If you watch the world news or are a student of history or geography or enjoy reading about different cultures, you may have noticed the effects of a certain underlying theme. This theme affects all Gentile nations today.
You may have never thought of it, but it is nevertheless there. Chiastic reading as presented in Chronicles shows us this situation.
The world’s nations today can be thought of as being in one of three groups. The nations of China, Japan, and India, for example, can be thought of as different from Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and even France, which in turn can be thought of as different from Canada, Brazil, and Argentina.
Do you realize what that difference is? The three aforementioned groups of countries are the way they are, because of their reaction to something—something universal and global.
It’s the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. All Gentile nations of the world can be thought of as being the way they are, because of their individual reactions to the gospel.
The First Group of Nations
The nations of China, Japan, and India, as well as nations like Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka never accepted the gospel. There were always a few people that would listen to the occasional missionary over the many centuries, and become Christian, but until the late nineteenth century, Christians were always less than 1 percent of the population of those nations. And even after a century and a half of protestant missionary effort since the 1850’s, teaching that to be a Christian is to have relationship with Christ rather than practice a religion, these nations taken as a group are still not even 10 percent Christian.
Why is that? It is because all those nations have their own moral code, embedded in their cultures. Many people when told the gospel, think they must practice some religion. So why change religion to a different moral code when the ones they have already work perfectly well in their views? These moral codes come from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism.
This is why the gospel has failed to take over these nations, keeping these nations from being Christian nations up to this time.
The Second Group of Nations
Unlike the eastern nations, the nations of Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and even France accepted the gospel. There were, at one time, servants of Christ mixed in with the general population of church-goers, to the point these whole countries went to church.
Why aren’t they Christian now? What happened?
Egypt, Yemen, and Libya were then taken by Islam in the eighth century AD, and the populations of those nations fell away over the centuries. And what of France? France did what other western European nations did: they thought they were too intelligent and educated to “shackle” themselves to a God they convinced themselves was a myth, and so with manmade arguments starting during “The Enlightenment” in the eighteenth century AD the peoples of western Europe fell away as well.
Egypt, Yemen, and Libya, as well as France, and Turkey, and the UK, and Morocco, and Spain, and many other nations all have in common that they were once Christian nations, but fell away.
The Third Group of Nations
Finally, the nations of Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, and Mexico, and the United States, and Uruguay, are all Christian nations today. They do not officially forsake their faith (except for certain parties on the political Left in these nations), but except for a few exceptions are free to worship Jesus Christ. One would think that these nations would be filled with churchgoers and have many servants of Christ. Sadly, the one thing all these nations have in common is that their populations are drifting away. Why? To pursue wealth of course, as well as to worry about what they will eat and drink.
All these nations started as Christian nations, but have been engulfed by the pursuit of wealth. The land they occupy was discovered starting in 1492 by brave people seeking wealth—new trade routes to the east. They were settled first by people seeking gold, then by people seeking a “better” life. What is the reason most immigrants coming to the New World have given as to why they are immigrating? A better life; more opportunity. These nations were born in, and grew up in, the seeking of wealth.
And what is the American dream? Is it not to own your well-built house and have some land around it? What is the third God-given right stated in the United States’ Declaration of Independence? Is it not the pursuit of happiness?
There is nothing wrong with having wealth. And in a Christian nation such as what the United States has been in the past, blessings from God are good and may be many. However, it seems in the Americas, those that have wealth, forget God and pursue more wealth. Those who do not have wealth forget God, and at least pursue food and drink.
Three Groups, Three Courses of End-Time Events
Each Gentile nation falls into one of these three groups. If you study the histories of the nations, this will become apparent to you. It is the nations’ relationship to the gospel in the last many centuries that defines how they are today, and defines what they will go through in the end times.
The things to be endured will begin with the Second Signpost. The Second Signpost will set into motion not only what these three groups of nations endure during the Signposts but how they will be judged during the Great Tribulation. (We’ve already plainly seen in Scripture a facet of the puzzle: Rev. 16:12 and Dan. 11:44)
The time for the great reaping of souls for the kingdom of God will not be during the Great Tribulation, it will be during the remaining three Signposts. The greatest potential for harvest is in the eastern nations like China or India, where fully half of the human race lives, and most of them have never even heard of Jesus Christ.
How will God deal with each of these three nation groups in the end times? It will be first to encourage as many people as possible, in a way catered to each of the three groups of nations, to come to Him. And then it will be the plagues and judgments of Revelation, again catered to each of the three parts.
How can we know all this? It’s right there in His Word, read chiastically.
The three groups of nations are the three parts of the great city. They will be gathered at the end, to Israel, by the three unclean spirits coming out of the dragon, the Antichrist, and the false prophet.
Who is the great city, the Harlot? It is all the world—everyone who is not a servant of Christ.
The United Nations emblem in Geneva, Switzerland. All three parts of the world start in the center (North Pole) and roll out southwards, in directions of a clock face at 2, 5, and 8 o’clock. (REUTERS File Photo)
Just as Daniel Revisited tells us the meaning of what is happening in the Middle East right now, Revelation is telling us the meaning of the news events going on around the world right now, in real and identifiable ways.
Categories: Chronicles of the End Times, In The News, The Great City
THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS 
This is a really interesting post, Mark. Hmmm…I never thought about it like that before. You may very well be right in this regard.
I don’t always comment, but I read everyone of your posts.
Blessings!
Hi Julie,
Chronicles chapters 45-47 are spent on this topic. The wonderful thing about chiastic reading is it takes you to places in Scripture you had no idea were coming.
I appreciate your watching with me.
Ha, Mark! I haven’t got even close to those chapters yet, buddy! LOL It is heavy duty reading….
Blessings!
Hi Mark,
Very interesting! I look forward into delving deeper in your new book during the Holidays (when I will have time with out being interrupted).
Do you have any speaking engagements scheduled in central Florida during the next year?
It seems we are so close to the 2nd sign post!
Darrin
Darrin,
Glad to hear you’ll be reading the new book.
Sadly, no, there is no speaking engagement scheduled. I am available, but haven’t spoken in over a year. I suppose some churches want to hear about the Islamic Antichrist, but no church wants to hear about the Signposts and the difficult times ahead of the rapture. But I believe this is all part of God’s plan.
On pages 456-457 of “Chronicles” is this statement: “The greatest news story of 1492 in Spain was not Christopher Columbus discovering America, but that the ruling Islamic kingdom had been eradicated from Spain.” On page 548 is a map of the Antichrist’s realm showing Spain again under Islamic control. Reinstating that control might occur during the time of the Turkey-led confederacy, which according to Daniel 8:8 will become “very great.”
In Centuries 8:51, Nostradamus (1503-1566) predicted that a Turkish leader (le Bisantin) would conquer Cordoba, Spain. But in 5:55, Nostradamus predicted that an Arabian leader would conquer nearby Grenada, Spain:
(Edgar Leoni’s translation)
In the country of Arabia Felix
There will be born one powerful in the law of Mahomet:
To vex Spain, to conquer Grenada,
And more by sea against the Ligurian people.
Since Cordoba and Grenada are near each other, that suggests that a Turkey-led confederacy will reconquer Spain for Islam. Some European lands that Antichrist is to rule over may already be conquered when he begins his seven year reign.
Prisms,
In Chronicles I show that the Antichrist’s wars and conquests are within the current Islamic realm up to the start of the seventieth week. During the first half of the seventieth week, Antichrist will then war and conquer lands outside the realm, like Spain. Upon the midpoint of the seven years, Antichrist then changes focus again, warring against the Jews and Christians.
Here is a case where God’s Word, being consistent within itself, differs from other sources of “prophecy.” Spain and any other nation outside the Islamic realm will not be conquered until Antichrist is in power and has united Islam. The Turkish confederacy will be completely confined to the Middle East.
“The Turkish confederacy will be completely confined to the Middle East.”
Part of Turkey and all of Albania are already in Europe, and Turkey has enjoyed being a conduit for Muslim migrations into Europe.
Turkey’s flag is nearly identical to that of the Ottoman Empire, which gained control over nearly all of the Balkan peninsula of Europe.
The ram will become “great” (Daniel 8:4), but the goat will become “very great” (Daniel 8:8), which probably indicates a larger area of control.
Prisms,
Well, yes, the southern Balkan peninsula is included as well to include Albania, but by and large only the Middle East.
Remember, the four horn nations of Dan. 8 coming out of the confederacy, in the four directions from Susa, is the extent of the Sunni confederacy. You and others can hold to your theories, and they are all fine, but I need to keep the Signpost message from going beyond what Scripture directly says. For example, Rev. 6:8 keeps the four horsemen limited to the Islamic realm only.
In “Daniel Revisited” you brilliantly expounded on the meaning of “the fourth part of the earth” (Revelation 6:8) as the Islamic realm. The Middle East is not the full Islamic realm, which also includes North Africa. Iran wants to spread its Islamic Revolution to wherever Muslims are. There have also been massive Muslim migrations into Europe.
The first signpost was confined to a small part of the Middle East. The ram of Iran becoming “great” (Daniel 8:4) and the goat of the Turkish confederacy becoming “very great” (Daniel 8:8) suggest dominions expanding toward encompassing the entire Islamic quarter, not just the Middle East.
Hello Mark,
I have gotten through the chapter on the three parts of the Earth. I really appreciate the historical perspective that you bring to your commentaries. In the explanation of the religious codes becoming national codes of moral conduct, you ‘left out’ Hammurabi and his code for Babylon, which all of us in the US learned about in high school. The Law of Moses was never taught; maybe because that one was given by YHVH God.
It would be really valuable, I think, if you and Nelson Walter, and Joel Richardson could find an acceptable way for a joint conference, each of you presenting your own unique perspective, without having to dwell too much on your differences.
Merry Christmas!
Hi Howard,
Hammurabi’s code might deserve an honorable mention, but it didn’t last. Any code leftover in Mesopotamia by the time of the gospel, yielded to the gospel.
I’m up for any conference as you mention.
Very interesting thought. Mark’s view is unique. Being a christian for about most of my life of over 65 years in South Korea which received Gospel from late 19th century though catholic faith was received much earlier than ptotestant faith. Protestants in S. Korea prevailed in 1980’s, 1990’s and 2000’s here, thank God, but now seems we protestants are shrinking as anti-christian campaign was undergoing at the same time of left wing’s political gain. I think S. Korea is in a state of mixture of 3 groups Mark points out, meaning we are in spiritual war. I pray we will experience another victory over Babylon.
Mark, do you think this false flag episode in Christchurch NZ is the start of something bigger!!!!??
Wayne,
I’ll be posting about it soon, but I believe what is happening in NZ touches on something ongoing in East Earth.
What is the third sign post the second happed already
Hi Jenn,
No, the Second Signost has not occurred yet. My books and this website, should be able to fill you in. To answer your question, the Third Signpost is the Sunni nations Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Albania responding to Iran taking over the Mideast.