Discourse 48 – An alternative view on the sequence of events in the Last Days.

The Abomination of Desolation in the holy place. / Commentary by T. Tschirner 00, 2002-07-30

Table – Sequence and Duration of events in the Last Days

The first and the second Antichrist

The number 666: a reference to a human and a demonic Antichrist. / Reply Barney Blankenship 00, 2005-09-12

Table – The Antichrist, the "queen" in the devil’s chess game.

Sequence if the end-time events

People wanting to repent during the Wrath of God? / Commentary MF 00, 2013-10-29

Table – The Great Tribulation – classified by events

(Texts in a black frame are quotations from visitors to this site or from other authors.)

I am very grateful for the indication of T. Tschirner mentioned above. He points to an error which appeared in the course of an interpretation about the Great Tribulation and up to now went unnoticed. Here this passage for your information:

When the abomination of desolation is standing in the holy place there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world.

Mt 24,15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 24,16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 24,17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 24,18 Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 24,19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 24,20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 24,21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 24,22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Mt 24,15-22;

At the begin of working with this book, this period of time in chapter 03 "The Great Tribulation" had been interpreted as the seven plagues of the bowls. Only later, after finding out that the parallelism of Mt 24 and Rev 6 was obvious, I have related the "beginning of sorrows" with the plagues of the 2^nd and 3^rd seal, the tribulation of those days (the persecution of Christians) with the 4^th and the 5^th seal and the Second Coming and the Rapture with the 6^th seal. Here the very important passage of Mt 24,15-21 was omitted to be transferred.

In a new attempt to classify these statements of the Bible, I have classified the text from Mat 24,15-21 after the 5th seal in the table below. According to the statements of the Lord in Mt 24, the Great Tribulation would be the persecution of Christians. However, the other events in Revelation seem to me to belong to this Great Tribulation too.

Sequence and Duration of events in the Last Days.(PORTRAIT)

An additional effect of this correction is that for the first time the fact of a scripture based indication seems to exist about the identity of the rider of the white horse (Rev 6,1-2). What up to now only could be explained by presumption and where interpretations of exegetes diverged between Antichrist (this is also the opinion of Immanuel.at) and Jesus Christ, receives now by indicating the "abomination of desolation in the holy place" a rather clear relation toward Antichrist (the first Antichrist).

I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow.

Rev 6,1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." 6,2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Rev 6, 1- 2;

Although an interpretation towards Jesus Christ was rather questionable because the Lord could not open the first seal and be the rider of the white horse at the same time as well as the impossibility that an angel could call the Son of God by a commanding "come" (exactly: march or forward), it repeatedly was put forward because of similarity with the statement of Rev 19,11.

The first and the second Antichrist.

By interpreting Revelation, the insertion of Mt 24,15-21 exactly at this place – after the ^5th seal – is based on the assumption of parallelism between Mt 24 and Rev 6 and 7. It presumes an interval of the 70^th year-week after about 3 1/2 years according to statements in Rev 13,3.12.14 and Dan 12,11-12.

And his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast.

Rev 13,1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 13,2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.

13,3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. 13,4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" Rev 13, 1- 4; Rev 13, 1- 4;

And though they conceal themselves on the floor of the sea, From there I will command the serpent and it will bite them.

Amos 9,3 "Though they hide on the summit of Carmel, I will search them out and take them from there; And though they conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea, From there I will command the serpent and it will bite them. Amos 9,3;

The beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

Rev 13,12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13,13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.13,14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. Rev 13,12-14;

Above in Rev 13,3.12 we get the indication that Antichrist – the first beast (out of the sea) – had received a fatal wound – and was dead already. And now has resurrected "out of the sea" because of Satan’s magic power. This obviously is an imitation of Christ’s resurrection by the devil who was named already by Luther "God’s ape" (who is aping God) in the person of Antichrist.

What is stated above in Rev 13,3 – "… and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast" – permits us to draw a further important conclusion: the person represented by this "beast" must have been well known to people living all over the planet at this time. Otherwise it would not make sense to say that "the whole earth" was amazed at his resuscitation. If people had not known about his having been killed previously, if he were not already a familiar figure to them, they would not have been amazed at his revival.

And the people’s admiration in the following verse, Rev 13,4 – "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" – actually points up the fact that everyone is aware that a battle has taken place just previously, in which the beast was killed, but as he is now again alive, he seems to them to be invincible.

This procedure is also confirmed by Rev 17,8:

The beast that was, and is not (1^stAntichrist), and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction (2^nd Antichrist).

Rev 17,8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. Rev 17, 8;

But this also, logically speaking, takes the carpet out from under the feet of all those commentators who want to see in this beast from the sea (the Antichrist, that is to say) a "Nero redivivus", the resurrected Napoleon or even a return of Hitler from the dead. Quite apart from the fact that the great majority of people living in the Last Days will hardly have any recollection of these figures, the beast has clearly been alive before being resuscitated, and it has been killed with a sword. So if this is someone who was alive centuries ago, the present resuscitation would have to be his third life. Which in biblical terms is a flat impossibility.

But the fact that the Antichrist has been dead earlier on compels us to address the question how he came to die. Seeing that he has been presented as practically invincible when he appears as the rider of the white horse in Rev 6,2, it must have been a more than earthly power that put an end to his first period of existence. And in this connection Paul gives us a thoroughly explicit indication in 2The 2,7-11, one that casts light on what is involved here.

The lawless one the Lord will bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.

2The 2,7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 2,8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 2,9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 2,10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

2,11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 2,12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 2The 2, 7-12;

Someone who is familiar with Scripture’s prophecies of the Last Days may be inclined to object at this point that the hosts of the Antichrist will be annihilated by the Lord and the host of heaven in the battle of Armageddon, and the Antichrist thrown alive into the lake of fire. And this is all perfectly correct. But we must make a distinction here between the two periods of the Antichrist’s activity.

In the first phase he goes out "conquering, and to conquer" (Rev 6,2). Here he is to be seen as a human being – one who has enormous success, certainly, something like Alexander the Great perhaps, but still one who is subject to all human limitations, and so to death as well. And he is also explicitly described by Paul in 2The 2,3-4 as the man of lawlessness/sin" and "son of destruction".

This day will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.

2The 2,1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2,2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

2,3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,2,4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 2The 2, 1- 4;

In the second half of his existence, he rises from the sea or abyss in the form of a beast "having ten horns and seven heads" (Rev 13,1). And it appears that this is a case of Satan’s copying the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in that he here brings this person who has died back to life and presents him to the world as the false Messiah. He then also gives him "his power and his throne and great authority" (Rev 13,2).

And it is just this last remark that suggests to us an interesting supposition. It is hardly to be imagined that Satan would give all his power and authority, and even his throne, to another being, as he would then be at risk of being himself eliminated by the latter. It thus seems reasonable to presume that this "transfer" of power is in actual fact a "takeover". That is to say, Satan – as a spiritual entity – has taken possession this human being who has been brought back to life, and so once more he has everything under control.

And here too, Satan is copying God’s actions. In the Spirit of Jesus Christ, too, it was God who spoke to the Israelites.

The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

Jn 14,8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 14,9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, "Show us the Father"? 14,10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 14,11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. "Jn 14,8-11;

However that may be, in this second phase the Antichrist is in any case no longer just a human being. This is proved too by the signs and wonders that he works, and finally by the fact that he is not killed in the battle of Armageddon but instead is cast alive into the lake of fire, along with the false prophet (Rev 19,20), as Satan too will be at the end of the world (Rev 20,10).

Seeing that this interpretation is probably the first ever attempt worldwide to divide the dominion of Antichrist into two phases, separate in terms of time, we would like here to adduce biblically grounded proofs for the high probability of this line of thought. Specifically what is stated in Rev 19,20, that the Antichrist is thrown alive into the lake of fire, leads to a whole chain of logical consequences which amount to a convincing proof that we here are faced with two different modes of existence on the part of the Antichrist, and so also with two different phases of his dominion.

Rev 20,14 gives us further information on the lake of fire:

This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Rev 20,13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 20,14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 20,15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev 20,13-15;

Here we find ourselves at the General Resurrection and the Last Judgment at the end of the world. All the dead will be raised and will come to judgment. Anyone whose name is not found to be written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. And then we are told, in Rev 20,14, that "this is the second death". We can infer from this that only those human beings who have been resurrected from the dead (and spiritual beings like Satan and Antichrist), who all have eternal life, can become victims of this "second death", the lake of fire. A normal human being can only die the "first" death before the Last Judgment.

(See also Chapter 12: "The Resurrection.")

But this means that when the Antichrist is thrown into the lake of fire in Rev 19,20, he too has to be one of these human beings raised from the dead and is here suffering the second death. This is also confirmed by Scripture, as we were able to demonstrate earlier on the basis of what is said in Rev 13,3.12.14.

These passages tell us, then, that this beast – the Antichrist – has received a fatal wound from a sword, but has been cured of his wound and raised from the dead by Satan. But from this we can also conclude that the Antichrist must have lived previously – as a normal human being, that is to say. And as a human being, he was killed with a sword.

We find precisely the same implication in the passage quoted earlier (2The 2,8), where Paul writes, with reference to this event, "And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth (a "sharp sword" which comes from his mouth / Rev 19:15), and bring to an end with the appearance of His coming."

(See also Discourse 86 – The death and resurrection of Antichrist: "The first and the second Antichrist.")

And finally another visitor to Immanuel.at – this time from the USA – has found an interesting reference in connection with this theme. He is also the author of the article "A Mystery – Babylon the Great", which figured as a visitor’s contribution to Immanuel.at in the context of Discourse 77. He recently brought the following interesting matters to my attention:

(Texts in a black frame are quotations from visitors to this site or from other authors.)

Many thanks Barney for your excellent analysis. As an aid to understanding, here is the scriptural passage again in its context:

Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Rev 13,16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 13,17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 13,18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. Rev 13,16-18;

This number 666 is designated in the above passage (Rev 13,17) as "the number of his name" (i.e. the name of the beast), and the reader of the Bible is then urged to calculate this number. This "calculation" (psephizein) was at the time a technical term for the conversion of a name or concept to the corresponding numerical value, or vice versa, the conversion of a stated numerical value to the equivalent name or term. In the ancient languages, after all – Hebrew, Greek and Latin – the letters simultaneously functioned as numerical indicators. A name consisting shall we say of seven letters could also be understood as a number with seven digits. The cross-reckoned sum of these seven digits would then be the numerical value of the name. Given people’s predilection for riddles in antiquity this mode of cryptography, known as "gematrics", enjoyed a period of florescence, and indeed remained in fashion for centuries.

But if you only knew the cross-reckoned sum – without knowing the number of the letters or any other details, such as for instance whether the code is based on the Hebrew, Greek or Latin alphabet – you wouldn’t stand a chance. So for a gematric cryptogram to make sense at all, it was absolutely essential that you should have an additional clue. Only those persons who had this additional clue would be in a position, after some few attempts, to "calculate" or decrypt this number and so arrive at the name or term it concealed. Making guesses just based on the number, without the help of a further specific clue, would be completely pointless.

Now the above passage in Rev 13,18 does gives us something like a clue of this nature, in telling us that the number of the name of the beast is "that of a man". We can immediately draw two conclusions from this:

1. The beast is obviously not a man, otherwise there would have been no need for this specific distinction to be made. Further confirmation of the fact that the beast is not a normal human being but a demon, a spiritual entity, is also given through the fact that it is Satan who gives the beast his power, his authority and his throne and has caused it to come up out of the abyss.

2. Moreover, the indication that this name and its number is also "that of a man" supplies the proof that there is or was a person who likewise had this same name with the selfsame gematric number.

We can see now that Barney Blankenship’s discovery contributes to the better understanding of two biblical passages at once. If we take into account what has been argued earlier about the two periods of dominion of the Antichrist – with the human Antichrist first of all and then, after a break, the demonic one – Mr Blankenship has pointed up the fact that the number of the beast which Satan, in Rev 13, causes to rise up as a demon from the abyss is at the same time the number which this demon had in its former incarnation as a human Antichrist, before being put to death by the Lord. So it can furthermore be assumed that both entities, the human and the demonic, though coming from different levels of existence are nonetheless identical in their origin.

But at the same time this casts some light on the mysterious number 666. Calculations based on this number have been carried out for centuries (for example, in Greek "Lateinos" yields this number, in Hebrew "Neron Kaisar" fits the bill, as do the words of Jos. 13,22, "Bileam, the son of Beor, the conjuror" and so on and so forth). And this is not something to be idly discarded, since after all the text does urge us to calculate in this way. Here at Immanuel.at, however, no attempt has been made in all these years to engage with this issue, because it seems obvious that up to the present day we still have too few concrete clues to be able to propose any kind of plausible solution.

But on the basis of Mr. Blankenship’s input we can now conclude that this number of the name of the beast, 666, consisting as it does of 600, 60 and 6 (figures represented by the letters of the Greek alphabet chi, xi and zeta respectively), likewise indicates the name of the human being who appears on a white horse as Antichrist in Rev 6,2. This Antichrist in human form will be killed by the Lord (2The 2,8; Rev 13,3) on the latter’s return at the time of the Rapture (Mt 24,29-31; Rev 6,12-14). Some years later, however, he will be brought back to life by Satan (Rev 13) as a demon from the abyss, and after a period in which he exercises dominion on earth will be cast alive into the lake of fire, along with the false prophet, following the battle of Armageddon.

We might be permitted to conclude from this that the people living at the time will be very far from having forgotten the malice of the former human Antichrist – who has occasioned the Great Tribulation, involving the death of a quarter of humanity: let us say amounting, at this future point in time, to the deaths of around two billion individuals – when the demonic Antichrist, as a supposedly "true Christ", appears and endeavors to proclaim his Lord, Satan, as the true Father God and to lay claim to joint worship along with him (Rev 13,4). The true Son of God from Nazareth he will meanwhile portray as an impostor (1Jn 2,22), so also denying the one and only Almighty God, the Father of the Lord Jesus.

Now in order to point to the insidious nature of this Satanic entity, whose rule will be based not, as was the case with the human Antichrist, on violence and brutality but rather on lies and on incredible signs and wonders by which people will be seduced, and to leave the initiated in no doubt as to who is meant, the number of his name is revealed in Revelation as the number of a human identity - that is to say, of the human Antichrist ("that of a man"). But as we can now clearly see, it is neither possible nor necessary for us to calculate this name in advance in its concrete significance. Only people living in the Last Days will be able to use the information provided in Rev 13,18, and find the appropriate application to contemporary events.

The implications of this formulation in Rev 13,18, "… the number of the beast… is that of a man. …", and the sum of the information conveyed by scriptural passages quoted above, may now be logically completed by the following chronology of events, taking them in reversed temporal sequence:

-  The Antichrist will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 19,20)

-  The lake of fire is the second death (Rev 20,14)

-  Only those who have been raised from the dead can be subject to the second death (Rev 20,13-14)

-  So the Antichrist must therefore be a person who has been raised from the dead (Rev 19,20)

-  If he has been raised from the dead, he must have been dead previously (Rev 13,12)

-  If he was dead previously, he must at some time have been killed (Rev 13,3; 2The 2,8)

-  And if he has been killed, he must before that have had a life as a normal human being (2The 2,3).

So it appears that at the end of the first period of the Antichrist’s activities in human form the Lord will come, on the occasion of the Rapture, and will put an end to him for the time being by slaying him with the breath of his mouth (Isa 49,2; Rev 1,16; 19,15; 19,21). This interrupts his dominion, and with it the 70^th week of years. We find the same kind of interruption between the 69^th and the 70^thth week of seven years. Here it is – at least up to the present day – almost two thousand years which separate these two weeks of seven years.

Following the Antichrist’s death at the end of the first half of the 70^th week of seven years, the second half then begins after the first six trumpets and after the 1260 days in which God’s two witnesses, as we are told in Rev 11,3, will prophesy. Then the Antichrist will be resuscitated as a demonic figure – the beast from the sea – as Rev 13,1.3.12.14 tells us. He will kill God’s two witnesses on his reappearance (see Rev 11,7 and 13,7), and will then assume full authority. The fact that these two witnesses are killed on the appearance of the beast from the sea seems to be a further indication that previously to this, in the time before they began to prophesy, the Antichrist has not been active.

The Antichrist, the "queen" in the devil’s chess game.(LANDSCAPE)

As this altered view of the matter necessitates some few further corrections, we would like here to give a more detailed account of the new approach.

Sequence of the end-time events.

We have on principle to proceed from the fact that statements of Matthew, chapter 24, as well as those from Revelation, chapter 6 and 7, originate from the same author: our Lord Jesus Christ. The proof can be derived from Mt 24,4: "And Jesus answered and said to them", where we get the confirmation that the following statements were made by Jesus Christ himself and on the other hand from Rev 1,1: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ", according to which the whole contents of the book "Revelation of John" originates from the Lord.

By interpreting Revelation repeatedly it is pointed out that because of indeed very complicated circumstances, the described events need not to be seen (or: not necessarily are to be seen) in a timely succession. In this connection "shifting of texts" are always mentioned without any hint into what direction. Not at last this is one of the main reasons why the last book of the bible which undoubtedly holds the most comprehensive information about the events at the end time, up to now could not find an approximately uniform interpretation. But indeed there seem to be passages with a progress within a given time but also sections which are related to proceeding or following events.

(See also Table 11: "The chronology in the Revelation of John.")

Quite different now is the situation when the Lord speaks about the end of the age in Mt 24. Here exists far-reaching agreement that the description of the events at the end time are to be seen in chronological order. Parallelism in both of these texts inevitably must lead to a certain chronology also in Revelation – at least in this passage of the text.

(See also Discourse 05: "The parallel course of events of Mt 24 and Rev 6 and 7.")

Starting-point for a proof of such parallelism are passages in the Scriptures Mt 24,29 and Rev 6,12-14. Here in both texts the "great darkness" is mentioned, with the darkening of sun and moon, the falling of the stars from the sky and the shaking of the powers heaven.

The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky.

Mt 24,29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Mt 24,29;

The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth.

Rev 6,12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 6,13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 6,14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Rev 6,12-14;

Although the details differ somewhat in the wording – with Matthew the sun "will be darkened" and the moon "will not give its light" while in Revelation the sun "became black as sackcloth" and the whole moon "became like blood"– no contradiction can be seen in this. When now in the Old Testament such darkening of sun and moon repeatedly are to be found, the "falling of the stars" " in both texts is unique in Scripture.

In addition to the fact that such an unusual event is described in a very similar way only in these two passages – and nowhere else in the Bible – we have the statements of the context, who before as well as afterwards show undeniable conformity (the "equilibrium" of heavens will be shaken).

Now at the beginning of this text with Matthew – above in Mt 24,29 – we have the concrete hint that this great darkening will happen "immediately after the great tribulation of those days". Here obviously reference is made upon a previous text from Matthew 24,21-22 where the Lord also speaks about a tribulation – namely the Great Tribulation/Distress.

For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

Mt 24,21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 24,22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Mt 24,21-22;

There is no question that in both Mt 24,29 and Rev 6,12-14 the "Great Tribulation" is meant. However, if one takes into account the subsequent statements in Revelation, one realizes that the Lord here, in Mt 24,29, made the restriction "after the tribulation of those days" (the seals 1-5) with full intention. The event of an eclipse on earth announced here is not – indeed cannot – be after the Great Tribulation, because what is prophesied in Revelation after it is far more serious than the events before it.

But this means that the Great Tribulation cannot be over yet with the great darkness! Unfortunately, I too did not pay attention to this connection 30 years ago and, like many other of my colleagues, interpreted the Second Coming of the Lord and the Rapture AFTER the Great Tribulation. But it is not like that. The Lord comes IN (during) the Great0 Tribulation, just "right after the tribulation of those days" and only after that, after the Day of the Lord and the judgments of God, comes the end of the Great Tribulation.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, therefore, the darkening of the celestial bodies will appear. And here increased attention is also to be paid to this "immediately". If we have in Rev 6,12-14 a parallel to Mt 24,29, then we must also find in Revelation this Great Tribulation immediately before this text in Rev 6,12-14 – that is Rev 6,11 and before.

Now we have in Rev 6,9-11 the opening of the 5^th seal and with the souls of the martyrs underneath the altar get a glimpse of heaven which in search of the earthly events of the Great Tribulation we can omit for the time being.

If we continue in the context further above, Rev 6,2-8 gives an account about the opening of the seals 2-4 and its respective consequences for the earth. Actually here we have a scenario of catastrophes as it is not known from other parts of the Scriptures. It seems important to realize that here we have to deal with prophecies that actually have global significance and do not only refer locally, to individual countries.

Analyzing more closely these three plagues of the bowls 2-4, also here one can draw a comparison with Mt 24. In Mt 24,6-7 the Lord prophesies wars for this time in which nation will rise against nation. At the second plague of the seals, Rev 6,3-4, we find the analogous statement: "Peace is taken from the earth .... men would slay one another".

Wars and rumors of wars.

Mt 24,6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. Mt 24, 6;

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Mt 24,7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. Mt 24, 7;

It was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

Rev 6,3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come". 6,4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. Rev 6, 3- 4;

Now in Mt 24,7 we find an indication about "famines" which corresponds to Rev 6,5-6 and its hint about shortage of food. At the same time the statement that there is a lack of wheat and barley (therefore the high price) but oil and wine were spared, could mean a drought of which empirically corn is much faster damaged than olive trees and wine.

In various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

Mt 24,7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. Mt 24, 7;

A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.

Rev 6,5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come". I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6,6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine." Rev 6, 5- 6;

As the Lord explains now in the next verse of Matthew, all these catastrophes are still not yet this Great Tribulation but merely the "beginning of birth pangs".

But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

Mt24,8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs." Mt 24, 8;

Also the following verse speak about a distress of the faithful but not about the Great Tribulation/Distress.

Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

Mt 24,9 Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 24,10 At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 24,11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 24,12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 24,13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 24,14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Mt 24,9-14;

Only with the "abomination of desolation standing in the holy place", in Mt 24,15 the moment seems to have come where worldwide the greatest catastrophe starts since human records began.

When you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place.

Mt 24,15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 24,16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 24,17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 24,18 Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 24,19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 24,20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. Mt 24,15-20;

"Those who are in Judea" – this means in today’s Israel the region from Ramallah and south of Jerusalem – are summoned to flee to the mountains instantly without delay. In the following one can read in Mt 24,21-22:

For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

Mt 24,21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.24,22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Mt 24,21-22;

Here at Matthew we now have the Great Tribulation/Distress. Searching in Revelation, we are now at the beginning of the 3^rd seal, Rev 6,6. If parallelism between both of these texts should prove to be true, the following wording in Rev 6,7-8 has to hold the wanted indication about the Great Tribulation.

And here we have indeed the prophecy of an unbelievable event. It is the announcement of worldwide wars, famines and various other life threatening dangers worldwide – which will cause death of almost 2 billion people – a fourth of the world population estimated for the year 2025.

A fourth of the earth killed with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Rev 6,7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come". 6,8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Rev 6, 7- 8;

Now this indeed is a catastrophe which on earth in such dimensions has never happened and "has not occurred since the beginning of the world". Relatively sure it can therefore be assumed that this deals with the Great Tribulation as predicted by the Lord in Mt 24,21. When we now, let’s say "retrospectively" could prove the parallelism of Mt 24 and Rev 6 from the darkening of the heavenly bodies on, an equal identity of events should be visible also towards the beginning.

In Revelation the text continues then with chapter 7. Rev 7,1-8 informs about the sealing of 144.000 Israelites – 12.000 out of each tribe. The statement at the beginning of this paragraph, Rev 7,3: "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads" obviously refers to the following plagues of the trumpets 1 and 2 (Rev 8,7-8) which exactly do harm the earth, the trees and the sea. Also the text from Rev 9,4 shows – in a reverse conclusion – where men without the seal are mentioned that this event by all means is quoted chronologically correct but is not mentioned in the Lord’s words about the end time.

We now come to Rev 7,9-17 and the great multitude in heaven. This is a countless crowd "from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues". These are men from all parts of the world who are standing now before the throne of God.

A great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues.

Rev 7,9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;

7,10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 7,11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 7,12 saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Rev 7, 9-12;

They are clothed in white robes, this means they are faithful who have been granted forgiveness of their sins because of their faith in Jesus Christ and now are standing clean before the throne. Subsequently – now in Revelation – we have a statement (Rev 7,14) which gives an indication of the Great Tribulation/Distress. It reads as follows:

These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Rev 7,13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the hite robes, who are they, and where have they come from?" 7,14 I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 7,15 For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. Rev 7,13-15;

Providing a chronological process, the statement: "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation" now allows two concrete conclusions:

1. The Great Tribulation/Distress has happened before and at this time already had come to an end, otherwise the multitude coming therefrom would not be complete and

2. Also the rapture must have happened already, otherwise they all not yet could be in heaven.

These faithful from all nations of the world now came out of the great tribulation. This proves once again that the Great Tribulation will be a worldwide event and no local one. This now is exactly the here presented interpretation according to which the predicted worldwide events of the Great Tribulation are depicted in the 4^th seal, Rev 6,7-8: with wars, famines, shortage of food and so forth.

Also the following verse of Rev 7,16-17 fit into this picture without any problem.

They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat.

Rev 7,16 They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 7,17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Rev 7,16-17;

When we now turn back to Matthew our starting-point – and the darkening of sun and moon in Mt 24,29, we find in the following words of Mt 24,30 the "coming of the Son of Man" – the return of the Lord (as seen in this interpretation).

They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

Mt 24,30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. Mt 24,30;

That we deal here indeed with the event of the return – the first appearance of the Lord after his ascension – also his words in Mt 26,64 seem to confirm.

You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.

Mt 26,64 Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." Mt 26,64;

As mentioned above, the Lord announces for this event exactly what he had predicted his disciples: At his return he will be coming "on the clouds of heaven"

The begin of the above mentioned verse Mt 24,30: "And then ...." confirms that the Lord will come only after the darkening of sun and moon (Mt 24,29 / Rev 6,12-14). And as the following verse Mt 24,31 tells, at his return he will send out his angels and gather together his elect "from one end of the sky to the other"

And He will send forth His angels and they will gather together His elect from one end of the sky to the other.

Mt 24,31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. Mt 24,31;

Among exegetes this interpretation is disputed. While some are of the opinion that the point in question is the rapture, as depicted by Paul in 1The 4,15-17 and 1Cor 15,50-53 – and this interpretation considers itself one of them – others think this must be a different "gathering" – possibly one of the Israelites.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven and we who are alive and remain will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

1The 4,15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 4,16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.4,17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 1The 4,15-17;

At the last trumpet the dead in Christ will rise imperishable and we will be changed.

1Cor 15,50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 15,51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 15,52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. 1Cor 15,50-52;

When we compare these texts, we get indications about the return of the Lord as well in Mt 24,30 as in 1The 4,16. Also the clouds are mentioned in both texts: in Mt 24,30 the Lord is coming on the clouds and in 1The 4,16 the faithful will be caught up to meet the Lord in the clouds of the air.

The "gathering" of the elect in Mt 24,31 does not have an explicit pendant in the texts of Paul. However, there is a logical necessity that at the Rapture, the faithful, who are spread all over the world, will gather together to come to the Lord who, as it is said, is waiting in the air (a more concrete description you will find below). For the time being it seems there is no reason not to see in Mt 24,30-31 the return of the Lord to the rapture.

For the period of time between the set-up of the abomination of desolation and the return of the Lord we have two more indications at the Old Testament:

From the time that the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290/1,335 days.

Dan 12,11 From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12,12 How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! 12,13 But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age. Dan 12,11-13;

According to the statement of Dan 12,11-12 it still will take 1290 respectively 1335 days from the moment of setting up abomination in the holy place – as of Mt 24,15.21 at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Herewith the time until the return of the Lord and the deliverance of the faithful could be meant and at the same time the duration of the Great Tribulation.

A problem which already exists for years is the statement in 1Cor 15,52 that the rapture will happen at the sound of the "last trumpet" Since in Revelation there are only the seven plagues of the trumpets and definitely no other accumulation of trumpet sounds to the last of which this event could have been associated, the rapture in Rev 11,15-19 was usually related with the 7^th trumpet, as likewise here at Immanuel.at.

And here the problem becomes evident: if the Return of the Lord according to Mt 24,29-31 should happen in Revelation after the 6^th seal (Rev 6,12-17) and the rapture according to 1Cor 15,52 only happens at the 7^th trumpet, we have the six plagues of the trumpets and an estimated period of three years inbetween (Rev 9,5.10). This does not look very realistic since both events, Return of the Lord and Rapture, according to 1The 4,16-17 are described as immediately one after another. But since the statements of both texts must be correct – they have been given by the Lord not only to Paul but also to John – it could mean an error in the interpretation.

If we now look again at Mt 24,31 we see that also there "the sound of the trumpet" is mentioned. The angels are sent forth by the Lord to gather together his elect with a great trumpet. Therefore it is indeed conceivable not to think only of one but more blows of the trumpet and gathering and Rapture will come to an end with the last sound.

The rapture itself is described relatively concise in Mt 24,31. It reads as follows:

He will send forth His angels and they will gather together His elect.

Mt 24,29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 24,30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 24,31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. Mt 24,29-31;

The parallel passage in Luke gives an additional hint which quite plainly clarifies the question asked further above whether these elect in Mt 24,31 are Christians or Israelites.

When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Lk 21,25 There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 21,26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.21,27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 21,28 But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Lk 21,25-28;

When these things begin to take place, "straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" The Lord is addressing here the Christian faithful of the Last Days and is promising them soon redemption from distress and persecution when he is coming to the Rapture after these events.

So the Lord will come on the clouds of the sky with great power and glory and all human beings will see him. Then he will send forth his angels and they will gather together the still living faithful from all over the world and they will be caught up – together with the faithful raised from the death to meet the Lord in the air.

(See also Chapter 062: The Return of the Lord – part 2: "The Rapture.")

While Matthew does not make any statements about the further development of the Rapture, we find in Luke a somewhat detailed description of these events by the Lord.

Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

Lk 17,30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.17,31 On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. 17,32 Remember Lot’s wife. 17,33 Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 17,34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 17,35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. Lk 17,30-35;

Although this text very much reminds of Mt 24,15-20 where the people from Judea are summoned to flee to the mountains when they see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place – directly before the Great Tribulation – these two texts refer to quite different events.

(See also Table 05: "Synopsis of the Lord’s eschatological discourses.")

Also Luke is quoting this call for flight with regard to the end time addresses of the Lord in Lk 21,20-23. In this connection we have additionally to the statements of the Lord about his return and the Rapture of the faithful in Lk 17,20-37 the above quoted text from Lk 17,30-35.

And here the Lord means two different things: at first in these decisive minutes of rapture the faithful should not look back – even but especially not mentally – or try to collect hurriedly their belongings. Where they are going now, they cannot take with them earthly things and don – t need them anymore.

Secondly the faithful should remain exactly where they are at that moment. If on the roof, in the house, in bed or in the field. Where they are now, the angels of the Lord will collect and change them, "cloth" them as Paul is calling it in 2Cor 5,4 and take them to the Lord in the air.

This "clothing" shall happen "in no time, in a moment" and so "this mortal must put on immortality" as Paul writes further above in 1Cor 15,52-53. But this means that the faithful will die physically at this moment. They probably won – t fall down lifeless but will pass this phase of biological death in a moment but nonetheless, and find themselves again with an immortal spiritual body.

Who now tries to escape from dying and wants to save his earthly life, nonetheless will lose his biological body but also not be able to receive his spiritual body and therefore, indeed, will be dead physically. Exactly of that the Lord is warning in Lk 17,33 by saying: "Whoever seeks to save his life, will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it"

We see now that also with Christians – similar to Jews – there will be a gathering together at the return of the Lord. While the remainder of Jews are gathered together alive and will go with their resurrected brethren from the "house of Israel" (Jer 30: 8-9) to Israel to live in the Millennium of their messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, the gathering together of the Christians is for a life with the Lord in heaven.

See also Discourse 38: "What awaits Christians and Jews on the Second Coming of the Lord?")

Subsequently in Revelation we come now to the 7^th seal and the seven angels with the seven trumpets. And also here it shows that the process of events must be seen chronologically. During the first 2 plagues of the trumpets at the sealing of the 144.000 (Rev 7,3), we already have the damage on "earth, sea and trees" as before announced. Now at the 5^th plague of the trumpets (Rev 9,4) it is explicitly pointed out that only "men not having the seal of God on their foreheads" are to be tormented. This means in a reverse conclusion that at this time there are still the 144.000 sealed on earth.

But another important aspect is hidden behind this text. This 5^th trumpet in Rev 9,3-6 bears a plague of which human beings in fact are not killed but being tormented so hard that in vain they will seek death. This is the deserved punishment for those who do not repent and blasphemed the name of God (Rev 9,21; 16,9-11) but it is out of question that the Lord exposes believers to such a punishment. This but has the consequence that at this moment no faithful Christians are on earth anymore and rapture has taken place already before. This view also receives confirmation from the description of the 6^th trumpet which follows and will bring about 3 plagues upon the world. We read in Rev 9,18 that from these 3 plagues of the 6^th trumpet a third of mankind was killed. Thus it means that a third of the world population was exterminated by these catastrophes. And then we have the statement of Rev 9,20: "But the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands."

Consequently a third of mankind has been killed and no faithful human being is among the rest because he would have done penance. And also this shows us that no faithful Christians are still on earth at this moment and herewith the interpretation is confirmed that rapture has taken place already long ago, namely at the 6^th seal after the Great Tribulation (4^th seal) and now with the 7^th seal the Day of the Lord, the Day of God’s wrath has come.

After the 6^th trumpet we have the indication about God’s two witnesses. According to the similarity of statements in Rev 11,6: "and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire" and those of the first 2 plagues of the trumpets in Rev 8,7-8, in this interpretation the work of the 2 witnesses prophesied for 1260 days in Rev 11,3 had been interpreted as the plagues of the trumpets from 1 to 6.

A more closer look at the text reveals that Rev 7,1 and 3, as mentioned above, already gives evidence of a sequent process of events, inasmuch, as already here from Rev 8,7 on reference is made to the following plagues of the trumpets doing harm to earth and sea.

The four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea.

Rev 7,1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.

7,2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 7,3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." Rev 7, 1- 3;

On the other hand we also have the statement of Rev 7,3 that there are four angels "to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea"

Hence it follows that the plagues of the trumpets are caused by the four angels and therefore God’s two witnesses cannot be the originators. Therewith the period of prophecy of these 2 witnesses is an independent event which proceeds with a drought of 3 1/2 years and various other plagues. Only after these 1260 days the beast out of the sea will appear, will kill the 2 witnesses and start his own time of effectiveness of 42 months – also 3 1/2 years.

The proof results from the statement in Rev 11,9-10 that this drought is caused by the two witnesses, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy really has worldwide implications and not only is restricted to Israel.

These two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

Rev 11,9 Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 11,10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Rev 11, 9-10;

On one hand it is said that "many from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations" – also all the world – will rejoice about the death of the 2 prophets because the whole world suffered because of them – and on the other hand it unequivocally must have been a worldwide event "because these 2 prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth"

We therefore have to start from the fact that these 1260 days of God’s two witnesses are to be seen as a separate event after the 6 plagues of the trumpets.

Then comes the 7^th trumpet and with it a change in development. It reads as follows:

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

Rev 11,15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." Rev 11,15;

The Almighty and our Lord, Jesus Christ, herewith started their reign. And immediately thereafter the judgment of the dead is announced.

Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, andto reward Your bond-servants.

Rev 11,18 And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth. Rev 11,18;

The Lord’s wrath now befalls mankind. He will destroy those who destroyed the earth. If we take a closer look at the plagues of the seals and the trumpets it shows that the plagues of the seals with their wars worldwide, catastrophes of climate, shortage of food and famines, and so forth, rather indicate plagues which were caused by men who "destroyed the earth" Also the plagues of the trumpets could be traced back to chemical, biological or atomic pollution of the surface of the earth. If this interpretation is right, it would mean that man is not able to contaminate the earth completely. Only a third part of earth is always concerned.

It is quite different with the following plagues of the bowls. One has the impression that here gradually and intentionally all fundamentals of life of man are being destroyed by something beyond the human sphere of influence. At the second bowl all living creature of the sea dies, at the third bowl all rivers and wells turn into blood, and so forth.

With the above statement of Rev 11,18: "and the time came for the dead to be judged and the time to reward your bond-servants" obviously not the last judgment is meant but the judgment of Rev 20,4 before the first resurrection, also known as judgment of reward. This also is only a forecast to an event still to take place.

The consecutive chapter 12 of Revelation deals with the "woman" and the dragon. This "woman" here stands for the people of Israel who procreated the messiah, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ against great opposition of the dragon that is the devil. According to the opinion of this interpretation, the flight of the woman into wilderness, Rev 12,6, means the dispersion of the people of Israel after the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in the year 70. The second flight of the woman in Rev 12,14 is not a repeated description of these events but a newly dispersion of the people of Israel in the Last Days.

(See also Excursus 10: "The woman in heaven.")

The following texts from Scriptures speak for this assumption:

Jerusalem will be led captive among all nations.

Lk  21,22 because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 21,23 " Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth (rightly: upon the land) and wrath upon this people; 21,24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 21,25 There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 21,26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 21,27 "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. 21,28 "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Lk 21,22-28;

The above conclusion regarding this text of Luke 21, 22-24 is unfortunately wrong. This mistake was discovered by my Italian translator, who compared this German Bible text from the Luther Bible with her Italian Bible text and found that there in Lk 21,23 there is no mention of "distress shall be upon the earth" but of "great distress upon the land".

Now this is the old problem with the Greek word "gh = ge", which can mean both "earth" and "land". Luther wrongly translated this here as "earth" and I went into it in the interpretation. In fact, "Land" – namely the Land of Israel – has to be translated here.

It is a bit astonishing that in this Bible text there is a period of more than two thousand years between the prophecies in two successive verses, namely Lk 21,24 and 25. The prophecy in Lk 21, 22-24 deals with the expulsion of the Jews from their country into the Diaspora after the 3rd Jewish War (Bar Kochba uprising) in 135 AD.

Verses 25-28, however, are a prophecy of the second coming of the Lord, with the sign of the darkening of the sun and moon and the appearance of the Son of God in a cloud, as is also described in Mt 24,29ff and Mk 13,24ff . And in between, at least until now, are more than two thousand years.

That help, which this text can give us with our topic here, is the statement of Lk 21,24: "and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.". That means that after the expulsion of the Jews into the Diaspora in 135, no Jews will live in Jerusalem "until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled".

Now this phrase "until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" is usually interpreted as "until the last convertible Gentile has come to the Christian faith". And if we adhere to it, one has to realize that from this point of view, apparently none of the people living in Jerusalem today are genuine Jews.

Surprisingly, we also find a parallel in Revelation to this statement, where it is again about Jerusalem and again it is said that the Gentiles will tread under foot this city.

The nations will tread under foot the holy city.

Rev 11,1 Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 11,2 "Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. Rev 11, 1- 2;

Although intentionally Jerusalem’s name is not mentioned, this prophecy for certain refers to Jerusalem. This means the term "holy city", the fact that the temple of God is there and that in Rev 11,8 – where besides the two witnesses will be killed – this town is named as the one where the Lord has been crucified.

Then Scriptures speak about the Gentiles who for 42 months will tread under foot the holy city. With some certainty this period can be interpreted as the second reign of the Antichrist. And the expression "tread under foot by the Gentiles" exactly complies with the term we found further above in Lk 21,24.

(See also Chapter 02: "The conquest and dispersion of Jerusalem.")

The next chapter 13 of Revelation holds the prophecy of the renewed appearance of Antichrist – the beast from the sea. As already described at the beginning of this discourse, in this interpretation the horseman on the white horse of the first seal in Rev 6,1-2 is Antichrist who acts there at the first half of the 70^th year-week. Now here it seems as if with these 42 months, Antichrist starts the second half of his absolute domination.

At the same time this moment is but the end of God’s two witnesses. Already at their announcement in Rev 11, 3-11 it was indicated that at the end of their testimony the beast that comes up out of the abyss will kill them.

When they have finished their testimony, the beast will overcome them and kill them.

Rev 11,7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. Rev 11, 7;

And also here the prophecy of the renewed appearance of Antichrist refers to this fact:

It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.

Rev 13,7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. Rev 13, 7;

Now herewith all items of this new and alternative interpretation are listed and proved. The further sequence of events is unchanged and in accordance with the old interpretation.

When this in fact will occur as described than the 70^th year-week forms begin and end of the events at the end time – separated in two times of 3 1/2 years. This also would give a plausible explanation why here the date is given by half weeks.

Of course, it still cannot be proved unequivocally that the events at the end time will happen successively as described in John’s Revelation. One could at least assume that all events of this period before the Millennium will happen without any interruption of other occurrences.

(Texts in a black frame are quotations from visitors to this site or from other authors.)

Thank you for your visit to Immanuel.at and for your friendly remarks.

I had actually inserted the first part of my answer here below – up to "Interpretation" – just for my own guidance, with a view to picking up the thread so to speak and familiarizing myself again with the relevant connections. I had intended to delete this part so as to be able to give you a succinct answer..

But then I thought it might be of interest for you as well to trace the steps of my research and to take a closer look yourself at the background to these events – Table 14 at the end of the document is a useful resource in this connection! – so I decided to leave it as it stands.

The Abomination of Desolation will be standing in the Temple (Mt 24:15-18) at the time of the fourth seal. With the fourth seal, the Great Tribulation begins – with the first, human Antichrist as a tyrannical ruler (this includes the fifth seal as well). The sixth seal marks the Second Coming of the Lord and the Rapture of the faithful in Christ (the dead, and also those still alive – 1Thes 4:15-17). On the Second Coming of the Lord for the Rapture, he will kill this first Antichrist (2Thes 2:1-8; Rev 13:1-3 – this one of the heads of this second Antichrist, which had been "as if it had been slain").

After the sixth seal, the 144,000 Israelites of all the 12 tribes of Israel will be sealed on earth (Rev 7:3-8), and at this point of time the Christians who have been raptured out of the Great Tribulation will already be standing in heaven before the throne of God (Rev 7:9-17).

The activities of the two witnesses of God are then foretold in Rev 11:3-6. Rev 11:7 prophesies that at the end of their testimony they will be killed by the beast from the abyss (from the sea) – the second, demonic Antichrist, according to our understanding of the matter at Immanuel.at. This prophecy then seems to be fulfilled in Rev 13:7.

This demonic Antichrist who has been resurrected by Satan, the "beast coming up out of the sea", appears for the first time after the seventh trumpet in Rev 13. Together with the beast from the earth (the false prophet, the Satanic plagiarism of the prophet Elijah), this demon will rule the world (Rev 13,1-18). See the warning in Rev 14:9-13!!

But after the seventh trumpet (before the judgments of the bowls, so before the judgment prophesied in Rev 14:14-20), we find in Rev 15,2 (Rev 15:2-4) that the victims of the Antichristian tyranny of this second, demonic Antichrist are already in heaven!

So we can conclude from this that it is only after the trumpets, in the judgment with the seven bowls of the Wrath of God (from Rev 16 on, that is to say), that there are no longer any believers (not even any potential believers) left on earth.

So your argument that it would be a contradiction if at a certain point in time no people wanting to repent were to be left on earth, and then believing human beings are subsequently referred to notwithstanding, does not quite hold water. 

If I had asserted, at a time before you became a believer, that you were an unbeliever, this would have been correct. Only now, when you have become a Christian, would it be a contradiction. And that seems to be how it is in the present case in Revelation as well.

You refer in your argument, quite correctly, to Rev 13,15:

And the image would cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

Rev 13,15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Rev 13,15;

Although the text does not provide direct confirmation of the supposition that all those killed must necessarily be people who believe in God, the conclusion seems at least permissible that (apart from mentally handicapped persons, potential suicides or people of a pathologically obstinate character) those who refuse the invitation to worship idols will include a large number of God-fearing believers. (I could wish that all Catholics who worship the Catholic idol "Mary" and the dead "saints" [a cult of the dead] would just reflect on this biblical passage.).

The second important argument is the biblical fact that at this time – under the dominion of the demonic Antichrist – there will not be any correctly believing Christians left on earth in any case, seeing that they have all been raptured at the Second Coming of the Lord. 

But here we must recollect the statement of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in Jh 10,16 speaks of two flocks – referring to the original "flock" of Israel ("of this fold") and the other flock, the Christian congregation ("not of this fold").

I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also.

Jn 10,14 "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 10,15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 10,16 "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. Jn 10,14-16;

So in expounding the Bible we need to think not just of the future of us Christians – we must always be aware, too, of the destiny of the people of Israel. And in this connection we find a very interesting link between the Old and New Testaments, which could have relevance for the matter we are considering.

The prophet Malachi prophesied to the people of Israel that God would send the prophet Elijah before the terrible day of the Lord:

Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.

Mal 4,4 "Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. 4,5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 4,6 "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." Mal 4,4-6;

And this was just what the disciples asked the Lord Jesus about:

Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?

Mt 17,10 And His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 17,11 And He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 17,12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." 17,13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. Mt 17,10-13;

And this is exactly what was prophesied to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, with reference to his son:

It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Lk 1,16 "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 1,17 "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Lk 1,16-17;

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High.

Lk 1,76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the LORD to prepare His ways; 1,77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, 1,78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 1,79 to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace." 1,80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel. Lk 1,76-80;

So John the Baptist came in the spirit and the power of Elijah, and should have been able to fulfill the prophecy of Malachi and convert the people of Israel by his testimony. But the Jews were not prepared to accept him, any more than the Lord Jesus himself.

Mt 11,14 "And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.

Irrespective of this, however, we must direct our attention to the Lord’s statement above, in Mt 17,11, where he makes it very evident that he was aware of this attitude of the Jews when he said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things".

John the Baptist came in the power and spirit of Elijah, but since he was rejected in Israel and actually put to death, this prophecy could not be fulfilled by him in its entirety and so is still waiting for its fulfillment. And this is just what the Lord meant here, when he said that "Elijah is coming" – the unspoken qualification is that next time round it will not be John the Baptist.

So much for the biblical facts. What follows below is an

Interpretation.

The prophet Malachi says in Mal 3,23: "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD".

In the interpretation of Revelation, we find ourselves in this Day of the Lord from Rev 8 onward, and it extends until Rev 20 (the Battle of Har-Magedon). The time of the Wrath / Anger of God is a part of the Day of the Lord, and starts with the judgments of the bowls (Rev 16:1).

Now these judgments of the bowls are perhaps the most terrible event in the whole of Revelation. Godless humanity will then be under the dominion of the demonic Antichrist, and God in his anger pours out the most frightful judgments on humanity in these "seven bowls of the wrath of God".

(See also Chapter 05: "The Day of the Lord".)

But Malachi, after all, is speaking of a time "before" this terrible Day of the Lord (or this terrible episode forming part of the Day of the Lord) comes. And so the time before Rev 13:7 – the activity of the two witnesses – would altogether fit the bill. One of the two witnesses could therefore be Elijah. This could also be an explanation of the circumstance that after this, under the dominion of the resurrected demonic Antichrist, in the time of the two witnesses of God and so before the judgments of the bowls, there are still people (in this case Jews) who come to believe in the true God and refuse to worship the image of the Antichrist.

Likewise the well known prophecy of Rev 13:18 about the "number of the beast" would then be a warning and a revelation purely meant for the Jews, so that when the resurrected demonic Antichrist appears, who presents himself as the "true" Christ (Messiah , Anointed), they may recollect who he really is – namely the former tyrannical ruler (Dan 11:31-45), the first Antichrist, who while he was still a man had already betrayed them before.

That – along with the fact that these Jews have come to believe in the true God as a result of the testimony of the two witnesses – could be the reason why they refuse to worship the image of the idol.

(See also Table 04: "What is written in the Book of Truth.".)

Finally we should not forget that according to the Bible the second Antichrist will be a Jew (Jn 5:43). He will present himself as being the true "Messiah" and will claim to be God. Like the Jews right up to the present day, he will decry Jesus of Nazareth as an impostor and blasphemer. And the Jews above all – as well as large sections of the pseudo-Christian world – will hail him with joy as the long awaited "Messiah" and the "Returned Lord".

Seen in this light, the test of Christians would be the Great Tribulation under the dominion of the human Antichrist, the man of lawlessness (2Thes 2:3-8), who will be killed by our Lord Jesus Christ on his Second Coming for the Rapture.

The test for the Jews, on the other hand, is to be seen in subsequent events – in the Day of the Lord, in the dominion of this same man of lawlessness who has been killed but will then be raised from the dead as a demon by Satan, and will then be overcome in the battle of Har-Magedon and will go to damnation along with the false prophet.

But from the wrath of God, with the seven bowls of God’s wrath (which repeatedly leads to confusion with the great tribulation), the Christians will be spared (1 Tess 5,9; 2Piet 2,9; Apoc 3,10) but not the Jews.

(See also Discourse 61: "Is the Great Tribulation identical with the Day of the Lord and the Wrath of God?".)

As you can see, interpreting these biblical texts really is not a simple matter, nor is it easy to arrive at certain conclusions.

One principal reason why these conclusions remain uncertain is that there are also good grounds for supposing that the two witnesses and the resurrected prophet Elijah are not identical after all. In that case the two witnesses would just have done their job, and Elijah would appear at the start of the Millennium, after the gathering of Israel by the God of Israel. All the same, this would not make any essential difference to the key points of the interpretation given above.

Your concern at the end of your e-mail –

"This, of course, is the time of the Wrath of God – thus following the Rapture. So at this time, according to Rev 9,20, no human beings will be left who are willing to repent. And of course this is also the time of the spiritual or devilish Antichrist. At this time, everyone will be obliged to worship the image of the Antichrist. Apparently, then, there are also people who refuse to do this and are put to death as martyrs.

But this is a contradiction, seeing that at this time there will be no human beings left who want to repent.

Clearly I must have misunderstood something here. Perhaps it was the First Antichrist who demanded worship?!" –

is unfounded. You have not misunderstood anything, just assigned things to the the wrong temporal framework. In Rev 9,20 nothing is said about the resurrected, demonic Antichrist. It is the time after the death of the first, the human antichrist, the "lawless" as Paul calls him.

This is obviously the "Antichrist" for the nations, for the Gentiles, whose time after the rapture of the church, as you correctly write, is over. But at this time of the judgments of the trumpets – in this case the sixth trumpet – there is not yet any question of people being forced to worship images.

This lawless one, "whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved (such as ‘Qanon’)"(2The 2:8-10) was obviously the "Antichrist" for the nations, for the Gentiles whose time now, after the killing of these first antichrist and the rapture of the Christian church – like you right write – is over.

But in this time, immediately afterwards, in Rev 9,20, in the time of the trumpet judgments – here the sixth trumpet – nobody has to worship an image yet. It is also the time of the two witnesses who are announced in Rev 11,3-7, whose activity of prophecy and giving testimony lasts until Rev 13,7, where they are then told by the demonic second Antichrist who appears on the scene – despite them tremendous abilities and powers – to be killed.

With their testimony and through the great earthquake in Jerusalem at their resurrection, these two witnesses of God were able to convert the hearts of many - but by far not all (Rev 11,10) – of the living Israelites to their God.

And it is these Israelites who have been converted to their God (Rev 11,13) who refuse to worship his image and will die as martyrs in the reign of the second, demonic Antichrist, which is now beginning (Rev 13,7).

Your last question – whether perhaps the first Antichrist may not also have demanded worship – can be answered on the basis of the logic of what is stated in the Bible. According to the Scriptures, the first Antichrist is the "man of lawlessness, son of destruction" (2The 2,3). And he comes at that time when the Christian church is still being tested before the rapture.

It is the second Antichrist who comes as a Jew (Jn 5:43), who will present himself to the Israelis and to the world as the "Messiah" while depicting the true Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, as an impostor and blasphemer. He is the "son of Satan" and a religious tyrant who leads Israel to global supremacy false miracles, deceit and lies.

And this is the very Messiah that Israel has been expecting for around 2600 years, in accordance with the statements of the prophets: a leader of Jewish origin (a non-Jew would never be accepted in Israel as the Messiah) who represents the Mosaic religion – and makes it a state religion – and who finally leads Israel to global dominion as the "chief of the nations" (Jer 31:7). 

This was of course also the reason why the Jews refused to recognize Jesus of Nazareth – because he gave no sign of wanting to liberate Israel from the Romans, and then did not even do anything to prevent himself being crucified.

What Israel then – and right up to the present day – has failed to recognize, as a result of its militaristic predilections, is the fact that God, again speaking through his prophets, has promised to gather his people and bring them back to their own land (Eze 20:40-44) not by war and violence (Hos 1:7) but by the power of his Holy Spirit. Then – and only then! – will he raise Israel to a world power. But all this will happen – again as confirmed by the prophets – only in the Millennium, the Thousand Years Kingdom of Peace of the Son of God on earth, when the people of Israel has been gathered to its land and converted by God.

The Lord’s parable of the "good shepherd" (Jn 10:7-10) likewise fits this context: the Lord is "the door of the sheep", he comes from heaven, which is where the "sheep" go into freedom on the Rapture. Satan is the thief, who comes from the abyss "to steal and kill and destroy".

The second Antichrist then is a dead man who has been raised, a demon (a spirit being), and Satan gives him all his authority and power and even his throne (Rev 13:1-3). Like Satan, the demonic Antichrist is even able to enter into the spirit of people who admit him and control them in accordance with his will. So we can see that this is a quite different, a spiritual dimension of dominion over humanity.

A detailed explanation of the two Antichrists may be found in the earlier contribution in this document on The first and the second Antichrist, as well as in Discourse 86.

(See also Discourse 86: "The first and the second Antichrist.".)

The Great Tribulation – classified by events.(LANDSCAPE)