Definition

The word tribulation is the English translation of the Greek word thlipsis. It is also translated affliction, persecution, distress or trouble. It conveys the idea of pressure, affliction, persecution, anguish or trouble. It has a common root with the Greek word thlibo which is commonly translated persecution, and also both of them are used in tandem(Matt.13:21; Mark 4:17; Rom.8:35). It is used about twenty times in the NT. The most frequent use is in a nonprophetic or noneschatological setting, for instance: “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”(Jon.16:33). Paul wrote to the Romans, “And we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”( Rom.5:3,4). Paul also wrote to the church at Corinth concerning the comfort with which they were comforted of God in time of persecution: “Who comforted us in all our tribulation, that we may be able also to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God”(2 Cor.1:4).

There are only six verses of the Scriptures which can be clearly identified as using the word tribulation in a prophetic or eschatological context or setting. Rom.2:2-9 and 2 Thess.1:6 may have prophetic or eschatological significance but have no bearing on the chronology of the great tribulation. Of the six, one of them occurs in the OT. ” When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days”(Deut.4:30). There is no clearly defined period in the OT referred to as the latter days. Therefore the word tribulation in this context must be interpreted in the light of its clear usage in the NT.

Of the five usages of the word in a prophetic or eschatological context, four occur in the Gospels in the teachings of our Lord Jesus the Christ. All these four occurrences are in the Olivet Discourse(Matt.24,25; Mk.13; Luk.21). The fifth occurs in the Book of Revelation.

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus spoke to his disciples, saying, “For then shall there be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”(Matt.24:21). The Great Tribulation that our Lord is speaking about here shall occur in relation to the desecration of temple with the abomination that maketh desolate spoken of by Daniel the prophet(Dan.9:27), and the warning to flee Jerusalem added by our Lord Jesus Christ(Matt.24:15-20). The desecration of the Rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem is generally agreed by biblical scholars to occur precisely in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel(Dan.9:27; cp. Rev.12:6,14), specifically three and one-half years into the 70th Seven of Daniel. The word tribulation in Matt.24:21 is qualified with the modifier or adjective Great which sets it apart from any other tribulation we may experience in our lives or the church may have experienced in the past or may experience in the future other than in the context of the 70th week in association with the abomination of desolation. In Matt.24:29, our Lord again used the word tribulation. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give its light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” It is obvious anyway that the tribulation our Lord is speaking about in Matt.24:29 is the Great Tribulation which He has already referred to in Matt.24:21.

In Mark 13:19, our Lord warned, “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of creation unto this time, neither shall be.” The Greek word translated affliction here is the same word thlipsis which is translated tribulation or persecution elsewhere. It is also linked as in Matt.24:21 to the desecration of the temple at the midpoint of the 70th Seven with the abomination that maketh desolate, and the addendum by our Lord Jesus Christ, the warning to flee Jerusalem(Mark 13:14-18). As in the Olivet Discourse in Matt.24, five verses later, our Lord intimated His disciples, “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give its light”(Mark 13:24). That the tribulation in verse 24, is the same as the affliction in verse 19, there can be no doubt. This is also associated with the desecration of the temple which precedes it as in Matthew. Therefore of the four times our Lord spoke of tribulation in a prophetic or eschatological context, he was speaking of the Great Tribulation which occurs three and one-half years into the 70th Week of Daniel, or precisely at the middle of the 70th week, and is associated with the desecration of the temple by the abomination that maketh desolate, and the warning to flee Jerusalem.

In each of the four instances where our Lord spoke of the Great Tribulation in a prophetic context or setting, He was referring to the persecution of God’s elect in the hands of wicked men, never the wrath of God which is directed towards the wicked who obey not God nor worship Him. Therefore, prophetically, the Great Tribulation is the wrath of Satan executed by wicked men against the saints of the Most High, not God’s wrath against the living wicked earth-dwellers, worshippers and adorers of the antiChrist.

As we have pointed out, the other use of the word tribulation is in the Book of Revelation in relation to the great multitude which no man could number arriving in heaven. “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, Who are these who are arrayed in white robes? And from where did they come? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”(Rev.7:13,14). The phrase translated great tribulation here is literally the tribulation the great in Greek. As in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew, the word tribulation is qualified with the adjective great. It is no doubt a reference to the Great Tribulation which begins at the midpoint of the 70th Seven which is precipitated by the abomination of desolation, not at the inauguration of the 70th Seven of Daniel.

On examination of the use of the word tribulation in the Bible in a prophetic or eschatological context or setting, a clear fact emerges. It is always used to describe the period of time that begins at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th seven, but never the first half of it. Therefore, it is technically wrong to refer to Daniel’s 70th week as the Tribulation Period, and the second half as the Great Tribulation. It may in fact be somewhat acceptable to refer to the 70th week as the Tribulation Period; for it is definitely a period of trouble, it does however build an a priori case for pretribulation rapture position. It is definitely wrong to refer to the second half of the 70th week as the Great Tribulation: for that would mean that the Great Tribulation covers the entire length of the second half of the 70th seven, which indeed is not the case.

Some bible expositors like the gifted Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest call the entire 70th week of Daniel the Great Tribulation. According to Wuest, ” The next prophetic event will be the Day of Christ or the rapture of the Church. Following that will come the great tribulation, a period of seven years, the seventieth week of Daniel(Dan.9:24-27).” This view ignores the fact that the great tribulation begins precisely at the midpoint of the 70th week when the antiChrist imports the image of himself into the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem dedicated to the worship of Jehovah God. Louis Sperry Chafer, shares the same erroneous view. As touching the tribulation period, he wrote: ” concerning the great tribulation period, it has been observed that it is the seventieth week of seven years which was predicted by Daniel.”

The large majority of pretribulation writers view the entire 70th week as the Tribulation Period, and the last three and one-half years as the Great Tribulation. For example the comment of Charles Caldwell Ryrie on Daniel 12:7. “The events of the Tribulation will be consummated when the three and one-half years(the three and one-half years of that seven-year period) come to a close. These last three and one-half years constitute the great tribulation”(cf. Matt.24:21). However, the word of God does not teach that the Great Tribulation is three and one-half years in duration. This is an assumption by pretribulation rapturism that is biblically unfounded.

Our Lord Jesus spoke of the Great Tribulation that will begin at the midpoint of the 70th week(Matt.24:21). He said, “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). The only possible antecedent to “and except those days should be shortened” is the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation is the diseased part of the limb. Just like an orthopedic surgeon would amputate a limb part of which has been totally damaged by osteomyelitis, lest it kills the patient, the Lord like an orthopod will amputate(Greek: koloboo), the Great Tribulation. What is cut short or better still amputated is the Great Tribulation, not the entire length of the second half of the 70th seven of Daniel. The same truth is taught in the Olivet Discourse in the Gospel According To Saint Mark. “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days”(Mark 13:19,20). So, it is very clear that what is shortened or better still amputated is the Great Tribulation, not the entire second half of the 70th week of Daniel.

The prophet Daniel was told by the angel of the Lord, “Seventy weeks are determined upon they people , and the Holy city(Dan.9:24). The 70th week is the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy of 70 weeks. In Rev. 12:6, this period is designated in days. “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared by God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” 1,260 is 42 months or three and one-half years. It was also designated in months: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months”(Rev.13:5). Forty-two months is also three and one-half years. Rev.12:14 refers to it in years: “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.”

It is obvious from the aforementioned Scriptures that the entire 70th week is not shortened, neither the second half of three and one-half years. What is shortened is the Great Tribulation. It is less than three and one-half years in duration. It begins at the middle of the 70th weeks, but does not run until the end of the 70th week. For the elect’s sake, it shall be shortened. The Great Tribulation shall be cut short with cosmic disturbances. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give its light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”(Matt.24:29,30).

The cosmic disturbances parallel the sixth seal(Rev.6:12,13). The cosmic disturbances will darken the heavens and frozen the earth. It will be the appearance of the son of man in the heaven, the Shekinah that will dispel the darkness, brighten the heavens and defrost the earth. The natural lights of the universe shall be shut off, and the supernatural light, the glory of God shall be revealed. The manifestation of God’s glory, the Shekinah signals the presence of God. This is the sign of His coming and the end of the ages. God’s presence will be revealed through the universal manifestation of His glory, the Shekinah. He then raptures the Church before He pours out His wrath upon the living wicked earth-dwellers. God’s wrath, contained in the seventh seal, consists of the the seven trumpets and the seven bowls. Cosmic disturbances, the sixth seal will precede the coming of the Lord to rapture the Church and judge the living wicked earth-dwellers, worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast.

If the sixth seal is placed at the end of the 70th week as pretribulation rapturists do, whatever happens to the seven trumpets and seven bowls, considering the fact that there are but 30 days to Armageddon. The fifth trumpet alone lasts as long as five months and the sixth trumpet perhaps even longer. There is no doubt that their chronology of eschatological events is without biblical justification.

Here is a summary of the major points we have presented so far about the Great Tribulation. (1) The Great Tribulation begins at the midpoint of the 70th week provoked by the abomination of desolation and the unveiling of the man of sin. (2) Although the Great Tribulation occurs in the second half of the 70th seven, it does not run the whole length of three and one-half years. (3) It is amputated by the cosmic disturbances, the sixth seal. (4) The sixth seal darkens the heavens and freezes the Earth. It is the Shekinah, the appearance of His coming, the visible and universal manifestation of the glory of God that will dispel the darkness and defrost the Earth. It is the sign of His coming and of the end of the ages, His answer to the question posed to the Lord by His disciples, “What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the ages?” (5) Christ’s coming will be to rapture the Church and to judge the living wicked earth-dwellers, worshippers, and adorers of the antiChrist.

Introduction

The Great Tribulation begins precisely at the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel when there is war in the heavenlies, and Satan and his fallen evil angels are cast down to the earth. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he has but a short time”(Rev.12:12b). He possesses the antiChrist, gives him his power, seat and great authority(Rev.13:2). At this juncture, the antiMessiah suffers from what is called political megalomania. He relocates his headquarters to Jerusalem(Dan.11:45), makes his debut at the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem(2 Thess.2:4), desecrates the temple by importing a statue of himself into the Holy of Holies of the temple(Dan.9:27; Matt.24:15), unveils himself as a dead man come back to life(2 Thess.2:3; Rev.13:3), declares himself God, demanding worship of all mortals(2 Thess.2:4), and surrounds Jerusalem with his armies(Luk.21:20).

The importation of the image of the antiMessiah into the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah, the Third Temple, the desecration of the precincts of the temple by the antiChrist and his acolytes, Gentiles who have no covenantal and saving relationship with the God of Israel, and the violation and spoilation of the Holy Of Holies is the Abomination of desolation.

“And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the one who maketh desolate”(Dan.9:27c).

The phrase overspreading of abomination or wing of abomination in the KJV is better rendered extreme point of abomination. It is the height, zenith, the apogee of abomination. It shall bring desolation to the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah dedicated to the worship of the one and only true God, Yahweh of Judah. Like his prefigure, the Greek king of Syria, Antiochus Theos Epiphanes, the antiChrist shall desire to assimilate all peoples in his realm of dominion. Every citizen of his kingdom must abandon his own God or gods, culture and customs, embrace and worship him as God, and accept his prescribed way of life.

When the temple is thus violated, the observant Jews who through length of experience have come to abhor idolatry and sacrilege shall desert the temple. This abomination shall make the temple a desolation because it shall cause the worshippers in the temple to desert it. Besides, at the same time the antiMessiah desecrates the temple, he also declares himself God, and demands worship of all mortals, more so of the Jews in Jerusalem. The antiMessiah does not just demand to be worshipped, he kills anyone who refuses to worship him as God(Rev.13:15). For this purpose, he shall surround Jerusalem with armies. “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is near”(Luk.21:20).

“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”(2 Thess.2:4).

At the same time also, he unveils himself as a dead man come back to life.

“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? Who is able to make war with him?”(Rev.13:4).

The world shall be frightened into submission to the antiChrist simply because he is dead man come back to life.

Apostle Paul writing to the Thessalonians warned them: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”(2 Thess.2:3).

When the scripture warns us to beware of deception, it is because there is a great risk of deception. It is because there is a likelihood some might begin to teach that That Day, the Day Of The LORD, the day on which the rapture shall take place might occur prior to the unveiling of the man of sin. Apostle Paul makes it clear here that That Day shall not occur until there be an apostasy first and the man of sin be revealed. Greek scholars tell us that by the tenor of the words, both events, the apostasy and the revelation of the man of sin are initiated simultaneously on the same day, and at the same place, in the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.

When the antiChrist unveils himself as a dead man come back to life, and declares himself God, demanding worship by all mortals, very few men will have the bravado to resist him. A good number of Jews and Christians shall capitulate to his authority, abandoning the Faith of their fathers. This is what Apostle Paul described as “the falling away first” , an event that will precede the rapture and the Day Of The LORD. Those who refuse to capitulate to the authority of the antiMessiah shall desert the temple to flee into the Judaean wilderness. Although both events are concurrent and simultaneous, the unveiling of the man of sin and the apostasy, Paul reasoned from effect backwards to the cause. The unveiling of the man of sin as dead man come back to life, his self-deification and demand to be worshipped by all and sundry are the causes of the apostasy and the desolation of the temple. It is not some nebulous apostasy in the Church Age before the 70th week of Daniel.

The Great Tribulation covers the following events in the eschatological timeline: the Jerusalem campaign(Luk.21:20), the 4th and 5th seals of the Scroll of Revelation(Rev.6:8-11), and the Jehoshaphat campaign(Joel 3:1,2). All these events occur in the second half of the 70th Seven of Daniel beginning from the midpoint. And is terminated by the sixth seal, the cosmic and celestial disturbances.

Prelude To The Great Tribulation

The Great Tribulation shall be sparked by a confluence of events that occur in the middle of the 70th week. Precisely at the midpoint of the 70th week, a lot of critical events occur which initiate the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist which is the great wrath of Satan. The wrath of Satan begins at the commencement of the 70th seven, when the antiChrist signs a seven-year peace treaty with the many from within Israel, but turns into a Great Wrath when he is cast down to the Earth in the middle of the 70th seven of Daniel. “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time”(Rev12:12b).

(1) War In The Heavenlies

The headquarters of Satan is not in hell as some people urge us to believe. Satan dreads hell which God built for him and his fallen evil angels(Matt.25:41). The headquarters of the kingdom of darkness is in the dark void from where he scurries off to Heaven of heavens to accuse the believers and roams the Earth(seeking whom he may devour, Job 1:7,2:2; 1 Pet.5:8) and the starry heavens. But precisely in the middle of the 70th seven, Satan’s access to the heaven of heavens shall be cut off. “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. And the great Dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out unto the earth, and his angels were cast out with him”(Rev.12:7-9).

Michael, the warrior archangel of God, and the angels of God under his command, fought against the Dragon and his fallen evil angels. The Dragon and his hordes of fallen evil angels were defeated, and forcibly cleared out from the dark void and the starry heavens. They were forcibly evicted from the heavenlies. They lost their abode in the heavenlies. The Dragon lost his access to the court of heaven where he accuses the brethren before the Lord. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them”(Rev.12:12). This shall bring much joy to the heavenly dwellers; for no one brings foul accusations before them against the saints on Earth any more. They shall be joyful to be rid of his obnoxious accusations against the saints on Earth and his frequent foul presence in the holy precincts of the court of heaven.

(2) Satan Cast Down To The Earth

The first stage of the execution of the sentence against Satan was his eviction from the heaven of heavens to the dark void and starry heavens. It is from there that he goes to and fro the Earth, up and down in it. From there he prowls around on Earth as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour(Job 1:7; 2:2; 1 Pet.5:8). The second stage of the execution of the sentence against Satan and his rebellious fallen evil angels will be to cast them down from the dark void and the starry heavens to the earth. He shall be barred access from not only the heaven of heavens and the Throne Room of God in the Temple in heaven but also from the dark void and the starry heavens. His sphere of influence will be restricted to the Earth. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night”(Rev.12:10).

(3) The Removal Of The Restrainer

What is holding back the tide of evil from inundating the Earth is the presence of the restrainer. Obviously the Church, human government and the Holy Spirit have some restraining influence on evil on Earth, but none of these have been identified as the restrainer amongst Orthodox Jews in antiquity. The identity of the restrainer is not debatable amongst orthodox Jewish scholars. The restrainer has been identified in antiquity as archangel Michael. Without the removal of the restrainer, evil cannot run riot on Earth. Without the removal of the restrainer, there will be no Great Tribulation. At the midpoint of the 70th week, after he has cast down Satan with his fallen evil angels to the Earth, prior to their being herded into the abyss and Hell respectively, God shall put him on a leave of absence.

Our brother Paul writing to the Thessalonians said: “And you know what withholdeth that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now leteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall the wicked one be revealed, the son of perdition, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, with all, deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; became they received not the love of the truth, that they may be saved”(2 Thess.2:6-10).

There are two personalities identified here. The second personality is the antChrist, the lawless or wicked one, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders. There is no argument about the identity of the second personality. But there is no consensus of opinion amongst Christian bible scholars about the identity of the second personality. Our brother Paul did not bother to identify the restrainer to his audience because his identity was already pretty well known to his immediate audience, the Thessalonians. Paul probably told them who he was in his previous oral instructions while he was with them. When the archangel Michael “amads”, that is, ceases to do what he normally does best, defending the people of God, there shall be a time of trouble. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who 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, everyone that shall be found written in the book of life. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting contempt”(Dan.12:1,2).

The 15th century French Jewish scholar Rashi commenting on this Scripture said: “The Holy One, blessed be His name, said to Michael, ” stand still,” thou shall not defend my people any more.” So, the correct translation of amad is stand still. So Michael will not stand up, or arise, in order to defend Israel during the time of trouble that follows immediately, but rather will stand still or stop doing what he normally does, that is stop his restraining influence over the demonic forces of Satan. The antiChrist will now reveal his true identity to the world, and as Satan’s proxy will vent the fury of Satan on the people of God. Immediately Michael stands still, there is a time of distress. The time of distress that occurs following the removal of the retraining influence of archangel Michael is identifiable with the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist which is a manifestation of the wrath of Satan against the people of God. What Daniel said about this time of trouble is the same as what Christ said about the Great Tribulation: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”(Matt.24:21). “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 nation even to that same time”(Dan.12:1a).

The statement in Mat.24:21, “such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” is identical to the statement in Dan.12:1, “and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.” And we can see that this time of trouble which has no comparison to any in the annals of history nor any future events shall be inaugurated when Michael the prince that standeth for thy people amad. This time of trouble is associated with the cessation of Michael standing up for the people of God. In the light of these Scriptures, it is evident that Michael is the restrainer who standeth for thy people; for scripture must be compared with scripture, and also scripture interprets scripture.

(4) Satan Possesses And Empowers The antiChrist

With the restrainer taken out of the way, there is no one to rein in the Devil. Satan possesses the antiChrist. He gives him his power, seat, and great authority to rule over the Earth on his behalf. “And the Dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority”(Rev.13:2). Babylon will become the hold and cage of every foul spirit and hateful bird. “And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird”(Rev.18:2). There is a city called Babylon. It shall become the religious and commercial headquarters of the kingdom of the antiMessiah. Babylon also refers to the false religion instituted by the antiChrist, and headed by the false prophet. It is also referent to corrupt human government and religion, and the attendant commercialism instituted by Nimrod in defiance to God. Adherents of this religion shall be highly demonized by the evil and foul spirits evicted from the dark void and the starry heavens at the middle of the 70th week. These demons shall possess whosoever they can. Because of the high level of demonization, evil shall run riot on Earth. Violence shall be the order of the day. Men and women shall drink sexual immoralities like water. Drunkenness and drug addiction shall be the staple of many. So also will be murder and ritual killings, and all kinds of evil and vices.

(5) antiChrist Relocates His Headquarters To Jerusalem

Before the midpoint of the 70th seven, the headquarters of the antiChrist shall be somewhere in the land of Magog, from where he shall form a coalition of the three most powerful European nations, Magog, Meshech, and Tuval. He shall unite them with Javan, which may be Greece or Greek Syria, and six other nations in Africa and the Near East- Cush(Sudan), Libya(Put or Phut), Iraq(Babylon), Iran(Persia), Gomer and Togamar(Turkey) – to form a ten-nation confederation, the 8th and Final Beast Empire. He amasses the most powerful armies in the annals of military history with the most sophisticated weaponry ever. Posing as Israel’s protector on account of the peace treaty, he relocates his headquarters to Jerusalem at the midpoint of the 70th week. “And he shall plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end and none shall help him”(Dan.11:45). The seas spoken of here are the Mediterranean and the Dead seas. The glorious holy mountain is Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the epicenter of the Earth. It is the gateway to the three major continents, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Besides, the enemies of the antiChrist are not in Europe and America but in Asia and Africa. It shall be easier for him to administer his armies from the Middle East. And most importantly, he wants to show the world that he is superior to the Sovereign LORD of the Universe, the God of Israel and the Christians by taking over the Third Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah built for the worship of Jehovah.

(6) antiChrist Makes His Debut At The Temple

On relocating his headquarters to Jerusalem, he makes his debut at the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. There he shall reveal himself as a dead man come back to life and demand worship of all mortals. “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall the wicked be revealed, who the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause, God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie: That all might be darmed who believed not the Truth, had pleasure in unrighteousness”(1 Thess.2:6-12).

(7) antiChrist True Identity Unveiled

Prior the to this time, the antiChrist shall travel incognito, unrecognized as it were for who he truly is. Except for members of his inner circle and the believers who have learned from the word of God of his true identity, the mass of humanity would not know that the antiMessiah is a dead man come back to life, who has ruled one of the seven previous beast empires, who shall ascend from the abyss, the underworld of the dead to rule the 8th and Final Beast Empire of Satan. Because it will serve his purpose, he will not hide his identity any more. He shall take away the veil and reveal himself as a dead man come back to life. Men shall be literally paralyzed with fear. This shall be the singular most important factor that shall grant him overwhelming influence over the lives of the majority of the living wicked earth-dwellers. “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to the death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon who gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying , who is like unto the beast, and who is able to make war with him?”(Rev.13.3,4). As for the Jews who made a peace covenant with him, it shall be so terrifying for them to understand that they have made a covenant with a dead man come back to life(Is.28:19).

(8) antiChrist Makes Himself God

When Satan entered into Judas, the man from Iscara, he betrayed his Master Jesus. When he possesses the antiChrist, he shall become a political megalomaniac. He declares himself God, and demands worship of all living earth-dwellers. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there be a falling away first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, 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”(2Thess.2: 3,4).

( 9) The Abomination Of Desolation

The antChrist and his henchmen shall violate the precincts of the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. At the same time he violates the temple precincts, he shall import a robotic image of himself into the Holy Of Holies of the temple. This shall be like in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, the seventh Greek ruler of the Seleucid dynasty who defiled the Jewish altar of holocaust by sacrificing a pig, an unclean animal on it. He also put a statue of the Olympian Zeus or the Canaanite Baal Shemen in the Holy Of Holies of the second temple built by the returning exiles. The image of the Olympian Zeus was a bust of Antiochus himself. He claimed to be the God made manifest, Antiochus Theos Epiphanes. He was the prefigure of the antiMessiah.

So, like his prefigure, the antiMessiah shall desecrate the Holy Of Holies of the rebuilt third Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. This is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. “And he 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 abomination he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined, shall be poured upon the one who maketh desolate”(Dan.9:27). This shall be the extreme point of abomination when a man sits in the temple built for the worship of Jehovah, declares himself God, and demands worship of all mortals. “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; 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”(2 Thess.2:3,4).

(10) Abolition Of The Daily Sacrifice

When the Jewish temple on Mount Moriah is rebuilt, the Jews shall resume temple worship and the daily morning and evening animal sacrifice, grain, and drink offerings. When the antiMessiah makes his debut at the temple, he shall put a stop to the daily animal sacrifices, meal and drink offerings. “In the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease”(Dan.9:27b). He will do this because he will not recognize any God. He will not brook any rivals. “who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God”(2 Thess.2:4).

(11) The antiMessiah Demands Worship Of All Men

From the moment the antiChrist declares himself God, he shall demand all men worship him. The larger majority of the living wicked earth-dwellers shall worship him being awed by the fact that he is a dead man come back to life. The antiChrist is not just a dead man come back to life, he ruled over one of the seven previous beast empire of Satan. He will be recognizable. A lot of folks will be awed, frightened and horrified by this singular fact, and will not have the courage to resist him. They will question their ability to resist him because of the fact that he is a dead man come back to life, and because their names were not written in the Lamb’s book of life. “They worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”(Rev.13:4). The true believers will not worship him nor bow nor capitulate to his authority. They will not give him allegiance. They would rather die than worship nor bow before him.

Beyond this, the antiMessiah has the most sophisticated armies in the world at his beck and call. He is also in control of food supply. To effect his plan to get all men to worship him, he shall introduce a mark of loyalty to his assumed divinity. Anyone who receives this Mark shall be a loyal citizen of his kingdom. Anyone chipped or branded shall be at liberty to buy and sell, and engage in any business transactions, and be credited with fiat money in one’s account. Those who reject this Mark shall not be able to buy and sell. If they have not previously stockpiled food and other supplies like water and energy, they could die of starvation, exposure to the elements, or be caught trying to procure food for themselves and their families and loved ones. This shall be a horrible period of time in the history of man on Earth.

(12) Extreme Dearth

The wars, commotions and rumors of wars(the second seal), the famines, pestilences and earthquakes(third seal) of the first three and one-half years will create a confluence of hard economic conditions all over the globe. Wars disrupt farming. The population is in motion. Cities will be destroyed alongside whatever industries and businesses therein. Commercial shipping will be disrupted as nations war one against another. Goods from combatant nations may not get into enemy countries. Nations will treat one another as pariahs. Others will be blockaded to bring them to submission. There will be huge refugee crisis. International organizations that deal with refugees and relief agencies will not be able to function. The UN, EU, AU and other regional organizations will be rendered powerless as nations jockey for power. There will be realignment of nations. Coupled with all these are earthquakes in diverse places. In this kind of situation, it may be virtually impossible to do anything for the victims of natural disasters. When there is an earthquake in a war zone, who will risk his life to go there and bring relief to the victims?

The antiChrist has anticipated this condition of extreme dearth. There probably will be economic boom prior to this time. It will probably be like the situation in Egypt in the days of Joseph. There will be years of plenty followed by years of famine. The antiMessiah being the smart Alec that he is would have stockpiled food, medicine and other supplies. He will turn this to his own advantage in time of scarcity. He will use food as a bargaining chip. He will tell the citizens of his kingdom, “I will put a chicken in every pot. Take my mark of allegiance, and you will have plenty to eat and drink.” Do you know what? He shall deliver. Once anyone takes the mark of allegiance to the Beast, fiat money will be credited to the one’s account so the the one can buy and sell. It will be extremely difficult for anyone to resist the antiChrist if one has not adequately prepared ahead of time. The frivolous attitude that God will take care of every believer whether or not one had heeded Christ’s instructions concerning perseverance(Rev.3:10) or not will not hold water. If one does not work, one does not eat. If one has not made adequate preparations in relation to God’s instruction concerning perseverance, one would most probably fall victim to the machinations of the antiMessiah.

Remember that Satan and his hordes of fallen evil angels now abide on Earth. A lot of men are now indwelt by these demons. There is utter wickedness among men. Human feelings will fly out the window. Humaneness will be gone. Men will become heartless and utterly selfish. Most men will be concerned with their immediate needs and nothing else. “Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die”(1 Cor.15:32c). Corruption will be at its peak. The antiChrist loves this chaotic situation because it enables him to divide and rule, to set one man against another. There will be total insecurity. There is no telling what evil man is capable of in a state of insecurity. There will be insecurity of life, property and food and shelter. In situations like this, men eat one another, and women eat their children and husbands. It shall be very dismal.

(13) The Hybridization Of The Human Race

Right now as I write there is an attempt to corrupt humanity by the incorporation of animal and plant genes into the human genome. This work is going on feverishly in many laboratories around the globe, some of them hidden in the Amazon and African forests away from the prying eyes of some activists. The humanoids or transhumans, the products of these experiments will be neither wholly men, animals nor plants. There is a disconnect between these men and the rest of humanity. This will lead to wickednes and utter chaotic confusion. Men with animal and plant traits but no human sympathy will be an aberration on humanity just like the nephilim in the days of Noah(Gen.6:1-8). God instituted salvation for man who alone of all creation which He made in His image and likeness. Animals do not have spirits to be redeemed. Their souls are based on their flesh which disintegrate when they die. They are not eternal beings. A union between man, an eternal being made in the image and likeness of God, and plant and animal which are temporal is an abhorrent corruption.

Besides, the nephilim are here again. Fallen evil angels are cohabiting with human females and producing and reproducing hybrid humans who are neither wholly men nor angels. These men cannot be saved being humanoids. Fallen angels are locked in unrighteousness and therefore cannot be saved. God decreed a distinction between men and angels, but Satan and his acolytes are attempting to obliterate that distinction. As it was in th days of Noah before the deluge, these men are utterly heartless without human sympathy. They are here again. In those days, it repented God that He had created man because the wickedness of man was great in the Earth, and thoughts and the imaginations of his heart were evil continually(Gen.6:5).

( 14) The Pretribulation Rapture Position

One of the worst evils that has befallen the Church in the last two centuries is the pretribulation rapture position which began amongst the Plymouth Brethren in Britain in 1828. Prior to this time, the historic position of both the Roman Catholics and the Protestants have been that the Church will go through a difficult time during the Great Tribulation before being raptured prior to the outpouring of the wrath of God upon the living wicked earth-dwellers. This position was not designated prewrath rapture position, but that was what it was all about. The pretribulation rapture view was popularized in Britain in 1832 by J. N. Darby of the Plymouth Brethren, and Edward Irving, a medical doctor, and a prolific charismatic who is credited with being the father of modern Pentecostalism.

It came across the Atlantic to the United States in the early 20th century. It was picked up and popularized by C. I. Scofield through his reference Bible. It is the most popular view of rapture amongst evangelicals. It has anesthetized the Church to the dangers and horrors of the Great Tribulation which according to the word of God she must go through before being raptured. Of late this view has been further popularized by Tim La Haye and Jerry B. Jenkins through novelization in the book “Left Behind” by Tim La Haye. There are seventeen volumes in the series. Each of them sold over 80 million copies. The Church is inundated with this view which renders believers impervious to the truth about End Times and very vulnerable to the machinations of the antiMessiah. Holders of this view are very intolerant of others views of the rapture especially those that teach that the Church will go through all or part of the Great Tribulation. It will be very disastrous for the Church to enter into the 70th week of Daniel without prior preparation to face the horrors of the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist having been taught that she will be raptured to Heaven on the wings of silver bird before the antChrist hangs out his shingles. Never underestimate the power of false doctrines.

(15) The Church’s Preoccupation With Prosperity

The prosperity message has further weakened the Church being based on the theology of convenience. Because God of miracle is our Papa, we cannot suffer. But it is plainly written in the Scriptures that if we suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him(2 Tim.2:9a) . “Yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”(2 Tim.3:12). It is given unto us in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but to suffer for His sake(Phil.1:29). “For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us”(Rom.8:18). ” 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). There is no taste in the white of an egg(Job 6:6b). There is no pleasure in suffering, but it carries an eternal weight of glory. How can we be so preoccupied with prosperity when Jesus warned us in the parable of the sower that riches are deceitful(Matt.13:22). If we think we can have plenty of it and not be deceived, we are already deceived. Are we wiser than Solomon, the wise king of Israel? Did his wealth not deceive him into thinking he could play around with women, and get away with it? It will not be long before every parrot of prosperity will shut up his mouth. When the antiChrist signs a seven-year peace treaty with Israel, and the rapture has not taken place, every voice of pretribulation rapturism will be silenced. In that day, they shall go into the basement and upper chambers and cellars to hide themselves. Unfortunately some ministers oblivious of the emergence of the antiMessiah at the commencement of the 70th Week will still be preoccupied with preaching prosperity, success, and the good life, embarking on white elephant church projects, running bible schools and universities, and looking for solutions to indissoluble social ills until the Great Tribulation happens upon them unawares.

A generation of Christians brought up on bread and butter message of prosperity and no suffering, entering the 70th week of Daniel, confronted with the horrors of the Great Tribulation will be a disaster. Therefore there is a great need to teach the prewrath rapture position, to reorientate the mindset of the Church to go through horrors of the wrath of Satan without falling away.

(16) Economic Collapse And Global Wealth Confiscation

The antiChrist will seek to control the wealth of the world. He needs the money to finance the most sophisticated armies in the world. Therefore he will fleece his citizens. The scripture refers to him as the extortioner and the spoiler. “Let my outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land”(Is.16:4). During the Great Tribulation, the antiChrist will invade Israel in what is called the Jerusalem campaign. The outcasts of Israel will be those who refuse to give their allegiance to the antiChrist. The outcasts of Israel will flee to Moab, which is part of modern day Jordan to escape captivity. But the Jordanians will not cooperate. Due to age old animosity, the Jordanians will kill some of them, and hand over others to the antiChrist; for which reason they will be severely punished by God in the day of His wrath(Obad.1:10-14; Zeph.2:8-11).

Very soon banks will no longer be bailed out by the government. In case of shrinkage of capital, capital flight or lack of liquidity, banks will be bailed in by the depositors. They will seize the deposits of account holders to restore liquidity. Here the antiChrist is referred to as the extortioner, and the spoiler, and the oppressor. He will take spoil of the temple treasures. He will extort money from the Jews in the land of Israel. He will do this all over his vast empire. He will tax the citizens heavily. He will confiscate the wealth of the citizens especially the rich who do not agree with him. Those who do not take his Mark of allegiance will forfeit their bank accounts and property. He will loot the treasures of conquered nations. He will confiscates their oil wells and mines. He will loot the banks of conquered nations, and confiscate the deposits of account holders. He will confiscate the wealth of churches which do not give him allegiance.

” He shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps”(Dan.11:43).

When the antChrist invades and conquers Egypt, he will loot the treasures of Egypt, the treasures of gold, and of silver, and the precious things of Egypt. These will include artworks and all the archeological treasures of Egypt and the Sinai oil fields. Like ISIS he will auction artworks and archeological treasures in order to raise funds for his vast armies and numerous military campaigns. There is no free launch; someone pays the bill. He will also control the wealth of all the nations of his ten nation confederation; these Kings will give their power and strength, and kingdoms unto him(Rev.17:13,17). This shall be his manner in his kingdom and over the conquered nations.

(17) Modern Technology

One of those factors that will add to the confluence of events to make the Great Tribulation possible will development in modern technology. Google has mapped out the whole world. One can make call to and from almost anywhere in the world. Electronic mails have almost eliminated the art of letter writing as a means of communication. One can communicate with almost anyone anywhere in the world instantly through Skype, BBM, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Satellite Phone, Zoom, Connect etc. With this ease of communication comes the erosion of privacy. Almost any electronic gadget one purchases nowadays is equipped with GPS. Even thermostats in people’s homes are equipped with GPS. The government and its security apparatus can monitor anyone of its citizens at any time. They can monitor one’s movement and activities. Even when one’s phone is not in use or switched off, the manufacturer and the mobile network can pinpoint its exact location. Every government has the responsibility under God to protect its citizens. In an attempt to sieve out terrorists, criminals and felons, every citizen will be monitored. This is a necessary evil. Christians had better be aware of it.

(a) Biometric Implants

With escalation in terror attacks, those in government have enormous responsibility to protect the citizenry. There are private citizens and members of civil liberties union who feel their privacy is being infringed upon or eroded by the activities of the government and its security apparatus. But this is a necessary evil. The government has both the right and the responsibility to protect its citizens. Very soon there will be a harmonization of all biometric data. Driving license, national ID, BVN, NIN, credit and debit card numbers etc will be collapsed into one social security number with all relevant biometric data specific to the individual. Initially this number will be carried about on a plastic card. But in order to avoid theft, it will have to be implanted in some part of the body. Biometric implant is already in use in some parts of the world, especially in the Scandinavian countries. This is what the antiChrist will use as a mark of allegiance to his authority. Even before the antiChrist makes his debut at the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, biometric implants will be very commonly in use. The antiMessiah will standardize its use and make it compulsory and mandatory in his kingdom. Lots of our celebrities wear tattoos. What is a biometric implant to those who are accustomed to tattoo marks? The society is already being primed for it. Those who fail to capitulate to his authority will not be able to buy and sell or transact any business, and could die of starvation if they have not previously stocked away food, medicine and other supplies.

(b) Cashless Society

In some societies in the West, except drug barons and money launderers, there is hardly anyone with more than a few notes on one’s person at any point in time. It is very cumbersome to carry money about. There is the risk of loss in transit, theft and armed robbery. In a place like Sweden, over 90% of business transactions are done online. Malaysia will soon be the First Nation in the world to become cashless. Very soon cash will be eliminated altogether. With NFC and mobile applications like Google wallet etc which enables one to purchase online, the use of cash will soon be almost unnecessary. All that is left for it to become a reality is the political will on the part of those in government. With one’s account linked to one’s biometrics, one can purchase almost anything online, it will be delivered to one’s door by robots or drones. A cashless society will enable the government and its security apparatus to monitor almost every transaction except in cases where some agree orally to trade by bater. Because it makes it much easier to monitor terrorists, the government will encourage cashlessness. The antiChrist will eventually use cashlessness to his advantage to regulate and monitor allegiance to himself.

(d) Internet Of Things

One of the most wonderful inventions of man in our time is the computer and the Internet. It has revolutionized our world as did the steam engine, crude oil, telephone, electricity, and aeroplane etc. Most valuable things we need today we can purchase online. Very soon we can purchase almost anything online. There will soon be an Internet of things or better still Internet of everything. What that means is that one can purchase anything online. Internet of everything, cashless society and biometric implants will make it a lot easier for the antiChrist and his minions to monitor all transactions to ensure that no one without the mark of allegiance(Mark Of The Beast), can buy or sell. It will be virtually impossible for anyone without the mark of the beast to engage in any form of transactions. Those who do not have this mark could die of starvation if they have not previously stocked away food, medicine and other supplies. If they get anything from anyone who has it, it will be entirely on the grounds of mercy and good will, if not stolen.

The Great Tribulation Begins

At the commencement of the 70th week, because of the peace treaty with Israel, the antiChrist posing as the protector of the Jewish state will station some of his troops in Israel, especially the Holy City, Jerusalem. But precisely in the midst of the week, he shall relocate his headquarters from somewhere in Europe to Jerusalem, the land between the two seas- the Mediterranean and the Dead Seas- in the glorious Holy Mountain. “And he shall plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end and none shall help him”(Dan.11:45). In anticipation of Jewish opposition, and in order to enforce the apostasy, the antiChrist shall massively surround Jerusalem with his troops.

The Jerusalem Campaign

“And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that in the countries enter thereinto. For these shall be the days of vengeance, that all things written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be Great Distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be lead away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled”(Luk.21:20-24).

The phrase translated Great Distress here in verse 23 is the same translated Great Tribulation in Matt.24:21. As we can see here, the fleeing to the mountains of them that are in Judaea is associated with the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies. The same events associated with the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies is associated with the abomination of desolation standing in the place where it ought not, that is, the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem(Matt.24:15-20; Mark 13:14-18). We have already proven that this event, the abomination that maketh desolate which is the importation of the image of the antiMessiah into the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt Third Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem dedicated to the worship of Jehovah occurs precisely in the middle of the 70th seven of Daniel.

“For he shall cut the covenant with the many(from within Israel) for one week; and in the midst of the week(midpoint) 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 one who maketh desolate”(Dan.9:27).

It therefore follows that these two events are concurrent. They occur when the restrainer is removed. When the opposition of Michael, the archangel that standeth for His people is removed, the Beast-antiChrist shall be at liberty to do as he pleases, albeit, within the bounds set up for him of the Lord. This initial invasion of Jerusalem by the armies of the antiMessiah in order to enforce the apostasy is dubbed the Jerusalem campaign in order to distinguish it from the other two campaigns that will take place in the same vicinity, namely the Jehoshaphat campaign and the Armageddon campaign. The Armageddon campaign begins in the vicinity of Jerusalem also but ends in the Battle of Armageddon in the valley of Esdraelon in northern Israel, about 180 km north of Jerusalem.

This campaign which shall occur at the beginning of the Great Tribulation shall lead to increased death toll amongst Jews and Christians in the Holy land if it falls on the sabbath day or in the winter. ” And pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day”(Matt.24:20). If it occurs in the winter, many more Jews and Christians fleeing from the antiChrist persecution shall perish from exposure to the elements. Right now we are in the midst of refugee crisis in Europe fleeing ISIS persecution in Syria and Iraq. Something has to be done very quickly to provide them shelter before the winter arrives. In the midst of the 70th week, there shall be no government or organization to provide shelter for Jews and Christians fleeing from the antiChrist in the Holy Land. There will be no Red Cross or Medicine Sans Frontier to provide them with medical care. These international NGOs will not be able to function due to wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes in diverse places. There will be total disruption of communication and international cooperation. The rules of engagement enshrined in the Geneva Convention will be rubbished.

It shall be worst for the observant Jews if the flight associated with the invasion of Jerusalem by the antiChrist occurs on the sabbath day. The sabbath day journey is a little more that half a mile, 2,000 cubits, about 800-1000 meters. The observant Jew shall walk so far and no more. He shall be apprehended, coerced to capitulate to the authority of the antiMessiah by taking his mark of allegiance or be killed outright on refusal to comply. The majority of the observant Jews shall reject this Mark of allegiance to the antiMessiah outright and pay with their lives.

How difficult shall it be for pregnant mothers and those with children and women who give suck in those days? It shall be extremely difficult for them to get away from Jerusalem, more so if the flight occurs in the winter; and worst still on the sabbath day in the winter for the observant Jewess. These women and their children shall not be able to go very far, and could die from exposure to the elements or be caught and be coerced to capitulate to the antiChrist or be liquidated on refusal to comply. Others will be taken into captivity. Some will be be publically humiliated. During the Holocaust, Jews were made to perform their excretory functions in public. What a shame to humanity?

The Fourth Seal

“And when He had broken the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto him over the fourth part of the Earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the Earth”(Rev.6:7,8).

The fourth seal is the Great Tribulation proper. The fourth seal is Death itself closely followed by Hell. These are they with which the scornful leaders of Israel in Jerusalem have made a covenant. The peace treaty with the antiChrist is referred to by the prophet Isaiah as “covenant with Death,” and “agreement with Hell”(Is.28: 14, 15, 18,19). It is taking “security in lies” and “refuge in falsehood.” The antiChrist is synonymous with Death and Hell, and lies and falsehood. Power was given it over the fourth part of the Earth. The instruments of death will be sword, hunger, death itself, and the beasts of the Earth. Satan wants to be the sovereign Lord of the Earth. He plans to archive his aim of defeating God by disqualifying all potential citizens of Christ’s millennial Kingdom by branding them citizens of his own satanic kingdom or killing them outright if they refuse to be branded citizens of his own satanic kingdom. No living earth-dweller will be forcibly branded, but force can be used to obtain compliance.

Precisely at the midpoint of the 70th week, the antiChrist will declare himself God. This will happen after Satan and his hordes of fallen evil angels are evicted from the dark void and the starry heavens by archangel Michael, and the angels of God under his command(Rev.12:7-9). He possesses the antiChrist(Rev.13:2) who relocates his headquarters from Europe to Jerusalem(Dan.11:45) in a move called the Jerusalem campaign(Luk.21:20). He defiles the Holy Of Holies of the rebuilt Third Jewish temple on Mount Moriah by importing a statue of himself into the temple, and demanding worship of all inhabitants of the Earth(Dan.9:27; 2Thess.2:3,4).

Because of the large number of fallen evil angels cast down to the Earth, following the war in the heavens at the midpoint of the 70th week(Rev.12:7-9), many living earth-dwellers will be possessed by demons. A good number of these demons cast down to the Earth shall find abode in Babylon, the commercial and religious capital of the kingdom of the antiChrist(Rev.18:2). The remainder of these demons shall be free to roam the Earth and possess whosoever they are able to possess. Because of the preponderance of demons on Earth, iniquity shall abound and the love of many shall wax cold(Matt.24:12). There shall be escalations in evil, wickedness, unrighteousness, and all manner of abominations.

The false religious system instituted by the antiChrist shall be spearheaded by the Second Beast, the false prophet. He shall ingratiate himself to the First Beast by mesmerizing the inhabitants of the Earth to worship the Dragon-Beast(Rev.13:11-15). He shall bewitch the living wicked earth-dwellers to worship the First Beast and the Dragon by performing outstanding and supposedly genuine miracles, signs and wonders. For example, he shall cause fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men. He shall cause the statue or image of the antiChrist to speak(Rev.13:13-15). And he shall use his position in the antiChrist setup to garner much wealth for himself and his false religious institution(Rev.18:19).

Apart from the image of the Beast in the Holy Of Holies of the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, and at strategic locations throughout his empire, citizens of the kingdom of the Beast shall be required to make little images of the Beast in gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, and wood in their homes to worship; every man according to what he can afford(Rev.9:20). These images of the Beast shall be enlivened by demonization.

Therefore in the day of the Lord, when God shall shake terribly the Earth, these living wicked earth-dwellers , worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast shall cast away their idols of silver, and their idols of gold, which they have made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His Majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the Earth. Because in those days, God shall utterly abolish the idols, these men shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the Earth, for fear of the LORD, and the glory of His Majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the Earth(Is.2:18-20). “The gods that have not made the heaven and the Earth, even they shall perish from under the Earth, and from under these heavens”(Jer.10:11). And the idols He shall utterly abolish(Is.2:18).

The antiChrist shall attempt to brand all living earth-dwellers with the Mark Of The Beast on their foreheads or right hand. The Mark Of The Beast, like the seal is indicative of ownership, authenticity, security and protection. The Mark 666, is a biometric implant consisting of a social security number of 18-digit computer barcode, with other essential biometric data specific to the individual. It is for the purpose of identification. When one is chipped or branded, one becomes a true citizen of the kingdom of the antiMessiah. It ensures that one’s allegiance to the kingdom is complete and guaranteed. The one can buy and sell, and engage in other transactions in the kingdom. Without it, one cannot buy and sell or obtain medical and other insurances(Rev.13:17).

Those who do not have this Mark could die of starvation if they have not stocked away food and other supplies before hand. They shall be hounded, ferreted out, and coerced to take the Mark Of The Beast. Those who refuse, do so under the pain of death. This Mark is irreversible. It does not count if done by force. Those with this Mark shall face the wrath of God during the day of His wrath.

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or right hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God , which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascended up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name”(Rev.14:9-11). Anyone with the mark of the Beast, shall face the wrath of God. Those with the mark of the beast who survive the war of Armageddon, if at all, shall be executed. Anyone with this mark is doomed for eternity. No one with the mark of the beast shall be raptured or become a citizen of Christ’s millennial kingdom.

It will be very difficult for anyone without the Mark of the beast to survive in those days. The antiChrist shall stockpile food, medicine, and other supplies before the Great Tribulation begins, which he shall use as bargaining chips to compel the inhabitants of the Earth to comply to be branded citizens of his satanic kingdom. He credits the accounts of his branded followers with fiat currency. Except one has already prepared a hideout beforehand, with food and other supplies, one could be caught trying to procure them without the Mark of the Beast.

The Beast’s allotted time is a short period of three and one-half years, but it is a long time to live without being resupplied. If those days were not cut short, no flesh, that is, the observant Jew, believer or anyone else for that matter who refuses the Mark of the Beast shall survive. With advancement in modern technologies, the antiChrist and his army of enforcers shall be able to ferret out all nonconformists. But for the elect’s sake, those days shall be cut short(Matt.24:22). Besides, the antiChrist shall ferret out and coerce to accept to be branded those who do not readily and willingly take the Mark of the Beast. Those who refuse the Mark of the Beast when caught or discovered shall be executed, some of them by decapitation(beheading). The faith and patience of the saints shall be if one is destined to go into captivity, into captivity the one goes; and if anyone is destined to be killed with sword, with the sword, the one shall be killed(Rev.13:10). There is a crop of the saints that shall take it upon themselves not only not to hide, but to go about persuading others not to take the Mark of the Beast. When caught, the antiChrist shall give them special punishment, death by beheading(Rev.20:4). The Greek word is cephalizo. These saints shall have their head cut off by the antiChrist as a deterrent to others who may wish to follow in their steps.

Besides the placement of the image of the Beast in the Holy Of Holies of the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, and instructing his followers to make images of him in gold, silver, other metals, precious stones and wood, enlivened images of the antiChrist shall be stationed at strategic locations: public squares, public buildings, stadia, market squares, malls, supermarkets, banks, post offices, streets and road junctions, educational institutions etc to identify those who do not have the Mark of the Beast. Those who do not have the Mark of the Beast shall be coerced to accept the Mark of the Beast. Those who refuse will do so under the pain of death. This is what is meant by killing with death. It is death effected by means of the enlivened images of the Beast.

These enlivened images of the Beast, which the Bible refers to as the beasts of the Earth(Rev.6:8), are robotic images of the antiChrist equipped with artificial intelligence(AI) and Near Field Communication(NFC) to identify those who are not branded with the Mark of the Beast, and to cause them to be killed. These enlivened images of the Beast act as robocops differentiating those who bear the Mark of the Beast from those who do not. They have the capacity to arrest those who do not bear the Mark of the Beast, coerce them into compliance or kill them if they refuse to comply.

It will be extremely difficult to evade these enlivened images of the Beast trying to procure food for one’s family and loved ones. The best escape will be to prepare a hideout with adequate supplies beforehand for at least two years and at most three. The second half of the 70th week is three and one-half years in duration. The first six trumpet judgments occur within the same period. The fifth trumpet alone lasts five months(Rev.9:5), and the sixth even longer, perhaps about a year. If the first four trumpets last about a year, it therefore follows that the Great Tribulation shall be about one year in duration, give and take, with a margin of error of a month or thereabouts. To be on the safe side, it will be more reasonable to store supplies for at least a period of two to three years, inasmuch as apart from the fifth trumpet, the duration of the other trumpets, the first four trumpets and the sixth are not specified in the Scriptures. Believers who master the end times, know that they have a maximum of three and one-half years to prepare, from the time the antiChrist signs a seven-year peace agreement, the so called covenant with death, with the many from within Israel, to the time he makes his debut at the Third Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. He that has ears let him hear.

Apart from the enlivened images of the Beast stationed at strategic locations to identify and cause to be killed those who refuse the Mark of the Beast, the antiChrist shall have an army of enforcers to carry out his orders to brand all citizens of his kingdom. These will be like the SS officers who followed in the heels of the German Army, the Wehmacht, to enforce Hitler’s Final Solution To The Jewish Question. They shall include, secret service agents, the army, the civil defense, the coast guards etc. With the fast development in modern technology and computer, it shall be extremely difficult, perhaps near impossible to evade these overzealous and watchful eyes. Besides these special government officers, ordinary citizens shall be encouraged to inform and report on one another, just like in the communist era in the former Soviet Union and communist countries at the height of the Cold War. Children shall betray their parents to death and vice versa. Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold(Matt.24:12). And a man’s enemies shall be those of his own household(Matt.10:36; Mark 13:12). It shall be difficult to find trustworthy brethren. There will be false believers. Secret agents of the government of the antiChrist shall infiltrate underground Christian groups posing as brethren. There shall be wolves in sheep’s clothing(Matt.7:15;10:16). There shall be false teachers, false prophets, and false messiahs, all there to deceive(Matt.24:5;Mark 13:22,23; Luk.21:8).

The system of government of the antChrist shall be based on mistrust. The antiChrist shall trust no one. Therefore his citizens shall be encouraged to inform on one another. Parents shall report on their children, the children shall be against their parents. The daughter-in-law shall be against the mother-in-law, and vice versa. Then shall be fulfilled the words of Christ: ” think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance with his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s foes shall be those of his own household(Matt.10:34-6).

The antChrist shall apply the principle of divide and rule. He will destroy family fabrics, and encourage evil of all sorts, some of them so vile that they are unmentionable. He shall not respect family ties. ” And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold(Matt.24:10,12). Even within the Church shall arise false brethren who shall betray others. It shall not be advisable to trust anyone at that unless one can vouch for them. ” Now brother shall betray brother to death, and the father the son ; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death(Mark 13:12). Those shall be evil days and times indeed.

The antiChrist will have control of the whole world for a season. ” 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. And all that dwell upon the Earth shall worship him , whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”(Rev.13:7,8). He will probably massacre a quarter of the world population. “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth”(Rev.6:8). Christians constitute about a quarter of the world population today. It does appear all the kings of the Earth will at first accede to antiChrist’s policy of branding every living person on Earth with his Mark of allegiance more out of fear because he is a dead man come back to life. But later on, there will be some kings and kingdoms that shall oppose him. ” 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 worshippers the Dragon who gave power to the Beast: and they worshipped the Beast, saying, who is like unto the beast, and who is able to make war with him?”(Rev.13:3,4). The singular most important factor that will initially frighten the whole world into submission to the antiMessiah is the fact he is a dead man come back to life, who have lived before and ruled over one of the seven previous beast empires of Satan, and is risen from the dead to rule the 8th and the Final Beast Empire. But towards the End Of Time(End Of Ages), some of these nations shall begin to oppose him.

“And at the time of the end(of the ages) shall the king of the South push at him: and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. And he shall enter into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. And he shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. But tidings out of the East and out of the North shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas in the glorious Holy Mountain; yet shall he come to his end, and none shall help him”(Dan.11:40-45).

There will be other kings and kingdoms which shall oppose him, like the king of the North, the kings of the East(China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Japan, etc), and the king of the South. ” And at that time shall the king of the South push at him(antiChrist): and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and passover”(Dan. 11:40). ” And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east may be prepared”(Rev.16:12).

It is difficult at this time to define the king of the North. The North here refers to countries north of Israel. There are some who define it as Russia. But Meshech and Tuval which constitute the bulk of Russia shall be two of the three power base nations the antiMessiah will use to build the 8th and the Final Beast empire of Satan. Whatever is left of Russia after the separation of Meshech and Tuval may unite with other nations in North and Eastern Europe, and countries in Central Asia to form the king of the North. We may probably not be able to define this king until the beginning of the 70th Seven. The king of the North may be a group of nations that come together in order to oppose the antiChrist, a reaction of sort to his ten nation confederation, and his oppressive rule, and his demand to be worshipped by all and sundry.

There is the king of the South, and the king of the North, but there are kings of the East. The East shall not be one regional body ruled by one king, there shall be independent powerful nations from the East which oppose the antiMessiah. This should not surprise us because the nations of the East, like China, India, and Pakistan are regional rivals with differing political, ethnic, and religious bases and ideologies. They are all nuclear powers. India is predominantly Hindu. Pakistan is predominantly Muslim. China is predominantly Confucian and Buddhist. These do not naturally agree. Pakistan broke away from India, and Bangladesh with the assistance of India from Pakistan. In both politics and in religion, these nations like to maintain their individual distinctiveness. India and Pakistan are Indo-Europeans or Japhethic in ancestry. The Chinese are Hamitic in ancestry.

The African nations south of the Sahara may form a strong regional body. The head of that body may be the king of the South who will oppose the antiChrist. We have already stated that all nations shall initially accede to the demands of the antiChrist primarily out of fear that he is a dead man come back to life. All nations, kindreds, and tongues shall obey him. But towards the END OF TIME, they shall rebel against him because of his oppressive rule, claim to divinity, and demand to be worshipped by all and sundry. The fact that the king of the South shall oppose the antiChrist does not however mean that Christians shall not be persecuted in this region. It may be that there will be countries in Africa south of the Sahara that shall be allied to the antiChrist. Besides, Africa is readily accessible via the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea. The antiChrist may invade Africa through amphibious operations. And any part of it may be invaded and conquered by airborne divisions.

“He shall enter into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, Edom, and Moab and the chief of the children of Ammom”(Dan.11:41).

There are some biblical scholars who believe that the reason these peoples shall escape invasion by the antiChrist is because they shall be neutral. These peoples shall not be neutral at all. Though they are not part of the ten-nation confederation of the 8th and Final beast empire of Satan, they shall be allied to the antiChrist. Edom refers to the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. Moab and Ammon are the children of Lot through inadvertent incest on the part of Lot in the third degree of alcoholic inebriation(Gen.19:30-38). Although God did not give their land to the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt, these were enemies of Israel throughout their history in the Holy Land. During the destruction of Jerusalem by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 BC, they were part of the invading army of Babylon. They participated in the desecration and spoilation of the Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. They cut off and apprehended the escapees of Juadah. Some of them they executed, and others they handed over to the Babylonians(Obad.1:10-14).

Today, these ancient kingdoms constitute the modern day Jordan which was established in 1922 by the British on almost 78% of Mandate Palestine designated for the creation of the Jewish State which includes a substantial part of the tribal allotments of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Menashe in order to appease the Saudi royal family. The royal family in Jordan is of the same decent and lineage with the royal family in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(KSA). It was originally named the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. During the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist, these peoples shall repeat history by cutting off Jews who shall escape to the red rose city of Petra in modern day Jordan, and participate in the desecration of the temple precincts and spoilation of its treasure, for which reason they shall be severely punished by God and shall become an excrescence and an eternal memorial(Obad.1:15,16).

Egypt shall not be part of the 8th and Final beast empire. That does not however mean that Christians and Jews shall be safe in Egypt. Egypt is predominantly Muslim. Traditionally, Muslims persecute Christians and Jews. The period of the Great Tribulation shall be no exception. Besides, the antiChrist shall invade and conquer Egypt. ” He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethipians(Cushites) shall be at his steps”(Dan.11:42,43). The antiChrist shall conquer and confiscate the wealth and treasures of Egypt. How else shall he finance his vast and most sophisticated armies in the whole world except through global wealth confiscation and the looting of the treasures and treasuries of nations which he shall conquer. He is rightly named the extortioner, the spoiler and the oppressor(Is.16:4).

Cush shall be part of the 8th and Final Beast empire of Satan. In OT times, Cush refers to the area south and west of Egypt, not modern Ethiopia, formally called Abyssinia, which in biblical times was referred to as Sheba(1 Kin.10:1-13; 2 Chron.9:1-12; Matt.12:42; Luk.11:31). The reference to Queen Candace of Ethiopia in the Book of Acts(Acts 8:27), is a reference to Queen Candace of Mero which was an ancient kingdom in modern day Sudan. It is wrong to translate Cush as Ethiopia as did KJV. Cush is better translated black, for that is what it means literally in Hebrew. Cush will probably be modern day Sudan. Phut or Put shall be part of the 8th and Final Beast Empire. Phut in ancient times refers to Libya and the surrounding areas, which in modern times may include Tunisia, parts of Algeria etc. It is likely the king of the South may not include Africa north of the Sahara. That is not hard to figure out; for this part of Africa is dominated by Arabs and Muslims, the clay in the two feet and ten toes of iron and clay in the statue of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar which is the 8th and Final Beast Empire of Satan, the last stage or the revived Roman Empire(Dan.2:33, 41-43). We must also bear in mind that in ancient time, kings and their kingdoms were synonymous; it is the context that differentiates between the two.

The nations amongst them that are predominantly Muslim may still persecute Christians and Jews. Everywhere in the world at that time Christians shall be persecuted. They shall be seen as political obstructionists and antigovernmental subversives. For example, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan shall not be part of the 8th and Final beast empire nor be allied to it; nevertheless they shall persecute the believers as they do right up to this day. ” Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my names sake”(Matt.24:9). It is wrong for us to think that only the antiChrist and his allies shall persecute believers and Jews at that time. We see here that believers shall be persecuted in all lands even in those areas of the world which are not within the ambit of the antiChrist. For the believers, Jews, and all nonconformists, the Great Tribulation shall be a worldwide phenomenon. Nations will be at war one with another, and there shall be regional hegemonies, rivals and rivalries. Believers shall be viewed as nonconformists and anti-governmental subversives because they will not give their allegiance to the powers that be who run their kingdoms on principles contrary to God. The condition on Earth at that time shall be one of war, therefore death shall be very brutal. Anyone who does not give allegiance to the powers that be shall be seen as antigovernmental subversive. Ye shall be led captive into all nations, and shall be brought before kings and rulers(Luk.21:24).

There will be a preponderance of false Christs, false teachers and false prophets. They shall perform outstanding and supposedly genuine miracles which do not lend themselves readily to refutation. ” For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”(Matt.24:24). There have been false Christs, false prophets and false teachers in history. Even now there are many antiChrists(1 Jon.2:18,19). But at that time, right from the beginning of the 70th Week, there shall be a vast increase in the number of false messiahs, false teachers and false prophets. This shall be much worsened from the midpoint of the 70th Seven when Satan and his fallen evil angels are cast down from the dark void and starry heavens to the Earth. Presently many people are demonized, at that time a lot more shall be demonized and many possessed of fallen evil angels. Satan shall possess the antiChrist. Many of his principalities and powers cast down from the heavenlies shall possess many of the subordinates of the antiChrist. Demonization and possession shall be very common phenomena. There shall be a preponderance of mad men and women on Earth performing ludicrous acts. Some shall be demonized and possessed from the womb.

Our Lord Jesus warned his disciples: ” Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son Of Man be. For where the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together”(Matt.24:25,26, 27,28). These false prophets and teachers shall attempt to lure the believers out of their hideouts in order to coerce them to take the mark of allegiance of the Beast or be killed on refusal to comply. The gathering of the believers shall not be into the secret chamber nor into the desert; for Christ shall not appear in any of these places. But the gathering of the saints shall be into the sky, where Christ shall appear in His glory(1 Thess.4:15-18). The gathering of the believers to Christ in the air shall be effected by the angelic reapers(Matt.13:39). We shall not need to match on foot to locate His whereabouts in the secret chambers or in the desert.

If the Church will not be here during the Great Tribulation, why would Christ warn His disciples beforehand? If the Church would not be here who will the false prophets and false christs deceive? If the Christians would not be here who would the antiChrist be antagonizing? The disciples were the representatives of His Church. If it applied to them then, it applies to us now. And it shall apply to the Church during the 70th week. We have seen that these events shall transpire in the second half of the 70th week.

Some religionists shall compromise. Even some synagogues and churches shall enforce the will of the antiChrist. Believers in Jesus shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. As we have pointed out, the Great Tribulation shall be worst in the land of Israel, especially in its capital city Jerusalem: for that shall be the headquarters of the antiMessiah, the epicenter of the Great Tribulation. Jews and Christians shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled(Luk.21:24). The times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled at Armageddon when the armies of the Gentiles who gathered against Jerusalem are annihilated by Christ and His heavenly hosts. The fullness of the Gentiles occurs at the rapture, and then all Israel shall be saved; for there shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob(Rom.11:25,26).

The dead Christian shall comply with the orders of the antiMessiah(Rev.3:1). The compromising Christian shall go through this horrible persecution unprepared. Therefore he shall face the full brunt of the antiChrist’s persecution, but he shall not comply(Rev.2:4, 14-16, 20-24; 3:14-20) . Most of the Christians that shall be killed shall be compromising ones who have not heeded Christ’s instructions concerning perseverance. They have not adequately prepared for the Great Tribulation ahead of time. The faithful and uncompromising Christian shall be protected from the sphere of persecution because he has heeded Christ’s instructions concerning perseverance(Rev.2:8-10; 3:10). Among the faithful and uncompromising Christians , are those who not only will not take the Mark of the Beast, but shall go about persuading others , at great risk to themselves, both believers and unbelievers not to take the Mark of the Beast, and not to worship the Dragon-Beast. The announcement made by the horizontal flying angels in the heavens, “do not worship the Beast, and do not take his Mark”, shall be chorused by these faithful and uncompromising believers here on Earth, despite the severe persecution going on here on Earth, at the expense of their lives(Rev.6:9-11). This is what it means to overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death(Rev.12:11). They shall not shrink from death. In other words, they were willing to die for what they believe, that is, their faith in Christ. They did not shrink from death and compromise their faith. The antiMessiah shall react with indignation at their behavior. He shall execute them by beheading them. These martyrs shall be resurrected specially on the first day of the Millennium, to reign with Christ a thousand years( Rev.20:4), according Robert Gundry and Marvin J. Rosenthal. Alan E.Kurschner demures And I concur. They are most probably raised from the the dead with other believers at the rapture. There is really no need to delay their resurrection from the dead till the first day of the Millennium.

The coming of the Lord shall be like the lightning that cometh from the east and shineth unto the west. ” For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the coming of the Son Of Man be. For wheresover the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. The Cosmic and celestial disturbances that will interrupt the Great Tribulation shall darken the heavens and frozen the earth. The Shekinah, the appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens shall brighten the heavens and defrost the Earth. Then shall the saints be gathered to meet Him in the air. As we have pointed out earlier, the gathering of the saints to meet Him in the sky shall be effected by the angelic reapers.

The Fifth Seal

“And when he broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were beheaded 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 to 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).

Whereas the fourth seal is an earthly scene, the fifth seal is a heavenly scene. The fifth seal does not advance the chronology of events in the 70th week. It is simultaneously and concurrent with the fourth seal. In that sense it is exceptional in comparison to the other seals which are consecutive and progressive. The fifth seal is a heavenly reflection of the killings going here on earth under the fourth seal. The martyrs being killed here on earth are arriving in heaven as soon as they are killed. There is no distance in the realm of the spirit.

The Great Tribulation has begun. Those who fail to capitulate to the authority of the antiChrist are executed, some by beheading, especially believers who go about persuading others not to take the mark of the beast. This is the fourth seal(Rev.6:7,8), the killing of believers, Jews and other nonconformists who repudiate the authority of the antiMessiah by refusing to take the mark of allegiance to the antiChrist. The killing of believers who refuse the mark of the beast is taking place here on Earth, but the souls of the martyred saints are arriving in heaven. They are referred to as souls because they have no physical bodies. They are disembodied spirits and souls. They have not yet received their glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies. That will occur at the Rapture. They are kept under the altar of incense in the temple in heaven awaiting the resurrection of the saints at the rapture of the Church.

They demand vengeance from God who responds in the affirmative. In relation to the wrath of God, it portends wrath. But they have to wait until their fellow believers to be martyred are fulfilled. This means that the killing was on-going at that moment. There is a complement of believers to be martyred under the fourth seal. This number is not revealed to us; it is a divine secret. ” The secret things belong to God, but the things which are revealed are for us and our children, that we may do the words of this law”(Deut.29:29). As soon as that number is fulfilled, God will cut short the Great Tribulation with cosmic and celestial disturbances. So we can see very clearly that the fourth and fifth seals are coincident; the fifth seal being a heavenly scene is superimposed on the earthly fourth.

So martyrs under the altar is the fifth seal(Rev.6:9-11). During the Great Tribulation, some believers will be killed while others are taken into captivity. ” Here is the patience and faith of saints: if anyone is destined to go into captivity, into captivity the one goes: if anyone is destined to be killed with the sword, with the sword the one shall be killed”(Rev.13:10). The KJV rendering of this verse is not accurate. The more accurate and literal rendering is the one quoted above. There are those to be killed with the sword, and there are those to be taken captive. These things are not random; they have been determined by God in eternity past. Nothing can come upon us except that which has passed through the security of His love. We should count ourselves privileged and unworthy to suffer shame for His name and His kingdom(Acts 5:41).

When the number of martyrs is complete, God cuts short the Great Tribulation with terrestrial and cosmic disturbances, the sixth seal(Rev.6:12-14). Satan and his minion the antiChrist will be paralyzed ( 2 Thess.2:8 ). The Jewish counteroffensive can now begin. With that God serves notice to the living wicked earth-dwellers, worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast, He is about to punish them for their evils. Men shall no longer argue about the existence of God. The atheists will hide themselves in shame in the rocks and the caves of the mountains, so also the humanists. They will know that evolution is a scientific farce. There will be no more arguments about which is the True God.

” And when He had broken the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the Earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the Earth 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, and every bondsman, and every free man hid themselves in the dens, and on the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth 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?”(Rev.6:12-17).

They shall know automatically that God is , and that His wrath is about to be poured out on them; and they are unable to bear it. They shall hide in the dens and rocks of the mountains. But before God pours out His wrath on the nations that know not God, He seals the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel(Rev.7:1-9), and raptures the Church. The Earth shall be darkened and frozen by the cosmic and celestial disturbances. The Shekinah in the heavens, the sign of His coming shall dispel the darkness and defrost the Earth.

The Jehoshaphat Campaign

Towards the end of the Great Tribulation, a little while before the cosmic and celestial disturbances disturbances that shall interrupt the Great Tribulation, the antiChrist and the nations surrounding Israel which are part of the 8th and Final Beast Empire or allied to the antiMessiah shall carry out another military campaign to destroy all in the land of Israel who do not have the Mark of the Beast. The Great Tribulation which began with the Jerusalem campaign in which Jerusalem was surrounded by the armies of the Beast, shall end with another military campaign carried out in the vicinity of Jerusalem to ferret out and destroy the remnants of Israel who repudiate the authority of the antiChrist by refusing to be chipped or branded with his Mark. These men, women, and children are hiding in cellars, basement, underground bunkers, sewers, and in the Judaean wilderness. This campaign called the Jehoshaphat campaign is the gathering of the armies of the Gentile nations that surround Israel which are part of the ten-nation confederation of the antiChrist, or which are not part of the confederation, but are allied to to the antiChrist like Jordan, in preparation for the second military assault on Jerusalem.

The Lord Himself shall draw these nations into the valley of Jehoshaphat prior to the inauguration of the Day Of The LORD. ” For behold in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and of Jerusalem, and I will gather all nations, and I will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will plead with them there for my people and my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land”(Joel 3:1,2). The intention of these nations shall be to totally destroy the nation of Israel, but God will gather them there to judge them instead. ” For behold, the Day Of The LORD cometh, and thy spoil, shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; the city shall be taken, and the housed riffled, and the women ravished; and half the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city(Zech.14:1,2). This battle shall be fought shortly before the Armageddon Campaign. If it were Armageddon, no one would be talking about the Jews going into captivity; for Armageddon will last just a couple of days, and the armies of the Gentile nations will be totally annihilated. This will be very horrible. One half of the Jewish residents of the city shall be taken captive. Their houses shall be destroyed, and the women sexually violated. The residue of the Jewish residents who shall not be cut off from the city are those who are beast-marked. They are branded with the Mark of the Beast. Therefore they are free to reside in the city, and buy and sell without molestation by the security agents of the antiChrist. However, they shall face the wrath of God in the Day Of The LORD.

” Proclaim ye amongst the Gentiles; prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come all heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be awakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for their will I sit to judge the heathen round about. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the Day Of The LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heaven and earth shall shake: but the LORD shall be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy , and there shall no strangers pass through her any more(Joel 3:9-17).

It is obvious here that this campaign shall begin before the Day Of The LORD, when the sun, moon, and stars shall be darkened. But God shall interrupt this destruction by the armies of the antiChrist and the Gentile nations surrounding Israel with cosmocelestial disturbances. A substantial number of these armies shall be immediately annihilated by the cosmic and celestial disturbances. However some remnants of them shall survive the initial onslaught of the wrath of God, but shall finally be annihilated at Armageddon.

There are some biblical scholars that teach that this is part of the battle of Armageddon. The references to the sickle and the harvest in verse 13, indicate that is is part of the wrath of God. But it is also obvious that the gathering of the Gentiles for this battle occurs under the fourth seal of Rev.6. Remember that the fifth seal is a heavenly scene, reflecting the killings going on here on Earth under the fourth seal, the Great Tribulation, and is therefore concurrent with it. This second invasion of Jerusalem by the armies of the antiChrist shall be the final satanic act to destroy those who do not have the Mark of the Beast in and around Jerusalem, and the whole land of Israel during the Great Tribulation before God amputates it with cosmic and celestial disturbances. With the cosmic and celestial disturbances, these armies are incapacitated, and shall finally be annihilated at Armageddon a few years later.

The fact that this battle occurs just before the Day Of The LORD, distinguishes it from the Jerusalem campaign which occurs at the beginning of the the Great Tribulation, in the middle of the 70th seven of Daniel, and the battle of Armageddon that occurs 30 days after the end of the 70th week of Daniel. The Jehoshaphat campaign is a precursor to the Day Of The lord, and the return of Christ. This campaign as we have seen will involve the Gentile nations that surround Israel(Joel 3:11,12 Zech.12:6). They part of the Eighth And Final Beast Empire Of Satan and are allies of the antiChrist.

It is likely that these surrounding nations are the seven secondary nations of the ten nation confederation formed by the antiChrist. But they will also include other nations which are not part of the ten nation confederation which are allied to the antiChrist. The three power base nations would already have their armies stationed in Jerusalem by virtue of the Jerusalem campaign that occurred at the midpoint of the 70th week, at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. As a matter of fact, the three power base nations of Magog, Meshech, and Tuval shall station a protection force in the land of Israel and her Holy City, Jerusalem, right from the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel, following the 7-year peace agreement between Israel and the antiMessiah and his ten nation confederation. This accounts for the relative peace that Israel shall enjoy while wars rage on in all other parts of the world for the first three and one-half years of the 70th week of Daniel. This relative peace shall lull Israel into complacency until attacked by these forces at the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel in the Jerusalem Campaign. The seven secondary nations of the ten nation confederation form a circle around Israel. These are Iraq, Iran, Greek Syria, Gomer and Togamar(Turkey), Sudan, and Libya. Jordan shall be allied to the antiChrist. Whichever these nation would be, the prophet Joel prophesied that God would gather these nations together into the valley of Jehoshaphat just before the Day Of The LORD. Therefore this campaign will occur sometime during the second half of the 70th seven of Daniel, just before God cuts short the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist with cosmic disturbances. The Scriptures did not name them, but gave us a description of them. They are the nations that surround Israel geographically.

Most biblical scholars believe the valley of Jehoshaphat is the kidron valley in the east of Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat means Jehovah judges which is an apt description. There is no valley in the OT named the valley of Jehoshaphat. It may be that Jehoshaphat was referring to the valley of Beracah located about six miles, approximately 10 Km, southwest of Bethlehem where king Jehoshaphat defeated the coalition forces of Moab, Ammon, and Edom(2 Chron.20:20-26). Whatever the exact location of this campaign, the Almighty God of Israel will defeat these arrogant, insolent, and ungodly nations.

The prophet Zechariah portrayed the same end time scenario. ” In that Day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open my eyes upon the house of Judah, and I will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a touch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again on her own place, even in Jerusalem(Zech.12:4-6).

The defeat of these armies by God in the valley of Jehoshaphat shall enable the clans of Judah to mount a counteroffensive against the antiChrist and his allies. It is important to remember that the Jehoshaphat campaign by the antiChrist will begin shortly before the Day Of The LORD is unleashed upon the Earth. The back-to-back sign of the end of the ages, and the sign of Christ’s coming, cannot occur until the Jehoshaphat campaign has been initiated against Israel and her Holy city Jerusalem. It is only after these crucial events that the return of the Lord shall be imminent.

Our Lord addressing His disciples on the end time scenario, said, ” the days will come(during the Great Tribulation) when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son Of Man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, see here; or, see there: go not after them nor follow them. For as the lightening, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son Of Man be in His day(Luk.17:22-24).

Christ continued to admonish his disciples to pray and have faith in God, and not to faint, telling them the parable of the unjust judge. If the unjust judge grants the widow legal redress against her oppressors, so as not to be wearied by her continual coming, shall not God, The Righteous Judge of the Universe grant justice to His elect, who cry to Him, day and night? I tell you, He will grant them justice speedily. However, when the Son Of Man cometh, will He find faith on Earth?(Luk.18:1-8). Therefore we conclude, that the return of the Lord, initiated by the sign of the end of the ages , cannot be imminent until the persecution of the elect begins during the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist, after the beginning of the Jehoshaphat campaign and the cosmic disturbances. The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give its light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. There shall be universal darkness and frigidity. It is only after then shall we look for the sign of the coming of the Son Of Man, which is the Shekinah in the heaven. The Shekinah, the glorious presence of the God of Israel shall dispel the darkness and defrost the Earth. This is the sign of His Coming, the appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens, and of the End Of The Ages.

The Sixth Seal: The Cosmic Disturbances

When the full complement of believers to be martyred is reached, God Almighty will cut short the persecution of the saints with cosmic and celestial disturbances. “And I beheld when He had broken 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 casteth her untimely figs, when it 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(Rev.6:12-14). The darkening Of the sun and moon is preceded by a great earthquake. There will be probably a series of massive universal earthquakes. There will be total eclipse of the sun and the moon. The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give its light(Matt.24:29b). Therefore the Earth shall be very dark and cold; in fact, it shall be dark and frozen. There will be thunderstorms and hailstorms. Roads will be blocked, communications disrupted. There will be total power failure, and emergency services zeroed. Folks will be trapped in their houses, unable to get out. Delivery and emergency services will fail.

The monitoring system of the antiChrist and his beast empire, and those of other nations shall fail. Folks will be concerned with personal safety, instead of ferreting out and killing those who do not have the mark of the beast. The saints who are alive and remain shall know that they are about to be delivered. The day on which they shall be delivered is the Day Of Christ. The day of Christ or His Day has the positive connotation of deliverance to the righteous, whilst the Day Of The LORD, or the Day Of God(2 Pet.3:12), or the day of His wrath, has the negative connotation of punishment to the living wicked earth-dwellers adorers and worshippers of the antiChrist. That Day(Luk.17:24; Zech.14:6) has both positive and negative connotations. These phrases are two sides of the same coin, the obverse and the reverse. These various nuances in phrase are relativistic in nature, reflecting how Christ’s coming affects the saints and the unrighteous wicked.

Stars will disintegrate in the heaven, and their fragments shall impinge on the Earth causing wild fires. The EMP generated will disrupt telecommunications. Every man on Earth shall acknowledge that there is God. Even the atheists and the humanistic evolutionists shall acknowledge that there is God. The scientific uniformitarians who do not believe that God had ever intervened in history will acknowledge His intervention in the affairs of men. This sort of acknowledgement of the existence of God and his intervention in human affairs will not bring salvation to anyone; it is too little too late, and more so out of fear. With the celestial disturbances, God serves notice to the living wicked earth-dwellers, adorers and worshippers of the Dragon-Beast that He is about to punish the them for their evils. Humanistic evolutionists will know instantly that evolution is a scientific farce, that God created man in His own image and likeness. That God created the heavens and the Earth, and all that are in them; and that He is the governor amongst the nations.

“And the kings of the Earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondsman, and every free man, 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 sitteth 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?”(Rev.6:15-17).

These living wicked earth-dwellers now know and acknowledge that there is God, and that He sitteth on the throne of the Universe, and that the wrath of the Lamb is come. They ask themselves, who shall be able to stand? The question is rhetorical; it does not need to be answered. Everyone knows the answer. The answer is no one. Is it today the 70th week of Daniel, the so called Tribulation Period began? No. Why is it now that these atheists and idolaters recognize that the wrath of God is come? It is because what has been going on before is not God’s wrath. They know they are responsible for the wars and commotions, and the martyrdom of the saints. But now, the table has turned, and God is about to punish them for their evils. Those who kill with the sword shall be killed with the sword; and those who took others captive shall themselves be taken into captivity. Here is the patience and faith of the saints( Rev.13:10). He is about to pour out His wrath on the nations that know not God. He is about to destroy those who destroy the Earth. But before He does, the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel must be sealed for protection and the Church raptured, to remove the saints from the scene of destruction and devastation.

The Final Harvest(Matt.13:36-43)

Jesus interpreting the parable of the wheat and the tares said: ” He that sowed the good seed is the Son Of Man”(Matt.13: 37). The title, the Son Of Man is Christ’s favorite appellation to Himself. It has to do with His rulership of the Earth as God’s representative in the earthly realm of His Universal Kingdom. He was not conceived of man; Joseph was His foster father. He was conceived of God. He was born of the Holy Spirit. He is the caretaker of the Earth in the behalf of the Father. He sowed the good seed. The good seed are the children of the Kingdom(Matt.13:38).

The plant translated tares or weeds is darnel which means wild wheat in Hebrew. It looks much like the real wheat in the early stages of growth, and therefore indistinguishable from the real wheat. If the farmer attempts to weed them out in the early stages, he also weeds out the good wheat. In ancient Israel, the farmer allows both of them, the real wheat and the tares or wild wheat to grow together until the harvest when they are fully ripe and clearly distinguishable from the real wheat. Usually the farmer bundles them first into heaps at the edges of the farm to be burned later on at the end of the harvest before he harvests the wheat into the barn. Jesus made an allusion to this agricultural practice. The interpretation was clearly understandable to His disciples. His Jewish audience were acquainted with this agricultural practice.

Continuing with the interpretation of the parable, the enemy that sowed the wild wheat is the Devil, the usurper of the earthly throne of God’s Universal Kingdom(Matt.13:39). The wild wheat, the tares are the children of the wicked one. Jesus made it clear to His disciples, by stating unequivocally that the harvest is the End Of The Ages, and that the reapers are the angels(Matt.13:39). The good seed and the evil seed shall grow together until the end of the ages. The good seed, the real wheat, the children of the Kingdom, are not gathered until the End Of The Ages. Jesus promised His disciples that He shall be with them till The End Of The Ages. “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the End Of The Ages”(Matt.28:20). He that endured unto the End(of the ages)shall be saved(Matt.10:22). “Now all these things happened unto them for our examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the Ends of the world(ages) are come”(1 Cor.10:11). The End Of The Ages is the point of transition from the present Age, Olam Haze, to the Age to come, Olam Haba. Apostle Paul makes it clear here that the Ends of the Ages will come upon us. Whatever happened to the previous generations are examples to us and are written for our admonition, to the intent that we should not buckle up under the persecution by the eschatological antagonist, the antiChrist.

The End Of The Ages does not begin with the commencement of the 70th week. It occurs at the breaking of the seventh seal. To teach and preach rapture before the breaking of the sixth seal of Rev.6, the celestial disturbances, is to court disaster. Christ’s teaching is very clear here, His disciples who represent the Church, and by way of extrapolation, the believers in Jesus in the last days, shall not be taken away from the Earth until the Harvest. And the Harvest occurs at the End Of The Ages, after the sign of His coming given in the sun, moon, and stars. And the reapers are the angels. Each of the four major events that will occur at the Harvest, the appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens, the sealing of the 144,000, the rapture of the Church(the gathering together in heaven of the great multitude which no man could number), the breaking of the seventh seal( the inauguration of the outpouring of the wrath of God on the living wicked earth-dwellers, adorers, and worshippers of the Dragon-Beast), are associated with angelic activities. These events are convergent. The very same day the Shekinah appears in the heaven, the 144,000 are sealed for protection, the Church is raptured, the seventh seal is broken, ushering in the outpouring of the wrath of God in the Day Of His Wrath.

(a) The Shekinah In The Heavens

The Hebrew word Shekinah means dwelling. It is the visible presence of the God of Israel among His people. During the wilderness wandering, God’s presence amongst the children of Israel was revealed by the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire and smoke by night(Exod.13:21,22; 14:19,24; 33:9,10). So shall it be in the last day. But the difference shall be huge. It will not be an isolated phenomenon seen by the surviving remnants of Israel and surviving saints, it shall be a worldwide phenomenon visible to all and sundry. God’s presence shall be revealed in the heavens. It shall be the sign of His coming. It follows the cosmic disturbances. It together with the cosmic disturbances, the sixth seal, is the back-to-back sign given in the sun, moon, and stars.

The disciples asked our Lord Jesus, “Tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the ages?(Matt.24:3b). Why were the disciples interested in the end of the ages? It is because it is the point of demarcation and transitioning from the present age to the age to come. Because it is at this point the saints shall be rescued. The Greek word translated sign here is semeion. It is singular. There is only one sign of His coming, and of the end of the ages. Our Lord Jesus being the great teacher that he is, answered that question by enumerating the sequence of events that shall occur before the appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens. We have followed that sequence of events in our narrative of the Ends Times.

“There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and there shall be great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the Lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son Of Man be”(Matt.24:24-27). “For as the Lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son Of Man be in His day”(Luk.17:24). The sign of His coming is singular, and occurs in the heavens – in the sun, moon, and stars. Like lightning, it shall shine forth from one end of the heavens to the other. Like lightning, it shall be sudden and fast. Christ in His glory, with the holy angels shall appear in the heavens. This is the light which no mortal man in sinful flesh can approach(1 Tim.6:16). Men will hide from this light. This glorious light shall be blinding to mortal man in sinful flesh. They cannot see it because they will have to close their eyes because of its blinding effect on their eyes. They will seek refuge in the rocks and the mountains. They will not be able to stand this light. They will cry out in anguish of soul for deliverance from the wrath of the Lamb which is absolutely going out to be poured out on the wicked earth-dwellers.

As for the persecuted saints, His appearance in the heavens shall be a thing of joy. It shall be the indication that our redemption draweth nigh. “And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh”(Luk.21:27-28). They will know they are about to be rescued by His holy angels, and gathered into His presence, the Shekinah in the heavens. So true believers shall not be deceived by false prophets and pseudomessiahs purported to know the secret location of the Messiah. ” Wherefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the Lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son Of Man be. For wherever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together”(Matt.24:26-28; Luk.17:37b).

It is not a secret sign at all as some would have believe; it denotes the rapture of the Church and signals the end of the ages, the outpouring of the wrath of God on the living wicked earth-dwellers, adorers and worshippers of the antiChrist. The coming of the Messiah shall be no secret at all; both at the rapture of the Church which occurs after the cosmic disturbances, the sixth seal, before the breaking of the seventh seal at the inauguration of the End Of The Ages, and His coming to take physical possession of the Earth at Armageddon(Rev.19:11-21), it shall be no secret. “Behold, He cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him, and all the kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen(Rev.1:7). He is coming in glory, with the clouds of the heavens. White clouds signal glory and righteousness. Cloud of God’s glory is heavens’ transport mechanism. He is coming in righteousness and glory to judge the living wicked earth-dwellers. His glory, the Shekinah shall appear in the heavens, in the midst of the cold and darkness caused by the cosmic disturbances. It is His Shekinah in the heavens which shall dispel the darkness, brighten the heavens, and defrost the Earth.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heavens, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son Of Man in the heavens: and then shall all the tribes of the Earth mourn, and they shall see the Son Of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with the great sound of trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other “(Matt.24:29-31).

This is unmistakable. His coming and the rapture occur after the cosmic disturbances, after the sign of His coming is given in the sun, moon, and stars, when the living wicked earth-dwellers, adorers and worshippers of the antiChrist shall wail, and mourn, and call upon the rocks , and mountains to fall upon them, and to hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great Day Of Hid Wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?(Rev.6:15-17).

(b) The Sealing Of The 144,000

“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them that were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Menasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zebulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelves thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand” ( Rev.7:1-8 ).

As we have pointed out several times, seals are for security and protection, and indicate ownership and authenticity and preservation. In the Ancient Near East, letters, documents, contract, covenants, treaties between nations, individuals, etc, were sealed. Documents could be sealed or unsealed. If unsealed, anyone lettered could read them. If sealed, they could only be opened by the rightful owner. The 144,000 are sealed with the seal of God to indicate they belong to God, and to protect them from harm and injury during the Day of the His wrath which is about to begin. The best way to describe this is branding. Just like a husbandman will brand cattle with a hot iron to indicate ownership. Though cattle from different farmers may mix, it is not difficult to differentiate them because of the branding on them. In like manner the angels of God will brand the 144,000 to indicate that they belong to God. The branding is not physical, and may not be visible to the naked and unaided eye.

God will not begin to pour out His wrath on the living wicked earth-dwellers, worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast without physically removing the church from the Earth. If the Church is physically removed from the Earth or raptured, God will have no representatives on Earth apart from the two witnesses whose ministry run throughout the entire three and one-half years of the second half of the 70th seven of Daniel, after which they shall be physically removed from the Earth(Rev.11:11,12). Therefore the 144,000, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel shall be sealed as God’s representatives on Earth, and to protect them from harm throughout the period of God’s wrath. Therefore, the 144,000 are not part of the Church, else they would be raptured with the rest of the Church.

” And I heard the number of them that were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of the tribes of the children of Israel”( Rev.7:4).

There are some that teach that these men are evangelists. Nothing could be farther from the truth. These men are sealed towards the end of the 70th seven. The wrath of God is about to be poured out on Earth. It will be extremely difficult for any one to go about preaching at this time, after all the devastation caused by the sixth seal, the cosmic disturbances, more so in the land of Israel after the horrors of the Jehoshaphat campaign. Even the ministry of the two witnesses is limited more or less to the vicinity of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. They are sealed for protection. They must needs be protected, shall they go about protecting others? As matter of fact, they are hiding in the red rose city of Petra, across the Dead Sea in modern day Jordan.

(c) The Rapture Of The Church

God is about to punish the world for their evils. The Church is exempt from the wrath of God. ” For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”(1 Thess.1:10;5:9). Therefore, it must be whisked away from the Earth before God pours out His wrath upon the nations that know not God. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him(2 Thess.2:1). The Lord shall appear in the heaven, and then we shall be gathered together unto Him, after the blowing of the trumpet with voice of the archangel.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them that are asleep, for the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we who are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words”(I Thess.4:15-18).

The phrase, “we who are alive and remain” indicate that a good proportion of the Church have been decimated by the antiChrist during the Great Tribulation. The Greek word translated remain is perileipomenoi. It is used twice in the NT(1 Thess.4:15,17). It means to remain, leave all around, to survive. At the rapture of the Church, the dead in Christ shall be given pride of place; they shall rise first. Then, we, the living the remaining, the survivors, shall be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. The point is what are we remnant or survivors of ? We are the remnants who have survived the Great Tribulation as also saith the angel to the revelator John: “these are they who came out of the Great Tribulaion”(Rev.7:14b). With the rapture of the Church, the object of Satan’s wrath is removed, and so ends the Great Tribulation.

“Now I say unto you brethren, that flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruption must put on in corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality”(1 Cor.15:50-53). But make no mistake about it; for that day shall not come except there be a falling away first(apostasy), and the Man Of Sin be revealed(the antiChrist makes his debut at the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, desecrates the Holy Of Holies of the temple, and unveils himself as a dead man come back to life). “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there be a falling away first, and the Man Of Sin be revealed, the Son Of Perdition(1 Thess.2:3). Therefore the rapture will not occur until the antiChrist unveils himself, until the apostasy associated with his revelation in the temple, until he deifies himself, and demands worship of all men. The rapture occurs at the harvest, and all four events associated with the Final harvest, the appearance of the Shekinah in the heavens, the sealing of the 144,000, the rapture of the Church, the breaking of the seventh seal associated with the outpouring of the wrath of God involve angelic activities.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son Of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son Of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”(Matt.24:29-31).

As we can see from the above Scriptures, the rapture, the gathering together of the elect cannot occur until after the tribulation of those days, until after the appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens, the Shekinah in the heavens, the sign given in the sun, moon, and stars. It is after the tribulation of those days, after the cosmic disturbances that shall darken the heavens and freeze the Earth, after the appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens that shall dispel the darkness and defrost the Earth that the angelic reapers shall be dispatched to gather together His elect from one end of the heaven to the other. Unmistakably, this is the rapture of the Church.

(d) The Breaking Of The Seventh Seal

The rapture of the Church is associated with the blowing of the last trump. The blowing of the trumpet in ancient Israel serves the following purposes. To call a solemn assembly, to prepare for war, and at the new moon and Israel’s feast days(Num.10:1-9). The last trump is the breaking of the seventh seal, before which the saints are called to a solemn assembly in heaven, and God and His angels, the hosts of heaven go to war against the nations that know not God. The seventh seal contains no judgement of its own, but opens into the seven trumpets. In like manner, the seventh trumpet contains no judgement of its own but opens into the seven bowls. The seventh seal contains the seven trumpets and the seven bowls. The seventh seal therefore is the last trump.

Survival Tips

We are now in the gap of time between the 69th and the 70th week of Daniel. On May 14, 1948, Israel became an independent nation. On 7th June, 1967 Israel regained control of her Holy City, Jerusalem. The one major event that remains to be fulfilled before we enter into the 70th week of Daniel is the signing of a 7-year peace treaty between Israel and the ruler of the three power base nations of Magog, Meshech, and Tuval. The other two major events that need occur are the formation of the ten nation confederation, the 8th And Final Beast Empire of Satan, and the erection of a Jewish temple on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Both events may occur before the signing of the 7- year peace treaty or after.

We believers as people who live at the edge of human history should be wise(Matt.25:1-12), faithful(Matt.25:21,23; Luk.18:8), watchful(Matt.25:13), fruitful(Matt.25:14-30), and prayerful(Luk.18:1-7). We should be conversant with the goings-on in our world. We should be listening to breaking news and reading the headlines to see when a powerful leader of Magog overthrows the three heads(leaders) of Magog, Meshech, and Tuval. This event can happen before the formation of the ten nation confederation or after. We should also be watchful to see when this great political figures goes ahead and signs a 7-year peace treaty with Israel. Or when the Jews are permitted to rebuild their temple. This is how we can identify the antiChrist before he makes himself known to the rest of the world and tightens the noose on the Church, the Jews, and all those who will not give him their allegiance.

The antiMessiah shall be a consummate politician. He shall have the knack for cracking hard nuts, and dissolving doubts, and unraveling mysteries. He shall unite Magog with Meshech and Tuval, a hard political nut indeed. He shall bring temporary peace between the Jews and Arabs, especially between the Palestinians and the Israelis; another political feat. He shall unite the postdemocracies of the West with the emerging Islamic and Arab pseudodemocracies of the Middle East, and the banana democracies of Africa. This is the union of the iron and the clay in the feet and ten toes of the statue of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream(Dan.2:33, 41-44). This temporary peace shall enable the Jews to rebuilt their temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The mosque of Omer and the Al-Aqsa mosque may not come down. The studies of Asher Kaufman have shown that the Holy Of Holies of the Solomonic Temple is not located in either of the two. Besides, a massive temple like that of Solomon or that built by the returning exiles and lavishly and extensively refurbished by Herod the Great need not be built. A temporary tabernacle-like structure may suffice.

When the 7-year peace agreement is signed with Israel, the Jews shall resume temple worship and the daily animal sacrifice, drink and grain offerings(Dan.9:27). From this point in the eschatological timeline, the believer who understands the theology of the End Times knows he or she has about three and one-half years to prepare before the midpoint of the 70th week when the Great Tribulation will begin. After the emergence of the antiChrist which is the first seal, there will be wars, commotions, and rumors of wars which constitute the second seal. One should study the trend of wars and commotions before one decides where to build a safe haven. The third seal which brings the first three and one-half years to a close will consist of famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, which are the aftermath of the wars.

It is generally not reasonable to build safe haven before this time, inasmuch as one does not know which areas of the world would be safe. But the ten nations of the 8th and Final Beast Empire will not provide safe havens for believers, Jews and other nonconformists who repudiate the authority of the antiMessiah. The land of Israel will not be a safe haven at all, more so her Holy City’ Jerusalem. It will be advisable for Christians in these areas to migrate to other parts of the world which are not allied to the antiChrist or are not part of his ten nation confederation as soon as the antiChrist shows up on the world stage. We know that apart from the nations of the ten nation confederation, there will be other nations which are allied to the antiMessiah. Edom, Moab, and Ammon will probably be allied to the antiChrist. Egypt shall not be allied to the antiChrist, but it shall be invaded and conquered by the antiChrist(Dan.11:41-43). These parts of the world will not be safe for believers and Jews at that time. Eventually all the regional powers shall be at war with the antiChrist and no place will be safe at all. But before it becomes that bad, the rapture would have taken place. These wars will occur at the end of time(Dan.11:40).

Believers should avoid residence in cities, and seek out hideouts in forests far from cities and towns where they may not be easily discovered. Should believers hide in cities, they must do so in basements, bunkers, and cellars. But it will be very difficult considering the fact that they shall do so for at least a year or more. One could suffer from depression and claustrophobia living in such unhealthy environment.

When we choose a location for a hideout, especially if we have in mind to construct an underground bunker, it should not be in an area prone to flooding, and there should be vents for proper ventilation. We should avoid valleys which are prone to seasonal inundations in the rainy season or winter. Mountains, caves and grottos would be preferable. We must not go to our hideouts when they are in preparation with cell phones, tablets or computers, cars or any electronic gadgets equipped with GPS. These will betray our location. Music and loud noise should be avoided in our hideouts at all cost, not even with earphones. These electronic devices have GPS which could betray one’s location.

We shall only go there with trusted believers who share the same aspirations. Before we finally retire to our lair, we must ditch all electronics and revert to primitive style of life. We may choose to construct a makeshift house(s) with wood or other building materials, or use prefabricated plastic houses. They must be inspected to ensure there are no GPS and electronic bugs implanted in them. Plastic materials are highly combustible. When used to construct houses, fire safety measures must be instituted to avoid fire disaster. We must remember that we are dealing with a mortal enemy who is also very smart. It will not be a surprise if these materials are implanted with electronic bugs to betray our locations. We can be sure that the antiChrist will leave no stone unturned in order to undermine our efforts.

Apart from food and clothing, heating is very important. We may resort to firewood where available or use kerosine stoves or gas cookers. If we decide to use generators, they must be thoroughly inspected for GPS and electronic bugs, they must be silent ones, and they must be properly hidden to avoid revealing our location. Solar panels should be avoided because of the risk of their being spotted from the air. It will be better to be in groups of trustworthy believers, in order that some may be deployed on rotational security duties. In this regard, it shall also be necessary to acquire some firearms. In the midst of the Great Tribulation, after we have finally dropped out of the society, and retired to our secret locations, any members who wants to return to the city and cannot be dissuaded should be arrested and incarcerated or eliminated altogether depending on the resources available to the group lest he or she endangers the life of all the other members. It is better for one person to die than that the whole group perish.

If the location is far into the forest, some form of subsistence farming may be engaged in to meet the nutritional needs of the family or group. It is advisable to provide sufficient food store to take care of every member for a maximum of three years and a minimum of two. Dried nuts and grains stored in grain silos may last for quite some time. If the group have good power supply, all kinds of foodstuffs may be brought in and stored in deep freezers and refrigerators. It will be difficult to store vegetables for a long period. They can be grown on dishes for subsistence, even on window seals and roof tops for those who hide in cellars.

The reason why I said that foodstuffs should be provided to last every member of the family for three years is because, of all those events that will take place in the second half of the 70th week, the fifth trumpet is the only one with known duration of five month(Rev.9:5). The durations of the first, second, third, and fourth trumpets are not known. The sixth trumpet which brings the 70th week to a close with the death of the two witnesses may probably last longer than the fifth trumpet. So, it will be safe to provide enough store of foodstuffs for every member of the family for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three.

Those with special health issues should be taken into consideration. There should be medicine and other supplies. First Aid box is a necessity. Diabetic and hypertensive patients should procure insulin and oral antidiabetics, and antihypertensive drugs for the same period of time. Medicines with near expiry dates should be used first. Special needs of children should be taken care of. Nursing mothers should make sure they procure baby food for their children. Special needs of the elderly should also be taken care of, so also the disabled if the happen to be members of the Christian family or group.

Clothing should be provided for all seasons, winter, summer, autumn, and spring, or dry and rainy seasons for those in tropical Africa. Warm clothing in winter is paramount lest we die from exposure to the elements. May our flight not be in the winter, or severe harmattan in subsaharan Africa.

If a Christian couple marries after the antiMessiah signs the 7-year peace agreement with Israel, they should avoid pregnancy. They should adopt a safe method of contraception with the counsel of Christian doctors who understand the intricacies and dangers of childbearing during this difficult period of human history. They might even elect to undergo a permanent contraception, either the man, bilateral epididymovasostomy, or the woman, bilateral tubal ligation, or both. It will be very difficult for women who rear children in those days. The childbearing mother must understand that in the face of the wars, commotions, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes of the first three and one-half years, women of childbearing age, children, and the elderly suffer the most. Add to that the unspecified period of the Great Tribulation, we have a worst case scenario.

Believers who are rich should take care of the needs of others. The antiChrist is a vandal(Is.16:4). He will vandalize peoples’ property in the areas he conquers. Whatever money we have in the bank which is not retrieved before the Great Tribulation begins will be lost for ever. The antiChrist will run a cashless society. We must retrieve our moneys in the banks before he tightens the noose, and use them to meet our own needs and those of our brethren. The 70th week will not be the time to accumulate wealth. Churches which do not use their wealth to meets the needs of its members in providing them safe havens will find them seized by the antiChrist and his cronies. The antiChrist will vandalize churches, impound their properties and confiscate their wealth. It will be advisable for churches to stymie building programmes, and channel all resources to provide safe havens for its congregants starting from the approaches of the 70th week of Daniel.

All the members of a family in a hideout should adopt a communitarian system of collective coexistence. They should share all things in common. Every member must play his or her part to keep the family or group going. The golden rule of love should be the unwritten law. Those who have landed properties should dispose of them and donate the proceeds to the family to meet the needs of everyone. We should revert back to the primitive lifestyle of the early church when no one said that anything he had was one’s own(Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-37).

Believers must realize that despite all precautions, some hideouts shall be discovered through no faults of theirs. The members will be coerced to recant or their lives terminated. Strong leadership shall be very important at this time. The leaders of the group or family must prepare the members ahead of time for this kind of eventuality. Every member must be encouraged never to recant or betray one another no matter the torture or humiliation to which they shall be subjected. Those who do and take the Mark of allegiance to the antiChrist shall be allowed to buy and sell. But they must be made to know that the wrath of God abides on anyone who is branded with the Mark of the Beast(Rev.14:8-12).

Besides, if anyone of them survives the wrath of God, the one shall be executed at the end of the Battle of Armageddon. So, it is better they refuse the Mark of the Beast, be executed by the antiChrist and his security apparatus, and gain the life of the age to come, than to recant, be executed by Christ and be banished to the Lake of Fire and Brimstone for eternity. The wrath of God is worse than the wrath of Satan executed by his minion, antiChrist. The wrath of Satan is temporary, the wrath of God is eternal. The wrath of Satan leads only to physical death, but the wrath of God leads to not only physical death but also the second death which is eternal separation from the presence of God in the Lake of fire and brimstone.

There must be strong teaching on the love of God. True believers must not suffer themselves to be embittered by the wickedness of men at that time. And because iniquity shall abound, due to the preponderance of demons, principalities and powers evicted from the heavenlies to the earth’s premises(Rev.12:12), the love of many shall wax cold(Matt.24:12). No matter what we do, there shall still be false brethren who will betray others, even their own blood relations(Luk.21:16). We must not suffer ourselves to be offended by these things(Matt.24:10).

We must realize that no matter our efforts to survive the Great Tribulation and be raptured alive, some of us must be ferreted out and killed. There is a complement of believers to be martyred(Rev.6:10,11). When that number is complete, God will cut short the Great Tribulation with cosmic disturbances(Matt.24:29-31). Some of us will be taken captive, and others killed. Some of us will be made public examples even in churches and synagogues. Some will think they are doing God a favour by killing us, miserable undesirables(Jon.16:2). Our faith and patience should rest on the fact that if anyone of us is destined to captivity, into captivity the one goes; and if anyone of us is destined to be killed with the sword, with sword, the one shall be killed(Rev.13:10). Some of us will also die of hunger, starvation, and exposure to the elements because they have not prepared adequately ahead of time(Rev.3:10), and others through no fault of theirs. It may also be due to unforeseen eventualities like when a family or group is attacked. Some member may escape but may not find food and shelter, and so succumb to starvation and exposure to the elements, or wild animal attack.

Avraham Shallom.

The reason why God warns us of impending disaster is that we as well as children after us may be diligent to observe to keep His word by doing righteousness and justice. Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He informed His servant Abraham of the impending destruction.

“And the LORD said, shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him , that he will command his children after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him”(Gen.18:17-19).

When God gives us a warning of an impending destruction as He gave to Abraham concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, it is not for us alone, but for our generation and the subsequent ones. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was used as an example to warn us of the the terrible Day Of The LORD’s wrath in order that we and our children may keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice. For this same reason, we are cautioned over and over again to live godly lives, looking for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ our Lord(Titus 2:12,13).

” Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, To whom be glory both now and for ever. Amen”( 2 Pet.3:11-14,17,18).

All believers are to be steadfast, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord(Rom.12:11), looking and waiting for the Day Of The Lord. We are to be holy in conduct and godliness, diligent, spotless and blameless. We are to be on our guard, growing in grace, and the knowledge of the Lord(2 Pet.3:18). These admonitions are not limited to any generation, but to all generations of believers, because any generation of believers could be called upon to enter the 70th week, and face the horrors of the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist. To what extent therefore any believer falls short of these admonitions, he shall be unprepared for the Day Of The Lord.

In the Olivet Discourse, our Lord Jesus the Christ gives the admonition to His disciples to watch for the sign of His coming in order not to be unprepared for the Day Of The Lord. ” Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When the branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors”(Matt.24:32,33). The fig tree is a sign of approximation. It is the commonest tree in Israel, and also a symbol of the nation. His disciples could well relate to it. Our Lord Jesus being the good teacher that He is uses simple and common things with which the people are familiar to illustrate His teachings. The reference to the fig tree in this parable does not relate to its symbolism of the nation of Israel but to its commonality. It grows in the wild, but it is also cultivated. In the Lukan account, it says “all the trees.”(Lukk.21:29). All the trees could not be the symbol of the nation of Israel. Our Lord Jesus was referring to a natural seasonal observation. In the land of Israel, after the Winter, in the Spring, the fig tree and all the others trees begin to bud having been denuded of leaves in the Autumn or Fall which signals the nearness of Summer. In like manner, when we see the events enumerated by our Lord Jesus the Christ in the Olivet Discourse begin to unfold, we know that the Day Of The Lord is at hand. “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”(Matt.24:34). The generation that shall witness the unfolding of these events shall not pass before the Day Of The Lord comes. This statement is predicated upon the faithfulness of the Lord. ” Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away”(Matt.24:35). Heaven and Earth may pass away, God’s word remains eternally true.

Therefore we should be watchful and prayerful in order that these things do not come upon us unawares, and that we may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand blameless before the Son Of Man(Luk.21:36).

Because of the confusion arising from the divergent views on the rapture, some believers have adopted a nonchalant attitude towards any teachings on the end times. They call themselves pantribulationists; it will all pan out in the end. They say it does not matter whether we go through the Great Tribulation or not, all we need do is to get ready. How in the world will anyone get ready if the one is not sure whether one goes through the Great Tribulation or not? How well prepared would a student be for an examination when he is not sure he would sit for the examination? Or how well prepared would a soldier be for a battle he is not sure he would fight? Or an athlete if he is not sure he will compete? Those who hold this view are deceived already because they are unprepared for the hard times ahead. This kind of attitude fosters ignorance. When I dialogue with these brethren I find out that they have no knowledge of the sequence of events of the end times. Am yet to find anyone of them who is knowledgeable in eschatology.

There is another segment of believers who believe that they should not bother about the end times, because our God is so loving He would take care of them whether they are prepared or not. This view is slightly different from the first, but the end result is the same. These believers are deceived already and are unprepared for the hard times ahead. They live under the self-deluding notion that God because of the immensity of His love for us, His children, He[God] will do everything for us even that which falls within the domain of human responsibility. They are ignorant of the fact that divine sovereignty does not preclude human responsibility. They forget that we are in partnership with God. There are things which God only can and must do, and there things which man only can and must do.

God is not going to do our studies for us. He can and will guide and help us in our studies. Nevertheless, to study is our responsibility. We are to study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of God(2 Tim.2:15). A believer who neglects the word of God will be spiritually stunted in growth. As new born babes, we must desire the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby(2 Pet.2:2). God said that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Spiritual malnutrition kills as much or perhaps even more than does physical malnutrition. God told the Levites, because you have rejected knowledge, I also have rejected you from being preists(Hos.4:6). We reign by faith through knowledge. Faith is a function of knowledge. Faith begins where the will of God is known. Faith is the word of God that controls us. If we do not know God’s will, then there is no faith. And God’s will is God’s word. And the word masters and dominates us to the extent that we master it.

There is a subset of believers who believe that the events outlined by our Lord Jesus the Christ in the Olivet Discourse are real and will be literally fulfilled, only it all concerns unrepentant Israel not the Church. By this wave of the hand they relegate the Olivet Discourse and the whole Gospel of Matthew to the Jewish waste paper basket. This is theological skullduggery and should not be allowed to stand. These men are intellectually dishonest. They do not hesitate to appropriate to themselves the good things in the Gospel of Matthew.

There is yet another segment of believers who allegorize, spiritualized, rationalize, customize, personalize, and culturalize everything in the Scriptures concerning the end times until its intended meaning is lost. By this they strip the Scripture of its normative reading, understanding, authority, and applicability to the people of God.

We must understand that the degree to which we are prepared, to that extent we shall have the protection of God during the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist. To that extent also we may or may not feel the fury of the wrath of Satan in his persecution of the children of God. The wrath of Satan is against the saints of the Most High. Believers who are unprepared, who have not heeded Christ instructions concerning perseverance(Rev.3:10) shall face the full brunt of the persecution by the antiMessiah; for he shall attempt to kill all who do not bow to his image, nor take the mark of allegiance to him. Anyone who does not get branded as a loyal citizen of his Satanic kingdom is earmarked for liquidation. A believer’s theological view on the end times is therefore of paramount importance, especially for those of us who live at the edge of history.

We can indeed be prepared. God has given us His word to prepare us ahead of time. He has called us to understand, persevere, look forward to and to hasten the coming of the Day Of The Lord. He has called us to godly living and righteous prayer, both of which are at the edge of the kingdom.

We affirm in the strongest terms the following biblical principles in relation to the end times:

(1) The last days are marked by a 7-year period, the 70th week. It is the last of the 70 sevens of years(70 x 7=490) spoken of by the prophet Daniel(Dan.9:24-27). The starting point of this 7-year period is the signing of the 7-year peace treaty by the antiChrist with the many from within Israel(Dan.9:27). We are now in the gap of time between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy.

(2) Three major events will occur within this period, the emergence of the antiChrist as a prominent world ruler(Rev.6:1,2), the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist(Dan.12:1; Matt.24:21,29; Mk.13:19; Rev.6:7,8), and the commencement of the Day of the Lord wrath(Rev.6:15-17). This time period is called the 70th week, never the Tribulation Period.

(3) The 70th week of Daniel is divided into two equal halves of three and one-half years each. The first three and one-half years is called the beginning of sorrows or the beginning birth pangs(Matt.24:8). The second three and one-half years is divided into two unequal halves, the Great Tribulation, and the commencement of the Day Of The LORD.

(4) The Scriptures teach that there are three major sections to the 70th week: the beginning of sorrows or the beginning birth pangs(Matt.24:8), the Great Tribulation(Matt.24:21), and the Day of the LORD(Matt.24:29-31).

(5) The Day Of The LORD or simply the End(of the ages) is the point of transition between the present age, olam haze, and the age to come, olam haba. Within this period in the eschatological timeline, the wrath of God is poured out on the living wicked earth-dwellers who worship the Beast or his image.

(6) The Day Of The LORD begins at the breaking of the seventh seal, at the last trump(1 Cor.15:51,52; Rev.8:1-6), and ends with the defeat of the armies of the Gentile nations gathered against Christ at Armageddon, 30 days after the end of the 70th week of Daniel(Dan.12:11; Rev.19:11-21).

(7) The end of the 70th week is marked by the death of the two witnesses whose ministry lasts precisely three and one-half years(Rev.11:3-14).

(8) The ministry of the two witnesses occurs within the second half of the 70th week, and lasts throughout its entire length(Rev.11:3).

(9) The Scriptures teach that the Great Tribulation or better still the Tribulation the Great begins precisely at the midpoint of the 70th week, but does not run to its end. The Great Tribulation is cut short or better still amputated by the cosmic and celestial disturbances(Matt.24:22; Mk.13:24,25; Luk.21:11b, 25,26).

(10) If the Great Tribulation lasts the entire length of the second half of the 70th, we can calculate the Day of the Lord’s Coming by reckoning from either the signing of the covenant with death with the many from within Israel at the beginning of the 70th week, or from the abomination of desolation that occurs precisely at the midpoint of the 70th week, thus invalidating the words of our Lord Jesus the Christ which states that no man, nor the angels in heaven, neither the Son knows the Day and the Hour of His Coming, but My Father only(Matt.24:36; Mk.13:32). This feat is unachievable even by flights of higher mathematics.

(11) On the other hand, if the 70th week is cut short, instead of the Great Tribulation as some pretribulationists teach, then, the 70th week will no longer be seven years in duration, thusly, invalidating the 70 sevens of years of Daniel’s prophecy which was affirmed by our Lord Jesus the Christ(Dan. 9:24-27; Matt.24:15).

(12) The Bible teaches that Elijah or more appropriately another with the spirit and the anointing of Elijah must first appear before the commencement of the Day Of The LORD(Matt.17:10, ; Mk.9:11). If the Day Of The Lord begins at the commencement of the 70th week, it therefore follows that Elijah must appear before the commencement of the 70th week. If Elijah appears before the commencement of the 70th week, the pretribulational doctrine of imminence is invalidated. If he appears after the commencement of the 70th week, the Day Of The LORD cannot commence at the beginning of the 70th week as the pretribulation rapture position teaches.

(13) The Scriptures teach that the apostasy and the revealing of the man of sin must occur before the Day Of The LORD(2 Thess.2:1-4). Both of these two events, the apostasy and the revelation of the man of sin occur within the 70th week of Daniel. It therefore follows that the Day Of The LORD cannot start at the beginning of the 70th week, before the first five seals are broken.

(14) The Scriptures teach that cosmic and celestial disturbances must occur before or precede the Day Of The LORD(Joel 2:31; Matt.24:29-31; Rev.6:12-14). The cosmic disturbances are associated with the breaking of the sixth seal. The breaking of the sixth seal which amputates the Great Tribulation occurs sometime within the second half of the 70th week.

(15) The Bible teaches that when the Day Of The LORD begins, it will be obvious to everyone; there will be no guesswork. All the inhabitants of the Earth shall know that God has come down to punish the wicked earth-dwellers for their evils(Rev.6:15-17).

(16) The saints shall be rescued before the wrath of God begins; and the saints are exempt from the wrath of God(1 Thess.1:10,5:9). The fact that the saints are rescued implies danger before rescue. The Bible teaches that the rapture is concurrent, coincident, and simultaneous with commencement of the wrath of God. The very same day the rapture occurs, the wrath of God begins(Luk.17:26-30). The very same day that Noah entered the Ark, the rains deluged the heavens and the Earth was submerged in the waters(Gen.7:13-24). The very same day that Lot and his family left Sodom and Gomorrah, the heavens rained fire and sulphur upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain, Zeboim and Adammah(Gen.19:23-25). Therefore to preach Rapture before the consummate battle of the ages for the saints, the Great Tribulation, is to court disaster, and to sell the saints short to the antiChrist, the Chief eschatological antagonist who is destined to make war with the saints and to overcome them. “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.”(Rev.13:7).

(17) The Bible teaches that the believers are exempt from the wrath of God(1 Thess.1:10, 5:9). However, there is no biblical evidence that the Church shall be exempt from the wrath of Satan(Rev.12:12). Rather there is overwhelming evidence the church will witness the wrath of Satan.

(18) The Bible distinguishes between the wrath of God and the wrath of Satan(Rom.2:5; Rev.6:17, 12:12). The wrath of Satan is administered by the antiChrist against the believers and all others who repudiate the authority of the antiChrist during the Great Tribulation. The wrath of God is administered by God Himself against the living wicked earth-dwellers who remain after the rapture of the Church during the Day Of The LORD judgment(Rev.14:9-12).

(19) The Scriptures teach that the Day Of The LORD will be a time of unprecedented judgment of the wicked inhabitants of the Earth who remain after the translation of the saints. It shall also be a time for purifying Israel.

(20) The Scriptures also affirm that there is one second coming of the Lord, not one for the Rapture of the Church at the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel, and another seven years later at its end as the pretribulation rapture position affirms.

(21) The Scriptures affirm that the second coming of Christ, the parousia means arrival and continuous presence in order to accomplish certain divine purposes. It will begin with the appearance of the Son of Man in the heavens, the Shekinah(Matt.24:30; Mk.13:26 ;Rev.1:7), the sealing of the 144,000, the rapture of the Church(Matt.24:31; Mk13:27), the multitude which no man could number(Rev.7:1-17), and followed by the Day Of The LORD wrath on the wicked who remain(Rev.6:15-17), and the Lord’s literal return to the Earth.

(21) The Bible teaches that the rapture occurs at the end or end of the ages. ” I am with you unto the end of the ages”(Matt.28:20). The end of the ages is the time of the final harvest, and the reapers are the angels(Matt.13:39). The final harvest is the time of separation of the righteousness, the wheat, from the unrighteous, the tares, weeds or better still wild wheat(darnel).

(22) The Scriptures affirm that the Church will remain on Earth until the end of the ages which is the time of the final harvest( Matt.13:39,40, 28:20). The end of the ages occurs inside the second half of the 70th week not prior to its commencement.

(24) The Scriptures teach that the end begins with the breaking of the seventh seal. The righteousness, the wheat are raptured(harvested into God’s barn), and the unrighteous(tares, weeds, wild wheat) are harvested to be burned(judged) during the Day Of The LORD, concluding with Christ physical return to the Earth

(25) The Bible teaches that at Christ’s return the surviving remnant of Israel shall be saved, and the final ingathering of Jews from all over the globe effected. This shall be the literal fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob(Rom.11:25,26).

(26) The Scriptures teach that at Christ’s return, all nations shall be gathered to Jerusalem in the Sheep and Goat Judgment. The goats shall be condemned and executed, but the sheep shall be justified to enter into the Kingdom of God during the millennial reign of Christ(Matt.25:31-46).

Our world is old, decrepit, dilapidated, and antiquated, reeling to and fro under the weight of sin. It is in grave danger. It wobbles on collision course with its Maker. ” For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now”(Rom.8:22). Through sin, disobedience and utter disregard to his creator, man has pressed the self-destruct button. With an alarming rate, the foundations of godliness are crumbling; things once sacred and sacrosanct have become unzipped, and are treated with disgusting commonality and levity. In our world today, men call good, evil, evil good(Is.5:20). Black is no longer black but white, and white is no longer white but black. Such is the depth of moral decay in our world today. It has become fashionable to live in sin. Those who strive to live right are ridiculed, and their lives endangered. So much of the world has been imported into the Church, so much so that the Church which is called to be a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, a holy nation, and to display the excellencies of His Divine Majesty, is neither royal nor peculiar, nor is it different from the rest of the world, neither does it display the excellencies of the God of Israel.

Except for a few lone voices here and there, the light has almost but gone out. The Church has stooped to commonality with the rest of the world, and in lifestyle to similarity with the unregenerate in the midst of whom we live. By the virtue of his calling, the voice of the pastor ought to be heard, but instead many pulpits are weak and vacillating. Even amongst conservative evangelicals and Pentecostals, some urge us to return to the Romish Church and tell, the Pope: ” the children have come to roost”. How strong and effective will the witness of a local assembly of believers be if the pastor is not sure Jesus is the only way to God(Acts 4:12)? ” Thus saith the Lord which ought to be a thundering voice is reduced to almost an inaudible whisper. More often than not, it is the politician, the philosopher, the scientist, the celebrity, and the social activist that is heard instead of the voice of those with divine mandate. How can our voice be heard when we are not divided from what is commonplace and ordinary. The Church ought to stand out through her holiness, righteousness, miracles, signs, and wonders(Rom.8:19), rather what we see is opulence, blatant display of flamboyance, Pentecostal showmanship and jingoism, and worldliness. Where are the dead raised, the blind see, the deaf hear, the maimed made whole? They line the avenues into our opulent auditoria, and beg, but remain much the same.

There is a lot of stealing going on in the Church. Brethren lie to one another in their business dealings. Some have become utterly serpentine, crafty, sleek, and greasy in their dealings with fellow believers. There is hardly anyone that consistently tells the truth. Lost of believers are utterly unreliable, and inconsistent, untrustworthy, and vain and banal. A lot of our motivations are driven by monetary gains. It has become extremely dangerous to trust anyone. Often we betray one another. As for immorality, it is drunken like water. Will a church like this be raptured? I trow not.

To many church goers, the Church provides entertainment not worship. To many church goers, the Church is a club where they go to recreate themselves, to meet business partners, find new ones and get connected. Some go to Church solely to steal, and to find new sex partners. Some are there to find wives or husbands. That, of course is more honorable. There are some in the Church who are messed up with one another in all kinds of sexual immoralities. There are single ladies in the Church who practise lesbianism. They comfort themselves by the fact that they do not become pregnant and abort. They are homosexuals in the Church also. And the pulpit is silent because it has to be politically correct. Some see the Church as a business institution; and they are there to market their products, and nothing else. Should the Church provide a hedged-in, antiseptic, club-like atmosphere, and not a ” Go ye out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in”(Luk.14:23)?

At the present moment, the Church is splintered, polarized, canal, materialistic, humanistic in her philosophy, and impotent. We are fiddling, and the world is burning. There is no other institution that can stem the tide of evil other than the Church. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do”(Ps.11:3)?

If the Church continues with business as usual, and enters the 70th week of Daniel, it will be catastrophic. There is need for right teaching and correct theology on the end times in order to correct the wrong thinking in the Church today. The Prewrath Rapture position is a catalyst for holy living(Marvin. J. Rosenthal). The Church must understand that any generation of believers could be called upon by heaven to enter into the 70th week of Daniel, experience the horrors of the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist, and be raptured after the cosmic disturbances associated with the breaking of the sixth seal, before God pours out His wrath on the living wicked earth-dwellers, adorers, and worshippers of the antiMessiah, in The Day Of The LORD judgment, at the breaking of the seventh seal.

Avraham Shallom.

Some of the disciples of our Lord while with Him on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Temple Mount, asked Him this question:

“Tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of the thy coming, and of the end of the ages?”(Matt.24:3).

The first part of the question concerns the destruction of the Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah which was accomplished in 70 AD by the Roman general Titus, and was witnessed by some of His disciples who were still alive at that time. Surprisingly, Jesus did not address that part of the question. To answer the second question, Our Lord started by enumerating a series of events in sequential order that shall unfold starting from the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel.

The 70th week of Daniel is divided into two equal halves of three and one-half years each. The first half shall begin when the antiChrist signs a seven-year peace treaty with Israel:

“and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week”(Dan.9:27a).

Events that shall transpire within the first half of the 70th week of Daniel are the emergence of false christs(Matt.24:4,5; Rev.6:1,2)), wars and rumours of wars((Matt.24,6,7a; Rev.6:3,4), famines, pestilences and earthquakes(Matt.24:7b;Rev.6:5,6). The first thing that Jesus did before he enumerated these events was to warn His disciples to take heed that no one deceives them no matter how holy his life and stellar his biblical scholarship;

“For many shall come in My Name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many”(Matt.24:4,5).

These three events are the same as the first three seals of Rev.6:1-6.

Precisely at the midpoint of the 70th Seven, after the first three and one-half years, the antiChrist shall abolish his covenant with Israel, putting a stop to animal sacrifice and grain offering which were presumably resumed at the beginning of the 70th Seven.

“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”(Dan.9:27b).

This shall happen when he relocates his headquarters to Jerusalem(Dan.11:45), surrounds Jerusalem with his armies in what is called the Jerusalem Campaign(Luk.21:20,21). At the same time, he withdraws the military protection he has offered Israel during the first three and one-half years of the 70th Seven of Daniel. He deifies himself, demands worship of all mortals by requiring everyone to take his mark of allegiance on the forehead or right hand(Rev.13:16,17). The antiMessiah positioning himself as God in the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt Third Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah built only for the worship of Jehovah, the one true God, Yahweh of Israel, is the abomination that maketh desolate. The unveiling of the antiChrist as God and his demand to be worshipped shall spark the apostasy and the Great Tribulation(2 Thess.2:3,4; Matt.24:15). The chief architect of the apostasy is the antiChrist himself, The eschatological antagonist. These events are the same as the fourth and fifth seals of Rev.6:8-11.

Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ, makes it clear in His Olivet Discourse that the Sign of His Coming And Of The End Of The Ages shall occur immediately after the Tribulation of those days:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken: and then shall appear the Sign Of The Son Of Man in heaven: and then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son Of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”(Matt.24:29,30).

There is only one sign of His coming, but it consists of two parts. The Greek word translated sign is “seimeon” and is singular. This sign signals His coming and the End of The Ages. This sign is given in the Sun, Moon, and Stars. The two parts occur back-to-back: the cosmic disturbances and the appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens, the Shekinah, the visible presence and glorious manifestation of the Yahweh of Israel. The Scroll of Revelation makes it clear that this sign shall be preceded by a great earthquake. This is necessary to halt the Jehoshaphat Campaign which the antiChrist shall embark upon with the armies of the ten nation confederation of the 8th And Final Beast Empire to ferret out and kill all in the land of Israel who have not accepted his mark of allegiance. When this great earthquake occurs, the sun shall become black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon as blood, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and every mountain and island shall move out of their locations.

“And I beheld when he has broken 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 casteth her untimely figs when shaken of a mighty wind. And the Heaven departed as a Scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island moved out of their places(Rev.6:12-14).

This earthquake shall be worldwide to have this kind of effect on the sun, moon, and stars, and every mountain and island. It will most probably be a series of earthquakes accompanied by tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, spewing lava and ash. Or do we suppose that this is limited to the land of Israel? Even if it were so, the effects on the sun, moon, and stars shall be worldwide. This great earthquake is different from the earthquakes associated with the third seal in the first half of the 70th week of Daniel(Matt.24:7). The Earth itself and the elements shall be ashamed because the Almighty is about to punish the world for her evils.

“Then the moon shall be a confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously”(Is.24:23).

The darkening of the sun and the turning of the moon into blood are preludial to the coming of the Son Of Man in the heavens, and the outpouring of the Day Of The LORD’s Wrath(Joel 3:31).

The eclipse of the sun and moon shall darken the heavens and frozen the earth. The stars shall fall from the heavens. We do not suppose that these are actual stars. The Sun is one of the smallest stars, and it is approximately 189 million km away from the Earth. If it gets closer, the Earth shall melt away. If it gets farther away, the Earth shall be frozen into one solid rock, and no flesh will survive. The prophets were using known terminology of their day to describe events in the last days. These are probably comets, asteroids, meteorites, or fragments of disintegrated novas and supernovas. Whatever they are, we can rest assured they are not actual stars; for one star impinging upon the Earth shall pulverize it.

How will the inhabitants of the Earth react to those cosmic and celestial disturbances? There are different kinds of people on Earth at this time, and they react differently to the cosmic and celestial disturbances depending on their relationship to God and understanding and interpretation of what these celestial and cosmic phenomena portend.

The Unbelievers

By and large, the largest group of people on Earth at that time shall be the unbelievers, both branded and unbranded. More or less their reaction shall be the same. At the breaking of the sixth seal, every man on Earth shall acknowledge that there is God. Beyond that, they shall know that God is about to punish them for their evils. The atheists, the humanists, and all false religionists shall acknowledge that there is one and only true God, the God of Israel. This admission however does not bring them to a saving knowledge of Christ having sinned beyond repentance; for sin is a sicatrisant that sears the soul and deadens and hardens the conscience.

“And the kings of the earth, and all the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, every free man, hid themselves in the dens and rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth 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”(Rev.6:15-17). They shall know automatically and instinctively that God is, and He is about to punish them for their evils, and their reaction shall be one of terror without true repentance.

Apart from the enlivened images of the Beast which shall be stationed at strategic locations for all to worship, the Second beast, the false prophet and enforcer shall instruct all worshippers of the Dragon and the First Beast to make images of the First Beast in gold, silver, precious stones, and wood to worship in the privacy of their homes, in their cars and offices, each according to what he can afford.

“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the Beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”Rev.(13:14).

At that time these branded worshippers of the image of the Beast shall cast their icons to the bats and to the moles to hide in the caves, rocks and mountains of the Earth.

“And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not. Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”(Is.2:9-22).

Humanism is the philosophy behind the rise of the antiChrist. Humanistic evolution says man was not created, he evolved. If man was not created, then, there is no God. If there is no God, then there is no standard for morality. Then every man is a law unto himself. If there is no God, man is god unto himself. But all that forsake God are cursed, and all that seek Him shall be blessed.

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 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.”(Rev.14:9-13).

Any man that bows to the image of the Beast shall never receive forgiveness from the Lord. The wrath of God abides on Him.

“Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.”(Jer.17:5-14).

The 144,000

Let us look at the 144, 000. They are perhaps the fewest of all the groups on earth at this time. The Scriptures do not tell us how they shall react in the face of the cosmic and celestial disturbances. Unlike the believers, they shall not be taken away from the Earth before the wrath of God is poured out on the living wicked Earth-dwellers. Instead, they shall be sealed for protection with the seal of God on their foreheads(Rev.7:1-8). Their reaction shall be probably more or less like those of believers. They shall be looking up for their deliverance from the antiChrist by the coming of the Messiah of Israel.

The Saints

The next group of people we shall look at are the believers who do not take the mark of the Beast. They are probably one of the fewer groups, the Great Tribulation having taken its toll on them. The Scriptures tell us exactly how they shall react when they see the sign given in the sun, moon, and stars from their hiding places from the security agents of the antiChrist.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”(Luk.21:25-28).

The believers shall not be frightened by these signs in the sun, moon, and stars, accompanied by the Son Of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. It portends deliverance. They know they are about to be rescued from the Earth, the scene of their persecution by the antiChrist and his cronies. They shall look up, for their redemption draweth nigh. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, there shall be cosmic and celestial disturbances, and there shall appear the sign of the Son Of Man in the heavens, and all the tribes of the Earth shall mourn, and then shall He dispatch His angels with the sound of a great trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four corners of the Earth, from one end of heaven to the other (Matt.24:29-31). The elect, the saints of the Most High, the unbranded believers who did not bow to the image of the Beast shall be raptured after the cosmic disturbances which interrupt the Great Tribulation, and the appearance of the Shekinah in the heavens, and the subsequent dispatch of the angels with the sound of a great trumpet of the archangel to gather them from all corners of the Earth(Matt24:15-18).

The Unbranded Jewish Remnants

The other group of people we shall examine their reaction are the unbranded Jewish remnants other than the 144,000. These also are being hounded by the antiMessiah and his acolytes. They are in hiding in Jerusalem, and the whole land of Israel, and other parts of the world. They are also waiting for the coming of the Messiah to rescue them from the persecution of the antiChrist. However they do not believe that the Messiah is Jesus. When they see the sign in the sun, moon, and stars, and the other wonders God will show in the heavens and in the Earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke, the seas roiling, and the waves roaring(Joel 3:30; Luk.21:25-28) which are reminiscent of the presence of God at the dividing of the Sea of Reeds(Exod.14:19,20), at the giving of the Ten Commamdments on Mount Sinai(Exod.19:16-18 ), at the rearing up of the Tabernacle in the wilderness(Exod.40:34,35), and God’s presence amongst the children of Israel in their wilderness journeys(Exod.40:36-38; Numb.10:11-13), and the dedication of the temple built by Solomon( 2Chron.7:1-3), and the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal(1 Kin.18:38,39 ); they will begin to rejoice, saying: “peace and safety”(1 Thess.5:3). But they do not know they are not exempt from the trumpet judgments of the wrath of God. Their rejoicing is premature. Whereas the Great Tribulation is sufficient to purify the Church to appear before God, the unbranded Jewish remnants shall go through the first six trumpet judgments in order to be adequately purified, purged and cleansed to meet the Messiah of Israel. Therefore when they shall say peace and safety, sudden destruction shall come upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape(1 Thess.5:3). They are the only ones on Earth at that time who can say peace and safety. The branded Beast worshipers are cowering in the dens, caves and rocks of the mountains for fear of the Lord and The Glory of His Majesty(Is.2:21; Rev.6:15-17). The unbranded unbelievers are also in hiding. Who wouldn’t anyway! Besides they know nothing of God’s protection. The surviving unbranded believers are looking up for their redemption draweth nigh. The believers are not longing for the day of the Lord’s wrath. They are exempt from the wrath of God(1 Thess.1:10; 5:9). They will be raptured on that day before the wrath of God begins. The unbranded Jewish remnants are the only ones longing for the day of the Lord. They know nothing about the Rapture, and are not expecting to be raptured. But they do not know that they are not totally exempt from the day of the Lord wrath. The prophet Amos chided them saying:

“Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?”(Amos 5:18-20).

The prophet Amos here speaks of the children of Israel who are under siege by the forces of the antiChrist in the Jehoshaphat campaign during the terminal stages of the Great Tribulation. They long for the day of the LORD. They shall take comfort in the Scroll Of the prophet Joel. When they see the sun darkened and the moon turned into blood, and the appearance of the Shekinah in the heavens, they begin to rejoice, saying: peace and safety, not knowing that the day of the LORD portends first of all wrath for them in the trumpet judgments before being exempted from the bowls which target specifically those with the mark of the Beast. The beast marked unbelievers cannot be the ones saying peace and safety because they know they are doomed once the sun is darkened and the moon turned into blood inasmuch as the wrath of God is about to fall on them, and they have to hide from the Shekinah in the heavens which no mortal man in sinful flesh can behold(Rev.6:15-17).

As I have pointed out, those who are beast branded cannot be the ones invoking peace and safety; for they know they are doomed once the Shekinah appears in the heavens following the earthly and celestial disturbances. The unbelievers who are not beast marked, know nothing about the day of the LORD. They, like the branded beast worshippers are cowering in fear in the caves and mountains. The ones on Earth at this time who know something about the day of the LORD are the unbranded observant remnant of Israel who have not the mark of the beast. They are the ones under seige by the forces of the antiChrist in the Jehoshaphat campaign which is an attempt by the antiChrist to once and for all put a period to Jewish opposition to his rule in the land of Israel during the final stages of the Great Tribulation shortly before the breaking of the sixth seal which is associated with the cosmic and celestial disturbances and the appearance of the coming of the Son Of Man, the Shekinah in the heavens. Once the sixth seal is broken, the sun is darkened, and the moon turned into blood, and the Shekinah appears in the heavens, the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel are sealed for protection from the day of the Lord’s wrath having being brought into a saving relationship with the God of Israel, and the Church is raptured from the Earth, physically removed from the scene of the Great Tribulation and the impending wrath of God.

This leaves only the observant remnants of Israel who have rejected the mark of the Beast, who have knowledge of the day of the LORD. They are the ones the prophet Amos chided, saying, why do you desire the day of the LORD? It is darkness and not light. You are fleeing from the lion(the Great Tribulation), but a bear(the day of the LORD) is going to meet you. You are fleeing from a lion(the Great Tribulation), you are going to get into the house, and lean your hand on the wall, but a serpent(the day of the LORD) shall bite you. This is so because while the Great Tribulation was sufficient to purify the Church to stand before the presence of the Lord, Israel, with the exception of the 144,000, would need go through the trumpet judgments in order to be purged, purified and cleansed to stand before God. The bowls specifically destroy those with mark of the Beast, culminating in the war of Armageddon. The unbelieving Gentiles who have not the mark of the Beast, though not specifically targeted during the bowl judgments of the unrighteous wicked may suffer collateral damages, shall be further processed and purified in the Sheep and Goat judgment, to determine eligibility for entry into the Millennium to repopulate the renovated Earth.

Finally, when Jesus appears in glory, all the Earth shall mourn.

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”(Rev.(1:7).

This of course excludes the 144,000 who shall be sealed for protection during the Day Of The LORD Wrath, and the unbranded believers who shall be raptured. The rest of the inhabitants of the Earth shall mourn. The branded worshippers of the Dragon-Beast because they shall face the unmitigated wrath of God. The unbranded unbelievers because of their unbelief. The unbranded Jewish remnants because of their rejection of the Messiah of Israel whom thy shall discover to be the Christian Jesus with nail-pierced hands. Jesus Himself corroborated these words in His Olivet Discourse that all the tribes of the Earth shall mourn when the see the Son Of Man coming in glory:

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the Earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”(Matt.(24:30).

The prophet Zechariah declared that the whole house of Israel, that is the unbranded remnants of Israel shall mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only begotten son when they look upon Him whom they pierced.

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.”(Zech.(12:10-14).

Having been purified through the Great Tribulation and the trumpet judgments, the unbranded remnants of Israel, shall receive from the Lord the Spirit of grace and of supplication, and they shall look upon Him who they pierced.

“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.”

What this means is that they shall receive grace and find favour in the eyes of the Lord to repent and be cleansed from the defilement of their sins and uncleanliness.

They shall mourn and repent as a nation for their betrayal of the Messiah of Israel. Even those that pierced Him shall wail because of Him(Rev.1:7). The Scripture makes it clear here that the whole house of Israel shall be involved, the royal family of David, the High priestly family, members of the house of Aaron, the prophets as represented by the house of Nathan the prophet, the levites, the priests, the remnants of the tribe of Levi, and the house of Shimei, the remnants of the other tribes of Israel, the Am Ha’ aretz, the ordinary people of the land. All the tribes of Israel shall be represented.

As we have pointed out, this event shall occur at the expiry of the 70th Week when Israel shall have been purified, purged, and cleansed from sin by the six trumpet judgments. To be precise, it shall occur on day 3 of the 30-day Reclamation Period. Three of the six purposes of God to be accomplished within the 70 weeks allotted to the Gentiles to persecute Israel would have been fulfilled.

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”(Dan.9:24).

The transgression of Israel would be finished, her sin brought to and end, and reconciliation made for her iniquity. This is the reason why Israel must go through the Great Tribulation and the six trumpet judgments. The seventh trumpet has no judgment of its own, but opens into the seven bowls which specifically target the branded Beast worshippers. The remnants of Israel are exempt from the bowl judgments. At the sounding of the seventh trumpet, God Almighty reclaims His rule over the Earth. Thereafter, the other three purposes shall be accomplished, the sealing of the vision and the prophecy, the bringing in of everlasting righteousness, and the anointing of the Most Holy.

“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.”(Zech.13:8-9).

As we have pointed out, Israel shall be relatively quiet and peaceful during the first half of the 70th week, enjoying the protection offered her by the antiMessiah secured through the 7-year peace treaty. But from the midpoint of the 70th week, trouble begins. After passing through the Jerusalem Campaign, the Great Tribulation, the Jehoshaphat Campaign, two parts of the Jewish population especially in the land of Israel would have been decimated, leaving only a third part. It is this third part that shall pass through the fires of the six trumpet judgments in order to be purified, purged, and cleansed from the defilement of sin. They are the ones that shall be reconciled to God when the nation’s transgression is finished and her sin brought to an end.

“Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.”(Is.66:8). This shall be the national salvation of Israel.

“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”( Rom.11:26 ).

This event shall occur on top of Mount Zion on the third day of the 30-day reclamation period, shortly before the sounding of the Seventh trumpet on the 5th day. On this day, the mystery of God shall be finished, as God completes His spiritual kingdom by bringing in the purified and saved and reconciled remnants of Israel.

“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”(Rev.10:7).

Once the seventh trumpet is blown on the 5th day of the 30-day reclamation period, God Almighty reclaims His rule over the Earth, and begins His final purging and cleansing of the Earth from the defilement of Sin culminating in the war of Armageddon.

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”(Rev.11:15).

One more important point to note. There shall be no secret appearance of the Lord to rapture the Church. The events spoken of here are worldwide phenomena, to be witnessed by all living earth-dwellers. “Every eye shall see Him, even those who pierced Him. Even so. Amen.”(Rev.1:7).

Avraham Shallom.

A sincere brother whose view on the rapture is Pretribulational asked this question. Here is what he said: “I personally do not believe in a Prewrath rapture after the Great Tribulation. But I believe in a Pretrib rapture, and place the Great Tribulation within the Day Of The Lord. My question to Prewrath believers is; How come you separate The Day Of The Lord from the Great Tribulation? Is there Scriptural evidence? God bless.”

Here is my response to his question.

This is a very pertinent question, in that, if it can be proven from the Scriptures that the Great Tribulation is not an integral part of the Day Of The Lord, one of the fundamental pillars of Pretribulationism is fatally flawed. The wrath of God occurs in the Day Of The Lord. And the believers are exempt from the wrath of God. So, if the Great Tribulation occurs in the Day Of The Lord which is the wrath of God, and the believers are exempt from the wrath of God, then the believers cannot pass through the Great Tribulation. This is the fundamental pillar of pretribulationism. On the other hand if it can be proven from the Scriptures that the Great Tribulation is not part of the wrath of God which occurs in the Day Of The Lord, from which believers are exempt, it therefore follows that the believers will pass through the Great Tribulation.

The Pretribs teach that the whole length of the 70th week is the wrath of God which occurs in the Day Of The Lord. Some Pretribs teach that the day of the Lord is that lengthened period from the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel to the end of the Millennium. Although Prewrathers do not agree with this definition, it immediately makes it clear that the Great Tribulation cannot be the same as the Day Of The Lord inasmuch as the Great Tribulation does not begin until the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel. How can the Day Of The Lord which is darkness and not light include the Millennium which is Christ’s Rulership Of The Kingdom? “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?”(Amos 5:18-20). The Day Of The Lord cannot include the Millennium because it is darkness and not light. The millennium is Christ glorious rule over the earthly domain of the Father’s universal kingdom and cannot therefore be part of the Day Of the Lord during which the wrath of God is meted out on the unrighteous wicked.

According to this definition, the Great Tribulation is included in the Day Of The Lord. But this is not biblically accurate because the cosmic and celestial disturbances(the sixth seal) that terminate the Great Tribulation mark the commencement of the Day Of The Lord. Pretribs label the first half of the 70th week of Daniel the Tribulation and the second half the Great Tribulation. These labels fly in the face of scriptures.

There is no scriptural evidence that the wrath of God begins at the commencement of the 70th week of Daniel. The first three and one-half years witness the first three seals of Rev.6. These are the emergence of false christs and the ultimate false christ called the antiChrist(Rev.6:1,2; Matt.24:5; Mk.13:5,6; Luk.21:8,9), then wars, commotions, threats and rumours of wars(Rev.6:3,4; Matt.24:6,7aMk.13:7,8a; Luk.21:9,10), and finally famine, pestilences and natural disasters like earthquakes(Rev.6:12-14; Matt.24:7b; Mk.13:8b; Luk.21:11). Bear in mind that Rev.6 marks the starting point of the 70th week of Daniel, and bears a remarkable resemblance to the Olivet Discourse which it parallels(Matt.24; Mk.13; Luk.21).

Although the antiChrist has sponsored and brokered a peace pact between Israel and her Arab and Islamic neighbours: “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:”(Dan.9:27a), he is not yet known to the world and Israel as the antiChrist. He is veiled. The only ones who know him are believers like us who have learned about him from the Scriptures and members of his inner circle. His unveiling to Israel and the world will await the middle of the 70th week of Daniel when he abrogates the animal, drink, and grain offerings recommenced at the ratification of the peace treaty. “And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,”(Dan.9:27b, cf: Matt.24:9,15 & ff; Mk.13:9,14 & ff; Luk.21:12 & ff; 2 Thess.2:4 & ff). The Great Tribulation does not begin until the antiChrist unveils himself as a dead man come back to life (who had ruled over one of the seven previous Beast Empires) to rule over the revived seventh or Eighth Beast Empire.

“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? who is able to make war with him?”(Rev.13:3-4).

It is at this point that he receives power from Satan to reign over the whole Earth for three and one-half years. “……and the Dragon gave him his power, seat, and great authority.”(Rev.13:2b). “And power was given him to continue forty and two months.”(Rev.13:5b). Forty and two months is the length of the second half of the 70th week of Daniel. This is the length of the period of time allotted to the antiChrist to reign of the whole Earth. In the first half of the 70th week of Daniel, he does not have power to reign over the whole Earth.

He protects Israel in the first half of the 70th week of Daniel. He stations a protection force in the land of Israel to ensure Israel is not attacked by her Arab and Islamic neighbours. Israel enjoys a relative peace while the antiChrist busys himself with conquering the rest of the world for the first three and one-half years of the 70th week of Daniel. He does not also specifically target Christians for genocide during the first half of the 70th week of Daniel because he has not yet declared himself God nor demanded that men worship him. That is not to say that the first three and one-half years will be an easy period and rosy for the believers. It will not be, considering the preponderance of false christs, wars, commotions, rumours and threats of wars, famines, plagues and earthquakes, and the usual hatred of believers by the unbelievers.

Let us for once assume that the Pretrib view is correct and that the wrath of God or the Day Of The Lord begins at the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel, the Great Tribulation does not begin at the beginning of nor does it occur in the first half of the 70th week of Daniel. Nearly all Pretribs concede this point that the Great Tribulation begins at the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel. If it begins at the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel, why is it synonymous in your view to the wrath of God that begins, according to Pretribs , at the commencement of the 70th week of Daniel? So, you see, there is distinction between the wrath of God or the Day Of The Lord and the Great Tribulation. They do not have the same terminus-a-quo(starting point), neither do they have the same terminus-ad-quem(end point).

The Pretribs would want us to believe that the Great Tribulation is comprehended in the Day Of The Lord, that is, occurs within it. This is false because the Great Tribulation is not concurrent with the Day Of The Lord, neither is it an integral part of the Day Of The Lord, nor does it occur within it. How can the antiChrist kill Christians in the day when God alone is exalted? The Great Tribulation and the Day Of the Lord occur at different times in the second half of the 70th week of Daniel. One is a consequence of the other. The Day Of the Lord is a consequence of and God’s response to the persecution of the saints by the antiChrist during the Great Tribulation. Therefore, the Great Tribulation proceeds the Day Of The Lord. Hear what Prophet Isaiah says about the Day Of the Lord:

“Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”(Isaiah 2:10-22).

How can the antiChrist arise in the Day when the Lord alone is exalted in all the Earth, achieve world domination, get the majority of the people of the world to worship him and the Dragon(universal mass idolatry) and kill millions and perhaps billions of believers in Jesus Christ? For further elucidation see “Exposition On Isaiah 2:1-22.” Link: https://mtzionheritage.com/?s=Exposition+on+Isaiah.

This is the major problem with Pretrib teaching. They are unable to distinguish the wrath of God in The Day Of the Lord from the Great Wrath Of Satan which is the Great Tribulation. To them, they are concurrent, coincident and simultaneous, but the Scriptures teach otherwise. If the Great Tribulation is part of The Day Of The Lord, then God is responsible for the death of the fifth seal martyrs. This cannot be allowed to stand. The Day Of The lord’s wrath is God’s affirmative response to the plea of the fifth seal martyrs for vengeance.

“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).

This killing of the saints is in progress under the fourth seal which is the Great Tribulation. In the fifth seal God tells the martyrs under the altar in heaven to wait until their fellow believers destined to be killed during the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist and his gang is fulfilled. This killing is concurrent, coincident, and simultaneous with the fourth seal as we have pointed out. This means that the killings here on Earth were still going on at the time the fifth seal martyrs appeared under the golden altar of incense in heaven and made their plea of vengeance to God. The fifth seal is a heavenly scene, a heavenly reflection of the martyrdom of believers who repudiate the authority of the Beast by the rejection of his mark of allegiance. It does not necessarily advance the chronology of the narrative of the Scroll of Revelation.

There is no distance in the realm of the spirit. As the saints are being martyred here on Earth, the disembodied spirits and souls are arriving in Heaven. There is a certain number of saints to be martyred under the fourth seal. When that number is reached, God interrupts the Great Tribulation with cosmic and celestial disturbances(sixth seal) and turns the table on the antiChrist and his gang of humanists. The captivity is taken captive, and those who kill with the sword are themselves killed with sword. It therefore follows that the Great Tribulation which is the Great Wrath Of Satan must precede the Day Of The Lord. The wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord is not prejudicial nor extrajudicial. It is not before the facts, but after the facts. God cannot begin to punish men for the sins they have not committed or intend to commit. God cannot begin to punish the unrighteous wicked if they have not first persecuted the righteous saints. Their cup of iniquity must be full before they can be brought to book. God did not evict the Amorites from the land of Canaanan until their cup of iniquity is full, though He had already given the land to Abraham and his descendants for ever with a covenant of salt. “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”(Genesis 15:16). They must kill the righteous saints in a rage that reaches up to heaven before God can begin to punish them for their evils and pour out His wrath upon them.

Secondly, the wrath of God is preceded by cosmic and celestial disturbances whereas the Great Tribulation is amputated by the cosmic and celestial disturbances. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:”(Matthew 24:29, cf: Rev.6:12-14). The prophet Joel declared that the Day Of The Lord must be preceded by the darkening of the Sun, Moon, and Stars. “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.”(Joel 2:30-31). But the darkening of the Sun, Moon, and Stars which inaugurates the Day Of the Lord amputates the Great Tribulation. So, how can the Great Tribulation occur within the Day Of The Lord when the sign given in the Sun, Moon, and Stars which occurs after the Great Tribulation inaugurates the Day Of The Lord? This is an inescapable fact which Pretribs must contend with.

This singular fact alone destroys the Pretrib doctrine of imminence, the fundamental pillar of pretribulationism which states that no prophesied event will precede the rapture. In other words, that the rapture must be signless. If the wrath of God begins at the commencement of the 70th week of Daniel, it therefore follows that the cosmic and celestial disturbances must have occurred before the commencement of the 70th week of Daniel. This is biblically false and unsustainable because the scripture has stated unequivocally in Matt.24:29 that the cosmic and celestial disturbances occur after the [Great] Tribulation of those days. And we have shown from the Scriptures that the Great Tribulation begins at the Middle Of The 70th week when Satan is cast down from the Dark Void and Starry Heavens to the Earth which almost all Pretribs concede.

“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. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

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 knoweth that he hath but a short time. 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.”(Rev.12:7-9, 12-14).

The three and one-half years spoken of here is the time allotted to the antiChrist to persecute the seed of the woman. It is synonymous with second half of the 70th week of Daniel. The offspring of the woman consist of two groups of peoples, those who keep the commandments of God, the observant Jews, and those who have the testimony of Jesus, the believers in Jesus the Christ. If the antiMessiah is allowed of God to go on killing the offspring of the woman for the whole three and one-half years allotted to him, no offspring of the woman will survive. Therefore, God must of necessity cut short or better still amputate the Great Tribulation. So, the Great Tribulation does not last the entire length of the second half of the 70th week of Daniel. “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). Therefore some believers must be raptured alive, translated to receive glorified eternal immortal resurrection bodies without passage through the intermediate process of death. This is to grant them exemption from the wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord which is about to begin. Apostle Peter wrote: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”(2 Peter 2:9). There is no escaping the fact that the deliverance of the righteous from the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist is followed by the judgment of the unjust in the Day Of The Lord.

Cosmic and celestial disturbances precede the Day Of The Lord’s wrath(Joel 2:31). And the the wrath of God begins after the rapture which all Pretribs concede. In the debate whether the Great Tribulation occurs in the Day Of The Lord or independently, the sign given in the Sun, Moon, and Stars is a great divide, a watershed as it were. The Great Tribulation cannot be comprehended or occur in the Day Of The Lord if it is amputated by the sign given in the Sun, Moon, and Stars which precedes And heralds the Day Of The Lord.

Thirdly, our brother Apostle Paul in his second epistle to the Thessalonians wrote: “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”(2 Thessalonians 1:3-10).

First, our brother Apostle Paul thanked God for their(Thessalonian Christians’) exceedingly growing faith in the Lord and their love toward one another. Second, Apostle Paul and his companions in the ministry are proud of the Thessalonian Christians for their faith and patience in the face of persecutions and tribulations which they endure. Third, he stated that their commendable faith and patience(endurance in the face of affliction, trial, trouble, temptation etc) in the face of persecutions and tribulations is a manifest token evidence of the righteous judgment of God in order that they may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which they also suffer. In other words it was necessary for them to go through these persecutions and tribulations in order to manifest God’s righteous judgment. Fourth, because God is righteous, He will payback tribulation(singular: which means it is specific, that is, the wrath of God, from which believers are exempt) to those who trouble the Thessalonian believers. This is the only place in the whole of the Scriptures where the wrath of God is described as tribulation to the unrighteous wicked.

Fifth, that God will give the Thessalonian believers REST with us, that is, with all believers who suffered persecutions and tribulations at different times in the history of the Church, and ultimately during the Great Tribulation which begins at the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel. Sixth, this REST will be granted us(all believers) when Christ is revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus the Christ. When is Christ revealed from Heaven to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel? Is it not after the Tribulation of those days when He appears in the heavens, dispatches His angels to gather the saints from one end of heaven to the other(for the saints are not appointed unto His wrath) and to punish the unrighteous wicked who know not God and obey not the gospel? If this REST is given the raptured saints at Armageddon, it therefore follows that the raptured saints must wait for seven years after rapture to receive this rest according to Pretrib rapture teaching inasmuch as Armageddon occurs in the 30-day Reclamation Period of the Kingdom after the end of the 70th week of Daniel. Seventh, those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus the Christ shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.

Eighth, this punishment shall be meted to the unbelievers when Christ shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all those who believe in Him. When shall Christ come to be glorified in the saints and to be admired in those who believe? Is it not when the saints are raptured? “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”(Matthew 24:29-31). Why are all the tribes of the Earth mourning? Is it not because God is about to punish them for their evils? What is that other than the wrath of God in the Day Of the Lord? Will the saints partake of the punishment of the wicked who know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus the Christ? No: for God has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus the Christ(1 Thess.1:10, 5:9).

Fourth, the Scriptures make distinction between the wrath of Satan and the wrath of God. When Satan is cast down from the heavens with his fallen evil angels, he comes down to the Earth with great wrath.

“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. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they 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 knoweth that he hath but a short time.”(Revelation 12:7-12).

He possesses the antiChrist, gives him his power, seat and great authority to act on his behalf(Rev.13:2). This is when the Great Tribulation begins which is the manifestation of the Great Wrath Of Satan. Those who refuse the mark of the beast are the target of antiChrist’s Great Tribulation. They are mostly believers and a few unbelievers in Jesus Christ who are nonconformist nuts. It will take a great deal of inner fortitude to resist the antiChrist because he is a dead man come back to life. “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”(Revelation 17:8).

On the other hand, the wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord is directed against the antiChrist and his gang, and all unrighteous wicked. The unbelievers are the children of wrath.

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”(Ephesians 2:1-3).

We can see that unbelievers are the children of wrath. When we were unbelievers, we were the children of wrath. Now that we are born from above, we are no longer the children of wrath, and the wrath of God no longer abides on us. If believers go through the Great Tribulation, and the Great Tribulation is the wrath of God, or part of the wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord as the Pretribs teach, it therefore means that the wrath of God abides on the believers. But it is explicitly stated in the scriptures that the believers are exempt from the wrath of God(1 Thess.1:10, 5:9). It is also equally clearly stated in the scripture that the present heavens and Earth are reserved unto fire in the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”(2 Peter 3:7). No truly born again follower of Jesus will be on Earth in the Day Of The Lord. It is a horrible period of time on Earth when God pours out His wrath on the unrighteous wicked who know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus The Christ. The present Heavens and Earth being on fire shall melt with fervent heat.

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”(2 Peter 3:10-14).

It therefore follows that the Great Tribulation is not part of the wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord because believers will be here on Earth during the Great Tribulation. There is no escaping the fact that some believers will go through the Great Tribulation because the antiChrist will make war with the saints and overcome them. “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.”(Revelation 13:7). Call them whatever you will, “tribulation saints” or “those left behind.” What is means is that the Great Tribulation is not part of the Day Of The Lord’s Wrath because some believers must of necessity pass through it; and believers are not appointed to God’s wrath.

The wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord is a recompensation, a payback to the unbelievers for their persecution of the saints during the Great Tribulation. So, it must occur after the Great Tribulation. You cannot punish a man in anticipation of a crime he is yet to commit. They must trouble us during the Great Tribulation in order that God may trouble them during the Day Of The Lord. “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 casteth 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, and every bondman, and every free man, 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 sitteth 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?”(Revelation 6:12-17). The Day Of The Lord is preceded by the breaking of the sixth seal which is cosmic and celestial disturbances that interrupt the Great Tribulation.

The breaking of the sixth seal signals the wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord. When it happens, all the inhabitants of the Earth will know that God is about to punish them for their evils. That is why they will wail(Matt.24:30; Rev.1:7). Is it at Armageddon they will mourn? No. At Armageddon, they have resolved to fight to finish, even though they will not prevail. They will run to hide and seek nonexistent refuge under the rocks and the mountains at the breaking of the sixth seal which signal cosmic and celestial disturbances which are preludial to the Day Of The Lord. They will know that the wrath of God is about to begin and who is able to withstand it? When the wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord begins, no one shall be a able to stand, not even the antiChrist and his gang of humanistic evolutionists. Therefore, there is no way the Great Tribulation can occur in the Day Of the Lord. The wrath of God is not hazy and nebulous. It is clear and distinct from the wrath of Satan. Even the great wrath of Satan, the Great Tribulation is not hazy and nebulous either. It is also clear and distinct also from the wrath of God and from every previous persecutions and tribulations of the sons of God. The object of Satan’s wrath is the believer in Jesus the Christ who repudiates the authority of the Beast by refusal to bow to his image, and refuses to give him allegiance by refusal to take the mark of the Beast. The object of God’s wrath is the unbeliever who rejected the love of God freely offered in Jesus the Christ to all mankind and persecuted the saints of the Most High. They have shed blood; therefore God shall give them blood to drink, for they are worthy.

The wrath of God begins in Rev.8:1 at the breaking of the seventh seal. It consists of the trumpets and the bowls(Rev.8-20). But remember that Rev.10-14 are parenthetic and do not advance the chronology of the Scroll Of Revelation. They contain flashbacks and periscopes on previously discussed events and highlights on the dramatic personae in the scroll of Revelation. Because the saints are exempt from the wrath of God, they must be taken away, evacuated from the scene of God’s wrath in the Day Of The Lord before it begins(Rev.7:9-17). The 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel who will be God’s representatives on Earth in the absence of the Church after the rapture must be sealed in order to protect them from the wrath of God in the Day Of The Lord(Rev.7:1-8).

Avraham Shallom.

The Timing of the rapture is the sequence of events leading up to the rapture. On the other hand, the time of the rapture is the exact time and locus in the eschatological timeline that the rapture occurs. This does not however mean that we know the day and the hour in which the rapture shall occur. We may know the general time period of the rapture, but we cannot know the day and the hour of the rapture.

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”(Matt.24:32-36).

“And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”(Luk.21:29-33).

There are some that urge us to believe that the fig tree is symbol of Israel. And Israel became independent again in 1948 after nearly two thousand years in exile. When the fig tree begins to bud, we know that summer is near. When Israel begins to thrive as an independent nation, then the rapture can take place at any moment. The fig tree may well be the symbol of Israel. For several centuries, there were believers who wondered aloud how end time prophecies were going to be fulfilled when there were no independent nation of Israel , and no temple. Admittedly, end time prophecies centered around the nation of Isreal and her Holy City, Jerusalem(Dan.9:24). Therefore the resuscitation of Israel as an independent state in her ancient homeland in Eretz Yisrael was a supernatural fulfillment of prophecy, and a practical step in the right direction, as would be the rebuilding of the temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, any time it takes place.

Was the major thrust of the parable of the fig tree the symbolism of Israel? That would be very doubtful; for that would mean that all the trees symbolize Israel as does the fig tree: for Christ called attention to not only the fig tree but also to all the trees, inasmuch as it is not only the fig tree that begins to bud in the Spring: ” Behold the fig tree, and all the trees.” The symbolism here is a reference to a natural seasonal observation. In temperate countries, in Autumn which American call Fall, all the trees are denuded of their leaves, and they remain bare of leaves throughout Winter. In the Spring, as the temperatures begin to rise, and the weather becomes warmer, and there is rainfall, the trees begin to bud. The people are cheerful again and will say, ” Summer will soon be hear.” I have heard Americans say this in the Spring. This is the exact analogy that Christ made in this parable. Just as people “will see and know” in the Spring when the trees begin to bud, that Summer will soon be here: in like manner, believers, who are in expectation of the coming of the Messiah, shall see and know, when these events outlined in the Olivet Discourse begin to unfold that the coming of the Lord draweth near, that the Kingdom Of God is nigh at hand. These events are, the emergence of false christs, wars, commotions, and rumours of war, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes,the Jerusalem Campaign, the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist, the Jehoshaphat Campaign, the cosmic disturbances, and the appearance of the sign of the coming of the Son Of Man in the heavens. When ye shall see these things come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth nigh.

Jesus went on to say: ” Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” He also underscored in the strongest terms that ” Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Here is the clincher. It is now sixty some odd years since Israel gained independence. Although a generation is reckoned differently in various dispensations, it is now more or less generally reckoned as forty years. Considering the inviolability and infallibility of the word of God, we cannot but conclude that the fig tree in this parable does not refer primarily to the re-establishment of the state of Israel, but a general reference to natural seasonal observation. If it were not so, the words of Jesus would be of none effect. This cannot be allowed to stand.

It is therefore a sign of approximation that Summer is near. Likewise these events signal the nearness of the time of His coming. The budding of figs and all the trees in the Spring does not tell us the Day and the Hour that Summer will begin, but the general time period. So, also these events do not tell us the Day and the Hour of our Lord’s Second Advent, but the general time period. ” But that Day and the Hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only”(Matt.24:36). The words in Mark are even more wonderful: ” But of that Day and that Hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only”(Mk.13:32). What Jesus says neither He nor the angels in heaven know, but the Father only, let us not think we can access this knowledge by flights of Higher Mathematics. No height of spirituality will grant us access to this divine secret. Jesus did not say that we the saints cannot know the time of His coming, that is the general time period of His coming, but the Day and the Hour. The Day and the Hour of His coming constitute a divine secret. And the secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law(Deut.29:29).

We know that Jesus is God, and knoweth all things. But as the Son , He has ceded certain decisions to the Father. It is only the Father who will decide on which Day and in what Hour He will come. As God, Jesus know, but as the Son Of Man, He does not know.

The day and the hour of the rapture are the exclusive preserve and prerogative of the Father alone. In this article we shall enumerate in chronological order the sequence of events leading up to the rapture in order that when we see these events unfold before our eyes we shall recognize them , and also know that our redemption draweth nigh. The generation of believers that shall enter the 70th week, witness these events unfold, shall be the generation that shall be raptured alive. Until the cosmic disturbances associated with the breaking of the sixth seal, the coming of the Lord, the appearance of the sign of the coming of the Son Of Man in the heavens occur, and the attendant rapture of the Church is not imminent. This is the doctrine of expectancy which is the central pillar of the prewrath rapture position. This generation of believers shall enter into the 70th week of Daniel, witness the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist, and be raptured prior to the commencement of the wrath of God during the Day Of The LORD. This is a biblical mystery: one generation of believers shall receive glorified immortal resurrection bodies without passage through the intermediate process of death. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”(1 Cor.15:51-55).

The 70th week of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy shall begin when the antiChrist signs a 7-year peace agreement with Israel. “And he 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.”(Dan.9:27). The prophet Isaiah called this peace agreement “the covenant with death.” “Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people

which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:”(Is.28:14-15).

The 70th week is the last seven years of the present age. It is divided into two equal halves of three and one-half years each which is equivalent to 42 months or 1,260 days according to Jewish calendar which is lunar. “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”(Rev.11:2-3). The reference here is to the second half of the 70th week within which the two witnesses shall minister as also says the prophet Daniel. “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; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”(Dan.12:7). It is within this period also that the Great Tribulation shall be instituted against the saints of the Most High. “And he 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 shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”(Dan.7:25). During this period also, the unbranded remnants of Israel shall take refuge in the Edomite and Judaean wildernesses in order to survive the the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist. “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”(Rev.12:6).

There are extra 75 days beyond the expiry of the 70th week according to the prophet Daniel. “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”(Dan.12:11-12). This extra 75 days are divided into 30 days and 45 days. Within the 30-day period, the wrath of God in the bowls are poured on the living wicked earth-dwellers and worshippers and adorers of the antiChrist culminating in the battle of Armageddon. This period is dubbed the Reclamation Period Of The Kingdom by Robert Van Kampen. Within the extra 45 days, the Earth is renovated after the devastation caused by outpouring of the wrath of God. This period is dubbed the Restoration Period of The Kingdom by Robert Van Kampen.

The First Half Of The 70th Week

The first half of the 70th week is dubbed the beginning of sorrows. “All these are the beginning of sorrows.”(Matt.24:8). There are three major events that shall occur within this period of three and one-half years.

(1) The emergence of false christs: the breaking of the first seal

When the disciples asked our Lord Jesus of the sign of His coming and of the end of the ages, He started by warning them to take heed that no one deceives them. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”(Matt.24:4-5). This is as far as the religious scene is concerned. On the political scene, the antiChrist shall begin to flex his muscle by signing a 7-year peace treaty to protect Israel from her hostile Arab and Islamic neighbors. Besides, he shall endeavor to conquer the whole world without firing a shot, as it were, through subtle peace diplomacy. “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 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.”(Rev.6:1-2). We must remember that Revelation chapters 6 – 19 run parallel with Matt.24 & 25, the Olivet Discourse, ending with the Sheep and Goat Judgment which occurs at the end of the battle of Armageddon. Certain details which border on earthly and heavenly events which are omitted in the Olivet Discourse are filled in by the Scroll of Revelation.

(2) Wars and rumours of wars: the breaking of the second seal

The second event in the first three and one-half years shall be wars and rumours of wars. “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” ( Matt.24:6-7a ). Wars and rumours of wars shall precede the end at which point in the eschatological timeline the rapture shall occur and the Day Of Lord inaugurated. The end here is the end of the ages, the point of transition between the present age and the age to come. Our Lord Jesus the Christ promised to be with us, His Church, until 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(Ages). Amen.”(Matt.28:20).

This event corresponds with the second seal of Rev.6. “And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”(Rev.6:3-4). At the breaking of the second seal, wars shall break out on Earth. Nations shall go to war one with another. “And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.”(Mk.13:7-8). The end(of the ages) at which point in the eschatological timeline the Lord shall appear and the saints taken to meet Him in the air shall be preceded by wars and rumours of wars. “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.”(Luk.21:9). We can see that all the three synoptic gospels are unanimous in their assertion that the end, at which point in the eschatological timeline, the Lord appears, and the Church is raptured, must be preceded by wars, commotions, and rumours of wars.

(3) Famines, Pestilences, and Earthquakes: the third seal

The third event is a cluster of famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. “And there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.”(Matthew 24:7). This cluster of events corresponds with the third seal of Rev.6. “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. 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.”(Rev.6:5-6). Weighed food is a condition of famine. Famines and pestilences are the natural consequences of wars and natural disasters like earthquakes. This cluster of events brings closure to the first three and one-half years. The famine, the pestilences, and the Earthquakes shall make the inhabitants of the Earth whose names were not written in the Lamb’s book of life vulnerable to the manipulations and machination of the antiChrist. The poor and the unprepared shall find it extremely difficult to survive.

The Midpoint Of The 70th Week.

The midpoint of the 70th week witnesses a convergence of events. To avoid being tedious, we shall enumerate these events with the relevant scriptural references.

(1) War in the heavenlies

After the satanic revolt in heaven in eternity past, Satan and his hordes of fallen angels were evicted from heaven’s premises to the dark void and starry heavens. Precisely at the midpoint of the 70th week, there shall be war in the heavenlies. “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.”(Rev.12:7-8). The leader of this divine assault against Satan and his host of fallen evil angels is Michael, the warrior prince that standeth for the people of God(Dan.12:1,2).

(2) Satan cast down to the Earth

In this war in the heavenlies, Satan and his host of fallen evil angels shall defeated by Michael and the angels of God under his command and be evicted from the dark void and the starry heavens and cast down to the Earth. “And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”(Rev.12:8-10). With Satan cast down to the Earth, his frequenting heaven to accuse the brethren in the divine court in heaven ceases.

(3) The removal of the restrainer

With Satan and hist hordes of fallen angels cast down to the Earth, the restrainer, archangel Michael is removed. “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.”(Dan.12:1). Without the removal of the restrainer, the antiChrist shall not manifest. “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 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: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”(2 Thess.2:7-10).

There are some that teach that the restrainer is human government, and others, the Holy Spirit. None of these is tenable inasmuch as the antiChrist is the ultimate human government, and the Church is still present till the end of the ages. Our Lord Jesus the Christ promised to be with His Church till the end of the ages(Matt.28:20). Those who teach that the restrainer is the Holy Spirit are pretribbers who believe the Church shall be raptured before the commmencement of the 70th week, and the Holy Spirit therefore hitchhikes with Church at the rapture. The Holy Spirit needs hitchhike with the Church inasmuch as He has been working here on Earth with the people of God before the inception of the Church on the day of Pentecost. What happened on the day of Pentecost was a new relationship between God and man initiated by the soteriological and finished works of Christ on the Cross of Calvary. The restrainer is not an NT doctrine. He is a well known personality in OT Judaism.

The mystery of iniquity is already at work on Earth. The restrainer is the one who hinders iniquity on Earth. When the restrainer is removed, the antiChrist, the man of lawlessness, the ultimate iniquity shall manifest.

(4) Satan possesses the antiChrist

Because Satan is cast down to the Earth in preparation to his subsequent eviction from the Earth’s premises into Hell with his evil angels, he has great wrath. “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 knoweth that he hath but a short time.”(Rev.12:12). But he cannot possess the antiChrist and manifest his wrath until the restrainer is taken out of the way. God shall tell archangel Michael, do not defend my people anymore. Therefore Michael shall “amad.” Then Satan will possess the antiChrist, and give him his seat and Great authority. “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 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? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”(Rev.13:1-6). Satan like God is a spirit being without a physical body. So, he cannot rule the Earth directly; he must do so by proxy as also does God the Father. The antiChrist will be Satan’s representative on Earth. Satan shall possess him as he did Judas in order pursue his purpose on Earth.

(5) antiChrist relocates his headquarters to Jerusalem

The antiChrist who is also called Gog of the land of Magog, the head of Meshech and Tuval(Ezek.38:2,3), shall relocate his headquarters from somewhere in the land of Magog to Jerusalem. “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”(Dan.11:45). There are any number of reasons why he does this. Firstly, Israel is the center of the Earth. It is the gateway to the three major continents. In preparation to world rule and domination, the antiChrist must have a more central headquarters from where he can best command his forces and administer his rule over the Earth. It is at the Third Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem that he shall deify himself. He is against the God of Israel and the Christians. Jerusalem and the Temple Mount is important to three major religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Since he is against anything that is called God or worshipped, he must possess this piece of real estate, the most contested property in the whole world.

(6) The antiChrist makes his debut at the Temple.

When the antiChrist arrives in Jerusalem, he makes his debut at the Temple Mount. He violates the sacred precincts of the Temple Mount by threading on it with his acolytes and cronies. Like his prefigure, the Greek ruler Antiochus Theos Epiphanes, he violates the Holy Of Holies of the rebuilt Third Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah by entering into it and placing a statue of himself in it. The Holy Of Holies is forbidden to all except the High Priest alone from the house of Aharon, and that once a year, only on the day of Atonement( Yom Kippur), after he has offered blood sacrifice for himself and the people of Israel(Heb.9:7). Because the antiChrist shall not regard the God of Israel, nor any god for that matter, he shall violate the sacred precincts of the temple and the Temple Mount.

(7) The antiChrist declares himself God

Apart from the court of the Gentiles, every other part of the Temple on Mount Moriah was forbidden to the Gentiles. By venturing beyond the courth of the Gentiles, the antiChrist was claiming to himself the position due only to the God of Israel, the Sovereign Lord of the Universe, the creator of all mankind. “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; 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. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”(2 Thess.2:3-5). He shall sit in the Holy Of Holies Of The Third Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah built for the worship of Jehovah displaying himself as God.

(8) Abomination of desolation.

The antiChrist sitting in the temple of God, displaying himself as God shall be the extreme point of abomination. “And he 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.”(Dan.9:27). This shall be the height of abomination. It shall make the temple desolate. That is why it is called the Abomination of desolation or the abomination that maketh desolate. This event shall cause the Jewish worshippers in the temple to desert it. We can see that the prophet Daniel tells us this event shall occur precisely at the midpoint of the 70th week.

(9) Abolition of the daily sacrifice

At the same time that the antiChrist declares himself God, he abolishes the daily animal, grain, and drink offering reinstituted at the beginning of the 70th week or any time after the erection of the Third Temple . He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease(Dan.9:27b).

(10) antiChrist unveiled

Prior to the midpoint of the 70th week, the identity of the antiChrist shall be unknown to most people, except those of his inner circle and believers who have learned about him from the word of God. But at the midpoint of the 70th week, he shall unveil himself as dead man come back to life. The antiChrist is one who had ruled over one of the seven previous Beast Empires of Satan, and was killed with a military weapon. He shall rise from the dead to rule over the 8th and Final Beast Empire of Satan. “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.”(Rev.17:8-11). He is the son of destruction. He ascends out of the bottomless pit and shall go into perdition. “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.”(Rev.11:7).

Since he shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition, it is most probable he is a fallen angel. Apollyon or Abaddon which means destruction or destroyer is the king and angel of the bottomless pit. “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.”(Rev.9:11). The antiChrist is the son of destruction and goeth into destruction. The angels imprisoned in the bottomless pit were those fallen angels who did not keep their first estate, but left their own habitation to cohabit with human females(Jude 6; 2Pet.2:4,5). In Hebrew, they are referred to as nephelim which means fallen ones. Nephelim is the plural derivative of naphal which means to fall. These fallen angels caused the destruction of the antediluvian world by their corruption and hybridization of the human race. God had to destroy the antediluvian humans, sparing only Noah and his family in order to preserve a pure human race, inasmuch as Noah and his family were the only ones who were not hybridized. If God did not intervene, the whole of humanity would have been hybridized.

The statement that Noah was righteous in his generation is better rendered ” Noah was pure in his descendants”(Gen.6:9). In order words, Noah and his family were the only ones who were not hybridized. Satan has a large stock of these demons. He fielded some others immediately after the deluge who became the ancestors of the giants, the Anakim. These were they who frightened the children of Israel into disbelief of their ability to possess the land of Canaan which God gave to their fathers and their descendants after them by a covenant of salt. “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”(Num.13:33). Today, Satan is at work in his endeavors to hybridize the human race by the same means of fallen evil angels as well as through alteration of the human genome, and by the creation of cyborgs. A cyborg is a person who controls everything around him through microchips implanted in his body, who, in turn, is controlled by a giant computer somewhere run by the Big Brother. Today on BBC news, I heard someone say he no longer sees himself as a human being, but a cyborg. These things are going on around us unobserved by the uninformed.

Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians made it clear to them that the day of the Lord, and our gathering together unto Him(Rapture) shall not occur unto the man of sin(antiChrist) is revealed. “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;”(2 Thess.2:3). It is the Revelation of the man of lawlessness that brings about the total abandonment of covenantal relationship with the God of Israel by Jews and Christians.

(11) antiChrist demands worship

At the same time that the antiChrist is unveiled as dead man come back to life, he shall demand that men worship him. He shall introduce a mark of allegiance to his rulership and deity to be borne on the forehead or arm by all loyal citizens of his kingdom. He shall also attempt to enforce this all over the World, and to a very great extent, he shall be successful. The second Beast, the false prophet shall be his enforcer. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wondes, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 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. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”(Rev.13:11-18).

Apart from enlivened images of the Beast place at strategic locations for public worship, the false prophet shall instruct the followers of the Beast to make images of the Beast in gold, silver, metals, precious stones, and wood to worship in the privacy of their homes, in their cars, and offices. These images or statuettes of the beast shall they throw away to the bats and the moles when God arises to shake terribly the Earth in the Day of the Lord. “And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”(Is.2:19-22).

(12) Jerusalem surrounded by armies

When the antiChrist signs a seven year peace treaty with Israel, he stations a protection force in the land of Israel consisting of the armies of the three power base nations of Magog, Meshech, and Tuval. These shall be the best armies in the world with the best sophisticated weaponry ever. This accounts for the relative quietness that Israel enjoys in the first three and one-half years of the 70th week. Any attempt by Israel’s hostile neighbors to attack her shall incur the wrath of the antiChrist. But at the same time that the antiChrist relocates His headquarters to Jerusalem, he surrounds Jerusalem with his armies for two reasons: for his own personal protection and to enforce the apostasy in the land of Israel. “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”(Luk.21:20-22).

Both evangelists Matthew and Mark make it clear that the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies is coincident with the abomination of desolation. “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:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.”(Matt.24:15-18). “But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.”(Mk.13:14-16). Christ’s advice to the Judaeans to flee to the mountains is associated with both the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies and and the abomination that maketh desolate. We conclude therefore that these two incidents, the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies and the abomination of desolation are concurrent and simultaneous.

(13) The Great Tribulation begins

The demand by the antiChrist to be worshipped, the abomination of desolation, and the the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies as well as the unveiling of himself as a dead who had ruled one of the seven Beast Empires in the past, and is come back to life to rule over the 8th and Final Beast Empire all converge to spark the Great Tribulation. The inhabitants of Jerusalem must run away from the city as far as possible to avoid being killed on the refusal to worship the Beast or his image. And it would be more horrible if this incident occurs in the winter or on the sabbath day. It would even be more scary for pregnant women and nursing mothers. “But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.”(Mk.13:17-19).

This affliction or better still tribulation shall make any past or future ones pale in comparison. “And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”(Matt.24:19-21). The same Greek word rendered affliction in Mark is rendered tribulation in Matthew, and qualified with the adjective great, and also described as incomparable to any past or future tribulation. “But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”(Luk.21:23-24 KJV). The same phrase rendered great tribulation in Matthew is rendered great distress in Luke, and related to the invocation of woe on pregnant and nursing mothers. We can see that the abomination of desolation, the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies and the beginning of the Great Tribulation are related. They all occur at the same time, at the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel.

(14) The apostasy begins

The English word apostasy is derived from the Greek word apostasia. It means the total abandonment of a cause or a person. Here it is used to describe Jews who abandon covenantal relationship with the God of Israel, and Christians who deny Christ and betray one another due to persecution by the antiChrist. It will begin at the middle of the 70th week, and throughout the whole length of the Great Tribulation. It is therefore coincident, concurrent and simultaneous with Great Tribulation. “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”(Luk.21:24). Although the epicenter shall be Jerusalem and the whole land of Israel, the ripples shall be felt worldwide.

(15) The ministry of the two witnesses begins.

The ministry of the two witnesses which lasts for three and one-half years, 42 months, or 1,260 days begins precisely in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel. There is a consensus of opinion amongst biblical scholars that the ministry of the two witnesses occurs in the second half of the 70th week. “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”(Rev.11:3-4). The death of the two witnesses marks the terminus-ad-quem of the 70th week of Daniel. “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”( Rev.11:7-8).

(16) The three angelic announcements

There are three angelic announcements made precisely at the midpoint of time 70th week.

(1) The first is the everlasting gospel to be preached to the whole Earth, to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. This announcement is made by a horizontal flying angel. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”(Rev.14:6-7). This is necessary at this time because of the presence of a false god, the antiChrist, the eschatological antagonist, who demands worship of all mortals. As the horizontal flying angel makes this announcement, it shall be chorused by believers on Earth who have committed themselves to the desemination of the message of the gospel to all peoples, tongues and nations, most of whom shall pay with their lives. It is at this time, that the remote villages and unreached peoples groups shall be evangelized because believers who are persecuted in the towns and cities shall seek refuge in these remote areas.

(2) The second announcement is made by a second horizontal flying angel who shall announce to the whole world the demise of Babylon. “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”(Rev.14:8). Babylon is the philosophical concept called humanistic evolution instituted by Nimrod which denies the existence of God and His creation of man. This concept issues forth in false human government, false religion, false education based on the notion that there is no God, and man was not created, and the attendant commercialism and consumerism. This concept was epitomized by the city of Babel also founded by Nimrod, the son of Cush, the son of Noah. At the center of this concept is the notion that man is God which shall find its ultimate fulfillment in the antiChrist, and the rebuilt city of commercial and religious Babylon. Precisely at the midpoint of the 70th week, God dispatches His angel to warn all mankind of the demise of all human institutions which shall occur during the Day Of The LORD judgments in order that no one will be left uninformed, and that no one might unknowingly put ones trust in man whose breath is in his nostrils. “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of.”( Is.2:22).

(3) The third angelic announcement is a warning not to worship the Beast, nor to receive his mark on the forehead or hand. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 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.”(Rev.14:9-12).

The wrath of God abides on anyone who is Beast branded. This is the reason for the patient endurance of those who keep the commandments of God(unbranded observant Jews), and the faith of Jesus Christ(Christians). It is therefore ridiculous for anyone to posit that the Church will be absent on Earth during the Great Tribulation.

The Second Half Of The 70th Week

(1) The Great Tribulation: the fourth seal

The Great Tribulation shall begin with the Jerusalem campaign when the antiChrist surrounds Jerusalem with his armies. It shall end with the Jehoshaphat campaign when the antiChrist and his acolytes shall attempt to ferret out and liquidate all those who have refused the mark of the Beast who are hiding in Jerusalem in basements, underground bunkers, sewers, and on rooftops and cellars. Within these two campaigns, believers shall be called upon by heaven to stand up for their faith. Some believers and observant Jews will be led captive into all nations. Others will be killed for their faith. Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Believers shall betray one another. So also members of the same household. A man’s foes shall be members of his own household. Believers who have not adequately prepared for this period could die of starvation and expose to the elements. It will be extremely difficult for pregnant and nursing mothers, the elderly, and children. There shall be also believers and observant Jews who shall take it upon themselves to warn their brethren not to worship the Beast nor to take his mark of allegiance. They shall pay with their dear lives when apprehended by the security agents of the antiChrist.

It is during this period of Great Distress that the everlasting gospel announced at the midpoint of the 70th week shall be preached to the whole world, and then shall the End come. Two very important things must be accomplished before the amputation of the Great Tribulation: (1) the complement of believers to be martyred, and (2) the gospel must be preached to the whole world. At this time, genuine believers shall know they have nothing to loose, and some shall go all out to get the gospel to the whole world. A good number of these brethren, men and women, boys and girls, whose spiritual blinders have been removed, shall sacrifice everything for the sake of the gospel. Some shall pay with their lives. Due to economic boycott, many will die of starvation, and exposure to the elements.

(2) Martyrs under the altar: the fifth seal

This event is a heavenly scene. It is superimposed on the Great Tribulation. Therefore the fifth seal is coincident, concurrent, and simultaneous with the fourth seal, the Great Tribulation. It is a heavenly reflection of the killings going here on Earth. There is not distance in the realm of the spirit. “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).

As soon as the saints are martyred here on Earth, their disembodied spirits and souls are arriving in heaven, and are kept under the Golden altar of incense in the Holy place of the temple in heaven until a complement of believers are martyred. When that number of martyrs is reached, the Great Tribulation is amputated with cosmic disturbances, the sixth seal. The complement of believers to be martyred is a divine secret. “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”(Deut.29:29). The fifth seal promises the wrath of God upon the perpetrators of the martyrdom of the saints.

(3) The cosmic disturbances: the sixth seal

When the full complement of believers to martyred is reached, and the gospel of the kingdom preached to the whole world, then God brings the Great Tribulation to an abrupt end with cosmic disturbances. The two points shall be reached simultaneously. No one knows the number of believers to be martyred: it is a divine secret. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:”(Matt.24:29). According to the record in Revelation, this event shall be initiated with a series of worldwide earthquake and tsunamis. “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 casteth 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.”(Rev.6:12-14).

The breaking of the sixth seal incapacitates the antiChrist and his acolytes. The Earth shall be darkened, cold, and frozen. Communications shall be disrupted all over the world by EMP, earthquakes, tsunamis, and the cold and frozen conditions on Earth. This will make it impossible for the antiChrist to continue to enforce the apostasy and to kill nonconformists. If the Great Tribulation is not cut short, no believer or observant Jew, nor anyone else without the mark of the beast shall survive the persecution by the antiChrist. “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). Google has mapped out the whole Earth. There will be no where to hide. If the Great Tribulation by the antiChrist is allowed to run the full course of three and one half years allotted to the antiChrist, no unbranded human will survive.

The Interlude Between The Sixth And The Seventh Seal

There are three events that occur in the interlude of unknown duration between the end of the sixth seal and the breaking of the seventh seal. These three events occur in chronological order. The essence of the interlude is to protect the people of God, the unbranded believers, and the 144,000 Jews marked with the seal of God.

(a) The Shekinah in the heavens

After the Great Tribulation is the cosmic disturbances which in actual fact effectively put a period to the Great Tribulation. The sixth seal portends the wrath of God. The cosmic disturbances are accompanied by the appearance of the sign of the son of man in the heavenlies. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” ( Matt.24:29-30 ).

This back-to-back sign given in the sun, moon, and stars constitute the sign of His coming and of the end the ages. This is the answer Jesus gave to His disciples to the second part of the question they asked Him: what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the ages? It is at the appearance of His coming at the end of the ages that the Church shall be gathered unto Him. Our brother, Apostle Paul, in his passionate appeal to the Thessalonians linked the coming of the Lord and our gathering together unto Him. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,”2 Thess.2:1). These two events are linked together and are therefore inseparable. When the Son Of Man appears in the heavens, we the saints shall be gathered unto Him. And His appearance occurs after the tribulation of those days at the commencement of the end of the ages.

(b) The sealing of the 144,000

The cosmic disturbances which portend the wrath of God promised by the fifth seal, the martyred saints under the altar of incense in the Holy place of the temple in heaven indicate that the Church is about to be taken away from the Earth inasmuch as the Church is not appointed unto wrath(1 Thess.1:10, 5:9). The appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens seals it. If the Church is taken away from the Earth, God will have no witnesses on Earth except the two witnesses whose ministry is limited more or less to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and will end at the termination of the 70th week of Daniel. Therefore the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel must be brought into saving relationship with God of Israel, and sealed to represent God on Earth, and for protection from the wrath of God which is about to be poured out on the living wicked earth-dwellers immediately after the translation of the saints.

“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.”(Rev.7:1-8).

The 1444,000 are here on Earth in this mortal body of ours. Therefore they must be sealed for protection from the wrath of God. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”(Rev.14:1-5). These dear saints are not raptured. They are not part of the Church. They are selected strictly from the twelve tribes of Israel. Thaye are in their natural mortal bodies. They follow Christ whereas He goes here on Earth. They are members of His earthly entourage.

(c) The rapture of the church

When He comes, the saints shall be gathered unto Him. “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”(Gen.49:10). This verse of Scripture is the first indication that the people of God shall be gathered unto Him at His coming. After the tribulation of those days, shall He appear in the heavens, and then, the saints shall be gathered unto Him. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”(Matt.24:29-31).

After the appearance of the sign of the Son Of Man in the heaven, His angels shall be dispatched to the four corners of the Earth to gather together His elect, from one end of heaven to the other; for where the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered.“ For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”(Matt.24:27-28). The saints shall be gathered to meet Him in the air. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”(1 Thess.4:14-18). We shall be gathered to meet Him in the air at the last trump which is the breaking of the seventh seal. “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”(1 Corinthians 15:50-52). This is the time of the rapture, the exact locus in the eschatological timeline. This does not however mean that we know the day and the hour. We can know the general time period as indicated by the parable of the fig tree, but not the day and the hour which are the exclusive preserve of God the Father. The secret things belong unto God, but the things which are revealed are for us and our children(Deut.29:29).

The Breaking Of The Seventh Seal: Wrath Of God Begins

The very same day that the rapture takes place, the wrath of God begins. Therefore the seventh seal pronounces and announces the wrath of God. The wrath of God occurs at the sounding of the last trump which corresponds with the breaking of the seventh seal. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the day when the Son Of Man is revealed. The same day that Noah entered the ark, the rain deluged the heavens. “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”(Matt.24:37-39). “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”(Gen.7:11). “And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”(Luk.17:26-27).

So was also in the day of Lot. The same day Lot left Sodom and Gomorrah, fire and sulfur fell from Heaven and destroyed them all. “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”(Luk.17:28-30). We can see from these scriptures that there is no gap of time whatsoever between the rapture of the Church, and the commencement of the wrath of God, because the very same day the Church is raptured, the wrath God commences.

The trumpet is brown on Israel’s feast days, on the new moon, to call a solemn assembly , and to prepare for war, and in their wilderness journeys(Num.10:1-10). When the last trump is blown, the saints are gather before the Lord. What a solemn assembly? Then God goes to war with His enemies, to recompense tribulation to those who trouble us.“ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”(2 Thess.1:3-10). God will recompense tribulation to those who trouble us. There is no way the Church can be taken away before the Great Tribulation which is the ultimate tribulation which the saints shall suffer at the hands of Satan and his acolyte, the antiChrist. The wrath of God will come upon the children of disobedience after the tribulation by the antiChrist which is the great wrath of Satan mated out on children of God.

The seventh seal has no judgments of its own, but opens into the seven trumpets. In like manner also, the seventh trumpet has no judgments of its own, but opens into the seven bowls. The seventh bowl culminates in the war of Armageddon. Therefore the wrath of God is contained in the seventh seal, and consists of the seven trumpets and seven bowls.

Avraham Shallom.

It is biblically unjustified for anyone to teach that after the Rapture, the antiChrist will arise to persecute those left behind. Shortly before the Rapture, the antiChrist will be paralyzed, masterly inactivated by the cosmic disturbances and the appearance of the Shekinah in the heavens. “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 casteth 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, and every bondman, and every free man, 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 sitteth 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?”(Rev.6:12-17).

It is after the cosmic disturbances that the clans of Judah who have been hiding in the Judean wilderness and Jerusalem and its environs shall be able to wage guerrilla warfare against the antiChrist and his armies. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”(Zech.12:2-9).

After the cosmic disturbances, the clans of Judah shall be able to retaliate against the armies of the surrounding nations that gathered against Jerusalem in the Jehoshaphat campaign. The prophet Zechariah was using the language of his day to communicate divine truth. However, these shall be sophisticated modern tanks metaphorically referred to as horses. The tank drivers and crew shall lose their minds, and the tanks themselves shall malfunction. This should not surprise us inasmuch as the EMP from the sun, stars, comets, meteorites and asteroids shall disrupt communication, making it extremely difficult for both tanks and crew to function at all let alone efficiently.

We can see here that from the breaking of the sixth seal, the condition on Earth is one of utter chaotic confusion as men scramble and scurry for safety under the rocks and mountains, invoking the rocks and the mountains to fall upon them as they instinctively realize that God is about to punish the world for her evils. Men’s heart will fail them for fear of those things that coming upon the Earth. “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”(Luk.21:25-26). The primary concern of people on Earth at this time is personal safety, not the enforcement of some law by the antiChrist. Even the kings of the Earth including the antiChrist and his most senior military commanders and security agents are terrified, paralyzed, and masterly inactivated and incapacitated by the cosmic disturbances and the appearance of the coming of the Son Of Man in the heavens(Rev.6:15). At this time, the saints are looking up for their redemption draweth nigh. “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”(Luk.21:27-28).

The Great Day Of The Lord is come and who shall be able to stand? The answer is of course no one including the antiChrist. The only two things he will be permitted to do will be to kill the two witnesses at the expiry of their ministry at the end of the 70th week and to gather his armies for destruction 30 days later at the battle of Armageddon. “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly”(Rev.11:7-14). ” And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”(Rev.16:16).

“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”(Rev.19:17-21). It is inconceivable that the antiChrist would have so much worldwide influence and persecute those who refuse to be branded with his mark of allegiance once the Day Of The Lord has begone, a time when God alone is supposed to be exalted.

Up until now, the restrainer is the one that hinders the antiChrist from manifesting. “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.  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:”(2 Thess.2:6-8). And the restrainer is archangel Michael according to Dan.12: 1.

After the removal of the restrainer, the antiChrist will manifest and persecute the saints during the Great Tribulation. But as soon as the Lord appears in the heavens, he is masterły incapacitated. What follows is the Day Of The Lord. The antiChrist cannot persecute the saints in the Day Of The Lord. In that Day, only the Lord is exalted. In that Day the haughtiness of men and the loftiness man shall be bowed down. In that Day, men shall throw away their idols, the demonized images of the Beast which they have made for themselves to worship in their homes, offices and cars, being instructed by the enforcer, the second Beast, also called the false prophet(Rev.13:14), to the moles and the bats to hide in the rocks and mountains from the glory of the Lord when He arises to shake terribly the Earth(Is.2:8-18). Both the prophet Isaiah and Apostle John the revelator are unanimous in testifying that the wicked earth-dwellers shall seek refuge in the rocks and mountains. In that Day no mortal will be exalted. In that Day no idol will be exalted. And the idols He shall utterly abolish. In that Day, the gods that have not made the heaven and the Earth shall perish from under the Earth and from under these heavens. “Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the Earth, and from under these heavens.”(Jere.10:11). No man or idol will be exalted in that Day.

The reason why the antiChrist cannot persecuted the saints after the Rapture is two fold. Firstly, there are no saints to persecute. The believers have been raptured, taken to heaven. Anyone in the Church who is unbranded with the Mark Of The Beast and left behind is not a true believer in Jesus Christ in the first place. The one has been a false believer all along. The 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel are sealed for protection and hidden in the modern day red rose city of Petra which is biblical Sela, a very difficult terrain to access. In New Testament times, it was called Pella. It is in the Edomite wilderness which is in modern day Jordan(Rev.7:1-8). Even during the outpouring of the bowls, the newly saved remnant of Israel are hidden in Azel(Zech.14:5). No one knows the location of Azel. It is an undisclosed location being unmentioned in biblical times either in the land of Israel or anywhere else in biblical history and geography.

Secondly, the antiChrist will be masterly inactivated by the cosmic disturbances(Rev.6:12-17; Matt.24:39-30), and by the  brightness of Christ’s Coming(2 Thess.2:8). The only two groups of people left on Earth unprotected at that time will be branded followers of the antiChrist who will be the majority, and unbranded Gentiles, the minority. We come to this understanding through the process of elimination. Remember that during the first part of the wrath of God, the trumpet judgments(Rev.8,9), all the inhabitants of the Earth are targeted including the surviving unbranded remnants of Israel. This is to cleanse, purge, and purify Israel. Only one-third of the Jewish population which enter the 70th week of Daniel will survive. “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.”(Zech.13:8,9). This is horrible. It is sad. Only one-third of the Jewish population that enter the 70th week will survive. Even if it were only in the land of Israel, that is a staggering number.

Every Jew who survived the 70th week unbranded will be automatically saved because Israel have been purged, purified, and cleansed by the Great Tribulation, the Time of Jacob’s trouble(Jer.30:7), and the trumpet judgments, and her  sin atoned for. Because by the end of the 70th week, her transgression is finished, her sin ended, and reconciliation made for her iniquity(Dan.9:24). And then they will look upon Him whom they pierced and mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son when they see that their Messiah has nail pierced hands. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.  In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo.  And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;  The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;  All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.”(Zech.12:10-14). 

The only ones exempted from the trumpet judgments are the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel(Rev.7:1-8). These are Jews who have devoted, dedicated, and consecrated themselves to the God from their youth. They were not only unmarried but were virgins all of their entire life. It is possible to be a celibate but not a virgin. These men were not only celibates but also virgins. The unbranded Jews other than the 144,000 will be rejoicing when they see the Shechinah in the heavens, that their Messiah has finally come to deliver them, not knowing that they are not exempt from the trumpet judgments. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”(1 Thess.5:3). These unbranded Jews are in expectation of the coming of the Messiah. But they do not know that they are not exempt from the trumpet judgment segment of the wrath of God. The day of the Lord is first darkness and gloominess before light for them. “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?”(Amos 5:18-20). For the believers in Jesus the Messiah of Israel, the Day Of Christ is light in perpetuity.

The branded followers of the antiChrist will be the object of God’s wrath in the bowls, being specifically targeted(Rev.16,17,18,19). The unbranded unbelievers will not be specifically targeted in the bowl judgments. Any hurt they incur will be collateral damage. By the way, it is the unbranded Gentiles who survive the wrath of God that will appear at the Sheep and Goat Judgment(Matt.35:31-46).  The sheep will be justified to repopulate the Earth in the Millennium alongside the saved remnant of Israel(Rom.11:25, 26). The goat will be executed and banished to Hell. We can see the enormity of the teaching that some believers will be left behind after the rapture to face the antiChrist. There are no two Great Tribulations, but one which occurs beginning from the midpoint of the 70th week before the Rapture of the Church. After the Rapture is the wrath of God which is contained in the seventh seal. The breaking of the seventh seal which occurs on the same day the Church is raptured opens into the wrath of God consisting of 7 trumpets and 7 bowls.

Avraham Shallom.