Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Great Tribulation - Part 4

The destruction of the earth comes with the seven trumpets sound of seven angels. But my previous message ends with the trumpet of the sixth angel. There is a reason for this. Before the seventh angel sounds the seven trumpet, there is another interruption. Chapter 10 of Revelation records this interruption - the parenthetical things that will happen before the judgment of the seven bowls begins with the trumpet of the seventh angel. During this interruption, John receives a message from a mighty angel who will present him with a little book. This angel won't tell John what the seventh trumpet judgment is, but he will tell him what it will do. The results are recorded in Rev. 11 and 12.

The Mighty Angel (Rev. 10:1 - 3)

"I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his feft foot on the land, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices" (Rev. 10:1 -3, emphasis added).

An angel clothed with a cloud (Rev. 10:1)

John saw a mighty angel in Rev. 5:2. Now we read that he saw another mighty angel. We do no know the identity of this angel, but we do know that he will have great authority. This mighty angel will be clothed in a cloud. In the Bible, clouds have been associated with at least two things: the presence of God and the return of Jesus. God came down on Mount Sinai in a cloud (Ex. 24:15, 16) and led the children of Israel with a pillar of cloud (Ex. 13:21). Jesus ascended to heaven in a cloud (Acts 1:9) and will return in a cloud (Luke 21:27). This mighty angel's clothing could be a reminder that he will be a messenger from God, or it could also be a reminder that Jesus will be returning soon.

An angel with one foot on the sea and the other on the land (Rev. 10:2)

This mighty angel will carry a small open book in his hand. While he is holding it, he will plant his right foot on the sea and his left foot on dry land. He stakes a claim in the name of his King, because the earth is ths Lord's (1 Cor. 10:26).

An angel speaks with a loud voice (Rev. 10:3)

The voice of this mighty angel will be as when a lion roars. His voice is like the voice of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. At the same time he speaks, a voice in heaven will roar like seven thunders. The seven thunders is symbolic for the voice of God (Job 37:4).

From the above description, this Might Angel must be our Lord, Jesus Christ!

A Voce from heaven (Rev. 10:4 - 6)

"Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.' The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer" (Rev. 10:4 - 6, emphasis added).

God will make an emphatic remard in His voice of seven thunders that even John will be able to hear and understand because he will start to write it down. We are not told why John was prevented from recording this mysterious message, but he heard and know much more than he was allowed to reveal. We need to understand the thunder is also a symbol of God's wrath, and that what He utters will probably be followed up with divine judgment.

Just as a witness raises his right hand to take the oath to tell the whole truth in a courtroom, this angel will also raise his hand toward heaven to swear to tell God's truth and that there should be no more delay. When the time comes for the seventh angel to sound the seventh trumpet, God will complete His plan.

It will be the answer the martyred Tribulation saints have been waiting for. God will no longer delay His vengeance for their persecution and death. To the believers on earth who have been running, hiding, and waiting, these words will mean they will no longer have to wait for God to move against the wicked. And to the unbelievers on earth, they will mean God is now going to fulfill His wrath with no more delay.

This message should be a word of consolation to the saved and a word of terror to the lost. In a moment, the awesome, final judgments of God will start falling, and nothing will stop them.

The Mystery of God would be finished (Rev. 10:7)

"But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servents the prophets" (Rev. 10:7, emphasis added).

Jesus has now opened all seven seals, and six of the angels have sounded their tumpets. The last trumpet will bring the seven bowl judgments. But before the seventh angel blows his trumpet, a voice from heaven will declare, the mystery of God will be accomplished (finished), just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

Daniel also wrote of a word of mystery:

"Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy" (Daniel 9:24).

There are many mysteries that cannot be understood today: Why did God allow Satan to creep into the Garden of Eden? Why did God allow Adam and Eve to fail? why did sin enter this world? since these are mysteries of God, we cannot know them now.

When the seventh angel sounds the trumpet, however, the judgment of the seven bowls comes, leading to the end of the world. Then comes the millennial reign of the Lord, during which He will disclose everthing plainly!

The Little Scroll (Rev. 10:8 - 11)

"Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, 'Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.' So I went to the angel and said to him, 'Give me the little book.' And he said to me, 'Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.' Then I toook the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. and he said to me, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings'" (Rev. 10:8 -11).

What is this little scroll and what is in it? The answer appears in Rev. 10:11. This little scroll told the things that will happen during the second three and one-half years. The same voice of the seven thunders tells John to go and take the open book (scroll) out of the mighty angel's hand and eat it.

Eating the Words of God is not new to the Bible. In the Old Testament we find similar cases in which the prophet was told to eat a scroll before he received the Word of God. Ezekiel ate a scroll from God (Ezek. 3:1 - 3). In the same manner Jesus told John to eat this scroll that he might prophesy.

The instruction to eat the little scroll will come with a warning that the Word of God will taste sweet but will turn bitter once digested. Leaning the Word of God with its plans and mysteries can be enjoyable and exciting, but understading the reality of its judgments is sickening. Isn't it sweet to know that Satan will soon be bound and chained, but bitter to contemplate what people will go through beforehand? Isn't it sweet to know that final victory is assured, but bitter to contemplate the plagues, pain, loss of life, and eternal destiny of the lost? It was pleasant for John to receive the message from God, but painful for him to contemplate the steps toward fulfillment.

When John was told to eat the book, he was also given a commission from God. He was told to prophesy about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. This was his great privilege, his great calling, and his great responsibilty.

The Trumpet of the Seventh Angel (Rev. 11:1 - 19)

Measuring the Temple (Rev. 11:1)

"Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, 'Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. ..." (Rev. 11:1, 2).

As we move into the second half of the Great Tribulation, the first scene is of John measuring the Jews' temple and altar and counting the worshippers there.

Why such a starting point? I believe in this second part of the Great Tribulation, the Antichrist will fight his life-and-death struggle with the Jews. During the first three and one-half years he will be on peaceful terms with them. He helps them and even builds the temple for them. However, in the second half of the Great Tribulation, Satan, who was driven out of heaven, enters into the heart of the Antichrist. As a result he breaks the seven-year treaty in the middle and begins a war to annihilate the Jews. Therefore the temple is very significant during that period.

Histroy tells us that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed when Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70. The Jews rose in revolt against the tyranny of Rome, but Jerusalem was besieged and burned by the Roman general Titus. Many instruments made of gold, used for sacrifice in the temple, were burned in this fire, and the gold melting into the crevices of the stones. In their search for the hidden, the Roman soldiers left no stone unturned, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 24:2.

In the place where the temple previously stood, the Muslims built their own mosque, the Dome of the Rock, between A.D. 687 and 691. Believing it to be the site from which their prophet Mohammed was taken up into heaven, they have made it their second most holy place.

During the Six-Day War of 1967 Israel captured from Jordan the old part of Jerusalem where the mosque stands. Today Israel has finished preparations to rebuild the temple and is ready to start at any time. It is the burning desire of the Jews to build a temple there on Mount Moriah.


But the Jews, who cannot even go near the present mosque, will surely start a war with the Muslims when they begin to tear it down to make room for their temple. They will only succeed with the help of a unified Europe.


In the second half of the Great Tribulation God will try those Jewish people with fire who do not believe in Jesus Christ, choosing rather to reject Him. After that God will measure the sincerity of their faith. He will shelter those who worship Him in the temple and at the altar, according to the meaure of their faith. He will cast away others - those who are outside the temple.


Among the Jews today are pious people who fervently worship the Lord through Judaism. But there are also others who ridicule Judaism, denying the existence of God. In order to separate those two types of people, John measured the temple and the altar and counted the worshippers with a rod-like reed.


The Outer Court (Rev. 11:2)


However, the Lord told John not to measure the court outside the temple (read Rev. 11:2). That means God will save only those pious whorshippers inside the temple. As for those on the outside, in the temple court, God will abandon them into the hands of the Antichrist for 42 months (three and one-half years), whether they are Jews or Gentiles.


The Antichrist has been making preparation for his rule of the world in the first three and one-half years. Now he will change his shape into a beast and for the following three and one-half years rule the world with full authority. He will break his seven-year treaty he had made with Israel and set up his own idol-image in the altar of the temple, forcing the Jews to worship it. This is foretold in Daniel 9:27. Jesus also warned of this in Matt. 24:15, 16.


Since devout Jews will worship only God, not idols, they will, of course, resist. Inevitably, a bloody massacre will ensue.


After measuring the temple and altar and counting those who worship there, God will move everyone obedient to His will the shelter. This scene soon appears.


The Two Witnesses (Rev. 11:3 - 13)


Two witnesses, clothed in sackcloth, appear and will prophesy 1,260 days (three and one-half years) during the second part of the Great Tribulation. The 144,000 Jewish preachers sealed by God have been taken up into heaven. In their place, God sends two witnesses to come and prophesy. Read Rev. 11:3 - 13 carefully you will understand they were given supernatural power to bear witness for Christ and the imminent judgment of God. The Antichrist (the Beast) hates them and then kills them (Verse 7). By this time these two witnesses will have fulfulled their mission.


The Antichrist then throws their bodies into the streets of Jerusalem (Verse 8). All the world's people congratulate themselves for the death of the two witnesses and refuse to let their bodies to be placed in a tomb (Verse 9). The people send gifts one to another and make merry. The two witnesses had harshly rebuked them and brought a judgment of drought because of their wickedness, so it is with great joy that they celebrate their deaths (Verse 10).


However, "after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet." Then a loud voice from heaven speaks: "Come up here." They ascend to heaven before everyone's eyes, causing everyone to be very frightened (read Rev. 11:11, 12).


From the above narration, I believe the two witnesses were Moses and Elijah, who comforted Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (read Luke 9:28). When the children of Israel became depraved and worshipped idols during the time of King Ahab, Elijah prayed to God that it might not rain, and God shut the door of heaven for three and one-half years. The two witnesses did the same (Verse 6).


The Bible says Elijah did not see death but was caught up into heaven (read 2 Kings 2:1 - 11). Although it was known that Moses climbed Mount Nebo to die, his body was never found.


Therefore the two witnesses are unmistakable Moses and Elijah. God sends them again in the flesh to this world to witness of Jesus Christ, showing His love and mercy in order to deliver on more soul from hell. That is the grace and mercy of God!


My next messag deals with the "Trumpet of the Seventh Angel" and the subsequent judgments of God.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Great Tribulation - Part 3

My previous message ends with the prayers of the saints concerning avenging the martyred saints answered. Now God reveals to John the destruction of the earth and its inhabitants. This comes with the seven trumpets sound of seven angels.

The Trumpet of the First Angel (Rev. 8:7)

"The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up" (Rev. 8:7, emphasis added).

When the seventh seal is opened, the first angel sounds the first trumpet. The scene will unfold in the first half the Great Tribulation. The above description of the destruction of the earth is almost unimaginable in John's time.

However, we can now speculate that in all probability John was describing the effects of a nuclear bomb. Today, such a weapon can devastate a wide area, burning all the trees and grass in its way. When an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945, there was a sudden downpour of hail. That happened because the air heated by the explosion went up with the vapor, and as it was cooled in the high altitude of the atmosphere, it turned into hail and fell to the earth. To John, the explosion of numerous nuclear bombs might well have looked like "hail and fire mingled with blood."

I conclude, therefore, that this Verse shows that a devastating nuclear war will occur during the first half of the Great Tribulation. God will judge this world through human hands. At present, the United States, Russia, France, China, India and others are all manufacturing and stockpiling nuclear weapons. The day will come when they will use them. We must remember that since human history began, mankind has never made a weapon it did not use. Enough nuclear bombs have already been made to destroy the earth several times.

The buring of one-third of the earth's vegetation will also cause food shortages. Moreover, the destruction of the third part of the trees will greatly damage air quality, since trees purify air by turning cardon dioxide into oxygen.

Air pollution is already a major problem in the world today. How much more of a problem will it be then?

The Trumpet of the Second Angel (Rev. 8:8, 9)

"Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third to the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed" (Rev. 8:8, 9, emphasis added).

The trumpet will signal judgment upon the sea. It reminds us of the first plague on the Egypt in the days of Moses, which turned the waters into blood.

Pay close attention to the wording in this verse. It does not say a burning mountain will be thrown into the sea. It says, "Something like a great mountain burning with fire will be thrown into the sea." Some think it will be a nuclear missile. Others think it will be a burning meteor. Whatever it is, it will be a big, blazing, and cause the sea to turn into blood. It will kill one-third of sea life and destroy one-third of the ships. Those who depend upon the sea for jobs, food, defense, or cargo transport will suffer. As a result of the "mountain" hitting the sea, it is likely that everything close to the sea will probably be damgaed by the great tidal wave.

The Trumpet of the Third Angel (Rev. 8:10, 11)

"Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter" (Rev. 8:10, 11, emphasis added).

According to John, the great blazing object that fell from heaven was a great star named Wormwood. Wormwood is an aromatic but poisonous plant or herb which yields bitter, dark green oil. It will contaminate one-third of earth's fresh water supply, causing many people to die from drinking the tainted water.

My guess is that the "great star" was a biological bomb, because the water was polluted, and everyone who drank the water died. This also will happen in the first half of the Great Tribulation, when the Arab nations, backed by Russia, war against Israel and the league of European nations.

The Trumpet of the Fourth Angel (Rev. 8:12)

"Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night" (Rev. 8:12).

When the fourth angel sounded the trumpet, a third of the sun, moon and stars turned dark. A third of the day and night were without light. How could this happen?

It is possible that a nuclear war breaks out, burning up a third of all the trees in the world and destroying one-third of all ships, the dust arising from the nuclear explosions would sweep over the earth, and the earth would become darkened.

I believe it is not conincidence that Pagan religions worship these objects - sun, moon and stars. Astrologers, fortune tellers, and witches rely on them to predict the future. Surely these people are ripe for the judgment of God! Thus, the focus of Revelation 8 is on the destruction of the natural environment by the first four angels.

The warning of an angel (Rev. 8:13)

"And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!'" (Rev. 8:13, emphasis added).

Before the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, another angel appeared and crying out with a loud voice in order to give warning about the remaining three dreadful judgments. Who or what is the angel we are not told. But we are told that this angel will fly through the air pronouncing three woes upon the inhabitants of the earth. These three woes correspond to the last three trumpets. Some even call them the "trumpet woes." It is hard to imagine, but these woes will be worse than any judgment previously mentioned.

The Trumpet of the Fifth Angel (Rev. 9:1 - 11)

1. A star fallen from heaven to earth (Rev. 9:1, 2)




"Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit" (Rev. 9:1, 2 emphasis added).

This is not a literal star. This is not even a star that will fall, but one that has already fallen - Lucifer or Satan. Rev. 9:2 refers to this star as "he."

Isaiah said, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground" (Isaiah 14:12)?

Satan will be cast down indeed. He will be given the key to the bottomless pit - a place of torment where the worst of his demonic spirits are held and from where the Antichrist will come forth. Satan will descend and open the bottomless pit. When he does, a thick black smoke will ruch out, covering the earth in darkness. The sky will be blackened, and the sun will be obscured.


2. Locusts will come (Rev. 9:3, 4)

"Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the sorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (Rev. 9:3, 4).

Locusts will come out of the smoke, but not locusts as we know them. They will not be short-horned grasshoppers that have plagued people around the world. Instead, they will have horrible features - part animal and part human (Rev. 9:7, 8). They are intelligent and totally under God's control. They will harm only those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads - only the 144,000 Jews have the seal of God.

3. Locust's deadly torment (Rev. 9:5, 6)

"And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment ws like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire the die, and death will flee from them" (Rev. 9:5, 6).

These locusts will not kill but only torture for a period not to exceed five months. They will be the masters of suffering by inflicting pain similar to a scorpion's sting. God could let them kill, but He somethimes uses suffering to bring people to salvation through Jesus. God could let the torture last for more than five months, but His grace will restrain it.

During these five months of the Great Tribulation period, people will hurt so much they will want to die. Because of this torture, many will try to commit suicide, but God will not let them find death to end their suffering.


4. Demon-possessed locusts - a form of evil spirit (Rev. 9:7 - 10)


"The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the face of men. They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. And they had breastplates like brestplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their powere was to hurt men five months" (Rev. 9:7 - 10).


The appearance of evil spirits symbolized as locusts is so ghastly that it surpasses our imagination!


5. The army of demons (Rev. 9:11, 12)


"And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things" (Rev. 9:11, 12).


This army of demonic locust will be under the direction of a satanic angelic king, possibly one of Satan's powerful henchmen. His Hebrew name will be Abaddon, meaning "destruction," and his Greek name Apollyon, meaning "destroyer." Since his name is given in both Hebrew and Greek, he will probably be permitted to attack both Jews and Gentiles alike. His name is given twice, so it is a double warning of his destructive power.


Rev. 9:12 is further proof that Revelation is sequence-oriented. The trumpet woes will not overlap. They will come in sequence. It is obvious why the angel called them woes - tormented people, losing their minds and begging to die.


The Trumpet of the Sixth Angel (Rev. 9:12 - 21)


When the sixth angel sounded the trumpet, John heard a voice saying, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." (Rev. 9:14, emphasis added).


The Euphrates divided the east from the west. This river basin has been a land of rebellion from the beginning of time. This river is a branch of the river originating in the Garden of Eden, where Adam sinned (read Gen. 2:14).


The first rebellion against God took place there, and it was also the place where Cain, the first murderer, killed his brother, Abel. Moreover, the tower of Babel, that prominent symbol of human rebellion against God, was also built in a place near this river. Idolatrous Babylon was situated along this river. Thus, the valley of the Euphrates has been a place of wicked rebellion against God since the beginning of the world.


Who are these four angels? The fact that they are bound indicates that they are four more fallen angels. Why they fell and are bound we are not told, but they appeared to be powerful cohorts of Satan who may have had a part in the many sins committed along the Euphrates.


God bound these four angels at the Euphrates at some point. When they are loosed during the first half of the Great Tribulation, they are to kill one-third of the world population (read Rev. 9:15). When the fourth seal is opened, one-forth of the world population (about 1:7 billion people) will die. When one-third of that remaining population is killed, another 1.5 billion will die. Therefore, during the short period of three and one-half years, more that half (about 3.4 billion) the population of the world will die. Imagine how severe the Great Tribulation will be! Blessed are the saints who are caught up into heaven before such a Great Tribulation starts!


Those four angels cannot kill at any time they choose, however. The hour, the day, the month and the year have already fixed (read 9:15).


An army of two hundred million


"Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone" (Rev. 9:16, 17).


The only country in the world that can mobilize so great an army is China. Rev. 9:17 is a description of modern warfare. That sounds today like tanks firing their guns, flame-throwers hurling flames, and nuclear bombs being dropped from the air. By these weapons a third of the earth's people are killed (Rev. 9:18). Nevertheless people do not repent of their sins (read Rev. 9:20, 21). Why does the Bible mention this? I believe it is to show that God is still waiting for their repentance and conversions. If God thought them hopeless, there would be no need to mention it.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The Great Tribulation - Part 2

Between the sixth seal and the seventh seal, a parenthetical scene appears, and we see God sealing those preachers who will deliver the remaining people on earth during the first half of the Great Tribulation.

Four angels holding back the wind (Rev. 7:1)

"After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, or the sea, or on any tree" (Rev. 7:1, NKJV).

After the first six seals are opened, four angels will stand at the earth's four corners to prevent any wind from blowing. This does not mean the earth will become square. It simply a symbolic expression meaning the angels will be standing at the four points of the compass: north, south, east, and west. They will control the winds of the earth. The wind signifies war, and God commanded that angels in charge of the war to suspend it until all the preachers of the gospel be sealed on their foreheads (Rev. 7:2, 3).

The sealing mentioned here is not the same as the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Our being drawn today to faith in Jesus and to salvation is done by the invisible sealing of the Holy Spirit upon our souls. In that day, however, God's sealing on the forheads of His servants will be visible to everyone. Later Satan will also seal those who follow the Antichrist with the number 666 on their foreheads or hands.

The sealing of the preachers of the gospel (Rev. 7:2 - 8)

The angel from the east

"Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, ..." (Rev. 7:2).

We are not told who this angel from the east is, but we are told that he will have authority over the other four angels. The four angels will have the power to harm the earth and sea, but just before they unleash their great power, the angel from the east will intercede with a loud voice and stop them from harming the earth, the sea, or the trees until they have sealed the servants (preachers) of the gospel (Rev. 7:3).

Those who are sealed are all Jews

Those sealed are the preachers of the gospel who will deliver the remnants of God during the first half of the Great Tribulation. Furthermore, Rev 7:4 - 8 tell us they are all Jews - 144,000 out of every tribe of the sons of Israel.

Why are the tribe of Dan omitted and the tribe o Manasseh included instead? There is a definite reason for that:

1 Kings 12:25 - 30 describes how idolatry was committed in the northern kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam, its first king, made two golden calves and set one in Dan and the other in Bethel, the hill country of Ephraim. Both the tribes of Dan and Ephraim worshipped the calves. God had said earlier that He would blot out the names of those who serve other gods from under the heaven (read Deut. 29:18 - 20). Therefore, the name of Dan was omitted from the list of the twelve tribes of Israel and replaced by the tribe of Manasseh, who was the firstborn of Joseph.

Today there are many heretics who deceive people using the number 144,000. Jehovah's Witnesses maintain that only 144,000 people, who are their members, will go to heaven. However, Rev. 7:4 - 8 clearly state that 144,000 will come from the twelve thribes of Israel, which exclude all Gentiles.

The purpose of the 144,000 Jewish preachers

The 144,000 are the Jewish preachers who will gleam the remaining souls in the first half of the Great Tribulation. Why does God choose them for that purpose?

Those who preached the gospel first were Jews. Those who recorded the Bible were also Jews. And it is only right that our Lord would again use His chosen people as those who would complete His kingdom.

These 144,000 Jews are like the 7,000 people God preserved during the time of Elijah (1 Kings 19:18); they did not bow their knees to Baal but kept their faith in God to the very end. The end-time Jews will have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and entered into salvation. God will seal them for His use as preachers of the gospel, and they will preach it everywhere during the first half of the Great Tribulation.

A great multitude of people who will be saved (Rev. 7:9 - 14)

The 144,000 Jewish preachers will present the gospel so diligently, even sacrificing their lives, that the people who are saved out of all nations and the people cannot be numbered. As John saw them, they are "standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands" (Rev. 7:9).

One of the elders told John, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14).

This great multitude before the throne of God will come out of the Great Tribulation. They will be saved people. Their white robes are proof that they are washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and the palm branches they hold are tokens that they overcame the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation. However, the martyrs, as we saw in Revelation 6, were lying flat under the altar. Therefore this great multitude of people standing around the throne did not pass through martyrdom.

The important point for us is that those who rely on the precious blood of Jesus will be saved even in the midst of the Great Tribulation. We must witness diligently for Christ. Even if people do not believe now, they may believe and go to heaven when they are exhorted by the 144,000 preachers.

I notice that when most prophetic Bible teachers talk about the "Great Tribulation," they are talking about the last three and one-half years of the seven-year period. But in Rev.7:14, the term refers to all those who have come out of the entire seven-year Great Tribulation.

What is implied by the great multitude who are saved (Rev. 7:15 - 17)

"Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them" (Rev. 7:15).

This is a very special promise. On earth, during the Great Tribulation, the saved will not be safe anywhere. They will either starve, die of disease, or be murdered. There will be no way to escape the clutches of the Antichrist. Suddenly, they will find themselves in the throne room of God, face-to-face with Jesus, surrounded by angels, clothed in white robes, and protected by God.

They will not sit on the throne. They will stand before the throne and give praise to God, waving the palm branches in their hands. They do not wear crowns, nor do they receive rewards, because they did not believe early according to faith. The saints (like all of us) who were already saved before the Great Tribulation, however, receive golden crowns as their rewards.

When God dwells among the saints of the Tribulation, they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat (read Rev. 7:16). Because those people went through so much hunger and thirst, God will not make them suffer any longer. From this we can imagine how much pain they suffer from the Antichrist: "... for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17).

The Seventh Seal


"When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets" (Rev. 8:1, 2).


When this seal is brokem, the scroll will be completely open. Nothing will remain to restrain the carrying out of the remaining judgments. Before they can begin, though, there will be silence in heaven for about a half hour.


The flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder coming from the throne of God will cease. The four living creatures will cease their talk about the holiness of God. The twenty-four elders will suspend their declarations about the worthiness of the Lamb. The heavenly hosts will stop their singing, and the Tribulation saints will cease their praise. An eerie, foreboding silence will move across heaven. Everyone will wait in anticipation of what is to come next. Will people be given time to repent? Will God destroy the earth? Something will be on the horizon - something of tremendous importance!


Even while God executes judgment, He still wants human beings to repent and be gleaned into the salvation of eternal life, freed from the snare of the Devil. That is why God waits silently for half an hour. It is a chance for people to throw themselves on His mercy and avoid the approaching judgment that will begin with the opening of the seven seal.


Out of all the angels in heaven, only seven particular angels constantly stand in the presence of God. They are most commonly known as archangels, but some call them the angels of the Presence. Anyway, each of them was given a trumpet.


The eighth angel - one having a golden censer


"Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne" (Rev. 8:3, emphasis added).


After the silence of half an hour, the seven angels stand, with each one holding a trumpet. One angel comes with a golden censer full of incense and offers the incense on the altar of God.


In Old Testament times Solomon's temple contained the holy place and, behind a curtain, the holy of holies. entrance to the holy place was restricted to the high priest alone, and even he could enter the holy of holies only once a year, and that not without blood. The holy of holies is where God dwells.


John saw there an angel who was about to offer incense. Who is this angel? Since angels do not have the priesthood, none of them can become the high priest. The priesthood was reserved for Aaron and his descendants. There is another person, however, who has become a priest in the order of Melchizedek. He is Jesus Christ, our high priest (read Heb. 7:20 - 22). Therefore I believe it is Jesus who offers the incense from the golden censer on the altar of God.


The incense Jesus received was offered with the prayers of the saints (Rev. 8:3, 4). As our hign priest, Jesus still carries out the work of receiving prayers of the saints and offering them on the altar of God. As the hight priest who offers sacrifice for us, He also never stops praying for us.


You may be wondering what is meant by the prayers of all the saints, if the saints are already in heaven. One thing you must know for sure is that saints pray not only when they are on earth, but also when they are in heaven. The Bible clearly calls us "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). And since part of the job of priests is to intercede for others, we will pray all the more while we are in heaven. Threrfore the saints in heaven are praying for the salvation of more souls on the earth, and the remaining souls on earth pray that they may be gleaned into salvation. To those prayers is added the intercessory prayer of Jesus, and thus the golden censer becomes full of the incense of prayers.


Prayers of the saints consumed (answered)


"Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound" (Rev. 8:5, 6).


The next scene shows that the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar and hurled it onto the earth, followed by peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. That means Jesus receives our prayers, offers them to God and, as the high priest who prays for us, receives an answer from the Father and brings it to the world.


Once the burning censer has hit the earth, the seven angels (or more correctly, archangels) will prepare to sound their trumpets. The prayers of the saints will be heard, and the whole world will be ripe for judgment. God's wrath will be kindled to unleash the next set of judgments, and the seven angels will prepare to sound the alarm.


From this point God will avenge the martyred saints. Therefore we must not stop praying, for our prayers surely turn into incense as they ascend before His throne and His answers come down and are fulfilled in our lives.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

The Great Tribulation - Part 1

At the beginning of my earlier message - "The Church Age - Part 1" I referred to what John heard from the Lord:

"Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this" (Rev. 1:19).

So far we have studied "The things which you have seen" - corresponds to Chapter 1 of the book of Revelation and "the things which are" - corresponds to the "Church Age" in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. "The things which will take place after this," which corresponds to the remaining Chapters - (Chapter 4 to Chapter 22), will be my forthcoming messages.

We have already studied Chapter 4 and 5 of the book of Revelation in my messages - "The Rapture and the Throne of God" and "The Seven-sealed Scroll" respectively. Now the Great Tribulation starts in Chapter 6, where our Lord opens the first seal in the scroll that has seven seals.

Many Bible teachers said the period of the Great Tribulation will last seven years. Where in the Bible do we see that time frame give, since the exact words, "seven years of tribulation" are not found anywhere in the Sripture? The answer is found in the book of Daniel, to which the book of Revelation is closely related. A deeper and clearer understanding can be found by interpreting them together.

Daniel's Seventy Weeks

Daniel was one of the Jews taken captive to Babylon when the kingdom of Judah fell in 605 B.C.. While reading the book of Jeremiah there, he came across the prophecy that said Israel would return home after seventy years. To know exactly when that would happen, he prayed earnestly to God. An angel of the Lord appeared to him and showed him in detail not only the return of Israel to its land, but also what would happen from then to the end of the world. Please read Daniel 9:24 - 27.

The angel Gabriel came and told Daniel that seventy weeks would be determined upon "your people," the people of Judah, and "your holy city," Jerusalem. Since one week in the Bible signifies seven years, seventy weeks is 490 years.

Therefore the prophecy meant that after 490 years had passed, the transgression would be finished, sins would end, reconciliation for inequity would be made forever, everlasting righteousness would be brought in, all the visions and prophecies would come to pass, and the most Holy - the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ - would come to redeem the world.

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; ..." (Verse 25, emphasis added).

Our Lord Jesus Christ was referred to as "the Prince." Gabriel said that from the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince, would be 7 weeks and 62 weeks (total of 69 weeks). And on March 14, 445 years before Jesus was born, King Artaxerxes of Persia gave an order to restore Jerusalem.

As a result, some of the children of Israel who had been carried away to Babylon as captives returned home. On April 6, A.D. 32, 69 weeks or 484 years after that, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, so the prophecy was fulfilled precisely - this includes leap years!

"The 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" (Verse 27, emphasis added).

Notice that "he" mentioned in verse 27 refers the Antichrist (probably a Roman emperor). He will confirm the covenant with many Jews for seven year. However, in the middle of that period, after three and one-half years (the middle of the week), he will break the covenant and cause the worship of the Jew to cease. Thus, during the first part of the Great Tribulation the persecution will be less intense.

During the second three and one-half years, the Antichrist will completely break the covenant with the Jews. He will enter the temple and claim to be the king. This will be the period of severe tribulation, but "that which is determined" (some Bible teachers named it as "God's wrath") will be poured upon the Antichrist and his followers - "the desolate."

"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Verse 26).

In Daniel 9:26 is a prophecy about what would happen during the Church Age after the resurrection of Jesus. A Roman general named Titus came with his army and destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, fulfilling the part of the prophecy saying, "the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Daniel 9:26). At the end of the Church Age, which has so far lasted slightly more than 2000 years, the Antichrist will appear and begin the Great Tribulation.

Daniel 9 has deeper theological implications that go beyong the scope of this message, but I trust you can see now why Bible scholars conclude the Great Tribulation will be seven years long. It will be the last period in which God exhorts the Jews, His chosen people, to repent. For the Gentiles it will be a period in which they betray Jesus Christ and go through torment and destruction to the end. Let us look now at what will happen during the Great Tribulation.

The opening of the Seven Seals (Rev. 6:1 - 17)

The first seal: The conqueror riding on the white horse (Rev. 6:1, 2)

As John in the Spirit watched these future events unfold, Jesus opened the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then one of the four living creatures, with a voice like thunder, said to John, "Come and see."

The "counqueror" was not Jesus but the Antichrist:

It is easy to make the mistake of interpreting this figure riding on a white horse to be Jesus. The Great Tribulation had already begun, however, and Jesus was in heaven, opeing the first seal. Therefore to suppose that Jesus rode on a white horse "went out conquering and to conquer" (Verse 2) doesn't fit the time sequence, nor it is acceptable from a logical point of view. There are several reasons this must take place at the outset of the Great Tribulation:

1. The Church has already been carried into heaven. Jesus works through the Church and the Holy Spirit, but as we saw in Revelation 4, the Church has already gone through the open door of heaven, accompanied by the Holy Spirit. Hence, the age of grace, the Church age, has ended. Therefore, to interpret Rev. 6:2 as saying Jesus appears again, riding on a white horse and preaching the gospel - "conquering, and to conquer," at the beginning of the Great Tribulation is not reasonable chronologically.

2. The man on a white horse goes forth conquering with a bow, but Jesus clearly identified in Revelation 19 as fighting with a sword that comes out of His mouth (Read Rev. 19:15).

3. Revelation 19:12 says that on the head of Jesus, the King of kings, were many crowns. The man who rides on a white horse wears only one crown.

4. Jesus has already won the victory and will come next to earth to judge. He wrote to the Church in Loadicea: "To him who overcomes I will grat to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Rev. 3:21).

Therefore he who rode on a white is not Jesus.

Who then is riding on a white horse? None other than the Antichrise, disguising himself as Jesus Christ, falsely claiming he is the messiah who will bring peace and prosperity to the world. The title "Antichrist" is put on him because he pretends to be Christ. For that purpose he rides a white horse (which symbolizes purity and victory), wears a crown and has a bow in his hand to conquer.

The second seal and the red horse (Rev. 6:3, 4)

When the Lamb of God opened the second seal, John saw a red horse coming, "And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword" (Verse 4).

The red horse symbolizes war and blood. War takes place when peace is taken away. I believe the red hourse also signifies communism, which is symbolized by the color red.

The third seal and the black horse (Rev. 6:5, 6)

When the third seal was opened, John saw a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hands. This is a time of great famine. The shortage of food is so severe that its sale will be rationed by being weighed in the balance - "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; do not harm the oil and the wine" (Verse 6).

Famine and economic ruin are always the aftermath of war. During the war, resources are consumed by the war effort, as are available workers, and industrial facilities are destroyed.

The rider of the black horse is forbidden, however, to harm the oil and the wine. Why? I believe it is because olive oil and wine are precious things used for sacrifices to God. But apart from them there will be a dreadful famine and economic devastation.

The fourth seal and the Pale horse (Rev. 6:7,8)

The mention of the horse's color makes us shudder - "So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth" (Verse 8).


It is obvious from this account that both Death and Hades were revealed to John as being persons. Only a person could sit on a horse, and only another person could follow along with this first one.

In one sense death is a state or condition. It is the cessation of life, the experience which results in the separation of the spirit from the body. However Death is also a person. Death is the dark angel, the minister of Satan who claims the spirit of every unrighteous person that is separated from his body when he dies.


A similar truth applies also to Hades. In one sense Hades is a place of confinement for departed spirits. In another sense, however, Hades is a person. Hades, like Death, is a dark angel, a minister of Satan, following close upon the heels of Death. Hades take charge of the spirits of the unrighteous which have been claimed by Death and conducts them to the realm of departed spirits from which he receives his name - that is, Hades.


John saw Death and Hades moving among men in that order: first Death, claiming the departing spirit, then Hades, taking thme to their prison in the lower world.


John saw that, "Power was given to them (Death and Hades) over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth" (Verse 8).


Since the population of the world is now 6.77 billion (as at April, 2009), one-fourth is 1.69 billion people. During the first three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation, nearly 1.7 billion will die on account of war (ssword), famine and other disasters!


The fifth seal and the martyrs (Rev. 6:9 - 11)


When Jesus opened the fifth seal, John saw "under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held" (Verse 9, emphasis added).


These are the people who became martyrs during the first three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation. They are said to be "under the altar." Since the altar is the place where sacrifices are offered, they are there as a sacrifice offered to God. They weep bitterly and plead to God that He will take His revenge quickly. If they had earlier believed in Jesus Christ and been caught up into heaven (raptured), how much better it would have been for them!


But then Jesus gives them white robes. Those are given to comfort them. And Jesus tells them they should rest yet for a little while until their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed (Verse 11).


Here we find that God continues His work of salvation even while the Great Tribulation is going on, like a farmer gleaning ears of grain, because if one more soul can be saved, God wills to do it! That is the love of God!


The sixth seal and the disasters in nature (Rev. 6:12 - 17)


As soon as the sixth seal is opened, fearful things will happen on the earth and in heaven. A great earthquake will take place, the sky will become pitch black with volcanic ash, and the moon will become red due to the ash and dust (read Verse 12). The sky will be rolled together like a scroll (read Verse 14). So severe will the earthquake be that every mountain and island will be moved out of its place, and the stars will fall out of the sky (read Verse 13).


When such phenomena occur, everyone from kings to slaves will hide themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains They will cry to those mountains and rocks: "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand" (Verse 16, 17)?


Notice that in spite of such terrible happenings, those people still do not repent to God but pray to the rocks and stones. People are so foolish! God wants to deliver the, but they would not repent. What a heartbreaking scene that will be!


Six seals have been opened thus far. Between the sixth seal and the seventh, a parenthetical scene appears, and we see God sealing those preachers who will deliver the remaining people on earth during the first half of the Great Tribulation.