Coming World Catastrophes Foretold in the Bible

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2013, all rights reserved.

Chapter 1

Big money is paid to business consultants for their analyses of markets and trends.  Their clients who pay the big money do so because they want the best information on which to make their business decisions.  The best consultants can save corporations millions of dollars if they have the right expertise and research skills.

But a source of information that such consultants frequently overlook is a book not often thought of as a business handbook.  The book provides information about future events that no good businessman should ignore.

The Holy Bible is not only a book of history, but foretells many coming world catastrophes and the future of the world.  Those who scorn the Bible are at a disadvantage if their competitors are regarding God's book.

God has revealed future events to his prophets such as Daniel, and John the Beloved, author of the Book of Revelation.

Jesus also spoke of future events in Matthew chapter 24.

The Book of Revelation tells us that the time will come when there are no more islands in the oceans.  With that knowledge, would you think that buying property on an island would be a good investment, or not? (Rev 16:20)

Daniel wrote one of the books that are called the "Major Prophets" in the Old Testament portion of the Bible.  Those five books are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

The Old Testament is the first thirty nine books of the Bible.  The remaining twenty seven books are the New Testament, for a total of sixty six books in the Bible.  Revelation is the last book in the New Testament.

Daniel was one of the children of Israel who were taken away captive to Babylon at the time of the "Babylonian captivity."  The King of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar, whose armies conquered Israel.

World history is very much intertwined with the history of Israel because of the covenant God made with Abraham, the forefather of Israel.  We now have the modern nation of Israel, recently founded in 1948, but there was also ancient Israel that God eventually scattered to the four winds because of their sins against God.

About two thousand years ago, Israel was under the occupation of, and ruled by the Romans, under Caesar.  The local governor for Israel was Pontius Pilate.

During the Babylonian captivity, which lasted about seventy years, God revealed to the Prophet Daniel various things about what would happen in the future.  The Lord showed Daniel a prophetic "seventy weeks."  In those prophetic "seventy weeks," each of the weeks represents seven actual years.

Sixty nine of those seventy weeks have already been fulfilled.  There is now a gap until the seventieth week of Daniel that is still to come.  This seventieth week will be the seven years of "Great Tribulation" that will come on the earth.

During the "Great Tribulation," there will be a world ruler, called the "Antichrist," also called "The Beast," who will rule the whole earth.

He is an evil man, not a God-fearing person.  The people of the earth will be required to take "the mark of the Beast," the number six hundred sixty six, mentioned in the book of Revelation.  They take the mark of the beast in their hand or forehead.

But all those who take the mark of the Beast will be damned and will wind up in a fiery hell, and hell is forever.  Those who don't take the mark of the beast won't be allowed to buy or sell.

You've probably heard of a period of tribulation in history called "The Spanish Inquisition."  There was a program about it recently on TV.  But the Great Tribulation will be more severe in its tribulation than even the Spanish Inquisition.

I've heard speculation that Barak Obama might be the Antichrist, but I think not.  The Antichrist will have to deceive the Jews into thinking he is their Messiah, or savior.  Obama wouldn't be able to do that because he wasn't born in Bethlehem, nor born of a virgin, as predicted by the prophets concerning the Messiah.

An event foretold in the Bible is the devaluation of gold and silver, as found in the fifth chapter of James.

___James chapter 5

1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.

3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.

I've seen on TV, and heard on the radio many who are trying to sell us gold and silver as a "very safe" investment in these "times of financial uncertainty."

No doubt those sales people are finding some customers among those who are ignorant of the book of James.  But people who pay attention to the book of James know that gold and silver are not good investments due to their coming devaluation.

I don't know exactly what form that will take, but this "rusting" of the gold and silver clearly implies that both gold and silver will no longer be worth as much as they had been worth.

Wise investors don't invest in things expected to decrease in value.  So, better not put your money into gold or silver.  Or, if you've already done so, I suggest you sell your gold and silver investments before the bottom drops out.

Chapter 2

When God reveals the future, he sometimes gives a dream to someone.  He gave Pharaoh dreams in the book of Genesis, and Joseph interpreted the dreams for Pharaoh.

So, God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream.  He was troubled because of the dream and wanted the interpretation of the dream.  But there was a problem.  When he asked his wise men to interpret the dream, they said, "OK, tell us the dream, and we'll interpret it."

Nebuchadnezzar said,  "I've forgotten the dream."

They answered, "We can't interpret the dream until we know what the dream was."

Nebuchadnezzar said, "Either you tell me what I want to know, or you'll be executed."

But one of the wise men was Daniel.  Daniel prayed to God, and God showed Daniel the dream and the interpretation so Daniel could tell King Nebuchadnezzar.  God hadn't forgotten the dream.

In the dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a statue with head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, feet of iron and clay.  A stone came and destroyed the statue, and grew into a great mountain that filled the earth.

The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar.  The silver was the next kingdom, inferior to the first.  The brass, another kingdom that would rule the whole earth.  The iron kingdom breaks and subdues everything.

The iron and clay is a partly strong and partly broken kingdom.  The stone that became a mountain is God's permanent kingdom that replaces all the others.

Nebuchadnezzar was replaced by a succession of kings.  One of them was Belshazzar, King of Babylon.

During the reign of Belshazzar, God gave Daniel a dream.  The four winds of heaven blew on the ocean, and four beasts came out of the ocean:  the first, a lion with eagle's wings, the second, like a bear that devoured much flesh, the third, like a leopard with four heads, the fourth, a beast with large iron teeth  and ten horns.

Another horn came up and replaced three of the ten horns.  Daniel saw the Ancient of days.  The fourth beast was killed.  The "Son of man" came and received all dominion.  Jesus referred to himself as the Son of man.

It was explained to Daniel that the four beasts are four kings, but the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess it forever.

The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom on earth that devours the whole earth.  The ten horns are ten kings.  Another king shall arise and replace three kings, and he will speak against God, and fight against God's people.  But his dominion will be taken away and given to God's people.

In Daniel chapter 8, God gave Daniel a vision.  He saw a ram with two horns that pushed westward, and northward, and southward, and had the dominion.  But then, a he-goat with one horn destroyed the ram.

The goat's horn was broken and replaced by four horns.  Out of one of them came a little horn that became very great (the Antichrist), who also took away the daily sacrifice.

Last I heard, the Jews were not sacrificing animals, as per the laws of Moses (in the Pentateuch).  It is written that "without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin."

I expect the Jews will resume the animal sacrifices, which will later be stopped by the Antichrist, and will be replaced by the "abomination that makes desolate." (Dan 11:31, King James Version)

The ram with two horns is the King of the Medes, and the King of Persia.  The rough goat is the King of Greece (Alexander the Great).

It has been said that after Alexander the Great had conquered the then-known world, he sat down and wept because there was nothing else to conquer.

Of course, he was no doubt unaware of North and South America, as Columbus was unaware of them before he sailed west from Europe, hoping to arrive in India.  Spain would later conquer much of the "New World."

In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus predicts that there will be false Christs.  (Remember Jim Jones, and also the Branch Davidians?  There was a full-page ad in one of the major newspapers about a man announcing himself as the Christ.  A man from India, as I recall.  No, Jesus is not from India.)

Jesus says there will be wars and rumors of wars.  Nation shall rise against nation.  Famines, (we've heard about a lot of famines in recent years.  That's why G.H.W. Bush, the President sent people to Somalia), pestilences, earthquakes (lots of those).

Jesus said when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel, stand in the holy place, then the Judeans should flee into the mountains.

In Matt 24:21, Jesus said there would be great tribulation such as there never has been, nor shall be later, and the days will be shortened.

Of course God has many ways of doing things, but the obvious way of shortening the days would be to have some force cause the earth's rotation to increase in speed, so that one revolution takes less than twenty four hours.

Chapter 3

The book of Revelation was written by John the Beloved, one of Jesus' twelve disciples.  The book is a revelation from God that was given to John, who wrote it down for us.

Jesus says he is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  And then the Lord has some things to say to seven churches.  But to each of the seven churches, he promises something good if they'll be overcomers.

In Rev chapt 5, there's a book with seven seals.  Jesus starts opening the seals in chapter 6.  Four horses come out with power over the earth.  Death by sword and from hunger and from the animals of the earth are produced.

There will be a great earthquake, and the sun turns black, and the moon will become like blood.  The stars of heaven fall to the earth.  Every mountain and island are moved from where they were.

In Rev chapt 8, hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown on the earth, and one third of the trees were burned up and all of the green grass.  A mountain of fire is thrown into the ocean, and one third of the ocean will become blood.  One third of the sea creatures die, and one third of the ships will be destroyed.

A star will fall on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of water, causing the water to become bitter, and killing many men.  One third of the sun, moon, and stars will be darkened.

In chapt 9, locusts come with power like scorpions, and they'll torment people for five months.  Four spirit beings are loosed that will kill one third of the population.

The mark of the beast is in chapter 13.

In chapter 14, a city is destroyed.  The city is referred to as Babylon.  But this is not the Babylon that Daniel was taken away to, where Nebuchadnezzar had been king.

That Babylon has been destroyed, and a prophet said it would never be rebuilt.

I believe the Babylon in Rev. chapt 14 is Rome.  I believe Rome is destroyed in Rev. chapt 14.

In Rev 14:20, blood flows as high as the horse bridles.

In Rev chapt 16, terrible sores come on people.  The oceans become like the blood of a dead man, and every living soul in the oceans dies.  The rivers and springs become blood.  Men will be scorched with great heat.  People chew their tongues because of their pain.

The river Euphrates will dry up.  The armies gather for the battle of Armageddon.  There will be the worst earthquake that there has ever been.  Huge hailstones fall on men.

More on the destruction of "Babylon" in Rev chapt 17.  Babylon is identified as a city that sits on seven mountains (vs 9).  Is this not Rome?

In chapt 19, the fowls that fly in heaven are gathered together to feast on the flesh of men.

Scriptures quoted are from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version, and the New Testament, Hoehn version, copyright 2011.  Both are available as ebooks for the Kindle reader at Amazon.com

The Lord bless you.  Frederick Hoehn.

www.FredHoehnMinistries.com

___James chapter 1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.

2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,

3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,

10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.

11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.

18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.

21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,

24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

___James chapter 2

1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,

3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"

4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?

7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?

8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,

9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.

12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.

13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,

16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?

17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."

19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?

22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."

24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

___James chapter 3

1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.

4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.

5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.

7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,

8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.

11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.

15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

___James chapter 4

1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?

2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.

3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.

4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"

6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.

11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?

13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"

14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."

16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

___James chapter 5

1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.

3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.

5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.

6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.

8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.

9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.

10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.

13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.

16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.

17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,

20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.