I am against you O Gog. Ezekiel 39 verses 1 through 6.

While the study will be focused on Ezekiel 39, I saw such strong similarities to Ezekiel 38 that I felt I needed to quickly probe Ezekiel 38 once again.

And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief ruler of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him. And say, So says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief ruler of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed most perfectly, a great assembly with buckler and shield, all of them swordsmen; Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his bands; the house of Togarmah from the recesses of the north, and all his bands; and many peoples with you. Ezekiel 38:1-6 MKJV)

One would assume some time has passed as God is desirous of emphasizing once again, His burning passion against the embodiment of this entity called Gog, and, we can hardly miss what seems like a desire to destroy these people. At the same time, there is the need to use them. Everything is a tool for God's purpose; fortunately for us, His purpose is good.

It seems odd, especially after doing a book study on The Shack by William Paul Young, that I could even consider saying that God wants to destroy people. This certain destruction against the armies of Gog is another of those instances where you find what looks like as an angry God, determined to wipe people off the earth. What we have to remember is that people have choices. Assume for a minute that the followers of Gog are all vicious Mongol remnants. Bred with a childhood training that teaches them to hate, while enjoying the philosophy that what's yours is mine and what is mine belongs to me as well; it would seem that their options for a positive, loving role model are limited. Whether they are in a sense sacrificed is not our problem, and God then has the position of looking at the heart and finding the good; something that we are all capable of. Right there, I said it, good is something we are all capable of; but do we do the good? How is it that we are capable, given the tragic backgrounds many experience? Because that same tree that brought this death, in the form of separation from God, also brought the knowledge of evil. When we read about the incident, we perceive the phrase, “the knowledge of good and evil.” Is it possible that Adam did not know good? Not hardly, he was created in the image of God who made him. That means that he was the exacting image of the nature and character of that God. Now the logical path is considered the life Adam lived before his decision to do things his way, and take and eat the fruit that he just watched his woman eat. This decision, with the corresponding action, was a choice; a somewhat convoluted one, but none-the-less a choice.

As I opened this blog, I used the word entity to describe Gog, why would I do that? If “he” is the dominant leader of a varied group of people (consider in your research the Scythians,) then as I understand this, Gog will die only to rally, once again, an uncountable number at the end of the thousand-year reign. That would give Gog a lifespan of approximately four thousand years, or he is resurrected specifically to fight, once again, against God at the end of time.

Since it is not logical to assume this “man” is resurrected, then we must be dealing with a demon/fallen angel who is embodied in some human at the moment. I am sure many of you find this concept far reaching and unusual, if so, then what do you do with information like the clues we are given, as a statue, explained by Daniel, is made from metals but defined as empires. Those same empires are in time represented by a goat; a ram; a bear; a leopard; a lion, and an eagle. This imagery is eventually combined into a seven headed beast with one body. Ten horns come out of one of the heads and then an eleventh. One of the heads (an empire) sustains what seems to the world to be a mortal wound. Do you find anything unusual about this imagery?

Ezekiel 39 – verses 1-6

"And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel 39:1-2 NASB)

While prophesying against Gog is an integral aspect of Ezekiel 38, the thing that catches my attention is the words, “ set your face against Gog.” Chapter 38 gives us a rather detailed list of those involved, but what does this simple word “set” mean?

śiym - Set is a verb meaning to appoint, to bring, to call, to put, to change, to charge, to commit, to consider, to convey, to determine.

Considering how Ezekiel 39 begins, the context for Ezekiel 38:2 where it says, "set your face against Gog," implies that Ezekiel is to consider and charge Gog. It would be foolish to think that a captive of Babylon would have the ear of a chief ruler.

What difference would it make if Gog heard, or did not hear these words?

None, whatsoever; for God is not asking them to repent, nor is he interested in their opinion. He, God, through his prophet, says, “So says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against you.”

Interesting contrast. How did God approach Nineveh?

Jonah 1:2 CJB "Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and proclaim to it that their wickedness has come to my attention."

However, Jonah did not do that; instead, he tried to escape this call upon him by taking a boat going the opposite direction. He never told the men what his mission was supposed to be; he merely told them that their troubles were because of his inaction in disobeying God's voice. They followed Jonah's advice and threw him into the sea. It is not until Jonah is vomited upon the shore by the fish, followed by a long journey, of which he is now one day's journey into the rather large city, that he begins to proclaim,

Jonah 3:4 LITV And Jonah began to enter a day's journey into the city. And he cried out and said, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overturned!

This message to Nineveh came with no offers of mercy should they repent, and yet, there, as we can see in verse nine, mercy, because of their actions comes.

It is possible that this thought entered the mind of their king through the Holy Spirit, as the likelihood of some interaction with the prophet Joel is not probable. Here is what the king of the Ninevehites said,

Jonah 3:9 CJB Who knows? Maybe God will change his mind, relent and turn from his fierce anger; and then we won't perish."

How odd. It is certainly not word for word, but the intent is understood.

Joel 2:12-14 NASB "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; 13) And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil. 14) Who knows whether He will not turn and relent And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God?

King David, caught with the result of his rendezvous with Bathsheba, said,

2 Samuel 12:21-23 NASB Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food." 22) He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' 23) "But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."

When it came to Israel's rejection the Psalmist tells us,

Psalms 106:43-46 NASB Many times He would deliver them; They, however, were rebellious in their counsel, And so sank down in their iniquity. 44) Nevertheless, He looked upon their distress When He heard their cry; 45) And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. 46) He also made them objects of compassion In the presence of all their captors.

Would, or could God's hand of mercy be extended to even someone like Gog? Absolutely.

As we saw with Nineveh, mercy took some action on their part. Now, mind you, the mercy, was only temporary as the nation eventually returned to its old ways and was in time destroyed completely. Archaeology proves this out, and the remains of Nineveh were found just outside of Mosul Iraq in the form of several mounds.

The truth seems to be that this entity called Gog would have found another victim to carry out the plans ultimately designed by God. Just like we see in Ezekiel 38 where it says,

Ezekiel 38:4 CJB “I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out ..”

We find a similar description in Ezekiel 39:

Ezekiel 39:2 CJB I will turn you around, lead you on and bring you from the far reaches of the north against the mountains of Isra'el.

In talking about Gog in Ezekiel 38, we established that this person is the chief prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. Here in chapter 39, this point is still held before us.

Ezekiel 39:1 NASB "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal;

The prophecy against Gog takes on much greater complexity when we understand the land mass that Gog has under his control. Perhaps our knowledge of how far the descendants of Noah extended will help us better understand Ezekiel 39:2 – 5. Gog is the leader of the unified group originally known as the Scythians. This group includes: The Medes, Persians, all descendants of Noah, and extended Northeast into China; South into Egypt, and West into Europe. It included the lineage of Attila the Hun. The Scythians were well known for their savagery; their skills as horsemen, and for their mounted warfare archery skills.

One thing to note, there is nothing that forces us to focus exclusively on the leaders of Russia, or Turkey, as they are all descendants of the Scythians. However, there is that one aspect that tends to hang us up, “from the remotest parts of the North.” With the understanding that the descendants of Noah - the Scythians, were far reaching into the North, then this can be just about anyone, including an Iranian.

Ezekiel 39:2-5 NASB and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3) "I will strike your bow from your left hand and dash down your arrows from your right hand. 4) "You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field. 5) "You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken," declares the Lord GOD.

Specific actions to be taken by God:

1. “I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the North and bring you against the mountains of Israel.”
2. “I will strike your bow from your left hand and dash down your arrows from your right hand.”
3. “You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you;”
4. “I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field.”
5. “You will fall on the open field;”

Each one of these aspects could be examined alone, but the motivation and intent are God's alone and this is made clear in Ezekiel 38:16.

Ezekiel 38:16 LITV And you shall come up on My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It shall be in the after days, and I will bring you against My land so that the nations may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes, Gog.

The idea of sanctification is to be set aside for God's usage, and, has everything to do with God causing the nations to recognize Him. Note how it says, “when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.”

Other problems we struggle with: We never consider Gog as merely a tool, especially if it has pain and death involved with it. And, we never seem to see that all life is in God's hands and it is His to use as He wishes. All those with Gog, it seems, die, but not without purpose, and in this case, they demonstrate, by their death, God's power.

Many associate what is about to come with Psalm 83, while others try to explain that this group of nations is a separate war entirely. As I see it, we are in the last minutes before God pours out His wrath upon the earth. Sorry, but yes, He uses people like Gog to help carry out that wrath. I cannot imagine how there would be time for two extensive attacks against Israel in the next few days. Especially when one of the attacks has a massive fire storm that falls upon the coastlands as well as the mountains of Israel – taking out thousands upon thousands of combatants. With the possible exception of Psalm 83, I do not see that Bible supports an attack on Israeli by anyone other than Gog in the last moments before the judgment of God comes against the earth.

Psalms 83:2-5 NASB For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves. 3) They make shrewd plans against Your people and conspire together against Your treasured ones. 4) They have said, "Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more." 5) For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You, they make a covenant:

Psalms 83:6-8 gives us a list of the players involved: Edom; the Ishmaelites, Moab; the Hagrites; Gebal; Ammon; Amalek; Philistia; the inhabitants of Tyre, and Assyria also has joined with them - ten nations. Because the word through Ezekiel refers to the multitudes with Gog, it 's hard to narrow the nations down to ten. Whether this fits the bill for a new war against Israel or not seems irrelevant when we have such a definitive word against Gog.

Ezekiel 39:6 NASB "And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the LORD.

If God is talking about the area in the map (as seen above), an area that indicates the world known to the ancient Hebrews. The coastlands then could be limited to: The Caspian Sea; The Black Sea; The Persian Gulf; The Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea or the Persian Gulf as we now know it. All of these have ample coastlands and could easily fit the bill and would not include places like England or the United States of America. Do not get the impression that I am saying Britain and the USA will be excluded from problems; to the contrary, we will be neck deep in them. There have been far too many prophecies indicating that the US for one, will be the target of a nuclear attack, from multiple sources. England is so far into the Muslim transition that they are barely breathing as a free land.

Note how it says, “those who inhabit the coastlands in safety. If Ezekiel 38:11 is a clue as to what this means, it tends to focus on Israel alone as Israel is the land described.

Usage of the word safety can also imply an arrogance. You might see them being so bold as to say, look at us and good we have it.

Ezekiel 38:10-11 NASB 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, 11) and you will say, 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates,

Since Israel is God's chosen we don't have to look far to understand who might be involved. In doing a quick mental check, there is minimal land along the coasts of the Mediterranean where I can find peace. Most nations, thanks to warfare, have little that looks like walls. Gaza, to the South, has no peace, and countries around the Persian Gulf are in a constant state of flux due to their belief systems. Nations that surround the Black Sea, or the Caspian Sea, are lesser known to me, although there is the awareness of what we call civil wars. Some of these nations have been battling with Russia for sovereignty. Most of us have seen enough of Russia's actions to know that when they move against you, you typically lose.

The word safety is the Hebrew word beṭaḥ: A masculine noun or adjective meaning security. As a noun, it primarily means security or calm assurance. As an adjective, it means assurance or confidence. It is primarily a positive term: to dwell in safety because of God's protection. This last aspect of the description, as stated in the Word Study Dictionary, tends to limit the protection to those that God is protecting. However, the implications of the passage lend themselves to those who are operating in conjunction with Gog. Does this mean there will be an active participation in warfare? Not necessarily, as so much of war happens in offices and banks. Do the math. The Rothschild family has financed every war, both sides, since the world has been deemed modern. With that in mind, try to imagine the ways to participate in a war and never fire a shot. If you can, then you have imagined the beast of Revelation.

Related articles

• Muslim Terrorists Kidnap Christian Girl And Keep Her Hostage For Three Years, Iraqi Forces Go In, Kill The Terrorists And Rescue The Christian Girl
• You may not understand His plans, but the results will prove that His way is right
• Why is it so difficult to trust God?

Daniel chapter 12, verses 3-13. Notes I used to lead Bible Study

Those who have insight will shine

I have so many thoughts running through my head on this subject. Let's break it down in simple terms. Why do some of us get what is going on around us, while others, still espousing the same old worn out rhetoric, say, we have been looking for Christ for over 2500 years and he hasn't come back, so stop talking about His soon return. My own pastor told me that prophetic teaching about end times are peripherals and apparently we shouldn't waste any time on teaching about what is coming. Others, just will not get understand, they don't want to. And yet, there are those words - "Those who have insight will shine.

What did Daniel learn?

Daniel 12:3 NASB "Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Is God being selective about whom he allows to understand, or is it that he only accepts the wise? I don't believe either is the case, but he certainly knew who would demonstrate the desire to understand and not call the tumult going on around us which is so definitely aligned with scripture, mere peripherals, and not worthy of our time.

The book of Daniel is considered an apocalyptic book due to the imagery; imagery that would make no sense, in some cases, for thousands of years.

There is, however, a massive clue that we should never lose sight of, and that is the fact that Daniel was meant for a Jewish understanding, as is the Revelation written by John. The major impact seen in Daniel has to do with a region heavily influenced by the Persian and Assyrian empires, and how the descendants of those people are to be the major players in the end times. Sure, there are others wishing to play a role; we see them under the guise of the beast of Babylon; but know this, their end will come. Keep in mind, that without Ishmael and the descendants of Noah, there would be no other players in this end game.

• “Those who have insight..”

The phrase, those who have is the Greek word sakal and means to act wisely. "To act wisely" has many implications. 

The word insight is also the word sakal; having been declared twice, therefore implies a special emphasis or importance to the Jewish mind. Alternate words are comprehend, consider, and discern.

One might say that those who have insight and instruct will shine brightly, or, Those who are prudent or behave themselves wisely, will comprehend.

• “ those who lead the many to righteousness”

The word lead can be read as: lead to righteousness. We do that through the act of appropriate teaching. Sadly, I find appropriate teaching to be rare anymore.

The prophet Micah spoke of teaching.

Micah 4:1-2 NASB And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it. 2) Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The KJV of Daniel 12:3 substantiates this idea of teaching,

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

It matters not which translation you use, the theme is the same.

The“they” we see in the KJV are the learned in the ways of God; those wise in the word; the skillful in or with the word, OR, it could merely be the obedient that will turn many to righteousness. Effectively, this will be the Jews.

• “and they that turn many to righteousness”

The problem is that God wanted this from Israel the entire time.

The prophet Jeremiah tells us that Israel's teachers did not listen to God and therefore Israel turned their backs on Him.

Jeremiah 23:21-22 NASB "I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. 22) "But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.

But the day is coming when Israel will take the teaching lead God longed for.

Zechariah 8:23 AMPC+ Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men out of all languages of the nations shall take hold of the robe of him who is a Jew, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.

Common sense and scripture tell you that these are Jews who are doing the teaching.

2 Corinthians 3:16 KJV Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. ("It" referenced here is the nation of Israel.)

And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth

Isaiah 25:7-8 NASB And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations. 8) He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

Note that these “turn many to righteousness..” This should be markedly easier as God lifts the veil off of, not only Israel but the nations as well.

What time frame are we talking about?

My immediate response was the Millennial reign, however, I have come to understand that that is incorrect. Daniel 11:33-35 NASB gives us a bit more insight when it says, "Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

Daniel 11:33-35 parallels Daniel 12:10, but we will get into that momentarily.

Since dying during the Millennial reign for the follower of Messiah is a non-issue, why would Daniel 11:35 play a role in our thinking? It shouldn't, therefore, this refining and purging are happening during the time of wrath, and that is exactly the purpose of the seven years.

Why is this even an issue?

Because we do not believe that God has his hand in everything, whether good or evil; it's an issue because we can't handle that an uncountable number continue to come to Him, and, it is an issue because shows mercy to uncountable numbers by the methods he chooses, calling all those who come His own.

Daniel 12:4 KJV But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Daniel is told to shut up the words, and seal the book; why?

Daniel 8:25-26 KJV And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. 26) And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.

The words that Daniel received applied to the distant future and would make no sense until those nations arose; nations whose national emblems, in many cases, match the apocalyptic imagery Daniel saw. And, there is the introduction of a demonically driven killing machine, passing itself off as a religious ideology, unlike all others would arise in 640 AD called Islam.

As I sat in church one recent Sunday morning, I had a thought triggered by the Pastor's excursion into the book of Colossians chapter one; the point, spelled out in the first chapter, is our hope defined in our relationship with the Father.

The angel Michael tells Daniel to go on his way for the prophecy/mystery/understanding has been sealed until the end of time. What then is, or was the end of time?

Since Daniel had previously been told that there would be seventy weeks of years until the Messiah would come as expected, and, we know that the 69^th week has come and gone, could we then say, that the end has come?

What if we added Joel 2 into the mix?

The prophet Joel tells us that in the last days that God will pour out His spirit on all flesh. Since Peter, on the day of Pentecost, declared this prophecy (at least this aspect) fulfilled, and, we have had momentary glimpses of His spirit being poured out, then are we in the last days?

The Apostle Paul writing to the church in Colossae, said, in chapter 1:26, that the mystery is now revealed to His saints. I get it, there is always a context and it seems to apply to the riches of glory now made known and available to the Gentiles. But, aren't the riches of glory the hope that we long for?

Sure, much of our hope applies to our life in and with the Father, but, doesn't having an understanding of how we get there and what the path that leads to eternity looks like, play a role in understanding this hope? 
How do you hope for something you don't understand? Good question, but that theme alone played a major role in lives of our fathers. An example:

Hebrews 11:8 NASB By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

But we have a road map to help us with our understanding, don't we?

Unlike Daniel and all the saints who passed on before say 1948, we who are in Christ have the road-map (prophecy.)

Matthew 24:32 NASB "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;”

This is Israel being talked about and the process began when Israel became a nation in 1948. If I apply this thinking to the book of Daniel, virtually every chapter is an aspect of that road map. The disciples had asked specific questions and one of them was, what would be the signs indicating His return. The “parable” of the fig tree was an aspect of Jesus' answer.

Allow me to add that, we are not in the dark and as disciples ourselves, it is given to us to know. We have no excuses. You can find these references in Luke 8:10; Matthew 13:11, and Mark 4:11-12.

Daniel 12:9 KJV And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Apparently, God did not wish for this information to be understood until the end. Considering that some of us are finally getting an understanding, then perhaps we are here.

If I could use only one clue it would be the fig tree.

Matthew 24:32-34 NASB "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33) so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34) "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

• • many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase."
    Whether this means people will be able to move around quickly in airplanes, or it applies to those who pursue varied sources of knowledge, I am not sure.
    
    

    knowledge. An alternate reading suggests "calamities" or "wickedness" shall be increased, a reading supported by the LXX. The difference arises from the very slight difference between the Hebrew letters for "d" and "r," daleth and resh, which are often confused, in Hebrew a change from hadda’ath to hara’oth, as discussed in the CB margin. If the alternative readings "apostatize" and "wickedness" are correct, this passage becomes strikingly similar to the New Testament prophecies of Paul (**2Th_2:3; **2Th_2:7, 1Ti_4:1, 2Ti_3:1-5), "except there come a falling away first" (2Th_2:3) and "And then shall that Wicked be revealed" (2Th_2:8). The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury

    
    
    While I am not able to see where this idea of calamities or wickedness comes from, I do see this subtlety in the Strong's concordance.
    
    

    dah'-ath From H3045; knowledge: - cunning, [ig-] norantly, know(-ledge), [un-] awares (wittingly).

    
    
    The idea of an ignorant cunning or knowledge unawares is disturbing, to say the least. The prophet Amos, it seems, upholds this idea when he says, they will go, … but they will not find it (this knowledge.)

Amos 8:11-12 NASB "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. 12) "People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it.

The annoying aspect of this is that many will say Amen to the passage, refusing to hear the negative side of its connotations, and continue to preach falsely: the character of God; fail to demonstrate His nature; refuse to show people His never ending mercy, and befuddling the truth by valuing tradition rather than the Word of God.

Daniel 12:5-6 CJB “Then I, Dani'el, looked; and I saw in front of me two others, one on this bank of the river and the other on its other bank. 6) One of them asked the man dressed in linen who was above the water of the river, "How long will these wonders last?"

• “the man dressed in linen who was above the water of the river”

This is the same description that we saw in Daniel 10:5.

Daniel 10:5 AMPC+ I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz.

The question asked was, “How long will these wonders last?”

Wonders is the Hebrew word pele and can also mean extraordinary things. Except for Lamentations 1:9, this term always appears in the context of God's words or deeds. It is used of God's actions among His people

Daniel 12:7 AMPC+ And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right and his left hand toward the heavens and swore by Him Who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half a time [or three and one-half years]; and when they have made an end of shattering and crushing the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

The short answer is three and one-half years.

What does this time period apply to? “when they have made an end of shattering and crushing the power of the holy people”

“They” are the followers of the Antichrist. The specific time involved is the last period of time 1260 into the seven years of God's wrath.

What do “they” do? Crush and shatter the power of the holy people. (The Jews)

The Word Study Dictionary explains the word power this way, “Literally, it implies the hand of a human being and occasionally the wrist. Metaphorically, it signifies strength or power.

What is it, an all inclusive destruction, or merely a handful?

Deuteronomy 32:36 NASB "For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.

Daniel 12:8-9 NASB As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?" 9) He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.

What events would Michael be talking about, especially since the things Daniel has been shown cover a vast expanse of time?

The context has more to do with Daniel 12:6,7.

Daniel 12:6-7 NASB And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be until the end of these wonders?" 7) I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

Daniel asks, once again, for understanding, but the answer is disappointing, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.”

Daniel receives just a little more information.

Daniel 12:10 NASB "Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.

• “ Many will be purged, purified and refined”

Purged is the Hebrew bārûr: A verb signifying to purify, or select.

I can see where those who struggle with the concept of predestination could struggle with this also. How do you know if you have been excluded from knowledge unless you try?

Again, I need to remind you that this is applicable to the time of judgment coming upon the world.

If that is exclusively the case, then what about what Peter wrote to the early church?

1 Peter 1:6-7 NASB In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7) so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

I will just say that the church is under a mandate to endure tribulations, which are an ongoing process of our life in Christ. I believe this happens because we are in Him, and therefore the target of the enemies attempts at the destruction of God.

Continuing on with Daniel 12:10 -

Purified - laben; a prim. root; to be white: - become white.

Revelation 3:18 NASB I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

And refined ṣārap̱: A verb meaning to refine, to test. This word describes the purifying process of a refiner, who heats metal, takes away the dross, and is left with a pure substance.

Being refined is a concept that the believer should be familiar with.

Job 7:17-18 NASB "What is man that You magnify him, And that You are concerned about him, 18) That You examine him every morning And try him every moment?

And in the Revelation we find this:

Revelation 3:10 NASB 'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

• “ but the wicked will act wickedly..”

Wicked rāšā‛: An adjective meaning wicked, guilty, in the wrong, criminal, transgressor.

Will act wickedly rāša‛: A verb meaning to be in the wrong, to be guilty, to be wicked, to do wickedly, to condemn.

So, the wicked or guilty will continue to be guilty. Why is that?

• Because the time of purification is still active (the reference is still within the seven-years.) That means that Satan and a sin nature are still permeating people.

• And, people still have the right to choose how they will act.

Haven't we come to understand that God is merciful and does not want any to perish? True enough, but God also does all these things without subverting anyone's will, or freedom of choice.

• “ but those who have insight will understand”

Jesus told his own disciples that “it had been granted to them to understand the parables.” I desired to understand, always have, and finally, understanding came. Does this mean I have insight? Apparently, one promotes and works with the other.

Daniel 12:11 NASB "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

We understand that this will take place 1,290 days into the time of wrath and judgment. Since we now know that there are 1,290 days more, then those who are enduring the time of wrath still have at least 1,290 more days. A full seven years. But wait.

Daniel 12:12 NASB "How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!

There are an additional 45 days added on to the end of the time of wrath. We have no direct explanation of this 45 days, however, there is a variable and that would be when Christ comes back, touches down on the Mount Of Olives, wages war with those who would fight against Him, and sets up the Millennial kingdom.

It seems as if God could do all these things with a breath, but apparently not in this case.

Daniel 12:13 NASB "But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age."

Once again Daniel is told to go his way. Perhaps this is another way of telling him to live out his life as none of this applies to him.

While the Jewish mind has no concept of the church or it's snatching away, Daniel is told that he will enter into rest and rise again for his allotted portion at the end of the age. This aspect is the synopsis for the hope that we long for.

When in the chronology of time does Daniel arise?

Daniel chapter twelve, verse 2. Yes, it's just one verse.

Verse one transported us through “a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation..”, and we now find ourselves looking into the book of life; therefore, we have to be standing before the Great White Throne.

If that is the case, then we have just jumped forward in time by one thousand years.

Daniel 12:2 NASB "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

• “Those who sleep in the dust of the ground.”
  Are dead!
  The Psalmist tells us, “the dead know nothing.”
  Does it matter where they came from chronologically?
  No, but having missed the catching away of the church, you can easily place most them in the group as being from the nations.
  Having missed the catching away of the church are there other possibilities?
  Yes, those who assume they automatically belonged to the family of God merely because they attended somewhere, and then there are the Jews.
• “will awake, these to everlasting life,”
  Note: they all awake to eternal possibilities.
  Considering how some have been teaching that all those brought to the throne go to eternal hell, how is it that we see some waking to everlasting life?
  The word awake is koots and carries the idea of abruptness in starting up from sleep
  Matthew 25 gives us the answer as the good shepherd responds to their surprise and question as to why, saying, because you did simple, good things. In other words, you acted like the character and nature of God.
  They are not lying in the dirt anxiously waiting for some reward, for as far as they know they have lost out and unaware of this awakening.

• "but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt."
  Disgrace is the Greek word kherpaw and means rebuke and reproach.
  Contempt is the Greek word deraon and means abhorrence.
  Are the assessments of disgrace and everlasting contempt, coming from God, or from those rescued, living in immortal bodies before the presence of the King?
  Think about the depravity of such logic. Those of us living in the millennial reign will have long been freed from the disgusting drive and motivation that would prompt us to scream out hideous provocations at someone destined for an eternal separation from God, known as hell.

The framework for what is to happen starts here:

The question, asked by the disciples, in Matthew 24:3 opens a large window of time, not to mention questions; so much gets ignored.

Whether it is to everlasting life, or disgrace ( rebuke and reproach) and everlasting contempt, where in the scheme of things does this take place?

There is only one place, and it is the Great White throne.

Revelation 20:7 CJB When the thousand years are over, the Adversary will be set free from his prison

At the end of the thousand year reign is where we find Satan released one last time and given enough time to deceive the nations. (There is that word – nations, once again. It is distinct and separate from God's people, which have just been going through the thousand year reign.)

Revelation 20:8-10 CJB and (Satan) will go out to deceive the nations in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them for the battle. Their number is countless as the sand on the seashore; 9) and they came up over the breadth of the Land and surrounded the camp of God's people and the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10) The Adversary who had deceived them was hurled into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The ERV tells us that, “He will go out to trick the nations in all the earth, the nations known as Gog and Magog.”

Note: At this point in time, verse 10, we are only aware of three individuals being in the lake of fire.

Abraham was told that his offspring would be as the sands of the sea.

And what do we see in Revelation 20 verse 8?

Countless numbers as they sand on the seashore.

Who is Abraham's offspring?

Ishmael and Issac. Since Ishmael is an offspring, then descendants of Ishmael would be among those numbers.

A brief overview of the thousand years.

During the Millennial reign, we are told that Jews are sought out by the nations as the teachers of God's ways. We will cover this aspect in more depth when we get to verse 3, but for now, What does that imply? It means that righteousness is continually taught and enforced.

It appears that the idea of grace (the idea that God merely forgives and overlooks sin) is gone with the catching away of the church.

The time that follows the Harpazo, the catching away of the church, is the wrath and judgment of God that the world and those still in it experiences. It would seem that during this seven years you have to prove your allegiance to God through martyrdom. This idea of brutal death is not a God demand but an unfortunate aspect of the Antichrist's rule over the earth.

Many from the nations, now having the veil lifted from their eyes have come wholeheartedly into a bond with God.

This relationship appears to be primarily through the observance of God's statutes; we evidence this standard when the nations are made to appear yearly in Jerusalem and participate in the Feast of Tabernacles – a week long ceremony where bowing before God is a mandate.

Jeremiah 3:17 NASB "At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart.

Zechariah 14:16 NASB Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

While I have been pointing out how righteousness may look during the Millennial reign there is another possibility for the nations to obtain righteousness, and that would be through the healing derived from the leaves of the trees that grow along the river that flows from the throne of God; this is the same tree of life that grew in the garden.

Since we understand that the tree of life gives eternal life, just as church obtained through Jesus Christ, then these who partake of the leaves from the trees too obtain this life.

This idea of handing out life to people probably causes many of us great trouble, as we cannot grasp God's ability, generosity, and wisdom in allowing something like this to happen.

Trust me on this, God, will not allow any permanent resident to bring their deviance into eternity. He could not allow Adam and Eve to do it and He won't allow it here. Since Adam and Eve operated under the same graceless pattern as Israel did, then death would have put them in Sheol, just as Abraham and the beggar Lazarus. Anyone held captive in Hell would have been given the opportunity to accept Christ's grace and mercy when He preached to the captives in Hades as an aspect of His death and resurrection. This moment of grace was an opportunity afforded to all. Seeing as all sin was forgiven and overlooked then all that remained for those held captive in Satan's domain, was to accept that Jesus was the Messiah and that He had paid the price necessary for eternal life.

The NASB entitles this next section:

Judgment before the Great White Throne.

Observe what happens.

Revelation 20:11-13 CJB Next I saw a great white throne and the One sitting on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12) And I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened; and another book was opened, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged from what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13) The sea gave up the dead in it; and Death and Sh'ol gave up the dead in them; and they were judged, each according to what he had done.

Daniel was told, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”

• “And I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of the throne.”

There is no exclusion, as all will awake, but not all will obtain everlasting life with the Father.

• “and death and Sheol gave up the dead in them; and they were judged,”
  As I said, Jesus preached to the captives. What the immediate impact was we do not know.

• “Books were opened.”
  We assume that He is checking the books to see your sins, however, God does not need to write your failures in a book; why?

Because sin, all of it, was forgiven and set aside on the cross. He does, however, scour these books looking for a basis to show those before Him mercy. This idea of looking for something that allows Him to show mercy is the only logical assumption we can make.

What we see in Revelation 20 is the same story as Matthew 25, only told from a different viewpoint.

Allow me to explain.

Jesus, after a horrendous, two-day confrontation in the temple, is now leaving and headed toward the Mount of Olives - his favorite place to retreat and rejuvenate with the Father. The disciples were undone by the last two days, as they too thought He would step up as the Messiah, but He didn't. Befuddled, they pointed out the magnificence of the temple as they walked past it. Jesus response to this was:

Matthew 24:2 CJB But he answered them, "You see all these? Yes! I tell you, they will be totally destroyed; not a single stone will be left standing!"

A few minutes have passed, and they are now sitting among the Olive trees. Here they came to Him privately and asked,

Matthew 24:3 NASB As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

They asked three questions:

• “ Tell us, when will these things happen.”
  What things?
• “ what will be the sign of Your coming,”
  The Jews, his disciples, had no concept of a rapture of the church. As far as they, they were the church. That attitude changed but not so quickly.
• “And what will be the sign of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24 and 25 is the long answer to those questions.

An aspect of that response includes the sheep and goat judgment.

Interesting that the NASB entitles this next cluster of passages in Matthew 25 as:

The Final Judgment

How odd, I thought that the Great White Throne was the final judgment? It is, and this is that experience, from the perspective of Jesus as the loving, gentle Shepherd. In contrast, in the book of Revelation, He appears as the angry God willing to end all rebellion on earth. It will help your understanding to remember that the Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ, no matter what he looks like.

Again, allow me to demonstrate.

Matthew 25:31 NASB "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.

• “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory.”

Glory is the Greek word Doxa. An aspect of its meaning is splendor and brightness.

Do not think for a second that when He comes riding the white horse, prepared to do battle, that He will be dressed in anything other than His splendor and brightness.

When will this happen for the last time?

At the Great White Throne.

Matthew 25:32 NASB "(A.)All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate (B.) them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

1. If this is the same throne then these are dead people.

We know from Daniel 12:2 that, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake,”

This is not a selective resurrection; everyone will awake.
1. In Revelation 20 do we see a separation as well?
   Yes, as Jesus the shepherd sets apart all those whose names are not found in the books.

Let's look at Revelation 20 once again, and see what it says.

Revelation 20:12-13 NASB 12) And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

• “ And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne,”

While this makes no distinction as to where the dead came from, our biggest and most logical assumption is from the nations; not only those we just witnessed coming against the city of God, but those who have died throughout the thousand years and possibly all time.

• “and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.” Revelation 20:13

While the judgmental will send them all to hell, the truth is that God scours all books available looking for some reason to show them mercy.

Revelation 20:14-15 NASB 14) Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15) And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The logical path.

The comparison here to Matthew's version is that the shepherd focuses on the sheep and their entrance into the kingdom. Revelation 20 tells only us about those whose names were not found in the book of life and were thrown into the lake of fire. There is no discussion about anyone going into the kingdom, and yet both represent the final judgment. Therefore, there must be those who gain entrance, especially if Matthew 25 is the same story. And, the most disturbing for the religious is that there is the possibility that some of those standing there, deceived, ready to kill God, have potentially done some good deed worthy of life. Matthew 25 spelled those things out, for when those granted mercy realize what is happening to them, they ask what they did to deserve mercy. The answer from the shepherd, Yashua, Jesus, is that they fed Him, visited Him in prison, and gave Him something to drink when He was thirsty. Simple, good deeds.

Related articles

• What Has Happened to Minneapolis?
• Sermon: When the World Is Against You, Acts 24

Will we have to go through the tribulation?

This is merely a repost of something I wrote in April of 2016. I have been going through some the of the posts and finding bizarre representations of what I wanted to present. Yes, I like to indent and use bullet points, but the results on Blogger were a shock and an irritation when I found out what it was doing to them. Removing the formatting makes me work twice as much but it is more readable. 

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."(Revelation 16:1 NASB)

Make a note of the words, “the wrath of God.” If you do not know my blog and how I think, then may I make something clear. This time that is coming upon the earth, often called the day of the Lord, is not the tribulation; it is the time of wrath. Tribulation, as Jesus put it, is a way of life for the believer.

Even my mother asked me, will we have to go through the tribulation?

Because I see events already upon us that look and sound like aspects of God's wrath during the seven-year period, it is possible that we are already there. Add to this the testimony of a young Jewish boy. Jewish only by nationality at the time of his testimony, died, went to heaven, spoke extensively with Jesus – the Messiah and came back to life. One of the things he said as he was questioned by the rabbis, was that we are in the last seven years. I could take that information seriously, or I could dismiss it, or I could compare it with what I see around me.

What is the obvious problem with that?

Jesus took all the wrath upon himself, on the cross, 

Isaiah 53:4-5 NASB Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. (5) But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging, we are healed.

And we, being in Christ, are not destined for wrath. 

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 NASB (9) For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, (10) and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

Romans 5:9 NASB Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

All the wrath we see during this time period is meant for the nations and Israel in general for rejecting him.

Allow me to explain something. We are only looking at three people groups in the world today: the Jews; the Nations, and the Church.

Once the church is caught up to be with the Lord there will only be those unbelieving (at that moment) Jews and the nations. The nations are a broad spectrum ranging from those we claim were unreached, to those who live in ignorant or blatant rejection.

Romans 1:18 NASB For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

John 3:36 NASB "He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

If God opened the windows of heaven and poured out his wrath upon the earth wouldn't that mean that the church is receiving his wrath as well? And, that, is not right when I look at scripture. 

What other explanations are there?
While it is evident to me that the removal of the church from the earth is the trigger to releasing God's wrath upon the earth, there is nothing that tells us plainly when the church will get caught up. But we have not been left in the dark, nor are we unintelligent; there are clues if we are willing to heed them:

Matthew 24:32-34 The parable of the fig tree.

1 Thessalonians 5:1- 5 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief.

Matthew 13:10- 13 Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven,

While the previous three passages do not tell you precisely when they give you the freedom to play in the ball park. Here we are in August of 2017 and Israel is seventy years old. Seventy was a rather typical estimation for a generation. Besides that, if I look at Israel as the fig tree, then it is easy to see that it is in full bloom and producing fruit. There is a generation associated with that fig tree, and we have the covenant called God's word telling us that this generation will not pass away. Folks, we are right there. 

2 Thessalonians 2:6-9 NASB (6) And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (8) Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; (9) that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

Sure, circumstantial evidence is mounting, and we can see that. I can see many things happening as we speak. 

Just within the first three seals of Revelation 6 are things that are happening all around us.
Revelation 6:2-6 NASB I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. (3) When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." (4) And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. (5) When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. (6) And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."

If I look at the first rider, it rides a white horse.
The white horse is symbolic of peace, and yet the rider has a bow in his hand, in opposition to peace, but you noticed that he has no arrows. This rider is representative of an entity that presents itself as peace but its motive is a war. Islam nicely fits that description; the religion of peace is anything but peaceful.

The second rider removes peace from the earth.
Have you watched the news lately? Sick of the looting, pillaging, and raping of Sweden's women, someone started burning Mosques in Sweden; Islamic terrorists have, in recent months, blown up the Belgium airport and a hotel in Indonesia. At the time of this writing we were in the midst of presidential campaigning here in America, but do we have to deal with? Trump supporters who seem to be a bunch of violent, racist fools, while the group Black Lives Matter group has openly stated we will bring the violence to the streets of America if Trump is elected.

And thirdly, that loaf of bread that I can remember paying a quarter for is now as much $4.25.
The general idea is that food has become expensive, and, in many cases inedible. As an addendum, Venezuelan's are starving to death as their dictator refuses aid shipments.

Another example of that evidence was the idea that the beast was thought to be exclusively a Middle Eastern phenomenon by some.
And, up until just a few years ago, I would have told you that America would not be touched by Islam's terrors. But that is not the case anymore as we have Al Qaeda training camps in the United States that are feasible threats to American targets.

Is it possible that what we see in the sixth chapter of Revelation is not the wrath of God? Maybe. By the time you get to verse eight it sure seems like it:

Revelation 6:8 NASB I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

But who is keeping count of the number of people in the Middle East, Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, slaughtered by Islamic related groups; how many have died as verses 9-10 describes?

Revelation 6:9-10 NASB When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; (10) and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

What's my point? Things are not that crystal clear are they?
If God saw fit to time events as he pleased then how do we keep the timing? You see, even that gets muddy as we wanted a clean delineation; one that allows us to say, see, I told you so. But, that is not our job. Our job is spelled out the second chapter of Titus:

Titus 2:11-13 NASB For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, (12) instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, (13) looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

We are to be looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.

Grab hold of that for a moment. Believers will tell you, that under grace we have no laws, or perhaps another way of stating this, commands. This sounds like some explicit instructions to me: Deny ungodliness and worldly desires, live sensibly, righteously, and, look for the appearing of Jesus.