Q&A with Steve Wohlberg Author of “Approaching Armageddon”
Q: What motivated you to write “Approaching Armageddon?”
A: I have been studying, writing about, and speaking about Bible prophecy for nearly 40 years, but I have never seen such a cluster of biblical signs being fulfilled all around us at the same time as the world is now witnessing. I felt impressed by God to write it and complete it quickly to address what we see happening in our world right now. We also filmed a Master Video Course about these same biblical truths to coincide with the book release.
Q: What exactly is “Armageddon”?
A: The word “Armageddon” is used only one time in the Bible, in Revelation 16:16. The context shows that it is “the battle of the great day of God Almighty.” Essentially, “Armageddon” is the final battle between good and evil, between the forces of light and the hosts of darkness, between God and Satan. A further look at the context (Revelation 16:14-21), along with Revelation 19:11-16, reveals that Jesus Christ will return at Armageddon to crush the forces of sin and Satan, and to deliver His people who have maintained their loyalty to Him.
Q: Wars have been going on for years as have natural disasters. How do we know our time is different, and what current signs of the times are the most significant?
A: I acknowledge this fact in Approaching Armageddon. But Jesus is also clear in Matthew 24:12 that “iniquity” (lawlessness) will “abound” (which means “increase.”). He also said, “When you shall see ALL THESE THINGS, KNOW THAT IT IS NEAR, EVEN AT THE DOORS.” That’s what my book is about. I build my case that we are now seeing an unprecedented uptick of signs —disasters, wars, famines, sexual sin—like Lot’s day. We also see violence like Noah’s day and the “increase of knowledge” predicted to occur in “the time of the end.” (Daniel 12:4). Just look at the west coast fires that are burning throughout California and Oregon. This is a record. So is the temperature, up to 126% in Los Angeles. I grew up in L.A., and it was never that hot. This is all happening in the time of a global pandemic and global lockdowns, which is unprecedented. Then you add the riots, rage, and political divisions. “The nations were angry,” predicts Revelation 11:18, before the final sequence.
Q: Does understanding biblical prophecy impact our faith? Why or why not?
A: Many prophetic teachers/theories of the end-times largely remove eschatology from people’s daily lives. In other words, the key issues become whether or not a person “believes” in a pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib view. My understanding of Bible prophecy leads to a deeper morality, deeper conversion, and a deeper walk with Jesus Christ in order to stand firm during these troublous times. It is interesting that the book of Daniel is divided into prophetic timelines (Dan. 2, 7, 8, 9, 11) and practical stories (Dan. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6) which show Daniel and his three friends standing firm for God in times of crisis. These stories are lessons for us. Thus, biblical prophecy and practical godliness need to merge in our thinking, going beyond just academic discussions about end-time theories. My books go beyond what I call fictional fantasy, and deal with real issues facing each of us today.
Q: Most Christians agree that the Bible has been an accurate predictor of future events, but some Christians believe the predictions in books like Daniel or Revelation have already been fulfilled and are not applicable today. What has your study of scriptures revealed to you?
A: The idea that the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation have already been completely fulfilled and don’t apply to us today is called “Preterism.” It is not the dominant view today among most prophecy students, but it is gaining ground. I am not a preterist. Yes, some prophecies have been fulfilled in the past, others have been fulfilled throughout history, and others will be (and are) being uniquely fulfilled in the last days before Jesus returns. In the very first chapter of the book of Revelation, Jesus told John to “Write the things which you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that shall be hereafter.” This is home base. Yes, John did write about some things that “are,” meaning they were happening/or did happen, in his day. But other things would come “hereafter.” I believe in the true predictive nature of Daniel and Revelation, meaning that God definitely knows the future. The first three chapters of Approaching Armageddon fully establish the validity of predictive prophecy. My previous book entitled End Time Delusions goes much deeper into current controversies about prophecy, such as preterism, historicism, futurism, the rapture, the tribulation, the antichrist, Israel’s role, etc.
Q: What did Jesus have to say about the end times and how does what He said link up with Old Testament prophecies?
A: Christ’s main prophecies about the past, present, and future are found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. My book looks at His various predictions, point by point. Many Old Testament prophecies were about the life of Jesus, which were fulfilled perfectly in his birth, life, death, and resurrection. Those prophecies (such as that He would be born in Bethlehem) are done. Finished. Never to be repeated. Other prophecies (such as in Matthew 24:15) describing the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. were fulfilled too. Jesus said that prophecy was based on what was previously predicted by Daniel. Other prophecies are being fulfilled now or are yet to be fulfilled. For instance, in Daniel 2, Daniel explained to King Nebuchadnezzar his dream about a big metal man, the toes on this man, and the coming of the great Rock from the sky. That prophecy has been fulfilled in the rise and fall of Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Rome’s division, and Europe’s division to this day. But the Rock, representing the return of Jesus and the crushing of the kingdoms of man, is still coming. The Old Testament and New Testament prophecies fit together like a hand in a glove.
Q: Theologians disagree on whether America is referenced in end time prophecy. What is your opinion?
A: Yes, I am well aware of this, but I am fully convinced that the U.S. is the power described in Revelation 13:11, “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth with two horns like a lamb, but he spoke as a dragon.” There are two great beasts described in Revelation 13. The first beast rises from the sea, receives a deadly wound, is finally healed, and then the entire world wonders after it (13:1,3,7,8). The second is the lamblike beast from the earth. A “beast” in prophecy represents a mighty nation (see Daniel 7:23). At least 98% of all Protestant Reformers interpreted the first beast to be a symbol of Papal Rome including Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Spurgeon, KJV translators, and the Matthew Henry Bible Commentary. This does not apply to godly, honest Catholic people, but rather to the system of Romanism that teaches things contrary to Scripture and were part of the reason for the Reformation. The lamblike beast has “two horns” indicating a separation of power within its government. A few years ago, I was invited to speak at the Pentagon by Chaplain William Broome. I believe only one nation fits every detail of the prophecy of Revelation 13:11, and it is the United States of America. The U.S. (the second beast) rose up and developed into a nation of freedom directly because of the persecution of Europe and England due to the influence of the Roman Church. Today, the Papal Church is the most powerful religion in the world, while the U.S. is the mightiest nation on earth. I believe these are the two major players described in Revelation 13. The fact that the U.S. has helped broker a peace agreement between Israel and the UAE once again reveals the strong influence of the mighty nation described as having “two horns like a Lamb.” It is worth noting that in the closing moments of time, the U.S. will deny its constitutional principles of freedom and “speak like a dragon.” I have written another pocketbook on this topic called, The United States in Bible Prophecy: The Day of the Dragon is at the Door.
Q: You say that the U.S. will deny its constitutional principles of freedom and “speak like a dragon.” Do you believe that is happening now? Why or why not?
A: I think we have been experiencing the breath of the dragon for some time, in many areas. Our son Seth started having seizures when he was four years old. As time went on, Seth was finally diagnosed with a seizure disorder and put on a medication by his neurologist. But then he started having serious side effects from the medication. We were at our wit’s end. Then, after much prayer, we tried a natural product that really helped him. We also found another doctor who tested Seth for heavy metals and discovered that he was loaded with lead and cadmium. Then we did a serious detox. In time, Seth completely normalized and we took him off the meds. As of today, he has been seizure-free for many, many years. A few years ago, the Federal Drug Administration, in their efforts to hinder natural alternatives to drugs, literally raided the labs that made the natural supplements that helped Seth, took them to court, and essentially destroyed the company, all because its natural products actually worked and lessened the need for drugs. To me, this is one example of a government agency speaking like a dragon. (The full story of Seth is in my pocketbook, Surviving Toxic Terrorism.) The coronavirus Pandemic, with its measures to close businesses and churches, and to shut down much of the world, has brought constitutional issues to the forefront. It is certainly not far-fetched to imagine that if the world continues descending into crisis times, that just like the “public health emergency” of Covid-19 has been used as a reason to shut down much of the world, even so could a future, larger “public emergency” be used as a reason why our constitutional First Amendment rights should be trashed. The proverbial writing is on the wall for the U.S. speaking “like a dragon” in direct fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
Q: You mentioned the “final sequence” in referencing the end times. What will that look like according to scripture?
A: In Revelation 11:18, we see the following sequence:
1. “The nations were angry,”
2. “And Your wrath has come”
The final wrath of God against human/satanic sin will be expressed in the seven last plagues described in Revelation 16. These plagues, similar to the ten plagues that were placed upon Egypt, will be poured out prior to the return of Jesus Christ. The word “Armageddon” appears during the sixth plague and culminates in the seventh plague. (See Revelation 16:17-21)
3. “And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,”
This judgment takes place after the seven last plagues, after Armageddon, after Jesus returns, and after the 1000 years, and is described in Revelation 20:11-15. At the end of the 1000 years, all the lost dead are raised to stand before the Great White Throne (see Revelation 20:12,13). This is the judgment of all the lost who have rejected Jesus Christ and His salvation.
4. “And that You should give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear Your name, small and great,”
Rewards are also given to God’s people, based on how they have lived through the grace of Christ. Jesus said, “Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according to his work.” The ultimate reward is eternal life and a place in His everlasting kingdom when He recreates “a new heaven and a new earth…and there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1,4)
5. “And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
The final destruction of those who destroy the earth, and who are lost, will occur after the Great White Throne judgment. The Word says that the lost “were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works…And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15). There are other events in “the final sequence” that occur before Jesus returns.
Q: What is the proper role of the Christian church if these are the end times?
A: Scripture makes the role of the Christian Church quite clear. It is to preach the gospel to the world (Matthew 24:14), to reveal to “the principalities and powers in the heavenly places the manifold wisdom of God” (Ephesians 3:10), to reveal the love of Jesus Christ in our lives to a lost world (Colossians 1:26-29 and John 13:34,35), to “preach the Word” not man’s opinions (2 Tim. 4:2 and John 8:31), to lift up Jesus Christ, to warn the world about the judgment, future events, and the return of Jesus Christ (Revelation 14:6-16), to do battle against Satan and his hosts (Ephesians 6:10-17) and finally, to “hasten the coming of the day of God” (2 Peter 3:10-12).
About Steve Wohlberg:
Bible expert, international speaker, television producer, and author of over 30 books, Steve Wohlberg has been a guest on over 500 radio and TV shows and has also spoken inside the Pentagon and U.S. Senate.
Widely regarded as an apocalyptic expert, he has been featured in three History Channel documentaries and one National Geographic International documentary offering insights into the book of Revelation.
He earned a B.A. degree in Theology from La Sierra College and his Master of Divinity degree from Andrews Seminary. He currently lives in Priest River, Idaho, with his wife Kristin, their son Seth Michael, and their daughter, Abigail Rose. For more information visit www.whitehorsemedia.com.
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