The Time of Jacob's Trouble

by Donna VanLiere

  We aren’t told how each of these 144,000 will come to Christ, but we can imagine for some it will be much like Paul’s Damascus Road experience (Acts 9:1-19), after which God removed the scales of unbelief from Paul’s eyes.

  3. They Are Sealed

  In Revelation 7:2-3, we read that a group of four angels are instructed not to harm the land, sea, or trees “until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” The 144,000 are identified as “servants of our God,” and they will be sealed before any judgment falls on Earth.

  In Revelation 14:1, we see the 144,000 at the end of the tribulation. Jesus has come from heaven at His second coming and is standing on Mount Zion. “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.”

  In this verse, we learn more about the seal as the 144,000 stand together with the Lamb (Jesus), with “his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” Both the names of Jesus and the Father are on their foreheads. Now, take note of the number that is standing there with Jesus: all 144,000 are present and accounted for!

  The angels will have gathered them, and all those who put their faith in Christ during the tribulation, from every corner of the earth, and brought them before Jesus at Mt. Zion: “He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (Matthew 24:31). As they stand there, it will be clear that nothing, and no one, has harmed or destroyed them. The seal supernaturally protected all 144,000 through the entirety of the tribulation!

  4. They Have a Mission

  During the tribulation the 144,000 will be spread throughout the world, preaching the salvation message of Christ, and Revelation 7:9-10 tells us the results of their evangelizing:

  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. And they cried out in a loud voice:

  “Salvation belongs to our God,

  who sits on the throne,

  and to the Lamb.”

  What a remarkable harvest of souls! There is such an enormous multitude before the throne that no one could possibly count them. To further confirm the effective reach of the 144,000, we read that this multitude is “from every nation, tribe, people and language”! The 144,000 took the gospel message of salvation throughout the entire world, and as a result, that great multitude is praising God in heaven.

  5. They Have Their Own Song

  As the 144,000 stand on Mount Zion with Jesus, John hears a sound and writes, “The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth” (Revelation 14:2-3).

  The 144,000 have their very own song that no one else can learn! Given the fact that they have just lived through hell on Earth and witnessed things that no one should ever see, I think we can suggest that some of the words to the song might be, “Hallelujah!” “Praise You, Lord!” “Thank You, Father!” “You are awesome and powerful and mighty to save!” “You have delivered us!” The unimaginably beautiful voices of this choir will rise with unspeakable joy and eternal gratitude as they sing their very own song of praise.

  WHERE IN THE WORD?

  THE END OF THE AGE

  The Time of Jacob’s Trouble deals with the mass disappearance of millions or billions of people from around the world. That event will close out the last days of the church age and usher in the end times, which Jesus spoke of, and writers of the New Testament anticipated and even asked about.

  •“The end of the world is coming soon” (1 Peter 4:7 NLT).

  •“Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3).

  •Jesus said, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

  •“This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

  Jesus said that “the end will come.” There will be a conclusion to what we sometimes think is the never-ending story of planet Earth. It will end and, thankfully, that end will actually herald a new beginning. God will refurbish this earth, creating a new heaven and a new Earth that has been purified of sin (Revelation 21). But what will happen before that takes place?

  THOSE “IN CHRIST” ARE CAUGHT UP

  As mentioned earlier, the last days for the church will end with the event in the Bible that many refer to as the rapture. The word rapture isn’t found in Scripture, and that is a point of argument for some who deny the rapture, but the words Trinity, missions, incarnation, omnipotent, Christmas, Easter, Sunday, communion, or even the word Bible aren’t found in Scripture either. The words Christian and born again are used only three times each.

  Where, then, does the word rapture come from, and can its use be supported scripturally?

  Let’s look at 1 Thessalonians 4:17, a key passage for understanding the rapture: “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.” The phrase “caught up” is the Greek word harpazo, which means “to catch up, seize, carry off by force, claim for one’s self eagerly, to snatch out or away” (in the pages ahead, I will return to this definition frequently). When the Latin translation of the Bible was written, known as the Latin Vulgate, the Greek word harpazo was translated rapturo. Rapturo is translated into English as rapture, and by the very definition of this term we can certainly call this event the “catching up” or “seizing of” believers, the “snatching away,” or “taking by force” of those who are in Christ.

  I personally love the definition of “claim for one’s self eagerly.” Before the tribulation begins, Jesus will eagerly claim for Himself all those who are in Him. Harpazo is used thirteen times in the New Testament, sometimes referring to the actual snatching away of people or the seizing/taking of them by force: Matthew 11:12; 13:19; John 6:15; 10:12, 28, 29; Acts 8:39; 23:10; 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Jude 1:23; and Revelation 12:5.

  The idea of a mass disappearance of millions or billions of people around the world is hard for many people to accept, including even followers of Christ. Some try to refute the idea by arguing that nothing like this has happened before, so it wouldn’t make sense for such a thing to occur in the future. However, the Bible mentions several raptures that have already taken place:

  Enoch

  We first read about Enoch’s being snatched away in Genesis 5:24: “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (ESV).

  And it’s mentioned again in Hebrews 11:5: “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: ‘He could not be found, because God had taken him away.’”

  Elijah

  This Old Testament prophet didn’t die but was snatched up to heaven. He was taken up in a chariot led by horses (for all animal lovers, yes, there are animals in heaven)!

  When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal… As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind… And Elisha saw him no more (2 Kings 2:1, 11-12).

  Philip

  The Greek word harpazo (“to catch up, seize, carry off by force, claim for one’s self eagerly, to snatch out or away”), describes Philip vanishing in thin air. His body was changed from one geographical location to another that was 20 miles away. How awesome is that?

  The Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did n
ot see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea (Acts 8:39-40).

  Paul

  The word harpazo describes Paul being “caught up” to paradise in 2 Corinthians 12:2: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven.”

  Who better to describe being “caught up” to the believers in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 than Paul? A bit later, we’ll take a closer look at 1 Thessalonians 4.

  Jesus

  The word harpazo is also used to describe the ascension of Jesus back to heaven: “She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne” (Revelation 12:5).

  Some people respond to these verses by saying these are examples of individual people being caught up to heaven, not millions or even billions. But we limit God’s power and might when we make the assumption He isn’t capable of seizing or snatching away billions. The restriction of ability and strength doesn’t lie with God, but in our own minds; we are the ones who put boundaries around what He can do.

  Those Who Are Left

  First Thessalonians 4:17 uses harpazo to describe a future seizing/catching up/snatching away of all those who are still alive and left on Earth following the rising of “the dead in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Verse 17 reads, “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.” One day, Jesus will step out from heaven and into the air, giving a command that will harpazo all those who are “in Christ” so that they can be with Him. First “the dead in Christ” will rise, and then those who are still alive. It’s not just any dead who will come out of their graves, but those who are “in Christ” (more on this later). Will you be among those who hear that command?

  The Two Witnesses

  According to Revelation 11, there will come a point when the two witnesses who proclaim the gospel from Jerusalem will be killed by the Antichrist. Verses 11-12 tell us what will happen after their bodies lie in the street for three-and-a-half days:

  The breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on (verses 11-12).

  Although the word harpazo is not used here, these two witnesses will ascend into heaven in a cloud; this very event will surely remind all those who have been left on Earth of the great seizing up/snatching away that took place only a few short years earlier.

  THE LAST DAYS VS. THE END TIMES

  For many years I was confused about the terms “the last days” and “the end times.” I never knew if these meant the same thing or if there was a distinction, and I’ve found that this confusion exists for many people. For clarity, there are last days for the church and last days for Israel.

  In the Old Testament, when we read about the last days in reference to Israel, that has to do with events that begin after Jesus seizes all of those who are “in Christ”—that is, the tribulation. For example, Ezekiel 38:8 and 16 refer to the “latter years” and “latter days” (ESV), and Isaiah 2:2 and Micah 4:1 refer to “the last days” for Israel. In Jeremiah 30:7 the tribulation is called “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (NKJV), referring to God dealing with Israel at that time. So, for Israel, the last days will begin after the church is caught up.

  In e-mail correspondence I received from Ron Rhodes, he quoted a passage from his Bible Prophecy Answer Book regarding God’s dealing with Israel during the tribulation:

  The Old Testament usage of such terms as “latter days, “last days,” “latter years,” “end of time,” and “end of the age” all refer to a time when Israel is in her time of tribulation. Deuteronomy 4:30—“When you are in tribulation and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice” (ESV)—will find its ultimate fulfillment in the final restoration of Israel, which will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ.

  Again, the last days for Israel will begin after the church is caught up and will continue through the second coming of Christ. But what about the last days for the church? In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophets to the people of Israel. In the New Testament, He spoke through His Son. In that same e-mail from Ron Rhodes, he said,

  A number of New Testament passages use “last days,” “last times,” and “last time” to refer to the present church age in which we now live. For example, the writer of Hebrews said, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). We also see this in 1 Peter 1:20, where we are told that Christ, in the incarnation, “was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God.” This means that people in New Testament times up to the present day—all who have lived and are now living in the church age—are, in one sense, in the “last days.”

  What is called “the end times” will arrive following the end of the church age, after the church is caught up with Christ. Those will be the earth’s final years. (Again, there isn’t space in this book to take a closer look at the timeline of the earth’s final years as presented in Daniel, but we’ll cover that in the subsequent books.)

  CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LAST DAYS

  Paul and Peter wrote of the characteristics that would mark people during the last days:

  The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

  They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4).

  All of these were already happening at the time of their writing. When we read through the characteristics listed above, we can see that they are intensifying in this current age and are carried out by our culture without reservation and with great pride. Our culture is like the people described in Jeremiah 6:15, which says, “Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush” (ESV). The apostle Paul describes them as those whose “god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame” (Philippians 3:19). Paul and the other founders of the early church probably never could have imagined that one day a device would be created that could be slipped into our back pocket that would allow our love of pleasure to be fulfilled at our fingertips at any time of the day or night. Would they have believed that such a device would make sexual immorality of every kind available with the click of a button or a voice command with little regard for self-control? In regard to being lovers of self, would they have imagined that people would one day have entire pages dedicated to themselves on social media, where they can post perfect pictures of themselves and spout off whatever is on their mind 24 hours a day?

  WITHOUT LOVE

  Let’s look at just one of these last-days characteristics. Second Timothy 3 reads, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be…without love” (verses 1-3). The Greek word translated “love” isn’t agape love, or a godly or Christian kind of love. Rather, it’s astorgos, which means “without natural love and affection for family/flesh and blood, inhuman.” There’s no greater example of this lac
k of natural love and affection toward flesh and blood than abortion, which has killed more than 60 million babies here in the US and was the number one killer of people worldwide in 2018, taking the lives of 41 million babies.1

  The New York state senate passed a law that made it legal to abort a baby right up to the day of birth. (New York joined seven additional states and the District of Columbia, which previously legalized abortion up to the day of birth.2 Similar legislation was followed by Illinois.3) Generations before us would never have thought such a mass slaughter of babies would occur, let alone be celebrated with cheers, a parade, and lighting the spire of One World Trade Center with pink lights.4 As Paul said, “their glory is in their shame.”

  What is tragic and ironic about this is that One World Trade Center observes the thousands of lives lost on 9/11 at the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City honors 11 expectant mothers and their unborn children among those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In a social media post that is attributed to Joni Eareckson Tada and taken from her book When Is It Right to Die?, we read, “And gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.”

  I could dedicate several pages to the ways that the last-days characteristics described in the New Testament are evident in the world today, but we all read and hear the news and can see for ourselves what is happening.

  THE LAST HOUR

  John refers to these last days as “the last hour” in 1 John 2:18: “Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come” (NLT). If John referred to the last days as “the last hour,” then surely we must be in the last milliseconds of that hour before Christ’s return, but because “no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen” (Matthew 24:36 NLT), no one can put a date on how long those milliseconds will last.