A layman's commentary on John chapter 3. Nicodemus and the incredible assertion.

 Previously, in John's gospel, we watched as Jesus chased the sellers out of the court of the Gentiles. I imagine that the word Gentiles is hard for many of you to understand, as you seem to refuse to apply a Jewish understanding to it.

In scripture, you won't find a reference to the court of the Gentiles, but you will find this:

Revelation 11:2 NASB "Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.

Nations is the Greek word ethnos and is interchangeable with gentiles.

We also talked about Jesus' genealogy, or bloodline, and how that in Nazareth, where Mary and Joseph both came from, Mary did something no one had ever done before, she stuck to her “story” of how this pregnancy was God's baby; and by the way, we already know His name, Yeshua.

It is easy to be negative and say, " We have nothing in prophetic scriptures that would validate your having God's baby". But they did have an announcement of this very thing.

Isaiah 7:14 NASB "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

How easy it would have been to say, " Okay, Joseph and I gave in to sexual desire," but that did not happen.

Matthew 1:21 TLV “She will give birth to a son; and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.”

If Mary told those gossips, who would have gladly stoned her for her sins, that they would refer to this baby as Yeshua, it would have been another reason to stone her.

Look at the predictive words in the Prophet Micah, and think about the fact that when the scribes and chief priests were brought before Herod and questioned concerning this prophesied King of the Jews, a two-year-old child at this point.

Micah 5:2-4 NASB "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." 3) Therefore, He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel. 4) And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth.”

Notice that scribes and chief priests did not deny that scripture spoke of Yeshua, but they would NOT recognize or acknowledge Him. It is interesting that the wise men from another nation, who had followed His star, came to see this child King.

In the world of theatrics, there is a team of people who set the stage for the next scene. We are not given a time frame, and so neither can I tell you how much time has passed between the cleansing of the temple, the confrontations with the scribes and chief priests, and Nicodemus emerging onto the stage. When we watched the Chosen Nicodemus was clearly understood to be a strong presence, but as He comes to Jesus, we find a touch of humility.

John 3:1 NASB “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;”

The NET Bible commentary simply tells us that Nicodemus was "a ruler of the Jews" (denoting a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

Finis Dake's commentary makes this unusual statement: “a)[There was a man] One would be as justified to make this a parable, or any other passage where 'there was a man' is used (Mat_12:10; Mrk_3:1.

While there are numerous scriptural references, Dake ends this paragraph by simply stating, All these passages are plain historical ones.

Within Dake's commentary is a piece of information that I was not aware of,
“b)[Nicodemus, ruler of the Jews] A Jewish Rabbi, member of the Sanhedrin, and one of the three richest men in Jerusalem.

I had no idea of his wealth.

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible informs us that this leader, Nicodemus, was frequently mentioned as “Nicodemon ben Gorion", the brother of Josephus ben Gorion (p), the writer of the Wars and Antiquities of the Jews; and there are some things which make it probable, that he was the same with this Nicodemus; for the Nicodemon the Jews speak so much of, lived in this age; as appears, not only from his being the brother of Josephus, but also from his being contemporary with R. Jochanan ben Zaccai, who lived in this time, and until the destruction of the temple; since these two are said (q) to be together at a feast, made for the circumcision of a child. Moreover, he is represented as very rich, and is said to be one of the three rich men in Jerusalem (r), and who was able to have maintained a city ten years

The verse (John 3:1) testifies that Nicodemus was of the Pharisees.

Did you forget that Paul, who used to be called Saul, was, too, a Pharisee?

Philippians 3:4-5 BSB “though I myself could have such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5) circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;”

“A ruler of the Jews.” Ruler is the Greek word archōn, and according to the Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary, this word means that Nicodemus carried any one of these titles: one invested with power and dignity, chief, ruler, prince, magistrate.

Considering that Nicodemus was this powerful, it is puzzling that he came to Jesus in humility and that he could not understand what Jesus was trying to tell him.

As I sit here pondering my statement above, I am reminded that the scribes and Pharisees, for the most part, wanted Jesus and anyone who followed Him dead. There is no way that Nicodemus would have been unaware of such emotions among his subordinates, and what would have stopped them from killing Nicodemus?

John 3:2 NLT “After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Just moments ago, I posed the question, why did such a powerful man come to Jesus in humility?

As you should see from the New Living Translation, Nicodemus waited until it got dark. The majority of translations casually proclaimed, “The same came to Jesus by night.” To point out that Nicodemus waited demonstrates apprehension and planning.

If you watched The Chosen, a Television series that elaborates on situations, such as the meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus, with details that the Bible does not give us, you would have seen two things: 1.) The disciples, generally, did not know where Jesus was as He would go off by Himself, to pray until He was done. That type of communication leads to scheduling problems. It seemed as if, knowing that Nicodemus wanted to have a talk with Jesus, one of the disciples was fortunate enough to make contact with Jesus, and, therefore, made the arrangements, such as setting up the location, some lovely candles, and a table with two chairs. 2.) Note what Nicodemus said: “ Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Nicodemus declared Jesus a Rabbi.
Pause for a moment because that is an incredible assertion.

What did the thief on the cross say to Jesus?

Luke 23:39-43 NKJV Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." 40) But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41) And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." 42) Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." 43) And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

Nicodemus also professed that Jesus was a “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

If Nicodemus had the briefings about Jesus, then he would have understood that the gossips in Nazareth would have declared that Jesus was a Mumzer; and according to Levitical law, he would have been banned from access to the temple, and Sabbatical schooling. There would have been questions about where and how He was educated. The problem with all this was undone by a portion of Nicodemus' assertion, “Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus was not the son of an undeclared father; He was the Son of God, by declaration of the angel Gabriel.

Luke 1:26-33 NAS95 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27) to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28) And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." 29) But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30) The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31) "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32) "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33) and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."

Joseph, a good man, that statement alone carries more weight than pastors or bible teachers care to communicate, was also informed, in a dream, that this was God's baby.

Matthew 1:18-24 NASB Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19) And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20) But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21) "She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." 22) Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23) "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US." 24) And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,

Is it possible that Joseph could not have understood the concept of a Holy Wind from God?

Let's falsely assume for a moment that this concept of the Holy breath of God is a new thing to Joseph's ears.

First, I must tell you I was told, by multiple speakers over the years, that Hebrew had been banned during the era of Roman rule. Apparently, that was not the case. A website entitled, Why did Jesus primarily speak Aramaic instead of Hebrew? gives us this information:

“Aramaic, a Semitic language closely related to Hebrew, emerged as a lingua franca in the Near East long before the time of Jesus. Its rise to prominence can be traced back to the Assyrian and Babylonian empires. When the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BCE, they brought with them their administrative language, Aramaic. The subsequent Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BCE further entrenched Aramaic in Jewish life, as the Jewish people were taken to Babylon, where Aramaic was widely spoken. Upon returning from exile, the Jews brought Aramaic back to Judea and its surrounding regions. Over time, Aramaic became the common spoken language among the Jewish population, while Hebrew remained the language of religious texts and liturgy.”

In “The Chosen,” there was the logical implication that the Romans, by mandate, only spoke Greek. “The Chosen” even had Jesus speaking to some travelers in Egyptian; when questioned about that, He merely replied that He spent some time in Egypt; we know that is true because the angel warned Joseph to flee Bethlehem and go to Egypt when Jesus was around two years old. Having been told that Hebrew was banned and “printed documents – scrolls were destroyed, you would think that this would clearly have a detrimental impact on education. If anyone should have had problems getting educated, it would have been Jesus, and yet “The Chosen” showed Jesus, on several occasions, in Synagogues, where, in one case, the scroll of Isaiah was read from.

Honestly, I am not sure what to believe.
Secondly, even if these scrolls were not banned, the expense of having a scroll copied would have been such a large expenditure that the only copies would have been kept in the Synagogues. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that impoverished communities, like Nazareth, might have been able to only afford one scroll; since Deuteronomy played a significant role in Jesus' conversations and responses, this could have been the primary option for a large, expensive purchase.

What does any of this have to do with Bible study?

Because our “Bible teachers” incessantly make foolish assertions that imply they all had individual Bibles, which borders on the impossible. If I could imply that the disciples would go and grab their Bibles, it would have been the Old Testament only, and they certainly would not have called it that. The “New Testament” was being written in their daily lives.

Holy is the Greek word hagios, and has meanings (according to Mounce) like this: dedicated. Luk_2:23; hallowed; used of things, τὰ ἅγια, the sanctuary; and of persons, saints, e.g., members of the first Christian communities; pure, righteous, ceremonially or morally; holy.

Spirit is the Greek word pneuma and has meanings (according to the NASEC) along the line of: wind, spirit: — breath (3), Spirit (239), spirit (103), spirits (32), spiritual (1), wind (1), winds (1).

The following information comes from a Website called “Hebrew Name for God – The Holy Spirit. It is sub-titled, The Holy Spirit as revealed in the Brit Chadashah.

Their website can be found here by clicking Hebrew Names for God - Ruach HaKodesh.

Ruach Ha-Kodesh is the Holy Spirit.

The Hebrew version, found when I did a translation comparison, reads, Ruach HaKodesh.

Note: HaKadosh is a substantive that means "The Holy One" (as in Ha-Kadosh baruch hu, "the Holy One, blessed be He").

The accent falls at the end: ha-ka-DOSH.

Ruach HaKadosh (Note the spelling,) would mean "the spirit of the holy one" (as in a saint).

It is NOT used for the Holy Spirit... Ruach HaKo'desh means "the holy Spirit," just like har ha-ko'desh means "the holy mountain," admat ha-ko'desh means "the holy land," ir ha-ko'desh means "the holy city," and so on.

So, the virgin girl, Mary, has now been impregnated by the spirit of the holy one; and it is a term that was familiar to the Jewish community.

If it were not for the uneducated, willing to give the new family, with Joseph playing the role of step-dad, a dreadful time, the revulsion of how Joseph and Mary felt would not be known to us. Jesus intentionally placed Himself into the earth's atmosphere, where some would say He had no hope. And yet, the young Jesus, at an age just before He would be brought into manhood, stood His ground, exercising His apologetic with the scribes and Pharisees in the temple at Jerusalem.

Questions and concerns about the antichrist. Part four of four.

 Considering the title of these rants about the antichrist, does any of this affect the believer?

No, but if you are a follower of mine, then you know that I write to followers of Christ, and followers of Christ will be taken up in the catching away of the Church. 

That was uncomfortable, but only because I have struggled my whole life with my biblical understanding and, by extension, my faith due to false teachings. An example of false teachings is the narrative concerning David and Goliath. David is typically portrayed as a four-foot-tall, 60-pound weakling when, in fact, he was probably over six feet tall. My experience has demonstrated that I was taught traditions and broken beliefs instead of what the Bible says.

Was David a skillful warrior?

Absolutely, but his skill sets were honed against wild animals (not like I am willing to try to take on a lion). He, based on his Biblical description, had red hair and freckles, and that alone made him come across as a ruddy, pale-faced youth.

Sitting among some men at a home group, the question was asked,

“How tall do you think David was when he fought Goliath?”

No one dared put forth an answer, so I did. I said David was over six feet tall and had a frame that filled out his height. That brought out the criticism, so I responded by saying I can prove it. At this point, I showed them how Saul, before being anointed as king, was said to be head and shoulders above any man in Israel. Having had a salesman come to my door, who told me that he was an Israeli who had sustained a wound while serving in the IDF, was easily over six feet tall. Consider that imagery as Saul's shoulders began at the top of this man's head.

We know that Saul struggled with mental issues and may well have been bipolar. David, because he visited his brothers. On the front lines, became well known and was recommended to Saul as one who could play the guitar (lute, lyre) well and calm his spirit.

Saul was so impressed by this young man that he made David his armor-bearer. Among other things, David's job was to make sure that the armor was reliable, the fittings secure, and that Saul looked his best when he stepped out onto the battlefield. I can picture David putting that armor on sporadically to make sure that no one had changed the settings and that Saul could still maintain flexibility. Most people who retell this story assign variations where Saul put the armor on a “tiny little boy named David” and how he would be pinned to the floor, unable to move; hence, we have David saying, I can't use this equipment because I haven't tested it. This scenario doesn't even seem feasible, considering how big David would have to have been.

Move this narrative to where Goliath is now standing. We see David taking five smooth stones from the riverbed; this is a selection process that I have done as well. The rounder, the better.

Have you ever seen videos of the Palestinians slinging rocks at IDF soldiers and the passing cars of local villagers who happened to be Israelis? 

Their stones were about the size of lemons and were meant to kill should they strike you in the head. David put his faith in God and not his skill set, but skills certainly helped.

Goliath dead? 

I doubt it; nonetheless, after being struck in the head, Goliath went to the ground, and David ran to him, unsheathed the giant's own sword, and cut the man's head off.

Were you aware that one of the Philistine Kings, Og of Bashan, had an iron bed that was four and a half cubits long?

That equates to 13.5 feet.

Now, you might think that it is unbecoming for me to say my struggles had much to do with those who were my early teachers (We were made to go to church, sit through Sunday school, and then sit through a main service), but if all I got were simplistic stories, like the way I was taught, I would disagree with you. Certainly, I played a role in my false imagery of God because I, like most of you, would not pick up my Bible and read it. Well, thank God there was a day when all that changed, and since February of 2007, I have been consuming God's word like it was my necessary sustenance.

The antichrist persona does NOT have unrestricted reign throughout the seven years.

Revelation 13:5 indicates that this beast, which has migrated into what appears to be a solitary being – a male- now has the “authority to do whatever he wants for forty-two months.” (That is 3.5 years.) Immediately, I am struck by the idea that this man, the antichrist, only has 3.5 years to wreak havoc for the harlot that rides the beast.

“Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months.” Revelation 13:5 NLT

The NLT is the New Living Translation, and most of us understand that the Living Bible was written by an intelligent man who wanted something his children could read and comprehend. So when I look at a translation that some might consider scholarly and break down the words, such as the Berean Study Bible, I have a slightly different perspective.

“The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, ...” Revelation 13:6 BSB

I can immediately comprehend that the man already has a mouth, so this is telling me that they give him an opening or freedom to speak as though he represents them. It also implies that someone else is now doing the speaking. Once again, this feeds into the idea that the antichrist is having his power stripped away by someone or a group. Arrogant is the Greek word megas.

We understand mega to be very large or boisterous. The defining words are “exceedingly great, large, loud, strong,”

Your words cannot be considered strong unless they have some form of backing, like muscles or officiating individuals who will judge to your benefit. Seeing as this antichrist does not seem to have any official backing, power, or glory at this time, I can see why it seems that many go to war with him.

“For ships from Cyprus (Kittim, as many versions state) shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. "So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.” Daniel 11:30 NKJV

Empowered by Satan himself, who else is there to empower this man?

Those who can envision the antichrist as someone who can further their cause would be the likes of the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, or possibly the World Health Organization. One more thing on who is empowering this man. At the July 26^th, 2023, hearings on UAVs, one of those testifying was David Grusch, a former national reconnaissance officer and representative of the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force with the Department of Defense. Mr. Grusch said that there are those above the known officials who are calling the shots. Klaus Schwab, because of his publicity, is probably just a puppet, as is Bill Gates.

One of the unusual pieces of information that defines the character of the antichrist comes from Daniel 11. Daniel 11 is an intertwining of historical events and prophecy.

Here is where it begins to make sense to us.

Daniel 11:21-31 NKJV: And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue.  

The NASB uses the term despicable instead of vile. The Strong's concordance gives us the word disesteem as our first option and means one held to scorn and thought of as a vile person.

Disesteem, when used as a noun, is seen as the want of esteem, slight dislike, or disregard. It expresses less than hatred or contempt. When used as a verb is to dislike in a moderate degree; to consider with disregard, disapprobation, dislike, or slight contempt; to slight.

Titles given to the person commonly known as "the Antichrist."

(1) "The king of Babylon" (Isa_14:4);

(2) "The Assyrian" (Isa_14:25; See notes on Mic_5:5); This alone should quell all of your arguments defending your assertion that a Revised Roman Empire will arise.

(3) "The Prince that shall come" (Dan_9:26);

(4) "The king of fierce countenance" (Dan_8:23);

(5) "The vile person" (Dan_11:21);

(6) "The willful king" (Dan_11:36);

(7) "The man of sin" (2Th_2:3);

(8) "The son of perdition" (2Th_2:3);

(9) "That wicked (or lawless) one" (2Th_2:3; Rev_13:18);

(10) "The beast with ten horns" (Rev_13:1);

(11) "The little horn" (Dan_8:9). Isa_27:1, Zec_1:18, Mat_24:5; Mat_24:15, 2Th_2:3-4, 1Jn_2:18; 1Jn_4:3.

• We are told that he will reaffirm the covenant for seven years. We assume that this is a peace treaty with Israel when Israel is NEVER mentioned, and I have shown you how the UN, in September of 2023, will reaffirm their 7-year agreement to enforce SDGs.

• Coming under the guise of peace, he is able to seize Israel. Now I cannot exclude a massive attack (see Ezekiel 38 and 39)

22  With the force of a flood, they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant.  

• “With the force of a flood”? This does not look good for Israel. Remember, God has always preserved for himself a remnant. Verse 22 also makes a bizarre statement: "they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant." We often see a picture of Jesus as being the prince of the covenant; the problem is that Jesus brought the new covenant. So this prince points to the high priest that will be serving in the newly built temple and fits in with an Islamic prophecy, which tells us that the high priest will convert to Islam and give the Mahdi (the antichrist) worship and allegiance.

23  And after the league is made with him (the Mahdi), he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people.  

24  He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.  

Because he is an Assyrian, a hated enemy of Israel, this statement indicating that he shall do what his fathers have not done makes more sense. This is talking about an ancestral line of attackers.

25  "He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him.

Let's just take a shot. The king of the South is Egypt. They, like the Saudis, are probably Sunni Muslims (85 % percent of the Middle East is Sunni Muslim) and not Shiites (Only 15% of Muslims are Shia Muslims; Iran adheres to Shia ideals); therefore, they will not cooperate, and, as scripture points out, they will be destroyed.  Most of us never knew a group called ISIS or ISIL ever existed until the United States got involved in Afghanistan. According to an article dated Aug 25, 2021, on a website called "The Conversation," authors Sohel Rana, a Ph.D. Student at  Indiana University, and Sumit Ganguly, a Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University, wrote an article entitled Taliban’s religious ideology – Deobandi Islam – has roots in Colonial India. https://theconversation.com/talibans-religious-ideology-deobandi-islam-has-roots-in-colonial-india-166323

Merely because they are the smallest portion of the sects, we cannot exclude them. 

26  Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain.  

His own people will betray him and die.

27  Both these kings' hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table, but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time.

The appointed time? This is the time when they try to go to battle with Jesus.

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” Revelation 19:11 NKJV

“Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. “ Revelation 19:15 NKJV

 

28  While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant, so he shall do damage and return to his own land.  

The question is, where is his land?

I don't know; no one does because he will not be introduced to the world until after the church is snatched out of here.

"his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant."

This has everything to do with Israel, and since Israel primarily focuses on the Torah and the Tanakh,  then we are really talking about those that hold tightly to the covenants or promises of God in those manuscripts.

29  "At the appointed time, he shall return and go toward the south, but it shall not be like the former or the latter.  30  For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. "So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.  

Translations, such as the King James, say Kittim. This area can be identified as Cyprus today. While I am sure they have a military force, I would not have perceived them as dangerous.

Question? How far South can this man go and still have the Cyprian navy chasing him? 

31  And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.

“Then they shall take away the daily sacrifices 1240 days after the reaffirmation of the covenant, and place there the abomination of desolation.” When does this take place? 1290 days after they cause the sacrifices to cease. Do the math. Based upon a 360-day year, we will have exceeded the seven years by ten days.

One of the mysteries.

“Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.” Daniel 12:12 NKJV

Since we know that the antichrist will stop the sacrifices at the 1240 mark, then adding this time that God is most interested in gives us 2575. That number minus 2540 puts us 35 days beyond the seven years.

Why would God do that?

Because this is when Jesus comes back and cleans the house. In the 35 days, the antichrist will have the temple destroyed, and they, from every direction, will have gathered against Jesus for war.

How did they know to gather in the Megiddo Valley?

We are told that every eye will see Him. They will know, just as the Magi knew where to come to find the young Jesus.

Daniel 11:44-45 NLT  “But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy and obliterate many.  45  He will stop between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents. But while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him.

What does this phrase “his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him” speak of? It speaks of the final and sudden end of the antichrist and the false prophet.

Revelation 19:19-21 NLT: Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.  20  And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  21  Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

Revelation 19:11-12 NLT  Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.  12  His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.

Revelation 19:15 NLT: From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.

Question: Does He kill everyone from among the nations?

The answer is no, and you can see that in verse 15, as it states, “He will rule them with a rod of iron.”

If He kills them all, then who is left to rule over?

If you answered no one, you would be correct; therefore, there are those from among the nations that survive and go into the millennial kingdom.

Revelation 19:18-20 NLT  Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”  19  Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.  20  And the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

It sounds like the end, but it is not. A few minutes after this, Christ will sit as the reigning King for a thousand years, and there will be peace, finally. Satan is bound for this time but will be released to test the nations one last time.

No, not everyone goes to hell, but that decision is entirely up to God. Since I have asked Him to come and live inside of me, so I am not going to worry about it. I do know that after the judgment from the great white throne, we will all, the saints, that is, migrate into an undisturbed eternity. The earth and all of its pollution will be burned up, but God will make all things new, and it will be fantastic.