by Harold Camping
Family Stations Inc.

Thus, during Jesus’ ministry, very, very few became saved.

However, it was God’s plan that this was the time that God would shift from using the nation of Israel as God’s special people to the utilization of local congregations as the external representative of the kingdom of God (Acts 2:36- 47; Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:1-10; Hebrews 12:18-24).

Thus, seven weeks after the resurrection of Jesus, God began the Church Age. Remember, we earlier learned that on the Pentecost afternoon in A.D. 33, about 3,000 individuals were saved. For the next 1,955 years, the Church Age would continue. During the Church Age, the nature and structure of the local congregations were carefully designed by God. They were to have as church overseers (elders and deacons), men who met very stringent spiritual qualifications (I Timothy Chapter 3). The people who attended these churches were to be under the rule of these elders. Thus, they were to have membership in these congregations (I Corinthians Chapter 5; I Peter 5:1-5).

The task of each congregation was to assist in the sending forth of the Gospel into the world. As they carried out this task, they started additional churches wherever a few people became believers. These mission churches in turn would send out missionaries to establish additional churches (Acts 13:1-3; 15:40-41; 16:4-5; II Corinthians 10:12-16). Thus, by the end of the Church Age, local congregations are to be found all over the world. Those who believed they had become saved became members of one of these local congregations.

For the greatest part of the Church Age, the printing press did not exist. It was invented about 500 years ago, but the Church Age continued for more than 1,900 years. Thus, for about 1,400 years of the Church Age, all copies of the Bible were handwritten. Therefore, they were quite rare, and most people were illiterate. God, however, designed the local churches as a divine institution that could effectively teach the Gospel in spite of these obvious shortcomings. God established the local churches in such a way that the church members could be taught the Scriptures by pastors and elders who had access to a handwritten copy of the Bible and who were able to read it (Ephesians 4:11-12; II Thessalonians 2:15).  

planned to save were hearing verses from the Bible. The principle taught in Romans 10:17, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” continually was a fundamental principle that God utilized to cause the local churches to grow.

This was in sharp contrast to the spiritual conditions that prevailed at the time the nation of Israel was coming to its end as the external representation of the kingdom of God. At that time, Jesus preached perfect sermons, but virtually no one was saved. This was the situation because at that time, God the Holy Spirit hardly ever applied the perfectly preached Word of God to any hearer’s life so that they might become saved. Moreover, during the Church Age, Satan, the great enemy of Christ, was restricted by God from interfering with God’s desire to save those that He wished to save as they heard the Word of God (Matthew 12:25-29; Luke 10:17-24; Revelation 20:1-3).

Satan Impacts the Local Congregations

Satan, however, as the enemy of Christ, was still able to seriously affect the local congregations throughout the time of the Church Age (I Timothy 5:15; I Peter 5:8-9). He did so by bringing into the congregations individuals who were convinced they were saved but in fact were not saved. Because they were convinced they were saved, they tried very hard to live the way a truly saved person should live. Therefore, they were virtually indistinguishable from the true believers within the congregation. Because no church overseers could know with certainty the true spiritual condition of any individual, they could easily give membership to those who outwardly appeared to be saved but actually were not saved. These spurious believers were still under the authority of Satan (Matthew 13:24-30, 37-42; II Peter 2:1-2; Jude 4).

Very frequently, these unsaved individuals were pastors, elders, or deacons who had the spiritual oversight of the congregations. Thus, even though Christ was officially the King of the New Testament churches, in effect, Satan to a high degree ruled in those churches. This is spoken of in II Corinthians 11:14- 15:  

in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 about seven churches that were among the first churches of the Church Age. As He wrote about these churches, God was actually writing to all of the churches that would come into existence throughout the Church Age.

God indicated that even at that very early time in church history, already Satan was active in the churches (Revelation 2:9, 13, 24; 3:9). Already one of the churches, the church at Sardis, was effectively a dead church, even though it still had a few members who were true believers (Revelation 3:1-4). Fact is, a few hundred years later, all seven of these churches had ceased to exist.

This has been the experience of local congregations throughout the Church Age. However, in spite of the spiritual weaknesses of these churches, God still used them to accomplish His purposes to bring the Gospel message to the world.

In spite of the weaknesses and failures of mankind, God could override this and still accomplish His purpose of saving each and every individual He had planned to save. Fact is, nothing was happening outside of God’s control. Nothing man or Satan could do could frustrate God’s plan of salvation.

Finally, however, the time came when God was finished with the utilization of the institution of local churches to accomplish His plan of salvation. At least three things had developed.

First of all, the churches were increasingly departing from truth. Gospels that focused on miracles, visions, voices, and tongues were proliferating. The Bible itself became increasingly less authoritative in the churches. For example, the marriage institution was destroyed as churches began to sanction divorce in opposition to the Biblical law that there is not to be divorce for any reason. Or, for example, churches increasingly taught that one can initiate one’s own salvation by doing certain things, such as “accepting Christ” as Savior or becoming baptized in water.

Secondly, the population of the world was exploding so that at this time in history, every hour the world population is about 8,300 individuals greater than the hour before. Thus, today, the world population is substantially greater than six billion people.  

1. Revelation Chapter 7, the Great Tribulation cannot begin until the complete fullness (144,000) of all those who are to be saved during the Church Age has been accomplished. (Remember, the number 144,000 is not to be understood literally but symbolically, being the product of 12 x 12 x 1,000. See Chapter 8 of this book for more on the numbers of the Bible.)

2. I Peter 4:17, Christ will come to judge the house of God (the local churches).

3. Matthew 24:21, there will be great tribulation such as the world has never known.

4. Revelation 20:1-4, Satan will be loosed so that he can be used by God as a judgment in the local churches.

5. Revelation 9:1-5, Christ as a star looses Satan.

6. Revelation 13:1-7, the beast (Satan) comes out of the sea to make war with the saints and overcome them.

7. Revelation 13:11, the beast (Satan) come out of the earth appearing as a lamb but speaking like a dragon.

8. Revelation 13:1 and 17:12, Satan rules throughout the Great Tribulation time as a beast with crowns on its ten horns.

9. Revelation 9:15, the four angels are loosed to slay the third part (those unbelievers who externally represent the kingdom of God) of men.

10. Revelation 8:1, the Great Tribulation begins with a symbolic half hour during which Heaven is silent (nobody in the whole world will become saved).

11. II Thessalonians 2:3-4, the man of sin (Satan) takes his seat (becomes the sole ruler) in the temple (the local congregations).

12. Revelation 11:7, the two witnesses (the true believers) are killed (driven out of the local congregations).

To understand this verse, a couple of Biblical teachings should be kept in mind. Mankind can preach sermons as perfectly as possible; however, these messages will not benefit the hearers unless God applies the message to those whom God wishes to bless by that message (Matthew 13:14-17; John 16:13-15; 17:14, 17- 19; II Timothy 4:2-4). If Heaven is silent, it implies that there is no action coming from God to bless that message. Thus, however faithful to the Bible that message may be, it is not being used of God as a means through which God saves any of the hearers.

Secondly, we read in Luke 15:7:

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke 15:10 adds:

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Corinthians 2:14-16). That is, the Word of God brings eternal life to those who become saved, but it also will condemn the unsaved to Hell forever. The language that speaks of these two witnesses having the power to shut up Heaven, to turn waters into blood, and smite the earth with all plagues (Revelation 11:6), are a reminder of two Old Testament men. The prophet Elijah prayed and the rain stopped for three and a half years (James 5:17). Moses was used of God to turn the waters of Egypt into blood (Exodus 7:20) and to bring ten terrible plagues upon Egypt (Exodus Chapters 7-12).

Moses represents the Law and Elijah the prophets. The Bible is called Moses and the prophets (Luke 16:29) and the Law and the prophets (Luke 16:16). Therefore, whenever these two witnesses are prophesying, it is the Bible that is the power and authority of their witnessing.

But the time would come when these two witnesses would become silenced because they are killed. This must coincide with the approximate half hour when Heaven is silent. Revelation 11:7-8 explains this:

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

The two witnesses are killed, that is, the Gospel has been silenced. It does not mean that they are physically dead. In John 16:2, God explains that being killed is equivalent to being put out of the synagogue (also translated “assembly”). There we read:

They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

When individuals are driven from the assembly, spiritually they have been killed because their voice can no longer be heard in the assembly. They are killed in the sense that they have been driven out by the congregation itself.  

that each and every human being who had not become saved before the Great Tribulation began was guaranteed to end up in Hell.

No situation can be imagined that is more terrible, more awful, more traumatic than this. During this half hour of silence in Heaven, which identified with the first part of the Great Tribulation, even though many true believers, who are eternally secure as saved people, brought the Gospel outside of the local congregations, no one was becoming saved. Indeed, during the half hour of silence, which was the first part of the Great Tribulation, the whole world was in the most awful predicament, the greatest spiritual trouble it had ever seen.

During the entire period of Great Tribulation, Satan had been given full rule in each and every local congregation throughout the world. We read in II Thessalonians 2:3-4:

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

The man of sin spoken of in this verse can be shown to be Satan. He is called the man of sin because he is typified by the king of Babylon whom God used to represent Satan (Isaiah Chapter 14). While Satan is a spirit being and not a human being, he is called a man in Isaiah 14:16 because he is typified by the king of Babylon.

The phrase he “sitteth in the temple” means he rules in the temple. The temple signifies the local congregations. In the Old Testament, the physical temple was the external representation of the kingdom of God. In the Church Age, the local churches were the external representation of the kingdom of God. Thus, the phrase “he . . . sitteth in the temple” refers to Satan ruling in the local congregations throughout the world.

This terrible condition in the local congregations will continue throughout the entire Great Tribulation period, that is, to the last day of this world’s existence (II Thessalonians 2:6-9). That is why God commands in Matthew 24:15-16:  

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Therefore, as we begin to understand the length of time of that dreadful period, we will also be given some understanding of the timing of the end of the world. But first, we must search the Bible to determine when that period began. We can use the past tense “began” because we can know that we are already living in that period of time. The beginning of the Great Tribulation identifies with a great many Biblical expressions spread throughout the Bible.

“My People” Are Under God’s Judgment

God indicated why the local churches are experiencing judgment in our day by verses such as those quoted below. Please note the references in these verses to phrases like “my people,” “the house of Judah,” and “the house of God.” The entire nation of Israel was called “my people” by God. Likewise, all those who became members of local churches throughout the New Testament era were known to God as “his people,” “the house of God,” and “the temple of God,” that is, as God’s very own people.

In both instances, they were God’s people in the sense that they were an external representation of the kingdom of God. However, the fact that these verses, which we will cite below, show that God’s wrath is on “my people” indicates that blood descent from Abraham (national Israel) or church membership does not in any way guarantee salvation. Unless someone has become truly saved, he is still headed for Hell, even though he may appear to be a fine church member (Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 2:28-29; II Corinthians 13:5- 6; Hebrews 6:4-6; II Peter 2:20-22).  

Isaiah 1:21:

How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

Isaiah 3:12:

As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

Lamentations 1:8:

Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

Ezekiel 9:9-10:

Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not. And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.

Ezekiel 34:2-5:

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

Hebrews 10:30:

For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

I Peter 4:17:

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

The tabernacle mentioned in these verses was the tabernacle that was constructed about 800 years earlier when Israel was at Mount Sinai. Remember, it was taken to Shiloh where it remained for over 300 years. But the tabernacle at Shiloh ceased to exist about the year 1067 B.C. It was replaced by the temple, the foundation of which was laid in the year 967 B.C. This citation of Jeremiah 10:20 was written after 609 B.C. How then can it be speaking of the tabernacle being destroyed at this time, over 450 years later, when God is writing the Book of Jeremiah?

The answer is that God used the tabernacle at Shiloh as a picture or representation of the Church Age. We know this to be true because in Isaiah 54:2- 3, God wrote through Isaiah (in about 700 B.C.):  

true believers like the wheat in the parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13: 24-30, 37-42). Wood, hay, and stubble would be like the tares. Throughout the Church Age, every true believer is a living stone in the temple of God which was externally represented by the local congregations (Ephesians 2:19-22; I Peter 2:5). However, in the opening verses of Matthew Chapter 24 and Mark Chapter 13, God is indicating that as a sign that Christ is coming, not one stone will be left upon another. That is, there will not be one local congregation that still has living stones (true believers) within it. From other Biblical citations, we know that they will have been driven out or they will have obeyed the command to come out.

The end of the Church Age, which coincides with the beginning of the Great Tribulation, which immediately precedes the end of the world, is awful, traumatic, disastrous, to the divine institution of the local congregations. Furthermore, it is worldwide in its scope.

In Which Century Will The Great Tribulation Begin?

The big question that should be asked is: In which century will that be? One of the first Bible clues that help us know the approximate timing of the Great Tribulation which comes just before the end of the world is recorded in Matthew 24:32:

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.

In this verse, God is speaking of a fig tree coming into leaf. Shortly before this prophetic statement was made, we read that Jesus came to a fig tree seeking fruit, but there was nothing but leaves. Jesus then cursed the fig tree and declared that it was never to bear fruit (Mark 11:12-14).

From the context, we must realize that Jesus was looking at that fig tree as a portrait or representation of national Israel. They, like the fig tree with its leaves, appeared to be a spiritually healthy nation. They had the temple, they kept the spiritual feast days, etc. But when Christ looked for spiritual fruit, there was none. Fact is, they wanted to kill the Source of all spiritual fruit, the Lord Jesus. Therefore, God’s curse came upon Israel so that they were rejected by God.  

They no longer could be the external representation of the kingdom of God (Numbers 24:24; Amos 8:14; Romans 11:7, 25). More than that, in A.D. 70, they were utterly destroyed by the Roman armies, so that for almost 2,000 years, they were a scattered people without a land they could call their own.

However, in the parable of Matthew 24:32, Jesus speaks of a time when the fig tree would bear leaves. This appearance of life and vitality would be an indicator that summer was close at hand. This also would be an indicator that all the things spoken of in the context of this verse were in the process of being fulfilled. Matthew Chapter 24, the entire chapter, is speaking of the Great Tribulation that immediately precedes the end of the world. Thus, when this sign of the fig tree in leaf can be seen, we will know that we are very near the end of the world.

But what about the phrase that says when the fig tree is in leaf, summer is nigh?

In the Bible, harvest time is associated with summer. This is readily understood because winter is never the time of harvest. Therefore, we must understand that this verse is prophesying that there will be a time of spiritual harvest during this time of Great Tribulation. How can that be? Matthew Chapter 24 is speaking about Great Tribulation when Satan is ruling in the local congregations. It is a time of spiritual winter. So, how can we understand this prophecy of Matthew 24:32 which ties all of these things to summer, that is, to a time of harvest?

The solution can be known if we realize that outside of the local congregations, during the last part of the Great Tribulation, there will be a great harvest of believers, even as we read in Revelation 7:9-14. There God says that a great multitude of true believers will come out of Great Tribulation. This great multitude of genuinely-saved individuals, true children of God, will be harvested from nations all over the world. Indeed, it will be a summertime of spiritual harvest.

This is the meaning of Matthew 24:22 in which God indicates that for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened. We will learn that during the second part of the Great Tribulation, outside of the local churches, there will be a great harvest of souls. In other words, the Great Tribulation is the time when God no longer uses any local churches anywhere in the world to evangelize the world. Instead, in the second part of the Great Tribulation, He will save a great multitude by the use of true believers who are under no church authority and who bring the true Gospel to the world.

With this fact in mind, returning to the prophecy of Matthew 24:32, we see that God is indicating that when the nation of Israel again becomes a viable nation (a fig tree with leaves), it is a dynamic sign that all of the prophetic  

statements of Matthew Chapter 24 are about to be fulfilled, including the wonderful news that there would still be a great harvest of people becoming saved!

This prophecy of Matthew 24:32 has truly been fulfilled. In A.D.1948, the fig tree, Israel, almost miraculously again began to occupy the land of Israel as a sovereign nation amongst the nations of the world. The prophecy was fulfilled that declared that they were again to be in leaf. It did not predict that there would be any fruit. To be in leaf without fruit means there would be no spiritual fruit. That prophecy also has truly been fulfilled. Except for a tiny trickle of true believers, Israel, as a nation, continues to reject Christ as the Messiah. The prophecy of Matthew 24:32 was indeed fulfilled in A.D. 1948.

This prophecy of Matthew 24:32 declares that all of the events associated with the Great Tribulation and the return of Christ would take place shortly after Israel again became a nation. From our vantage point of living more than fifty years after A.D. 1948, we can see that all of these things spoken of in Matthew Chapter 24 are taking place. Indeed, it will not be long before everything spoken of in Matthew Chapter 24 will have taken place.

It is indeed curious that Israel, the fig tree that came into leaf, officially became an independent viable nation on May 16, A.D. 1948. This was almost precisely 40 years to the very day before the end of the Church Age.

As we continue our study, we will learn that the Church Age, in all likelihood, ended on May 21, A.D. 1988, the day before Pentecost of that year. 40 years is certainly a significant period of time given the fact that so many other periods of Gospel history identify with the number 40. (For example, Israel was in the wilderness for 40 years.)

Moreover, the period of time from A.D. 1948 to the Jubilee Year A.D. 1994 is 46 years, which breaks down into the significant numbers 2 x 23.

Furthermore, the period of time from A.D. 1948 to A.D. 2011, which we will learn is the likely year that ends the world, is 63 years. The number 63 is made up of the significant numbers 3 x 3 x 7. Is all of this coincidental? Or, does it indicate that God has a carefully designed plan for the unfolding of history?  

False Prophets Will Arise

We are learning that the entirety of Matthew Chapter 24 is focused on the Great Tribulation, a real event which occurs just prior to the end of time. We have already briefly looked at verse 15 which warns that the abomination of desolation would be standing in the holy place. We have learned that this is speaking of Satan ruling within the local churches after Christ has abandoned these churches. Indeed, remember the true believers were commanded to flee from these churches.

Another striking characteristic of the Great Tribulation is described by the language of Matthew 24:24:

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

This verse is teaching that during the Great Tribulation, there would arise preachers of what seems like the Gospel. They are under Satan’s power, and they would preach gospels so close to the true Gospel that even the elect would be deceived by them, if such a thing were possible. But it is not possible that the elect be deceived. The elect are those who are or do become true believers because they had been chosen by God to become saved and could never be lost (John 6:37, 39). Matthew 24:24 says that these false prophets, who bring counterfeit gospels, will be recognizable because they will come with signs and wonders. That is, they will come appearing to be able to do miracles and other supernatural acts.

Significantly, a gospel came into existence called the charismatic gospel. Sixty years ago, when it was still very small, it was not called the charismatic gospel, but as this gospel grew into a worldwide phenomenon, it generally became known as the charismatic gospel. This gospel is focused on the concept that a true believer, filled with the Holy Spirit, will receive evidence of this in his life in that he will speak in tongues. Charismatics believe that to speak in tongues is to speak words in a heavenly language that come from the Holy Spirit. This experience normally occurs during prayer, and the words that are spoken will be interpreted into a known language by a fellow believer who presumably has been given the gift of interpretation. Those who hold the charismatic gospel presume that accompanying the activity of speaking in tongues, there will be the possibility of receiving messages from God by means of visions, angel visitation, or hearing a voice. Also, they believe there may be the possibility of miraculous healing and the supernatural activity of people mysteriously falling backward when they are “slain in the Spirit.”  

This book mentioned in these verses can be only the Bible. The reader of the Bible always knows for certain he is hearing words from the mouth of God because that is precisely what the Bible is. God, therefore, will not and cannot satisfy the desires of the charismatic gospel people to hear directly from God apart from the Bible.

But there is a spirit being who can satisfy their desires. He is Satan whom the Bible says transforms himself into an “angel of light.” God warns in II Corinthians 11:13-15:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

What can this verse mean? To understand it, we should look very carefully at each word and phrase.

The first phrase we will carefully examine is “beloved, be not ignorant.”

Beloved, Be Not Ignorant

The word “beloved” assures us that this verse is specifically addressed to the true believers. Only they are the beloved of God. Only they will take seriously and will have understanding of what follows in this verse. Even as verse 3 of II Peter Chapter 3 speaks of scoffers, we can expect the unsaved will ridicule and disbelieve what God discloses in this verse.

Secondly, the verse tells the beloved, “be not ignorant.” By this phrase, God is effectively telling the truly saved, “I am telling you something that should  

not be hidden from you. It is my plan that what I tell you in this verse will be understood by you.” What can it be that God is insisting should not be hidden from the true believers? We shall see presently.

One Thing

Thirdly, the verse uses the phrase “one thing” to indicate that there is something very important that should not be hidden from the true believers’ knowledge. The phrase “one thing” is fairly unusual, but when it is used in the Bible, it is speaking of something of very great significance and importance. There are at least four other passages in which the term “one thing” is used.

John Chapter 9 records the healing of a blind man. As the Jewish leaders ridiculed the one who was healed together with the One who healed him, the man with his new eyesight declared in John 9:25:

. . . Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

Regardless of anything else, the fact could not be denied that a mighty miracle had been performed. A man hopelessly blind could now see: “. . . one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”

In Luke 10:38-42, we read of Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha. Martha is beside herself trying to be the perfect hostess. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet drinking in the words of spiritual life. Finally, Martha could stand it no longer that her sister Mary was not assisting her with her hostess duties and voiced her complaint to Jesus. Jesus’ answer to her is given in Luke 10:41-42:

. . . Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Obviously, the phrase “one thing” in this answer is pointing to that which is supremely important as compared with all other things. Spiritual nourishment, which Mary was receiving, is far more important than the physical nourishment that Martha wished to provide.

In Luke 18:18-24, the Bible tells us of a ruler who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The context assures us that this man lived an exemplary godly life.But Jesus told him in verse 22:

. . . Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distrib-

ute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

This verse also emphasizes that the term “one thing” is referring to something of enormous importance. In this case, it was to look only to Jesus for salvation and not to any of our good works. In Philippians 3:13-14 we read:

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

In these verses, the phrase “one thing” again indicates that our trust cannot be in anything we have done. Forget all of that. The one thing that is supremely important is that we look only for the salvation which God has provided in Christ.

In each of these four citations, the term “one thing” is pointing to something of supreme importance. Therefore, when we read in II Peter 3:8 that true believers are not to have hid from them one thing, we wonder what thing it is that is so tremendously important.

One Day is as a Thousand Years

The Bible then tells us what this all-important information is. We read in II Peter 3:8:

. . . one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

What is this language telling us?

To help us understand this, God placed a related statement in Psalm 90:3- 7. There we read:

Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and

withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

This language is quite parallel to that which we are reading in II Peter Chapter 3. For example, Psalm 90, verse 3 warns mankind of judgment as God declares, “Thou turnest man to destruction.” The Final Judgment is also emphasized in verse 4 by the phrase “a watch in the night.” In several citations, Christ speaks of His return during a watch in the night. For example, we read in Luke 12:38:

And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

about the destruction of the whole world by the Flood and also about the destruction of the whole universe by fire on the last day.

We Know When the Flood Occurred

One fact is abundantly clear: if we did not know with any precision the year when the Noachian Flood occurred, then, even if II Peter 3:8 were pointing to the end of the world coming 7,000 years later, we would still be without any clear idea concerning the possible time of the end.

However, there are two very striking facts of which we should be aware. The first is that as we have just learned, whatever the meaning of the phrase “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years,” God is insisting that every true believer (beloved) is to understand that meaning because it is super, super important. I believe that those who hear or read this verse should be thoroughly impressed by the language, “beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing.”

The second fact is that at this time of history, when God is opening the true believers’ eyes to a great many Biblical truths that heretofore were not known, God has given knowledge of the very accurate Calendar of Time, which we have been scrutinizing, and which has been hidden in the pages of the Bible. And included in that Calendar is the precise year when the Flood of Noah’s day occurred.

The fact is, we know that the year was 4990 B.C. Seven thousand years after 4990 B.C. is A.D. 2011. Remember that when we compute the passage of time between an Old Testament event and a New Testament event, we must add the two calendar dates together and subtract 1. We subtract 1 because there is no year 0. Thus, 4,990 + 2,011 = 7,001, and 7,001 - 1 = 7,000 years.

Is God disclosing to us that A.D. 2011, which is so close at hand, is the last year of this earth’s existence? That is a conclusion each reader of the Bible must ponder and study.

Certainly, as each one of us considers this awesome possibility, a few thoughts should be kept in mind.  

1. We learned that 120 years before God destroyed the whole world in Noah’s day, God gave the preacher Noah the exact year when the Flood was to occur. Remember, God said in Genesis 6:3:

   . . . My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

   We know that this 120 years is not a statement giving the normal life expectancy of humans because for thousands of years after the Flood, men lived much longer than 120 years. Therefore, this statement could relate only to the amount of time Noah had been given to construct the ark. Since Noah was a preacher (II Peter 2:5), as a faithful preacher, he would publish everything that God told him. That would have had to include the fact that at the end of these 120 years, a terrible earth-destroying Flood was coming.

2. Seven days before the Flood, God gave Noah the precise day of the Flood (Genesis 7:4).

3. Hebrews 13:8 declares: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day and for ever.” We can know, by examining how God acted in the past, how He will act in the future. Since God gave Noah information concerning the timetable for God’s destruction by the Flood, we can surely expect that likewise, today, He will give us similar information concerning His timetable for His end-of-the-world destruction.

4. Earlier in our study, we learned that frequently, God gave Pharaoh notice as to the precise day when a plague would fall upon Egypt (Exodus 8:9-14; 9:5-6; 9:18-25; 10:4, 13-15).

5. Also, earlier in our study, we learned that when God was ready to destroy the ancient city of Nineveh in Jonah’s day, God gave Nineveh a precise time. In forty days, destruction would come (Jonah 3:4).

1. Both of the verses indicate that a day is as 1,000 years.

2. Both have in view the Flood of Noah’s Day and the wrath of God at the end of the world.

3. Psalm 90:4 emphasizes that it is an olden day that is past, that is, as 1,000 years.

4. II Peter 3:8 emphasizes that the message given in these verses is particularly for true believers.

5. II Peter 3:8 indicates the message given in these verses will be understood by the true people of God.

6. II Peter 3:8 indicates that the principle that one day is as 1,000 years is super important as God speaks of “one thing.” We understand this since God uses the expression “one thing” in a number of other Biblical passages to identify something of enormous importance.

7. II Peter 3:8 underscores and emphasizes the super importance of the truth that must not be hidden from the true believers by doubling the statement so that we read.

   . . . one day is . . . as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

8. Seven days before God closed the door of the ark on the day that the Flood waters began, Noah, who was a true believer, was told very precisely which day the Flood would begin.

9. Until our present generation, no believer had been given exact information as to when the Flood of Noah’s day began.

10. Presently, we know that the Biblical Calendar teaches us that the Flood of Noah’s day occurred in the year 4990 B.C.

11. The number 7 is repeatedly used in the Bible to signify completion or perfection.

12. If, by these verses which we are studying, God has in mind 7 days of the past, then it appears that the focus of these verses is 7,000 years after the long-past year of 4990 B.C.

13. Seven thousand years after 4990 B.C. is A.D. 2011. Is this the year of Christ’s return to which God is calling the attention of every true believer?

14. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Is there any reason that God cannot or will not give to the true believers of our day the precise year of the end of the world even as He gave the precise year of the Flood to Noah? Is this the one thing God wants every true believer to know? Amos 3, verse 7, states:

    Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

15. In a number of situations recorded in the Bible, God uses one day for one year (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). Curiously, we have begun the serious discussion of II Peter 3:8 in the marketplace of the world in A.D. 2004, just seven years before A.D. 2011. Are these last 7 years also related to the idea that 7 days before the Flood, Noah was given an exact timetable as to when the Flood would begin?

16. Completely apart from these verses, we know from a great amount of Biblical data, that we are presently very close to the end of the world.

Are We Now Near the End of Seven Days?

Before we complete our study of II Peter Chapter 3 and Genesis Chapter 7, we should consider one other possibility.

Is it possible that the references to seven days in Genesis Chapter 7 have a double meaning? In the historical setting, they declare that Noah was told that in seven days all of mankind and the animals that were to escape the Flood were to enter the ark during this seven-day period. The ark was the place of safety. It was the only place in which the destruction of the Flood could be avoided. In Genesis 7:4 we read:  

In a real sense, are not the days of the Son of man the whole time from the time of the Flood all the way to the end of the world? Could this verse be understood to tie the seven days just before the Flood to the 7,000 years just before the end of the world? Genesis 7:1 declares:

And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

or hour of Christ’s coming? We have already noted that we are not to look for a precise day or hour. We may be surprised, but in a real way, this truth that we cannot know the day or hour has already been realized. For some time, a great many true believers have known that the period of time called the Great Tribulation possibly began in A.D. 1988. We will develop this concept later in our study. What was not known until only very recently was the fact that the beginning of the Great Tribulation was the beginning of God’s Final Judgment on the world.

During these past several years, the true believers have become increasingly aware of the fact that the world is now experiencing the Great Tribulation. They have also become increasingly aware that the beginning of the Great Tribulation is the beginning of Judgment Day (Daniel 12:9-10; I Thessalonians 5:4-5). Therefore, God’s Final Judgment, that began with God’s judgment on all the local congregations and transitions to the time when Christ appears in person, has already begun. Therefore, we now know that Judgment Day is not a single day of twenty-four hours. Instead, it is a period of time stretching from the beginning of the time of the Great Tribulation to the actual end of this world’s existence.

A somewhat parallel situation is found in connection with Creation. Creation of the universe encompassed six days of twenty-four hours. However, in Genesis 2:4, God speaks of a day when everything was created, thus indicating that there are cases in which a day can be understood to be longer than twenty-four hours if the context allows it. However, insofar as we can tell, no one who was living at the time when the Great Tribulation began was aware that Judgment Day had begun in that year.

Judgment Day coincides with the coming of Christ as Judge. Therefore, since Judgment Day began at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, and since we will presently learn that the Great Tribulation in all probability began in A.D. 1988, Christ must have already come as the Judge, and no one knew the day or the hour when He did come. This confirms and agrees with the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 24:36.

Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 Speak to All Local Churches throughout the Church Age

Let us further develop this conclusion. In Revelation 2:5, God warned the church at Ephesus:

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

to the world to an end. Remember, Matthew 24:21 describes a time when there would be Great Tribulation. There we read:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Earlier, in verses 15 and 16 of Matthew 24, God had instructed:

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.

the true believers are also frequently called Jerusalem, Zion, Israel, the temple, etc. The reader of the Bible must look carefully at the context where these words are used to determine whether God is speaking of the external representation of the kingdom of God or of the true believers who are the only eternal citizens of the actual kingdom of God.

Returning to Matthew 24:15-16, we read the words “Judaea” and “holy place.” In this instance, the words “holy place” and “Judaea” are referring to the local congregations which throughout the Church Age externally represented the kingdom of God. Throughout the time of the Church Age, God the Holy Spirit was present in each and every local congregation that was reasonably true to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit was present in these congregations to apply the Gospel to the lives of those whom God wished to save. Christ was present within that congregation as King of the church.

Unfortunately, there were some individuals, and frequently very many individuals, who were preachers or elders or members of that local congregation who were not saved. In the parable of the wheat and tares recorded in Matthew Chapter 13, they are called the “tares” (or “weeds”). They are virtually indistinguishable from the true believers. But because they are not saved, they are still under the authority of Satan. Thus, throughout the Church Age, Satan, through these individuals, to some degree, ruled in the congregation, even though Christ was the King of that local congregation.^*

However, at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, Christ and the Holy Spirit left the local churches, abandoning them completely to Satan. The true believers were driven out or were commanded by God to come out. Thus, the situation described in Matthew 24:15-16 took place. Satan, the abomination of desolation, now had become the only spiritual ruler in every local congregation throughout the world. That is why the true believers were commanded to flee from the local congregations (Judaea). Remember, in this context, Judaea is the local congregation which was an external representation of the kingdom of God during the Church Age. The local churches are now ruled by the man of sin (Satan) who had taken his seat (he became the ruler) in the temple (the local congregations which previously had been an external representation of the kingdom of God). In II Thessalonians 2:3-4, we can read about this:

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin

The fact that the antichrist was already in the world when God was writing this verse, about 2,000 years ago, and would also be in the world at the time of the closing events of the history of the world, proves that he cannot be a human being. Each and every human lives out his life and then dies, never to reappear until the end of time when the resurrection of all the dead will occur.

However, the description of the antichrist in this verse fits perfectly with Satan. He was in existence 2,000 years ago and is still very much in existence today. He is the pseudo-christ, the false christ, the antichrist, who heads up the kingdom of Satan, which includes all the unsaved throughout the world. He is a counterfeit christ, constantly endeavoring to destroy Christ. He is described together with those who blindly assist him in II Corinthians 11:13-15:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan him

This verse may be understood when we read in Revelation Chapter 19 God’s description of Christ coming to bring judgment upon the world. He is pictured as riding on a white horse and having a sword protruding from His mouth. We read in Revelation 19:15:

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

That sword can be only the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17) that will bring judgment upon the unsaved as they stand before the Judgment Throne of Christ (Revelation 20:11-12). Therefore, God is telling the churches, in Revelation 2:16, that Christ will come quickly at the time He comes as Judge of all the earth. Thus, the phrase, “I will come unto thee quickly” identifies with Christ coming as the Judge.

Likewise, we read in Revelation 22:12:

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

It is at the end of time that Christ comes with rewards. The reward for the true believers will be the completion of their salvation as they are given their eternal resurrected bodies. The rewards for the unsaved will be that which they have earned, “. . . the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The wages will be the terrible fact that they are judged, found guilty, and sentenced to eternal damnation.

From the above, we can know that there is ample Biblical evidence that the phrase “. . . I come quickly” can identify only with Christ’s second coming as the Judge of all the earth.

The second principle we must keep in mind is that we are now in the time of Great Tribulation, a time in which God has abandoned the churches. They no longer have the light of the Gospel because God is no longer applying the Word of God that may be preached by them to the lives of the unsaved. Therefore, the candlestick has been removed from them.

Thus, if the candlestick has been removed from all of the churches, it means that, based on the truth we learned from our study of Revelation 2:5, we can be sure that Christ has already come quickly. He already has come as Judge of all the earth. This agrees with all of the other references such as I Peter 4:17 which teaches that judgment will begin with the house of God. Remember that in I Peter 4:17, the house of God is the external physical representation of the kingdom of God which is the local churches.

Therefore, to answer our original question, since Christ has already come quickly to remove the candlesticks from each and every local congregation, and, therefore, since Judgment Day is already in process, we need not worry that we might be guilty of violating the Scriptures that declare that no one can know the  

day or the hour when we ask the question, “Could A.D. 2011 be the year of the actual end of the world?”.

No One Knows the Day or Hour of Christ’s Return

We are learning that Jesus has already come to begin the judging process in the world. Judgment has begun in all of the local congregations throughout the world. No one knew the day or hour when He came.

a voice from Heaven announced, “. . . This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

These last two citations definitely link the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles to the return of Christ at the end of the world.

Given all of the foregoing information, we wonder, if all the Biblical evidence points to A.D. 2011 as the most likely year for the end of the world, then by determining the date of the twenty-second day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar in A.D. 2011, we would also know the likely day that ends the world.

However, it is very curious that in A.D. 2011, the twenty-second day of the seventh month could come in the month of September or it might come in October. This problem exists because the Jewish Biblical calendar is determined by the moon cycles, and those cycles do not neatly fit into the yearly cycle. Let me explain.

Each year consists of 365.2422 days. Each moon cycle (one new moon to the next new moon) averages 29.53059 days. The Biblical or Jewish calendar therefore consists of 29-day or 30-day months. Twelve months averaging 29½ days equals 354 days, but 354 days is about eleven days short of a year of 365 days. Therefore, every two or three years in the Jewish calendar, an extra month must be added so that, for example, the first month will always be as close as possible to the same location in the year.

The Jewish calendar was instituted by God as reported in Exodus Chapter 12. From that calendar, we can calculate that the first Passover was on March 21, 1447 B.C. Significantly, March 20 or 21 is always the date of the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox is the day when, all over the world, the daytime hours are exactly equal to the nighttime hours. Therefore, it would appear that the extra month should be added whenever it was necessary in any year to keep the Passover as close as possible to March 20 or 21, the date of the vernal equinox.

The Bible, however, has given no rules concerning this. Therefore, in Jewish tradition, rules to govern the time when the extra month was to be inserted in the Jewish calendar are obviously man-made. Therefore, it is possible to argue  

for the inclusion of the extra month in either of two years close to A.D. 2011 so that the twenty-second day of the seventh month comes either in September or October. The Jewish calendar according to its rules places the twenty-second day in October, 2011, but it is possible that it should be in September.

Additionally, the Bible speaks of the Feast of Tabernacles as having seven days. But it also associates the eighth day as a day of solemn assembly that is intimately identified with the Feast of Tabernacles. Was it the seventh day or the eighth day that was the great day, the last day, of the Feast of Tabernacles spoken of in John 7:37?

For all of these reasons, it does not appear that we can know with any certainty the calendar date that will be the last day of the history of the world. We probably are far wiser in simply indicating that it will, in all likelihood, occur in the fall of A.D. 2011.

The Unsaved Do Not Hear Because They Do Not Believe

One other fact must be kept in mind. Except for true believers who implicitly trust the Bible, no one truly believes what the Bible declares. Unsaved people can hear the truths of the Bible concerning the coming end of the world and Judgment Day, but spiritually, they remain in ignorance as if they never heard these truths even with their physical ears. That is why God says in Matthew 24:36-39:

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marry

This is a faithful promise. Those who have become saved are indwelt by Jesus and their Heavenly Father. That is, God has come to dwell within the life of the true believer.

I John 4:12-16 emphasizes:

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

This is why we read in Galatians 2:20:  

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

These citations assure us that Christ can come to us without our seeing Him with our physical eyes.

If Christ can come into our lives as the Savior without our seeing Him with physical eyes, then He certainly can come into this world as the Judge of all the world without anyone seeing Him with their physical eyes.

This is precisely the situation today. Christ as the Judge of all the earth has already come, even as He will come later so that every eye shall see Him.

Thus, Biblical passages such as Matthew 24:42-51 and Luke 12:35-46, which indicate that we cannot know the day nor the hour when He shall come, in all likelihood, have already been fulfilled. He has come to bring the local churches under His judgment even as prophesied in I Peter 4:17: “. . . judgment must begin at the house of God . . . .”

This also means that a passage such as Revelation 2:5 “. . . I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick . . .” has already been fulfilled.

On the other hand, the Bible speaks of His coming in a way that indicates that every person can see Him with their physical eyes. This will be fulfilled at the end of the “last day.” That will be the time when all the true believers will be raptured and all the unbelievers who had died will be resurrected to stand for judgment (John 5:28-29). That will be the awful moment when there is no more mercy, no more the possibility of salvation (John 12:48). That will be the “last day” spoken of in connection with the resurrection of the bodies of the genuine believers (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54).

The fact is, the Bible speaks in many ways about the second coming of Christ. For example, the Bible uses phrases such as “that great and notable day” (Acts 2:20), “the great day of His wrath” (Revelation 6:17), “the hour of His judgment” (Revelation 14:7), etc. All of these references are speaking of the time of the second coming of the Lord.  

already come as the Judge. Fact is, we know, from the extensive Bible information that speaks to this subject, that the beginning of the Great Tribulation signaled the beginning of the Final Judgment. The hour of Judgment has begun.

Therefore, we need not be concerned with wondering about the day or hour when Christ will come as the Judge. He already has come as the Judge, and the various actions required for the final judging process to be carried out are now in full swing. Each day brings us closer to that aspect of the judging process when Christ will appear and each and every person will see Him with their physical eyes. It is then that each and every unsaved person will stand individually before the Judgment Throne of Christ to receive sentencing, and, from there, they will be removed into eternal Hell to pay for their sins. It is at that time, that time will be no more and the true believers will be evermore with Christ in the New Heavens and New Earth.

No One Can Become Saved in Any of the Local Churches

We should now begin to analyze in more detail the Great Tribulation period that is spoken of as occurring immediately preceding the end of the world. Remember, Matthew 24:21 speaks of it. We read there:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Remember, too, we learned that the chief character of the Great Tribulation is the fact that it seemed no one could become saved anywhere in the world. Matthew 24:22 declares:

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

But we must recall that this verse also teaches that for the sake of the elect, the days of the Great Tribulation shall be shortened. This is in agreement with the teaching of Revelation Chapters 13 and 17 which speak of Satan ruling, under the figure of a beast with ten crowned horns, for a period of one hour. However, remember Revelation 8:1 speaks of about a half hour of silence. We are learning that the Great Tribulation, therefore, is the entire period when Satan is ruling so that no one is becoming saved in any local church. This is so because Christ has abandoned each and every local church to the rule of Satan. However, for the sake of the elect, while Satan’s rule in the churches continues for the entire one hour (the entire Great Tribulation), outside of the churches, at the end of  

about half an hour of silence, God again begins to save. This He does for the sake of the elect whom God had named to be saved and who had not yet become saved when the Great Tribulation began.

The question was then asked in Daniel 8:13:

. . . How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary

and the host to be trodden under foot?

The answer was given in Daniel 8:14:

. . . Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

The Hebrew words translated as “days” in this verse actually should be translated “evening mornings.” It is unique language that is very similar to that employed by God when He describes the six days of creation (Genesis Chapter 1). After each day’s creation activities, God declared, “And the evening and the morning were the first day,” etc. We can be certain that these days of creation, which were spoken of as evening and morning, were literal days of twenty-four hours. Therefore, we strongly suspect we are to understand the evening mornings of Daniel 8:14 to be literal twenty-four-hour days.

Secondly, at the end of 2,300 evening mornings, the sanctuary was cleansed (literally, made righteous). The only sanctuary or holy place that could have become righteous during the Great Tribulation period are the true believers who are sending the true Gospel into the world completely outside the local church. Remember, we learned that the entire one hour of the Great Tribulation, the rule of Satan, continues in the local churches until the end of the world. Therefore, only outside of the churches can righteousness be found.

Now let us examine how Daniel 8:13-14 ties to the language of Revelation 11:2, which speaks of forty-two months.

Daniel 8:13: . . . How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

Revelation 11:2: . . . and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

The sanctuary and the host of Daniel 8:13 are the kingdom of God which are the true believers, even as the holy city of Revelation 11:2 are the true believers who are the kingdom of God. Both citations therefore speak of the true believers being trodden underfoot.

This language in turn identifies with the true believers being killed. Revelation 11:7-9:

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against

them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

It identifies with Revelation 13:7:

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

It identifies with Daniel 8:23-24:

And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

It identifies with Revelation 8:1:

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

It is the same period of time that God speaks of as three and a half days in Revelation 11:8-9:

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord

was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

It is the same period of time God speaks of as “time and times and the dividing of time” in Daniel 7:25:

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

of God to the hearts of any who were chosen to salvation and who had not yet become saved. It was during this first part of the Great Tribulation that Satan took his seat, that is, he began to rule in all of the local congregations (II Thessalonians 2:3-4). Throughout the Church Age, which we are learning was in place from A.D. 33 to A.D. 1988, Satan had been planting within the local congregations tares or weeds. These tares were individuals who were not saved but who gave every outward appearance of having become saved. They were virtually indistinguishable from the true believers. They were individuals who believed they were faithful to all of the doctrines and practices of the church wherein they had become a member. They were altogether convinced that they were serving Christ as their Savior and King.

But they had not become saved and, therefore, they were still under the authority of Satan. They frequently included the vast majority of people within the local congregations. Early evidence of such degradation of the churches is recorded in Revelation Chapter 3, verses 1-4 and 15-17. Today, the evidence is abundant as we witness how few people from the local congregations are obeying God’s command to leave the local congregation, now that we are in this time of Great Tribulation. The fact is, those who are unsaved, that is, those who are under the authority of Satan, will not want to obey God’s command to come out of the churches.

When the Great Tribulation began, the impact of God’s withdrawal from the local churches throughout the world was hardly noticed in these churches. In many instances, most of the genuine believers who had been members in these churches had already been driven out. Frequently, this was a result of the true believers’ criticism of some of the doctrines or practices observed by their congregation that were not faithful to the Bible. Thus, when the Holy Spirit abandoned these churches, it made hardly a ripple. Only because of what we read in the Bible can the truth be revealed about what has been happening in the churches.

During this 2,300-day first part of the Great Tribulation, not only was Satan the prince of the secular world, but he also had become the ruler in all of the local congregations. Moreover, throughout the world, no one was being saved regardless of how they heard the Gospel. Indeed, the world had come into Great Tribulation. This is why the Bible declares in Revelation 13:7-8, concerning this  

forty-two months (Revelation 13:5), that is, this first part of the Great Tribulation:

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The Holy Place is Made Righteous

But after this 2,300 days, there is a change in the world. We read in Daniel 8:14:

And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Literally, this verse is teaching that after 2,300 days, the holy place will be made righteous. What can this mean?

The holy place is where the true believers are. Throughout the Church Age, the true believers had been found mainly in the local congregations. But now they have been driven out into the world. While these true believers continue to be in-filled by the Holy Spirit and continue to bring the Gospel throughout the world during the first part of the Great Tribulation, no one is becoming saved. Therefore, during these 2,300 days, the true believers, effectively, are no longer the holy place.

But at the end of 2,300 days, the holy place is cleansed. That is, the true believers, typified by the two witnesses of Revelation Chapter 11, are now standing on their feet with the Spirit of life from God having entered into them. They are bringing the true Gospel to the world. That is, Heaven is no longer silent. The about “half an hour” of silence has ended. The Holy Spirit is again saving people. Christ, the Jubilee, is again being proclaimed throughout the world. A great multitude which no man can number is becoming saved (Revelation 7:9-14).  

The true Gospel presentation attempts to be as faithful as possible to the Bible and entirely rejects any doctrine that suggests that man’s work of being baptized in water, or accepting Christ, or believing in Christ, or anything else he does, has a part, together with the grace of God, in providing for salvation.

We must realize, of course, that false gospels, which teach many doctrines contrary to the Bible, will continue to bombard the world by such means as radio, television, and Internet. These, however, will not deter the spread of the true message of salvation to the world. The two witnesses who stand upon their feet include only those who faithfully bring the true Gospel.

By means of this faithful proclamation of the true Gospel, the language of II Chronicles 36:21, “the land had enjoyed her sabbaths,” will occur. Remember, the “land” in this context represents the actual kingdom of God which consists of all true believers. The sabbath is the seventh-day sabbath that points to the fact that we are not to trust in any work of any kind that we do as an assist in becoming saved. Thus, during this time of the second part of the Great Tribulation, the land (the kingdom of God, which consists of the true believers scattered throughout the world) is enjoying the sending forth of the true Gospel which insists that all of the work of saving is done by Christ.

It is the time that the “holy place” (Daniel 8:14) has been cleansed. Now, entirely apart from any local congregation, it is the Bible alone and in its entirety that is the ultimate and only spiritual authority that God is using in the world. This is so even though the local congregations and others with less than the true Gospel are still attempting to send a gospel into the world.

The Great Tribulation: 23 Years

We will learn that the duration of time encompassed by the entire Great Tribulation appears to be 23 years. The first part of that period is 2,300 days which is a few months longer than six years. Thus, the last part of the Great Tribulation appears to be 23 - 6 = 17 years.

In Chapter 8 of this study, we learned that the number 23 is intimately associated with judgment and the wrath of God. We also know that the number 17 is intimately associated with Heaven. Given this much information, we now can suggest a timeline for the Great Tribulation and the end of the world.  

The Church Age: Pentecostal Firstfruits

The Church Age, in the unfolding of God’s salvation plan, was the harvest of the Pentecostal firstfruits. Remember that at the Feast of Weeks, which in the New Testament is called Pentecost, the firstfruits were brought in.

In this connection, we know that God officially began that harvest very literally on Pentecost day in A.D. 33. That day about 3,000 were saved (Acts 2:41). The occurrence of each following Pentecost day in a real sense signified the continuing of the harvest of the firstfruits (the salvation of additional people). Therefore, we can call those who became saved at any time during the Church Age, “Pentecostal firstfruits”.

If the Church Age, the age of gathering in the firstfruits of the harvest, ended in A.D. 1988, we would suspect that it would have ended the day before the A.D. 1988 Pentecost day. We can calculate very accurately the date of the Pentecost of A.D. 33. It was May 21. We also know that in A.D. 1988, Pentecost occurred on May 22. This in itself is striking because the date of Pentecost is controlled by its relationship to the Passover day. And the Passover day is always the fourteenth day of a lunar month. Thus, the Passover, and likewise Pentecost, could be any one of about twenty-nine different calendar days. Yet, in God’s Timeline of History, the day of Pentecost in A.D. 1988 came on a day so that the Church Age continued exactly 1,955 complete years (1,988 - 33 = 1,955) to the very day. Its duration would have been May 21, A.D. 33, to May 21, A.D. 1988.

Moreover, it is indeed interesting that when we add 2,300 days, the duration of the first part of the Great Tribulation, to May 21, 1988, the end of the Church Age, we come to September 6, 1994. September 6 was a very special day in the year 1994. It was the first day of the seventh month. Remember we learned that this feast day identified with the Jubilee. Thus, we learn that the end of the “silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (Revelation 8:1), which ended with the Jubilee again being sounded throughout the world, identifies perfectly with September 6, 1994. Both the day September 6 and A.D. 1994 are identified with the Jubilee.

We thus learn that, in all likelihood, the Church Age encompassed exactly 1,955 full years to the very day. We also have learned that, in all likelihood, the end of the half hour of silence, the first part of the Great Tribulation, coincided  

in A.D. 2011, which, according to our present understanding, will be the last year of this present world’s existence.
4. The Great Tribulation began at the moment this first great Jubilee period came to an end probably on May 21, A.D. 1988, which was the day just before Pentecost in that year. As we learned from Revelation 8:1, for a brief period of time, Heaven became silent, so that for this period of time, no one in the whole world could become saved. Christ had come to bring judgment upon every local congregation in the entire world. On the one hand, God was finished using these churches as the external representation of the kingdom of God on this earth. All of those elect of God who were to become saved by God’s utilization of the local congregations had become saved.
   On the other hand, the local congregations were increasingly unfaithful in presenting to the world the teaching of the Bible. The doctrines of the church confessions and the man-made hermeneutic (the method of Bible interpretation) that were uniquely those of their denomination had become the ultimate authority rather than the Bible. Thus, the local churches had come under the wrath of God. Therefore, Christ had come in judgment, beginning in A.D. 1988, to prepare those churches for the great Judgment Throne when Christ will judge all of the unsaved of the world.

5. This awesome event, that appears to have occurred in A.D. 1988, marking the end of the time of the first Jubilee period and coinciding with the end of the Church Age, marked the beginning of what appears to be a time of great success for Satan. Throughout the Church Age, he had been unable to frustrate the purpose of the Gospel to save those whom God had elected to salvation. True, he had been able to seed, to plant, within the local churches, individuals who were not saved but who gave the appearance of having become saved. The Bible speaks of these individuals as tares or weeds. Thus, even though Christ was the King of the local churches, Satan as an angel of light had much authority in the local churches through his subjects (the tares), who the Bible says are “transformed as the ministers of righteousness” (II Corinthians 11:15).

   However, at the end of the Church Age, as a first act of preparing the individuals who were members of the churches for judgment, Christ,

who had ruled as King in the local churches, abandoned them to the full control of Satan. The true believers within the churches were driven out or were commanded to come out. Those tares who remained within the local churches were blinded by God so that they were convinced that they were saved Christians and that their local congregation would remain faithful until the very end of the world.^*

Christ, who had ruled as King in the local churches, abandoned them to the full control of Satan.

6. At the same time that this terrible situation descended on all of the local congregations throughout the world, God also gave Satan unparalleled rule over the kingdoms of the world. God has taken His hand of restraint off the unsaved of the world who by nature are in complete rebellion against the Law of God but who, throughout the Church Age, had been restrained by God from unbridled wickedness. Therefore, especially beginning in A.D. 1988, which marked the end of the Church Age, God also has allowed sin to greatly increase throughout the world. Thus, we have entered a period marked by such things as enormous growth in sexual perversion and homosexuality.

7. This terrible period of Great Tribulation will probably continue for a period of twenty-three years, ending with the return of Christ at the end of time in A.D. 2011. We have learned that this twenty-

three-year period appears to be divided into two parts. The first part was exactly 2,300 days in length and ended, in all likelihood, on September 6, A.D. 1994. The second part began on September 6, 1994, and continues for seventeen years to the autumn of A.D. 2011. During this first part of the 2,300 days, no one anywhere in the world could have become saved. There was no longer in existence a Jubilee. The local churches and the whole world were experiencing a tribulation of monumental consequence.

During this first part of the 2,300 days, no one anywhere in the world could have become saved.

8. The true believers who live during this period do not lose their salvation. Most of them were not even aware that such a dreadful situation prevailed throughout the world. They may have been concerned about the doctrines and practices that were increasingly Biblically questionable. They may have wondered about the spectacular success of gospels such as the charismatic gospels that feature tongues and signs and wonders. But they had no knowledge that Jesus had come to begin the judgment process, beginning with the judgment on the house of God (the local churches) and transitioning to the return of Christ and the judgment at the end of the world. It is at the end of the world that the dreadful time will have come when each and every unsaved individual must personally stand before Christ as the Judge. They will be found guilty, and they will hear the awful truth that they have been sentenced to an eternity under God’s eternal damnation.

9. This terrible first part of the Great Tribulation ended, in all likelihood, on September 6, A.D. 1994. We learned that September 6 was the first day of the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. A.D. 1994 was a Jubilee Year and September 6 of that year was the first day of the seventh month. It was a special ceremonial feast day identifying with the Jubilee Year. Thus, the end of this first part of the Great Tribulation coincided with the beginning of the second Jubilee period which would continue for seventeen years, ending in A.D. 2011.

10. During the seventeen years of the second part of the Great Tribulation, the period of time in which we are now living, the spiritual conditions in the local churches will continue unchanged. Satan continues to rule as he ruled in the churches during the first part of the time of the Great Tribulation. But in the world outside of the local churches, a great change occurred. As we have previously noted, the Jubilee is again being sounded throughout the world. That is, salvation is again taking place all over the world. God is not utilizing the local churches as the means to send forth the Gospel. Instead, God is utilizing individuals, who have no relationship with local congregations, who faithfully continue to send forth the Gospel throughout the world. It is a time when a great multitude which no man can number is being saved.

11. During the second part of the Great Tribulation, Satan continues to rule as “prince of this world” (John 14:30; also see II Thessalonians 2:1-4; Revelation 20:7-9). Throughout the time of this last seventeen years, God continues to give people up to great wickedness. That is, all kinds of rebellion against God continue to get stronger. The Bible appears to have virtually no authority in the world. But for the sake of the elect, who are sprinkled throughout the huge population of the world, the Bible continues to be used of God as the means through which God is doing His work of saving people. Immediately following this twenty-three-year period of Great Tribulation will come the end of time and the end of the history of planet Earth.

that this Great Tribulation is immediately followed by the return of Christ and the end of the world. This is clearly indicated by the citation of Matthew 24:29:

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

However, in arriving at the details of this period of Great Tribulation, we have had to piece together bits of information from various parts of the Bible. True, because of the awesome nature of this Great Tribulation, the Bible presents extensive information about it. It is also true that this is the way all doctrines of the Bible are developed. The Biblical rule is that we are to compare Scripture with Scripture until we obtain conclusions that are in harmony with any and every citation of the Bible that might relate to the conclusion that was obtained. Therefore, we must ask, given the enormous nature of the subject we are considering — the timing and details of the end of the world — is there anything more in the Bible that would further strengthen and corroborate our conclusions? And the answer is: Yes, indeed, there is still more that can be learned from the Bible that greatly strengthens our belief that we have properly understood the Biblical information concerning the timing of the end.

What We Know Thus Far

1. The fig tree in leaf assures us that the end has to be after A.D. 1948.

2. The phrase “summer is nigh” (Matthew 24:32) emphasizes that shortly after A.D. 1948, there must be a harvest of souls.

3. A harvest of souls means there must a Jubilee.

4. A.D. 1994 is the next Jubilee Year after the year 1948 when Israel again became a nation.

5. If summer harvest begins in the Jubilee Year 1994, it means something must have ended the first Jubilee that identified with the Church Age.

6. We are very comfortable with two Jubilees because of what we learned when we studied the destruction of Jericho.

7. The ending of the first Jubilee coincided with the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

8. The Great Tribulation is spoken of as one hour in Revelation Chapters 17 and 18.

9. Revelation 8:1 speaks of a half hour of silence. This verse assures us that there will be an end to the first Jubilee.

10. Matthew 24:21 speaks of the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

11. But Matthew 24:22 implies there will be some kind of relenting or change before the full end of the Great Tribulation: “. . . for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

12. Matthew 24:22 identifies with Revelation 8:1 which indicates that the silence in Heaven is half an hour. That is, there is a great change somewhere in the midst of the Great Tribulation.

13. Since A.D. 1994 must be the beginning of the second Jubilee, it must coincide with the end of the half hour of silence and the beginning of the second period when, for the sake of the elect, the Gospel is again going forth.

14. The duration of the first part of the Great Tribulation appears to be best described by Daniel Chapter 8 where we read of a period of 2,300 days.

15. Since the Church Age identifies with Pentecost, at which time the firstfruits were brought in, we could expect the end of the Church Age to be the day before Pentecost in A.D. 1988. The day before Pentecost in 1988 was May 21. This date in A.D. 1988 is 2,300 days earlier than September 6, 1994.

16. This makes the Church Age equal to 1,955 years to the very day. 1,955 breaks down into the significant numbers 5 x 17 x 23. (See Chapter 8 of this book.)

17. 2,300 days after the day before Pentecost in A.D.1988 comes to the first day of the seventh month in 1994 according to the Jewish calendar. In the Old Testament ceremonial law, this day was the feast day for remembering the Jubilee. According to our modern calendar, this date was September 6.

18. When we try to identify the end of the second part of the Great Tribulation, which coincides with the duration of the second Jubilee, we find that a time duration of seventeen years is most probable.

19. Seventeen years goes to A.D. 2011. Thus, the entire duration of the Great Tribulation would then be 23 years. 20. A time duration of 23 years for the entire Great Tribulation fits with the fact that these 23 years are a time of judgment on the local congregations.

20. 23 years fits with two prior 23-year periods that ended with judgment.
    11,013 - 4,990 = 6,000 plus 23 years from Creation to the
              Noachian Flood Judgment
    4,990 + 33 = 5,000 plus 23 years inclusive from the Noachian
              Flood Judgment to the Judgment on Christ
    11,013 + 2,011 - 1 = 13,000 plus 23 years from Creation to the
              Judgment by Christ

21. A period of 17 years for the duration of the second part of the Great Tribulation, which is the period of the second Jubilee (also called the latter rain or final harvest), fits well with the final harvest of souls since the number 17 signifies Heaven.

22. The 17 years fits well with the 153 fish caught (see John 21:11). These fish represent all of those saved during the latter rain which we call the second Jubilee. 153 = 3 x 3 x 17. (See Chapter 8 of the book.)

24. The 17 years in a veiled way identify with the 17 years that Jacob lived after he came under the care of Joseph in the year 1877 B.C.

25. The 17 years in a veiled way identifies with the 17 shekels Jeremiah paid for the deed to the land which was a proof that Israel would again return to the promised land.

26. A.D. 2011 fits perfectly with the statement of II Peter 3:8 which speaks of a day being as 1,000 years. Precisely 7,000 years after the Noachian Flood of 4990 B.C. is A.D. 2011.

27. The year 2011, which likely is the Final Judgment Day for the local church as well as for the whole world, is 1,978 years after A.D. 33, which breaks down into the significant numbers 2 x 23 x43 (See Chapter 8 of this book.)

28. The year 391 B.C. is the year when the Old Testament was finished, and 2,011 + 391 - 1 = 2,401, or 7 x 7 x 7 x 7. In the perfectly complete end of time, Christ will finish speaking to this present world.

29. Egypt and Nineveh. God gave precise time information as to when His judgment would fall upon the Egyptians and the Ninevites.