The End Time Bible Commentary

A hymnathon by Paul Macisker

This is my adaptation of the classic hymn by Julia Ward Howe, "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord", also known as the "Battle Hymn of the Republic", and it should be sung to the same original tune. I call it a 'hymnathon'. With twenty one verses, it is a bit of a marathon as hymns go. But it is also intended to be a cross between a hymn and a sermon. Singing it, or listening to it being sung, is like listening to a sermon in musical form. The lyrics of the hymn are followed by my commentary, in which I explain the biblical basis for each verse. Clicking a verse number will take you to my commentary for that particular verse. You can then use the 'up' arrow to return to the top of the page. Together with my commentary, this hymnathon could provide the basis for a whole series of sermons relating to the second coming and the need to respond to the Gospel message and be saved.

1
We soon shall see the glory of the coming of our king.
Even now he is right at the door, the bell's about to ring.
Though the day and hour may not be clear let's celebrate and sing.
Jesus is coming soon!

Chorus
Glory, glory maranatha!
Glory, glory maranatha!
Glory, glory maranatha!
Jesus is coming soon!

2
Learn this lesson from the fig tree, when its leaves begin to show,
then summer's round the corner as you very well should know.
Since Israel was restored a generation or so ago,
His coming is now due.

3
Through trials and tribulation by God's grace be strong and cope.
Just believe and do not fear, instead trust in the blessed hope.
It's for real and is no fiction, far more gripping than a soap,
He's coming back again.

4
He gave us many signs to watch for, one by one they are fulfilled.
Soon the sun shall lose its brightness and the moonlight shall be veiled.
When we see the stars a falling all God's people should be thrilled.
He's coming as he willed.

5
He will split the Mount of Olives so his people can escape,
while the city falls and evil men the women try to rape.
Jacob's trouble will not last and all their enemies will gape
at Jesus on the clouds.

6
They'll cry "May the mountains fall on us and hide us from God's face
for who can stand his wrath to come, it's picking up the pace".
There'll be trumpets and then bowls of wrath, they missed the time of grace,
Oh what a dreadful waste!

7
God's angels with the seal of God will place upon the heads
a mark so Israel's ancient tribes can sleep upon their beds,
while the lawless one and all his men receive the fate he dreads
All Israel will be saved.

8
Then we shall stand before him in the twinkling of an eye.
Oh what rapture we'll experience as we are lifted high.
Every nation, tribe and langu-age shall join him in the sky,
Never again to die.

Chorus
Glory, glory hallelujah!
Glory, glory hallelujah!
Glory, glory hallelujah!
Never again to die.

9
Seven trumpets and then bowls of wrath bring chaos on the earth.
They'll be like the plagues of Egypt making rebels lose their nerve.
No matter what the devil tries, his side will lose their turf.
Woe, woe the angels cry.

10
Now Satan knows his time is up, from heaven he'll be thrown.
For a thousand years in heavy chains in Hades he'll be bound.
To deceive the world no more and let the truth of God resound,
The judge will send him down.

11
When the seventh trumpet sounds angelic voices will proclaim,
That the kingdoms of this world are being taken in Christ's name.
But woe to earth and sea for Satan plays a dirty game.
He's running out of time.

12
Meanwhile Jesus has a mission that he planned in days of old.
He'll break out the Jews from Bozrah, lead them out of the sheepfold.
As their king he'll march ahead of them and they will all be bold,
Like Exodus retold.

13
He'll arrive at Armageddon shocking all by his attire,
having crushed the skulls of Moab and torched Edom with his fire.
Royal robes completely splattered with his rivals' blood and gore,
he comes to end the war.

14
Who cares if they release at him a full barrage of rockets.
Their tongues will melt within their mouths, their eyes rot in their sockets.
The road to hell is wide and they will have no need for tickets,
Off to the fire they'll go.

15
Now do not be deceived for many antichrists will come.
They'll deny God is our father and that Jesus is his son.
There'll be one who in particular is Satan's chosen one,
He'll end up in the fire.

16
Long ago the Roman Empire was too weak to still restrain
the hidden power of lawlessness, resulting in great pain.
An antichrist arose and their resistance was in vain,
And many fell away.

17
He taught the cross is all a lie, Christ never really died,
His sacrifice for you and I emphatically denied,
But in truth Christ bled and died and it's Mohammed who has lied.
Don't trust him as your guide.

18
On the third day Jesus rose again, triumphant o'er the grave,
He had died from sin to rescue us and make a way to save
the sinner who will trust in him, hell's punishment to waive
In love his life he gave.

Chorus
Glory, glory hallelujah!
Glory, glory hallelujah!
Glory, glory hallelujah!
In love his life he gave.

19
The end-time Antichrist will force the world to take a mark
that separates those of the light from those who love the dark,
Charagma in the Greek and Bismillah in Arabic,
avoid it like the plague.

20
You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink,
and however much you tell some folk you cannot make them think.
Don't be like them, do not wait until the world is on the brink.
There is no time like now.

21
Yes now's the time to put your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord,
to turn from sin, believe the truth, and know that you're adored.
It's the most exciting life there is, you never will be bored,
and oh what great reward!

22
To see the kingdom of God's son you must be born again.
Just open up your heart and let his Holy Spirit in.
You'll become a child of heaven and a full-fledged citizen.
So why not enter in?

Chorus
Glory, glory Jesus loves you
Glory, glory Jesus loves you
Glory, glory Jesus loves you
So why not enter in?

1
Many Christians around the world have an heightened sense of expectancy that we are now very close to the second coming. In his book, 'Witnessing the End', Christian Widener gives a great overview of all the reasons why. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in biblical end times and the second coming of Christ. You can buy a copy on Amazon, or download it as a free pdf.

In his Olivet Discourse, Jesus says in Matthew 24:33, "So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the door." But then in verse 36, he says, "But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven – except the Father alone." We need to hold these two statements in balance. If we are watching the signs as he commanded us to do, then we should at least know when the day is near. But it is a waste of time to try to predict a precise date for his coming.

Also in Matthew 24:42-44, Jesus says, "Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

2
The Fig Tree Metaphor - Jesus says in Matthew 24:32-34, "Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place".

The fig tree and its figs are used as symbols of Israel in the bible. Fig trees are native to Israel, and in several scriptures are used as a picture of prosperity and security. For example, Micah 4:4 says "Each will sit under his own grapevine or under his own fig tree without any fear". In Jeremiah 24, some time after the deportation of Jews to Babylon in 597 BC, Jeremiah likened the Jews to good figs and bad figs. To understand his comparison, it is helpful to know that the figs from the early crop are the sweetest and tastiest ones. The figs from the late summer crop tend to be more bitter and if they are not good enough to eat they are thrown out or used as animal feed. Jeremiah likened those Jews who were part of the early deportation to good figs. Those who remained until the later deportation of 586 BC, he likened to bad figs. In Hosea 9:10 God says, "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the wilderness. I viewed your ancestors like an early fig on a fig tree in its first season". In Luke 13:6-9, Jesus told another parable of a fig tree, in which the fig tree represented Israel, and Jesus warned the Jews that they had only one more year to produce the fruit of repentance, or they would be 'cut down'. Finally, Matthew 21:18-19 says, "Now early in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry. After noticing a fig tree by the road he went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!” And the fig tree withered at once". It's not as though Jesus was simply hungry or having a bad day and decided to take out his frustration on this poor fig tree. Rather, he was making a prophetic statement. He was looking for the nation to produce the fruit of repentance and faith, but because it was like the fig tree that produced leaves but no fruit, it was about to come under God's covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28). As such, it was likely to experience another military conquest and exile.

But in Matthew 24:32, when Jesus talks about the fig tree becoming tender and putting out its leaves, he is talking about Israel having a new beginning. And from verses 33 and 34 it seems like this new beginning for the nation of Israel marks the beginning of a future generation that would see 'all these things', in other words, all the signs he has just described that lead up to his arrival in glory upon the clouds.

It seems reasonable that we should recognise the creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 as this new beginning, and also as the fulfilment of Isaiah 66:8 which says, "…Can a country be brought forth in one day? Can a nation be born in a single moment? Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!"

3
The bible is clear that Christians need to be ready to face persecution and even martyrdom in the difficult period just before Christ's return.

In Matthew 24:9-14, Jesus says, "Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name. Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will appear and deceive many, and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."

And in verse 21 he says, "For then there will be great suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen." While this particular verse may relate primarily to the Jews in Israel (based on verse 16), it is clear that Christians will also suffer intense persecution in the period just before his coming.

Revelation 6:9-11 says, "Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been."

And Revelation 12:11 says, "But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die."

In Luke 8, when Jesus was on his way to Jairus' house to heal his daughter, we are told in verses 49-50, "While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.” But when Jesus heard this, he told him, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed." Fear is the opposite of faith. As Christians, we should look forward in faith to Christ's coming, and not be afraid of the difficult times that will precede it.

Titus 2:11-13 (NIV) says, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."

In 2 Peter 3, the Apostle Peter describes his own hope in the second coming. He says in verses 2-13, "I want you to recall both the predictions foretold by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles. Above all, understand this: In the last days blatant scoffers will come, being propelled by their own evil urges and saying, “Where is his promised return? For ever since our ancestors died, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately suppress this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water. Through these things the world existing at that time was destroyed when it was deluged with water. But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, by being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare. Since all these things are to melt away in this manner, what sort of people must we be, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness, while waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? Because of this day, the heavens will be burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze! But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly resides."

4
In his Olivet Discourse, as recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 17 and 21, Jesus gave us many signs to watch for in relation to his coming:

1) False Messiahs deceiving people (Matthew 24:4-5)
2) Wars and rumours of war (Matthew 24:6-7)
3) Famines (Matthew 24:7)
4) Earthquakes (Matthew 24:7)
5) Plagues (Luke 21:11)
6) Terrifying sights and great signs in the sky (Luke 21:11)
7) Hatred, persecution and martyrdom of Christians (Matthew 24:9)
8) Many Christians falling away from faith, and people betraying and hating each other (Matthew 24:10)
9) False prophets deceiving people (Matthew 24:11)
10) Increased lawlessness and the love of many growing cold (Matthew 24:12)
11) World-wide proclamation of the Gospel to every ethnic group (Matthew 24:14)
12) Some kind of restoration of the temple and sacrificial system (implied by Matthew 24:15)
13) The 'abomination of desolation' (Matthew 24:15)
14) Residents of Judea must flee to the mountains without delaying to collect possessions (Matthew 24:16-18)
15) Suffering (KJV: tribulation) greater than anything in history or that will ever occur again in the future (Matthew 24:21)
16) Jerusalem surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20)
17) Jews killed or led away as captives among all nations (Luke 21:24)
18) Mankind at risk of total annihilation (Matthew 24:22)
19) False Messiahs and false prophets deceive people with great signs and miracles (Matthew 24:23-26)
20) the sun will be darkened (Matthew 24:29)
21) the moon will not give its light (Matthew 24:29)
22) the stars will fall from the sky (Matthew 24:29)
23) the powers of heaven will be shaken (Matthew 24:29)
24) Tsunamis (Luke 21:25)
25) Worldwide fear of what is about to happen to the world (Luke 21:25)
26) His coming is visible from east to west like lightning (Matthew 24:27)
27) Vultures gather over the corpses (Matthew 24:28)
28) The sign of the Son of Man in the sky (Matthew 24:30)
29) The nations mourn (Matthew 24:30)
30) The nations see Jesus coming on the clouds with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30)
31) Angels blowing a trumpet (Matthew 24:31)
32) The elect are gathered from around the world (Matthew 24:31)
33) Fig tree sprouts leaves, a metaphor for Israel being restored as a nation (Matthew 24:32)

Those which I have numbered 1 to 25 precede his coming. In Chapter 7 of 'Witnessing the End', Christian Widener gives a compelling explanation as to how these are being fulfilled in our day.

Signs 1 to 4 are those which Jesus described as 'the beginning of birth pains' (Matthew 24:8), suggesting these are the earlier signs to look for, along with sign 33 which is arguably the greatest of all the signs that precede his coming. The fig tree sprouting leaves represents a new beginning for the nation of Israel which seems to mark the beginning of an end-time generation that will see all of the above signs, in accordance with Christ's words in Matthew 24:33-34, "So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."

Signs 26 to 30 describe the second coming itself. Also see Revelation 1:7 which says, "Look! He is returning with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes on the earth will mourn because of him."

Signs 31 and 32 describe the last trumpet and the rapture of believers (see also 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). It may surprise you that Jesus places these after his visible coming in glory, not before it.

Signs 20 to 22 relate to the heavenly bodies, as Jesus said in Matthew 24:29, "Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken." This accords with the prophecy of Joel 2:30-31, "I will produce portents both in the sky and on the earth – blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sunlight will be turned to darkness and the moon to the color of blood, before the day of the LORD comes – that great and terrible day!" Also Revelation 6:12-13 says, "Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red; and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind."

On the day that Jesus was crucified (most likely Friday April 3, 33 AD), the sun was darkened for three hours between noon and 3pm (Luke 23:44). And as the full moon rose that evening, it was a blood moon. The gospels don't record this, but Peter alludes to it in Acts 2:20, and it can verified using astronomy software that as the moon rose over Jerusalem that evening, there was a lunar eclipse. This is commonly referred to as a 'blood moon' as the moon appears red in colour. It is clear from the above verses that these signs will be repeated immediately before Christ's second coming.

The stars appearing to fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven being shaken, should be understood as the visible manifestation of Satan and his forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12) being thrown out of heaven down to the earth. This is described in Revelation 12:7-9, "Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, so there was no longer any place left in heaven for him and his angels. So that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him." There are several places in the bible where angels are referred to as stars. For example, Job 38:4-7 says, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth…when the morning stars sang in chorus, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Isaiah 14:12 (NIV) is another prophecy of Satan's end-time fall, "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!" And Daniel 8:9-12 says, "From one of them came a small horn. But it grew to be very big, toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. It grew so big it reached the army of heaven, and it brought about the fall of some of the army and some of the stars to the ground, where it trampled them. It also acted arrogantly against the Prince of the army, from whom the daily sacrifice was removed and whose sanctuary was thrown down. The army was given over, along with the daily sacrifice, in the course of his sinful rebellion. It hurled truth to the ground and enjoyed success." This small horn which grew large is understood to metaphorically and prophetically depict Antiochus Epiphanes, a kind of Old Testament Antichrist figure who desecrated the Jewish temple in 168 BC, and setup the 'abomination of desolation' as prophesied in Daniel 11:31. However, Jesus clearly taught that Daniel's prophecies about the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, 11:31 and 12:11) would also have a future end-time fulfilment, for he says in Matthew 24:15, "So when you see the abomination of desolation – spoken about by Daniel the prophet – standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains." It is not clear whether or not there was a visible manifestation of stars appearing to fall from the sky in 168 BC, but clearly there will be when this prophecy has its second fulfilment just before the second coming.

5
Zechariah 14:1-8 says, "A day of the LORD is about to come when your possessions will be divided as plunder in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to wage war; the city will be taken, its houses plundered, and the women raped. Then half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be taken away. 3Then the LORD will go to battle and fight against those nations, just as he fought battles in ancient days. 4On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, leaving a great valley. Half the mountain will move northward and the other half southward. 5Then you will escape through my mountain valley, for the mountains will extend to Azal. Indeed, you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come with all his holy ones with him. 6On that day there will be no light – the sources of light in the heavens will congeal. 7It will happen in one day (a day known to the LORD); not in the day or the night, but in the evening there will be light. 8Moreover, on that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it will happen both in summer and in winter."

This is certainly a sobering thought, that Jerusalem will fall to enemy forces and that many of the women will be raped, in another kind of October 7 event but on an even bigger scale. This fall of Jerusalem seems to be the trigger for the second coming, when Jesus personally intervenes to rescue the Jewish residents of Jerusalem. However, the description in verse 2 of half the city going into exile suggests a slight delay before Christ's intervention which is described in verses 3 and 4. But when he does intervene, Jesus sets his feet on the Mount of Olives, splitting it in two, with half the mountain moving north and half moving south. This creates a great valley that runs west to east and provides Jerusalem's refugees with an escape route to a place of safety. This mountain valley is said to extend to Azal. Most commentaries say this is an unknown location, but it should be noted that Azal is an ancient name associated with Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. So it is possible that after running west to east, allowing them to escape eastwards across the Jordan, it then turns south and runs almost the whole length of the Arabian Peninsula. Verse 5 tells us they will flee as they fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. This splitting of the Mount of Olives surely equates with the huge earthquake described in Revelation 6:12, "Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red." Zechariah's description of the heavenly sources of light congealing also equates with Revelation's description of the sun turning black and the moon turning red. Personally, I understand there to be a time interval in the middle of Zechariah 14:5, between the escape of the Jews through the mountain valley and the Lord then coming with all his holy ones. This time interval is made explicit in Revelation 12:6, which I will look at below.

However, first let me point out that according to Luke 24:50-51, Christ's ascension took place from Bethany, a village located on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem. And according to Acts 1:10-11, "As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.” So it is fitting that when Jesus comes back, he returns first to the Mount of Olives, to the same place from which he ascended nearly two thousand years ago.

In Revelation 12:1-6, this initial return of Jesus is portrayed allegorically as a kind of rebirth, where Jesus is figuratively born again to the nation of Israel, portrayed as the woman in the allegory. Satan is portrayed as a dragon, ready and waiting, in hope that he might destroy Jesus at the moment of his return. According to verses 5-6, "So the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who is going to rule over all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, and she fled into the wilderness where a place had been prepared for her by God, so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days." So it seems that Jesus splits the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem's refugees escape through the mountain valley to a place of safety, and Jesus then ascends again, being caught up to God's throne. At that point, according to Revelation 6:15-17, God is visibly enthroned upon the clouds, together with Jesus, for everyone on earth to see as they look up at the sky.

The time interval of 1,260 days appears to equate to the time of Jacob's trouble, described in Jeremiah 30:7 (see below).

6.
Jesus described his second coming in Matthew 24:29-30 saying, "Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. 30Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

This description corresponds closely with that in Revelation 6:12-17, "Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red; 13and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind. 14The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. 15Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?"

When interpreting the book of Revelation, it is important to recognise that Christ's visible return in glory occurs at the sixth seal, and that from that point onwards, both God the Father and Jesus are visible to people on earth from every class, from the greatest down to the least. As Revelation 1:7 says, "Look! He is returning with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes on the earth will mourn because of him." Isaiah 2:17-19 also prophesies the same reaction of people during the day of judgment, "Proud men will be humiliated, arrogant men will be brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. The worthless idols will be completely eliminated. They will go into caves in the rocky cliffs and into holes in the ground, trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the LORD and his royal splendor, when he rises up to terrify the earth."

Presumably, when Jesus is seen here upon the clouds, together with God the Father who is seated upon his throne, he has already split the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4) and then been caught up to God's throne while Jerusalem's refugees escape to their place of safety (Revelation 12:6).

This picture of God seated on the throne and of the Lamb also corresponds with Daniel's vision of the second coming in Daniel 7:13-14, "And with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed." During his trial, Jesus referred to this vision in Matthew 26:64, "…But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." From a New Testament perspective (e.g. Ephesians 1:20), Jesus was exalted to the right hand of the Father after his resurrection and ascension, but the sixth seal of Revelation is the point at which his exalted relationship with the Father becomes visible to all people, including those on earth.

The book of Revelation contains several chronological sections, including events unleashed by Jesus opening seven seals (chapters 6 and 7), another series of events unleashed by angels blowing seven trumpets (chapters 8 to 11), and finally a series of judgments unleashed by angels pouring out seven bowls of wrath upon the earth (chapter 16). These sections are interspersed with additional information that helps us to understand what is going on but should not be interpreted chronologically.

According to Revelation 6:17, Christ's coming at the sixth seal marks the beginning of the day of wrath, and we see this wrath worked out in the trumpet and bowl judgments which follow, and finally in his Armageddon campaign.

According to Luke 4:18-19, at the start of his earthly ministry, Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2a, using it as a kind of manifesto for his ministry. He says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Comparing this this Isaiah 61:1-2, we see that Jesus stopped abruptly in the middle of verse 2, which continues, "and the day of vengeance of our God". His first-coming mission was limited, and the rest of his messianic commission, as expressed in verses 2b and 3, await his second coming. At his first coming, Jesus ministered to the poor and needy, many of whom gladly followed him, whereas the rich and the leaders of the people largely rejected him. He healed the sick, and he freed people from demonic bondage by decreeing their release. By announcing the year of the Lord's favour, Jesus was announcing God's amnesty for sinners. 'Year' represents a relatively long period of time, and nearly 2,000 years later, this 'year' of amnesty still has not finished. Sinners can turn themselves in, to receive God's mercy and forgiveness instead of condemnation and judgment. By dying on the cross, Jesus made this amnesty possible, because he took the punishment for our sins, and paid the price for our forgiveness.

His second coming at the sixth seal marks the end of this amnesty, and the beginning of the day of wrath. God will no longer ignore those who reject his salvation. This time of wrath lasts for a 'day' which represents a shorter period of time. If the 'year' of the Lord's favour lasts about 2,000 literal years, you might expect the 'day' of wrath to last about 2,000 literal days. Various end-time prophecies specify a duration of 1,260 days (3 1/2 years), although Daniel 12:12 describes 1,335 days. During this time, Jesus will put an end to all rebellion, and usher in the Millennium, a golden age lasting 1,000 years when Christ will rule the earth from Jerusalem (Revelation 20:1-6).

Given the enormous price that Jesus paid upon the cross in order to save us, what a dreadful waste it is that so many reject him and turn down his offer of forgiveness. As 2 Peter 3:9-10 says, "The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief…" God has no wish to pour out his wrath upon anyone, but any amnesty must come to an end some time. And when the day of the Lord does finally come, those who have failed to take advantage of it must suffer the consequences. When a thief comes, you suffer loss, and great will be the loss that sinners experience after Christ returns to fully establish his kingdom rule upon the earth.

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Still as part of the sixth seal, Revelation 7:1-8 tells us, "After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission to damage the earth and the sea: 3“Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4Now I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel: 5From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand, 6from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand, 7from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand, 8from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed."

Given that so many scriptures prophesy God's end-time restoration of the twelve tribes, and their reunification as one nation under Messiah's rule (Isaiah 11:10-16, 14:1-2, 19:24, 27:9, 65:9, Jeremiah 3:16-18, 30:1-24, 31:1-40, 33:1-26, Ezekiel 20:39-42, 36:1-38, 37:1-28, 39:21-29, Hosea 2:14-23, 3:5, Amos 9:11-15, Obadiah 1:15-21, Micah 5:3-9, Nahum 2:2, Zephaniah 3:8-20, Zechariah 9:10-16, 10:3-12, 12:1-14, 14:5-21, Romans 11:17-32), it seems clear to me that these are literal descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel. Why else does John name each of the twelve tribes?

In the Old Testament, under kings Saul, David, and Solomon, the twelve tribes were united as one nation. During the reign of Solomon's son, Rehoboam, the nation split in two. The northern kingdom of Israel comprised ten tribes, while the southern kingdom of Judah comprised the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The priestly tribe of Levi was never allocated a tribal territory but was spread among the other tribes, so existed in both kingdoms. In 722 BC, the northern kingdom was conquered and exiled to Assyria, and never returned. In 586 BC, the southern kingdom was exiled to Babylon, but its people were restored to their ancestral homeland after the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BC. Today's Jews are descendants of the southern kingdom of Judah. They were again exiled from the land by the Romans in 70 AD and in 135 AD. Despite being dispersed among the nations of the world for nearly 2,000 years, miraculously they retained their Jewish customs and identity. The descendants of the northern kingdom are often referred to as the lost ten tribes of Israel since they assimilated into the nations to which they were exiled and lost their Israelite identity. From my studies of biblical prophecy, it is clear to me that God promised to restore the Jews to their ancestral homeland before the second coming, and that after the second coming he will complete his restoration of the northern tribes, uniting all of Israel under the rule of Christ as king.

Since the late 19th century, God has been restoring the Jews to their ancestral homeland, leading to Israel's restoration as the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. The horrors of the holocaust, prophesied in Psalm 102:3-10, provoked widespread compassion towards the Jews after it was exposed at the end of World War II. This helped facilitate international support for the new Jewish state after its founding, much as Psalm 102:13 says, "You will rise up and have compassion on Zion. For it is time to have mercy on her, for the appointed time has come."

Israel's national restoration and renewed prosperity is seen in the prophecy of Isaiah 66. Verse 8 says, "Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen this? Can a country be brought forth in one day? Can a nation be born in a single moment? Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!" Verse 10 calls us to rejoice over this, "Be happy for Jerusalem and rejoice with her, all you who love her! Share in her great joy, all you who have mourned over her!" And in verses 12 to 14a, God calls us to rejoice over her renewed prosperity, "Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river, the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks. You will nurse from her breast and be carried at her side; you will play on her knees. As a mother consoles a child, so I will console you, and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.” When you see this, you will be happy, and you will be revived." In verses 14b to 16, it is clear that this prophesied restoration takes place before the second coming, "The LORD will reveal his power to his servants and his anger to his enemies. For look, the LORD comes with fire, his chariots come like a windstorm, to reveal his raging anger, his battle cry, and his flaming arrows. For the LORD judges all humanity with fire and his sword; the LORD will kill many."

The modern day return of Jews to Israel may be seen as fulfilling many other prophecies, including Isaiah 11:12, Jeremiah 32:44, Ezekiel 11:17, 20:34, 28:25, 36:24, and Hosea 3:4-5.

Hosea 4-5 says, "For the Israelites must live many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred fertility pillar, without ephod or idols. Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the LORD their God and their Davidic king. Then they will submit to the LORD in fear and receive his blessings in the future."

Many Christians fail to recognise the Jewish return to Israel after nearly 2,000 years of exile as a fulfilment of these verses. A key reason for that is the fact that many Israelis are secular and non-religious. Although increasing numbers of Jews have been turning to Christ, these so-called Messianic Jews are still a small minority within Israel. But it is clear from several end-time prophecies that the Jews must first be restored to the land and then God will restore their faith. In a prophecy of Christ's second coming, Zechariah 12:10 (NIV) says, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son."

Another problem is that many Christians have embraced 'replacement theology'. They see the Church as having permanently replaced Israel, such that God's many promises to Israel are now fulfilled through the Church, with no need for them to be fulfilled through the physical descendants of Jacob. In Romans 9 to 11, the Apostle Paul discusses various questions relating to the relationship between Jews and the Church. In Romans 11:17-24, he used the analogy of an olive tree, with some of the Israelite branches being broken off because of their unbelief in Christ, and Gentile branches being grafted into their place. But he makes it clear that Israel's partial rejection is temporary, and that in the end God will restore the broken off branches. In Romans 11:25-27, he says, "For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” The time when 'the full number of Gentiles has come in' is just before the second coming, for Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." Paul has confidence that God will then restore all Israel. By 'all Israel', he means all the tribes of Israel, as promised in so many scriptures. He is not saying that every individual Jew will be saved as though they have some special back door to salvation.

According to Jeremiah 31:31-34, the restoration of all Israel, including the tribes of the northern kingdom, to faith and to their land, is an integral part of the New Covenant, "Indeed, a time is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” says the LORD. “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the LORD. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” says the LORD. “For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.” While Jesus instituted the New Covenant nearly 2,000 years ago at the Last Supper, this part of it, the restoration of all Israel, is set to be fulfilled at his second coming.

The sealing of the 144,000 is surely the beginning of this restoration of all Israel, and it occurs within the backdrop of the Great Tribulation, a time when the Antichrist and his followers are attempting to take over the world. The Apostle Paul calls this individual 'the man of lawlessness', and 'the lawless one' in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9. The book of Revelation, from chapter 8 onwards, portrays the end-time war between Jesus and Antichrist's Empire. In chapter 19, we see their ultimate defeat and judgment.

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After the sealing of the 144,000, and still as part of the sixth seal, Revelation 7:9-17 continues, "After these things I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. They were shouting out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Praise and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “These dressed in long white robes – who are they and where have they come from?” So I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat, because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

This is a scene that was first prophesied in Daniel 7:13-14, "I was watching in the night visions, “And with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed."

Jesus referred to this event at his trial, according to Matthew 26:63-64, "But Jesus was silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

The Apostle Paul described this event in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord." In the latin translation of the bible, 'caught up' in verse 17 is translated with the word 'rapturo', from which we get the English word 'rapture'. It is important to note that the rapture is of living Christians who are 'left until the coming of the Lord'. So the rapture comes after the second coming, not before it, just as we have already seen from the order of events at the sixth seal in Revelation 6 and 7. In 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, Paul says, "For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we are alert or asleep we will come to life together with him." We see from Revelation 6:17 that the Day of Wrath is ushered in by his coming at the sixth seal, and we see it worked out in the events that follow from Revelation 8 onwards. So Christians should expect to be present on Earth up until the sixth seal when he comes. Us not being destined for wrath is not a reason to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture before all the trouble starts.

In Matthew 24:29-31, Jesus also descried his second coming and the rapture in this same order, "Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, the Apostle Paul also describes them in this same order, "Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to be easily shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here."

Revelation 7 omits to describe the resurrection of dead Christians, but from Paul's epistles it is clear that dead Christians are resurrected first and are included in the gathering of the elect upon the clouds at Christ's coming. He also describes this resurrection and rapture of believers in 1 Corinthians 15:50-53, "Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality."

The common belief that the rapture precedes Christ's coming has arisen out of dispensationalist teaching, introduced by John Nelson Darby in the 1830's. I discuss dispensationalism in my commentary on Matthew 24.

Christ's promise to us in the gospels is that through him we may receive eternal life. He says in John 3:16-18 (NIV), "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." At his coming, his followers, including those who have died, will join him upon the clouds, to be with him forever. From that point on, we will never again experience death. Starting with Christ's one thousand year reign on earth, the bible tells us that we will reign with him (Romans 8:17, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 5:10, 20:4-6, and 22:5).

Our ultimate destiny is to live with him forever in the new heaven and earth, as revealed in Revelation 21:1-4, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more. And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.” And Revelation 22:1-5 says, "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life – water as clear as crystal – pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, flowing down the middle of the city's main street. On each side6 of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever."

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According to Matthew 8:29, as Jesus approached two demon-possessed men in the region of the Gadarenes, the demons cried out, "Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Satan and his demons are aware that one day they are going to end up in torment, and they seem to have at least a general sense of when that will be.

In two different ways, Revelation 12 describes Satan and his fallen angels being cast out of heaven onto the earth.

Revelation 12:1-6 describes two great astronomical signs, "Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars. 2She was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling to give birth. 3Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. 4Now the dragon's tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. 5So the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who is going to rule over all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, 6and she fled into the wilderness where a place had been prepared for her by God, so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days."

Please refer to my commentary on Revelation 12 for a detailed analysis of these two heavenly (astronomical) signs. Briefly here though, the first great sign depicts an alignment of the sun, moon and planets with the stars in the constellation Virgo, that was fulfilled on September 23, 2017. In Luke 21:11, Jesus included 'great signs from heaven' among the signs that his coming is near, and this is certainly one of them. In the second sign, we see in verse 4, "Now the dragon's tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born." Christ's coming, beginning with him setting his feet upon the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4), is portrayed allegorically as a kind of rebirth (see also my commentary on the birth metaphor in Matthew 24), and just before that, Satan is seen to cast a third of the angels down to earth in preparation for an attempt to destroy Christ the moment he returns. This third of the angels are understood to be fallen angels.

In Luke 10:17-18, Jesus prophesied Satan's eventual fall from heaven, "Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” So he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."" He also said in Matthew 24:29, "Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken." It seems that Satan's fall from heaven, along with a third of the angels, will be visible on earth just before Christ's coming, and will look as through the stars are falling, presumably like a dramatic meteor shower. What resembles falling stars is actually the powers of heaven being shaking. These are the same powers that the Apostle Paul describes in Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens."

Revelation 12:7-10, presents this same fall from heaven from a different perspective, "Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, so there was no longer any place left in heaven for him and his angels. 9So that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the ruling authority of his Christ, have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down."

Revelation 19 portrays Christ's defeat of Antichrist and his armies at the battle of Armageddon. Then Revelation 20:1-3 says, "Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. 2He seized the dragon – the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan – and tied him up for a thousand years. 3The angel then threw him into the abyss and locked and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)

Satan being bound and cast into the Abyss for 1,000 years will facilitate the fulfilment of Habakkuk 2:14 (NIV), "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea."

According to Revelation 20:7-10, God's final judgment of Satan comes at the end of the Millennium, "Now when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea. 9They went up on the broad plain of the earth and encircled the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely. 10And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever."

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Revelation 11:15-18 says, "Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” 16Then the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and worshiped God 17with these words: “We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, the one who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18The nations were enraged, but your wrath has come…"

Although Christ is visible upon the clouds from the time of his coming at the sixth seal, Antichrist and his followers remain very much at large and in political control for a considerable time afterwards. God's wrath is unleashed upon the earth in the form of the seven trumpets, with more to follow in the form of the seven bowl judgments. It is during the seventh trumpet that Jesus begins to actually impose his reign upon the earth, requiring him to start forcibly taking over earth kingdoms.

The statement in verse 18, "The nations were enraged," is a reference to Psalm 2 which will reach its prophetic fulfilment at this point, "Why do the nations rebel? Why are the countries devising plots that will fail? 2The kings of the earth form a united front; the rulers collaborate against the LORD and his anointed king. 3They say, “Let's tear off the shackles they've put on us! Let's free ourselves from their ropes!” 4The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the Lord taunts them. 5Then he angrily speaks to them and terrifies them in his rage, saying, 6“I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.” 7The king says, “I will announce the LORD's decree. He said to me: ‘You are my son! This very day I have become your father! 8Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your personal property. 9You will break them with an iron scepter; you will smash them like a potter's jar!'” 10So now, you kings, do what is wise; you rulers of the earth, submit to correction! 11Serve the LORD in fear! Repent in terror! 12Give sincere homage! Otherwise he will be angry, and you will die because of your behavior, when his anger quickly ignites. How blessed are all who take shelter in him!"

Revelation 8-11 portrays the chronological sequence of events associated with the seven trumpets. Later Revelation 16 portrays the chronological sequence of events associated with the seven bowls. Between these two chronological sections, Revelation 12-15 is what might be described as a 'parenthetical' section. It gives us additional insight into what is going on during the end times, but not necessarily in chronological order. So Revelation 12 begins with the two great heavenly signs and the fall of Satan and his angels, events that actually take place before Christ's coming at the sixth seal. After describing Satan's fall, Revelation 12:10-12 says, "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the ruling authority of his Christ, have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down. 11But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. 12Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them! But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you! He is filled with terrible anger, for he knows that he only has a little time!”

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Micah 2:12-13 (NIV) says, "I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. 13One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head."

This is surely an end-time prophecy of Jesus rescuing the remnant of Israel. In Hebrew, verse 12 contains the word 'Bozrah', translated here as a sheepfold or pen. But Bozrah was also the name of Edom's ancient capital, and it suggests that this 'Bozrah breakout' takes place somewhere within the geographical region know as Edom in biblical times. Today, ancient Bozrah is an archeological ruin near Petra in Jordan. So Ancient Bozrah seems an unlikely location for Israel's end-time safe place in the wilderness, although end-time commentators often suggest Petra as a possibility. Personally, I understand 'Bozrah' to be used figuratively here in Micah to indicate a location somewhere within Edom, and that we need to look for other biblical clues to try to figure out where that might be.

In a prophecy of the end-time fall of Jerusalem and of the second coming, Zechariah 14:4-5 says, "On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, leaving a great valley. Half the mountain will move northward and the other half southward. 5Then you will escape through my mountain valley, for the mountains will extend to Azal. Indeed, you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come with all his holy ones with him."

And Revelation 12:5-6 says of Christ's second coming, "So the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who is going to rule over all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, 6and she fled into the wilderness where a place had been prepared for her by God, so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days." In this allegorical depiction, the woman is the nation of Israel, and the baby is Jesus whose second coming arrival allegorically delivers Israel from the agonies of labour when she is under attack by Antichrist and his armies.

Connecting these three passages together, when Jerusalem falls to Antichrist's armies (Zechariah 14:1-3), Jesus arrives on the Mount of Olives, creates an escape route for Israel's refugees, and is then caught up to the clouds from where he can be seen by all on earth who look up at the sky (Revelation 6:14-17). The mountain valley through which Israel escapes extends as far as Azal. Although most commentaries say this is an unknown location, Azal is in fact an ancient name for Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. So it is likely that the place that God has prepared for them in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6), referred to as 'Bozrah' in Micah 2:12, is somewhere in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula between Israel and Yemen. Ancient Edom was located within this same region, with its northern border starting at the southern tip of the Dead Sea, in what is now southern Jordan. Its southern border originally ended at Aqaba, such that Edom was equivalent to the mountainous region of Seir (Joshua 24:3-4). But Ezekiel 25:12-13 says, "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because Edom took revenge on the house of Judah and became very guilty by doing so, therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill its men and their animals. I will lay it waste, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword." Written in the 6th century BC, this prophecy indicates that by Ezekiel's time, Edom was seen to extend to Dedan, which is modern-day Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia, far south of Edom's original southern boundary. Teman's location within Edom is not known. If one assumes that Ezekiel's prophecy relates to all of Edom and that Dedan is at Edom's southern extremity, then Teman would logically be near its northern extremity. Alternatively, Ezekiel's prophecy might relate to a limited region within Edom, and it is possible that Teman is the same as modern day Al-Tema in Saudi Arabia.

Micah 2:12 (NIV) says, "I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people."

This 'Bozrah breakout' may relate primarily to Christ's rescue of the Jews from their safe place in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6 and 14) after they have fled from Israel when Jerusalem falls to Antichrist's armies (Zechariah 14:1-5). But it is part of the much larger regathering of the remnant from all the tribes of Israel. This end-time Exodus, with Jesus as the end-time Moses restoring all the tribes of Israel, is a major theme within biblical end-time prophecy.

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Revelation 19:11-16 says, "Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war. 12His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself. 13He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God. 14The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses. 15From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. 16He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”"

Armageddon is the final battle in which Jesus defeats the Antichrist and his armies, with the Antichrist then being thrown into the lake of fire. But it is certainly not his first battle. Verse 13 says his clothing is 'dipped in blood'. A better translation might be 'soaked' or 'splattered'. Verse 15 says, "and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God", which points us to Isaiah 63.

Isaiah 63:1-6 says, "Who is this who comes from Edom, dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? Who is this one wearing royal attire, who marches confidently because of his great strength? “It is I, the one who announces vindication, and who is able to deliver!” 2Why are your clothes red? Why do you look like someone who has stomped on grapes in a vat? 3“I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself; no one from the nations joined me. I stomped on them in my anger; I trampled them down in my rage. Their juice splashed on my garments, and stained all my clothes. 4For I looked forward to the day of vengeance, and then payback time arrived. 5I looked, but there was no one to help; I was shocked because there was no one offering support. So my right arm accomplished deliverance; my raging anger drove me on. 6I trampled nations in my anger, I made them drunk in my rage, I splashed their blood on the ground.”

It seems that Jesus arrives at Armageddon after the Bozrah breakout, and has marched up through Edom (northern Saudi Arabia and southern Jordan) and Moab (central western Jordan) to Israel, fighting and slaughtering enemy armies who resist him along the way. So by the time he arrives in Israel, his royal robes are splattered with enemy blood and his appearance is like someone who has been stomping grapes in a winepress. This will certainly be a shocking sight!

Numbers 24:17-19 is a very old prophecy of Christ's second coming in which Balaam said, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not close at hand. A star will march forth out of Jacob, and a sceptre will rise out of Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab, and the heads of all the sons of Sheth. 18Edom will be a possession, Seir, his enemies, will also be a possession; but Israel will act valiantly. 19 A ruler will be established from Jacob; he will destroy the remains of the city."

This portrayal of Jesus crushing heads actually originates in Genesis 3, in the first prophetic passage in the bible. In verse 15, which is the foundational messianic prophecy, God says to the serpent (NIV), "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." If a venomous snake strikes your heel, it is usually fatal, and Christ's death upon the cross, with nails driven through his wrists and ankles, clearly fulfilled the latter part of this prophecy. At the same time, at least to some extent, Jesus fulfilled the former part, for Hebrews 2:14-15 says, "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death." But it is clear from various other end-time prophecies that there is still more to come in Jesus crushing the heads of Satan's seed. For example, Psalm 110:5-6 says of Jesus, "O sovereign LORD, at your right hand he strikes down kings in the day he unleashes his anger. He executes judgment against the nations; he fills the valleys with corpses; he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield."

Balaam specifically foresaw Jesus crushing heads in Moab (part of modern-day Jordan). Moab is singled out in several end-time prophecies for defeat and humiliation. Isaiah 11:13 says, "Ephraim’s jealousy will end, and Judah’s hostility will be eliminated. Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah, and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim." This describes the end-time restoration and reunification of the tribes of Israel. Then verse 14 says of this united Israel, "They will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west; together they will loot the people of the east. They will take over Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be their subjects." Isaiah 25:10-11 gives a particularly graphic portrayal of Moab's end-time humiliation, "…Moab will be trampled down where it stands, as a heap of straw is trampled down in a manure pile. Moab will spread out its hands in the middle of it, just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim; the Lord will bring down Moab’s pride as it spreads its hands."

Jesus is portrayed as using fire to torch his enemies in several end-time passages. For example, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, "…when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired on that day among all who have believed…" Also see Psalm 50:3; 97:3, Isaiah 10:17; 13:8; 29:6; 33:11-12; 66:15-16, Joel 2:3 & 30, Amos 1, Obadiah 1:18, and Nahum 1:6; 2:13; 3:13-15.

Edom (modern-day south Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia) is also especially singled out for end-time judgment and destruction. Psalm 137:7-8 says, "Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, right to its very foundation!” O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! How blessed will be the one who repays you for what you dished out to us!" In an end-time context, Edom is figuratively named "daughter Babylon". We see this again in Isaiah 21. In verse 9 we hear, "Babylon has fallen, fallen! All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!" But in the verses that follow, we see that it is a prophecy not about ancient Babylon in Mesopotamia, but rather about Seir (southern Jordan) and northern Saudi Arabia. Revelation 18:2 repeats the lament, "Babylon has fallen, fallen!" and it is reasonable to assume that the depiction of "Mystery Babylon" in Revelation 17 and 18 relates again to Edom in Arabia as in Psalm 137 and Isaiah 21. Jeremiah 49:17-18 prophesied Edom's end-time fall, "Edom will become an object of horror. All who pass by it will be filled with horror; they will hiss out their scorn because of all the disasters that have happened to it. Edom will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns that were around them. No one will live there. No human being will settle in it,” says the Lord." Amos 1:11-12 says, "This is what the LORD says: “Because Edom has committed three crimes – make that four! – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. He chased his brother with a sword; he wiped out his allies. In his anger he tore them apart without stopping to rest; in his fury he relentlessly attacked them. So I will set Teman on fire; fire will consume Bozrah's fortresses.”" In God's pronouncement of Edom's future judgment in Isaiah 34, verses 4 to 5 clearly place it in the context of Christ's second coming, "All the stars in the sky will fade away, the sky will roll up like a scroll; all its stars will wither, like a leaf withers and falls from a vine or a fig withers and falls from a tree. He says, “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. Look, it now descends on Edom, on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”" Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:13-14 and 12:7-9 describe these same phenomena shortly before Christ's coming. Isaiah 34:6-12 then continues, "The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood, it is covered with fat; it drips with the blood of young rams and goats and is covered with the fat of rams’ kidneys. For the Lord is holding a sacrifice in Bozrah, a bloody slaughter in the land of Edom. Wild oxen will be slaughtered along with them, as well as strong bulls. Their land is drenched with blood, their soil is covered with fat. For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch and her soil into brimstone; her land will become burning pitch. Night and day it will burn; its smoke will ascend continually. Generation after generation it will be a wasteland and no one will ever pass through it again. Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The Lord will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction. Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom and all her officials will disappear."

In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is described as 'the Prince of Peace'. But it is clear from many end-time passages that he establishes peace throughout the earth by first winning the war and defeating all that opposes his kingdom. Perhaps this is most clearly portrayed in Revelation 19. He arrives as a warrior, his clothes already soaked in enemy blood, but he has come to end the war once and for all.

If you wish to contact me about this hymn, or about any aspect of the End Time Bible Commentary, please email me at pm@g.com