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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



Due to the very mysterious and oft times cryptic nature of Bible prophecy, as well as our limited human understanding, there are a number of events within eschatology, that is the study of Endtime prophecy and its fulfillment, which have received a variety of interpretations by those who strive to understand God's Holy Word. One of these issues involves the precise timing of, as well as the length of, the period of great suffering commonly known as the Great Tribulation, or Jacob's Trouble. This latter name is derived from the fact that this terrible time of persecution will mostly likely begin in the tiny state of Israel, when the Islamic leader known as the Beast, reneges on the Holy Covenant, and makes war against Israel. I discuss these specific events in such articles as 'The Kings Of The North And The South', and the very revelatory series 'The Seven Heads'. The terms Great Tribulation and Jacob's Trouble find their origin in verses such as the following:

"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it."


"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."


"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."


"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."


Not only does this disagreement of views involve the exact timing and length of the Great Tribulation, but it also involves the precise timing of the Resurrection of the Dead, as well as the Rapture of the Saints. The word 'Rapture' is not actually found in the Holy Scriptures. The actual phrase used in the Scriptures is 'caught up', as can be seen by the following verses found in the Apostle Paul's first Epistle to the Thessalonian church:

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."


In the previous verses, the phrase 'be caught up' is derived from the Greek word 'harpazo', pronounced har-pad'-zo, which my Greek lexicon defines as to seize, to carry off by force to seize on, to claim for one's self eagerly, or to snatch out or away. This then is what is meant by the Rapture; the carrying away of the Saints, both dead and living, to the Heavenly Realm at the time of the Lord's Coming; and it is this event which has been a great source of debate within Christian circles for many decades. We will further examine these verses, as well as this term 'caught up', in parts five and six of this series.

Concerning the Rapture, today we have two main schools of thought. These are the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theorists, and the Post-Tribulation Rapture theorists. The former claim that the Body of Christ will be raptured prior to the Great Tribulation, while the latter believe that we will remain here and live through the Great Tribulation. As I point out in other Endtime articles, and as I will be reiterating in this current series, at this time, I align my beliefs with the latter group.

While I currently identify myself as a Post-Tribulation Rapture theorist, or Post-Tribber as we are also called, let me clearly state that I would most certainly welcome, and would be overjoyed by a Pre-Tribulation Rapture; however, I believe it is much wiser to prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually for a Post-Tribulation Rapture. The reason for this is quite simple. If events do not unfold according to the understanding of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theorists, or Pre-Tribbers as they are also called, those who fail to prepare themselves for this possibility may actually feel that God has abandoned them; and Satan may even trick them into believing that they were not found worthy of Eternal Life. If this were to happen, such people might be a part of those who fall away and lose faith, if and when events fail to materialize as they expect. Consider the following verses which discuss this possibility:

"And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed."


"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;"


While the act of falling may possibly be referring to actual persecution and military defeat in the verses from the Book of Daniel, in the second set of verses, the Apostle Paul is clearly referring to a falling away from faith in the one true God and the Lord Jesus Christ during the Endtime. As I point out in other articles, this phrase 'falling away' is actually derived from the Greek word 'apostasia', pronounced ap-os-tas-ee'-ah, which means a falling away, defection, or apostasy. Our Lord Himself, and Peter also, discussed this very same falling away from the faith during the Last Days when they said:

" . . . Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"


"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."


This is a very serious matter. If you happen to be one who currently adheres to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture position, please consider the following point. If events do not unfold as many Pre-Tribulation Rapture theorists believe, this will give the antichrist followers of Satan, many of whom are already in the world, the evidence that they need in order to reinforce their own sin of unbelief. The danger here is that in the process of doing this, they might also lure many current Believers into falling into unbelief. Notice that the Prophet Daniel wrote that 'many shall cleave to them with flatteries'. Rather than continue to appear as fools, some weaker Christians just might be persuaded by these antichrists, that they have believed in vain. As Peter states above, they will be saying 'See; you said it would happen, and it didn't! Your God isn't real! The Bible isn't true! It isn't the Word of God! It is just a silly fairy tale! Jesus isn't coming back for you!'. Beware! Jesus and Paul both warned us that such people are liars and false prophets. They are deceivers of the worst kind:

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."


"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."


The truth of the matter is that these people's faith isn't really in vain; it isn't that Jesus won't really be coming back for them; it is just that some of them are confused by well-meaning teachers who give them a false understanding of the Endtime prophecies. Some of these instructors probably do it because of their own lack of a proper understanding of the Scriptures, while others may do it intentionally because they are actually hirelings, and wolves in sheep's clothing, who have purposely come into the midst of the flocks of God for the sole purpose of deceiving them, through twisting the meaning of the Scriptures. I have spoken at length on this topic in other of my articles. But as Peter informs us, such people will eventually meet their own destruction at the Lord's Return:

"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."


One of the best things that we can all do in order to avoid falling into this subtle snare of Satan, is to not become so dogmatic, and so unbending in our personal understanding of the Scriptures, to the point that we reject anything which contradicts our current views regarding them. None of us can claim to possess a monopoly on the Truth. We are all still learning and growing in matters concerning our faith. I can certainly say this for myself. I am constantly learning new things as I continue to delve into the wonders of His Word. We must all trust in the Lord, and not in our own human wisdom in order to try to understand these things. We must put on the mind of Christ, and not try to understand these Scriptural Truths with our carnal minds only. We must be led by the Spirit of the Lord in our understanding. We must all diligently compare Scripture with Scripture, and rightly divide the Word of Truth; as we are advised to do in the following verses:

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."


"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."


"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."


"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."


"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."


As long as we all remain spiritually flexible, and do not become overly adamant concerning our personal beliefs and pet theories, the Lord will be able to continue to enlighten us, and to expand our understanding of the mysteries of His Word. As far as the interpretation of unfulfilled prophecy is concerned, any degree of extreme rigidity on our part, could make us guilty of the very same things of which the Lord accused the Scribes and the Pharisees of old. As I point out in such articles as the series 'The International Jew And The Protocols Of Zion', they had made such a god out of their own rabbinic traditions, that when Jesus came along with the Truth, most of them fully rejected Him and It, as is born out by the following verses:

"And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."


"Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."


"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."


In short, our sincere hunger for the Truth, through a correct understanding of the Word of God, should be our primary concern and motivation as we study these Endtime prophecies; as well as any other part of the Bible for that matter. We should not continue to embrace erroneous ideas and interpretations which have been clearly shown to not be in agreement with the Truth found in God's Word. We must not idolize or make gods out of our personal beliefs. We should not continue to vehemently defend our false ideas once we have been shown to be in error. To do so is merely a matter of pride. Of course, there is a balance to be found in my statements. As we are told in the Book of Proverbs, we must be balanced in all things, because a false balance is an abomination to the Lord:

"A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight."


Therefore, once we have performed a judicious study of God's Word, and once we do believe that He has revealed His Truth to us, then by all means, we should firmly stand by what we believe He has shown us; keeping in mind, and tempering our beliefs with the thought that we are only human and prone to possible error. This is precisely what Paul taught in his discourse concerning meat eaters and vegetarians found in the fourteenth chapter of his Epistle to the Roman brethren:

"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."


In the final analysis, each one of us must live and believe according to our own faith; because it is according to that, that we will each be judged in the Final Day. We will not be weighed in the Divine Balances according to what others believe, or according to what church or organization with which we happened to affiliate ourselves in this current life; but rather we will be judged as individuals when we appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ; and indeed we shall all appear for our just reward or punishment as the following verses make clear:

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."


"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."


"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."


"Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead."


"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"


Notice that in the previous verses I shared from Paul's second Epistle to the Thessalonians, the Apostle employs the use of the phrases 'the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ' and 'our gathering together unto him'. This clearly indicate that he is talking about the Endtime; that is, the Last Days in which we are now living. The phrase 'gathering together' is derived from the Greek word 'episunago', pronounced ep-ee-soon-ag-o-gay', which means a gathering together in one place. Clearly then, Paul is referring to the Rapture of the Saints at the Second Coming of the Lord, when we shall all be instantaneously and miraculously transformed, so that we can all meet the Lord in the air, as we saw earlier. Our Lord describes this very same event in the following verses which we will look at more closely later on in this same series:

"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together . . . And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."


Notice that we see that very same phrase 'gather together', which is derived from the very same Greek word 'episunago'. Concerning our Lord's mention of the carcase and the eagles, I have heard a few odd interpretations of what this might mean. Based upon the thrilling Scriptural revelation I just received from the Lord, I am convinced that the Lord is referring to Himself as the Carcase which was hung on the Tree, and to ourselves, the Saints, as the eagles who will be gathered unto Him. This is because we have symbolically fed upon His flesh, precisely as He told us that we must do. In fact, as I explain in other articles, it was because of this very profound teaching, that many of His disciples abandoned Him during the course of His Earthly ministry. They simply did not possess the spiritual discernment to understand what He meant. As the Apostle Paul wrote:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."


These truths concerning the significance of the Carcase and the eagles were just made perfectly clear to me by the following verses. Notice that the verse from the Book of Isaiah is both a promise, as well as a prophecy of the Last Days. It is a promise to those who patiently wait for the Second Coming of the Lord, as well as an Old Testament glimpse of what will happen as a result of our patience and perseverance:

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."


"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you . . . From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."


"And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre."


"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."


So you see, we are indeed the eagles who have fed upon the Carcase which was hung upon the Tree. I also find rather significant that those who backslid from the faith, and who no longer walked with Him, were branded with the Scriptural reference of John 6:66, just like the Beast in the Book of Revelation. Is this just a mere coincidence? Personally, I don't think so.

In addition to the controversy which revolves around the exact timing of the Rapture, another widespread belief is that the Great Tribulation, that is, Jacob's Trouble, will last for the full length of what is commonly referred to in prophetic circles as the Last Seven Years. It is because some people misunderstand the timing and length of the Great Tribulation, that they also misunderstand exactly when the Rapture will occur, because these two events are an integral part of each other. This phrase, the Last Seven Years, is based upon the following verse taken from the prophecies of Daniel, where we are told that the political and military leader known as the Beast, will sign a peace treaty for 'one week' with the nation of Israel, the Palestinians, and possibly surrounding Arab nations; and maybe even other third parties such as the United States of America, Russia, etc. At this point in time, it is premature to say exactly who all of the signatories will be:

"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."


As I explain in some of my other Endtime articles such as 'The Kings Of The North And The South', the series 'The Seven Heads', etc., in the above verse, the word 'week' is derived from the Hebrew word 'shabuwa', which means seven, or a period of seven. Depending upon the specific usage in the Bible, it can mean seven days, or else seven years. In this case, due to other factors which I amply explain in the aforemetioned articles, I believe that it is referring to a seven-year period. According to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theorists, the gathering together, or Rapture, of the Saints will occur just prior to the beginning of this seven-year period, which as I have already explained, they erroneously understand to be the full length of the Great Tribulation.

While I too believe that this final seven-year period of current world history will begin when the Beast signs the peace accord with Israel, at this point in time, I am not convinced that the Great Tribulation lasts the full seven years. Based upon my understanding of the Scriptures, it only comprises the final three and a half years; that is, forty-two months, according to the ancient Jewish calendar of thirty days per month, or three hundred and sixty days per year. In my view, the Bible makes it very clear that Jacob's Trouble does not begin until the midst, that is, the middle, of the final seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy; after the initial three and a half years of 'plastic peace' have transpired under the phony peace accord signed by the Beast, the Israelis, the Palestinians and possibly other third parties. Jesus Himself made it very clear that it is when the Beast takes away the daily sacrifice, and places the abomination that maketh desolate, that the Great Tribulation will begin. In other words, it won't begin at the beginning of the Last Seven Years, but rather in the middle of them, at the three and a half year mark, exactly as Daniel prophesied. Here is exactly what our Lord said:

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."


If we remove all of the extraneous descriptions found in each of the previous verses, it becomes very clear what the most important point is that Jesus is trying to help us to understand. Consider the following condensation of our Lord's words:

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place . . . then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."


In my view, this is extremely clear. The Lord is confirming exactly what was written by the Prophet Daniel; and that is that it is in the middle of the Last Seven Years, that the Great Tribulation will actually begin. Contrary to what is believed by some Christians, and their wayward teachers, it is not the full seven-year period. The Scriptures are so clear on this issue if these people would just accept them for what they really say, without adding their private interpretation to them. Like Daniel, the Apostle John also described for us the events which will be transpiring during these final three and a half years of world history. In some places he used the phrase 'a thousand two hundred and three score days; while in others he used the phrase 'forty and two months'. They are both talking about the very same time period; that is, the final three and a half year period known as the Great Tribulation. Please carefully consider all of the following verses:

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."


"And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished."


"But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."


"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."


"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."


It is my understanding that the Great Tribulation will start as a result of the Beast reneging on the Holy Covenant; at which time he will invade the city of Jerusalem, bring an end to the daily sacrifice, or morning and evening oblation, in the soon-to-be-built Third Temple on Mount Moriah in East Jerusalem, and set up the abomination that maketh desolate. We will take a closer look at some of these points shortly. We must remember that the Beast's heart will not really be in this accord with Israel. As we have seen in current negotiations, even though he signs the Holy Convenant, it may simply be a political ploy in order to gain more time, power, influence, and possibly land, for the Palestinians. Consider the following verses which clearly demonstrate that not only will the Beast really be against the peace accord in his heart, but he will even be conspiring against it while he puts on his plastic smile in public:

"Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land . . . For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant . . . And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits."


So you see, we really should not be the least bit surprised by this sudden reversal in politics, despite what might be believed on the surface by those who have not discerned the signs of the times. Let me reiterate that it will be a false 'plastic' peace, a phony peace which will not endure. The recent Wye Memorandum which was signed by both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, is an excellent example of how quickly the political situation can change in the Middle East negotiations. Barely had Netanyahu returned home from Washington, D.C., after signing the agreement, that he immediately, and for several weeks thereafter, reneged on fulfilling his part of the accord. In fact, the Israeli Cabinet refused to even ratify the accord for a while. They cited a number of security points which they felt the Palestinians had not yet met.

Even though the Israelis finally began to fulfill their part of the Wye Accord by initializing withdrawal of Israeli troops from thirteen per cent of the West Bank, as I write this, the arguments regarding prisoner exchange, security issues, etc., have become so severe, that the government of Prime Minister Netanyahu has now completely stopped these troop withdrawals. He claims that Arafat is making a farce out of the Wye agreement. This comes just before American President Clinton is about to visit the Middle East. Let us also not forget that the Wye Memorandum is only an interim agreement. It is by no means the final accord in which the fate of Jerusalem must ultimately be determined; and that of course is the stumbling block which will result in total war sooner or later.

The point is, God knows the true score here. He sees the hearts of both the Israeli and the Palestinian leaders. He sees both of their treachery. In fact, He controls the decisions that they will each make, even though neither of them may realize this. The following verses prove this point beyond a shadow of a doubt. Notice that the very first verse is dealing with the Middle East peace process, although it is not necessarily referring to Netanyahu and Arafat. I will be explaining this point more thoroughly in the second part of this series:

"And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed."


"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."


"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."


"And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said."


"But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go . . . But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go."


"And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land."


In the second part of this thought-provoking series, we will be taking a closer look at some of the major events which will transpire during the three and half year period known as the Great Tribulation. This will include the invasion of Jerusalem and the reasons for it, the removal of the Daily Sacrifice, the setting up of the Abomination of Desolation, the Image of the Beast, great persecution, the two Sackcloth Witnesses, the 144,000, the scope of the Beast's power, the possible identity of the Beast, the Israeli-Turkish military alliance, Hafez al-Assad and his vision for Syria, possible signatories of the seven-year peace accord, and the three broken horns. I trust that you will join me, as we still have a lot of ground to cover.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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