Will Christ Come Twice or Only Once? Part 5 - The Marriage Supper

Dennis Edwards - To go back to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

The Great Tribulation and Wrath of God Division Found in Revelation 14  -  Part 5 of 8

One more passage in Revelation I want to look at before ending this section on the Great Tribulation period as different from the wrath of God is Revelation 14:13-16.

Revelation 14: 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. 14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

In verse 13 we see that the saints are still being killed by the Antichrist when the vision goes to one like the Son of man coming to reap his harvest. Jesus, when responding to the questioning of the high priest, called himself the Son of man. In Mark 14:61-62 we read,

Mark 14: 61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Let us look back to Daniel 7:13-14 to see who the Son of man was considered by the Old Testament Jews.

Daniel 7: 13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Traditionally, the Jews believed these verses to be speaking of the coming Jewish Messiah. The Ancient of Days, God the Father, would give to the Son of man, or in other words, to the Messiah, the kingdom to rule. The reference in Revelation 14:14 seems to be referring to Jesus coming to receive his harvest.

In Mathew 9:35-38 we see that Jesus considered that the lost sheep were the harvest that needed to be harvested.

Matthew 9: 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

We can conclude then that Revelation 14:14-16 is again another image of the rapture/resurrection event at the end of the great tribulation period and yet before the wrath of God that is to follow. Revelation 14:17-20 confirms such a view and the imagery is of the wrath of God.

Revelation 14: 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

We see section 14:17-20 is qualified as the wrath of God. In section 14:14-16 the Son of man was harvesting, which we have concluded was imagery of the rapture/resurrection event like in Matthew 24: 29-31 and Mark 13.

Mark 13: 26-27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of the heaven.

Do We Find a Rapture/Resurrection Event in Daniel Prophecies?

Now I would like to look at one other passage in Daniel alluding to the rapture/resurrection event. It’s Daniel 12:1-3.

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

First, we see similar wording in Daniel 12 to Jesus’s comments on the Great Tribulation period in Matthew 24. “There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time,” sounds very similar to “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be.” They are obviously talking of the same event.

Daniel also sees the rapture/resurrection event in the words, “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” So again we have the time of trouble followed by the rapture/resurrection event afterwards. Later on in Daniel 12:7 we see the angels are talking about the same 3 and ½ year period.

Daniel 12: 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half (3 and ½ years); and when he (the Antichrist) shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

We see in the above verse that the Antichrist will tribulate God’s people for that 3 and ½ year period just as is mentioned in the other chapters in Daniel and in Revelation. Jesus will come back to rescue His children immediately after the tribulation period as we have seen in Matthew 24:29-31.

In Revelation 8-10 we have seen that the destruction occurring during the Great Tribulation will bring a 1/3 or partial destruction to the earth. We have seen that the seven trumpets of tribulation are sounded out before the wrath of God occurs. The trumpets of tribulation are chronologically before the vials of the wrath of God.

What Happens to the Saints That Are Raptured/Resurrected?

The vials are found in Revelation 16 and Revelation 19:11-21 and include the famous Battle of Armageddon. The wrath of God is also mentioned in Revelation 11:18 as occurring after the seventh trump which we have shown to be the rapture/resurrection event. Jesus rescues the true believers and they are caught up to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is alluded to in the first verses in Revelation 19. While the wrath of God has begun on earth, we are given a picture of what is happening in the spiritual plane in Heaven.

Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

We see the resurrected saints are rejoicing with Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Jesus alluded to this heavenly marriage supper in some of his parables. In Matthew 25: 1-13 we read,

Matthew 25 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 

Matthew 25: 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The first coincidence is that following the Matthew 24 endtime raptute/resurrection event we find Matthew 25 is where Jesus talks about the Marriage Supper and the brides waiting to get in. The various brides could be alluding to different groups of believers. In Jesus’s parable only some of the brides got in to the marriage feast. They were those who had prepared themselves and had truly loved their Lord and husband.

Jesus, also, alluded to Himself as being the bidegroom.

Mark 2: 18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

John the Baptist also bore witness that Jesus was the bridegroom.

John 3: 26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. 28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. 29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist calls Jesus the bridegroom and himself the friend of the bridegroom.

Jesus gave another parable of having on the right wedding garment.

Matthew 22 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 

Matthew 22: 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

The garment represents our righteousness. We cannot get into the marriage supper on our own righteousness. We must take on the righteousness of Christ. We put on Christ’s righteousness when we come to Him in humble submission and obedience seeking forgiveness for our sins. We then walk with Him in newness of life by loving and living for Him and others. The fine linen that the saints are wearing is symbolic of their having taken Jesus as their Lord and King and Saviour, and committed to living and serving Him. Thus, they are covered with His righteouness. They are no longer relying on their own righteousness to get into the Marriage Supper.

Cannot Our Own Righteousness Save Us?

Our own righteousness is stinking menstrual rags, says Isaiah 64:6.

Isaiah 64: 6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Apostle Paul tells us our faith in Christ is counted for righteosness.

Romans 4: 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Paul writes that we obtain rigtheousness through faith in Christ.

Romans 9: 30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

In Jesus’s parable, a person without a marraige garment had tried to get into the marriage supper. He was relying on his own righteousness to save him. But our own righteousness is not good enough, no matter how hard we try or convince ourselves that it is. Like Jesus said,

John 14: 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

If we believe upon Jesus we will not be ashamed. We will not be put out of the marriage feast. In Apostle Peter’s discourse to the scribes and pharisees we find the same statement of fact.

Acts 4: 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

A person who has not received and loved Christ will not be allowed into the marriage supper of the Lamb. Many are still trying to get into heaven through their own righteousness. But, as the Psalmist David sung, “there are none righteousness, no not one.”

Psalm 14:2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

If we are honest with ourselves, we know that our own righteousness falls short each and every day, many times a day. If we relied on our own righteousness to save us, none would be saved

In Malachi we read,

Malachi 4: 2a But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.

Jesus is that Sun or righteousness and unto Him must we come.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Jesus is the righteous branch that God has raised up and in whom we can trust.

Apostle John tells us,

John 1: 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

It is in the believing, and the receiving, the drinking in of the essence of Christ into our very being by loving and obeying Him that we are transformed into sons of God. Then we are robed with the righteousness that is in Christ. “Nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to Thy cross I cling.” “I am washed in the blood of the Lamb.”

Are There Any Other References to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?

Apostle Paul tells us about the judgment seat of Christ, which may be simultaneous with the marriage supper.

2 Corinthians 5: 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Daniel 12:2-3 sounds similar to Paul’s vision.

Daniel 12: 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Some may receive greater rewards than others as Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 3:14-15.

1 Corinthians 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

We, therefore, speculate that the Marriage Supper of the Lamb may be where we receive our rewards for our obedience to the Lord or our lack of obedience and therefore lack of rewards. However, some will shine like the stars for ever.

To go to the next part click here.

Originally published April 12, 2021

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Will Christ Come Twice or Only Once? Part 4 - The Suffering Saints

Dennis Edwards

Suffering and Death of God’s People During the Great Tribulation  -  Part 4 of 8

We will just stop here for a moment and go over some of the verses that show that God’s people will suffer persecution and even death during the tribulation period. We will look at Daniel first. In Daniel 7:25 we find the tribulation period being described.

Daniel 7:25 And he (the Antichrist) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they (God’s people) shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. (3 and ½ years)

In Revelation 13:5-7 we see the same description.

Revelation 13:5 And there was given unto him (the Antichrist) a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

Daniel 8:23-24 gives a similar description.

Daniel 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up, (the Antichrist). 24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

The “holy people” would seem to be God’s people, while the “mighty people” could be the present day USA and its allies?

Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Before the Great Tribulation starts, we get a look at a situation in the spirit world where the souls of some departed saints, killed for their faith in Jesus, plead for vengeance. They are told they need to wait a bit longer until others like them should arrive.

Revelation 12 goes over the persecution of the Church of believers.

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:11 And they (God’s people) overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast out unto the earth, he persecuted the woman (the Church of believers including Mary the mother of Jesus) which brought forth the man child (Jesus). 12: 14 And to the woman (the Church of believers) were given two wings of an eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and the dividing of time, from the face of the serpent. 12: 15 And the serpent (embodied in the Antichrist) cast out of his mouth water as a flood (of lies) after the woman (God’s believing Church), that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. (or lose faith through the flood of lying propaganda).

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman (the believing Church), and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

We see in the above verses that we are reading about that last 3 and ½ year period in which God’s people are under persecution. Here we see the spiritual power anointing the Antichrist or beast is Satan. With words Satan and his Antichrist try to persuade God’s people to give up their faith. But we have the testimony of Jesus. The testimony of Jesus is, that just like Jesus, we will love not our lives unto the death.

In Daniel chapter 11, we see some more verses along the same line of suffering persecution. In verse 11:31, Daniel mentions the Abomination of Desolations which Jesus warned us about in his end-time discourse in Matthew 24:15 and 24:21 when he said,

Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)… 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

We see in Matthew that the sign Jesus mentions as the starting point of unprecedented persecution of God’s people will be the placing of the abomination of desolation in the holy place. In Daniel 11:31 we read about that event.

Daniel 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part (the Antichrist's), and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

In the next verses after the placing of the abomination of desolation we read,

Daniel 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he (the Antichrist) corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

The next verse is Daniel 11:36. It mimics the other verses we have read about the Antichrist.

Daniel 11:36 And the king (the Antichrist) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

We see some of God’s people during the persecution period will be able to instruct many others. They have the understanding of the Scriptures and know what’s happening and they have the boldness and conviction of the Holy Spirit to speak forth the truth. Yet, although God helps them, some of them shall fall and be killed. Spiritually, their suffering and death will only work to purify them as Jesus, and Apostle Peter, and Apostle Paul have testified.

God Will Bless Us If We Suffer For His Name!

Matthew 5: 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

1 Peter 4: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Romans 8: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Philippians 1: 29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

2 Timothy 2: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.

Hebrews 11: 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

Hebrews 11: 35 … and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy), they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Many other Scriptures passages could be found to confirm that suffering is good for us. Suffering draws us closer to God. Suffering for God’s sake, for conscience towards God, draws us into His bosom to be comforted and rewarded by Him.

Eventually, Jesus will totally defeat the Antichrist and Satan. But first the Antichrist will be allowed to persecute God’s people, to test them and for them to be a testimony to others. Jesus said,

John 16: 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Apostle Paul’s Description of the Antichrist

Apostle Paul no doubt obtained his description of Antichrist from the Old Testament Scriptures. Let us review Paul’s warning and description in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4.

2 Thessalonians 2 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (the Antichrist); 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Some of the Church Fathers quote Apostle Paul when they are talking about the end-times. We see that Paul reaffirms that the Antichrist will exalt himself above God. Paul also mentions that the Antichrist will “sit in the temple of God, showing that he is God.” What exactly that means is up to debate. Some, however, see this verse as a confirmation of others that seem to indicate there will be some type of “Holy Place” during the end-time period.

What About the Verses in Daniel That Jesus Mentioned?

Jesus also mentioned in his end-time discourse in Matthew 24 that there would be great deception and severe persecution. Christians living under Communist regimes of the past and present have suffered such things. But the key verses in Jesus’s discourse in Matthew 24 are verse 15 and 21-22 which we will go over again.

Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)… 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

What Jesus is saying, and Apostle Paul seems to have made reference to in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, is that some type of abominable thing will stand in the holy place and will be the sign that the great tribulation period has begun.

Daniel 9:27 is another verse in Daniel that Jesus wanted us to look at and understand.

Daniel 9: 27 And he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

There is a lot to unpack in this verse. I will just give the interpretation as I see it. The “he” is the Antichrist. He will make or affirm some kind of an agreement, or pact, or alliance with many nations or people. This agreement is sometimes referred to as a “Peace Pact” or “Holy Covenant.” 

The pact may have something to do with Jewish religious ritual sacrificing because after 3 and ½ years of the agreement, “in the midst of the week,” the Antichrist breaks the pact and places the abomination that makes desolate in the holy place and stops the sacrificing. Although the pact may involve other topics, it seems to let the Jews begin ritual religious sacrifice on the temple mount or some other holy place.

Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 2 indicate that the son of perdition, or the Antichrist, “shall sit in the temple of God, showing that he is God.” Paul may be speaking of the same event, that is, when the Antichrist places the abomination of desolation. The final revealing of the Antichrist will take place at that time, and will confirm that he is the Antichrist, if it was uncertain before hand.

Jesus tells us that “then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” The great tribulation thus begins at that point, which is the midst of the week, half way through the seven year Holy Covenant, or Peace Pact as we have seen in Daniel 9:27.

Once again we read from Daniel 11:31 and note the Antichrist’s actions.

Daniel 11: 31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

With the word “arms,” we see that the Antichrist uses force to take over the “holy place.” In order for the Antichrist to take away the “daily sacrifice,” the sacrifice must have started previously. Some scholars believe that the Holy Covenant or Peace Pact will involve letting the Jewish people resume ritual sacrificial worship on the temple mount, the holy place. The temple mount is considered a holy place for the three Monotheistic religions.

Arabs and Jews considered the temple mount to be a holy place because that is where Abraham sacrificed his son. Christians, though differing in their commitment to a physical holy place, still consider the temple mount, which is close to the place where Christ died for the sins of mankind, to be to a certain extent, a holy place. However, Jesus admonished us that God wanted us to worship Him in spirit and in truth and said the actual place of worship was not of great importance.

John 4: 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Jesus is admonishing us against place worship, or temple worship. He wants us to worship God through our actions and beliefs.

What is the Abomination of Desolation?

Concerning the question of what is the “abomination that makes desolate,” some think it may have something to do with the “image of the beast” found in Revelation 13:14-15. The second beast of the chapter, the false prophet, has supernatural powers and encourages an “image of the beast” to be made and to be worshipped. The “image of the beast” may in fact be the “abomination that makes desolate.” Revelation 13:15 states that the false prophet will have what seems like spiritual or supernatural power. 

Revelation 13: 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Some have speculated that the “image of the beast” could be some artificial intelligence connected to the beast spiritually through some future technology. The “image” seems to have some sort of life. Could it be that man finally comes to the point where he is able to recreate himself in some form of artificial intelligence that seems to have life? Wouldn’t that be a great offence to God that man worship the works of his own hands as “God.” If we remember the first two commandments, we will see such behaviour will put us in trouble.

Deuteronomy 5:6 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

To go to the next part click here.

Published Originally April 12, 2021

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To Dr. William Lane Craig: On Understanding the Difference Between the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord!

Dr. Craig, [Written back in 2019]

I have been watching your Defenders Series on the End-time events. I can see that Bible Prophecy is not your field of expertise like apologetics has been. But I like very much how you field the questions put to you by others who have a different look on things than you do. I wanted to suggest a solution to the problem the rapture event brings, by clarifying the "perilous times" into two sections: 

1. The Great Tribulation period. (Revelation 8-10, 11:1-12, 12:6-17, 13,  Matthew 24 15-31, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, 5:1-9, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Revelation 10:7)

In this view we see Jesus coming back to rescue His children immediately after the tribulation period of partial destruction spoken of in Revelation 8-10, but prior to the Wrath of God which takes place during the vials of Revelation 16. Jesus rescues the believers at the rapture and they are caught up to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb for a short period of 30 days as explained in Revelation 19:7-9, 2 Corinthians 5:10 and the time period in Daniel 12:11-12. 

The Wrath of God takes place on earth against the wicked because they have rejected Christ up until this point. During the Tribulation period, the Antichrist is persecuting the church and all those that refuse to accept his biometric "mark" system. The plagues of tribulation, the trumpets of Revelation 8-10, that are poured out are only partial destruction, one-third destruction, and are not aimed at the sealed of God, but rather at the Antichrist forces.(Revelation 7:3, Ezekiel 9: 3-6)

2. The Wrath of God Is the 75 day period after the Great Tribulation Period, often spoken as "The Day of the Lord" in the Old Testament. The tribulation is found in the trumpets of Revelation 8-10 culminating which the seventh trump of Revelation 10:7 or the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51.52, Matthew 24:29-32. 

The Wrath begins after the rapture has taken place. The Wrath takes place when the vials are poured out upon the wicked in Revelation 16. It culminates with the Battle of Armageddon. While the vials are being poured out on the wicked and unbelieving, the saved and raptured are with the Lord at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb Revelation 19:7-9. The saved return with the Lord and His armies at the Battle of Armageddon Revelation 19:11-21 to stop the war and destruction taking place on earth. 

The vials of wrath have a quite deadlier results than the tribulation plagues because God's elect have been removed from the scene. The 75 days of wrath come after the 3 1/2 years of tribulation. The true believers are raptured before the Wrath begins, confirming what Apostle Paul wrote, "For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:9), The Wrath is designed for the wicked and unbelieving, and not for the true believers in Christ.

The Church passes through the tribulation trumpets of Revelation 8-10 and is raptured at the seventh trump (Revelation 10:7, 1 Corinthians 15:51-51, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, Matthew 24:29-31). Then God pours down upon the wicked the vials of wrath Revelation 16 and 19:11-21. He is trying to get the unbeliever to repentance, those that have been rejecting Him for one reason or other. Some are servants of Antichrist, but some are Anti- Antichrist. 

The Anti-Antichrists haven't received the Lord, but neither have they received the mark of the beast. It may very well be that these are they that Daniel 12:12 are speaking of. "Blessed is he that waits and comes to the 1335 days." In other words, blessed is he that lives through the 1260 days of great tribulation (Revelation 11:3,12; 12:6; 13:5; Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7), and through the wrath of God (1260 days + 75 days = 1335 days) that is poured on the wicked. Christ returns at the Battle of Armageddon to take over the world physically and will rule it for 1,000 years.

The Anti-Antichrist people will be those who are blessed because they have managed to live through that horrible period of world history. They will be given even more time to be saved and receive the Lord. Of course the true believers are those who have been truly blessed as we have received our resurrected bodies. But these unbelievers who did not worship the Beast but had not yet received Christ will be given more grace period during the millennium to accept and believe on Christ.

But all these events, to the Old Testiment prophets, looked like one event from such a far distance. They couldn't see things as clearly from that distance and didn't need to know all the details. It is like looking at a group of mountains from a distance. They look like the are tightly compacted. However, when you get closer to them you see that there are  valleys between the different peaks. In other words, it's not just one event, but various events very close to one another, like different battles in a war. To the Old Testament prophets, it all looked like one event. And it is all happening at almost the same time. The 75 days of wrath is not a long period. But it is indeed the worse part of the "Day of the Lord," and in fact may be "The Day of the Lord." 

The Lord Himself with Apostle John and Paul gave a few more details to fill in the gaps as we got closer to those events. Yet he reminded us to go back and study Daniel. Daniel and Revelation fit together like two hands clasped. But I think if we can understand that the Great Tribulation period is in fact the trumpets of Revelation 8-10 and the Wrath of God (Revelation 16, 19:11-21) comes  afterward, we can accommodate both Rapture and The Day of the Lord as nearly the same event, especially as seen by the Old Testament prophets, and yet subsequent events. 

We see then that there is no Pre-Tribulation rapture like Scofield taught, but a Post-Tribulation, and yet pre-Wrath rapture.  The Church, the saints go through the horrible tribulation period of Revelation 8-10, but not the Wrath of God found in the vials of Revelation 16, etc. We also do not need to get into Scofield's, "This is for the Jews and this is for the Church" Fallacy. The prophecies and promises are for all believers whatever background or culture they come from. Only through Christ will they find their salvation whether Jew, Gentile, etc. 

Dr. Craig, I hope this helps your understanding. Most Christians I find are truly confused on these events and many just conclude it's too difficult to understand. Daniel said, "Those that understand among the people shall instruct many," so it seems some of us will understand. I have written on this topic elsewhere. I will supply the link. God bless, Dennis Edwards How Short is Shortened?

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Klaus Schwab's Daughter Talks About the Reset/ South African Political Leader Calls Out to Kill the White Farmers

 

https://rumble.com/v34fso1-klaus-schwabs-daughter-permanent-lockdowns-coming-whether-you-like-it-or-no.html

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DOOMSDAY FEAR: How to OVERCOME Your Fear of the End of the World

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THE REAL VICTORS OF THE TRIBULATION

 

1983-09-01

We’re “More Than Conquerors” (Romans 8:37)

D. B. Berg

In the case of the outstandingly gifted prophets and prophetesses and witnesses of the last days, particularly the Tribulation period, their powers to fight off the Enemy and to continue to protect their witness and witnesses may be similar to some of the powers we’ll be using in the Millennium to force evildoers into submission. The Lord uses the words “rod of iron” (Revelation 2:27), which certainly symbolizes the use of force.

There comes a time when even good has to use force against evil, and this is certainly clear throughout the Bible, because force is almost the only thing that evil understands. That’s why the Lord says that the police are officers of God who bear not the sword in vain (Romans 13:1-8). This means they need to bear swords, weapons, and not in vain, which means that if necessary, they use them. Even some of Jesus’ disciples carried swords. But our weapons are not carnal but are much more powerful, unto the tearing down of strongholds, spiritual strongholds, fighting and opposing the spiritual wickedness in the spiritual realm (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

Therefore, we have to have weapons that are more powerful than normal physical, carnal weapons. We have to have powerful spiritual weapons, and we don’t carry these in vain. We’re supposed to use them if necessary to resist the powers of evil and to protect ourselves from the Devil, and we even have some of these powers available now. Men and women of God have always had these powers available from the very beginning. God had to give godly people godly powers to defeat and oppose and defend themselves from the powers of the Devil.

So there’s nothing new about it, and it could happen with others and will happen definitely during the Tribulation when we need particularly strong powers for self-defence and to make our witness possible and to protect us to the very end. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any live Christians left for Jesus to rapture! We would all have been killed by the Enemy.

It says that power is going to be given to the Antichrist to overcome the organized church and to destroy its temporal power (Daniel 7:21–25; 8:24; Revelation 13:7). But that doesn’t mean that they’re going to defeat or dominate or destroy all of us, the true believers and those who have the supernatural powers and miraculous defences of the Lord. “For they which do know their God shall do exploits and shall instruct many, but even some of these shall fall,” it says (Daniel 11:32–33). But when they fall, it says that they’ll be helped. The Lord is going to enable us to continue till the end and to survive all the onslaughts of the Antichrist and his forces. Otherwise there wouldn’t be anybody left to rapture. So the Lord is going to have to give His true believers, men and women of God, prophets and prophetesses and witnesses, supernatural, miraculous powers of self-defence and even of attack in order to survive and continue witnessing until the Lord comes.

It says that the Antichrist forces weren’t able to do anything against the final two witnesses until the very end because they were able to cause curses and plagues on the evil and to call down fire from God out of heaven to devour their enemies. (Revelation 11:3-6) That’s a picture of mighty men and women of God fighting a victorious battle over the demons of hell right until the very end, even though some of them were allowed to be martyrs. Obviously most of them are going to survive and endure all of that until the very coming of the Lord when they’re raptured out of it all, and that’s no little mean handful. It’s going to be millions. So they must have survived somehow with some kind of supernatural, miraculous help.

I believe, according to the Scriptures, that certain very powerful men and women of God like the ancient prophets and prophetesses of old are going to have miraculous powers to protect and defend their flocks and followers and help them to survive to the very end, the final great witnesses depicted in Revelation, even the famous two last witnesses described in Revelation 11. It doesn’t say that they are the only ones, but it shows how victorious they are right up to the very end, that the Antichrist and all his forces and all the forces of hell are not able to really touch them until only 3½ days before the Second Coming of the Lord and their rapture. Their bodies are left in the streets for 3½ days while the wicked rejoice over them, thinking they have won the victory, when suddenly to their surprise they arise from the dead and are raptured into the heavens at the Second Coming of the Lord (Revelation 11:7–12).

So I believe there are going to be millions of Christians who survive until the Rapture.—Some by hiding out in the wilderness as the Scripture says (Revelation 12:6,14), others by defying the forces of Satan face-to-face and being victorious over all the powers of the Enemy till the very end! “Where sin doth abound, grace doth much more abound” (Romans 5:20). And where satanic power is going to abound, then God’s power is going to much more abound to protect His own. God’s purpose is not going to be defeated; He’s going to have millions of witnesses right up to the end, at least 144,000.

The Tribulation period is not going to be a defeat for the church of God, for genuine Christians. It’s going to be a time of waging war on the Antichrist and all his forces right up to the end! Otherwise there’d be nobody to survive to be raptured. So don’t worry about it! Those who live during those times will have what it takes when the time comes—power for the hour, and every hour. Even at the darkest hour they’ll still have power for the hour to meet every difficulty and every problem and every opposition—the supernatural, miraculous power of God.

Just think, there will be nothing the Antichrist can do against the famous two witnesses of Revelation 11, nothing he can do to stop them until 3½ days before the Lord comes. Then he will be allowed to kill them, so that the cup of the iniquity of the wicked may be full, and while they’re actually rejoicing over their deaths, suddenly the Lord will come and resurrect them and rapture them. That in itself is a mighty victory, showing that God can even be victorious over the deaths of martyrdom and slaughter. What is death if you can be resurrected?—And be raptured on top of it! So it will still wind up a mighty victory for the Lord right in the sight of the whole world. And the world will be amazed, as the Lord will show His wrath then with a great earthquake and hail as He rains wrath on the wicked as He resurrects and raptures His saints. (Revelation 11:13-18)

So we don't have to think that those who live through that time are just going to be cowering, hunted victims, although some may be. Obviously most are not going to be cowering but powering in their fight and battle and defence of the Gospel right up to the end, with all the forces of heaven on their side, including the curses and plagues of God on the Enemy, and the Lord’s defence by all kinds of strange monsters described in the Bible that appear during the Tribulation period to defend His children.

It is not a period of complete defeat and destruction as some have pictured, particularly some of our teachers and writers of the past who seemed to enjoy drawing the most gruesome kind of pictures to terrify us about that period. We’ve been given too much hell about the Tribulation. We need to show a little more of what heaven can do and is going to do for God’s children during that time of trial. There’s going to be a lot of hell—in fact, the most hell the world has ever known—but the world is going to get most of it, not the Christians! Although there’s going to be the most hell the world has ever known, there is also going to be the most power of heaven that we have ever known, the most heavenly power and defence and help and protection in order that we can be powerful witnesses to the truth right up to the end.

So why have this terrible picture of constant defeat of the saints and the Christians? The Tribulation period is not going to be a period of just defeats and horrors for the Christians. It’s going to be a time of probably our greatest victories and greatest battles and greatest powers that the true church has ever known, to defeat the forces of evil in spite of all the satanic power of the Antichrist forces of the Devil.

The Tribulation period is going to be mostly a time of horror and suffering for the Antichrist forces and his people. They’re the ones that are pictured as suffering the most, and in a sense, it’s the time of their greatest defeat. For despite the fact that they’ve finally got the whole world under their power and control, they still can’t defeat the true Christians or stop them or even stop their witness.

We need a picture of the Tribulation as a time of great battle, that’s true, a great struggle, great tribulation, but most of the horrors are for the world and the wicked, not for God’s children. It’ll be a time of some of our greatest victories and greatest witness and greatest miracles and greatest manifestations of the supernatural.

So we shouldn’t be always painting such a horrible gloomy picture of the Tribulation. It’s true, it’s going to be a time of great persecution and great battles. But it’s also going to be a time of great, phenomenal, supernatural, miraculous victories that will spare us and protect us and help us to survive and witness to the very Coming of the Lord, when “We which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). There are going to be a lot of us who are still alive and remain right to the end.

The Lord is going to take care of His children and He’s going to have mighty saints and men and women of God, prophets and prophetesses at the last day to continue our witness until the very end and the Coming of the Lord.

We need to show our people the other side of the Tribulation: the victorious view of what marvellous witnessing His children are going to do then, in which the whole world will know about us and even see us on television and hear of our mighty wonders and miracles and supernatural protection in spite of everything the Devil and his Antichrist can do. What a defeat for Satan to do everything he can to kill us and be unable to! How humiliating that’s going to be for the Antichrist when he has declared war on God’s people and said we should all be killed, and yet he can’t. That will surely be a time of frustration and humiliation for the Antichrist and his forces.

So why get so worried about the Tribulation? It’s going to be a period when God’s children are going to have a greater testimony and a greater witness and even more miraculous survival and supernatural defence, and in some ways it’s going to be a time of great victory and marvellous testimony, so that the whole world will know, and every last person that can possibly be saved is going to be saved. The whole world will hear the Gospel and our witness will have gone out to the ends of the earth. Even angels will be preaching the Gospel from the heavens so that the whole world will hear it and be without excuse, and so that everyone who can possibly be saved then will be saved.

The greater the battle, the greater the victory; the greater the test, the greater the testimony. And the greater the trial or tribulation, the greater the triumph! You can’t have a triumph and a victory and a testimony without a war and without battles. So it is going to be a time of great battle and great war between the forces of good and evil, but it’s also going to be a time of great victory, tremendous triumph and terrific testimonies of the victories of the forces of God over the forces of evil. For the greater the battle, the greater the victory, and the more tremendous the trial, the greater the triumph!

So quit looking on the Tribulation as a horrible defeat with nothing but persecution and suffering. There will be some of that, but I’m convinced from Scripture and the nature of God and His dealings with man that it’s going to be primarily a time of great victory over the forces of Satan and tremendous triumph over the Antichrist wicked. So don’t fear it. Don’t worry about it!

When you watch those Superman and Wonder Woman movies and others of that sort, you don’t really worry about what’s going to happen to them, because no matter what happens to them, you know they always win in the end. They’ve got to win. They’re the hero and the heroine of the series. If anything happens to them, it would be the end of the series. God’s people are the heroes and the heroines. We’ve got to win! The forces of God cannot be defeated and the plan of God cannot be frustrated. We’re bound to win. We can’t lose!

Copyright © 1983 by The Family International.

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Is the "Cutting Short" Doctrine Scriptural? Part 2

 

Dennis Edwards     To Go to Part 1

 How do we Understand the Seals and the Last Days?

 As I have said earlier, the Seals seem to be a problem for many students of Revelation. Some even believe everything in Revelation is chronological. Thank God for modern cinematography which has given us an understanding of the zoom-in effect and the panoramic effect. I have removed the Seals from your diagram because they cover the period of the beginning of Christianity until the final Wrath. The Seals are panoramic and start when Christ arrives in Heaven after his ascension. He opens the Seals and starts the “Last Days.” 

 Here are some verses in the New Testament which show the "last days" are not just during the last seven year period, but have been happening since the time Christ ascended up into Heaven. “God… has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”[40] So here we see the author of Hebrews putting the "last days" from the time of Christ. The Apostle John writes, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”[41]John is writing during the first century and he too considers it the last time.

 In Timothy we read, “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.”[42] Paul seems to be talking of some time in the future from his time period, which we see again in the following passage. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”[43]

However, we have been experiencing these signs for hundreds of years, if not more. Peter tells us, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”[44]Again this sign is not something new to today but we can at least trace this back to the French Revolution and afterwards, if not before.

Understanding the First Four Seals-the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse!

Because of the above reasoning, I have taken the first four Seals from the seven year period, where they had been placed. I did so because the forces let loose at the opening of the Seals have been at work since the time Christ opened them. I would dare say that these four spirits may very well have been active since the dawn of history. We can even see them at work before Christ’s appearance on the earth. Let’s look at them more clearly.

 

The first four Seals are of the four horsemen going forth, the four spirits, over the face of the earth. In Zechariah 6 we see something similar. We see the same colored horses as in Revelation 6. The prophet asked what it means. “Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of the earth.”[45] Looking back to Revelation 6 we can deduce the characteristics of the four spirits into the following four groups: the spirit of God, the white horse; the spirit of war and violence, the red horse; the spirit of economic greed, the black horse; the spirit of death, the pale horse.

Why do I say that the white horse represents the spirit of God? First, let’s look and read the description in Revelation. “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.”[46] How can we understand who this is? We must look to scripture and see if we find other verses that can amplify or help give us further understanding of the meaning of the verse. Later in Revelation we read the following: “And I saw the heavens open, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war…: and his name is called the Word of God.”[47] 

This is Jesus on the white horse, not the spirit of antichrist. Jesus obvious has been given a crown which we also see in scripture: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.”[48] Here we see Jesus the Son of man with a crown on his head, going forth to reap. God’s spirit goes forth to conquer in spite of the Devil and all he can to do to kill, destroy and lie. God’s spirit is still conquering hearts today even in the midst of gross spiritual darkness.

You see, the Bible interprets itself. There is no indication that the white horse of Revelation 6 should be interpreted as representing the Antichrist. Those that insist that the Seals are happening during the last seven years, use that justification to say the white horse must be the Antichrist. But we see no scriptural justification for this, only human speculation. There are no scriptures to back it up, nor any good reasoning. But there are scriptures to back up the idea that the white horse is referring to God’s spirit and Jesus himself, and not the spirit of antichrist. 

The four spiritual forces of the Apocalypse have been in battle since the time of Christ and I would say, even before, the three against the one: the good spirit of God fighting against the evil spirits of the Wicked one. The world is not all evil. In fact, at the onset of Christianity, the spirit of Christ conquered the Roman Empire. Love and truth are greater than the sword. Good exists in the world. 

 At times it may seem that the three evil spirits have had and are having the upper hand. But at other times, God’s good spirit has had and has made many great victories for God and mankind. Even in the time of war, God’s love has shown forth in men’s heroic deeds in the giving of their lives to save others. Even today many are turning to Christ in countries like China and Syria. Many people are doing good in spite of the evil prevalent in the world today.

I have said the black horse was the spirit of economic greed. This is not just my speculation, but is backed up again with scriptural justification. Our doctrines or interpretations must have scriptural backup otherwise they are arbitrary and unreasonable. In Revelation we read about the black horse. “And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”[49] 

Is there any place else in scripture with similar imagery? Does scripture help us interpret scripture, “line upon line, here a little, there a little”[50]? Strange as it may seem, in Hosea we find the following: “He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loves to oppress.”[51] Wow, that sounds a little like something we find later in Revelation. “For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by their sorceries were all nations deceived.”[52] 

In Amos we find the same balances of deceit again. “Hear this, ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? And the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah, the amount, small and the shekel, the cost, great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat.”[53] How much is this like our greedy and unscrupulous capitalistic economic elite who use economic means to enslave whole countries, even our own?

 The Breaking of the Covenant and Great Tribulation

In Apostle Paul we read that the Holy Spirit will withhold the evil upon the earth until the sins of mankind become so great that the Holy Spirit will recede and let “that Wicked be revealed.” “And now ye know what withholds, or holds back, that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way.”[54] 

Bible scholars believe this is talking about the Holy Spirit which will eventually be removed from withholding the evil forces and allow the Antichrist full reign. In other words, the time will come because of the sins of man that the Holy Spirit will refrain from holding back the evil. “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”[55] The revealing is at the time of the Breaking of the Covenant at the midst of the last seven years when Satan is cast out of Heaven, or the spiritual realm, and enters into the Antichrist.

Let’s read about the “casting out” event in Revelation 12. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven, or the spiritual realm. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him…And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”[56]

We see here that when the devil is cast out, he persecutes the woman, the church of believers, for 3 ½ years. In the scriptures, over and over again the time of the Tribulation period is given as 3 ½ years.

In Daniel we see the same event where we read, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time.”[57] This sounds like Jesus’ own words when he said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”[58]

Looking at these verses together it seems they are talking about the same event, the Tribulation period. The Devil is cast out of the spiritual realm and enters into the Antichrist at the beginning of the Tribulation.

The next part of the verse in Daniel says, “And at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”[59] Obviously, this is a reference to the Rapture that takes place “immediately after the Tribulation of those days,”[60]according to the words of Jesus in Matthew.

Earlier in Daniel we read, “And he, (the Antichrist), shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they, (God’s people), shall be given into his hands until a time and times and the dividing of time,” or 3 ½ years.[61] In Thessalonians which we have already read, we have seen the Antichrist sitting in the temple claiming to be God and demanding to be worshipped.[62] 

In Revelation 13 we see that, after what seems like a miraculous healing from a deadly assassination attempt, all the world worships the Antichrist. “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?”[63]

Reading Revelation 12 again we see once more, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him…. And they, (the Christian believers, whether newly converted Jews or spiritual Jews), overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time, (3 ½ years). And when the dragon saw that he was cast out unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, the church, which brought forth the man child.”[64] 

Mary the mother of Jesus was part of the Church of believers from the Old Testament from the time of Adam and Eve and righteous Abel down through the centuries. All the true believers are part of the woman. “And to the woman, (the Church in persecution during the Great Tribulation period), were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, (or 3 ½ years), from the face of the serpent.”[65]

In Revelation 13 we find something similar: “And it was given unto him, the Antichrist, to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations,”[66] during of the Great Tribulation “to continue forty and two months,” or 3 ½ years.[67]

Could the Woman be the Modern Israeli Nation who Will Convert in the Last Days?

I wanted to address the point about the Woman in Revelation 12 because of some of the misguided ideas that are going around. One prominent idea is that the Woman is representative of the Nation of Israel which gave us the Messiah. In the imagery we see she has twelve stars on her crown which are said to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The idea is that from the physical nation of Israel we received the Messiah. During the Tribulation, 144,000 descendents of the tribes of Israel will be saved and persecuted by the Antichrist. The Christians will get raptured because of the “cutting short” doctrine and the newly saved Jews will stand up and fight against the Antichrist. Well, this sounds pretty good and gets us out of the jam of having to suffer for the 3 ½ year period. But is it scriptural or logical?

If you get out your Bible and read the Old Testament you will see it’s a testimony against the old Jewish nation who over and over again rejected the God that saved them. In Chronicles we read, “Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.”[68]

As we see from the Bible it was only a few righteous believers within the Jewish nation that were truly following God. The author of Hebrews names some of the righteous since the time of Adam as: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets.[69] He goes to explain how many suffered and “were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”[70] 

Doesn’t it make more sense to see the woman as the Bride of Christ? She has a crown so she must be a queen. Who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? It is none other than Jesus Christ. So even though the woman “brought forth the man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron” - Jesus Christ, she is in fact the King’s wife, the Bride of Christ. All true believers from the time of Adam and Eve until today are part of the Bride of Christ. That’s how Jesus sees us, the church, as his wife, his queen. 

That’s also who the Devil wants to destroy, the true believers, since the time of righteous Abel until today. Who is it that keeps the commandments of God and has the testimony of Jesus Christ? It is none other than the true Church, the true believers, those who confess Him, follow Him and let His love dictate their lives. During the Tribulation the Devil will be persecuting God’s people. Both gentile and Jewish Christians will be in it together and will rejoice together when He comes.

The Martyrs of the Fifth Seal

In the opening of the fifth seal in Revelation 6, we see the martyred saints asking for vengeance upon their enemies. “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, do you not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”[71] Since the time of the ascension and Stephen’s death, Christians have been dying for their faith. The martyrs were told they needed to wait a little longer until more martyrs arrived. 

Martyrs in Nigeria

The Great Tribulation appears to be a period where many will be martyred for their faith during Satan’s worldwide persecution of believers and of those who do not take the “Mark of the Beast.”[72] “And there was given unto him, the Antichrist, a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months, (which is 3 ½ years).”[73]

The Sealing of the 144,000

The sealing of the 144,000 takes place before the Trumpets of Tribulation which are poured upon the wicked. But even in the context of Revelation 7, we see the chapter pans to the future after the Tribulation, because the saints are suddenly already with the Lamb in Heaven. “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knows. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sits on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”[74]

If they came out of Great Tribulation then most probably the vision is of a period after the Great Tribulation or concurrent with the Great Tribulation and these saints have been martyred out of tribulation or have been raptured up at the end of the Tribulation. So even in one chapter, we start with a period before the Trumpets of Tribulation and end with a period which could very well be and looks like a time in the distant future. It says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”[75] The wiping away of the tears actually happens in scripture during the time of the New Heaven and New Earth. However, it could very well happen also at the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper, although it is not mentioned in scripture. So the chapter could be panning from before the Tribulation period, to well after it, within the same chapter.

The Sixth Seal

The sixth seal includes the Wrath of God because the picture in Revelation 6 is parallel with or equal to the Wrath of God we see in Revelation 16, particularly the seventh vial. First let’s look at Revelation 6. “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”[76]

Now we will look at Revelation 16 and watch for the similarities. “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”[77]

When we read these two sections[78] carefully we can see that they seem to be talking about the same event. They could not be talking about too different events as the destruction of every mountain and island is quite significant. To have this event happen twice seems most improbable. The four similarities in the verses: 1. a great earthquake, 2. islands and mountains, 3. Rocks/hail and 4. great wrath/plagues, suggest they are talking of the same event.

I would speculate that the prophets at times did not understand what they were seeing, but were trying to be faithful to jot it all down. It’s like looking at a mountain range from a distance. At first, from far, they look like a closely knit group of mountains. Yet upon getting closer we find that some peaks are separated from others by great distances and valleys in between. From a distance they looked like one group of mountains close together, but up close, we see there are distinct peaks and distances between each peak.

Even so some of the prophetic events happen around the same time and are yet separate from each other. The Rapture is different from the Battle of Armageddon and yet they happen near to the same time. We actually have two returns of Christ at the end: first to rescue the believers at the Rapture, and a little later to return with the believers to take over the world at the Battle of Armageddon. But from a distance it could possibly look like the same event, when in fact we will see they are separated by at least a 30 day period. Maybe that’s why the prophets described them very similarly, because to them it looked like the same event!

The Seventh Seal

The opening of the seventh seal of Revelation 8 is at the beginning of the Trumpets of Tribulation. We read, “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.”[79] 

Someone once told me he could prove there were no women in heaven. I said, “How’s that?” He showed me the verse, “There was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”He said, “That proves there are no women in heaven.” Well, I do not think Heaven could be Heaven without women. So let’s get back to our study.

In chapter eight of Revelation we see the sealing of the saints. One of the angels says, “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”[80] When the Trumpets of Tribulation start, we see they affect the earth, the sea, the trees and the people.[81] The Trumpets of Tribulation are being poured out on the unbelievers, not on those with “the seal of God in their foreheads.”[82] The Trumpets of Tribulation only bring 1/3 damage or partial destruction. Later, after God’s people are Raptured away, the Wrath of God will bring total destruction. Now that His people are not around to be innocent victims, God can really sock it to them.

The reason I call the Seals panoramic is because they go from the time of Christ’s ascension, until the Wrath of God. They give a panoramic view of some of the events that are to come forth from the time of John through the last seven year period sometimes zooming in on one event. Therefore, the Seven Seals are a panoramic view of the End Time. They are not chronological. The sixth seal describes the Wrath, which is in fact after the Tribulation period. The seventh seal describes the beginning of the seven trumpets which occur during the Tribulation period before the Wrath. So the sixth seal actually happens after the seventh seal. 

The Seven Trumpets of Tribulation happen when God is tribulating the Antichrist and his forces for persecuting the Church before the Rapture and the Wrath. But as in some movies, we are given a glimpse of an event before it actually happens, so it is in Revelation. We are given a glimpse of the Wrath in the sixth seal, but when we open the seventh seal we actual start the Tribulation period prior to the Wrath. Thanks to modern cinematography we can understand the visual effects John is describing.

To go to Part 3

Notes

[41] 1 John 2:18
[42] 1Timothy 4:1-2
[43] 2Timothy 3:1-5
[44] 2Peter 3:3-7
[45] Zechariah 6:4-5
[46] Revelation 6:2
[47] Revelation 19:11-13
[48] Revelation 14:14
[49] Revelation 6:5-6
[50] Isaiah 28:10
[51] Hosea 12: 7
[52] Revelation 18:23b
[53] Amos 8: 4-6
[54] 2Thessalonians 2:6-7
[55] 2Thessalonians 2:8
[56] Revelation 12:7-9,13-14
[57] Daniel 12:1
[58] Matthew 24:21
[59] Daniel 12:1b
[60] Matthew 24:29a
[61] Daniel 7:25
[62] 2Thessalonians 2:3-4
[63] Revelation 13:3-4
[64] Revelation 12:9,11-13
[65] Revelation 12:9,14
[66] Revelation 13:7
[67] Revelation 13:5
[68] 2Chronicles 36:14-16
[69] Hebrews 11
[70] Hebrews 11:35b
[71] Revelation 6:9-11
[72] Revelation 13:16-17
[73] Revelation 13:5
[74] Revelation 7: 14-17
[75] Revelation 21: 4a, 7:17b,
[76] Revelation 6:12-17
[77] Revelation 16:17-21
[78] Revelation 6:12-17, 16:17-21
[79] Revelation 8:1-2
[80] Revelation 7:3
[81] Revelation 8:7-11
[82] Revelation 9:4

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