Love Israel

Guest (Male): Shalom. And welcome to V'ahavta Yisrael, a Hebrew phrase which means you shall love Israel. We hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher, Dr. Baruch, shares his expository teaching from the Bible. Dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Zera Avraham Institute based in Israel. Although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the institute, Dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English. To find out more about our work in Israel, please visit us on the web at loveisrael.org. That's one word, loveisrael.org. Now, here's Baruch with today's lesson.

Dr. Baruch Korman: Whenever we speak about the last days, there's a very important word. We talked about this last night. It's the word for beast. Prophetically, a beast is an empire. We're going to see that in the last days, there's going to be an empire that rises up. It has a history attached to it, and it's vital that we understand what it has done and what it will do in the last days.

We're going to be in one location for this session, and that is found in the book of Revelation, chapter 17. So with that said, open up your Bibles, please, to Revelation, chapter 17. Notice how this scripture begins. He says, "And came one of the seven angels having the seven vials (these are these bowls), and he spoke with me saying, saying to me, 'Come, and I will show you the judgment of that great harlot.'"

Remember what we learned earlier. Prophetically, when we talk about harlotry, we're speaking about idolatry. You need to understand that in the last days, the religion of the Antichrist is not going to be Islam, but rather the nation that is going to bring about this change (and we'll be more specific later on). This nation that is going to be connected to the Antichrist empire is going to be one that is given over towards idolatry.

Why is that? Because idolatry, the motivation behind it, is that I know that God won't do this for me, that this is against His character. Therefore, I turn to other gods, which are not gods at all, and I behave in an idolatrous manner in order to get what I want. What we're going to see is this: that this Antichrist empire is connected to idolatry. That's why when we look at verse one, there's this judgment of this great harlot.

Notice what it says: "the one who is made to sit upon many waters." Prophetically, in the book of Revelation, these many waters are people. They represent a great portion of humanity. What the scripture is telling us is this: that in the last days, the majority of humanity is going to fall into idolatry. Why? Because we are going to be—not the church, but the majority of humanity—is going to be in bondage to their desires, what they want.

They're going to turn away from God, and they're going to embrace this Antichrist empire because they believe that through this empire, they're going to accomplish what they want to accomplish. Look now to verse two. The subject here is the kings of the earth. We're talking about authorities, rulers, as the word king would suggest. Notice what it says: "with whom the kings of the earth committed this fornication." Again, whether we use the word fornication or harlotry, it's speaking about idolatry.

What the scripture is referring to us is that in the last days, there's going to be a great spirit of idolatry that is going to dominate this world. Notice what else it says: not only do the kings of the earth, are they going to be involved in this harlotry, but also they are going to become drunk. Who's going to become drunk? Notice what it says: "the ones who dwell upon the earth."

That is, those who have no connection with the Lamb, but those who are going to have a commitment to the Antichrist. These are the ones. When the Bible speaks about those who dwell upon the earth, we're speaking about those whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. So the ones who dwell upon the earth, they are going to become drunk from the wine of her fornication, that is, her idolatry.

Then it says (look now to verse three), and John is receiving this vision and he says, "And I was carried away into... desert or wilderness." Anytime—and this word appears frequently both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament—we need to understand the purpose for it. I would suggest this to you: anytime that you come across this word for wilderness or desert (the Hebrew word is the word *midbar*), when we come across that word, something is being emphasized.

What is that? A dependence or a trusting in God. I mentioned last night that the children of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness. Why? In order to change them, in order to teach them not to rely upon their own thoughts, their own plans, their own desires, but to trust and depend upon the Lord. So we see here that John was carried away into the wilderness or the desert by the Spirit.

He says, "And I saw a woman being made to sit upon this scarlet beast." Notice that it was full—speaking of this beast, this empire—it was full of blasphemous names. Again, whenever we speak about this Antichrist empire, also known as Babylon in the book of Revelation, what is being spoken of is an empire that is thoroughly blasphemous. This is because this Antichrist, who is connected to Satan—what does Satan want to do?

Well, if you read sometime from Isaiah chapter 14, he wants to put his throne over God's throne. He wants to be worshipped. And the Antichrist as well is going to commit that abomination of desolation, where it takes the seat where God's presence was in the Holy of Holies. The Antichrist is going to go in and create this abomination of desolation, exalting itself above everything that is called of God or that is worshipped.

So we see here that this woman—speaking of harlotry—this woman is made to sit upon this scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having—notice what it says—seven heads and ten horns. These seven heads, we're going to see, are related to seven governments. I'll show you that in a moment, but let's press on. It says in verse four, "And the woman was clothed (literally, she was made to be clothed) with what? It says here purple."

That is the Hebrew term *argaman*, which is used in the Temple, first the Tabernacle and then the Temple, in its furniture, in its vessels. It's a very important concept, a color that represents royalty. So we see here that this empire is going to give a counterfeit impression. It is going to present itself as royalty, but it's not. It's not of God. It is idolatrous in nature. Look again: "having been made to be clothed in purple and in scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand."

The reason why it's "her hand" is because in this language, we're speaking about a beast which is feminine in this scripture. So it's "her hand," but it's speaking about this Antichrist empire. Notice: what is being presented is a false impression, a counterfeit impression of something that purports to be holy but, in actuality, it is blasphemous. This is what the word of God is teaching us. Let's press on.

We see something else. Also, it says, "full," and we have a very important word. Full of what? Full of abominations and also that which is unclean related to her fornication. Over and over, what's being emphasized is this idolatrous spirit, which renders her unclean. She's giving this counterfeit impression that it's something that is of God, but we know that it is not.

Then it talks about her (look, if you would, to verse five), "And upon her forehead has been made to be written a name. What name? Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlotry and the abominations of the earth." God is using strong terminology here in order to show that this is blasphemous. He sees this empire as full of abominations. It is unclean, meaning there's nothing about this empire that God can approve.

In other words, He will reject everything that has to do with this empire. Now, why are we being told that? Because we too as the church, we want to agree with God. We too will reject it. We will have no connection to it. Our allegiance is never to this Antichrist empire, but it is to kingdom truth. And that kingdom truth, there's a very important passage in Isaiah chapter 2, and it says, "For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

Now, this is Hebrew poetry. Most prophecy is poetry. We find that the number one characteristic of Hebrew poetry is parallelism. We find that Zion is being paralleled to Jerusalem, but there's a very important difference. We cannot say that Zion or *Tzion* and Jerusalem are the same thing. What we find is Zion is Jerusalem in a redemptive state. So it speaks about a change that's coming to Jerusalem, and that change is going to happen because of redemption.

We need to learn something. In the Old Testament, there are two different words for redemption. They're related, but they're not the same. The first word is the Hebrew word *pedut*, which represents a payment. A payment that is made for the purpose of redemption. The second word that appears for redemption is the word *geulah*. Now, they're related, but they're not the same. What do I mean by that?

Well, *pedut* is the payment and *geulah* is the outcome, or we could say it simply, it is the result of that payment. And what is the outcome of this payment? It is salvation. It is victory. We can even be more specific: there is going to be a kingdom victory for the people of God. Those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, we are going to have and experience this kingdom victory for eternity.

Verse five, let's read it again. "And upon her forehead has been made to be written a name: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlotry and the abominations of the earth." Verse six, "And I looked at the woman and it says here that she became drunk (and notice what it says) drunk from the blood of the saints." We have seen several times that there's no reason to believe—in fact, biblically, we are called to reject this idea—that the purpose of the rapture is to keep us from the Antichrist activity.

That's what you hear all the time. Let me tell you, it's popular. People want to hear that, people like to hear that, but biblically, we cannot make such a statement. It's simply not true according to the scripture. We're going to find that there is a group of people. Who's this group? Those who dwell upon the earth. They are going to be in allegiance to this Antichrist empire, and what are they going to do?

They are going to persecute, they are going to kill, and they are going to become drunk, as the scripture says, from the blood of the saints and from the blood of the ones who are martyred of Yeshua, of Jesus. The ones who are martyred because of their faith in Jesus. So this is what the scripture says is going to happen. There is going to be great martyrdom in the last days. Who's going to carry this out? It's going to be this Antichrist empire. It's very important that we learn what the scripture says concerning this empire.

Move on. Look, if you would, to the middle or the end of verse six where it says, "And I marveled after seeing her, a great amazement." Verse seven, "And the angel said to me, 'Why do you marvel? I will say to you the mystery of the woman.'" Now again, this woman is tied to harlotry, which is related prophetically to idolatry. We find that this woman is connected to—keep reading—"and to the beast and the one that carries her."

So we learn something. It is this beast that is carried by her. Who's the her? This great harlot. And what it tells us is this: the simple meaning is, when we look at this empire, this beast, it is going to be characterized by idolatry. And this is what the world wants. We want to do what is right in our own eyes. Now, we see that, for example, in the book of Judges.

In fact, several times the problem with Israel is that evil Israel was doing what is right in their own eyes. Do you know how God sees that? Now, it doesn't say that Israel wanted to be disobedient, wanted to be rebellious. That's not what it says. It says Israel was doing what is right in their eyes, but if you look, God saw that as evil. Now here's the message. We need to learn two Hebrew words.

One is the Hebrew word *tov*, which is good. Whenever we come across, whether it's in Hebrew or in Greek, this word "good," biblically speaking, what is good? God's will. The second word is the Hebrew word *ra*, which is evil. What is evil? Our will. When we make what we think is a good decision, but we make it based upon our own perspective, not relying, not trusting upon the revelation of God (let me be more specific, not relying upon scripture), what we're going to be doing is to be choosing evil.

And evil, how do we understand that? Anything that is against God's will. That's what evil is about. It is in contrast to the will of God. So left to myself, using my best intentions, using my intelligence, my perspective, I will always choose evil. Why? Just read sometime Genesis chapter 6 and verse 5. It tells me that the inclinations of my mind are always evil. When we are left to ourselves, when we try to make a good decision but we make it based upon our own understanding, leaning on our own understanding, we will always choose evil.

So we are dependent upon scripture, the revelation of God's word, in order to assist us in discerning the mind of God. We are called to make decisions with discernment, and the only way that we can do that is through the word of God. So it says here (look again at verse seven), John is receiving these visions and he's getting assistance from angels. Verse seven, "And the angel spoke to me, 'Why do you marvel? For I will say unto you the mystery of the woman and the beast which carries her, the one that has... (and listen to this carefully) the one that has seven heads and ten horns.'"

Now, we're going to see something that is miraculous about this beast, this evil empire. What is that? Look at verse eight. "And the beast which you saw was and is not." So we're taught something, and this is foundational. If we ignore this or we don't understand it correctly, we're going to miss out on what God wants us to learn about this empire. Remember one of the things that Peter taught us, Paul taught us, and Christ taught us was to be watching, watching out for this enemy.

What does he say here? He says, "The beast which you saw was and is not, but it is about to rise up out of the abyss." But there's good news. In the future, there is going to be an evil empire that is going to be led by the Antichrist. You say, "How do you know that?" Well, if you go back to Revelation chapter 13, there is the first beast that rises up out of the sea, meaning out of a time of great instability.

Then the second beast, which looks like a lamb but it has the horns of a dragon, that's the Antichrist. He's going to come up from the earth, meaning this: there's going to be instability. That instability is going to bring about a government change. It is going to establish that Antichrist empire. And when that Antichrist empire is established, then the Antichrist is going to be manifested. And what is he going to do?

He is going to do signs and wonders, even to the extent that he causes fire to come down from heaven. And this is going to be used to deceive humanity, to cause humanity to have a sense of hopelessness. I mean, if this one is able to cause fire to come down and consume, what can we do against him? So the Antichrist empire is going to minister a hopelessness to the world, that you cannot resist him, you cannot oppose him.

But we won't have that perspective. Why? Because we will see things very, very differently. Why? Because we know something: with God, all things are possible. We do not trust in our own abilities, through our own power, our own actions, but we rely upon a God who is able to do all things. Now, I mentioned earlier that when we look at the name of God, those four letters, *Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh* in Hebrew, that word Jehovah, it speaks about a God who transcends all things.

That name of God speaks about a God who transcends all things. What does that mean? He is without limitations. One of the ways that Judaism speaks of God, we use the expression *Ein Sof*, which means without end or without limitations. That's why we believe, and we read in the New Testament, with God all things are possible. Now I want to give you a scripture. You can just make a note of this, but it's found in Exodus chapter 6 and verse 2. There we see something.

We see that the patriarchs, they were men of God. They were pursuing the promises of God, and they were pursuing the promises of God with faith. That's the only way that we can find His promises, experience them, by means of faith. So they had faith, but we're told something. It says, "My name (meaning Jehovah), My name I did not reveal to them." He gave them another name. What was that other name? *El Shaddai*.

What does that mean? Most of the time, it's translated "the God who is almighty," but that's not what it means. *El Shaddai*, the God who is sufficient. But the only way to know God is through your circumstances, through your needs that He meets. But through redemption, we know God as a God who is without limitation. So when we look at this scripture, look again, verse eight where it says: "The beast which you saw who was and is not is about to rise up out of the abyss."

So the abyss is another term in the book of Revelation for hell. It teaches us that this beast, this evil empire, is connected to hell, not connected to heaven. And then it goes on to say, "And it will go away into destruction." Now, isn't that good news? This empire that the Antichrist will rule over, it is not permanent. It is not eternal. It is going to go away into destruction. And that destruction is an eternal destruction.

Remember what the scripture says: that those who reject the gospel, that the smoke of their torment is going to rise up forever and ever, both day and night, without any end. So it makes it very clear that the punishment of God is forever. It does not cease; it does not come to an end. Let's press on. It says, "go away into destruction, and the ones who dwell upon the earth (that is, those who are in allegiance with the Antichrist empire), they will be amazed."

And who are this group, those who dwell upon the earth? Well, we're told. It says, "whose names have not been made to be written in the book of life." Now, it's something interesting. When we look at this phrase "to be written," we see something. There's an eternal aspect because the perfect tense is used. So their names have been written in the book of life in the past, it's still written in the book of life, and it will forever be written in the book of life.

One of the things that confuses me is when God says something, He speaks to the church and He makes a promise to every believer. The scripture says that He will not blot our name out of the book of life. Isn't that what it says? And I don't know why so many people think when they hear that, that there's a possibility that He will. He won't. He makes a promise to every believer: "I will not blot your name out of the book of life."

But this group of people, those who dwell upon the earth, we are told emphatically that their names have not, is not, and will not be in the book of life from the foundations of the world. And what are they going to do? They are going to see the beast, which was and is not, but is about to be. Now, what the scripture's telling us is this: that there's coming an empire, and this empire was in the past, then it wasn't, and it's going to come back.

And this is going to cause the world, meaning those who belong to this world, it's going to cause them to marvel when this empire comes back. But here's the question we have to ask ourselves: who is this empire, this empire of the Antichrist? Well, the word of God is going to reveal it. But first, notice what it says in verse nine. There is that word that is so important, the word that tells us we're speaking to the church, where we read: "Here is the mind having wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains."

What is a mountain prophetically, again? If you don't know prophecy, it makes the book of Revelation very, very difficult. But when we look at prophecy, we see something. We see prophetically that a mountain is a seat of government. How do we know this? Well, we are told again in Isaiah chapter 2 that the mountain of the Lord is going to be established, and it's going to become the chief or the head of all mountains.

What does that mean? It means that God has a plan. What is that plan? He is going to move His administration—we've been taught this, we've mentioned this—where is God's throne right now? In heaven. But it's not going to stay there. When we study the book of Revelation, it teaches us about the events that's going to bring about a change. What change? That He is going to take that throne that's currently in heaven and He is going to establish it where? In Jerusalem.

How's He going to do that? By means of redemption. We're not talking about that payment for redemption, but we're talking about the outcome of that payment, which is what? The establishment of the kingdom of God. So difficult times are coming for the church, but that's okay because He has promised for us to receive eternal victory. Look again, verse 9. "Here is the mind having wisdom. The seven heads, they are seven mountains upon which the woman is made to sit upon them. And they are seven kings (or seven kingdoms)."

Why do I say that? Because there is no king without a kingdom. So notice, what is being repeated? The number seven. There are seven heads; these seven heads are seven mountains. They represent seven distinct governments. But John's going to give us more information. Look now to verse 10. "And they are seven kings." And we're told that five have fallen. Now, the word of God is very specific.

When we look at the book of Daniel, we are told about these seven kingdoms. What are they? Well, Daniel looks at them and he sees them looking into the future. But when John looks at them, he sees four of them (we'll come to the fifth one in a moment), he sees them in a different order. Why? John is not looking forward into history, but John is looking back into the past. Therefore, from John, he gives the order in a different way.

When we look at them, these five that have fallen, we know who they are. Scholars don't disagree with this. We have Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medes and the Persians are the fourth, and the fifth one, five have fallen, is obviously Greece. So again, let's get this right. Five have fallen, we know who they are: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, the Medes and the Persians, and then the fifth one is the Greek empire.

Now, we need to make a statement, and that statement is this: all of these empires had something in common. What was that? They persecuted the Jewish people. We know that in Egypt the Jewish people, the Hebrews, suffered. We know that Assyria came, and the Assyrian exile, by the way, it's still going on. It has not been solved. So the Assyrian won't be solved if you look at Ezekiel until the end times, when God brings about a unity between these two tribes.

What two tribes? Between the southern tribe, which was called Judah, and the northern tribes, that was called Ephraim or Joseph. So we see that prophetically, we can expect that there's going to be unity in the last days, that that Assyrian exile will indeed come to an end, but it doesn't come to an end until the last days. But keep reading. It says here: five have fallen, we've talked about that, and one is.

Well, what would be that one in John's day that is? Rome, exactly. So we have six. And we know something else: Rome as well was a persecutor of the Jewish people. In fact, it was Rome under Titus that destroyed the second temple and waged war upon the Jewish people and caused great hardship, great suffering, and great death. So all of these empires, all six of them, five who have fallen and one that is Rome, all of them were known as a great persecutor of the Jewish people.

But keep reading. Notice what it says: "and one has not yet come." What number would that be? Seven. Now, here's the thing that I would say to you because we need to be consistent. We are not told what the seventh one is. I would argue, and I'm going to share this with you in a moment, that when we look at scripture, I believe that we can figure out who the seventh one is. Others would reject that; that's fine.

But whatever position you take, understand there's implications for that. Some people say we cannot know who the seventh one is. Well, that's fine. But if you believe that, then what that does is this: it says to us that there's a seventh one coming, but it has not come yet. We don't know who it is. So it's going to delay the end times because we're going to find out that there's not seven, there's seven heads, but we're going to be told by John in this passage there's actually how many? Eight.

But we're going to learn—and this is vital information—that there is a linkage between that seventh and the eighth. Now, what does the scripture say? Well, let's press on where it says: "And another has not yet come; and whenever he should come... (Now, this is in the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive speaks about possibility. So that's why it says whenever, we don't know, whenever he should come...)" what does the scripture say? "It is necessary for him to remain a little while."

Now we're learning something. When we consider these empires, like Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, the Medes and the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans, some of these empires lasted hundreds of years. But we are told a clue, a very important one: that this seventh empire is going to be different. When it comes, it is only going to remain for a short time. Now, remember all the information. These empires, what did they have in common? They were persecutors of the Jewish people.

Now, if you ask in history, what empire has persecuted the Jewish people more than any other in history? You know what empire it is? Nazi Germany. And what I would say to you is this: when we look at the first six, some of them endured for hundreds of years, but that Nazi empire only remained for a short time. In fact, we see that it was from the 1930s (towards the end of the '30s) until 1945. Truly a relatively short period of time, but nevertheless, it was the greatest persecutor of the Jewish people, by far.

My question to you is this: you answer it however you think, however the Spirit leads, but in my estimation, that the largest persecutor of the Jewish people ever, it might have some prophetic significance. But let's press on. Notice what it says in verse 11: "And the beast which was and is not, he is also... (then we have it) he is also the eighth." So there's not seven. What is surprising is: yes, there's seven heads, there's ten horns, but there's going to be an eighth one.

Let me pause for a moment. One of the most important prophecies, in my opinion, is what is written in Daniel chapter 8. Now, what's sad about this is this: if you look at most Christian scholars, they will tell you that Daniel chapter 8 has already been fulfilled. I strongly reject that, and I reject it for a biblical reason. If you look, for example, it tells us three times in Daniel chapter 8 verse 17 and Daniel chapter 8 verse 19, it tells us three times that this prophecy, this vision, is for the times of the end.

It is going to bring about the end of God's wrath. When God's wrath is over, the kingdom is going to be established: first the millennial and then the New Jerusalem. So it tells us three times: the end of time, the end of God's wrath, and then it says it is for the *Moed* which is the appointed time, again *Ketz*, which is the Hebrew word "end." So when we rely upon Daniel chapter 8, we are told three times that this prophecy is about the end times.

And it begins with two beasts, right? The first beast, we are told, relates to *Paras uMaday*. How do we say that in English today? Iran. And Iran is going to be a great source of instability. What's going to happen? Well, as Daniel is receiving this prophecy, he is trying to understand it and he's having difficulty. And as he's looking at this first beast, this ram that relates to modern Iran—but not just Iran by itself. Iran is going to put together a coalition of other nations that are going to join with it.

Now, Iran, my hope is that Iran falls very soon. And if so, all that's going to do is delay things because for this prophecy to be fulfilled, Iran has to rise up again and to do so in a very powerful way and again be that source of great worldwide instability. And there's a second thing: hopelessness. Because what is the nations going to be saying? They're going to be saying, "Who is like this ram? Who can stand against it?"

And there's going to be great hopelessness when this ram rises up. But as Daniel is looking at this first beast, something else happens. A second beast, what is called the goat. And make no mistake: if you read Daniel 8 carefully, this second beast, the goat, is the Antichrist empire. And it is going to wage war not just against the nations, not just against Israel, but its target is going to be—read Daniel 8—is going to be the heavens. It is going to wage war against God.

Now, we know what's going to happen because eventually, as we move towards the end of Daniel chapter 8, we find out that this goat is going to be defeated. And it's amazing how he's defeated. There's an expression in Hebrew: *be-efes yad*. *Yad* is the Hebrew word for hand and oftentimes it speaks of power. It speaks of anointing. It speaks about a work or an outcome. And what does the scripture say? He's going to be defeated by *efes yad*, which means (*efes* is the Hebrew word for zero).

How is he going to be defeated? Not through any power. He's going to be defeated another way. And we see this, for example, in Second Thessalonians chapter 2. What is going to bring about the defeat of the Antichrist empire? Well, we're told. We're told that it's going to be the sword that comes from the mouth of the Messiah. In other words, this sword, He's just going to speak.

And this tells us something about Messiah. It supports what we learned earlier today: that Messiah is the divine Son of God. Now, why do I say that? Well, when we look at creation, God created the heavens and the earth in a particular manner. We find the expression in Hebrew *tohu vavohu*, which is what? Chaos. It means it lacks order. When God created—now we say it in our Bible, in English—that He created the heavens and the earth and the earth was empty, void, and formless.

Why? Because it teaches us something. God had to make a repair to His creation. Wasn't because He failed; it was all part of His revelation. And how did He make this repair? What brought it about? Well, we see two things. Remember what the scripture says: that the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. So the Spirit of God was there and what did God do? He spoke. Remember what He says: Hebrew *Vayehi or*, which means "Let there be light," and guess what? There was.

Now, what does that teach us? It's through the Spirit and the Word which God's order, that which is good, His will, is established. Not through our word, not through our thoughts, but by the word of God and the Spirit. Therefore, when Messiah is going to destroy the Antichrist with the sword of His mouth, what's it telling us? He's just going to speak. And His word has authority, and through that word, this enemy is going to be forever destroyed.

So when we look at this scripture, let's conclude. Look at verse 11: "And the beast which was and is not, he is the eighth, but is of the seven." Meaning it has that same characteristic of all seven. They were persecutors of Israel. But this seventh one is what? It only lasts a short period of time. I would present to you that that seventh one is Nazi Germany. And that's why today, in an unparalleled way, we see how anti-Semitism is soaring.

And we see it in so many different countries. Why? Because that spirit of the Antichrist is coming into the world. Now, the Antichrist has not been revealed. What is going to bring about the revealing of the Antichrist? Well, we don't have to guess; we don't speculate. The word of God tells us. We look at Second Thessalonians chapter 2, and we are told that before that day... what day? The Day of Christ.

Now, here's the problem. If you follow (we were talking about at lunch) the two Greek New Testaments: Nestle-Aland and the Textus Receptus. And if you look at Nestle-Aland, it says "the Day of the Lord." Well, the context is not the Day of the Lord when God pours out His wrath. It's rather, if we look at the Textus Receptus, it has "the Day of Christ." What is the Day of Christ? It is another term for the rapture.

And we are told that before that day, that is, before the rapture happens, there's going to be something in the church. I think it's happening today. It's not completed; it's not over with, but we see the beginning of it. And what is that? The apostasy. We see more and more churches compromising, embracing... let me just give you an example. We were in Sweden a few years ago and while we were there, we were able to use another church. Well, we were grateful for that.

But when we entered into that church, they had this rainbow flag that speaks of homosexuality on the piano within the sanctuary of that church. That is a church that is full of apostasy. It is a church that has compromised, and we see more and more today churches compromising. And when that happens, it is so tragic because we're supposed to be faithful to scripture. We're supposed to agree with God; His standards are supposed to be our standards.

And if we reject the commandments of God, well, we're not going to be that faithful church. So the Bible says there's a falling away that's going to happen, and I believe it's already beginning. And this apostasy is going to bring about the abomination of desolation. It is going to cause this Antichrist to feel confident enough, secure enough to reveal himself. This is what the apostasy brings about.

And I'll conclude with this. In Second Thessalonians chapter 2, there is the Restrainer. Now, people are obsessed with this Restrainer, and they all want to know who the Restrainer is. Now, the scripture, if you look at that, it says in Second Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 6, "And the one who restrains you know," but you don't know who he is. You don't know the identity. What the scripture says: you know his purpose.

He restrains so that Antichrist will not be revealed until God's timing. The Restrainer shows that God is in control. And the Restrainer, here again, people are so careless. And the reason why I say that is this: many people, the most prominent view among those who hold to a pre-tribulational rapture, is that the Restrainer is the church. Can't be. Why? When you look at Second Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 6, the Restrainer, the first time it's mentioned, it is in the neuter gender.

So not male, not female, it's an "it." But when we look at verse 7, the second time that it's mentioned, it's in the masculine. Now, if you know anything about Greek grammar (and you should), when you have the same entity in two different genders, you know what that's telling you? You can't know the identity. But we know something else: it can't be the church. Why? Because the church, that Greek word for church is *ekklesia*, and it's feminine.

So when we look at the Restrainer, first time neuter, second time masculine, it's never presented in the feminine, so it cannot be the church. So we need to form our theology based upon what the word of God teaches. And it's only when you are looking at scripture in the original language that you gain so much. And I would say this. If you go to a doctor, you want to go to a doctor that is what? Trained. That has a medical graduate degree.

That has gone through residency, that knows how to handle health. In the same way, I'm appreciative for your pastor. During our time at lunch, he was given the Greek New Testament and he began to read it. It shows that he has studied in order that he has equipped himself in order to handle God's word correctly. That's what we're called to do. And when we do so, we find the word of God coming alive.

So in the last days, there's going to rise up an empire. This empire's going to have suffered a fatal blow, but it's going to reappear. And all the world's going to be amazed by that, but we won't because we've read the scripture. We know what to expect. And we're not going to be shocked; we're not going to struggle. But we are going to persevere, endure, and overcome because we understand that the one in us is greater than the one in the world. When we look at the church, we will become a victorious church because we won't compromise. We won't embrace the apostasy, but we are going to stand true to the word of God.

Father, we praise You for You are righteous and holy, and we adore You, we worship You in spirit and truth. We pray that we might know Your word so that we can stand in faithfulness to Your revelation. For this is our prayer in Jesus' name, Amen.

Mark Joshua Wabina: Hello, Doc. My name is Mark Joshua Wabina from Evangelical Theological College of the Philippines. And I'm so grateful for this opportunity. It's a wonderful discussion about the end times. In Filipino context, the information is much more retained through visual. May I ask a question: do you have a timeline for this? Your view like a pre-trib, mid, and post-tribulation?

Dr. Baruch Korman: I'll say what I mentioned Friday night. There's no biblical reason to define the timing of the rapture in regard to the tribulation. The Bible never does that. What the Bible promises is this: that the rapture will happen before the wrath of God begins. So if you go on our app—Excuse me, My Bible Study—there's a timeline that's available there so you can see some of the major events and the order of them.

Guest (Male): All right. Do we have another question? All right. Hello, good afternoon, Doctor. It's me again. I'd like to ask a question, but the heavy disclaimer: this is a pretty loaded question. Within the academe, there is a consensus that first of all, the beast of the sea in Revelation 13 and the beast in Revelation 17 are conflated into one figure.

Many scholars do believe that they are adapting from the whole Nero Redivivus myths all over the empire, which was when the entire empire believed that since Emperor Nero's suicide was very private and not a lot of people saw the body, people thought that it's either he faked his death and escaped or he did kill himself but he would resurrect again. And since many people in the eastern part of the Roman Empire loved Nero more than the Romans did, they really thought that he would return and he would usher in a new age.

Now that part is very essential since many people, specifically the Jews and the Christians who were persecuted by Nero (since it was Nero that started the whole Christian persecutions), it kind of ushered in what Richard Bauckham calls the Christological parody in which the whole Nero resurrection myth is supposed to mimic Jesus Christ. And we kind of see this. For example, many scholars do say that the mark of the beast, 666, is gematria for the letters of Nero's name transliterated into Hebrew letters: *Nun-Resh-Waw-Nun-Qoph-Samekh-Resh*.

Then we do see this in some codices of that specific chapter where it's 616 where it reflects more the Latin name, removing the final *Nun*. And we do see this in other parts of the Judeo-Christian corpus. For example, in the earliest oracles... okay, all right. My main point is if we are talking about this whole interpretation of Nero being resurrected and becoming some sort of the Antichrist figure, would this factor in more as an allegory and fit more with the interpretation that you have put out that it is an empire that is to come? Or would the Antichrist be someone who really rose from the dead and would usher in an evil empire?

Dr. Baruch Korman: We're talking about two different things. You began by speaking about the beast, which is an empire. And then we talk about the Antichrist. So the Antichrist is going to be the ruler of his empire. So we see two entities here. I would just simply say that the key thing that we see in the passage we just looked at is that there's a connection between the seventh and the eighth. Obviously, when we look at Rome, we're talking about the sixth. So I don't see any connection between what you were sharing about Nero being connected to the future or the Antichrist in any way. All right.

Delia: Good afternoon. I'm Delia. I appreciate your ministry in loveisrael.org. I love Israel. I am praying for Israel as well. So my question, sir, is after the rapture, the Bible says that the dead will rise first, and then those who are alive will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and we will meet Him in the air. My question is: after the rapture when that happens, where will the dead who will rise first go? Where? And then the living ones who will be changed in a moment, where will they go? And where will Christ go? We meet everybody, we meet Him in the air. And then the millennial kingdom will start when He comes back. So I'm kind of confused about this. Thank you.

Dr. Baruch Korman: First of all, when a believer dies, whether this was 2000 years ago, 1000, 500, whenever, when a believer dies, their soul goes to heaven. So that's where the souls of those who have already died, that's where they are. They are with Messiah in the kingdom of heaven. Now what we find here is with the rapture, what's going to be resurrected is their bodies. And their bodies are going to be reunited with their souls.

For us who are still alive, if we are still alive, we're going to be changed, as we sung, in a twinkling of an eye, where we are going to receive a new body. And that soul will inhabit that new body, that kingdom body. And we all, everyone who's a believer, will be brought into the kingdom of heaven where we'll be there until the second coming where we return with Christ for the purpose of ruling and reigning with Him during the millennial kingdom.

Delia: Thank you. So if I understand it right, sir, when the rapture comes, Jesus comes, we meet Him in the air. So that will be the first coming. And then we will be brought up to heaven, all of us: the dead and the living will go up to heaven. And then there will be a second coming: Christ will come again for the second time to establish the millennial kingdom. Am I getting it right, sir?

Dr. Baruch Korman: That's exactly right. But just to emphasize again, those who have died in faith, their souls are currently in heaven with Christ.

Delia: Okay. So in other words, there are two comings, two second comings? The first coming is the rapture because Christ will come, meet us?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Well, I would say this: there's the rapture and there's the second coming.

Delia: Yeah, but Christ will come for the rapture. So we will meet Him in the air. That's the coming of Christ. But all of us will go to heaven. And then the tribulation happens?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Well, here again, I don't like to use the word "tribulation" because I don't know what that means biblically. What will happen will be the wrath of God will begin after the rapture. We don't know how soon, if we're talking about moments or days or weeks or a month; we're not told. The wrath of God will happen. At the end of God's wrath, Messiah will return and He will defeat the enemies of Israel. He will bring a remnant of Israel to faith, and then He will establish the millennial kingdom.

Delia: All right. Thank you so much. So that's a second coming. I was confused there: the first coming is the rapture, and then after the pouring of the wrath of God, Christ will come back again the second time to establish the millennial kingdom. Correct?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Correct.

Guest (Male): Thank you, sir. All right. This may be a good time to ask this question. Somebody from our viewers—I'm kidding, somebody just sent me this message—is too shy to come up here. Doctor, he's saying in light of Matthew 13:24-30 where Jesus teaches that the wheat and tares grow together until the harvest at the end of the age with no separation beforehand, and John 5:28-29 describing one general resurrection of both just and unjust, how does the pre-wrath view avoid implying two separate stages of Christ's return and resurrection which seem to flatten into a single climactic event at history's end?

Dr. Baruch Korman: I'm not sure what the nature of that question is. Yes, we find that there's good grain and there's the weeds. And we are taught that there's coming a time where He is going to separate. He will separate and He will cast those weeds into everlasting judgment. The good grain, the good soil, the fruit is going to be taken into His kingdom. So I don't necessarily, maybe I'm missing something, I don't see a conflict with that.

Guest (Male): I think what the question's implying is that it seems like in the pre-wrath there's two events.

Dr. Baruch Korman: What two events?

Guest (Male): The rapture and the second coming. Some verses would imply that it's going to be one thing.

Dr. Baruch Korman: I totally reject that there's only one. I think that there's very clearly there's a rapture spoken of, and there's also the second coming. So I don't see a problem. I've never experienced or heard difficulty with those two events.

Guest (Male): So brother, if you asked this question, you missed the opportunity to do a follow-up. If you want to follow up, please do come up here in front. Do we have other questions?

Guest (Female): Good afternoon. For this session, we talk about Revelation 14 and 17. My question is: is Revelation 14 and 17 a literal judgment of the future, or a symbolic snapshot of God's victory, and how does it fit in the whole context of Revelation or the whole timeline of Revelation?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Revelation 14 speaks of the rapture and then the wrath of God being poured out. In Revelation chapter 17, we have being identified for us certain characteristics about the beast and what's going to happen to that beast. So those are the two things that it's speaking of. Help me out again with the nature of your question.

Guest (Female): And how does it fit in the timeline of the whole Revelation or the whole context of Revelation?

Dr. Baruch Korman: The message of the book of Revelation is the establishment of two kingdoms: first the millennial kingdom and after that the New Jerusalem. So we see that the rapture will happen prior to the wrath of God, and then we're going to be seeing that after judgment... one of the things that the Bible's very clear in, we see this prophetically in the Old Testament, we see it also in the book of Revelation: we have the second coming where there's the judgment of God, His wrath being poured out at Christ's second coming.

Then we see, as well, after the millennial kingdom, there's that Great White Throne Judgment, another judgment. And we find that as an outcome of God's judgment, the kingdom is established. So all of this is working together for one purpose, and that is to teach us about the events that must happen for the kingdom of God. The emphasis on the book of Revelation is the coming kingdom, for us to be ready, for us to understand we're called to persevere, endure, and overcome the things that God is going to allow the church to go through in order that the church becomes changed, that we become that glorious bride with garments of righteousness in order that the groom will receive us unto Himself. Thank you.

Guest (Male): If you want to ask a question, by the way, you can just queue here at the middle.

Saliah: Good afternoon, Doctor. I'm Saliah and I'm from this church. You're talking about kingdom. I just want to know what particular kingdom is the Lord Jesus Christ referring to when the disciples asked Him how to pray. And then He said, "Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So what is this kingdom that He's referring to?

And also when He sent the 72 disciples and they go from one place to another and He said, "If that certain place reject you, shake your feet with the dust and say that know this: that the kingdom of God is near here or has come near here." So what is this kingdom referring to in light with what we are talking about?

Dr. Baruch Korman: We're speaking in a general sense of the kingdom of God. We need to know that the kingdom of God comes in two stages: first the millennial kingdom. During the millennial kingdom, there will be a temple. Christ will rule from that temple. But in the New Jerusalem, there will be no temple. It says that the dwelling place of God or the Tabernacle of God will be with men and women or humanity.

So the kingdom of God comes in two stages, and we see first the millennial, after that the New Jerusalem. And the message of the kingdom of God is that we're going to be brought into the glory of God. We are going to be recipients of the blessings and the promises of God. But the key is this: all of that is only possible by means of redemption. And therefore, it's the redeeming work of Christ on the cross that creates us anew so that we become a kingdom people. And that's who we are now in Christ: we belong to the kingdom of God, not this world.

Saliah: Does it mean that we are kingdom people but not necessarily the kingdom has come, not yet? But we now belong to that kingdom?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Because of the Holy Spirit, we can say the kingdom is within us. We have that intimacy with God, we know God, but in the fullness, it has not come. We're waiting. Yes.

Guest (Male): Just if you have questions, you can just stand and stand behind our sister and get ready for your question.

Guest (Female): Good morning, Dr. Baruch. We are honored here this afternoon to have you here. It is says in First Corinthians 6:3, "Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life?" My question is at what point will believers be exalted to a higher authority than angels presently hold, greater authority than humans? So it is more relevant to hear it from you, sir.

Dr. Baruch Korman: I would say as an outcome of the rapture, we are going to be transformed into this new being. And therefore, it will only be after that that we will have the opportunity to judge angels. Of course, we judge angels according to the word of God, according to the assignment their call that they were given and what did they bring about. So I think it's amazing that God is saying about this transformation that we're going to go through where we'll have that ability to judge angels. Thank you so much.

Guest (Male): Good afternoon, Dr. Baruch. Two quick questions. I was taking notes, I might missed it, so I just like to get it from you. It's regarding the eight kingdoms. You mentioned Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, the seventh could be Nazi Germany, and the eighth was not I was not able to get it.

Dr. Baruch Korman: The Antichrist empire.

Guest (Male): Okay, very good. The second is regarding the Restrainer. Do you hold the same view of the pre-wrath view of since it's neuter and then masculine, that it's Angel Michael that's restraining evil?

Dr. Baruch Korman: There's not a scripture that says who the Restrainer is. So I think it's very inappropriate for us to speculate on who the Restrainer is.

Guest (Male): But definitely not the church.

Dr. Baruch Korman: It's never in that original language. Thank you.

Liz: Good afternoon, Dr. Korman. It's Liz again. Before my main question, I have a prelude question. Are the beasts, the seventh and eighth beasts in Revelation 17 related to Daniel 7, the fourth beast?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Very good question. The fourth beast is unique. It's different than all the rest. Might it be related to that? As I said, Daniel's looking at it from a different point of view than what John is looking from it, from different directions. But we see that there's four in that section of Daniel chapter 7, but we see that there's eight. So I hate to speculate and say in any definitive way yes to that. I don't know.

Liz: Okay. So the main question. Let's just talk about the Antichrist. Is there any possibility that he will come from a revived version of the Ottoman Empire? Because let me just read Revelation 20:4: "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus." I will just stop there.

And I do not know of any other empire or group of people that beheads people except for that group of people that I will not name. But we also see how fast this religion has spread throughout the world. It's overtaking Germany, the UK, other parts of Europe. And they hate the Jews, they hate the Christians, and they have no regard for women, as described by Daniel in chapter 10. They set to change times and seasons, and they have a different calendar. So I cannot just shake off the possibility of the Ottoman Empire having a role in the end times.

Dr. Baruch Korman: My response is I would reject that for one main reason. As we talked about, the main characteristic of the Antichrist empire is idolatry, not necessarily Islam. Now when we look at the ram, we see that the ram is obviously going to be Islamic. But the Antichrist empire, I think, is going to be an idolatrous one, focused on man as a rebellious man before God. So I don't see the Ottoman Empire or anything Islamic being the nature of the Antichrist empire. Thank you very much.

Guest (Male): Hi, Doc. Shalom. This question has been my question since the longest time. So this pertains about heaven. And my question is: this is coming from two verses. In John 4:24, "God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." And the second one is when Jesus was with the thieves on the cross, He said, "You will be with me in paradise."

Now, my question is: by the grace of God, when we die, we go to heaven. This is my question: is heaven a physical place, or is it are we in spirit with God, or I just want to imagine, Doc. So thank you.

Dr. Baruch Korman: Two things. When He said to one of the thieves on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise," He's not speaking about heaven there. He's talking about what's called in Hebrew *Cheq Avraham* or the Abraham's Bosom is another way to describe that. So that is speaking about a place that does not exist today. That paradise, that Abraham's bosom, it says in the scripture that He took captivity captive.

So it's not there. Isaiah tells us that Sheol, the place of the dead, or Hades where they were punished, has been expanded. So today there is not that paradise. To answer your question: yes, heaven is a physical place. When we die, we will go there, those who are believers. It is a real place, and we have been told several times in the scripture we've looked at that that's where the throne of God is currently. So it's a real place; it's just not spiritual. There are some physical attributes to heaven today.

Guest (Male): Doc, just a follow-up question. Allow me, Pastor Ken. So when we go to heaven, do we have heavenly bodies? Our soul goes to this heavenly body or...?

Dr. Baruch Korman: It depends. If this believer over here dies today, what's going to go to heaven is their soul. But with the rapture, it says those who've already died and those who are still alive, we are going to receive a kingdom body at that time. So I don't like the term "heavenly body"; I prefer a "kingdom body" because that body's going to endure forever and ever. Praise God. Thank you.

Guest (Male): Just to clarify that one, while our brother walks out. Just to clarify that one. Do you mean that when a believer dies today, he goes to heaven, but with no physical body?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Only the soul. All right.

Guest (Male): Just to clarify for everybody. Go ahead. Good afternoon, sir. My question is about the red heifer. I just want the clarification if this information that I get from Google is true. It says that on July 1st, 2025, a practice run ceremony of one of the five red heifers was slaughtered and sacrificed. It was held in northern Israel, designed to prepare for the purification ritual required to rebuild the third temple.

This rehearsal conducted by the Boneh Israel organization, involving burning a candidate heifer to practice the ancient rites as detailed in Numbers 19. Can we use the red heifer as basis or a sign for first step of building the third temple and the coming of the Antichrist?

Dr. Baruch Korman: I would say very strongly that what you are reading is fake news. It hasn't happened. There is no approved red heifer in Israel. First of all, it's not slaughtered because there's no place today that you can slaughter. Meaning there's no altar; there's no place. I realize it was done outside the city in a specific place, but this is not allowed today. The Orthodox community would speak very strongly against that, would never accept that because Elijah is supposed to come in order to teach us these things. So it's all fake news.

Guest (Male): Thank you, Doctor. Before we go to the next question, just an encouragement for everybody: we live in a digital age where everything and any news can be out there. And sometimes news pertaining to the end times and signs gets sensationalized just for views and likes and engagement, generally. So we want to encourage everybody to be discerning about those posts, read and do our research. Ask your leaders at the church so that you can be guided well. Very well said. Brother?

Jerome: Good afternoon, Dr. Korman. I'm Jerome, and this question emanates from my recent reading on the temple described in Ezekiel. And based on my further reading on it, like commentaries, there is a division as to the interpretation of the temple because others would say that it's a spiritual temple, but others would also say that it's a physical because of the detailed manner of describing it. Now, my question is: how do we put in the significance of this prophecy on or this description of the Ezekiel temple? Is it the third temple or the millennial temple? And follow-up question: I'm kind of interested because if it is the millennial temple or the third temple...

Dr. Baruch Korman: There's two different things. You're saying third temple, which is usually thought of as the temple that the Antichrist is going to oversee. And the millennial one is a different one.

Jerome: Yeah. So just my clarification, Doctor, is that in Ezekiel 40:39, it says here: "And in the vestibule of the gate were two tables on either side on which the burnt offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering were to be slaughtered." So I'm kind of curious why that portion of the temple is still there considering the fact that Jesus already paid all the sins. So for me, there's no need to have that part of the temple because Christ paid it all.

Dr. Baruch Korman: I understand that perspective very well. But we have to look at something, and that is this: why will there be sacrifices offered up in the millennial kingdom? The reason for that is—let me give you an example. There was a very well-known pastor, his name was Charles Stanley. Some of you might be familiar with him. He had a very interesting perspective, and his perspective was this: if we look at the sacrifices that took place in the Old Testament, he said (and I would agree with him), they all pointed to the cross.

That it was the superior sacrifice was Messiah's sacrifice. So they all pointed towards what He was going to do. In the millennial time, there will be sacrifices and offerings, and they all point back to Christ's death. I agree with you: it is Christ's death on the cross, His sacrifice for sin, that deals with sin perfectly and eternally. But those sacrifices are going to be for a people that are going to be born in the millennial kingdom, that have to be trained and discipled, and need to understand some things about sin.

Sin brings about death. So this is why there's going to be sacrifices, because it teaches us that when there is sin, the outcome, the consequence of sin is death. So that's why there's going to be those sacrifices in the millennial kingdom. So I see the temple as a literal temple where there'll be actual sacrifices. And here's the problem: if we spiritualize it, which I would strongly recommend not to do, it poses a problem because it's going to be the abomination of desolation that brings an end to these sacrifices.

So they're literal sacrifices that are going to be happening in a literal temple that will be, first of all, during the time leading up to the abomination of desolation, and then, as I said, in the millennial kingdom, they're going to point back to that superior sacrifice of Christ. Thank you, Pastor.

Jerome: I would like to just have a follow-up question, but another question but I would just like to ask it. I'm interested about it. Knowing that the last times is likened to the days of Noah, wherein if we go back to the days of Noah, there was a time, a moment that God really closed the gate. Now, in our modern times or in the end of times, when would be the closing of the gate, Pastor? Or if I may elaborate it further, when would be the point in time in history or in the coming future that God would not accept anyone to be saved anymore, like the salvation is shut? When would that be?

Dr. Baruch Korman: First of all, we have the millennial kingdom, and during the millennial kingdom, here again, there's an opportunity for those who are born in the millennial kingdom. First of all, everyone on day one of the millennial kingdom, everyone is going to be a believer, everyone. But there's going to be differences because those who are saved and took part in the rapture, they're going to have what type of body? A kingdom body.

Those who came to faith after the rapture, that remnant of Israel, that one-third, and also those from the nations that went up to war against Jerusalem, they're not going to have that kingdom body. So they will be able to procreate; they will have children. People will live a long time in the millennial kingdom. Isaiah points out that when someone dies at a hundred, it's going to be viewed as though they were a young child when they died.

So people are going to live longer, which means there is going to be a large population of people who will be born during the millennial kingdom. They will have an opportunity to be saved. To answer your question directly: at the end of the millennial kingdom, Satan is going to be released and he is going to deceive. After the deception and after that war where fire's going to come down and destroy those who set themselves against this camp of the saints, at that time, right going to the Great White Throne of Judgment, there'll be no salvation after that.

The Great White Throne of Judgment, no one is saved at that point on. So with the Great White Throne of Judgment, the opportunity for salvation is over. Thank you.

Guest (Male): Doctor, before we go into the next question, some clarification: when the Bible says it will be like the days of Noah, what does it really mean?

Dr. Baruch Korman: We mentioned this last night. The days of Noah describe the time leading up to, but not including, the rapture. So things are going to be normal, fairly normal—that's what we talked about last night—eating, drinking, marrying, being given in marriage. But when Noah finished building the ark, then the wrath of God through the flood could come. So I would say that the days of Noah refer to an opportunity for people to make a decision, to choose wisely. Eventually, that, as we talked about, will be taken away at the end of the millennial kingdom. Thank you.

Guest (Male): Can we go to the next question? Good afternoon, Dr. Baruch. And before I proceed to my question, let me thank you for coming here in Cebu City to educate us about the end times. Okay. So, I'm just a bit confused because earlier there is a question about the second coming. Please kindly correct me if I'm wrong. The second coming, the Lord Jesus Christ will come over here on earth. Is that correct?

Dr. Baruch Korman: The second coming, He will come to earth. The rapture, we will meet Him in the air.

Guest (Male): Yes, that's correct. So that's exactly what's in my mind. The rapture is not the second coming because we will meet Him on the air. I mean, on the air, not on earth. So there's a two, you know, I mean, it's confirmed that the rapture is not the second coming yet.

Dr. Baruch Korman: That's right. Two different events, two prophetic signs that separate them. And when He comes the second time, it says (and I mentioned this last night), First Thessalonians 3:13, the saints are coming with Him. So we need to be ready for the rapture, we need to have accepted the gospel, but if you've done that, you will be part of the second coming. You will be joining Him. You can't help it because the Bible says where He is, we shall be forever. So we're going to take part in the second coming. Thank you so much.

Guest (Male): All right. So once again, just to clarify for everybody what Dr. Korman is saying: that the rapture and the second coming are two separate events. They are not the same. Good afternoon, Dr. Korman. In behalf of the Cebu City Ministers Fellowship, we'd like to just extend our thanksgiving for coming here and had given us excellent teachings on the end times. I have two questions. Number one, having heard your teachings on end times prophecy and seeing how churches today are often divided over doctrinal issues, what do you think is the big picture focus that God wants His church to maintain in these last days?

Dr. Baruch Korman: I would say a commitment for scriptural integrity, to realize that the word of God contains truth and that we need to implement that truth in our behavior. We're not saved on our implementation of that, but He expects it to do, He expects us to do that.

Guest (Male): Okay. Second question is this. What should be the prophetic marker we need to watch that will signal that we are in the end of the last days?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Well, here again, when you say "the end of the last days," I would say that the event that we should be watching for is the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. That lets us know that we are entering into Daniel's 70th week. The end of the end times, that's going to be the second coming and the pouring out of God's wrath in its full strength. For the church, we won't be here to witness that. Thank you.

Guest (Male): Good afternoon. I still have 19 minutes. Surely, as Filipino, maybe I'm not sure, were not included in the 144,000?

Guest (Male): Sorry, excuse me. Can you come closer to the microphone, please? Thank you.

Guest (Male): As Filipino, I think we are not included in the 144,000 said in Revelation?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Well, certainly, that if you're a Filipino believer, you are included in the 144,000 in Revelation chapter 14.

Guest (Male): Now, if we cannot make it to the 144,000, can we make it to the multitudes with the white robes?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Here again, if you are a believer, you will be in that multitude of those that have the white garments.

Guest (Male): Thank you. The same people, yes. In the Revelation chapter 24:40-41. There are two in the fields. It is stated that there are two men in the field, and in another circumstance is grinding. One is taken, and one is made to be taken and one is made to be left. Does it mean that it's a 50/50 chance?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Well, in this sense, you can either accept the gospel or you can reject it. If you accept the gospel, you will be taken. If you reject the gospel, you will be left. So there's two options. I don't like to say 50/50; that leads it up to chance. It's not based upon chance; it's based upon truth: do we receive the truth or do we reject it? That's all. Thank you.

Guest (Male): Praise God. Let me repeat what Dr. Korman was teaching today: the phrase Paul uses, "in Him." So our assurance found both to be included in what was mentioned are all found in Christ. Okay, so that's our security. Brother Mark?

Mark: Thank you, Doctor, for coming. My question relates to your statement about the Antichrist achieving world dominance and calling down fire from heaven, I believe you said. Could that be some type of miraculous power or could it be a military-type power?

Dr. Baruch Korman: I certainly don't see it as militarily related. I think it's supernatural and it's for the purpose of deception. So this is what the Antichrist is going to do. Christ warns us over and over when He was speaking about the end times, says, "Let no one deceive you." Paul also says in Second Thessalonians 2, "Let no one deceive you by any means." So this is the emphasis in the end times is don't be deceived by these false signs that the Antichrist or the false prophet (some say they're one and the same) what they're going to be doing.

Mark: So because the Antichrist is a agent of Satan, he will appear to have supernatural powers?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Yes.

Guest (Male): Before we go into the next question, Doctor, just some clarifications: because some people are asking, since the Antichrist will have some supernatural power, is it kind of like copying what Jesus did when He came in miracles to show and to prove that He was the Messiah, He was the Christ? And him coming, in the Antichrist, showing he has power also to lead others from Christ to him?

Dr. Baruch Korman: What I would say is this: that the character of both the Antichrist and his empire is blasphemous. And so no true believer is going to be deceived. You're not going to see people who are true believers joining with him. His character is going to be clearly known and identified by his works. And here again, there's nothing in the Antichrist that wants to give glory to God.

Everything that Jesus did was to glorify His Father. He obeyed, He submitted, and He wanted to honor and serve and glorify His Father. So very, very different, and I think that it'll be very, very simple for us to discern the character of the real Christ versus the character of the Antichrist. All right. Thanks, Doc.

Guest (Male): Hi, Doctor. This is really just a curious question because you mentioned it yesterday and I don't think I got the answer. You mentioned in the days of Noah, the world was full of violence, and then you mentioned that there were two words of violence in Hebrew, which is *almut* or *hamas*. Which one was that? I don't think I got you mentioned which one was used in the days of Noah.

Dr. Baruch Korman: *Hamas*. Saying they wanted violence for the sake of violence. Not for a purpose, not to achieve anything, they just enjoyed chaos. And this is why God brought about the flood. Got it. Thank you.

Guest (Male): All right. Do we have other questions? Maybe two before others come up, Doc. The first one is, others are curious: when are you coming back?

Dr. Baruch Korman: Based upon Pastor Mackie, we're talking about May of 2027.

Guest (Male): So you put it in your calendar. Second question: what makes you smile?

Dr. Baruch Korman: My lovely wife.

Guest (Male): There you go. Let's give her a... Oh, we have one more question. Come up.

Dr. Baruch Korman: 39 years of marriage allows you to answer a question like that.

Guest (Male): Dr. Korman, based on your experience, knowledge, do you have a hint who is the identity of the Antichrist?

Dr. Baruch Korman: No.

Guest (Male): We'll let you know if we know him, okay? Do we have other questions? We still have 12 minutes, you know. Yeah. Pastor, who will initiate in rebuilding the third temple? Is it the Messianic Jews or the Jewish?

Dr. Baruch Korman: No, the Antichrist. We need to understand that the next temple that will be built in Jerusalem is going to be of the Antichrist's desire and effort and work. Not the Jewish people. In fact, right now there's no work, no thought, no plans being made in Israel in regard to the temple.

Guest (Male): There will be no ghost projects regarding that, so it's not an issue here in the Philippines to construct. All right. Anyone else? If there's none, can we give God the glory as we give a clap offering to Him. Thank you, Dr. Korman.

Dr. Baruch Korman: Thank you very much.

Guest (Male): Well, we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others. Please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of loveisrael.org. Again, to find out more about us, please visit our website loveisrael.org. There you will find articles and numerous other lectures by Baruch. These teachings are in video form. You may download them or watch them in streaming video. Until next week, may the Lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua, that is Jesus, as you walk with Him. Shalom from Israel.