TRIBULATION WATCH

GREAT TRIBULATION METER (GTM): January 2018 = 92 of 100

DOOMSDAY CLOCK: February 2018 = ‘2 minutes to Midnight’

http://thebulletin.org/timeline

(Below the explanation of the ‘Great Tribulation’ will follow the explaining of the Great Tribulation meter) “…Jesus, ‘What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world (Matt.24:3)’?”

Current Event Updates

August 8, 2017: BreakingIsraelNews.com reported, “The Temple Institute and the School for Temple Knowledge held an “Alpha Wine” conference to investigate all aspects of wine, theoretical and practical, as they pertain to Third Temple. The conference paved the way for the production of wine suitable to be used in the Temple service, adhering to the laws concerning the growing and production of what Jewish tradition states is the best wine possible.

Torah scholars, agronomists, scientists, and vintners gathered two weeks ago at Bar Ilan University. Their goal was to use combine their knowledge for the purposes of reinstating the production of wine fitting to be used in the Third Temple… A land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey. Deuteronomy 8:8…”

May 14, 2017:  North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile (Hwasong-12) Sunday 5:27 am Seoul time from Kusong.  The missile reached an altitude over 1,200 miles and flew about 430 miles (700 kilometers) out into the Sea of Japan.   This is the first launch since Moon Jae-in became president of South Korea May 9th.  Former S. Korea President Park Geun-hye was impeached in March over a corruption scandal in which Samsung is involved – paying tens of millions to her ‘acquaintances.’  Park’s mother was killed by a N. Korean spy intended to killed her father Gen. Park.   At 1:40 pm BST; North Korea’s Ambassador to China, Ji Ryong, said, “The test-firing of ICBMs will occur at any time and place, at the will of North Korea’s highest leadership.”  The Ambassador also said that it is aware of a CIA and South Korean assassinating plot on Kim Jong-un.

April 2017:  Thae Yong Ho, a senior North Korean official who defected to South Korea in 2016, told NBC Nightly News (4/2017) that Kim Jong Un is “desperate in maintaining his rule by relying on his development of nuclear weapons and ICBM… Once he (Jong Un) sees there is any kind of sign of a tank or an imminent threat from America, then he would use nuclear weapons with ICBM.”  He added that the “World should be ready…”

March 2017: Wikileaks dumped 8,761 documents in its first of a series from ‘Vault 7.’  It is said to be the largest public release of documents from CIA in history.   The dump called ‘Year Zero‘ reveals the range and ability of the CIA’s covert “hacking division.”   ‘Year Zero’ states that the CIA can “bypass the encryption of WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wiebo, Confide and Cloakman.”  Thus, CIA ‘zero day’ weapons can hack iPhones, Android phones, Windows, macOS, Linux, Routers and even Samsung TVs. The documents also reveal the occasional clashes between CIA and the NSA.  Wikileaks reports that “the CIA… built a world-class hacking team so it no longer has to rely on the NSA.”

January 2017: Former Soviet (Russian) president Mikhail Gorbachev told TIME magazine that “it all looks as if the world is preparing for war… no problem is more urgent today than the militarization of politics and the new arms race. Stopping and reversing this ruinous race must be our top priority…” Gorbachev added, “The current situation is too dangerous.”   Turkey is seeking to join Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan and others in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).  The U.S. was barred from group.  The SCO has an Interbank Consortium able to put trillions into a military campaign.  (below: Vladimir Putin with Turkish Prime Minister Recep T. Erdogan in 2016)February 2017: Russia asked the  Palestine Authority National Council to opposed Trump moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  HAMAS and Fatah have agreed to create a new unified ‘government’ with a new National Council.   Ahmad abu Marzouk of HAMAS said ‘the Quartet’s work completely failed… including UN resolutions.’  Quartet – US, Russia, EU & UN.  HAMAS website at http://hamas.ps/en states “Hamas is a comprehensive institutional movement taking resistance against the Israeli occupation… Hamas is an integral part of the Arab and Islamic Nation…”  Will the SCO jointly get involved in Middle East politics?

January 20, 2017: Trump sworn in as POTUS.

October 2016: The Wall Street Journal (10/25/2016) reported this month that amidst US-Russia strained relations, ‘the country recently held its biggest civil defense drills since the collapse of the U.S.S.R.” The Kremlin’s Ministry of Emergency Situations conducted four days of nationwide post-nuclear war drills.  Russia’s officials reported that 40 million people rehearsed the drill.  Russia’s RIA Novosti stated ‘an inventory was taken in Moscow of the city’s underground spaces, in order to allow us to plan for sheltering 100% of the city’s population.’    Result: increase .5 on Nuclear Threat and GTM.   (Below: emergency workers in hazmat suits checking bomb/fallout shelters)

 

Prophecy Background

“Winged Lions of Babylon” from Ishtar Gate

Over 2,500 years ago, about the time of the kingdoms of Babylon and Persia (6^th Century BC), the prophet Daniel was given several prophecies.  Understand; there have been few that have walked the earth that measure up to Daniel; as a matter of fact, Ezekiel speaking by the Spirit of the Lord, put Noah, Daniel and Job in a most respected place of righteousness (Ezekiel 14:14).  The Kingdom of Egypt had passed in its strength for centuries, when Daniel foretold of ‘four great beasts’ that would arise – ‘four kingdoms on earth (Dan. 7:17).

Reference from book of Daniel	Kingdom
Lion; Gold Head: 2:38; 7:4	Babylonian Empire: c. 605 – 539 BC
Bear; Silver Chest: 2:39; 7:5	Persian Empire: c. 550 – 330 BC
Greece; Bronze Thighs: 2:39; 7:6	Greek Empire: c. 336 – 168 BC
Beast; Iron: 2:40; 7:7	Rome Empire: 168 BC – c. 476 AD

It has been stated that Babylon was the largest city in the world around 1700 BC, and again from about c.600 BC to 320 BC.  Nevertheless, after the Babylonians and Persians had their great kingdoms and time of rule, Alexander the Great conquered for Greece as far as the Indus River (India).  And as Daniel said, Rome, ‘the fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceeding strong… trampled’ the old world and kingdoms.

Roman Empire about 180 AD

But what did Daniel see greater than the Roman Empire?  The ‘fourth beast was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.  And there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them… and in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words (Dan. 7:7-8).’  “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, and shall persecute the saints (righteous followers; not ‘holy ones – angels’ of the Most High), and shall intend to change times and law.  Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time (Dan. 7:25).”

 THE ANTICHRIST; the Little Horn

In Chapter 9, after being visited by the angel Gabriel, Daniel speaks of ‘Seventy Weeks.’  But more clearly, after speaking in chapter 11 of the king of the South and king of the North who shall come against ‘the Glorious Land’ of Jerusalem, Daniel speaks of the Antichrist, the little horn, saying, “he shall raise armies and they shall defile the Temple; and take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation… the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished… he shall regard neither God… nor desire women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all… At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him… he shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.   He shall have power over the treasures (Central Banks)… (Daniel Chapter 11).”

Finally in the last chapter (12) of Daniel he states three very important prophecies and truths:  1. “There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was…” 2.  “Your people shall be delivered, every one found in the book (of Life).  Many …shall (rise from the dead) in the dust of the earth… some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.’  3.  “From the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1,290 days (3 ½ years or 42 months).  Blessed are they who wait until the 1,335 days (42 months + 45 days).”

The GREAT TRIBULATION or TIME OF TROUBLE

So Daniel foretold of 42 months of reign by the Antichrist, the beast; and of the pompous words he will speak.  And John speaks in the same manner six centuries later in what we call the book of Revelation.  In Chapter 13 John says, “The beast was given a mouth to speak great blasphemies against God.  And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two (42) months.  And the beast… slandered God’s name… Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints (God’s holy people) and conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and nation… And all inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb (Jesus Christ) who was slain from the creation of the world… and a second beast, (will) come out the earth.  It has two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.  It (will) exercise all the authority of the first beast on its behalf and (will make) all nations worship the beast… He will perform miracles and great signs… and deceive the nations of the earth… and whose who refuse to worship the image of the beast will be killed.  And he will force all people, rich and poor… to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead… and no one will be able to buy or sell any good without the mark – the name of the beast or the number of its name… 666.”

So the key thing here is that there will be 42 months of persecution to all who do not take the mark of the beast and worship the beast and obey his laws.

Revelation (chapter 6) speaks of the destruction to come: “And peace will be taken from the earth, that people should kill one another…  Death and Hades followed… And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword (war), with hunger…’ then (chapter 8) “a third of the waters became wormwood (poisoned – likely from nuclear fallout) and many men died from the water…”  As the Lord said, reported by the apostles Matthew (24), Mark (13) and Luke (21), ‘there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.  Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.  And many will betray one another… many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel… will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.  Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place – the Temple in Judea – pray… for there will be GREAT TRIBULATION…”

THE COMING OF THE LORD after TRIBULATION

And we know that certain things must happen before the Tribulation, and some things that will happen during it; and of the coming of the Lord after it.  As Christ says recorded by Matthew, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then the sign of the Son of Man (Jesus) will appear in heaven, and then all the nations and tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matt. 24:29-).”

And the Lord Jesus said the same in the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, saying, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at that time I will send My reapers, ‘First to gather the tares and bind them to burn them, but gather the wheat into My barn…’  The harvest field is the world… The enemy who sowed tares is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age (world), and the reapers are the angels… The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness (evil) will be cast into the fire…  (Matt. 13:24-30; 38-42; Mark 4:26-29).”

And the Apostle John prophesied the same, “Then I looked, and behold a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.  And an angel came out of the temple in Heaven and cried aloud… ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe… (Rev. 14:14-15)’.”

And concerning the Tribulation Jesus, like Daniel said in the Spirit of the Lord, said, “There will be Great Tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21; Mark 13:19).”  Also, Christ said “as the days of Noah, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be… mankind did not know until the flood came (Matt. 24:37).”  And the Apostle Paul said, “Let no one deceive you concerning the coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, for THAT DAY WILL NOT COME unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin (Antichrist) is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3).”

The Great Tribulation will be worse than we Israel was cut in half in the Wilderness or by the Romans; it will be worse than all of Hitler’s schemes and World War II.  The Antichrist will be more cunning and ruthless than any before him.  John speaks of some of the martyrs killed during that time, ‘a great multitude which no one could number, of ALL NATIONS, tribes, peoples and tongues, standing before the throne of God and the Lamb… these are the ones who come out of the GREAT TRIBULATION… And they will cry out saying, ‘How long O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’   And they were given white robes that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their BRETHREN, who would be KILLED as they were, was completed (Revelation, chapters 6 and 7).”

EXPLANATION OF TRIBULATION METER

The Tribulation Meter works similar to that of the Doomsday Clock but it is not as simplistic.  The Doomsday Clock looks primarily at Nuclear Buildup, relations and Climate factors.  The Tribulation Meter looks at 13 variables and current events related to them.

The Variables: (First 13: 0-7 point variables; Changing Current Events: 0-9)

1. Current ability to destroy a quarter of the earth’s population in a short period of time with war and famine? Totally = 7 points

Current Nuclear Weapon Threat: www.ploughshares.org  2016: “Nine countries in the world possess a total of 15,375 nuclear weapons.”  Enough to destroy most of the population in all the major cities of the world and other military base cities; and Russia is expanding technology with its ‘Satan 2’ Nukes.

2016: “Last year, the Science and Security Board moved the Doomsday Clock forward to three minutes to midnight, noting: ‘The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.’ That probability has not been reduced. The Clock ticks. Global danger looms. Wise leaders should act—immediately.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

2. Nuclear method of destruction able to cause famine and poison a third of the inland waters? = 7 points

Most Definitely by Nuclear Fallout and especially with New World Government under the Antichrist.   According to the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (http://www.oism.org/nwss/s73p912.htm), “Within two weeks after an attack the occupants of most shelters could safely stop using them… the radiation dose that will kill a person varies… fallout radiation is often said to be the dose that will kill about half the persons receiving it… all persons would be under stress… and lack adequate water and food.  Under these unprecedented conditions, perhaps half the persons… would die…”   Note that Hiroshima was 1/100^th of current weapon power

3. Gospel preached in all the nations of the world? Points = 6

According to www.joshuaproject.net as much as 3.1 billion people or ‘40% of the World’s People Groups (not Nations)’ are ‘Unreached.’  For example, they state ‘337 of the 550 people groups in China do not have even Bible portions.’  They report hundreds of millions of Hindi and Bengali unreached.   www.operationworld.org states that 88% of India, 83% of China and 47% of Russia is unreached.  But as ‘knowledge is increasing,’ and with the World Wide Web possibilities these numbers could be off significant as to people ‘hearing’ about the ‘Gospel of Jesus Christ.’   Also, to many the witness has already been given, such as the nations of Europe turning secular.  The technology and resources are important to this factor; but so is governmental policies and actual evangelism.  Also this can be fulfilled during the Tribulation as well.

4. A System of Government with the ability to communication and rule in a very short period of time? Points = 7

The United Nations formed after World War II and was established in 1945; originally with 26 nations meeting in 1942, now about 193 ‘member state’ nations representing 99.9% of the earth’s population.  Antichrist could walk and set up rule very rapidly.

5. Communications able to reach throughout the world to all cities and military personal? Points = 7

The Encyclopedia of New Media… (2002) states under ‘Satellite Networks’ that in 1962 AT&T launched Telstar, the first real-time telecommunications satellite and “the impact of satellite networks reach beyond the global transmission of data or wireless cellular networks.  A contemporary global reality is that sophisticated communication infrastructures serve far less than half of the world’s population.” But now according to Statista, in 2017 mobile phone users will reach 4.8 billion people; if you take out under age children and the very elderly – it is nearly the entire world’s population.

6. Israel will become a Nation of ‘their own Land (Ezekiel 37:21).

This occurred in May of 1948.  Points = 7

7. Temple built in Jerusalem. Points = 5

In 70 AD the Romans under Titus destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem.  According to www.templeinstitute.org, “The Temple Institute is dedicated to all aspects of the Divine commandment for Israel to build a house… the Holy Temple, on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem… the Third Temple must be built before the return of the Messiah.”  There is a growing interest to build the Temple.  And in 2012, a member of their Knesset (Congress) advocated a bill to protect the Temple if built.

8. Need Priest and red heifers to offer ‘Daily Sacrifices.’ Points = 6

In 425 AD, nasi Gamaliel VI was executed and he was the last of ‘the council’ of priests (Num. 11:16; Mark 15:1 – ‘Sanhedrin Council.’)  After 1,579 years passed with no Sanhedrin, on Tishrei 5765 (October 13, 2004), the Council was reestablished.   Priests are currently being trained and red heifers are being bred.

9. Must have technology for mark to ‘buy’ and ‘sell.’ Points = 6

This technology is basically available through electronic skin graphite computer tattoos.

 

10. Must have technology to track citizens globally.  Points = 6

This technology is being fined tuned now.  Google purchased the DeepMind company and is developing the ‘Swallowable’ RFID Chip.  And with nearly 90% of the world’s adults having cell phones (according to the UN), the technology is available to hack and follow their locations.

11. Must have the ability to quickly gain power of the Treasuries of the World. Points = 7

This is possible through the Federal Reserve, World Bank and IMF of the United Nations and the Central banks throughout the World.

12. Will be as in the days of Noah, where morals decline; mankind becomes unrighteous and cares not for God’s laws and way. Points = 6

This has been occurring and more recently worldwide.  There has been the passing of laws for same-sex marriage; and abortion being legal outside life of the mother and into the 2^nd and 3^rd Trimester.   Culturally in songs, movies, TV, speech people say what they please and are exceeding selfish.  Pornography is the number one search on the World Wide Web.  Courts have thrown the Bible and Prayer out of public schools and seek to separate God from State.

13. Will be a great falling away from the Christian Faith.  Points = 5.5

Most of once Christian Europe has been non-religious and America is following the same path with as much as a third of the population non-religious.  Pew Research Center polls and other studies reveal the younger population are much less Christian or religious, not attending churches, much less Sunday schools.  Islam and non-religion is increasing faster than Christianity.

14. CURRENT EVENTS:  Points = 8.5

See Updates at top of article: Jan 2017: Gorbachev told TIME magazine that “it all looks as if the world is preparing for war…”  April and May – North Korea and Syria.

ISIS and terrorism with a global threat is increasing.  Iran, North Korea, etc. extends a threat of nuclear war.  Cyber threats and hacking abilities increasing.   Shanghai Cooperation Organization has joint war games with Russia, China, India and Pakistan; and Iran soon to join the SCO.

October 2016, according to UK’s Daily Mail News, Russia warned the United States and called to officials to ‘bring relatives home to the Motherland’ amid heightened tensions over the prospect of global war.  Russia and US relations called ‘lowest point since the Cold War.’  Retired Russian Lt. Gen. Evgeny Buzhinsky told the BBC: ‘Of course there is a reaction. As far as Russia sees it, as Putin sees it, it is full-scale confrontation on all fronts. If you want a confrontation, you’ll get one. ‘But it won’t be a confrontation that doesn’t harm the interests of the United States. You want a confrontation, you’ll get one everywhere.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3833941/Russia-orders-officials-fly-home-relatives-living-abroad-tensions-mount-prospect-global-war.html#ixzz4N9Cwva30