Abomination of desolation - The end of Mystery Babylon:

As we have seen, the Tribulation will begin with a covenant brokered between the antichrist and Israel. In the same verse in Daniel, we find that this covenant will later be broken by the antichrist by what is called the "abomination of desolation".

Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

This event will mark the middle of the 7 year Tribulation and the beginning of what Jesus said will be "great tribulation" (Matthew 24:21, Mark 13:19). By this he meant that it will be the darkest time in all of creation. Most of the population of the earth will be killed, as the worst of God's Judgments fall on mankind, at the same time the antichrist is given dominion over the whole world (Revelation 13:7).

To find out what the "abomination of desolation" will be, we need to look at a similar prophecy in Daniel 11, that has already been fulfilled:

Daniel 11:30-31..."So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.

This prophecy in Daniel 11 was fulfilled in the sixth century B.C. by the Syrian King Antiochus. The "abomination of desolation" was that Antiochus defiled the temple by sacrificing a sow on the altar. He also set up a statue of a Greek god in the holy of holies. The "abomination of desolation" has not happened again since Christ spoke this prophecy in Matthew 24 and Mark 13.

Scriptures show that a Jewish Temple will stand in the last days and the sacrifices will begin again (Daniel 9:27, Daniel 12:8-11, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Revelation 13:14-15). The Antichrist will fulfill this future prophecy by defiling the Temple and stopping the sacrifices in the middle of the Tribulation. The antichrist will also proclaim himself to be God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

The antichrist's false prophet, a man who acts as a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, will have an idol of the antichrist made and he will require everyone to worship it:

Revelation 13:14-15 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

The "abomination of desolation" will mark the point that the antichrist starts to take full reign. Earlier we saw that the Mystery Babylon religion will be the tool Satan uses to bring the world together. The Bible tells us that before the antichrist takes full power, the world will be under the leadership of ten rulers. These ten rulers eventually will destroy the Mystery Babylon religion and hand their power over to the antichrist:

Revelation 17:15-17 Then he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

I believe that the "abomination of desolation" and the destruction of the Babylonian religion will come after the antichrist is resurrected from the dead (Revelation 17:8). The world will be able to watch this happen via satellite technology or the internet. After they witness this, it is not hard to see how the world would readily accept the antichrist to be their god. It's probable that the ten leaders will kill whoever the religious leader or leaders of the Babylonian religion are at that time, based on the gruesome picture of the Harlot being destroyed that we see in Revelation 17 above.

In spite of other religions being persecuted by the Mystery Babylon religion, the Jewish religion apparently will be protected under the covenant during the first half of the Tribulation. This is because we see that the sacrifices at the Jewish Temple will continue until the antichrist stops them. After the Temple is defiled, anybody that gets caught worshiping any god other than the antichrist will be killed. The false prophet institutes the mark of the beast system to enforce, through vital economic means, the worship of the antichrist (Revelation 13).

When the 5th Seal Judgment is broken early in the Tribulation, believers will widely be martyred for their faith. During the first half of the Tribulation we saw that most of the persecutors will be of the Mystery Babylon religion (Revelation 17:6). However, later when the antichrist is given full control, the Tribulation Saints will then be overcome by the system of the Beast:

Revelation 13:7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

The Church will not be on Earth during this holocaust of believers. Back to our study of dispensations, the Church cannot be present when Mystery Babylon or the antichrist has dominion over the Saints, because while the Church is on the earth, we will continue to have dominion and prevail over evil (Matthew 16:18-19, Ephesians 6:10-20).

Resurrections in the midst of the Tribulation:

In the book of Revelation, we find two places where people will be taken to Heaven during the Tribulation. These passages have lead to all sorts of speculation that the rapture of the Church coincides with one of these events, or both if they are concurrent. These two groups that are taken to heaven are the two witnesses and the 144,000 sealed servants.

In Revelation 11, we see that the two witnesses will share their testimony for 1,260 days and then the resurrected antichrist will overcome them and kill them. People from all over the world will be able to see their dead bodies via satellite technology or the internet. Three and a half days later, the two witnesses will be resurrected and taken to heaven:

Revelation 11:7-9 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.

We see in Revelation 11:1-2, that the third Jewish Temple will be standing before the two witnesses arrive on the scene. We have no idea at what point the Temple will be built, except that it must be standing by the middle of the Tribulation, in order for the antichrist to defile it. Because the covenant is broken by the Temple being defiled, it is logical to think that the permission to build it will be in the covenant itself.

There is a notion based on John 5:43, that the Jews will initially accept the antichrist as their messiah, before accepting Christ as the real Messiah. Because many Jews believe that the Messiah will build the Temple in the Kingdom Age, based on Zechariah 6:13, it is quite possible that the antichrist will help construct the Temple in the first part of the Tribulation.

In addition, there are some Jews who believe that after the war prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39 is fulfilled, they will be able to build their Temple. This is because Ezekiel is widely viewed as being chronological. Ezekiel 40 and beyond is about a future Jewish Temple. If this is true and the Ezekiel War is the same war described in the Seal Judgments of Revelation 6 (see "The Gog and Magog War" study), then the third Temple will not be built until sometime into the first half of the Tribulation.

Scripture does not explicitly tell us when the two witnesses' ministry begins. Many people like to shoehorn their ministry into one half of the Tribulation or the other, based solely on the fact that their ministry is the same number of days (1,260) as is given for the 2nd half of the Tribulation (Revelation 12:6). This is an assumption that is probably false.

There is nothing prohibiting the ministry of the two witnesses overlapping the first and second halves of the Tribulation. This means we cannot pinpoint the timing of the 7th Trumpet Judgment, which is concurrent with the end of the two witnesses' ministry, and their resurrection to Heaven. However, since it is likely that the Temple is built sometime in the first half of the Tribulation, then their ministry would end sometime during the second half of the Tribulation, but before the Bowl Judgments are poured out. I have presented a suggested timeline on my "Revelation" page.

The other group of people that the Bible says will be taken to Heaven during the Tribulation is the 144,000 sealed servants. We find that the 144,000 servants will have been "redeemed", or taken before the Throne of God in Heaven, sometime during the Tribulation as "first fruits" (Revelation 14).

At the beginning of this study, we saw that Christ was the first fruit of our resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-24). To be clear, Christ is the first fruit of all who have fallen asleep that are saved. This would include individuals from all periods in time, Old Testament, the Church Age, the Tribulation and beyond. Yet, we see that the 144,000 are said to be firstfruits to heaven of a particular group. So what group is the resurrection of the 144,000 first fruits of?

Harvests of Souls:

I think a study of the harvest cycle and the Feasts of the Lord may shed some light on who the 144,000 servants are first fruits of. There are four major crops that are harvested in Israel: barley, wheat, grapes and olives. The Bible clearly shows us that the wheat and grape harvests represent certain people groups in the harvest of souls. There are possible paralles that suggest that the barley and olive harvests may represent certain people groups as well.

To be clear, there are various parallels to people groups and the different grains and fruits of the land throughout the Bible. But here we will be focusing on the harvest methods of the four main crops and the parallels to the harvest of souls of different people groups. The following table shows the possible relationship between the harvest and their fulfillment in the Feasts of the Lord: (SEE ALL CHARTS FROM MAIN SITE)

We see in Hebrews 8 that God has made things on Earth that pattern or shadow after things in Heaven. In addition to the undeniable fulfillment of Jesus' resurrection on the Feast of Firstfruits, it follows that the other resurrections will follow in their appointed time of the harvest and feasts.

Of the parallels shown above on the chart, determining who represents the barley is the most obscure. There are no explicit Scripture passages that tell us who the barely represents, as the wheat and grapes do. It is possible that barley doesn't represent any people group, but there are some clues that suggest otherwise. A good possibility is that the barely harvest represents the resurrection of the Old Testament Saints. The next few paragraphs explain why.

Right after Jesus rose from the dead, some of the Old Testament Saints were also resurrected (Matthew 27:52-54) and apparently brought to Heaven with Christ (Ephesians 4:8-10) in their resurrected bodies as we saw in our "reconcilation" discussion. One reason to suspect that these Old Testament Saints are represented by barley, is because they were resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits.

Barely was the crop that was harvested as first fruits during this feast. It is no surprise that many believe that the Church will be raptured during the barely harvest, because Christ is the first fruits of the Church's resurrection as well. But as I will show in a minute, the two crops that I believe represent the Old Testament Saints and the Church have some differences that may suggest otherwise.

It remains a mystery as to why only part of the Old Testament Saints, instead of all of them, were resurrected and taken to Heaven at the time of Christ. As mentioned before in our discussion about the elders, this select group of Old Testament Saints may have been resurrected to fulfill thier role in the group of elders that represents "redeemed" mankind.

As also already mentioned, it appears that the rest of the Old Testament Saints will await their resurrection when Jesus returns at the 2nd Coming (Daniel 12:1-2 and Romans 11:25-27). I believe that the evidence shows this to be at the gathering of the Jewish elect by the angels right before Jesus returns. When Jesus returns, He will fulfill the fall feasts. Notice on the chart above, that the celebration of all the harvests will take place during the time of the fall feasts, which is collectively called "Tabernacles" (Leviticus 23:33-44).

In other words, the first installment of the Old Testament Saint's resurrection took place during the season of the barley harvest at the time of Christ. The final installment of the Old Testament Saint's resurrection would then take place during the fall feasts when Jesus returns after the Tribulation. Perhaps, this is a reason the Old Testaments Saint's resurrection is in two steps; to be resurrected during both the harvest of the barley and the celebration of the harvest during the fall feasts.

As we move on to the other people groups that will be harvested, let's look at the methods of reaping the harvest. This may help show the timing of the soul harvests and help explain why the rapture of the Church is not the same event as the raptures of the 144,000 Jewish servants and the two witnesses.

Barely is harvested using a technique known as winnowing. The farmer takes a fork-like fan and tosses the grain in the air to separate the chaff. The Old Testament Saints that are gathered at the end of the Tribulation by angels, will be separated from the rest of the world at their time of gathering like barely is separted from the chaff.

Looking at the winnowing technique used in the harvesting of barely, you can see why many believe that the barely harvest represents the rapture of the church, who will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Keep in mind that we are not explicitly told if the Old Testament Saints and the Church are even respresented by any harvest like the 144,000 and God's enemies are. Therefore, I would not rule out the Church being represented by barely. But for reasons we will get to after discussing the wheat and grape harvests, I think the Church is better represented by the olive harvest.

During the Tribulation, a multitude will accept Christ as Savior (Revelation 7:9). Believers during the Tribulation are represented by the wheat harvest:

Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."

We see that the Tribulation Saints are typified by wheat. During the harvest of wheat, it is put through a threshing device known as a "tribulum", which beats the grain to the point that it is loosened from the chaff. Interestingly, "Tribulum" is the Latin word for "tribulation".

Jesus tells us in the parable, that the tares that grow up around the wheat will be burned, while the wheat will be gathered into His barn. God's enemies in the parable are the tares, while the wheat is the Tribulation Saints that enter into the Kingdom. This parable becomes more clear when we compare it to the separating of believers and unbelievers in the Sheep and Goat Judgment (Matthew 25).

The timing of this harvest is shown to be at the end of the Tribulation in Revelation 14:14-16, which will coincide with the fall feasts and the end of the wheat harvest.

Revelation 14:14-16 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

The next harvest depicted in the last of the Lords Feasts is the grape harvest. The harvest of the grapes, or God's enemies, is graphically described in the following:

Revelation 14:17-20 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe." So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.

Revelation 19:15 and Isaiah 63:2-3 tell us that Jesus Himself will tread the winepress of God's Wrath. Therefore, this harvest will take place after the 2nd Coming of Jesus.

The last harvest depicted in the chart is the olive harvest. I believe that the olive harvest best represents the rapture of the Church. The Church is represented by the branches on the olive tree (Romans 11). Olives are typically harvested by using a rake or a stick, where they are raked or shaken off the tree all at once.

The olive oil contained within the olives is widely used in Scripture as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer as we discussed earlier in "The Church is sealed with the Holy Spirit". At the rapture of the Church, all believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit will be taken in the twinkling of an eye to be with the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:52).

The Greek word "harpazo", which we translate as "rapture" or "snatching away" literally means to seize, carry off by force, or snatch out of the way. Just by the meaning of this word alone, which describes the departure of the Church, it sounds like the Church will be yanked out of here right before Daniel's 70th week begins, with little to no gap between the two.

Consider the fulfillment of the fall feasts. When Jesus returns, it is sure to be during the fall feasts. Most believe that Jesus will fulfill the fall feasts as He did the spring feasts; on the very day of their celebration. If this is true, and Jesus' return takes place during the fall feasts at some point in the future, if you count back the seven years of Daniel's 70th week, the rapture of the Church would then likely take place during the fall season as well. This would fit with the time of the olive harvest being in the fall to early winter. This of course is based on the assumption that Daniel's 70th week ends shortly after Jesus returns, which I believe is probably a safe assumption.

What is interesting about the olive harvest, is that there is not a feast or even Jewish tradition that marks the end of the olive harvest. So even if we could pinpoint the season, which we can't for sure, we still wouldn't know the day or hour (Matthew 24:36) That being said, the olive harvest is usually complete by the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, or the Feast of Lights. This feast, coincidently, came about because of a miracle involving olive oil, which kept the menorah lit when there wasn't enough oil to do so back during the Maccabean revolt.

To be clear, Jesus could return at any moment. The olive harvest and its possible parallels suggest that the rapture will occur during the fall or early winter of some undetermined year. Now if the rapture occurs during some other season, it means that the time of harvesting olives does not parallel the Church. It also means that there will be a sizeable gap between the rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation, because Daniel's 70th week must begin in the fall or early winter for it to end in the fall seven years later, when Jesus returns and fulfills the fall feasts.

One final note about the parallels of people groups and the harvests. Though there is strong evidence in Scripture for the wheat, and grapes, and some for the barely and olives harvests, it important to point out that the barley and olives harvests are just possible parallels, so we cannot determine for sure who they represent. However, the identity of the wheat and grape parallels are clearly shown in Scripture to be the Tribulation Saints and God's enemies at the end of the Tribulation. Regardless of which harvest represents the Church, it is clear that the Church is not represented in the wheat harvest.

Back to the discussion of the 144,000, we have shown that they are the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. The wheat harvest begins on Pentecost. So it would not be a suprise if the 144,000 witnesses are redeemed from the earth on a Pentecost in the Tribulation as first fruits of the wheat harvest. The reason they are first fruits, is because they will be taken to Heaven, rapture style, being given their resurrection bodies before the rest of the Tribulation Saints are resurrected, after Jesus returns (Revelation 20:4)

The wheat and the grape harvests will end at the 2nd Coming of Jesus. These soul harvests with two different destinies are also eluded to in Matthew 24:40-41, with the men in the field and the women grinding at the mill at the time of Jesus' return, and one of each being taken away. Those taken away are taken away to Judgment, as is discussed in the Olivet Discourse. The final separating of these groups will be at the Sheep and Goat Judgment, which will be discussed later.

The two witnesses:

So what about the two witnesses? What is their origin? One possibility is that the two witnesses could be two people that are raised in the manner of Lazarus, where they are brought back to life and then die again after their testimony ends. Another possibility is that the two witnesses are the only two men that haven't seen death. These two possibilities have lead to all sorts of ideas on who these two witnesses could be, the most popular being Enoch, Moses, and Elijah.

A strong case for Elijah being one of the two witnesses is found in Malachi 4:5-6 and Matthew 17:11, which indicates that Elijah will return before the Day of the Lord to "restore all things" to the Jewish people, by turning their hearts to repentance like John did before Jesus' 1st Coming. What is not clear is if Elijah is coming back before Daniel's 70th Week begins, or if he returns sometime (at least 1264 days per Revelation 11:3 and 11:11) before Jesus returns. I show this possible scenario in the "Two Witnesses" chart in my "Revelation" page.

It is also not clear that Elijah's call for repentance will be the "prophecy and testimony" of the two witnesses, though most believe it will be. Nor is there another prophet in Scripture that is said to have the same mission as Elijah, except for John the Baptist who accomplished this call for repentance back before Christ's ministry.

In other words, Elijah may be coming to the Jewish people on a separate mission from the two witnesses. If Elijah returns before Daniel's 70th week begins, this would support him having a separate mission. Other possibilities could be that John the Baptist who came in the spirit of Elijah, or Elisha who was given a double portion of Elijah's spirit, would come back with Elijah as the other witness.

Some circumstantial evidence in favor of Moses being one of the two witnesses is that in Malachi 4:4 Moses is mentioned right before the prophecy of Elijah's return:

Malachi 4:4-6 "Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

Other reasons supporting Moses being a candidate include him being pictured in the transfiguration alongside Elijah (Matthew 17:3). Also, some of the plagues that were poured out on Egypt will be the same as those that will be performed by the two witnesses. There was also a strange dispute over the body of Moses between Michael the archangel and Satan (Jude 1:9) that may suggest Moses' body is being protected for his resurrection. However, this would seem to put God in a box in terms of having to protect a body to resurrect later. I think it makes more sense that Moses' body was protected so it couldn't be used as a form of idolatrous worship like the bronze snake was (2 Kings 18:4).

The main argument for Enoch being a candidate is because he and Elijah were the only two individuals that didn't die. Hebrews 9:27 is cited, that says "it is appointed unto man to die once". I belive that this is more of a proverb, rather than an absolute. Consider the several cases in Scripture, like Lazarus, where people had died, but rose again to a mortal body to later die again. Also, consider the fact that a whole generation of believers will be "changed" and taken alive in the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Enoch is said to have been taken alive so he wouldn't see death (Hebrews 11:5). I believe Enoch is a picture of the rapture of the Church. If the purpose of Enoch was to not see death, because he was a pattern for those in the Church that will not see death, it doesn't make sense that he will have to die later. Personally, I find the arguments for Enoch to be the weakest.

Two other possible candidates are the disciples John and James, whom Jesus called the "sons of thunder". I find it curious that John, being one of the "sons of thunder", has a vision in Revelation 10 where seven "thunders" utter some things that he was not to reveal. Right after this scene, John is told that he himself would prophesy again. Next, we see in chapter 11, that John is told to measure the Temple, and then we are told about how the two witnesses will prophesy for 42 months.

The following passage may suggest that John and James are candidates for the two witnesses:

Luke 9:51-56 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village.

The two witnesses will consume their enemies with fire, just as James and John wanted to do:

Revelation 11:5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.

This next passage is even more curious:

Mark 10:35-45 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask." And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able." So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared." And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Who will be at the right and left hand of Jesus? The two witnesses:

Zechariah 4:11-14 ..."What are these two olive trees-at the right of the lampstand and at its left?" And I further answered and said to him, "What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?" Then he answered me and said, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." So he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth."

Revelation 11:3-4 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.

Going back to the passage in Mark 10, James and John asked to sit at the right and left of Jesus. Jesus tells them that those positions are not His to give. Is Jesus talking about who will be the two witnesses? We can't be sure. However, if He is, at first glance it appears that Jesus is telling James and John that they will not fulfill that role. But what Jesus says is that it is not up to Him to decide who will fulfill that role. It is probably a safe assumption that this decision is up to the Father, but we are not explicitly told that.

What is also interesting, is that James and John were thinking about how great they would be if they had the positions at the right and left of Christ. Jesus turns this around on them by saying that those who desire to be great will be servants and slaves. What are the two witnesses, but servants or prophets of the Lord.

I want to be clear that I do not necessarily believe that James and John will be the two witnesses. But when pondering these passages that hint that they might be, I find it interesting that they seem to be asking to fill that role by wanting to call fire down from Heaven and be at Jesus' right and left side, just like the two witnesses.

James and John are also both members of the Church. I do not believe these two Church members being in the Tribulation would conflict with the dispensations doctrine, as they are clearly being supernaturally protected in order to carry out their mission. Meanwhile, all the other Saints are given over to the antichrist without any supernatural protection. In addition, the two witnesses are said to be "two olive trees" (Zechariah 4 and Revelaion 11). This would also support the two witnesses being Church members if the Olive harvest parallel to the Church is correct.

I think it's quite possible, that these two witnesses will be two currently unknown men chosen in the manner of the 144,000 servants and serve in the spirit of Elijah, in the same manner that Elisha and John the Baptist did. In other words, perhaps Elijah himself is not coming back. This notion is supported in the fact that Jesus said John the Baptist would have fulfilled the roll of Elijah had the Jews accepted him at His first coming (Matthew 11:14 and 17:12, Mark 9:12-13), even though John said he himself wasn't Elijah (John 1:19-27).

The speculation is interesting and there are a lot of possible candidates. But we cannot determine for sure who these two men will be, because we are not explicitly told in Scripture.

An Angel will proclaim the Gospel to the whole world:

We discussed earlier how the "great commission" is currently being carried out by the Church. When the Church exits this world via the rapture, the work to spread the Gospel will continue through the 144,000 servants (Revelation 7) and the two witnesses (Revelation 11).

In the last few sections, we saw that both of these groups of men will be taken to Heaven at some point during the Tribulation. So that no man will have any excuse, after the departure of the servants and witnesses, God will provide an angel to fulfill the "great commission" who will proclaim the Gospel to every one left on Earth at the end of the Tribulation:

Revelation 14:6-7 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth-to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people- saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water."

The last Judgments poured out:

After the angel shares the Gospel with the whole world, God will pour out the last of His Judgments and end the Tribulation. These last Judgments are called "Bowl Judgments", named so because of the unimaginable calamity that will be "poured out" on this earth.

The 2nd and 3rd Bowl Judgments, where all the bodies of water will turn to blood, show that these Judgments have been reserved for the very end of the Tribulation (Revelation 16). Mankind would have a matter of days, to maybe weeks, to survive after the water has become unusable. Therefore, Jesus has to come back shortly after these Judgments are poured out. Otherwise, there will be no survivors to live into the Millennium (Matthew 25:31-46).

The 5th Bowl Judgment is centered on the kingdom of the beast, which will be in Babylon:

Revelation 16:10-11 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

The inhabitants of Babylon will get a foretaste of what eternity is going to be like for them. Jesus describes eternity for the lost as "outer darkness" where there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12, 22:13 & 25:30). We can see not only the pain and suffering depicted here, but also how the darkness depicts the loneliness the lost will experience apart from God; thus their weeping. They also continue to blashpheme God, rather than repent. Perhaps it is because they know their fate has been sealed by taking the mark (Revelation 14:9-11).

Babylon destroyed:

Earlier we talked about the "Mystery Babylon" religious system and how it will be destroyed when the antichrist begins to take over control of the world (Revelation 17). Revelation 18 speaks of a different Babylon. This Babylon will be a physical city which will be the headquarters and throne of the antichrist's rule.

Ancient Babylon in recent history has been in ruins, but is now emerging as a potential tourist city. Before the United States helped to liberate Iraq, Saddam Hussein had been pouring millions of dollars into the renovation and rebuilding of many of the ancient artifacts and ruins in Babylon. There are plans being made by the newly liberated country to continue to rebuild the ancient city.

Revelation 18 tells us that Babylon will become a very great city during the Tribulation. This leads some to believe that we may be many decades away from the return of Christ, because it will take time to rebuild Babylon. That thought was put to rest when the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, was built up to be a great city in a matter of a few years.

On the heels of the 5th Bowl Judgment of darkness being poured out on the city, Babylon will be utterly destroyed and burned to the ground. This will be judgment on the world's greed as we see the world will mourn the loss of the luxuries the city offered:

Revelation 18:9-11 "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore

Number of martyrs complete:

Recall our discussion on the 5th Seal Martyrs. Once Jesus breaks the Seal Judgments, there is no indication in Revelation 6 that the first four Judgments will have a defined end. In fact, we see that the characteristics of these Judgments will continue and worsen in Scripture as the Tribulation continues. However, we do see there is a defined end in Revelation 14 to the 5th Seal Judgment:

Revelation 14:14-16 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

This is the harvest of wheat! Recall from our harvest discussion, that the wheat represents the Tribulation Saints. We see that Jesus Himself is harvesting these Saints. In context with the previous verses, it is souls, not live bodies that are being harvested. This part of the wheat harvest is the last of the Tribulation Martyrs of the 5th Seal Judgment, that will occur just prior to Jesus' return:

Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."

Jesus broke the Seal that started this Judgment, but He will also end the Judgment when the number of martyrs has been completed:

Revelation 6:9-11 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been 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, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Jesus will return from His Wedding:

Recall that the 21 Judgments are not only Judgment and Wrath on God's enemies, but they will also be physical manifestations of the Seals being broken in the redemption process of the title deed to the earth (Revelation 5). Only after the Judgments are complete will Jesus return. When Jesus returns, He says that He will be coming from a wedding:

Luke 12:35-37 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.

This passage only makes sense if Christ is returning from His own wedding. The Tribulation Saints will be waiting for the day that they will sit down at the Marriage supper of the Lamb, in celebration of Christ's marriage to the Church. The Bridegroom and His Bride will return to Earth to celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb after their wedding in Heaven. The servants will be guests at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb at the end of the seven year Tribulation.

This pattern is seen in the "The Traditional Jewish Wedding", where the Bride and Bridegroom consummate their marriage for seven days in a room that was built on the father's house. A reception to celebrate the marriage and introduce the new couple follows the consummation period, at the end of the week. The wedding party usually feasted at the father's house outside the wedding chamber during the whole week. Jesus hinted at this wedding tradition when he told his disciples he would come back for them:

John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

We can see that the consummation between Jesus and the Church already took place in Heaven before the 2nd Coming of Jesus, because the Church is being called "Wife" instead of "Bride".

Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

Revelation 19:11,14 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war...And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Currently the Church is indwelt and sealed with the Holy Spirit as a pledge of marriage to Christ, but will become one in Spirit with Christ when the marriage is consummated:

1 Corinthians 6:15-17 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

I believe that the consummation will take place at the rapture and subsequent Bema Judgment in Heaven. The Old Testament Saints being friends of the Groom (John 3:29) would be at the Father's house during the consummation period. Being represented among the elders, both the Church and the Old Testament Saints will be in the Throne Room of the Father during the Tribulation period, as we discussed earlier.

At the time of the 2nd Coming, the Church and the rest of the wedding party, the Old Testament Saints, will be dressed in fine linen. The fine linen, symbolizing the righteous acts of the Saints, shows how the works of the Church and the Old Testament Saints have been refined by fire to become clean (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). In other words, the Church will already have been at the Bema Judgment long before returning to Earth with Jesus.

The Church as the Bride and the Old Testament Saints as the wedding party will return with Christ to celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb on Earth with the Tribulation Saints as guests:

Revelation 19:8-9 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'"

The "elect" gathered by angels at the Great Trumpet:

As Jesus is returning to Earth after the Tribulation, He will send angels to gather His "elect".

Matthew 24:31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Who are they? The term "elect" is used in Scripture to describe the following groups:

Messiah: Isaiah 42:1, 1 Peter 2:6

Angels: 1Timothy 5:21

The Church: Romans 8:33, Colossians 3:12, 2 Timothy 2:10, 1 Peter 1:1-2, Romans 11, Titus 1:1

Israel: Isaiah 45:4, Isaiah 65:9&22, Romans 11:7

Which group is represented in Mathew 24? It is obviously not the Messiah. We know it is not angels either, as they are the ones gathering the elect. Taking a closer look at other parallels to the passage in question, and letting Scripture interpret Scripture, it is obvious that Israel is the group representing the "elect" in Matthew 24. (It must be noted that the verses that call the Church the "elect" do not have any parallels to Matthew 24:31):

Matthew 24:31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Isaiah 65:9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, And from Judah an heir of My mountains; My elect shall inherit it, And My servants shall dwell there.

Deut 30:1-4 "Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.

Isaiah 11:12 He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah 27:12-13 And it shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will thresh, From the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; And you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel. So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

The purpose of this gathering is for the Jews to be given their eternal inheritance that was promised to Abraham:

Genesis 17:7-8 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

We can also see that the Church and the Tribulation Martyrs are NOT the elect, based on the order of events in Revelation:

First, the elect are gathered by angels as Christ is coming on clouds:

Matthew 24:30-31 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Then we see the Church, in their fine linen, coming with Christ. This is not the rapture here, because the Church will NOT be gathered by angels, but by Christ Himself (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17):

Revelation 19:11-14 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

After that, we see that the Tribulation Martyrs will be resurrected after the 2nd Coming; NOT before:

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Some believe that the "last trumpet" at the rapture is the "great trumpet" for the gathering of the elect. The best explanation I have heard concerning the "last trumpet" is that the "first trumpet" was when God spoke to Israel at Sinai after the Exodus. The only other time in Scripture that we see that God speaks like a trumpet, other than in Psalm 47, is in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 where God calls the Church up in the rapture. In other words, the "first trumpet" was when God met with Israel and the "last trumpet" will be when God calls the Church home.

For what it's worth, in Jewish tradition, during the 30 days leading up to the Feast of Trumpets, there were over 100 blasts blown on the shofar, or ram's horn. There were four types of trumpet blasts. The last type was a single blast known as the "Last Trumpet" of the 30 day period signaling the beginning of the feast. The last type of trumpet sound is also known as the "Great Trumpet". This type of blast was sounded again on the Day of Atonement. So according to Jewish tradition the "Last Trumpet" and "Great Trumpet" are not necessarily for the same event.

The Great Supper of God and defeat of the antichrist:

Jesus will return to Earth, accompanied by the armies of Heaven. As we discussed in the last few sections, the Church will be returning with Jesus as His wife. Being clothed in fine linen (Revelation 19:8), we will be among the armies from Heaven:

Revelation 19:11-14 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Jesus is coming in righteous judgment and will do so with war. In the following passages, we are talking about the grape harvest, where Jesus will tread the winepress of the Wrath of God. The following verses describe this harvest in more detail:

Revelation 14:17-20 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe." So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.

Revelation 16:13-16 and 19:19 tell us that these enemies that Jesus will defeat will be gathered by demonic spirits to the place called Armageddon to battle for the antichrist. Zechariah 14:2 tells us that their goal will be to take the city of Jerusalem. This age old battle for the Holy City will finally come to an end when Jesus returns. The antichrist's armies will perish by God's Word, which will literally be sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12) at this battle.

Revelation 19:15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Revelation 19:21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Unlike the long awaited Marriage Supper of the Lamb, this Great Supper of God is not a meal anyone will want to be a part of:

Revelation 19:17-18 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great."

During the battle for Jerusalem, the antichrist and his false prophet, who instituted the worship of, and mark of the beast, are both captured. They will be the first two individuals to be sent to their eternal destiny of the lake of fire:

Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Satan bound:

After the antichrist and his armies are defeated, Satan will be bound and put into the bottomless pit, in preparation for Christ's thousand year reign:

Revelation 20:1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

It is clear from this passage that one of the purposes of the Millennium will be to test mankind. Thus far, man has not been able to live according to God's standards. Adam and Eve blamed Satan for their temptation when they rebelled against God. During this 1000 year period, Satan will not be able to tempt or destroy. Neither will man be able to blame unbelievers for leading them down the wrong path, as God will have eradicated all unbelievers before the Millennium begins. Also, Jesus will be ruling on Earth in the flesh, so there will be no more foolish unbelief of God. It will be that either man will choose to follow God or they will follow their own rebellious heart. As we will see later, mankind will ultimately fail the test.

The Sheep and Goat Judgment - Believers enter the Millennium:

As was just mentioned in the last section, we see that there will be people that will survive the Tribulation and live on into the Millennium. These survivors will be separated by Christ after the Tribulation. This gathering and separation is called the "Sheep and Goat Judgment".

Matthew 25:31-34 & 41 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world... "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Back to the picture of the harvest, I view these survivors of the Tribulation as the gleanings of the wheat and grape harvest. Most of the harvest was reaped throughout the Tribulation to the climatic Armageddon campaign. The gleanings of the grape harvest receive the same fate as the rest of God's enemies: eternal punishment. The gleanings of the wheat harvest will go on to live into the Millennial Age. This is demonstrated in the parable of the "wheat and the tares", where God's enemies are depicted as tares instead of grapes in this illustration:

Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

It is important to realize that Scripture clearly teaches that there will be people that live in mortal bodies in the Millennium. This piece of the prophetic puzzle goes a long way in disproving the widely held belief among many Christians that the rapture coincides with the 2nd Coming of Jesus. This one element of needing live believers to populate the Millennium, unravels the whole premise of a post-Tribulation rapture.

If Jesus comes back and destroys all of His enemies, and all believers receive their glorified bodies at His Coming, then who will be left to populate the Millennium? It's not just the Jewish remnant, because Zechariah 14 shows that there will be people left from all the nations that live into the Millennium. We will discuss this more in detail in a bit.

The Tribulation Martyrs resurrected:

Before the Millennium begins we see another Judgment event. This Judgment is of the Tribulation Saints that were martyred for their faith. This Judgment is different from the Sheep and Goat Judgment, because it involves a resurrection. Also note that Jesus is not the one doing the judging here:

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Recall back to our discussion of the elders, they are not only kings and priests, but they will also sit on thrones and they will judge the world and angels (Revelation 4:4, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 and Daniel 7:9-10). So we see that the elders, with the Church being represented among them, will be judging the Tribulation Martyrs. After their Judgment, the Tribulation Martyrs will be given a special place in the Kingdom as priests in the Temple of God. They will be the "Levites" of the Saints, if you will:

Revelation 20:6 but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Scripture tells us that the Tribulation Martyrs will be part of the first resurrection:

Revelation 20:4-6 ... And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power...

It is important to determine what is meant by the "first resurrection". If the "first resurrection" is just one event, then how could the Church, the two witnesses and the 144,000 servants have been taken to Heaven before the Tribulation Martyrs were resurrected?

As we have discussed throughout this study, the Church has to be taken out of the picture because the dispensations of Grace and Judgment cannot work concurrently. Later, we saw that the two witnesses and the 144,000 servants are taken to Heaven at some point during the second half of the Tribulation. And now we see that the Tribulation Martyrs are resurrected after the Tribulation is over.

It is scripturally impossible to put these resurrections all in the same event. Therefore, it only makes sense that the "first resurrection" is the first of its kind. If there is a first kind of resurrection, it follows there is at least one other kind of resurrection. As we will see later in the Great White Throne Judgment, this second type of resurrection is to second death. Therefore, the "first resurrection" is to life. (See chart: "Resurrection and Judgments").

Marriage Supper of the Lamb:

Remember that when Jesus returns, it will be from His own wedding to the Church. The servants in this passage will be Tribulation believers that are watching for the 2nd Coming:

Luke 12:35-37 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.

The Tribulation Saints will be waiting for the day that they will sit down at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb as guests in celebration of His marriage to the Church. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will most likely be the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. Now that the harvest of souls is over, it will be time to celebrate. This is the only feast that the Bible specifically mentions will be celebrated during the Millennium (Zechariah 14:16). It seems fitting that the celebration of the marriage between the King of Kings and His Church would become the greatest annual celebration of the Millennium and beyond.

Restoration period before the Millennium:

Daniel 12 suggests that there will be a period of 75 days between the end of the antichrist's rule and the beginning of the Millennium. We see in Revelation 12:6, that when the Jewish remnant flees at the time of the "abomination of desolation" (Matthew 24:15-16), they will be protected for 1,260 days. I think it is a fair assumption that when the 1,260 days are up, it will coincide with the return of Jesus and the end of the antichrist's rule, which is said to be 42 months (Revelation 13:5). 1,260 days come out to be 42 thirty-day months.

At the end of the book of Daniel, we are given two more numbers of days that have significance from the time of the "abomination of desolation":

Daniel 12:11 "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

This would be an additional 30 days and 75 days beyond the 1,260 days of the Great Tribulation. We find that from the Feast of Atonement to Hanukkah there are 75 days. It is thought by many that the Great Tribulation will end on the Feast of Atonement and the Millennium would then begin on Hanukkah after the 75 day period.

We see that in Daniel 9:24 the Tribulation will "atone" or make an end of sins, which supports the Great Tribulation ending on the Feast of Atonement. Recall that the "great trumpet" sound is heard on the Feast of Atonement. The Jews will be gathered just prior to Jesus' return by the sound of the great trumpet.

However, there doesn't seem to be much significance for 1,290 days, which is 30 days after the Tribulation ends. It has been suggested that 1,290 days falls within an average Jewish calendar day count of 1269 to 1301 for the three and half year period, depending on if a leap month is included or not. In other words, the 1290 day would have been the length of the Tribulation, had Christ not come back 30 days short of the full three and half years that included leap months (Matthew 24:22, Mark 13:20).

One interesting thing to note, is that 30 days after the Feast of Atonement is the day of the year that Noah was told by God to get into the ark before the flood (Genesis 7:1-11). I'm not sure what the significance would be, regarding the 1290 days, but it is interesting, nonetheless.

It is apparent that what I will call a "restoration period" of 75 days will be busy. During this period a number of activities will likely take place. The Sheep and Goat Judgment and the Tribulation Saint Judgment will occur right after the Armageddon campaign. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which will presumably occur during the Feast of Tabernacles, will follow five days later. For the remainder of the restoration period, we find in Ezekiel chapters 47-48 that the inheritance that was promised to Abraham will be divided up among the Jewish remnant.

We also find that Jesus will build another Temple (Zechariah 6:13). Chapters 40-46 in Ezekiel go into great detail about the Temple and the sacrificial system that will be reinstituted. The purpose for the sacrifices in the Millennium is thought to be commemorative of the sacrificial work that Christ did on the cross, since the sacrifices will no longer be needed as a covering because His work is done.

There will be major restoration of the earth itself, as the curse that was put on it after the fall of Adam and Eve will be lifted for this thousand year period. There are many passages about the Millennium in the Old Testament, but the following best describes the restoration of the earth in a nutshell:

Isaiah 65:17-25 " For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying. " No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the LORD, And their offspring with them. " It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain," Says the LORD.

Not to get off track, but I want to outline the probable fulfillments of the fall feasts as I have been briefly touching on them. As I have already pointed out, it seems likely that the Feast of Atonement will mark the end of the Great Tribulation and the return of Jesus. The Feast of Tabernacles fulfillment would likely be in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. That leaves the Feast of Trumpets to be fulfilled.

The Bible tells us that the Feast of Trumpets is simply "a Sabbath rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation" (Leviticus 23:24). We aren't given much information on this feast to determine what its future fulfillment will be. Some believe that the rapture will fulfill this feast. I do not hold to this. Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts all at once in the same year, so I don't see there being a seven-year gap between the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Atonement. Another possibility for the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets is:

Revelation 11:15-19 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: " We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth." Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

This is the 7th Trumpet Judgment after the two witnesses are resurrected and taken to Heaven. The sounding of the last Trumpet Judgment is an announcement of what appears to be sounding the alarm that Jesus is about to return to reclaim the earth as His Kingdom. It's the coronation of the King! If the 7th Trumpet is the "last trumpet" traditionally sounded on the Feast of Trumpets, then the Bowl Judgments of Revelation 15-16 would be poured out during the next 10 days before Jesus physically returns on the Feast of Atonement.

Interestingly, the Jews call the days between Trumpets and Atonement the "days of awe". Remember we discussed that the Bowl Judgments will be so devastating that mankind would have a matter of days to weeks to survive some of them. This seems to fit that the Bowl Judgments would be poured out during the 10 "days of awe" before Jesus would return on the Feast of Atonement, rather than over the course of several months to years. This would also support the two witnesses' ministry covering most of the 2nd half of the Tribulation. The chart below shows this suggested timeline: (didn't add chart in)

 

 

Christ's Millennial Rule:

During the Millennium, Jesus will be ruling on Earth in the flesh for a thousand years before eternity begins. The following verses describe how He will rule the people on Earth during that time:

Psalm 2:7-9...The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'"

Revelation 19:15... And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron...

What does it mean to rule with "a rod of iron"?

Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

We see in the Messianic prophecy above that Christ's rule will come with "judgment and justice". To rule with a rod of iron would mean that His rule will be just and punishment will be swift and harsh. We see an example of Christ's rule in the following passage:

Zechariah 14:16-19 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

We are told that it will be mandatory for representatives of all the nations to attend the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem every year. If a nation doesn't attend, they will suffer a drought. So we see that just because the curse of the earth will be lifted, plagues will still be used as punishment in those places that rebel against God. This example is also a prophecy of Egypt, which shows that humans will fail the test of living up to God's standard, even during the Millennium, as we discussed a few sections back. We will pick this thought up again in the next section, but let's first discuss the role of the Saints during Christ's rule.

Recall back to our discussion of the elders, that they are not only kings and priests, but they will also judge the world and angels (Revelation 4:4, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 and Daniel 7:9-10). Don't forget that the Church is among the elders. The following Old Testament passages expand on the role of the elders during the Millennium, or as the Old Testament calls them, Saints:

The Saints, will possess the Kingdom: Daniel 7:18-27

The Saints will co-rule as kings: Job 36:7

The Saints will be judges, officers, and magistrates: Psalm 149, Isaiah 60:17

The Saints will be teachers: Psalm 37:29-31 Jeremiah 3:15

As we've already discussed, the Tribulation Martyrs will have a special place as servants in God's Temple (Revelation 20:6) and the believers that survive the Tribulation will become the local governors and mayors of the Kingdom (Matthew 25:23, Luke 19:16-19).

Satan will deceive the nations:

We saw in the last section that it won't take long for people to fail the test of the Millennium. Even without the influence of Satan and unbelievers, and with Christ in the flesh ruling with a "rod of iron", mankind will still not be able to live up to God's standards. Before eternity begins, God will deal with the rebellious heart of man. Here is how the final moments of the Millennium will play out:

Revelation 20:7-10 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

After the 1000 years comes to an end, mankind will be given over to their rebellion as God allows Satan to be released. It won't take long before Satan will amass an army against Christ that will be too large to be counted. God's patience with man's rebellious heart will end here. This army of rebels will promptly be consumed by fire and mankind will have proven that we can never meet God's standards. Only a repentant heart that accepts the covering of the blood of Jesus will make a man righteous in the sight of God.

For more on the Millennium see: "The Millennium - The Thousand Year Reign of Christ"

The Great White Throne Judgment:

After mankind has failed the test of meeting God's standards, God will Judge those that chose to rebel rather than choose the righteous path through Jesus. This final Judgment, before eternity begins, is known as the "Great White Throne Judgment". It is clear from the text that this Judgment is for the unsaved only:

Revelation 20:10-15 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Earlier we saw in Revelation 20:5 that there will be a resurrection of the dead who are not believers. We see in the passage above that after they stand before God they will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will die a second death. This second death is not annihilation, because we see in Revelation 20:10 above that the antichrist and his false prophet are still there being tormented in the lake of fire when Satan is thrown in with them. The second death is permanent separation from God and eternal suffering.

Now that we have covered all the resurrections and judgments, it is important to reiterate that there is not just one resurrection and judgment when Jesus comes back. Scripture is clear that these events occur for different groups of people at different times on the prophetic timeline as depicted below:

Resurrections and Judgments: (SEE CHARTS ON MAIN SITE)

 

Eternity:

When the Great White Throne Judgment ends and all of God's enemies are cast into the lake of fire, God turns His sights on cleansing the universe that has been tainted by sin.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

At first glance it appears that God is going to destroy the current universe, but it is just the "works" that will be burned up. With the same refining fire that the Church's works will go through (1 Corinthians 3:12-15), God will burn up the sinful works in the universe. In reclaiming the universe, God will restore it to what He had intended before sin entered it. It is not that God can't destroy it all and start over. It is that God doesn't create in order to destroy. In fact we find in the following passage that He must reconcile and restore His creation or else He will forfeit His sovereignty or preeminence:

Colossians 1:16-20 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

At the dawn of eternity, we see that the New Jerusalem will come out of Heaven to Earth. Finally, God will live among men in peace, and Heaven and Earth will be one:

Revelation 21:1-5 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new.

For more on eternity see: "Eternity - The New Heaven and New Earth"

Final thoughts on why the rapture must be pre-Tribulation:

This study has shown that a Pre-Tribulation rapture is the only view that makes sense in light of the natural flow of prophetic events in Scripture. One of the biggest road blocks to coming to that conclusion is to fail to differentiate between the rapture event and the 2nd Coming event. This was the same mistake made by the Jewish leaders back before the 1st Coming of Christ, in that they failed to separate the scriptures pointing to the 1st and 2nd Comings of the Messiah.

Because of this mistake, the Jewish leaders, and also the disciples, thought that the Messiah was going to come and conquer the Romans and set up His Kingdom when He came. They overlooked the fact that Scripture not only pointed to the Messiah coming as King, but also depicted Him as a suffering Messiah as well. The result was that most of the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus as their Messiah.

It is important to note that some Jewish leaders did see the two different aspects of the Messiah. These leaders decided there would be two Messiahs, but they still rejected Jesus based on errors introduced into the Jewish calendar in addition to their corrupt hearts. Remember, they had the exact time frame for the coming of the Messiah from Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy.

Jesus Himself showed us that two events can be shown in one section of scripture:

Luke 4:16-19 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: " The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.

When you go back to the scripture that Jesus quoted from in Isaiah 61:1-2 you find that He deliberately stopped before reading this part: "And the day of vengeance of our God..." You see, if Christ had read this portion in Luke 4, then he would be proclaiming the "day of vengeance" at His 1st Coming, but he deliberately left it out, because the "day of vengeance" will be at His 2nd Coming.

There are several prophecies of the 1st and 2nd Comings of Christ combined in one passage:

Psalms 118:22-27 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity (1st Coming). Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar (2nd Coming)

Isaiah 42:1-4 "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench (1st Coming); He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law." (2nd Coming)

Micah 5:2-5 " But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." (1st Coming)Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth; And this One shall be peace (2nd Coming).

Zechariah 9:9-10 " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem (1st Coming); The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.' (2nd Coming)

Zechariah 13:7-9 " Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion," Says the LORD of hosts. " Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones (1st Coming). And it shall come to pass in all the land," Says the LORD, " That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, 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, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.'" (2nd Coming)

Malachi 3:1-3 "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight (1st Coming - The messenger was John the Baptist). Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts. "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness (2nd Coming).

Isaiah 40:3-5 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: " Prepare the way of the LORD (John the Baptist preparing the way for the 1st Coming); Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."(The 2nd Coming)

It is evident that two events can both be in one section or verse of Scripture. In the same manner the rapture and the 2nd Coming are also found together in passages. Note the word "and" separating the two events in the following examples:

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ( 2nd Coming) and our gathering together to Him (rapture)...

2 Timothy 4:1 1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing (rapture - Bema Judgment) and His kingdom (before Millennium -Sheep and Goat and end of Millennium- Great White Throne).

Titus 2:13 ...looking for the blessed hope (rapture) and glorious appearing (2nd Coming) of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ...

The chart below presents the scriptural differences between the two events:

Our Blessed Hope - Rapture Events

 

The Glorius Appearing - 2nd Coming Events

 

Day and hour unknown

Matthew
24:36

Day will be known

Daniel
9:27 & 12:11

Sudden and unexpected

1 Corinthians
15:51-52

Many signs leading up to
Second Coming

Matthew
24:15-30

Church watches and
waits for Christ

Phillipians
3:20

Tribulation Saints watch
for antichrist(s)

Matthew
24:23-27

Christ comes in the
air for His own

John
14:3

Christ comes to Earth
with His own

Jude
1:14

Jesus Himself will
gather the Church

1 Thessalonians
4:16-17

Angels will gather the
Jewish Elect

Matthew
24:31

Christ comes to claim
His Bride

John
14:2-3

Christ returns with his bride

Revelation
19:7-8, 14

The Church will be glorified
and go to heaven

Phillipians
3:20-21

Church will return and appear
with Christ in Glory

Colossians
3:4

Believers taken to heaven
to stand before Christ

Luke
21:36

Believers remain on Earth
to live in the Kingdom

Zechariah
14:16

Christ takes His own to
His Father's House

John
14:2-3

Resurrected Saints rule
and reign on Earth

Revelation
20:4

Crowns rewarded for works
at Bema Judgment

1 Corinthians
3:12-15

Kingdom inherited at
Sheep & Goat Judgment

Matthew
25:31-46

Only believers will see Him

Hebrews
9:28

All humanity will see Him

Matthew
24:29-30

Age of Grace before
the rapture

Ephesians 3

Day of Vengence before
the 2nd Coming

Isaiah
61:2

Before Wrath

1 Thessalonians
5:9-10

After Tribulation

Matthew
24:29-30

Church save from Wrath

Romans
5:9

Israel saved through
Judgment

Zechariah
13:8-9

Church kept from testing

Revelation
3:10

Saints martyred under
5th Seal Judgment

Revelation
6:9-11

Righteous taken and
wicked left behind

1 Thessalonians
4:16-17

Wicked taken and Righteous
go into the Kingdom

Matthew
13:30

Day of deception

2 Thessalonians
2:3-12

Satan bound - no deception
allowed for 1000 years

Revelation
20:1-3

In conclusion, I hope that this study has brought you assurance of our "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13) of a Pre-Tribulation rapture. I also hope that you have gained better understanding of how the natural flow of the prophetic scriptures is in harmony with this view. The more I study this topic, the more confident I become in my own belief of the Pre-Tribulation rapture and the more blessed and excited I become as I anticipate the soon return of our Lord. I pray the same for you. Maranatha!

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