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The passage it so beautifully illuminates is Jeremiah 49:34-39 which describes the fate of the ancient nations of Elam. It reads as follows:
34)That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:
35) Thus says the LORD of hosts,
‘Behold, I am going to break the bow of Elam,
The finest of their might.36) ‘I will bring upon Elam the four winds
From the four ends of heaven,
And will scatter them to all these winds;
And there will be no nation
To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.37) ‘So I will shatter Elam before their enemies
And before those who seek their lives;
And I will bring calamity upon them,
Even My fierce anger,’ declares the LORD,
‘And I will send out the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.38) ‘Then I will set My throne in Elam
And destroy out of it kings and princes,’
Declares the LORD.39 ‘But it will come about in the last days
That I will restore the fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares the LORD.
This rather obscure passage says that “in the last days” Elam’s military might will be broken and that the nation’s population will be widely scattered. The passage further states that this disaster will happen because of the Lord’s “fierce anger” against them. But the passage ends with good news. It says that one day the Lord will bring back the captives of Elam and reestablish them in their land. It also promises that at that time, the Lord will set His throne in Elam.
Interpreting the Prophecy
The first thing Bill does is to clearly delineate the geographical area of Elam. He identifies it as one-tenth of modern day Iran, being located between the Persian Gulf and the Zagros Mountains, as indicated in the adjacent map. He then points out that the Iranian nuclear reactor is located today in the southern portion of this precise area at Bushehr, on the coast of the Persian Gulf.
Bill spends considerable time proving rather conclusively that no part of Jeremiah’s prophecy about Elam has been fulfilled at anytime in past history. He then postulates that its most likely fulfillment will occur when the nuclear reactor is destroyed, either by the Israelis or by an earthquake, releasing radiation that will force the evacuation of the whole area.
Bill then speculates that at the end of the Tribulation when the Lord returns to conduct His Millennial Reign, He will regather the Elamites to their land and establish His throne among them.
This latter point about the throne is the most mysterious part of the entire prophecy. That’s because the Bible makes it clear in many places that Jesus will reign from Jerusalem (see, for example, Isaiah 2:1-4 and Zechariah 8:1-3). So, what does it mean when the passage says, “I will set my throne in Elam”?
Bill says it could refer to the establishment of a government that will be yielded to God. Or, it could be referring to a secondary capital where Jesus might go from time to time to relax.
Bill says the Lord’s “fierce anger” will be focused on the area of Elam because Iran is using that area to develop a nuclear weapon which it has declared that it will use to destroy the Jewish state. Bill concludes that the destruction of Elam is imminent and is most likely to occur before the war described in Psalm 83. One scenario he considers is the possibility that Israel might militarily strike the Bushehr reactor, which, in turn, would trigger the Psalm 83 war in which all the nations with a common border with Israel will unite and attack Israel with the purpose of annihilating the Jewish state.
A Needless Error
One mistake that Bill makes in his book, for which he will be heavily criticized, is that he presents a chronological listing of end time events as follows:
- Jeremiah 49:34-39: The destruction of Elam
- Psalm 83: The War of annihilation against Israel
- The Rapture
- Ezekiel 38 & 39: The War of Gog & Magog
- The Pre-Tribulation Period
Such a list destroys the imminence of the Rapture. Bill tries to cover himself by stating that the list is only an “estimation,” and that “the Rapture could occur before any of these events.” But I suspect that his critics will ignore this caveat.
Eschatologists
When Bill refers to me in his writings, he always calls me an “Eschatologist.” I hate that term. It sounds so academic and stuffy. To me, such a term is appropriate only for a person devoted to the academic study of prophecy. I am a prophecy teacher and preacher, not a prophecy academician.
Bill is a true Eschatologist — together with such people as Tommy Ice and Arnold Fruchtenbaum. And, as such, I expect Bill to continue to supply us with insightful discoveries he is likely to make from his ardent study of God’s Prophetic Word.
Varnel Watson
Such a list destroys the imminence of the Rapture and tries to cover up by stating that the list is only an “estimation,” and that “the Rapture could occur before any of these events.”
Susan Mahan
“Imminence of the Rapture(meaning that it could happen at any moment? Right?)” … 2 Thes. 2:7 is often quoted as the biggest reason behind imminence…” the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, and then the lawless one will be revealed.” Many/most theologians claim the restrainer is the church and when the church is raptured up to the LORD then the man of lawlessness will be then able to do his evil work and the great tribulation will occur. Right?
Yet in the context of this verse and what precedes this verse just 6 verses prior is this…Now concerning the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ (Yeshuah haMashicah) AND OUR BEING GATHERED TO HIM we ask you not to be troubled that the day of the LORD has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way . For that day will NOT COME UNLESS THE APOSTASY COMES FIRST AND THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS IS REVEALED. He opposes and exalts himself above every so called god or object of worship so that he sits in God’s sanctuary publicizing that he himself is God.
Personally I think the passage is pretty clear… The rapture -our being gathered to the LORD-does not occur until the man of lawlessness is revealed.
How can anyone’s theology have such blatant disregard for this context?This causes apathy and a letting down of our guard. We don’t have to worry, we’re not going to be here, so ultimately what evil man is doing is irrelevant because we’er not going to be here for that. Lies and deception right there?
The bigger question is, What is the strong delusion that will be sent such that you and I will believe that what is false and not accept the love of the truth to be saved? For according to the context we will be subject to this prior to the coming of Jesus.
Here’s what we know: God’s word is truth, anyone that adds or takes away from this truth will have condemnation, God said if you obey my word, my truth you will not get the diseases of the nations. What Science has discovered about eradicating disease from our communities was first said by God. Note that the Jewish community never came down with the Plague during the Middle Ages.
Those things which God did not say therefore should be strictly avoided and counted as Taboo. I noticed that in another article on this site the aspect of vaccines was questioned. The one who responded poo-pooed the concerns of the questioner and legitimized vaccines to his shame and discredit. He sited information provided by Mass media sources, 90 % which are owned by 6 corporations and all owned by entities opposed to God’s rule on this earth.
The questioners concerns were indeed valid. Few people question the fact that infant crib death syndrome and vaccines occur concurrently and that vaccine companies were put in protective status pursuant to the overwhelming abundance of lawsuits against them.
God never said that vaccines were needed to keep you free from the diseases of the nations, just obedience to his ways, his laws. These, unfortunately, we have disregarded saying that we are not under the law for salvation. True but HE SAID IF YOU KEPT THEM YOU WOULD NOT GET THE DISEASES OF THE NATIONS. Why don’t you take Him at HIs WORD?
HIS WORD says:
1.Give HIM your life and your stress
2. Renounce pagan worship:
-list any occult activities denouncing them
-consider carefully what you watch and who you listen to and for what purpose
3.Operate in love and forgiveness to those who have mistreated you.
4. Consider carefully what you put in your mouth, Take up the Leviticus and Daniel Diet. Don’t eat pork, shellfish and other unclean foods; these are the garbage disposals of the world and are chock full of noxious diseases that will contaminate your body and weaken your immune system. Instead eat plenty of org beef, chicken, vegetables and greens. Don’t eat the fat or blood. Definitely stay away from bacon.
5. Take plenty of baths with Epsom salts and anointing oils that protected both kings and priests in ancient times. Remember the frankincense and myrrh given to Jesus by the wise men? They were the antibiotics and antivirals of their times and ours.
6. Meditate on God’s word. Find your trust and peace in Him.
7. Get adequate rest. Take a day out a week to enjoy his Presence with loved ones and friends preferably on the day He set aside for that (the Sabbath)
These are HIS WAYS HIS TRUTHS. Follow these and you will not get the diseases of the nations.
IF you follow mans ways anything could happen.
Heads up on the MODERNA vaccine. It stands for ModifiedRNA. RNA replicates your DNA. If you put modified RNA in your system your DNA will likewise be changed. Many noted DRS are cautioning about the taking of this vaccine saying that it contained an ingredient called lucifrage (spelling?) which can monitor your vitals and track yourself. Do what you can to research any course you take in considering vaccines and what you inject in your body. Can it be undone when done and will it leave a mark on your life and on your body?
Most importantly Pray earnestly for wisdom on this most important topic.
You have been warned,