The Little Book that John Ate"
Chapter 15
The aftermath of this great
event leaves a stunning effect on the world.
Before we begin the third woe, consider these verses:
Matthew 24:40-41
40) “Then
shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41) Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the
one shall be taken, and the other left.”
Luke 17:34-35
34) “I tell you, in that night there shall be two
men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35) Two women shall be grinding together; the one
shall be taken, and the other left.”
If anyone is in the field or on the housetop, he must not return to gather his possessions. There is no time ‘in the twinkling of an eye’ to turn around and look back. Lot’s wife looked back and she turned into a stone pillar. You must hear what the Holy Spirit will be speaking in your spirit. Learn to listen and obey immediately.
In these two instances where one is taken, the other that is left is a living witness of the power of Jesus Christ. Some of these living witnesses will actually have seen it all. Perhaps it will be a man who saw his wife and child go, or vice versa. Or it may be that fellow workers, having worked side by side a Christian, for years, will be parted. Some of these living witnesses to the rapture will have heard the truth and seen the love of Christ in their friend or relative. These suddenly know all they heard of Jesus was true.
No amount of brainwashing will
be able to convince them differently about what they saw.
They will believe it all now and their minds cannot be changed.
Many will be very sad that they believed too late.
Anti-christ powers will take drastic action against so many witnesses.
Christians, it is up to you to see that the person you work with or live
with is not left behind because you did not tell them about Jesus.
Give your friend or loved one the opportunity at least.
Left also in the wake of the
rapture are the Jews. Their Trinity
concept will be filled for they will also recognize Jesus as their Messiah, as
they see Him go by. So that besides
those on whom the Lord came as ‘a thief in the night’ will be those to who
Jesus came originally. The
scripture tells us prophetically of their plight.
Daniel 7:13
13)
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came
with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him
near before him.”
Yes, according to prophecy, the
y will see Jesus in the clouds at the time of the catching up of the church.
They shall mourn in tears for Him whom they could have had all along.
They will be in joy that they now know Him, their Messiah.
Isaiah 25:9
9) “And
it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and
he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and
rejoice in his salvation.”
These Jews will be filled also
with grief. Because suddenly God is
real again to them in a new way: Jesus
Christ, is the Son of the living God. But
brethren, God lives the Jews. His
patience will be rewarded.
Zechariah 12:10
10)
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me
whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his
only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for
his firstborn.”
With perhaps tears still
streaming, they will begin to search for the Word. Now, while there is still time, we need to print Bibles in
Hebrew for wide distribution.
Amos 8:11-13
11)
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the
words of the LORD:
12) And they shall
wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to
and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
13) In that day shall
the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.”
Accompanying this emotion
charged revelation of God, these people have Luke 21:20-24
to face: when Jerusalem is compassed with armies, we are to know that the
desolation of it is nigh, and the Gentiles will tread down Jerusalem.
Luke 21:20-24
20) “And
when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation
thereof is nigh.
21) Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the
mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not
them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22) For these be the days of vengeance, that all
things which are written may be fulfilled.
23) But woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the
land, and wrath upon this people.
24) And they shall fall by the edge of the sword,
and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden
down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
The time of the Gentiles as
stated in Revelation 11:1-2 is forty-two months.
Revelation 11:1-2
1) “And
there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise,
and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2) But the court which is without the temple leave
out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city
shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
Of the many important things
told, the first one to note here is that the church and all that worship are
excluded from that which is given over to the Gentiles.
The church is no longer on earth when the last 42 months are given over
to the Gentiles. During these 42
months the Gentiles destroy Jerusalem. Jesus
Himself speaks of this event as part of His prophecy concerning His return.
See Luke 21:20-24 quoted earlier in this section.
This refers to the same
scriptures in Mark 13:14 and Matthew 24:15.
Mark 13:14
14) “But
when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,)
then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:”
Matthew 24:15
15) “When
ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)”
And as referenced earlier,
Daniel 9:27, where in the midst of the 70th week of years, the daily
sacrifice is taken away (by the anti-christ) and the abomination that maketh
desolate is set.
Daniel 9:27
27) “And
he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the
week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3) “Let
no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come
a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4) Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of
God, showing himself that he is God.”
All scriptures converge now at
the point where Jesus directed us: in the midst of the 70th week of
years. It is this time anti-christ,
666, takes away the daily sacrifice, the rite of public worship of God.
In place of God in the temple, he places himself and his image that is to
be worshipped. He will threaten death if people refuse to worship his image.
Revelation 13: 15
15) “And
he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the
beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image
of the beast should be killed.”
As this image stands where is
should not and is worshipped, the abomination that makes desolate is indeed
come. These prophecies are
fulfilled. The Gentiles take over
Jerusalem and the final 42 months of the anti-christ reign of terror begins.
This is the last half of the 7 years.
The believers are taken out. This
terminates at the point of Jesus’ ‘rod of iron,’ which is the sword
of His Word.
Even though the church and the
Holy Spirit of God no longer are present on the earth.
We know that God does not completely abandon the Jews.
Daniel 12:1
1) “And
at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was
since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people
shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
It was Michael, the archangel,
who descended form heaven with the sound of the trumpet when Jesus called out
the church. He is a might and
strong angel prince. The children
of Israel will not be without help sent from God; Michael shall stand up for
them.
Even though dedicated
missionaries have gone to the Jews to tell them of their Messiah and lead them
in love to meet their Savior, many will be left after the rapture.
For it is at the sound of the 7th trumpet, as the people of
anti-christ tread Jerusalem under foot, some very surprising things are
prophesied.
As with the Jews, Jesus will be
recognized by other peoples as He gathers His church. Bibles are needed in Arabic languages also.
The scales of blindness will be
stripped away from many eyes, as the mystery of God is finished.
Persecution sharpens the vision. To
some it becomes more easily discernable that Jesus Christ is the only way.
Jesus will be revealed to them only as He gathers out His church.
So they are left here with the rest of the latecomers into the kingdom of
God.
These who join themselves to our Savior in these very last days will be saved form the second death which is hell, but they will not escape the hard part of the tribulation.
Jesus told us some of the last
will be first and some of the first will be last. These of the tribulation will receive white robes and God
Himself will wipe away their tears, as in Revelation 7:13-17.
Praise God for His tender mercy to us in that while we were sinners Jesus
shed His blood to redeem us.
Revelation 7:13-17
13) “And
one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in
white robes? and whence came they?
14) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he
said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15) Therefore are they before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them.
16) They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any
more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17) For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
After the 7th and final trumpet of God we see the joy in heaven as the long-awaited moment occurs.
Revelation 11:15
15) “And
the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign for ever and ever.”
The kingdoms of this world are Christ’s. There is joy in heaven because ‘He shall reign forever and ever.’
Also among those who are left after the catching up of the church are those who do the things, which end in the destruction of the earth.
Revelation 11:18
18) “And
the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that
they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the
prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and
shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”
Isaiah 24:20
20) “The
earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a
cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall
fall, and not rise again.”
The nations are angry. They blame God for their troubles. As the air begins to clear and the ashes of Babylon begin to settle, the third woe engulfs the earth. The heathen take over Jerusalem. Anti-christ now holds political power. In heaven, the seven angels come out with the seven vials filled with seven plagues. The third woe upon the earth is the set of seven plagues.
The set of seven seals were linked as the seventh seal was silence and then the seven angels with trumpets prepared to sound. Now as the seventh trumpet, the third woe, comes, we find it also is linked to another set of seven. This, however, is the last set of seven, the vials of plagues.
The pattern and the significance of the sets of seven is important as God provides understanding of His patterns by His Word.
Job 5:19
19) “He
shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch
thee.”
The Word of God is prophesying to His people a word of comfort. When there are six troubles as the trumpets, He will deliver us, but when the seven plagues come on the earth, which are a full seven, no evil will touch us. WE will be absent form the earth.
The time of these plagues is the last half of the 70th week of years. As each successive plague strikes the earth, men blaspheme god for their pain and suffering. They will not repent even though they could still repent as late as the time of the fifth plague.
Revelation 16:11
11) “And
blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and
repented not of their deeds.”
God is not willing that any should perish. Up to the very last moment of time, there still is an offer of salvation in Jesus. God does not need anyone to defend Him, but there are some things we must say.
Whether or not man believes there is a God, God is still there. His love for His creature, man, is so great that He sacrificed His own Son to purchase back His own creation. Besides life, God has given many gifts to man. Now God dwells in the praises of His people. He wants to be with each one. But each person must provide the praises for Him to inhabit. He cannot dwell in the curses and blasphemy of an unthankful person. Any one who shuts himself off from God’s help, protection and blessing by his own choice has not right to blame God.
But concerning the trouble of the last days:
Matthew 24:21-22
20) “But
pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
This promise of Jesus that the
great tribulation will be shortened is given to comfort and encourage His people
who are on the earth. During the
sixth vial, John saw three spirits of devils come out of the dragon, the beast
and the false prophet.
Revelation 16:14
14) “For
they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings
of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great
day of God Almighty.”
These spirits of devils go forth deceiving all the kings of the world by getting them to fight against God Almighty!
It is Jesus who must rule with the rod of iron and put al His enemies under His feet. This battle preparation of the sixth vial is another of these moments that we shall have to stop the sequence of time and hold it still while we take in part of the events.
The anger triggered at the sound of the last trumpet festers in man’s heart. By the time of the 6th vial, the deceiver has gone out to deceive the nations to fight God in one final battle.
Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
Revelation 19: 11-16
Rev 16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
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