In the last three sermons in this Bible series on eschatology, we have been having a shouting time talking about the rapture of the church and receiving our glorified bodies. But much of what we are going to be talking about today, will cause us stand in awe!
Most of the Book of Revelation deals with the subject we are going to talk about today, that period in the Bible that is known as the “Tribulation Period”.
The Bible refers to the tribulation period in many ways, such as:
• Day of the Lord - Isa. 2:12, Isa. 13:6, Isa. 13:9, Eph. 3:15, Joel 1:15
• Day of God’s Vengeance - Isa. 34:8, Isa. 63:1-6
• Time of Jacob’s trouble - Jer. 30:7
• Daniel’s seventieth week - Daniel 9:24-27
• Time of the End - Daniel 12:9
• Great Day of His Wrath - Rev. 6:17
• The Hour of His Judgment - Rev. 14:7
• The End of the World - Matthew 13:40 and 49
• The Indignation - Isa. 26:20, Isa. 34:2
• The Over Spread of Abominations - Daniel 9:27
• The Day of trouble - Daniel 12:1
Any time you read about these things in the Old Testament or the New Testament, you are reading about this dreadful time that is known as the tribulation period.
Paul could see the beginning of this dreadful time in his age, and he referred to it as the “Mystery of Iniquity” in 2 Thess. 2:7.
If Paul could see it in his time, how much more should we see it today? Beloved, the “Mystery of Iniquity” is preparing to be revealed.
WHAT IS KEEPING THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY FROM BEING REVEALED? Only one thing, the HOLY SPIRIT and the CHURCH are still here.
The Holy Spirit and the church must be removed from the earth before the tribulation period starts.
Look at verse 7 again, we read, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, UNTIL HE BE TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY.”
One day very soon now, the Holy Spirit and the church will be removed from the earth, and this period in history called the tribulation period will start. When this happens, the most dreadful time on the face of the earth will take place. There will be virtually no one here to stop Satan from doing what he wants to do.
Illus: Remember how the old west was when people began to move west? There were no cities, no counties and no laws, and evil men and women could do anything they wanted to do until someone stopped them by killing them.
When the Holy Spirit and the church are removed from the earth, the devil will be able to do what he pleases, whenever he pleases, to whomever he pleases.
The only opposition that he will have to contend with is the two extraordinary witnesses, and the 144,000 Jewish missionaries spreading the gospel of the kingdom. THEY WILL BE A THORN IN THE SIDE OF THE ANTICHRIST.
This sinful world has seen all kinds of rulers, but once this time in history starts, the world will be introduced to one of the most BRILLIANT, CHARISMATIC, and DECEPTIVE rulers that has ever existed.
Notice, the Bible says in verse 9, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.”
• He is going to be the Politician of all Politicians
• He is going to be the most successful Leader of Leaders
WHY WILL HE BE SUCCESSFUL? He will be successful because those who have been left behind after the rapture have rejected God’s Son.
Because they have rejected God’s Son, God’s love is going to turn to God’s anger, and God is going to see to it that this evil crowd that REJECTED HIS SON will RECEIVE THE ANTICHRIST.
But notice this, the Bible teaches that they had a choice when it came to receiving Christ, but they will not have a choice in receiving the antichrist.
Look at verses 11-12, we read, “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.”
Notice, they won’t believe the TRUTH but they will BELIEVE A LIE! Because they will not believe the TRUTH, the Bible says He is going to send STRONG DELUSIONS, and they will believe a LIE.
God is angry at the sinful inhabitants that are left behind after the rapture, for rejecting His only beloved Son. Listen, if you are here today and you are lost, you need to accept the Lord Jesus Christ.
WHY? Because if you have heard the gospel and rejected the gospel, and the rapture takes place, you will be among that crowd that will believe a lie and be damned for eternity.
We want to look at TWO THINGS in this sermon. First, we want to look at-
I. THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
There are several reasons for God allowing the TRIBUBLATION PERIOD to exist, such as:
A. TO PREPARE ISRAEL FOR THE MESSIAH
Any time we deal with prophecy in the scripture, we have to consider Israel. The Gentile age is soon coming to an end. But Paul tells us, in Romans 9, 10, and 11, that God has not forgotten the Jews. He is going to return to the Jews.
But the Jews have REJECTED the Lord, and even today they still REJECT the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. They have forgotten HIM, but He has not forgotten THEM!
One of the reasons that the tribulation period will exist, will be for the Jewish people to come to know, HE IS, WHO HE SAID HE WAS --THEIR MESSIAH!
Look at Ezekiel 20:37-38, we read, “And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.”
The Jews are still looking for the Lord to come, because they think He has not yet come. But during the Tribulation period, the Jews are going to realize that He has come, and that they crucified the beloved Son of God.
Notice, Ezekiel 20:38, we read, “…And ye shall know that I am the Lord.”
The tribulation period will exist so the Jews might come to know Him as the Savior of the world. But also-
B. TO POUR OUT JUDGMENT ON THE UNRIGHTEOUS
Look at Isa. 26:21, we read, “For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.”
As we look at this verse of scripture, we have to consider the fact that today, the ungodly have rejected the Son of God and do not consider it to be a serious offence. But I am here to tell you that the ungodly might not see it as a serious thing, but the God of heaven, who loved the lost world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, sees it as such a serious thing that His love will turn into wrath during the tribulation, and this world is going to see SORROW like they have never seen sorrow before.
If you are not saved today, and the Lord Jesus Christ comes back, you are going to be among this crowd that the wrath of almighty God will be poured out on.
We have looked at THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, but also let’s look at-
II. THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
There are going to be many PARTICIPANTS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
A. THE FALSE PROPHET AND THE ANTICHRIST WILL PARTICIPATE DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
Look at Rev. 13:16-18, we read, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
WHAT WILL THE FALSE PROPHET BE DOING?
He will be doing basically the same thing that John The Baptist did as the forerunner of Jesus. He is the one who stood on the seashore one day and saw Christ coming, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God”.
The false prophet will be doing the same thing, but he will be pointing the inhabitants of the world to look to the antichrist.
WHAT WILL THE ANTICHRIST BE DOING?
He will be exercising his power as he has never been able to exercise it before.
The Bible says in verse 16, “He causeth”, he causeth what? “That no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
Today the foundation is being laid for him to exercise his power. The devil is flexing his muscles like he has never flexed them before.
• Remember Anita Bryant, the very popular singer? When she began to oppose homosexuals in this country, the devil and his crowd put so much pressure on those that sponsored her through television commercials, that she lost her job.
• Remember Dr. Laura Schlesinger, who also told the truth about the homosexuals, and they opposed her so severely that they took her off her television program.
• Preachers who at one time could preach about the sins of abortion and homosexuality, are being told to tone it down or they will not be allowed to stay on the air.
We are beginning to see the devil flex his muscles like we have never seen before.
Ladies and gentlemen, all this is leading up to the fact that one day, evil forces of the antichrist will say that if you do not take the mark of the beast you can not buy or sell.
WHO IS THIS MAN?
Look at verse 18, “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
The number of God is seven, the number of perfection, but the number of man is six.
WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST?
Through the years there has been a lot of speculation. Some said it was John F. Kennedy, some said it was Henry Kissinger, some say it is the Pope, and the list goes on and on.
But there are some scriptures that might give us a clue as to who this antichrist might be. For example, the scriptures indicate it could possibly be Judas Iscariot.
You remember Judas Iscariot, don’t you? He was one of the Lord’s twelve disciples. Certainly he was a Christian. The Word of God makes it crystal clear that he was not a child of God.
You can belong to a church, but that does not mean that you are saved. Look what the Bible said about him. One day the Lord looked at these twelve disciples and said, in John 6:70, “… Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
WHY DID THE LORD SAY THIS? He wanted the devil to know that he knew that he was among them.
But notice something else. The DEVIL and the ANTICHRIST are both referred to as the Son of Perdition.
• Look at John 17:12, we read, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, BUT THE SON OF PERDITION; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”
God’s Word refers to Judas as, “The son of perdition”.
• The Thessalonian Christians were being told that the rapture of the church had taken place. But Paul wrote to them and told them this was not possible. Look at 2 Thess. 2:3 “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.”
Now we Christians really do not care who is going to be the antichrist because we are not going to be here. But whoever it might be, he will be so powerful that the Bible says unless you have his mark in your right hand or forehead you will not be able to BUY or SELL.
This is going to put a lot of pressure on the inhabitants of the earth. Once a person takes the mark of the beast, they are DOOMED FOREVER.
Look at Revelation 14:9-10, we read, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”
When a person takes the mark of the beast, they invoke the wrath of almighty God, and the mark seals the future of those who receive it.
Look at Revelation 16:2, we read, “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”
Today, if you are here and you have not received the Lord yet, if the rapture of the church takes place you are going to be left behind to face the wrath of almighty God.
We see that THE FALSE PROPHET AND THE ANTICHRIST WILL PARTICIPATE DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
But notice that while there are going to be some of the most wicked people who ever walked on this earth during the tribulation period, there are also going to be some of the most godly, courageous men of God who ever walked on this earth.
B. THE TWO WITNESSES WILL PARTICIPATE DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
There has been a lot of speculation as to who these two witnesses might be. Generally, most agree they are going to be:
• Moses and Elijah or..
• Elijah and Enoch
Why do men believe these are to be the witnesses ?
• Some think it will be Elijah and Enoch, because it is reported that both of these men escaped death, and it is important that they come back and die, because it is appointed unto man once to die.
• Some think it will be Moses and Elijah, because of the things the Bible talks about that surrounded their lives, like the plagues and the fire, seem to fit the scriptures that apply to the two witnesses.
Look at Rev. 11:3-4, we read, “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.”
These are going to be the two witnesses that God is going to raise up, to call and equip the 144,000 Jewish Missionaries who will participate in the Tribulation period by spreading the gospel of the kingdom.
THESE TWO WITNESSES HAVE SPECIAL POWER. Notice some of the special powers these two witnesses will have.
Look at Rev. 11:5, we read, “And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.”
Notice, five things about them.
(1) THEY HAVE POWER TO PROTECT THEMSELVES
Notice, if any man hurt them, “Fire proceedeth out of their mouth.” Listen, God knew what he was doing when he did not give me that special power, because if he had, a lot of folks would look like burnt toast.
(2) THEY HAVE POWER TO STOP THE RAIN
Rev. 11:6 is one verse that indicates that one of the two witnesses might be Elijah. (See Ex. 25-35) We read, “THESE HAVE POWER TO SHUT HEAVEN, THAT IT RAIN NOT IN THE DAYS OF THEIR PROPHECY: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”
Also notice, “…have POWER OVER WATERS TO TURN THEM TO BLOOD, and TO SMITE THE EARTH WITH ALL PLAGUES…”
This is why some believe that one of the two witnesses will be Moses.
Again, God knew what he was doing when he did not give me that gift, because had He given it to me, a lot of ungodly farmers would be in trouble.
(3) THEY HAVE A LIMITED TIME TO MINISTER
Look at verse 3, we read, “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”
In other words, they have around three-an-a-half-years to get the job done.
(4) THEY WILL BE KILLED
Look at verse 7, we read, “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.”
Notice, the Beast comes out of the Bottomless pit, makes war against them, overcomes them and kills them. But they can not be killed until they have “Finished their testimony.”
The antichrist and the evil forces will be rejoicing now that these two trouble makers have been killed. The antichrist wants it to be known they are dead.
Look at verse 8, we read, “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”
These men were a “thorn” in the side of the antichrist.
All the world wondered who could make war against the antichrist. They did, and were very successful until their work was finished.
The antichrist has no respect for them. Their dead bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three days for everyone to see.
Illus: This means that on CNN, NBC, ABC, and CBS, people will be seeing:
• These two men who could breath out fire to protect themselves are dead
• These two men who could stop the rain and bring a famine on the land are dead
This is going to be an exciting time for the ungodly.
Look at verse 10, we read, “And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.”
Notice, the Bible says these two preachers, “Tormented them that dwelt upon the earth.”
HOW DID THEY TORMENT THEM? Through the preaching of God’s Word, and the special gift of spewing out fire from their mouths to protect themselves.
They are all screaming, WE GOT RID OF THEM! Oops, look at this-
(5) THEIR BODIES ARE RESURRECTED
They just thought they got rid of them.
Look at verse 11, we read, “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.”
Can you imagine this taking place on world wide television? After three-and- a- half days:
• The Spirit of life entered them
• They stood upon their feet
And the Bible says, “Great fear fell upon them which saw them.”
But notice, while they are watching them, the Bible says in verse 12, “And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.”
THESE TWO WITNESSES WILL HAVE SPECIAL POWERS.
Conclusion:
I. THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
II. THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
(Next)
III. THE PLAGUES OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
A. THE SEVEN SEAL JUDGMENTS
B. THE SEVEN TRUMPET JUDGMENTS
C. THE SEVEN VIAL JUDGMENTS
