READ THE FIG LEAVES
Signs of the Times
STUDY 4
PART 5 THE MID-POINT OF TRIBULATION—Continued
Time-Frame Four: The Mid-Point of Tribulation
TOPIC 25—REWARDS CEREMONY
The Bema—Judgment Seat of Christ
I believe those “caught away” at Jesus Christ’s appearing will have, by reason of being caught away, already been judged to be righteous JOHN 5:24 and their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. “…The Lord knows those who are his…” II TIMOTHY 2:19 So there will be no judgement before he catches us away; but we will immediately go to a ‘rewards judgment’ or ceremony. Some call this the ‘Bema.’ [Bema is not in the Bible.] I believe there will be a ‘Bema’ or judgment seat of Christ immediately after Jesus Christ’s appearing.
In Romans Paul says, “…For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” ROMANS 14:10 And, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” ROMANS 14:12 Then the righteous will be rewarded; but their only ‘judgment’ will be at the ‘rewards ceremony.’ “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” JEREMIAH 17:10 Again, we will be rewarded.
Jesus tells us to “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” MATTHEW 6:20 He told the rich young ruler to “…sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven…” MARK 10:21 Do you not think that He will return those treasures we have laid up in heaven to us in addition to those things He will give us as a reward?
Paul tells us how we should work while we are here on earth. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” COLOSSIANS 3:23-24 Jesus tells us what we can expect if we are faithful in the parable of the talents. “…Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” MATTHEW 25:23
Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. I CORINTHIANS 4:5
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. II CORINTHIANS 5:10
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. I CORINTHIANS 3:11-14
Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. II JOHN 1:8
For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. MATTHEW 16:27
"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. REVELATION 22:12
I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. REVELATION 3:11
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. JAMES 1:12
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. REVELATION 2:10
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. MATTHEW 5:12
And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. I PETER 5:4
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. II TIMOTHY 4:8
He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. HEBREWS 11:26
Reading the above scriptures in the order presented is in itself a commentary on what could happen immediately after we are caught away—the Judgment Seat of Christ—rewards ceremony. Reading the scriptures below tells us what others have done with their rewards.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. REVELATION 4:4
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” REVELATION 4:9-11
There will be only one judgment where good and evil are judged—the sheep and goat judgment. It will take place before the millennium. Then at the end of the Millennium there will be the Great White Throne Judgment. Only the ‘dead’ will be judged then—no one else will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment REVELATION 20:11-15
TOPIC 26— THE TWO WITNESSES KILLED
The Two Witnesses Killed After 1260 Days
And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. REVELATION 11:7-13
No one can kill the Two Witnesses until their 1,260 day ministry is complete. No one could kill Jesus until his three and one-half years of ministry was completed. The Two Witnesses will be killed on the streets of Jerusalem. Jesus was crucified on Golgotha outside of Jerusalem. When Jesus’ ministry was completed, he was killed and placed in a tomb; but the Two Witnesses will be allowed to lay dead in the streets for three and one-half days—they will have no tomb. The world will see, on satellite TV, them lying on the streets. Then there will be rejoicing and merry making and exchange of presents, much like some countries did after the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City on Nine Eleven! Jesus tells us “… whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” And that the world will rejoice! JOHN 16:20 Then they will be “caught up” into heaven. REVELATION 11:7-13
TOPIC 27—THE ABOMINATION of DESOLATION
Daniel’s Seventy Weeks
There are a great many differing views on chapter nine of Daniel. With so many written volumes of commentary and history covering this chapter, every possible view and interpretation has probably already been postulated in great detail. My point of view will be very limited in scope; but I believe it to be scriptural. My primary objective is to establish that a part of Daniel’s seventy weeks still has application for the end—times.
You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. LEVITICUS 25:8
Precedent, scripture witness, has been set in Leviticus for “weeks of years.” While this scripture is for seven weeks or forty-nine years, the scripture in Daniel is for seventy weeks or four hundred and ninety years. The “weeks” in Leviticus were to calculate the time until the year of Jubilee—from Jubilee to Jubilee. And was simply a way to keep track of the years. The “weeks” of Daniel are not quite that simple. Although they have been explained in various ways, the “weeks” seems to accurately note the years between prophesied events, at least in some of the explanations; but in many explications of Daniel’s seventy weeks, there is a ‘gap’ of unknown time and other tensions. After this ‘gap’ ends, the events of the last “week” happen—seven years of Tribulation.
… I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. DANIEL 9:2-3
While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.” DANIEL 9:20-23
In the first part of Daniel, chapter nine, Daniel seems to be searching the writings of Jeremiah “before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem.” He realizes the seventy years of exile are nearly over. Then he tells us that he prays. “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” DANIEL 9:3 His prayer of confession and petition is answered by Gabriel. “while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, ‘O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding.’” DANIEL 9:21-22
Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator. DANIEL 9:24-27
Many support a timeline with the seventy weeks of Daniel divided into three segments. The first sixty-nine weeks are chronological and have already happened. Then there is a period of time, a gap of unknown length, that many call the dispensation of the Gentiles—some call it the Church Age. The final week is the last seven years on earth, the Tribulation. In verse twenty-four there is a key phrase that tells us about the end of the seventy weeks and the last week and the end of time. “… to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness…” DANIEL 9:24 Many of the things listed, if not all, in verse twenty-four were accomplished by Jesus Christ. They have been done already—in God’s Time—outside of time. Putting an end to sin and bringing in everlasting righteousness will be totally accomplished in earth time—solar time—at the ending of the millennium.
Although the millennium will be the kingdom of our righteous Lord and His Christ, at its end Satan will be released from the bottomless pit and lead a rebellion. So there will not be an end to sin until he is finally destroyed, after the millennium. After this, there will be the Great White Throne Judgment. Then a new heaven and a new earth that has never known sin and will never know sin will be created. Righteousness is everlasting already! But after sin ends, nothing unrighteous will ever be seen again. Then Jesus Christ will rule for eternity.
The most plausible timeline of Daniel’s seventy weeks begins with the rebuilding of Jerusalem. DANIEL 9:25 It is a seven week, 49 year, segment of Daniel’s seventy weeks. This should not be confused with the rebuilding of the Temple. The second segment of sixty-two weeks, 434 years, begins when the rebuilding of Jerusalem is finished and ends when Jesus Christ is crucified. “And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing…” DANIEL 9:26 I believe the preceding scripture is referring to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and to the fact he had no visible earthly kingdom. For Israel proclaimed, “… We have no king but Caesar.” JOHN 19:15 Then after the ‘gap’ we have the seventieth week—the seven years of Tribulation at the time of the end. After this we will have the millennium. [1]
Others believe all of the seventy weeks of Daniel have already been fulfilled. The tension with believing all seventy weeks have already been fulfilled is that the abomination of desolation, which will take place in the seventieth week, was supposed to have been fulfilled when Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Seleucid king, of a Greek state in West Africa, erected an altar to the Greek god Zeus, and sacrificed a pig on the altar of incense in the Jewish Temple; but this happened in 168 BC during what many would agree would be near the middle of the sixty-two weeks segment. There is no scripture witness that this event in the event Jesus mentioned in his Olivet Discourse in Matthew chapter twenty-four. For Jesus did not review history; but rather foretold the future. [2]
Although others may believe all of Daniel has been fulfilled at a much earlier time—the ending of the seventy weeks. “…And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.” DANIEL 9:26 This part of verse twenty-six was fulfilled in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed; but it is not the seventieth week. The middle of the seventieth week will have the abomination of desolation—the mid-point of Tribulation. The Tribulation is the last seven years on earth and is, I believe, the seventieth week of Daniel’s seventy weeks.
Again, the intent of this very brief study of Daniel’s seventy weeks was not to explore and explain the historical application of his prophecy; but, rather, it was to glean from this scripture those things, I believe, apply to the end-times.
The Abomination of Desolation
“And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” DANIEL 9:27
Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. DANIEL 11:31
And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. DANIEL 12:11
While Daniel prophesied about the abomination of desolation in three different chapters, it is Jesus who moves the prophecy forward to a time further in the future. Jesus tells His disciples about the abomination of desolation in Matthew, He said, “…when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel…then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” MATTHEW 24:15-16 While Jesus only mentions it, Paul writes about it with some detail in Thessalonians. II THESSALONIANS 2:3-10 Jesus knew and Paul believed the abomination of desolation was and is a future event. It will happen near the mid-point of Tribulation. The words “abomination of desolation” are not mentioned in the book of Revelation; but details of the “man of lawlessness,” which Paul writes about and the “beast” that John writes about, are given in Revelation chapter thirteen.
Although some theologians and historians of Jewish history believe all of the prophecies in Daniel have been fulfilled, others believe parts of chapters two, seven, eight, nine, eleven and twelve are yet to be fulfilled. Those historians who believe the abomination of desolation was fulfilled in 168 BC, are overlooking Jesus’ discourse in Matthew Twenty-Four which refers to it as a future event. These events which surround the mid-point of Tribulation in Revelation are consistent with the prophecies of Daniel and with the teachings of Jesus in Matthew. So the Abomination of Desolation will take place in the future. It will mark the mid-point of Tribulation. After this, things will get so much worse that Jesus referred to it as “great tribulation.” MATTHEW 24:21
Three and one-half years into Tribulation, “…the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, [will take] … his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” II THESSALONIANS 2:3-4 Burnt offerings will be taken away from Israel at the mid-point of Tribulation. Daniel says the abomination that makes desolate will happen at about the same time. Twelve hundred and ninety days later Tribulation will end. DANIEL 12:11
The Antichrist, the wounded head which is healed on the first beast rising from the sea, will profane the temple. “Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, …And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. DANIEL 11:31 “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. DANIEL 11:36 Again, some historians say this has been fulfilled; but, if it has, it will be repeated in the end time.
Summarizing, the third temple will be rebuilt before the start of Tribulations. Regular burnt offerings which were begun sometime before Tribulation started, will be taken away at the mid-point of Tribulation. While the tenets of the “strong covenant for one-week” are unknown, it is possible that taking away the burnt offerings could be one of the first violations of that covenant—peace treaty. We know the ten horn kings [Revived Roman Empire, the Antichrist] will violate this covenant [peace treaty or alliance] with Israel which they signed three and one-half years before; and that this will set up the Abomination of Desolation; and the desolator, The Antichrist, will be the ruler until the “…decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” DANIEL 9:27 The Antichrist, the false prophet, and the image of the beast will play a role in this desolation. Idols made by hand have always been an affront to God. The image’s appearance will be at or near the same time the Antichrist takes his seat in the temple. A lot happens near this event—the mid-point of Tribulation, both before and after.
Flee! The Woman Flees the Dragon
So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. MATTHEW24:15-16
Jesus tells Israel to flee— “… let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” MATTHEW 24:16 "Flee from the midst of Babylon; let every one save his life. Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her.” JEREMIAH 51:6 The furious pursuit by the dragon using a river of invaders could not keep Israel from mounting up on the wings of the great eagle and fleeing to a wilderness in the mountains. When they get there, God promises to take care of them and nourish them. That is something he says and then confirms in Revelation chapter twelve. Israel will spend the last 1,260 days of tribulation in the care of God.
She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. REVELATION 12:5-6
The Woman in verse one of Revelation twelve is clearly the nation of Israel. Many years after giving birth to Jesus, “the male child” and at the mid-point of the tribulation, “…the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.” REVELATION 12:5-6 The wrath of Satan will be focused against the Jews, that will cause some of the Jews of Israel to flee to a place in the “wilderness” where they will be supernaturally protected by God. REVELATION 12:13-14 Wherever they are, they will be sustained by God for the remainder of the Tribulation—the same God who sustained them in the wilderness for forty years in the Old Testament. The same God who gave them manna from heaven, quail from the sea, and water from a rock will take care of them. Many theories exist about the location of the Jews’ hiding place. Some people believe they will flee to the ancient city of Petra. The Bible mentions a wilderness and mountains. Wherever this place is, not all will escape to this hiding place.
“But the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the Lord alone guided him, no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat—and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.” DEUTERONOMY 32:9-14 God will do the same thing he did the first time Israel fled to a wilderness. JOHN 6:31 & NUMBERS 11:31 & EXODUS 17:6 From these scriptures it is obvious God knows how to sustain his people. God will take care of them. Modern times do not diminish God’s abilities.
And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. REVELATION 12:13-14
Although Satan has pursued Israel since they became God’s chosen people and a nation, and on several occasions he sought to kill Jesus, “the male child,” the pursuit which is mentioned in verse thirteen of Revelation chapter twelve is after the great red dragon, Satan, is thrown down from heaven—the mid-point of tribulation. REVELATION 12:13 He knows he does not have many days left. This pursuit begins in earnest after the abomination of desolation. So most of Israel flees.
The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. REVELATION 12:15-16
It is not a river of life that pours out of the mouth of the red dragon after the woman as she flees; but rather an attempt to sweep her away with a flood. REVELATION 12:15 The river that pours out of his mouth could be the invasion of Israel around mid-tribulation. Isaiah uses the analogy of a river for an invasion. ISAIAH 8:7-8 “But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river the dragon had poured from his mouth.” REVELATION 12:16 “…When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard agains him. [KJV] ISAIAH 59:19 Those who pursue Israel when they are fleeing could literally be swallowed by the earth. It has happen before! “But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.” NUMBERS 16:30
“But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.” REVELATION 12:14 He will give them two wings of the great eagle. He is this eagle! And again God confirms he will nourish Israel in the wilderness. He has done this before for his people. “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.” EXODUS 19:4
War against Israel and the Saints
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus [Jesus Christ KJV]. And he stood on the sand of the sea. REVELATION 12:17
As already noted more than once, the Antichrist will become furious with the Jew’s escape into the wilderness and will leave off pursuing them to make war on those who did not escape. REVELATION 12:17 Although the war on the rest of Israel will be meant to erase them from the earth, the Antichrist will fail in his goal of annihilating all of the Jews. Israel has always survived attempts to ‘wipe’ them from the face of the earth. We are told in scripture a remnant of the Jews will saved. ISAIAH 10:20-23 & ROMANS 9:27-28 God always saves a remnant! “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” MATTHEW 24:22 He will cut the days short.
It seems Israel has always been at war. From the battles to occupy the promised land—through their dispersion and the holocaust—and until the present day, Israel has always faced or is facing battles. Since they became a nation there has been the Six-Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and now almost fifty years later, 2023, Israel’s prime minister has declared War on Hamas. Those battles will turn to endless wars near and throughout the Tribulation. The First War of Gog and Magog will be one of the big battles before Tribulation. Some believe it must begin and end at least three and one-half years before Tribulation starts. We do not yet know, but this War on Hamas which started in October of 2023, could be the start of the First War of Gog and Magog. Russia will be an active participant in this war. Although they are now involved in a war with the Ukraine, they have shown an interest in the Israel—Hamas war. Unbelievably, they are encouraging them to reach a peace agreement.
These wars will increase when Satan is thrown down from the second heaven to earth, at or near the mid-point of Tribulation. He knows his days are numbered and he is furious with the woman, Israel, because she escaped and his plan to kill her Son—Jesus Christ failed. [My firmly established belief is that when Jesus died for our sins, he gave His life. Satan turned the hearts of an already deceived people to accomplish his crucifixion and Satan had nothing else to do with it.] He will be especially furious when a portion of Israel escapes to the wilderness where she will be protected by God for the last forty-two months of the Tribulation. Between the First War of Gog and Magog and the battle of Armageddon Israel will have very little time of peace, if any. There will be much conflict. Then after Armageddon and before the Final War of Gog and Magog, there will be one-thousand years of peace; for Satan will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit for that one-thousand years. Then the Prince of Peace will rule.
A point of information: Satan will never destroy all of the Jews; but almost eighty years after World War II ended, there is still one million less Jews than there were before the Holocaust!
Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, REVELATION 13:7
Satan has always hated God’s chosen people. It looks as though there is going to be a holocaust on Jews and saints during the latter one-half of the Tribulation. When Satan is cast down to earth, he will give his power and authority to the one of the heads of The First Beast, The Antichrist. REVELATION 13:2 “He will be allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it [The Antichrist] over every tribe and people and language and nation.” REVELATION 13:7 Jesus refers to this time as the Great Tribulation. MATTHEW 24:21
In the end-time, wars will no longer be rumors; but there will be war after war—almost constant war against Israel and the saints. And those wars will not end until the Antichrist and his false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire after the battle of Armageddon. That will be the war which ends all wars for one-thousand years; but the devil will not be destroyed. He is imprisoned in the bottomless pit. He will be released to lead a rebellion after the millennium. This will be the last rebellion; for the devil will then be destroyed.
TOPIC 28— THE GREAT PROSTITUTE and the SCARLET BEAST
The Great Prostitute and the Scarlet Beast
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. REVELATION 17:1-6
Except for verse three, these first six verses in chapter seventeen are all about the woman. In verse one the angel tells John that he will show him the judgment of the great prostitute which is seated on many waters; REVELATION 17:1 but the judgment of the great prostitute does not happen until verse sixteen. The “mystery” portion of this scripture REVELATION 17:7 about the great prostitute and the scarlet beast is addressed in the next topic. Her judgment will be covered after then.
“And the angel said to me, ‘The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.’” REVELATION 17:15 The waters also represents multitudes that have, like a whore, bowed down to other gods. JEREMIAH 2:20 She has committed sexually immorality with the kings of the earth and with the wine, of sexual immorality, the dwellers on earth have become drunk. REVELATION 17:2 “Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.” PSALM 106:39 The “many waters” are supporting the great prostitute and partaking of her sins.
Many view the Catholic church as the great prostitute. And a lot of the sins of the Catholic Church and of this world today are sexual sins. Aside from those which are purely sexual in nature, many more are connected to sex in some way, usually in a commercial way. In the New Testament when sins are named, sexual immorality often leads the list. COLOSSIANS 3:5 & GALATIANS 5:19 Sexual immorality, as used in most of scripture, is referring to two things. First, the worship of anything but God is sexual immorality. Idol worship in the world today is both blatant and open and subtle and unnoticed. Even Christians must be careful to keep God first in their lives. Worship of idols is the “sexual immorality” that God hates most of all. Secondly anything sexual outside the guidelines of scripture is also sexual immorality; but the sins of the great prostitute are greater than just sexual immorality.
The great red dragon chases a woman—Israel—into the wilderness; REVELATION 12:13 Then John finds him [a differing version of the dragon] later in scripture into a wilderness as a scarlet beast—not exactly the same color—but the same devil; but he is now a beast of burden—the great prostitute is on his back. He “…carries her.” REVELATION 17: 7 The prostitute who was seated on many waters is now sitting on the beast. Sitting on the beast shows she has the support of the beast and his end-time government; but the beast’s support will turn to hate at the mid-point of Tribulation. As the rider, she has great control. She has the bridle!
“The woman was [and is] arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls…” REVELATION 17:4 The impious pomp and attire of the Roman Catholic Church is extravagant to the point of being idolatry. Their attire does not exalt the wearer in the sight of God. Their adorning should be the adorning of the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. I PETER 3:4
Purple and scarlet are the colors of royalty, or high order, and of rulers. These are the colors which Herod clothed Jesus with before his crucifixion as a part of the mockery of the King of kings. JOHN 19:2 & MATTHEW 27:28 These are also the colors which God chose for a screen to the entrance of the tent Moses made in the desert. EXODUS 26:36 And blue, purple, and scarlet are the colors of the veil to the entrance of the Most Holy Place. EXODUS 26:31-33 The use of these colors does not give entrance to the Most Holy Place today. I am not saying that every use of these colors is wrong, only that the blatant use of these colors in a sacrilegious way is an offense to God.
The great prostitute has on her head “…Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” REVELATION 17:5 She has the splendor and pomp of ancient Babylon; ISAIAH 13:19 but she is a prostitute. Harlot or prostitute is God’s way of describing idolatry JUDGES 2:17 and the perversion that idolatry causes. Anything which usurps the praise and glory and worship that belongs to God is idolatry.
We find John’s visions of Babylon are both of a woman—the great prostitute and of a fallen city, Babylon. REVELATION 18:2 Together they share John’s descriptions of sin and idolatry—harlotry. Both are symbolic of the same thing—the evil religious empire and sacrilegious culture in our world which is growing in number day by day. The great prostitute—the apostate church—will partner with the Antichrist to form an evil religious alliance which will last until the mid-point of Tribulation. Babylon the great, the city, represents the political and commercial infrastructure of this evil alliance. Both of these entities share the same characteristics and they are inseparable. One cannot exist without the other. Both have prostituted themselves with the evil things of this world and to continue to exist they must have each other and the devil.
Our social, religious, intellectual, and commercial culture is now more concerned with personal gain and doing what “feels good” than they are in doing what is right. Idols, things made by man, creatures and creation are worshipped more than the creator. They are drinking the same wine of sexual immorality as the great prostitute. This wine is not a drink that is exclusive to the end-time! For the world has been drinking this sinful wine for a long time. From some time before the conversion of Constantine—and the beginning of the Catholic Church—through the time the pope crowned Charlemagne—and the centuries of the Holy Roman Empire—and until now the great prostitute has become and is becoming drunk with the blood of the saints—blood from her bloody persecutions and executions of saints through inquisitions for heresy and the wine of her sexual immorality. It will be worse in the end-time; and the great prostitute will still lead the way.
The Catholic Church is viewed by many as the great prostitute. There is much supporting evidence for believing this, evidence the Catholic Church has suppressed for ages; for in the past they have been guilty of more atrocities, both internal and external, than any other religious entity ever. If you view nightly news on a regular basis it would seem they are still guilty of multifarious evil things—perhaps not the people who confess to be Catholics, but the Catholic Church, some of its priests and its hierarchy. They are not only guilty of sexual immorality, the blood of saints is on their hands as well. Now for a very brief look at some of their atrocities.
In 1517, Martin Luther—a Catholic priest—sent a document, now known as Luther’s Ninety-five Theses, titled “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” to the Archbishop of Mainz—one of the seven Prince-Electors of the Holy Roman Empire—These seven Prince-Electors were members of the electoral college who elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire—These theses pointed out many of the false doctrines of the Catholic Church—especially some that dealt with indulgences, penance, and the authority of the pope. He nailed his theses to a church door—the Castle Church in Wittenberg Germany. Their rules and laws about indulgences as penance were an added burden to the people. Other doctrines of the Catholic Church kept people from Jesus Christ instead of pointing them to Him. [1]
The Five Solas are not a summary of Martin Luther’s theses. However he is given credit for their introduction and they were a part of his teachings. They are: (1) Sola Scriptura—scripture alone. The Bible alone is the infallible source of authority for faith and practice of Christians. (2) Sola Fide—Faith alone—We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ. (3) Sola Gratia—Grace alone—We are saved by the Grace of God alone. (4) Solus Christo—Christ alone—Jesus Christ alone is our Savior. (5) Soli Deo gloria—to the glory of God alone. We live for the glory of God alone.
Scripture alone—we find salvation in scripture, the edits of the pope are not needed. Faith and Grace alone are all that is needed. Works do not save us nor do the penance and indulges prescribed by a church. Christ alone is all we need. No man and his spiritual prescriptions can save us. We all exist for the glory of God. The Catholic Church especially has an averseness to Sola Scriptura and Solus Christus for both subjugate the supposed authority of the papacy. [2]
First published in 1563, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs recounts the persecution and killing of many people. They were martyred because of disagreements with the Catholic Church. Many were charged with “heresy,” then killed, usually after a one-sided inquisition. The Catholic Church is guilty of martyring an untold number of believers. The Catholic Church may well be the woman John was talking about. “And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus…” REVELATION 17:6 [3]
Benedict XIII, pope from 1724 to 1730, reportedly said in his jubilee proclamation of 1725, “…This catholic and apostolical Roman church is the head of the world, the mother of all believers, the faithful interpreter of God and mistress of all churches.” If the Catholic Church is the great prostitute, then this is an admission of being the mother of prostitutes. [4]
Until some time in the Reformation the pope’s miter had Mystery written on the front of it. When this was linked, by others, to scripture the Catholic Church deemed defaming to their image, they discontinued using the word Mystery on his miter. The pope’s forehead could be the forehead John was talking about when he wrote: “And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.’” REVELATION 17:5 I think most can agree the Catholic Church will play a prominent role in the end-time and not as a bearer of the seal of God in their foreheads. [5]
Further study of their history would reveal an untold number of other atrocities, some things too evil to recount, and things the true church would never do; but this is about the great prostitute in Revelation chapter seventeen, not a history of the Catholic Church.
This woman—great prostitute—arrayed in costly apparel and adorned with gold, jewels and pearls is holding a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality in her hand. She has become drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. REVELATION 17:6 She will soon be destroyed by her “drinking” partners.
The Mystery of the Great Prostitute and the Scarlet Beast
But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” REVELATION 17:7-14
The angel says to John, “…I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the [scarlet] beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.” REVELATION 17:7 [The great red dragon also has seven heads and ten horns. He is a different color, but the same devil.] “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.” REVELATION 17:8 The angel is still talking about the scarlet beast in verse eight; but in Revelation chapter twenty we are told it is the [great red] dragon [that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan] that is thrown into the bottomless pit. Again, both the scarlet beast and the great red dragon are Satan—one devil.
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. REVELATION 20:1-3
The scarlet beast John saw, “…was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction…” is the same “… dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan…” that is bound for a thousand years. REVELATION 20:2 So regardless of what he is called, he is the devil. He was—from his attempt to ascend above God until he is thrown into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years—and is not while he is in the bottomless pit—the earth is free from his evil—and is about to rise from the bottomless pit to lead a rebellion.
After he arises from the bottomless pit, and after a brief rebellion, he goes to destruction; for he was not destroyed in the bottomless pit. Some views are that John is talking about the Revived Roman Empire in verse eight; but scripture says, “the beast.” Further, the Revived Roman Empire was destroyed at Armageddon. Those dwellers on earth who marvel to see the beast REVELATION 17:8 may be the people on earth who are deceived in the rebellion. All will be destroyed! After the rebellion and the last battle on the earth, the devil will join his partners, the Antichrist and the false prophet, in the lake of fire.
The first one-half of verse nine, “This calls for a mind with wisdom…” This is the second time John has said wisdom is needed. REVELATION 13:18 & REVELATION 17:9 We must pray for wisdom to understand so we can come to a knowledge of the Truth.
The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. REVELATION 17:9 In John’s vision she was seated on many waters REVELATION 17:1 and on the scarlet beast; but we find yet another meaning of the place where the woman is seated, seven heads—seven mountains. Some believe the seven mountains are the seven hills of Rome; The Roman Empire had Rome as its capital; and the Catholic Church—Vatican City sits inside the city of Rome. In the end-times the great prostitute will be “seated” on the seven hills of Rome. From there she will rule with the end-time kingdom until she is destroyed. [This is yet another argument for the Catholic Church being the great prostitute.]
The next verse, verse ten, gives a different meaning from hills or mountains. “They are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.” REVELATION 17:10 These kings represent major Empires which have impacted or will impact Israel. The five that have fallen are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece. The one that is, was the Roman Empire of John’s day and the one that has not yet come is a Revived Roman Empire which must remain only a little while. All the others lasted from two hundred years to more than a thousand years. Since a Revived Roman Empire will be the end-time empire, it is hard to say how long it will last; for it is hard to know when it starts; but the last part of it, when the Antichrist is in total control, will only last for three and one-half years.
Although, verse eleven, has some tension, what seems to be an anomaly, I believe it refers to both the scarlet beast [and the great red dragon] and the Antichrist. “As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.” REVELATION 17:11 “As for the beast that was and is not” is a reference back to verse eight—“The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction…” REVELATION 17:8 This is referring to Satan—both the red dragon and the scarlet beast. “… it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven…” This, I believe, is a reference to the Antichrist and when he receives the kingdoms of the ‘horn’ kings. Theirs was the seventh kingdom represented by a seventh head on the beasts. Now that the Antichrist has full control, it becomes an eighth, a totally evil kingdom; but it still belongs to the seven.
All seven heads—seven kingdoms of this world—have belonged or will belong to the devil. At the beginning of the seventh, and last kingdom it has great influence from the apostate church; but after the Antichrist has full control it will not be influenced by any human entity. It is now totally controlled by the devil—an “eighth” but still a part of the seventh and last kingdom.
At the end of this last empire, the Antichrist goes to destruction along with the false prophet. REVELATION 17:11 & 19:20 All beasts, all forms of and incarnations of the devil, and the Antichrist—all go to destruction.
“And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.” REVELATION 17:12 In all scripture reference to the ten horns it is clear they are ten kings of the end-time who rule ten kingdoms. It is not clear if their rules start at the same time; but the ten horn—kings—start their rule sometime before Tribulation starts. That is when the Antichrist starts his rise to power. This could be before or after the War of God and Magog which will end three and one-half years, or more, before the start of Tribulation.
At some point the Antichrist takes over three of those kingdoms. Since those three kings still remain a force further into Tribulation, they probably continue to serve as subservient kings under the Antichrist—leaving the total kings still at ten. Then as the Antichrist begins his move for complete control, Satan gives the ten kings his “royal power” and they receive authority as kings along with the Antichrist for a very short period of time, “one hour.” A search of “one hour” or “the hour” in scripture will show that it refers to differing amounts of time; MATTHEW 26:40 & REVELATION 14:7 ” but most view “one hour” in this verse to mean simply, a short period of time. This could be a short transition period between the time the devil gives them “royal power” and the time it takes the Antichrist to define their roles as subservient kings and to get their unanimous agreement to hand total control to him. Also together they are going to destroy the apostate church, the great harlot. For this short period of time the world may be ruled by a United Nations model; but it is just an interim for the Antichrist to consolidate his power; for once the ten kings “…are of one mind… they hand over their power and authority to the beast.” REVELATION 17:13
There will be three and one-half years between the time the Antichrist takes complete control and what will happen is verse fourteen.“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” REVELATION 17:14 The battle of Armageddon will end the Great Tribulation with Jesus Christ destroying the armies of the world which have gathered for battle against Israel and against Him. He will do this with the sword of His mouth.
The Antichrist and The Ten Kings Act Together
At or near the mid-point of tribulation, the ten leaders of the ten nations will “rule for one hour with the Antichrist.” During their short rule with the Antichrist, together, they will destroy the Catholic Church—she is the rider on the scarlet beast. Now those ten nations, [he already controls three of them.] out of fear of the Antichrist, will give him all of their power after the great harlot is destroyed. The Antichrist then seats himself in the Temple at Jerusalem and claims he is God. His demonic kingdom has started.
“And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.” REVELATION 17:12 “And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.” REVELATION 17:16-18 Daniel prophesied this marriage of iron and clay would not last.
And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. DANIEL 2:41-43
Clay represents people and iron the rigid rule of government. This clay will be the world church and pacifiers in the end-time. The iron will be the rule of the ten ‘horn’ kings. These will mix—marry much like the Holy Roman Empire did; but they will not hold together and the Antichrist’s government will replace this coalition or marriage at the mid-point of tribulation. Church and State divorce! State, the ten ‘horn’ kings give their power and authority to the Antichrist. Without the “restrainer”and without the apostate church and without the balancing effect of other rulers, the kingdom of the Antichrist is consolidated.
The Antichrist’s kingdom will then last for three and one-half years. DANIEL 7:24 It will be “…over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it…” REVELATION 13:7-8 And, again, it will be free from any influence other than that of Satan and his demons.
The Great Prostitute Destroyed by Antichrist
And the angel said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth. REVELATION 17:15-18
The great prostitute and the apostate church are the same. They are the religious “church part” of a Revived Roman Empire. Even though the great prostitute has “‘…on her forehead … written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations,’” REVELATION 17:5 Babylon is the infrastructure of the apostate church. Babylon is referred to as mother of prostitutes, she is also referred to as a dwelling place, REVELATION 18:2 and as a mighty city, REVELATION 18:10 Babylon is the seat of the apostate church. She is representative of all the sins and luxuries which will continually increase and the vehicle that is used to transport evil thoughts to evil deeds; but she [Babylon] will fall about the same time the great prostitute is destroyed. A people and an ideology cannot be completely destroyed if their infrastructure is allowed to stand. God will not allow the prostitute nor her infrastructure to survive. The Antichrist and the ten kings will destroy the great prostitute—the Catholic Church. God will destroy Babylon!
“And the angel said to me, ‘The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.’” REVELATION 17:15 The Catholic Church gets its power from all peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. It would take diligent research to find any peoples, multitudes, nations, or languages not in their sphere of influence. One of the agendas of the beast and the harlot church has been the destruction of other religions and Israel; but this marriage of clay—the peoples and multitudes and nations and languages which support the great prostitute, with the iron—the evil empire of the Antichrist—now comes to an end.
“And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” REVELATION 17:16-17 God sees the hate the ten kings and the beast have for the prostitute. They hate her for her continual and persistent interference of their plans. Even though the apostate church is not grounded in truth, its laws and doctrines are a hindrance to a totally evil empire. By the time the great prostitute is destroyed, the apostate church will have reached its zenith. Evil empires neither want nor need any attempt at restraint from a harlot church. The only thing that could restrain them, a Spirit filled Church, is gone.
“And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.” REVELATION 17:12 In that “one hour” that these ten kings have authority together with the beast, they destroy the prostitute. They help the Antichrist consolidate his power and authority when they destroy her. God is still in control; but he is removing any restraint the apostate church may have had on a Revived Roman Empire and the Antichrist.
When the great prostitute is destroyed, and the ten horn—kings give the beast their power, it will then be a totally demonic world. It seems God wants this last three and one-half years to be between him and the devil, no outside influences—not even an apostate church.
The Divided Kingdom is United Under the Antichrist
In Daniel it is clear that the feet, Daniel’s “divided kingdom,” is not a part of the Roman Empire; but many refer to this last earthly kingdom—the kingdom of the ten ‘horn’ kings and the Antichrist—as the “Revived Roman Empire.” While it will have many of the attributes of the Roman Empire, it may be more similar to the “Holy Roman Empire” [800 to 1806] in its beginnings; but I do not believe the Holy Roman Empire is the subject of Daniel’s prophecies. It was not as intense as this end-time kingdom will be.
The start of this last earthly kingdom will be a revival of the Roman Empire. It is further symbolized by Daniel’s prophecies about the beast with ten horns and the “little horn” which plucked up three of the first [ten] horns. DANIEL 7:8 And the prophecies in Revelation of three beasts that each have ten horns and seven heads, all have important end-time kingdom meanings; but when the “divided kingdom” is united under the Antichrist, it will look like Daniel’s fourth beast, in chapter seven, on steroids!
Daniel’s fourth beast—the ancient Roman Empire was “… terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts which were before it, and it had ten horns.” DANIEL 7:7 "Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet,” DANIEL 7:19 And “Thus he said: 'As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.’” DANIEL 7:23 This was the old Roman Empire. The last three and one-half of Tribulation—the great Tribulation—will be much worse.
In Daniel, chapter two, Nebuchadnezzar had his dream. Although he was greatly trouble by it, he could not remember the dream. So Daniel had to, both, tell him what he dreamed and tell him the interpretation of the dream. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was of a great image, mighty and of exceeding brightness—its appearance was frightening. DANIEL 2:31. Each part of the image was of a different metal—head of fine gold, chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. DANIEL 2:32-33 It is interesting that when Daniel was giving Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of his dream that he reminded him, “And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.” DANIEL 2:41 It would not be the same kingdom as the legs; but before he began his interpretation, he told Nebuchadnezzar’s the ending of those kingdoms represented by this impressive image.
As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. DANIEL 2:34-35
The scripture above is a very clear description of what will happen at Jesus Christ’s second coming. Especially interesting to me is that the stone “cut out by no human hand” strikes the image on its feet first—the kingdom of the Antichrist. Then it destroys all evil and all evidence of the other kingdoms of the past and the “wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found.” After the earth has been purged of all evil, by the stone, the Rock of my Salvation, he fills the whole earth!
Written by Mallard E. Guy Jr.
Over a Period of Two + Years
Finished October 28, 2023
Last Edited August 2025