| August
5, 2006
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As conflict escalates in Israel and Lebanon,
more questions are raised about how this fits in with Bible
prophecy. As I have previously stated, it doesn’t.
But it is an inkling of the future conflict that will affect
not only the Middle East, but will engulf the whole world.
And it will be tragic beyond human comprehension.
Before I further this, I should mention that prophecies
of the Old Testament concerning events in the New Testament
were fulfilled literally. Accordingly, this is the basis
of interpretation of all prophecy. The only sound approach
to interpreting the Bible is to take it absolutely literal
wherever possible. On that basis, we interpret literally
the events in the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation.
In this book we have the decimation of the whole world predicted
– not just the Middle East. For example: in a single
sweep of judgment a full one quarter of the world population
dies! The apostle John records: “And I looked, and
behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death,
and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them
over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and
with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the
earth” Revelation 6:8. According to last week’s
estimated total world population this amounts to 1.6 billion
people.
In a second judgment, one third of the remainder will die.
Again John records: “And the four angels were loosed,
which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month,
and a year, for to slay the third part of men” Revelation
9:15. But, keep in mind that this is one third of three
quarters. Hence, apart from other plagues that will devastate
the earth, one half of humanity will die in just two judgments.
Think about it: every other person on the face of the globe
dead. And that is not the end.
It is no wonder that John tells us that “the great
men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty
men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves
in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains: And said
to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from
the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of His wrath is come;
and who shall be able to stand?” Revelation 6: 15-17
At the moment most of us may feel far removed from the conflict
in the Middle East. But in the future conflagration we will
not escape. This is why the Lord Jesus warned people to
be prepared for that day, saying, “Therefore be ye
also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son
of man cometh.” Matthew 24:44
Jim Beattie
submitted by Russ Nesbit
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