Mark 13: 12 (KJV) "Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
There are numerous scriptures that go together to describe events taking place leading up to the return of Jesus (rapture). Jesus said that because iniquity abounds, a men's enemies would be those of his own house.
Zechariah tells us that prior to Jesus return (as per all the verses we have looked at) that there will be perilous tribulation - but the Lord Himself will return to fight for Israel at the time we are caught up to meet Christ in the air.
This occurs when Jerusalem is surrounded by all nations and the Spirit of Grace and Supplication will be poured upon natural Israel. This corresponds with the souls under the sea of glass who have been martyred for not receiving the mark and/or not worshiping the beast.
Next the two witnesses of Revelation 8 will finish their testimony and be killed, the earthly people will rejoice but then after 3 1/2 days the 2 witnesses will be raised and terror will come upon the inhabitants of the earth.
[Note that many scriptural events are going to be repetitious as we study the different verses from the different books of the Bible, because many events overlap or fill in additional details — Remember different prophets recorded most of them many years, even hundreds of years apart]
(Berean Study Bible)
The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs
Revelation 6:9 And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”
11 Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed. [you will see this below again in Rev. 20:5 --- this 1st resurrection mentioned again]
The Sixth Seal: Terror
12And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. 14The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
15Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
This 1st resurrection is what would correspond to the "rapture". At the First Resurrection, t he Beast and False prophet are thrown "alive" into the Lake of Fire and Satan is captured and bound for 1000 years. Blessed and holy is everyone that takes part in the 1st (YES THE FIRST) resurrection...the 2nd death has no power over them/us. We will reign with Christ 1000 years over mortal men, and all the Nations shall learn doctrine and be subject to Jesus earthly reign as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. [The scripture says that if a Nation does not keep the Feast of Tabernacles—on them there shall be no rain. These are the people we will rule over. Eventually their descendents-Gog and Magog-will be deceived to come and fight against us when Satan is loosed at the end of the 1000 year reign. We will look at this near the end of the study.]
Revelation 7: 9 (BSB) "After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?” 14“Sir,” I answered, “you know.”
So he replied,
“These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."[These are the dead in Christ who will rise first and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord at His return..because He is returning with His saints(us).]
Zechariah 12(NKJV) 1 The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’ 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.
7 “The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
The next passage tells us that the veil will be removed from Israel and they will accept Jesus Christ as Messiah - They will recognize that they had pierced their own Savior 2000 years ago.
Mourning for the Pierced One
10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
And like Matthew and Revelation record "all the tribes of the earth shall mourn" when they see Jesus returning.
Revelation 1:7 (KJ21) Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so. Amen. 8 “I Am Alpha And Omega, The Beginning And The Ending,” saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
This parallels Ezekiel 39 where God draws all nations to come against Israel - just prior to Christ's return. [On the other hand Ezekiel 38 talks about the descendents of Gog and Magog coming against the Holy City one last time as Satan was released for a short time to once again deceive the Nations.]
The 1000 Year Reign Begins With the Return of God's people to the land of Israel. They will bury the dead and weapons of warfare.
39 “Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 2 And I will turn thee back and leave but a sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel; 3 and I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy forces and the people that are with thee. I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field, for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. 6 And I will send a fire on Magog and among them that dwell confidently in the isles; and they shall know that I am the Lord. 7 “‘So will I make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them pollute My holy name any more; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God. This is the day whereof I have spoken. 9 “‘And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the javelins and the spears; and they shall burn them with fire seven years,
10 so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests. For they shall burn the weapons with fire, and they shall despoil those that despoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. 11 “‘And it shall come to pass on that day that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passersby on the east of the sea; and it shall stop the noses of the passersby. And there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; and they shall call it the Valley of Hamongog [that is, The multitude of Gog]. 12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land.
13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a day of renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God. 14 And they shall separate out men for continual employment, passing through the land, to bury with the passersby those who remain upon the face of the earth to cleanse it. At the end of seven months shall they search. 15 And the passersby who pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamongog. 16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah [that is, The multitude]. Thus shall they cleanse the land.’
17 “And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God: Speak unto every feathered fowl and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble yourselves and come. Gather yourselves on every side to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. 18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full and drink blood till ye be drunken of My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 20 Thus ye shall be filled at My table with horses and chariots, with mighty men and with all men of war,’ saith the Lord God. 21 “And I will set My glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see My judgment that I have executed and My hand that I have laid upon them. 22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. 23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity. Because they trespassed against Me, therefore hid I My face from them and gave them into the hand of their enemies; so fell they all by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid My face from them. 25 “Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Now will I bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for My holy name 26. after they have borne their shame and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against Me, when they dwelt safely in their land and none made them afraid.
27 When I have brought them back from the people and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations, 28 then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, who caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen. But I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there; 29 neither will I hide My face any more from them, for I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.” [God here is summing up his dealings with Israel in rejecting Him as their Savior although it has resulted in the salvation of the Gentiles who accepted Him. As God He knew what they would do but He still allowed everyone to make their own choice-many Jews have accepted Jesus as their Savior since Calvary]
Satan Bound
Revelation 20:1 (Berean Study Bible)
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.
The First Resurrection Takes Place:
4Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Revelation 5:8 (Berean) When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song:
“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain,
and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 You have made them into a kingdom, priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”
1000 year Difference Between The First and Second (the last) Resurrection:
Death was not destroyed at the First Resurrection and there will be a second death when the resurrected dead are not found in the Lamb's Book of Life. Jesus will reign on the earth for 1000 years and then the final enemy death shall be destroyed at the second resurrection and death itself shall be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
The Order of Resurrection
1Corinthians 15:22 (Berean Study Bible)
…22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him. 24Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For “God has put everything under His feet.”Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him. 28And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all."
Do not confuse tribulation with God's wrath, they are two different things. The disciples, Jesus, and all who live godly in Christ Jesus have suffered tribulation. The wrath of the Lamb will be poured out on the enemies of God in due time, it will not affect the righteous.
Gog and Magog Part Two:
Near the end of the 1000 year reign period when Satan will be briefly released & Gog and Magog (descendants of those who marched against Israel before 1st resurrection like in Ezekiel 38) will march in War led by Satan himself against the Holy City. (They will be killed by fire from heaven.) The 2nd resurrection is at that time of the great white throne judgment and whosoever is not found written in the Lambs Book of Life is thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Death (and hell) is also thrown into the Lake of Fire and death is the last enemy that shall be defeated. Then the Son shall deliver up the Kingdom (believers/faithful) to the Father, and Himself become subject to the Father - that God shall be all in all....for He (the first born from the dead) must reign until all enemies are put under His feet. Then the earth shall be cleansed by fire and there shall be a new heavens and earth..with no more sea. And then the heavenly Jerusalem will descend down upon the earth and God Himself shall dwell with us and be our God.
Gog and Allies Attack Israel: (Part 2)
Ezekiel 38 (KJ21)
1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him
3 and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
4 And I will turn thee back and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords;
5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters and all his bands — and many people with thee.
7 “‘Be thou prepared and prepare for thyself, thou and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited. In the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste; but it is brought forth out of the nations and they shall dwell safely, all of them. 9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm. Thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou and all thy troops, and many people with thee. 10 “‘Thus saith the Lord God: It shall also come to pass that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought;
11 and thou shalt say, “I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates”—
12 to take a spoil and to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited and upon the people who are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten cattle and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, “Art thou come to despoil us? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”’
14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: On that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army.
16 And thou shalt come up against My people of Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days; and I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 “‘Thus saith the Lord God: Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old times by My servants the prophets of Israel who prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that My fury shall come upon My face.
19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken: Surely on that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel,
20 so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence; and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains, saith the Lord God. Every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him and upon his troops and upon the many people that are with him an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23 Thus will I magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am the Lord.’
Revelation 20:7-14 compliments and fills in the gaps from what we have just studied.
(Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire)
7When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, 8and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.
9And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
[The Second (last) Resurrection:]
(The Final Judgment)
11Then I saw a great white throne and the One who sat on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.
And there were open books, and one of them was the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
14Then Death and Hell were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the book of life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.
God will do a makeover of the earth and the surrounding heavens (not HEAVEN). He will restore all its beauty. There will be no more sea. During that time we will be relocated to the new Jerusalem. When the new earth is complete we will descend to the earth in the new city of God...1500 miles long.
Summary -When is rapture?
Jesus will return in the midst of Great Tribulation when all nations (Gog, Magog) have surrounded Jerusalem/Israel. At that time the Jews will have their blinders taken off and recognize Him (JESUS) as the One whom they pierced and mourn for Him (for His return) as one mourns for their only son.
Christ will empower His Church by returning visibly to the earth and glorifying them/us at that time with immortality and there will be a great destruction of all the enemies and armies that marched against Israel and His Church...they will be burying bodies for a long time and burning weapons for 7 years and the Nations shall not learn war any more. The surviving heathen Nations will be taught the laws of God and to worship Jesus as Lord of Lords and King of Kings and we will be given authority rule over them as kings and priests and other governing positions.
The First shall be Last and the Last shall be First!
They (surviving Nations) will grow old and die and at the end of the 1000 years, some — the descendents of Gog and Magog will be deceived by Satan one final time and march against God's people, but God will destroy them. They too will then take part in the 2nd resurrection. Those who repented and accepted Jesus and those who did God's will in the Old Testament shall also gain immortality at the 2nd resurrection...The first shall be last and the last shall be first!
Check out What is Trinity for information on Babylon the Great!
There are numerous scriptures that go together to describe events taking place leading up to the return of Jesus (rapture). Jesus said that because iniquity abounds, a men's enemies would be those of his own house.
Zechariah tells us that prior to Jesus return (as per all the verses we have looked at) that there will be perilous tribulation - but the Lord Himself will return to fight for Israel at the time we are caught up to meet Christ in the air.
This occurs when Jerusalem is surrounded by all nations and the Spirit of Grace and Supplication will be poured upon natural Israel. This corresponds with the souls under the sea of glass who have been martyred for not receiving the mark and/or not worshiping the beast.
Next the two witnesses of Revelation 8 will finish their testimony and be killed, the earthly people will rejoice but then after 3 1/2 days the 2 witnesses will be raised and terror will come upon the inhabitants of the earth.
[Note that many scriptural events are going to be repetitious as we study the different verses from the different books of the Bible, because many events overlap or fill in additional details — Remember different prophets recorded most of them many years, even hundreds of years apart]
(Berean Study Bible)
The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs
Revelation 6:9 And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”
11 Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed. [you will see this below again in Rev. 20:5 --- this 1st resurrection mentioned again]
The Sixth Seal: Terror
12And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. 14The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
15Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
This 1st resurrection is what would correspond to the "rapture". At the First Resurrection, t he Beast and False prophet are thrown "alive" into the Lake of Fire and Satan is captured and bound for 1000 years. Blessed and holy is everyone that takes part in the 1st (YES THE FIRST) resurrection...the 2nd death has no power over them/us. We will reign with Christ 1000 years over mortal men, and all the Nations shall learn doctrine and be subject to Jesus earthly reign as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. [The scripture says that if a Nation does not keep the Feast of Tabernacles—on them there shall be no rain. These are the people we will rule over. Eventually their descendents-Gog and Magog-will be deceived to come and fight against us when Satan is loosed at the end of the 1000 year reign. We will look at this near the end of the study.]
Revelation 7: 9 (BSB) "After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?” 14“Sir,” I answered, “you know.”
So he replied,
“These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."[These are the dead in Christ who will rise first and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord at His return..because He is returning with His saints(us).]
Zechariah 12(NKJV) 1 The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’ 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.
7 “The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
The next passage tells us that the veil will be removed from Israel and they will accept Jesus Christ as Messiah - They will recognize that they had pierced their own Savior 2000 years ago.
Mourning for the Pierced One
10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
And like Matthew and Revelation record "all the tribes of the earth shall mourn" when they see Jesus returning.
Revelation 1:7 (KJ21) Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so. Amen. 8 “I Am Alpha And Omega, The Beginning And The Ending,” saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
This parallels Ezekiel 39 where God draws all nations to come against Israel - just prior to Christ's return. [On the other hand Ezekiel 38 talks about the descendents of Gog and Magog coming against the Holy City one last time as Satan was released for a short time to once again deceive the Nations.]
The 1000 Year Reign Begins With the Return of God's people to the land of Israel. They will bury the dead and weapons of warfare.
39 “Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 2 And I will turn thee back and leave but a sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel; 3 and I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. 4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy forces and the people that are with thee. I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field, for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. 6 And I will send a fire on Magog and among them that dwell confidently in the isles; and they shall know that I am the Lord. 7 “‘So will I make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them pollute My holy name any more; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God. This is the day whereof I have spoken. 9 “‘And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the javelins and the spears; and they shall burn them with fire seven years,
10 so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests. For they shall burn the weapons with fire, and they shall despoil those that despoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. 11 “‘And it shall come to pass on that day that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passersby on the east of the sea; and it shall stop the noses of the passersby. And there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; and they shall call it the Valley of Hamongog [that is, The multitude of Gog]. 12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land.
13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a day of renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God. 14 And they shall separate out men for continual employment, passing through the land, to bury with the passersby those who remain upon the face of the earth to cleanse it. At the end of seven months shall they search. 15 And the passersby who pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamongog. 16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah [that is, The multitude]. Thus shall they cleanse the land.’
17 “And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God: Speak unto every feathered fowl and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble yourselves and come. Gather yourselves on every side to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. 18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full and drink blood till ye be drunken of My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 20 Thus ye shall be filled at My table with horses and chariots, with mighty men and with all men of war,’ saith the Lord God. 21 “And I will set My glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see My judgment that I have executed and My hand that I have laid upon them. 22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. 23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity. Because they trespassed against Me, therefore hid I My face from them and gave them into the hand of their enemies; so fell they all by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid My face from them. 25 “Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Now will I bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for My holy name 26. after they have borne their shame and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against Me, when they dwelt safely in their land and none made them afraid.
27 When I have brought them back from the people and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations, 28 then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, who caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen. But I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there; 29 neither will I hide My face any more from them, for I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.” [God here is summing up his dealings with Israel in rejecting Him as their Savior although it has resulted in the salvation of the Gentiles who accepted Him. As God He knew what they would do but He still allowed everyone to make their own choice-many Jews have accepted Jesus as their Savior since Calvary]
Satan Bound
Revelation 20:1 (Berean Study Bible)
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.
The First Resurrection Takes Place:
4Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Revelation 5:8 (Berean) When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song:
“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain,
and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 You have made them into a kingdom, priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”
1000 year Difference Between The First and Second (the last) Resurrection:
Death was not destroyed at the First Resurrection and there will be a second death when the resurrected dead are not found in the Lamb's Book of Life. Jesus will reign on the earth for 1000 years and then the final enemy death shall be destroyed at the second resurrection and death itself shall be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
The Order of Resurrection
1Corinthians 15:22 (Berean Study Bible)
…22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him. 24Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For “God has put everything under His feet.”Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him. 28And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all."
Do not confuse tribulation with God's wrath, they are two different things. The disciples, Jesus, and all who live godly in Christ Jesus have suffered tribulation. The wrath of the Lamb will be poured out on the enemies of God in due time, it will not affect the righteous.
Gog and Magog Part Two:
Near the end of the 1000 year reign period when Satan will be briefly released & Gog and Magog (descendants of those who marched against Israel before 1st resurrection like in Ezekiel 38) will march in War led by Satan himself against the Holy City. (They will be killed by fire from heaven.) The 2nd resurrection is at that time of the great white throne judgment and whosoever is not found written in the Lambs Book of Life is thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Death (and hell) is also thrown into the Lake of Fire and death is the last enemy that shall be defeated. Then the Son shall deliver up the Kingdom (believers/faithful) to the Father, and Himself become subject to the Father - that God shall be all in all....for He (the first born from the dead) must reign until all enemies are put under His feet. Then the earth shall be cleansed by fire and there shall be a new heavens and earth..with no more sea. And then the heavenly Jerusalem will descend down upon the earth and God Himself shall dwell with us and be our God.
Gog and Allies Attack Israel: (Part 2)
Ezekiel 38 (KJ21)
1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him
3 and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
4 And I will turn thee back and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords;
5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters and all his bands — and many people with thee.
7 “‘Be thou prepared and prepare for thyself, thou and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited. In the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste; but it is brought forth out of the nations and they shall dwell safely, all of them. 9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm. Thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou and all thy troops, and many people with thee. 10 “‘Thus saith the Lord God: It shall also come to pass that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought;
11 and thou shalt say, “I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates”—
12 to take a spoil and to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited and upon the people who are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten cattle and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, “Art thou come to despoil us? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”’
14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: On that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army.
16 And thou shalt come up against My people of Israel as a cloud to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days; and I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 “‘Thus saith the Lord God: Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old times by My servants the prophets of Israel who prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that My fury shall come upon My face.
19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken: Surely on that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel,
20 so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence; and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains, saith the Lord God. Every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him and upon his troops and upon the many people that are with him an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23 Thus will I magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am the Lord.’
Revelation 20:7-14 compliments and fills in the gaps from what we have just studied.
(Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire)
7When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, 8and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.
9And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
[The Second (last) Resurrection:]
(The Final Judgment)
11Then I saw a great white throne and the One who sat on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.
And there were open books, and one of them was the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
14Then Death and Hell were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the book of life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.
God will do a makeover of the earth and the surrounding heavens (not HEAVEN). He will restore all its beauty. There will be no more sea. During that time we will be relocated to the new Jerusalem. When the new earth is complete we will descend to the earth in the new city of God...1500 miles long.
Summary -When is rapture?
Jesus will return in the midst of Great Tribulation when all nations (Gog, Magog) have surrounded Jerusalem/Israel. At that time the Jews will have their blinders taken off and recognize Him (JESUS) as the One whom they pierced and mourn for Him (for His return) as one mourns for their only son.
Christ will empower His Church by returning visibly to the earth and glorifying them/us at that time with immortality and there will be a great destruction of all the enemies and armies that marched against Israel and His Church...they will be burying bodies for a long time and burning weapons for 7 years and the Nations shall not learn war any more. The surviving heathen Nations will be taught the laws of God and to worship Jesus as Lord of Lords and King of Kings and we will be given authority rule over them as kings and priests and other governing positions.
The First shall be Last and the Last shall be First!
They (surviving Nations) will grow old and die and at the end of the 1000 years, some — the descendents of Gog and Magog will be deceived by Satan one final time and march against God's people, but God will destroy them. They too will then take part in the 2nd resurrection. Those who repented and accepted Jesus and those who did God's will in the Old Testament shall also gain immortality at the 2nd resurrection...The first shall be last and the last shall be first!
Check out What is Trinity for information on Babylon the Great!
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May God Himself bless you on your journey through Faith...in JESUS name!
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Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (NKJV)
2Timothy 2:15 "Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (ERKJV)
John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life." (NKJV)
2Timothy 2:15 "Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (ERKJV)
John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life." (NKJV)