1st Half of Tribulation
(The Beginning of Sorrows):
(The First 3 ½ Years of the Tribulation):
(Also Known As the "Beginning of Birth Pains"):
Introduction to the Beginning of Sorrows (or Birth Pains):
• Jeremiah 30:6-7
"Why then do I see every man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?
Why has every face turned pale?
Alas! That day is so great
there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
yet he shall be saved out of it."
A Quick Upcoming Glimpse of the Beginning of Sorrows:
(Nations Rise Against Nations, Famines, Pestilences, and Earthquakes, etc.):
•
Matthew 24:7-8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
•
Mark 13:7-8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
•
Luke 21:10-11
Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
•
Isaiah 26:16-17 NLT
LORD, in distress we searched for you. We prayed beneath the burden of your discipline. Just as a pregnant woman writhes and cries out in pain as she gives birth, so were we in your presence, LORD.
The Beginning of Sorrows Begins:
The Anti-Christ Comes Forth:
(Being a Savior to the Entire World by
possibly stopping Destructive Nations):
The First Seal:
•
Revelation 6:1-2
The First Seal Opened
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four living creatures saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Anti-Christ Makes A Peaceful Covenant With Israel & Other Nations for 7 Years:
•
Daniel 8:25 and
Daniel 11:21
"By peace he shall destroy many," and "he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries"
•
Daniel 9:27a
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week
Anti-Christ Claims to Be God in the Jewish Temple:
•
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
"...and that man of sin... the son of perdition... opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; So that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."
The Lord Foretells of the Anti-Christ's End:
•
Ezekiel 28:2-10
"Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD."
Anti-Christ Dies In Battle:
(Which is the result of Israel and Rome breaking their Covenant with him over his claim to godhood in the temple):
•
Daniel 11:30a and
Daniel 11:30b DRB (Douay-Rheims Bible)
For the ships of... the Romans shall come upon him, and he shall be struck, and shall return, and shall have indignation against the covenant of the sanctuary, and he shall succeed: and he shall return and shall devise against them that have forsaken the covenant of the sanctuary.
Antichrist Is Brought Back to Life as the Beast:
The Second Seal:
•
Revelation 6:3-4
The Second Seal Opened
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
•
Revelation 13:1-3a
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast that I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed:
•
Revelation 17:8 NLT
The beast you saw was once alive but isn't now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died.
•
2 Thessalonians 2:9
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders
The Beast (the 8th King) Destroys Babylon (The Harlot) with the help of Ten Other Kings:
(Babylon is Burned by Fire and It's Religious Headquarters & Economic System Falls):
A. Babylon's Royal & Religious Authority Falls To the Beast & His 10 Kings:
(And a Call is Given to People to Come Out of It's Remaining False Religion):
•
Revelation 17:5 NLT,
Revelation 17:2 NLT,
Revelation 17:12-13 ESV,
Revelation 17:16a NLT,
Revelation 17:16b WEY,
Revelation 18:1-8 NLT
Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.” ...was drunk... with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus.
Judgment... is... come on the great prostitute, who rules over... the kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.
And the... ten kings who have not yet received royal power... are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
The... beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute... and they will cause her to be laid waste and will strip her bare. They will eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire.
After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. He gave a mighty shout:
“Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen!
She has become a home for demons.
She is a hideout for every foul spirit,
a hideout for every foul vulture
and every foul and dreadful animal.
For all the nations have fallen
because of the wine of her passionate immorality.
The kings of the world have committed adultery with her.
Because of her desires for extravagant luxury,
the merchants of the world have grown rich.”
Then I heard another voice calling from heaven,
“Come away from her, my people.
Do not take part in her sins,
or you will be punished with her.
For her sins are piled as high as heaven,
and God remembers her evil deeds.
Do to her as she has done to others.
Double her penalty for all her evil deeds.
She brewed a cup of terror for others,
so brew twice as much for her.
She glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so match it now with torment and sorrow.
She boasted in her heart,
‘I am queen on my throne.
I am no helpless widow,
and I have no reason to mourn.’
Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day—
death and mourning and famine.
She will be completely consumed by fire,
for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”
•
Revelation 18:20 NIV
"Rejoice over her, O heaven!
Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets!
God has judged her for the way she treated you."
•
Revelation 18:22-23 NLT
"The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets will never be heard in you again.
The happy voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again.
For... you deceived the nations with your sorceries."
B. As Babylon (the City) Burns by Fire, Babylon's Economic System Falls:
(Effecting the Entire World's Economy So as to Rely Upon the Beast Financially):
•
Revelation 18:9-19
And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out,
“How terrible, how terrible for you,
O Babylon, you great city!
In a single moment
God’s judgment came on you.”
The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods. She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble. Cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
The fruits which your soul lusted after have been lost to you, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous have perished from you, and you will find them no more at all. The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry out,
“How terrible, how terrible for that great city!
She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens,
decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!
For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”
And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off. They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say,
“Where is there another city as great as this?” Then they threw dust on their heads and shouted while crying and mourning:
"How terrible, how terrible it is for the great city, where all who had ships at sea became rich from her wealth, because it has been destroyed in a single hour!"
•
Revelation 18:22-23 NLT
"No craftsmen and no trades will ever be found in you again.
The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again.
The light of a lamp will never shine in you again.
For your merchants were the greatest in the world"