The Sequence of Pre Tribulational Events

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The Great Tribulation is not imminent. The world stage has to be set in a certain way before the Tribulation can actually begin. A number of events are clearly stated to precede the Tribulation period. Some of these pretribulational events are simply prophesied to occur some time before the Tribulation and are not related to any sequence of events. This study is concerned with the chronological sequence of those events that can be traced and that lead up to the Tribulation. The Tribulation will not begin until this sequence of events is completely worked out.

This Messianic Bible Study is divided into two main parts: sequential events and non- sequential events.

1. SEQUENTIAL EVENTS

All together nine sequential events can be deduced from the Scriptures: World Wars I and II, the reestablishment of Israel, Jerusalem under Jewish control, the invasion by the northern alliance, the one world government, the ten kingdoms, the rise of the Antichrist, the period of peace and false security , and the Seven-Year Covenant. On one hand, these events come before the Tribulation; but on the other hand, they consecutively lead up to the Tribulation.

A. World Wars I and II

A question that is raised so many times in prophetic conferences is, “ Are we living in the last days?” Invariably the answer is, “Yes!” But, when asked, “How do we know this?” the answers tend to be rather general and usually rest on the crises of these present days, and these crises change with the times. Often they are determined on the basis of how these crises affect the United States, as if that is the determining factor of what constitutes the last days. However, the true determination of where history is moving prophetically is not how world events affect the United States, but how they impact Jewish history since Israel is God's timepiece (Deut. 32:8-9). In this area, many “newspaper exegetes” have had a field day, seeing almost every major world event as a partial fulfillment of prophecy and another proof that these are indeed the last days. However, it is very dangerous to spend so much time and effort trying to fit so many events into areas of fulfilled prophecy. Prophecy must first be determined from the Scriptures and then applied to current events, rather than current events being taken and forced into some kind of scriptural passage. Only after one's eschatology has been developed exegetically from the Scriptures should current events be taken into account to see if there are any that are fulfilling prophecy. Only if the current events fit the demands of Scripture perfectly are these events to be identified as a fulfillment of prophecy. But to go to current events first and then, because of possible similarities, begin to identify these as partial fulfillments or as indications of future fulfillments is to engage in “newspaper exegesis” rather than biblical exegesis.

Nevertheless, these are the last days because certain pretribulational events have been fulfilled. The first is that of World War I followed by World War II. This is found in the Olivet Discourse  in Matthew 24:1 -8: And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? truly I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. But all these things are the beginning of travail. The background to this passage is found in verses 1-2. Following the denunciation of the Jewish religious leadership in chapter 23, and, as a follow-up of His statements in chapter 23:37-39, the Messiah pronounced doom on the Temple in chapter 24:1-2, a prophecy that was fulfilled in A.D. 70.

This statement aroused questions in the minds of the disciples, and they approached Yeshua (Jesus) with these three questions. First, when shall these things be? that is, the destruction of the Temple spoken of in verses 1-2. Secondly, what shall be the sign of your coming? that is, “What is the sign that the Second Coming is about to occur?” And thirdly, “What shall be the sign of the end of the age?” The first question is not answered in the Matthew account of the Olivet Discourse, but is found in the parallel passage of Luke 21:20-24. The second question is answered in Matthew 24:29-31.

It is the third question that is of concern here: What shall be the sign of the end of the age? These are typical Jewish expressions of that time. The rabbis spoke of two ages: this age, and the age to come. “This age” is the age in which we now live. “The age to come” is the Messianic Age. Their question is: What is the sign that marks that the end of this age has indeed begun? What is the one single event that will determine that the last days have begun and that we are indeed living in the last days?

This question was answered by the Messiah, first negatively and then positively. Negatively, He first told them what will not be the sign that the end of the age has begun. This was followed positively by what the sign will indeed be.

Verses 4-6 contain the negative answer. He simply described what will be characteristic of this age, and none of these things mean that the end of the age has begun. First, in verses 4-5, the age will be characterized by false messiahs. But the rise of false messiahs in no way proves that the end has begun. Furthermore, in verse 6, local wars in various parts of the world will also characterize this age. But this, too, does not mean that the end of the age has begun. So neither the rise of false messiahs, nor local wars in any part of the world indicate that the end of the age has begun. These are just general characteristics of this age: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.

The positive side of the answer is in verses 7-8, where He revealed the single event that will indicate that the end of the age has begun. This sign is said to be when nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This is to be coupled with famines and earthquakes. It is clearly stated that these things are the beginning of travail. Throughout the prophetic portions of Scripture, the end days are pictured by the word travail, which means “birth pang,” the pain a woman experiences before giving birth. Just as a woman goes through a series of birth pangs before giving birth to a child, even so the closing days of this age will go through a series of birth pangs before giving birth to the new age of the Kingdom. The use of the word travail will be noted a number of times in this study of the prophetic Scriptures.

The key factor, then, is to determine the meaning of the idiom nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Taken in the Jewish context of the day when it was spoken, this idiom points to a total conflict of the area in view. This idiom is found in two Old Testament passages.

First, it is found in Isaiah 19:1-4: The burden of Egypt. Behold, Jehovah rides upon a swift cloud, and comes unto Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the middle of it.  And I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the middle of it; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, says the Lord, Jehovah of hosts. In this passage, the land of Egypt is in view and the idiom points to a conflict all over the land of Egypt as the nation is engrossed in civil war.

The second passage is II Chronicles 15:1-7: And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: But when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands. And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity. But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded. In this passage, it is the Middle East that is in view, and the idiom points to conflict all over the Middle East. In the Olivet Discourse, it is the whole world that is in view, as is clear from verses 14, 21, 30 and 31. Hence, the idiom refers to a worldwide conflict, and this worldwide conflict is the first birth pang, signifying that the last days have begun.

In Yeshua's days, the expression nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom was a Jewish idiom of a world war preceding the coming of the Messiah.

The Bereshit Rabbah states: If you shall see kingdoms rising against each other in turn, then give heed and note the footsteps of the Messiah.

The Zohar Chadash states: At that time wars shall be stirred up in the world. Nation shall be against nation and city against city; much distress shall be renewed against the enemies of the Israelites.

The first time that such a worldwide conflict occurred was in the years 1914-1918 with World War I. Most historians agree that World War II was really a continuation of World War I. Both had a decisive impact on Jewish history. The events of World War 1 provided the impetus for the growth of the Zionist Movement, while World War II set the stage for the establishment of the State of Israel.

This worldwide conflict that signaled the beginning of the last days was to be coupled with famines and earthquakes. As far as famines are concerned, during the war years of 1918-1919, a pestilence killed 23 million people. In 1920 the Great Chinese Famine occurred, followed by the Great Russian Famine in 1921.

The earthquake factor is even more interesting. According to the Encyclopedia Americana, between the years 63-1896 there were only twenty-six recorded earthquakes. Most of the world's earthquakes began to occur since 1900. In conjunction with World War I, there were several significant earthquakes.

According to the United States Survey, National Earthquake Information Center, earthquakes with 1,000 or more deaths from 1900 are as follows: Year Country     Deaths Year Country     Deaths 1905 India 19,000 1948 Russia 110,000 1906 Chile 20,000 1960 Morocco 10/15,000 1908 Italy 70/100,000 1962 Iran 12,000 1915 Italy 30,000 1968 Iran 12/20,000 1917 Indonesia 15,000 1970 China 10,000 1918 China 10,000 1970 Peru 66,000 1920 China 200,000 1974 China 20,000 1923 Japan 143,000 1975 China 10,000 1927 China 200,000 1976 Guatemala 23,000 1932 China 70,000 1976 China 255,000 1933 China 10,000 1976 Philippines 8,000 1934 India 10,700 1978 Iran 15,000 1935 Pakistan 30/60,000 1988 Russian/Turkish 25,000 1939 Chile 28,000 1990 Iran 40/50,000 1939 Turkey 30,000 1999 Turkey 15,600

There has been a tremendous increase in earthquake activity in conjunction with World War I. The ones listed here are only the major ones with a death rate of 10,000 or more. However, these statistics should be tempered with the fact that man's ability to detect earthquakes worldwide has equally increased; nevertheless, these statistics are significant. Added to this, there are a greater number with smaller death rates. An article from “Dispatch from Jerusalem,” 3rd Quarter, 1992 states: In the first 1,000 years after Jesus, there were approximately five recorded major earthquakes (although we are sure more occurred in remote locations). However, the trend has been on the increase: 14th century, there were 157 major earthquakes. 15th century, there were 174 major earthquakes. 16th century, there were 253 major earthquakes. 17th century, there were 278 major earthquakes. 18th century, there were 640 major earthquakes. 19th century, there were 2,119 major earthquakes. Nearly 900,000 earthquakes have been recorded thus far in the 20th century. An earthquake very hour!

The first sign or the first birth pang signifying that the last days of the age have begun was to be a worldwide conflict coupled with famines and earthquakes. This was fulfilled in 1914-1918. This also marks the first of the events leading up to the Tribulation period.

Coming next: The Reestablishment of Israel

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B. The Reestablishment of Israel On the topic of the modern State of Israel in Bible prophecy, one will hear four views giving four different perspectives. A fifth view, held by the author, is presented in this study.

The first view is that of Replacement Theology, particularly Amillenianlism, which sees the modern Jewish State as merely an accident of history, totally unrelated to any type of Bible prophecy. This view believes that when Israel rejected the Messiahship of Yeshua, God was through with the Jewish people. Therefore, there are no unfulfilled prophecies for the Jewish people and there is no future final restoration. When Israel rejected the Messiah, all of God's covenantal promises were transferred to the Church; hence it is a theology of transference. Or, put differently , when Israel rejected the Messiah, the Church replaced Israel in God's standing; hence a theology of replacement. Thus, the Church is fulfilling Israel's promises. They say that all those prophecies that speak of a worldwide regathering of the Jewish people are not to be interpreted literally , rather they are to be interpreted allegorically of the elect being brought into the Church until the Church is complete. Jews can be saved today, but they simply would be amalgamated into the larger Church; God has no future restoration for Israel as an ethnic people. And so nothing happening with Israel today is in any way related to prophecy. There is no future prophecy for Israel either, and so again the modern Jewish State is nothing but an accident of history.

The second view takes the opposite position in that they do believe there will be a final restoration of Israel. They take these prophecies literally and believe that there will be a future final restoration for the Jewish people to the Promised Land. However, when they look at the modern Jewish State, they have a hard time fitting it into Bible prophecy. The reason is that these prophecies describe the final regathering of Israel as a believing nation in the Messiah. The chronological sequence of these prophecies is: national repentance followed by national restoration. When they look at the present Jewish State, the vast majority are unbelievers in the Messiah; in fact of the 5.1 million Jews in the Land today, only about four to five thousand, maximum, are Jewish believers. To make it worse, the vast majority of Israelis are not even Orthodox; they would class themselves quite secularly, either as atheistic or agnostic. This does not fit these prophecies as the read. These prophecies include: Deuteronomy 30:1 -5; Isaiah 27:12-13; Ezekiel 39:25-29, and others. These prophecies clearly speak of a national salvation prior to a national restoration to the Land. So they disagree with the first view in that they do believe there will be such a future final restoration. But they would agree with the first view that the modern Jewish State is an accident of history; it is not relevant to Bible prophecy at all.

The third view claims that what is happening today is the final restoration of Israel; this is the beginning of the fulfillment of all those prophecies. There will be more and more Jews going back to the Land until all are back. At some point, they will undergo a national regeneration and salvation, and the Messiah will return. When asked about the prophecies that speak of a period of divine wrath and tribulation preceding this time, they would say that the Tribulation prophecies have already been fulfilled in the Nazi Holocaust. The Holocaust fulfilled all the prophecies about the Tribulation, and so there is no future Tribulation to come. It has already passed, and what we are seeing today is the final restoration. Emissaries of this third view are traveling around the world encouraging Jews to return. They also go to groups of Jewish believers, messianic fellowships and congregations, laying guilt trips on Jewish believers claiming that if they do not go back to Israel right away, they are living in sin. God is now calling all Jews, particularly Jewish believers in the Messiah, back to their Land. To live outside the Land, such as “the flesh pots of America,” would be living in sin. When asked for biblical passages to prove this, they refer to those prophecies where the prophets called the Jews to leave Babylon. They interpret passages on Babylon not to be real Babylon past or future, but that Babylon represents the United States of America. When one points out that these prophecies mention the Euphrates River, which is in Babylonia, they claim that the river is not really the Euphrates; it is the Hudson River in New York City! That would surprise prophets such as Jeremiah, among others. And so, in this third view, this is the final restoration; this is the fulfillment of those prophecies, at least in the initial stages.

The fourth view will be discussed in the exposition of Isaiah 11:11-12, given later in this section.

What the first three views fail to observe is that when the Bible speaks of a worldwide regathering of the Jewish people, it actually speaks of two distinct worldwide regatherings. This is the fifth perspective. First there is to be a worldwide regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment; specifically, the judgment of the Tribulation. That is to be followed by a second worldwide regathering in faith in preparation for blessing, specifically, the blessing of the Messianic Kingdom. Once it is recognized that the Bible speaks of two such regatherings, it is easy to see how the present State of Israel fits into prophecy. This section focuses on those prophecies that clearly speak of a worldwide regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment. 

One passage clearly dealing with a return in unbelief in preparation for judgment is found in Ezekiel 20:33-38: As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be king over you: and I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out; and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face. Like as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, says the Lord Jehovah. 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 land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. In this passage, Ezekiel draws a simile with the Exodus when, under Moses, God brought the entire nation of Israel out of the land of Egypt and into the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula. God's plan and program for Israel at Sinai was to accomplish two things: first, they were to receive the Law of Moses; and secondly, they were to build the Tabernacle through which much of the Law could then be maintained. With these two things accomplished, they were to press on and enter into the Promised Land itself. But because of a series of murmurings and rebellions against God's revealed will, finally at the Oasis of Kadesh Barnea, which was right on the border of the Promised Land, God entered into judgment with His people. The divine judgment was that those who came out of Egypt would now have to continue wandering throughout the wilderness for forty years. During those forty years, all those who came out would die, except for two righteous spies, and those below the age of twenty. So forty years later, it was a new nation that was allowed to enter the Land under Joshua, a nation that was born as free men in the wilderness, not as slaves in Egypt. That historical frame of reference is the backdrop for the future. But this time, Ezekiel prophesies, God will regather His people from all parts of the world. It should be noted that it is a regathering out of wrath, and a gathering for wrath and judgment; it is a gathering both out of wrath and for wrath. They were gathered out of the wrath of the Holocaust. The events of the Nazi Holocaust, when six million Jewish people died, created the world stage for Israel to become a state, for the regathering in unbelief. That this gathering is not in faith, but in unbelief, is seen from the fact that this gathering is with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, with wrath poured out. This phrase is repeated twice and is found in verses 33 and 34. God's goal is that of Messianic Kingship, but the means of attaining it will be by wrath and judgment. This regathering in unbelief occurs after wrath has been poured out on the people. But because it is a regathering in unbelief, it is a regathering for a future time of wrath. In the future time of wrath, God will once again enter into judgment with His people, and will purge out the rebels among them. Those who remain will turn to the Lord; they will be brought into the bond of the covenant; specifically, the bond of the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34). They will be brought into national salvation. Then it will be a new nation, a regenerate nation that will be allowed to enter the Land under King Messiah for the final restoration. In these verses, Ezekiel clearly describes a worldwide regathering in unbelief, from wrath and for wrath, in preparation for a specific period of judgment that will then lead to a national salvation, and in turn to their final restoration.

Another passage making the same point is Ezekiel 22:17-22: And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is become dross unto me: all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead, in the middle of the furnace; they are the dross of silver. Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovah: Because ye are all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the middle of Jerusalem. As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the middle of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the middle thereof. As silver is melted in the middle of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the middle thereof; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have poured out my wrath upon you. Ezekiel again describes a regathering, this time focusing on the City of Jerusalem. Jerusalem becomes the furnace of affliction, a common figure pointing to Israel's need for refining (Is. 1:22, 25; 48:10; Jer. 6:27-30; 9:7; Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:2-3). Furthermore, it is also a regathering in unbelief because they are filled with the impurities of silver and brass and iron and lead and tin. They are also regathered for a future time of wrath, when the wrath of God will be poured upon them for the purpose of melting them and purifying them. As a purified, believing nation, they will then turn to the Lord. Here again he speaks of a worldwide regathering in unbelief in preparation for a specific future judgment, but the purpose of the judgment is to bring them to national repentance. Only then will they experience the final worldwide restoration in faith.

While primarily dealing with the regeneration of Israel, Ezekiel 36:22-24 nevertheless makes it clear that a regathering takes place before the regeneration: Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: I do not this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the middle of them; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, says the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Another passage dealing with the same question is Isaiah 11:11-12: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. In this connection, the fourth view needs to be discussed. This view recognizes that there are two types of regathering prophecies: a regathering in unbelief and a regathering in faith. But then the fourth view goes on to say that one really cannot be sure that the present Jewish State, as it is seen today, is a fulfillment of those prophecies that spoke of the regathering in unbelief. Why not? Because they believe that it is possible to have several regatherings in unbelief before there is the specific one that fulfills the prophecies just discussed. But this passage in Isaiah shows that is exactly what cannot be: there cannot be several regatherings in unbelief from the far corners of the earth. The entire context is Isaiah 11:11-12:6. In this context, he is speaking of the final worldwide regathering in faith in preparation for blessing. Isaiah numbers the final worldwide regathering in faith in preparation for the Messianic Kingdom as the second one. In other words, the last one is the only the second. If the last one is the second one, how many can there be before that? Only one. The first one could not have been the return from Babylon since that was not an international regathering from the four corners of the world, only a migration from one country, Babylonia, to another country, Judea. The Bible does not allow for several worldwide regatherings in unbelief; it allows for one worldwide regathering in unbelief, followed by the last one, the one in faith, which is the second one. This text only permits two worldwide regatherings from the four corners of the earth. Therefore, the present Jewish State is very relevant to Bible prophecy.

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So far, passages have been shown that speak of a regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment as opposed to other passages that speak of a regathering in faith in preparation for blessing. But these passages have not specifically stated that this regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment will occur before the Tribulation period. However, there are other passages that do pinpoint the regathering in unbelief as occurring before the Tribulation period.

One such passage is Zephaniah 2:1-2: Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that has no shame; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah's anger come upon you.

In the preceding section of Zephaniah 1:7-18, Zephaniah described some features of a time called the day of Jehovah, or as other translations have it, the day of the Lord. This is the most common Old Testament name for the Tribulation and always describes the Great Tribulation. Then in chapter 2:1-2, Zephaniah speaks of an event that is to occur before the Day of Jehovah begins. In verse 1, the nation of Israel is told to gather together. It is clear from this verse that this is a gathering in unbelief for it is a nation not yet ashamed of her sins.

In verse 2, the word before is used three times in relation to the preceding passage regarding the Tribulation. One of these “befores” includes before the day of Jehovah itself. So while other texts speak of a regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment, this passage clearly states that this regathering in unbelief will occur before the Tribulation actually begins.

Another line of evidence concerning the beginning point of the Tribulation period can be mentioned at this point. The Tribulation begins with the signing of the Seven-Year Covenant, not with the Rapture of the Church.  This covenant is made between the Antichrist and the leaders of Israel. Therefore, the signing of such a covenant presupposes a Jewish leadership of a Jewish State. Such a Jewish State has to exist before such a covenant is signed. This demands the existence of a Jewish State before the Tribulation.

Thus, 1948 marked another birth pang of the last days. The restoration of the Jewish State is a fulfillment of those prophecies that spoke of a regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment. It is another event leading up to the Tribulation and so sets the stage for several other pretribulational events.

C. Jerusalem Under Jewish Control The third pretribulation event involves Jewish control of Jerusalem. The fact that the Jewish State had to exist before the Tribulation does not necessarily require the total Jewish control of Jerusalem. After the end of the Israeli War of Independence in 1948-1949, Israeli forces were in control of West Jerusalem, the newer Jewish section. The Old City of Jerusalem, the biblical city, fell into the hands of the Jordanian Legion and was later annexed into the Hasemite kingdom of Jordan. So Jerusalem became a divided city and remained that way for the next nineteen years.

Nevertheless, prophetically speaking, the Old City of Jerusalem had to fall under Jewish control. This can be deduced from the prophecies dealing with the Third Jewish Temple, sometimes known as the Tribulation Temple. There are four passages of Scripture that speak of a specific event in relation to the Tribulation Temple that will occur in the middle of the Tribulation.

The first passage is Daniel 9:27: And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that makes desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.

The second passage is Matthew 24:15: When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that reads understand).

The third passage is II Thessalonians 2:3-4: let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.

And the fourth passage is Revelation 11:1-2: And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it has been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

All these passages speak of the Third Jewish Temple, namely the Tribulation Temple. The point of all four passages is that the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt and will begin to function again. All of these verses also presuppose Jewish control of the Temple Compound, and that presupposes Jewish control of the Old City of Jerusalem.

While none of these passages spell out a time factor as to when this was to occur, it was clearly fulfilled in the Six Day War and thus became the third birth pang. While the Six Day War itself was never predicted in the Scriptures, what it accomplished certainly was. The Six Day War brought about the fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the Jewish control of the Old City of Jerusalem. This is the third major pretribulational event.

While the first three of these events have already been fulfilled and are now a part of history, the next six pretribulational events are all future.


To be continued.

[Bob]

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Excellent