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The Beginning of Sorrows

Kingdom Against Kingdom 

What did Jesus mean when He said “Kingdom against Kingdom” would be a sign of His return?

Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8 & Luke 21:10

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom



Matthew 24:3-21

As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs (sorrows). Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another...Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains...For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”



How many reading this believe the end of the age is near? How many believe that because of the things Jesus listed in this passage? I do too, but it behooves us to get it right, amen? The first thing I would like to point out is the fact that these events are in chronological order. First the Beginnings of Sorrows THEN the tribulation begins THEN the great falling away. This is important to know lest anyone be MISLEAD as He just warned us about. Mislead how?

Any Teaching ...

That puts the apostasy/falling away BEFORE the great tribulation begins is not listening to Messiah.



Time-Senstive

These are all time-sensitive SIGNS of His Return.



Did you know?

Jesus was quoting an Old Testament prophecy that unlocks the whole mystery for us?



Isaiah 19

Every Teacher

I don’t know about you all, but every teacher I ever heard applied a generic label to this passage. Either short or long term. In other words, it is always presented as a general rise in war. The “long” view would point to the 2 World Wars of the 20th century etc. On the other side, the “short” view restricts it to the time right before the end (sometimes within Daniel’s 70th week), but is still general in reference. Frankly, the long term interpretation stinks; if it occurs before the final generation, it is not a sign of anything. We can safely discard that thinking right now! The “beginning of the birth pangs/sorrows” cannot be an open-ended time frame, it has a beginning and an ending. The last 3.5 years of this age (AKA the Great Tribulation after the Abomination of Desolation as told by Jesus in these chapters) certainly can’t be open-ended either. Ok so if it specific to the final generation - and specifically to Daniel’s 70th week - and Jesus didn’t “leave us hanging” for details, where do we look? How about the fact that He QUOTED the Old Testament. Where? The Prophet Isaiah, chapter 19 to be exact.



Isaiah 19: 1-4

The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians; And they will each fight against his brother and each against his neighbor, City against city and kingdom against kingdom. Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confound their strategy, So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead And to mediums and spiritists. Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master, And a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.



Daniel 11

So there we have time right before Christ returns, and it specifically involves Egypt. Where do have a prophecy of an end time war involving Egypt? And who is this “mighty king”? If you follow the “breadcrumbs” Jesus left us, we are to look in the book of Daniel. The Abomination of Desolation is mentioned not only in Daniel chapter 9, but also chapters 8, 11, and 12. Let’s leave aside chapter 8 though it does talking about several Kingdoms going to war against each other, and zoom in on what has long been perhaps the confusing chapter in the entire Bible, Daniel chapter 11. There it has the Abomination and “kingdom against kingdom”, one of which is in fact, Egypt.



Daniel 11

Kingdom Against Kingdom Identified

Verses 8, 42 and 43 name Egypt directly 8 Also their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold he will take into captivity to Egypt, and he on his part will refrain from attacking the king of the North forsome years
42 Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape.
43 But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. There is every reason to believe that the 10 mentions of “King of the South” in that chapter is Egypt. The “King of the North” is simply the King of Javan (Turkey) and his realm as specified back in verse 2. King of the North = Turkey (Turkish-led coalition)
King of the South = Egypt These are the "Kingdom Against Kingdom" wars Jesus told us are a specific sign of His coming.



Verses 23-30 =

Caliphate comes together under the Little Horn's leadership and events start to happen rapidly; just like labor pains! verse 23 = Covenant confirmed with 10 Kings and Israel, see Daniel 9:27 - final 7 years begin
verse 25 = Antichrist invades Egypt; "Kingdom against Kingdom" of Isaiah 19
= first 3.5 years, "Beginnings of Sorrows"!



Verses 5-22 =

power struggle for the future of this Caliphate for an unspecified period of time
verse 15 = Egypt falls to Turkey and submits to the Caliphate = Cruel Master of Isa. 19
verse 21 = Little Horn rises - must come from Turkey, Syria or Iraq (land of the north/the Assyrian)



Verses 1-4 =

Turkish coalition vs Iran as detailed in Dan. 8 - yes the same time period!
Persia = Iran
Yavan = Turkey's realm verse 3 = "great horn"/"first king" of chapter 8, likely current Turkish dictator Erdogan verse 4 = parcelling lands into 4 nations, see Dan. 8



Verses 32-45 =

Great Tribulation - Antichrist's war against the Church and the Jews leading to Gog/Magog invasion and battle of Armageddon at Christ's return.



Verse 31 =

Abomination of Desolation - Great Tribulation/final 3.5 years begins.



Aren’t the wars of Turkey vs Iran and Egypt the “Kingdom against Kingdom” that Jesus was referring to?! But remember the end IS NOT YET. Jerusalem must be desolated/tread down and the Jews and Church persecuted and killed by the Beast and False Prophet for 3.5 years before our King returns to take His rightful place. Major wars in the middle east WILL happen but Yeshua will NOT return (and we are not raptured to meet Him) until the END. The end of all THESE things:

 

Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. - Dan. 9:24

To Summarize

First

The Beginnings of Sorrows cannot begin until the 7 year covenant is confirmed. They last 3.5 years.



Second

Kingdom against Kingdom refers the yet to happen Egypt vs Turkey wars. It MAY also refer to the soon coming Iran vs Sunni coalition wars of Daniel 8 (and 7 and 11). But it cannot refer to any other wars either in the past or present. This is simply because God never mentions any others.



Third

Kingdom against Kingdom refers the yet to happen Egypt vs Turkey wars. It MAY also refer to the soon coming Iran vs Sunni coalition wars of Daniel 8 (and 7 and 11). But it cannot refer to any other wars either in the past or present. This is simply because God never mentions any others.



So now what do we do with this? We sound the trumpet loud and clear to the Church and the world. Seek out and speak with those who Fear the Lord so we may have enough Oil in our lamps when the Midnight hour finally arrives. Don’t be one of the 5 virgins who is shut out!!