies of manuscripts that show that the Bible has been transmitted accurately are still available to be seen today. Archaeological discoveries also support what has been recorded in the Bible, and resources such as the Archaeological Study Bible provide a multitude of examples that prove that the Bible aligns with other historical records.

Some readers may believe parts of the Bible and not other parts. I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, which we can believe to be the truth and that can be fully relied on. I believe that we need to accept all of the Bible’s content. We can’t choose to accept some areas that suit us and reject those that don’t. The Bible also provides material guidance for many aspects of our lives and explanations of many questions that we have.

It is worth noting that the Bible is the best-selling book of all time. This doesn’t guarantee its authenticity, but it does add weight to the fact that a great many people have sought the wisdom of the Bible to provide them knowledge and guidance. When Jesus was on earth, He quoted the Old Testament 283 times, thus adding weight to its authenticity. Just as Jesus accepted the truth of the Bible, we also need to decide if we accept the Bible, Jesus, and God Himself.

God Is Very Detailed, Planned,

Numerical, and Consistent

A good place to start this journey is with God Himself. God has many attributes. It is beyond the scope of this book to cover them all; however, I would like to focus on a few.

We may not spend a lot of time thinking about this, but it is important to understand a little more about God and His plan for the universe. To put this into context, one research study found that 90 per cent of Americans believe in a higher power, but only 56 per cent believe in God as described in the Bible. Twenty-three per cent believe in what is described as some higher spiritual force or power, whilst 19 per cent do not believe in God. Of these people, about half (or 9 per cent of the total surveyed) do believe in a higher spiritual force or power, whilst the other half (10 per cent of the total) do not believe in any higher spiritual form or power.¹

I believe that God always was and always will be. We may struggle with this concept, because in human terms, everything has a beginning and an end. This is evidenced in Psalm 90:2, which says:

Before the mountains were born

or you brought forth the whole world,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Isaiah 55:9 also provides some insights that may assist us to think about this further:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,"

declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Another analogy is to compare the thoughts of an ant to those of a human. Human thoughts are far more complex and different in nature to those of an ant. Similarly, the thoughts of God and His ways are far higher than ours. We should not try to put ourselves equal to God, as we are not equal to Him.

God Is a Planner

For reasons that I will detail later in this book, God decided to create the earth and to place humans on the earth to inhabit it. His plan was to create people for the purpose of sharing His love, grace, and kindness with us. People were created to love God and one another.

Additionally, God provides us with work to do so that we might experience His goodness and reflect His image in the way that we care for the world and for one another. When Adam and Eve sinned against God in Genesis 3, it formed a fracture in God’s plan and our relationship with Him.

God’s creation of earth and humankind was certainly a planned event. It didn’t just happen by chance. The contents of this book demonstrate that God had a master plan from before He created the earth. The plan is extremely detailed and well considered.

We should not confuse the concept of God’s planning and construe this to mean that God will control our every decision. Yes, God has a plan, but He has given us the free will to live outside His desired plan.

A large component of this book discusses how Satan and many humans have chosen to live outside of God’s plan, which is causing many of the problems that the world continues to experience today. In contrast to this, I have detailed what God’s plan is for humanity during our time on earth and into eternity.

God Is Detailed

It is almost beyond our comprehension to understand the detail that God conceived when He created the universe, the earth, and the people who inhabit it. Earth is the only planet that humans can occupy that we know about at this time. As detailed in Genesis 1, our earth was created by God specifically for the use of humans. God created the air that we breathe, which is only available within a limited range of the earth’s surface. He created all the elements that make up our planet, including minerals, chemicals, gases, and liquids. He created a myriad of animals, including creatures that fly and species that live in the water. He created an almost unending range of plants for our use and enjoyment. He created planets and stars that are countless and so remote that we can hardly imagine the distances involved. We are still to this day discovering more and more animal species, insects, plants, sea life, and planets.²

Within each of these categories, the design and workings are extremely complex, and we are still trying to understand many of them. As an example, the human brain has an amazing capability, about which we are continuing to develop our understanding.³

When I look around at the wonderful world God has created, I am in awe at the splendour and beauty that is in front of me. Whilst some will disagree with this, I find it far easier to believe that there is a master Designer of this world that we live in, and I find it incomprehensible to think that this just happened by chance.⁴

God’s Use of Numbers

There are seemingly countless examples of how God uses the same number for a variety of purposes. For example, consider the number seven.

Seven

In the Bible, the number seven often symbolises resting, completion, perfection, exoneration, healing, and the fulfilment of promises and oaths. Genesis 1 and 2 tell us that God created the heavens and the earth in six days. Upon completion, God rested on the seventh day. In this situation, the number seven signifies a fully completed creation.

God advises us in the Bible that He gave us six days during which we can choose to work and a seventh day to rest, thus forming a complete week. This is the same seven-day cycle according to which God developed the earth into a habitable form. As detailed in Hebrews 4, God invites us to enter His rest on the seventh day of the week.

Many of the numbers used in biblical times had a deeper meaning. The number seven appears more than seven hundred times in the Bible and is used repeatedly in the book of Revelation. Examples of where the number seven is included in the Bible include:

• Seven pairs of clean animals were taken onto the ark. This is detailed in Genesis 7:2: Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate.

• Leviticus 25:8: Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years.

• Naaman was told to bathe in the Jordan river seven times to be completely cleaned: Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed’ (2 Kings 5:10).

• Joshua was told to march around the city of Jericho for seven days, and then on the seventh day to walk around the city seven times. This is detailed in Joshua 6:2–4: And the LORD said to Joshua: ‘See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valour. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.’

• In Daniel 9:24, Daniel predicts a period of seventy times seven years of punishment to the Israelites for their sins: "Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal