What Other Things Will Be Happening During the Great Tribulation?
Matthew 24
Sep 15, 2019 PM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I. Introduction (Matthew 24:21)
A. Bible Prophecy is being Fulfilled Before Our Eyes
1. Just as the Bible predicted - the world is getting closer to the end of this age
2. Everything is changing at impossible speeds – technology, the climate, world travel, the internet – all are growing exponentially.
B. Where is it all heading?
C. Into a time called Daniel’s Seventieth Week
1. At the end of 70 weeks of years that God showed Daniel until Messiah would come
2. 69 week already has happened, and Messiah was “cut off” – killed!
3. There is 1 last week of Jewish history to go before the Second Coming of the Messiah
a. The time of Jacob’s (Israel’s) Trouble
b. The Time of the End
c. The Tribulation
d. And… Armageddon
e. A time when the whole world will face God’s wrath
II. Background
A. Seven Years of Tribulation are Coming
1. You are probably tired of me saying this – that’s predicted…
a. 2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
b. 2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?...
2. Things will NOT get better and better through science, and politics and robots, and bitcoin
a. 2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
b. 2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
3. What Tribulation Means:
a. Tribulation is one of those older words that means Trouble. But it means MORE than just a bad hair day
b. A Thrashing, Affliction, Misery, Distress, Pain, Torment
4. It is SEVEN years of the worst disasters ever imaginable on a world wide scale
a. Seven years of ever increasing Hell on Earth
b. Until the day of Christ’s Second Coming! Called Armageddon!
c. Unlike any other time before or after (Matt 24:21) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
d. Worse than the destruction of Noah’s flood, and worse than the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah! Worse than Auschwitz and the Holocaust!
5. The Bible refers to it as “the time of JACOB’S Trouble” (Jer 30:7) 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.
a. You know who Jacob is? That’s the original name for the grandson of Abraham: Abraham, Isaac and JACOB
b. Jacob was his name before he got converted – before it was changed to ISRAEL
c. So the Tribulation is a time when the physical descendants of JACOB will experience troubles and pain and affliction like never before in history!
d. It is “Jacob's” trouble – not the Church’s trouble, or the world’s trouble, but the nation of ISRAEL
e. “but he shall be saved out of it.” God will save the nation of Israel during it
B. Two Sections of 3 ½ years each in the Tribulation
1. There are actually Two Tribulations
2. The seven years are divided into two halves of 42 months each (3 ½ years)
3. The first half is the build-up to the crowning of the antichrist in a rebuilt Jewish temple, in Jerusalem
a. Called just simply, The Tribulation
b. A constant build up of world troubles that get everyone to look to a false ‘saviour’ to save them from
c. That’s when an antichrist / prince shall come
d. The rise of the antichrist
1) He will bring a sort of peace to the world
2) There will be few wars, but people will really believe it is actually getting better and better
3) He will negotiate a peace in the Middle East, allowing the Jews to rebuild their Temple
4) People will willingly worship him, and surrender all their rights to his control in exchange for PEACE!
e. Establishes a covenant of World Peace
1) Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant OF PEACE with many for one week:
2) A False Peace
3) READ DANIEL!
f. An enables the
rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem –
not for God, but for the antichrist to rule from!
4. Then Right in the Middle of the week comes the Abomination of Desolation
a. Listen to Daniel 9… “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,
b. even until the consummation OF GOD’S WRATH, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
c. The “abomination of desolation” is when the antichrist will claim to be ‘God’
d. I’ll show you that in a few minutes!
e. That’s when the GREAT Tribulation begins – and it will NOT be good!
5. The second half (second 3 ½ years) is the beginning of the GREAT Tribulation
a. The most unimaginable disasters will be poured out on the entire world
b. The earth will go out of control
1) Famines –
world-wide famines and food controls; Pestilences, diseases –
Doctors are saying that HIV is just getting under control
But that is not the end of killer diseases to come!
2) Earthquakes (Rev 6:12)
3) Hurricanes and Tsunamis (Luke 21:25,26)
c. The heavens will go out of control (Mt 24:29)
1) Sun will go dark before it will explode and become 7 times brighter than before
2) The moon will be turned to blood
3) Stars will fall from the sky
4) An asteroid will slam into the Mediterranean Sea
5) A massive comet will explode over Asia poisoning all the rivers and drinking waters of over a billion people
6) Sounds impossible? People thought so up until about 40 years ago, but now there are dozens of large, expensive telescopes scanning the skies every night, all over the world, looking for “Near Earth Asteroids”, because astronomers know they are out there and are earth destroying rocks!
d. People will go out of control
1) No love at all, except of self (Mt 24:12)
2) Demons will be loosed upon the earth (Rev 9:1-6)
3) An army of 200,000,000 angry soldiers surround the middle east to attack Israel
4) Intense persecution (Mt 24:9,10) – blaming the “nuts” for all the world problems
a) Against all non-conforming religions
b) Ultimately against the Jews
5) Deaths – over ½ of the world’s population will die of all these disasters in just 3 ½ years (that’s about 4 billion people)!
6) Total unity all over the world under the protection of the Beast (Rev 13)
a) His Mark in their foreheads or in the right hands
b) His number controlling people’s movements and ability to buy or sell
c) His worship the only focus of the whole world
d) All in the name of survival during all the disasters – “acts of God!”
6. It will only end at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ – Armageddon (Mt 24:29,30)
a. Mat 24:29,30 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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.
C. But let me show you a few more events that will happen DURING this most awful time of all of history – remember… Matt 24:21 says, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
III. Message
A. The Two Witnesses (Revelation 11)
1. The Book of Revelation is not written in a normal order
a. It actually describes the 7 years of the Tribulation four times, and in four different ways
b. By the seven Seals, seven Trumpets, seven Vials, and then the Seven Characters of the Tribulation (The beast, false prophet, dragon, etc.)
c. So at any time, you could be reading about things going on in the second half, only in the next chapter to go back through the first half
d. Chapter 11 describes the MIDDLE of the Tribulation
2. The Rebuilt Jewish Temple (11:1-2) – it has to be rebuilt for the antichrist
a. Three Jewish Temples in History
1) The first “Temple” was Solomon’s Temple (I Kings 5-8). Destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC (II Kings 25). The “Temple” was permanent.
2) The second or rebuilt Temple was Zerubbabel’s Temple (Ezra 3:4-13; 6:1-22), which later was expanded on and became known as Herod’s Temple (John 2:19,20) – Destroyed 70 AD
3) The whole Jewish system of worship revolved around the existence of the Temple. When the Temple was destroyed in 70AD, the Jews lost their identity and purpose in relation to God.
4) The Jews KNOW they need to rebuild their Temple for the Messiah to come
a) Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger [ELIJAH], and he shall prepare the way before me [MESSIAH]: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
b) Mal 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? [SECOND COMING] and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: [TO MAKE CLEAN]
b. Where Is This Temple?
1) This new Temple has to be on the earth (not in heaven), in Jerusalem (vs 2) on Mount Moriah (2 Chron 3:1) where Abraham was told to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen 22:2), which was Mt Calvary!!!
2) This Temple is yet future (11:2 “shall they tread”), during the Tribulation
3) From John’s vantage point (95 AD), the Jews (now scattered) had to get back into their land, rebuild their Temple for the third time, and have it desecrated by Gentiles for 3 1/2 years.
4) So... God is NOT all through with the Jews, but will deal with them again as His people. This is the Biblical method of interpretation.
c. Its Importance - Notice how important the Temple is!
1) Not important to God – or else God would not have destroyed Solomon’s in the first place
2) Our BODIES are the Temple of God right now
3) But it IS important to the anti-christ
4) Because it is his way of defiling, spoiling, polluting the very holiest of God’s places on earth
d. Prophecies concerning this Tribulational Temple
1) Daniel 9:25-27 “the sacrifice shall cease” - implying...
a) There will be a restored priesthood
b) Restored daily animal sacrifices
c) Repulsion of Muslim control over any Jewish Temple grounds
2) 2 Thess 2:1-4 the antichrist will publicly take over the Temple
3) Matthew 24:15 the “abomination of desolation” will take place
a) He, as a devil, will claim to be God
b) He will sit on the Mercy Seay, the very throne of God on earth
c) He will demand HUMAN sacrifices in the Temple
4) Luke 21:20-28 “the times of the Gentiles” will overshadow God’s dealings with the Jews
3. The Two Witnesses (11:3-14)
a. God always has His Witness.
1) No matter where a person can go, God has a witness.
2) Whether on a secluded Pacific island, even “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Ps 19), or downtown Anywhere, God has His witness at work.
3) Sometimes it will be in the form of a Gospel tract left in a phone booth. Sometimes it will be in the form of a street preacher on a busy corner. Sometimes, it will be in the form of a radio program.
4) The principle is, God is interested in His creation knowing that He is there, and “that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb 11:6).
5) During the first half of the Tribulation, God uses two men who are almost unstoppable.
6) During the last half of the Tribulation God has His 144,000 witnesses. We will find out who these two witnesses are, God’s purpose in using them, what happens to them, and the conclusion to this world’s history of self-determination.
b. Who Are These Two Witnesses? (11:3-6)
1) They shall prophecy 1260 days (Dan 12:11) - Unlocks the time element of the following things:
a) 1260 days (vs 3) = 42 months (vs 2) = 3 1/2 years - NOTHING ALLEGORICAL HERE!
b) A Bible month therefore consists of 30 days each 1260 / 42 = 30 days
c) The Tribulation is divided into two 3 1/2 years segments
d) This is literal time, with start and stop dates
e) These two men are the ONLY witnesses during this time period. There are no Christians, no believing Jews, no one. ONLY these two men.
2) They are called (see Zech 4:11-14) by the following terms:
a) The two olive trees
b) The two candlesticks
c) The Bible says these are anointed ones, (chosen ones) Zech 4:11-14. “standing before the God of the earth” (I Kings 17:1; Exod 33:20,21)
d) The Bible says that if anyone tries to hurt them, then FIRE WILL COME OUT OF THEM AND BURN UP THEIR ENEMIES (11:5)!!!
3) They have the following characteristics:
a) They destroy their enemies with fire (Num 16:31-35; 2 Kings 1:10)
b) Shut up heaven that it rain not for 3 1/2 years (James 5:17)
c) Have power to turn water into blood (Exod 7:19)
d) Have power to smite the earth with plagues (Ps 105:26-36)
4) Therefore, these two witnesses are Moses, and Elijah (Cf Matt 17:1-4)
4. The Rejection of the Two Witnesses (Rev 11:7-12)
a. They shall boldly preach AGAINST the Antichrist – against ungodliness
1) NO ONE gets saved – no one responds
2) That’s why we know the Church is not around – we would be standing with them
3) But these two men are here to turn ISRAEL back to God – not us!
b. They fight head to head with this “Beast” - The spiritual warfare enters the visible realm.
1) And in the end, they shall lose and die in the centre of Jerusalem with the world watching.
c. The whole world rejoices over the death of these two Bible preachers!
B. Then … The Abomination of Desolation - right in the Middle of the Tribulation
1. The anti-christ sets himself up AS God on the throne of God in the rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, and the whole world believes it
a. Dan 9:27 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.
b. Dan 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
c. Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
d. 2Th 2:3,4 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; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2. Then, the slaughter of the two witnesses – seen by the whole world
3. Everyone, absolutely everyone rejoices – there are no believers around at all
a. Rev 11:9,10 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
4. Three and a half days later, the Rapture of the Two Witnesses up to heaven
a. Rev 11:11,12 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
b. God then (3 days later) resurrects these two witnesses.
c.
God then raptures these two witnesses.
A mid-tribulation rapture for these two witnesses.
5. And it is at THAT moment that Israel as a nation finally believes the Gospel, gets saved, but they all have to run for their lives
a. Mat 24:15-21 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:) [JESUS IS SPEAKING TO JEWISH BELIEVERS]
1) Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
2) Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
3) Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
4) Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
5) Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
6) Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
b. Romans 11:25-29 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
1) Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
2) Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
3) Rom 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
4) Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
c. Jeremiah 30:7 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.
d. Why would God do all this for rebellious and wicked Israel?
1) Because God cannot discard Israel (Jer 31:35-37; 33:24-26)
2) He promised to save Israel (Jer 31:31-34; 32:37-40)
3) Because He loves Israel – the apple of His eye
C. 144,000 Jewish unmarried men (all virgin) head out into the world and witness of Christ – unstoppable (Rev 7:3-17)
1. Sealed - The Sealing of the 144,000 (7:3)
a. Sets them apart from all the other Jewish believers
b. The purpose of this sealing: to protect the bearer of the seal through the tribulation (Cf Rev 14:1-3). This sealing process “preserves” the bearer!
2. They are Servants of our God (7:3-8)
a. Consists of all the “tribes of Israel”
1) 12,000 from each of the literal, actual tribes of Juda, Reuben, Gad, Aser, Nepthalim, Manasses, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zabulon, Joseph, and Benjamin.
2) Adds up to 144,000 Jewish preachers
3) JUST LIKE SAUL OF TARSUS WAS (1Cor 15:8,9) And last of all he [JESUS] was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
b. They are JEWISH men (Rev 14:4,5)
1) These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.
2) These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth now - disciples.
3) And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
c. These represent God’s witness during the Great Tribulation to all the world
d. They will have no fear for all the judgments falling all around them.
3. Many people will get saved by their preaching – but only those who never heard (7:9-17)
a. Tribulation Saints are only in the SECOND half of the Tribulation
b. No one got saved during the preaching of Moses and Elijah
c. But now, these 144,000 saved JEWS win the world!
d. Rev 7:9-17 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
1) 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
2) 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
3) 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
4) 13. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
5) 14 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.
6) 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
7) 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
8) 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
4. And most of them will pay with their lives!
a. They came out of the last half of the Tribulation (7:13,14)
D. Massive Persecutions Break Out, forced chipping and the mark of the beast on everyone
1. Forced worship of the antichrist
a. Rev 13:16,17 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
2. Persecutions
a. Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
b. Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
3. Two More Raptures (Rev 14:1-5; 14-17)
a. The First Harvest (14:14-17)
1) The Harvester - Jesus Christ (14:14,15)
2) The harvest - The rapture of the Tribulation Saints along with the 144,000 witnesses
3) The first are the 144,000 Jewish men up to heaven briefly (Rev 14:1-5)
a) NOTE: Something has happened to these 144,000 witnesses between Chapter 7 and Chapter 14 since in 7, they are on this earth, and in Chapter 14, we find them WITH Jesus in Heaven.
b) These are now standing WITH the Lamb (14:1)
c) These have the name of God Almighty (JEHOVAH) written visibly on their foreheads (14:1), which is the MARK of their Father.
d) These at this point have been “redeemed FROM the earth”
e) Remember, these 144,000 are MALE VIRGIN JEWS (14:4; Cf 7:4) - NOT Jehovah Witnesses! Not Gentile believers. But BELIEVING JEWS!
f) They are in a sinless state in Heaven (14:5), no longer on the earth
b. The second harvest is of all those that took the mark of the beast – and they get transported to the Valley of Megiddo (14:18-20)
1) The harvester - The death angel (Exodus 13)
2) The harvest - Those destined for the “wine press” of the wrath of God (Compare Rev 19:13,15)
c. These two harvests take place seemingly one right after the other at the END of the Tribulation.
4. Final Battle – Armageddon – when Jesus returns, with His BRIDE behind Him
a. Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
b. Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
c. Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
d. Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
e. Also referred to as “The Day of the Lord”
1) Joe 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
2) Joe 3:13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
3) Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
4) Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
5) Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
f. That’s when all believers, of all time, come back from heaven and we WATCH Jesus win against the world, the flesh and the devil and set up His perfect kingdom of heaven on earth!
5. Can’t wait!