Twilight of the Day of the Lord

Related Topics

Blindness, Deception, Apostasy, Redemption | The Next Prophetic Road Signs? | Twilight of the Day of the Lord

Synopsis

Unlike most modern cultures whose days transition at midnight, the ancient Hebrews followed the creation account where evening and morning are one day, and so it is at twilight that the day transitions. A day to the Lord is as one thousand years, and just as the six days of creation were followed by the Sabbath rest, so too is six thousand years of man on earth reaching its end. While the day of the Lord covers a one thousand year period, it’s arrival is one of the most mentioned end time events and is tied to both sudden destruction from the wrath of God and the redemption of God’s people at His coming.

But this transition from the sixth day to the seventh Sabbath millennium is packed with some of the most intense prophetic events that have been expected for almost two millennia. Blindness, Deception, Apostasy, Redemption set the stage regarding the centrality of Israel and Jerusalem in the coming times while The Next Prophetic Road Signs laid out the visions of Daniel and John related to the buildup to the twilight of the sixth day.

Now, the deception has reached its fullness. Those who accept the false christ as their messiah will make that fatal choice while those who reject him will flee unparalleled persecution in Judea. Suddenly, the sun becomes dark and the moon turns to blood as the stars fall to earth and Yeshua, at the Father’s will, returns in glory to take His people out of spiritual Sodom and Egypt on wings of an eagle into the wilderness to protect her until His judgement is complete. At the same time He calls His bride, freshly donned in her celestial body, to Himself. The earth holds her breath as heaven goes silent, the calm before the wrath of God speaks to the severity of what is about to come on the earth.

All these events are laid out in scripture, not only in their general description, but spelled out in God’s appointed times for Israel and exact-day prophecies that lay out the framework of the 70th week over His appointed times. While life will go on and a time of apparent peace is on the horizon, sudden destruction is coming, but God’s people who trust in His Word are not in darkness so as to be caught off guard by these things. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 We’ve had a glimpse of the build up, what does God’s Word have to say about the transition to the day of the Lord?

Twilight of the Day of the Lord

In The Next Prophetic Road Signs?, Daniel 7 and Revelation were examined and compared to see how it tells of the time just before and during the first half of the 70th week of Daniel. It touched on the transition from the seventh head, the rise of the false messiah, to the eighth with the death and resurrection of the false messiah. This transition is tied to the abomination of desolation that takes place in the midst of the week.

In this study, we will focus on this time of transition in greater detail which we will see, according to the exact day prophecies, is really only about thirty days before it is cut short by the arrival of Yeshua to save His people from the Dragon according to His promise. But many events and details happen within this short time before the twilight of the day of the Lord.

In most modern cultures, midnight is the time of transition to a new day. However, in Hebrew culture each new day begins at the setting of the sun because that is how God reckoned a day during creation.

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

A day to the Lord is as one thousand years, Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8, and just as the six days of creation were followed by the Sabbath rest, so too is six thousand years of man reaching its end to be followed by the Sabbath reign of the Messiah, the day of the Lord. While the day of the Lord covers a one thousand year period, it’s arrival is one of the most mentioned end time events. Twenty five times in scripture, the day of the Lord starts with judgement and wrath prior to His rule while three times in scripture, the day of Christ is depicted as the completion of the race and a time of rejoicing for the believer. So this pivotal time in our future is tied to both sudden destruction from the wrath of God and the redemption of God’s people at His coming.

As the sun sinks below the horizon on the final day before the Sabbath, we’ll examine the events in the midst of the 70th week of Daniel that lead to the start of the day of the Lord.

God’s Return to the Temple?

There is much debate surrounding the idea of a third temple. Not only does it seem politically improbable in the modern climate without all-out war breaking out in the Middle East, but from a Christian perspective each believer in Christ is part of the body of Christ. Our bodies are the temples in which the Holy Spirit cohabitates and comforts each believer until the day of Christ when we receive our new celestial bodies. Moreover, the sacrifices that come with the temple or tabernacle were replaced by Yeshua were they not? Of course for those that see and believe this is all true, laid out for us in the New Testament of that better sacrifice that was able to do what animal sacrifice could never do, forgive sin.

At the same time scriptures foretell of a physical temple, or tabernacle, that is central to the future events prior to the return of Yeshua. We must also remember that it is the people who are blinded to Yeshua that still have statutes given to them to perform throughout their generations that revolve around the very temple that His body of believers no longer require. My preference when studying the Word of God is to believe every aspect as true and where there seems to be some sort of contradiction, I must adjust my perspective to see how all the pieces fit together, because they do.

It is clear that at least some of the Orthodox Jewish community have great faith in a coming return to the Mosaic Covenant and all of its statutes. They are actively working to prepare for that time when Israel, being in the land and having sovereignty of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, will make that faith a reality. It is a part of their identity as God’s chosen people, and they still are His people, accepting the distinction and all that comes with it.

Exodus 15:17-18
Thou shalt bring them [Israel] in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, [in] the place, O LORD, [which] thou hast made for thee to dwell in, [in] the Sanctuary, O Lord, [which] thy hands have established. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.

Just because the New Covenant has been brought into effect doesn’t mean that the blind see it or accept it, they still await the fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:27-36. They have not traded their yoke for Yeshua’s yoke, they still work under the Law and are judged according to it. Romans 2:17-29 But the letter of the Law was not abolished by Yeshua, but fulfilled in spirit.

Matthew 5:17-18
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

But these things are focused on the moral aspect of salvation needed by all. The statutes that God gave to His people Israel were relevant throughout their generations. Is that of no effect anymore or are these statutes truly to be kept by the children of Israel throughout their generations? If you do a search of throughout generations, it occurs in twenty seven verses in the Old Testament, mingled with other words like perpetual, continual, and for ever. One of these perpetual statutes is directly related to the coming abomination of desolation.

Exodus 29:38-46
Now this [is that] which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine [for] a drink offering. And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. [This shall be] a continual burnt offering throughout your generations [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and [the tabernacle] shall be sanctified by my glory. And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I [am] the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I [am] the LORD their God.

There are actually five types of offerings, none of which was able to take away sin. Hebrews 10:3-4 The sacrifices were for purification to enter God’s sanctified sacred space and commune with Him and were for remembrance of their sin that separated them from God. Hebrews 9:13 So it may be that modern Christians lack the understanding of the significance of this relationship as we see in Ezekiel 43:18-27 when the Lord is dwelling in the midst of Israel and they no more defile His name and the animal sacrifices continue. We likewise see in the reign of Yeshua on earth that the priesthood will be offering burnt offerings continually.

Jeremiah 33:14-18
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this [is the name] wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

While the sacrificial system seems antithetical to the Christian mind, its purpose and statutes were not given to the Christian that is living the fulfillment of the Law with the spirit of obedience, having entered the rest of the yoke of Christ. The statutes were given to those who cannot see a relationship with God apart from them. In their blindness they cannot see a relationship with God through Yeshua. But God knows this and is patient, knowing that those who are His will one day see. Even in the millennium when they do see, they have not yet received their celestial bodies and dwell on earth as we all do now. As they turn their hearts back to God before He returns, will He not keep His promise, meeting them where they are at?

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 5-6, 27-31
Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do [them], that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. … Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do [them]; for this [is] your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation [is] a wise and understanding people. … And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find [him], if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, [even] in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God [is] a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

If Israel seeks God with all their heart in the latter days they will find Him. And how might they be obedient? This peculiar people were given perpetual statutes to follow that will even be in effect during the day of the Lord. God says He will not forget the covenant He swore to them.

There are times that Israel did not keep their end of the agreement, playing the harlot and going after other Gods. Babylon then became the instrument of God, keeping His promise regarding His house and His people in His land. And this highlights the last days seeking of God that will in more severe manner be dealt with in the utter destruction of His city and tabernacle after His people are removed to the wilderness.

2 Chronicles 7:12-16, 19-22
And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer [that is made] in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. ... But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it [to be] a proverb and a byword among all nations. And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

This promise to return to His people if they turn back to Him is seen in several places in scripture, including Zechariah 1:2-6, Jeremiah 24:5-7, Jeremiah 29:10-14, and likewise related to the end times, Ezekiel 36:22-24, 35-38. Israel’s future return to the Mosaic Covenant to keep the statutes, including the sacrificial system, is the result of a people in distress turning back to God with all their hearts. In the beginning they are not yet deceived by the great deception that is building quietly under the surface, playing off their desire for the arrival of their Messiah and His kingdom.

The purpose of temple ministry was for the priests to keep the tabernacle of God ritually pure to accommodate His presence in that sacred space. The sacrificial system was both for this purpose and to serve as a foreshadow. We tend to think of the sin and other offerings in terms of the New Testament, but it was less about moral sin than purity to stand before God. What couldn’t be removed by animal sacrifice was reminded of by animal sacrifice, and foreshadowed the coming perfect sacrifice that would one day remove sin once and for all to those that obeyed God and lived in the spirit of the Law, selfless lovingkindness toward God and each other.

If Israel’s heart is truly turning back to God, though it may be deceived to apostasy later by a great deception, will God not keep His promise to return to His people once again? If they fulfill the statutes and minister at the temple, as God gave them to do throughout their generations so that they can meet with Him, will He not meet with those seeking Him?

While very temporary and destined for corruption and destruction, the third tabernacle of God in Jerusalem will have an event unfold that Yeshua Himself stated would be the abomination of desolation. As we will see, these words have meaning and suggest a time prior to that event where the house of God was not desolate.

The Two Witnesses

Revelation 11:1-4, 14
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [and] two months. And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. ... The second woe is past; [and], behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

Tied to the idea of a third temple, John’s vision of the end included a physical, measurable temple with an altar and people worshipping in it. The court of the Gentiles is not measured as they are said to tread Jerusalem under foot for 42 months.

I do not think it is a coincidence that the temple is mentioned in conjunction with the two witnesses. As Israel is turning back to God the only way they know how in their blindness, God is providing witnesses to the truth. That they are introduced with the third temple suggests that the timing of their arrival is to ensure God’s truth is provided to the Hebrews now coming to the temple to worship God. While we learn later that they are hated by those in Jerusalem who rejoice over their deaths, the beginning of their ministry will likely be a different story.

Their deaths and resurrections are timed between the second and third woes, the sixth and seventh trumpets. These would take place at some point in the midst of the second half of the 70th week. That their ministry is said to be for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth would then mean that it began in the midst of the first half of the 70th week.

We don’t know how long it would take to build and dedicate a new temple after Israel turns to God, starting the 70th week, but it could be that the ministry of the two witnesses would coincide with that time. So for the first half of their ministry, they would be witnessing to a people desiring God. Though their message of Yeshua would likely not be met with cheers, some of those they reach may have their eyes opened, but those who reject and hate them are without excuse. God has provided the truth through His witnesses.

Abomination of Desolation

The abomination of desolation is corruption of the ritual purity of the tabernacle of God with an abomination that is unholy. As God is holy and set apart, the tabernacle is made desolate of His presence. Yeshua pointed us to Daniel in regards to this event that starts the unparalleled tribulation in Judea. There are four accounts from Daniel regarding this pivotal event, two historical and two centered around the time Yeshua pointed to that is yet future. What we learn from both the historical event, and the depiction of all of them, gives us a better understanding of it.

Daniel 8:11-14
Yea, he magnified [himself] even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily [sacrifice] was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given [him] against the daily [sacrifice] by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain [saint] which spake, How long [shall be] the vision [concerning] the daily [sacrifice], and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

In history, it was Antiochus IV in 167 BC that stopped the daily sacrifice and placed an idol of Zeus in the temple, among other horrible things he did to the Jews. In all four accounts, both the stopping of the daily sacrifice and the abomination of desolation are consistently tied together. Historically 2,300 daily sacrifices, one each morning and one each evening, were missed from the time of the abomination of desolation until the rededication of the temple celebrated as Channukkah. This very precise prophecy from Daniel 8 is validated in 1,150 days provided by 1 Maccabees 1:54 and 1 Maccabees 4:52-53.

Daniel 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.

This mention of the taking away of the daily sacrifice, polluting the sanctuary, and placing the abomination of desolation was likewise referring to Antiochus IV. The whole first part of Daniel 11 is an amazing walk through history, written before it happened, that leads to Daniel 11:35 stating, "And [some] of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make [them] white, [even] to the time of the end: because [it is] yet for a time appointed."

Here it is as though Daniel is making the connection between the abomination of Desolation performed by Antiochus IV to that yet future to be performed by the false messiah. While verse 35 draws our attention to the appointed time of the end following Antiochus IV, verse 36 brings us to that king of the appointed time of the end that will likewise stop the daily sacrifice and set himself up as an idol to be worshipped, declaring himself to be God.

Daniel 11:36
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

So just as a period of time was tied to the historical event, another period of time is tied to the future event and the combination of the two future prophecies from Daniel give us several keys to the understand timing.

Daniel 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.

This is the 70th week of Daniel, a seven year period that we are told the abomination of desolation will take place in the midst, or middle, of.

Daniel 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.

We know the abomination of desolation happens in the midst of the 70th week, and here we are told there are 1,290 days after it. As we’ll get into shortly, the ending of this period that began with the abomination of desolation will end with the completion of the 70th week of Daniel.

But why this abomination of desolation, what is the point? As Yeshua pointed out, the end of the age and His coming are wrapped in great deception being perpetrated by the Dragon in sheep’s clothing. In his pride he seeks God’s worship in God’s appointed place, Mount Zion.

Isaiah 14:12-14
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

The abomination of desolation is the moment the Dragon removes his lamb skin to stand as he is, through his proxy the false messiah, to declare himself to be the most High in God’s temple on the mount of the congregation where He would meet with His people.

2 Thessalonians 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.

For many of God’s people, they will not notice what has happened because they are still blind. What they perceive is the fulfillment of God’s promises according to His Word in the Messiah dwelling among them, taking away their sins, and establishing the new covenant.

But this actually happened 2,000 years ago according to scripture, Daniel 9:25-26, and this event is setting up a false god to be worshipped by God’s people at His tabernacle. An abomination that causes the presence of God to depart them, leaving His house desolate. As Jerusalem’s children once again turn to worship a false god at God’s tabernacle, their blindness remains according to their desires and the harlot atop Mount Zion rides the final head of the Dragon wherever he leads them. Unfortunately for them, the Dragon’s fate is sealed and by extension theirs as well.

But for the remnant that is beginning to see, an unparalleled time is about to come that will test their faithfulness to the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Great Tribulation

The origins of the words tribulation or affliction in most translations comes from the Greek word thlipsis. It’s used 45 times in 43 verses in the New Testament, and 104 times in 96 verses in the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament. However, the focus is not just on tribulation, but megas thlipsis, or great tribulation.

The context of the time of great tribulation is actually only mentioned in four places as clearly related to the future time. But we can logically add three more passages to the context of this unparalleled time for a total of seven passages that speak about this future time.

A commonly used phrase among prophecy commentators is “seven year tribulation.” However, there is nowhere in scripture that combines these. Yes, there is a seven year period in Daniel 9:27 and there are many cases of thlipsis and megas thlipsis in scripture, but the contextual references given by Yeshua Himself have the great tribulation starting at the abomination of desolation in the midst of the seven years. We must accept the words as given for proper discernment and not add to them, especially given that Daniel 9:27 places the abomination of desolation in the midst of the seven year period, not at its start.

It is also commonly assumed with this “seven year tribulation” that tribulation is referring to the wrath of God. Likewise, scripture makes a distinction between the wrath of the Dragon on God’s people and the wrath of God on the Dragon’s people.

The Dragon’s wrath comes at the unveiling of the man of sin and the beginning of his three and a half year reign from the abomination of desolation. It is from this time that the saints will be given into his hand for the duration of his reign, which ends at their destruction at Yeshua’s return. But God’s wrath comes suddenly at His arrival at the sign of the sixth seal where even the people of earth recognize its arrival and hide from Him in His glory. We’ll get to that later, for now let’s focus on the Dragon’s wrath that begins at the abomination of desolation and is the reason Yeshua warned those in Judea to flee to the mountains when they see it.

Two Phases of the Dragon’s Wrath

Revelation 12 is a key chapter that reveals the Dragon’s wrath and depicts two phases of it. It introduces the woman representing faithful Israel from whom the Messiah was born and caught up to the Father, and it introduces the Devil as a Dragon with ten horns trying first to eliminate Yeshua at His first coming, then in a rage go after His people after being cast out from heaven at the end before Yeshua’s second coming.

Phase one of the Dragon’s wrath begins when he is cast out of heaven and is seen in his attempt to wipe out faithful Israel. He tried with their Messiah 2,000 years earlier, but played right into His plan for mankind’s redemption in the process.

Revelation 12:13-16
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child]. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

This coincides with the unparalleled time in Matthew 24:15-28 and Mark 13:14-23 that we’ll cover shortly. It’s the abomination of the false messiah’s claim to be God that starts the great tribulation, the Dragon’s wrath on God’s people. These are they that reject the Dragon’s claim to be God. Those deceived who accept his claim and worship him are the Dragon’s people that set themselves against God’s faithful people.

Phase two doesn’t take place until the woman’s protection is secured and the Dragon can no longer persecute her.

Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Notice that he is still wroth with the woman, but has to settle attacking now the remnant of her seed and Christians. This makes the point that Israel is in two places, the land and outside the land. While I believe the time leading up to this will see many of Israel return to the land, not all will do so. As we will see, the context of this unparalleled time of great tribulation has a distinct focus in every mention that is important to recognize.

This is a very critical piece to the puzzle that reveals how it is possible for the time of unparalleled tribulation to be cut short while keeping the exact day prophecies we will cover shortly of the wrath of the Dragon’s 42 month, or 3.5 year duration intact.

The Olivet Discourse

As we look at phase one of the great tribulation, there are several references tied to this time in slightly different context than is the point of this article. Revelation 2:22-24, Revelation 7:9, 13-14 I think these are important to understand in light of the 50% of the bride that are shut out of the marriage, cast into great tribulation, and the timing of the gathering having been after phase one of the Dragon’s wrath respectively.

However, I want to focus on the very specific time Yeshua spoke of in the Olivet Discourse, which ties its start to the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet.

Matthew 24:15-22
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great[G3173 megas] tribulation[G2347 thlipsis], such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Mark 13:14-20
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter [therein], to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For [in] those days shall be affliction[G2347 thlipsis], such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

There are three important points made in the Olivet discourse regarding this unparalleled time that can be used to connect other Old Testament prophecies about this same time.

1. Focused in Judea on a people to whom a Sabbath day is relevant. In a place where extended travel is prohibited on this day, one attempting to flee would stand out, being the only ones not resting.
2. The tribulation of the time is unparalleled in all of history and future.
3. For the sake of the elect of those going through it, the duration of the tribulation will be cut short.

We can find these very markers in two other Old Testament prophecies that further clarify the connection to Israel, Jerusalem, and Judea. It is not logically possible to have a day that is unparalleled be more than one time in history. Therefore these must all be speaking of the same time.

Jeremiah 30:4-7
And these [are] the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? 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.

Reinforcing this unparalleled time taking place in Judea, note that this prophecy is concerning Israel and Judah and is called the time of Jacob’s trouble. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel as the father of the 12 tribes. This indicates that this is not just a Jewish time of trouble, but is related to Israel as a whole. Ever since the splitting of the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah, there has been a promise of a reuniting that has not taken place yet as prophesied in Ezekiel 37:15-21 and it is this regathering of all the tribes I think we will see happen during the first half of the 70th week as Israel returns to God and Hebrews around the world desire to return to the promised land.

That this is called a time of Jacob’s trouble would also indicate that it is a family affair. We saw at Christ’s first coming families turn against those that followed Christ. The first, and repeated, warning Yeshua gave when asked about the sign of His coming and the end of the age was a warning not to be deceived by false christs claiming His authority as the anointed Messiah. As discussed in Blindness, Deception, Apostasy, Redemption, for the majority of Israel, they still await the arrival of the Messiah, blinded to the fulfillment in Yeshua. Could we see family once again turn against family with the arrival of a false christ, accepted fervently by some and rejected by others?

Aside from the unparalleled nature of this passage, we likewise have the promise that Jacob will be saved out of this time. This clearly reinforces the central nature of Israel in Judea to this time that is unparalleled in earth’s history and that God’s remnant will be saved out of.

Daniel 12:1
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

The same themes from the Olivet Discourse and Jeremiah are seen again here in Daniel. Again we have a time of trouble unlike any time since there was a nation. The focus of this time surrounds the Archangel Michael, which stands for Daniel’s people Israel, standing aside. This has some very relevant context in this time beginning when Michael cast the Dragon out of heaven. This can be viewed in the notes of the more in-depth study The Restrainer.

We also see that out of this unparalleled time Daniel’s people, Israel, will be delivered from it. This is not every one of Israel, as it’s clarified that it is just those written in the book. This points to the elect, God’s people that have chosen or will choose Him and not just anyone of Israel.

Another very relevant piece of information regarding the timing of this that ties it back to the rise of the false messiah is that there were originally no chapter breaks. Daniel 11:45 occurs directly before Daniel 12:1. This ties it to the death and resurrection of that same king of Daniel 11:36-39 that exalts himself above every god and speaks against the God of gods, not honoring the God of his fathers. This is the same seventh head that receives a deadly wound that is healed and becomes the eighth head. Revelation 13:3-4, 14 and Revelation 17:8-11

So we have two other witnesses that likewise define an unparalleled time of great tribulation that is focused on Daniel’s people, Israel, and Judah in Judea. That it is also called the time of Jacob’s trouble would likewise bring the focus on Israel regarding this time. Thinking back to the warnings that families would turn against each other during this time and seeing what happened in the persecution of the early church by their own people, we can see how the brunt of the Dragon’s wrath is at first focused on Israel in Judea before it is spread outside Judea only after the faithful woman is protected from the Dragon.

Second Exodus

In the saving of Israel out of this unparalleled tribulation, we see a similar sequence of events that happened in the Exodus out of Egypt millennia before. From the vision of John, we see Jerusalem, the great city, depicted as spiritual Egypt.

Revelation 11:8
And their [two witnesses] dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

In Revelation 12 we saw that the Dragon casts water out of his mouth, the idea of a multitude at the command of the Dragon, to carry away the fleeing woman representing the faithful. This is reminiscent of Pharaoh’s command of his armies to go after the fleeing Israel, but as his armies were swallowed up by the Red Sea, the flood of the Dragon’s armies will be swallowed up by the earth. We saw this same sort of thing happen with Korah’s rebellion in Numbers 16:1-40.

We also see the connection of this escape to being carried on wings of an eagle.

Exodus 19:4
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

Revelation 12:14
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

And so the woman is protected from the Dragon in the wilderness. And just as God led and provided for Israel and gave them the Law at Sinai, so too will He bring them back to Him in the wilderness with the blindness removed after seeing His glorious return and their salvation by Him in acceptance of the New Covenant.

Hosea 2:14
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.

As after the Exodus when God brought them out of the wilderness into the Promised Land, so too will Israel be brought out of the wilderness after the wrath of God is complete and the Dragon defeated. They will enter into the Promised Land in its fullness with Yeshua reigning as King from a new temple in a new Jerusalem built over the ashes of judgement accomplished. The harlot city will never exist again on Mount Zion and Yeshua’s kingdom will stand forever.

This second Exodus is the transition from phase one of the Dragon’s wrath to phase two. It is marked by the arrival of Yeshua to fight for and save His people in great persecution and begin the time of judgement that will pave the way for His kingdom.

The Sixth Seal

Revelation 6:12-17
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 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; 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: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The sixth seal is the central event meant to catch everyone’s attention and herald Yeshua’s return in glory. That sudden event is the final seconds before the day of the Lord. We can see in the Olivet Discourse that it is the next event to take place.

Matthew 24:29
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:

Mark 13:24-25
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

Luke 21:25-26
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

There are some who see this and assume it is the whole three and a half years of the Dragon’s wrath that this is following. However, we must take the two phases of this wrath from Revelation 12 into account before jumping to any conclusions. Without that understanding there is no way for the great tribulation to be cut short and for the Dragon’s wrath to last three and a half years, or forty two months, or one thousand three hundred and sixty days.

After what tribulation are we told the sun, moon, and stars will be affected like this? The only tribulation in context is the unparalleled tribulation in the days just before this event, which started with the abomination of desolation in the midst of the 70th week of Daniel, and we are told it will be cut short for the sake of the faithful woman in Judea that is fleeing to the wilderness. The Dragon’s 3.5 years is not cut short, only the length of the first phase of it.

Isaiah 13:6-13
Howl ye; for the day of the LORD [is] at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces [shall be as] flames. Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

We know that the sixth seal, the return of Christ, and the day of the Lord are very close together because the celestial signs are connected as a herald to them. But we also know that while they may be close together, they are not one in the same and the sixth seal comes before the day of the Lord.

Joel 2:30-32
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

The Day of the Lord, The Day of Christ

The day of the Lord is the start of the thousand year reign of Yeshua, but as each day starts at sunset, so too does the day of the Lord begin with darkness. But the start of this new day has a flurry of events that will happen so fast that the destruction that follows will be very sudden. But while even the people of earth recognize this coming judgement as we saw at the sixth seal, we also see it tied to Christ’s return to gather His bride.

Matthew 24:30-31
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mark 13:26-27
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Luke 21:27-28
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Yeshua is not establishing His kingdom at this time, He must go through a purging of the land of those who fight against Him and judge the Dragon’s people. Then He will establish His kingdom on earth over the ashes of judgement fulfilled. Then those that love God will be set in the land of promise and dwell under His authority and protection as King.

The word parousia, or coming, denotes an arrival and continued presence. It is commonly believed that Yeshua will return once to gather His bride, leave, then come back to defeat the Dragon and his armies and establish His kingdom.

However, there is one point that should not be overlooked, and that is Yeshua is the only one worthy to break the seals on the two-sided scroll. Revelation 5:1-7, Ezekiel 2:9-3:4, Revelation 10:9-10 We also know that it is Yeshua who will tread the winepress of the wrath of God.

Isaiah 63:1-6
Who [is] this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this [that is] glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore [art thou] red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people [there was] none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance [is] in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and [there was] none to help; and I wondered that [there was] none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

Note that just as we see Yeshua return and gather His bride after the sixth seal, but before the day of the Lord, we see here that the day of vengeance is in God’s heart and the year of His redeemed. I find it interesting how “day of the Lord’ is tied to destruction and a day of darkness, but if you look at the “day of Christ,’ or “day of our Lord Jesus Christ” you will find quite a different perspective, one of expectation for redemption.

Philippians 1:10
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

Philippians 2:16
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

1 Corinthians 1:8
Who shall also confirm you unto the end, [that ye may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We see time and again two paradigms of the return of Christ. One where the earth is terrified of the coming judgement and a dark day of the wrath of God and treading of the winepress of the wrath of God. The other is best stated in Luke 21:28, "… your redemption draweth nigh."

We see at Yeshua’s return to destroy the Dragon’s power and establish His kingdom after the wrath, that He returns in those same clothes representative of treading the winepress of the wrath of God.

Revelation 19:11-13
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

This confirms the fact that while Yeshua returns in glory to gather His bride and protect faithful Israel in the wilderness, He is actively carrying out the wrath of God before His return from heaven. Of course over the three and a half years it is a simple thing for Yeshua to go where He wants, but it’s clear He is the only one worthy to carry out judgement on the earth.

Another event that seems clear of this time before the wrath of God is seen in how Revelation 6:12-8:1 defines the sixth seal and is followed by two distinctive events in Revelation 7.

First, the 144,000 of the 12 tribes of Israel are seen sealed by God. We later learn that only those sealed by God are protected from the scorpion locusts from the bottomless pit. These have just experienced the second Exodus, escaping spiritual Egypt by the power of God and are protected in the wilderness. The very wind is held back from blowing and the angels given to hurt the earth and sea are told to wait until they are sealed. This places this even within that time of Yeshua’s return after the sixth seal and before the seventh. One half hour later the wrath of God begins.

Second, an innumerable multitude standing on the clear crystal floor that was empty before the throne just a few chapters earlier in Revelation 4:6, but now is filled with those who have come out of great tribulation. We then continue on to the seventh seal, the one half hour of silence in heaven before the wrath of God begins with the seven trumpets.

By this we know that Yeshua’s return is not only to gather His elect before His wrath begins, but to protect His people from the Dragon in the wilderness and seal some of them before His wrath begins. This means the sealed are on the earth and will be going through the time of God’s wrath, explicitly protected from at least the effects of the fifth trumpet, perhaps more.

Left Behind

I’ve made the point from scripture that the great tribulation is cut short at Yeshua’s return. Does that mean the time after is not great tribulation? Not at all, and this highlights an important warning to the bride of Christ from Matthew 25:1-13.

While all the ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom to come, only half of them actually go the marriage and the rest are shut out of it. In short, I believe the oil for the lamps they need to light the way is representative of a relationship with Yeshua as marked by the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Just as some of Israel drew near and honored God with their lips but their hearts were far from Him, not all who say they are Christians are so inwardly. Just as Israel has had problems with idolatry, so too does the rest of those who call themselves by His name. Yeshua is coming back for a bride that desires relationship with Him as much as He desires relationship with them.

Revelation 2:21-23
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Contrast this warning with a similar promise to those that obey and keep Gods’ Word.

Revelation 3:10
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

So we see in the letters to the churches a warning to repentance lest they are cast into great tribulation and a promise to be kept from the hour of temptation because they keep God’s Word.

When seeing the two phases of great tribulation delineated by Yeshua’s return, we can see how the short period of unparalleled tribulation in Judea that is cut short may not affect Christians around the globe, but for those who do not have a relationship with Yeshua in Spirit now will be left behind, effectively cast into the remaining one thousand two hundred and thirty days of great tribulation that will spread around the world as the Dragon goes after the remnant of Israel and those that hold the testimony of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

With God’s people caught up and protected from the wrath, the final seal is broken and there is silence in heaven for half an hour. Through the seven trumpets, thunders, and bowls Yeshua will tread the winepress of the wrath of God. And as God’s wrath is poured out on the Dragon’s people, the Dragon will continue his wrath on God’s people that remain and are tested in the hour of temptation.

The seat of the false messiah, the harlot city riding the Dragon in apostasy and drunk on the blood of the saints, will be judged on the earth and through that judgement the land will be prepared for the Messianic Kingdom and its subjects to inhabit the land in the fullness of the promises made to Israel in the presence of their God and King, Yeshua.

Order of Events

If anyone is best to define the order of events, it should be Yeshua and He does this clearly in the Olivet Discourse. It’s just up to us to take God at His Word.

• Warning of false christs
• Abomination of desolation
• Great tribulation in Judea begins
• Warning of false christs
• Sixth seal immediately after this tribulation of previous verses
  • Note "unparalleled time for Israel in Judea" is cut short for sake of elect going through it.
  • Remnant of Israel who will turn to Yeshua is elect, context of elect are those going through great tribulation.
• Sign of the Son of Man in heaven
• At sound of trumpet, angels gather elect

One Taken One Left

A commonly used connection to the catching away is the idea of one being taken and one left. This is the view that I held for some time, but there was something a little off when looking at all three accounts that actually highlights the time of unparalleled tribulation in Judea in relation to this one taken and one left.

As we covered, the abomination of desolation is the beginning of the unparalleled tribulation that ends with the sudden destruction. If you examine all the references to day or days in the Olivet Discourse, the majority of them are G2250 ἡμέρα (hēmera), which means literally the time space between dawn and dark, or the whole 24 hours, and figuratively a period (always defined more or less clearly by the context).

Matthew 24:22
And except those ‘days’(G2250) should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those ‘days’(G2250) shall be shortened.

Matthew 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those ‘days’(G2250) 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:

These are referring to the unparalleled time of Jacob’s trouble that starts at the abomination of desolation. It is more than one day so it’s interpreted as plural, not a single day.

Matthew 24:36
But of that ‘day’(G2250) and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the ‘days’(G2250) of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the ‘days’(G2250) that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the ‘day’(G2250) that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

The day and hour known only to the Father is the coming of Christ, which will happen in a day, it’s just not known which one. But note that the days of Noah is plural and we know this because it’s talking about the period of time before the flood and the day of the flood. This is how the coming of the Son of man will be. There will be a period of days leading up to His day of arrival and then that day will arrive. The same is said of Lot, and Luke says it more directly associated to the days before.

Luke 17:26-33
And as it was in the ‘days’(G2250) of Noe, so shall it be also in the ‘days’(G2250) of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the ‘day’(G2250) that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the ‘days’(G2250) of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same ‘day’(G2250) that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed [them] all. Even thus shall it be in the ‘day’(G2250) when the Son of man is revealed. In that ‘day’(G2250), he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Did you catch that? There were days of ignorance of the sudden destruction that came on a day in the case of Noah and Lot. That day is the revealing and coming of the Son of man and in the days before that revealing people will be oblivious.

But the real important thing is to recognize that Luke 17:31 connects that day (singular) to that day (singular) when those on their housetops should leave it all behind and flee. That’s not the revealing of the Son of man, that’s the days before it, after the abomination of desolation, the tribulation of those days. The day of the revealing of the Son of man is preceded not only by ignorance, but the time of Jacob’s trouble. And the next verse?

Luke 17:34-37
I tell you, in that ‘night’(G3571) there shall be two [men] in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two [women] shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two [men] shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body [is], thither will the eagles be gathered together.

That night, presumably following the previous day that I think should be plural (in those days) based on the context, is when one is taken and one is left. I see this as a symbolic pattern since the time of Jacob’s trouble is not one literal day. So either the ones taken are only in the nighttime or it’s saying that the ones taken are after the time they are told to run to the mountains. When asked where they are taken, Yeshua says where the bodies are the eagles gather. If we took at where Matthew puts that when understanding this context, it still fits.

Matthew 24:26-31
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Note that Matthew 24:15-22 is the unparalleled tribulation that is shortened for the sake of the elect and Matthew 24:23-26 is the warning of false christs on the earth. And the reason not to look for them is because Christ’s coming will be as lightning from east to west.

This isn’t a depiction of it occurring, it’s a statement to warn against deception. I believe the apostasy and revealing of the man of sin that must come before the coming of our Lord and our gathering to Him will be centered around the deception of the Dragon that starts with the premise of turning Israel back to God, but then slowly inserts his false christ in as the Messiah they’ve been looking for until he’s revealed.

Then some of Israel will see through it and flee while others will turn on their own family and neighbors as in Yeshua’s day. It’s focused first in Judea and that’s why I think it’s called the time of Jacob’s trouble, because it’s a family affair to start with.

He then puts that statement about the bodies and eagles. Note that it is still within the days of tribulation that will be cut short for those in Judea. We know this because the depiction of the coming of Christ immediately follows the statement of the bodies and eagles.

If we take the three accounts from the Olivet Discourse together, the following themes are clear about the days, or period of time, in which the Son of man is revealed. Every one of these events is referred to in context of these days and I’ve grouped them together based on context of the definitions that will be covered in this collection of studies.

• Abomination of desolation & Jacob’s trouble
  • Those in Judea should flee to the mountains at the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15-16,21-22 | Luke 17:31)
    • They should not take anything from home or go back home to get anything, just run. (Matthew 24:17-20 | Luke 17:32-33 ["in that day" when Son of man revealed and Lot’s wife recalled])
  • Don’t believe anyone saying Christ (anointed one) is on earth in the desert or secret chambers. (Matthew 24:23-26 | Luke 17:23)
    • There will be false christ’s and false prophets with great signs and wonders meant to deceive event the elect (Matthew 24:24)
  • One taken, other left (Matthew 24:40-41 | Luke 17:34-36 ["in that night" when Son of man revealed and Lot’s wife recalled])
  • Wherever the carcase is, the eagles (carrion/vultures) will be gathered. (Matthew 24:28 | Luke 17:37 [where will the one taken go?])

• Sixth Seal (Revelation 6:12-17)
  • Immediately after tribulation of those days above, sun darkened, moon dark, stars fall, powers of heaven shaken (Matthew 24:29 | Luke 21:25-26)
• Second coming
  • Of the day and hour no man knows (Matthew 24:36, 42-44)
    • Take heed so this day doesn’t come on you unaware (Luke 21:34)
  • is as lightning from east to west. (Matthew 24:27 | Luke 17:24)
    • Sign of the Son of man in heaven, coming in great power and glory (Matthew 24:30 | Luke 21:27)
    • When these things happen look up, redemption draws nigh (Luke 21:28)
    • Sends angels to gather elect (Matthew 24:31)
    • Watch and pray that you escape these things and stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36)
  • DOTL = sudden destruction because His coming is immediately followed by the wrath of God that He carries out.
    • As a snare it will come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:34-35)
    • Will be as the days of Noah [when Son of man revealed/coming of the Son of man] (Matthew 24:37-39 | Luke 17:26-27)
    • Will be as the days of Lot [when Son of man revealed] (Luke 17:28-30)

In Joel 2:1-11 we see an image before the sixth seal and the day of the Lord of a supernatural army that is unstoppable. Just as Jeremiah 30:6 sees all faces turn to paleness, Joel 2:6 depicts the faces pained and gathering blackness. They are described in the same kind of way as the time of Jacob’s trouble is, unparalleled in both history and future. They are entering into windows like thieves at a time when any who reject the false christ are killed. And when Yeshua says one is taken and the disciples ask where they are taken, He says, “wheresoever the body (carcase) is, thither will the eagles (carrion) be gathered together.” Then the day of the Lord arrives.

This fits within the narrative Yeshua gives. It describes the same period after the abomination of desolation during an unparalleled time with an unparalleled army and some in each household or at work being taken and killed while the other remains.

We see a similar order given in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. In agreement with the order of events in the Olivet Discourse is Paul’s response to the church in Thessalonica that was concerned they were in the day of the Lord, the day of Christ, meaning that they had missed His coming and their gathering to Him.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 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. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Here we see the order and focus on the coming of the Lord and our gathering to Him. It will be preceded by the apostasy and the revealing of the man of sin at the abomination of desolation. This is exactly what we see in Yeshua’s description to the disciples. It isn’t until after phase one of the Dragon’s wrath that we see Yeshua’s return.

1. Falling away (apostasia)
2. Man of sin revealed (false messiah: Takes place when he reveals himself at the abomination of desolation)
3. Our gathering to Christ (harpazo)

And so we can see a plain reading of Paul’s letter shows that same order of events that Yeshua presented regarding His coming and the end of the age.

There is a view I would like to quickly address that looks at the verses following to define the restrainer as the Holy Spirit and thereby change the plain order given by Paul.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-9
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. 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,

Here, the focus is different than before, we see the order and focus on restrainer, not the coming of Christ. There are some that say the restrainer is the Holy Spirit and that its removal is representing the removal of the church at Christ’s coming. However, the restrainer being tied to the Holy Spirit introduces a contradiction. If we assume the restrainer represents the removal of the church, we have this order.

1. Our gathering to Christ must take place (The restrainer [Holy Spirit/church] has to be taken out of the way)
2. Then the man of sin can be revealed

But scripture does not contradict itself. It is not the Holy Spirit that restrains the revealing of the man of sin, but someone else. In short, Michael the archangel stands for the people of Israel, Daniel 12:1, and when he steps aside from that role, it happens to coincide with Revelation 12:7-12 when that same Michael casts the Dragon to the earth and he begins the unparalleled time of persecuting the faithful woman.

This is not all of Israel he persecutes because many of them have fallen for his great deception and are his instruments of destruction. And so the time of Jacob’s trouble will see the children of Israel divided in loyalty to God and the Dragon, who will persecute God’s people, the only ones of Israel that are left, the remnant.

Exact Day Prophecies

With a general order of events, is there any greater detail that can be found in scripture? There is an amazing collection of passages that all speak to specific periods of time, some of which I’ve touched on already, that actually provide a framework for the 70th week of Daniel. A picture is worth a thousand words, so the chart below lays out the information that will be covered here.

This second chart is the latest iteration that includes the appointed times for Israel and how those tie into the framework of the 70th week, including greater detail on the time being discussed in this article. It sees the season of teshuvah tied with the unparalleled tribulation in Judea, the fulfillment of Yom Teruah in the sixth seal and Yeshua’s return, and the day of the Lord on Yom Kippur, following the ten days of awe/repentance that will see faithful Israel taken to the wilderness and sealed before Yom Kippur. They will celebrate Sukkot in booths in the wilderness where they have been protected from the Dragon.

Looking at the exact day prophecies in light of God’s appointed times, we see the luni-solar calendar as important to understand that we are looking at 30 day months. When we see 42 months, that is 1,260 days as is 3.5 years. We see this confirmed in things like the woman’s protection for both 1,260 days and 3.5 years. The entirety of the 70th week then is 2,520 days.

Given that the four spring appointed times were fulfilled at Yeshua’s first coming precisely and with meaning tied to each appointed time, it follows that the three fall appointed times will likewise have that same precision and meaning tied to them.

Each of these exact day prophecies should be approached individually and what is important is to note what prophetic event is tied to the start and end of these periods of time.

• Abomination of desolation to end of 70th week
  • Daniel 12:11 - 1,290 days
• Abomination of desolation to Yeshua’s return
  • Revelation 13:5 - 1,260 days (42 months beast given power)
  • Daniel 7:25 - 1,260 days (3.5 years saints given to beast)
  • Daniel 12:5-11 - 1,260 days (3.5 years scatter power of holy people)
• Yeshua’s coming with glory to end of the 70th week
  • Revelation 12:6 - 1,260 days (1,260 days Israel protected from beast)
  • Revelation 12:14-16 - 1,260 days (3.5 years Israel protected from beast)
• Midst of the first half of the week to midst of second half between sixth and seventh trumpets
  • Revelation 11:3-13 - 1,260 days (1,260 days the two witnesses given power)
• Unclear start and finish
  • Revelation 11:1-2 - 1,260 days (42 months temple trampled by Gentiles)

Abomination of Desolation

The abomination of desolation, the start of the Dragon’s kingdom and persecution, is the beginning of a 1,290-day period within the context of the 70th week of Daniel. Daniel 12:11 Since the second half of the 70th week is only 1,260 days, the abomination of desolation is therefore 30 days before the exact middle of the week.

Dragon’s Wrath

As Yeshua pointed out when He warned those in Judea to flee, the Dragon’s kingdom is allowed to overcome the saints for 42 months, Revelation 13:5, or 3.5 years, Daniel 7:25 and Daniel 12:5-11, beginning at the abomination of desolation. We know this 1,260 day period ends when the beast and false prophet do, at Yeshua’s return after the wrath of God.

Revelation 19:20-21
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Faithful Woman Protected From Dragon’s Wrath

The faithful woman is protected from the Dragon for 1,260 days, Revelation 12:6, or 3.5 years, Revelation 12:14-16.

Revelation 12 revealed the two phases of the Dragon’s persecution of God’s people. Both phases combined cover the 42 months of his power over them. The whole context of the 70th week is "determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." Daniel 9:24

That the woman from Judea is protected from him for the same duration of his reign means that there are two offset 1,260 day periods within the 1,290 days. This means the abomination of desolation would take place 30 days before the exact middle of the 70th week in order for the Dragon to both go after Israel and also be unable to for the same period of time.

Since its end is tied to the end of the 70th week appointed to Israel and Jerusalem, the woman would be persecuted in Judea for 30 days, taken to the wilderness, and protected there for the duration of the 70th week, her appointed time.

So in the precision of the exact day framework of the 70th week we see confirmed the two-phase great tribulation that is split by the return of Christ for His people and the start of the day of the Lord with the wrath of God.

Conclusion

In this series we have seen how the warning about deception tied to the return of Yeshua and the blindness of those upon who the deception is coming will lead to a time of great apostasy and unparalleled tribulation for those who remain faithful to God. This deception will build up slowly, beginning with a Dragon in sheep’s clothing pretending to be something he is not, even leading Israel back to keeping the statutes God gave them. The Dragon in sheep’s clothing will fight and win on behalf of his people Israel to build up his credibility and their expectation of the fulfillment of God’s Word.

As we have seen, this build up of the deception will lead to an unveiling. I watched two different movies several years ago when they came out that highlighted the faithful and unfaithful view of how this will unfold.

In the movie Wish, we see an evil king that is putting up a façade. He claims to have the best interest of his subjects in mind by protecting their wishes. But he opens a magic book that consumes him and through its power he turns loyal subjects that do his bidding and root out his enemies quietly. This builds silently until the mask comes off and he reveals his true nature to the people as he declares there will be no more hope, dreams, or escape. The people are all held down and forced to bend their knees to him.

Contrasting the subjugation of those caught off guard by the evil king and subjugated, Dune Part 2 sees a reluctant prince whose mother has been influencing the Fremen of Dune to accept a messiah figure. There are prophecies that have been whispered by the faithful for years, yet most of the people just live their lives. It isn’t until Paul Atreides drinks a forbidden liquid taken from a worm that he dies and is brought back to life. Immediately following this, he enters into a sacred space for the Fremen and boldly walks to the center and tells them he is their awaited messiah. At first, many are angered at this stranger walking into their sacred space making a declaration, but he knows things about them and promises them he will defeat the Harkonnen threatening their destruction and all of them are energized by their new leader and go out and utterly destroy their enemies like a hot knife through butter.

These both made me think of the unveiling of the man of sin from both the perspective of the faithful and unfaithful and how one event can be seen in different ways. But the time of unparalleled tribulation that will begin in Judea at his revealing will be cut short for the sake of those that don’t want him as their king and remain faithful to God.

Yeshua will return in glory to protect His redeemed in persecution and catch away His bride that remain faithful to Him before He breaks the final seal on the scroll written on both sides full of lamentation and woe. Then He will read and perform the judgements determined until all is poured out on the desolate and His eternal kingdom will be established in His land.

May God continue to bless you as you remain in Him.