BEGINNING OF SORROWS

By Pastor Dick Carmack
May 31, 2016
NewsWithViews.com

BEWARE THE IDES OF JUNE!

World War 2 took 50 million lives. Now multiply that by 70 and we have an approximation of the death toll that is yet to come.

Pastor and author Marvin Rosenthal (Zion's Fire) writes the last seven years of this present age, commonly called "The Great Tribulation" is not simply a seven year period, but is broken into three parts; the beginning of sorrows, great tribulation and the wrath of God (The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church). We therefore are compelled to wonder, "Could we be in part one?" Will Antichrist rule for 7 years or only 3 ½ or less?

Compare that with Tom Horn's, "ZENITH 2016" chronicling the myriad signs he had discovered that all point to 2016 as being the zenith of current world events. The lynchpin of signs he used was the furor of when the world was focused on the apocalypse projected by the Mayan Calendar Stone, supposedly teaching "the world will end on December 21, 2012." The centerpiece of that supposedly ominous event was widely written about and publicized as portending the possible end of humanness as we know it. It obviously didn't work out. Horn thinks it actually meant "the end of the age."

Horn also pointed out many developments in the present time but didn't make (at least in the book) the possible connection of December 21, 2012 (Mayan date) plus the famous Biblical time period of three and one half years which when added together brings us to June 21, 2016. This writer thinks June 2016 may possibly be the date that brings calamitous change. We will soon know, "yes or no."

Why three and a half years? Because the current understanding of Bible prophecy points toward a prophesied horrible time of seven years duration, which at mid-point is interrupted by the rise of a man possessed by Satan himself. That demonic one will bring such devastation to planet earth that God Almighty will finally intervene and with His Wrath bring it all to a end.

Looking at Matthew 24 we note the following:

Mt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. Warns of massive deception in the last days.

Mt 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Persistent reports warn of an attempt by the Vatican to fake the Second Coming of Christ possibly with holograms accompanied by fake reports of Alien landings.

Mt 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Wars and rumors are, and have been daily news for the past several years.

Mt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Again just consult the daily news and compare with this, Zika virus being the latest scare.

Mt 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

The Son of Perdition (Antichrist) will rule with savagery during "The Great Tribulation." It will be a time when the world will see new atrocities that will put ISIS to shame, acts that can hardly be comprehended. According to Bible teaching at the very least, one half of mankind will perish, first when a quarter of mankind dies, secondly when a third of the remainder expires. What destruction we have seen so far will one day appear as small as a computer blip.

The first declaration of death to come is found in Rev 6 verse 8 when "death and hell" are given permission to exterminate a "fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." At our present population of about seven billion that means simply that one and three quarters (1 ¾) billion people will perish in the first holocaust. When that is accomplished a third of the survivors will later be put to the sword and other instruments of death. The second round is expressed as "And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men." (Rev 9:15)

World War 2 took 50 million lives. Now multiply that by 70 and we have the approximate death toll of 3 ½ Billion that is yet to come.

The Bible doesn't specify exactly how 3 ½ Billion souls will perish, but considering the current levels of technology we can easily imagine how it might come to pass. Atomic or hydrogen warfare first comes to mind, followed quickly by clashing armies, then famine and pestilence discussed by Matthew 24. Other means might be "natural disasters" many of which we are presently witnessing These may very well include massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, extreme flooding (implied by Dan 9:27), continent splitting or perhaps man-made weapons of mass destruction.

In the present, when we consider the seemingly unending cycles of extreme weather, tornados, massive flooding, hurricanes, tsunamis, it's not surprising that current events are being compared to Biblical prophecy. Other daily disasters include baseball sized hail, landslides, 80 mph straight winds, that turn over semi trucks, and destroy poorly built structures, houses caving into the sea, etc. The devil is the god of this world, and it behooves us to read the newspaper in one hand while watching outside in apprehension with both eyes wide open. Surely, we are seeing prophecy being fulfilled.

Following the first ½ of Daniel's Week, we also note Matthew 25 (46 verses) is devoted to different descriptions of judgment,

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: Mt 25:31

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When does it all come together? No man knows but when we look at the world in which we live it seems to be drawing so near we can almost hear the hoof beats of the horses of judgment. Meanwhile most of the church is sleeping, dreaming sweetly of a painless quick departure (pre-trib rapture) straight to heaven. Most seem blithely unaware that what is being taught in many pulpits is designed to keep the sheep comfortably asleep with full bellies of false doctrine, so the checks will keep hitting the offering plate. As a result, preparedness is abhorred, "Don't disturb me."

Will they ever wake up? Probably not till the troops in full combat gear break down their doors and search homes for guns, food and "subversive" literature. Meanwhile the world is perishing as we argue over which of the latest doo-dads we must buy, or which politician to vote for, all to be put away and be quickly forgotten or denied.

There is no hope for anyone who is outside of Christ! Thankfully there is still time for repentance and forgiveness.

© 2016 Pastor Dick Carmack – All Rights Reserved