The Killing Field: Where Lamb and Lambs Fight like Lions

The battle being set in array, the best that the beast and his forces can ever hope to accomplish having been done (it appears that, for the ‘heck of it’, they may be given the benefit of a preemptive first strike, as it were; hence, the aforementioned nuke winter!), He who was formerly slain like a lamb, as the Lamb, will then commence His duties with the fierceness of an angry Lion (from Judah), racking up huge casualties as Judge, Jury and Executioner. In a literally blistering counterattack, He will

“…tread the winepress which is the fierce anger and wrath of God the Almighty. He will strike and kill with a sharp sword, which protrudes from His mouth—i.e., He being God Almighty Himself (but not the Father, rather, on behalf of the Father), will slaughter these His enemies merely by His utterance, administering death solely by His speech. His identity will be written both upon His robe and upon His thigh, for He is KING OF ALL KINGS, AND LORD OF ALL LORDS (19:15, 16)”.

Of all that God will have done up to this point, it might be said that—whatever the degree of suffering and pain—He has been largely gentle and kind in His dealings with man. Here, however, His attacks will be decidedly brutal, and relentless.

Chapter 19, Verse 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that worked miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a Lake of Fire burning with brimstone.

As the drama of this the world’s final battle unfolds, now in earnest, the first order of business on the agenda for the Lion of Judah, is the decommissioning of the beast and his false prophet. Their judgment will be as swift as it will be merciless. There will be no great White Throne appearances for them—not even! There will be no occasion for excuses from them. Although they will be men, like the rest of us, they will never experience death (actually, the beast will have already died once). Unlike the rest of fallen mankind (who will be given space to plead their cases—to no avail—in a cause where there is no hope for them; not even the slightest), no further consideration will be allowed in their cases. God Almighty will show them no mercy; He will never hear their pleas for clemency, as He orders that they be thrown, alive, directly into the Lake of Fire burning with the eternal flames of yellow sulfur (brimstone is sulfur).

This move facilitates several things: 1) it exposes the utter helplessness of the beast and his false prophet, even with the full support of the devil himself behind them, 2) it exposes the utter powerlessness of Satan to save or to rescue anyone, much less his own, 3) it cuts off Satan’s direct channels of communication with humanity, as he can only now stand by and watch, 4) it exposes the Almighty to the full wrath of man, who, being thus deprived, is now left at the mercy of the strength and genius of his own futility and folly, as he pits, effectively, not much more than his frustration against the Supreme wrath and righteous indignation of his Maker.

Verse 21, And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

The Great Day of God

Judgment Day

Chapter 19, Verse 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Matthew Chapter 24, Verse 27 For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24, 28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Matthew 24, 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Matthew 24, 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

It should be duly noted that when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again, He will not come alone. He will be accompanied by a heavenly army comprised of glorified saints, who are the “called, and faithful, and the chosen” (per Rev. 17:14; 19:14). That is, these armies of Heaven will be comprised of Christians, which in turn means that they will have to have been resurrected and in Heaven throughout the Apocalypse period, so as to come again with Him. Specifically, they will be the 24 Elders who first appear in Rev. 5:8-10, and who are shown repeatedly in Heaven, around God’s Throne, falling down in worship and praise throughout the Apocalypse (Rev. 7:11; 11:16; 14:3; 19:4). This army will also include an angelic component, per Matthew 24:31.

It should also be noted that the return of Christ at Armageddon will be by no means ‘secret’. That is, it will not be entirely “like a thief in the night”, although His coming will indeed take all living at that time by surprise. Jesus Himself asserts that there will be plenty of indicators and telltale signs that point to His soon coming, beginning with the rise and reign of the beast, aka, the abomination of desolation (per Matthew 24:15-30). His sign of His coming will appear well in advance of His actual arrival (Matthew 24:27-30). Everyone’s attention will be riveted on the spectacular sight of that encroachment. All will mourn at the sight of what they will see. In addition, that physical re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere will find His beleaguered Jews (the elect) in a desperate battle for their lives (those who will have remained behind, in defense of Jerusalem).

At His appearance, the startled beast and his armies will be headed back toward Jerusalem, still freshly victorious over the eastern kings and their decimated armies. All, including the beast, will know well by that time that he is anything but all-powerful, yet, being thoroughly deluded, will obviously not be prepared to concede defeat, receive and bow to One decidedly more powerful—without a fight (They will all see as John saw (his pre-occupation with resumption of his attack on Jerusalem suggests he is not the least bit concerned over the notion that God will show): Satan, however, will know quite well (per Revelation 12:12), knowing that his time will be almost up.)

The Marriage of the Lamb

Verse 7, Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.

Verse 8, And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Verse 9, And he said to me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God.

The voices of the great mass choir begun in verse 6 continues here in verse 7, “let us therefore be glad, and rejoice, as we give Him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, His woman (Grk., guna=specifically, a wife) having made herself ready. This she has done through faith—a “resting” of herself in Him, and Him alone, with all her trust and confidence—for her salvation and righteousness needful to stand before God the Father, up close and personal, sin-free. And it was given that she should be dressed in fine linen, clean and white; because the fine linen is symbolic of the righteousness of the saints”. At this point, John was instructed to write, “Blessed (fortunate, well-off) are all of those having been called (summoned) to the marriage supper of the Lamb. These words of truth are from God”, John was told, moreover.

Verse 10, And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, See you do it not: I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

At this juncture, John attempted to pay homage to the angel guiding him through the Apocalypse. “Do not do that”, he was told. “I am as you are, a fellow-servant, of both you and your brothers in the faith, who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Rather, worship God: because the spirit (focus, or chief purpose) of all prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.”

The Messiah

The Second Coming of Jesus the Christ

Throughout the Apocalypse, right up to the very last moment, God will have done everything possible to coax, cajole, and coerce man to his knees in recognition of His Sovereignty, in the interest of saving as many as possible. Angels will have preached the everlasting gospel, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists will have preached that same message, both of which, coupled with the seal and trumpet judgments will have produced two major harvests of precious souls which, coming dangerously close, might otherwise have been lost. The bowl judgments, in all their horror, will have produced nothing in the way of a harvest. Salvation will not have been the objective. Anguished, agonizing, severely beaten and battered, unrepentant men led by the devil in the beast will choose still to blaspheme the Hand they know now controls all their miseries (and their destinies!). That, as far as God is concerned, will be the surest and best indicator that ‘enough, is enough’!

Sarmatians:

As with the Cimmerians and with the Scythians, so with the Sarmatians, their past comes to us sealed in a shroud of murkiness. Some light is shed on that past however, as they are first mentioned in first century AD Roman literature (referred to there as Alans?). Old Roman maps point to them and the areas of their occupation interchangeably as either Alans (Josephus 7.4.3; 7.7.4) or Geloni (Herodotus). Ptolemaic maps are said to reference those same areas as Sarmatia. Another source document detailing something of the presence and reach of this people is an ancient Parthian manuscript known as the Vologeses Inscription, while one of the richest sources of knowledge is the many graves, found and unearthed in the regions they inhabited.

It is generally thought and accepted that the Sarmatians were nomads of Iranian blood who undertook migration from Central Asia between the sixth and the fourth centuries BC, arriving eventually at the Ural Mountains (apparently following an ideology and strategy, or a route plan similar to that of the Scythian, several centuries earlier, and who in some sense, are near relatives of theirs). By the fifth century BC, control of the plains between the Don River and Urals was their domain (there were at least three separate groups, each of which while maintaining some form of unity, developed independently along the steppe between the Ural Mountains in the east and the Danube River in the west). The fourth century saw them attempt expansion of that domain as one of their several groups, the Alans or Alani (some say), crossed over the Don, to challenge and discomfit the now settled (and, maybe, complacent, less threatening and, unsuspecting) Scythians, virtually wiping them out according to one source (over two hundred years), thereby establishing themselves as the rulers of southern Russia, by the second century—this in spite of the Scythian superior numbers. In the first century, they formed an alliance with the tribes of Germany, which was formidable enough to be a threat to the mighty Roman Empire. The reality that says “all good things must come to and end”, however, began to set in, when, after almost three hundred years (apparently having turned on their German allies), the Sarmatians sought yet again to expand in the third century AD, only to invade Romania (then Dacia) and the lower Danube River region to be overwhelmed by the Goths. Many of them went on to join the Goth invasion of Western Europe, while their homeland was sacked in 370 AD, demolished by an influx of Huns from the east. By the sixth century, history had lost track of its third consecutive group of savage plundering, ravaging warmongers.

The Battle of Armageddon: Phase 1

THE GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY

The evil but “rifted” empire strikes back!

Bowl #6: World War IV

Verse 12, And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

The out-pouring of the bowl by the sixth angel, marks the beginning of the end. The last possible harvest of souls was actually completed during the first half of this, the last three point five years of time before the Return and Millennial Reign of Christ, our Savior. No further effort will be expended to save anyone, from the time of the rise of the beast and his murders of all tribulation born believers. Rebel man, having demonstrated his tenacity and determination to maintain his independence, thus far, has not been given much say in the matter, in terms of final outcomes. God has acted, shaking things up, making life uncomfortable; man has watched and suffered—having been given little room for any kind of substantive defense, or, direct response—except, to either repent and submit, or, indirectly retaliate by venting against all new convert Christians and/or the Jews. With what may well be termed a welcomed ‘turn of events’ for mankind, that, is about to change. For the first time in the tribulation period, humanity can fight back. He can now retaliate against further “acts of God”. This is to be the final round in what has thus far been at best a humbling and humiliating battle. Tensions will be as high as the stakes (for man! No matter the outcome of the battle, he loses, insofar as, he can never undo the damages inflicted already upon the very biosphere and the ecosystem within and upon which he must depend for survival!). Feelings of hatred and hostility will be mutual, between the primary combatants. Passions will be matched only by the absence of compassion. The air will be thick with animosity, in a face-off that will bring angry men face to face, head-to-head—mono au mono—with their equally inhospitable Maker. He who, in love and the utmost humility, gave His life in death to save them and all mankind two thousand years ago, will then authoritatively and with the highest austerity, speak death upon them, void of even the slightest pity.

As the Apocalypse channels onto the last corridor leading to Armageddon, drawing history to a close, a representative faction of remaining mankind must be summoned to do the honors of fighting on behalf of all. At this point, he will never willingly submit to His Maker. Having been humiliated, and infuriated, by the last five judgments—win, lose, or die—the beast (even with egg all over his face!) and his subjects will yet without question be more than ever eager to

‘get it on’ in a mix-up with the Creator of all that is.

Who were they, in antiquity?

Thus far then, we now know that “Magog” finds its roost today in all of the land mass known as, and now occupied by, modern Russia. Likewise we also know that Russia—as it relates to and falls within the grand scheme and plan of God—consists of two major parts or, sections separated by the Ural Mountains: 1) Western or European Russia and, 2) Siberia. That leaves open the question, who were these people during the Bible days of Ezekiel? Who were they prior to his day, during and across the two thousand years following the birth and life of the Christ? What did they ever do to provoke God’s ire?

European Russia

Playground for murderers and marauders; wild and untamed; haven to pillagers and plunder seekers, more savage than the climate itself: ruled apparently for millennia by no one codified, written law, or civilized authority, such was this, and in reality, the rest of the world of humanity, where thoughts and knowledge of God had failed to grace the minds of men; although the writing cultures appear to have managed a much greater sense of civility and stability. This section of the land of Magog refers to the western 25% of the old Soviet Union (one might say their early “old west” makes the American version look “sissy”). Specifically, it is that part of Soviet Russia (known since the Soviet breakup in 1991 as the Russian Federation), which lies west of the Ural Mountains, but more precisely between the Caspian Sea on the east and the Baltic in the west, having as its southern border the Black Sea, whereas the White is its northernmost boundary. Its actual westernmost boundary or border has varied widely throughout history, dependent on who had the biggest sword, and who could muster and manage the most living bodies after appeasement of the sacrificial demands and bite of one senseless battle after the other to enforce a shift. At no point along a timeline spanning millennia, has any one group ever peacefully peopled that region for any significantly long duration of time (apparently!). The historical record suggests that—in a span reaching back as far as 4000 years B.C. to the relatively recent mid-800s A.D.—Europe’s portion of today’s Russia has been inundated repeatedly by floods of many different tribes of people, many, if not most, from Central Asia. Its steppes (great plains), said to be relatively infertile and part of a roughly 5000-mile stretch, reaching from the Ukraine to China, hosts an environment known for climatic contrasts which are extreme, and are able to support only small bands of horsemen over huge allotments thereof. All of this begs the question: what then served as the virtual magnets, attracting and luring these bands of murderous, marauding thugs, who either forced out whatever group happened to be in occupation upon their arrival or, simply killed them off, outright—making this area a veritable slaughter house, or, more aptly, a killing field? Whatever the reason, it might well be said that this segment of the land of the realm of Gog in its entirety was hardly what God had in mind in terms of the “unknown”, given that it was in fact quite well known to the outside world (one group of nomads is known for positioning itself in the area of well-worn trade routes, some of which—like the “Silk Routes”—traversed this area). Thus—not to in any way minimize its shear brutality, gore, and gruesomeness—we see that Hitler’s Final Solution was not by any means the beginning of man’s inhumanity to man.

Biosphere Demolished, Ecosystem Destroyed

Beyond the Point of No Return

Chapter 16, Verse 1

And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

Thus, then, the stage having been set, a command is issued by a great voice emanating from the Temple: “Go out and empty the bowls filled with the anger (hot displeasure) of God upon the earth”.

Once again, where any Christian, physical representation is concerned, the presence of God will by this point have been for the last time vanquished from the earth in a horrendous flood of blood. All ordinary Christians will be dead. By all outward appearances, this will look like a major victory for the devil and company. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. The beast’s victory celebration will be brought to an abrupt halt—in total disfavor with all who will have hailed his, coming, his rise and his fame. Insofar as this, the Bowl Judgments, marks the beginning of the strictly punitive phase of God’s dealings with man—that is, this is not pressure applied with a view to squeezing out new converts; none will be sought—the death of all the precious souls who will die during the period just prior to the first of the last judgments (following the rise of the beast) will actually be a blessing that will spare them the horrors that will be unleashed hereafter. Only the unbelieving Jews will remain (and, they will be protected throughout this time of ordeal and agony, in the shelter of a safe haven known only to God).

It is perfectly clear that these horrors are all generated and instigated, tailor-made, by the Hand of Almighty God—for this occasion. Furthermore, it is just as clear that, 1) these judgments while being targeted on the one hand (the biosphere will be totally destroyed), in that they are focused specifically on those who have received the mark of the beast and have worshipped his image, they are in nature global on the other, 2) no lives will be taken during the phase encompassing the first six bowls, nevertheless, none will ever repent, 3) although it is difficult to pin-point exactly where it is in the latter three and one half years before Armageddon that the Bowl Judgments start, it is perhaps quite rational to assume that somewhere near the middle or beginning of the latter one and three-quarter years might be the most logical place, given that some time has to be allowed for the 144,000 Jewish evangelists and the angel to finish their work, in addition to major events like the beast settling in, gaining global acceptance with the aid of the false prophet, including destroying potential competition and conflicts of interests brought on by the pope and his Vatican, dethroning and displacing the Jews as he nullifies the treaty he signed 3.5 years earlier, banning Temple worship while establishing himself as God, along with his worship-linked system of global identification, tracking and economics, etc., the wholesale slaughter and destruction of perhaps billions of Christian converts won by the 144k evangelists due to their joint refusal to bow the knee in acceptance of his “mark”, and given that the distance from here to Armageddon appears to be rather short and direct.

Commander sees 'World War III'

“By NBC News Wire Services”

Updated at 4:46 a.m. ET (09/25/2012): Iran could launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel if it was sure the Jewish state were preparing to attack it, a senior commander of its elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Sunday.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, made the comments to Iran's state-run Arabic language Al-Alam television, according to a report on the network's website.

"Iran will not start any war but it could launch a pre-emptive attack if it was sure that the enemies are putting the final touches to attack it," Al-Alam said, paraphrasing the military commander.

Hajizadeh, who heads the Guard's aerospace division, said any attack on Iranian soil could trigger "World War III."

"We cannot imagine the Zionist regime starting a war without America's support. Therefore, in case of a war, we will get into a war with both of them and we will certainly get into a conflict with American bases," he said. "In that case, unpredictable and unmanageable things would happen and it could turn into a World War III."

'Bases are equal to U.S. soil' U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Qatar and Afghanistan would be targeted, he added.

"There will be no neutral country in the region," Hajizadeh was quoted as saying. "To us, these bases are equal to U.S. soil."

……..

The U.S. Fifth fleet is based in Bahrain and the U.S. has a heavy military presence in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials reportedly suspect Iran is behind a string of recent cyber-attacks that were aimed at major U.S. banks. Jim Finkle of Reuters has more on the story.

The Iranian warning appears to be an attempt to reinforce the potential wider consequences of an attack by Israel. The message is not only intended for Washington, but to its Gulf Arab allies that are fearful of a regional conflict that could disrupt oil shipment and cripple business hubs in places such as Dubai and Qatar's capital Doha.

The Resurrection, Rise and Reign

(Daniel’s Mouthy Little Horn, aka, the Abomination of Desolation; Paul’s Son of Perdition)

Advent of the Beast (Revelation Chapter 13, Verses 1 and 2)

This juncture in the unfolding drama of the Apocalypse marks the halfway point in the period of seven years immediately preceding the Battle of Armageddon. This “mother-of-all” battles will usher in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Jews’ Messiah for whom they long and wait. This does not, however, indicate the midpoint of the entire period encompassed by the Apocalypse, nor does it limit this span (of the Apocalypse) to only seven years—as is commonly taught in evangelical, and perhaps some Pentecostal, or other circles.

Verse 1, And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

In this vision, John finds himself standing upon sands that adorn the shore of the sea (a most likely reference to the Mediterranean, although this ocean is itself most probably a symbolic reference to the restless mass of humanity.). There, he is shown the emergence of a strange looking creature called a beast (in the sense of a dangerous, wild animal, per the Greek word, “therion”, thay-ree’-on) bearing striking, though not exact similarities to those of the dragon, studied earlier in chapter 12. No doubt, these physical likenesses are meant to signify an inextricable link between the two, while at the same time assuring readers that they are not the same (combined, one might say, the ‘name’ and physical traits help set the tone in terms of character or psychological orientation and general description). This beast, John says, is emerging out of the chaos and restlessness of humanity (symbolized by the Mediterranean!). Furthermore (like the dragon), this beast has seven heads, each of which is marked by names of blasphemy (that is, this creature has that about it—let’s call it an aura or an atmosphere, for now—that clearly signifies a willful, woeful misrepresentation, mischaracterization and defiance of the True and Living God!). John also observed that the dangerous wild animal coming out of this clamorous agitation, that is the noisy commotion of mankind without a central focus in terms of leadership, had ten horns, upon which were ten crowns. In biblical terminology, horn as a metaphor in poetry and prophecy is usually a symbol of authority, strength, power, and rugged individuality. The crowns (Greek, kingly ‘diadems’, as opposed to ‘stephanos’ or wreaths given to the winner of a contest), of course, symbolize sovereignty and dominion. Thus, while the horns wearing crowns signifying sovereign individuality are in a close alliance with the beast, they are yet symbolic of 10 different personalities, separate and distinct from that beast and its seven heads; in an association that is largely voluntary. In addition, each horn is separate and distinct from each other (able to govern as well as stand on and under their own authority. Ironically, per chap. 17, as such, neither existed during the days of John, they do not exist today and they will not exist as any kind of geopolitical entities until after the bowl judgments, shortly before the return of Christ.).

The Victor has the Spoils

For Israel, the future at least for a time, looks bright. If one’s interpretation of 39:10 is at least marginally accurate, it looks as if Israel will not only be marvelously benefited beyond any hurt inflicted by the advance of their mortal enemies, but, in addition to quite literally “making hay” (fuel) of all the flammable remains of weapons farmed from the aftermath of the war, they will (or may) also have free access to, and, control of all their energy resources and reserves, as well. This could only mean, or suggest at the very least, one thing: the fifteen minutes of fame handed to them by the Hand of the Almighty in this their most recent victory, could easily escalate to thirty minutes or more as they—one of, if not the, smallest nation on earth (actually, Vatican City, is the smallest nation)—would now conceivably be in a unique position so as to dominate and control the world. For seven years at least, maybe more, the vast majority of the Russian and Arab crude (said to be the most traded commodity in the world) needed to lube and grease the Jewish and the global economies would be under Jew thumb and fingertips, where it will remain until Shiloh comes. All of Russia’s vast coal reserves will be Israel’s to hoard. “Say it ain’t so, Elmo!” ya’ say? That certainly does appear to be the shape of the future and of things to come, particularly in light of the grip and the hold that crude has on virtually everything on the planet, today.

How will the Jews know where to find Russian coal and oil reserves, as well as all its other buried natural resources, which will be of immense value to its survival, so as to capitalize and make full use thereof, within seven years (maybe a little longer)? Since most is located in Siberia, under perma-frosted ground, which makes it difficult for even the Russians to access, how will the Jews defeat the elements where they have failed?

There were Jews in Russia, running the government (or, in high places thereof, for sure) during the days of the communists, there are Jews there today (informed and enlighten men who know the country), so likewise there will be Jews there when the country falls by the design, by the hand and by the will of Almighty God (much of the obsolete Soviet owned businesses, including oil companies, that Boris Yeltsin sold off cheaply before leaving office is said to have fallen into the hands of so-called oligarchs, who got filthy rich thereby, overnight—many of whom are supposedly Jewish.). No matter how many leave in the meantime, whether they are in or out of the country, there will always be those who know that land and its valuables. They know what its wealth is, where and how to find it.