Introduction to Prophecy - Church of God - NEO

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CHARLEMAGNE CROWNED18A VoiceAcrossTimeBefore we look at the Apocalypse orbook of Revelation, let's understandtwo important things. Some older versionsof the Bible title this book the "Revelationof St. John." It isn't, and this hasbeen corrected in most modern translations.It is the revelation of Jesus Christ.The revelation, not the obscuring. Thisbook has a reputation for having some ofthe most difficult areas of the Scripturesto understand. Yet, Jesus Christ gave it toprovide answers, not to hide the truth.The book is not difficult to understandwhen you know what has come before,and what questions still need to be addressedfor God's prophetic revelation tobe complete.Christ revealed it initially to John, thelast survivor of the 12 original apostles.About A.D. 90 John recorded a series ofprophecies revealed to him in a vision.His experience was somewhat similar toDaniel's, but by John's time the sequenceof prophetic events hadadvanced conSiderably.The Four KingdomsYou remember fromchapter three that Godhad shown Daniel fourgreat empires that woulddominate the world beforethe kingdom of Godis established.The Babylonian Em pire, as we saw, was replacedin Daniel's lifetimeby that of the Medesand the Persians. The Persiansdominated untilthey were deCisively defeatedby the Greeks in333 B.C. Then the Greekswere masters of the worldfor about 300 years. By the time the Apocalypseor book of Revelation was written,the Greek Empire had been supplantedby the Romans, and the fourth and last ofthe four empires of Daniel's prophecieshad arrived on the scene. How longwould it last?It is tempting to begin to take you rightnow through these exciting prophecies ofRevelation, but that would turn this bookletinto a book. This is only intended tobe a brief introduction to the subject ofprophecy. We will have to be contentwith a summary.Whereas the previous empires had lasteda relatively short time, the prophecies ofRevelation show us that the Roman Empirewould continue for a long time. It wouldhave several significant phases, or resurrections.Their progression is a yardstick bywhich we can measure the sequence ofprophesied events thatlead up to the return ofChrist.The Empire SurvivesRome was overrun bybarbarian hordes aroundthe middle of the fifthcentury A.D., and at thetime it might haveseemed that the Romanswould go the way of allother empire builders.But the Roman systemproved to be a remarkablydurable institution.Justinian restored theempire in the WesternMediterranean in A.D. 554,and it continued in oneform or another for manycenturies. In the MiddleAges, many of the rulersof Central Europe patternedtheir governmentsafter Rome. Charlemagnewas crowned in A.D. 800 asa worthy successor of theRoman caesars.JUSTINIANThe Romansystem wasto live ondown to ourday.Later, the German speaking states of Europe formed theHoly Roman Empire. Leadership eventuallypassed to the Austrian Habsburgs untilthey were defeated by the emperorNapoleon, another European ruler whowas greatly impressed with the Romansystem.Even Benito Mussolini, who dominatedItaly between 1923 and 1944, consideredhis regime to be a new Roman Empire.Mussolini's dictatorship-which came tobe completely overshadowed by Hitler'sNazi Germany-was only the most recentand perhaps most ruthless resurrection ofthe Roman system.When we look back at the pictures of
CHARLES V- :- -ci [ regimes, we can see howeaders were influenced by the- -? and pageantry of ancient Rome.- nere have been to date numerouse urrections" of the Roman Empire.They have all risenaround the heartland ofEurope, and with varyingdegrees of success, havetried to conquer everythingwithin reach.The prophecies ofDaniel and Revelationhave proven to be a remarkablyaccurate fore cast of the mainstream ofWestern civilization duringthe last 2,500 years .These prophecies showthat there will be onefinal resurrection of theRoman system. It will bethe most formidable economic,military, political and religiouspower the world has ever seen. It will riseup dramatically and unexpectedly. All nationswill be influenced by its power. Itwill suppress everything and anyone whostands in its way. This ruthless system,which the Bible calls "the beast," is to bebased in the territory of theold Roman Empire-the NAPOLEONcontinent of Europe where12 nations are now trying toform a peaceful economicunion. Could that effort bean experiment that willbackfire?The Final ShowdownThe prophecies of Revelationshow that the beastdominates the world for severalyears. Eventually, it attacksthe only other superpowerleft on earth at thattime, the teeming inhabitants of MarxistEurasia.In a dramatic vision, John saw this futurewar. It was unlike anything he hadever seen-waged with weapons very differentfrom the swords, spears and batteringrams of his time. Today we mightrecognize these strange weapons as attackhelicopters, cruise missiles, bombers andtanks. John described them the best hecould in the language of the first century.(Revelation 9:3, 7-10) .When John saw this vision, its fulfillmentwas yet far in the future. It has to doirn the time just before Jesus Christ, the_ e iah, returns to earth to set up hisworld-ruling kingdom.. The words of Isaiah will be fulfilled.The government will be upon the Messiah'sshoulders, and of the increase ofhis government and peace there will beno end. The Apocalypse or book of Revelationshows that Christ will rule for 1,000years. This will be the long-awaited kingdomof God.This is the time the prophets dreamedof- hoped for. It didn't come in theirlifetime. Jesus' apostles and the earlyChurch expected it to happen in theirday. But there would be many morecenturies of waiting. Jesus told his fol-Revelationdescribes thefull fury ofmodernwarfare.ADOLPH HITLERlowers to stay faithful, andto endure patiently to theend.Thro ugh the MiddleAges, the Renaissance, theAge of Enlightenment andthe Industrial Revolution,they waited, as the resurrectionsof the Roman Empirerose and fell.There would eventuallycome a time when therewould be just one more resurrection.It would rise up ina time very different from the world theprophets knew.If Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Johnwere to come back today, what wouldthey make of our world with its technologicalmarvels, its incredible advancesin nearly every field? There would benew languages, new nations, differentpolitics and peculiar customs. Butsomething about this world would seemfamiliar to them.When they compared the conditionstoday with the prophecies they had sofaithfully recorded long ago, theywould realize that the end time hadcome! 19
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