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Nuclear
War and the Great Tribulation
Fire, Smoke, and Brimstone
The Battle of Armageddon is predicted to be the last and
greatest conflict of mankind. Even the non-believing world has adopted this
Biblical term to describe the ultimate world war.
Today, most people including
the media closely associates Armageddon with the modern view of World War III,
including massive armies doing battle on a global scale and a fiery
nuclear holocaust that ends up destroying the entire world.
Do you think it is just a
coincidence that a similar picture of worldwide destruction by fire is
described in the Bible whenever the final battles of the end times are
predicted?
The Bible calls this period
The Great Tribulation, because there will be no other time like it.
In this section, we will see
just how incredibly precise the Bible is when it comes to the prophecies of the
final wars and the eerie correlation these predictions have to our current view
of World War III and the known effects of nuclear explosions.
Fire Associated with Russia’s Attack
When
Ezekiel predicted the descent of Magog (or Russia) through the Middle East (see
The Attack of Russia), the Lord clearly said that there would be fire
associated with their attack:
“And I will enter into
judgment against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him,
and upon his hordes, and upon the many peoples that are with him, an
overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.” (Ezekiel
38:22)
“And I will send a
fire on Magog, and among those who dwell securely in the coastlands; and they
shall know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel
39:6)
In past generations, most
people probably believed that the fire mentioned in these passages would be
completely supernatural in origin; coming directly from God.
After all Ezekiel does quote
God as saying that He will cause this fire to be sent upon Magog and the other
nations.
Certainly it is possible that
the fire and brimstone will be miraculously created and directed upon the
countries which attack Israel as a judgment; however, with the development of
nuclear weapons in our time, I am now convinced that the fire won’t be
supernaturally created, but will be preternaturally produced from man’s
predisposition for applying scientific knowledge for evil intent.
Given the military technology
of our day, it is more likely - in fact almost certain - that these prophecies
are describing the start of a devastating nuclear exchange, which will be
initiated out of a desperate conflict in the Middle East as Russia attacks
Israel in the last days and the forces of the Antichrist respond.
This doesn’t mean that God is
not involved with these events. In fact, God’s Spirit will be the primary
controlling force that will bring the nations to the point of Armageddon,
because the people of the world have refused to repent of their sins.
The Bible actually indicates that there will be both
supernatural forces engaged in the final battles as well as man-made forces
that will come into play.
When Russia attacks Israel,
Ezekiel quotes the Lord as saying, “I will call for a sword against him
throughout all my mountains” (Ezekiel 38:21).
At
the same time he also says, “…every man’s
sword shall be against his brother”.
What these passages (and
others) are saying is that on the one hand the battle will be supernaturally
planned and orchestrated by God to gather the nations to the Valley of Megiddo
for judgment, but on the other hand the battles will also be propagated by
man’s own evil nature, which will cause the war to rapidly spiral out of
control.
As the Bible says, it is
definitely in God’s heart to gather the nations to do battle at Armageddon (Zephaniah 3:8) and He is planning and
controlling the course of events to make this happen; however, it will also be
the war-like nature of sinful men that will quickly escalate the final battles
to the point of global destruction.
Think about this scenario for a moment: if Russia and her allies
actually invaded the Middle East and attacked Israel and the forces of the
Western Alliance led by the Antichrist, what would be the world’s response?
After desperate attempts at
reaching a diplomatic resolution (which Ezekiel also predicted; Ezekiel 38:13), the only other viable
action by the Western nations would be an all-out counterattack against the
invaders.
According to Ezekiel,
however, God will actually be the one bringing the opposing armies into play.
The Lord will work behind the scenes and call for a “sword” among all nations to defend Israel and defeat Russia.
That sword will come from the
West as well as from the East. The battle that will ensue also will consume and
destroy the Antichrist’s kingdom unto the end, just as Daniel predicted (Daniel 7:26).
It will also serve to bring
all armies to the Middle East and Armageddon for judgment when Christ Returns!
As the armies of the world converge in the Middle East the
battle will soon develop into the most devastating war of all time.
For the first time in
history, the Western Alliance will face the Russian Alliance face to face. This
is a battle that both sides have purposely avoided because of the danger of
going nuclear.
Faced with a desperate battle
where the superpowers have engaged in a major conflict with every conventional
weapon at their disposal, logic tells us that the battle will quickly turn to
weapons of mass destruction.
When the Lord mentions that
fire, hail, and brimstone will be sent against Russia as well as many other
distant nations, it turns out to be an incredible description of how nuclear
warfare would actually occur between the major powers today.
At first conventional weapons will be used to intercept and
defeat the Russian forces, including a full
response by the military might of Israel.
Next,
tactical nuclear weapons might be employed to give battlefield advantage to the
ground forces, especially against the massive movements of armored divisions
descending from the north.
However,
this limited use would rapidly expand to the point of no return.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) would soon race across the globe
striking the advancing armies as well as every major military and civilian
target within the Russian bloc.
Russia would
rapidly respond with a similar nuclear attack against the Western Alliance,
which would primarily include Europe and the U.S., but also possibly Japan.
Ezekiel predicted that there would be a “great shaking” accompanying Russia’s attack where mountains and
buildings all around the world will fall and be destroyed.
Nuclear
weapons could easily be responsible for the damage the Bible describes.
When Robert
Oppenheimer (the head of the Manhattan Project during World War II) witnessed
the first atomic bomb explode on July 16, 1945, in his shock and horror
he quoted from Hindu writings and said, “I
am become death, the shatterer of worlds.”
Only a small group of physicists before that day could possibly
have imagined the incredible power trapped within the atom.
When Einstein published his
famous equation E = mc2 it was realized for the first time that
even the tiniest amount of matter was equivalent to an almost unbelievable
amount of energy.
Einstein’s equation said that
the energy (E) ‘frozen’ within matter is equal to its mass (m) times the speed
of light (c) squared.
Since the speed of light is
299,792,458 meters per second (m/s), c2 squared is equal to
8.98 x 1016 m2/s2.
This number is over 89
quadrillion; a number so huge it is beyond comprehension, even in the age of
trillion-dollar budget deficits.
What this calculation means
is that even in the smallest amount of matter (expressed in units of kilograms)
when multiplied by c2 would yield a fantastic amount of energy
if the mass was completely converted into free energy.
In fact, if only 1 gram of
matter (0.001 kg) was totally converted into energy it would give the
equivalent of any one of the following measures of energy or heat (from
Wikipedia):
E =
mc2 = (0.001 kg)(8.98 x 1016 m2/s2)
=
89.9 terajoules,
25 million kilowatt-hours (≈25 GW·h),
21.5 billion Kilocalories (≈21 Tcal),
85.2 billion BTUs, or
the equivalent energy released by the complete combustion of one
of the following:
21.5 kilotons of TNT (≈21 KT) or
568,000
U.S. gallons of gasoline
The energy from only 1 gram of matter is thus equal to the explosive
yield of the Fat Man atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945.
That bomb had a plutonium-239
core with a yield of about 21 kt and killed as many as 80,000 people.
It exploded with a fireball
estimated to be at a temperature of about 3,900 °C (7,050 °F) and generated
outward winds of about 1,005 km/h (624 mph).
The previous bombing of
Hiroshima three days earlier used a bomb with a uranium-235 core having a yield
of approximately 15 KT, and it resulted in up to 166,000 deaths in a more populated
city.
If a modern nuclear bomb was
used on an even more densely populated city today, the greater yield of the
weapon combined with the greater urban population would easily result in the
deaths of millions of people within seconds.
The predictions in the Bible
concerning the Great Tribulation are accurate descriptions of a nuclear
holocaust the likes of which we have never seen before!
Clearly, the energy trapped within the atoms and molecules of
matter is far greater than the energy we use on a daily basis from burning
fossil fuels.
That’s why even a relatively
small atomic bomb will provide a far greater explosive blast than any
conventional bomb.
As trillions and trillions of
atoms are split in the core of an atomic bomb within milliseconds, a very small
amount of the mass is lost due to what is called the “mass defect” property of
atoms.
This is based on the fact
that the mass of the protons and neutrons within the nucleus of atoms is
slightly different depending on what element they are a part of.
For instance, the mass of a
proton or neutron within a carbon atom is slightly different from the mass of a
proton or neutron within a nitrogen atom.
This is due to the changes in
binding energy within the nucleus of different atoms. It is only a very slight
difference, but just enough so that every time an atom is split into smaller
atoms some mass is lost as energy.
The mass lost as uranium
undergoes fission in the core of a nuclear weapon is thus released as pure
energy - a combination of kinetic energy, heat energy, and light.
Multiplying the quantity of
mass present times the speed of light squared results in the vast explosive
release of energy from an exploding atomic bomb (see The Effects of Nuclear War
for more information on the fission process).
Putting this power in the form of a weapon was the most
dangerous thing the human race has ever done.
Daniel and Jesus both said
that at the time of the end the world situation would develop into a period of
trouble unparalleled in history.
It is exceedingly clear that
even a partial nuclear exchange would cause such severe destruction that the
entire fabric of life would be threatened. Remember, the Lord himself
prophesied that
“except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved” (Matthew 24:22).
This generation is heading
for a time of Great Tribulation the likes of which has never been seen before!
Fire Associated with China’s Attack
The Bible predicts that fire and brimstone will be a part of not
only Russia’s attack, but John also predicts similar conditions when the Kings
of the East advance into the battle.
After he describes the 200
million-man army advancing toward Israel in chapter 16 of Revelation, the
Apostle goes on to symbolically reveal the destructive force that will be
unleashed when the Eastern Bloc attacks.
“And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on
them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone; and the heads
of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths issued fire
and smoke and brimstone.
“By these three was
the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the
brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.” (Revelation
9:17-18)
It is no mere accident that China, India, Pakistan, and North
Korea have all developed nuclear capabilities in our day.
The Lord says that the Kings
of the East will have the ability to issue forth fire and smoke and brimstone.
When the Russian alliance and
the Empire of the Beast are engaged in a nuclear battle in the Middle East, the
subsequent attack by the eastern countries won’t include anything less potent
despite their overwhelming numerical advantage.
In fact, John indicates in
the above passage that the attack from the east will cause the death of fully
one-third of mankind!
Chapter 6 of Revelation also contains some frightening
descriptions of the conditions and casualties of these final battles.
The entire chapter consists
of the consecutive opening by Christ of seven seals on a scroll, each one of
which revealing some dire event that will happen in the last days (particularly
in the final 7 years).
In the first seal, a white
horse appears that has a rider on it that goes forth throughout the world to
conquer.
The appearance of this rider
has always reminded readers of Christ’s appearance in chapter 19, as therein he
too is described as riding a white horse as He returns.
However, it is not Jesus who
is in view in Revelation 6
, but
the Antichrist himself. The Antichrist will appear to the world as some kind of
savior, but in reality he will be an evil false Christ.
, but
the Antichrist himself. The Antichrist will appear to the world as some kind of
savior, but in reality he will be an evil false Christ.
His similarity to the real
Christ in this passage fits in perfectly with his predicted deception.
Remember the Antichrist was
previously described in Revelation 13 to have 2 horns like a lamb and also be a
lamb who speaks like a dragon (Revelation 13:11).
In Revelation 6, he actually
appears to be the fulfillment of the Second Coming of Christ.
It is also curious that this
horseman has a bow with which to do his conquering, but he has no arrows.
This is also an accurate description
of how the Antichrist will become the ruler of this world -conquering all
nations with a deception and facade of world peace.
Thus, the first seal and the appearance of the white horse
symbolically represents the Antichrist’s rise and reign during the first half
of Daniel’s 70th Week, where the general conditions in the empire will be
euphoric and relatively peaceful, but also ironfisted totalitarian at the same
time (especially for Christians who don’t go along with his plan).
It is during this period when
he will take full control of the world and institute the Mark of the Beast.
However, in the very next
seal opened in Revelation 6 we find a description of the sudden end of
this false peace in the coming of the red horse. John says…
“…there went out
another horse that was red; and power was given to him that sat on it to take
peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was
given unto him a great sword.” (Revelation
6:4)
The second seal marks the beginning of the wars that will start
at the time of the end - in other words precisely at the midpoint of Daniel’s
70th Week, which is also exactly 30 days following the Abomination of
Desolation.
The next two seals in
Revelation also continue in this theme and describe some of the after effects
of these wars.
For instance, John describes
in Revelation 6:5-6 that the magnitude of the coming conflict will cause
worldwide food shortages in which it will cost up to a whole day’s salary just
to buy enough food for one day’s meals.
He then goes on in Revelation
6:7-8 to record the coming of the pale horse, which has written on its side the
names of Death and Hades.
The Apostle John says
concerning this fourth seal that…
“…power was given unto them over the
fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death,
and with the beasts of the earth.” Revelation
6:8b)
Notice, John says that fully one-fourth of the world’s
population will be killed as a result of these initial battles.
With a current world
population at just over 7.2 billion, this prophecy thus predicts that more than
1.8 billion people will perish at that time.
In addition, John also tells
us later in Revelation that a further one-third of the remaining population
will be killed when the Kings of the East attack.
If at first one-fourth of the
world is killed leaving three-fourths remaining alive, and subsequently
one-third of those remaining are killed when the Kings of the East attack, then
the final casualty figure from both phases of the war is fully one-half of the
population of the world as it exists today!
Thus, we a talking about a
total devastation of the planet where more than 3.6 billion people will lose
their lives and most of the civilized world will be destroyed! Only global
thermonuclear war could possibly cause so many deaths in such a short period of
time.
In fact, these descriptions are not the only evidence for a
nuclear exchange. The prophecies get very specific as to the exact conditions
that will develop during the course of these wars.
Some of these descriptions
are among the most terrifying prophecies in the entire Bible.
In the coming sections, we
are going to look at what the Bible says concerning these events, and then
correlate this information with what is currently known about the effects of
nuclear war.
As will soon become evident,
the correlation between prophecy and modern science is truly frightening.
End Times Truth is about warning people that
the Coming of Christ is near and that we are living in the last days just before
His Return. During our lifetime, Bible predictions concerning the Second Coming
have been fulfilled exactly as they were described thousands of years
ago. Jesus said that we could know that his coming was near if we watched
world events and compared them to what was predicted. As the prophecies
come true before our eyes, we know that we are getting closer to the end.
While it is true that the world is heading toward a judgment day, individuals
can escape through knowledge of the truth combined with repentance and faith in
Christ.
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