The 30-day reclamation period can be divided into two parts. The first part is the interlude between the sixth and the 7th trumpet. This interlude consist of the first 6-7 days of the 30-day reclamation period. The second part is the remaining 23-24 days of the 30-day reclamation period. Within this second part, the 7th trumpet which opens into the seven bowls is blown. The seven bowls are rapidly poured out on the antiChrist and those who bear his mark in quick succession. All the seven bowls are emptied within this short period ending at Armageddon on the last day of the 30-day reclamation period.
The Interlude Between The 6th And The 7th Trumpet: The First Seven Days Of The 30-Day Reclamation Period.
At the occurrence of the cosmic disturbances, the sixth seal, the Earth is darkened and frozen, the antiChrist paralyzed, the Great Tribulation comes to an end with the removal of the saints at the Rapture of the Elect of God and the wrath of God begins with the breaking of the seventh seal. While the wrath of God is being meted out on the wicked earth-dwellers, worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast, the erstwhile besieged clans of Judah now have opportunity to fight back against the forces of the antiMessiah, Israel having atoned for her sins as the 70th week of Daniel comes to an end.
The Death Of The Two Witnesses.
The terminus-ad-quem of the 70th week of Daniel is the death of the two witnesses which occurs on the last day of the second half of the 70th seven or early on the first day of the 30-Day Reclamation Period, inasmuch as the ministry of the two witnesses lasts 42 months beginning from the midpoint of the 70th week. So the first event to occur after the completion of the 70th week is the martyrdom of the two witnesses, just prior to the salvation of Israel and the completion of the spiritual kingdom of God. They will prophesy for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth(Rev.11:3).
Although the two witnesses are not necessarily Moses and Elijah brought back to life, their ministries are similar to and parallel those of these two OT characters. For flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption(1 Cor.15:50). God will send them to make the last proclamation of the gospel especially to the unsaved Jews resident in the land of Israel, the headquarters of the kingdom of the antiMessiah, shortly before their sin is atoned for, and to give one last warning to the Gentiles of God’s impending judgment on the nations that obey not God.
These two men will stand in direct opposition to the antiChrist, the Beast, and the False Prophet, the second Beast. So their work is finished when the 70th week is complete, and everlasting righteousness is about to be brought in. God will permit His two witnesses to be killed by the antiMessiah at the completion of their ministry. Apart from some courageous charismatic believers who will not only refuse the mark of the Beast, but go about persuading others not to take it, believers and unbelievers, and Jews and Gentiles, and would pay with their lives, the two witnesses are the only two servants of the God of Israel whose ministry will be highly visible during the reign of the antiMessiah whom the antiMessiah will not be able to kill while they actively witness for God throughout the entire length of the second half of the 70th seven of Daniel. The ministry of the believers other than the two witnesses who minister during the second half of the 70th week will end with the rapture of the Church. The two witnesses will be given supernatural powers to control the elements, to shut down the heaven so that it may not rain throughout the entire length of their ministry. And they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the Earth with all plague as often as they will(Rev.11:5,6). Whilst Moses inflicted ten different kids of plagues on Egypt, the two witnesses will be at liberty to inflict the world with as many plagues, and as often as they wish. We can see that these things did also Elijah and Moses. For this reason, some claim they are Elijah and Moses come back to life. But this claim is not supported by Scriptures. The OT saints were resurrected when Christ rose from the dead. They can no longer be in the mortal body.
They will be greatly feared by the unbelieving World because of the great supernatural powers which they exhibit. Many of the events of God’s wrath, especially the first six trumpets will be credited to them as God’s ambassadors of terror. Consequently when the two witnesses were killed at the end of the 70th week, there will be much jubilation, rejoicing, merriment with exchange of gifts amongst the living wicked earth-dweller, adorers and worshippers of the antiMessiah. They would be deluded by the diabolical belief that the death of the two witnesses means the end of God’s wrath upon them, not knowing that more terrible judgment of God is coming upon them in the remaining bowls to be poured out on them, culminating in battle of Armageddon.
“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascended 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 the 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”(Rev.11:7-10).
By the death of the two witnesses, the antiChrist also will be hoodwinked into believing that his rule and reign over the Earth is secure while in actual fact it is over. Like the rest of his diabolically deluded subjects, the antiChrist will be deceived into believing that his battle with the forces of God is finally won, not knowing that the only two things he will be permitted to do will be to kill the two witnesses and to gather his armies to his predetermined demise and Waterloo at the battle of Armageddon at the end of the 30-day reclamation period.
The Timing Of The Death Of The Two Witnesses.
The literal sequence of the events of the Scroll of Revelation unequivocally shows that the death of the two witnesses will occur either on the last day of the 70th week of Daniel or on the first day of the 30-day reclamation period, after the 1,260 days, 42 months or three and one half years of their ministry is completed based on the Hebrew calendar. The vast majority of biblical scholars believe that the events of the Scroll of Revelation associated with the seals, trumpets and bowls must be completed before the end of the 70th week, the scriptures clearly teach otherwise. The seals, trumpets and bowls occur sequentially, and progressively, not concurrently, coincidentally and simultaneously.
The seven seals, the seven trumpets and seven bowls and Armageddon occur sequentially and consecutively. Adherence to face value hermeneutics demands the sequential occurrence of these events.
(1) The seals(Rev.6-8:5) are followed by the trumpet judgments(Rev.8:6-11:19), which in turn are followed by the bowl judgments(Rev.15-16). The seventh bowl judgment culminates in the battle of Armageddon. All these occur in successive chapter order. The seventh seal which initiates the Day Of The Lord, has no judgment of its own associated with it, but rather opens into the seven trumpet judgments when it is broken.
(2) The seventh trumpet(Rev.11:15) likewise has no judgement of its own directly associated with it. The sounding of the seventh trumpet is followed by the opening of the Temple in heaven(Rev.11:19). Out of the Temple in heaven emerge the seven avenging angels with the seven bowls containing the final wrath of God(Rev.15:6-8). This time is referred to as the last, because in them the final wrath of God is finished(Rev.15:1).
(3) The content of the seals, bowls, and trumpets are different and distinct one from the other. The chronology of the events permit no overlap without doing injustice and violence to the text of the scriptures, and the clear differences given us in the scriptures pertaining to each of them.
(4) At the blowing of the fifth trumpet judgment, the 144,000 are protected by the seal of God on their foreheads. The sealing of the 144,000 occurs after the sixth seal is broken, in the interlude between the end of the sixth seal and the breaking of the seventh seal(Rev.7:3). It therefore follows that the fifth trumpet must occur, at least, after the the breaking of the sixth seal.
(5) The four Living Creatures administer the first four seals(Rev.6:1-8), whereas angels administer the trumpets and the bowls(Rev.51:8).
The first four seals are providential type judgments arising out of human activities, whereas, the trumpets and the bowls are entirely divine in origin. Dr. Gary Cohen has written in his book, Understanding Prophecy(Christian Beacon Press, Inc., p.94.,1968), “once it is seen that the scriptural account does indeed portray the judgments as falling in successive series, it becomes evident that the case for their actual chronological succession must be maintained”.
The Mystery Of God Is Finished.
The death of the two witnesses, their resurrection and ascension into heaven, and the accompanying terrible earthquake that devastates the City of Jerusalem, killing seven thousand, completes the second woe. Shortly before the blowing of the seventh trumpet, the Mystery of God shall be finished.
“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God should be finished as He hath declared to His servants the prophets”(Rev.10:7).
As we have pointed out several times earlier, a biblical mystery is something which has always been part of God’s plan. It was not revealed in the OT, but revealed in the NT, and is only known by divine revelation. In the Book of Romans, Apostle explained what this mystery is.
“For I would not have you, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob”(Rom.11:25,26).
The Mystery therefore is the salvation of the remnant of Israel who were not beast-marked shortly before the blowing of the seventh trumpet. And so in the days of the voice of seventh angel when he is about to begin to sound, the mystery of God, the salvation of the remnant of Israel shall be finished, thus completing the spiritual Kingdom of God. It therefore follows that the events associated with the blowing of the seventh trumpet is the heart of the Cosmic Conflict between God and Satan. In other words, these events are the focal point of the end times.
This great event, the salvation of the remnant of Israel and the completion of the spiritual Kingdom of God, are foretold by the prophet Hosea. There are some biblical scholars who teach that the exact date on which the salvation of Israel occurs is not explicitly revealed, a critical examination of Hosea, reveals the opposite.
“They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of wholesome is in this midst of them, and they have not known the Lord. And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them. They shall go with their flocks and their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn Himself from them”(Hos.5:4-6).
Israel committed spiritual adultery by going after other gods. This offence is so heinous in God’s eyes, that it makes Him withdraw from them and hide Himself. Because He has withdrawn Himself from them, they have to seek Him in order to find Him: “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: and in their affliction, they will seek me early”(Hos. 5:15). “In their affliction” is a direct reference to the time of distress or trouble or affliction which Israel will undergo first, during the Great Tribulation at the hands of the antiChrist, and secondly during the time of God’s wrath. “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”(Mal.3:3).
With the exception of the 144,000 who were sealed for protection, and hidden in the red rose city of Petra, and the Judean wilderness, the rest of the remnant of Israel shall go through the trumpet judgments, the initial part of the wrath of God which God will use to purify, refine, and cleanse the woman in preparation for their salvation, in order that He might complete the spiritual Kingdom of God. “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 is darkness not light for the remnants of the house of Israel. It is only after their purification during the trumpet judgments that they will look upon Him whom they have pierced, and mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son. “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). It is only after their passage through the fires and crucible of the Great Tribulation and the trumpet judgments that their stubborn hearts shall be broken. They will no longer trust in themselves but look up to Him whom they have pierced. Of the total population of Jews entering into the Great Tribulation, only a third shall survive the Great Tribulation. The remaining third shall pass through the fires of the trumpet judgments to be further purified, purged, and cleansed. It is likely that less than a third will remain at the end of the 70th week of Daniel.
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.”(Is.6:8-13).
We see here that the spiritual blindness with which Israel as a nation is bedeviled shall continue until the the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and the Lord have removed men far away, and their be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. Only a tenth shall be the substance of the holy seed thereof. I am of the opinion that if only a third shall survive the Great Tribulation, only a tenth of the original population of world Jewry that pass through the Great Tribulation shall survive after passage through the six trumpet judgments. There shall be a great carnage. It is very dismal and sobering. It calls for somber reflection.
In Rom.11:25, Apostle Paul tells us that the partial hardening or spiritual blindness of Israel will continue until the fulness of the Gentiles be come. More technically, the fulness of the Gentiles occurs at the Rapture of the Church, whilst the times of the Gentiles ends with the termination of the 70th seven of Daniel. For the purpose of simplicity, let’s put both of them at the terminus-ad-quem of the 70th week. It therefore follows that Israel as a nation will not acknowledge their Sin and seek God’s face until the fulness of the Gentiles, that is, after the completion of the 70th week. It is only after their transgression is finished or completed, and the sin of Israel atoned for, that all Israel will be saved; for the Deliverer shall come from the heavenly Mount Zion to the earthly Mount Zion in order to turn away ungodliness from Jacob(Is.59:20; Rom.11:26).
The prophet Hosea shed more light on this by telling us the exact day God will bring salvation to Israel. “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He had torn, and He will heal us; he hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight”(Hos.6:1,2). We can see that on the third day after the close of the 70th week, all Israel shall be saved. And what follows in verse 3 is the blessing of the Millennium. “And then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the Earth.”
When Jesus Christ our Lord shall save the remnant of Israel that survive the 70th week, He shall come in person: for it is written: “He shall come to us.” After the completion of the 70th week, when the sin of Israel is finally atoned for, and she has received double for iniquity, Israel will repent of her Sin, and will be united with the Messiah of Israel three days later, both physically and spiritually. Then “they will look upon Me whom they have pierced: and they mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only begotten son. It will be like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley 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 aoart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart”(Zach.12:11-14). All cadre of the house of Israel shall be represented, the kingly family of David, the high priestly family of Aaron, the priestly family of Levi, the prophets as exemplified by Nathan, the prophet of king David, and the ordinary people of the land, “am ha’aretz.”
Christ’s Physical Return To The Earth.
As we have pointed out earlier, shortly before the seventh trumpet is sounded, Christ will save the surviving remnant of Israel in order to complete the spiritual Kingdom of God. Therefore the 30-day reclamation period will commence when Christ returns literally to the Earth in physical form, descending to the Earth from the heavenly Mount Zion for the face-to-face salvation of Israel. Our Brother Paul, in the book of Hebrews wrote:
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many ; and unto them that look for in shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation”(Heb.8:28).
This passage is not about the appearance(epiphanei) of His second coming(parousia, 2 Thess.2:8), when the righteous are raptured, but about His physical appearance on Earth for the spiritual salvation of the remnant of Israel. The context of this passage is the spiritual salvation of Israel, not her physical deliverance. At that time, they will look on Him who they have pierced(Zach.12:10). The Greek word translated appear in Heb.9:28 comes from the Greek verb optomai, which means “to see” or “to be seen.” It is the same root with ophthalmos from which the word ophthalmology and it’s cognates are derived. It means to see with the physical and optical eye. Therefore this passage is speaking about the Jewish remnant that will see Jesus physically, when He comes to the Earth the second time for the spiritual salvation of Israel, the first time being when He appeared to offer Himself once to bear the sins of many(Heb.9:28).
It is this same physical return of Christ to the Earth, on the Mount of Olives, from which His disciples saw Him ascend into heaven physically. ”And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into geaven”(Acts.1:10,11).
This second time, He will come for the spiritual salvation of the remnant of Israel who up to this time has been spiritually blinded(Rom.11:25). Literally, Jesus the redeemer of Israel shall come from the heavenly Mount Zion to the earthly Mount Zion to redeem those who turn from transgression in Jacob(Is.59:20; Rom.11:26.). He shall remove ungodliness from Jacob. He comes from the heavenly Mount Zion to the Earth, then on His way to the earthly Mount Zion, the surviving remnant of Israel shall be saved. There is a heavenly Mount Zion(Rom.11:26), and there is an earthly Mount Zion(Is.59:20). We have come unto Mount Zion, the city of the living God, and unto the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels(Heb.12:22). This Scripture speaks of an heavenly Mount Zion to which we gather spiritually through fellowship in the spirit, and finally at the rapture. There is no way all believers on Earth will be at the earthly Mount Zion all at the same time. We can see that the Scriptures make distinction between the two.
The Identity Of The Strong Angel.
The identity of the mighty or strong angel in Rev.10 is hotly debated amongst biblical scholars. But adherence to the chronology of the Scroll of Revelation will reveal that the mighty angel with the small scroll in Rev.10 is no other person than Jesus Christ our Lord, on His way from the heavenly Mount Zion through the Judean wilderness to the earthly Mount Zion for the spiritual salvation of the remnant of Israel who had turned from transgression in Jacob.
The small scroll is the big Scroll with the seven seals broken, and six of the seven trumpets sounded. What remains of the wrath of God is the seventh trumpet within which is contained, the seven bowls which end in Armaggedon. Also the small scroll contains divine instruction concerning the restoration of the Earth, and the refurbishing of Mount Zion during the 45-day Restoration Period, and the establishment of the millennial reign of Christ.
In Rev.5:4,5, no man, neither in heaven nor on Earth, was found worthy to break the seven seals and to open the Scroll. Only the Lion from the tribe of Judah prevailed to break the seven seals and to open the Scroll. In like manner also no man or angel is worthy to handle the small scroll which is the remnant of the big Scroll, inasmuch as the scrolls are the Title Deed of the Earth(Marvin J. Rosenthal), or better still, a certificate of debenture according Roller(1932), J. Webb Miller(1992), And Alan E. Kuschner(2019). A certificate of debenture is a legal document that gives an account of one party’s endebtedness to another. The Earth is deeded to none but the Son Of God, who as the God-Man is His representative in the earthly domain of His Universal Kingdom. God cannot begin to punish man when his cup of iniquity is not yet full.
“And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he has in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left on the earth. And cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried seven thunders uttered their voices…… And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and swear by Him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things that are therein, that there should be time no longer.”(Rev.10:1-3,5,6).
Who is this mighty angel who swares by Him that liveth for ever and ever? Certainly, he is not one of the seven avenging angels sounding the trumpets( Rev.8:7,8,10,12, 9:1,13), neither is he one of the four bound in the great river Euphrates(Rev.9:14).
The Appearance Of The Mighty Angel.
There is no other angel described in the Scriptures as being clothed with the cloud of glory, and the rainbow upon his head, his face like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire, other than the Christ alone. There is a remarkable similarity between the Mighty Angel in Revelation 10, and the appearance of Jehovah in Ezekiel’s vision of the four living creatures.
“And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of the loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it was bright round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one that spake.”(Eze.1:26-28).
The figure with the appearance of man who had the likeness of the Son of God is clearly referent to the preincarnate Jesus. In Eze.8:2, the prophet Ezekiel saw the same person, and described Him in the same exact way.
“And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.”
As in the Scroll of Revelation, the prophet Ezekiel was given a scroll to eat which was as sweet as honey(Eze.3:3). Besides there are also similarities between the description of the Mighty Angel in Rev.10, and the description of Christ in Rev.1.
”And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son Of Man, clothed with the garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. And His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength”(Rev.1:13-16).
Daniel also described an angel which he saw by the river Tigris:
“Then I lifted up my eyes, and looked, behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude”(Dan.10:5,6).
Because the appearance of this heavenly messenger to the prophet Daniel is similar to that Christ Rev.1, and the content of his message, which compares favourably with the Olivet Discourse in Matt.24, it is certain that this figure of an angel is no other person than Christ Himself enroute from the heavenly Mount Zion, to the earthly Mount Zion, for the spiritual salvation of the remnant of Israel, at the beginning of the 30-day reclamation period. And I say this for the following reasons:
(1) Christ Alone Worthy To Open The Scroll.
As we have pointed out earlier, Christ, the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world is the only one, both in heaven and on Earth, worthy to break the Seven seals of the Scroll, and to open the seven-sealed Scroll(Rev.5:9). As we pointed out also, the small scroll is the big scroll with the seals broken and six of the seven trumpets sounded. Therefore, when we see the Mighty Angel coming down from heaven with the little scroll open in his hand, it becomes obvious that he is no other person than the Lamb of God who was slain, who alone has the powers and authority and prevailed to break the seven seals of the seven-sealed scroll and to open the scroll. If Christ prevailed to open the large Scroll, which depicts the events of the 70th week, it becomes also highly probable that He alone will be the only one permitted to open the small scroll as well, which depict the events that immediately follow the close of the 70th week. Actually, like in the seals, trumpets and bowls, the small scroll is comprehended in the large scroll. And the small scroll is the Large Scroll with the seal seals broken and certain events, the six trumpets, unfolded.
(2) Swearing By Him Who Lives For ever.
Amongst men, an oath is the end of all strife: for men swear by the greater. But Christ taught us that men are not permitted to make an oath at all(Matt.5:34). The strong angel in Rev.10 swore by Him who lives for ever and ever. Are angels permitted to make oaths whereas men made in the image and likeness of God are prohibited from making oaths? When God made a promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself(Heb.6:13). The Mighty Angel in Rev.10 swore by Him who lives for ever and ever. The angelic messenger in Dan.10:5, also swore by Him who lives for ever. The phrase him who lives for ever and ever can also be rendered himself who lives for ever and ever. It therefore follows that this angel is Christ Himself.
(3) The Biblical Use Of The Term Angel.
In the OT, God is often referred to as an angel. Biblical scholars are agreed, that unless where the context clearly indicates otherwise, the OT reference to the angel of the Lord, is a reference to the preincarnate Christ. It is also the position of the Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia that it is often inferred that the angel of the Lord is, in the OT, a preincarnate appearance of the Second Person of the Trinity. Sometimes, the OT text makes it clear that the angel of the Lord is divine, although the true identity of the real person of the Godhead is not specified.
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar in the wilderness, she recognized Him as “the Lord God who sees” and was amazed she had actually seen God and lived(Gen.16:7-13). Also the angel of the Lord who appeared to Moses in Midian is explicitly identified as Lord and God(Exod.3:1-4; cf.Judg.13:21,22).
(4) His Roar Like That Of A Lion.
We have stated that the purpose of Christ’s return to the Earth is the salvation of the remnant of Israel who survived the horrors of 70th week of Daniel. The prophet Hosea speaking of the appearance of Christ for the salvation of the remnant of Israel states:
“They shall walk after the Lord: He shall roar like a lion: when He shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. They shall tremble as birds out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria : and I will place them in their houses saith the Lord”(Hos.11:10,11).
We see here that the prophet Hosea used essentially the same language as did Apostle John in Rev.10:3, “And cried out with a loud voice as when a lion roareth.”
The Mighty Angel depicted in Rev.10 is a picture of Christ who returns to Earth for the fursfruits of Israel who are still protected by God in the Edomite Wilderness, and for the salvation of the one-out-of-three Israelites who survive the 70th week of Daniel, on His journey from Edom to Mount Zion; in fulfilment of the promise He made to His disciples 40 days after His resurrection. When they were assembled on the Mount of Olives, they asked Him: “Lord will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He answered them: “it is not for you to know the times and the seasons which the Father has fixed by His own authority”(Acts 1:7). While they looked on, He was lifted up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. As they were gazing intently in the sky in wonderment, two men in white apparel stood beside them and said: “Men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, will come in like manner as ye have seen Him go up into heaven”(Acts1:10,11).
The Itinerary Of Christ’s Earthly Journey.
As we have seen from face value hermeneutics, when scripture is compared with scripture, Christ will come down to the Earth from the heavenly Mount Zion to the earthy Mount Zion, to bring salvation to the surviving remnant of Israel, and to reclaim God’s rule over the Earth, at the beginning of the 30-day reclamation period. In this segment, we will consider Christ’s itinerary on Earth till He returns to heaven to conduct the Bema Seat Judgment and the marriage of the Lamb.
(1) Days 1 & 2: From Edom To Jerusalem.
Israel having atoned for their Sin, will now acknowledge and seek the Lord. “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek early”(Hos.5:15). Immediately after the close of the 70th week, Christ will physically return to Earth, more specifically to Edom, the red rose city of Petra, which in the OT is called Sela. There, He will gather the 144,000, who were saved shortly before the Rapture of the Church.
“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days”(Rev.12:6).
Christ will personally gather together the 144,000, the firstfruits of Israel, who were saved shortly before the Rapture of the church. The prophet Isaiah graphically depicts Christ’s journey to Bozrah, in the Edomite wilderness, where the 144,000 were taken into protective custody for a limited period from their sealing with the seal of God on their foreheads till the beginning of the 30-day reclamation Period. He writes:
“Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore are thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment”(Is.63:1-3).
Christ is seen here by Isaiah, the prophet stained red in His garments with the lifeblood of the living wicked earth-dwellers, on whom He has begone pouring out His wrath in the first six previous trumpet judgments. Later when He returns to vanquish the nations at the final battle of Armaggedon, after 30 days, He shall be clothed with this same garments.
“And He was clothed with a venture dipped in blood: and His name is called the Word Of God”(Rev.19:13). Isaiah adds: “for the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come”(Is.63:4). Hosea adds that “His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter and the former rain unto the Earth”(Hos.6:3b). The NASV is even clearer: “His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain.” Here the emphasis is on the certainty of His return to redeem His people and punish the wicked. It is as certain as the dawn after the night, and as certain as the rain after a long period of drought. The sole purpose of His coming physically on the Earth at this time is to redeem the natural line of Abraham through Jacob who have survived the 70th week of Daniel.
The prophet Micah prophesied about the redemption of the remnant of Israel. He referred to their Messiah as both Lord and King. He also stated that it was Jehovah God who originally gathered the remnant to Bozrah, and will also be the one who will lead them out of Bozrah.
“And I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; and I will gather the remnant of Israel; and I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as flock in the midst of their fold: and they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gates, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them”(Mic.2:12,13).
Charles C. Ryrie observed interestingly though that this is the prediction of the regathering and deliverance of the remnant of Israel in connection with the second coming of the Messiah, who is The Breaker, the one who goes ahead to remove all obstacles in their path. We must remember that this is not the final ingathering of the exiles. This ingathering is in relation to the Jewish survivors in the land of Israel. The final ingathering will occur during the 45-day Restoration Period.
The prophets are unanimous in their description of the coming of the Messiah from Edom. The prophet Habakkuk declares:
“God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the Earth was full of His praise. And His brightness was as the light; He had rays coming out of His hands: and there was the hiding of His power. Before Him went the pestilence, and burning coals went out of His feet. He stood and measured the Earth: He beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, and the perpetual Hills did bow: His ways are everlasting. Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst tread the nations in anger.”(Hab.3:3-6,12).
Habakkuk continues in verse 13: “Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thy anointed; thou woundest the head of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck.” The NASV version is even clearer: “Thou didst go forth for the salvation of thy people, for the salvation of Thine anointed. Thou didst strike the head of the house of evil to lay him open from thigh to neck.” This singular verse in Habakkuk reveals two extremely significant purposes for Christ’s coming. First, His going forth for the salvation of His people, that is the salvation of the surviving remnant of Israel. Second, He will strike the head of the house of evil to lay bare from thigh to neck. The head of the house of evil is one of the designations of the antiMessiah. The order of events here is also significant. During the Day Of The Lord, the day of God’s indignation upon the living wicked Earth-dwellers, Christ will come from Teman, a village in Edom, first for the salvation of the remnant of His people Israel, and then for the final destruction of the antiChrist and the armies of the nations gathered against Him at Armageddon at the end of the 30-day reclamation period, whom He will slay with the breath of His mouth(2 Thess.2:8), when He reclaims physical possession of the Earth for the Almighty God.
The Remnant From The Clans Of Judah.
The 144,000 are the firstfruits of Israel saved immediately after the rapture of the Church. The clans of Judah, the Jewish guerrillas fighting the antiChrist and his armies in the Judean wilderness will be the first group of unsaved remnant of Israel that survive the 70th week of Daniel to put their faith in Jesus Christ as the Saviour and the Messiah of Israel and of all mankind. They will join Jesus as He marches on foot with the 144,000 He rescued from the red rose city of Petra in present day Jordan which is biblical Edom. The prophet Zechariah also spoke about the salvation of the remnant in the Judean wilderness; for it written: “the Lord also will save the tents of Judah first in order that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be magnified above Judah.”(Zech.12:7).
The Remnant From Egypt And Assyria.
On the way to Jerusalem, perhaps in the Judean hills, this ever-increasing number of remnants will swell again as they are joined by the remnant from Egypt and Assyria. These Jews like the clans of Judah are on their way to Jerusalem from the lands of Egypt and Assyria where they have been hiding, having heard that the Messiah has come. According to the prophet Hosea, “They will walk after the Lord: he shall roar like a lion: when He shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses saith the LORD.”(Hos.11:10,11).
The Lord will assist the return of the surviving remnant of Israel from Egypt and Assyria by creating a highway for them. “and an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The Way Of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools shall not err therein”(Is.35:8). The God of Israel will come with vengeance, the recompense of the Lord shall come, but He will save you(Is.35:4).
“and it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the Holy Mount at Jerusalem.”(Is.27:12,13; cf. Jer.31:21,31). The blowing of this great trumpet will signal to the Jews the world over that the Messiah has come, and that the outpouring of His wrath upon the living wicked earth-dwellers, adorers and worshippers of the antiMessiah has begone. They will start making their way to the land of Israel. Those from Egypt and Assyria will be the first to meet the Lord apart from the 144,000 in Edom and the remnant in the Judean wilderness.
God’s roaring with sound of a great trumpet will be the final call to repentance to the Jews hiding in Egypt and Assyria, and the rest of the world. Wonderfully, they shall heed this call being in great distress in the Diaspora. As they return from these foreign lands, they will join the Lord and His ever-swelling retinue of surviving remnants, marching on triumphantly to Jerusalem.
The 144,000 will follow the Lamb wherever He goes(Rev.14:4). Christ will march on foot with them from the Edomite wilderness, beginning from the first day of the 30-day reclamation period, for the next two days north along the eastern side of the Sea Of Asphaltes(Dead Sea), west across the Jordan River, southwest up to the Judean wilderness, and finally in a triumphal procession into the city of Jerusalem, where He will bring in everlasting righteousness to the natural line of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob that survive the 70th week of Daniel. The triumphant scene will bring shouts of joy to the clans of Judah, and the whole house of Israel who are mourning, to all who are looking for the return of the Messiah, as they see this triumphant procession of multitudes of Jewish survivors coming from the east and returning to the Holy City of Jerusalem and its holy mountains.
The Surviving Remnants Of The Inhabitants Of Jerusalem.
The next segment of survivors to be saved will be the inhabitants of Jerusalem. After the salvation of the clans of Judah, the Lord will pour the spirit of grace and of supplications upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
“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 pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourners for His only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born.”(Zech.12:10).
The one they pierced is Jesus the Messiah of Israel, and the Savoiur of all mankind. The fact that the prophet Zechariah speaks of the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem is suggestive of the fact that some surviving Jewish remnants may have returned to Jerusalem at the appearance of the Son Of Man(2 Thess.2:8). At the appearance of the His coming, the antiMessiah shall be rendered useless, paralyzed as it were for fear and expectation of those things which are coming upon the world: “for the powers of the world shall be shaken.”(Luk.21:26). It is also probable that some Jews survived in Jerusalem right under the noses of the antiChrist and his killing machines, perhaps hidden in sewers, underground bunkers, and hidden by some other Jews and Gentiles who had taken the mark of the Beast.
It does appear however, that some of these Jews shall be able to come out of their hiding places in and around Jerusalem, to launch a counteroffensive against the forces of the antiMessiah in and around Jerusalem. The prophet Zechariah confirms this when he wrote: “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 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.”(Zech.12:6). As we have seen, the clans of Judah, the latter day Maccabeans as it were, shall not be able to retaliate against the antiChrist and his forces until the antiChrist has been rendered powerless, paralyzed by the appearance of His coming. Certainly the surviving remnants of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be amongst those who shall eagerly await Him when He shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation(Heb.9:28).
The Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem.
This shall be the climax of the salvation of the surviving remnant of Israel as this unequaled majestic procession advances north and westward from Edom with the 144,000 firsfruits of Israel, and an ever-increasing army of faithful remnants, brand new believers in Jesus the Messiah. As we have seen, they will be joined by the surviving Jewish remnants fighting the forces of the antiMessiah in the Judean hills, the remnants from Egypt and Assyria, and finally the multitudes who are living again in the city of Jerusalem.
Like His triumphant entry during His First Advent, a couple of days before His crucifixion, Christ will ascend to the top of the Mount of Olives, pass through the Jewish cemetery in the Kidron valley, through the eastern or Golden Gate to the Temple Mount Precincts. This great throng shall not be silent: they shall be praising the Lord. Unlike His triumphal entry prior to His crucifixion, the Great entourage shall not be fickle followers whose acclaim quickly fizzles out into derision. These will be Jewish men, women, boys and girls, young men and maiden, suckling and infants whose spiritual blinders have been removed when the mystery of God was finished. They have come into a saving relationship with Christ. They are young converts basking in the joy of salvation. They are not only saved spiritually but also delivered from the antiMessiah and His oppressive regime. They are genuine believers and true children of God, the spiritual as well as the physical descendants of Abraham, the father of the faithful(Rom.4:11; cp. Jon.8:39-44; Gal.3:7).
This surviving remnant of Israel shall have passed through the fire before they are graciously saved by God. The Lord declared long ago through His prophet Zechariah, “I will bring the third part through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them; I will say,” they are my people, and they shall say, the Lord is my God.”(Zach.13:9).
As the Lord prophesied through Moses: “when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they pay(make atonement0) for their sin, I will remember my covenant…. I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them utterly, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God. But for their sake, I will remember the covenant with their ancestors…. I am the Lord.”(Lev.26:41b,42,44b,45,NIV).
When the surviving remnant of Israel are brought to a saving knowledge of Christ, the spiritual kingdom of God will be complete, spelling doom to the kingdom of darkness. This ensures that the Millennial Kingdom of Christ to be established a few days later shall be inhabited by the newly saved remnants of Israel.
(2) Day 3: The Mystery Of God is Finished.
Shortly before the seventh trumpet is blown, the mystery of God shall be finished. As we have pointed out earlier, the mystery of God is the salvation of the remnants of Israel that survive the horrors of the Great Tribulation and the wrath of God that has been meted out in the first six trumpet judgments. This event occurs on the third day of the 30-day reclamation period. The prophet Hosea speaking of the completion of the mystery of God wrote:
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.”(Hos.6:1,2).
The spiritual salvation of Israel, the completion of the spiritual kingdom of God, is the fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham. Therefore all Israel shall be saved: for there shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob(Rom.11:26). In the Scroll of Revelation, Apostle John, the revelator wrote:
“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished, as he has declared to his servants the prophets”(Rev.10:7).
The mystery of God that John refers to is the removal of the partial hardening which came to Israel as a result of their rejection of their Messiah. Salvation is of the Jews(Jon.4:22). The Jews who are the physical descendants of Abraham were cut off from the natural olive tree due to unbelief, and the Gentiles who were not of the natural olive tree were grafted in contrary to nature. The purpose was to make Israel jealous(Rom.11:11). The Gentiles through faith in Christ have become the spiritual descendants of Abraham(Gal.3:29). Despite Israel’s rejection of their Messiah, God did not reject the natural line of Abraham for ever. For this reason Apostle Paul warned the Gentile believers in Christ:
“For I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in”( Rom.11:25).
The fullness of the Gentiles refers to the period of Daniel’s 70 weeks, including the unspecified period of time between the 69th and the 70th week, the Gentile Interlude. The partial hardening is the partial spiritual blindness with which Israel as a nation had been bedeviled. There had never been any time in history right from the inception of the Church to the present when there were no Jewish believers in Jesus the Messiah of Israel, but the majority of the nation of Israel up to now have remained antagonistic to the facts of Jesus as the Messiah. The writer was taught by Hebrew Christian scholars in America. So, there has never been a time when there were no Jewish believers in Christ. But what Apostle Paul proved in his argument in Rom.11, and Apostle John affirmed in Rev.10:7, is that at that particular time at the end of the 70th week of Daniel, the partial spiritual blindness of the people of Israel shall be removed, and then and only then will all the surviving remnant of Israel acknowledge Jesus as their true Messiah.
It is essentially for the same reason of spiritual blindness that most Gentiles reject Jesus as their Messiah. Paul warned believers in Ephesus not to walk as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart(Eph.4:17). So spiritual blindness is not peculiar to the Jews.
So the mystery of God therefore is God’s plan to bring the spiritual blindess of Israel and her alienation from God to an end after the fullness of the Gentiles is complete at the end of Daniel’s 70th week, which is the length of time required of Israel by God to atone for her sin. Thereafter God shall bring in everlasting righteousness(Dan.9:24).
Through God’s sovereign power and provision, at a particular moment, three days after the end of the 70th week, “all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, there shall come out of Sion the deliverer, and He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”(Rom.11:26). Also Apostle Paul assures us in the Book of Hebrews, Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear a second time without sin unto salvation(Heb.9:28). The hearts of most Jews were unprepared to receive Jesus during His first Advent. But during His Second Advent, the hearts of most Jews who survive the 70th of Daniel shall eagerly await Him.
What is the significance of this mystery to end time events? The significance of this mystery lies in the fact that the mystery of God is finished “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound.” In other words, Israel is saved just before the seventh trumpet is blown. When the seventh trumpet is blown, God Almighty reclaims His rule over the Earth, marking the end of God’s lease to Adam, and also the rule of Satan over the Earth. This is one event Satan is so jittery about, and is doing all in his power to prevent.
The seventh trumpet does not sound until after the two witnesses have risen from the dead on the fourth day following the close of the 70th week(Rev.11:1,15). It therefore follows that the timing of Israel’s salvation given by Apostle John the revelator in the NT substantiates exactly the timing of Israel’s salvation given by Hosea in the OT: “He will revive us after two days; and He will raise us upon the third day.”(Hos.6:2). Before the Mosaic Law was confirmed to Israel, they had to consecrate themselves to God for three days(Exod.19:10, 11), in like manner also, before the New Covenant is established to Israel as a nation, they shall consecrate themselves to God for three days; for it is written, He will raise us up on the third day, and we shall live in His sight(Hos.6:2).
As we have seen, Christ will come to Edom to rescue and escort the 144,000 Jews who were sealed with the seal of God in Rev.7 and hidden in the Edomite wildernesses(Rev.12:14) to Mount Zion in the city of Jerusalem, probably on foot. They will pass through the eastern Judean hills, during which time they will be joined by other surviving Jews who have not taken the mark of the Beast. This group of Jews, the clans of Judah, have been fighting the armies of the antiChrist since Christ rendered him powerless through the back-to- back sign given in the Sun, Moon and Stars, the cosmic disturbances, the sixth seal, and the Shekinah in the heavens, the appearance of the Son Of Man in the heavens; which events signal the coming of the Son Of Man in power and Great Glory, to rapture the saints and to punish the wicked for their evils.
(3) Day 4: Resurrection Of the Two Witnesses.
As we have pointed out earlier, the death of the two witnesses marks the terminus-ad-quem of the 70th seven of Daniel. Their martyrdom occurs either exactly on the last day of the 70th seven of Daniel or early on the first day of the 30-day reclamation period. The timing of their resurrection is not anything to argue about, being clearly stated in the Scriptures.
“And after three days and a half, the Spirit of Life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and a great fear fell upon them who saw them.”(Rev.11:11). Their resurrection therefore occurs three and one half days or 84 hours into the 30-day reclamation period, may be in the afternoon or early evening of the fourth day after their martyrdom. The phrase “the breath of life from God entered into them” may suggest that Christ Himself will be there in person to resurrect the two witnesses while He is in Jerusalem. But one could not be dogmatic about it at all.
My father in eschatology, Robert van Kampen of blessed memory has written, “Without being dogmatic, it seems that God will raise up the two witnesses at this particular time for several reasons; their mission will be accomplished; the seventieth week will be complete; antChrist’s “authority to act”( Rev.13:5) will be history; the surviving remnant of Israel will be saved and they will see the fruits of their labours; and Christ will be present to breathe life into their breathless bodies and send them “up into heaven in a cloud,” where their enemies will behold them(Rev.11:12). What a powerful testimony and time of rejoicing for the believing remnant of Israel, as together with Christ they will see these things unfold firsthand.” The same hour the two witnesses are raised, there will be a great earthquake, the tenth part of the city will fall, seven thousand will be killed in the earthquake, the rest will be frightened, and give glory to the God of heaven(Rev.11:13). This event will bring closure to the sixth trumpet judgment. The second woe is past, and the third woe cometh quickly(Rev.11:14).
(4) Day 5: The Sounding Of The Seventh Trumpet: God Almighty Reclaims His Rule Over The Earth.
The sounding of the seventh trumpet marks the point in human history at which God Almighty reclaims His Rule over the Earth from Satan, the Great Usurper of Adam’s rule over the Earth, the supreme personality of evil and the consummate enemy of God and Man, the ruler of the evil kingdom of Darkness.
“and the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever. And the four and twenty elders, who sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, we give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come: because thou hath taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned.”(Rev.11:15-17).
With the blowing of the seventh trumpet, rule over the Earth is returned to its rightful owner, the God of the whole Earth. Blessed be Abraham of the Most High God, possessor of the heavens and the Earth(Gen.14:19). It is pertinent to note that “the kingdoms of this World will become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ”(Rev.11:15), immediately after the sounding of the seventh trumpet but before the beginning of the bowl judgments. When the seventh trumpet is blown by the seventh avenging angel, the nations of the Earth will become enraged because God Almighty reclaims His rule over the Earth preludial to His retaking physical possession of the Earth.
“and the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, thou should give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them who destroy the Earth.”(Rev.11:18 ).
This is also the same sequence that is seen in Daniel’s prophecy: “and in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left for other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”(Dan.2:44).
When, Where, And With Whom?
Because of its significant nature, it is pertinent to note where, when, and with whom this great event shall take place. When this event takes place is clear: immediately after the mystery of God is finished, and the remnant of Israel that survives the seventieth week are saved. Where is also pretty clear. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “the redeemer will come to Mount Zion.”(Is.59:20). So this very important ceremony will take place atop Mount Zion. Later the top of Mount Zion will become the Throne Room in the Millennial Temple from where Jesus will administer His rule over the Earth during His millennial reign. Obadiah prophesied that “the deliverer will ascend from Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.”(Obad.21). Therefore Mount Zion is where Christ will be when the seventh trumpet is blown, the voices shall say: “The kingdoms of this World have become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever.”(Rev.11:15). At this time there shall be only one kingdom unlike the reign of Satan which consists of many kingdoms.
Well! Who are these deliverers? We know there is only one group of people that follow the Lord wherever He goes(Rev.14:4). These are the firstfruits of the remnant of Israel that survives the seventieth week of Daniel. This people followed Christ from Edom through the Judean wilderness to Jerusalem. It is certain they will follow Him to the top of Mount Zion. In Rev.14, Apostle John the revelator wrote:
“And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him a 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 four elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the Earth.”(Rev.14:1-3).
This song sung by the dwellers of heaven, which no one on Earth could sing other than the 144,000, is sung by those who come off victorious from the Beast, and from his image, and from the number of his name. These are the raptured saints taken to heaven, at the second coming of Christ. They stand on the sea of glass, holding the harps of God.
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the Beast, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways thou king of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest(Rev.15:1-3).
What a stupendous glory that would be! Jesus the Christ our Lord shall ascend to the top of Mount Zion, for the sole purpose of reclaiming God’s rule over the Earth usurped by Satan from Adam, God’s human representative in the earthly realm of His universal kingdom. The firstfruits of Israel, the 144,000, shall be at His side, whilst the raptured and resurrected saints sing ” Thou King Of The Nations” from heaven above! It is likely that the psalm of ascent, psalm 118, will be sung by the 144,000 as they together with Christ walk to the summit of Mount Zion to witness the events associated with the sounding of the seventh trumpet.
It is this particular psalm that is sung by the Jewish people today in the land of Israel as they celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles once every year, on the ascent to Mount Zion where the celebrations are held in modern day Israel. The Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated exactly five days after the Day Of Atonement on top of Mount Zion. Psalm 118 is song during the feast of tabernacles to represent God’s protection during their forty-year wilderness wandering. It also shows God’s provision in the harvest.
It is also prophetic, showing a near and far view phenomena, showing the national salvation of Israel, after it undergoes a great distress and the severe discipline of the Almighty. Could any other psalm be more fitting than psalm 118, as Christ and the 144,000 make their way to the summit of Mount Zion for the sounding of the seventh trumpet when and where God Almighty reclaims His rulership over the Earthly realm of His universal kingdom.
Let us look at a few comments from this magnificent psalm and some brief comments about their appropriateness for this climatic end time event.
“Give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: because His mercy endureth for ever…. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered and set me in a large place… It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. All nations compasses me about: but in the name of the lord will I destroy them…. Thou hast trust sore at me that I might fall: but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song, and is become my salvation…. The Lord hath chastened me sore: but He hath not given me over unto death.”(Ps.118:1,5,9-10,13-14,18).
This psalm is about God’s faithfulness during a time of great distress. During the second half of the 70th seven, Israel will be surrounded by her enemies, the forces of the ten-nation confederation headed by the antiChrist, in both the Jerusalem and the Jehoshaphat campaigns.
“I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”(Ps.118:21-24). During these campaigns mentioned above, Israel will be surrounded by her enemies. She will cry out unto the Lord. The Lord will respond favorably unto her because she has atoned for her sin at the end of the 70th seven, and everlasting righteousness has been brought in(Dan,9:24;cf.Rom.11:25,26). Israel will be surprised to find out that Jesus who she had rejected for two millennia is her Messiah indeed. She will exclaim, the Stone which the builders of the nation of Israel had rejected all these years is become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes! This is the day which the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.
Rulership Of The Earth Returned To Almighty God.
At the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the rule over the Earth will be returned to Almighty God, who is its rightful owner(Rev.11:15). Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of the heaven and Earth(Gen.14:19). As I write this, there is great joy in my heart. I look forward to it. It will be wonderful to reach this great point in the history of man on Earth. I will be observing from heaven even if I happen to be one of the two witnesses; for they would have completed their ministries and would have been recalled to heaven as worthy ambassadors of heaven. Nonetheless, the joy shall be overwhelming.
After the reclamation of God’s rule over the Earth, all that remains for the Dragon-Beast and their evil forces, and all the other living wicked rulers of the Earth and their armies is their total defeat and disposal at the Battle of Armageddon, at which point Christ reclaims physical possession of the Earth for Our Heavenly Father( Rev.19:17-21).
5) Day 6 Or 7: the Remnant To Azel.
The final wrath of God is contained in the seventh trumpet. The seventh trumpet has no judgment of its own but opens into the seven bowls. So the seven bowls are the final wrath of God which will be poured out on the living wicked earth-dwellers by the seven avenging angels. These bowls will be poured out on the nations that know not God, and will culminate in the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the 30-day reclamation period, which is about 23-24 days from the sounding of the seventh trumpet.
During this short time of the final wrath of God, the newly saved nation of Israel, just about a third of the total population of world Jewry prior to the seventieth week of Daniel, will be taken into protective custody in Azel.
“Come , my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity: the Earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her sins.”(Is.26:20,21).
Because of the severity of the final wrath of God, especially upon the seat of the antiMessiah in Jerusalem, these newly saved remnant of Israel, the natural line of Abraham, who are still in their natural physical and mortal bodies, will need to flee Jerusalem, probably on the fifth or sixth day of the 30-day Reclamation Period. The seventh bowl judgment will completely destroy Jerusalem, the headquarters of the government of the antiChrist. The final battle of Armageddon will begin in the general vicinity of Jerusalem, move up north and extend far beyond the valley of Esdraelon, covering most, if not all of the land of Israel. This last battle will be so devastating, that blood from the divine press shall reach up to the horse bridle, for a distance of 320 km(Rev.14:20).
The prophet Zechariah gives a clue as to how God will preserve the surviving remnant of Israel during this difficult time of His wrath upon the inhabitants of the Earth.
“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses riffled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth , and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the Mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach up to Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.”(Zach.14:2-5).
In this devastating final wrath of God, God shall make provision for the escape and protection of his people. God will miraculous split the Mount of Olives from east to west. Half of the split mountain shall move up north, and half shall move down south, creating a roadway in the valley thus formed. This ”Valley Of The Mountains” shall reach up to Azel.
The location of Azel is unidentified in the Scriptures. There is no area in Israel known as Azel. It is a secret location that is only known to God. Satan, the antiMessiah and their evil and wicked armies, and all the armies of the other nations shall not be able to reach them. Although they cannot breach a shield provided by God, they will not have the privilege of being privy to the location. Therefore they will not have the opportunity of attempting to harm those God has hidden in protective custody in Azel.
God intended it this way, because it will be here that the surviving remnant of Israel who have entered into covenantal relationship with the Messiah of Israel, and thus have also become the spiritual descendants of Abraham, will hide until the final wrath of God is complete, and physical possessions of the Earth taken by Jesus in the behalf of the Father. This remnant shall be the seed of Israel who shall be part of the surviving remnant of humanity in general that shall repopulate the Earth in the Millennium.
Jesus Returns To Heaven.
Following the splitting of the Mount Of Olives, and the preservation of the remnant of Israel in protective custody in Azel, Christ returns to heaven. The Scriptures are not explicit as to the exact day of Christ’s return to Heaven. One thing is very clear, it shall be after the He splits the Mount of Olives, but before He comes back to Earth with His Holy Ones to destroy the antiChrist and his evil armies at the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the 1,290 days allotted to the antiMessiah.
When Christ returns to heaven, He will hold court for the Bema seat judgment of the raptured saints. Thereafter, the Father shall conduct the Marriage Of The Lamb. These two events shall take place in heaven while God pours out His final wrath upon the wicked inhabitants of the Earth in the remaining 24-25 days of the 30-day Reclamation Period.
Summery Of Events In The First Six Days After The 70th Week.
Day 1- the two witnesses are killed by the AntChrist(Rev.11:7), and Christ appears on Earth(Heb.9:28)to lead the 144,000 out of Bozrah, the capital city of Ancient Edom(Is.63:1-3; Mic.2:12) to Jerusalem, to be joined by additional Jews and Gentiles still in hiding in the Judean wilderness etc.
Day 2- Christ leads the 144,000 on their journey to Jerusalem for the salvation of the unsaved remnant of Israel that survives the 70th seven of Daniel(Mic.2:12,13; Is.63:1-3; Hab.3:3-6,12).
Day 3- Christ will be joined on His way to Jerusalem by the surviving remnant of Israel who are still hiding in the Judean wilderness And will look upon Him to be saved(Hos.6:1-2; 11:10,11; Zech.12:10; 13:9; Rom.11:25,26).
Day 4- Christ and His entourage of the saved remnant of Israel conclude their journey from Bozrah to Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The two witnesses are resurrected(Rev.11:11).
Day 5- Christ and the 144,000 ascend to the top of Mount Zion( Rev.14:4 cfObad.21). The seventh trumpet is blown, and God Almighty reclaims His rule of the Earth(Rev.11:15-17).
Day 5or 6- the saved remnant of Israel are taken to Azal(Zach.14:5), Christ returns to heaven to hold court at Bema-Seat judgment of the saints, and the marriage of the Lamb is conducted, and then the final wrath of God contained in the final seven bowls are poured out on the living wicked earth-dwellers, worshippers and adorers of the Dragon-Beast(Rev.15:1, 6-8; 16:1-21).
Avraham Shallom.
Mt Zion Heritage Ministries 