[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Prophetic Man of Mystery—Or Catastrophe?

The Book of Revelation warns us that a man is coming who will inspire the entire world to embrace a false and deceptive version of Christianity. Aided by supernatural signs and wonders, he will help usher in an era of death, destruction, and devastation the likes of which the world has never seen.

The false, deceptive system he represents is already in place—enjoyed by the deceived faithful every week. And that system is destined to grow in power and influence until it impacts the lives of every human being on the globe.

Who is this man? What does the Bible reveal about him and what should we do with that knowledge? Join us today on Tomorrow’s World as we uncover the great False Prophet of Revelation.

A False Christ With Deceptive Signs and Wonders

Greetings, and welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible! It’s good to have you here.

Your Bible describes certain individuals who are prophesied to arrive on the world scene in the days just ahead of us and who will have a devastating impact on life as we know it, for literally every human being on the globe.

These individuals and their actions WILL impact you and your family, and me and my family—no living, breathing soul on earth will be able to avoid their power and influence. Frankly, they will wield the most destructive powers earth has ever seen unleashed by mankind, and they will be servants of Satan the Devil.

One of those individuals is called, in the book of Revelation, the “False Prophet.” This individual will deceive billions—and the religious system he supports is already in place today. On today’s edition of Tomorrow’s World, we’ll examine what the Bible has to tell us about the False Prophet of Revelation and how we might recognize both him and the false Christianity he will promote.

The name “False Prophet” first appears in the book of Revelation in chapter 16, and Revelation 19 tells us that the False Prophet will be tossed, along with the infamous Beast of Revelation, into the lake of fire at the return of Jesus Christ.

But the False Prophet is introduced to us in chapter 13 of Revelation. In the first portion of that chapter, we read of the Beast of Revelation—used to refer to both an individual and the political entity he controls, a world-ruling, end-time, Satan-inspired political entity that will possess astonishing economic and military power. On our program, we often refer to this entity as the “Beast power,” and verse 4 of Revelation 13 says, “they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’”

We will read more about this Beast today, since his role in the end times is intimately entwined with the False Prophet’s. However, Revelation 13 then speaks of a SECOND beast. We read about this separate person, symbolized by a second beast, beginning in verse 11:

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.”

THIS beast is the partner of the Beast of Revelation mentioned just before, and is called elsewhere the False Prophet! And this description given in verse 11 is crucial to understanding his nature! Notice, he LOOKS like a lamb, Jesus Christ, but SPEAKS like the dragon, Satan the Devil! If one LISTENS CAREFULLY to his teachings and doctrines, one can discern that they are the teachings not of Christ, but of the Devil.

But please note: That doesn’t mean that those teachings are OBVIOUSLY evil! Satan is the master of deception, and the old King James Version of the Bible says of Satan in Genesis 3:1, “the serpent was MORE SUBTIL than any beast of the field….”

His twists of true, biblical doctrine are subtle, hard to discern, and convincing.

In addition to describing his teachings, Revelation 13 continues:

“He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast…” (vv. 12–14).

It might surprise some of our viewers that such supernatural signs and wonders could be worked by a False Prophet. Aren’t such works only possible by God’s power? The Bible says NO, that is not the case!

In fact, a miracle-working precursor to the False Prophet in the first century was Simon the Sorcerer, often called Simon Magus. He is described in the book of Acts in chapter 8:9–11:

“But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the great power of God.’ And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.”

Simon Magus was a sorcerer, and not a man of God at all, though the people thought he was so. His power to work signs and wonders came not from God, but from the devil.

The False Prophet will follow in Simon’s footsteps! And the wonders he will work will grab the attention of the entire world in the days just ahead of us!

The False Prophet Allied With a Frightening World Power

In fact, verse 12 of Revelation 13 says that the False Prophet “causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the FIRST beast”—that is, the Beast of Revelation. Verse 15 says that he will cause all who are unwilling to worship that Beast “to be killed,” and verses 16 through 18 talk of how the False Prophet, the second beast of Revelation 13, will cause all people to obey the first Beast, symbolically taking his mark on their right hand or forehead. This is tied, in verse 18, to the mysterious number 666.

It is the Beast of Revelation—a political entity and its leader, wielding unfathomable economic, political, and military power—that provides the muscle. But we see here that it is the False Prophet who is USING this Beast for his own purposes, as well, in an unholy union of church and state power.

We see this relationship DRAMATICALLY pictured in Revelation 17:3–6.

There, the Apostle John is told in vision by an angel that he will show the apostle the religious system controlling affairs in the end times:

“So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.”

This monstrous beast corresponds to the end-time economic and military powerhouse Beast of Revelation we’ve already discussed. But riding that beast and influencing it is a GREAT HARLOT, drinking in abominations and drunk on the blood of persecuted true followers of Jesus Christ—much like the bloody Inquisitions of ages past, but far surpassing them.

In the Bible, God uses women to symbolize religious systems and prostitution to symbolize corruptions of the true faith with pagan religious practices. Ancient Israel did this with the faith God had given them, and this end-time false Christianity does this with the faith of the Bible—MIXING it with sinful, pagan practices God does not approve, endorse, or command.

This harlot pictures the deceptive religious system headed by the False Prophet, and we see it influencing the Beast and benefiting from its power.

The union of these two powers and their institutions will be a tempestuous one, yet they will NEED each other. Chapter 2 of the book of Daniel describes the kingdom of the Beast of Revelation as being like a mixture of iron and clay, noting that the peoples of this entity do not mix well together. This political entity will need the religious influence of the False Prophet to keep the people bound together.

And the False Prophet uses the Beast for his OWN purposes, as well! Several prophecies of the Bible explain how this deceptive end-time religious leader desires to suppress the true understanding of God, His commandments, and His laws, and to persecute the true Church of God. As Daniel 7:25 says of this individual,

“He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.”

This time, times, and half-a-time—or three-and-a-half years—represents the period of the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord to come upon the earth, during which many true Christians will be martyred at the command of this false religious leader, and he will use the raw military power and political resources of the Beast to accomplish his diabolical purposes! (And notice the False Prophet’s desire to “change times and law”—we’ll come back to that later.)

Ultimately, the selfish dance of these two devil-inspired despots does not end well. Prophecy says that as their plans begin to fall apart during the events accompanying Christ’s return, the Beast will ultimately turn on the harlot who rides it and devour her, as we see in Revelation 17:16:

“And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.”

In the next portion of our program, I want to explain how the religious system of this False Prophet is in place TODAY, RIGHT NOW, and already has multiple millions in its sway.

The True Spirit of Antichrist—Against the Laws of God

Many think the False Prophet will rise on the scene and create something that is completely NEW, but the Bible says otherwise. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 that “the mystery of lawlessness is ALREADY AT WORK….”

“Lawlessness” is important, because we saw earlier in Daniel that the False Prophet and the faith he presents seeks to “change times and law.”

That is, the fundamentals of this counterfeit Christianity that would seek to eliminate and replace the laws of God were ALREADY PRESENT IN PAUL’S DAY, fighting against the true faith and attempting to displace it. The presence of this hijacked version of Christianity, worming its way into the congregations of true followers of Christ, is part of what motivated Jude, one of the brothers of Jesus, to write to his fellow Christians,

“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv. 3–4).

It is not a coincidence that the Apostle John wrote of the coming ANTICHRIST and his religion in similar terms!

Look in 1 John 2. We see there that John also wrote in the first century to say that this lawless, false Christianity was already being put in place back in his day!

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour” (v. 18).

That’s right! Even in John’s day, shortly after the very foundation of the true Church, another FALSE version of Christianity was ALSO being founded! And here, we see John naming those who come in its name, including the False Prophet to come, by a word many have heard before: “antichrist”! The prefix “anti” can imply “against,” “in opposition to,” or “in place of,” and the False Prophet will be the climactic, end-time antichrist and the leader of the religion that well deserves the label “antichrist”—a religion that, from the beginning of TRUE Christianity in the first century, has been working to replace it with a lawless counterfeit!

In fact, in 1 John 4:3, the Apostle says that the counterfeit spirit of antichrist was already in the world IN HIS TIME.

And we must remember, this counterfeit WILL LOOK CHRISTIAN IN APPEARANCE! Revelation 13 says that the False Prophet APPEARS TO BE LIKE THE LAMB! The Apostle Paul spoke of those teaching such deceptive forgeries of the true faith when he warned those in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11,

“For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” (v. 4).

And many HAVE put up with it for centuries. The writings of Paul, John, and others make it clear that this false, deceptive system that began in their day would continue throughout time into our OWN day—and that it would be, by far, the dominant version of “Christianity” at the end!

While the False Prophet of Revelation, the final head of this religious institution, will perform amazing signs and wonders before Christ’s return, these verses make plain that the religious teachings He will spread and enforce are being taught TODAY in the guise of Christianity! Those teachings will lay the foundation of ultimate deceit in the days just ahead, and without God’s protection, those who resist them will be mercilessly martyred—and they are being taught in pulpits and religious services all across the world RIGHT NOW by those claiming the name of Jesus Christ!

But how would you know the difference? How would you recognize such a servant of the spirit of antichrist, spreading the counterfeit faith that will one day support the False Prophet of Revelation?

The True Church Keeps the Commandments of God

The False Prophet of Revelation will be one of the most powerful men to have ever lived. Yet, as we saw at the beginning, his end will be to be cast by God into the Lake of Fire and be destroyed as an enemy of Jesus Christ. But before then, he will contribute to more devastation and death than the world has ever seen before.

We’ve seen that he speaks the teachings of the devil—yet that he will appear very Christ-like, and his false, Christian religion very much like what one might expect of a “good” Christian faith.

This is the Devil’s M.O., as the Apostle Paul warned in 2 Corinthians 11. Speaking of those who preach this alternate version of Jesus Christ, who looks so believable and so close to the “real thing,” Paul says,

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (vv. 13–15).

So, if these false ministers of Christianity are at work today, how can you identify them for what they are?

We’ve seen, for instance, that the religious system of this False Prophet, at work in his day and ours, is called by Paul the “mystery of lawlessness.” It’s not a religion that teaches against the laws of man—like speed limits or tax laws—but against the laws of GOD. And we’ve seen that the False Prophet’s religion represents “chang[ing] times and laws.”

Ask yourself, how many “Christian” churches teach obedience to the Ten Commandments—ALL ten, including the fourth about the seventh-day Sabbath—versus only some of the Commandments, or no need for obedience at all? And how many “Christian” churches teach the times and holy days given in the Bible, such as Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Trumpets, versus times and holidays with pagan origins and traditions hidden behind a veneer of “Christian” reinterpretation?

And recall that Revelation 17 not only describes the False Prophet’s religious system as a harlot or prostitute, corrupting true worship with heathen falsehoods, but also says in verse 5 that she is the “MOTHER OF HARLOTS”? What religious organization in the world not only claims the authority to change the laws and commandments of God, substituting its own ecclesiastical laws and ordinances, but has ALSO spawned countless DAUGHTER HARLOTS, each with their own differences, yet each still carrying with them corrupted ideas and heathen influences?

When you find this so-called “Christian” religion in the world, you have found the great harlot or one of her daughters! And you have found the counterfeit Christianity that the False Prophet will use to spread deception around the globe, persecuting those who are described in Revelation 12:17 as those “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

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[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

The City of Peace—Captured by War?

Generals, dictators, and despots have tried to rule the world. Their capital cities were monumental and impressive. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon built one of the designated “Seven Wonders of the World,” the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The historian Herodotus wrote, “In addition to its size, Babylon surpasses in splendor any city in the known world.”

The Bible documents the King’s great pride and boasting over his accomplishments. The prophet Daniel had warned the king to humble himself.

“At the end of the twelve months he [King Nebuchadnezzar] was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?’” (Daniel 4:29–30).

God punished King Nebuchadnezzar, who finally learned his lesson:

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down” (Daniel 4:37).

The Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler, in his plan to rule the world, envisioned a world capital to last a thousand years. Albert Speer, Hitler’s architect for the future city, planned a Grand Hall next to the Reichstag that “would have been the largest enclosed space in the world, with a dome 16 times larger than that of St Peter’s in Rome” according to HistoryToday.com (“Germania: Hitler’s Dream Capital”).

Of course, Hitler fell before the Allied armies in World War II.

Bible prophecy reveals that another great dictator, called the “Beast” in the book of Revelation, will desire to rule the world and establish his own capital. As it tells us in Revelation 13:7,

“And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.”

The good news is that the coming King of kings will conquer and destroy this coming Beast power (Revelation 17:14) and Jesus Christ will establish a righteous world capital city. What city will become the capital of the world? In spite of today’s conflicts, Jerusalem in Israel will soon become the glorious capital of the world.

The Greatest Capital City of All

Warm greetings to all our friends around the world!

Today’s world news features the rising power of China, the aggression of Russia against Ukraine, [and] the determination of European powers, especially Germany, to increase their military forces powerfully! All these will play their part in end-time prophecies. But eventually, the Middle East will be the focus of dramatic events. You need to know the sequence of prophetic events.

Consider the great national capital cities in today’s world. While you may not agree with this list, The News International listed the ten most beautiful capital cities in the world.

In reverse order starting with number ten:

10. Moscow, Russia

9. Ottawa, Canada

8. Budapest, Hungary

7. Tokyo, Japan

6. Rome, Italy

5. Paris, France

4. Washington D.C, United States

3. Berlin, Germany

2. Islamabad, Pakistan

1. London, England.

Another impressive national capital that my wife and visited some years ago is Canberra, Australia. The city was designed in 1912 by architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin.

The capital building itself is impressive.

One of my hobbies is visiting state capitals here in the United States. I’ll share two of them with you. The Washington State capital in Olympia features glistening “marble quarried across the globe” according to one history magazine.

“Ornately decorated, the Roman-Neoclassical legislative building is topped by the fifth-highest stone masonry dome in the world. Inside dangles a five-ton Tiffany chandelier so massive you could fit a VW Bug inside it” (“History, Architecture and Politics Combine in a Salem-to-Olympia Tour,” 1889mag.com, November 15, 2016).

The state capital in Frankfort, Kentucky also features extraordinary marble columns and walls. One Kentucky newspaper describes it this way: “The Capitol’s august exterior of Indiana limestone and interior composed of Georgia marble, gray Tennessee marble and dark green Vermont marble with grand corridors featuring 36 columns of Vermont granite and delicate art glass skylights and murals make it a place of beauty” (“Capitol building in Frankfort full of history, beauty,” Lexington Herald Leader, October 5, 2015).

The beauty and grandeur of state and national capitals makes a statement of governmental power and majesty. We saw earlier that the Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler, in his plan to rule the world, envisioned a world capital built to last a thousand years. Albert Speer, Hitler’s architect for the future city, planned a Grand Hall next to the Reichstag that “would have been the largest enclosed space in the world, with a dome 16 times larger than that of St Peter’s in Rome” according to HistoryToday.com (“Germania: Hitler’s Dream Capital).

The prophesied world-ruling superpower, called the Beast in the book of Revelation, may claim his national capital is also the capital of the world. But Jesus Christ will crush the Beast and the false prophet, and cast them into a lake of fire, as it tells us in Revelation 19:20. But WHERE will Christ the King set up His government? What city on earth will be the capital of the world? Jerusalem! Many different scriptures confirm this wonderful fact. If you have your Bible, turn to one of the major prophecies regarding the future of the world. The second chapter of ISAIAH gives us a wonderful and encouraging view of tomorrow’s world. ISAIAH 2:1. Notice this specific prophecy concerning Jerusalem. ISAIAH 2:1,

“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and JERUSALEM. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it” (Isaiah 2:1–2).

As our regular Tomorrow’s World viewers saw, in a previous program on the principles of prophecy, mountains are a biblical symbol for a kingdom or government. Isaiah stated plainly that the Lord’s Kingdom would be established in JERUSALEM. Yes, Jerusalem will be the capital of the world! Notice that “ALL NATIONS shall flow to it.” All nations will submit to the world government. Let’s understand, this will NOT be government in the hands of selfish human beings. This new government will be a world ruling DIVINE Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. The world-ruling Kingdom will be ruled by the Savior, the King of kings, Jesus Christ! That’s the good news we all look forward to. I hope that you’re looking forward to that time of world peace! I hope that you’re yearning for the Kingdom to come! I hope that you’re PRAYING, “Your Kingdom come!” as we’re taught to pray in Matthew 6:10.

The Most Contested City in History

Turn in your Bible to Zechariah 14. During the thousand-year reign of Christ, all nations on earth will look to Jerusalem as the capital of the world and will send representatives to worship the King of kings. Zechariah 14:16,

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).

All nations will finally learn the way to peace, not war. And they will learn the true way of love toward God and love toward neighbor. Nations will no longer desire military power and war to solve problems. They will want the truth taught them from the capital city, Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:3,

“Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:3–4).

The very name, Jerusalem, means “City of Peace.” But even today, tensions and conflicts erupt within it. Your Bible records its ancient history. In Genesis the 14^th chapter we read about Melchizedek, King of Salem, or as all biblical scholars know, the King of Jerusalem. Our Tomorrow’s World Bible Study Course highlights historic milestones in Jerusalem’s long history. I’ll share a few of the past significant events. This report is titled “Jerusalem: A Historical Overview. A city washed in blood through centuries of endless conflict awaits its prophetic destiny.”

We will start this historic overview with the earliest biblical references.

c. 1895 BC—Melchizedek, King of Salem, blesses Abram and receives his tithes.

c. 1850 BC—God instructs Abraham to take Isaac to the land of Moriah to sacrifice him there. Later, God provided a ram sacrifice in place of Isaac.

c. 1406 BC—Joshua defeats Adon-i-zedek, King of Jerusalem. (Joshua 10:1–5, 23–26). The Jebusites retain parts of the city.

About 400 years later, King David ruled all Israel from Jerusalem.

c. 1000 BC—Jerusalem is captured by King David Jerusalem becomes the capital of all Israel.This would become the future location of God’s temple.

Over a period of about twenty years, the kingdom of Judah went into Babylonian captivity culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem.

586 BC—King Nebuchadnezzar conquers and destroys Jerusalem and the temple.

539 BC—Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon. He subsequently allows the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

After its subjection to the Persian Empire and the Greco-Macedonian Empire, Jerusalem is ruled by Rome.

63 BC—Pompey conquers Jerusalem and makes it a part of Roman Empire.

37 BC—Herod the Great assumes kingship in Jerusalem.

31 AD—Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, His resurrection, and the beginning of the Church Age.

70 AD—Second temple destroyed by the Romans.

During the next 1,800 years after 70 AD, Jerusalem experiences many conflicts including Muslim domination.

1917—Jerusalem enters a new phase.

1947—United Nations partitions Jerusalem. The city is divided between Arab and Jewish control.

1948—Israel becomes an independent nation on May 6. Israel successfully defends itself against the attack of the Arab League.

1967—During the Six-Day War, Israel captures all of Jerusalem, putting it under Jewish rule for the first time since the Roman destruction in 70 AD.

Will Jerusalem ever achieve its inherent purpose and title, City of Peace?

Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel has fought wars and negotiated peace treaties with several Arab states. But Israel has never been able to negotiate a permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians. Both claim Jerusalem as their capital.

The one issue that appears unsolvable: “Who will control Jerusalem?” In 1980, Israel declared Jerusalem its “UNITED AND ETERNAL CAPITAL” (“FACTBOX: Jerusalem, a city at the heart of conflict,” Reuters.com, July 22, 2008).

If both sides consider their positions non-negotiable, there’s an impasse. The Israeli position remains unchanged—that is, they insist that Jerusalem will remain united under SOLE ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY.

Yes, the gap between views over the sovereignty of Jerusalem is wide and deep! What does the international community think about this conflict? What IS the solution? In 1980, when Israel declared Jerusalem to be Israel’s “united and eternal capital,” the Vatican STRONGLY OBJECTED to that declaration. Then later, in 1984, Pope John Paul II called for Jerusalem to have a “special internationally guaranteed status” (“Holy See Press Office Communiqué: Audience with the President of the State of Palestine,” Press.Vatican.va, November 4, 2021).

My friends, the status of Jerusalem will continue to be a major issue. You need to be watching the Middle East and the trends that will mean major changes in political and religious control over the city of Jerusalem.

Sacrifices Resumed—And Violently Stopped

Jesus spoke of a time when enemy armies will invade the Holy Land and surround the city of Jerusalem. LUKE 21:20, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.” So, we see that there are at least two signs Jesus tells us to watch for: The Abomination of Desolation emphasized in Matthew 24:15, and Jerusalem surrounded by armies. These will not just be ANY armies of the Middle East, but the Gentile armies that will control Jerusalem for three and one-half years, as we read in Revelation 11:2. Now, let’s continue in LUKE 21:22, “For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:22–24). How long will the Gentiles control Jerusalem?

Turn in your Bible to the book of REVELATION or the Apocalypse. REVELATION, chapter 11. The Apostle John wrote in REVELATION 11:1,

“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been GIVEN TO THE GENTILES. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for FORTY-TWO MONTHS’” (Revelation 11:1–2).

The Holy City will be controlled not by the Jews, but by the Gentiles for 42 months. As you read through the book of Revelation, you’ll see that this period of three and one-half years precedes the return of Christ.

Now turn to DANIEL, CHAPTER TWELVE. Daniel had been given a revelation by an angel. When he asked the meaning of the message, the angel told him in DANIEL 12:9,

“Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”

Over 2,500 years later, we can now understand these prophecies—this IS the time of the end! But notice VERSE 11:

“And from the time that the DAILY SACRIFICE is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11).

At the time of the end, shortly before the return of Christ, God reveals the daily sacrifice will be stopped, or “taken away.” This obviously implies that the sacrifices must be STARTED, before they can be STOPPED! The Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the second temple in 70 AD. The Jews have not offered temple sacrifices since that time.

But notice: In ancient times, when they returned to Jerusalem from exile, the Jews actually began sacrificing BEFORE the foundation of their temple was laid. EZRA 3:6. The Jews also observed the Feast of Tabernacles with daily sacrifices, as it states in verse 4. Now, EZRA 3:6,

“From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although [listen to this] the FOUNDATION of the temple of the LORD had NOT BEEN LAID.”

Notice another important point. The exiles return WHERE? Ezra refers to the location of the holy place, as the HOUSE OF GOD, when the temple had NOT YET been built. EZRA 3:8,

“Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the HOUSE OF GOD at Jerusalem….”

This was around 536 BC. But there was no building as yet. The following verses describe the laying of the FOUNDATION of the temple.

The point, my friends, is that sacrifices must be presented in a holy place. But in this case, the sacrifices were made daily, WITHOUT a physical building called a temple. The returning Jewish exiles referred to the Holy Place as “the House of God,” even though no temple existed. The holiest place under the control of the Jewish religious authorities today, is the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall. It is the western retaining wall to the Temple Mount. Jews are not allowed to publicly worship on the Temple Mount, only Muslims. In recent years, Jews have been pressuring for a religious presence on the Temple Mount. So, it remains to be seen where and when the Jews will begin sacrificing. It will probably take a national crisis to precipitate that event.

World Peace from Jerusalem—Truth, Knowledge, and Freedom for All

We’ve seen that Jesus Christ will come from Heaven to rule the earth for a thousand years of peace and prosperity. Jerusalem will be the capital of the world. Jerusalem will not only be the GOVERNMENTAL capital of the world, but also it will be the EDUCATIONAL capital of the world. The great Educator and Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ, will teach true knowledge based on the word of God. As we saw in Zechariah 8:3,

“Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth.”

All nations will learn the eternal principles, laws, and values that guarantee peace and prosperity for all. As Isaiah said, the people will come to the Holy Land and say,

“‘He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3).

The great Educator and Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ, will teach true knowledge based on the word of God. As we saw in Zechariah 8:3,

“Thus says the LORD: ‘I WILL RETURN to Zion, and DWELL in the midst of JERUSALEM. JERUSALEM shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the LORD of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’ Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets’” (Zechariah 8:3–5).

The city of Jerusalem will finally live up to its name, “City of Peace.” Because, the Lord, the Eternal, the glorified Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth will actually DWELL there. As He said, “I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of JERUSALEM.” That’s when we’ll begin to experience genuine world peace. Jerusalem will be called “the City of Truth.”

That’s the good news of YOUR future—and the future of the world. Eventually, the New Jerusalem will come down from heaven to this earth as the capital of the universe, more glorious than any humanly designed capital. You can read about that magnificent time in Revelation chapters 21 and 22. In the meantime, we look forward to the soon-coming world capital, Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be the center of world government, education, and religion. The word “Jerusalem” means “city of peace.” Jerusalem has experienced bloody fighting and wars over the millennia. But soon, this great city truly will be the CITY OF PEACE for ALL PEOPLES. That’s the good news you can look forward to!

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We here at Tomorrow’s World want to help you understand your world through the pages of the Bible. And we encourage you to not just believe us, but look up these verses in your own Bible.

If you would like to know what Bible prophecy says about the future of Israel and the nations surrounding it, just click the link in the description for a free Bible study guide, The Middle East in Prophecy. And remember to subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss another Tomorrow’s World video. See you next time!