Rise Of The Antichrist And The Wars That Will Follow
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October 23, 2004
Every time I look at the war of Revelation chapter six
where it is said that one-quarter of the world’s population will be destroyed,
I have to place the United States in the middle of that war. I can’t image a war of this magnitude taking place without
the leader of the free world being at the forefront.
The timing of this war is particularly difficult to place, although we can conclude that it will probably take place sometime between the start to the middle of the tribulation period. Looking at the description this will be one of the darkest times the world will ever know. Many times scholars, teachers and ministers have focused on the final Battle of Armageddon, but this war, in my opinion, is probably more horrifying due to the fact that life will only get worse. Hunger, disease, death, darkness and fear will be a way of life. This will be followed by natural disasters that will destroy complete islands and lands (Revelation 6:12, 14; 16:18; 20). This indeed will be a terrible time to be alive. But this is only the beginning of sorrows.
There are other wars to consider as well.
Daniel 7:24 states that the antichrist will put down three kings in his
rise to power. I have concluded
that these three nations will probably be Germany, France, and the U.K.
These three nations are not identified as such in the Bible but are
considered to be the power brokers of the European Union at this time
I tend to place this war somewhere toward the middle of the
tribulation period only because that will be when the antichrist will declare
himself to be God. The Big Three
will see him as another Hitler and attempt to dethrone him.
But as powerful as they maybe they will prove to be no match for the
antichrist and will be crushed. It
should be remembered, that the weapons of this world are no match for satan.
He will cause their weapons of mass destruction to turn on them or just
simply malfunction.
Of course, this war could take place between the rapture
and the start of the tribulation period as well.
It could be during his rise to power.
Either way it will be future.
There are also four additional major military battles that
will take place between now and the end of the tribulation period.
These are the attack of Israel by the Russian-Arab Alliance, the
destruction of Mystery Babylon, the march of destruction by the eastern army,
and the Battle of Armageddon.
It’s possible that some of these battles could take place
at the same time. That certainly
would account for the reason why so many people died in the battle of Revelation
chapter six. But I believe that at
least two battles will happen separately…the Russian-Arab attack on Israel and
the Battle of Armageddon. The
Russian-Arab attack will probably occur sometime early in the tribulation
period and may even happen during the gap between the rapture and the
tribulation period. But when this
does happen the Bible states that the whole world will look upon this victory as
coming from God (Ezekiel 38:23) and give Him glory. This doesn’t mean that revival will touch the world but
that it will be seen as a supernatural victory of epic proportions.
It should also be noted that 83% of the invading army will be destroyed
by God. This will be done through
confusion, disease, driving hail and rain, and fire balls sent down from heaven.
The destruction of Mystery Babylon could be a part of the
major conflict of Revelation chapter six. It
could also be an isolated battle. Either
way, Mystery Babylon is said to fall in one hour (Revelation 18:17) or a very
short amount of time. God will
allow this once great nation to be completely and permanently destroyed.
In fact, the Bible says that not a sound will be heard out of Mystery
Babylon again (Revelation 18:21-24). It is my guess that they will be struck
down by an all out nuclear attack. The
kingdom of the antichrist will destroy them.
Again, no mortal man can stand against satan without the help of God.
So far, I have touched on four great battles that will take
place between now and the tribulation period.
Two will definitely take place during the tribulation period (destruction
of Mystery Babylon & the great war of Revelation chapter six) and two could
occur before the tribulation period begins.
All of these battles will endure heavy causalities. We know
that the battle of Revelation chapter six will claim one-quarter of the
world’s population. If calculated
using today’s population figures that would be 1.5 billion lives lost.
The Russian-Arab attack on Israel will claim 83 % of the
invading army. A conservative
estimation would place the number of dead into the millions.
The fall of Mystery Babylon will be a complete loss of life
and will probably affect surrounding nations as well. From the description found in Revelation 17 & 18 I am
convinced that Mystery Babylon will turn out to be the United States (see
chronological section for details why I believe this).
If this is the case, I think we can safely estimate that as many as 300
million people will die, not counting the death toll from surrounding nations.
This war could very well be a part of the war of Revelation chapter six.
The last war is the battle for supremacy between the
antichrist and the ‘Big Three’. This
war will claim the lives of three of the most powerful nations in
Europe…Germany, France and the U.K. I can’t image how many people will die
during that war but I’m sure the number will be staggering.
Again, this war could be a part of the war of Revelation chapter six.
Of course, there are other battles of the tribulation
period that we haven’t even discussed. We
have touched on the bloody march by the great kings of the East who will kill
and destroy every living thing in their path. Literally tens of millions will
die during their march toward the battle of battles, the Battle of Armageddon.
When this final war takes place, we know from scripture that at least
200 million people will lose their lives during this one sided battle.
I have just named six major battles that the Bible says
will take place sometime in the immediate future.
Yes, we have had wars and rumors of wars down through the ages.
Fifty million people lost their lives during World War II, which to date,
is the biggest loss of life of any war in history.
In a seven-year period, it can be conservatively estimated that billions
of people will die from these six battles.
That doesn’t even consider the plagues and judgments that will take the
lives of many.
Yes, this will be a horrible day. I have taken a little time to put it in perspective but the
truth of the matter is “except those days should be shortened, there
should no flesh be saved” (Matthew 24:22).
Are you ready to meet the Lord? If not your time is running out!
Terry
Malone