God has a place prepared for Israel to flee into the desert, so Satan will spend his time “making war” with the rest of those who follow Yeshua.
The Great Tribulation
Revelation 13:5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names are not written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
This persecution of believers in Yeshua will last for that same time period – 42 months – and is usually referred to as the Great Tribulation. All the inhabitants of the whole world will worship the Anti-Christ and believers will be persecuted for refusing to worship him.
Daniel 12:1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.
2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”
7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” 9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
Again we have this period of “time, times and half a time,” denoting the same 3 1/2 year period but, in verse 11, the angel refers to a period of 1,290 days, and a total of 1,335 days. He also tells us that only those who are wise will understand. The two figures represent an extra 30 days, i.e. one Hebrew month, plus another 45 days – 1 1/2 Hebrew months.
There are many explanations of why these extra periods are mentioned – the pouring out of God’s wrath upon Anti-Christ’s kingdom, to bury the dead, to cleanse the temple, to judge and reward the righteous – but I don’t have the answer to that one just yet!
Jeremiah 30:3 The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the LORD.” 4 These are the words the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the LORD says: “‘Cries of fear are heard— terror, not peace. 6 Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale? 7 How awful that day will be! No other will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it. 8 “‘In that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. 9 Instead, they will serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
This will be the time of Jacob’s trouble, but “he will be saved out of it!”
Matthew 24:15 So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation', spoken of through the prophet Daniel— let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no-one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no-one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now— and never to be equalled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no-one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
The “great distress” is also translated “great tribulation” and Yeshua states that it will begin when the “abomination of desolation”, spoken of by Daniel, stands in the Holy Place.
Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” 13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
“A great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language … [will] come out of the great tribulation.” These are not Jewish believers, they are a huge multitude of Gentiles!
A Secret Rapture?
But doesn’t the Bible teach that all the righteous are going to be caught up out of all this tribulation? Surely we don’t need to be worried about that?
Unfortunately, far too many of those who call themselves ‘Christians’ are burying their heads in the sand and hoping that they will never have to endure persecution – never mind death – for their faith. They forget that “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”! (2 Timothy 3:12) More believers have been martyred this century than in any previous century.1 Do we suppose that only we in the West are to be exempt from persecution?
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
What is the basis for this belief in a secret rapture? Firstly, the word ‘rapture’ is an archaic word taken from the phrase meaning to be ‘caught up’, or ‘taken up’. The reference is to those who are still alive when the Messiah comes. We will be caught up to meet him in the clouds. Two passages in the New Testament refer to this:
Matthew 24:36 “But about that day or hour no one know
s, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
No-one will know the day or the hour when we will be ‘taken up’, will they? Why then does Yeshua instruct us to “be ready” and to “keep watch”? Those who are left will be taken by surprise. It will be a secret until it happens – just in the same way as the house-holder suddenly finding a thief in his house. But when it happens, the whole world will see and know!
1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
These are certainly encouraging words and this event will definitely take place. The question is, ‘When will it happen?’ When “the Lord himself comes down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like anything secret to me! Archangels voices tend to cause humans who hear them to tremble and fall down as if dead. (Daniel 10:9,17, Ezekiel 1:26-28) Also, the trumpet – and this is specifically the last trumpet – will sound loud and loonnggg!! Finally, as the Lord descends from heaven we are told:
Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.
If “all the peoples of the earth” are going to witness his coming and mourn, then it won’t be much of a secret, will it? It will take all of those people by surprise and they will be shocked and dismayed, but it will be an event witnessed by the whole world.
So, this event will NOT be a secret – though it will take most of the world by surprise (just as the fall of Mega-Babylon will!). However, if we pay attention to these writings of the prophets, then WE will not be taken by surprise.
The only question remaining is: WHEN will this take place? The clue is in that final trumpet sounding – when the “dead in Christ (the Messiah) will rise first. After that … we will be caught up.” When does that final trumpet sound and the Messiah appear?
Revelation 10:1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” 5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
When, then, does this seventh trumpet sound and the Messiah take over?
Revelation 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever. 16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
This passage comes immediately after the death of the two prophets in Jerusalem who, as we know, prophesied for the 1,260 days of the Great Tribulation. No, God has not appointed those who love Him to wrath, but we WILL have to endure the great tribulation.
Yeshua said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
Revelation 20:4 And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
A large number of our churches today – especially in the United States – believe and teach that we will not have to endure this time of trouble. We will escape out of it.
Well, we will be helped, that’s for sure, but we are called to “endure to the end.” There is no guarantee that we will not suffer persecution – in fact, Yeshua promised the opposite!
The Great Tribulation
1 In the middle of the last seven years (after the destruction of Babylon), the beast, Anti-Christ, will put a stop to the sacrifices in the Jewish temple and set up the “abomination of desolation.”
2 After subduing three of the ten rulers who gave him his power he will oppress the saints and change the set times and laws – for “time, times and half a time.”
3 His army will tramp on the holy city (Jerusalem) for 42 months.
4 Two prophets, clothed in sackcloth, will prophesy with great authority in Jerusalem for 1,260 days – and then be killed, to be resurrected 3 1/2 days later.
5 Many of the Jewish people will be able to flee into the desert, to a place prepared by God for them, to be taken care of for 1,260 days, and again, for “time, times and half a time.”
6 The beast will exercise his authority for 42 months, to blaspheme God and to make war against the saints and conquer them.
7 “There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then,” for “time, times and half a time,” i.e. Jacob’s Trouble.
8 There will be a ‘rapture’ event, being “caught up into the clouds”, but it will NOT be a secret – far from it! The whole earth – “every eye” – will witness it!
9 Our being ‘caught up’ will take place at the last trumpet, AFTER the conclusion of the 1,260 days of the Great Tribulation!
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14 The mother of all battles
There is a hill in northern Israe
l, called Har Megiddo. It is the site of an ancient city which has been excavated and right next to it is a major junction between two main roads – the Jerusalem-Haifa road and the Tel Aviv-Tiberias road. Where these roads meet, in the middle of a large plain, is the site of the fabled Armageddon!
We often hear people refer to the ‘Battle of Armageddon’ as the ultimate battle. This WILL be the ultimate battle, but the title is misleading, because it is really the Battle of Jerusalem. This area beside Har Megiddo is simply a suitable assembly area for the armies planning to attack Jerusalem.
Zechariah 14:1 A day of the LORD is coming, Jeru-salem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. 2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.
The Whore and her Mother: 9/11, Babylon and the Return of the King Page 15
