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(Rev 12:1-2 NCV)  And then a great wonder appeared in heaven: A woman was clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars was on her head. She was pregnant and cried out with pain, because she was about to give birth.

The woman represents both the nation of Israel, (the twelve stars show us this) and Mary the mother of Jesus. Mary was an Israelite, or the Tribe of Judah and she gave birth to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


(Rev 12:3-4 NCV)  Then another wonder appeared in heaven: There was a giant red dragon with seven heads and seven crowns on each head. He also had ten horns. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and threw them down to the earth. He stood in front of the woman who was ready to give birth so he could eat her baby as soon as it was born.

Satan, who caused 1/3 of the angels to fall with him sought to destroy Christ as soon as he was born through Herod slaying all of the babies under two years of age, but he failed because an angel to Joseph and Mary to flee to Egypt.


(Rev 12:5 NCV)  Then the woman gave birth to a son who will rule all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was taken up to God and to his throne.

Mary gave birth to Jesus, the one who will rule all nations with an iron sceptre during the millennium.


(Rev 12:6 NCV)  The woman ran away into the desert to a place God prepared for her where she would be taken care of for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

Mary and Joseph had to flee and find refuge in Egypt for 3 1/2 years until Herod was dead. After that they were told by an angel to go back to Israel. It is possible that some of the Jews, perhaps the 144,000 or the two witnesses will find refuge in Egypt during the tribulation.


(Rev 12:7-10 NCV)  Then there was a war 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, and he and his angels lost their place in heaven. The giant dragon was thrown down out of heaven. (He is that old snake called the devil or Satan, who tricks the whole world.) The dragon with his angels was thrown down to the earth. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: "The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come. The accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accused them day and night before our God, has been thrown down to earth.

As we studied in the chapter concerning angels and the gospels, Satan was defeated at the cross and his right to come into heaven and accuse the brethren as he had done for 4000 years was at an end. He no longer had any right to come before God and accuse any child of God of sin because Jesus paid for it all.


(Rev 12:11 NCV)  And our brothers and sisters defeated him by the blood of the Lamb's death and by the message they preached. They did not love their lives so much that they were afraid of death.


(Rev 12:12 NCV)  So rejoice, you heavens and all who live there! But it will be terrible for the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you! He is filled with anger, because he knows he does not have much time."

(1 Pet 5:8 KJV)  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Satan has been prowling about seeking whom he may devour for the past two thousand years, ever since his defeat at the cross. But, as his time grows shorter and shorter he will become more angry and increase the intensity of his attacks upon the people who dwell upon the earth. When the Christians are gone he will

(Rev 12:13 NCV)  When the dragon saw he had been thrown down to the earth, he hunted for the woman who had given birth to the son.

The verse above shows us that it pertains not just to Mary, but to the nation of Israel. Mary if far beyond Satan’s reach, celebrating the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven with all the saints. Satan has no one else left to direct his wrath towards but the nation of Israel. Mary is out of reach, the Christians are gone, but there are still some Israelites on the earth, and they have just begun to believe in Jesus Christ after the Two Witnesses were raised from the dead.

(Rev 12:14-16 NCV)  But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the desert. There she would be taken care of for three and one-half years, away from the snake. Then the snake poured water out of its mouth like a river toward the woman so the flood would carry her away. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that came from the mouth of the dragon.

The woman in the passage above probably represents in a narrow sense the 144,000 Israelites who were sealed and are protected by God from Satan’s murderous designs. In a broader sense it can be applied to all Israel and even the saints that Satan persecuted before the rapture took place.

(Rev 12:17 NCV)  Then the dragon was very angry at the woman, and he went off to make war against all her other children--those who obey God's commands and who have the message Jesus taught.

The verse  above can refer both to the saints whom Satan was persecuting and martyring earlier when the fifth seal was opened and also to the Israelites who receive Christ after the rapture whom he will persecute later. Many of the prophetic scriptures in Revelation have a double or triple meaning or even more than that.


Jesus, who gave this revelation to John for our benefit does not leave us in the dark concerning what will be happening on the earth in the end times. He has given us these prophecies so that our hearts will not be filled with fears as world conditions worsen, especially for Christians. 

(Rev 12:18 NCV)  And the dragon stood on the seashore.

(Rev 13:1-2 NCV)  Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, and there was a crown on each horn. A name against God was written on each head. This beast looked like a leopard, with feet like a bear's feet and a mouth like a lion's mouth. And the dragon gave the beast all of his power and his throne and great authority.

The beast that is like a leopard, a bear, and a lion is the final form of the kingdoms prophesied about in the book of Daniel. The Leopard was The Grecian empire ruled by Alexander the Great. The bear was the Medo-Persian empire. The lion was Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel and history tell us that the Roman empire followed these three and then gradually weakened and fell apart. In the end times the Antichrist’s kingdom will be greater than all of the previous kingdoms put together. This will be Satan’s next to last hurrah. If you wish to see what land area’s Antichrist will control directly early in his reign, look at the maps in you bible or bible handbook and view the maps of the Babylonian empire,  the Medo-Persian empire, the Greek empire, and the Roman empire. Antichrist’s composite beast will control all of that land area and perhaps even more. He will probably rule from the border Britain to India east and west and from the border of Russia to Egypt north and south.

(Rev 13:3 NCV)  One of the heads of the beast looked as if it had been killed by a wound, but this death wound was healed. Then the whole world was amazed and followed the beast.

There is more than one meaning to the verse above. It can represent the revival of the ancient empires under Antichrist and it may also represent Satan’s attempt to imitate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is very likely that Satan will somehow cause his Antichrist to appear to die and be raised from the dead. Don’t be deceived when it happens. There were also those in the early church who thought that the Antichrist would be Caesar Nero reincarnated or perhaps even Moses, as the devil contended with Michael over his body. It makes no difference what manner of strong delusion is used to deceive the world, they will fall for it. Because they rejected Christ when the gospel was preached to them God will allow it.

(2 Th 2:8-12 KJV)  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

(Rev 13:4 NCV)  People worshiped the dragon because he had given his power to the beast. And they also worshiped the beast, asking, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against it?"

The dragon is Satan, and the world will worship him through his representative, Antichrist. His power will be greater than any kingdom that has ever existed on earth. His might will make the alliance of Britain, the United States and Israel look weak in comparison. All nations will fear him because God will permit Satan to empower the Antichrist for a short time.


(Rev 13:5 NIV)  The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.

The Antichrist may rule longer than that over his own kingdom in Europe and Asia, but the time he is given power to rule over the entire world will only be 3 1/2 years. Even then many will rebel against him, probably the United States, Britain, Israel, and perhaps even China and Russia. Unfortunately none of us will be able to beat him and our governments will have to surrender, pay tribute and obey his orders or be attacked by his mighty Satanically empowered army. But, again, his power will only last for forty two months and we the saved will not even be here through all of that. Probably about 30 months or 2 1/2 years is all we will have to endure before the rapture takes place.

(Rev 13:6-7 NIV)  He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

The Antichrist blasphemes God and the inhabitants of heaven and is allowed to conquer and kill some of the saints. There is no disgrace in being one of the martyrs who are killed for their faith rather than one of those that God has chosen to live through until the rapture. God uses the martyrs as witnesses to show the world how strongly some believe in him, so strongly they are willing to die for their faith. Then he uses those who are left alive to witness and preach the gospel to them. One plants the seed and one waters the seed but both are equally important in God’s eyes.

(1 Cor 3:7-8 NIV)  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

So, whatever your job is if you live during this time just be faithful and it will all work out for the good.


(Rev 13:8-9 NIV)  All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. He who has an ear, let him hear.

There is no danger of a born again believer losing his or her salvation by worshipping the Antichrist. Everyone who worships him will be someone who was never saved. Jesus knows how to take care of his own and he has never lost even one of those that the father has given him.

(John 18:9 KJV)  That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

There may be some though, who like Judas appeared to be a follower of Christ but their true colors were revealed when persecution came. Jesus didn’t lose Judas, Judas was never a true believer.


(Rev 13:10 NIV)  If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

The time when Antichrist is ruling will be difficult for the saints of God. We may lose our homes and be driven our of our communities. We may have to live a spartan lifestyle for awhile being content to have food and clothing and little else. Some will die for their faith. But, the victory will come shortly thereafter so let no one give up hope.


(Rev 13:11-14 NIV)  Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

Satan’s goal has always been to be God. He imitates in an inferior way the works of God but can never equal them because he is a being created by the Lord. God did not give any of his created beings all of his (God’s) attributes and abilities. We all have some but none have all, neither angels nor humans, therefore no created being can ever equal God.

(Deu 19:15 NIV)  One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

(Deu 17:6 NIV)  On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

God spoke in his word that everything should be established at no less than the mouths of two witnesses. That is why God will send his two witnesses to preach during the tribulation period. During the Exodus he sent both Moses and Aaron, and at the time of Christ’s first coming he sent John the Baptist and Jesus along with the miracles as a testimony. There was a fourfold testimony concerning Jesus. John the Baptist,  the prophetic scriptures concerning the Messiah, the miracles that God gave Jesus to do as proof and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
 
(John 1:6-8 NIV)  There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

(John 5:31-32 & 39-40 NIV)  "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

The point here is that Satan will send another witness to deceive people into worshipping his puppet dictator, the Antichrist. We who study prophecy call that person “The False Prophet.” The false prophet will perform miracles and direct the praise for it to Antichrist.

(John 5:43 NIV)  I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.

Jesus spoke the word above to the Jewish leaders of his day, but he was not referring only to them, he was referring to the Jews in the future who would accept the Antichrist as their Messiah. For a few years, probably 3 1/2, the Jews will be deceived into believing that the Antichrist is their long awaited Messiah. They will accept the witness of the false prophet and reject the preaching of Enoch and Elijah. It is possible that the false prophet may claim to be Moses either reincarnated or raised from the dead by Antichrist.


(Rev 13:15 NIV)  He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.

The false prophet will demand that all people worship the image of the beast. It may be that in order to accomplish this he will cause people to bow down before a statue, a picture, or an image of the Antichrist on a television screen. We don’t know the exact method that will be used but we do know from past history that Satan’s goal is to cause people to bow down to false Gods as he inspired Nebuchanezzar to order people so to do in the book of Daniel.

(Dan 3:1-6 NIV)  King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace."

(Dan 3:7 NIV)  Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.


(Rev 13:16-17 NIV)  He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Once again Satan is copying things from God’s word, the scriptures.

(Deu 6:4-7 NIV)  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

(Deu 6:8-9 NIV)  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

And Again in Ezekiel an angel marks God’s people for protection during a time of disaster.

(Ezek 9:3-4 NIV)  Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it."

(Ezek 9:5-6 NIV)  As I listened, he said to the others, "Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.

Satan will inspire the false prophet to imitate the portion of scripture above by ordering all who will not receive the mark of Antichrist to be killed.


(Rev 13:18 NIV)  This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.

It is not exactly clear what this means yet but we will understand it when it is about to happen. The Lord will not leave us in the dark. Some think it could be an 18 digit number in three sequences like a longer social security number. an example would be 123456-789012-345678. I have read that there is enough combinations available there to give everyone in the world an individual number. Even more combinations are available if the alphabet is used along with numbers. Again, we don’t know exactly what the mark will entail, but it will be clear when it comes on the world scene that somehow the number 666 is involved with it.


Revelation Of Saint John The Theologian
And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Then shall appear the denier, and he who is set apart in the darkness, who is called Antichrist. And again I said: Lord, reveal to me what he is like. And I heard a voice saying to me: The appearance of his face is dusky; the hairs of his head are sharp, like darts; his eyebrows like a wild beast's; his right eye like the star which rises in the morning, and the other like a lion's; his mouth about one cubit; his teeth span long; his fingers like scythes; the print of his feet of two spans; and on his face an inscription, Antichrist; he shall be exalted even to heaven, and shall be cast down even to Hades, making false displays. And then will I make the heaven brazen, so that it shall not give moisture upon the earth; and I will hide the clouds in secret places, so that they shall not bring moisture upon the earth; and I will command the horns of the wind, so that the wind shall not blow upon the earth. And again I said: Lord, and how many years  will he do this upon the earth? And I heard a voice saying to me: Hear, righteous John. Three years shall those times be; and I will make the three years like three months, and the three months like three weeks, and the three weeks like three days, and the three days like three hours, and the three hours like three seconds, as said the prophet David, His throne hast Thou broken down to the ground; Thou hast shortened the days of his time; Thou hast poured shame upon him. And then I shall send forth Enoch and Elias to convict him; and they shall show him to be a liar and a deceiver; and he shall kill them at the altar, as said the prophet.

From The Apocalypse of Elijah   
Then when you hear that there is security in Jerusalem, tear your garments O priests of the land, because the Son of Perdition will soon come. In those days the Lawless One will appear in the holy places.  He will say to the sun, "fall," and it will fall. he will say, "shine," and it will do it. He will say, "darken," and it will do it. He will say to the moon, "become bloody," and it will do it. He will go forth with them from the sky. he will walk upon the sea and the rivers as upon dry land. He will cause the lame to walk, he will cause the deaf to hear, he will cause the dumb to speak. he will cause the blind to see, the lepers he will cleanse. The ill he will heal, the demons he will cast out. He will multiply his signs and his wonders in the presence of everyone. He will do the works which Christ did, except for the raising of the dead alone.  In this you will know that he is the Son of Lawlessness, because he is unable to give life.

When Enoch and Elijah hear that the shameless one has revealed himself in the Holy Places they will come down and fight with him saying, are you indeed not ashamed? You have been hostile to those who belong to heaven. You have acted against those belonging to the earth. You have been hostile to the thrones. You have acted against the angels. You are always a stranger. You have fallen from heaven like the morning stars. You were changed and your nature became dark. But you are not ashamed when you stand firmly against God. You are a devil.

The Shameless One will hear and he will be angry, and he will fight with them in the market place of the great city. He will spend seven days fighting with them and they will spend three and one half days in the market place dead, while all the people see them. Then they will rise up and they will scold him saying, "O Shameless One, O Son of Lawlessness, Are you indeed not ashamed of yourself since you are leading astray the people of God? Do you not know that we live in the Lord. On that day they will shout up to heaven as they shine, and all the world will see them.

The Son of Lawlessness will persecute the saints and the priests, but Christ will pity those who are his own. He will send from heaven his angels, and the sound will move heaven and earth when they give praise and glorify. Now those upon whose forehead the name of Christ is written and upon whose hand is the seal, both the small and the great, will be taken up upon their wings and lifted up before his wrath.  Then Gabriel and Uriel will lead them into the Holy Land. They will eat from the tree of life. They will wear white garments, they will not thirst.  The angels will watch over them and the Son of Lawlessness will not be able to prevail over them.

Then sinners will groan upon the earth saying, what have you done to us O Son of Lawlessness, saying I am the Christ when you are a devil.  You are unable to save yourself, so how can you save us? Woe to us because we listened to you.


(2 Th 2:1-3 NIV)  Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

Paul, when writing this letter to the Thessalonians was assuring them that they had not missed the rapture. Paul distinctly says that he is talking about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, i.e. the rapture. There can be no mistake here as to what he is talking about saying if one carefully reads verse one.

Because conditions were so bad and the saints were being persecuted and killed by order of the Roman Caesar’s some thought that they had missed the rapture and were having the wrath of God poured out upon them. Paul assured them not to worry about it, that unless the Antichrist had already come to power and committed what Jesus and Daniel called “the Abomination of Desolation,” then the rapture had not taken place. It is the Abomination of Desolation that positively identifies the Antichrist. Only after that identification has occurred can the rapture take place without violating scripture. 

(Dan 9:27 & 11:31 NIV)  He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.

(Mat 24:15-16 & 21-22 NIV)  "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains...  For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

(Mark 13:14 NIV)  "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

(2 Th 2:4 NIV)  He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

The Antichrist will set himself up in the temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be god and demand to be worshipped.  There have been many cruel and evil dictators down through the centuries that Christian have thought might be the Antichrist, but none of them were. This is the identifying item that will separate Antichrist from people like Hitler and other despots. Only the Antichrist will be able to meet the qualifications of demanding worship while sitting in the temple of God.

This has not been possible since 70 AD because the temple has not existed. It is still not possible today but with our modern methods a temple could be constructed very swiftly. Restaurants appear in weeks or even days where there was nothing but a vacant lot shortly beforehand. The temple could go up just as fast. I once saw a fast food restaurant being built and from groundbreaking to serving food it was only two weeks.

Not only this but Satan may try to deceive the world into believing that his Antichrist is the Messiah by a misinterpretation fulfillment of this scripture:

(John 2:19-21 NIV)  Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

(Mat 26:61 & 27:40 NIV)  and declared, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"... and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

(Mark 14:58 & 15:29 NIV)  "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.'"...  Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,

Satan may actually have a pre-fabricated temple ready to put together and knock down whatever building are on the site and put a temple up all in three days time. It is not impossible, no more so than a double wide mobile home being put up in three days. This isn’t necessarily how it will happen but the point is don’t get complacent and think that there is no need to think about the return of Christ because there is no temple. You could go camping for three days and not see the television or read the newspaper for three days and come home and find out there is a temple and Antichrist is sitting in it.


(2 Th 2:5-7 NIV)  Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

The Holy Spirit and the angels, primarily Michael the Archangel, who has power over Satan prevent the Antichrist from coming to power until the proper time. God won’t permit it until it fits in exactly with his program so that the millennium will begin 6000 years after the creation of Adam and be the heavenly Sabbath day. The Epistle of Barnabus, shows what Barnabus, the companion of Paul thought about the subject.

From The Epistle Of Barnabus
Barnabus 14:27 He hath sent Me to heal them that are broken-hearted, to preach release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of recompense, to comfort all that mourn.

Barnabus 15:1-6 Moreover concerning the sabbath likewise it is written in the Ten Words, in which He spake to Moses face to face on Mount Sinai; And ye shall hallow, the sabbath of the Lord with pure hands and with a pure heart. And in another place He saith ; If My sons observe the sabbath, then I will bestow My mercy upon them. Of the sabbath He speaketh in the beginning of the creation; And God made the works of His hands in six days, and He ended on the seventh day, and rested on it, and He hallowed it.

Barnabus 15:716- Give heed, children, what this meaneth; He ended in six days. He meaneth this, that in six thousand years the Lord shall bring all things to an end ; for the day with Him signifieth a thousand years;
and this He himself beareth me witness, saying; Behold, the day of the Lord shall be as a thousand years. Therefore, children, in six days, that is in six thousand years, everything shall come to an end. And He rested on the seventh day. This He meaneth; when His Son shall come, and shall abolish the time of the Lawless One, and shall judge the ungodly, and shall change the sun and the moon and the stars, then shall He truly rest on the seventh day.

Satan can do nothing to cause the Antichrist to come to power until it is God’s set time and the 6000 years will be completed at the return of Christ, according to God’s calendar. No one knows with absolute certainty what time it really is on God’s calendar so we can’t figure it out exactly. What we can know is that when a man sits in the temple of God and demands that the world worship him the time for Christ’s return will be near. Until then as Paul said, don’t fear that you have missed the rapture no matter how tough times get.


(2 Th 2:8 NIV)  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.


(2 Th 2:9-12 NIV)  The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.


(2 Th 2:13 NIV)  But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

 The 144,000 Are Seen Praising And Worshipping The Lamb Before The Throne

The narrative in Revelation now switches to future prophecy, to a scene that will occur after the return of Christ. At that time the 144,000 sealed Israelites will sing and celebrate in God’s kingdom.

(Rev 14:1-6 NCV)  Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. With him were one hundred forty-four thousand people who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of flooding water and like the sound of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like people playing harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the new song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who had been bought from the earth. These are the ones who did not do sinful things with women, because they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb every place he goes. These one hundred forty-four thousand were bought from among the people of the earth as people to be offered to God and the Lamb. They were not guilty of telling lies; they are without fault.

These verses are to be an inspiration to those Israelites who don’t go up with us in the rapture and whom God chooses to leave on earth as a witness and a fulfillment of prophecy as his wrath is poured out upon the world. They will not be harmed but will survive through the entire tribulation period and be there to greet Jesus, the saints, and the angels as we all return with Christ.


(Rev 14:6-7 NCV)  Then I saw another angel flying high in the air. He had the eternal Good News to preach to those who live on earth--to every nation, tribe, language, and people. He preached in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him praise, because the time has come for God to judge all people. So worship God who made the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the springs of water."


(Rev 14:8 NCV)  Then the second angel followed the first angel and said, "Ruined, ruined is the great city of Babylon! She made all the nations drink the wine of the anger of her adultery."

The world system or religion and government, instituted by Nimrod after the flood and reinstituted during the reign of Antichrist will be destroyed when the wrath of God begins to be poured out, right after the rapture takes place.


Looking back again and giving us some more details of what will transpire during the time of Antichrists reign the world is warned not to take the mark. Even if

(Rev 14:9-11 NKJV)  Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, "he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

(Rev 14:12-13 NCV)  This means God's holy people must be patient. They must obey God's commands and keep their faith in Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Happy are the dead who die from now on in the Lord." The Spirit says, "Yes, they will rest from their hard work, and the reward of all they have done stays with them."

Once again the warning is given to God’s people to be patient. When we see the Antichrist sitting in the temple of God declaring himself to be God and the False Prophet trying to force everyone to take the mark, we need to be patient, because the next great event on God’s calendar is the harvest of the righteous, the rapture.


(Rev 14:16 NCV)  Then I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and sitting on the white cloud was One who looked like a Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called out in a loud voice to the One who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and harvest from the earth, because the time to harvest has come, and the fruit of the earth is ripe." So the One who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

(1 Th 4:16-18 NIV)  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, being cheered on by the angels harvests the earth. The saved of all ages will now join him in heaven to celebrate the “marriage Supper of the Lamb,” while on earth God’s wrath is going to be poured out.


(Mat 24:29-31 NIV)  "Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

(Mark 13:27 NIV)  And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

This is where we left off at the sounding of the seventh trumpet in chapter nine of Revelation. God then in chapters ten through thirteen gave us the inside scoop, the details of would happen from the time the rider on a white horse, Antichrist came upon the scene until the church age ends at the rapture. From here onward we will learn new things that will be going on earth as well as in heaven. Notice again how prominent angels are in all that is going to happen.


(Rev 14:17-18 NCV)  Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. And then another angel, who has power over the fire, came from the altar. This angel called to the angel with the sharp sickle, saying, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the bunches of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe."

(Rev 14:19 NKJV)  So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.


(Mat 13:36-43 NIV)  Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.


(Mat 13:49-50 NIV)  This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(Rev 14:20 NCV)  They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the winepress as high as horses' bridles for a distance of about one hundred eighty miles.

2 Esdras 15:34-37 & 40 See the clouds from the east, and from the north to the south! Their appearance is exceedingly threatening, full of wrath and storm. They shall clash against one another and shall pour out a heavy tempest on the earth, and their own tempest; and there shall be blood from the sword as high as a horse’s belly and a man’s thigh and a camel’s hock. And there shall be fear and great trembling on the earth; those who see that wrath shall be horror-stricken, and they shall be seized with trembling.  Great and mighty clouds, full of wrath and tempest, shall rise and destroy all the earth and its inhabitants, and shall pour out upon every high and lofty place a terrible tempest,
The winepress of God is another term for the aftermath of the battle of Armageddon. Satan’s angels will incite his followers to gather at Armageddon to fight with Christ when he returns. The battle will be short. Jesus Christ will destroy the armies of the world there and so much blood will be shed that it will be as deep as a horses bridle.