The Wedding at Cana. a migration into John chapter two. A layman's commentary.

John chapter two. Here we find The Wedding at Cana.

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.”
John 2:1 NKJV

What significance is there in the third day?

I am not finding a good explanation of what this third day is all about; there are possible clues, the strongest parallels have Jesus rising from the dead on the third day, and then there is Jonah, whom Jesus explains is the only sign that would be given to the Pharisees.

Jesus, after being in the wilderness for 40 days and nights, came back to the area in which John, the baptizer, was still baptizing.

There appears to be a connection between John baptizing in the Jordan and his location at the time. (Most commentaries will tell you that we don't really know where John was as he went where the water was deep enough to immerse people in.)

In Mark's gospel, chapter one, we have what seems like a historical overview of John the baptizer.

“Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.” 

Mark 1:5 NKJV

Forty-plus days later, John is still in the region of Galilee, baptizing.

“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.” Luke 4:14 NKJV

While I am not a fan of speculation, the best I can come up with is information about John the Baptizer, who gave witness to what he experienced when he baptized Jesus over a month earlier. The very next day, after speaking those words, Jesus shows up again.

"And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
John 1:32-33 NKJV

I have been reading through my stack of books by Tony Hillerman. He died several years ago, but he wrote primarily about a fictional Native American Navajo police officer. One of the many concepts that traditional natives hold closely is the notion that nothing in life is a coincidence. Considering that this word coincidence cannot be found in Scripture, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, should learn to accept the good and the bad as a Godly sentiment and recognize that God's plan is involved in everything.

For example, if local city ordinances do not allow you to operate an animal rescue lacking adequate, permanent facilities to handle said animals, it is not a coincidence. Or if you attempt to veil your contempt of local ordinances meant to prevent abuse of said animals, you are bringing the calamity upon yourself. Again, it is not simply a series of coincidences playing a role in your life, and God is not to blame, nor is He causing you to give up your obsession with having more than a reasonable number of pets. Perhaps God may be trying to clear your plate so that He can play a greater role in your life.

A question, although it doesn't seem like it should be that important.

How many disciples did Jesus take to the wedding at Cana?

Let's look at the scriptures and see if we can do the math.

“Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).”
John 1:35-39 NKJV

At this point, we have two disciples. Because

“One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
John 1:40-42 NKJV

At this point, we should NOT assume that Peter and a few others joined Him immediately.

The Wedding at Cana.

John 2

This narrative is one of the most enjoyable stories to me. One of the reasons lies in the hidden depth that God saw fit to conceal in what many perceive as vague details, and yet, if it is apparent, rarely does anyone talk about the background details.

The other aspect is one that becomes apparent when you watch something like The Chosen, where they show the wedding at Cana. The setting is filled with such excitement and joy, and yet, it is a picture of things to come that have misery attached to the future events (By the way, we are almost there now.) Even what seemed to be a catastrophe was turned into delight as the Father of the bride proclaims, you have saved the best wine for last. This moment in time is symbolic of our eventual wedding celebration with Jesus once we all gather in heaven. What a time we will have, as people like me learn how to dance to Jewish songs, and Jesus will be dancing alongside us.

Several years ago, while I was still attending a Vineyard church, my wife, who was at the time still just my girlfriend, got sick and stayed home. That prompted me to sit with people I really did not know. Yes, they were regular attendees, but all I ever got out of them was a casual nod of the head.

Since I don't pay attention to sports, my conversations are attempts to share my understanding of Jesus. I truly believe that my mission is to the church, and so I began talking with these “strangers” about a recent Israeli archaeological discovery that I was made aware of. This discovery was about a quarter mile outside of Nazareth. At this site, the archaeologists found several broken endeavors at lathing out granite pots, cups, and plates. I had no idea that early Jews, around the time of Jesus, would have had the ability to lathe a large pot.

For most, this would be insignificant information, but several thousand years ago, an entrepreneurial Jew realized that the Levitical law concerning vessels of household or of sanctuary usage said nothing of articles made from granite. So, by the time Jesus comes along, and, He happens to be a craftsman and may well have been capable of making sizable granite vessels, which just happened to be in use at the wedding that day. I got excited because I could see the association that these vessels may have had with Jesus, and I had tried to point that association out to the guy I was eating lunch with. His response when I shared this information was to denounce me for not sticking with the canon (trusted religious interpretations) of scripture. That is when I said, it's fascinating that you should say that, because you and others like you are quick to talk about Jesus being a carpenter, when in reality the scriptures say nothing about Jesus being a carpenter. The Greek word used maliciously against Jesus's dead, earthly father, Joseph, was tektōn. Tektōn is a word that carries definitions such as: a craftsman, an artist, or a writer. The evidence concerning this confusion comes from Matthew 13:53 -55, where the Pharisees directed their comments toward Joseph, who was long since dead, making their efforts nothing more than a derogatory slur about Jesus's lowly character, upbringing, and current occupation.

If you have doubts about what I said, consider the backbone of a young virgin named Mary. Considering the conversations that she had with the angel, I am quite sure that she was convinced that the baby was God's baby – by the Holy Spirit, but that story does not and will NOT go over big with the busy bodies about town, some of whom are probably suggesting that she be stoned. And, we have scriptural evidence to show us that thirty years later, the implications of a virgin giving birth were still whispered about the town.

“They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.”
John 8:39-41 KJV

You know the story.

The angel (who, by the way, must have been quite large) eventually tells Joseph not to worry, saying, " It's God's baby.” Joseph, whom we are told was deemed to be a good man, takes Mary, his contractual wife, and leaves Nazareth for Bethlehem. How convenient that it was tax time, and the majority of his relatives live there. Isn't it peculiar that none of Joseph's kinfolk has any space available in their “homes” for Joseph and his pregnant wife, who happens to be carrying God's baby. This train of thought prompts me to consider the uncomfortable questions that may have been asked about why Mary is nine months pregnant; it also means that both Joseph and Mary must have told them that it was God's baby. None of them accepted this story, and they ended up in a cattle stall outside of town, with all the extras associated with a small farm.

After a two-year stay in Bethlehem, they, because of another admonition from an angel, flee to Egypt for the child's safety (Herod wanted this “King of the Jews” dead). Consider that they did not return to where this narrative began, in Nazareth.

Did you ever wonder why?

Remember all those busy bodies and gossips, and how, by the standards of the Torah and theirs, Jesus, the illegitimate child, would not be allowed in the synagogue. Well, when the angel tells them it is safe to return home, they go back to Nazareth. By this time, Jesus is several years older; some will tell you that He was now about four years old.

Having returned to Nazareth, what do we see?

Nothing; we see nothing. We know that:

1. Joseph and Mary had more children, and there is NO time frame or information wrapped around those children until we see passages like this:

   “Then His mother and His brothers came and, standing outside, they sent word to Him, calling [for] Him. And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, Your mother and Your brothers and Your sisters are outside asking for You. And He replied, Who are My mother and My brothers?” Mark 3:31-33 AMPC

2. Jesus, after dispatching 12 of the disciples and giving them authority over demons, returns to a house (It will become obvious that it was NOT His mother's home). This is how His own family responded to Him.

   Note: By this point in time, He has selected the twelve.

   “He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (whom He named Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.” Mark 3:14-20 BSB

   “When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.” And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.” Mark 3:21-22 BSB

The passage above is the foundation upon which those who whine that they have blasphemed God and therefore committed the unpardonable sin. If you were to read on in Mark 3,0 then you would know that Jesus gathered those attempting to slander Him, and defined blasphemy as intentionally attributing the work of God to Satan.

How long did the people of Nazareth hold on to their hatred of Jesus, a mumzer (illegitimate) child?

The answer to the question is at least 30 to 33 years. This statement is conjectural and assumed, but it is based on the fact that Jesus initiated His ministry at age 30. What that start looked like was:

1. His Baptism by John the Baptizer;

2. He began to call the disciples to Himself. We know that when Jesus came back from His 40 days of testing in the wilderness, He returned to the “Jordan River,” where John was still baptizing.

3. He permitted Andrew and John to follow Him. I realize that this statement sounds rather cold, but they asked Him where He was staying, and He responded with, “come and see.” There is a reference there to Simon (who will become Peter) and Philip. But here is one of those Biblical peculiarities. What makes it peculiar is that some will teach this as though everyone was gathered quickly and at one time; that did not happen.

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” And at once they left their nets and followed Him.”
Mark 1:16-18 BSB

So with all that, let's start digging into John's gospel again.

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;” (John 2:1 NASB)

It is interesting how the passage focuses on the fact that Mary is not mentioned by name, yet her presence is highlighted without a name, dominating the conversation simply because she is there. This notable absence of a name may play into John's nature, as he says things about himself by referring to himself as that disciple whom Jesus loved. She will soon make much ado about them running out of wine to Jesus.

As you can see, Cana is North of Nazareth and a comparable distance from the shores of Galilee.

“and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.”
(John 2:2 NASB)

At this point in time, Jesus has not called all twelve disciples. Some of those numbers included: James, John, Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and Andrew – he was one of those who paid attention when Jesus showed up to be baptized by John.

So, where was Jesus on this map when this invitation to be a disciple reached their ears?

No one knows for sure, however, but it could point to the home of His mother.

Matthew 13:1-2 NASB “That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. (2) And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.”

You may have a similar problem/complaint, as I have, when you are trying to figure out whose house Jesus came out of, because that is not clear.

Let me show you something.

“While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Matthew 12:46-50 KJV

It is evident that there was some distance between Jesus and His “family.” Mark's gospel adds:

“Then He went to a house [probably Peter's], but a throng came together again, so that Jesus and His disciples could not even take food. And when those who belonged to Him (His kinsmen) heard it, they went out to take Him by force, for they kept saying, He is out of His mind (beside Himself, deranged)!”
Mark 3:20-21 AMP

Most will tell you that this discussion is of no significance; the problem with that attitude is that there is nothing in scripture that is of no significance. But, as you can see on the map above, He was NOT in Nazareth, as it is NOT a coastal village.

Matthew's gospel tells us,

Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.
(Matthew 4:12-13 NASB)

Settled is the Greek word katoikeō, which means to inhabit or to have an abode.

Ask yourself, where did the narrative of Jesus' conception begin?

Yep, Nazareth, where all those busy bodies lived that were more than willing to enforce the Levitical laws pertaining to mumzer's (bastard children) coming into the synagogue. For most, this would have had a detrimental impact on a child’s biblical education. With that in mind, remember that at age 12, Jesus stood in the temple holding a master class on apologetics with the scribes and Pharisees. So clearly, somebody taught Jesus, who?

Joseph, we are told, was a righteous man. Who gives you this title? Certainly not yourself. It would have to be those Joseph interacted with at the synagogue. Joseph was skilled in the understanding of the Law and the Prophets. For us unskilled, that is the Old Testament.

Matthew goes on to expound upon the move to Cana.

"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the nations! The people who sat in darkness saw a great Light; and Light has sprung up to those who sat in the region and shadow of death."(Matthew 4:15-16 MKJV)

What is going on with Mary?

“And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."
(John 2:3-4 NKJV)

My mother would often attend events and insert herself into the wedding preparations in any way she could. If she stumbled upon the fact that they ran out of wine, she might have quietly rejoiced because she held to a religious, legalistic view that drinking alcohol would send you straight to hell, but I digress.

In “The Chosen,” Mary acted like the woman who was getting married was the closest of friends and appreciated her love and help. I appreciated this viewpoint because it removed the negative way that I looked at Mary's manner of handling this setting.

Note how Jesus responds to His mother. According to most translations, He merely calls her "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."

The Greek word for woman is gunē. It means woman, maiden, wife, or damsel. The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury says that the word is “ far from implying anything disrespectful, and was employed as an honorable appellation” (designation)

What I perceived as Jesus' initial negative reaction to His mother gave way to Mary's persistent insistence. In the series, The Chosen, Mary repeated a phrase that John, the baptizer, said when she challenged Jesus by saying, if not now, when?

Well, it is a good question. If now is not your time, then when?

This next statement has me rather gobsmacked, as my wife's British relatives might say.

“But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
(John 2:5 NLT)

Consider the conversational circumstances.

He had just responded to His mother's statement, “they have no wine.” His response has always taken me back a bit, as by my standards, Jesus responded rather poorly. saying “Woman, why does this concern us?” [Berean Study Bible.] Only moments ago, we looked at the word Woman, and because of that, I can now understand that He meant no disrespect.

How did Mary know what "her son" was capable of doing?

I asked my wife this same question. Her response leaned toward the idea that Mary knew what His capabilities were merely because He was the Son of God. If that is true, then what do you do with passages like this:

“Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.” But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel. By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey. For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.”
Isaiah 7:10-17 BSB

This conversation that we see in Isaiah came about because King Ahaz, the King of Judah, demonstrated little to no faith in God. A virgin giving birth to the Son of God should have changed all that. A quote from Dr. J. Vernon McGee reads like this: “God knows that Ahaz does not have faith, and He is willing to give the king faith; but Ahaz is nothing but a pious fraud...”

It is safe to assume that Mary witnessed Jesus in action.

Joseph, to say the least, was beside himself when he heard that Mary, his wife, proclaimed that she was pregnant and it was God's child; we know this because he was willing to quietly put Mary away. Thus, we have this conversation.

“But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and embraced Mary as his wife.”
(Matthew 1:20-24 BSB)

From a human standpoint, the view that those of us with a sincere biological understanding seem to understand is this: virgins cannot have babies. With a man like Joseph, it was clear that there was no human intervention, but there was a young female virgin willing to carry that pre-fertilized egg.

“So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!” “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.”
(Luke 1:30-35 BSB)

From the garden expulsion forward, all of humanity, through Adam and Eve, was tainted by sin and passed that sin on to everyone. It seems clear that this drive to sin is transferred through genetics. God bypassed that genetic sin problem by producing His own fertilized egg and found a young lady willing to carry it to birth. Jesus was thus born without sin.

So while I may struggle with anger issues, Jesus was NOT driven to anger by sin. Nothing Jesus did was driven by sin. So when my acquaintances tell me, you need to love as Jesus loved, they might as well be speaking another language.

Sure, I get that the Apostle Paul wrote extensively about our freedom from sin, but my belief in Jesus Christ does not remove the embedded driving force that can only happen on that day, in the twinkling of an eye, when we shall be changed. Sorry, but that means we all have to die. When the sin-infested flesh dies, all sin goes with it. All that will be left is the body, which is made in the image of the Father, God.

Let's get back to Mary's understanding that Jesus's abilities were limitless.
Scripture says nothing that strictly applies to turning water into wine; it does, however, inform us that, at the command of the Father, Moses and Aaron turned, what we assume to be all the potable water that the Egyptians had available, into blood.
I choose to accept this as factual. Perhaps one of the reasons to accept that this happened was that the wizards of the Egyptian court also turned some potable water, which they had, into blood by their wizardry.

Hopefully, you understand that this turning of water into blood also means that God can turn water into grape juice (even if it is delicately blended and refined)

Mary had seen Jesus in action.

Does the scripture tell us this?

No, it does not, but based upon scripture, it seems like a logical assumption; clearly, Mary had examples.

They thought Jesus had lost His mind. Mark explains:

.Then Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (whom He named Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat. When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.” And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.” So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. And if Satan is divided and rises against himself, he cannot stand; his end has come. Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.” Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him, and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You.”
Mark 3:13-32 BSB

This assertion by the scribes that had come down from Jerusalem, “By the prince of the demons (Satan) He drives out demons,” is what brought about Jesus' definition of blasphemy. It also seems to play a role in why Mary and His close relatives came to arrest Him. This train of thought creates havoc when Mary, along with Jesus' half brothers, James and Jude, stood outside the house where Jesus, who had been teaching is interrupted by a paralyzed man being let down through the hole that his friends had created, causing Jesus to stop what He was doing and resolve this man's issue.

“Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat. When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
(Mark 3:20-21 BSB)

Home, under such hostile circumstances, would not have been with Mary; their attitude toward Him tends to support that understanding. So the question then becomes whose house is He now living in?

The answer to this question is not essential to our salvation, but I have an inquiring mind, and we have clues that come from the disciples themselves.

“For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.”
(John 7:5 BSB)

Brothers”, in this case, are His half brothers. If that confuses you, consider that Jesus is the Son of God. His brothers would have been those born of Joseph and Mary, after the birth of Jesus.

To find a context for John 7:5, I had to go to John 6. Here, Jesus talked about how He, whom they assumed to be merely a man, is the bread of life. He referred to Himself as the Son of man and the Son of God. He also tells them that He is the food that doesn't perish; this conversation blended with them having communion and how He is the body and the blood. Many of those who followed Him and called themselves disciples were offended by this; they gathered their things and left. They asked Him, what do we have to do to perform the works of God? He replied with “believe in the One He has sent”. The process that changes us begins as simply as that. All these things, in addition to Him giving them authority over demons, seem to be the combination that drove Mary to try to arrest Him.

I believe in Him, do you? 

A rebuttal, made several years ago, against my thoughts on Revelation 13:7.

 I am not a fanatic about biblical prophecy, but I could be if my memory served me better. Let us just say, I have a strong interest in prophecy, eschatology, and the study of Revelation, always have, and though a few have passed through the church and brought moments of clarity. Others followed behind these teachers and muddied up the waters for me. I found this very frustrating. One man, Hilton Sutton, came to the church and brought some clarity. This brother in Christ was a turning point for me, as I still have an unquenchable desire to understand end-times prophecy all these years later.

Gaining a moment of clarity is fine, but I wanted it to stick. Once he left, there was no one at that church (that I could find) who encouraged a pursuit of understanding biblical prophecy. I found myself floundering. Since what I just described happened in the late 1980s, can you imagine how disillusioned I might be that I have only come to understand the allusions and imagery we face when reading Revelation and Daniel in the last few years?

What opened up end-time prophecy for me was coming across a book called The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson. Mr. Richardson followed up this book with one called The Mideast Beast. In them, he gives you an intense look into scripture, with associated current and historical events, thereby leaving no doubt in your mind who the players are and what their intent is, as described in scripture.

With all that in mind.

There was a day when I saw a post on Facebook where the person referenced Revelation 13:7 and stated,

“this is not about post rapture believers, this is about us, the church.”

First, is this a true statement?

How would you know the answer to this unless you have read the scriptures with the intent of understanding?

The simple answer to the question is NO, it is not a true statement.

We will attempt to understand why it is not true as we proceed.

It seemed only right that I show you this scripture before we examine this brash declaration to see if it paints the picture as this person sees it.

Revelation 13:7 KJV “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”

I am showing you the King James Version, a translation influenced by the weighty authority of the state church – the Catholic Church, because people were leaving the church for Protestantism, and taking their money with them.

As Dr. Chuck Missler used to tell us, every translation has its issues and errors; because of this, it behooves you to pay attention and do deep dives into the simplest of Bible passages.

One of the dramatic issues in the KJV appears in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

Note the highlighted words.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
2 Thessalonians 2:3 KJV

An earlier translation from the Geneva Bible of the same verse reads:

“Let no man deceive you by any meanes: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition,”
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva

The Geneva Bible was published at least 50 years before the King James Version, yet it describes people leaving the church, much to the dismay of the leadership.

Why bring up all this ancient history?

Because some will brashly say, I will only use the authorized translation. Much to their delight, we have the King James Version, and apparently, ever since its original publication, it has been titled The Authorized Version by, you guessed it, King James, a king who was wholly submissive to the state church. This presumption of Authorization did not come from God, nor did it prevent human error.

There is no quick or short rebuttal of arguments against truth or logic, because the simplest of answers are often met with worthless contention, most of which are based on assumption, faulty logic, and traditions of religion.

Point number 1.

In poring over Revelation 13:7, a natural question should be,

Who is this “him” that John is being shown?

You have to ask, because depending upon the translation you use, your mindset will become fixated on a President that says, “I make the decisions,” or some other global leader, some of which are pushing vaxinations for some new pandemic disease that they are about to unleash upon the world, and therefore try to insert that leader into the position of Antichrist.

How quickly we forget what 2Thessalonians chapter two tells us, that we, the church, will not know who this is, as we will be removed from the earth before his announcement to the world, because we are the thing that is holding back the overflowing action of Satan in this regard, and then the Antichrist will be revealed. It is fun speculating, though.

The Geneva Bible, published in the early 1500s, states the chain of events more clearly than almost all others. I am changing the peculiar spellings, italicizing, and adding the word that, to make it more readable.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that (then) that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva

As we progress in dissecting the subject matter, it is true that someone eventually becomes the mouthpiece for the beast, the Antichrist. (Scripture calls this “mouthpiece” the false prophet.) But even he will have a limited influence (the second half of the seven years) and step aside for another, more violent one: the false prophet.

This is a good place to bring up a very biblical expression, context. Context is one of those things that drives us backward in scripture to find the basis for the discussion. By the way, discussion is not a bad thing.

“And there was given unto him (it) a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”
(Revelation 13:5 KJV)

The Antichrist was given a spokesperson. Yes, it will be a man, and I happen to think it will be the “newly” elected high priest of the recently built temple.

Did you know there is such a man?

I have been aware of such a person since 2019, but when I pointed this person out to my friends, they both said, NO WAY, he seems like a satisfactory young man (meaning he was not 80 years old).

In an article entitled, “High Priest is Chosen by Sanhedrin, Temple Service Could Be One Week Away.”

Written by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, and published in the online news magazine, The Good News Today. The article states,

"A significant step was recently taken towards reinstating the Temple service when the nascent Sanhedrin selected Rabbi Baruch Kahane as the next Kohen Gadol (high priest). The selection was made as a precaution for Yom Kippur. If the political conditions should change, allowing the Jews access to the Temple Mount, they will be required by Torah law to bring the sacrifices. Rabbi Kahane is confident that if that should happen, Temple service could begin in less than one week." Mr. Berkowitz goes on to say, "Rabbi Kahane is a prominent scholar, knowledgeable in the complicated laws pertaining to the subject of the Temple Service." The following is the internet source, should you choose to read it in total. The Good News Today – High Priest is Chosen by Sanhedrin, Temple Service Could Be One Week Away

What if such a man, halfway through the seven years of God's wrath, flips his religious teaching and training, ceases to do the sacrifices, and announces himself to be a Muslim that NOW follows after the Antichrist/the Mahdi?

If what I say is the case, can you imagine the disillusionment of the Jewish community?

His position alone will give him tremendous power and draw. According to Islamic prophecies, this is exactly how they see it playing out, and the man must be of the lineage of Aaron – this is one of the major factors in selecting him to oversee the temple worship.

Even the Revelation substantiates this train of thought.

“Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon.”
Revelation 13:11 BSB

The earth represents the vast number of people in the Middle East. Remember that out of Abraham's seed will come vast numbers of people.

Here, the false prophet also carries the title of beast. Here in America, most of the city folk have to go to the county fair to see a sheep. It was during one of these field trips that I discovered lambs can grow massive, dangerous, curled horns.

Horns like a lamb demonstrates that the false prophet is “representative” of God and Jesus.

There should be a realization that the Antichrist has many titles, one of which we do not see until we look at the words of the Prophet Isaiah. When Isaiah relays to us that one of those names is the Assyrian, you should realize by now that you can't call him an Assyrian without associating him with Islam, and Islam is driven by the Quran.

So, if someone tells you the Antichrist cannot be a Muslim because Israel will not accept him, they might be moving into the false teacher category, and you may need to avoid that person's teachings.

The Greek word autos, which we see in Revelation 13:5, is translated as him and can just as easily mean it. The Modern King James Version correctly translated this by using the word “it” instead of “him.” However, the vagueness of the word “it” defies our desire to attach an identity to the beast.

Religion, operating on the idea that we should look for a person to define the beast, has given the title "beast" to many people – some deservingly so, but they were still wrong.

Point number 2.

In focusing on the beast as an “it”, we note that it is given power to make war with: the saints and to overcome them, and all kindreds; tongues, and nations. The MKJV uses the word "tribes" instead of "kindreds".

What kind of understanding do I gain from this information?

Anyone with a minimal amount of scriptural knowledge knows that the last seven years are particularly harsh toward followers of Christ, primarily during the last seven-year period designated as the time of God’s wrath upon the earth, even though religion calls this the tribulation. One can easily figure out that almost everyone not following after the beast will be killed during this time, and not by God; although the wrath is God's, it is frequently performed by people.

Daniel recounts his vision in Daniel chapter seven.

“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them” (Daniel 7:21 KJV)

What Daniel describes is a parallel to Revelation 13:7, and the horn he sees is the “it” that John describes in the Revelation, and at minimum, an aspect of one of the beasts.

Daniel 7 came from a vivid dream/vision that Daniel had. As he watched, he saw "One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven." This is Jesus. We know this because Jesus is always referred to as the Son of Man, but in this case, Jesus was seated, so Daniel asks the one standing. We can safely assume that this “person” was an angel. Daniel asks for an explanation of what he had just seen. The angel answered him.

“This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it.
Daniel 7:23 BSB

The fourth beast - Nebuchadnezzar saw this in Daniel chapter 2; the problem was two-fold: 1. Nebuchadnezzar could not remember the dream, and 2. he knew that he wanted an explanation of what it was and meant.

Verse 23 indicates how we can deduce the nature of this fourth kingdom: it will be distinct from the other kingdoms, consume the entire earth, trample it down, and subdue it.

If all I had to judge this fourth kingdom was the methods and effects of the first three kingdoms, they were rapid, overpowering, and non-religious. Yes, there may have been gods and idol worship, but worship was not mandatory; this is not the case with Islam, as they demand worship or a brutal death.

We also learn that since the kingdoms Daniel saw were destructive, this fourth kingdom, too, is a destructive empire.

And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them, another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.
Daniel 7:24 BSB

Since we know, based on the angel's explanation, that the beasts represent kingdoms or empires, then this "it" must be an empire too.

An aspect of Revelation 13:7 defines that for us: “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.”

Can anyone decisively say that there is one entity whose sole purpose is to wage war with the people of God, and it is doing that?

While there are many Christians, tribes, and nations now coming under attack, there is no absolute defeat. Sadly, since I first wrote this response, there are barely any governments that are still standing in the face of the Islamic onslaught. Fortunately, the world is not seeing this entity in its full fury.

It was Jesus who informed us that the onslaught would be so great that the potential to kill everyone outside of the beast’s ideology is possible.

Matthew 24:22 MKJV “And unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened.”

Matthew 24:15-22 applies specifically to the last half of the seven years of God's wrath. This is when the full fury of the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be unleashed.

“And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”
Daniel 9:27 BSB

“he” is the Antichrist. The passage does not state that he sets forth this covenant/peace treaty; he merely affirms what already exists. The “week” refers to seven years that initiate after the rapture. In the middle of the seven years, he ended the sacrifices and offerings being offered in the newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.

The word translated as "beast" is the Greek therion, meaning a dangerous animal.

I may have mentioned this moments ago, but there are plenty of people and nations who have been deemed animals and deserve to be called that. However, attributing that designation to a single person does not make it a proper definition.

Since this is akin to Daniel’s vision and to the statue Nebuchadnezzar saw, we know that from the legs down it represents the fourth kingdom. Because of its matching symbolism, we also understand that this fourth kingdom is extremely dangerous.

As a standalone verse, there is nothing that defines this beast adequately, nor is there anything in the passage that gives us a time frame, nor does it demonstrate whether it is a pre- or post-rapture scenario.

So, is Revelation 13:7 a picture of pre-tribulation or post-tribulation rapture?

The short answer is yes: it describes a pre-rapture removal of the church, but we need more than Revelation 13:7 to prove this.

Let me remind you of what the person who made this faulty post was trying to say, based on Revelation 13:7.

Let's break the author's assertion into two parts.

The first part asserts that “believers” will have the horrors of God's wrath poured out upon them as well.

It was Jesus who was quoted when Paul referred to our deliverance from that very wrath in 1 Thessalonians 1:10.

“... Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.”
1 Thessalonians 1:10 BSB

The Apostle John, transcribing what the spirit was giving him, writes:

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Revelation 3:10 BSB

The disciples, struggling to grasp what it would be like without Him, asked, what would it be like on earth before He comes back to gather His church. This was part of His response.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.”
John 14:3 BSB

How many appearances of Jesus does humanity experience before the 1000 years?

He came to earth, was born through the cooperation of Mary, and, when He ascended into the clouds, He told those watching that He would come again.

Now, when He comes to catch His bride away, we are told that He ONLY comes in the clouds and we will ascend to Him. This does not qualify as one of His appearances. So the answer is once.

At the end of the seven years, Jesus, in Revelation 21, comes back, only this time people will die, because He, Jesus, is coming back and all the saints will be with Him, to silence the mouths and swords of those who have chosen to fight against Him.

“Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.”
Revelation 19:11 BSB

You can also see His actions in verse 15.

“And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”
Revelation 19:15 BSB

The second part of the author's false assertion (“this is not about post rapture believers, this is about us, the church”) concludes with the declaration that the church now has to endure God's wrath. The Apostle Paul tells us that the church will not witness this action, which enables the Antichrist to follow through with such actions.

Power is the Greek word “exousia,” and it means: permission, authority, right, liberty, or power to do something.

And this liberty applies to all clans, tribes, tongues, and nations

Is there a specific group that is killing off the saints – the church, and has been given power over all kindreds, tongues, and nations?

Bluntly, NO! Although “Christians” in third-world nations, where there are groups that branch off the Islamic tree, are killing massive numbers of Christians every month.

There are inherent problems in understanding and placing this evil empire into a particular period. The difficulty primarily arises out of our attempts at defining the beast using our traditional religious understanding and logic that we commonly apply to end times events.

Our first problem here is that Daniel 7:3 tells us that there were four great beasts.

Each one of these beasts could have presented similar issues and problems, not only in the Christian community but also in the world in general.

One in particular, the fourth beast, gained a particularly frightening identity and seems to have no purpose aside from destruction.
Moreover, this fourth beast is NOT directly identified, as the first three were, and so the common assumption is that this has everything to do with Rome and, by extension, the Roman Catholic church. You should be able to pick up on the ramifications of that.

“After this I looked in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, frightening and terrifying, and very strong. And it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the rest with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts before it; and it had ten horns.”
(Daniel 7:7 MKJV)

Our simplest method of gaining clarity is to look at the context surrounding this singular passage in Revelation 13 and try to find out if this statement, “this is not about post rapture believers, this is about us, the church,” is a true statement.

Revelation 13:1-10 MKJV (1) And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. And on its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads was the name of blasphemy. (2) And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and its feet like those of a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority. (3) And I saw one of its heads as having been slain to death, and its deadly wound was healed. And all the earth marveled after the beast. (4) And they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it? (5) And a mouth speaking great things was given to it, and blasphemies. And authority was given to it to continue forty-two months. (6) And it opened its mouth in blasphemy toward God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, and those dwelling in Heaven. (7) And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation. (8) And all dwelling on the earth will worship it, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world. (9) If anyone has an ear, let him hear. (10) He who leads into captivity will go into captivity. If anyone will kill with the sword, he must be killed by a sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

The first two verses of Revelation 13: 1-10 are very telling, and it is here where we learn the beast gets its power.

“And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. And on its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads was the name of blasphemy. And the beast, which I saw, was like a leopard, and its feet like those of a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority.” (Revelation 13:1-2 MKJV)

The dragon, or serpent, is Satan.

As John stands “on the sand of the sea”, he is looking at vast numbers of people. Thousands of years of world conflict, and yet this vast number of people have all been affected by the same theme, the beast.

There is no way that one man, or animal, could live for such an extended period. Therefore, the obvious assumption is that the beast represents a very dangerous empire or ideology. This is clear when I read about it in Daniel.

“the dragon gave him its power and its seat and great authority.”

“The dragon gave him (edōken autōi ho drakōn). First aorist active indicative of didōmi (to give) and dative case autōi (the beast). The dragon works through this beast. 

The beast is simply Satan’s agent(s). Satan claimed this power, and offered it to Christ:” (Robertson’s Word Pictures)

And he said to him, All these things will I give you, if you will go down on your face and give me worship. (Matthew 4:9 BBE)

The gospel of Luke records Satan as having more authority.

And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. (Luke 4:6 KJV)

(Robertson’s Word Pictures) gives us this, “- and Christ called Satan the prince of this world”:

John 14:28-30 shows us that Christ knew He was going to the cross and that Satan would play a role in that action, but in the end, Satan will have no claim on Jesus.

Why?

Because Jesus never sinned, nor was He born into sin, as we are.

“You heard Me tell you, I am going away and I am coming [back] to you. If you [really] loved Me, you would have been glad, because I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater and mightier than I am. And now I have told you [this] before it occurs, so that when it does take place you may believe and have faith in and rely on Me. I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.].”
John 14:28-30 AMP

John's gospel records several moments where Jesus referred to Satan and his authority.

You need to ask yourselves, where did Satan get this authority? Because God stripped him of his heavenly position and authority. Satan obtained it through deception; however, only the woman was deceived. Adam, the man, stood right there, watching and listening to every word. When Eve chose to chomp into that fruit, she then handed it to Adam, who was with her. He knew exactly what he was doing. He gave the title deed of the earth over to the enemy. Now, before you lose your mind with rage over Adam's mutiny, consider that this was God's plan – to restore the earth and humanity, all along. Read Genesis 3.

“and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” (John 16:11 LITV)

The false assertion once again.

Revelation 13:7 “... is not about post rapture believers, this is about us, the church.”

While it may not help to answer the question of whether this is speaking about the church, references to the beast do not have to represent a man, and can easily fit into the category of a ruling body, and are certainly fulfilled by an encompassing demonic power. Since we know that Revelation 13:7 is another description of the prophecy seen in Daniel.

Daniel 7:23-25 BSB “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings. He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.”

If you have been watching the news in America, then you know that New Yorkers elected their first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani. This man has already been trying to change the appointed laws and times.

What does it mean to change the laws and times?

It means that he is instituting Sharia law and Islamic holy days.

It is due to Daniel's information and the historical record that we know that the empires seen in Nebuchadnezzar's dream statue were clearly defined, and three of them are essentially no longer part of the picture. They are the Babylonian (Assyrian), Medo-Persian, and Grecian.

We also know that the Grecian empire sustained several divisions after the death of Alexander the Great, and was spread among four generals. Of those four, only two remained and made a global impact – the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic.

The Seleucid Empire, which is the Northern empire, effectively consisted of the Assyrian Empire through assimilation and has become the Islamic nations that we are now dealing with.

Revelation 13:4 tells us that “they” (the nations?) worshiped the beast.

Now what do we do with that?

We already understand that the beast represents (or to this day represents) a deadly empire. Still, there is no singular, deadly empire ruling as yet and holding the title of the beast; there are, however, multitudes of deadly entities, wreaking havoc globally, with one common ideology.

Do I have to say it?

Islam. Islam, no matter whether you are Shiite, Wahhabi, or Boko Haram, they all serve one common god – Allah.

Is it possible, then, that Revelation 13:4 is referring to a current and deadly religion as the beast?

This train of thought opens a complex issue, because the God of Israel had already made it clear to his people, and us, that there are no other gods (This declaration took place long before Mohammad decided that there was a god called Allah). All this, of course, makes Allah a false god. The goal in apologetics is to show, primarily by scripture, the truth that there is nothing out there but God alone. A few examples might be:

Isaiah 43:10 CEV “My people, you are my witnesses and my chosen servant. I want you to know me, to trust me, and understand that I alone am God. I have always been God; there can be no others.”

Exodus 34:14 AMP “For you shall worship no other god; for the Lord, Whose name is Jealous, is a jealous (impassioned) God,”

Deuteronomy 4:27-28 NASB (27) "The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you. (28) "There you will serve gods, the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

One of the most telling clues about the timing that can be applied to Revelation 13:7 is found in Revelation 13:5.

Revelation 13:5 LITV “And a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies was given to it. And authority to act forty-two months was given to it.”

This is undoubtedly the second half of the seven years of wrath. One of the events that solidifies that idea is the actions of the Antichrist and the actions of the False Prophet, which seem to serve as a brutal enforcer of Sharia law upon those who continue to follow Christ during the seven years; and yes, many like to call it the great tribulation.

Moreover, since this takes us to the midpoint of the seven years of wrath, taking a chronological approach tells me that Revelation 13:7 has nothing to do with the church.

There is another aspect that seems to throw the casual reader for a loop, and that is the beast making “war with the saints.” There is no denying that Paul called the early church members saints, but since the church is not destined for wrath, we should have been caught up in the snatching away before this widespread slaughter of the saints.

Jesus, speaking to his religious adversaries, said, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” You can find this statement and its context in Luke 3:7.

We are, in the majority, saved from the wrath.

“but God commends His love to us in this, that we being yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being justified now by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through Him.” (Romans 5:8-9 LITV)

And, meant to be delivered from the wrath.

“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
(1 Thessalonians 1:10 KJV)

If the church is gone, then who are these people called saints that this “beast” is killing?

They are those who did not go up in the rapture, and have come to a recognition of Jesus as Lord during the time called the tribulation; and, because grace is no longer a benefit, they are paying the greatest price of commitment with their lives. We are surrounded by those who claim to be religious Christianity, and some do so merely because they live in the United States. Where you live means nothing.

Look at this passage from Matthew 25

“Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out. But the wise answered, saying, No, lest there be not enough for us and you. But rather go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And they who were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterwards the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. Therefore watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour in which the Son of Man comes.”
(Matthew 25:1-13 MKJV)

Did you notice that they were all virgins, and they all had the same invitation?
Nevertheless, some did not make it in. Preparation, willingness, and desire seem to be key here, not title. You have no exclusivity because you can label yourself. As Bob Dylan once said, it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you are going to have to serve somebody.

Revelation 13:8 states, “And all dwelling on the earth will worship it, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world.”

Because we have Daniel 9:27 as part of our forensic evidence, we know that a representative of the beast will confirm a covenant of peace for seven years. Halfway through that treaty, he will break the covenant/treaty, and thus begins a wanton slaughter of those who refuse to claim allegiance to the beast. This in no way excludes the current and ongoing slaughter of those outside the fellowship of the beast, but this slaughter indicates that the dominance and influence of the beast will be global and sufficiently armed to be able to carry this out.

That was certainly the long way around, but I am optimistic that it paints a picture of the rapture of the church and the coming slaughter of those who refuse to worship the beast. We religious folk like to call the time after the rapture of the church, the great tribulation. The problem with that mentality is that it ignores the ongoing tribulation of the church at present, and we are not even there yet. Jesus spoke of a time that is coming, in which it would be rare that anyone survives unless God cuts the time short, and he does. This is referred to by Jesus as a time of great tribulation, and therefore, probably the basis of why we call it the great tribulation. The seven years that follow the snatching away of the church are a time of God’s wrath being poured out upon those left upon the earth who have rejected him.

May I suggest that you come to him now, while it is still convenient and comfortable. 

All it takes is you believing that he died for you and provides you with the promise of a future with him in glory. You cannot do this on your own, and that is why he came. Ask him to come into your life, turn the life that you cannot handle over to him, and he will come into you and make his home in you.