The Coming TimesDisclaimer: I do not claim to have all the answers. As with everything there is a certain amount of growth that happens over time and this page is my journey to find those answers. Acts 17:11 speaks to what I hope from anyone reading this page as I also attempt to strive toward the goal of being a compitent watchman. This page is my estimation of the order of future events based on Bible prophecy. I believe there are already prophetic events that have happened such as the re-emergence of Israel as a nation in 1948, but this page is more focused on the coming times than all prophetic fulfillment. I’m not saying this is how events will unfold, as we still see through a glass darkly. I’m simply taking what I’ve learned of the framework of Bible prophecy to try and build out a greater understanding of the coming times and what to watch for. This will change over time and in fact several key aspects of how I viewed some prophetic events in scripture have changed to date. As such, this page will likely continually be under construction. I’ve recently been digging into some great research by Chris White that has brought new light to the importance of this first warning of the time of the end by Christ. It has caused a paradigm shift in my view of how the end times will unfold and I think it’s important to understand and consider the idea laid out in great detail in his book False Christ: Will the Antichrist Claim to Be the Jewish Messiah? I plan on further researching and documenting that journey on the Jewish Antichrist page. With that change in perspective, several things have begun to line up regarding what I think we have to watch for so we’re not in darkness about the signs of the end. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 It’s a joining of the signs Yeshua lays out in the Olivet Discourse along with John’s visions of the seals on the scroll and Chris White’s research on the false christ and coming great deception. If you haven’t made the choice to repent and follow Christ, then when what God said in His Word comes to pass, I hope you will remember that God loves you with an everlasting love. We are all prodigal sons. Luke 15:11-31 We must repent of our sins and transgressions against His Law and call on Yeshua (Jesus) and He will save the truly repentant. He knows our hearts better than we do. I will make every effort to link all scriptures and relevant information on this page for easy following of the paper trails and scriptures. I’m not claiming to know everything and could be wrong on some of the order of events. Please open your mind while keeping it guarded with the Word of God. Acts 17:11 Israel & The End TimesI think the first important thing to point out is that the Old Testament is a collection of Hebrew writings about God’s relationship with Israel and is full of foreshadowing to the future redemption of mankind through His chosen people. The New Testament is a revelation of that Jewish Messiah and a revealing of the spiritual nature of love that naturally falls in line with the law of the Old Testament, the shadows of love. Furthermore, the New Testament contains even more confirming prophecies of the Old Testament that are still related to Israel and her redemption. Christ’s first coming as the suffering servant to die for the sins of mankind is still not accepted by most of the very people through which that salvation came. For this reason, God is not done with Israel and it is critical when looking at prophecy to understand this. Just because the Hebrews are God’s chosen people doesn’t mean they are right with God, far from it. They will go through a great many tribulations before they put aside their traditions for the Truth and finally accept the Messiah they were blinded to the first time around. In general though, events foretold in the Bible that have not yet come to pass yet will primarily involve Israel and her promised redemption. (Romans 11) That doesn’t mean there’s nothing outside of Israel in scripture related to prophecy, but she is the focus of much of it. As followers of Yeshua, we are no more Gentile or Jew but one in Christ, grafted onto the same root, which is Yeshua. For us, our future is certain and we will escape the wrath of God to come, but God is not done with unbelieving Israel and they will be refined through fire. (Zechariah 13:9) Fulfilled PropheciesI think it helps build faith in future prophecy to be fulfilled if one can see the track record. There are about 2,500 prophecies in the Bible and of those about 2,000 of them have already been fulfilled. Here’s a short list of 353 prophecies fulfilled in Yeshua. Here’s also some that were fulfilled in 1948 and more. ApostasyApostasy is the falling away from Truth in relation to Biblical teaching. The only other place that Greek word is used is Acts 21:21 regarding teaching to forsake Moses, so it is the idea of forsaking the truth. This is one of only two events Paul tells us that must happen before the coming of Yeshua and our gathering to Him at the Day of the Lord. The other will be covered later. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 Because I feel that a falling away from faith in God and His Word will take some time, and indeed we have seen it happening over recent generations and this very day. I place this as the first noticeable sign currently under way that will only get worse over time. More and more I’m leaning toward this being some kind of clearer short period of time, more on that later. In Western culture different forms of Christianity were the norm and with America’s founding, a nation with freedom of the individual and personal accountability was kept in check by the morals of the people founded in obedience to God. This moral foundation has been eaten away as the world becomes more self-centered, cold and divisive. The Word is still there, but faith and belief in the Judeo-Christian God seems to be waning, and with it the moral foundation. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Galatians 5:19-21 I think just about anybody that holds the teachings of the Bible or with a little grey in their hair can look at the scriptures above and see the truth in them because they’ve been alive long enough to compare the world they grew up in with the world today. Self-centered attitudes have taken the world by storm and as a result, the spiritual climate is a growing anger and hatred, the love of many growing cold. I think that technology, politics and things like the pandemic further push those divisions as we’re forced apart. Communicating with perceived virtual people tends to bring out the worst in some. As opposed to those things of the world and of the flesh, what is its opposite? We’re told that God is Love and I believe we can see in the 10 Commandments the actions, or lack thereof, tied to the fruits of the Spirit of God. Galatians 5:22-26 There are some who believe that Christians will take over the world for Christ and that He will then return to take ownership of the world again only after that. I have heard Matthew 24:14 and Mark 13:10 used to support this idea. I do not hold this view. We’re told prior to the end we would be hated by the nations and deceived by false prophets. (Matthew 24:9-24) I think it’s dangerous for the church to try and conform to the world to gain growth. While it may give the appearance at times of a growing church, it will undercut what makes it the bride of Christ in the first place. Furthermore, the parable of the 10 virgins would seem to indicate that of those awaiting the Bridegroom’s coming, only half are prepared and go with Him to the marriage. (Matthew 25:1-13) Jewish Antichrist and ApostasyIf the view of a Jewish Antichrist is accurate it could potentially be dangerous to hold this view, leading those who don’t know what Yeshua said about His return to fall into the great deception. In this paradigm, we would see a man come on the scene, conquering Israel’s enemies and righting some of the wrongs done to Israel in history. The man of sin is said to be unstoppable and the world will wonder at him and the great power he wields. It would be a very powerful deception indeed. We as Christians should not be expecting the Messiah on the Earth, but coming in great power and glory in the clouds to gather us to Him. Matthew 24:23-27 Mark 13:21-27 These passages confirm 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, stating that Christ’s coming in great power and glory and the gathering up of His elect will come after the time of great tribulation, which is during this apostasy. However, Bible prophecy is not something the majority of the church deals with because it can be confusing, oppinionated with all kinds of different perspectives that can cause division with some. Given that we are warned so many times about deception though, there are some aspects that need to be clarified so we are not in darkness about what is to come. That is partially the goal of this site. I wanted to share a podcast from Michael Heiser’s Naked Bible podcast from July 14, 2018 that I just recently heard titled The Falling Away and the Restrainer. It covers the topic of the falling away and the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 from a more scholarly perspective and it really triggered a lot of thoughts in support of what I understand of the Jewish antichrist paradigm. The only other place that Greek word is used is Acts 21:21 regarding teaching to forsake Moses, so it is the idea of forsaking the truth. However, he talked of a perspective I hadn’t heard or thought of regarding the falling away, or apostasia, and its timing coinciding with the revealing of the man of sin such that they are essentially the same event. (starting at 9:40 in the podcast) That brought to mind the fact that God will send a strong delusion that the world would believe a lie. The man of sin will be revealed when he declares himself to be god and I believe the strong delusion may be tied to his death and resurrection. Revelation 13:3-5 The world will see, probably literally, a resurrection of the dead. It could be either view based on the text, but ultimately Michael Heiser leans toward two separate events where the apostasia is related to Yeshua’s teaching in Matthew 24:10-15. While Michael Heiser doesn’t agree with the conclusion of Michael the Archangel being the restrainer. (starting at 31:40 in the podcast) He brings up a couple scholarly articles from Roger D. Aus in 1976 that relate Isaiah 66 to 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, Revelation 12 and 2 Thessalonians 1. The restraining passage includes both a neuter and masculine describing the restrainer so it seems to be describing both a thing and a person restraining. Aus points out the similarities between 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 and Isaiah 66:15-16 and that this was in Paul’s mind when writing to the Thessalonians. So in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 the man of lawlessness opposes and exhalts himself against every so-called god. the term oppose is found in the Septuagint of Isaiah 66:6 where His enemies are opposed to God and associated with the Jewish temple in some way. So Paul is painting the Jews who are opposing his ministry in Thessalonica as the enemies of God from Isaiah 66:6, they are denying the true Messiah. He is associating the Jews of that time with this antichrist behavior. "Jews rejecting the very Messiah that their own God had sent. And rejecting the idea that He will come again because he rose from the dead." Isaiah 66:7 speaks of a woman in labor, Zion, who delivers a son. The result is the rebirth of the people of God. Aus suggests this is a reference to the Messiah, which Heiser agrees with. So it is the Messiah born from Zion who will come at the day of the Lord and restore the kingdom of God. McKenzie notes in his commentary that the author is sure that the saving act will come suddenly, it’s like a conception and birth in a single day. Aus concludes "that which is restraining," the neuter form, is the mission to the Gentiles or God’s will and plan. The Word of the Lord must be carried to all men before the day of the Lord arrives. He then concludes that the masculine restrainer is God Himself. Isaiah 66:9 speaks of the woman in labor bringing forth a son. The Hebrew verb for "shut" h6113 means to restrain, delay or hinder. If Paul is drawing so heavily on Isaiah 66 in his writing to the Thessalonians, then it follows that God would be the one restraining the revealing according to His plan. Romans 11:17-27 Ultimately I can see Heiser’s perspective and that of Michael being simpatico as angels do the will of God to carry out His plans. Given the other passages that seem to connect that unparalleled time of Jacob’s trouble, Daniel 12:1 | Revelation 12:7-17, I can see Michael being the agent of God and keeping His plan according to His timing. And imagine the place that Israel will be in if Chris White’s view of the False Christ is correct. This man of sin will have been setting himself up for years to fulfill Old Testament prophecies the Jews are expecting the Messiah to fulfill including defeating their enemies. Perhaps the the apostasia and the cutting off of 2/3 of Israel when they fall away will be the result of this great deception. Those who reject the man of sin will be target of the dragon, his beast and all those who fell into apostasy, accepting the false messiah and rejecting the true Messiah. And perhaps this apostasia is indeed focused on the natural branches seeing this false Messiah who deceptively fulfills some of the prophecies they rejected Yeshua as fulfilling and in this corporate acceptance by the majority of Israel the natural braches are cut off, the man of sin is revealed and those who say they are Jews but are not become the enemy of those that reject the man of sin and become the army of the antichrist persecuting the seed of the woman and those that hold the testimony of Christ. John 5:43 Global Governance: Consolidating Power Through FearThis has no solid data to point to, but taking the contemporaneous view of Daniel 7 I expect to see some kind of consolidation of global power into four leaders or heads of government. In short Daniel’s vision sees four distinct beasts from the sea, lion with plucked eagle wings, bear with 3 ribs devouring flesh, the leopard with four wings and four heads and the dreadful beast with iron teeth and 10 horns. Later in Revelation 13:1-3, we see these four characteristics combined into a single beast from the sea and tied to a time after one of its heads was wounded to death. It also seems that for power to be consolidated so quickly and elements like restricting the buying and selling for those without the mark of the beast during his reign, the would need to be further interdependence politically and finanically to accomplish this quickly and even things like a digital block chain currency replacing physical money so that social credit scores could be used to restrict access to anything in the modern financial system. This would cause those who reject the mark to resort to bartering to survive. How this ends up looking, whether these are political kingdoms with rulers or areas of control over governments more generically I’m not sure and I don’t expect we will know until it happens, perhaps some time after it happens. However it seems in these unsure times with the great reset, global warming, pandemic controls and other such areas the governments are using to coordinate more control over the population. As hard as it may be to believe it is possible that control of the earth’s population could end up in four heads of control, it seems to be getting easier to imagine as time goes on. Rise of the Antichrist: Guard Against Deception of False ChristsThere are many subjective signs, but because the unmistakable signs all center around the revealing of the man of sin at the abomination of desolation, the first glimpses we will start to see of that impending time will be surrounding the rise of the Antichrist. Matthew 24:4 The first thing that Yeshua said to His disciples in regards to their question of the sign of His coming and the end of the world was to not be deceived by anyone coming in His name saying they are the Christ. There have been many who claimed the title of Christ through history, but there is a future personality that will come on the scene with great deception and the power of the dragon behind him. Revelation 13:2 The First Seal: Daniel’s 70th WeekRevelation 6:1-2 This passage doesn’t explicitly speak to a false christ, but it’s generally accepted to be speaking of the Antichrist. Given that he’s conquering, the bow could be taken as a weapon, however there could be additional meaning based on the word bow. G5115 - a bow (apparently as the simplest fabric): - bow. And when looking in the Bible for where and how the word bow was used, I came across several uses in the Old Testament as well where it’s referred to in weapon form, but also this. Genesis 9:12-13 So this word used as a weapon and based on the word to bring forth is also used as a token of a covenant. Putting it all together with what I think this may be speaking to, we look to Daniel’s prophecy of the coming Antichrist. Daniel 9:27 To this point I believe we’re looking at the first seal and Christ’s warning of deceiving false christs to be the start of the 70th week of Daniel. This is based on the idea that future prophecy revolves around the 70th week of Daniel and the big sign in the midst of that seven years being the abomination of desolation. Scripture is very clear that there will be a temple present during the end times. Revelation 11:1-2 In order to have an abomination of desolation, there must be a temple in which to perform it. The Third TempleIn the paradigm of the Jewish Antichrist, the confirming the Mosaic covenant and and restarting the daily sacrifice would necessitate the building of the third temple in Jerusalem. I believe this will be the first clear physical sign that we are at the beginning of the end. There are already people building the temple instruments and searching for a spotless red heiffer. While this is a small group in comparison to much of the rest of the more secular nation of Israel, I think there are several factors that could start to grow the religious Israel over the secular such as the unearthing of the Ark of the Covenant or other events that make more real to the Jews of Israel their heritage and future. Daniel 9:27 states that “he [antichrist] shall confirmH1396 the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” From the language of this sentence, it would seem then that the “strengthening” or “binding up of the broken” covenant, would have something to do with the later stopping of the sacrifices. The theory that the antichrist will deceive the nation of Israel into believing that he is the long awaited Messiah plays perfectly into this. If you research what religious Jews are expecting in relation to the Messiah, you begin to see how primed Israel is for a false messiah. They have a lot of extra-Biblical writings that I think will deceive many if this is the case. Again, I highly recommend Chris White’s book False Christ. In the Jewish expectation of the Messiah, there are two different people. Messiah Ben Joseph, the suffering servant who is believed to build the temple and be killed and Messiah Ben David the conqueror. “Rabbi Alshekh’s claim is true where it pertains to the last three verses of chapter 52. The Targum begins its paraphrase with: Behold my Servant the Messiah shall prosper. (15) The Targum continues into the 53rd chapter of Isaiah: And He will build the Temple that was polluted because of our sins. (16) This must be the Messiah, for no one else was to build the Temple according to Jewish religious tradition, but the Messiah. Additionally, several Midrashim take the threefold expressions contained within those scriptures, “exalted, and extolled and be very high,” (17) as an indication that “Messiah shall be more exalted than Abraham ... more extolled than Moses ... and be very high; that is, higher than the Ministering Angels. ...” (18)” | Menorah.org “Jewish tradition alludes to four messianic figures. Called the Four Craftsmen, each will be involved in ushering in the Messianic age. They are mentioned in the Talmud and the Book of Zechariah. Rashi in his commentary on the Talmud gives more details. Rashi explains that Messiah ben Joseph is called a craftsman because he will help rebuild the temple.[3] Nahmanides also commented on Messiah ben Joseph’s rebuilding of the temple.[4][5] The roles of the Four Craftsmen are as follows. Elijah will be the herald of the eschaton.[6] If necessary, Messiah ben Joseph will wage war against the evil forces and die in combat with the enemies of God and Israel.[7] According to Saadia Gaon the need for his appearance will depend on the spiritual condition of the Jewish people.[8] In the Sefer Zerubbabel and later writings, after his death a period of great calamities will befall Israel.” | Wikipedia.org “The mashiach will be a great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah 23:5). The mashiach is often referred to as "mashiach ben David" (mashiach, son of David). He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isaiah 11:2-5). He will be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example. He will be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel. He will be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15). But above all, he will be a human being, not a god, demi-god or other supernatural being.” | jewfaq.org
Now you may be thinking, “well you can’t base prophecy on non-Biblical sources or Jewish beliefs.” However, what I’m suggesting is that the great deceiver will fit in perfectly with the strong delusion so that those without an understanding of the Truth of God’s Word will be deceived. It seems that a lot of what Israel is expecting is open to interpretation to some extent. With all the adding to scripture and guestimation, how easy would it be to fall into deception? 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 God’s Word has given us plenty of warnings, if we trust it. The question is, just how many people of the world today actually trust God’s Word, let alone know what it actually says? Even for those that read God’s Word all the time but reject the fulfillment in Yeshua, is it possible to be deceived? What about those Christians who have faith, but don’t know His Word? Malachi 3-4 speaks to the messenger to prepare the way for the Lord, the messenger of the covenant, whom they seek to suddenly come into his temple. Malachi 3:1 Malachi 4:3-6 As a believer that Yeshua is the Messiah, He told us himself in Matthew 11:7-19 that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of this, but what if you believe the Old Testament scriptures but have rejected Yeshua as being the promised Messiah? Imagine for a minute that this religious leader came on the scene and started to bring Israel back from their secular ways and back into line with the Mosaic law. Then some time after, a leader came on the scene and either started the process of building the third temple and/or successfully held back attacks from the surrounding nations. Do you sense a pattern here after the John the Baptist and Yeshua connection we know? Recall also that "a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." Now from the perpective of the Muslims, this mere thought of an active plan to rebuilt the temple and start the daily sacrifice would be an outrage. It would most likely trigger all-out war with Israel, perhaps the Muslim nations mentioned in several end-times prophecies. And this leads to another potential apparent fulfillment that would be accepted by the Jews as a sign of the Messiah. The going forth to conquer is, I believe, revealed in Chris White’s presentation of Daniel 11:40-44, what he terms the wars of the Antichrist, which likely leads into the second seal and Christ’s warning of wars and rumors of wars. I believe the surrounding nations would take great offense to the rebuilding of the temple and trigger the wars of the Antichrist. Daniel 11:40 The Second Seal: Wars & Rumors of WarsMatthew 24:6-7a It really is a subjective thing to say wars and rumors of wars, but a study of the parallels of the Olivet Discourse, the seals of John’s vision and the idea of the wars of the Antichrist bring potential clarity and alignment to this that I would be remiss not to point out. Daniel 11:40-44 Note that many of the above mentioned nations could fit with the prophecied Gog Magog attack, who attack from the North, but include countries from all four corners including Libya, Ethiopia Persia to the East. Ezekiel 38 & 39 are part of the Old Testament and expected by the Jews. From their perspective, this would be a groundbreaking event, potentially fulfilling what they’re expecting from the Messiah. I recently changed my belief on when the Gog Magog attack would take place, I believe Ezekiel 38 & 39 are tied to Revelation 20:7-10 after the millennium is over. However that doesn’t rule out the possibility that an attack looking somewhat similar would be perceived along with the lying signs and wonders as being that prophesied event. Keep in mind also that both Elijah and the false prophet were known for calling fire down from heaven. 1 Kings 18:36-38 | Revelation 13:13 And Elijah is to prepare the way for the Messiah. Of course as Christians we have a different interpretation of many of these prophecies, but when it comes to deception, it’s about a little truth mixed with a big lie. On a more global scale, it seems that polarization is already ramping up for many reasons and it’s not hard to imagine that conflict could break out all over the world as emotions snap and hopeless people turn against each other over real or perceived crisis, especially a religious one. The Third Seal: Famine and/or Return to Mosaic LawI used to hold solely to the more traditional view that at some point during the wars of the Antichrist there will be a lot of events that will cause famine, disease and earthquakes, which could still be the case assuming the parallel of the Olivet Discourse and the seals. Matthew 24:7b-8 Revelation 6:5,6 However there is also another possibility after looking more at the possible meaning of the balances, wheat, barley, oil and wine in the third seal. First we see the rider has a pair of balances, speaking to a yoke of servitude by law or obligation. Looking where else in the New Testament this word is used would seem to verify this. Christ speaks of taking His yoke on us to find rest and that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30 We also see in Acts 15:5-11 and Galatians 5:1 this "pair of balance" word used relating to the yoke of bondage that couldn’t even be borne by their fathers not being put back on believers. So in the first half of the 70th week of Daniel, could this be pointing to a time before the Antichrist declares himself to be God where the nation of Israel is returning back to the Mosaic law and the related edicts to the daily sacrifice once the third temple is completed? And would this be about the time we would expect God’s two witnesses to show up at the temple to set the record straight? The Two WitnessesThe two witnesses are going to prophesy for 3 1/2 years in Jerusalem. Since they are killed sometime between the first and second woe (5th and 6th trumpets), their ministry must start sometime in the first half of the 70th week of Daniel.
Revelation 11:3-14 They are likely present during the time of great deception speaking the Truth of God’s Word for those who have ears to hear it and punishment to those who don’t. With the timing above, they would come on the scene some time after the covenant is confirmed and perhaps during or immediately after the rebuilding of the temple, perhaps coinciding with the completion of the temple and the start of the daily sacrifice. They would be prophesying through all the wars of the Antichrist and all those in Jerusalem would know them and perhaps some would believe them over the great deception of the Antichrist. None will be able to stop them until their ministry is over during the wrath of God. I believe this is another example of God’s desire to still have the Truth spoken in the midst of great deception and darkness so there will be no excuse. With the emergence of a powerful leader involved in the rebuilding of the temple and defeat of Israel’s surrounding enemies, by the time of the two witnesses arrival, those watching should have surety that the end is very near. The Fourth Seal: DeathAssuming the parallel of the Olivet Discourse and the seals, the Antichrist is given power over 1/4 of the earth to kill with sword, hunger and the beasts of the earth as stated regarding the fourth seal. Revelation 6:7,8 In his presentation linked below, Chris White makes an interesting connection that would seem to point to this time just before the abomination of desolation. He believes Daniel 7 is a view of the overall global political power around the time of the end. The wars of the Antichrist then follow and after the abomination of desolation in the mid-point of the 70th week of Daniel, we see a unified beast in Revelation 13 with all the charactersistics of Daniel 7’s beasts merged into the Antichrist kingdom.
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- Daniel 7 - How to Find the Antichrist 101 - A Pre-Wrath Commentary In addition, if the parallel holds true, it is also during this time that persecution of believers will start to skyrocket, especially against those calling out the events they are seeing for what they are. And if all this is happening suddenly at once with increased frequency, the selfish nature of much of the earth will cause increased hatred. Matthew 24:9-14 Assassination of the AntichristKeep in mind that at this point in time, events are going to start happening very quickly. From this time to the wrath of God starting is likely a matter of a month or so. That same person who confirmed the covenant, rebuilt the temple and pulled together a great army and destroyed Israel’s enemies enters into Israel to the West of Jerusalem, something the Jews are expecting the Messiah to do. It is here Daniel says he comes to his end and none help him. Daniel 11:45 Resurrection of Messiah ben JosephThere are several places in Revelation 13 where we see the Antichrist prophesied to have a mortal head wound that is healed. Revelation 13:2-5 Revelation 13:12 Revelation 13:14 Examining what’s expected according to Rabbinical tradition, there is a parellel here because Messiah ben Joseph is expected to die and be resurrected by Messiah ben David. Could the allowing of this resurrection be the strong delusion that God sends that much of Israel and the world would believe this lie, rejecting the true Messiah for this man of sin? John 5:43 2 Thessalonians 2:6-12 Michael the Archangel Heads to War in HeavenIt should be noted that there are really no chapter breaks and Daniel 11:45 is directly related to the first in the next chapter. Daniel 12:1 There’s a very interesting study on the Restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2 I would recommend looking at. I believe that the restrainer that must be removed prior to our gathering to meet the Lord in the harpazo is Michael. We also see him in Revelation 12 casting the dragon out of heaven. Revelation 12:7-8, 12-13 The woman of Revelation 12 is Israel and I believe that when the restrainer has allowed the revealing of the man of sin and cast the dragon to the earth for a short time, that it coincides somewhat with the resurrection of the Antichrist and whether he is posessed by the dragon or is just given power by him, this triggers the stopping of the daily sacrifice and him declaring himself to be God in the temple. The Fifth Seal: Abomination of Desolation and Time of Jacob’s TroubleFollowing the resurrection comes the event that Daniel places in the midst of the 70th week and Yeshua warns of an unparalleled time of great tribulation unlike any other in history. It is when those in Judea see this event that they should immediately flee Jerusalem into the mountains. How long after the resurrection this will take place we don’t know, but given that he’s camped just West of Jerusalem and has just been resurrected and the dragon knows he has little time, I expect it to be almost immediate. In keeping with the parallel order of Daniel and Matthew, the time just after the resurrection of the Antichrist and the abomination of desolation will begin an unparalleled time of great tribulation. Because of Jeremiah 30:7 and Revelation 12:13-17, I believe this time of great tribulation is split into two parts, the focus of the dragon’s wrath on God’s people, to the Jews in Judea first and then to the remnant and those that hold the testimony of Christ. Matthew 24:15-22 Speaking of our gathering to Christ at his coming, we’re told that it won’t happen until the man of sin is revealed by sitting in the temple claiming to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 If the parallel holds we see in the fifth seal a vision of martyrs asking when they will be avenged and are told to wait as there are more that must be killed. Revelation 6:9-11 Throughout history believers have been killed and I think this fifth seal seems well placed at the time of great tribulation where all those killed for Christ’s sake will be joined by those during the time of great tribulation. The antichrist, now claiming to be the promised Messiah, will have many very fervent followers. The dragon, who is wroth with Israel will use the man of sin and his followers to kill all who reject this freshly minted messiah. This is why Christ said to run to the mountains when they see the abomination of desolation. As mentioned above, there is a possibility that the apostasia is specifically that of Israel, by accepting the false messiah, rejecting finally the true Messiah, Yeshua. It may also be that in Zechariah 13:8-9, the cutting off and dying of 2/3 of Israel is more in the vein of Romans 11, where upon rejection of Messiah and acceptance of the antichrist, those who do now become part of the synagogue of Satan and will die the second death. They may be the instrument of death for those in Israel who do not accept the false christ and who don’t run to the mountains at this time. Day of the LordThe next event is actually a group of events that will likely happen around the same time, coming suddenly and unexpectedly to those not watching and aware. I’m calling this next phase the Day of the Lord, but I believe this "day" actually lasts for around 1,000 years. 2 Peter 3:8-10 This would seem to be placing the passing away of this heaven and earth to make way for the new heaven and new earth within the Day of the Lord. So the millennial reign of Yeshua on the earth following the events of the 70th week of Daniel would be “...one day which shall be known to the LORD...” Zechariah 14:7-9 Having said that, under this heading I’m just focused on the start of the Day of the Lord, it will be a busy time of great turmoil for the world and great hope for the bride of Christ. The Sixth Seal: Signs in the sun, moon and starsRevelation 6:12-17 Here we see unmistakeable signs in the heavens recognized as God’s wrath and the people of the earth hide underground. This is tied Isaiah 2:12, 17-21 Christ’s Return For His BrideCoinciding with the signs in the heavens, and part of them is the Day of Christ. This is the same unknown day or hour of the Day of the Lord, but the Christian version of it. While the Day of the Lord in scripture is tied to God’s wrath, woe and destruction, the Day of Christ is something to look forward to. You could almost call it a blessed hope. Titus 2:13 | 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 Matthew 24:29-31 Here we see the harpazo, the catching away of the bride of Christ, immediately after the tribulation and before the wrath of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 The wording of this clearly promises we will neither be in darkness if we are sober and watchful, but also that we are not appointed to God’s wrath. Revelation 6 ends with the sixth seal and the 7th seal is not mentioned until Revelation 8. There is a break to address a couple other events before the progression of seals, trumpets, thunders and bowls continues. I’m going to jump to the second part of Revelation 7 before the first part because this is the result of the catching away of the bride before the wrath of God is unleashed on the earth. Revelation 7:9-17 Sealing of the 144,000 of IsraelThe remnant of Israel who ran for the mountains at the abomination of desolation and was saved from the dragon for 3 1/2 years are now protected from the dragon in the wilderness. However God makes a point of holding back the coming destruction until 144,000 of Israel are sealed. Revelation 7:1-4 Note that these are of the 12 tribes of Israel. We get a little more detail on them 7 chapters later. Revelation 14:1-5 I know of only one type of people who fit this description, young men. They are virgins, male because they aren’t defiled with women, their mouth has no guile and they are without fault before the throne of God. In Jewish tradition, a Bar Mitzvah is held at the age of 13. The term means “son of the commandment.” It is at this age that Jewish children are obligated to observe the commandments. This would be the age of accountability. I believe these will be 144,000 Jewish boys who understand and love the Lord their God with all their hearts and minds. I believe God will use them as a witness among their parents in the wilderness to bring them to understand after the blindness of Israel has been lifted. Calm Before the StormRevelation 8:1-2, 6 Here we see 1/2 hour of silence in heaven when the seven angels are given their trumpets, each triggering disaster for those that dwell on the Earth. Great Tribulation and BeyondThis is basically a list of Bible studies from other pages in the order in which I believe they will happen according to my understanding of the Bible. Because each of these studies are much more involved, it seemed better to refer to them in the order of events and allow you to dig into the details of each study. This will also keep the site more consistent if there are any changes to be made in these studies in the future. As already covered, Paul gave a couple signs in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 that would precede our gathering to Him. The second was the revealing of the man of sin. When the disciples asked Yeshua on the Mount of Olives what the signs of the end would be, Yeshua first warned them not to be deceived and then listed several pre-signs. (Matthew 24:3-14) According to Christ, “the end” comes at the abomination of desolation, which begins the time of great tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
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