We are now approaching the middle of the 7 year period, Daniel's final week, and matters will take a turn for the worst after the sounding of the 7th Trumpet.
The 7 Trumpet Judgment (3rd Woe)
It
is now time for the 7th Trumpet to sound introducing the last
swift and terrible judgments on earth to begin.
The
people of God surrounding His throne in heaven can see the
long-awaited Kingdom of God about to be established.
Rev
11:15-16, 18.
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were
loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have
become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign
forever and ever!"
16 And the twenty-four elders who sat
before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God,
18
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the
dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your
servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name,
small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the
earth."
"This
is the announcement that the time had come for Christ to take the
Kingdom though "The Kingdom" does not fully come into His
possession for 3 ½ years (42 months or 1260 days of great
Tribulation on earth). The announcement is preliminary to the great
events that are to follow, which will
be the most remarkable and momentous that have ever happened on this
earth." - C. Larkin
"The
writers of the New Testament promised their readers a union with
Christ in heaven, but the Old Testament saints were promised a
perfectly restored earth where there was peace, justice and
righteousness in the midst of a perfect environment with Messiah
ruling over it.
God
never breaks His promise and this is one which He definitely plans to fulfil!" - H.
Lindsey
The 7th Trumpet has sounded, to herald in the 'bowl'
judgments which are the last judgments on mankind.
In the meantime we have a summary of events at the middle of Tribulation published by Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum.
The 7 Personages
In the interim the Book of Revelation in the Bible prophetically describes 7 personages which are significant in the end-times.
The Sun-Clothed Women – This women is not Mother Mary or the Church as some would think but Israel.
The Dragon – Satan also referred to as the Devil, old Serpent, Lucifer, etc.
The Man-Child – Jesus Christ.
The Archangel – Michael.
The Jewish Remnant – Israelites left in Palestine or among the nations that keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The Beast out of the Sea – Anti Christ
The Beast out of the Earth – The False Prophet.
1 Personage
Rev
12:1-2, 5-6.
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.
Joseph
in Genesis had a prophetic dream; saw himself as a star shinning
brightly. The sun, moon, and eleven stars representing his eleven
brothers bowed down in homage to him. His father was Jacob, also
called Israel, one of the founders of the Hebrew nation. Therefore
this woman mentioned here then represents Israel and her adorning
stars as the founders of her race.
2nd Personage
Rev
12:3-4 - The Dragon
3 And another sign appeared in heaven:
behold, a great, fiery red dragon (Satan) having
seven heads and ten horns (ten
Kings),
and seven diadems on his heads.
4 His tail drew a third of
the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.
And
the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to
devour her Child as soon as it was born.
5......And her Child
was caught up to God and His throne (death
could not prevent Jesus from resurrecting).
The seven heads represent; Chaldees, Egypt, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, EU.
Verse 4, reveals the fact that Satan will take with him when he is expelled from heaven, a third of the angels. These angels will be cast with him onto the earth. These angels will not be visible but they will secretly sow the seeds of rebellion, and ultimately they will be cast with Satan into the lake of fire.
Satan
tried his level best to prevent the birth of the Jesus, the
savior of mankind; then after His birth, to destroy Him before He
could reach the cross and purchase man's redemption.
Satan has a
special hatred for the "woman" and her "child."
In fact, he has a special hatred for anyone who loves the women
(Israel) or her child (Jesus Christ).
3rd
Personage
Rev
12:2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to
give birth.
5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations
with a rod of iron;
(Note
upper case 'C' for Child. This can only refer to an undisputed
prophecy about the Messiah found in Psalm 2:9 and mentioned again in
Rev 12:1. In Rev 19:15 "And He Himself will rule them with a rod
of iron"- referring to Christ's reign on earth for 1000 after
the Tribulation).
And her Child was caught
up (Christs'
resurrection) to
God and His throne.
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. (Three
and a half years! References to both desert and mountains are not a
contradiction as both were wilderness areas. In her desert hideout
Israel was cared for perhaps as miraculously. As she was in her
wilderness journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Strange prediction but what is prophesied will happen - (hideout
in Petra?) - from Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament)
4th Personage
Rev
12:7-9,12 – Michael
the Archangel
7
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the
dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not
prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the
Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
12 Therefore
rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants
of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having
great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."
"at
the time of his (Satan's) rebellion (which antedates the
present earth), and confined in some 'prison house' is clear, for he
was at liberty to visit the Garden of Eden and tempt Adam and Eve;
and he had access to God in Heaven in the days of Job, 2000
years before Christ (Job 1:1); and he was free to visit earth in
Christ's days and tempt Him in the wilderness; and later to shift
Peter. He was a created being and that of the most exalted type
before his rebellion."
Satan is referred in the Bible as the “god of this world system”, “the prince of the power of the air”, and “the prince of this world”. He has been in heavens one (1st) and two (2nd), (the aerial and stellar heavens) since his fall – and he will remain there till he's cast to earth in verse 9 above. His demise began when he was cast out of the third heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14) and this continues till this verse before he is finally cast into the Lake of Fire in Rev 20:10.
Note all heaven rejoices over that which Michael's defeat of Satan has accomplished.
5th Personage
Rev
12:13-17 - Jewish
Remnant
13
When the dragon (Satan) realized
that he had been thrown down to
the earth, he pursued the woman (Israel) who
had given birth to the male child (Jesus
Christ).
14 But she was given
two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place
prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and
protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time (3
1/2 years or 1260 days- This occurs in the second half of the 7 year
Tribulation)
15 Then the dragon
tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his
mouth.
16 But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and
swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon.
17
And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against
the rest of her children (Jewish
Remnant)
- all
who keep God's commandments and
maintain their testimony for Jesus (only Jews
that believe in Jesus).
The above verses are reminiscent of the miraculous deliverance God provided to the Children of Israel during their exodus from Egypt. The flood referred to above undoubtedly portrays a volume of propaganda – anti Semitic insinuations, slanders, and slurs – released intentionally. Yet God promises
“Isa 59:19
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. “
6th Personage - The Anti-Christ
The
Beast out of the Sea - The Anti-Christ makes his appearance:
Rev
13:1-9
1
Then I saw a beast (Antichrist) rising
up out of the sea (sea represents peoples of the world). It had seven
heads and
ten horns with
ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that
blasphemed God.
2
This beast looked like a leopard (Greece),
but it had the feet of a bear (Medo-Persia) and
the mouth of a lion (Babylon)! (In
other words he will combine the distinguishing features of the three
prominent world empires of the PAST which characterize these animals.
The Book of Daniel also covers these beasts)
And
the dragon (Satan) gave
the beast his own power and throne and great authority.
3
I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond
recovery (Assassination attempt?)
- but the fatal wound was
healed (satanic healing?)!
The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the
beast.
4 They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such
power, and they also worshiped the beast. "Who is as great as
the beast?" they exclaimed. "Who is able to fight against
him?"
5 Then the beast was allowed to speak great
blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he
wanted for forty-two months.
6 And he spoke terrible words
of blasphemy
against God, slandering his name and his temple-that is, those who
live in heaven.
7 And
the beast was allowed to wage war against God's holy people and to
conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and
people and language and nation. (Not
for long - 3 ½ years only)
8
And all the people who belong to this world (
atheist and those who do not believe in the Jesus Christ) worshiped
the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book
of Life before
the world was made-the Book that belongs to the Lamb (Jesus)
who
was slaughtered.
9 Anyone
with ears to hear should listen and understand. NLT
The 7 heads represent the 5 Kings who had ruled in John's day; the sixth King who was in power at that time (Rome); and the seventh King (EU) who will reign as the Antichrist during the Tribulation hour.
Horns represent political power; hence the 10 horns represent the 10 nations that over whom the Beast or Antichrist rules.
Where does the Antichrist get his power from?
From
Satan. (Rev13:2)
During the last half of the Tribulation (3 ½
years), God will allow Satan to give the Antichrist tremendous
supernatural ability. So great will be the Antichrist's
influence over people that every "tribe and people and tongue
and nation" will yield to his sway.
NOTE: Remember most
of us will not be here during this period as the Rapture would have
taken place and God's people will be with Him. (Refer to my earlier
on the Rapture)
For the first time in the history of the world
Satan will get what he's been after all these years –
worldwide worship of him from earth's people (God's creation)!
The
Antichrist performs miracles of illusion. "When his fatal wound
is miraculously healed by Satan, the whole world will
follow after the 'Beast' (Antichrist) in
amazement.
For 3 ½ years he blasphemes God and His worshipers,
ultimately killing a great many of the Tribulation saints (who
became believers of Christ) because these loyal believers are the
only fly in Satan's ointment and the only resistance to his unanimous
acclaim."
7th Personage: The False Prophet
Rev
13:11-18
The Beast from the
Earth (False
Prophet)
11 Then I saw
another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a
lamb and spoke like a dragon.
(In
later chapters this beast is referred to as the False Prophet. Jesus
in Matthew 24:24 states: "For
false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and
wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you
beforehand.")
12
And he exercises all the authority of the first beast (Antichrist) in
his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to
worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 He
performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from
heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
(Satan
who considers himself god, tries to copy God Almighty by having a
copy of Christ and a copy of the Holy Spirit of God. A copy of the
Holy Trinity!)
14
And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he
was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell
on the earth to make an image to the beast (robotic) who
was wounded by the sword and lived.
15 He was granted
power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the
beast should both speak (a super
robotic) and cause as many as would
not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
16 He
causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to
receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
17
and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or
the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here
is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the
beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
“Despite the merciless, sweeping tyranny of the first Beast (The Roman Antichrist), Satan will not be content to stop there. He'll raise up a conspirator who is an even more ruthless tyrant because he will enslave the minds and souls of men.
But
there will be some differences too (between the first and second
beast). While the first beast emerged from the sea (the unrest of
troubled nations), the second Beast emerges from the land
(or earth as in v 11).
When the Bible uses the word
"land" symbolically, it usually refers to the land that
belongs to Israel. So the
second beast will come from the region of the Middle East, and I
believe he will be a Jew."
(The second beast has
two horns, that does not have crowns – unlike the first beast that
has ten crowned horns. Therefore,)
"The second
beast wields religious power, and for that reason he is
also called 'the False Prophet'. He'll amalgamate all religious
systems into one counterfeit one. His two horns a like a lamb,
showing that this personage will try to imitate the real Lamb, Jesus
Christ"- Hal Lindsey
"Millions
of people will fall for the deception created by the False
Prophet and the movement to a Gentile (non-Jew) and Jewish
messiah.
Already the world council of Churches is hard at
work merging various religions and denominations
together.
The National Council of Churches has already
done its bit to help in this deception with its "nonsexist"
lectionary of Bible studies. Through the degeneracy of our Lord's
title "Son of God" to "Child of God," the NCC has
brought more confusion and disrepute on the Bible, and more blasphemy
into the Christian Church"
Hal Lindsey
Notwithstanding, God is sovereign and
still in control. As the Final Countdown takes place and the earth is
'harvested', before the final judgments, all these people
will realize the folly of their actions and will be dealt
with by the Lord.
Mark of the Beast
Before we proceed to the proclamations of the three angels we shall examine the passage on the Mark of the Beast (666) in Revelation 13.
Rev
13:16-18
16 He (the
Antichrist) causes all, both small
and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their
right hand or on their foreheads, (Microchip
- a few decades ago it left to imagination to understand what the
mark could be. Today its reality with the capability of Microchips
with the capacity for many giga/tetra bytes of memory. Microchips
have been implanted under the skin of animals to track and monitor
them. Would not be long before this is mandated for humans!)
17
and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the
name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom.
Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for
it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
There
has been much speculation on the insignia or "mark" of the
beast, but it could be any of several kinds of identification.
Countless attempts have been made to interpret the number 666,
usually using the numerical equivalents of letters in the Hebrew,
Greek, or other alphabets. As there probably have been hundreds of
explanations continuing down to the present day, it is obvious that
if the number refers to an individual it is not clear to whom it
refers.
Probably the best interpretation is that the number six is one less than the perfect number seven, and the threefold repetition of the six would indicate that for all their pretensions to deity, Satan and the two beasts were just creatures and not the Creator. That six is man's number is illustrated in many instances in the Bible, including the fact that man should work six days and rest the seventh.
The practice of gematria, the attempt to find hidden meanings in numbers in Scripture, was prominent in the ancient world. Maybe John had in mind a particular person whom his close associates would be able to identify. Literature from the early church fathers, however, reveals the same confusion and variety of meanings that exist today, so probably it is best to leave this puzzle unsolved. Probably the safest conclusion is that of Thomas F. Torrance, "This evil trinity 666 apes the Holy Trinity 777, but always falls short and fails" (The Apocalypse Today, p. 86) - from Bible Knowledge Commentary.
