“The thing which has been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.  Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See this is new?  It has been already of old time, which was before us.” Ecclesiastes 1:9, 10

 “That which has been is now; and that which is to be has already been; and God requireth that which is past.”  Ecclesiastes 3:15

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I have taught Bible studies for a long time, in homes as well as at church.  Over the last few years, I have noticed a truth that I hadn’t seen or heard taught before.

In one of my recent classes, I remember telling my students that the Bible ends as it begins.  I saw that the book of the Revelation ended exactly the way the book of Genesis began.  It is like the whole Bible had come full circle, and the ending shook hands with the beginning.

There is a popular Bible teacher on television who said that if you start at Genesis 11 and read backwards to the first chapter, it lines up with reading the Revelation forward.  He didn't present the teaching at the time, but just made that brief comment in passing, nor did he say what particular chapters to read in the Revelation.

However, having this key truth, anyone can read and compare these wondrous writings for themselves, and discover all kinds of correlations.  That is what I did, and the following are some of the things that I found:

Genesis 11 speaks of men coming from the East, building the tower of Babel (confusion).  It also mentions that the earth is divided (split, earthquakes).  We are also introduced to the central figure, Abraham, who fathered both the Jewish and the Arab peoples.  Today’s world is still suffering because of these two nations in the Middle East… the Muslims and the Jews.  Not only is our military fighting and dying for democracy in a foreign land, we are going broke over the gouging of oil prices.

Revelation also tells about these and other warring nations which will be the central figures in upcoming wars, and finally, Armageddon.  There already is the confusion of Babel in that the nations of the world are divided over the nation of Israel.  Jesus also predicted the increase of earthquakes and all sorts of natural disasters.  (I had never heard the word tsunami until recently.)

Since we are living in the end-times, some have referred to the Twin Towers' destruction and likening it to men coming from the East, and the confusion of Babel, also bringing big nations to war… but we cannot read into the Scriptures.  I mention it because it is a curious coincidence.  Babylon is also spoken of 6 times in the Revelation, in chapters 14 through 18.

Nations have been at war for 5 years since the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 possibly initiated by the King of Babylon, Saddam Hussein... another odd “coincidence!”

Genesis 10 is talking about the nations which were formed after the great flood, through the sons of Noah.  Jesus gave us a sign of His coming.  He said that as in the days of Noah, people were eating and drinking and marrying, they were full of evil imaginations, and violence filled the land until the day Noah entered into the Ark… "and they knew not until the flood came and took them all away".  Does any of this sound familiar?

In Genesis 7, we read about the flood… this is the first tsunami.  Not only did the rain fall from the sky for 40 days and nights, but “the fountains of the great deep were broken up” (as when the earth’s tectonic plates under the Indian Ocean were shaken, and triggered the series of  Asian tsunamis on 12/24/04).  Nothing was left alive; only those aboard the ark.  The dove, representing the Holy Spirit, guided them as to the right time to leave the ark.  From beginning to end, all were enclosed within the ark for over a year.  Then the Lord gave them a new Earth.  The old one was not destroyed, but recycled!  This, too, is mentioned in the Revelation, after the Battle of Armageddon.

Genesis 5 also tells us about a rapture, for the first time.  Enoch walked with God for 365 years, "and he was not; for God took him".  He just disappeared! 

Revelation 4:1 says "Come up hither."  John looked up and there was a door open in Heaven and a voice called to him like the sound of a trumpet, and immediately, he was in the throne room of GOD!  1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 explains the final Rapture experience… and it ends with, “Comfort one another with these words.”

Enoch was raptured up before the destruction of the flood came upon the earth.  I believe that this means there will be a PRE-tribulation rapture of the Church.  Enoch was the 7th generation from Adam. We are in the 7th millennium… perhaps another coincidence.

Jesus warns the Jews in Luke 21:36 to watch and pray that they be counted worthy to escape all the things that are to come upon the earth.  I believe that the flood in Genesis represents that future time. In chapter 6, God was done with all the evil of the earth and mankind, and decided to destroy it… verse 8 reads “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”  Israel will also find grace in the eyes of the Lord during the Tribulation period.  The Jews (who didn’t go up in the Rapture) will be protected in God’s ark of grace.  He will preserve those who call upon Him during the last 3 1/2 years, called the GREAT Tribulation, by hiding them in the wilderness (perhaps in Petra)... Revelation 12.

The Revelation also talks about the preservation of 144,000 who will be evangelizing, chosen equally from the 12 Tribes of Israel (Revelation chapters 7 and 14).  God seals them with a mark in their heads similar to what He did with Cain in Genesis 4.  Cain killed his righteous brother, like those who will behead the righteous who don’t take the mark of the Beast (the Satan possessed world leader) in their heads or hands during the Great Tribulation.

Moving back to the future, we see in Genesis 3 after the fall, that God put enmity between the serpent (Satan) and mankind.  The serpent (Satan) will bruise (strike) his heel but the seed of the woman (Jesus) will bruise (crush) his head.  The Revelation tells us of the time when Satan will be bound for 1,000 years, and then finally destroyed. 
Before leaving the Garden, Adam and Eve were given clothing which God made for them, from the skins of animals which were slain.  This was a foretelling of how Christ would also shed His blood to cover us with His righteousness.

 Revelation 5 calls Jesus the Lamb that was slain.

When we get to the beginning of the ending, we see a striking oneness in the first 2 chapters of Genesis and the last 2 chapters of the Revelation.  Everything is perfect in Genesis 1 and 2 and in the Revelation 21 and 22.  There is no sin, sorrow, pain, or death.  God walks with man and we can eat of the tree of life.  We will be in daily fellowship with our Father, and commune with our perfect Lord and Husband, Jesus.  There will be no serpent (devil) to tempt or persecute us.  The Earth will be brand new with wonderful things to see, eat and drink.  We'll have no fear of animals because there won’t be a carnivores or aggressive nature in any beast, just as it was in the original Garden.  We will be dressed in the Shekinah glory of God.  All will be peace, joy, love, beauty, and fellowship.  We will also have responsibilities, just as the first family did… lest we’d get bored.  God is a creative being and we are made in His image.  I know we will be co-creators with Christ, in some capacity, as well as joint-heirs with Him throughout eternity.

I realize that this is a brief overview, but I'm sure that reading these entire chapters, will fill in any blanks.  Personally, I can hardly wait to get back to the future…Amen!

Pastor Moser
August, 2006

W. O. W.

If you want to go in the Rapture, you have to get right or be left!