A Puzzle Comes Together

Thomas Jefferson

"A  studious persual of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands"

When I was young I used to love putting together puzzles.  I admit I wasn’t that good but I did enjoy the challenge.  I would start with piecing together the border then begin working towards the middle.  I found that there are key pieces and when you find them and put them together the puzzle becomes much easier.

I use this same technique in understanding the Scriptures. When it comes to understanding Bible prophecy it is even more important to seek out the key pieces.  Those pieces will come together but it takes plenty of patience and longsuffering.

I started studying Biblical prophecy during my teen years.  Most of what I understood was from what I would hear other preachers expound on the subject.Over the last 10 to 20  years I have started to begin studying Biblical prophecy with a clean slate.  I decided to clean my mind of all previous teachings and then try to go down paths as they presented themselves.

When I was in active ministry I was totally unmoveable.  I had everything in place when it came to doctrine.  I felt I had all of the right answers.  No matter what I heard or read I judged those things through my train of thought.  Everything came through a filtered lens of understanding.

There is nothing like spending hours going over the scripture.  Learning how to really intrepet scripture with scripture.  Most of the time when my understanding was challenged it felt like someone punced in my abdomen.  This would then compell me to study more on the subject.  Also, developing a more mature discernment. The Apostle Paul wrote, ‘when I was a child I thought like a child’.  As you begin to study the scriptures without the filter of bias you begin to mature in your understanding. This happens when you allow yourself to be challenged in your beliefs.

1Co 13:11 KJV When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Popular New TestamentCommentary  1 Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I spake as a child—prattling; I felt as a child, I thought (or ‘reasoned’) as a child. My thoughts were all a child’s thoughts, my notions of persons and things were childish, and my way of connecting things—as causes and effects, premises and conclusions—was ludicrous.

now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things—wondering ever so spake, felt, and thought.

There was something about prophecy that drew me in.  It was like a great mystery story.  To most it still is a mystery, one that to them was too difficult.  It is a subject that many that stand in the pulpit that is not taught.  So, those sitting in the pews have very little understanding.  Mention the Book of Revelation and many will tell you that they don’t understand what they believe is symbolism.  Then there is a lot of debate of the time line of when events will take place.

When it comes to terms like ‘rapture’, ‘tribulation’, ‘mark of the beast’ and many more.  Depending on who is teaching each one tries to make the other one like they are in error.

During the last couple of months I have been able to put another piece to the puzzle of end-time prophecy. That piece is called Babylon.  When I began to see this puzzle piece in a different perspective other pieces also fell into place.

I now believe we have already entered the period which John the revelator called ‘Tribulation’.  John tells us that this period of time is seven years.  These seven years are divided into two parts.  The tribulation, and the great tribulation.  I will go deeper into this in the next several blog posts.  I will show you this period of time is found in both The Old Testament and The New Testament.

There will be a one world religion, one world government led by one man, and then also a false prophet.  These three are a false trinity.

Through these three they create a one world economy.  The anti-christ(false prophet) will make a decree that everyone receive his’ mark.  The 666.  Without it you will not be able to buy or sell. If you take this mark, we are told in the Book of Revelation that those who receive this mark are lost forever.

The anti-christ will come saying he has all the answers and for the first three and half years there is peace.  This man will make a peace treaty with Israel only to break the agreement near the end of the first three and half years.

The anti-christ will not come from North America, but from a revived Babylon. Some believe that he will come from what we call the European Union, but that is not so. (to be continued)