I see the 2 witnesses in the second half of the trib.
`..Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months. And I will give power to my 2 witnesses, and they will prophesy 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.` (Rev.11:2 & 3)
Also the `beast that comes out of the bottomless pit,` will kill them, and that `beast,` doesn`t come till half way through the trib.
Hi Marilyn,
In my view, the two witnesses are in the first half. Which would necessitate that the person becomes the beast before the exact midpoint - since they will be killed by the beast near the end of their testimony.
What I base the person becoming the beast before the exact midpoint (day 1260) is two fold.
1. The abomination of desolation being the image of the beast set up in temple 1335 days before Jesus returns. Which would be on day 1185 on a timeline, 1335 days before Jesus returns.
Which in turn would mean that the person has become the beast before day 1185.
2. The 1260 day sequence in Revelation 12 being prior to the war in heaven, and Satan's remaining time of a time, times, half times.
In Revelation 11, the two witnesses are killed by the beast, ascend to heaven, followed by the 7th trumpet, which announces the third woe - Satan cast down to earth having a time, times, half time left.
Following the sequence in Revelation 12... first is the 1260 days (corresponding to the two witnesses testimony time of 1260 days)
Revelation 12:6, then the war in the second heaven
Revelation 7-9, then Satan's remaining short time of a time, times, half time Revelation
12:12-17.
Now you haven`t given me a scripture to show that the A/C rulers from Jerusalem.
Then we know that the EU does not like to go to war, and that the USA has the greatest army more than all the others together. So I don`t see the EU occupying Jerusalem.
I don't think I can find something directly, that over the course of the second half, that the beast rules from Jerusalem. But, the image of the beast, the statue that will come to life and speaks (incarnated by Satan) has to be in Jerusalem, in the temple, however, all during that time.
In Daniel 11:40-45, the beast is attacked from south, north, east. And in Revelation 16, the Euphrates is dried up so the Kings of the East, their armies, are less impeded.
In Zechariah 14:2, God brings all nations to battle against Jerusalem, at the time when Jesus returns.
So it would appear to me, that given the image of the beast being in the temple for 1335 days, that the beast himself would be there as well. And near the end of the 7 years, the beast being attack from south, north, east. And on the day that Jesus returns, Jesus removes the things that will have made the temple desolate, i.e. the beast, the image, the false prophet. I conclude that the beast will operate primarily out of Jerusalem. I could be wrong.
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In regards to the other point you are making...
The United States is predominantly a Christian country - at present.
After the rapture though, it appears to me that the country will undergo a drastic change and would ally with a beast lead EU kingdom, giving them the vast military strength over the rest of the world, necessary for the beast to rule the world.