As mentioned already in other threads, I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt, most Pre Wrath (First Half Tribulation), End Time Bible Prophecy, (particularly with respect to the Revelation and Book of Daniel), has already been fulfilled by recent historic events.
The first beast system of Revelation 17:12, which rises out of the "sea" (a biblical metaphor for some part of humanity), (which I call the Beast of the Cold War era), was fulfilled in March 1947 when the Soviet East Bloc was established. This system consisted of ten kingdoms, the Soviet Union, (that includes the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which voluntarily joined the U.S.S.R. and became Republics of the Soviet Union in 1941, and did not regain their independence until the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991), East Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia and Albania. The tenth kingdom consists of the Roman Catholic population of Eastern Europe representing the Vatican State. The iron of Stalinism, and the miry clay (a symbol of infirm spiritual beliefs, Psalms 40:4, i.e. the Worship of the Virgin Mary, or Marianism), as described in Daniel 2:41-42.
The Scripture says, these ten kingdoms will have power with the beast for ONE HOUR, (Revelation 17:12). Now it seems unlikely the Scripture is talking about a literal hour of sixty minutes. That would be completely illogical. So it must be talking about some other span of time. Question is, What does this prophetic hour represent ? In this case, Scripture interprets Scripture.
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this ONE thing, that ONE DAY is with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS".. (2 Peter 3:8).
This point was so critical to understanding the meaning of prophecy, the Apostle Peter mentions it as being singularly important among all his other teachings. The math is pretty straight forward. If you want to figure out what a "prophetic" hour represents, all you have to do is divide the number twenty four (the hours in a day), into one thousand years. 1,000 years divided by 24 = 41.6 in numerical terms, or forty one and a half years.
As mentioned earlier, the Cold War era officially began in March 1947 when then president Truman issued his Policy of Containment against the Soviet East Bloc.
In numerical terms, 1947.3. Add 41.6 to that date (One Prophetic Hour) and you arrive at the date 1988.9, or September 1988. Headlines for Time Magazine for that date read;
"EASTERN EUROPE ERUPTS IN ARC OF UNREST, AS YOUNG ACTIVISTS DEMAND REFORM"
Exactly as prophesied, the beginning of the end of the Cold War era occurs exactly forty one and a half years after it started. So, yes. I'm absolutely certain the history of the Cold War era fulfilled the prophecy of Revelation 17:12 and the first beast system of the Revelation Prophecy.
"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the EARTH, and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon" (Revelation 13:11, KJV).
The Revelation also mentions another beast system that follows the first, and is described as rising out of the "earth", (Rev. 13:11). This is interesting, because the Bible has no symbolic or metaphorical meaning for the word "earth". It literally means, "Terra Firma" (the ground beneath your feet). So it's clear, this final beast system will literally emerge from the Earth itself. There is no other biblical interpretation possible, other than this one.
Also interesting, is the way the threat posed by Climate Change has shaped the politics of recent historic events. On June 18, 2015 Pope Francis delivers an encyclical speech from the Vatican summed up as saying, "Our home (the planet Earth, is being ruined" and calls for an international agreement to reduce global green house gas e missions caused by heavy industry. Later on July 9, 2015 in a speech made in Bolivia, he calls world leaders who will not take action on Climate Change, "moral cowards".
Now as the New Cold War era begins to heat up, on December 12, 2015 the United Nations passed an international accord to deal with the threat of Climate Change. Does the emergence of a new and final beast system coincide with this development ? As though it had risen out of the Earth itself ?! Can we identify this beast of the New Cold War era ?
In Bible symbolism "horns" represent kingdoms, (Rev.17:12) associated with a beast system (Daniel 7:7). In the case of the last beast system, it is composed of two horns, representing two kingdoms. The passage goes on to say, these two horns will be "like" the horns of a lamb. In Bible language a "lamb" is a symbol of PEACE. Notice however this statement is qualified, because the two horns only appear "like" a lamb, (Rev.13:11). So it's logical to assume, the symbolism of the lamb in this case, may have more to do with how these two kingdoms wish to be perceived, rather than what they actually represent, (which could be the exact opposite of peace).
What does the Scripture mean when it says the beast system "speaks as a dragon" ?! In Hebrew , the word dragon is rendered as "tannin". It refers to a creature that inhabits desert places, (the jackal). To speak as a dragon, is to "wail as a jackal". To lament, making a sorrowful and disturbing cry, (Micah 1:8). The wailing of jackals is a portent of coming desolation and destruction (Jer. 9:11), terror and war, (Jer. 10:22).
In July 2015, Russian president Vladimir Putin was summoned to the Vatican and told to stop supporting the civil war in the Ukraine. Putin not only refused, but moved Russian troops toward the Ukrainian border to underscore the point. NATO reacted immediately deploying a Fast Reaction Force of 30,000 men and heavy battle tanks closer to the Ukrainian border and added twenty F-22 advanced Stealth (nuclear capable) fighter bombers to the force, and threatened to redeploy intermediate range nuclear missiles removed from Europe at the end of the Cold War. Vladimir Putin responded to this threat saying that if NATO intervened in the Ukraine, Russia would use nuclear weapons.
The threat of the Earth being destroyed by Climate Change and Nuclear War ! I'd say that qualifies as a portent of coming "desolation and destruction", wouldn't you ?!.. The "wailing of jackals" ! As prophesied in Revelation 13:11.
Both the Vatican and Russia under Vladimir Putin wish desperately to be perceived as "peace-makers", but are they really ? Will the Climate Change Accord be used to "Save the Earth", or will the strong economic sanctions placed on violators of the agreement, (chief among those Russia and China), become the catalyst that triggers a Third World War. Is Vladimir Putin really our "ally" in the War on Terror as he claims, or is he more interested in reestablishing Russia's military presence in the Middle East ?!
Russia and the Vatican State are the two horns of the beast, (of the New Cold War era), as described in Revelation 13:11. This will be the "final" beast system of the Tribulation Period. In other words, WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE.
The first beast system of Revelation 17:12, which rises out of the "sea" (a biblical metaphor for some part of humanity), (which I call the Beast of the Cold War era), was fulfilled in March 1947 when the Soviet East Bloc was established. This system consisted of ten kingdoms, the Soviet Union, (that includes the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which voluntarily joined the U.S.S.R. and became Republics of the Soviet Union in 1941, and did not regain their independence until the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991), East Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia and Albania. The tenth kingdom consists of the Roman Catholic population of Eastern Europe representing the Vatican State. The iron of Stalinism, and the miry clay (a symbol of infirm spiritual beliefs, Psalms 40:4, i.e. the Worship of the Virgin Mary, or Marianism), as described in Daniel 2:41-42.
The Scripture says, these ten kingdoms will have power with the beast for ONE HOUR, (Revelation 17:12). Now it seems unlikely the Scripture is talking about a literal hour of sixty minutes. That would be completely illogical. So it must be talking about some other span of time. Question is, What does this prophetic hour represent ? In this case, Scripture interprets Scripture.
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this ONE thing, that ONE DAY is with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS".. (2 Peter 3:8).
This point was so critical to understanding the meaning of prophecy, the Apostle Peter mentions it as being singularly important among all his other teachings. The math is pretty straight forward. If you want to figure out what a "prophetic" hour represents, all you have to do is divide the number twenty four (the hours in a day), into one thousand years. 1,000 years divided by 24 = 41.6 in numerical terms, or forty one and a half years.
As mentioned earlier, the Cold War era officially began in March 1947 when then president Truman issued his Policy of Containment against the Soviet East Bloc.
In numerical terms, 1947.3. Add 41.6 to that date (One Prophetic Hour) and you arrive at the date 1988.9, or September 1988. Headlines for Time Magazine for that date read;
"EASTERN EUROPE ERUPTS IN ARC OF UNREST, AS YOUNG ACTIVISTS DEMAND REFORM"
Exactly as prophesied, the beginning of the end of the Cold War era occurs exactly forty one and a half years after it started. So, yes. I'm absolutely certain the history of the Cold War era fulfilled the prophecy of Revelation 17:12 and the first beast system of the Revelation Prophecy.
"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the EARTH, and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon" (Revelation 13:11, KJV).
The Revelation also mentions another beast system that follows the first, and is described as rising out of the "earth", (Rev. 13:11). This is interesting, because the Bible has no symbolic or metaphorical meaning for the word "earth". It literally means, "Terra Firma" (the ground beneath your feet). So it's clear, this final beast system will literally emerge from the Earth itself. There is no other biblical interpretation possible, other than this one.
Also interesting, is the way the threat posed by Climate Change has shaped the politics of recent historic events. On June 18, 2015 Pope Francis delivers an encyclical speech from the Vatican summed up as saying, "Our home (the planet Earth, is being ruined" and calls for an international agreement to reduce global green house gas e missions caused by heavy industry. Later on July 9, 2015 in a speech made in Bolivia, he calls world leaders who will not take action on Climate Change, "moral cowards".
Now as the New Cold War era begins to heat up, on December 12, 2015 the United Nations passed an international accord to deal with the threat of Climate Change. Does the emergence of a new and final beast system coincide with this development ? As though it had risen out of the Earth itself ?! Can we identify this beast of the New Cold War era ?
In Bible symbolism "horns" represent kingdoms, (Rev.17:12) associated with a beast system (Daniel 7:7). In the case of the last beast system, it is composed of two horns, representing two kingdoms. The passage goes on to say, these two horns will be "like" the horns of a lamb. In Bible language a "lamb" is a symbol of PEACE. Notice however this statement is qualified, because the two horns only appear "like" a lamb, (Rev.13:11). So it's logical to assume, the symbolism of the lamb in this case, may have more to do with how these two kingdoms wish to be perceived, rather than what they actually represent, (which could be the exact opposite of peace).
What does the Scripture mean when it says the beast system "speaks as a dragon" ?! In Hebrew , the word dragon is rendered as "tannin". It refers to a creature that inhabits desert places, (the jackal). To speak as a dragon, is to "wail as a jackal". To lament, making a sorrowful and disturbing cry, (Micah 1:8). The wailing of jackals is a portent of coming desolation and destruction (Jer. 9:11), terror and war, (Jer. 10:22).
In July 2015, Russian president Vladimir Putin was summoned to the Vatican and told to stop supporting the civil war in the Ukraine. Putin not only refused, but moved Russian troops toward the Ukrainian border to underscore the point. NATO reacted immediately deploying a Fast Reaction Force of 30,000 men and heavy battle tanks closer to the Ukrainian border and added twenty F-22 advanced Stealth (nuclear capable) fighter bombers to the force, and threatened to redeploy intermediate range nuclear missiles removed from Europe at the end of the Cold War. Vladimir Putin responded to this threat saying that if NATO intervened in the Ukraine, Russia would use nuclear weapons.
The threat of the Earth being destroyed by Climate Change and Nuclear War ! I'd say that qualifies as a portent of coming "desolation and destruction", wouldn't you ?!.. The "wailing of jackals" ! As prophesied in Revelation 13:11.
Both the Vatican and Russia under Vladimir Putin wish desperately to be perceived as "peace-makers", but are they really ? Will the Climate Change Accord be used to "Save the Earth", or will the strong economic sanctions placed on violators of the agreement, (chief among those Russia and China), become the catalyst that triggers a Third World War. Is Vladimir Putin really our "ally" in the War on Terror as he claims, or is he more interested in reestablishing Russia's military presence in the Middle East ?!
Russia and the Vatican State are the two horns of the beast, (of the New Cold War era), as described in Revelation 13:11. This will be the "final" beast system of the Tribulation Period. In other words, WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE.
