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9.
The Middle of the Tribulation
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,
Daniel 9:27b
The first half of the tribulation the whole
earth has changed. In the first quarter, one quarter of
the earth population dies because of the outbreak of war
and what follows. Christians are being killed for their
faith in Christ. One hundred and forty-four thousand
Jewish evangelists spread the gospel, leading an untold
number from the nations to faith in Jesus Christ. In
Jerusalem,
two strange individuals garner world attention, as they
seem to call down God’s judgment on the earth. As time
moves forward, the world becomes more irate at their
proclamations, causing an invasion of
Jerusalem.
Following a lull in events, the earth
cosmological catastrophes strike the earth. Burning hail
from the sky strikes the earth, consuming a third of
grass and trees. A meteorite or asteroid follows the
hail, striking the oceans, killing a third of aquatic
life and destroying the ships. A second asteroid
follows; the fresh waters and springs turn poisonous, as
the burning fragments scatter over the earth, causing
many to die. Burning forests, volcanoes, and meteors
turn one third of the skies into darkness. This is
still a prelude to greater tragedy about to strike the
earth.
A
new creature emerges as if from the caverns of the
earth, a locust shaped insect, they then begin to sting
inhabitants of the earth. Stings so painful, causing
their victims to want death, but not able to die for a
five month period. Giving many of the survivors of the
previous judgments time to choose or reject Jesus
Christ, presented by the 144,000 Jewish males and the 2
witnesses in
Jerusalem.
War
breaks out again, John sees two-hundred million demonic
horsemen, unleashed on the earth. Whether they are in
the spiritual realm or physical is not sure, but the
result of their work is the death of one third of
humanity following the earlier judgments. These
judgments leave at least half of humanity dead within
the first three and half years.
 Jerusalem
the focus of world attention
The
seventieth week begins, with the focus of
Jerusalem and the Temple agreement between the prince
who is to come and many. The events on the earth
have changed, the prince sees Jerusalem and these two
individuals as a problem. They refuse to unite Judaism
with a world religious system, by proclaiming the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the only option, they give
the earth inhabitants another choice. Their vocal and
bold proclamations cause many who previously rejected
the God of the Bible, to turn to Him as their only hope.
This conflict comes to a head at the middle of the
Tribulation period.
The
armies of the prince capture
Jerusalem, for at least a short period, with half the
city taken into captivity and the women sexually
assaulted, according to Zechariah.
1Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil
will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all
the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall
be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished.
Half
of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of
the people shall not be cut off from the city.Zechariah 14:1-2
The
Two Witnesses
Their identity
The two witnesses engage the Antichrist, the
earth’s false Messiah. The identity of these two
individuals has always been a source of discussion.
From the book of Malachi the identity of one of two is
Elijah. At Passover, in the Jewish home, a cup of wine
and chair is made available for Elijah, who
Israel waits for as precursor to the coming of Messiah.
1“For
behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And
all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be
stubble….5Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord.
Malachi 4:1,5
Other then Elijah, Enoch is the only
person according to scripture who never died. For this
reason, many speculate the second witness is Enoch.
Still others argue Moses, because Moses appeared on the
Mountain with Elijah with Jesus
28
Now it came to pass, about eight days after these
sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up
on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance
of His face was altered, and His robe became white and
glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who
were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in
glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to
accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke
9:28-31
Their Ministry
These two individual serve a multitude of purposes
during their 1260-day period earth.
We
are told in Malachi 4:6, they restore they relationship
of the fathers and children. They also are the
vocalization of God’s judgment; they are God’s witnesses
to the inhabitants in the earth. Following their
proclamations, the events of the Seal and
Trumpet judgments test the earth and its
inhabitants.
3“And
I will give power to my two witnesses, and they
will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days,
clothed in sackcloth.”… 6These have power to
shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their
prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them
to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as
often as they desire.Revelation
11:3,6
Their ministry of witness, and judgment on the earth
causes the prince who is to come to invade
Jerusalem and engage them in a battle where many believe
he, the Antichrist is killed in his assault on
Jerusalem.
4These
are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing
before the God of the earth. 5And if anyone
wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and
devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them,
he must be killed in this manner.Revelation 11:4-5
3AndI saw one of his heads as if it had been
mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And
all the world marveled and followed the beast.
Revelation 13:3
Their ministry concludes with their death and a war
between them and the Antichrist. They are killed by the
Antichrist, who died and seemingly came back to life to
the world’s amazement and awe. Resurrected, the
prince to come kills them, the world celebrates
their death as their dead bodies lie in the streets of
Jerusalem.
7When
they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out
of the bottomless pit will make war against them,
overcome them, and kill them. 8And their dead
bodies will lie in the street of the great
city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where
also our Lord was crucified
Revelation 11:7-8
Their death and Resurrection
God’s two witnesses death is a further demonstration of
his grace to the survivors of the earth. In a final act
of ministry to those on the earth, they became witnesses
to God’s resurrection power. At their death, the world
celebrates, exchanging gifts and seeing themselves
victorious over God’s judgment.
9Thenthose from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and
nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half
days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into
graves. 10And those who dwell on the earth
will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to
one another, because these two prophets tormented those
who dwell on the earth.
Revelation 11:9-10
We
also see an amazing prophecy here, two-thousand years
ago, John foretells a day in the future when people all
over the earth will be able to view the same event at
the same time. For 3 ½ days the earth will celebrate,
while watching the events via satellite and internet the
events taking place in
Jerusalem. Just then, an amazing event happens as the
earth revels in victory,
11Now
after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from
God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and
great fear fell on those who saw them. 12And
they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,
“Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud,
and their enemies saw them.
Revelation 11:11-12
These two dead witnesses resurrect in the view of those
who were rejoicing. They are called up into heaven as a
final close to their public ministry. These two saints
reenact the resurrection, in a passion play before the
whole earth.
|
Jesus |
Witnesses |
Ministry |
3 +
years |
3.5
years |
Public execution |
Cross
outside walls of Jerusalem |
Streets of Jerusalem |
Public Miracles |
Healing |
Judgments |
Public reaction to verdict |
Cheering |
Worldwide celebration |
Grave |
3 days
& nights |
3.5
days |
Resurrection |
3rd
day |
3.5
days |
Rapture |
Ascended up from Jerusalem |
Ascend
up from Jerusalem |
In
Heaven
John is reporting on events taking place,
both on heaven and on earth. John is in the role of an
eye witnesses reporter, recording events he sees. He is
taken from one realm to the other and records what he
sees. In Revelation 11, John records what is happening
on earth, in
Jerusalem during the middle of the tribulation.
In Revelation 12, John records events taking
place in Heaven. An amazing transition is about to take
place, Satan
access to Heaven is about to be eliminated. Satan is
accuser of the brethren, (Revelation 12:7) and has
access before the throne of God to accuse the servants
of God. We see this in the book of Job, Satan accuses
Job righteousness of being insincere.
7 And
the Lord said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So
Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro
on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." 8
Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My
servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a
blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns
evil?" 9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job
fear God for nothing?Job
1:7-8
Satan also tempts Jesus with the kingdoms of the Earth,
claiming they were delivered to him. Adam’s fall caused
Satan, to gain the victory over man for a period. The
death of Christ for the sin of man, restored man’s
fellowship with God.
5
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed
Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6
And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will
give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered
to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Luke
4:5-6
Until this time, Satan access to heaven was permitted,
in the middle of the tribulation, his status changes.
Transitions take place in Heaven and on Earth. At this
time the angel Michael takes a staring role in what is
about to unfold in Heaven.
Michael’s War
 The
Angel Michael is mentioned five times in the Bible, 3
times in Daniel (Daniel
10:13,
21 12:1) and 2 times in the New Testament (Jude 1:9,
Revelation 12:7). Michael is called
Archangel (Jude 1:9), which means chief of the angels.
In Daniel 12:1, he is the great prince of the Jewish
people. Michael is a leader of the angelic host.
Angels, like humanity, are created freewill being,
established with an order. Lucifer was a chosen cherub
who chose to rebel against God’s authority because of
his pride. (Ezekiel 28:14, Isaiah 14:12-15)
He
tempted humanity, and humanity fell, as a result, he
regained access to heaven, as god of this age (2 Cor.
4;4), accusing man before God. This changes at the
middle of the middle of the tribulation, as Satan his
cast out of Heaven along with angelic host. This battle
between Satan and Michael corresponds with invasion of
Jerusalem by the armies of Antichrist. This battle
allows, the Antichrist to kill the two witnesses, and
abominate the Temple, (Abomination of Desolation).
45 "And he shall plant the tents of his palace
between the seas and the glorious holy mountain;
yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.
1"At that time Michael shall stand up, The great
prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was
since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that
time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is
found written in the book.
Daniel 11:45,12:1
7
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels
fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his
angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a
place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the
great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called
the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he
was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with
him.
Revelation 12:7-9
The
Antichrist and Satan
The
Incarnation
During the battle between the two witnesses, and the
antichrist, the antichrist dies and descends into the
abyss. His descent at the same time corresponds with
Satan being cast out of heaven. Satan resurrects the
Beast/Antichrist killed visibly by a mortal wound. His
return from causes the world to wonder after his
person. The resurrected antichrist, now incarnated by
Satan, kills the two witnesses, allowing their dead
bodies to lie in the streets of
Jerusalem for 3 ½ days.
7When
they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out
of the bottomless pit will make war against them,
overcome them, and kill them.
Revelation 11:7
Satan, at the midpoint takes control of the kingdom of
the Beast/Antichrist, and begins force the inhabitants
of the world to acknowledge him as god. The dragon,
(Satan) and the beast (The antichrist) become one in
purpose and person in the eyes of the world. All who
refuse to worship the beast are killed, the beast at
this time enters the
Temple, proclaims himself God and demands the world to
worship him. (2 Thes. 2:4)
3AndI saw one of his heads as if it had been
mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And
all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4So
they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the
beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is
like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5And he was given a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue
for forty-two months.
Revelation 13:3-5
The
False Prophet
To aid, the Beast (Satan incarnate), the
false prophet, the world spiritual leader is permitted
by God to do signs and wonders, even calling down fire
from heaven, for all men to see. Those doomed for
destruction will be deceived by the signs and wonders
the false prophet is permitted to do.
11
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and
he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12
And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in
his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell
in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was
healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he
even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in
the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell
on the earth by those signs which he was granted
to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell
on the earth to make an image to the beast who was
wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power
to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image
of the beast should both speak and cause as many as
would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Revelation 13:11-15
9 The
coming of the lawless one is according to the working
of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying
wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among
those who perish, because they did not receive the love
of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this
reason God will send them strong delusion, that
they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be
condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure
in unrighteousness.2
Thessalonians 2:9-12
This
false prophet who united the world into one religion,
now unites the world to worship the Antichrist/Beast as
god on earth. He creates an economic requirement on the
world, unless the Beast is acknowledged and worshipped
no one will be able to buy or sell.
16 He
causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free
and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on
their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell
except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or
the number of his name.
Revelation 13:16-17
37
"He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the
desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt
himself above them all.
Daniel 11:37
Israel
After the defeat of the 2 witnesses by Satan incarnate,
the antichrist enters the
Temple
and proclaims himself God. At this point God intervenes
on the part of a select group of Jews, who are to be
preserved for the remaining 42 months ( 3 ½ years) of
Daniel’s 70th Week. Jesus warned of this
coming event, he instructed those paying attention on
the course of action for survival.
15
"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,'
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy
place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 "then let
those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 "Let
him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything
out of his house…"For then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of
the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22
"And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be
saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be
shortened.
Matthew 24:15-17,21-22
4 And
in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces
Jerusalem
on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in
two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half
of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of
it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My
mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to
Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the
earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the
Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You.
Zechariah 14:4-5
14
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that
she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where
she is nourished for a time and times and half a time,
from the presence of the serpent.
Revelation 12:14
This
Jewish remnant will be preserved from Satan’s assault
for 3 ½ years, within the mountains of Judea. For the
next 42 months, as Satan’s fury is unleashed, and God’s
wrath is poured on the Earth, a select remnant, who
listened to the words of Jesus, will be protected from
the ravages of the outside world as they come to terms
with their Messiah.
The
Final persecution begins
Satan’s fall from heaven and his incarnation of the
Antichrist, begins the final phase of persecution in the
world. Prior to this event, those who came to the
Gospel were killed for their faith, by not submitting to
the one world religion. Now the whole world is forced
to acknowledge and worship the antichrist as god. Those
who refuse will be killed.
Satan’s attempted to destroy
Israel after his incarnation. His attempt was thwarted
through supernatural events as a part of Israel was
supernaturally preserved from Satan’s power by escaping
to the mountains of Judea, preserved by God for the
42-month period. This causes Satan to be enraged and to
then pursue any who have any connection with the God of
Israel.
16
But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its
mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had
spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged
with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of
her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have
the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:16-17
To
separate any who might still have any leaning to the God
of Israel, or have faith in Jesus Christ, the false
prophet sets up an image of the antichrist, all who
refuse to worship the image and become part of the
system are to be killed. Ironically, death is the
better option at this point in the world. Death is the
method God uses to separate those who choose Him, over
those will chose the antichrist.
6
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell
in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the
saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him
over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on
the earth will worship him, whose names have not been
written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him
hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into
captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed
with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of
the saints.16 He causes all, both small and great, rich
and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their
right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may
buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of
the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 13:6-10,16-17
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