By
John C. Bartee, M.Div.
Eschatologist
Copyright @ 1998, John C. Bartee

Dedication

"Thee Prophet of the New Millennium"

Prologue: "Chuck Smith at Thousand Oak's Calvary Chapel - 1979"
 

Excerpt: "Rev. Smith said this laser-beamed evil could be witnessed down at the local grocery store"

SECTION ONE: The Time Is At Hand
 

Introduction to Section One: "Who Holds the Future?"
 

Excerpt: "There are many voices beckoning for our attention, promising a glimpse of what is to come. We have the scientists who project a future bright with hope where science and technology conqueror all human limitations and maladies. On the other hand, the mystical seers in visions and trances predict a utopian paradise - if we but heed the warnings of the "higher dimension" spirit-guides. The aliens will come to save us."

I. 6,000 Years and Counting
 

Excerpt: "Although it is found in almost every home in America, in most doctor's offices, and in a vast host of other establishments, the Bible is the most widely held and least read book in society. It is occasionally quoted and given general reference by the media, but most of the populace have never read the "best seller of all time" from cover to cover. It is amazing that in this so called "educated" country, the number one book of all time goes unread while children can quote from the latest sitcom."

II. Millennium Now!
 

Excerpt: "At the time of this writing, the world is just beginning to become conscious of the impending millennial turnover. The computer industry is scrambling to save the database of the world from the year 00 disaster called the Y2K Bug. On the lighter side, the inhabitants of the earth are planning and beginning to implement the end-of-century and new millennium festivities. This is in total ignorance of the clear acknowledgment by the scholarly community that the calendar is off by 4 years! If we consider a strict Julian calendar calculation, the New Millennium is now!!"

III. The Sign of the Times
 

Excerpt: "There are those who believe that the existence of the nation of Israel is a fluke, even though Israel is the focus of world attention after disappearing from the earth for 1900 years. Many of this persuasion believe that all prophecy has been fulfilled in the past. There are those who sleep and those who watch (Eze. 33). Only Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea out of the entire complement of seventy plus Sanhedrien Elders, the leaders of the Jewish religious establishment, recognized the first coming of Christ."

Interlude: "A Letter from the Future"
 

Excerpt: "I'll just go over events that led up to that day . . . You probably remember that in the years leading up to it, Russia had collapsed after years of attempting to convert to a free market system. The internal corruption and graft made this outcome inevitable. The people were starving, and the state employees had not been paid in who knows how long. The government began to come apart, and the old line communists tried to take power. The post-"Cold War" warriors longed for the prestige and power that once was theirs, and the people in general were in search of the national identity which was lost when communism fell."

SECTION TWO: The Big Three
 

Excerpt: "The interpretation and understanding of prophetic scripture is as simple as ABC. The truth is always easy, simple, and clear as illustrated by the teachings and parables of Jesus. Men make it complicated, God makes is easy. Complex charts and deep theology are not necessary. What is needed is the childlike mind opened by the Holy Spirit to see what has been there all the time"

IV. The ABCs of Interpretation
 

Excerpt: "Personal interpretation of scripture should not be dogmatically asserted but there are guiding principles, if followed, that allow for the greatest certainty of reasonable understanding."

V. Daniel, Matthew, and John
 

Excerpt: "A number of years ago, there was a popular song called "Abraham, Martin, and John." It was a folk eulogy to the fallen heroes of the 1960s sung by pop star Dion. In terms of prophetic study, there are three witnesses that stand out: the visions given to Daniel, the words of Jesus as recorded by Matthew, and Revelation shown to John."

SECTION THREE: ABCs of Prophecy

VI. The "End Time" Time-Line
 

Excerpt: "At a certain point, the system takes a quantum leap via a paradigm shift, and we see simplicity at an entirely new level"

VII. The ABCs
 

Excerpt: "Prophecy is like a puzzle where you start with a known piece, the hook, and carefully align the unknown pieces to match its contours. Then you gain a clearer and clearer picture of the whole mystery of interpretation. After a few more pieces are added, it becomes easier and easier to put the remaining pieces into the framework."

VIII. Point A
 

Excerpt: "God says that the inhabitants of these Isles "dwell carelessly" (Ezek. 39:6). This means that they are not expecting nor do they believe that this could happen to them. America has not had a conflict involving a foreign nation on its continental turf since the War of 1812. America has never been invaded or attacked with major damage on the home front in a modern war. Even in World War II, this did not occur. This sense of invulnerability has produced a complacency in our time that is only now being challenged by the threat of militant fundamental terrorist groups. Truly, we dwell carelessly in the so-called Isles that were discovered by Columbus"

IX. Point B
 

Excerpt: "Currently, every citizen of the United States has a Social Security Number. This has become the de facto identification key for almost every system employed by government and business. It consists of a number comprised of three groups of 3-2-4, i.e. 3 digits, 2 digits, and 4 digits. . . In the future, it might be common for the clerk to ask for your Social Integration Number. Without this number, you will not be integrated into society, i.e. you can not buy or sell . . .With a world population approaching six billion, a unique identifier for each human being would take a much larger numbering scheme, a UPC, universal person code. A number based upon the SSN division of three groups but increased to sufficient size to project future needs could be assigned:   999999-999999-999999 : 6digits-6digits-6digits, 6-6-6, or just 666 for short"

X. Point C
 

Excerpt: "The Kings of the East are most likely a relatively new confederacy of Far Eastern states, a United States of the East. Probably the technological brains of the Japanese aligned with other Southeast Asian powers will combine with the enormous brawn of China to form an unequaled power sphere. After years under the rule of the European Antichrist, the Orientals see their chance for a coupe and the opportunity for ascendancy to total domination of the world. The scripture states that this army will consist of 200 million warriors (Rev. 9:16). China has been able to field this number for several decades now, and no other army in the contemporary world can make this boast. The "Sleeping Giant" shall awaken as predicted."

XI. Points D and E
 

Excerpt: "Immediately following the Tribulation, Christ will set up His long-awaited Kingdom. This Kingdom will last for one thousand years. The Devil has tried to mimic this for some time; Satan is an imitator, and what he mimics assures us of what is real. If Satan has tried to set up a 1,000 year kingdom on earth, then we can safely conclude that God has a 1,000 year kingdom in our future. The Roman Empire lasted approximately one thousand years. Charlamagne's Holy Roman Empire lasted from 800 to 1806 AD , Hitler's Third Reich was to be a thousand year empire but God snuffed it out. In the future, the ultimate Fuhrer will announce his plans for a thousand year kingdom."

XII. Practice Makes Perfect
 

Excerpt: " If a method of interpretation has merit and is holistic, it can be applied faithfully to every prophetic passage and produce consistent results. One need not twist or prejudicially align the passage to make it fit the scheme of overall interpretation; but faithfully applying the basic principles of proper interpretation to the text, the individual prophetic details should hook to the key events like pieces to a puzzle."

** Tribulation Judgment Chronology
 

Excerpt: "A spreadsheet comprised of event horizon cells within a matrix of correlated timelines (for the benefit of those who have an aversion to eschatological charts)."

Post-logue: "Even so, come Lord Jesus"
 

Excerpt: "The last words of the Book of Revelation, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20b), are the prayer and hope that Christians for two millennia have uttered. We should count ourselves extremely blessed by His grace to realize that our generation is the generation to see the fulfillment of all these things."

A. RAP-ME
 

Excerpt: "To make the ABCs of prophecy easier to remember, an acronym might help. The time spans which begin with each of the ABC points can be referenced by the first letter of a word that aptly describes the main characteristic of the initial event."

B. A Tale of Two Arks: "A Ship of Fools"
 

Excerpt: " In the history of the world, two vessels convict the conscience of man: the Ark and the Titanic. The great tragedies surrounding their maiden voyage are unparalleled in the archives of human experience. One tale is a Bible story. The other, a video to rent and sell. In this time of eclipse for the 20th century and millennium, it is wise to ponder these epic tales that compel us to this day."

C. About the Author
 

Excerpt: "After spending years as a professional musician, composer, and recording artist, he received Christ at a home Bible study. He had been reading a book on Bible prophecy by Hal Lindsey, "The Late Great Planet Earth." The philosophy and comparative religious study of his undergraduate years at the University of Miami failed to provide the meaning of life that he had been seeking. Intellectual concepts, Eastern Religion, and New Age experiences could not compare to God's prophetic word, the Holy Bible."

D. Sinner's Prayer
 

The Beginning.

E.  Links To Other Prophetic Web Sites
 

[Table of Contents]
 

    I would like to dedicate this work to my lovely wife Lisa and our two special little blessings, Julie and Jonathan, and to our grown children Steve and Michael and their families: Anna and Tristin, Donna and Christian. Also, a special dedication to my loving mother, Edith, and my talented sister, Joan Elder, and her family: Charlie, Jeff, and Angela. In conclusion, a special dedication to Pastor Robert Shelley of Christian Heritage Church for his encouragement, guidance, prayers.

[Table of Contents]

    All the holy prophets down through the ages were merely oracles for the Words of Jesus Christ, the ultimate prophet and author of all prophetic truth. In this new millennium, there is still only one voice of prophecy and one visionary for the future:

    He is older than the universe, the creator of all things, the Alpha and Omega, the Lamb of God and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Captain of our Salvation, our Kinsman-Redeemer, the Reigning King, our Good Shepherd, the Prince of Peace, the Fountain opened in the House of David, the Son of Righteousness, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Justifier, the Sanctifier, the One who supplies all of our Needs, the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily, the Chief Cornerstone, the Apostle of our Confession, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, Beginning of Creation, the Beloved Son, the Branch, the Bread of Life, the Deliverer, the Day-Spring, the Desire of All Nations, the Door, the Elect of God, the Faithful Witness, the First and Last, the Great High Priest, the Holy One of Israel, the Head of the Church, the Horn of Salvation, the Image of God, the Heir of All Things, Immanuel, the Light of the World, the King of the Ages, the Way the Truth and the Life, the Lord of Glory, the Lord of Lords, our Mediator, the Morning Star, the Mighty God, our Passover, the Prince of Life, the Resurrection and the Life, the Rock, the Root of David, the Rose of Sharon, the Seed of the Woman, the Bishop of our Souls, Shiloh, the Son of David, the Son of Righteousness, the True Light, the True Vine, the Word of God, the Messenger of the Covenant, the King of the Jews, the Lord of Hosts, the Holy One of Israel, the Soon Coming King, and
 
 

[Table of Contents]
 
 

    The article in the newspaper stated that Calvary Chapel of Thousand Oaks, CA. was sponsoring a study in the Book of Revelation. It was being led by Rev. Chuck Smith, the founder of the Calvary Chapel community. It would be Friday night, Jan. 5, 1979 (I still have the clipping from the newspaper in my Bible). I decided to attend, since I had been studying Revelation periodically since October of 1973.

    That Friday night, Rev. Smith began to teach from that greatest book of prophecy and told us of the "beast" computer in Brussels, Belgium. Little did I know that in a few short years I would study computers and work for a UNISYS software house, the company that made that very computer system (I now work for another computer company that wants to create the networked world society). Chuck went on to tell the little crowd about the many fantastic things that were coming upon the earth, many of which were already in existence. However, one particular object lesson leaped out and startled many in the congregation: a device with laser beams that could read the products in the stores as we purchased them! So far in his talk, all these fantastic wonders were beyond my personal investigation, being hidden behind the walls of some forbidding institution or in a foreign country. Now, Rev. Smith said this laser-beamed evil could be witnessed down at the local grocery store in the "Valley."

    Since that time, I have seen my produce and grocery goods passed across countless supermarket scanners, and our son was even a scan-coordinator at a major supermarket. I don't think twice about the device now, and rarely even remember that night in 1979 when Pastor Chuck revealed the amazing fact of its existence. The shock quickly wore off, and I have grown complacent about the hidden red beam that reads the UPCs, (Universal Product Code) on the goods that I buy and the world sells. That was less than twenty years ago.