Rapture Chronicles Part II: What the Martyrs Prove :: By Wilfred Hahn

Published on: November 15, 2020 by RR7

We continue with the proofs that the martyrs of the Tribulation period tell us. In Part I, we concluded that ALL who become Christians during the Tribulation will die. It is a key view. Why? There are two streams of Christians—those who are raptured, and those who become believers in the Tribulation. The question of the fate of the Tribulation Christians critically affects some versions of the Rapture debate, as we will show.

Were it proven that ALL who become Christians in the Tribulation become martyrs, it makes a serious dent in the case for a Rapture occurring at any other time than before the Tribulation. For example, were there no Christians alive on earth as of the early stages of the second half of the Tribulation, there could be no Mid- or Post-Tribulational Rapture. It wouldn’t be logical. The Great Multitude (see Revelation 7:9, these all martyrs) are shown to be already in front of the heavenly altar at the time of the fifth and sixth seals.

If ALL Christians are indeed martyred by the mid-point of the Tribulation, who would be left to be raptured either at the midpoint, the end of the Tribulation, or the beginning of the Millennium? There would be no point, as there would be no living humans on earth who would be eligible at that time.

As the case may be, Tribulational martyrs are expressly promised to participate in the First Resurrection—in their case, this occurring at the beginning of the Millennium. For a Rapture to occur at any other time than before the Tribulation would not align with Scripture, the proofs of the Tribulational martyrs, or the character of God.

But what of the view of Rapture naysayers, who say that there is no Rapture to be expected at all? To take this position means that ALL Christians will go into the Tribulation period. More Christians would then be added to their number through conversions during the earlier stages of the Tribulation. The question arises: Why would God allow that ALL Christians (“holy ones”) in the world be killed during the Tribulation? As we have shown and will further prove in this article, all Tribulational Christians will be martyred.

First Thessalonians 5:9 states that “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Therefore, if ALL Christians (from the time of before and during the Tribulation) will be annihilated on earth, this is a “wrath” of a different gospel. This is not congruous with the character of what God has said.

A naysayer’s view must endorse a very non-sensical sequence of events. ALL “Church Age” Christians must go into the Tribulation, so that ALL will be slain, so that they ALL can be given a resurrected physical body (first resurrection), so ALL will come back to life in the Millennium.

This sequence of events seems unnecessarily cruel … and inefficient. Could these be the actions of our Lord? It seems not. The Rapture is therefore compelling. He says: “My reward is with me” (Revelation 22:12). What about the saints that have died before the Tribulation period? The Rapture naysayer must take the position that these saints of the Church Age need to wait another thousand years for the Second Resurrection, as they will not be eligible for the First Resurrection, nor will be able to celebrate the Lamb’s Supper.

Scripture doesn’t support these confused perspectives. Rather, it expressly says that “the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16b). To be sure, the “dead in Christ” will rise first, and those who are living thereafter. A Pre-Tribulational Rapture is the clearest, most sensible and most Scriptural view.

More Arguments from the Dead

Our understanding—that ALL Tribulational Christians will be martyred—is such a critical factor in the Rapture debate that we want to further prove the veracity of this position. There are other additional proofs and deductions from the Bible for this case. We next present five of these arguments.

The Meaning of “All.” The Second Beast shown in Revelation 13 only offers two options—a binary choice … one or the other. Worship the image of the First Beast or die. No other option is given. There is no allowance for exceptions. “All who refused to worship the image [are] to be killed” (Revelation 13:15; again, see Revelation 20:4). All means all … not some. The Bible also says this about these Tribulation saints: “They triumphed over him [the Dragon] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Revelation 12:11).

What happens to those that do worship the image? Could they change their minds at some later date? Revelation 14:9-11 is clear: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

Once having made the election to worship the image of the Beast and to take the mark, there is no recourse nor recanting. To believe otherwise would be inconsistent with the character of God. Once He unleashes His wrath, it is too late to repent. After all, His wrath only comes after repeated entreaties and warnings. Then comes the point of no return … of no further grace. His patience is not endless.

As the case may be, just before the curtain goes down at the time of the sixth seal being removed, multiple worldwide evangelistic efforts are initiated. The 144,000 servants are sealed and an “[…] angel flying in midair […] had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Revelation 14:6).

Stark as our determination may be, we must conclude that ALL who refuse to worship the image will die. This is in line with the pronouncement of Daniel that the “holy ones” will be destroyed—not just one or more, but all of them. Said again: It is a binary outcome … one or the other.

No Survival Outside the “Buy-Sell” System. Despite the clear message of Revelation 13, some still imagine that Christians could survive the Tribulation period. If only they would buy the right survival goods and pursue cunning evasive strategies, they would stand a chance, they reason. However, they ignore this perspective: Outside the “buy-sell system” in that future tribulational world, it will not be possible to live without the “mark.” If one is not able to “buy or sell” at a time of a pervasive global economic crisis and a closed worldwide financial system, one cannot obtain food or shelter. With no transactional access to the financial system, a Christian will die of starvation if not first persecuted and martyred.

A recognition of the limits of a closed financial system should lay to rest any notion that all who refuse to worship the image will not be martyred.

A Deduced Absence. At the fifth trumpet blow (first Woe, Revelation 9:1-6: this event occurring perhaps midway into the second half of the Tribulation), “[…] out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth […] They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes.”

Only those that did not have the seal of God were allowed to be tormented. The only group that has a seal placed upon them at this point are the 144,000 servants. As such, were Christians still on earth at the time of this judgment, they must expressly be allowed by God to be tortured.

Any Christians on earth during this Woe would be selected to face God’s wrath. Shown here is that God can and does exclude one group to be protected from His wrath (namely, the 144,000). Then, why would He choose not to do so with His children? “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for […] an egg, will give him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:11-12).

Thus, we can draw one of two conclusions. That there are no Christians on earth at the time of the first Woe; or, if yes, then God must expressly choose to torment them. Only the former perspective aligns with the character of God and Scripture.

Can Christians Curse God? At the call of the sixth trumpet, says the Bible, one third of the world’s population is wiped out; two-thirds remain, who then ALL curse God. Says Revelation 9:20-21: “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols […] Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Could Christians be counted in this number of survivors? Not if ALL the survivors are said to “curse God,” “refuse to repent,” and keep “worshiping demons and idols.” True Christians would not do this. Clearly, then, there can be no Christian survivors at this point upon earth. (We maintain that they have been martyred already some time before.) After all, salvation is impossible without repentance. Conclusion? Either no Christians are upon earth at the time of this Woe, or God expressly made sure that when one-third of the earth’s population dies, ALL Christians would die at this time.

But, again, it would be absurd to believe that God in His wrath would wipe out ALL remaining Christians at the juncture of the sixth seal, favoring instead other godless earth-dwellers. We can reasonably deduce that no Christians exist upon earth at the time of the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments.

Appearances of Christians Throughout the Tribulation. Following the sixth seal (that being the time point that we are shown the great multitude of martyred Christians in front of the heavenly altar), the topics of “holy ones,” “saints,” “servants,” “Christians,” or “multitudes” are never mentioned again in the Tribulation timeline. Only once the Millennium begins, do we again encounter “servants” and the “holy.”

Crucially, no mention or picture is made of any more Christians having arrived in front of the heavenly altar during the Tribulation period, for any other reason than of being slain by anti-Christian forces. Any reference to “souls” that did not “worship the image” refers back to its occurrence which, in our view, is at a time near to the sixth seal. As such, this would be consistent with the view that all Christians will be martyred in the Tribulation period—in the first half.

We believe the above arguments (as well as others) conclusively prove that no Christians will survive the Tribulation period … all becoming martyrs (most likely by its mid-point). Daniel 7:25 says that “The ‘holy ones’ will be delivered into his [Antichrist’s] hands for a time, times and half a time” (see also Daniel 12:7). We see this three-and-a-half-year period coinciding with the first half of the Tribulation.

Thoughts to Ponder: Great Rewards to All Saints

Glorious is the fact that raptured Christians who are on earth are spared the First and Second Death. They are also spared “the hour of trial” (Revelation 3:10) and will be in heaven with the Lord while the Tribulation takes place upon earth. A room has been prepared for us (John 14:2-3), and the door is shut for a brief time. “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by” (Isaiah 26:20).

Raptured saints “will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) in their translated, resurrected, incorruptible bodies. Whether on earth or in heaven, wherever Jesus is, that is where the raptured Christians will be. They “will be with the Lord forever.”

Surely, the Tribulation is a terrible period … as none ever before in mankind’s history. Nevertheless, there is good news to celebrate: For ALL Christians (whatever their sojourn), there will be no Second Death. All will be given eternal life.

Wonderfully, after the Tribulation, the Lord “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture view, as we have shown, is the most consistent with Scripture. There is no incentive for Christians to survive the Tribulation. In any case, since all will be killed in the first half, all are then resurrected at the start of the Millennium. Why prolong physical suffering, if one can look forward to the First Resurrection after the Tribulation?

Therefore, whether among the raptured or those saved during the Tribulation, there are no physical preparations to be made … nothing to buy … or escape. There is no need to pay for survival supplies, nor to build an underground bunker.

For now, given that the Rapture still lies ahead, may we remain part of the generation that “continue in him, so that when he appears, we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28).

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done” (Revelation 22:12).

Maranatha!

—————

Wilfred J. Hahn is a global economist/strategist. Formerly a top-ranked global analyst, research director for a major Wall Street investment bank, and head of Canada’s largest global investment operation, his writings focus on the endtime roles of money, economics and globalization. He has been quoted around the world and his writings reproduced in numerous other publications and languages. His 2002 book The Endtime Money Snare: How to live free accurately anticipated and prepared its readers for the Global Financial Crisis. A following book, Global Financial Apocalypse Prophesied: Preserving true riches in an age of deception and trouble, looks further into the prophetic future.

Contact Wilfred at: staff@eternalvalue.com

White-anting: Secretive, Nasty and Vindictive :: By Ron Ferguson

Published on: November 15, 2020 by RR7

Termites (wrongly called “white ants”) can be nasty things. Australia is overrun by termites; in fact, uncountable millions of termite mounds. There are those in the bush that build big mounds, some up to 8 metres or 26 feet tall built by the Cathedral Termite. Every shape and size can be found, and one species, the Magnetic Termite, builds with all ridges in a north-south orientation. Most termites in Australia are in the tropical region, the whole of the top half of the country, often in the dry tropics where grass and spinifex are what the termites consume. Some mounds are over 100 years old, while others can be almost 100 feet around.

Of the 258 described species of Australian termites, only a few are devastating, but they are very widespread. These are the wood-eating ones and love moist conditions, especially the wet tropics but have a very extensive range. Many live underground. Most of these are really bad. They get into houses and eat out rafters, beams and house posts, even the floorboards. In farming country, they eat fencing posts and farming structures and dead trees. They often eat out the core of living trees. Some even eat through concrete block.

The problem with these destructive species is that you don’t see them, usually, until it is too late. They live underground, and when above ground, keep making narrow tunnels of dirt and saliva less than a pencil thickness to keep moisture in and light out. To a person’s horror, yes, it has happened to me a few times, you can push a painted beam or strut or post and realize it is hollow; all the inside has been eaten out. It has the appearance of soundness, but what lies beneath the exterior has disappeared. The termites have eaten it from the inside out.

This has given rise to the term “white-anting,” meaning to bring down a foe through that strategy, eating away at the person’s credibility or reputation in a subtle attack, often without the person’s knowledge. That is how to undermine someone. It is satanic. Satan is a destructive termite!

In all my life, I have never seen such a sustained attack on any political figure as I have seen on Donald Trump. He has been white-anted from the moment he took office, every day. I don’t think I have seen such hatred and vindictiveness anywhere as we have seen from the Democrats and left Marxists, not only in the USA, but from other parts of the world – and sad to say, from my Australia. The left media, and especially the taxpayer funded ABC and SBS, constantly spewed such hate against Trump over the 4 years, and he was not even our leader.

I am sorry to say this, but a very sizeable portion of American society has turned vindictive and vile, and this is an outsider’s observation. I don’t live there. I have never been to mainland USA. Only hateful, wicked people could turn violent and smash up the livelihood of others and loot their shops and belongings while half the nation does not care that it happens, and almost seems to support the lawlessness. It does support lawlessness because half the nation voted that way.

Why is there such hatred and venom against Trump? The only answers I can find are these –

He supports the Jews and the State of Israel and Jerusalem the capital. Satan hates that!
For 4 years he stopped the satanic advance of the left, and they revile him because of it.
He supports freedom of speech and worship.
He opposes abortion and believes in the right to life.
He did not pander to the influential elite.

Let me say this: when a man or woman is opposed so vehemently by institutions such as CNN, NY Times, Washington Post, Twitter and Facebook, then that person must be in the right because we know those organizations are foul. How do we know that? Well, the same thing happened to our Lord. His rightness exposed their evil. He did not belong to the controlling elite. He worked for man’s salvation, not their destruction. His dealings were with the ordinary people, and He did not resort to bribes. The powerful institutions, such as the Pharisees and political conniving of the Jewish leaders and the Sanhedrin, hated Him, so He was in the right.

One of the readers of RR wrote to me and said, “Trump was not a man of God (as we understand that term), but he was God’s man for the nation to repent.” The nation did not repent but grew worse with treacherous leadership in a number of states and worthless people running riot. Now that the restraints are removed and wickedness will prowl the presidency, I fear for the United States. Especially do I feel for my fellow Christians who will know the hand of evil expression as I am seeing in my country from these very same people-types, these people without morals or conscience, these neo-Marxists, these men and women of the devil.

Just today, I read these headlines –

[1.] “Biden must put down the monster that is Trumpism” – Washington Post

[2.] “Madame Tussauds in Berlin dumps Donald Trump’s waxwork model in a dustbin with Joe Biden on the brink of winning presidency” – The Daily Mail

[3.] Russia, Iran, the PLO and China are reported as being absolutely thrilled that Biden is President.

[4.] “Third Term of the Obama Presidency – Joe Biden represents a move back to normalcy, but progressives will push for change.” – NY Times

President Trump was white-anted from the time he became president. Why would we have such vitriol against Trump here in Australia all the time? Have you wondered why? Whether they know it or not, or if it is deliberate or not, the left is unified in bringing down the remnants of decency in our countries. It looks like a coordinated army of the wicked, but I am not sure if that has been planned by world socialism. What I do know is that the mastermind behind all these things is Satan, and he is organizing it, and maybe all the left advocates are merely puppets in his hands.

Why does the world succumb so readily? Well, it is the scientific principle of the vacuum. When you remove God from schools, from the workplace, from the family, from our institutions, from our legal and justice systems, then what is left? A gigantic vacuum that is filled by wickedness and that is synonymous with the Marxist left.

This next point I have written on before in an article called, “The Rapture – How Soon is Soon?” In that I stated that 30 and 40 years ago we used to say the Rapture could be imminent, but in hindsight, we are beginning to understand the import of the Timothy verse – “In the last days…”

All over the world we see these perilous/dangerous times, and I believe it is probably applying to Christians, maybe not so much to the world in general.

Just an hour ago I heard of an incident that is sickening. The government of my State, when it obtained office quite a number of years ago, dismissed all magistrates who were not of the ALP (Australian Labor Party – same as Democrats) (the Marxist left) and replaced them by its own people. These magistrates, pure socialists, are soft on crime. One youth (I dare not mention the ethnic background) raped a woman and was told by a magistrate, “Don’t do it again,” with no penalty whatever. The youth was placed in these secret houses in our society, and we don’t know where they are placed, but they have everything. I have just heard that same one attacked another woman. This is the left for you. No biblical conscience, just faces of evil.

There is a hatred in Australia from the ALP (our equivalent of the Democrats), and they have been having a field day. There is a move in Australia today to identify and denounce all the Trump supporters in my nation. This is what happens in China! Evil unites degenerate people all over the world, but it is only now, I believe, that there are two unifying factors for what is consolidating unity in the world. They are Socialism (the new Marxism) and Climate Change. Does Biden ascribe to both? He certainly does. We can see where this is going. It is calling on the world to unite behind Biden’s move on climate change. Even that naïve, deluded young girl in Sweden is his supporter. Who could ever have guessed!

Climate change itself is a myth. There is no true evidence for it, only manipulated figures; and even if we grant a small temperature increase, it is utterly unproven that any man-made activity is responsible for it. Science does not understand the great changes that occur in the oceans and in the sun, and in the long cycles of the earth. 1,000 years ago, the world was several degrees warmer than today, and there were no cars or power stations. That is fact. Then the earth entered a mini ice age. That is fact. We may be coming out of that now.

However, this climate-change nonsense is the catalyst being used to unite the people of the world. It is drummed into our school children. I believe by the time the Rapture comes, the world will be quite united in these key areas – socialism and climate change. The transition to the world leader/Antichrist after the Rapture will, therefore, be quite seamless.

Just for a short while, let us return to the Termites.

“Termites emit a tenth of the overall emissions humans create every year, in terms of anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions,” Arndt said via email on October 29, 2019. This academic study, written by academics in Japan, Malaysia and the UK in 2000, estimated termites emit 3,540 teragrams, or 3.54 gigatonnes of CO²in a year.

How much is that? A gigatonne is 1,000,000,000 metric tonnes, so 3.54 gigatonnes is 3,540,000,000 metric tonnes of CO². That is the equivalent weight of 35,400 fully-loaded U.S. aircraft carriers. [Information from https://factcheck.afp.com/its-other-way-around-termites-produce-approximately-one-tenth-carbon-dioxide-emissions-created].

Maybe we should tax the termites, or teach them to walk less, or put them on birth control to contain climate change! Those looney policies could easily come from the left. Apparently, Biden wants to “pull Australia into line” over climate change. We have only a small handful of coal- powered stations using the world’s best coking (good quality) coal from Queensland, and Australia produces around 1% of the world’s emissions. Biden can mind his own business. Maybe he can deal with our termites! I wonder if he knows what a termite is? The “termite army” certainly helped him gain office!

I have noticed that in the United States, there is despair coming from some quarters that you are on the road to decline. I agree about the decline as I have seen the same progression here. I get very upset about injustice and our human ability not to be able to correct it. I believe we are in the age when we won’t be able to turn the tide around. I believe the western world has had its chance, and now it is only the twos and threes that are being plucked from the fire. The hearts of men and women are steadily hardening and becoming intolerant.

Tolerance is a strong word used frequently by the left; indeed, preached by the left. They want tolerance and justice for all, but their skewed mentality means they want justice and tolerance for all of their own beliefs, but those of others must be suppressed.

What can we be instructed on from the Bible? It is now, more than ever in our western nations, that we need the support and security of the Bible. I have a few things to say about that to Christians.

We must keep in mind the prophecy of Timothy, and I have underlined certain words – 2Timothy 3:1-4 “Realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

Yes, I know these sinful aspects have always been in humanity, but the display of them today is absolutely frightening.

God uses difficulty and persecution to sift the profession. The sieve has some large holes, and many fall through. All those who know the Lord know these verses – 2Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 2Tim. 3:13 Evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Christians, take note: as things worsen because of evil men who will go from bad to worse, then if you want to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, you will be persecuted; not may be, or perhaps, but WILL be persecuted. Are we prepared to do that for the Lord who died for us?
Do not be afraid of the evil of men, for the Lord is in control – Luke 12:4 “I say to you, ‘My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.’” Reports on the number of Christians martyred yearly vary considerably. Open Doors USA says 11 on average are killed daily. The BBC London for one year gave 100,000 but that included the Christian genocide in The Congo. The true figures are unknown but could be quite high. Remember, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Rejoice, for your salvation draws closer every day. We are looking to the glorious hope of the Lord’s return for us in the Rapture, and this is our focus. Just beware of one thing – some Christians get so occupied with injustices and the evil in the world, that their upward look starts to become the downward look, and they get miserable. Keep looking up.
The prophesied events must happen, and all the great ones of the Tribulation we will not be here for; but in many ways, we see a part alignment of what is necessary. We can be satisfied in that.
Let not your hearts be troubled. We believe in God, and all these things must happen in the course of events, so we are not dismayed; disappointed, even angry, yes, but not caught unawares. The Lord is in control. Thy will be done!

One last thing. I don’t believe we can underestimate the part the Chinese virus has played in the events of the world. China developed this Covid through laboratory manipulation then spread it through the world. Their aim to weaken the world has worked, but it has also had causalities. The government of my State was corrupt and was heading for a landslide defeat, but people were deluded in believing that the government saved the State from the virus and returned it with an increased majority. I think Covid played a big part in defeating Donald Trump, exploited by the Democrats. However, and WE MUST NOT FORGET THIS – In the will of God, He allowed the virus, and the subsequent implications.

As the old negro spiritual goes, “He’s got the whole world in His hands…”

The Lord bless you all.

ronaldf@aapt.net.au