The Great Tribulation begins at the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel when the antiMessiah makes his debut at the rebuilt Third Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem(Matt.24:15; 2 Thess.2:3,4). It is covered by the events of seals four and five(Rev.6:7-11). Seal four is the Great Tribulation proper. Seal five is a heavenly reflection of the killing of the saints on Earth under seal four. Seal five is superimposed on seal four. Seals four and five are coincident, concurrent, and simultaneous. There is no distance in the realm of the spirit. As soon as the saints are killed on Earth, their disembodied spirits and souls arrive in Heaven and are quartered under the Golden Altar of Incense in the Holy Place of the Temple of God in Heaven from where they make a plea of vengeance to God(Rev.6:9-11).
Seal six is the cosmic and celestial disturbances that terminate the Great Tribulation(Matt.24.29,30; Rev.6:12-14). There is a brief interlude of unknown duration between the end of the sixth seal and the breaking of the seventh seal in Rev.8:1ff. This interlude is represented by Rev.7. Within this brief period, the Shekinah appears in the Heavens, the 144, 000 Israelites are sealed with seal of God to protect them from the wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord(Rev.7:1-8,14:1), and the saints are raptured(Matt.24:31; 1 Cor.15:50,51; 1 Thess.4:13-18; Rev.7:9-18).
The wrath of God in the Day Of The LORD consists of the seven trumpets 🎺 and seven bowls 🥣(Rev.8,9, 16-20). It begins after the Rapture of the saints at the breaking of the seventh seal. The first six trumpets occur within the second half of the 70th week of Daniel.
The death of the two witnesses marks the terminus-ad-quem(end) of the 70th week of Daniel. They are killed either on the last day of the second half of the 70th week of Daniel or early on the first day of the 30-day Reclamation Period Of The Kingdom.
Of all the events that occur in the second half of the 70th week of Daniel, the only one with known duration is the fifth trumpet which lasts five months(Rev.9:10). The sixth trumpet which is larger and perhaps longer may last about a year(Rev.9:13-21, estimate). If the first four trumpets 🎺 which are shorter in duration last about a year, it therefore follows that the Great Tribulation will be about a year in duration with a margin of error of a month or thereabouts. God has to amputate the Great Tribulation in order to ensure the survival of some saints for Rapture.
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”(Matt.24:22 KJV).
From this analyses of the partinent Scriptures, we can deduce that within 4-5 years from the commencement of the 70th week of Daniel, and 1-2 years from the beginning of the Great Tribulation from the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel, the Rapture would occur. This is a rough estimate based on the paucity of information on the durations of these events. So, it will be reasonable to withdraw our wards from school and retire to our lears in the villages or lodges in the forests from the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel.
By the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel, we should all have left the cities, towns and villages entirely and retired to our hideouts in the forests except such as are commissioned of Heaven to bear witness of Him in these places at such a time.
The Rapture will occur way into the second half of the 70th week of Daniel when these three things shall have been accomplished, but before the wrath of God commences at the end of the ages:
(1) The Gospel of the kingdom shall have been preached to all nations(Matt.24:14);
(2) The saints shall have proven their faithfulness to God by enduring to the end in order to receive the final salvation which is redemption from this present age(evacuation from the Earth in the Rapture);
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”(Matt.24:13 KJV);
(3) The complement of the saints to be martyred shall have been reached. Their number is a secret known only to God(Deut.29:29). Neither is it revealed to us who shall be martyred or spared.
“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? 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.”(Rev.6:9-11 KJV).
The above three points relate to the faithfulness of the saints to God. The fourth point relates to God’s faithfulness to the saints.
(4) Jesus shall have fulfilled His promise to be with the saints till the end of the ages.
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”(Matt.28:20 KJV).
Those elected to remain in the cities, towns, and villages to give witness to the Gospel should know their mission is very dangerous and could end in captivity, torture, or even death by decapitation, enmolation, summary executions, being frayed or sacrificed alive to hounds and wild animals including crucifixion and some other horrible means of death Satan and his minions may device to mock the saints of the Most High. We should be prepared to bear every affliction knowing that it shall be over in short while. No amount of suffering in the present can be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.
“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”(Heb.12:11 KJV).
We should fix our gaze, love, affection, devotion and focus, concentration on God and the eternal, and on that which is invisible. For the visible is temporal and the invisible is eternal.
Our light afflictions in time work for us a far more and exceeding weight of glory in eternity.
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”(2 Cor.4:17-18 KJV).
The fact that one has built a safe haven does not guarantee survival. We must prepare our hearts and minds to suffer and if need be die as martyrs for our Lords Jesus The Christ. Whatever fate may befall a true believer have been determined by God in eternity past. Nothing can come upon us except that which has passed through the security of His love 💘.
“If any man is destined to go into captivity, into captivity he goes: if any man is destined to be killed with the sword, with the sword he shall be killed. Here is the perseverance and faith of the saints.”(Rev.13:10).
Avraham Shallom.
Mt Zion Heritage Ministries 