2021: a year in review

The peace of mind so many in the world enjoyed on 10 March 2020 has not returned, and will not return in that way again.  On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the new COVID-19 a pandemic.  What followed was a global and jarring bureaucratic reaction to the aerosol-transmission aspect of a hitherto unknown virus: stay-at-home orders, mask mandates, lockdowns of entire populations to quell the spread of the virus, whole industries being mothballed, and on-and-on. 

In mid-March 2020, we hoped to still do Easter-as-usual, but as the days turned into weeks, it was clear we would lose our 'normal' Easter, and when that day of days came and went with us still at home, I think everyone knew deep-down things were not getting 'back to normal'.

It was at this time I realized my lifelong interest in Bible prophecy being reignited in late 2019 was well-timed.  Without the perspective a genuine interest in end-times biblical prophecy has given me, my time since the WHO declaration would have been more difficult.

In mid-March 2020, I figured the COVID-19 pandemic would immediately push the world to a new 'great depression' which would lead us directly to the Antichrist.  As I write this on 31 December 2021, I now know what seems to be God's hand holding back a mighty flood is right on schedule. 

Iran in prophetic terms is not ready to invade Mesopotamia, and if NEOM is to be the end-times Babylon, it is nowhere near ready to take up that accursed (and unwitting) role.  Moreover, perhaps a literal million tiny things need to happen for the radical-Islamic Beast army to be anywhere near ready to march.

Where do we stand prophetically?  (DISCLAIMER: I am an absolute layman.)

Mark Davidson's 'Four Signposts' are 1. the turning of Iraq into a functioning democracy, 2. Iran's invasion and conquest of much of the Middle East, but not Israel, 3. Turkey's response to Iran and its overthrow of the Islamic Republic with the establishment of Turkey as a true global superpower, and 4. the division of 'super-Turkey' into four regions.

If Davidson is correct, only after the Four Signposts are complete can the 70th Week of Daniel begin.  Thus, we are in a period of time (having begun in 1948 or 1967), the time-scale of which could (in my estimation) have only a day or remaining or a century or two.  We just don't know for certain, and no matter how many times people try deciphering the twelve-dimensional puzzle that is the Feasts of the Lord, the whole of the Penteteuch, and the whole of Bible prophecy, there is no consensus other than the useless 'we are close - Jesus is coming soon!' mantra.

For the moment, I'm leaning on Davidson's work with the Book of Daniel (linked above) in putting together his 'signpost-theory' and looking before all-else for that Iranian invasion to happen and begin a period of time from which there can be no going back.

So long as the Iranian leadership stays its hand, the world can revert from its present course.  Once Iran lets loose, it's done, and we will be at the mercy of God and the figurative flood of events which will follow. 

After the Four Signposts

Of course, the radical-Muslim Antichrist will (presumably) bring about the seven-year strengthening of the 'covenant with many' and with it, the 70th Week of Daniel.  Every Christian (including me!) must be familiar with every verse of Daniel 9.  (Nicolae Carpathia is not the only game in town.)

But if Davidson and others are correct, this 'covenant' can only come after the Four Signposts are done with super-Turkey being separated into four regional entities.  From one of these entities will the radical-Muslim Antichrist arise.

The Four Signposts, however, are merely the prelude to an immense drama the likes of which will never happen again. 

Roman or radical-Islamic, the Antichrist will usher in an era of Israeli peace to the point their security will grow lax.  Finally, Antichrist will break the seven-year agreement (whatever it may be) halfway through, invade, and conquer Israel and Jerusalem, killing or enslaving/imprisoning the Jews there and around the world.

At that point, he will set up what is called 'the Abomination of Desolation' (Dan. 9: 24-27), which, per Matthew 24, is the sign of the end-times.  The Antichrist entering a rebuilt Jewish Temple and setting up some image as an object of worship is agreed upon universally among Christian scholars as being the indisputable sign we are in the end-times.

When that happens, of course and per Matt. 24, everyone in the region of Judea must have already been fleeing to the mountains east of the Jordan river.  Somehow and in some way, God will make provision for those survivors.

After the Abomination - the Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13 is the foundational text to read.  It is clear: the Antichrist will order all the world to take a 'mark' of perpetual obedience and servitude.  Taking the Mark confers upon the taker eternal damnation.  Refusing the Mark confers a mortal death upon the refuser, but if they have been able to accept Christ and have done so, they will spend eternity with him.

My advice: just say 'no'.  Refuse the Mark of the Beast.  Flee from it. 

Every Christian must know of this prophecy.  The current COVID-19 vaccine is not the Mark of the Beast, by the way.

It will be hell on earth with judgements, plagues, and no Rapture of the church until either about 2.5 years into the last 3.5 years or as late as the day when Christ makes his final return to the Earth.  For if a certain interpretation of scripture is correct, Jesus' second coming will come in stages with him operating on the earth alone at first, then freeing the Jews in captivity in and near Midian as well as Egypt.

Then, he will gather the Jewish remnant (all or most of them) at Sinai where, if a certain reading of scripture is correct, the Jews as a nation will at last recognize him as Messiah.  Then, he will take them to Jerusalem where they will take the Temple (if my understanding is correct!) and await the onslaught of the Antichrist as he makes ready to take back the Old City of Jerusalem from Christ.

Finally at some point, Christ raptures those who believe in him into the clouds, gives them glorified bodies, and returns, per Rev. 19, on his white horse and kills the Antichrist, establishes a thousand years of bliss on the earth, then destroys the earth and Satan along with those who took the Mark and otherwise outright rejected his gift of salvation, and finally sets up the eternal state (Rev. 21-22) for all eternity.

Where are we in all this again?

We've finished the First Signpost (Davidson's term for the democratization of Iraq - he could be wrong, here.) and await the Second Signpost (Iranian invasion and conquest of rest of Middle East).

In other words, as we await the Iranian invasion of the rest of the Middle East, we are only at the beginning of all of this.

There are a few other things to discuss before I end this verbosity. 

The Four Horsemen and the Seals of Revelation 6

The Seals in Revelation 6 refer to specific and future historical events.  But how 'exceptional' does 'pestilence' need to be to be the 'pale horseman'?  And when Jesus in Matt. 24 mentions 'disasters' (not just 'earthquakes'), we know such things have always happened.

There will come a series of events with so much devastation and panache, they will be unique and will be those referred to by the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls in the book of Revelation (and referred to in other places such as Matt. 24 and Luke 21).

Unique among all the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls in Revelation is the First Seal (white horseman), whom Davidson proposes to be Saddam Hussein.  Many others propose the white horseman to be the Antichrist or even Jesus.

Davidson places the first three Seals among the Four Signposts, with the Fourth Seal (pale horseman) accompanying the Antichrist.

Christopher Mantei of endtime.church proposes (as of 2019) the rise of the Islamic State in 2014 as the first seal.  And Nelson Walters puts the seals, in order, in each year of the seven-years referred to earlier.

31 December 2021

Again, we await the Iranian invasion.  As for me, I'm getting over COVID-19 (omicron, presumably), but my year has gone far better than I feared it would.  My musical life has come back for the most part, though my Christmas weekend at church was torpedoed due to COVID-19.  I look forward to a very productive spring and a beautiful Holy Week and Easter.

My read-through of scripture continues to be slow, but it comes in fits and starts.  I'm not nearly as disciplined on this as I should be.  Pray for me that way.

I continue to grow in faith (hopefully) and definitely continue to be more introspective.  Being aware of one's own sin is not easy.

May God guide us all on this path and grant us true peace of mind.

Jeff Ragsdale
31 December 2021