The Great Tribulation And The Rapture : Part 4

THE GREAT TRIBULATION AND THE RAPTURE : PART 4

Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Net

Last Updated : July 23, 2006

Seven Vials Of Wrath, The Destruction Of Sodom And Gomorrah,
Suddenness Of The Lord's Return, Ashes Under Our Feet, Who
Hinders The Antichrist, The Plagues Of Egypt, Obedience And
Protection, Written For Our Admonition, Noah's Flood, The
Great Multitude, Mid-Tribulation Rapture, The Days Shortened

Let us consider now the second possible definition of what
it might mean to not be appointed to wrath. Might this be a
reference to escaping the coming Wrath of God when the Seven
Vials of Wrath, also known as the Last Seven Plagues, are
poured out upon the wicked? While I currently believe that
the Vials of Wrath will be poured out during the last half
of the Last Seven Years, that is, some time during the Great
Tribulation, some people place them after the Last Seven
Years, and even after the Rapture, while we are in Heaven
enjoying the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. It is with those
people who assume that God's Wrath is going to be poured out
some time during the Last Seven Years, and not after the
Rapture, that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory is quite
popular. In his attempt to convince me of the validity of
the Pre-Tribulation escape, one person wrote to me recently
and shared the following story found in the Book of Genesis:

"And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth
abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind
thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the
mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh,
not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in
thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou
hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape
to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: Behold
now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one:
Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my
soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted
thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow
this city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee,
escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come
thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar."
(Genesis 19:17-22)

Of course, this is the story of the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah. In this incident, even after the two Angels had
physically removed Lot and his family from the evil city of
Sodom, Lot still complained about the hardship of having to
flee to the mountain; so the Angels granted them permission
to go to Zoar instead. The key words which are used from
these verses to support the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory
are 'Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing
till thou be come thither'. In other words, the Angels are
saying that they cannot destroy the cities until Lot and his
family have been safely removed from the premises. In like
manner, Pre-Tribulation Rapture theorists suggest that God
cannot pour out His Wrath upon the wicked until His children
are safely removed from the Earth via the Rapture. They are
basically saying that God's Hands are tied. This idea gives
the impression that God is limited in His powers because of
the physical presence of His children upon the Earth. I am
reminded of the following verse:

"Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot
save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:"
(Isaiah 59:1)

Personally, I feel that there is a substantial difference
between these two events. While it is true that Lot and his
family had to be physically removed from Sodom, unlike the
Rapture where the Lord's children will be totally removed
from the Earth, they were only moved to another location
upon the Earth; and it doesn't appear as if that place was
very far from the cities of the plain. It was apparently
just far enough away to provide sufficient protection for
Lot and his family. Please also notice that this Act of God
resulted in the complete destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The language in the Bible makes this very clear. Notice that
in the following set of verses, the plain is described as
being as beautiful as 'the garden of the Lord'. This must be
a reference to the Garden of Eden; so the plain must have
been absolutely breathtaking to behold. It was filled with
rivers and streams, and luxuriant plantlife. It is for this
very reason that Lot, probably in his own selfishness, chose
the better part of the land when given a choice by Abraham.
He no doubt figured that his flocks would do very well
there:

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of
Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the
LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the
LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then
Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed
east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the
cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom."
(Genesis 13:10-12)

But now notice how the two cities are described only six
chapters later after the Lord's severe judgments have fallen
upon them and the surrounding plain. Sodom and Gomorrah were
totally obliterated from the face of the Earth. In fact, the
entire plain was apparently burned up to such a degree, that
it remained completely lifeless and devoid of plant growth.
Perhaps it was similar in appearance to an area of the world
where a volcano has erupted. Depending upon the severity of
the eruption, as well as the volume of the lava flows, the
landscape can quickly be transformed into miles upon miles
of lifeless barren wasteland. What isn't destroyed through
fire, toxic gases, plummeting boulders from the sky, and
choking ash, may soon be covered with many meters of deadly,
creeping, molten lava. Everything in its destructive path
will eventually become permanently entombed in a hard shell
of grey and black rock. Only the patient Hand of God Himself
will eventually result in new life springing up in the area;
and it takes time:

"Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone
and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those
cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the
cities, and that which grew upon the ground...And Abraham
gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood
before the LORD: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah,
and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo,
the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace."
(Genesis 19:24-25, 27-28)

What terrible destruction, and how quickly it came to pass!
One hour Lot and his family were enjoying the pleasures of a
lavish life in the lush lowland, and shortly thereafter they
found themselves fleeing for their lives to the mountains,
with only the clothes on their backs! God's Wrath fell so
quickly upon those wicked sinners, that no one expected it
in the least! In fact, Jesus Himself informs us that His
Father's Wrath fell upon those cities in a single day! There
was absolutely no room for procrastination, as Lot's wife
sadly found out. So also will it be in the day that the Lord
returns for His children. When He tells us that it is time
to go, there will be no time for goodbyes, or last minute
things to do. This is a very interesting point, because the
Lord specifically tells us to remember Lot's wife. For me,
this seems to imply that there is some kind of a choice in
the matter. It might just not be some miraculous automatic
flying off into the sky as many Christians believe:

"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat,
they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they
builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it
rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them
all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is
revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop,
and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it
away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not
return back. Remember Lot's wife." (Luke 17:28-32)

In his second Epistle, the Apostle Peter also discusses the
coming fiery destruction of the wicked. Just like Jesus, in
order to add emphasis to his message, Peter also refers to
the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In this
case, he informs us that they were reduced to ashes; just as
our enemies will someday be reduced to ashes under our feet
as well:

"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes
condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample
unto those that after should live ungodly;" (2 Peter 2:6)

"And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet
shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Amen." (Romans 16:20)

"And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes
under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do
this, saith the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 4:3)

The main point I wish to emphasize here is that despite the
high level of destruction which occurred to the cities of
the plain, the Lord did not have to completely remove His
children from the face of the Earth; He merely moved them to
a safer location. Why then do some Christians feel that it
is necessary for God to totally remove His Saints from the
Earth, via the Rapture, before He pours out His Wrath? That
certainly isn't what He did with Lot and his family. We know
that the Seven Vials of Wrath are not directed against the
Saints; they are directed against the unbelieving world;
particularly against the followers of the Beast and the
False Prophet. Remember, while some of God's children will
be feeling the wrath of the Beast, the followers of Satan
will likewise be feeling God's Wrath! Let me also clarify
that I am not saying that God is not going to deliver His
children from the Great Tribulation, as He most certainly
will. The primary issue here is when that time will occur.

Another verse which is quite popular with those who support
the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory, is found in the Apostle
Paul's second Epistle to the Thessalonians. As I explain in
the article 'Who Is Hindering The Antichrist?', this
chapter deals with the arrival of the Jewish false messiah
known as Moshiach ben David; whom Paul refers to as the Son
of Perdition, who will sit in the newly-built Temple on the
top of Mount Moriah. In explaining the conditions which will
exist at the time of the arrival of this satanic deceiver,
Paul wrote the following:

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That
ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by
spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the
day of Christ is at hand. 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; 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, shewing himself that he is
God...For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he
who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with
the brightness of his coming:"
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 7-8)

As I explain in the aforementioned article, in the previous
verses, the phrase 'letteth will let' is derived from the
Greek word 'katecho' which is sometimes translated as detain
retain, restrain, hold back or hinder. In other words, Paul
is telling us that something, or someone, is holding back
the Antichrist from making his appearance on the world
stage. If we accept the most common interpretation of this
verse, it is referring to the Holy Spirit which dwells in
the Body of the Believers. Thus, according to the supporters
of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory, this means that once
the Church has been removed from the Earth via the Rapture,
the Holy Spirit will also be removed; and thus Satan, via
his Son of Perdition, the Antichrist, will come to full
power, and not before. It is a nice theory, but as I explain
in that article, I do not accept this interpretation at this
time. My personal study of the Scriptures has convinced me
that this somebody is most likely Michael the Archangel, and
not the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Body of the
Believers. Please refer to that article for more details.

If my understanding of Paul's words is correct, then this
means that the Lord's worldwide spiritual Church will still
be here at the time that the Antichrist sits in the Temple
in East Jerusalem, and declares himself to be 'God'. As we
saw earlier, I believe that it will be at this time that the
three and a half years of Great Tribulation will begin, and
not before, as the true children of the Lord refuse to bow
down and worship the false messiash from hell.

In addition to the story of Lot, another clear example of
how the Lord can punish the wicked while at the same time
protect His own children, is found in the story of the first
Passover in Egypt. The Lord didn't have to physically remove
the children of Israel from the Earth before He used Moses
and Aaron to punish Pharaoh and his people with the various
plagues. In fact, He didn't even bother to move them to a
safer location as He had done with Lot and his family. The
Lord simply protected them from those chastisements, because
the plagues were not directed against the Israelites, but
only against the Egyptians; just as the Last Seven Plagues
of the Endtime will also be directed against the wicked of
the world, and not against the Lord's children. When the
final plague of death occurred, the Hebrews were simply
instructed to remain in their homes, and to not go outside.
They also had to exercise their faith through the physical
act of marking their doorposts with the fresh blood of an
unblemished lamb; which of course was symbolic of the coming
true Lamb of God; Jesus Christ Himself:

"And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two
side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein
they shall eat it...And the blood shall be to you for a
token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the
blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be
upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of
Egypt...And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in
the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and
the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and
none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the
morning. For the LORD will pass through to smite the
Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and
on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and
will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to
smite you." (Exodus 12:7, 13, 22-23)

Some time ago when I shared this example with someone who
adheres to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory, I was quite
surprised when this person wrote back to me claiming that
what happened with Moses and the Children of ancient Israel
has absolutely no bearing on the children of God today. No
Scriptural support was provided to validate this claim, and
I don't think that this person would have found any even if
a search had been made. Contrary to this person's comment,
the Apostle Paul had the following to say regarding the
plight of Moses and the Children of Israel, and how their
example relates to our current time:

"Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted,
and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some
of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and
they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of
the world are come." (1 Corinthians 10:9-11)

In this chapter, Paul deals with the issue of not yielding
ourselves to fleshly lusts and idolatry; thus he found it
fitting to use the murmuring ancient Israelites as a good
example for 'our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world
are come.' Clearly then, if the murmuring and wandering in
the desert is to be looked upon as an example for us, does
it not seem appropriate to consider the entire story of the
Children of Israel as well? Does it not seem proper to you
that we should consider God's Divine Protection during the
time of the plagues in Egypt, and view it as an example of
how the Lord can and will miraculously protect His children
when He pours out His Wrath upon the wicked? Another very
interesting point regarding this story, is that it isn't
that God didn't have a time of deliverance prepared for the
ancient Israelites; it is just that the time hadn't arrived
yet. God poured out His Wrath upon the Egptians first, and
then He delivered His children.

As I point out in the article 'Biblical Cafeteria, Or The
Whole Course?', we cannot pick and choose when it comes to
our understanding of the Bible. We cannot create a doctrine
just by looking at a single verse. We must accept the entire
Bible, and prayerfully and carefully compare Scripture with
Scripture in order to come to a full knowledge of the Truth.
I mentioned in part one that we must rightly divide the Word
of Truth. Through the previous two examples of Lot and the
story of the plagues in Egypt, it becomes quite apparent
that the Lord does not have to remove His children entirely
from the Earth, and not even from their current location,
before He can pour out His judgments upon the wicked. He can
protect them right where they are in some cases, if they
obey His instructions. That is the key. Obedience results in
Divine Protection. Please consider the following verses:

"The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear
him, and delivereth them." (Psalms 34:7)

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for
the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that
walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at
noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand
at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only
with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the
wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge,
even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil
befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy
dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to
keep thee in all thy ways." (Psalms 91:5-11)

Of course, these aren't the only examples of the Lord's
protection when it comes time to judge the wicked. One of
the very first notable examples found in the Bible is that
of the great Flood which occurred during the days of Noah.
As with Lot, the Lord didn't have to remove Noah and his
family entirely from the Earth before He let His judgments
fall upon the evil men of that time; He merely moved them to
a new location, a higher location. He lifted up Noah and his
family in the Ark, above the flood waters of destruction. As
with the story of Lot, Jesus also used the example of Noah
to warn us of what the world will be like just prior to the
Day of His Return; and to emphasize the suddenness of the
destruction of the wicked when they are least expecting it:

"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in
the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they
married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day
that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and
destroyed them all." (Luke 17:26-27)

Thus, in looking at three of the greatest examples of God's
Wrath in the Bible, that is, the Flood, the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah, and the plagues in Egypt, we see that in
every case, the Lord simply protected His own children from
His righteous indignation; for as the Apostle Paul wrote,
the Lord knows them that are His:

"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having
this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let
every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity." (2 Timothy 2:19)

Considering these three examples, and there are others, why
do the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theorists continue to insist
that God must physically remove us from the Earth before He
can accomplish His purposes? The Scriptural evidence I have
presented to you clearly shows otherwise. Another set of
verses which are often used to support the Pre-Tribulation
Rapture theory, are the following found in the seventh
chapter of the Book of Revelation. Please note that these
verses come right after those which describe the sealing of
the one hundred and forty-four thousand converted Jews:

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no
man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people,
and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And
cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the
angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders
and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their
faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and
glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power,
and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one
of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which
are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 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."
(Revelation 7:9-14)

Allow me to first mention that while the great multitude may
include the one hundred and forty-four thousand, it does not
seem to me that they are exactly the same thing. John tells
us quite clearly that this great multitude is so large, that
it is something 'which no man could number'. If it can't be
numbered, then obviously, it cannot be the one hundred and
forty-four thousand converted Jews of Israel, as this is a
quantity which can definitely be numbered. Notice also that
the multitude is comprised 'of all nations, and kindreds,
and people, and tongues'; thus again we see that it cannot
be just the saved Jews from Israel; although it is possible
that they may be included in this group. I honestly do not
know with any degree of certainty. However, in the previous
verses, it is the phrase 'These are they which came out of
great tribulation' which is commonly used by Pre-Tribulation
Rapture theorists to support their belief that the Saints
will be removed from the Earth, via the Rapture, before the
Great Tribulation actually begins.

Let's really think about this for a moment. From a logical
point of view, it seems to me that in order to come out of
something, one must have gone into it first. I cannot come
out of my house, unless I have first gone into it. If we
look at our Christian walk with the Lord as a race, as the
Apostle Paul did, I cannot be disqualified from running the
race, unless I have first entered the race, and then done
something worthy of disqualification. In like manner, unless
God's children have actually entered the period known as the
Great Tribulation, how can they possibly come out of it?
This leads us to our next point. While I have primarily
focused on the two main schools of thought regarding this
issue, that is, the Pre-Tribbers and the Post-Tribbers, in
all fairness, allow me to mention that there is a third
group of people who we might refer to as the Mid-Tribbers.
These people believe that the phrase 'came out of great
tribulation' means that the Lord's children will enter the
Great Tribulation, but that they will be raptured out of it
before it is over. This is where the following verse comes
into play:

"And except those days should be shortened, there should no
flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened." (Matthew 24:22)

While this idea of a Mid-Tribulation Rapture does have more
merit, I still don't believe that it is completely accurate.
By the time you have finished reading this series, you will
fully understand why I say this; that is, if you haven't
done so already. Let me point out that the previous verse
does provide us with some vital information which further
supports the idea that God's children will indeed go through
the period known as the Great Tribulation. If you read it
slowly, you will come to understand that what the Lord is
saying, is that the whole reason why He must arrive when He
does, is to prevent the complete annihilation of His dear
children. If none of the Saints are here during the time of
Jacob's Trouble, if they have already been raptured before
this terrible period begins, then how can they be in danger
of being wiped out by the forces of the Beast as this verse
clearly indicates? So you see, this verse is a picture of
God's Endtime children in the midst of Great Tribulation.

Please bear in mind that the Lord's primary interest is in
the fate of His own dear children. While He wishes for all
men everywhere to be saved, as can be seen by the following
verse, as I point out in such articles as 'Is The Message Of
Salvation Meant For All Men?', He already knows that not all
men will accept His free gift of Eternal Life. Some people
will proudly and stubbornly deny His Name until the very
end. The Apostle Peter made this point very clear. Notice
the sharp contrast in attitude between the following two
verses from his Epistle. One shows God's loving, merciful
attitude, while the other shows sinful man's reaction to the
Lord's display of mercy and patience with His rebellious
creations:

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men
count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where
is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning
of the creation." (2 Peter 3:3-4)

It is because of the Lord's love for His children, that in
the previous verse from the twenty-fourth chapter of the
Gospel of Matthew, we are told that the days of suffering
will be shortened for the Elect's sake. As soon as the Lord
determines that the evil forces of antichrist have filled
their cup of iniquity, He is going to suddenly return, in
order to put an end to the terrible slaughter of His little
ones. He is going to rescue His Bride-to-be! According to my
current understanding of the Scriptures, I believe that the
Elect to whom Jesus is referring in the previous verse, is
compromised of all saved Christians, be they Jew or Gentile,
who have ever lived; except for those who were already
resurrected at the time of Christ's own Resurrection. For a
more thorough explanation of this topic, allow me to refer
you to my article 'Once Upon A Time: A True Story'.

At this point, let us address the issue of what Jesus meant
by 'those days should be shortened', and 'those days shall
be shortened', as these two phrases have also been used by
some people in order to try to justify the Pre-Tribulation
Rapture theory. As with other arguments we have already
discussed, these phrases have been misinterpreted to mean
that the Lord is going to shorten the number of days by
simply taking His children out of the world before the Great
Tribulation begins. As we have already seen, this cannot be
correct, as the Lord is going to rescue His children out of
a great persecution which has already begun, in order to
prevent their complete annihilation.

A second possibility which finds support amongst some of the
Mid-Tribulation Rapture theorists, is that the Lord will
come to rescue His children before the Great Tribulation has
ended, thus shortening the days. While this explanation at
first appears to make a lot of sense, if we follow the safe
practice of comparing Scripture with Scripture, we quickly
realize that this interpretation contradicts everything we
have already seen in the Scriptures. As we saw in both parts
one and two of this series, both Daniel and John make it
very clear that the Great Tribulation has already been set
to a predetermined length of time by the Lord; and that time
period is three and a half years, or forty-two months, or
one thousand two hundred and sixty days. They all represent
the full duration of the Great Tribulation.

If there is one thing I have taught my readers over and over
again, it is that God is not the author of confusion. He
does not contradict Himself, or His Word. He is not going to
say one thing in one place, and then turn around and say
something totally contradictory in another part of His Holy
Word, thus confusing the faithful student of the Scriptures.
As Daniel and John have both stated, it is only when this
time of Great Tribulation has reached its conclusion at the
end of the final three and a half years of the Last Seven
Years, that God's Plan will be finished, and Jesus Christ
will return for His own at the sound of the Seventh Trump.
Consider again what the Prophet Daniel wrote:

"And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the
waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his
left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever
that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he
shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy
people, all these things shall be finished." (Daniel 12:7)

Notice carefully what the Angelic Messenger says to Daniel.
When will all of these things be finished? After the Beast
has scattered 'the power of the holy people' during the
three and a half years of Great Tribulation; that is, the
'time, times, and an half'. I believe that this scattering
of power, is a reference to the terrible persecution of the
Jews, who will be forced to flee out of Jerusalem, exactly
as Jesus told them to do, when the Muslim forces invade
Jersualem, as we saw in earlier installments of this series.
That phrase 'shall be finished' coincides with the 'should
be finished' in the following verse from the Book of
Revelation:

"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he
shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished,
as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."
(Revelation 10:7)

As soon as the three and a half years of Great Tribulation
has been completed, from the day that the Holy Covenant is
broken in the midst of the Last Seven Years, Jesus Christ
will return, in order to rescue His children, and to stop
the terrible slaughter, and not a day before. Based upon
everything I have shared with you, this is what I believe
that Jesus really meant when He said that the days will be
shortened; that is, that they will not be any longer than
the allotted three and a half years, or forty-two months, or
one thousand two hundred and sixty days. If He allowed the
Muslim wave of terror and persecution to go longer than
that, then no flesh would be saved; particularly no Jews in
Israel. This is in perfect agreement with the Scriptures.

Before concluding part four of this series, allow me to
point out to you that the Angelic Messenger does mention to
Daniel that there are two short time periods which extend
beyond the three and half years of the Great Tribulation.
One of these extensions is a thirty-day period, while the
other is a forty-five day period which extends even beyond
the thirty-day period. In other words, it appears that there
are certain undetermined events which occur during the first
seventy-five days following the Lord's Return. While we can
all speculate what these things might be, at this current
time, I do not know with absolute certainty. All I do know
is that those who make it through these final seventy-five
days are considered blessed by the Lord. Daniel wrote:

"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken
away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there
shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is
he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred
and five and thirty days." (Daniel 12:11-12)

In the fifth part of this thought-provoking series, we will
continue our discussion of the Great Tribulation and the
Rapture by looking at such topics as the First Resurrection,
the Battle of God and Magog, the defeat of the Satanic Trio,
the Second Resurrection, the Great White Throne Judgment and
the Lake of Fire, the post-Armageddon Judgment Seat of Jesus
Christ, the two raptures theory, all one in Christ, the dead
in Christ shall rise first, respect of persons, and the
coming transformation of our bodies. I trust that you will
join me.

Go To Part Five . . .