| Question: | | | | their own way of life. They would never admit |
| In a world that is so politically charged and | | | | that their sins had finally come under the scrutiny |
| uncertain can we trust that an entire kingdom, | | | | of an angry God. |
| yet to rise, could be revealed to us by the use of | | | | God has endured centuries of our reasoning and |
| a symbol, especially that of a beast? | | | | wrangling about whether he would actually |
| Answer: | | | | intervene and judge our behavior. Not even |
| When John depicts both the antichrist and his | | | | Christians seem to know that he has given us a |
| kingdom with the symbol of a beast, Revelation | | | | many examples and an iron clad guarantee that |
| l7:1f, he is showing us some futuristic series of | | | | assures us that he will. In the twenty eighth |
| events that some say is too much to entrust to | | | | chapter of Deuteronomy, God gives a list of the |
| the uncertainty of a vision, much less a symbol | | | | blessings that we will earn if we obey him in a |
| within a vision. This argument is instantly | | | | mere fourteen verses. In the same chapter he |
| neutralized when we realize that many years | | | | pronounces the things that will befall us if we |
| before John's vision the prophets had similar | | | | choose to go our own way, and that takes no |
| visions that are now fully completed, and are now | | | | less than fifty four verses. |
| a part of the historical record. For example Daniel | | | | Some of the judgments included are madness, |
| saw the rise and fall of four separate kingdoms in | | | | hemorrhoids, and blindness. The worn out |
| two visions that he had himself or interpreted for | | | | cliché that says that a loving God would |
| the ruler in his time. Daniel saw the rise and fall of | | | | never do such things to us needs to be |
| the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman | | | | re-examined in a more realistic light. God usually |
| empires. One vision was of a man and the other | | | | forewarns people through men and women who |
| of various beasts, Daniel 2:lf and 7:lf These visions | | | | aren't afraid to speak up, but he tells only a very |
| are now part of the past and serve only to | | | | few exactly what those judgments will be. I have |
| prove that God does use such images, they are | | | | not been notified about great disasters or |
| always accurate and it is time to get onboard if | | | | calamities as a rule, but I am still under mandate |
| you are going to take God seriously. | | | | to proclaim those judgments revealed in the |
| Question: | | | | scripture and especially those of the book of |
| Are natural disasters the evidence that the end is | | | | Revelation. The only specific judgment I have so |
| at hand? | | | | far ever been apprised of in advance is the |
| Answer: | | | | coming economic collapse in America. That doesn't |
| Actually the increase of natural disasters is not | | | | mean I haven't felt that some of the calamities I |
| the evidence that it is the end. They are the | | | | have witnessed did not make me ponder the idea |
| evidence that the end is about to begin. They are | | | | that God had surely intervened to bring them |
| those things that signal the approach of the | | | | about. |
| coming troubles and the return of Christ. Jesus | | | | One such event was the recent tsunami that |
| put it this way...And ye shall hear of wars and | | | | killed a quarter of a million people in Indonesia and |
| rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for | | | | other counties in that part of the world. I don't |
| all these things must come to pass, but the end is | | | | like hearing about disasters, hardships or the |
| not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and | | | | demise of any people and it brought me great |
| kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be | | | | sorrow to learn of this horrendous tragedy. I |
| famines, and pestilences, And earthquakes in | | | | prayed for those families who had victims of the |
| divers places. All these are the beginning of | | | | disaster as I watched the reports along with the |
| sorrows. Mt 24: 6-8 Such events then are the | | | | rest of the world. |
| precursors to the great tribulation they are not | | | | About a week after the tsunami struck I heard a |
| the tribulation in all its fullness, and it's scripturally | | | | little news item about that region of the world |
| provided order. You can almost hear the | | | | that had not received much attention before or |
| phrase...Just when I thought it couldn't get any | | | | after the disaster. I found it impossible to |
| worse, guess what happened. | | | | overlook the report without giving it further |
| Question: | | | | examination. I heard a report that said that the |
| Are natural disasters, wars, nuclear incidents, and | | | | sale of infants and the child pornography business |
| terrorism Gods judgments? | | | | in that area is the largest in the world. The |
| Answer: | | | | reporter said, it is estimated that the income for |
| They may be his judgments for our ongoing | | | | child porn and baby sales was approximately |
| sinfulness but they are not the judgments spoken | | | | twelve billion dollars a year. If ever I have felt |
| of in Revelation. The events that follow the | | | | that a calamity could he a direct judgment of God |
| breaking of seven seals, the blowing of seven | | | | it was this one. I was reminded of a powerful and |
| trumpets and the pouring out of seven vials of | | | | serious warning that Jesus gave... But whoso shall |
| wrath are all intervening judgments performed by | | | | offend one of these little ones which believe in |
| God alone. | | | | me, it were better for him that a millstone were |
| Let me be brutally succinct and put it another | | | | hanged about his neck, and he were drowned in |
| way. Man does not perform the judgment of man | | | | the depth of the sea. Mt. 18:6 |
| in that day. God glorifies himself alone. Men would | | | | Rev Bresciani is the author of two popular |
| only try to explain the judgments away as some | | | | Christian books, one on the second coming of |
| inexplicable anomaly or natural occurrence. They | | | | Christ. He has hundreds of articles published both |
| would not think it had anything at all to do with | | | | online and in print. |