Chapters 38 And 39

These two chapters are not only intriguing, but they are enigmatic and incomplete for our full understanding. The events in the chapters are easy enough to follow, but the timing of those events, some find difficult to place in the series of events in the eschatological framework of Israel’s restoration. The writer feels confident about his own position but is aware of the variance among very recognized writers one counts as credible.

THE IDENTIFICATION OF GOG AND MAGOG

The conjectures about this are as broad as the number of commentators, so we need to exercise caution. I am going to give a few snippets from three sources just as a small summary of some of a few of the ideas:

[1].  From a Jewish source, “My Jewish Learning” – “Gog and Magog refer to the enemies against whom God will wage an apocalyptic war at the dawn of the messianic age. The wars of Gog and Magog have come to be understood as essential to the Jewish eschatological vision of the end of days, a final battle between good and evil that will usher in a period of eternal peace. The origins of this belief lie in the prophecy of Ezekiel, who identifies Gog as a prince and his land as Magog. (The only earlier biblical reference to Magog is in Genesis, which identifies Magog as one of the descendants of Japheth, a son of Noah.)

The wars of Gog and Magog, as the prophecy came to be referred to in later sources, are part of a larger belief that the messianic age will be preceded by a period of great suffering and upheaval — the so-called “birth pangs of the Messiah.”

[2].  From another Jewish source, “Jewish Encyclopaedia” – “Magog is mentioned (Genesis 10:2 and I Chronicles 1:5) as the second son of Japheth, between Gomer and Madai. Gomer represents the Cimmerians, and Madai the Medes. Magog must be a people located east of the Cimmerians and west of the Medes. But in the list of nations (Genesis 10), the term connotes rather the complex of barbarian peoples dwelling at the extreme north and northeast of the geographical survey covered by the chapter.

[3].  From “Bible Gateway” – “The origin of the name “Gog” is unknown. He has been identified with Gyges of Lydia, who is said to have expelled the invading Cimmerians with Syrian help; with Gaga, mentioned in the Amarna letters; with another Gaga, a Babylonian deity; and with Gagi, a ruler of the city of Sabi.”

THE TIMING OF THIS GOG MAGOG INVASION

I think the main views on the timing of chapters 38 and 39 are these:

1. This invasion of Israel could happen anytime now before the Rapture.

Those on the fringe even want to speculate about nuclear war in Israel and the Middle East. There will be no nuclear war, for that would obliterate the Jews in Israel and render the whole area unlivable. Those people who write nonsense like that ought to be ashamed of themselves. At best, they are dreamers, and at worst, they are delusional. The main objection to this Gog/Magog war in Israel before the Rapture has to be the great hurdle of The Times of the Gentiles.

God openly intervenes in the Gog/Magog war for the Jews, as shown in many scriptures, and that just can’t happen this side of the Rapture. The Church must be removed first before the 70th week of Daniel can start.

Also, any war now would become a world war, for if Russia and all the northern alliance, and Iran and Ethiopia invaded Israel (part of Gog/Magog), then the USA would intervene. It just will not happen. We have often said that there are indicators for placing prophecy in the time context. The strongest one is “In that day” or “At that time.” This is the expression from verse 38:16 – [“It will come about in the last days that I shall bring you against My land….”] That expression always refers to the end of the Tribulation or set in the Millennium, but as it is used in the Old Testament, it refers to the time at the end of the age corresponding with Matthew 24 and 25. The Lord will NOT take up the Jews until after the Rapture, and He will defend them as shown in those two Ezekiel chapters.

2. This invasion will happen after Israel has been settled by God in the land and, of course, restored, as we have seen so many times in the prophets.

The Lord gathers them from every nation after the Second Coming and restores them in the land. So many major, credible commentators take this view, and they tend to base it on these verses: Ezekiel 38:8 [“After many days you will be summoned. In the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste, but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them.” Ezek. 38:11 “And you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls, and having no bars or gates.'”]

I believe it is incredible to think that God restores Israel’s land and restores the people and rebuilds the desolate cities, ruined for millennia, only to have it all destroyed in a catastrophic war. After all, when the Lord comes at the Second Coming, He gathers the sheep and goat nations before Him, and the sheep nations continue, but the goat ones are just taken off the scene. Only the righteous nations are left to enter the Millennium, and they honor Israel. There is no way they will come en masse to attempt to exterminate Israel. I know very many conservative scholars support that view, but I believe them to be wrong. When thought through thoroughly, it has no credibility.

There is another reason why this idea is incorrect. I will answer it with the following verses and note the underlined parts. All these verses apply when God brings His people home and settles them securely in their land after His Second Coming and the judgment of the sheep and goats.

Ezekiel 34:28 [“They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them, but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid.“]

Ezekiel 39:25 [“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Now I shall restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I shall be jealous for My holy name. Ezek 39:26 And they shall forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid.'”]

Jeremiah 30:10 [“And fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the LORD, ‘and do not be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, and no one shall make him afraid.”]

Isaiah 54:3 [“for you will spread abroad to the right and to the left and your descendants will possess nations, and they will resettle the desolate cities. Isa 54:4 Fear not, for you will not be put to shame, neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced, but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.”]

So many more verses can be quoted, and I have done those earlier in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Once the Lord settles them in the land – for it is the Lord who brings them back – then never again will anything cause them to fear. Just returning for a moment to these problem verses, 38:8 and 38:11 – The first thing to realize in these verses is that no reference about the restoration of the people in righteousness is mentioned. It talks about living securely, and that is what Israel is doing now. Yes, enemies are around, and the Palestinians fire 225 rockets a day into Israel, BUT down through the centuries, the Jews have been hunted and killed and lived in fear.

They dwell securely today in their land when compared with what they have been through. The second thing to notice is that it mentions they have been brought out from the nations, BUT not every nation, as will happen when the Lord gathers them on His return. The current condition is that the Jews have returned from many nations, but most still live outside of Israel. Thirdly, “restored from the sword” is not the spiritual restoration the redeemed Jews will know when the Holy Spirit is poured out on them; Ezekiel 38:8 means leaving the nations where they have been persecuted, especially just after WW2.

On the other hand, these verses occur straight AFTER the destruction of Gog – Ezekiel 39:25 [“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Now I shall restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel and I shall be jealous for My holy name. Ezek 39:26 And they shall forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid. Ezek 39:27 When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations.’”] That is the restoration of the Jews, and then they will live securely, all happening AFTER the Second Coming, and it is God who will do it, consistent with dozens of passages we have already examined.

3. My conclusion is that this Gog/Magog invasion must happen before the Second Coming, almost certainly on the eve of the Second Coming. I present my reasons for this.

[A.] The negative reasoning has been covered above. Those two views have been dismissed, so only the third remains and must be valid.

[B]. There are three main alliances that combine in a loose way for the defeat of Israel. They will follow the lead of the world leader/Antichrist, who prepares His forces for the great battle of Armageddon. Those armies of Antichrist, the first group, are predominately from western Europe and comprise the nations which made up the former Roman Empire. In Israel, they will be gathered in the Jezreel Valley at Har Meddigo (Har-Magedon, NASB).

The second group are the kings of the east as mentioned in Revelation 16:12 [“The sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river, the Euphrates, and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings from the east.”] They will come from mainly the Asian nations – and if today’s military nations are considered, then from China, Japan, Korea and India plus others perhaps. Let me suggest something only as an idea, not one I can prove: when you move east of Israel, yes, you will come to the Asian nations, but continue moving east and you come to the Americas, etc. It is just a thought that they might be included in the kings of the east. Moving east (towards the sunrise) was more important in scripture than moving west.

The third group is the one Ezekiel and Zechariah speak of, and that is Gog and Magog and their affiliates. More is devoted to them than to any other future enemy of Israel.

We will look at those references soon.

[C]. The end of chapter 39 is very important. It shows that the Gog/Magog alliance must suffer defeat at the second Coming before God restores His people and pours His Spirit out on them.

Then they will have peace and live securely. Just one verse – Ezekiel 39:25 [“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Now I shall restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I shall be jealous for My holy name.'”]

SOME BACKGROUND AND EXPLANATION FOR THESE TWO CHAPTERS

We may wonder how practical it is to bring all the world’s armies into Israel, but when Revelation is read carefully, you see an enormous loss of life so that the population is very greatly reduced. Not only that, but the whole of the military structure would be struggling after such massive judgments. The last of the Revelation judgments are the bowl (vial) judgments given in Revelation 16. We must understand that in the previous seal and trumpet judgments, a very great number of the earth’s people are killed.

The bowl judgments are the most severe, and they are – “a loathsome and malignant sore”; “every living thing in the sea died”; “the springs of waters became blood”; “the sun was given to scorch men with fire, and with fierce heat”; “the kingdom of the beast gnawed their tongues because of pain”; “there was a great earthquake such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth”; “huge hailstones, extremely severe, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men.” Not only was there severe loss of life (and it is assumed infrastructure) before Revelation 16, that chapter will cause such chaos in the world still existing that these armies will be a tiny fraction of what they are today. The world will be severely weakened.

I am now going to include the verses from Revelation, where we are told there is loss of life. These will change the world like nothing has ever done before except the great flood:

[1]. Rev 6:4 [“and another, a red horse, went out, and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another, and a great sword was given to him.”] (The 2nd seal judgment after the Antichrist has taken control. There will be war and conflicts all over the earth. The way the world is right now, we are seeing racial, national, and ethnic problems that will easily ignite into war. It is not specified how many will die in all this, but it will be considerable.)

[2]. Rev 6:8 [“and I looked, and behold, an ashen horse, and he who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.”] (This is the 4th seal and follows the 3rd seal that was famine.

Both those seals follow the wars of the 2nd seal, and we know in war, diseases and disasters follow.

The Chinese virus of 2020 is merely a prelude of what a pestilence will be like. There is debate whether the “fourth of the earth” means a quarter of the earth’s population will die or if only a quarter of the earth will suffer death.)

[3]. Rev 8:7 [“and the first sounded and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees was burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.”] (This verse, the 1st trumpet judgment, speaks about a third of the earth burnt up and does not mention loss of human life; but going by the severity of this event, then I presume it is inevitable that many will die.)

[4]. Rev 8:9 [“and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”] (This is the 2nd trumpet judgment, and a huge mountain-like thing was cast into the sea, causing the sea to become blood. A third of ships will be destroyed – and all those on them, of course – and the merchant and military navies are all over the seas and very plentiful.)

[5]. Rev 8:11 [“and the name of the star is called Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood and many men died from the waters because they were made bitter.”] (This 3rd trumpet will see a great star fall from heaven to affect the rivers and springs – fresh water – so that “many die.” Many is many, so we assume that over the world, that will be a lot.)

[6]. Rev 9:15-16 [“and the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released so that they might kill a third of mankind, and the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million. I heard the number of them.”] (This is probably the most horrible of the judgments, the 6th trumpet. It will see demonic creatures swarm the earth, and one-third of people are killed. Even so, people who remain alive will not repent and will curse God.)

[7]. Rev 11:5 [“If anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth(s) and devours their enemies, and if anyone would desire to harm them, in this manner he must be killed.”] (This speaks of the two witnesses, Enoch and Elijah in Jerusalem, and maybe those who die are more localized, but we do not know.)

[8]. Rev 11:13 [“In that hour there was a great earthquake and a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”] (This happens when the two witnesses are called to heaven after their resurrection, and it happens in Jerusalem.)

[9]. Rev 13:4 [“They worshipped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?'”] (This is from the chapter describing the world leader/Antichrist and the False Prophet.

It is an argument from silence.

It says, “Who is able to wage war with him?” That infers that the Antichrist will be warring; therefore, loss of life.)

Just to end these references, this last one will be considered. Rev 14:16-18 [“He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. Another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ‘Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.'”] (Although this is recorded in chapter 14, it is a foresight of Armageddon that will still lie in the future. There are a few incidents in Revelation where preludes are given before the event proper. It will happen at the Second Coming.)

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END OF PART 1

ronaldf@aapt.net.au

 

Well, it is not often that I would openly agree with the Chinese Zodiac, but 2020 certainly has been the Year of the Rat. There are certain years that have stood out in human history as being the worst years on record. Certainly, the year of Noah’s Flood (1656 Anno Mundi) should take the record as THE worst year. However, if you were a Creation-denying, godless heathen, you would probably relegate that honor to the year 536AD. In recent history, we have the years 1918 (Spanish Flu outbreak), 1929 (Great Depression), and 2001 (9/11) as coming in the top ten of all-around terrible years to live through.

That was, until 2020.

Volcanic eruptions? Bubonic Plague?

Those were nothing compared to 2020. So far this year, we have been treated to: COVID-19(84), a faux presidential impeachment, mandatory lockdowns, forced economic shutdown, murder hornets, racial conflict, rampant rioting and looting, tolerance of the anarchist’s and Marxist violence by progressive politicians and the media, the hyper-sensationalism by the media to ramp up hysteria, the normalization of pedophilia by California, unchecked Trump Derangement Syndrome, Beirut explosions, massive wildfires, 10 hurricanes (thus far), state-sanctioned mail-in ballot fraud, and a potential civil war centering around one of the most contentious elections since Abraham Lincoln.

And we still have two months left in this year.

All apocalypticism aside, this is an article about certain numbers and their spiritual significance in reference to Biblical Scripture, particularly the number 2020. Does 2020 mean anything? Is it just simply some number on the Gregorian calendar that has no bearing to reality? It has been largely believed by many sources (Ussher, Masoretic Text, Jewish tradition, etc.) that Abraham (the Patriarch of the Genesis account) was born in the year 1948 Anno Mundi (from Creation). Is it a coincidence then that after nearly 2,000 years in diaspora, that national Israel is reborn as a nation in the year 1948? Alternatively, how about the year 2033? According to some (Beresheet Passover Prophecy), the timeline for the start of man’s 6,000-year history on the earth did not begin at Creation day, but 33 years later when Adam and Eve sinned, thus allowing sin and death to enter into the world.

This article is not about gematria, numerology, astrology, or the occult. Although men under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, God was actually the author. Thus, we must conclude that either God is a God of numbers (that numbers have significance), or He is not. However, there are too many numerical instances in Scripture to ignore the prodigious correlations. God is perfect in both his works and his words, and according to His own method of creation and sovereignty.

The existence we currently live in is built almost entirely on numbers. Whether that is in the numbers describing the size and distance of the planets from the sun, to the mathematical formulas for how we understand the elements that make up our physical world. Therefore, we conclude numbers matter greatly to God, especially certain numbers in Scripture that are used repeatedly by Divine design so man can understand their meaning. Nevertheless, this article will only be concentrating on a few numbers and their significance. E.W. Bullinger, the author of the book Number in Scripture, had this to say about God’s work and words:

“They are both perfect in power, perfect in holiness and righteousness, perfect in design, perfect in execution, perfect in their object and end, and, may we not say, perfect in number. As He is perfect, so His works and His words also must be perfect. And when we see numbers used not by chance but by design, not haphazard but with significance, then we see not merely so many works and words, but the Living God working and speaking.”

The year 2020 has been (and continues to be) a very tumultuous year, as we can all agree. Of course, that is all we can agree on these days. The divisiveness of the nation and the world has happened so quickly that it begs the question as to the nature of the rapidity at which it is occurring. Underlying the societal and global divide — of which politics, religion, governmental philosophies, economics, etc., reside — is the spiritual component. Geo-spiritual affairs have always governed the activities of man, regardless of whether we acknowledge it or not. From the ancient Egyptian’s belief in their demigod Pharaohs to the Catholic Crusades, and from Manifest Destiny to ISIS, our beliefs govern why people (and nations) do what they do.

Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul warned us that in the last days, perilous times would come and that our battles would not be with people, but the forces of darkness.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Still, the speed and intensity of these perilous times are unnerving. It is as if the world has become unwitting recipients of massive psychological-spiritual warfare operation on a global level, and we simply think it is just a byproduct of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Perhaps the reason for this is that Satan knows his time is short, and he is readying his demonic forces to act in preparation for the impending great separation (the Rapture of the Church). He knows it could happen at any moment; thus, he is working quickly to prepare the world for what comes after the Restrainer has been removed.

“Paul does not specifically identify what or who the restraining force is since the Thessalonians already knew. Many scholars have speculated as to the identity of the restrainer, naming the restraining force as 1) the Roman government; 2) gospel preaching; 3) the binding of Satan; 4) the providence of God; 5) the Jewish state; 6) the church; 7) the Holy Spirit; and 8) Michael the archangel. We believe the restrainer is none other than the Holy Spirit, or we could say the Holy Spirit working through the New Testament church.

“Supporting the idea that the Holy Spirit within the church is the restrainer is the fact that the restrainer is referenced both as a thing (neuter gender, verse 6) and as a person (masculine gender, verse 7). Also, the power delaying Satan’s masterplan to unveil his false messiah must be of God. It makes much more sense to say that the Holy Spirit is curbing the devil than a political entity or even an angel. The Holy Spirit of God is the only Person with sufficient (supernatural) power to do this restraining.” (Source)

The Numbers​

The number two represents division, opposition, enmity, and oppression. The number 10 stands for perfection of divine order and completeness. The number 20 is reconciled with the perfection of division. Of course, most recognize the number six as being the number for man, with 666 (the number of the Beast) being the multiplication and ultimate perfection of an imperfect man. The number 2020 can be fragmented into two numbers, 2 and 10 (2 x 10 x 10 x 10) + 2 x 10 which equals 2020.

“Two is the first number by which we can divide another, and therefore in all its uses, we may trace this fundamental idea or division or difference. Where there are two people, ideas, or acts concerned, they can be either in unity or in opposition to one another. Where man is concerned, the number 2 testifies of his fall more often than not, for that difference implies opposition, enmity, and oppression.” {1}

However, with God, ‘two’ is a good thing, and so is the division that comes with it. This is especially true during the time of the creation… in the beginning. On the first day of creation, God said “Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:3-5).

On the 2nd day of creation, God divided the waters by making a firmament, which separated the waters, which were under the firmament from the waters above the firmament. God called the firmament heaven. God divided the land from the seas on the 3rd day. He also created all vegetation on this day. On day 4, God made two great lights; the greater light (sun) to rule the day and the lesser light (moon) to rule the night. He divided them (kept them apart) by time and space. He also made the stars.

The Bible records many instances of two people who became divided or separated: Cain and Abel, Noah and Ham, Abraham and Lot, Sarah and Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau (twins who struggled with each other even before they were born), Jacob and Laban, Joseph and his brothers, Saul and David, and many others. The spiritual significance of the number 2 is difference, division, separation, and enmity. Is it beginning to sound familiar yet… as in the year 2020?

“The number 10 signifies completeness and the perfection of Divine order.” Entire cycles are complete with the number 10. Noah completed the antediluvian age in the 10th generation. The 10 commandments contain all that is necessary for the law to be complete. The Lord’s Prayer is completed in 10 clauses. The 10 plagues were representative of the complete circle of God’s judgment on Egypt. The tithes of 10% represent the whole of what was due from man to God as marking and recognizing God’s claim on the whole.” {2}

Abraham, the father of many nations, was the 10th generation from Noah and the 20th (2 x 10) generation from Adam. There were 10 rebellions of the children of Israel in the wilderness, which marks the completed series of their sin and rebellion against God during their 40 years of testing in the wilderness. There are many more examples of the number 10 representing completeness and Divine order in Scripture. See more of these here.

Next, we come to the number 20 itself, which is the product of 2 and 10 and represents division or separation that is complete or of divine order. With the number 2020, the duplication of 20 means it is important, such as “verily, verily,” etc. Some examples of the number 20 include the following: Jacob spent 20 years working for his father-in-law, Laban, and was separated from his father and mother. His wages for these 20 years were marriage to Laban’s two daughters, Rachel and Leah, and his livestock. Joseph’s brothers sold him for 20 shekels of silver to the Ishmaelite’s, who took him to Egypt. Thus he was separated from his family.

No one (including the Levite family of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam) who was 20 years of age or older when they started the journey would survive to enter the Promised Land except for Caleb and Joshua, the two faithful scouts of Israel who trusted and believed in God. Their faith and reward is a prophetic-type in regard to the Rapture of the Saints (Church), where all believers in Christ will enter their new home in the Promised Land of Heaven (the New Jerusalem).

20 was the age of the men of Israel when they were finally able to serve in the army during the time of Moses and Joshua. At this time, they were separated from their family. During the time of the Judges, the Israelites spent 20 years being oppressed by the King of Canaan due to their apostasy against the Lord. Samson led Israel for 20 years, in the days of the Philistines, attempting to separate his people from their oppression. The Ark of the Covenant was separated from the Israelites for 20 years, for it remained at Kiriath Jearim. These are just a few examples of the number 20 and its Biblical significance.

Conclusion​

In this current year of A.D. 2020, we are 13 years away from the prophetic year of 2033. I believe 2033 is prophetic because Jesus could possibly return to the earth at the Second Coming during this year, making the length of his absence exactly 2,000 years, as he was crucified in the year A.D. 33. Not only is God a God of numbers, but He is precise in His execution. What is in question here is not His perfect timing but our obvious lack of omniscience. We cannot know exactly when God will return, but if historical consistency and God’s word holds true (it will), then we can know with a degree of certainty that the season of His return is soon.

The number 13 represents rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, revolution, ill omen, and evil power. Does this sound like the year 2020 to you? It certainly seems that the spirit of antichrist is blowing hard across our nation and the world these days.

The Bible is full of examples of rebellion, apostasy, division, and evil behavior. Some of these examples are recorded in the 13th chapters of the books of the Old and New Testaments. We will only focus on a couple of them in this article, but it does warrant further study. The first mention of the number 13 is in Genesis 4:14: “Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and the thirteenth year they rebelled.”

Genesis 13 describes the division of Abraham and Lot and the strife between their herdsmen. This division was necessary due to the lack of land for the great number of cattle, which they both possessed. Abraham told Lot, “Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and you, and between my herdmen and your herdmen; for we be brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself, I pray you, from me” (Genesis 13:8-9). Abraham then told Lot to choose the land he preferred for his herd. Lot chose all the plain of Jordan and dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly” (Genesis 13:13). Does this verse sound comparative to the inhabitants of the earth living in the year 2020?

The most famous example of the number 13 representing evil and apostasy occurs in Revelation 13, where the apostle John introduces the formation of the unholy trinity of Satan, Antichrist, and the false prophet. This is Satan’s plan to deceive the world into believing that the Antichrist is the long-awaited messiah of the world and is a god who needs to be worshiped. “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” (Revelation 13:1). This occurs at the mid-point (in the midst) of the seven-year Tribulation after the remaining seven kings abdicate their authority to the Antichrist.

“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty-two months” (Revelation 13:5). Revelation 13:11-17 introduces the false prophet and describes the power he exercises in the presence of the first beast. Revelation 13:13 describes the supernatural miracles he is able to accomplish by Satan’s power, such as making fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.

Revelation 13:14 describes the event known as the Abomination of Desolation that was first mentioned by Daniel the prophet in Daniel 12:11. Revelation 13:16-18 describes the “mark of the beast” and the number it represents. “Here is wisdom, Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred threescore and six (666)” (Revelation 13:18).

In my recent article entitled The 30330 Man, I discussed the power and principalities operating behind the scenes of world government officials and the new world order elites. The number 30330, in my opinion, represents their goal of a one-world government, religion, and economy. It is the number for the spirit of antichrist that comes before the lawless man himself, the Antichrist. 30330 is the precursor of 666. These demonic powers are paving the way for a one-world government, which in turn will pave the way for the Antichrist.

After the 30330 article was published, I received several emails informing me of a new fact regarding this number that I was not aware of, and which had a significant relationship with the article itself. This fact comes in the way of a mathematical equation: 2020/666 = 3.0330…. For some reason, the Biden administration chose the number 30330 for his supporters to contact his campaign. So why was this particular number used? Evidently, numbers matter to these evil beings, both human and demonic. Why is the Democratic slogan called “Build Back Better”? The Secretary-General of the United Nations had previously used this slogan as a code word for the Great Reset and/or Climate Change. We believe the answer is because Satan’s powers and principalities are using these institutions to bring about a New World Order.

Another interesting tidbit regarding 2020 is this fact: November 3 ,2020, is election day in the U.S. or Heshvan 17th on the Jewish calendar. In ancient times, including the Antediluvian epoch, the first months of the year occurred in the fall. God, through Moses, changed the calendar (Hebrew) during the time of the Passover exodus, so the first months of the calendar year would be in the spring to commemorate the Passover. “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (Genesis 7:11). So the 2nd month of the Antediluvian period would now be the 8th month of the modern Jewish calendar, which is Heshvan.

Kind of strange don’t you think? The presidential election for the U.S. in 2020 occurs on the same day that the great flood of Noah’s day began. When it rains, it pours, especially in 2020!

“There are many speculations, almost as old as the Bible text itself, regarding the meaning of 666 or to whom it is referencing. The Catholic Church states that Irenaeus (130 – 202 A.D.), an early church “father,” wrote about whom this number might reference. He stated that the Greek word “Lateinos,” when given their corresponding Greek values and added up (30 + 1 + 330 + 5 + 10 + 50 + 70 + 200), equals 666. The word itself means “Latin man.” (Source)

Although we do not know who the Antichrist is, we do know he will herald from somewhere within the boundaries of the Old Roman Empire (Dan. 9:25-27). As for 2020, we are again left to speculate as to its significance of the life-changing nature of this year. Perhaps this idea of the new normal is not so much the death of the old-world order and the birth of the new, but the start of Satan’s groundwork for world-dominance and submission by his chosen man: the beast, known as the Antichrist.

Satan’s demons and human acolytes are working feverishly to bring this plan to fruition. In the short time that is left before the Rapture occurs, we as watchmen on the wall must sound the alarm of the danger that is now at the gate. If you want to know what the future holds, do not go to a medium/psychic/astrologer (as King Saul did), listen to corrupt politicians, or pay attention to fake news; but instead, read your Bible. It has all the answers you will ever need. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Amen, even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Randy Nettles and Pete Garcia

nettlesr@suddenlink.net

Endnotes:

{1} Number in Scripture by E.W. Bullinger by Kregal Publications

{2} Number in Scripture by E.W. Bullinger by Kregal Pu