Prophecy

While many believe that the Beast represents a revived Roman Empire and the Ten Kings the European Union, the Bible provides a very different answer.

The first clue is found in Psalm 83:3-8: "They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah."

According to biblical scholars, this confederacy has not occurred, meaning it's prophetic. Notice the reason for this alliance - to cut off the nation of Israel. What nations are most concerned with removing Israel as a nation today? The answer is today's Islamic Middle-Eastern nations. Ironically, all ten nations in Psalm 83 correspond to modern Islamic nations. "The following are the modern locations for these ten nations: (1) Edom - Southern Jordan, (2) Ishmaelites - Arabs, (3) Hagarenes - Egypt, (4) Gebal - Lebanon, (5) Ammon - Northern Jordan, (6) Amalek - Sinai Peninsula, (7) Philistines - Gaza Strip, (8) Tyre - Lebanon, (9) Assur - Syria and Iraq, and (10) Children of Lot - Jordan," Restoration Study Bible, Ps. 83:4.

In addition to the Ten Kings representing Islamic nations, there is also evidence that the Beast system is Islamic. According to Revelation, the Man of Sin's empire will be established upon seven mountains, representing seven kings or kingdoms. "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition" (Rev. 17:9-11).

Notice that these kingdoms are chronological. Five existed before John's prophecy, one during, one that would come soon after, followed by an eighth, which would be based on the seventh. Since prophecy is always Israel centric, the first five nations likely refer to Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. Except for Egypt, each of these nations succeeded the other. Since Rome was the superpower and governed Judea during John's prophecy, Rome would be the sixth.

Who then would be the seventh kingdom? While many point to the barbarians and the fall of Western Rome, many ignore the fact that Rome was not defeated by the barbarians, but continued through its eastern half, which was later known as the Byzantine Empire. Interestingly, the Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 15^th century. Based on these historical facts, the Byzantine Empire likely represents the seventh kingdom, making the eighth kingdom a revived Islamic empire or caliphate. The threat of a revived Islamic empire is certainly more probable today than it was decades ago. This is especially true with the recent upsurge of radical Islam.

Also, Revelation 20:4 speaks about the saints being beheaded as a testimony to their faith: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Yahshua, and for the word of Yahweh, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Messiah a thousand years." The only religion that employs dismemberment today is radical Islam, further establishing them as not only the Ten Kings, but the entire Beast system.

We believe that a third temple will be rebuilt. Below are a few passages confirming this fact:

"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate," Daniel 9:27.

Daniel confirms here that the Man of Sin (aka, the Son of Perdition, Antimessiah) will establish a covenant for one week, i.e., seven years, with many nations. In the middle of that covenant, he will cut off the sacrifices and replace them with the abomination of desolation. The mention here to sacrifices is one indicator that a temple will be rebuilt before the Tribulation.

Yahshua also speaks about a temple in Matthew 24:15: "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:)."

Yahshua the Messiah refers here to the prophecy in Daniel and states that the abomination of desolation will be placed in the holy place. The phrase "holy place" is likely a reference to the Temple. The word "holy" comes from the Greek hagios and means, "…sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated)."

The Apostle Paul in 2Thessalonians 2:3-4 also refers to a temple: "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 Elohim, or that is worshipped; so that he as Elohim sitteth in the temple of Elohim, shewing himself that he is Elohim."

Paul states here that the Man of Sin will sit in the temple of Elohim. The Greek word for temple is naos and refers to a temple or religious shrine. Considering this, there's no doubt that a third temple will be rebuilt and that the Man of Sin will sit within this temple.

In addition to Paul, John of Patmos in Revelation 11:1-2 also speaks of a temple: "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of Elohim, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months."

John of Patmos prophesies here that a temple will be rebuilt during the Tribulation and that it will be given over to the gentiles for 42 months or three-and-a-half-years (this time marks the latter half of the Tribulation).

We believe that this temple will be rebuilt to usher in the Tribulation period, which will commence with the Man of Sin making a peace treaty with many nations and a possible return to a Hebraic form of worship, as indicated by the sacrifices that will be offered during the first three-and-a-half-years of the Tribulation.

A. We are not suggesting that all people will be given a chance in the Second Resurrection or judgment, as mentioned in Revelation 22:11-15. The Bible states there that we'll be judged based on our works, i.e., whether we lived a life of righteousness based on Yahweh's Word.

In addition to works, we also believe that knowledge plays a role in judgment.