“The Tribulation”
(Part Four)
We are extremely fortunate to live in the United States and enjoy the freedoms we have.
None more important than our right to worship our Lord as we should.
But even with all the freedoms we have as Christians, do we suffer persecution?
Not really, but when some group wants to remove In God We Trust from our money, or our children are forbidden to pray in school, or the Ten Commandments can not be displayed on government property, to me that is a form of persecution.
Now I admit it is extremely mild when we compare it to what the Jews have gone through.
The Jewish people have been severely persecuted time after time in history that is it almost amazing that they have survived as a race.
Twice they had their homeland torn from them.
Twice they miraculously survived persecutions in foreign lands.
Twice the returned to the land to reestablish their nation.
Their second dispersion from their land lasted from 70 A.D. until 1948 when Israel became a nation.
During that time the Jews endured some of the most inhuman treatment ever inflicted, yet they still survived.
Virtually every country that they took refuge in turned against them.
From the holocaust of Titus and the Romans destruction of Jerusalem on 70 A.D. to the murdering of the Jews by Hitler.
And as bad as all this the last 3-1/2 years of the Tribulation is going to get worse.
In the 12th chapter of Revelation we are introduced to the four main characters that will make up this drama.
The Woman which is Israel, the Red Dragon which is Satan, the Male Child which is Jesus, and Michael who represents the angels.
Revelation 12 Read verses 1-6
We are told of a wondrous sign that appeared in Heaven and it was a woman.
We can establish the identity of this woman by the symbols that make up her clothing.
This same description was made by Joseph in the book of Genesis.
Genesis 37:9-10 Then he had another dream(he being Joseph) and he told it to his brothers. “listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”
The sun symbolized his father Jacob, the moon symbolized his mother Rachael, and the stars symbolized his brothers.
The woman here in verse one represents the nation of Israel.
We read that this woman gave birth to a male child who would rule all nations with an iron scepter.
This can only refer to a prophesy about the Messiah of Israel found in Psalm 2:9 and mentioned again in Revelation 19:15 where it states of Jesus, “He shall rule them with a rod of Iron.”
This will be the thousand year reign Christ will have over all the earth which is talked about more in chapter 20.
Since it is clear that the male child represents the Jewish Messiah the woman who gives birth to this child must symbolically refer to the nation of Israel.
The next character is the Red Dragon who symbolizes Satan.
Satan has a special hatred for anyone who loves the Woman (Israel) and her child (Jesus).
The Red Dragon we are told has 7 heads and 10 horns.
We will see in detail in the following chapters that this dragon is symbolic not only of the person of Satan, but also of a great empire.
This empire will be made up of 7 willing nations and 3 reluctant nations.
In verse 4 the dragon stands before the woman to devour the child.
Satan tried many times to either destroy the Jewish nation or prevent the Messiah from being born.
Remember after Christ was born that Herod decreed that all male babies under the age of 2 would be killed.
In verse 5 we read that her child was caught up unto God and His Throne.
We know that when Christ ascended into Heaven he sat on the right hand of His Father.
Read verses 7-10
This war in heaven is Satan’s last attempt to take over heaven which he will lose.
In the book of Jude in verse 9 we read of a dispute that Michael had with Satan also.
So Satan is kicked out of heaven and never again will he be allowed to come before God with accusations against God’s Children or for any other reason.
This conflict will take place in the middle of the Tribulation period.
Since Satan can no longer make accusations against believers to God he will unleash an unspeakable persecution upon those believers.
We are told in verse 12 that those believers during the Tribulation will win because of the blood of Jesus and the word they testify to.
Satan will use every trick he has to keep people from witnessing to others about Jesus.
Illustration: Why we don’t witness today.
Read verses 13-17
As I stated before the last half of the Tribulation will be a time of great persecution to the Jewish nation.
Satan will do everything he can to destroy them, especially those who have given their life to Christ.
When Satan begins this fury the Jews will be reminded of the words that Jesus spoke in:
Matthew 24:16-17 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ spoken through the prophet Daniel. Let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.
Now let me explain what the ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ is.
During the Tribulation Satan will be in control of a man that will rule the world and he will be known as the Antichrist.
This man will sign a covenant with the Jews allowing them to rebuild their temple and reestablish worship and sacrifice.
He will pretend to be a friend of Israel in the first 3-1/2 years of the Tribulation and then turn on them when Satan is thrown out of Heaven.
Now Satan might have a lot of power but the one thing he does not have is omnipresence which is to be everywhere at the same time. Only God can do that.
So now that he has been confined to earth he clothes himself with the human body of the Antichrist.
Satan has always wanted to be worshiped as God even in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 14:12-15
In the body of the Antichrist he will now have that opportunity.
He will enter the newly built Jewish Temple and stand on the Holy of Hollies and proclaim to be God.
From that point he will demand that everyone worship him.
His will be the ultimate sacrilege that will happen to Israel which Daniel predicted.
Daniel 9:27 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.
And when this happens there will be many Jews who will have their eyes opened and see that the Antichrist is evil and will turn to Jesus.
Verses 13 - 17
So now we focus back on the midpoint of the Tribulation, when Jesus warned the Jews not to go back into the house but flee for the wilderness. Satan attempts once again to wipe out God’s people - the nation of Israel.
The eagle here represents divine protection.
Exodus 19:4 ’You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ and brought you to myself.
The "water" of verse 15 is probably referring to the soldiers from the armies Satan now controls.
But in verse 16 we are told that God will protect these believers and the earth will open up and swallow the armies.
Kind of reminds you of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea and how God protected the children of Israel.
Satan has never forgiven Israel for giving birth to the Messiah - nor anyone who belongs to the Messiah - that includes us.
Satan hates us and would kill us if he could, but he can’t.
So here Satan goes to hurt anyone on earth who believes in Jesus - it doesn’t pay to be a Tribulation Saint - so get saved now!
Invitation
