Agotando a los santos

 

Esta frase "desgastará a los santos", surgió en una conversación recientemente. En mi opinión, pide tanto una explicación como respuestas.

Dependiendo de la versión de la Biblia que esté usando,  desgastar también se traduce como: agotar, aplastar , herir y consumir . Es la palabra caldea belâ , que significa: afligir , y solo se usa una vez en la Biblia.

Los términos desgastan y afligir me transmiten dos cosas distintas. Una me hace pensar en el daño que solía hacerle a mis jeans durante los veranos cuando era niña. Trepamos y nos deslizamos por todo lo que pudimos; la presión mental ciertamente podría hacer eso.

Para afligir , por el contrario, tiene un amplio espectro de la violencia que se le atribuye. Puedo recordar el nudillo en la cabeza en la escuela primaria, pero también puede significar decapitaciones . Necesita algo de claridad, ¿no?

Me preguntaron,

• ¿Cuándo ocurre este "desgaste de los santos" , y es posible que estemos en él ahora?
• ¿Implica una acción continua, o podría ser en un momento dado?
• ¿Sugiere problemas comunes de la vida o una amenaza constante de muerte?

Las confrontaciones bíblicas pueden desgastarte, especialmente cuando tratas de seguir la lógica rota, que nunca parece terminar, ya que todos los argumentos ilógicos se te lanzan. La mayoría de estos argumentos se resuelven fácilmente si la persona que habla simplemente lea su Biblia, pero no lo hace. Solo leen y escuchan lo que quieren. Es por eso que estos argumentos se vuelven más una conversación impulsada por las emociones. Solía ​​pensar que podía responder con información concisa, como citas de Josefo, Tácito o la concordancia de Strong, de una manera que mostraría claramente por qué sus argumentos son incorrectos y que la respuesta no siempre es tan en blanco y negro, o de mente estrecha. En esa nota: solo hay un camino, y su nombre es Jesús.

Las confrontaciones no son tanto de mi parte, es decir, no estoy tratando de buscar peleas teológicas con la gente, principalmente porque mi memoria está disparada y no estoy reteniendo información como antes. Personalmente creo que este es el Espíritu Santo manteniéndome bajo control, porque me conozco, y destrozaría a estos falsos maestros públicamente si tuviera la oportunidad. Como no puedo, a menudo aplazo y me retiro, murmurando, ¿cómo te está funcionando eso? Odio eso, pero si miro esto en términos de un guerrero que ha recibido un golpe en un brazo o mano dominante, es posible que se vuelvan ineficaces, pero no les quitarás la mentalidad de guerrero. Esa mentalidad guerrera puede convertirse en ocasiones en una carga, principalmente porque no hay necesidad de enfrentamientos tan completos. A veces, todo lo que necesitas hacer es razonar con la gente. Otra cosa;También me he dado cuenta de que no es necesario que me escuchen todo el tiempo. Esto me quita una tremenda presión, ya que me he dado cuenta de que Dios tiene el control, no yo.

Debemos entender que Satanás es el enemigo perpetuo del creyente. Las Escrituras nos dicen que hay un rango de tiempo particular involucrado con estos eventos que vemos en la profecía de Daniel.

Desafortunadamente, este desgaste de los santos ocurre durante un vasto y anodino período, el tiempo de la cuarta bestia. La referencia particular se encuentra en el libro de profecías de Daniel.

“Dijo así: La cuarta bestia será el cuarto reino sobre la tierra, el cual será diferente de todos los reinos, y devorará toda la tierra, la hollará y la despedazará. Y los diez cuernos de este reino son diez reyes que se levantarán; y otro se levantará después de ellos, y será diferente de los primeros, y a tres reyes subyugará. Y hablará grandes palabras contra el Altísimo, y agotará a los santos del Altísimo , y pensará en cambiar los tiempos y las leyes; y serán entregados en su mano hasta un tiempo y tiempos y la división de los tiempos. Pero el juicio se sentará, y le quitarán su dominio para consumirlo y destruirlo hasta el fin ”. ( Daniel 7: 23-26 KJV )

Me sentí seguro al llamar el tiempo de la cuarta bestia, vasto y anodino porque tenemos una clara claridad sobre la identidad de los tres reinos anteriores. El Imperio Griego juega un papel dominante en la comprensión de dónde podría provenir esta bestia. Comenzando con Alejandro y continuando hasta los imperios seléucida y ptolemaico , es, en mi opinión, el cuarto imperio de las bestias. A muchos les gusta especular que el cuarto imperio fue el Imperio Romano, aunque no se describió como los demás. El enfoque típico que más se usa para determinar cómo llamar al reino de las bestias y, por lo tanto, decidir de dónde vendrá la “bestia”, se encuentra en el libro de Daniel.

Daniel 9:26 RV Y después de sesenta y dos semanas será quitado el Mesías, pero no por sí mismo; y el pueblo del príncipe que ha de venir destruirá la ciudad y el santuario; y su fin será con un diluvio, y hasta el fin de la guerra serán determinadas las desolaciones.

Si me has seguido, el tiempo suficiente comprenderás que esto tiene dos cumplimientos. Uno quedó bajo el gobierno del general romano Tito con la destrucción del templo en el 70 d.C. Sin embargo, hay otro cumplimiento en los últimos días .

Tito, el general romano, es considerado por muchos como "el príncipe que ha de venir". Sin embargo, si hace su investigación, encontrará que la evidencia se inclina hacia un pueblo del Medio Oriente, conocido como asirios, no romanos .

Esto es lo que nos dice el historiador Josefo en - Las guerras de los judíos - Libro 5 Capítulo 13

“.Aún otra plaga se apoderó de los que fueron así preservados; porque se encontró entre los desertores sirios a cierta persona que fue sorprendida recogiendo piezas de oro de los excrementos de los vientres de los judíos; porque los desertores solían tragarse tales piezas de oro, como les dijimos antes, cuando salían, y por estos los sediciosos los registraron a todos; porque había una gran cantidad de oro en la ciudad, tanto que ahora se vendía [en el campamento romano] por doce áticos [dracmas], como antes se vendía por veinticinco. Pero cuando se descubrió este artilugio en un caso, la fama llenó sus varios campamentos de que los desertores acudieran a ellos llenos de oro. Así que la multitud de los árabes, con los sirios, cortó a los que vinieron como suplicantes, y registró sus estómagos. Tampoco me parece que sufrieron los judíos alguna miseria más terrible que ésta, ya que en una noche fueron diseccionados así unos dos mil de estos desertores ".

En el libro 6, capítulo 4 de Las guerras de los judíos , Josefo nos dice que muchos consideraron el templo como una ciudadela para los judíos y una inspiración para seguir rebelándose contra la ocupación romana. El fuego ya había sido ordenado contra las puertas del templo, pero Titus argumentó y prevaleció verbalmente con respecto a salvar el templo.

"Pero Tito dijo que" aunque los judíos subieran a esa santa casa y combatieran desde allí, no deberíamos vengarnos de cosas inanimadas, en lugar de los hombres mismos ", y que él no estaba en ningún caso por quemar una obra tan vasta como esa, porque sería un daño para los propios romanos, ya que sería un adorno para su gobierno mientras continuara. De modo que Fronto, Alejandro y Cerealis se atrevieron con esa declaración, y Estuvo de acuerdo con la opinión de Tito, y luego se disolvió esta asamblea, cuando Tito había dado órdenes a los comandantes de que el resto de sus fuerzas se quedaran quietas, pero que se valieran de los más valientes en este ataque.Entonces mandó que los hombres escogidos que fueran sacados de las cohortes debían abrirse paso a través de las ruinas y apagar el fuego ".

"Titus se retira, el sedicioso se quedó quieto por un rato, y luego atacó a los romanos nuevamente, cuando los que custodiaban la santa casa pelearon con los que apagaron el fuego que estaba quemando el interior [patio del] templo; pero estos romanos pusieron los Judios en fuga, y procedido hasta la casa del santuario en sí. momento en el que uno de los soldados, sin permanecer durante cualquier orden, y sin ninguna preocupación o temor sobre él en tan gran empresa, y ser apresurada en un determinado furia divina, arrancada un poco de los materiales que estaban en llamas, y siendo levantado por otro soldado, prendió fuego a una ventana dorada, por la que había un pasaje a las habitaciones que rodeaban la casa santa, en el norte. lado de ella.Mientras las llamas ascendían, los judíos hicieron un gran clamor, tal como requería una aflicción tan poderosa, y corrieron juntos para evitarlo; y ahora ya no perdonaron la vida, ni sufrieron nada que refrenara su fuerza, ya que esa santa casa estaba pereciendo, por el bien de quién la guardaban ".

Fíjate en la reacción de Tito y pregúntate, ¿parece alguien empeñado en una destrucción completa del templo?

" Y una persona llegó corriendo a Tito y le informó de este incendio, mientras descansaba en su tienda después de la última batalla; entonces se levantó con gran prisa y, como estaba, corrió a la casa santa. , para detener el fuego ; tras él siguieron todos sus comandantes, y tras ellos siguieron las varias legiones, con gran asombro; por lo que se levantó un gran clamor y tumulto, como era natural en el movimiento desordenado de tan gran ejército. » Entonces hizo César, tanto llamando a los soldados que estaban combatiendo, en voz alta, como dándoles una señal con la mano derecha, y les ordenó que apagaran el fuego.Pero ellos no escucharon lo que dijo, aunque habló muy fuerte, y sus oídos ya estaban atenuados por un ruido mayor de otra manera; ni tampoco prestaron atención a la señal que hizo con la mano, pues todavía algunos estaban distraídos con la lucha, otros con pasión. Pero en cuanto a las legiones que vinieron corriendo allí, ni ninguna persuasión ni ninguna amenaza pudieron contener su violencia, pero la propia pasión de cada uno era su comandante en este momento ";

Percibo que esta declaración es la más reveladora de todas, y la dijo Tito, el general romano:

“Además, los árabes y sirios ahora, en primer lugar, comienzan a gobernarse a sí mismos como les plazca, y a satisfacer sus apetitos en una guerra extranjera, y luego, por su barbarie en asesinar hombres, y por su odio al Judíos, ¿se lo atribuyen a los romanos?

El temor de Tito era que la barbarie de estos hombres fuera atribuida a los romanos, y eso es exactamente lo que hacemos cuando declaramos que el cuarto imperio es un Imperio Romano revivido . ¿No ves que adscribir a Roma al cuarto imperio también quita nuestros ojos de lo que podría ser el verdadero mal de los últimos días, el Islam?

En los últimos años, ocupé la posición de que “los santos” eran solo aquellos que fueron martirizados durante el período de siete años de la ira de Dios, que tan tontamente llamamos tribulación. Hice exactamente lo que desprecio, escupir conceptos como hechos sin revisar mi Biblia adecuadamente. Pablo usó el término santos a lo largo de sus escritos , y eso tiende a disipar la idea de que los santos son exclusivos de los años de ira. Varios ejemplos son Efesios 1: 1; Filipenses 1: 1; Efesios 6: 8 y muchos otros.

La terminología santo me lleva inmediatamente al Apocalipsis donde vemos cosas como la mujer, ebria de la sangre de los santos (Apocalipsis 17: 6). No hace falta ser un científico espacial para darse cuenta de que el entendimiento principal aquí son los santos martirizados.

Sin embargo, hay algo notable en los escritos de Juan. Nunca usó el término santos al hablar de la iglesia fuera del Apocalipsis ; la mayoría de las veces los llama: niños pequeños  y hermanos . La sensación es de asociación y comprensión del corazón y el carácter de Dios. Considerando los comienzos de Juan en comparación con el final, solo tiene sentido que tenga el corazón de Dios mientras desarrolla el Apocalipsis, un tiempo de destrucción y juicio de pesadilla. Esta vez que llamamos la Tribulación no está dirigida a "mis hijitos".

Nota: He releído y editado esta publicación varias veces desde que la publiqué, pero hoy, 19/9/2021, las declaraciones anteriores me han cautivado una vez más. John, al decirnos lo que vio, nos muestra una obra de teatro, y nos está derramando el corazón y el carácter de Dios. Dios consideró oportuno recuperar Su iglesia, Su cuerpo antes de derramar Su ira sobre un mundo incrédulo y, en su mayor parte, impenitente.

Me doy cuenta de que inicié esta conversación con una parte de Daniel, no con John, pero hablan de lo mismo ; esta discusión paralela demuestra la dirección y dirección del Espíritu Santo . No podemos descartar la idea de que el recuerdo de Juan de las profecías de Daniel puede haber jugado un papel en la terminología de Juan.

Cuando miras la profecía de los últimos tiempos, solo hay tres grupos de personas a considerar: los judíos, las naciones y la iglesia.

Si bien puede haber y habrá algún cruce entre los judíos y la iglesia; en ese momento, los seguidores de Cristo se consideran parte de la iglesia.

Algunos dirán que Dios se rindió con los judíos. No me parece. Ha grabado sus nombres y rostros en las palmas de sus manos. No renuncias a algo tan precioso, especialmente después de mostrar ese nivel de compromiso. Dios tiene un plan para hacer que el corazón del judío, su elegido, vuelva a sí mismo. Desafortunadamente, hay mucho dolor y sufrimiento involucrados en ese viaje.

En general, los judíos han rechazado a Jesús, el Mesías y, por lo tanto, se han sometido a la ira que viene. 

“Y acercándose, vio la ciudad y lloró sobre ella, diciendo: Si tú también hubieras sabido, al menos en este día tuyo , las cosas para tu paz, pero ahora están ocultas a tus ojos. Porque vendrán días en ti en que tus enemigos te levantarán un terraplén, te rodearán y te retendrán por todos lados, y te derribarán a ti, y a tus hijos dentro de ti, y no dejarán un piedra sobre piedra porque no sabías el tiempo de tu visitación ".
(Lucas 19: 41-44 MKJV)

El rechazo de Dios por parte de Israel es un tema común. Un ejemplo de esto se ve en la selección de Saúl como rey.

Y el SEÑOR dijo a Samuel: Oye la voz del pueblo en todo lo que te digan; porque no te han desechado a ti, sino que me han desechado a mí, para que yo no reine sobre ellos . (1 Samuel 8: 7 KJV)

Las naciones también podrían denominarse gentiles . Daniel se refirió a ellos como el pueblo del príncipe que vendrá. Jesús, hablando de los días de la venganza, dijo:

“Y caerán a filo de espada, y serán llevados cautivos a todas las naciones; y Jerusalén será hollada por los gentiles hasta que se cumpla el tiempo de los gentiles. ”(Lucas 21:24 RV)

La iglesia es la colección completa de creyentes que comprende el cuerpo de Cristo.

Y puso todas las cosas debajo de sus pies, y lo dio por cabeza de todas las cosas a la iglesia, que es su cuerpo , la plenitud de Aquel que todo lo llena en todo. ( Efesios 1: 22-23 KJV)

¿Quién es la imagen del Dios invisible, el primogénito de toda criatura? Porque en él fueron creadas todas las cosas, que están en los cielos y en la tierra, visibles e invisibles, sean tronos, sean dominios, sean principados, o poderes: todas las cosas fueron creadas por él y para él: y él es antes de todas las cosas, y por él todas las cosas subsisten. Y él es la cabeza del cuerpo, la iglesia : el cual es el principio, el primogénito de los muertos; para que en todas las cosas pudiera tener la preeminencia. ( Colosenses 1: 15-18 KJV)

En general, la iglesia está excluida de la ira o venganza que vendrá sobre la tierra.

Pero Dios demuestra su amor por nosotros con esto (James Moffatt), en que, cuando aún éramos pecadores, Cristo murió por nosotros. Mucho más entonces, siendo ahora justificados por su sangre, seremos salvos de la ira por él. (Romanos 5: 8-9 KJV)

“. te volviste a Dios de los ídolos, para servir a un Dios vivo y real y para esperar la venida de su Hijo del cielo, el Hijo a quien resucitó de entre los muertos, Jesús que nos rescata de la ira venidera . ( 1 Tesalonicenses 1: 9-10 Moffatt NT)

A la iglesia le gusta mantenerse en exclusividad, pensando que estamos protegidos de la tribulación. Mira, Jesús nos garantizó tres cosas:

1. En este mundo, tendrás tribulación .
2. Todos los hombres te odiarán por causa de mi nombre.
3. Vendré de nuevo por ti.

La tribulación y la ira / venganza son dos cosas diferentes.

La tribulación no se detiene y se presenta de muchas formas . No tiene nada que ver con su incapacidad para comprar una nueva hélice para el barco de esquí familiar. Sea real, personas en partes del mundo donde hay una fuerte influencia musulmana están siendo asesinadas a diario. 

Si viviera bajo una constante amenaza de muerte, ¿cree que se sentiría agotado?

Absolutamente.

Quizás la Biblia en inglés básico lo traduzca de manera más apropiada. Daniel 7:25 (a) BBE

Y dirá palabras contra el Altísimo, intentando acabar con los santos del Altísimo ”;

Está claro que la intención es matar a los santos.

Y hablará palabras contra el Altísimo, y consumirá a los santos del Altísimo . Y tiene la intención de cambiar los tiempos y la ley. Y serán entregados en su mano hasta tiempo y tiempo y medio. ( Daniel 7:25 LITV )

Daniel 7:23 declara que lo que había de venir es la cuarta bestia . Si la cuarta bestia es el Islam, entonces fue iniciado más de 600 años después de la muerte de Cristo por Muhammad.

Nacido aproximadamente en 570 EC en la   ciudad árabe de  La Meca , ^[9] [10]  Muhammad quedó huérfano a una edad temprana; fue criado bajo el cuidado de su tío paterno  Abu Talib . Después de su infancia, Mahoma trabajó principalmente como comerciante. ^[11]  De vez en cuando se retiraba a una cueva en las montañas para pasar varias noches de reclusión y oración; más tarde, a los 40 años, informó en este lugar, ^[9] [12]  que fue visitado por  Gabriel  y recibió  su primera revelación  de Dios. Tres años después de este evento, Mahoma comenzó a  predicar  estas revelaciones públicamente, proclamando que " Dios es Uno", esa completa" entrega "(lit.  islām ) a Él es la única manera ( dīn ) ^{[n 3]}  aceptable a Dios, y que él era un profeta y mensajero de Dios, similar a  otros profetas islámicos . ^{[13] [ 14] [15]} (De Wikipedia).

El Islam ha operado bajo varios califatos desde la muerte de Mahoma en 632 d.C. (AEC). Si bien todos ellos causaron dolor en el mundo del Medio Oriente, uno de los más grandes y poderosos fue el Califato Otomano.

Otomana Califato (1453 / 1517- 1924 )

A finales de octubre de 1922, los aliados invitaron a los gobiernos nacionalista y otomano a una conferencia en Lausana, Suiza, pero Atatürk estaba decidido a que el gobierno nacionalista fuera el único representante de Turquía. En noviembre de 1922, la Gran Asamblea Nacional separó los cargos de sultán y califa y abolió el primero. La asamblea declaró además que el régimen otomano había dejado de ser el gobierno de Turquía cuando los aliados tomaron la capital en 1920, aboliendo de hecho el Imperio Otomano . [Extracto de Ottomans.org]

La realidad de la declaración anterior es que el Imperio Otomano sostuvo efectivamente lo que parecía ser la herida mortal en la cabeza en 1924, y durante muchos años el mundo del Medio Oriente tuvo paz.

¿Es posible que los creyentes hayan sido atacados durante mil ochocientos años?

¡Sin duda!

Preste atención a otro aspecto del Islam.

“La  Hermandad Musulmana  fue fundada en Ismailia,  Egipto  por Hassan al-Banna en marzo de 1928 como un movimiento religioso, político y social islamista. ^[1] [2]  El grupo se extendió a otros países musulmanes, pero tiene su organización más grande, o una de las más grandes, en Egipto, donde durante muchos años ha sido la fuerza de oposición política más grande, mejor organizada y más disciplinada, ^{[ 3] [4] [5] a}  pesar de una sucesión de represiones gubernamentales en 1948, 1954, 1965 después de que se descubrieron complots, o supuestos complots, de asesinato y derrocamiento. Tras la Revolución de 2011, el grupo fue legalizado ^[5]. y en abril de 2011 lanzó un partido político cívico llamado Partido Libertad y Justicia (Egipto) para participar en las elecciones ". (Wikipedia)

Note que esto es siete años y medio después de la disolución del Califato.

La Hermandad Musulmana tenía "vínculos con los nazis que comenzaron durante la década de 1930 y estuvieron estrechos durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, lo que implicó agitación contra los británicos, espionaje y sabotaje, así como apoyo a actividades terroristas orquestadas por Haj Amin el-Hussaini en el Mandato Británico de Palestina , como confirman una amplia gama de documentos desclasificados de los archivos gubernamentales británicos, estadounidenses y alemanes nazis, así como de relatos personales y memorias de ese período. ^[7]  Reflejando esta conexión, la Hermandad Musulmana también difundió Mein Kampf  y  Los Protocolos de Hitler.  de los Ancianos de Sión  ampliamente en traducciones árabes, ayudando a profundizar y extender las opiniones hostiles ya existentes sobre los judíos y las sociedades occidentales en general. ^[8]" (Wikipedia)

El punto a esto es que el Islam ha sido una espina destructiva en la carne de aquellos que no obedecen durante más de 1800 años . ¿Han sido una amenaza global a lo largo de su historia? No, pero fue necesaria una respuesta global para someterlos en 1922. Creo que podemos estar de acuerdo en que son globales ahora y una amenaza mayor que nunca. Aparte de eso, su directiva principal es matar a la gente del libro, que serían los judíos y los cristianos. ¿Ha notado que están haciendo mella seria en nuestra democracia con sus objetivos ?

Si ha visto las noticias en los últimos años, entonces está al tanto de los cristianos que están siendo masacrados en las naciones del Medio Oriente y África. Quizás también hayas notado que los ataques contra cualquier grupo fuera del Islam son un juego limpio para ellos. Budistas, católicos, lo que sea. Incluso luchan entre sí como si hubiera una competencia para ver quién puede seguir el Corán con mayor precisión. Desafortunadamente, para el forastero, si bien el Corán tiene pasajes dedicados a la paz, son reemplazados por pasajes más nuevos que exigen un cumplimiento estricto y violento.

Creo que es evidente que hay aflicción dirigida a los cristianos en ciertas partes del mundo . China y Corea del Norte no deben quedarse fuera de esta violencia contra los cristianos. Supongo que la pregunta es, ¿cuánto tiempo hasta que este nivel de violencia llegue a las Américas y nos aflija también a nosotros?

No creas que tu falta de fe te protegerá.

En general, el Islam siente que cualquier estadounidense es un seguidor de Cristo y digno de muerte . Las Escrituras me dicen que puedes tener la oportunidad de rechazar a Dios y aceptar a Alá como tu Dios de elección, inclinándote ante él en adoración. Quizás eso te salve el cuello por el momento. Soy consciente de que de todos modos le cortaron la cabeza a un hombre, posiblemente porque pensaban que era un cobarde sin agallas. Sospecho que no será tan fácil como eso, y es posible que no tengan tiempo para esperar su decisión. Por supuesto, ceder a esto te aleja de cualquier esperanza de una relación con Dios. En otras palabras, no hay vuelta atrás en esta decisión.

Si no conoce a Jesucristo, puede hacerlo. Invítelo a entrar en su vida, entréguese a él y acepte su perdón. Permítele que dirija tu vida, ya que la has estado arruinando. No tienes que trabajar por tu salvación, ya que es gratis y se paga, simplemente tienes que recibir esta vida y esta salvación. Experimentarás una paz que nunca antes habías conocido y la promesa de que él vendrá por ti para que puedas vivir con él en la gloria.

The Coming Antichrist and the rapture of the church. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10

Chapter one

I had recently written, once again, a study on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10, and thought I did a fairly good job of making my point, that the rapture comes first and then Antichrist arrives, along with God's wrath, but things change.

What changed you might ask?

First, there was the COVID 19 virus, that put the world in a panic. We, as a nation, also got put in quarantine. That quarantine turned into something of a joke as it got extended, first by the President, then by our California Governor multiple times, to the point that we were under quarantine for three months. During that quarantine, we were told that the church was non-essential, and churches were ordered closed. Surprisingly, our government, namely our California Governor, seems to have forgotten that we had a First Amendment to the constitution.

It reads:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

After a reasonable amount of time, many Pastors began to push back against the California Governor. Our own President Trump even got involved on behalf of the churches by demanding that the dictatorial Governors reopen churches because they are essential. In case you had not heard, here in California, by the end of the three months, we had more people die from suicide than from the COVID 19. My own church, did not take assertive action along with the others, but we did, in time, institute a drive-up/or sit in the parking lot church, and that was fine. All this initiated in early March of 2020.

As I look back, I am thankful that this seclusion led me to find other pastors on the internet. I found bold men, such as Pastor JD Farag, in Hawaii; Pastor Tom Hughes, from San Jacinto California; Pastor Jack Hibbs, of Chino Hills California, and James Kaddis, the Pastor of Signal Hill Church in Long Beach, California. These men preach a powerful, fearless gospel, and most opened their churches early. But the best of it was the messages that they brought and how they pulled no punches.

This time with these pastors, and the messages about the end times, was one of the biggest changes for me.

Here it is mid-June of 2020 and Pastor JD Farag recently stated,

after years of teaching, he still found himself struggling to sort out the timing of the rapture and Antichrist’s entrance into the end times scenario based upon 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3. (This struggle to understand the chronology of what is going to happen, is all to common in the church.)

But then, as he said, I settled it. (That means he got the facts straight in his thinking, applied some faith to the subject, and settled it; never to struggle with it again.)

It is my belief that settling the timing associated with the rapture and the Antichrist has become pivotal to me, since March of 2020; because, since the beginning of March, we, the church, have submitted to:

fear; quarantines; a voluntary loss of our rights; the loss of our ability to assemble at church; the mandatory wearing of face masks, and soon, a mandatory “vaccination,” which we have learned will do nothing outside of marking you with a scannable nanodot. Many of us, are alarmed at how rapidly these changes have altered not only our world but us. If it goes the way the globalists want, we will not be able to work, shop, or go anywhere without this “vaccination.” And, if you are not aware, this is all meant to show you your need for a centralized government under one leader – a one-world government.

Does anyone else see the biblical themes running through the current events we are dealing with here?

What does this all mean?

It means that the emergence of the Antichrist and a one-world government is right around the corner. Thus, I implore you to settle these details about the catching away of the church and the coming of the lawless one in your heart and mind as well. And no, this is not just about you, although you should be capable of expressing and explaining to others this hope that we rest upon.

Why did Paul write this letter to the church in Thessalonica?

Because a fraudulent letter had at minimum, been distributed, to the church in Thessalonica; the effect of which, disturbed their peace, and filled many in the church with fear, as they thought had been left behind.

How did Paul respond to this fraud?

By reestablishing truth with them. He wrote them a second time, in an effort to refresh their thinking, and by reexamining a vital truth without rehashing all the details he previously taught. An example was given of a college professor who gives a lecture, upon which the students will be tested. Several weeks later, days before the exam, he reexamines many of the vital points he made. Does he, once again, give the entire lecture? No, because they should have gone over those notes themselves. He is merely reestablishing in them, what is coming. And thus Paul begins to write, now, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 ESV  Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,  (2)  not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

“Now concerning the coming.” Coming is the Greek word parousía and means to be present. It also implies a coming to a place or an arrival. 

Eugene Peterson in his version of the Bible expresses this about verse one. “ ...the day when our Master, Jesus Christ, will come back and we assemble to welcome him.”

Other translations read like this: The CJB states- “in connection with”; the NASB reads - “in regard to,”; and the Amplified Bible declares, “But relative to the coming.” As long as the terminology conveys the association and immediacy of His coming, we should be good.

The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is interpreted in one of several ways:

Primarily, “The day of the Lord” is one of those interpretations and pertains to several events, all of which are associated with the seven-years of God's wrath. The Word of God also speaks of this in terms of a day. 

If you do a search for the phrase, “the day of the Lord” and it shows up over 22 times across the Bible. In the book of the Prophet Joel, we get this.

“Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.” (Joel 1:15 NASB)

And He also addresses it as a week of years. For example, in Daniel we see -

"Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. (Daniel 9:24 NASB)

If God were talking about actual weeks, to the Jews that would be about a year-and-a-half. It is actually 70, seven-year periods of time, and it took us up to Jesus' resurrection. However, that only covered 69 of those time periods. The seventieth has been on hold, waiting for its moment to arrive that is described as “when the fullness of the Gentiles has come.

Romans 11:25 NASB “... a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;

In the Revelation we see many martyred saints getting this answer from Jesus.

Revelation 6:11 NASB And there was given to each of them a white robe, and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.

That seventieth, seven-year period is the time of God's wrath upon the earth, and you see that in Daniel 9:24 (which I have shown you above.) This time is what we refer to as the tribulation, however, the tribulation is a highly inappropriate term as tribulations are what Jesus described would be a daily aspect of our lives. There is, however, a segment of time, within the seven-years, which will become so deadly that Jesus calls it a time of great tribulation and points out how God has to bring it to an end or no one would survive. This scenario is associated with Matthew 24:15, however, Daniel 9 tells us, another one will cause the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION. At this point, if you are in Israel, run for your lives.

“for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22 MKJV)

I wish I could tell you that this ugliness will be confined to Israel, but I cannot.

Secondarily, there is another advent associated with Christ, which is frequently thought of as the day of the Lord, and that is when Jesus returns to earth as the warring Messiah.

Revelation 19:11-15 NASB (11) And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He judges and wages war. (12) His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. (13) He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. (15) From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

His coming back in this manner is at the end of the seven-years.

If you were one of the survivors I would think you would be screaming Hallelujah because all sufferings are about to end, as we enter the thousand years of peace that takes place right before eternity and the total elimination of Satan.

3. The third and most vital interpretation, as concerns the church in relationship to God's wrath, is what we call the rapture.

When it comes to the catching away of the church, we, the church, are looking for Him to come in the clouds, but He, at this point, will NOT physically return to earth and will merely gather us back to Himself. Scripturally, we have this:

They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11 NASB)

This was not said to the disciples to clarify the day of the Lord; this was said to strengthen and encourage hope in the disciples who saw the most amazing man, die, come back to life, and leave them. They had a hope that He was the one who would save them, but standing there watching Him ascend into the clouds must have stripped the hope right out of them. They needed more hope – a hope that He would return for us.

Another passage that speaks of this time is 1 Thessalonians 1:10.

“and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10 NASB)

Since we know that the wrath, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10, comes almost immediately after the church has been removed, then what we see in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 is indicative of His gathering of His church; and, the church is not included in “the day of the Lord,” which includes His wrath.

Having a clear understanding that this “day of the Lord” and what so many call The Tribulation, are the same thing, is essential.

Continued: See chapter two. omharris.com

I have had to rethink my position.

This is my commentary on an excerpt from Chris Perver’s post “The Rapture of the Church.

The post by Chris, in its entirety, can be found here.
http://www.prophecynews.co.uk/articles/13-prophecy/14-the-rapture-of-the-church

There was one section in particular that challenged a position I had been espousing for several years, about the one hundred and forty-four thousand Jewish men who are marked with a seal for protection, it seems, merely from God's wrath. To make a point, I presumptuously advanced the idea that at a minimum there would be 144.000 survivors that walk into the millennial reign. How perfect would that be, as they could immediately go into teaching mode during the 1000 years.

This position that I took was evoked by a “Christian teacher” who advocated that NO Jews enter into the millennial reign of Christ. I suppose that is just another way of telling a bunch of men that would come back at this "leader" with hostility, that he believes in replacement theology. Seeing as I can see that a relatively small number of Israelis leads to the idea of survivors. (At least 2/3's of Israel get killed in my bible. Assuming that these numbers are correct and there are eight million people in Israel today, that would leave about 2.7 million survivors.) That information, and the fact that Paul said heaven and Earth would have to pass away for that to happen, make God's elimination of His people an impossibility. I don't want to go into detail on that here, but I strongly suggest that you read your Bible, and stop buying into the fairy tales religion feeds us.

My comments are in Times New Roman, the excerpts from Chris's work are in quotes.
144,000 Jews

“Throughout John's description of events on Earth during the Tribulation period, the Church is never mentioned. But Israel is frequently mentioned. In chapter 7, we read how God commands the angels to not hurt the Earth until He has sealed 144,000 Jews with His Holy Spirit. These 144,000 witnesses, 12,000 from each tribe of Israel, will go throughout the world in the last days and preach the gospel of the kingdom. If the Church remains on Earth during the Tribulation, then why is the Lord recruiting Jewish believers to do the work He commanded the Church to do in Mark 16:15? The Rapture must have occurred before the start of the Tribulation period for this reason. After the Rapture, the Church will no longer be able to witness for Christ on Earth. God can't be without a witness to men, and we know that there will be an untold multitude saved during the Tribulation period (Revelation 7:9). So a remnant of the House of Israel is sealed with the Holy Spirit to be a witness to the world of impending judgment and the need to turn to God for salvation.”

144,000 killed during the tribulation period?
“Some say that the 144,000 Jews are the remnant of Israel that will survive the tribulation and that the Church at this time will still be witnessing on Earth. This following information is something I just noticed recently in discussion with a good friend of mine, so correct me if I'm wrong. I believe that Israel, as a nation, will not be saved until they recognize their Messiah at the end of the tribulation period (Zechariah 12:10) when Christ comes. The 144,000 Jews are saved at the start of the tribulation period and are killed for their witness by the Antichrist (Revelation 13:7). In Revelation 14, the 144,000 are in heaven, which implies that they were all killed for their witness.”

Revelation 14:1-3 NET. Then I looked, and here was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. (2) I also heard a sound coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Now the sound I heard was like that made by harpists playing their harps, (3) and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one was able to learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.

“The fact that these 144,000 are in heaven before Christ's Second Coming, and the resurrection of Old Testament Saints, which happens after the tribulation period, is explained in verse four. The 144,000 Jews are called the “firstfruits unto God.” The Feast of firstfruits was when the Israelites offered the food they gathered at the beginning of the harvest for a thank-offering to God. Firstfruits also speaks of resurrection, and Jesus is described as being the “Firstfruits from among the dead,” or the first Man to be resurrected in a new body, never to die again. So the 144,000 are the Firstfruits of the salvation of Israel, and of the resurrection of Old Testament Saints.”

Revelation 14:4 NASB These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

1 Corinthians 15:20 NASB (20) But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

“After the 144,000 are slain, God is still not left without a witness. In the following verses, several angels take up where the 144,000 left off and preach the gospel to the whole world.”

---

Here is where things took a turn for me, as I had been telling people, especially those that espouse that no Jews enter into the millennial kingdom, that the 144,000, at minimum, would enter the millennial reign.

This statement, “after the 144,000 are slain,” prompted me to look intently, once again, at the scriptures surrounding our introduction to these young men, and what appears to be their demise. We are introduced to the 144,000 in Revelation 7, where we are told what tribes they come from, and that they are sealed. This sealing, which we see in Revelation 7:3, tells us that they are sealed to protect them from the “hurt,” which is about to come upon the earth. This hurt is directed at the earth, the sea, and the trees. The problem is that we assume that this grants them immunity from harm and death throughout the time of wrath; as we will see, it does not.

I have a question, how does God create such havoc that He destroys the earth, sea, and trees, and not impact humanity, which is living here? The answer is, it does affect people. Just look at these two passages from Revelation 8.

Revelation 8:6-7 NASB And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. (7) The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth, and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The first thing we see is hail and fire mixed with blood coming from the skies; because of this, a third of the trees are burned up along with ALL the green grass. Whatever this event looks like, it is nothing we have ever seen before; and you can't have an event of this magnitude without people dying, and yet, at this point, the 144,000 are protected. WHY? Because this is specifically a part of God's wrath and it would seem that these men are protected from God's wrath. Now we have another problem to deal with and that is that God also uses people to bring about His wrath. It is difficult to NOT see the false prophet as a tool that uses to punish Israel, but there is always the possibility that this person is entirely committed to Satan's team. I realize that is not an answer, but I cannot recall seeing a good explanation for these guys being killed by the false prophet. If it makes you feel any better, the two witnesses sent from are, after 42 months, allowed to be killed.

In Revelation 14, we see the 144,000 and their validation as virgins, but, as you read the entirety of Revelation 14:4, you can see that it is merely a description of these young men.

Revelation 14:4 NASB These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

Since there is very little in scripture that is not validated by some other passage, typically in the OT, I was curious to see if there was a correlation. Perhaps Revelation 3:4 is it.

Revelation 3:4 NASB 'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.

Revelation 3:4 suddenly takes on a potentially new meaning, as it talks about “a few” who have not soiled their garments, and how they will walk with me because they are worthy.

Something noteworthy. We, to the demise of comprehension, assume that some passages, like what we see in Revelation 3:4, speaks to the exclusion of Jews; it does not. Those of you who have been with me for a time, have already endured my commentary on the fact that this Bible we claim to study, is a Jewish book, and that every question should be addressed initially from that point of view.

John, in writing the Revelation does something peculiar when he says, to what we assume is a crowd of Gentiles, you are of the Synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 both use the terminology the synagogue of Satan. Just about everyone assumes a little of something about Satan, but I can just about guarantee that NOT everyone knows what a synagogue is unless they are Jewish.

Now we talked about who these young men were, but we bypassed the distinct, ominous event that happens between Revelation 14:1-4.

Revelation 14:1-3 NASB Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him, one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. (2) And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. (3) And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

In trying to grasp where the Lamb is standing, I did a little cross-referencing, which led me to Hebrews 12:22.
It says “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels” (NASB)

When did we come to Mount Zion? When we became followers of Christ Jesus. I know, it doesn't seem like you did, but your adoption, in God's eyes, was complete, and WE are not excluded from anything – even if we don't see it yet.

So, is it possible that the Lamb standing upon Mount Zion, is in this instance, in heaven?

The answer is yes, but why? The answer to that question is in the book of Hebrews, where the writer talks about earthly priests who are serving a copy and shadow of the things in heaven.

Hebrews 8:3-5 NASB For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. (4) Now if He was on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; (5) who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."

In my pursuit to understand what was happening here, I, too, made the assertion, the Zion event happens when Jesus comes back to earth and physically touches down. However, to make that scenario work, I have to have the 144,000, in unison, meeting Jesus there on the physical mount, and that only happens, in my narrative, at the end of the seven-years of wrath. This train of thought would make them survivors, and send them into the thousand years we call the millennial reign. Since I now get the picture that Zion originates in the heavenlies, then it is easy to perceive Christ in the heavenlies with these young Jewish men. (Why is this statement I just made important, because we, in Christiandom, loosely refer to Jesus coming back when we speak of the catching away of the Church - which is the rapture, and use the same terminology when we refer to when Jesus physically comes back to earth. In the process of catching the church away, we rise to meet Him in the air. At this point, He does not "touch down," and there is a dramatic difference.)

The next thing that threw me for a loop was Revelation 14:2.

Revelation 14:2 NASB And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.

We have nothing that associates the 144,000 with harps aside from this scripture. Remember, words carry weight, and just the association with harpists created imagery of people playing harps, and that is not the case. The NASB's usage of the word “voice” also inadvertently misdirects. A version such as the Complete Jewish Bible does a better job of translating.

Revelation 14:2 CJB  I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing waters and like the sound of pealing thunder; the sound I heard was also like that of harpists playing on their harps.

John tells us he heard a sound like:

• rushing waters;
• pealing thunder,
• and like that of harpists playing.

Having done some camping when I was younger, I found the sound of rushing water to be, at times, loud, but and relaxing; I suppose you could equate it to white noise, which drowns out all other sounds. Pealing thunder, depending upon how close you are to it, can be relaxing as well; however, up close, with the associated lightning strikes, it represents danger. Harpists, on the other hand, can fill your very being with emotion and beauty; and, Revelation 1:15 describes God's voice as being like the roar of many waters. If I were to make an assumption as to what this magnificent noise was, I would say it was God's voice.

Note that a portion of the next verse says.
Revelation 14:3a. NASB And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders;
Almost as if a magician had misdirected us, one would assume the subject of the word “they” is the harpists; it is NOT, and we figured out why.
Now pay attention to the song that is being sung, and that brings us to the second half of Revelation 14:3.

Revelation 14:3b. NASB and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

This is NOT harpists singing; it is the one hundred and forty-four thousand witnesses.

Now, if the witnesses are in heaven, how did they get here? For the answer to that, we have to go back to Revelation 13:4-7.
(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?" NASB

Who is the dragon? That one is easy, it's Satan, but you want substance.

Revelation 20:1-2 NASB Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

Although unrelated to the dragon, in the Book of Ezekiel, we find God, referring back in time, to Pharaoh, and calling him that great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers.

Ezekiel 29:3 NASB "Speak and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, That has said, 'My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.'

Therefore references such as the dragon and the great monster are analogous symbols.

Who is being referred to when it says “they” here?
The assumption is that it is the global population of Gentiles, and that may be true. Still, since we know that the beast is primarily a middle East phenomenon and that he calls for peace, then we can logically assume that he is an influential Islamic leader, capable of pulling the Islamic world together for some form of order, for 42 months.

(5) There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.

This is the false prophet that scripture speaks of, and he becomes the mouthpiece of the Antichrist. Anyone discerning wants to know who this guy is, and so did Daniel the prophet.

Daniel 7:24-25 NASB 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. (25) 'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

In Daniel 7:23, we see “a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.” (NASB)

So this character arises out of the fourth kingdom. Traditional religious teaching tries to attribute the fourth kingdom to the Roman Empire, but that doesn't work. If you have done a fair amount of studying Daniel's writing, then you know that the first three kingdoms are clearly spelled out, with the first being the Babylonian empire. An interesting aspect of the Babylonian empire is that almost all of the northern kingdoms, such as the Persian empire are a part of the Babylonian empire. The fourth kingdom takes some discerning but is pieced out for us in Daniel. Consider the Grecian empire as they played a role in this through Alexander, but it isn't simply Alexander, it is those who gained control after him. Now we are looking at the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires - offshoots of the Alexandrian empire. These last two had all the intrigue of a soap opera on the television, as there was intermarrying for power, and every descendant of Noah represented. These two empires are the basis of who the world is dealing with today; and, in a sense, has never ceased to exist since. It seems most struggle to comprehend what is going on in Daniel 11, but in a nutshell, that is the story I have just told you. In brief, this is the beginning of the Persian empire, as well as the European royalty, and a few others.
Assuming, because of what I just told you about the Persian empire, that the fourth kingdom is Islamic in nature and ideology, then you might expect that this mouthpiece will also be Islamic, but Islamic prophecies indicate that the man is a Jew, of the lineage of Aaron, and therefore, by heritage, capable of operating as the high priest in the new temple. Such a man has already been appointed as the high priest for the new temple when it gets built, his name in Rabbi Baruch Kahane.

(6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

But I thought you said he was the high priest in the NEW temple that will be built. It doesn't make sense that he would suddenly blaspheme against God?

No, it sure wouldn't, unless Islam got to him and changed his heart toward God.
But wait a minute, wasn't this the problem with Israel from the day they walked out of Egypt?

Stephen, in the book of Acts chapter seven, tells us that, when Moses did not return from the mountain, that they convinced Aaron to make them the god of their choice; in doing so, they turned their hearts back to Egypt.

Acts 7:39 NET. Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,


The point of this is, Egypt had to be there, embedded in their hearts already for them to return to it.

And finally Revelation 13:7
(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 were given to him.

In verse 5 of Revelation 13, we saw that the Antichrist was given a spokesperson. That spokesperson, according to Islamic prophecies, becomes the enforcer of Sharia law on a global scale.

Jesus, in Matthew 24, said this.

Matthew 24:15-22 NET. "So when you see the abomination of desolation -- spoken about by Daniel the prophet -- standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), (16) then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. (17) The one on the roof must not come down to take anything out of his house, (18) and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. (19) Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! (20) Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. (21) For then, there will be great suffering, unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen. (22) And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

The false prophet is given the power(?) to:

• Make war with the saints.
• To overcome them.
• And, he is given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.

Again, what is the point?

If I take Matthew 24:22 literally and assume that the world is dealing with Sharia law when this happens, then it is easy to imagine that these 144,000 Jewish young men will be killed for their testimony of Jesus, just as so many others will be.

Revelation 13:15 is apparent when it says

The second beast was empowered to give life to the image of the first beast so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. (NET)


Because we see them, the 144,000, in heaven, on Mount Zion with Jesus, we know that they did not bow their knee to anyone but the Father.

In the midst of a conversation, the statement was made, that the 144,000 get raptured. Sorry, I could not let it lie.

A statement was made that indicated that the one hundred and forty-four thousand bond-servants, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel, would be caught up in the rapture of the church.

When we do a lookup of either, the numeric value 144,000, or, the term written out, we only find three references; all of which occur within the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which John wrote.

The first reference to the 144,000 is in Revelation 7 where we see four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so that they did not blow on the earth or sea, or even on any tree. What does that mean to those who are here? It says the average mean temperature is going to rise by at least 10- 15 degrees. Along with all the other horrors that will be going on during this time of judgment, it will be unbearably hot.

In Revelation 7:2,3 we see an angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. This angel shouted to the four angels, who had been given the power to harm the land and sea, "Wait! Don't harm the land and sea or trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.

Revelation 7:4 NLT states, I heard how many were marked with the seal of God - 144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel.

Those who are sealed are specifically from the tribes of Israel, not Jehovah's witnesses. Verses 5-8 spell out how 12,000 from the sons of Israel were chosen from the tribes listed there.

Now the oddity in this story, if we were to keep reading, is that Revelation 7:9 immediately takes the reader into the throne room of God, where a vast crowd, too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, are found standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. These were clothed in white and held palm branches in their hands. 7:10 tells us, they were shouting with a great roar, Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!

In Revelation 7: 13 John asks, who are these people and where did they come from? The answer is given in verse 14 where a voice responds; you are the one who knows. The speaker then explains, "these are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. (And) That is why they stand in front of God's throne and serve him day and night in his temple."

What's the point so far?

If I were to try and understand who the 144,000 are from a chronological standpoint, based upon what I see in the following verses, all this is happening within the seven years of wrath. Since we see an uncountable multitude standing before the throne, then there would have to have been a terrifying rush to kill people who have chosen to follow Christ early on, or enough time has passed to attain such numbers. This scenario is in consideration of the fact that three and one-half years into the seven, the false prophet will be unleashed upon the world. According to Islam, this man will be the enforcer of Sharia law, and the chopping off of the head is the primary method of killing.

The other place we find the 144,000 is in Revelation chapter 14.

"Then I looked, and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Tziyon (Zion); and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing waters and like the sound of pealing thunder; the sound I heard was also like that of harpists playing on their harps. They were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living beings and the elders, and no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who have been ransomed from the world. These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; they follow the Lamb wherever he goes; they have been ransomed from among humanity as firstfruits for God and the Lamb; on their lips, no lie was found—they are without defect."(Revelation 14:1-5 CJB)

The Lamb, of course, is Jesus the Messiah; and, if He is standing on Mount Zion, then He has returned victoriously and returned the earth into the hands of the Almighty God. Since the 144,000 are, to the best of our knowledge, witnesses to the Jews during the time of wrath, then it is evident that their work is completed.

Look at a scene king David painted with words over three thousand years ago.

Psalms 2:1-6 ESV  Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  (2)  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,  (3)  “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”  (4)  He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.  (5)  Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,  (6)  “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

David was talking about events that happen within and moments after the time of wrath - this time of wrath is the same thing most of the modern church mistakenly calls "The Great Tribulation."

Within this horrific time of tribulation, there will be a period in which the slaughter becomes even more numerous, and that is the time that Jesus spoke of when He said if God does not cut the time short no one would survive.

Since God seals the 144,000, they are untouchable and cannot be exterminated; at least we know that they cannot be killed by the things God is unleashing upon the land. However, we have no evidence that any of these died.

• That would mean that they were not raptured.
• And, it most likely means that they are alive today.
• There is nothing that says they are exclusively in Israel, for we have Jews all over the world.