What is the Church’s role in the Great Tribulation? To be forewarned is to be forearmed!
The Church will play a major role towards Israel in the Great Tribulation. In fact, the Book of Revelation was written to the church (7 churches) which will face the Great Tribulation. See Chart: The 7 Churches provide End-Time Instructions for the Saints Living in Daniel’s 70th week. https://bit.ly/3tgiDRX
Mystery Babylon, the spiritual harlot who rides the Antichrist as he ascends to power, represents the most heinous, worst, the “baddest” false religious system in the history of the world. She is drunk with the blood of the Saints, specifically the Church, in the first 3 ½ years of Daniel’s 70th week. Today, the most visual manifestation of that false religious system is Islam. Antichrist will make use of Mystery Babylon until he has no more use for her and demands the worship of the world for himself at midweek (See Revelation 17 and 18).
Both Israel and the church will experience flight from Satan/Antichrist persecution (See Revelation 12).
We tend to view the Great Tribulation as only negative, but there is another hugely different spiritual reality. During the Great Tribulation, salvation, power and the Kingdom will be available to believers like never before. Acts 2, Joel 2:31-32 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”
The church will be a great witness, instructing many. Daniel 11:31-35 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. “Those who are wise (Hebrew: the maskilim) will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. Daniel 12:3 “And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
This spiritual restoration of the spiritual house that will precede the final earthly witness of a new temple centered in a restored Israel, will take place in the final 3 1/2 years of ultimate, world-wide gospel witness. This great work of turning and restoration will happen, not only because the two witnesses are ministering the Word of the Lord from the streets of Antichrist infested Jerusalem, but because throughout the nations, the saints of the final persecution (i.e., the ‘maskilim’ who have insight and understanding of the meaning of these things) will be turning a “multitude which no one can number” to faith in Jesus (Dan 11:32-33, 35; 12:3, 10; Mt 24:14; Rev 7:9, 13-14; 14:6). Maskilim is a Hebrew word that literally means “enlightened ones” (Hebrew plural of Maskil). “Strong’s Concordance” shows: 7919 sakal saw-kal’ a primitive root; to be (causatively, make or act) circumspect and hence, intelligent:–consider, expert, instruct, prosper, (deal) prudent(-ly), (give) skill(-ful), have good success, teach, (have, make to) understand(-ing), wisdom, (be, behave self, consider, make) wise(- ly), guide wittingly. Reggie Kelly (www.the.mysteryofisrael.org/about/about-terms-used-glossary) explains the word stems from Daniel’s use of it in these passages (Dan 11:33; 12:3, 10). In these verses it is translated “They that understand,” “They that be wise,” etc. It is also referred to in a recommended book by S.P. Tregelles called “Remarks on the prophetic visions in the book of Daniel.” From Reggie Kelly
The Church, along with the Two witnesses (probably Moses and Elijah) will help prepare the remnant nation Israel for a return to the covenants of God and turn to their Messiah. They will prophesy for 1,260 days in the second half of Daniel’s 70th week, during the reign of Antichrist. They will witness the Rapture, and will endure the 7 Trumpet judgments, and impact Israel mourning for Messiah (See Revelation 11).
Revelation 12 also teaches us to view this end time from a positive perspective. Believers will share the blood of Jesus with passion and without worry of prosecution in death. It will be a time of great soul winning as Saints are empowered to overcome Satan's grip on the world.
Just as Michael overcame Satan in heaven, the Church will overcome Satan on the earth. Eventually, at the end of Daniel's 70th week, all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25-26). The church will overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, without fear of persecution and death.
Revelation 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
Revelation 12:17 But the earth helped the woman (Israel) by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus (The Church).
The rest of the offspring of the Woman is the true Church in the Great Tribulation that will undergo the wrath and fury of Satan and the Antichrist. The rest of the offspring will...
Keep the commandments of God
Hold to the testimony of Jesus
Not fear persecution and death
10. The Church will go through most of Daniel’s 70th week, enduring the persecution of Mystery Babylon, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. The Church will be raptured along with the 144,000 and the dead in Christ before the end of Daniel’s 70th week when Jesus “cuts short” the Great Tribulation. Matthew 24:22
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