- Dec 15, 2018
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I've heard it claimed that the 1st 3.5 years of the 7 before the Battle of Armageddon will be a time of peace. But is Revelation 11 telling us the opposite?
Revelation 11 begins with a 42 months (= 3.5 years) during which the Holy City, Jerusalem, will be trampled over by the nations. It then mentions a 1260 days (= 3.5 years) for which 2 Witnesses will prophesy. Then it tells us that they will be killed, after which their bodies will be left in the streets for 3.5 days. It then tells us that, after the 3.5 days, they will be resurrected, and taken up to heaven in a cloud (could this be the same one in which the elect of Matt 24:31 and 1 Thess 4:17 are gathered?), and that at that moment there will be a great earthquake. Then Rev 11:14-15 tell us that shortly after that, the 7th trumpet is blown and voices in heaven declare that 'the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and that He will reign forever'.
Since Revelation 20:4 tells us that the Millennium will be a time when Jesus will reign, I think the voices in Rev 11:15 with their declaration that the Messiah will reign forever, could be announcing the beginning of the Millennium, which incidentally I think Zechariah 14 enables us to work out, will begin on the day of the Battle of Armageddon.
Since the declaration will be made only shortly after the earthquake and the resurrection of the 2 Witnesses, this places those events close to, if not on the actual day of, the Battle of Armageddon.
I think, like Daniel's 70th Week, where a day is equivalent to a year, the 3.5 days that precede the 2 Witnesses resurrection, is equivalent to 3.5 years, which means since they end with the 2 Witnesses resurrection that they represent the Final 3.5 Years of the 7, which means that I think the 1260 days for which they prophesy will cover the 1st 3.5 Years of the Final 7 Years before the Battle of Armageddon.
Now, Rev 11:5-6 tell us that the 2 Witnesses will have the ability to breathe fire, cause droughts, turn water into blood and strike the earth with every kind of plague. Now, no doubt one reason these powers are listed are to help us deduce that the 2 Witnesses are Moses and Elijah or two Christian groups representative of them. However, that may not be the only reason: it's possible that they are also listed to indicate that the 2 Witnesses will have cause to use these powers during their 1260 days of prophesying, to defend God's people and to inflict harm on any forces attacking God's people. And it's possible that the scale of the damage that can be caused by these powers may be an indication of how intense the attack on God's people will be.
So, I think, contrary to the claim that the 1st 3.5 years of the 7 may be a time of peace, Revelation 11 could be indicating that the 1st 3.5 years could be a time when intense war is being waged by the nations on God's people in Jerusalem, a view supported by what the phrase 'the harlot (of Babylon) being drunk on the blood of the saints' from Rev 17:6 implies, and by what the phrase 'Holy City being trampled over by the nations' from Rev 11:1-2 may mean (I think the 42 months for which the Holy City is trampled over may also cover the 1st 3.5 years of the 7).
Revelation 11 begins with a 42 months (= 3.5 years) during which the Holy City, Jerusalem, will be trampled over by the nations. It then mentions a 1260 days (= 3.5 years) for which 2 Witnesses will prophesy. Then it tells us that they will be killed, after which their bodies will be left in the streets for 3.5 days. It then tells us that, after the 3.5 days, they will be resurrected, and taken up to heaven in a cloud (could this be the same one in which the elect of Matt 24:31 and 1 Thess 4:17 are gathered?), and that at that moment there will be a great earthquake. Then Rev 11:14-15 tell us that shortly after that, the 7th trumpet is blown and voices in heaven declare that 'the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and that He will reign forever'.
Since Revelation 20:4 tells us that the Millennium will be a time when Jesus will reign, I think the voices in Rev 11:15 with their declaration that the Messiah will reign forever, could be announcing the beginning of the Millennium, which incidentally I think Zechariah 14 enables us to work out, will begin on the day of the Battle of Armageddon.
Since the declaration will be made only shortly after the earthquake and the resurrection of the 2 Witnesses, this places those events close to, if not on the actual day of, the Battle of Armageddon.
I think, like Daniel's 70th Week, where a day is equivalent to a year, the 3.5 days that precede the 2 Witnesses resurrection, is equivalent to 3.5 years, which means since they end with the 2 Witnesses resurrection that they represent the Final 3.5 Years of the 7, which means that I think the 1260 days for which they prophesy will cover the 1st 3.5 Years of the Final 7 Years before the Battle of Armageddon.
Now, Rev 11:5-6 tell us that the 2 Witnesses will have the ability to breathe fire, cause droughts, turn water into blood and strike the earth with every kind of plague. Now, no doubt one reason these powers are listed are to help us deduce that the 2 Witnesses are Moses and Elijah or two Christian groups representative of them. However, that may not be the only reason: it's possible that they are also listed to indicate that the 2 Witnesses will have cause to use these powers during their 1260 days of prophesying, to defend God's people and to inflict harm on any forces attacking God's people. And it's possible that the scale of the damage that can be caused by these powers may be an indication of how intense the attack on God's people will be.
So, I think, contrary to the claim that the 1st 3.5 years of the 7 may be a time of peace, Revelation 11 could be indicating that the 1st 3.5 years could be a time when intense war is being waged by the nations on God's people in Jerusalem, a view supported by what the phrase 'the harlot (of Babylon) being drunk on the blood of the saints' from Rev 17:6 implies, and by what the phrase 'Holy City being trampled over by the nations' from Rev 11:1-2 may mean (I think the 42 months for which the Holy City is trampled over may also cover the 1st 3.5 years of the 7).