We have examined the theme; Inaudible Witnesses Speaking Aloud, for five months. It is like an inexhaustible mine: the more you dig into it the wider and deeper it looks. There were several other areas we could not address in that series. We are looking up to having a prophetic conference in Alberta where prophetic ministers from different countries would be invited. Watch out for it!
In this series, It Is Here, we shall be taking an excursion into the Book of Revelation and Zechariah. This is not a full expository teaching of these books, but exposition of selective topics which relate to what the world could see and experience today.
It is important we realize that the book of Revelation is a prophecy. Jesus told John in Rev.1:19, “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later…” Then, Jesus went ahead to show John the spiritual condition of the churches in Asia Minor, using the selected seven churches as test cases.
In Rev.4:1, the vision of John became entirely futuristic or prophetic. John said, “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.'” John began to see events of the future, expressed in prophetic drama.
In Rev.22:10, the Angel declared to John, “And he said to me, 'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near...'” So, the book of Revelation is a prophecy; a prophecy which speaks specifically for our time; a prior declaration of the direction of things, the antics of the Devil, the failure of the mainstream Christian body, the Divine retribution which would follow, and God’s agenda for the rescue of mankind and the world from total annihilation.
Another myth that must be debunked is the popular opinion that the book of Revelation contains, in the major part, mystic and proverbial expressions which were not meant to be taken literally. I think this is where truth was a little bit over stretched. John expressed what he saw in prophetic symbolism and scriptural language, which were either explained in plain terms by the Angel that talked with him, or could be unraveled by digging into the scriptures.
In this discourse we would not delve into the prophetic aspect of the letters to the seven churches. Obviously those letters have both horizontal (immediate) and vertical (future) significance. They not only described the condition of churches in those seven churches in particular, and in Asia Minor in general, but they also depicted the spiritual corruption the Church Age would go through, culminating in wholesale apostasy in the Laodicea Church Age. We would skip that, and explore other prophetic declarations that are now taking place, or have already taken place.
Our focal scripture in this series is, Ezekiel 12:21-23, “21Again a message came to me from the LORD: 22'Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: ‘Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.’ 23Tell the people, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.’ Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: ‘The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!’”
So many Christians do not think the prophecies of the books of Daniel and Revelation have any bearing to our present time. When we read it, we often put it away, and never give it a thought. Those who seem to believe in those prophecies, usually at best, consign it to a far future significance that have no chances of happening in our lives’ time. But in this discourse, we would relate prophecies with time, and see where we are on the prophetic clock.
We would back up to Zechariah and see a description of the events there because it also ties up with the book of Revelation.
Zechariah prophesied around 587 - 520 BC. He is noted as one of the post-exile prophets, which means, he prophesied when the Babylonian captivity was coming to an end. His contemporary was Haggai. He saw the end time events and said,
"12And the LORD will send a plague on all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Their people will become like walking corpses, their flesh rotting away. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths."
This prophecy has not been fulfilled. It describes the use of Chemical and Biological weapons. It is these weapons that have capabilities to corrode the human body through radiation or acid; or cause the body to deteriorate from within to the point of disintegration, depending on the type of chemical or biological agent that was deployed. These weapons target humans while leaving property. Although the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 placed a ban on the production, possession, and use of chemical weapons, some countries still possess these weapons. Similarly the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972 outlawed the production, stocking, and use of biological weapons, but some nations still possess these weapons. It is predicted that biological weapons would be taken to its next generation, which would be genetic engineering. Quoting Michael J. Ainscough, in the book, The Gathering Biological Warfare Storm, edited by Colonel (Dr.) Jim A. Davis, and Dr. Barry Schneider, "The next generation of biological weapons made possible through genetic engineering will be asymmetric weapons par excellence."
No matter how the US and UN try to suppress the production, possession and use of chemical weapons and biological weapons, these weapons would not only still be produced in large quantities, but they would also be deployed when Russia invades Israel. I do not rule out the possibility of a supernatural phenomenon like what happened when Moses plagued Egypt for the deliverance of the Children of Israel, but the use of chemical and biological weapons against the enemies of Israel is high possibility and was described by the prophet.
We can say regarding the prophecy about the invention of chemical and biological weapons that "It Is Here!" The fact that these weapons are here already should send a signal to Christians that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is closer than we think.
In conclusion, let us consider the admonition of Jesus Christ in Luke 12:35-40, 35 "You must keep your belts fastened and your lamps burning. 36 Be like people who are waiting for their master to return from a wedding. As soon as he arrives and knocks, they will open the door for him. 37 How blessed are those servants whom the master finds watching for him when he comes! I tell you with certainty, he himself will put on an apron, make them sit down at the table, and go around and serve them. 38 How blessed they will be if their master a comes in the middle of the night or near dawn b and finds them awake! 39 But be sure of this: if the homeowner had known at what time the thief were coming, he would have watched and a would not have let his house be broken into. 40 So be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at a time when you don't expect him."
May we receive the grace to be ready always!
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father..." (John 14:12).