One time, after a brief discussion about the Book of Revelation, a new Christian convert asked me why the ‘End Times’ were only discussed in New Testament scripture. Over a couple of cups of coffee, I explained that a previous catastrophic ending of human civilization is documented in the Old Testament, and a prediction of the next such event is actually also recorded there.

And when that next great cataclysm occurs, it will be because of some of the same reasons as the last one. One notable similarity is that God issues rules and regulations to his people, but throughout history, most of society rejects his demands for righteousness and instead draws closer to Satan’s evil exploits.

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God never forces his ideas and thoughts upon his human creation, but only explains how he expects us to live morally. He created us with free-will and allows us to decide for ourselves whether to accept or reject his guidance; God expects his subjects to choose to live a moral life, but they are not forced to do so. But either way humans choose, there are consequences to bare — either good results or bad ones.

When much of our world was destroyed the first time, God sent a great flood upon earth which eliminated the accumulated evil of those ancient days, and give the earth a restart. The next Godly restart, or reboot, won’t be by water, but by fire. God’s word gives us a glimpse of how that will happen and tells us what can be done to make sure we are guaranteed entrance into a better New World to come.

I told the questioning new Christian where to find more information about Noah and the boat he built to survive the ancient flood¹ and mentioned that even the next — and quickly approaching — ‘end of the age’ mentioned in the New Testament was, indeed, recorded in the Old Testament as well.

While this article is about the end of this current Age of Grace and the return of Jesus to cleanse the earth and bring-in a brand-new Millennial Age of restoration, readers are encouraged to read some important Old Testament passages hinting of what would take place in this present age as it ends.

A biblical prophet, Daniel, made a bold prediction hundreds of years before Christ was born: “from the time that the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of an anointed prince, there shall be seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with streets and moat, but in a troubled time” (Daniel 9:25, NRSV).²

In that prophecy, Daniel was claiming there would be a total of 69 weeks of years (69 x 7 = 483 years) between announcing the plan to rebuild Jerusalem, and the appearance of Israel’s Messiah, during a “troubled time.” The coming Savior of God’s people was to set the stage for an Age of Grace beginning after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. You can check history books and scripture to find out that is exactly what happened.³ And this Age of Grace will end with the cleansing of earth and the resurrection of those that kept faith in our Lord.

Other Old Testament prophecies include the following: appearance of the Antichrist (little horn in Daniel 7:8); the death of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8);⁴ end-time pestilence, conflicts, wars, earthquakes, and storms, (see Ezekiel 38:1–39:29).⁵ There are more end-time references in the Hebrew scriptures, but since this sermon is mostly about what the New Testament says, we’ll leave the other ancient predictions for another time.

Today, I find that many newer Christians are most interested in the physical and visible prophecies of what is coming in end-of-world events, rather than the spiritual ones. They want to understand what they can actually expect to see with their own eyes, rather than the scholarly and abstract concepts going on behind the scenes.

If you have been studying the Bible for awhile, you may be thinking that it is impossible to separate the visible from the invisible. I agree. I understand the visible and the spiritual effects can’t really be separated in God’s plan because they are woven together like a fine tapestry. But to a new Christian — or even an older one who is just beginning to learn the deeper meanings of scripture — they may not have developed the faith necessary to understand God’s complete plan. They may have a need to know what they can expect to see with their own eyes. And I believe that as the events do happen and people actually see and experience them, their faith will grow. That is the basis for writing this sermon.

 

What does the New Testament say?

The above mentioned “troubled time” in Daniel 9 concerned what was happening to the people of Israel when Jesus arrived on earth; the Jews were suffering under Roman control. And our Lord spoke about more trouble to come in the Book of Matthew during what is called Jesus’ ‘Olivet Discourse’ (read Matthew 24 & 25; also, see Mark 13, and Luke 21). This was when Jesus, while sitting on the Mount of Olives, told his followers about the future of Israel and of the world. He warned his followers that there would be more suffering, persecution, and tribulation before the victorious triumph of God’s Kingdom and deliverance of the faithful.

Although these troubles involve significant spiritual conflict against evil forces, this article will primarily reveal the main visible signs that you can expect to experience. The physical events are what lends credibility as signs of the end of this age. While many invisible events aren’t included, past deeper studies tell about some of them. I have linked several such studies in References & Notes for those that want more detailed information.⁶

Speaking about what visible signs to observe, our Lord foretold, in Matthew chapter 24, what would happen prior to his second coming. It would be a time of deception and affliction, wars and rumors of wars. There would be deaths from famines and diseases, and earthquakes — all this on a global scale.⁷ It would be after these things that a tribulation period begins, bringing even more adversity.

When Jesus lived on Earth, Jews were oppressed, controlled, and sometimes brutalized, and for Jesus’ followers, it was even worse. So, they could not fathom what evil would further descend upon them in the future. They lived in an isolated society, of sorts. Even today, we all see people who can’t see beyond their own enclosure of social and economic existence — friends, neighbors, or family members — who neither know what troubling events are approaching, nor even care about them.⁸

During his life as a human, Jesus foretold of the end-time conditions, those final or last days of Satan’s rule, when evil would finally become so bad that the age must be brought to a complete end. But he promised that after that, there would be a new age of bliss. He taught that believers in him would inherit the kingdom (Matthew 25:34), the dead would be resurrected (John 5:25-29), the righteous would receive eternal life (2 Corinthians 5:6-10), and Satan would be removed (Revelation 20:10). He promised that pain, sorrow, and death would be eliminated and God would — once again — dwell with his people (Revelation 21:1-4), as he did in the Garden of Eden.⁹

Our study is the Book of Revelation. We are not going to read through the whole book at this time, but only give a simple overview of many future visible events as predicted there. You are encouraged, however, to read it all in your own Bible, or from an online Bible for free.¹⁰

 

What does Revelation say?

The first chapter of the final book in the Holy Bible states that the sacred message (or revelation) is from God; it is basically a report of the word of God as well as a testimony of Jesus Christ (see Revelation 1:1-2). So, this information was given by God Almighty to Jesus, who in turn sent an angel to convey it to his servant John, who then faithfully wrote it down for church members to read or hear.

This last book of the Bible is also known as the Book of the Apocalypse to some Christian sects, because the Greek word apokalypsis means ‘unveiling’ or ‘revelation’.¹¹ The writer, John, first addresses evaluation letters¹² to seven church communities and then goes on to describe a series of prophetic events which culminate in the ‘Second Coming’ of Jesus.

As mentioned, the ‘Last Days’ began at the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth, so humanity has been in the last days for two thousand years. These Last Days consist of one of God’s dispensations¹³ — a special vow or exemption to his Old Testament laws — to demonstrate his love and forgiveness for everyone’s sins, whether Jew or Gentile. Many call these last days the ‘Age of Grace’ or the ‘Church Age’, because it is a period of time when God offers salvation to all believers in Jesus’ sacrifice (members of spiritual Israel), rather than only to physical Israel’s descendants, as it was in the Old Testament under Mosaic Law. This idea is very clear when Paul the apostle wrote the following to early Christian communities.

“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise,” (Galatians 3:23-29, ESV).¹⁴

Revelation addresses the coming end-time events and tribulation period. During this time is when the famous symbolic horsemen of the apocalypse ride bringing war, famine, pestilence, death, and economic troubles. Also mentioned are natural disasters like a great earthquake and a darkened sun, and meteors falling to earth. And the Bible states world leaders, politicians, military leaders, and rich and powerful citizens will hide in caves and underground facilities among the rocks of the mountains for protection (see Revelation 6).

And there are many later problems too. More meteors fall (or other incoming flaming objects) and a third of the earth will be burned up, including trees and grass. Next, an asteroid falls into the sea, and a third of the sea with all its living creatures are killed, and ocean ships are destroyed. There is a mysterious comet or large body in our solar system that will come very close to earth; it is called ‘Wormwood’ in the Bible. It causes a third of the fresh waters to become polluted, and the sun and the moon and the stars are darkened (see Revelation 8).

 

Will Planet X, Demons, and the Antichrist
be Appearing too?

Information derived from scientific investigation informs us that a gigantic asteroid, known as ‘Apophis’, will come very close to out planet in April 2029. This rock, estimated to be 1,100 feet (335 meters) across, will pass earth at only one-tenth the distance to the moon — actually zipping-by below the altitude of some satellites. That doesn’t leave much room for error.¹⁵

And some Evangelical pastors call Wormwood by another name: ‘Planet X’ or ‘Nibiru’. While belief in Planet X has long been considered just a hypothetical planet proposed by Zecharia Sitchin,¹⁶ it has recently been accepted by many scientific investigators as factual. “Caltech¹⁷ researchers have found evidence of a giant planet tracing a bizarre, highly elongated orbit in the outer solar system. The object, which the researchers have nicknamed Planet Nine, has a mass about 10 times that of Earth . . .”¹⁸

I just thought I’d throw those ideas out there for consideration, as it has recently been seriously considered by many preachers. But since this Planet X idea seems to be getting more attention lately, you may be interested in serious detailed research made by an astronomer in the state of Louisiana USA, named Gill Broussard. He has done much investigation about this mysterious object and it’s repeated passes near earth in the past, including many related clues found in the Old Testament. I’ve left a link to some of his public information in References & Notes.¹⁹

And there are other religious texts that mention such an object. For instance, the Kolbrin manuscripts²⁰ describe what is called ‘The Destroyer’. Four chapters are devoted to this object, but let me quote a few verses from just one chapter about its last passing.

“Men forget the days of the Destroyer. Only the wise know where it went and that it will return in its appointed hour. It raged across the Heavens in the days of wrath, and this was its likeness: It was as a billowing cloud of smoke enwrapped in a ruddy glow, not distinguishable in joint or limb. Its mouth was an abyss from which came flame, smoke, and hot cinders.”

“When ages pass, certain laws operate upon the stars in the Heavens. Their ways change; there is movement and restlessness, they are no longer constant and a great light appears redly in the skies. When blood drops upon the Earth, the Destroyer will appear, and mountains will open up and belch forth fire and ashes. Trees will be destroyed and all living things engulfed. Waters will be swallowed up by the land, and seas will boil.”

“The Heavens will burn brightly and redly; there will be a copper hue over the face of the land, ‘followed by a day of darkness. A new moon will appear and break up and fall. The people will scatter in madness. They will hear the trumpet and battlecry of the Destroyer and will seek refuge within dens in the Earth. Terror will eat away their hearts, and their courage will flow from them like water from a broken pitcher. They will be eaten up in the flames of wrath and consumed by the breath of the Destroyer,” (Kolbrin Bible, Manuscripts, Chapter 3, verses 1–6).²¹

Moving on, next is the opening of a pathway into a chasm of earth from which life forms are released. The deep inner earth “is the place of confinement of demons, who are not Satan’s angels, but a class of ‘disembodied spirits’.”²² Religious texts indicate disembodied spirits search for a body that they can possess.²³ But there is some good news, too. These deadly creatures will not harm God’s people, but only those who do not have the seal of God’s selection.²⁴ For an interesting article, see “What are Demons and the Nephilim? — and that Mayhem before the Flood of Noah?” It is listed in References & Notes.²⁵ And more trouble will come, for there will be a release of afflictions which kill one-third of the remaining humans (see Revelation 9).

Next come two prophesying witnesses, who when finished with their testimony are then killed. Their dead bodies will lie in the street for three and one-half days and, seemingly, then be resurrected (see Revelation 11).

And a beast (a ruler, or a political or religious system) rises up out of the sea; this is who or what is sometimes called the Antichrist. The ‘sea’ — from which the beast comes — represents the Gentile nations. A second beast will rise out of the earth and will be a false prophet. He causes worship of the Antichrist as god. A false world wide religion will be established (see Revelation 13).

 

Conclusion

So, Revelation presents a very horrific imagery of earth’s final upheavals. Its most significant imagery however, is not of plagues and world war and natural destruction and death, but is rather the second coming of King Jesus and the rebuilding of a new Garden of Eden with the help of spiritual Israel’s survivors. So the result will be a final cleansing and evil-free world as God first intended. This planet will be turned into a world where sickness and sadness and death will be eliminated.²⁶

One would think that by this time all the devastating events are over, but that is not the case. Yes, there will be a period of one-thousand years of peace when Satan will be imprisoned, but after a millennium he will be released once again to test humankind a last time before he is destroyed. But that is far-future information not necessary for this article. The important fact is that those who make it through the Millennial Age will have an opportunity for eternal life past the one-thousand years.

This has been but a simplified overview of events that will very soon begin; once started, we all will have about seven years until the end of activities and Christ’s return. Many spiritual connections have been left out of the study, but as mentioned, my hope is that many people today who will see end-time events with their own eyes, will wish to study deeper into the Book of Revelation for spiritual connections that will save their life. There really isn’t much time left.

A song appropriately descriptive of this subject matter is performed by American country singer John Rich. He sings the song ‘Revelation’ inspired by the biblical prophecies presented to the Apostle John in the last book of the Bible. Selected lyrics are below and a link to the music video is listed in References & Notes.²⁷

When judgement comes like a lightning flash,
Their voice will wail and their teeth will gnash,
He’ll set fire to their evil wants,
And all the wickedness they’ve done.

They’ll be no time to turn around,
As the stars begin to hit the ground,
And the mountains fall and the veil is torn,
With the sounding of that seventh horn;
Oh, revelation!

Copyright © 2024, Dr. Ray Hermann
OutlawBibleStudent.org

 

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References & Notes

1. Hermann, Ray, “What are Demons and the Nephilim? — and that Mayhem before the Flood of Noah?” (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 29 October 2019), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/what-are-demons-and-the-nephilim-and-that-mayhem-before-the-flood-of-noah/
2. Unless otherwise indicated, scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989). Used with permission.
3. Wallace, Jim, “The Old Testament Is Filled with Fulfilled Prophecy”, (Bible Study Tools, 6 September 2019), https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/the-old-testament-is-filled-with-fulfilled-prophecy-11652232.html
4. Barrier, Roger, “11 End Time Bible Prophecies Explained”, (Crosswalk, 15 January 2021), https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/christianity-questions-answers/the-abcs-of-bible-prophecy.html
5. Alfred, Justin, “The Second Coming of Jesus”, (The BLB Blog, 27 February 2013), https://blogs.blueletterbible.org/blb/2013/02/27/the-old-testament-on-the-second-coming-of-jesus/
6. Deeper studies concerning Revelation scripture:
   (1) “The Resurrection of 144,000 People”, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/the-resurrection-of-144000-people/
   (2) “Marriage of the Lamb: Revelation 19″, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/the-marriage-of-the-lamb-revelation-19/
   (3) “Who is the Bride of Christ”, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/who-is-the-bride-of-christ/
7. Barbieri, L.A., Jr., “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, (Eds.) Walvoord, J. F. and Zuck, R. B., (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), p. 76.
8. Hermann, Ray, “Christ’s Return Prophecies: the Signs of the End of this Age in Matthew 24″, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 20 May 2020), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/christs-return-prophecies-the-signs-of-the-end-of-this-age-in-matthew-24/
9. Ibid.
10. Online sources for free Bible reading:
    (1) Desktop and laptop: Search and read the Bible for free in different languages and translations, including audio and PDF options. Compare and contrast the features and benefits of various digital Bible study tools and resources.
    Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/Versions/
    (2) Bible-App (‘YouVersion’) for phone and tablet: gives you free access to over 2400 versions in 1600 languages for your phone, tablet, or computer.
    Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/about/
11. “Book of Revelation”, (Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 October 2024), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Revelation
12. Hermann, Ray, “The Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 1 August 2024), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/the-seven-churches-in-the-book-of-revelation/
13. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).
14. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016).
15. Snyder, Michael, “The Truth About Apophis”, (Based Underground, 25 November 2024), https://basedunderground.com/2024/11/25/the-truth-about-apophis/
16. Zecharia Sitchin (1920-2010): scholar who read and interpreted ancient Sumarian and Akkadian clay tablets describing a large unknown planet (known as Planet X or Nibiru) within our solar system; his work has been translated into more than 20 languages and featured on radio and television programs around the world.
    “About Zecharia Sitchin”, (Official Website of Zecharia Sitchin, retrieved 20 November 2024), http://www.sitchin.com/
17. Caltech: California Institute of Technology, a private research university located in Pasadena, California, USA. https://www.caltech.edu/about
18. Fesenmaier, Kimm, “Caltech Researchers Find Evidence of a Real Ninth Planet”, (Astrobiology at NASA, U.S. Government, N.A.S.A., 20 January 2016), https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/caltech-researchers-find-evidence-of-a-real-ninth-planet/
19. Gill P. Broussard: amateur astronomer and biblical researcher in south Louisiana, USA. He has many free materials and interviews on his YouTube channel.
    “Planet 7 X”, https://www.youtube.com/user/Planet7X
20. Kolbrin Bible: Egyptian and Celtic texts, some of which were supposedly written after the Hebrew Exodus and some written after the death of Jesus.
21. Masters, Marshall, Janice Manning (Ed.), The Kolbrin Bible, (Madison, ME: Knowledge Mountain Media, 2006), p. 377.
    Also available online and for free download at https://archive.org/details/TheKolbrinBibleCOMPLETE
22. Larkin, Charles, The Book of Revelation: A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture, (Philadelphia, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate, 1919), p. 74.
23. Quarterman, C. K., “The Book of Enoch and Demons,” (Fallen Angels & The Watchers, 31 March 2012), https://www.fallenangels-ckquarterman.com/the-book-of-enoch-and-demons/
24. Walvoord, J. F. and Zuck, R. B. (Eds.), “Revelation,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), p. 952.
25. Hermann, Ray, “What are Demons and the Nephilim? — and that Mayhem before the Flood of Noah?” (See above.)
26. Thomsen, Calvin, “The Second Coming and the time of trouble”, (Ministry Magazine, June/July 2000), https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2000/06July/the-second-coming-and-the-time-of-trouble
27. “Revelation”, Recording artist: John Rich; songwriters: John Rich and Sonya Isaacs; (no copyright or licensing information listed on YouTube, uploaded 11 July 2024). Used under ‘fair use copyright’ for comment, teaching, scholarship, and research under Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act of 1976 — MUSIC VIDEO: https://youtu.be/Yk6YPFCUaqA