THE TIME AFTER
JACOB’S TROUBLE
The
Untold Story of the Future Exodus!
Many expect a ‘rapture’, others expect a place of safety
for the Church or the Jews. We address this but more importantly, we answer questions that
you never thought to ask, spanning hundreds of scriptures that have a direct bearing on
your future. Is there a “place of safety” for the remnant the twelve tribes of Israel
after the Great Tribulation? Who will escape the Tribulation entirely? Can one suffer
through the Tribulation but be spared the Day of the Lord? Does the Bible mention the
United States and the British people? The Two Witnesses’ will spearhead a Second Exodus!
You simply must read about that Exodus and the “her”
involved in which “the
LORD, ‘will be a WALL OF FIRE all around her,
and I will be the glory in her midst.” (Zechariah
2:5)
The original inspiration for this article came after I read an article by a rather influential writer on the theme of “Anglo-Israel”, as some refer it to. The writer utilized passages from most of these same chapters, in an effort to ‘prove’ that the twelve modern nations, descended from the original twelve tribes of ancient Israel, would in the end time, of this present evil age, enjoy great prosperity. The very idea that those ancient tribes did not vanish from the face of the earth is new to most of you who find this article on a search engine. That being the case, one only has to read all of Genesis Chapter 49, to see a thumbnail description of the national identities that depict these twelve nations during the very “end time”.
Genesis 49:1 “And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather
together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in
the last days…” (NKJV unless noted.)
The article concluded that this Israel, (which has lost its very identity due to a lack of desire to know their God), would not only be spared captivity, but that she would be victorious over all aspiring conquers. While his happily ever after conclusion would appear to be far more desirable than the one that I am presenting here, it would be a great disservice to the God of Israel, and to you, to let this cleverly distorted and calculated account stand unchallenged. No additional effort on my part was necessary to locate all of the scriptural evidence necessary to reveal the whole story of what will happen to all twelve of our predominantly English speaking Israelite brother/nations in the coming few decades. All that I had to do was include the context of the scriptures that were so masterfully taken out of their context. The first few pages are a synopsis of the entire seven year period immediately preceding the Day of the Lord, the latter half of which is commonly referred to as the “Great Tribulation”. The lack of love toward our God is the very reason for the terrible prophetic consequences described in this article.
Proverbs 26:2 “Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so a
curse without cause shall not alight.”
The reason that I refer to Israel as “her” is prophetic in itself. You have probably been taught that the woman in the following passage is a reference to the Church. Please note that this woman gave birth to Christ! As in Joseph’s dream, from which this symbolism comes, these twelve stars represent the twelve tribes/nations of Israel! (Genesis 37:9-11)
Revelation 12:1 “Now
a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman
clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on HER head a garland of twelve stars.
2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor
and in pain to give birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery
red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.”
This article should be the sequel to the story of the ‘Great Tribulation’ that immediately precedes this time line, and indeed I will write that prequel as time permits. I will write about the rise of ten Beastly kings in Europe who will over a period of perhaps fifteen years, become so powerful and arrogant that they will even seek to challenge the God of the Universe to the ultimate battle with their Star War technology. This will take place just as that God is returning to seize His inheritance (that they are so masterfully destroying) away from them, but before the fiery red Dragon, who is using the Beast, totally destroys the “elect”.
“Matthew 24:22 "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh
would be saved; but for the elect’s sake
those days will be shortened.”
Again, you have probably heard that the “elect” is the church. Sure there is a small spiritual remnant of Israel, but do not assume that they are the primary focus of end time prophecy. The prophecies almost exclusively pertain to nations - as they interact with Israel!
Isaiah 45:4 “For Jacob
My servant’s sake, and Israel My ELECT,
I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though
you have not known Me.”
Isaiah 65:9 & 22 “I
will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and
from Judah an heir of My ‘mountains’ (symbolic of nations); My ELECT shall
inherit it, and My servants shall dwell there…v.22 “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.”
2 Timothy 2:10 “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect,
that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
One observation would be good to mention at this point, now that you are aware of who the elect really are. The following quotation from Matthew has been used to support the theory that the “elect”, ostensibly the Church, will be raptured “from the four winds” to “heaven” before the tribulation.
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.”
Notice where the expressions “from the four winds” and “four winds of heaven” came from, and to which “elect” they actually refers.
Ezekiel 37:9 “Also He said to me: Prophesy to the breath, prophesy,
son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come
from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."
This verse is not in reference to the resurrection of every Israelite who has ever died. Ezekiel 37 is an amazing chapter. Look it up! It pertains to the gathering the surviving Israelites from captivity to the Promised Land after the Great Tribulation and their ‘restoration’ to national statehood. All of which occurs before the onset of the Day of the Lord.
Zechariah
2:6-10 "Up, up! Flee from the land
of the north," says the LORD; for I have spread you abroad like the four
winds of heaven," says the LORD. 7 Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the
daughter of Babylon. 8 For thus says the LORD
of hosts: He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you
touches the apple of His eye. 9 For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they
shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent
Me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I
am coming and I will dwell in your midst,
says the LORD. 11 Many nations
shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And
I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to
you. 12 "And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy
Land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”
When you compare these verses from Zechariah to Matthew 24:31, you can see that the gathering of the elect is from the land of the north, the modern ‘Babylon’, described in Revelation chapters 17 and 18, and elsewhere. “The four winds of heaven” from which God gathers these elect, in this instance, is everywhere that Babylon has scattered Israel.
The other scripture which is used to support the rapture theory is this one:
1 Thessalonians 4:17
“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
Notice some things about this passage. This is the time of the first (actually “best”) resurrection. The gathering does take place in the EARTH’S atmosphere among the clouds; after all we will be composed of ‘spirit material’. We will always be with “the Lord” but we need not float on cloud nine with harps for eternity!
Revelation 21:3 “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.”
The rapture theory is a decoy that only serves to cover up the real story! The elect are being taken to Jerusalem, not heaven! Why go to heaven when you can be here with God? He is coming to “dwell in your midst”. For a more comprehensive ‘second opinion’ about the legendary Olivet Prophecy, and the elect, check out The Actual Message of Matthew 24.
Who Are The Two Witnesses and What is Their Message?
The scriptures reveal that two powerful prophets will arise
just before the ‘Great Tribulation’ on Israel, which is perhaps better described as “the time of Jacob’s trouble”. Mark this chapter down for a closer look later. This article is not about the
two witnesses, but their influence marks the turning point in world history. I can almost
hear them quoting the following verse:
Jeremiah 30:7 “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it;
and it is the TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE, but he
shall be saved out of it. 8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ says the LORD of
hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from your neck, and will burst your bonds; foreigners
shall no more enslave them. 9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.”
Daniel chapter twelve is another of several accounts
mentioning “ the time of trouble”.
Daniel 12:1 "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great
prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a
time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at
that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.”
The “two witnesses” of Revelation 11 will reveal to our people that because of our continuous abandonment of the Ten Commandments, we will have to learn the hard way to trust in our God. Israel is still destined to exemplify the way of life that was previously handed to them: they are to be the very first nation truly under God, with liberty and justice for all.
Then, after these witnesses have dramatically captured the attention of our nations with the same exact message of the Hebrew prophets of old, for precisely 1260 days, they will be slain by the Beast in Jerusalem.
Revelation 11:7 “When
they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make
war against them, overcome them, and kill them.”
Killing God’s prophets has always been a popular pastime in Jerusalem. (Matthew 23:34,37) But martyrdom emboldens people and will further the cause of God.
The disunited nations of Israel will become the nation that
God claims to be His “woman”, His wife!
Under the threat of death, the nations of Israel will begin to keep the Ten Commandments
(including the 4th)! Here is God’s plea:
Jeremiah 3:10-14
"And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her
whole heart, but in pretense," says the LORD. 11 Then the LORD said to me, "Backsliding
Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 "Go and
proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return,
backsliding Israel,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For
I am merciful,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not remain angry forever….14
Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD; "for
I am MARRIED to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I
will bring you to Zion”.
Ezekiel 37:16-28 expressively describes the time when Israel and the tribe of Judah will be reunited as one nation.
Some of the remnant of Israel will be spared both the Tribulation, which is only dealt to Israel, as well as the Day of the Lord, which is literally Judgment Day for Israel’s conquers and slave holders, and slow learning Israelites! The following explanation now begins at the time immediately following the Tribulation. The survivors will again be presented with an opportunity to begin to serve their God, and they will have had 1260 days of absolute hell on earth to reconsider the witnesses’ offer of protection. At this point on the timeline I will begin this commentary on the end time prophecies just after our people have taken a beating, but immediately before God steps in to destroy all of the armies still extant on the planet. All of the end time battles are foretold in scripture, yet these armies still desire to pick fights with God!
Three
Departure Dates to the Place of Safety!
Is there a “place of safety” for the remnant of the twelve Israelite nations following the ‘Great Tribulation’ on Israel? (Revelation 7) Might much of Israel escape the plagues of the Day of the Lord, which immediately follows the Tribulation? You may have been taught that the Day of the Lord was included in the 1260 day Tribulation. This article is a chronicle of the evidence demonstrating that our Israelite brethren, if they survive the three and one half year long ‘Great Tribulation’, will be spared the much worse Day of the Lord, that will be poured out on the other Nations of the world. It should greatly relieve you to know that our loved ones may have the opportunity miss out on the "year" long "wrath of God", which I believe I will prove, follows the 1260 days!
Bible prophecy is like a jig saw puzzle. You have to gather
pieces “here a little and
there a little”, and fit them together. The bulk of this article is dedicated
to, as the title expresses, the time after
Jacob’s Trouble. Safety will be made available before “the
great and awesome Day of the Lord”. Yet there is to be a place of safety from
Satan’s Great Tribulation, as well as the Day of the Lord for the few people who
understood and believed the witnesses’ message as it was being delivered. In all
probability, many of these people will even understand the prophecies before the
messengers are given “power” by God. (As an aside, one of the two witnesses may become a “Governor of Judea” as paralleled by
Haggai 1&2.)
The “holy people” of Israel will need to be “shattered”, during the time of trouble, but it is for their purification! They are “holy”, yet they are neither “pure” nor “refined”!
Daniel
12:7 “Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of
the river, when he for a time, times, and
half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished…10 Many shall be purified,
made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall
understand, but the wise shall understand.”
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.”
Notice carefully that the danger is far from over once the Great Tribulation is finished. It is after the Tribulation that the wrath of God begins!
Matthew 24:29 "Immediately AFTER THE TRIBULATION of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon
will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
will be shaken. 30 …and
then all the tribes of the earth will mourn…”
Satan will oppose some individuals who comprise this “woman” all the way to her place of safety.
Revelation 12:17
“And the dragon was enraged with the woman,
and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, WHO
KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS of God AND have the TESTIMONY OF JESUS (the)
CHRIST.”
Some people will have been anticipating the miraculous signs of God’s power that are to be displayed by the two “prophets”, (Rev.11:10) as well as their message, and be aware of the significance of the timing. They will avoid the Great Tribulation entirely, not just the Day of the Lord. The witness’s message will include the entire testimony of Jesus Christ, which includes the prophecies that He inspired previous prophets to write:
What is the “testimony of Jesus”? Here is the exact Biblical definition!
Revelation 19:10
“…For the TESTIMONY of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy.”
The Bible says that Israel will return to the Promised Land. The vast majority of the survivors of the next holocaust will be offered life and liberty, and the attainment of happiness before the Day of the Lord! Another much larger remnant of Israel will remember the Two Witnesses warning message, but unlike some of their more discerning brethren, it is only after 3 ½ years of Tribulation that they decide to heed the warning! I challenge you to examine this evidence. Once we realize that the Day of the Lord is not a part of the 1260 days, we can realize that there is a much happier ending to the saga.
Now consider some implications of this scenario. It allows us to comprehend that we have totally misunderstood the outcome of the Two Witnesses’ message. We can establish that millions of people, many of whom believe that they are truly ‘Christians’, prepared for a ‘rapture’, will actually be a remnant of Israel: survivors of the Tribulation. They will finally acknowledge that the witnesses’ message was authentic, largely because it was combined with astonishing miracles that got their attention, and because they will have had 1260 days of “Trouble” to reconsider the prophecies that were boldly expressed to them . No amount of reasoning today is sufficient because people are so caught up with the cares of the world that nothing impresses them. That is why whole pages of prophecies that explain our future go totally unnoticed. Today’s distractions will all be taken away!
The message that the witnesses delivered was not given so that God could say ‘I told you so’, rather it is for the sake of encouraging and emboldening Israel to literally "come out of her My people”, in time to be protected during the entire time of the Lord’s wrath, if not sooner. This other “her”, (Rev.18:3) will be a counterfeit Kingdom of God politically supervised by a bogus Theocracy.
There are actually two Places of Safety! Where is the better
Place of Safety, the one that protects people from both Satan’s wrath against Israel and
then God’s wrath upon her enemies? The better ‘where’ is yet another story.
Yet before going on I will note a few passages concerning these places for you to
ponder. For most of the remnant of Israel, the new
and greatly expanded Land of Israel, as well as the New Jerusalem, will be their place of
safety! (Ezekiel 47:13-21; Isaiah 65 & 66)
The departure described in Isaiah 52 is a very interesting scripture that differs greatly in circumstances from this familiar passage:
Matthew
24:17-21 “Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of
his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes…20 And pray
that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no,
nor ever shall be.”
Contrast the above to this:
Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who
proclaims salvation, who says to Zion: Your God reigns! 8 Your watchmen
shall lift up their voices, with their voices they shall sing together; for they shall see
eye to eye when the LORD brings back Zion. 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, you
waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed
Jerusalem. 10 The LORD has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all
the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 11Depart!
Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go
out from the midst of her, be clean, you who
bear the vessels of the LORD. 12 For you shall
NOT go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of
Israel will be your rear guard.”
The Matthew account appears to be an earlier departure than
Isaiah. The Matthew account refers to the opportunity to avoid the Great Tribulation as
described below. Perhaps this is the 1335 day countdown of Daniel 12:12.
Revelation 12:6 “Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” (this would be the 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation on Israel, it is after this 3 ½ years that Jerusalem will become home to Israel)
The first place of safety is strictly a “strong city”,
not the whole of New Israel!
Psalms 31:19-21
“Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for
those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence
of the sons of men! 20 You shall HIDE THEM in
the SECRET PLACE OF YOUR PRESENCE from the
plots of man; You shall keep them SECRETLY in a ‘pavilion’
(Literally, ‘a TABERNACLE’) from the strife of tongues. 21 Blessed be the Lord, for
He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a STRONG CITY!”
Psalms 27:1-6 “A
Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked came against me to eat
up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though
an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against
me, in this I will be confident. 4 One thing I have
desired of the Lord, that will I seek:
that I may dwell in the HOUSE of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the
beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in HIS
temple. (Yet to be built!) 5
For in the time of trouble (the time of Jacob’s trouble)
He
shall hide me in His ‘pavilion’ (masculine word form: ‘TABERNACLE’)
in the SECRET
PLACE of His TABERNACLE He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a ‘rock’ (Compare to Psalms 31:2-3 “Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be my rock
of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. 3 For You are my rock
and my fortress…”). 6
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will
offer sacrifices of joy in His Tabernacle
(at his resurrection); I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the
Lord.”
Israel’s
Permanent Place of Safety:
This place of safety is for those who have suffered by the hands of “the Northern Army” “before” “the Day of the Lord”.
Joel 2:16-32 “Gather the
people, sanctify the congregation,
assemble the elders, gather the children and
nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber and the bride from her
dressing room. 17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and
the altar; let them say, ‘Spare Your people,
O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ 18 Then the Lord will be
zealous for His land, and PITY His people. 19 The Lord will answer and say to His people, ‘Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among
the nations. 20 ‘But I will remove far from you
the northern army, and will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, with his
face toward the eastern sea and his back toward the western sea; his stench will come up,
and his fowl odor will rise, because he has done monstrous things. …28 ‘And
it shall come to pass AFTERWARD (after the Beast’s ‘Northern Army’ is
defeated) that
I will pour out My Spirit on ALL FLESH
(Israel); your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men
shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My
Spirit in those days. 30 ‘And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood
and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood, BEFORE
THE COMING of the great and awesome DAY OF THE LORD. (To
miss the timing here is to miss the entire point!) 32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the
name of the Lord shall be (physically) saved.
For IN Mount Zion and IN Jerusalem (I believe this to
be New Jerusalem) there
shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls.”
Notice two things in particular about the following passage. The
Middle East is presently a desert wilderness. It became that way due to horrific
overgrazing begun in Roman times. It was forested when this prophecy was made. This ties
in with the “woman” of
Revelation 12:14-17, being taken into the “wilderness”. Secondly
notice who will be then married to God in this place of safety! Many will tell you that
the Church is to be the bride of Christ. This is the topic of a separate article. I
won’t take time to elaborate, but several plain scriptures show who the bride really is.
Hosea 2:14 “Therefore,
behold, I will allure her, will bring her into
the WILDERNESS, and speak comfort to her. 15 I will give her her vineyards from there, and
the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth,
as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 16 And it shall be, in that day,
says the LORD, that you will call Me ‘My
Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Master,’17 For
I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, and they shall be remembered by
their name no more. 18 In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the
field, with the birds of the air, and with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and
sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, to make them lie down safely. 19 I
will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will
betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy; 20 I will
betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the LORD.”
Incidentally, the “great multitude”, of Revelation 7, is comprised of the Israelite survivors of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, returning from captivity, as well as anyone else who is desirous of obeying God and escaping the Day of the Lord!
Revelation 7:9 “After
these things I looked, and behold, a great
multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm
branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, salvation belongs to
our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb…Then one of the elders answered, saying
to me: Who are these arrayed in white robes,
and where did they come from? 14 And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me:
These are the ones who come out of (survived)
the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb. 15 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. 16 They shall neither hunger
anymore nor thirst
anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any
heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne WILL shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of
waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
These will not be Biblically knowledgeable people; after all, how much will they be able to learn about true Christianity under the worst living conditions in human history? They will be, however, people willing to allow “the Lamb” to "shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters”. They will have a perfect opportunity to live out a Christian life. They will actually appear before God’s throne in the New Jerusalem that will come to earth (Revelation 21:1-3). They will live through the Great Tribulation and on into the Everlasting Kingdom. The references to not hungering and not thirsting, or being harmed by the sun, or even crying tears, are references to the fact that they are indeed still quite human - but that they are now being protected! (See the article about Revelation 7 and the Great Multitude for a full biblical explanation on their identity.)
Some would have you believe that this multitude is assembled after “the millennium”. If you believe that, then I would encourage you to carefully read the entire chapter and see how inappropriate that conclusion really is.
The
Final Battle?
Actually, there is not one final battle to come! In fact,
several major end time battles will take place. First, the United States, as well as the
rest of the descendants of Israel will be defeated. Later, the King of the North (the
federation of the Beast) will also fight the King of the South (a future Arab federation),
and win. Then there is “Armageddon” (which is actually fought in the “Valley of
Jehoshaphat”), and a significant
part of this involves Gog and Magog (of Asia), which is the incredible story about another
attack on Israel, after their release from captivity but before the peaceful Kingdom. This
is the sole topic of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. Some teach that this occurs during the
Everlasting Kingdom. Yet the context is saturated with statements dating it to the events leading
up to that time, the Second Exodus.
Ezekiel 38:16 "You will come up against My people Israel like a
cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may
know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes…”
Ezekiel 39:25 "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Now I will
bring back the captives of Jacob, and have
mercy on the WHOLE house of Israel (notice
that this is not the Jews!);
and I will be jealous for My holy name - 26 ‘after they have borne their shame, and all
their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their
own land and no one made them afraid. 27 ‘When
I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands,
and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, 28 ‘then they shall know that I
am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity
among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them
captive any longer. 29 ‘And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have
poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD."
Before you stop reading, first consider these next two
passages, for they are important proof texts illustrating that the remnant of the Children
of Israel are gathered to their ‘place of safety’ at the VERY SAME TIME that God is
gathering the armies of the world for their destruction in “the
Valley of Jehoshaphat”!
Joel 3:1-2 "For
behold, in those days and at that time, WHEN I bring back the captives of JUDAH and
Jerusalem, 2 I will ALSO GATHER all nations, and bring them down to the Valley
of Jehoshaphat;
and I will enter into judgment WITH THEM there ON ACCOUNT OF MY PEOPLE, My heritage
Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations;
they have also divided up My land.”
“Armageddon” is merely the gathering point for the annihilation that God will perform on His enemies in the Valley of Jehoshaphat!
Continuing in Joel
3:12-16, "Let the nations be wakened, and
come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge all the SURROUNDING
NATIONS. 13 Put in the sickle, for the
harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for
the winepress is full, the vats overflow - for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the DAY OF THE LORD IS NEAR in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness.
16 The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter
His voice from Jerusalem; the
heavens and earth will shake; BUT
THE LORD WILL BE A SHELTER FOR HIS PEOPLE, AND THE STRENGTH OF THE CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL.”
I have included a great many scriptures in this article, rather than simply footnoting all of them, so that you will actually read them. They tell the real story. I have only commented upon them to get you to consider explanations other than you may have heard concerning them.
I will elaborate on Jeremiah 51 later, but here is the
condensed essence of what he had to say about the remnant.
Jeremiah 51:6-50 “FLEE FROM THE MIDST OF BABYLON, AND EVERYONE SAVE HIS LIFE! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, FOR THIS IS THE TIME OF THE LORD’S VENGEANCE; (By this time the first wave of those who believed the message of the Two Witnesses is either a the place of safety or has been martyred.) He shall recompense her. 7 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunk. (This is an exact parallel to Rev. chapters 17-19) ...Babylon has suddenly FALLEN and been destroyed...FORSAKE HER, (literally) and let us go everyone to his own country...19 The Portion of JACOB is not like them, for He is the Maker of all things; and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name. 20 You (Israel) are MY BATTLE-AX and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nations in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms; ... blow the TRUMPET among the nations! ...Therefore thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry. 37 Babylon shall become a heap...Yes, the wall of Babylon shall fall… 45 MY PEOPLE GO OUT FROM THE MIDST OF HER! And let everyone DELIVER HIMSELF from the fierce anger of the Lord. (Not the ‘Great Tribulation’ from Satan, but the Day of the Lord) ...50 You who have escaped the sword, (the remnant) GET AWAY! DO NOT STAND STILL! Remember the Lord afar off, and LET JERUSALEM COME TO YOUR MIND.”
Notice the admonition to “let
Jerusalem come to your mind”. If these passages don’t cause you to want to
reconsider the prophecies, then you might as well quit reading now.
As an aside, it is worth noting that there is a warning to
flee Jerusalem mentioned by Matthew. This is a time for Sabbath keeping Christians, many
of whom will by then have journeyed to Judea (probably
to help restore God’s latter temple) to flea away from the vicinity of Jerusalem, rather than toward it!
Matthew 24:15 "Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of
desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then
let those who are in Judea FLEE to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop
not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go
back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing
babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in ‘winter’ [Literally:
inclement weather - it won’t be winter] or
on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time,
no, nor ever shall be.”
If a person only went by Daniel’s account, he might conclude that he should “wait” right where he was, rather than wait in the mountains!
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. 12 Blessed
is he who WAITS, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.”
I’ve mentioned the Time of Jacob’s Trouble; here is the rest of the story. There is only one chapter in the Bible that uses the term "Jacob’s Trouble", to describe the “time of Trouble”, we all know that this will be the most terrible period of time in history for the millions of descendants of Israel, however ironically, this ‘only place in the Bible’ is more focused on the time AFTER the trouble than on the trouble itself! Here is the good news of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 30: “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ (The good news is first.) "4 Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. 5 "For thus says the Lord: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? 7 Alas! For that DAY IS GREAT, so that NONE IS LIKE IT; and it is the time of JACOB'S TROUBLE, (That was the bad news.) BUT HE SHALL BE SAVED OUT OF IT. 8 ‘For it shall come to pass in THAT day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from your neck, and will burst your bonds; foreigners shall no more enslave them. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. 10 'Therefore DO NOT FEAR, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I WILL SAVE YOU from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, and no one shall make him afraid. 11 For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; THOUGH I MAKE A FULL END OF ALL NATIONS where I have scattered you, (by gathering them into the Valley of Jehoshaphat) yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ 12 For thus says the Lord: ‘Your affliction is incurable, your wound is severe. 13 There is no one to plead your cause, that you may be bound up; you have no healing medicines. 14 All your lovers have forgotten you; they do not seek you; for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased. 15 Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you. 16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; and all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; those who plunder you shall become plunder, and all who prey upon you I will make a prey. 17 For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord, ‘because they called you an outcast saying: This is Zion; no one seeks her.’ 18 Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; the city shall be built upon its own mound, and the palace shall remain according to its own plan. 19 Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. 20 Their children also shall be as before, and their congregation shall be established before Me; and I will punish ALL who oppress them. 21 Their nobles shall be from among them, and their governor shall come from their midst; then I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach Me; for who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the Lord. 22 ‘You shall be My people, and I will be your God.’ 23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord Goes forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind; it will fall violently on the head of the wicked. 24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until He has done it, and until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will CONSIDER it.”
Start Considering!
After reading the entire account about Jacob’s trouble, it is quite apparent that the time after Israel’s captivity is a great part of Jeremiah’s message. Misplacing a prophecy by a year or a thousand years, as some do, could cost a person his life. I am just as capable of ad-libbing as the next person, but the scriptures do such a fantastic job that there is no reason for me to ‘make anything up’.
AN
OVERVIEW OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN:
This chapter describes the mindset of God on bringing about
this terrible “trouble” or “tribulation on His people. Many more references could be
cited.
Jeremiah 14: "The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah
concerning the droughts.
2 Judah mourns, and her gates languish; they
mourn for the land, and the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
3 Their nobles have sent their lads for water; they
went to the cisterns and found no water. They returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded and covered their heads.
7 O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do it for Your name’s sake; for
our backslidings are many, we have sinned against You. 8 O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble, why should You be like a stranger in the land, yet You, O
Lord, are in our midst, and we are called by Your name; do
not leave us! 10 Thus says the Lord to this people: "Thus
they have loved to wander; they have not
restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does
not accept them; He will remember their iniquity
now, and punish their sins." 11 Then the Lord said to me: Do not pray for this people, for their good.
(God has made up His mind at this point, as these three chapters so vividly
indicate. To pray for an alternate solution, when God has made His decision so resolutely
would be praying against the will of God!) 12
When they fast, I will not hear their cry;
and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them.
But I will consume them by the SWORD, by the FAMINE,
and by the PESTILENCE. 13 Then I said, ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘YOU
SHALL NOT SEE THE SWORD, nor shall you have FAMINE,
but I will give you assured peace in this place.’
14 And the Lord said to me: The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I
have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they
prophesy to you A FALSE VISION, divination, a
worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. 15
Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, WHOM
I DID NOT SEND, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’ - ‘By
sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed! 16 And the people to whom they prophesy
shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; they
will have no one to bury them - them nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters - for
I will pour their wickedness on them.”
The vivid description of the Great Tribulation heaped upon Israel’s descendants is unbroken as we read on into the next chapter. Notice that some people are destined to live while others are destined to die. The following segment describes the death that many will suffer. God will be deliberately selecting, and destroying, the wicked people of Israel. Jeremiah 24 describes this selectivity of God in this time of crisis. Of course some prophecies are dual, referring to the original destruction of the twelve tribes.
Jeremiah 15: "Then
the Lord said to me,: Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be
favorable toward this people. Cast them out of
My sight, and let them go forth. 2 And it shall
be, if they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you shall tell them, ‘Thus says
the Lord: "Such
as are for death, to death; and such
as are for the sword, to the sword; and such
as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.
‘ 3 And I will appoint over them four forms of destruction, says the Lord: the
sword to slay, the dogs to drag, the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to
devour and destroy 6 You have forsaken Me, says the Lord, You have gone backward.
Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am weary of relenting! 7 And I will winnow them with a winnowing fan in the
gates of the land; I will bereave them of
children; I
WILL DESTROY MY PEOPLE, since they do not
return from their ways.”
But an incredible intervention occurs for those of Israel who heed the message of the two witnesses!
Jeremiah 14:20 “We acknowledge,
O Lord,
our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers (whom they now recognize),
for we have sinned against You. Do
not abhor us, for your names sake; do not
disgrace the throne of your glory. Remember, do
not break Your covenant with us. (From this point on Israel is safe but the
World’s armies come under fire - quite literally!) The
Lord said: Surely
it will be WELL with your REMNANT; surely
I will cause the enemy to intercede with you IN THE TIME OF ADVERSITY and IN THE TIME OF
AFFLICTION. 12 Can anyone break iron, the
northern iron and the bronze? 13 Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder
without price, because of all your sins, throughout your territories…19
Therefore thus says the Lord: If you return,
then I will bring you back; you shall stand
before Me; if you take out the precious from the
vile, you shall be as My mouth. Let
them return to you, but you must not return to
them. (Flee Babylon!) 20 And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze
wall; and they will fight against you, but they (Babylon) shall
not prevail against you; for I am with you to save you and deliver
you, says the Lord. 21 (Finally)
I will
deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of
the terrible."
The Day of the Lord will parallel the time when God delivered ancient Israel out of bondage; the armies of their enemies were totally destroyed! This time though God has made His point!
Jeremiah 16 continues
describing Jacob’s trouble: "The
word of the Lord also came to me, saying, 2 You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have
sons or daughters in this place....6 Both the great and the small shall die in this land.
They shall not be buried; neither shall men lament for them, cut themselves, nor make
themselves bald for them. 7 Nor shall men break bread in mourning for them, to comfort
them for the dead; nor shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their
father or their mother. 8 Also you shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with
them, to eat and drink. 9 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I
will cause to cease from this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth
and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. 10 And
it shall be, WHEN YOU SHOW THIS PEOPLE ALL THESE
WORDS, and they say to you: Why has the Lord
pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin
that we have committed against the Lord our God? 11 then
you shall say to them, Because your fathers
have forsaken Me, says the Lord; they have
walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me and
not kept My law. 12 And YOU have done worse than
your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that
NO ONE LISTENS TO ME. (God proclaims that the people are responsible for their behavior in His own way.)
13 Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a
land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other
gods day and night, where I will not show you favor. 14 Therefore
behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that it shall no more be said, the Lord lives
who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, 15 but, The Lord lives who
brought up the children of Israel FROM THE LAND OF THE NORTH (north of Jerusalem) and from all the
lands where He had driven them. For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to
their fathers. (The Second Exodus will far exceed the first one!) 16: Behold, I will send for many fishermen, says the
Lord, and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall
hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. The [Nations]
shall come to you from the ends of the earth and say: Surely our fathers have inherited
lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things. 20 Will a man make gods for himself, which
are not gods? 21 Therefore behold, I will this once (for the first time) cause them to
know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; and they shall know that My name is
the Lord."
ISRAEL’S TRIBULATION - DESTRUCTION, CAPTIVITY
AND ESCAPE:
The book of Micah is very much focused on The Day of the
Lord and the return of our Lord and His Christ to earth. It begins by stating that: "For behold, the Lord is coming out of His place; He will come down and tread the high places of the earth.
The mountains will melt under Him...(Micah 1:3-4) This opening statement by
Micah gets right to the point of his book. It has to do with the time when the Lord will "come down" and rescue Israel! Later in the book, he prophesied further about the "latter days" and specifically described the Tribulation, when the whole House of Israel will be
invaded by a federation led by Assyria
(Germany).
Micah
5:5-8 continues:
“When THE
ASSYRIAN COMES INTO OUR LAND, and when he
treads in our palaces, THEN WE WILL RAISE AGAINST
HIM SEVEN SHEPHERDS AND EIGHT PRINCELY MEN.
6 They shall waste with the sword the land of
Assyria, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;
thus He shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he comes into our land and when he treads
within our borders. Then the remnant of Jacob
shall be in the midst of many peoples, (survivors of the captivity) like
dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, that tarry for no man nor wait for the sons
of men. 8 And
the REMNANT OF JACOB shall be AMONG the [Nations],
in the midst of many peoples, LIKE A LION among
the beasts of the forest, like a young lion
among flocks of sheep, who,
if he passes through, both TREADS DOWN and
TEARS IN PIECES, (their captors)
and none can
deliver.”
Note from the writer: I am likely a grafted in Israelite since my ancestry is German and English. You don’t have to be Israelite to worship the God of Israel and be spared the end time plagues (and maybe even live forever as a bonus!)
One problem with interpreting scriptures is the "here a little, there a little" principle. God deliberately wanted to make understanding a challenge that few would bother with! Scripture jumps from the Great Tribulation, to the Day of the Lord, to the ‘Millennium’, to the time leading up to the end time, often with no apparent line of distinction. The delineation between these time periods, especially the Day of the Lord and the Great Tribulation is not that difficult to discern once you determine that they are fixed periods of time with no overlap. At times, a single sentence is split into two topics spanning millennia, such as Daniel 9:27. Then there is the concept of duality, where we may not always be sure if ‘history will repeat itself’ in a particular instance or not.
Another example of confusion is how the Bible translators and editors determine chapter breaks and paragraph breaks, and in recent years the insertion of captions. For example, in my NKJV, there is a caption entitled “The Day of the Lord” above Isaiah 2:5, however the time period between verse 5 and 9 is actually a description of the wealth and wickedness of Israel before the end time disasters. But verse 10 does ‘fast forward’ right into the Day of the Lord:
Isaiah 2:10 "Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty."
Isaiah chapters 3 and 5 are among the many other passages showing that God will strip away every blessing from the "daughters of Zion" which are the descendants of the original Kingdom of Israel. Here are a couple more examples:
Daniel 11:6 "He shall enter the Glorious land (the nation of Israel) and many [people] shall be overthrown!"
Zechariah 13:1 "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. 2 It shall be in that day, says the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: 9 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.”
THE
TIME OF ASSYRIA’S TROUBLE:
The descendants of ancient Assyria are the German people of
today. It is they who will spearhead the ten nation Beast power.
In Isaiah 10, God "will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria" (just before He gathers the survivors of Israel.) "The remnant will return, the remnant of JACOB (all 12 tribes this time!) to the mighty God.: Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. 6 I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Yet he does not mean so, nor does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off not a few nations. 8 For he says, 'Are not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? 10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols, shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?’ 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, (meaning after He is finished punishing Israel) that He will say, I will (now) punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks. 13 For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent; also I have removed the boundaries of the people, and have robbed their treasuries; so I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. 14 My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people, and as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the earth; and there was no one who moved his wing, nor opened his mouth with even a peep. 15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood! 16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send leanness among his fat ones; and under his glory He will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. 17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. 18 And it will consume the glory of his forest (the Black Forest) and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they will be as when a sick man wastes away. 19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few in number that a child may write them. (Verses 20-23 fast forwards to, for contrast, the time of the Second Exodus, then back to the Assyrian (German) invasion.) 24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. (As when Moses and Aaron led the first Exodus) 25 For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction. 26 And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt. 27 It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. 28 He has come to Aiath, he has passed Migron; at Michmash he has attended to his equipment. 29 They have gone along the ridge, they have taken up lodging at Geba. Ramah is afraid, Gibeah of Saul has fled. 30 Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Cause it to be heard as far as Laish - O poor Anathoth! 31 Madmenah has fled, the inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge. 32 As yet he will remain at Nob that day; he will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. (Germany will hate to see Israel in the soon-to-be Holy Land.) 33 Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will lop off the bough with terror; those of high stature will be hewn down, and the haughty will be humbled. 34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.”
Isaiah 29 describes the first wave of the attack by the
World’s nations against our brother and ally, Judah. (v.8) However "Ariel,
the city where David dwelt" (v.1) symbolically
represents all of the nations of Israel.
Isaiah 29:22 "Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed
Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: (Israel)
"Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now grow pale;
23 but when he sees his children, (all twelve of them in the
resurrection) the work of
My hands, in his midst, they will hallow My name, and hallow the Holy One of Jacob, and
fear the God of Israel. 24 These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, and those who
complained will learn doctrine."
This takes place after the Holy Spirit is poured out on all of Israel.
Isaiah 30 tells
us of a time when "the
people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more (v.19) "And
though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers
(144,000 of them: the Revelation 14 “firstfruits”)
will not be moved into a corner anymore" (v.20)
"This is the way, walk in it" (v.21) (But look at what else happens in this context.)
"Behold
the name of the Lord comes from afar, burning with anger (v.27)
"to sift the nations with the sieve of futility (v.28) For through the voice of the Lord ASSYRIA
WILL BE BEATEN DOWN as He strikes with a rod."
This time God Himself is the "rod". Much of prophecy is explained in cause and effect style: Because you did this, God will do that.
Joel 3:1-16 "For behold, in
those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I
will also gather ALL NATIONS, and bring them
down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage
Israel, whom they (all other nations)
have scattered among the nations; they
have also divided up My land. (Military
occupation) 11 Assemble and
come, ALL you nations, and gather together all
around. Cause
your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. 12
Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 14
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the DAY
OF THE LORD is NEAR in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will diminish their brightness.
16 The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; BUT THE LORD WILL BE A SHELTER FOR HIS PEOPLE,
AND THE STRENGTH OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.”
Who
Are the Saints?
We notice that the “saints” are “given into [the Beast’s] hands” for a period of time. Might these “saints” simply be a reference to Israel? After all they were, and shall be, “set apart”, which is what “saint” literally means. There are three different numerical ways to express the 3 ½ year period known as Jacob’s Trouble, relevant to the “saints”!
Revelation 11:3-14 "But
leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been
given to the [Nations].
And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two
months. 3 And I will give power to my two
witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. (42
X 30 days = 1260 days. Referring to this same period) Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given
authority to continue for forty-two months. He
shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall
persecute the SAINTS of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.
Then the SAINTS shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time. (Commentaries and lexicons
readily explain that this is three and one half years.)
14 But
the woman was given two wings of a great eagle,
that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a
‘time’ (year)
and ‘times’ (two years) and half a ‘time’, from the presence of the serpent."
Is a saint a
super Christian, any Christian, or is a saint simply one of the ‘chosen
people’ – an Israelite?
Psalms 148:14 “And He has exalted the horn of His
people, the praise of all His saints - of the children of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the LORD!”
Daniel 7:25 “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
and shall intend to change times and law. Then the SAINTS shall be given into his (the
Beast’s) hand for a time and times and half a time.”
These SAINTS must suffer thru the 3 ½ year Tribulation also referred to as "time and times and half a time.” (Compare to Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 12:14) We have been misled as to what a ‘saint’ is. Originally, a saint was strictly an obedient Israelite. However, today a saint is anyone who strives to serve the God of Israel.
The key to understanding who the woman represents (another
reference to the saints) is found in Genesis. Again, this woman represents the twelve
tribes (now nations) of Israel. Compare the following verses. (Revelation 12:1-16)
Genesis 37:9 “Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to
his brothers, and said: Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun,
the moon, and the eleven stars
bowed down to me. 10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked
him and said to him: What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers
indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?"
The context of the sun, the moon and the stars above is identical to the symbols associated with the woman of Revelation, so often misinterpreted as “the Church”. This is the best direct clue as to what these symbols represent. Here is another clue:
Micah 4 "Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in your
midst? Has your counselor perished? For pangs have seized you like a woman
in labor. 10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O
daughter of Zion, like a woman in birth
pangs. For now you shall go forth from the city, you shall dwell in the field, and to
Babylon you shall go. THERE you shall be delivered; there the Lord will redeem you from
the hand of your enemies. 11 Now also MANY NATIONS have gathered against you, who say: Let
her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion."
Revelation 18 describes how the end time Babylon will sell the "bodies and souls of men" and "all the nations of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."
WHY
THESE THINGS MUST HAPPEN:
"Why
has the Lord done so to this land?"
The following three chapters are often called the “Blessings and cursings chapters”, because God promised either blessings or cursings on ancient Israel strictly dependent on their behavior. While this may not be technically intended for modern Israel, nevertheless, virtually every blessing and curse mentioned here is reiterated toward Israel, in reference to the time of the end.
Deuteronomy
28: “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the
voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you
today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey
the voice of the Lord your God: 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of
your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be DEFEATED
BEFORE YOUR FACE; they shall come out
against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 15 But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God,
to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that
all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16
Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.
17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the
increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20 The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand
to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of
your doings in which you have forsaken Me. 21
The Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which
you are going to possess. 22 The Lord will
strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever,
with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew;
they shall pursue you until you perish. 23 And
your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you
shall be iron. 24 The Lord will change the rain
of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven
it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
25 The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and
you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.
26 Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth,
and no one shall frighten them away. 32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, and your eyes
shall look and fail with longing for them all day long;
and there shall be no strength in your hand. 33
A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your
labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually. The
Lord will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor
your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods - wood and stone. 43
The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down
lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but
you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head,
and you shall be the tail. 45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you,
until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep
His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.
46 And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants FOREVER. (As long as
Israel is a nation, these blessings and curses may be enforced.)
47 Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the
abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will
send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything;
and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. 49 The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth,
as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a nation
of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young.
51 And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until
you are destroyed; they shall not leave you
grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks,
until they have destroyed you. 52 They shall
besiege you at all your gates until your (note) high and fortified
walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; (Military defenses)
and
they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God
has given you. 53 You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your
daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in
which your enemy shall distress you. 58 If you
do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you
may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD
YOUR GOD, 59 then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary
plagues - great and prolonged plagues and serious and prolonged sicknesses. 63
And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you,
so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall
be plucked from off the land which you go to possess. 64 Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to
the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have
known - wood and stone. 65 And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot
have a resting place; but there the Lord will
give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul.
66 Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you
shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life. 68 And the Lord will take you back to Egypt in ships, by the way of which I said
to you: You shall never see it again. And there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female
slaves, but no one will buy you."
To be sure, the majority of Israel will not survive the coming holocaust. Slaves without monetary value will be euthanized.
Deuteronomy 29:1-29
“These are the words of the covenant which the
Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the
covenant which He made with them in Horeb. 10
All of you stand today before the Lord your God:
your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, 11
your little ones and your wives - also the stranger who is in your camp, from the one who
cuts your wood to the one who draws your water - 12 that you may enter into covenant with
the Lord your God, and into His oath, which the Lord your God makes with you today, 13
that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you,
just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. 24 All nations would say: why has the
Lord done so to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?’ 25 Then people
would say: ‘Because they have forsaken the
covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them
out of the land of Egypt; 26 for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not
know and that He had not given to them. 27 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against this land, to bring on it every
curse that is written in this book. 28 And the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great
indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.’
29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed
belong to us and to our children FOREVER, that we may do all the words of this law.”
This is a perfect example of scriptural duality.
Deuteronomy 30:1 “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, 2 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, 3 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. 11 For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say: who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say: who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. 15 See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
Isaiah 1 "Hear,
O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken:
I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; 3
The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but
Israel does not know, My people do not consider.
4 Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who
are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of
Israel, they have turned away backward. 5 Why
should you be stricken AGAIN? You will revolt
more and more. The whole head is sick, and the
whole heart faints. 7 Your country is desolate,
your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence; and it is desolate, as overthrown by
strangers. 8 So the daughter of Zion is left as
a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
9 Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like
Sodom, 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, (the visible means of
reckoning months and therefore Holy Days) the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies - I cannot endure iniquity and the
sacred meeting. (Could there be "iniquity" in the way we determine our "sacred" meetings?)
14 YOUR New
Moons and YOUR appointed feasts
My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, (The days presently called Christmas
and Easter, anciently commemorated [as in when this prophecy was written], solstices and
equinoxes rather than God’s Feasts, as counted from the New Moons. The Jews celebrated
God’s Feasts on the correct days until the 4th century AD! Do you celebrate “your
appointed feasts” or God’s Feasts?) I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood. 24 Therefore the
Lord says, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will rid Myself of My
adversaries, and take vengeance on My enemies. 25
I will turn My hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all
your alloy. 26 I will restore your judges as at
the first, and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.
27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness.
28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who
forsake the Lord shall be consumed.”
Isaiah chapters 2, 3 and 4 also describe the fall of Israel.