Of course the return of Christ will be cataclysmic: “There [will be] voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there [will be] a .great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth.. .and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to he ground” (Rev. 16:18; Ezk. 38:20). The overthrow of existing political, economic and religious systems will be so dramatic and the new order so drastically different that Peter says: “The heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (II Peter 3:1213).
Before this greatest change comes, however, there are other big changes which must evidently occur, because today’s political realities do not equate with Bible prophecy.
Israel in the land
Before the great earthquake that overturns “every wall” (Ezk. 38:20), Jews must occupy Israel, they must be prosperous, living at peace and dwelling in “the midst of the land” (vv. 8,11,12). Today we see Jews once again in the land and rapidly becoming one of the most prosperous nations, per capita, in the world. But they enjoy no peace and have offered to negotiate away the “midst of the land.” This phrase is defined in Judges 9:37 as being the area around Shechem, in the very navel of the land. Today’s name for Shechem is Nablus, a critical Palestinian-controlled town in the heart of the West Bank.
In 1948, when Israel came into existence, we were thrilled as Bible prophecy was fulfilled before our eyes — a nation born in a day. Yet the Jews controlled only a portion of the land and that portion did not include Jerusalem or “the midst of the land.”
In 1967, we were thrilled again as the Jewish state expanded, taking Jerusalem and gaining control over ancient Shechem and all the surrounding country. According to Luke 21:24, we rightly felt the times of the Gentiles had ended, but we didn’t expect Israel to contemplate gradually ceding control of these precious areas back to the Palestinians. As the situation now stands, something big is coming in Israel to reverse the current situation and bring about the security of Israel and her control over all she must have before the final consolation.
Europe and the church
Since arising from the ashes of the second world war, Europe has undergone dramatic change. Putting aside the hostilities of generations, the European Union of states has been developing where people move freely across national borders and businesses are thinking of one European market. It began with the treaty of Rome laying the corner stone for the European Union and adopting as its symbol a woman riding a great beast (Ency. Brit., article on “Europa”). We couldn’t help but go to Revelation 17.
“The woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth in John’s day] over the kings of the earth” (Rev. 17:18). To John, the identification would be beyond dispute, for only one city ruled the world in which John lived — pagan Rome. It was a city spread over seven mountains (v. 9) which was “drunken with the blood of the saints” (v. 6) from the persecutions of Nero and Domitian. Furthermore, the ten horns of the beast ridden by the woman unmistakably hearkened back to the ten-horned fourth beast of Daniel’s vision which depicted the great empire ruled from Rome (Rev. 17:3; Dan. 7:7).
Both Daniel and Revelation make it clear the power begun in Rome would exist in one form or another until the return of Christ. Both reveal its consistent outstanding characteristics would be persecution of the saints and opposition to the commands and truths of God: “He shall speak great words against the most High and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws.., full of names of blasphemy …the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (Dan. 7:25; Rev. 17:3,5). It is one of the remarkable facts of history that opposition to God’s truth has centered in Rome ever since the first century. Most cities of that day are uninhabited piles of rubble, but not Rome.
Something missing
With the fall of the iron curtain and break-up of the Soviet Empire, the European Union now has opportunity to greatly expand. As Bro. George Rayner notes in “Signs of the Times,” twelve more European nations may be added to the fifteen “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” which are already banded together. (Bro. George notes with great significance that these plans include only “Christian” nations and exclude Muslim Turkey.)
However, there seems to be something missing in today’s situation. In Revelation, Rome is labeled “Babylon” and is so called six times in the book (14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2,10,21). At the hands of Christ and his mighty army, Babylon’s (Rome’s) fall is sudden and great (14:8; 18:a11) and brings great distress to merchants everywhere, for she is the catalyst of much wealth. While The Vatican Billions exposed the enormous wealth of the Church, much of it in property and works of art, even the collapse of such riches does not seem to warrant the lament of Revelation 18. Our feeling is that something big is coming which will make the Church the dominant cohesive force in the commerce of a wealthy and powerful European Union.
God’s word certain
This much we know: the word of God is true and will surely be fulfilled. Just because the present situation does not match prophetic details, we need not reinterpret Scripture to fit current events. Every few years we see striking evidence God’s word is certain.
Hear this from March 4, 1990, The Christian Science Monitor: “Babylon has been brought back to life after a 2,000 year nap with an ambitious $25 million development program.. .The reconstruction plan calls for hotels, restaurants and other tourist facilities designed to make Babylon one of the biggest attractions in the region.” Did we have to reinterpret the prophecies which declared of Babylon: “It shall be desolate for ever.. .Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her… it shall be no more inhabited for ever” (Jen 51:62; 50:39)? Not to bother. In January, 1991, the Gulf War took care of all Iraq’s grandiose plans, God thereby ensuring the faithfulness of His word and leaving ancient Babylon still the haunt of the wild beasts of the desert.
In earlier years our questions were answered regarding the Jews returning to the land and the rise of Europe as a significant power. The word of God will come true; sometimes we just have to wait for something big to happen to see prophecy fulfilled.
Our king will come
In like manner, before God’s judgments are poured out, we can be certain something will happen to give Israel security, and control of the midst of the land and to make the Roman Church a great commercial catalyst. We don’t need to reinterpret prophecy every time the current situation changes. Some great things are going to happen.
But the greatest of all is the return of our Lord to take to himself his own. We need to remember that when the latter day Babylon and her confederates are overthrown, it will be by the King of kings and those who are with him — those who are “called, and chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:14). We’ll see all these events come to pass, and prayerfully we’ll be active participants in them, because we will be welcomed by our Lord as ones who were called, and chosen and faithful.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One