index
Chapter 11:
Babylon the Great
The final kingdom that will exist upon this earth prior to the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ will be the kingdom of the Antichrist. It will be a worldwide
kingdom that will gain power by conquering every nation that resists. This final kingdom
was described most vividly in a vision to the prophet Daniel. In this vision Daniel
watched as four beasts came up out of the sea. The first was like a lion, the second was
like a bear, the third was like a leopard, but the fourth was entirely unique,
"After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before
me was a fourth beast--terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron
teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It
was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. While I was thinking about
the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and
three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a
man and a mouth that spoke boastfully… Then I continued to watch because of the
boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its
body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire." Daniel 7:7-11
While in vision Daniel asked for an explanation from a heavenly
being (7:15-28),
"I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed
through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the
true meaning of all this. So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things:
‘The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from
the earth. But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it
forever--yes, for ever and ever.’
"Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which
was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze
claws--the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was
left. I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that
came up, before which three of them fell--the horn that looked more imposing than the
others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I watched, this horn was
waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and
pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they
possessed the kingdom.
"He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a
fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms
and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten
kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from
the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and
oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed
over to him for a time, times and half a time. But the court will sit, and his power will
be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness
of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of
the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and
obey him.’
"This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by
my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself."
The fourth beast is the final kingdom on the earth prior to the
Second Coming. It will be led by the Antichrist, who was the little horn that spoke
boastfully and persecuted the saints. This kingdom will be destroyed when Jesus Christ
returns and throws the Antichrist into the lake of fire, setting up the Messianic Kingdom
of one thousand years. The Antichrist’s kingdom, the fourth beast that Daniel saw
with ten horns, is also described in Revelation 13:1-2,
"And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and
seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast
I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a
lion."
When Daniel received his vision he watched as kingdoms resembling a
lion, a bear and a leopard all came out of the sea, followed by the fourth terrible
beast-kingdom with ten horns. When John saw this fourth beast in Revelation he writes that
it has the characteristics of the former kingdoms: it resembles a leopard, has feet like a
bear and a mouth like a lion. The order of the descriptions may be reversed because Daniel
was looking forward in time, while John in his vision was looking back. Revelation
continues to describe this beast, and then mentions the Antichrist in terms that are very
similar to those given by Daniel,
"The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and
blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to
blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in
heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was
given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the
earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life
belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." Revelation
13:5-8
The final rebellious kingdom on the earth will be the kingdom of the
Antichrist’s New World Order. It will establish a mandatory and universal religion
that will focus on the image of the Antichrist, and it will establish a mandatory economic
system based on the Mark of the Beast. Every person within this kingdom will be forced to
take the Mark and people will not be able to buy or sell without it. This kingdom will
achieve its greatest power during the last three and a half years of the 70th Week and
finally it will be destroyed at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
--
The Bible’s end-time prophecies do not only
focus on the kingdom of the Antichrist. The Bible also devotes a great deal of attention
to another end-times power. This power is introduced in Revelation as a mystery, and she
is named Babylon the Great:
"One of the seven angels who had the
seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the punishment of the great
prostitute, who sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery
and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.’
Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on
a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones
and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth
of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead:
MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH"
Revelation 17:1-5
The beast that the woman sits on represents the final global
kingdom, as described by Daniel and Revelation 13. The seven heads of the beast are
explained as representing seven kings, and then the beast is also explained as an eighth
king. The beast is a kingdom as well as a king. The ten horns of the beast are
described as "…ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one
hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will
give their power and their authority to the beast," (Revelation 17:12-13).
When Babylon the Great is first shown she sits astride the beast.
She exercises the power of the beast kingdom, and she is the greatest political power in
the world. The angel explains to John what she represents (17:18):
"The woman you saw is the great city
that rules over the kings of the earth."
However, when the Antichrist, the king
aspect of the beast, becomes a public figure, and rises up among the ten kings as
described in Daniel, he will come into conflict with Babylon the Great. Prior to the
Antichrist, the woman rules over the kings of the earth, including the ten kings. But when
the Antichrist appears these ten kings will embrace him, for their sole purpose is
to give the Antichrist their power and authority. When he appears the woman will no longer
be useful and the supporters of the New World Order will turn on her and attack her
(17:16-17):
"The beast and the ten horns you saw
will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat
her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his
purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are
fulfilled."
The Antichrist and Babylon the Great will
be bitter enemies. Babylon will exercise global power before the Antichrist, but
after he appears the beast and the ten kings will attack Babylon, shifting global power
into the hands of the beast. Daniel wrote that the beast would "devour the whole
earth, trampling it down and crushing it." Babylon will be the most significant
casualty in the Antichrist’s ruthless rise to power.
Let us now examine other aspects of Babylon the Great, the last global
power before the rise of the Antichrist. Her descriptions are given primarily in
Revelation 17 and 18, but the Old Testament also contains many predictions that must refer
to end-times Babylon as well. These predictions can be found within Isaiah 13-14 and
Jeremiah 50-51, among other texts.
The prophetic descriptions in Revelation combine to create a
very clear picture of Babylon the Great:
Babylon will lead the nations of the earth into
adultery-
This should be understood as adultery in a spiritual sense. In the Old
Testament Israel was also described as an adulterous nation because she often cheated on
the Lord and turned to other gods. The same should be understood of Babylon. She is a
power that has rejected God and turned to other forms of worship, the chief of these being
materialism.
"With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the
inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."
Revelation 17:2
"For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her
adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her…"
Revelation 18:3
"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and
shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her."
Revelation 18:9
"Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and
just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by
her adulteries."
Revelation 19:1-2
Babylon’s worship of materialism is shown through her emphasis
on riches, luxury and the material things of this world -
"…her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has
remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given…Give her as much torture and
grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself."
18:5-7
"…the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive
luxuries."
18:3
Babylon is a great consumer of material goods and when she falls the
merchants mourn over their loss of revenue,
"The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her
because no one buys their cargoes any more-- cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and
pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and
articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of
cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine
flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of
men."
"They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from
you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ The
merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off,
terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out: ‘Woe! Woe, O great
city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones
and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’"
18:11-17
Babylon’s focus on materialism is clearly expressed when the
merchants say, "The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches
have vanished…"
Babylon’s greatness comes from her emphasis on trade, and from
the riches she offers to the powerful few all over the world-
"For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her
adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of
the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."
18:3
"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with
her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn
over her."
18:9
"The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth
from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment."
18:15
"Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!"
18:19
"Your merchants were the world's great men.
By your magic spell all the nations were
led astray." 18:23
The city of Babylon is a major port city, and is
described as the greatest and richest city that the world has ever seen-
"When the kings of the earth... see the smoke of her burning... they will
stand far off and cry: 'Woe! Woe, O great city,
O Babylon, city of power!
In one hour your doom has come!" 18:9-10
"Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors,
and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When they see the smoke of
her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’"
18:17-18
"The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the
earth."
17:18
"In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I
am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'"
18:7
Babylon is also described as a power whose population is made up of diverse races
and cultures: "…the great prostitute, who sits on many
waters… Then the angel said to me, ‘The waters you saw, where the prostitute
sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.’" 17:1,15
Ancient Babylon was a home for a great number of Jewish exiles, both
before and after Israel’s captivity. End-times Babylon appears to be a home for a
great many Jews as well: "Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come
out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not
receive any of her plagues.’" 18:4
Ancient Babylon was located in present day Iraq, but the
Bible’s prophecies combine to make it clear that End-times Babylon could not also be
located there. The Old Testament prophet Zechariah recorded a vision that he received of a
wicked woman being taken from her place to establish a new home. Many scholars believe
this is a picture of the whore of Babylon, (Zechariah 5:5-11):
"Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to
me, ‘Look up and see what this is that is appearing.’ I asked, ‘What is
it?’ He replied, ‘It is a measuring basket.’ And he added, ‘This is
the iniquity of the people throughout the land.’ Then the cover of lead was raised,
and there in the basket sat a woman! He said, ‘This is wickedness,’ and he
pushed her back into the basket and pushed the lead cover down over its mouth. Then I
looked up--and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had
wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.
‘Where are they taking the basket?’ I asked the angel who was speaking to me. He
replied, ‘To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When it is ready,
the basket will be set there in its place.’"
Babylon is a power that has become seduced by materialism, by the
things and the pleasures of this world, and after she turns her back on God and becomes a
prostitute she then corrupts the entire earth. Her adulteries are her materialistic,
self-centered pursuits that ignore God’s grace and power, and that pave the way for
the self-centered New Age belief system of the Antichrist.
The Bible is clear that there will be a terrible end-times persecution
of believers. The Antichrist's final empire will carry out the majority of this
persecution, but John's vision shows that God will also hold Babylon largely responsible
for it:
When John first sees her in his vision he remarks, "I saw that
the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to
Jesus." 17:6
And when his vision concludes an angel says, "In her was
found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the
earth." 18:24
The Destruction of Babylon
The fall of Babylon the Great is complicated to
decipher. The great city of Babylon seems to fall at the very beginning from a judgement
of fire from God, yet elements of Babylon must survive this judgment because other texts
show that she is attacked by the Antichrist and the ten kings. Then, prior to the seven
bowl judgments, an angel proclaims, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which
made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." However, the
seventh bowl judgment itself, the last judgment of Revelation, again mentions Babylon in a
great earthquake, "The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the
nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the
wine of the fury of his wrath."
Perhaps Babylon is more than just a single city, and perhaps the
term "great city" is indicative of a specific highly populated urban region that
may be composed of more than just one contemporary city. The English language has borrowed
the word metrapolis from the Greek language and we use it as a synonym for
"city." In Revelation, the original Greek text refers to Babylon as a mega-polis.
It seems that Babylon must be much more than just a single city for it to absorb the
many different phases of its destruction.
The first phase of Babylon’s fall will come prior to the attacks
on her by the ten kings and the Antichrist. It will come at a time when she is comfortable
in her power over the world and in her arrogance. An angel states that prior to her
initial fall she says, "I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never
mourn." The angel continues, and states that despite her attitude Babylon will be
humbled in one day, "Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who
judges her."
Babylon’s initial destruction will come in one day. It will come
directly from God and it will be a judgment of fire. The kings of the earth give us even
more information, and they tell us that this will take place in a single hour, "When
the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke
of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will
stand far off and cry: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one
hour your doom has come!’"
The merchants of the earth confirm this fact, "Woe! Woe, O
great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious
stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!"
And then the sea captains add their comments as well, "Woe!
Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In
one hour she has been brought to ruin!"
After this first phase of judgment Revelation may hint of another
that may come soon after. An angel explains to John how Babylon will fall, "Then a
mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea,
and said: ‘With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.’"
The first judgment of fire, that comes from God while Babylon is
still ruling over the kings of the earth, must come very early in the tribulation. The
placement of this judgment is not hard to figure out, but first we should look again at
how the tribulation will begin:
The end-times tribulation, or Great Tribulation, will begin with the
opening of the sixth seal. Then the rapture and resurrection of saints will occur, and
these saints are shown in heaven having "come out of the great tribulation."
At the time of the rapture there will be an earthquake, followed by the cosmic signs of
the darkened sun, blood red moon and the shower of falling stars. These events continue
for only a matter of hours and then the Day of the Lord will begin with the great and
terrible shaking of the earth. After this happens the 144,000 are saved and sealed prior
to the judgments of the first four trumpets.
The first trumpet judgment is one of hail and fire, mixed with blood,
that is poured out over a third of the earth. This judgment is reflected in the prophecies
of Ezekiel, which also show it coming after an earthquake and after the shaking of the
earth that affects all mankind. The fiery hail will come after Israel has been invaded by
an alliance of nations led by Magog, which is most likely Russia. This judgment of fire
will destroy the invaders, it will destroy the countries of the invaders and much of the
surrounding area, and it will also strike "those who live in safety in the
coastlands, and they will know that I am the Lord."
The "coastlands" mentioned in Ezekiel might be a
reference to Babylon, who says to herself "I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I
will never mourn." Ezekiel gives the impression that those who live in the
coastlands will be taken completely by surprise, and that is how the judgment of fire will
come upon Babylon. The great prostitute, who rules over the nations of the earth and
corrupts them with her luxuries, will be struck with a judgment of fire at the very
beginning of the tribulation.
Perhaps the warning that is given of "Come out of her, my
people… so that you will not receive any of her plagues," is also a veiled
reference to the rapture. The rapture will likely occur only days prior to God’s
judgment of Babylon and it will rescue all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
In the aftermath of the first trumpet judgment, which will bring fire
upon Babylon, the ship captains will gaze on in horror and dismay that the source of their
livelihood is gone. But their mourning will not last long, because the second trumpet
judgment will quickly follow,
"The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a
huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood,
a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were
destroyed."
Perhaps this is what the angel was referring to when he gave the
following prophecy of Babylon,
"Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large
millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: ‘With such violence the great city of
Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.’"
18:21
The prophet Jeremiah gave a prophecy that can only refer to end-times
Babylon, which may relate to the meteor that will plunge into the sea (51:42),
"The sea will rise over Babylon; its roaring waves will cover
her."
Babylon will very likely be directly affected by the first two
trumpet judgments. The angel above commented that Babylon would never be found again, but
perhaps this refers to Babylon’s final demise, because remnants of Babylon, whether
it is a city, a collection of cities, or a nation, will survive the first two trumpet
judgments. The Antichrist and the ten kings will then attack this remnant, in whatever
shape it is left, in the aftermath of the initial outbreak of the tribulation,
"The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute.
They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with
fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give
the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled."
17:16-17
Babylon will first be judged by God Almighty when He causes her to
be burned with fire and at this the kings of the earth will weep and mourn at the loss of
their source of luxury. But then, once Babylon has been weakened, the ten kings will
conspire with the Antichrist to attack what is left of her. At the first phase of
Babylon’s fall the kings of the earth will mourn, but then at the second phase they
will take the side of the Antichrist and cease to support her when she is attacked.
Babylon will be absorbed into the Antichrist’s empire, to survive throughout the
tribulation until the very end.
The seventh bowl judgment is the last judgment of Revelation and it
will cause a great earthquake that will split Babylon into three parts. Then she will be
destroyed completely and forever by God Almighty. Her final state is predicted in a number
of passages,
"Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the
Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never
be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no
shepherd will rest his flocks there. But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will
fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about.
Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces. Her time is at
hand, and her days will not be prolonged." Isaiah 13:19-22
"Because of the LORD's anger she will not be inhabited but will be
completely desolate. All who pass Babylon will be horrified and scoff because of all her
wounds." Jeremiah 50:13
"So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl
will dwell. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation. As
God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighboring towns," declares the
LORD, "so no one will live there; no man will dwell in it." Jeremiah
50:39-40
"‘I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who destroy
the whole earth,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will stretch out my hand against you,
roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain. No rock will be taken from
you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate
forever,’ declares the LORD." Jeremiah 51:25-26
"‘Babylon will be a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an
object of horror and scorn, a place where no one lives. Her people all roar like young
lions, they growl like lion cubs. But while they are aroused, I will set out a feast for
them and make them drunk, so that they shout with laughter-- then sleep forever and not
awake,’ declares the LORD." Jeremiah 51:37-39
And Revelation 18:2 records, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the
Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for
every unclean and detestable bird."
Apparently, Babylon the Great will be a wildlife refuge
during the Millennial Kingdom. But no one will go there because it will also be inhabited
by demons. It will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah and all who pass by will scoff and
be horrified at how she was destroyed. So proud and so self-righteous and arrogant in her
day, drunk and shouting with laughter, but the Lord will destroy her in his fury and she
will be as if she had never existed.
There is one final text that confirms the chronology of events that
make up the beginning of the Great Tribulation as put forth in this book. It is a prophecy
given by the obscure Old Testament prophet Haggai, and they are the very last words that
this man of God wrote down:
"And again the word of the Lord came
unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, Speak to Zerubbabel,
governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; And I will overthrow
the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen;
and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their
riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. In that day, saith the Lord
of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the
Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of
hosts."
In this passage Haggai confirms a number of events that will occur at
the very beginning of the tribulation. He mentions the shaking of the heavens and the
earth, which will come at the sixth seal, which was also predicted by Ezekiel to come at
the time of the Magog invasion.
Haggai goes on to describe the Magog alliance, and the chariots, horses
and riders that will invade Israel. Then he writes that this army will turn against
itself, "every one by the sword of his brother." This is just as Ezekiel
predicted, who wrote that prior to the judgment of fire and hail, this army would suffer
madness and, "Every man’s sword will be against his brother," (38:21).
Haggai predicts that at this time the "strength of the
kingdoms of the heathen" will be destroyed. He also writes that at this time the "throne
of kingdoms" will be overthrown. This is a reference to end-times Babylon,
which is the great city from where the entire world is ruled. Isaiah referred to end-times
Babylon as the "jewel of kingdoms" (13:19) and the "sceptre of
the rulers," (14:5). Jeremiah predicts that the Lord will open up his
arsenal to attack her in his wrath (50:25), and that the entire earth will tremble
(50:46). He writes that afterwards the nations of the earth will no longer stream to
Babylon (51:44). Revelation is clear that Babylon is indeed the throne of kingdoms, for
she is "the great city that rules over the kings of the earth,"
(Revelation 17:18).
The last thing that Haggai records is that at this time Zerubbabel
will be raised up, to become a "signet" for the Lord. Zerubbabel is one
of the olive trees who will be resurrected at the time of the rapture, to serve the Lord
as a Witness during the first half of the 70th Week. Joshua will also be resurrected at
this time, to be the other Witness, the other olive tree during this time as predicted in
the third and fourth chapters of the prophecies of Zechariah. Zerubbabel and Joshua were
the two men most influential in the rebuilding of the Temple after Israel’s return
from the Babylonian exile. These two men will also be on earth when Israel begins to
rebuild the Temple in the early days of the tribulation.
Below is a chart comparing Haggai’s words with some of the other
prophecies that deal with the early part of the tribulation:
Haggai 2:21-23 |
Revelation |
Ezekiel |
Other Prophets |
I will shake the
heavens and the earth. |
6:14- The sky receded
like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. |
38:20- The fish of
the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along
the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. |
Isaiah 2:19- Men will
flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from dread of the LORD and the
splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. |
And I will
overthrow… |
18:8- She will be
consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. |
39:6- I will send
fire… |
Jeremiah 50:25- The
LORD has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of his wrath… |
…the throne of
kingdoms… |
17:18- The woman you
saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. |
39:6- …on Magog
and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I
am the LORD. |
Isaiah 14:5-6-
…the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury
subdued nations with relentless aggression.
|
…and I will
destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen. |
8:7- …and there
came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the
earth was burned up |
38:22- I will pour
down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the
many nations with him. |
|
and I will overthrow
the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come
down… |
|
38:4- I will turn you
around… your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great
horde… |
|
…every one by the
sword of his brother. |
|
38:21- I will summon
a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword
will be against his brother. |
|
In that day… will
I take thee, O Zerubbabel … and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee,
saith the Lord of hosts. |
11:3-4- And I will
give power to my two witnesses… These are the two olive trees… that stand before
the Lord of the earth. |
|
Zechariah 4:11-14-
What are these two olive trees…? These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord
of all the earth. |
The Great Tribulation
The end-times tribulation, also known as the Great Tribulation, will
begin with the opening of the sixth seal. The living and dead believers in Jesus Christ
will then be raptured or resurrected as an earthquake strikes Israel, the sun is darkend,
the moon turns blood red and stars fall from heaven. Hours later the Day of the Lord will
begin when God reaches out and shakes the earth in His fury. Mankind will realize that God
has acted and they will understand the terrible state of their souls.
After the earth is shaken God will save and seal a select group of
144,000 Jewish men, the firstfruits of the Great Tribulation. Soon after, the four angels
who harm the land and the sea will bring forth their judgments. The first four angels who
blow their trumpets are all a part of a terrible, global, astro-physical catastrophe.
Jeremiah says that God’s arsenal will be opened and the weapons of his wrath will be
brought out. The earth will pass through a bombardment of hailstones, small meteors that
will hurtle through the earth’s atmosphere and strike the land to burn up a third of
the earth, destroying Babylon the Great, Magog, and many other heathen nations as well. A
massive meteor will also tear into the atmosphere, appearing as a huge mountain all ablaze
before plunging into the ocean, destroying one third of the ships and one third of all the
creatures that live in the sea.
After the earth is struck by these interstellar weapons of God’s
wrath, one third of the fresh water on the earth will become undrinkable. The earth will
also be plunged into semi-darkness, and all of the natural light sources, the sun, moon
and stars, will be dimmed by a third, and the earth’s climate will be radically
altered.
After the four angels have harmed the land and the sea, then there will
come a respite. The nations will begin their recovery but their governments will be
shattered and helpless. Into this climate will step the Antichrist, and he will appear on
the scene exercising the authority of the ten most powerful men on the earth, and with the
support of the world’s most influential spiritual leader: the False Prophet. The New
World Order will then begin its ruthless rise to power, and this beast will trample on,
subdue and crush every nation that stands in its way. The 70th week will then soon be
established with Israel, and the Two Witnesses will begin their ministry.
The first half of the 70th Week will be marked by the completion of the
tribulation Temple in Jerusalem. The Jews will renew the animal sacrifices as they were
practiced in the Old Testament. The Two Witnesses will probably speak out against these
sacrifices, because Isaiah says they will be an abomination in God’s eyes (66:3).
They will be unacceptable because Jesus was the final and complete sacrifice for the sins
of the world, for Jew and for Gentile.
The first half of the 70th Week will also be marked by two demonic
invasions. The fifth trumpet will cause the earth to be plagued by demonic beasts that
will harm all but the 144,000 sealed Jews, causing an agony similar to a scorpion sting.
It will not cause death, but will last for five months, which may also be the length of
this plague upon the earth.
The second invasion will include two hundred million demons, led by
four fallen angels, which will kill one third of humanity. This invasion is also described
by the prophet Joel, who predicts that these demons will be impervious to harm and that
their advance will leave complete devastation in its wake (2:1-10). This invasion will be
a terrible plague for the world to endure, but the Antichrist will likely use it as an
excuse to consolidate his worldwide empire. It may last for exactly one year, one month,
one day and one hour (Revelation 9:15), and we know that it will end exactly three and a
half days after the midpoint of the 70th Week (Revelation 11:14), when another earthquake
strikes Jerusalem when the bodies of the Two Witnesses are resurrected to heaven from off
of the streets where they lie.
The midpoint of the 70th Week will be a very momentous day. The
Antichrist, having been killed at an earlier time, will be resurrected out of the Abyss.
This day will mark the end of the ministry of the Two Witnesses, and their powers of
protection will be gone. This day will also mark the beginning of the Antichrist’s
unlimited power to "make war with" and "overcome" the
saints, and then he will immediately "make war against" and "overcome"
the Two Witnesses, killing them to the great delight of most of the world. On this day the
Temple sacrifices, likely condemned by world leaders as a barbaric and primitive practice,
will be physically stopped. The False Prophet will then have a great image of the
Antichrist erected in the Holy Place of the Temple, and this image will become the focus
of mankind’s worship. This is the moment that Jesus spoke about almost two thousand
years ago, when He warned, "So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the
abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel [let the
reader understand] then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains… For then
there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and
never to be equaled again."
The Jews and other believers who obey Jesus’ warning and flee
to the mountains will find refuge in the mountainous desert area of southern Jordan. They
will be protected there for the entire three and a half years of the last half of the 70th
Week. Daniel also writes that this will be the time when Michael stands up, the archangel
whose ancient job was that of protecting Israel. He will take up his duty once again, to
protect the small believing remnant of Jews hiding out in the desert, as shown in the
twelfth chapter of Revelation.
The midpoint of the 70th Week will also mark the beginning of the
campaign to establish the Mark of the Beast as the foundation of a worldwide economic
system. Taking the Mark will involve a conscious decision to serve the Antichrist and to
reject Jesus Christ, and all who take it, upon the right hand or forehead, condemn their
eternal souls to the fires of hell. Believers will be separated from unbelievers during
this time. Those who refuse to worship the Image of the Beast will be hunted down and
killed, and those who refuse the Mark of the Beast will be unable to buy or sell.
Believers will be forced to exist in an underground network, living like hunted animals,
scrounging for food and fearful of being turned in as criminals and resistors.
The last half of the 70th Week will be characterized by this ruthless
persecution of saints and the world will be taken over by the Antichrist’s religion
and by the Mark. Some time later, probably years after the midpoint of the 70th Week,
after the Mark has been completely implemented and given to all who will accept it, the
final bowls of God’s wrath will be poured out. The first will cause terrible sores on
those who have accepted the Mark. The second and third will turn the oceans into blood,
killing all sea life, and turn all the fresh water to blood as well. The angel remarks, "You
are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so
judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them
blood to drink as they deserve."
The fourth will cause the sun to give a scorching heat, and the
fifth will cause a complete darkness over the Antichrist’s entire kingdom. But still
the wicked followers of the Antichrist will refuse to repent of their sins and glorify the
God of heaven.
The sixth bowl will send out three evil spirits that will go out to the
kings of the earth, to gather the armies of the world to the Valley of Armageddon, to meet
and to resist the Second Coming of Jesus Christ with force of arms. The seventh bowl will
be the final judgment on the earth, and there will again be a great shaking of the entire
world, the greatest that has ever been felt. There will also be another plague of
hailstones, of one hundred pounds each, that will pelt the earth. What is left of Babylon
will be split into three parts and then she will be completely destroyed.
Jesus Himself tells what will happen next, "At that time the
sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will
mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great
glory," (Matthew 24:30).
Out of the blackness that envelops the earth will be seen a small spark
that will grow brighter, lighting up the darkness, as the Shekinah Glory of Jesus Christ
first appears. Then Jesus Christ Himself will be seen, coming on the clouds of heaven, and
He will turn on the armies that have assembled at Armageddon to fight against Him
(Revelation 19:11-21),
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white
horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His
eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him
that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is
the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and
dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to
strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the
winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has
this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
"And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice
to all the birds flying in midair, ‘Come, gather together for the great supper of
God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their
riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.’
"Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies
gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast
was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his
behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and
worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning
sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the
rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh."
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