Chapter 6

Bible prophecies are like strewn bits of a complex jigsaw puzzle— too many pieces to fit together to complete a picture. However, as many as the biblical prophecies are teachings and warnings to prepare us with the coming tribulation and Day of the Lord These days are the times of repentance . . . no one could really spend life above things more than spiritual preparedness specially this last generation. These are what the prophets stressed more than the terrible days of God’s wrath, the Omega.

The Day of the Lord, the seventh year is the last part of the Last Seven Years of Daniel. Since the seventh day is the Sabbath, the day of rest, the seventh year is also the Sabbath year, the rest for the Lord or simply the Day of the Lord. It actually lasts for one year.

“For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause.” (Isaiah34:8).

The Day of the Lord is even more terrifying than the Days of Tribulation of Revelation 7:14-15. These are two different times. The tribulation period covers a time span of six years and within that six years there are 1,260 days, the reign of the evil ruler of the "New World". This evil ruler disguised as the "Messiah" is one that the bible calls the antichrist. But Jesus Himself warned that it is better for us to experience the wrath of the antichrist rather than the wrath of God.

Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light-- pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? (Amos 5:18-20)

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.

Chapter 8 of the book of Revelation speaks of a huge mountain-size object striking the sea followed by a great “star” falling down to earth. The impact will definitely send fumes, sulfuric gases and water vapor into the atmosphere that will eventually cover the whole earth and block off sunlight for months (v. 12). Experience shows that such a similar catastrophe in prolonged period will result to a drop in world temperature, maybe in bigger scale will cause winter even in many winterless regions on the earth. None of the heavenly bodies will be visible (Matt 24:29). So the Day of the Lord will be total darkness and very cold winter. Those days will also be days of flames, total destruction and burning of elements...

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat (2Pet 3:10-12).

The warning of Jesus implies that we should rather be saved dying in defense of our faith in God in the hands of the antichrist rather than be overtaken by His own coming without repenting. When we see the earthquakes, clouds and darkness and fire, know that the Sabbath has come, the Lord has come for our redemption.

But before we proceed with the events of God’s vengeance, let us first follow God’s own wonderful activities during the tribulation in preparation for His return.

Prior to the Day of the Lord, even during the tribulation period, God will send someone to prepare the way for His Second Coming. When Jesus first came to earth in flesh, John the Baptist prepared the way for Him, declaring to all to repent (Matt 3:1-2). John the Baptist was actually Elijah the Prophet (Matt 11:13-14):

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.

In Malachi 4:5 however, also prophesies of Elijah’s return but not in the first coming of Jesus but before the day of vengeance, the Day of the Lord.

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. (Mal 4:5)

Elijah was therefore commissioned to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus twice, before the first coming and before His return, the Day of the Lord.

Two prophets appeared with Jesus during His transfiguration on the mountain— they were Moses and Elijah. Moses had already died many centuries before that event. Elijah did not die but taken up to heaven alive and if you are familiar with the Gospel, he died as John the Baptist. What does their appearance with transfigured Jesus mean to us? These two great prophets have tasks to do to complete the work of Jesus in the days of vengeance so as to fulfill the “confirmation of the covenant”.

During the tribulation proper or the 1,260 days reign of the antichrist, God will send two witnesses. Their story is written in Revelation 11. As their title implies, they shall be witnesses for God to bring testimony to all peoples, warn people of their sins and repent just as John the Baptist did. Who are these men who have great powers? Observe their abilities:

“These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.” (Rev 11:6).

There is only one person in the Bible who was given that power to shut up the sky so that it would not rain for years and he is Elijah . . . the prophet who is to come again. Read:

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” (1 King 17:1).

Just as there was only one man in the Bible who was given the power to send plagues just as turning water into blood in full view of all people and he is Moses.

The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt— over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs’— and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars.” (Exodus 7:19).

Evidently the two witnesses in the last days will be Moses and Elijah. Their specific jobs will be as exactly as what they did during their original stay on earth. Elijah warned Ahab, a wicked king of Israel about his sins. Elijah never tasted death (2Kings 2:11-12), returned later as John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord (Matt 17:12-13). In the same way Elijah will warn those coming wicked kings ruling over the new Israel just as he warned Herod during the time of Jesus (Matt 14:3-5). He shall also preach repentance and prophecy to prepare the way of the Lord. His place of assignment is either the country of Israel or Europe.

Moses will do the same as he did in Egypt. Egypt, which is now the United States, will be his place of assignment. Its king will then be the beast coming from the Abyss, the antichrist and now ruling as Pharaoh. He will hold many people captives and slaves just what had happened in old Egypt refusing to let them go.

“...the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?” (Isaiah 14:17).

He will campaign for the release of God’s people while sending plagues as often as he wishes. Now the story of Exodus will crop up in our minds and it will happen again but this time in a grand scale.

Be warned again for here is Satan’s big deception. While they perform miracles to show proof beyond doubt about the power of God, fragile believers must be warned about the pre-written deception of the devil supposedly demonstrating that he is more powerful. After the two witnesses will have accomplished their mission, the beast, the antichrist and also the “Pharaoh” who will come back from the Abyss will attack them and kill them. Read:

“Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.” (Rev 11:7-10).

We now understand that Abyss or Bottomless Pit is the biblical symbol for death or grave. To come up from the Abyss simply means coming back from the grave, death or to resurrect. The antichrist by then has already been from the grave unleashing his full fury against Christians.

Peoples will rejoice about their deaths for they were responsible for the drought, the famine, the plagues and even the death of the firstborns of the unbelievers. God allowed His witnesses to look like defeated to test the faith of all peoples and again, to fulfill the Scriptures:

He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people (Dan 8:24).

We had already identified this great city as the seat of the antichrist, New York. Note that the Bible calls places now by their roots or origin and Egypt is the name of USA, figuratively, the land of Manasseh.

Moses is to die in US mainland while Elijah will die the second time in Jerusalem, the site of Christ’s crucifixion (Rev 11:8).

Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

Many are confused thinking that the above verse is describing only one specific place. Jerusalem cannot be described as Sodom since it is the city of the Lord. There are two places in the verse in two separate continents, the great city is New York City and the other is the old city, Jerusalem, the place of Christ's crucifixion.

Understand now how the bible accurately foretold the destiny of old nations? Here's another proof that the prophecies are accurate to our days. Egypt is definitely America and New York is not only traditionally called the Big Apple but also as the world’s modern-day Sodom. The old Sodom was the kingdom of strange spirits, of gays and homosexuals. Gay Pride, a celebration of homosexuality was founded in New York City in 1969.


Gay Liberation Front Poster, New York 1970, and right, the Stonewall Inn in New York City, the birthplace of Gay Liberation Front and Gay Pride. Source: Wikipedia Encyclopedia

After three and one-half days, God will resurrect them to everlasting life (Rev 7:11-12) followed by a great earthquake, v.13:

At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Their death and resurrection also signal the end of the tribulation period and the dawn of the Day of the Lord. Those who are still left on earth or those who have failed the trials of God shall have worse agonies to suffer.

Jesus Christ said that before His return, the gospel of the kingdom must first be preached to all peoples (Matt 24:14) and yet Jesus himself revealed that men alone will not be able to finish the so called Great Commission until He comes (Matt 10:23). Shortly before Jesus arrives, God through an angel shall perform the great commission Himself as testimony to all nations.

“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth— to every nation, tribe, language and people.” (Rev 14:6).

During those times, every nation will hear about the gospel from the angel, the two witnesses and from true believers leaving no one with excuse they did not hear about the Good News. Every tribe, language shall be saturated with the news of God’s great salvation. The evils of the great prostitute and all counterfeit religious sects shall be exposed resulting to repentance and conversions to true Christianity (Rev 14:8). Another angel will give a warning not to worship the image of the beast and receive his mark on the hand and on the forehead (Rev 14:9-10).

By then, the antichrist shall unleash his fullest fury and annihilate many knowing he has a short time left (Rev 12:12). On the “eleventh hour” the antichrist will give orders to his ten kings to have complete control on the ten regions of the earth (Rev 17:12) and kill all even lukewarm believers in Christ (v.16). Then the dreadful Day of the Lord will finally come.

The word "rapture" is the traditional term Christians used pertaining to the saved being snatched off from the earth to escape the Tribulation Period. But the word rapture can not be found in the bible. It is the term to mean "caught up together with them (the resurrected dead in Christ) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" which is in 1Thessalonians 4:17.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

This is verse is in fact the same in meaning with 1Corinthians 15:51-53 which is about the transformation of the body from physical to spiritual and obviously will happen during the Lord's Second Coming:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

The question now is, when will this event going to take place? Is it before, within or after the tribulation period? Let's hold off the answer for now but let's use the same word "rapture" but this book has a bigger, more dramatic meaning for the word. The prophecy on 1Thes 4:17 will be explained later in this chapter. Prior to the tribulation proper and 3½ years before the Day of the Lord, many blessed souls shall be snatched off from the earth by God and be taken to a place of refuge “out of the serpent’s reach”.

They will be given protection by God and therefore will not suffer the last fury of the antichrist. Take note that this rapture does not include all Christians but only the chosen ones to serve a great and divine purpose. This will be made clear later.

But the Lord Jesus will not yet appear at this time since the Lord will come only when all things are already accomplished and the time of tribulation is completed, that is, until the 3½ years or 42 months that is decreed for the saints to suffer is over.

Others think that the rapture will occur before the tribulation period or before the start of the "Last Seven Years". Nowhere in the bible that points out directly that Christians will escape the tribulation. Read very carefully about the warning of our Lord Jesus in Matt 24:9-22. He was giving the warning to the Christians living during the last days before His Second Coming. That message is clearly not for the lost. Read yourself what Jesus said ...

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel-- let the reader understand-- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now-- and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

So it's clear that this warning is for Christians and to those who shall be converted during the reign of the antichrist. And if those elect shall stand firm to the end, they shall be saved. In fact, the Lord had cut those days of suffering short for the sake of the elect. Be warned again therefore that the rapture shall not occur before the Tribulation Period because this will raise false hope to all Christians awaiting for this divine intervention. These verses will also prove to us that the elect shall suffer under the antichrist during the tribulation period.

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

So it is clear that it is perfect God's will that we remain on earth even in worst tribulation because if we suffer, we suffer with Him and great is our reward in heaven. Again Christians should be warned of false hope that Christ will rescue them from tribulation... except for those who will be snatched off to the "Desert" or "Wilderness".

As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom......He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. (Dan 7:21...25)

He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. (Dan 8:24)

The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days... The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach... Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring-- those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (Rev 12:6, 14, 17)

Note very well the words in the last verse above-- "...and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring." Apparently there is a partial rapture and only some of the Christian shall be taken to safety "out of the serpent's reach" during this particular rapture. Actually, the bible wrote about three raptures and the rapture to the "desert" is the first one, I call the First Rapture. What desert? Where do I based it from? This rapture is when the chosen will be taken into a “Desert”, a place of refuge and protection from the wrath of the devil. Some say the chapter is a figure of speech, a symbol only. To some extent, it's true. Read the whole of Chapter 12 in the book of Revelation. So be warned that the woman in Revelation 12 is not the "Virgin Mary" as some believe but symbolic which is the embodiment of all the chosen whom the Savior died for. The 12 stars are the 12 tribes of Israel and the child is Jesus Christ. The devil’s purpose is to pursue and destroy them, wherever they went. This exactly describes the adventures of the nation Israel and all those blessed with the great promises from the days of the patriarchs until the end of age. In the last days, read God’s salvation:

The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. (Rev 12:14, emphasis, mine).

Now, let's find out more about prophecies about the "Desert". Here, remember the word in emphasis, desert. Furthermore, read this account from the book of Ezekiel 20:33-38, again, note the phrase, desert of nations:

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will rule over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered— with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you into the desert of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you. As I judged your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

Is it clearer? These passages are prophecies, certainly did not yet happen in scriptures or in history— this is a prophecy for the future when God gathers all His people from all corners of the globe. It does not necessarily mean that all those who will be taken into God’s protection are pure and sinless. Actually, that is why they had to be taken into the desert— to purify or refine them. Another of course is to keep them safe from the wrath of the antichrist. Staying in the wilderness for long period and be tested had been the biblical and typical process before one’s entry into God’s ministry. Both Jesus Christ and Paul went to the desert or wilderness prior to the start of their ministries (Matt 4:1, Gal 1:17). Notice also that this particular event also duplicates the ancient event of the Israelites spending forty (40) years in the desert without ever reaching the Promise Land because of their unbelief. In the same way, God will cleanse all men of their sins and learn the ways of the Lord for 3½ years in order to prepare them spiritually before their entry to the Promise Land. Daniel himself had written down the event in Daniel 11:35:

“Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.”

Now, why is it that in the prophecies these raptured, deserving Christians will only be protected for specific time of 3½ years or 42 months or 1,260 days? Simply because it is the decreed time for the devil to have authority over all peoples (Rev 13:5-7) including Christians who will be left behind by the First Rapture.

Now, where is this “Desert of the Nations” or the last day wilderness? Desert and wilderness are used interchangeably or have similar meaning in the bible. If it is neither heaven nor the Promised Land, where is it? The book of Isaiah will reveal all.

The Desert of Nations is a place of purification of the elect. They will stay there for 1,260 days (42 months or 3½ years) safe from the serpent’s reach. Moreover, they will be called out from the countries not only for cleansing and learning God’s ways. They will serve a great purpose prepared by God for them to accomplish. Nothing more is written about these Christians taken into the wilderness but there is a wonderful thing happening after the three and a half years or forty two months of being purified in the wilderness. Let us discover that out.

The following verses provide clues. Let us look what happens ahead and link the relationship between places and events...

The prophet Joel also spoke of God’s very powerful army. In Joel 2:1-3 it says:

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand-- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. ‘Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. Before them—fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste—nothing escapes them.”

In verse 1, it indicates the time setting, which is the Day of the Lord which is after the tribulation period and that is also after the 3½ years or 42 months or 1,260 days are over. Who composes this God’s army of the last days-- are they angels? The Book of Isaiah has the answers.

Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my holy ones; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—those who rejoice in my triumph. Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war. They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of his wrath—to destroy the whole country. Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man’s heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame (Isa 13:2-8).

Again, this is a prophecy for our time, the last days. So here they are, the large and mighty army. They are the holy ones of God, those who rejoice in His triumph. They are like nations massing together. It sounds they number like millions, an army of millions! Then if this is the army of God who rejoices in His triumph, then they must be legion of angels. But notice in v. 5: They came from faraway lands, from the ends of heavens. That means they are not angels but men from faraway lands since angels do not live on land but in heaven. From the end of heavens mean the farthest horizon, from all the nations of the earth. Jesus our Lord used the same term end of the heavens to mean the whole world (Matt 24:31) And what is the relation anyway of this army with the Desert of Nations that we are trying to identify? The answer lies on identifying the location of the Desert of Nations? Isaiah 5:26-30 tells us further:

“He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily! Not one of them grows tired or stumbles, not one slumbers or sleeps; not a belt is loosened at the waist, not a sandal thong is broken. Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses’ hoofs seem like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind. Their roar is like that of the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to rescue. In that day they will roar over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be darkened by the clouds.”

The day of darkness indicates the same time setting, the Day of the Lord. The chosen people from the ends of the earth will be God’s army of war against the enemies of God. How sure are we that these are the same chosen people that were taken away to the Desert of the Nations? Before the second fall of Babylon in the Day of the Lord, Isaiah had prophesied that its invader or God’s army should come from the Desert of the Sea. Read Isaiah 21:1:

Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror. A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.”

Take note that these are prophecies only to occur in the last days-- see verse 9 further down which says Babylon has fallen, has fallen! which is the same as in Revelation 18:2. Besides, Elam and Media are symbolic referring to the invaders of Babylon. An invader through the Southlands naturally will come from the north of that land but ancient Elam and Media were east of Babylon. Isaiah calls these last days Elam and Media the Desert by the Sea (in some manuscripts, of the Sea), the land of terror. Is this Desert of the Nations the same as Desert of the Sea? In Daniel 11:44, it spoke of the antichrist alarmed by the great army from the east and the north (in today's language, northeast).

But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many (Dan 44:11).

Greenland is more than eighty percent covered with ice, a real wilderness—a "Desert of (by) the Sea!". Here is the site of refuge of those worthy to escape the tribulation to be purified and prepared to become the Holy Army of the Lord.

Read also Jeremiah 50:41-44. Point to a map directly northeast of the antichrist’s seat or throne, New York City. There is no land northeast of New York City except Greenland! The line may pass over the coast of Canada but what is particularly implied is a land not easily accessible. How could it be a desert since Greenland is a large island of ice. Greenland itself is a misnomer for there is practically no greeneries or plant life on much of the island. It might not be a desert but certainly closer as a desert or wilderness of the sea! In the Bible, desert and wilderness are used interchangeably. Greenland is almost desolate, more than eighty percent of the area is perennially covered with ice and mist. Indeed it is a biblical wilderness and spiritual desert! The Desert of the Sea of Isaiah 21:1 is the desert of the nations of Ezekiel 20:35 which is also the desert of refuge in the Book of Revelation! There is no other place . . . it should be Greenland if the bible is to be credible and consistent with modern geography. Israel went through the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. In the last days, the chosen shall go through the same process!

So the armies of God are the same people purged clean of their sins in the “desert”. God will amass His troops in the island of Greenland, the Desert of Nations and prepare them for battle against the antichrist, against Babylon or Egypt and all his hordes. This is clearly the replay of Joshua’s invasion of nations after they had journeyed forty years in the wilderness. This is another part of the covenant confirmed for our sake who doubted the Scriptures!

Greenland was inhabited by Eskimo bands before the European contact. It was under the Danish control in 14^th century and in June 5, 1953, Greenland was designated an integral part of the Danish kingdom with representations from Danish parliament, although since 1979 it has enjoyed home rule (The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia R. 6, CD-ROM). What does this mean? Let us first understand that Denmark is one of the tribes of Israel that somehow preserved its name to the last day after their father, Dan, son of Jacob. They had this tradition of naming their captured lands with a suffix of “Dan” or simply “Dan”. Read Joshua 19:47, Judges 18:12,29. Denmark simply means “border district of the Danes”. During the 9^th century the name Denmark was used for the first time (The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia R. 6, CD-ROM). Visit also Wikipedia information on Greenland. Those 9^th century Danes who named their country “Denmark” may never knew that they had simply preserved their forefathers’ tradition. God had a purpose. With Greenland as its territory, it will fulfill the prophecy about Dan in the last days. Read now Gen 49:16-18:

“Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.”

What a very accurate prophecy. Now we have solved Greenland’s mystery and the prophecy about Dan. Jacob was in Spirit speaking this prophecy and he cannot help uttering the words “I look for your deliverance, O LORD”. Greenland is a place that will bring terror to the kingdom of antichrist, the Babylon which is also Egypt to Israel. This Dan’s territory is perfectly northeast of New York, USA which is the future site of antichrist’s throne. Dan will truly sponsor the training ground for God’s soldiers, numbering to millions assembled from the nations of the earth. Hallelujah!

Now read further this prophecy of the prophet Zechariah concerning Greenland, the land of the North:

The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.” When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth. Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north.”

This prophecy had put emphasis on the black horse heading toward the North Country, and to the author, this is the Desert of Nations. Black is the color of death or grave, the Abyss or Bottomless Pit. Greenland, now also a country is in the north hemisphere close to the north pole, the site for the preparation of the Sabbath, the seventh year, the Day of the Lord, the day of vengeance, the rest for God’s people and God’s own Spirit. They will provide justice to the oppressed as surely as prophesied.

“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s enemies will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim. They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will lay hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.”

Here, the peoples that were snatched off to the desert and to fight against the enemies of God are identified. Indeed the prophecy of Revelation 12, speaking of the same rapture, involved only the twelve tribes of Israel. Isaiah, in the verses above identified them also as the exiles of Israel from all over the world and the scattered people of Judah. Remember that the old kingdom of Israel was later divided into two parts after King Solomon sinned-- The House of Israel to the North and the House of Judah to the South. For a review, click here. But since there in no more distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles in the new covenant, will the first rapture also include the saved Gentiles? It is a desert of nations, meaning many nations not just the nation of Israel. But only God knows.

The Desert of Nations is a place of purification as well as a place of rest for God's Spirit and this place of rest will be glorious (Isa 11:10). They will stay there for 1,260 days (42 months or 3½ years) to the resting place that is glorious but to the sinners, it is the black horse of death. God’s warriors shall swoop down on the enemy to possess all lands. This will be the true and complete fulfillment of God’s birthright promise to Abraham (Gen 22:15-18). The places mentioned here simply identify the original names of territories of peoples in the past. Their number has since grown so big and their territories expanded to all four corners of the globe while retaining their identities only God now knows.

How many soldiers are there in the army of God? How do they fight against the enemy in the great and dreadful Day of the Lord?

We now scan through the book of the other prophets. The book of Joel just like the book of Revelation is the book about the Day of the Lord and prior to this event. It provides in detail many events surrounding the Second Coming of Christ. Let us read Joel 2:4-6, 10-11:

They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale.

Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.

Only God inflicts harm and pain during the Day of the Lord. The antichrist then will be terribly shaken, helpless and harmless, defeated by the breath of God Himself. Again, contrary to what many believe, the angel of the Abyss is not the Devil but a Destroying Angel. Notice that the pain inflicted by the Destroying Angel on the sinners lasted for five months but will not cause death. That was purposely done to give them enough chance for repentance and eventually their salvation, if that is still possible. Those tortured shall seek death but will not find it (Rev 9:6). Their covenant with death shall fail (Isa 28:18-19). The prophet Daniel foresaw the event and identified the destroying Angel:

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people— everyone whose name is found written in the book— will be delivered.” (Dan 12:1).

The Angel of Death was no other than Michael, the archangel who heads the army of God, he is the Apollyon, the Abaddon which means the Destroyer. He is the same angel riding in a chariot with black horses heading toward the North Country in Zechariah 6:1-8.

Now the book of Revelation counts the exact number of the army and the date and time of the coming of the Day of the Lord also exactly predetermined:

And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. (Rev 9:15-16).

200,000,000! Apparently, many of the afflicted of the first woe did not repent. They certainly lost salt-value and God finally kills the third of mankind. The staggering count of the army could not be possibly amassed either by a big nation or by alliances especially during the time of extreme distress, darkness and confusion. This is certainly the work of God!

Now notice that the book of Revelation also calls the place as the Abyss or the Bottomless Pit and out from it emerges God’s army of millions (Rev 9:1-3). Why?

We should understand that the spiritual desert is a cleansing place of believers as written in Ezekiel 20:30-38. These believers are already clean but still need further refinement in order to be spiritually fit working for the cause of the Lord and enter His rest. The process is the same as we do to a brown sugar. Although it is already sweet, still needs to be refined with heat, boiled into a sparkling, pure white powder, in the same way as pure gold was heated to a very high temperature to remove the impurities. So what does God normally do when He purifies people? If you say repentance, accepting Jesus and be baptized then you are right . . . but more. Those people taken into the spiritual desert shall undergo just the same process but now directly under the rod of God— and they shall be judged and continue with pure teachings. They shall be baptized by fire (Holy Spirit). How?

They shall be baptized by fire or by the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11). Jesus Christ, as an example to follow, received the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, His apostles in tongues of fire but those refined in the desert will receive the Holy Spirit through a star falling from the sky, a giant fireball that will literally and directly strike down on them such as never been in all history of the baptism of fire. This is the “star” named Wormwood (Rev 8:10; 9:1-4) that will strike Greenland in a gigantic flash. The star is actually a living creature from heaven. Star is actually just another name for an angel or a cherub (Isa 14:12 and notice Rev 9:1)). Also note that the same star is the angel of Revelation 20:1.

A huge fireball from the sky shall strike Greenland marking the baptism of fire for the raptured, signaling the start of the Day of the Lord while causing a great earthquake of unprecedented magnitude to the whole world.

The heat of this huge fireball will vaporize much of the ice and water of the island sending thick fumes, sulfuric smoke and gases to the atmosphere that will cause total darkness (Rev 9:2) and extremely cold winter (Isa 28:20) over all the earth. Meanwhile, those who were just baptized with fire in the spiritual desert have just “died”, or have just undergone a twinkle-of-an-eye transformation from perishable to imperishable— bodies that can never die (Read John 3:5, 12:24, 1Cor 15:50-52). Regardless of how quick the transformation is, it is still from death to life. Everyone had to experience death in order to enter God’s rest.

The army of the Lord will therefore literally pass through the grave or death and the Bible calls it the Abyss or the Bottomless Pit. And so the spiritual desert of Greenland is also the Abyss or simply put, the graveyard of the purified.

That is the meaning of Revelation 9:1-2. The star is actually an angel from heaven having the “key to the shaft of Abyss” (Rev 20:1). That key is from Jesus Himself who had the power over life and death (Rev 1:18). Only God can perform such a transformation, only God can bring one back from death to eternal life (1Cor 15:55-57), and only He can prevent one from physical death (Rev 9:6) and so this term “key to the shaft of the Abyss”— the power over death, the power of resurrection. So ‘key’ is symbolic meaning to open, set free . . . to free from death.

Then this army of God shall be immediately sent forth to the ends of the earth to punish the sinners for them to repent and give them chance of salvation. Take note, that the star mentioned here is not the devil as some will argue. This event will happen in the Day of the Lord and that's why only the sinners who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads will be tortured. Still, those men tortured by this army of God will not repent.

They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev 9:4).

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood-- idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts (Rev 9:20-21).

Now we understand why the antichrist has a reason to be alarmed-- he is powerless against God's army.

Greenland is immediately northeast of New York, the seat of the antichrist. The defeat of the antichrist, the collapse of his city and his kingdom, Babylon are clearly revealed in the book of Revelation 18:8-10:

Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
      death, mourning and famine.
   She will be consumed by fire,
      for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
   " 'Woe! Woe, O great city,
      O Babylon, city of power!
   In one hour your doom has come!'

In the meantime, how about those who were not taken away, those who were left behind to suffer the tribulation? What will happen to them?

Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring-- those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (Rev 12:17)

They will not be absolutely hopeless. As long as they have breath, they shall have hope even though they suffer in the hands of the antichrist. “...but he who stands firm to the end shall be saved” (Matt 24:12). Read also Revelation 7:14.

Those who suffered at the hands of the antichrist will yearn for the coming of their Savior just like when the Hebrews in Egypt cried out to God for help to ease their sufferings at the hands of the cruel Pharaoh. The story will be reenacted and Moses himself will set the captives of the modern day Pharaoh free. The Passover shall also be reenacted. Compare Isaiah 26:20 with Exodus 12:22-23.

About the start of the Day of the Lord, at the end of 1,260 days decreed as suffering of the Christians, the remnants of the chosen people of God shall be called out in an extraordinary way. At the close of the tribulation and series of plagues, time has come for the Great Exodus, the Second Rapture.

Also before the second rapture, the antichrist will not let this captives freed such as this prophecy in the book of Isaiah which tells of a scenario similar to the times of Moses when the Pharaoh of Egypt refuses to release the Israelites:

Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?" (Isa 14:16-17)

But immediately after the 3½ years or 42 months or 1260 days decreed for the antichrist to rule over the chosen are over, the Lord Jesus will gather His elect from across the globe.

“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:6-7).

Greenland is north and east of New York where the tent of the antichrist is. Greenland shall be the training ground for God’s army. It will alarm the antichrist who will by then turn his fury against the rest of the saints.

This includes now not only the Israelites but all people that are called by the name of God— Christians. They shall be all gathered from everywhere. Everyone even the blind, lame and pregnant mothers will be included (Jer 31:8), none shall be left behind (Ezek 39:28). Now read this very encouraging word of the Lord:

For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness (Ezek 34:11-12).

Understand that the verse above will occur during the day of of clouds and darkness, meaning this particular rapture will happen during the Day of the Lord and not during or before the tribulation period. Global darkness is one of the signs of the Lord's Second Coming (Amos 5:18; Zeph 1:15; Matt 24:29).

“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” (Matt 24:40-41).

Men working in the field and women grinding with the hand mill explain the scenario during those times. Imagine that it will be in the tribulation period and there will be droughts, plagues and famine. People will be working very hard in order to eat. As Jesus said, if those days had not been cut short, no one will survive (Matt 24:22).

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isa 30:18-21).

This concerns people who had experience the tribulation and particularly those who had patience to wait and had called out to God for deliverance. The author believes that the term “way” is literal because the elect for sure had already known the spiritual way, the way of salvation which is Jesus who is the way to the Father (John 14:6). After having just suffered the tribulation, the teachers will lead them first out from the land of captivity and affliction toward the Promised Land following the way that God will show them Read the Old Testament pattern in Exodus 13:21-24.

Contrary to the First Rapture, those who will be taken off by the Second Rapture will not be taken away instantaneously into heaven or wherever. Instead, they will be commanded to walk and follow a certain "Way". Guides and teachers will assist the chosen because by that time clouds and darkness will begin to cover the earth. They will be called out to walk in the literal “way”. There shall be teachers who shall guide them— who are they? It says they were hidden before. I believe they are the prophets themselves, great people of the Bible assisting God in the last day Exodus. Amen! Others will just hear a voice calling them to walk in the “way” as Jesus Himself put it, the other simply left. The rest will not be able to hear the voice from heaven. It will come in a sudden and many will be caught unprepared. Then just like the days of old, darkness will come but for the elect, there will be light to guide them along the way towards home, in the the Promised Land which is Jerusalem.

The “way” is the path of the Exodus toward the Promised Land, the original land flowing with milk and honey, the land of Canaan promised to Abraham (Read Isa 11:16). Now the route is much longer covering the entire globe wherever there are Christians.

Darkness will be over the whole earth and fire from God begins to destroy the elements and the enemies of God.

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men (2Pet 3:7).

It will be like in the days of Moses— darkness and light will separate the sinners from the chosen (Exodus 14:20) and they will be secured and protected from harm. Now read:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (Isaiah 43:2 ).

Is it not wonderful that those who have endured the tribulation and had waited for God’s deliverance will become imperishable? The earth will then be burning as the Lord is destroying it with fire but the chosen shall not be affected by the flames.

If this is like the old Exodus then there should be a dividing of the sea. Definitely yes and in a much bigger sea, deeper and with mightier power from God! The sea should still be between Egypt and the Promised Land. Read these prophecies:

“The LORD Almighty will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt.” (Isa 10:26 ).

“And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the Earth and were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth . . .” (Rev 9:3). These are the army of God 200 million strong going forth over the earth fresh from the baptism of fire from the Desert of the Sea, Greenland to destroy it bringing pain to sinners in a last recourse for them to repent.

“The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in sandals.” (Isa 11:15).

“I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away.” (Zech 10:10-12).

Now again, Egypt is not the ancient Egypt anymore but the USA. The Nile is a great river in the mainland. Nor the gulf of the Egyptian sea cannot be the Red (or Reed) Sea anymore. Following the path toward Jerusalem is a thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean, Europe even crossing the Euphrates River and down to the south, the Land of Canaan and finally Jerusalem. The author believes that the gulf of the Egyptian Sea is no other than the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the sea of trouble. It will be parted for the chosen from the west to walk through dry ground.

The journey is more than a thousand miles to the destination— arduous and burdensome. But here’s God’s answer:

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isa 40:30-31).

Praise the Lord! By this time all the elect will recall the days of old, the days of Moses. A covenant confirmed!

“Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people— where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them, who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for himself everlasting renown, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in open country, they did not stumble; like cattle that go down to the plain, they were given rest by the Spirit of the LORD. This is how you guided your people to make for yourself a glorious name.” (Isaiah 63:11-14).

Now the verse above is a prophecy which is still to happen. Salvation of the chosen will come in the same manner as the Lord God Almighty did in Egypt, now in much bigger scale and magnitude spanning continents culminating in Jerusalem.

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God." ( Zech 8:7-8)

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls (Joel 2: 31-32).

God has a purpose why He will gather His people to Jerusalem. There, Jesus Christ our Savior will exercise His awesome power against His enemies in full view of all nations. This will be discuss further below.

A thousand-mile journey will take around months by foot to travel. It will be still very dark all over the earth. Before the antichrist knew it, the chosen ones by now have already arrived in the Promise Land peacefully resettled but without walls and utterly defenseless. He will do the same as the Pharaoh of old Egypt did— he will pursue the Christians and will intend to kill them all.

The elect who were gathered from many nations and has arrived in Jerusalem from long journeys through the Great Exodus will now meet the Lord in the air. This is now the Third Rapture referred to in 1Thess 4:16-17.

The third rapture is the same as the final harvest time when the Lord Jesus shall finally send forth His angels with a loud trumpet call to gather all His elect. The account above is the same as the event below as foretold by Jesus Himself.

At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other (Matt 24:30-31).

We must take note that this is the only time and manner that Christ will descend and appear to all men. This is the very moment of the Second Coming. Many in those days will falsely inform others about the place and time of His coming and that is why He warned us of false Christs (Matt 24:26). This is the manner how He will come again:

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:10-11)

The Lord Jesus provided us with another clue about the time of His Second Coming...

Why? Because the Second Coming is a day of great slaughter of mankind. It shall happen when Jesus will be defending Jerusalem against the enemies to attack it. After the elect has finally arrived in Jerusalem, nations from the East followed them and threatened to attack them.

Now come to think of this: How can all nations, both the elect and the lost be able to see the sign of the Son of Man in the sky and the descending Jesus Christ among the clouds? Surely this could not happen unless all nations are gathered together in one place. This is the reason why the Lord will gather all His elect from four winds even the dead ones first including the enemies that make war against it into Jerusalem so that all, everyone, all nations will witness His mighty power and salvation. And right there, the elect will meet the Lord in the air in glorified bodies, well secured from the enemy. Afterwards, great is the devastation of the enemies. Then the vultures will gather to eat their carcasses. That's why Jesus gave us the sign of the vultures because it will be a very memorable event for the heavenly hosts and the entire generations to come. It will be called the "Great Supper of God."

Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Call out to every kind of bird and all the wild animals: `Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood. You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls-- all of them fattened animals from Bashan (Ezek 39:17-18).

And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."... and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh (Rev 19:17-18...21).

Who are the enemies who will attack Jerusalem before the Second Coming? The Book Ezekiel identifies the enemies, those people and kings under the army of the devil. They are the seeds of Gog and Magog (read the full story in Ezek 38, 39).

"Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him...

“This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’” (Ezek 38:2, 18-23).

Magog was one of the sons of Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah, the other two being Shem and Ham. Gog was identified as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Ezek 38:2-3). Magog, Meshech and Tubal were all sons of Japheth, they were maritime peoples (Gen 10:2-5). Being maritime peoples, they had the advantage of being able to reach the farthest and yet undiscovered settlements. They are probably today the people of the Far East, South, and Central Asia. They are the people living in the safety of the coastlands (Ezek 39:6), the Pacific coast, or the Far East. Despite of the winter, darkness and afflictions from God, these men survived perhaps because they still possess the covenant with death (Isa 28:15) and to fulfill the torment of their end.

Some who are already familiar with the events about the Day of the Lord will realize that God’s fury is almost always directed against the traditional enemies of Israel such as Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia and also Egypt, the thorns and briers. All of which had a bloodline of either from Shem and Ham through Abraham. During the days of the patriarchs, the descendants of Japheth may have probably left early their land of ancestry, the Mesopotamia Valley and then eventually settled in the lands as far as they can sail. Now, only the line of Japheth is not yet accounted for in prophecies in the last days until they plan evil against God’s elect.

The kings and the armies of Asia under the command of the devil will gather in the valley that is called by different names. In Hebrew it is Armageddon, in the book of Joel it is the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2,12), named after one of the righteous king of Judah. Some simply calls it Valley of Megiddo, a valley around 60 miles north of Jerusalem. Nobody knows for sure the exact site.

“Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. . . .Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.” (Rev 16:13-14, 16).

Again, God has a purpose why all the elect and sinners of all nations are gathered oppositely in a certain place. The Lord will manifest Himself in full view of all men, both the elect and sinners alike for them to know the Lord and His mighty power and holiness.

Gog, prince of Magog is most likely the Communist China, the East’s most formidable nation with an army of over three million. Here, Chinese marines are shown repainting markings on Nansha Quindao, one of the many disputed islands known as the Spratlys, in the South China Sea.

“On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” (Zech 12:8-10).

So many are the fallen enemies. Their weapons alone will be used as fuel by the elect for seven years (Ezek 39:9) and it will take seven months for the house of Israel to bury the dead in order to cleanse the land (v. 12).

I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come (Isa 63:3-4).

The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out
of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia (Rev 14:19-20).

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty (Rev 19:13-15).

That is how the Second Coming will be-- a time of harvest, a time of mourning for the one they have pierced and the time of resurrection of the dead in Christ and to those who still be alive by then will meet the Lord in the air. His Second coming is also a terrible sight to the enemies, the Battle of Armageddon and the defeat of the antichrist and his army.

The Battle of Armageddon is the culmination of God's plan on earth prior to the millennium. Behold, He will come like a thief in the night (Matt 24:43). Read further:

"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully
exposed."
Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath (Rev 16:15-19).

Yes, it is done Lord! It is complete! Your plan on earth is done and the power of your blood has accomplished all things. Now it is very clear that His Second Coming will be the events of harvest of the earth and the great battle against His enemies in Armageddon. Now, the promises of God to Abraham the patriarch is finally fulfilled completely.

That is the second fall of the kingdom of Babylon. The antichrist will die and resurrect after a thousand years.

“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss (death) and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.” (Rev 20:1-3).

The millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ over the whole earth. The earth has become the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished after six thousand years of work. It is exactly the beginning of the seventh 1,000 year from Adam’s creation and that is why it is the thousand years of rest or the Sabbatical Millennium.

In the millennium, the earth will be renewed, populated peacefully by nations fearing God. It will be same old earth except that God will make everything new. Deserts will be turned to fertile lands and there shall be no more wars (Isaiah 2:4). Even animals will not eat or harm each other. Carnivorous animals shall eat grass like the cattle (Isaiah 11:7).

Below are just some of the interesting changes that will take place on earth in the Millennium under the world government of Jesus Christ:

There are numerous other prophecies about the millennium to be contained in this book. All of these were written to encourage and invite everyone to enlist early in the coming kingdom of our God, Jesus Christ.

Finally after six thousand years the plan of establishing God’s kingdom on earth is finally realized. Why only a thousand years of God’s reign on earth and not forever? God is a working and creating God who does not sleep.

First, note that the Millennium is the 7^th one thousand years since the creation of man, Adam. It is the Sabbatical Millennium and so like other millenniums in the past, it is time bounded, limited to just one thousand years just like the days in a week.

Second, the Millennium is just the dawn of the true eternity. The work of God against evil is actually not yet completely finished. Remember that Satan was simply bound in the Abyss (Death) for the entire span of the Millennium and after the thousand years are over he shall be set free for a short time (Rev 20:1-3) but only to fall again.

While it took six millenniums to fill up the earth to its full carrying capacity, it should be expected that it should take considerably shorter time for the people of the Millennium to fill up the earth with perhaps more than the highest population density in history. There shall be no famine, no wars, and no death. Matter of course, population will double or triple in just a generation depending on the number of children a family will have. Come to think of it— what will we expect? In a matter of a millennium, the earth shall be full of people. Although there is a food of plenty expect the earth to be very physically crowded by the end of the Millennium. Remember that it will still be a physical earth with a limited size neither will it have any special attribute to get any bigger. God will only recreate the earth when the Millennium is already over (Rev 21:1).

Soon after the Millennium, Satan will be released from his prison. The liberation of Satan will just mean his second death. Immediately after he is set free, he shall again deceive all nations, now already crowded with people and maybe their minds are again deceived on worrying about survival. It is again the most appropriate time for God to test His people if they are truly qualified to enter true eternity. Read:

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth— Gog and Magog— to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Rev 20:7-10).

The people he will deceive are identified— Gog and Magog— again, the same people he deceived a thousand years earlier, during the Day of the Lord in vain attempt to foil the plan of God. For the second time he will try harder but he shall fail and his defeat will be more swift and mighty. He shall not even be judged before God’s great white throne judgment seat. Immediately, he shall be thrown to the lake of burning sulfur and be tormented forever.

All the sons of men will appear before the great white throne judgment. We do not know how long will it take for all creations to be judged. It does not matter now, for eternity does not speak of time any more. How painful will that be for those whose names were not found in the Book of Life. They too, will be thrown to the lake of burning sulfur (Rev 20:15).

After everyone has been judged, God shall create new heaven and new earth. We do not know what will the earth’s feature be like, its size except that there shall be no more sea (Rev 21:1). That implies that it should have a bigger land area than what we have now

But will eternity be spent on earth alone? Eternity both includes time and space. I believe that God’s eternity will include the whole universe. How will we describe and measure eternity? Eternity far exceeds our farthest or longest imagination. God says He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Therefore, God is eternity. He has unlimited plans for us not even revealed completely in the Bible. His plans are not only for earth alone! Later on we shall journey to the ends of the cosmos in the blink of an eye, witness the birth and death of a star and even the beginning of a new planet we ourselves shall rule individually! Sounds awesome, right? God is a creating God and can create the most impossible. Nothing is too hard for Him. If we only understand totally what His death on the cross and His shedding of His blood mean, it is easy also to understand that God is multiplying Himself through His Holy Spirit! If we become His Temple, then we have His Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that descended to the House of Israel and Moses in the Holy Tabernacle during their journey to the wilderness, the same Spirit that appeared to David, to Ezekiel when he saw God’s chariot of fire. The blood of Jesus is more than forgiveness and salvation. His blood gives us the power to become like Him through His Holy Spirit!

. . . because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:14).

The Bible is not making figures of speech here anymore. It is a plain fact that by giving us the Holy Spirit we become the sons of God. It does not give distinction anymore with the Spirit of Jesus Christ Himself, the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15). We become like Jesus and we can do exactly what He can! Hallelujah! And yet there are rules to follow and the way to eternity has not been easy.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Rom 8:18-22).

In the passage, the creation denotes other things God made other than men, the earth and everything in it. In a manner of writing, the creation was in bondage and decay due to the downfall of man. As a result, their liberation is tied with the revelation of the sons of God, the saved ones for again in the manner of writing, those creations were made and intended for us. If we speak of eternity the “creation” involves the planets and every heavenly body. Each one of them is suspended in the sky aimlessly, none supports life, they are in utter decay. Time will come when God shall recreate them, millions of them for our habitation for eternity! That is why when it is written that God will create new heavens, that will surely mean to say the creation of new habitable planets, new stars, galaxies and a more beautiful universe!

He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. (Eph 4:10)

What will God fill the universe with after eons of decay? He shall surely fill it with life as He did to Earth six thousand years ago. This time there shall be hundreds, or thousands, or millions of habitable earths for the universe is an unlimited space for God’s unlimited power and ever multiplying sons of God.

During Paul’s days, people had no idea of what the universe is—its size, and its elements. There was no telescopes, no radars to examine the universe. Now we understand. We now know that the universe is eternal space of countless galaxies, stars and planets. Now we can realize what Paul meant and what the Divine Plan is all about. God intends to fill the whole universe with the sons of God; peoples washed clean by God’s own blood and became worthy to rule with Him for eternity. This is a plain truth few understood. It is a simple passage requiring in fact, not much wisdom. This promise is for all to understand revealed not these later times but thousands of years ago so that we will be filled with hope that God is there surely working to prepare a place for all of us. He is preparing a home, a city, a kingdom and planets for you and me. It is for us to take His offer for a place in the heavens, the universe! Now read and understand further Luke19: 10-26, John 14:2-4.

It is God's ultimate mission to reach out to the ends of the universe (heavens) and fill it with life. With billions of galaxies and billions of stars and solar systems, think how many planets are out there and how many eternities there will be before we could colonize each one of them. Right now, the Bible says those planets are still dead in decay. Shown at left are never before seen sea of galaxy in the ‘deepest ever’ view of the universe, called the Hubble Deep Field (HDF), made with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. At right are more galaxies taken also by the Hubble Space Telescope known as Hubble Ultra Deep Field, deepest image of the universe ever taken in visible light. Soon, the sons of God shall reach the “deepest” corner of the universe in the blink-of-an eye speed.