Greetings fellow eschatologists! In the last post, I introduced you to the Mystery of the Full Circle. We talked about how God created all the universe to run in continuous circles. The seasons rotate from spring, to summer, to fall, to winter, and then back to spring. Earth’s atmosphere is on a cycle beginning as a gas in the heavens, condensing and then falling to earth as rain, then evaporating and returning to the heavens again as a gas. The moon spins in a circle around the earth. The earth spins in circles while circling the sun. The sun spins in circles in the Milky Way galaxy while all the galaxies of the universe spin together in a circle. All of creation continuously spins in a circle, beginning and ending in the same place—completing full circles. Not only did the Lord create the whole universe to run in circles, but the Bible is filled with examples of how the times of man run in circles. In this post, we’re going to continue our study of full circles. Interested? Keep reading.

THE MYSTERY OF THE FULL CIRCLE

By Karen Thompson
Second in a Five-Part Series

In the first installment of this series, I shared how the Lord revealed to me how He designed all of creation to run in circles and how the times of man in the Bible run in full circles. I began to realize that the beginning and ending of the times of man are not linear, beginning at A and ending at Z. Rather the beginning and ending of the times of man are circular; meaning, they begin and end in the same place, beginning at A and ending at A. When something begins and ends in the same place, it’s called a full circle.

When we are done with the study of the mystery of the full circle, it will explain why in the vision of the four beasts in Daniel chapter seven the Grecian kingdom and Antichrist’s kingdom are positioned back to back… because they complete a full circle. And it will explain why chapter 11 was written in a way that makes it sound as though the characters of Antiochus Epiphanes and Antichrist are one in the same… because they complete a full circle.

I ended the post by sharing how when I got home from eschatology meetings, I immediately listened to one of the teaching tapes that I had purchased. My ears perked up when I heard the teacher say, “It’s amazing to me because things always go in circles.” She said, “I learned that from the Jewish people. When they have a service, they start with one song and end with the same song. And they say ‘We’re completing a circle.’ ”

The Bible Is Full of Full Circles

Oh my! By that time, my spiritual ears were piqued to what the Spirit of God was saying. My eyes had been opened to a mystery! I began to notice that the Bible is filled with many kinds of full circles. And the Lord brought to my attention that the Bible’s circles are just like the circles of the universe. The universe has little circles (like the moon spinning around the earth), and it has massive circles (like all the galaxies of the universe spinning in a circle). In this same way, the Bible is filled with small and large circles, and like the universe, they are all concentric.

Just to whet your curiosity, here are just a few examples of some of the Bible’s full circles. I found a passage in the book of Ecclesiastes that had a similar expression to the plaque at the Library of Congress. King Solomon was lamenting about the futility of life; and in the process, he hit on the truth that the plaque at the Library of Congress expressed—that the times of man begin and end in the same place—completing full circles. Ecclesiastes 1:3–7 says, “What profit does man have left from all his toil at which he toils under the sun? [Is life worth living?] One generation goes and another generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun also rises and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind goes to the south and circles about to the north; it circles and circles about continually, and on its circuit the wind returns again. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place from which the rivers come, to there and from there they return again.” (Amp.)

There are many full circles regarding Jesus. For instance, in the beginning and ending chapters of Revelation, Jesus described Himself in terms of being a full circle, the beginning and ending.

Jesus Is the Beginning and the End

Beginning chapter:

• Rev. 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord….”
• Rev. 1:11, “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last….”

Ending chapters:

• Rev. 21:6, “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.”
• Rev. 22:13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last….”  

Jesus Came From and Went Back to the Father

In John 16:28, Jesus said He came to earth from heaven: “I came forth from the father and am come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the father.” In His ascension, He left earth and went back to heaven, completing a full circle.

Jesus Left in a Cloud and Will Come Again in a Cloud

Also, Jesus ascended to heaven in a cloud (Acts 1:9–11) and when He comes back again, He will again come in the clouds (Rev. 1:7), completing a full circle.

Jesus’ First and Second Comings

Here’s another full circle involving the First and Second Coming of Jesus. When it was time for Jesus to become the sacrificial Lamb, He came to Jerusalem riding a donkey. He came from the east, descending the Mount of Olives. When He entered Jerusalem, a crowd of people were with Him. When it is time for Jesus to come again as our King, He will come to Jerusalem riding a white horse. He will come from the east, and the feet of His horse will touch down on the Mount of Olives. When He enters Jerusalem, a crowd of people will be with Him—His mighty army!

Two Riders on a White Horse

There are many full circles in the book of Revelation, but one of my favorites has to do with the riders on white horses. In the beginning of Revelation, the events commence when the book with seven seals is opened. When the first seal is opened, we see a rider on a white horse goes forth to conquer: “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer” (Rev. 6:2). The rider on the white horse is Antichrist. He is wearing a crown, and he has a weapon with which to make war. He is victorious in his battles. As a result of going forth to conquer, Antichrist takes peace from the earth (6:4).

Then at the end of Revelation, we see another rider on a white horse who also goes forth to conquer: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns” (Rev. 19:11–12). The rider on the white horse is Jesus. Like Antichrist, He too is wearing a crown, actually many crowns. He also has a weapon with which to make war (19:21). Jesus is also victorious in His battle against Antichrist. In His defeat of Antichrist, Jesus restores peace to the earth.

Rome Completes Full Circle

After this, I began to notice examples of this pattern outside the Bible. Interestingly enough, God drew my attention to governmental regimes of nations. At first, I just thought these were just curious coincidences. For instance, legend has it that the first ruler of the city of Rome was a man named Romulus. In the beginning, Romulus and his twin brother, Remus, founded the city together. As the story goes, they got into a fight about which one of them would be ruler of the city. Romulus ended up killing his brother, and consequently, ruled the city alone. He named the city after himself—Rome. The curious coincidence is that the very last emperor of the Western Roman Empire was also named Romulus!

Romanovs Dynasty Completes Full Circle

I remembered another governmental regime with this same pattern. In the book The Tragic Dynasty, A History of the Romanovs, the author, John Bergamini, tells of the legendary beginning and ending of the Romanov Dynasty of Russia. The Romanov Dynasty began in 1613 with a young boy named Michael Romanov and ended with another Michael Romanov in 1918. The author states that the legends of both Michaels were similar in that both include three elements: 1) times of trouble for Russia, 2) a national assembly, and 3) a forest. And both Michaels were reluctant to take the throne.

The first Michael’s story began when the Rurik dynasty which began in 862 AD died out, throwing the nation into a ten-year-long civil war, making Russia vulnerable to foreign invasion. Hoping to end the turbulence afflicting Russia in 1613, a Russian general assembly convened and elected the next Tsar—a shy 16-year-old Michael Romanov. At the time when the general assembly was electing him as the next ruler of Russia, Michael Romanov was hiding in a monastery. A group of Polish soldiers heard about the new tsar and went searching for him to kill him. But a man named Ivan Susanis thwarted their plans by volunteering to act as the soldiers’ guide. Ivan instead led the soldiers deep into the forest, so deep they couldn’t find their way out again. For his deceit, Ivan lost his life. But his personal sacrifice saved the young Michael Romanov who went on to become the first ruler in the centuries-old Romanov Dynasty.

Flash forward 305 years later, we find a nearly duplicate story of another reluctant Michael Romanov. There were the same elements existing in this Michael’s story as were in the first Michael’s story. The second Michael was brother to Nicholas II, the ruling tsar of Russia. In the midst of the revolution, Nicholas II held an assembly and declared he wanted to abdicate the throne in Michael’s favor. After much thought, Michael agreed to accept the throne. After agreeing to take the throne, soldiers found Michael and convinced him they would help him get to an area of Russia not yet taken over by revolutionary forces. Michael trusted them and agreed to go with them. He didn’t know it, but the soldiers were on the side of the revolutionary forces. The soldiers waited until they were in the woods before they shot and killed Michael, only hours after he agreed to take the throne! Thus the Romanov Dynasty began and ended in the same place, completing a full circle.

Iraq Completes Full Circle

Another interesting beginning and ending involves Iraq and the late Saddam Hussein. In case you don’t know, ancient Babylon was located in present-day Iraq. The ancient ruins of Babylon and the Tower of Babel that Nimrod erected are located there!

Saddam Hussein believed he was the reincarnation of King Nebuchadnezzar. Knowing this piece of information sheds a lot of light on Saddam’s behavior. It explains his motive for spending untold millions of dollars on building ostentatious palaces and buildings while the people of Iraq starved. As the reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar, he believed his destiny was to recreate the ancient Babylonian civilization. Saddam is quoted as saying that Babylon’s great palaces and the hanging gardens would rise from the dust. He was obsessed with emulating King Nebuchadnezzar.

To the horror of archeologists everywhere, Saddam rebuilt the 600-room palace of King Nebuchadnezzar—on top of the ancient ruins! There was nothing anyone could do to stop him. The original, ancient bricks rise two or three feet from the ground and Hussein built right on top of them!  Each of the ancient bricks bore inscriptions praising Nebuchadnezzar. Hussein also inscribed on his 60 million bricks the message, “In the era of Saddam Hussein, protector of Iraq, who rebuilt civilization and rebuilt Babylon.” And he also rebuilt the city of Babylon with its massive and impressive Ishtar Gates. Before American forces stopped him, he had plans to rebuild the Tower of Babel.

In every way, he tried to imitate his ancient predecessor, even in the smallest of details. In the late 1980s, he held the Iraqi Arts Festival called, From Nebuchadnezzar to Saddam Hussein. He had a replica of Nebuchadnezzar’s chariot built and then had himself photographed standing in it. He had images of himself and the ancient king beamed into the night sky. One of his military units was called the Nebuchadnezzar Division. One of his sons was the editor of a magazine they called Babel. And on and on it went.

For me, one of the most fascinating juxtapositions of the two kings was on a giant painting he had commissioned. After the war in Iraq started, there were many photos of US soldiers in Iraq on the Internet. One was of a US soldier dressed in green camouflage with his eyes closed resting on a couch. Over the couch was a gigantic painting of Saddam dressed also in green camouflage with his eyes downcast in humility. His arms are stretched out to receive some sort of plant from the ancient King Nebuchadnezzar. The ancient king’s arms are outstretched toward Hussein, with a plant in his hands. Behind the humble-looking Saddam is modern-day Iraq. Behind the ancient king is ancient Babylon. To me, this picture of Saddam and Nebuchadnezzar standing together face to face commemorates the beginning and ending of a complete circle.

What Follows a Full Circle Will Be Different

There was one more element to the revelation of full circles the Lord brought to my attention. With regard to governmental regimes that begin and end in the same place, He said when a governing regime of a nation completes a full circle, the regime that follows after it will somehow be different.

Let’s look at the three examples just given. First, let’s look at Rome. For the majority of its existence, Rome was ruled by emperors. When it came to an end, it just simply collapsed. There was no ruling government at all. For a long time, it was chaos in that part of the world and every man lived for himself. It took a long while for that part of the world to become organized again.

Let’s look at the Romanov Dynasty. The governmental regime that ruled Russia during the Romanov Dynasty was a monarchy. After the revolution, the regime that ruled the Russian people was communism.

Now, let’s look at the last example of Iraq. For its entire history, Iraq had been ruled by despots in dictatorial/monarchy regimes. After Saddam’s death, it underwent the pangs of initiating a democratic form of government, something the people of Iraq have never experienced before in all its history. However long it lasts, no one knows.

As you can see, in each of the cases where a governmental full circle was completed, the regime that followed was somehow different. This information will become relevant later on.

In the next post, you’ll see how this knowledge of the full circle ties in with the vision in Daniel chapter 11. I promise you—you’re gonna be blown away!

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