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THE BATTLE OF JERUSALEM
At the
midpoint of the 70th week, the man of lawlessness, who is the beast, will
take over the pseudo temple in Jerusalem.
2Thes. 2:3, "the man of lawlessness will be revealed, the son of
destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or
object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
displaying himself as being God."
He will place the abomination of desolation, which is probably an image of
himself in the Holy Place. His presence there is certainly an abomination of
the Holy Place, but he will not BE THERE 24/7. So it is the presence of an
idol image that will abominate the temple for 1290 days. Dan. 12:11.
This abomination event will begin the great persecution against the Jewish
people and the Christians. Mat. 24:9-21.
Verse 15, "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was
spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the
reader understand—"
Verse 9, "Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you
will be hated by all nations because of My name."
Verse 21. "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not
occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again."
Rev. 13:7, "It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to
overcome them, and authority was given to him over every tribe, people,
language, and nation.
Dan. 7:25, " And he will speak against the Most High and wear down the
saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times
and in law; and they will be handed over to him for about 3 1/2 years."
At this time many orthodox Jews who reside in Israel will flee to the
wilderness where they will be protected by God for the duration of the
beast's reign. Rev. 12:6, 14.
Jesus gave a warning for anyone in Judea to flee when the abomination event
occurs.
Mat. 24:16-21.
This place of protection will probably be the mountainous area of Ammon,
Moab and Edom, which is presently located in Southern Jordan.
Many of those who refuse to follow the beast will be able to hide both
within and outside the city of Jerusalem.
After the beast abominates the temple and takes control of Jerusalem, he
will probably return to the throne of his kingdom at Babylon the great,
which will be the location for his control over all the earth's natural
resources.
Babylon the great during the time period of the end is probably the city of
Rome.
Through Satanic empowering, the beast will gain authority and influence over
the majority of the earth and its resources.
Dan. 11:36, "then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt himself
and boast against every god and will speak dreadful things against the God
of gods; and he will be successful until the indignation is finished,
because that which is determined will be done."
Verse 39, "And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with
the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge
him and will make them rulers over the many, and will parcel out land for a
price."
Rev. 13:3-6.
"And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4 they
worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they
worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage
war with him?” 5 A mouth was given to him speaking arrogant words and
blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 6
And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name
and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven."
Also, the false prophet will institute the beast's economic policy which
will promise economic security to all those who worship him.
The mechanics of his system are described at Rev. 13:16-17.
"And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the
free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their
foreheads, 17 and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell,
except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number
of his name."
The experiential result of following beast worship is described at 1Thes.
5:3, "peace and security."
Jesus described it by referring to the people of Noah's generation and the
people of Sodom. They will be "eating and drinking, buying and selling;
and observing marriage customs." Luke 17:26-28.
The Jewish people who will have been restored into the national entity of
Israel, will still be under the national discipline of 70 AD. Luke 21:22-24.
"These are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written
will be fulfilled . . . for there will be great distress upon the land, and
wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will
be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled
underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
God has promised to deliver the Jewish people from this time of discipline.
That deliverance will officially begin at an unknown day and hour before the
end of the 70th week when Jesus ARRIVES in the clouds of the sky as
portrayed at the 6th seal of Revelation 6. The time of discipline for the
nation will end several months later when the 70th week comes to a close and
"the mystery of God is finished as He proclaimed to His servants the
prophets," (Rev. 10:7). But the PHYSICAL rescue of the nation will not begin
until He DESCENDS onto the earth 30 days after the end of the 70th week.
There will be an additional 30 days after the week ends in order to complete
the "final wrath of God" through the 7 bowls which will result in the
cleansing of the temple from the abomination of desolation (Daniel 12:11).
"And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the
abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days."
Then there will be an additional 45 days to prepare the earth and the
earth's population for entrance into the Messiah's earthly kingdom.
All unbelievers will be removed and only believers will enter that kingdom
in normal mortal bodies. (Daniel 12:12; Mat. 25:11-46; Ezekiel 34:17-22).
At the second coming of Jesus, He will appear like lightning flashing across
the sky in such a way that EVERY EYE will see Him.
He will come on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory and all His
holy angels with Him.
Mat. 16:27, "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father
with His angels."
Mat. 24:30, " And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky,
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son
of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory."
Mat. 25:31, "with all His angels."
This arrival of Jesus will initiate the DAY OF THE LORD wrath of God, and
all the judgments that will come with it.
This is portrayed symbolically at the 6th seal of Revelation 6 as in the
vision, the people of the earth cry out,
"for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
Paul described it at 2Thes. 1:7-8, "at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from
heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to
those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our
Lord Jesus."
Jesus will remain in the vicinity of the clouds and express the wrath of the
Godhead through the 7 trumpets.
These judgments from God's wrath are portrayed at the 7th seal with the
sounding of the 7 trumpets at Rev. 8-9.
Through trumpets 1-4, food supplies will be diminished, energy resources
will be diminished and many plagues and disasters will affect the nations
with the result that "many men died," (Rev. 8:11). Isaiah 24:7-11.
Because of the nature of these judgments, the ability of the beast to
fulfill his economic promises will be greatly curtailed.
He will be unable to supply the nations with the promised resources and
unable to keep the promise of "peace and security."
As a result the nations will begin to rebel against the beast.
Then to make matters worse, at trumpet #5, the people of the world will be
severely terrorized for five months by the demon horde from the abyss and
the beast will have no control over the attack.
The rebellion of the nations will begin with trumpet #6. Rev. 9:13-19.
Toward the end of the week, God will use the king of the North and his
allies to move against the kingdom of the beast and cause the death of about
1/3 of the beast worshippers as he advances toward Jerusalem.
The human army that is described here corresponds with the Northern alliance
described at Ezek. 38-39.
It is also described at Joel 2:1-11 with emphasis on the invasion of
Jerusalem.
The king of the North thinks that by taking control of Jerusalem he will
defeat the beast and gain control of the beast's material resources.
Ezek. 38:10-13.
"This is what the Lord God says: “It will come about on that day, that
thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, 11 and
you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of un- walled villages. I
will go against those who are at rest, who live securely, all of them living
without walls and having no bars or gates, 12 to capture spoils and to seize
plunder, to turn your hand against the ruins that are now inhabited, and
against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired
livestock and goods, who live at the center of the world."
They desire the material resources controlled by the beast's control of
Jerusalem. There are many natural resources located in the Dead Sea, but
much of the mined and refined "treasures" will be stockpiled in Egypt (Dan
11:43).
" But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and
over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will
follow at his heels."
The kingdom of the beast is centered in Jerusalem and has apparently hoarded
in Egypt an abundance of the resources needed by the nations. But even
though the "treasures" are in Egypt they are controlled by the computerized
economic system of 666 which is probably centered in Rome.
When the king of the north begins his revolt, the king of the west will know
what his ultimate goal is and will make a strong protest against the action.
But then, of course, he will take steps to defend himself and shut down the
rebellion. Ezek. 38:14
"Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will
say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoils? Have you assembled your
contingent to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away
livestock and goods, to capture great spoils?"
The beginning of this invasion by the king of the North will occur before
the end of the week.
So the counter attack by the king of the west will also begin before the end
of the week.
It seems that the king of the west will be located outside of Palestine when
the king of the North and other nations begin their revolt.
It is very possible that his headquarters are in Rome, which is
symbolically, Babylon the great. Rev. 17.
So the beast's first response will be to move from Italy through the
rebellious nations and confront the Middle Eastern nations that have invaded
Palestine.
And at the end of the week, the beast will have entered Palestine and
repelled many of the Middle Eastern nations that had invaded.
This is described at Daniel 11:40-45a.
"And at the end time the king of the South will wage war with him, and the
king of the North will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and with
many ships."
The following actions describe what the king of the West does in response to
the revolt.
Daniel 11:36-39 identifies the main actor in this military scenario. It
describes the dramatic change in personality of the benevolent king of the
West, the world ruler who instituted the Covenant Experiment of Daniel 9:27
at the beginning of the 70th week. This happens at the midpoint of the week
shortly after the ruler is assassinated and brought back to life by the
power of Satan (Rev. 13:3-7).
There is much debate as to the identification of the person in view at this
passage, but to spare the reader all my research into this, I will simply
agree with the conclusion of Walvoord,
"A better identification of the king,. . . however, is to relate him to the
Roman world ruler, the same individual as the little horn of Daniel 7 and
the beast out of the sea of Revelation 13:1-10." (Daniel, page 272).
I will therefore operate on the premise that this "king" is indeed the world
ruler who controls the 10-nation political body with roots in ancient Rome,
who is known as the king of the West and who is often represented in the Old
Testament as the king of Babylon. The 3rd person pronouns that follow the
phrase, "the king of the North will storm against him," in verse 40, ALL
refer to the king of the West.
According to Rev. 9:16-19, the advance of the king of the North will cause
devastating destruction and death.
"A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire, the
smoke, and the brimstone which came out of their mouths."
And Joel 2:3 gives a summary. "A fire consumes before them, And behind them
a flame devours.
The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, But a desolate wilderness
behind them, And nothing at all escapes them."
The advance of the king of the North is a campaign that will devastate many
countries as he moves into Palestine and eventually into Jerusalem.
The exact pathway of this invasion is not detailed, but in the context of
Biblical geography, it would include all of Europe.
In the context of our present day geography, we can only surmise that much
of his army will also attack the nations of the western hemisphere.
But his primary goal will be to reach Palestine and specifically Jerusalem.
We know that the people of Israel are the focal point of God's historical
dealings as per Deut. 32:8.
And God set Jerusalem as the center of the nations (Ezek. 5:5).
At the time period of the end, Israel will be viewed as "the center (navel)
of the world."
In today's world, we have knowledge of vast natural resources that are in
the dead sea. Perhaps this will be the issue when these things start to play
out.
All the beast can do at this time is try to slow down the advance of the
king of the North and his allies by his own counterattack.
"And he - the king of the West - will enter countries, overflow them, and
pass through."
Daniel 11:40
And he will enter countries: The K/W must respond to the invasions from the
North and the South.
If it can be recognized that the beast himself is probably located in Rome,
then his counter attack will move from that area toward Palestine.
He will move from Italy through those countries to the east, and then enter
the beautiful land (Palestine) and drive the invaders out.
He will overflow and pass through: This indicates an intensive campaign to
counter the attack from the North that touched every corner of the beast's
kingdom. But the focus in Daniel is the armies running amok in Palestine.
Daniel 11:41
The King of the west will enter into Palestine (the beautiful land), and
have a successful counter attack against the armies there.
The text says, "and many will fall."
These will probably be the Middle Eastern nations that border Palestine; the
armies of Jordan (Edom, Obadiah 15-18), Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
These nations will be aligned with either the king of the North or the king
of the South.
However, the homeland areas of Edom, Moab and Ammon are not affected either
by the invading armies or the beast's defense. God provides extra protection
for this general land area because it is where the remnant from Israel has
fled for refuge from the oppression of the beast.
The area of Edom will come under specific judgment from God when Jesus
descends onto the earth at the 7th bowl judgment.
The beast will probably enter Jerusalem at this time, which so far will have
escaped foreign invasion.
The only thing going on in Jerusalem will be the on-going testimony of the
two witnesses. Rev. 11:3-13.
It is at this time that the beast will finally be allowed to harm the
witnesses. He will have a physical confrontation with them which he will win
and then will kill them publicly in the street. Rev. 11:7-8.
According to the vision and the heavenly time scheme, this will mark the end
of the 70th week as is symbolically portrayed in John's vision of what is
happening IN HEAVEN. Rev. 11:14-19.
It will be the termination point for the testimony by the two witnesses.
And it will mark the end of the official reign of the beast.
The two witnesses will ascend into the sky and into heaven.
The beast will continue trying to salvage his failed reign over the next 30
days.
THE JEWISH REFUGEES
There are three groups of refugees in the area of Jerusalem.
(1) The Jews of Palestine who flee into the wilderness and are protected by
God in the regions of Moab and Ammon. Revelation 12:13-16
(2) The Jews of Palestine who are stranded and are hiding in the mountains
of Edom. Ezekiel 35:5; Obadiah 12-14
(3) There will be MANY resisters hiding in the areas in and outside the city
of Jerusalem.
Toward the end of the 70th week, when the two witnesses are concluding their
testimony in the city of Jerusalem, many beast-resisters will come out of
hiding to hear them.
It is at this time, that the beast will kill the two witnesses.
Their bodies will lay in the street for 3 1/2 days and the ascend into the
sky.
After they ascend, the great earthquake will cause severe damage and havoc
in the city.
Seven thousand beast worshippers will be killed and a very large number of
Jewish beast-resisters will trust in the everlasting gospel. Rev. 11:13.
According to the time scheme portrayed in John's vision this will happen 3
1/2 days after the end of the week and it will now be time for the final
wrath of God to be poured out on the earth through the 7 bowl judgments.
Rev. 11:9-19 with chapters 15-16.
Now back on the earth, after 1/10 of the city is destroyed and 7000 beast
worshippers are killed, the king of the west will leave Jerusalem and
counter attack against the king of the south in Egypt and North Africa.
Daniel 11:42-43
"And he will stretch out his hand against {other} countries, and the land of
Egypt will not escape. But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of
gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and
Ethiopians {will follow} at his heels."
The beast will have the vast majority of his material resources stockpiled
in Egypt. They will be "hidden" but still need to be "rescued" from the
rebelling nations. The beast's economic base to control the Gentiles will be
in Rome, but of course, everything will be controlled through computers.
According to this, much of the PHYSICAL resources ("treasures") will be
stored in a "hidden" location in Egypt.
But apparently Jerusalem will be the key to ultimate control.
The beast will drive the K/S out of Palestine back into his own land.
From Egypt, the King of the West will continue into Libya and Ethiopia. They
are identified at Ezekiel 38:5, as being in alliance with the king of the
North. The movement of the king of the West into these areas is described at
Ezekiel 30:1-9 and Isaiah 19:1-25.
EZEKIEL 30:1-3
The word of the LORD came again to me saying, "Son of man, prophesy and say,
'Thus says the Lord GOD, Wail, 'Alas for the day!'
"For the day is near, Even the day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of
clouds, A time {of doom} for the nations."
As in so many other passages, the day of the Lord is seen as ARRIVING, but
the focus is clearly on some event that will take pace DURING that day. In
this case, it is the military maneuvers that will be described as "a time
for the nations." But the specific focus is on the Southern alliance
associated with Gog.
Ezek. 30:4
"And a sword will come upon Egypt, And anguish will be in Ethiopia, When the
slain fall in Egypt, They take away her wealth, And her foundations are torn
down."
Once again, we see these maneuvers presented at Daniel 11:42-43.
Ezek. 30:5
"Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all Arabia, Libya, and the people of the land that is
in league will fall with them by the sword."
These are in league one with another, as members of the Southern alliance
but are also seem to be allied with the king of the North. The king of the
West is allowed to use its superior weaponry and military might to achieve
the victory over this Southern alliance. Although the LAND area of Jordan
(Edom) will not be touched at this time.
Ezek. 30:6,
"Thus says the LORD, 'Indeed, those who support Egypt will fall, And the
pride of her power will come down; From Migdol {to} Syene They will fall
within her by the sword,' Declares the Lord GOD."
Migdol is in Northern Egypt and Syene is in the South.
Ezek. 30:7-8
"And they will be desolate In the midst of the desolated lands; And her
cities will be In the midst of the devastated cities.
"And they will know that I am the LORD, When I set a fire in Egypt And all
her helpers are broken.
The defeated armies of northern Africa will recognize the working of God
even though administered by the military might of the king of the west.
Isaiah 26:9, "For when the earth experiences your judgment the inhabitants
of the earth learn righteousness."
However, most of them are probably beast-worshippers and recognition of
God's judgment does not deliver them from the destiny of having taken the
mark, even though they are now in rebellion against the beast. Rev. 14:9-11.
Ezek. 30:9,
"On that day messengers will go forth from Me in ships to frighten secure
Ethiopia; and anguish will be on them as on the day of Egypt; for, behold,
it comes!"
This indicates the divine permission for the king of the West to defend
itself and push beyond Egypt to the other nations involved. Part of the
attack on Ethiopia will be from the water.
Daniel 11:43,
"and Libyans and Ethiopians {will follow} at his heels."
After neutralizing Egypt and regaining control of the "treasures" located
there, the king of the West will continue into the other North African
nations that have pushed against him.
While the beast is distracted with the rebels in the south, the heavenly
vision tells us about the 6th bowl judgment. Rev. 16:12-16.
"The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and
its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from
the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the
mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean
spirits like frogs; 14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs,
which go out to the kings of the entire world, to gather them together for
the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like
a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that
he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.”) 16 And
they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called
Har-Magedon."
The word ALL does not mean absolutely every single nation. The idea is that
those nations ABLE to compete for the material resources involved will all
gather in Palestine. Their intent will be to fight against each other for
dominance and control of those resources.
Their focus will not be on attacking Jesus until He descends physically onto
the earth and surveys the nations.
Through this Satanic influence, the King of the North especially, and all
the nations allied with him will invade Palestine and enter Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 38:15-16
"And you will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you
and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly
and a mighty army; and you will come up against My people Israel like a
cloud to cover the land. It will come about in the last days that I shall
bring you against My land, in order that the nations may know Me when I
shall be sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog."
Joel 2:1-2
"Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the
inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely
it is near, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As the dawn is spread over the mountains, {So} there is a great mighty
people; There has never been {anything} like it, Nor will there be again
after it To the years of many generations."
Again, it needs to be pointed out, that the arrival of the day of the Lord
occurs BEFORE these armies begin to move. We are given a general
announcement that THE DAY is coming attendant with its signs and darkness.
Then the focus moves forward to the invasion of the northern army that will
occur DURING the day of the Lord.
The devastation caused by the king of the North as he invades Palestine and
enters Jerusalem is described at Joel 2:3-9.
"A fire consumes before them, And behind them a flame burns. The land is
like the garden of Eden before them, But a desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them. Their appearance is like the appearance of
horses; And like war horses, so they run. With a noise as of chariots They
leap on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire
consuming the stubble, Like a mighty people arranged for battle. Before them
the people are in anguish; All faces turn pale. They run like mighty men;
They climb the wall like soldiers; And they each march in line, Nor do they
deviate from their paths. They do not crowd each other; They march everyone
in his path. When they burst through the defenses, They do not break ranks.
They rush on the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses,
They enter through the windows like a thief."
And concerning Jerusalem Zech. 12:2-3 gives a summary.
"Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering to all
the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be
against Judah. 3 It will come about on that day that I will make Jerusalem a
heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will injure themselves
severely. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it."
And the specific oppression on the people is described at Zech. 14:2.
"For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city
will be taken, the houses plundered, the women raped, and half of the city
exiled, but the rest of the people will not be eliminated from the city."
One of the other nations that will enter into Jerusalem, will be
specifically, Edom (Southern Jordan) as prophesied in Obadiah 12-21.
We therefore find the connection between all the Old Testament passages
concerning the king of the North. His worldwide aggressions are focused into
his ultimate goal of possessing Jerusalem and thus, joins with the other
nations to fulfill the messages of the other prophets.
In Jerusalem, the victims of this invasion will be the beast worshippers who
inhabit the city.
Half of the people will be exiled. This probably refers to an imprisonment
in a location outside the city limits.
Half of the people will remain within the city limits to be terrorized by
the invaders.
It seems that the thousands of Messiah-believers will go back into hiding
and find protection from the invaders.
It appears that they don't start fighting until after Jesus descends to the
Mount of Olives.
While the king of the North is oppressing Jerusalem, the king of the West
will be wrapping up things in the South. But "rumors from the East and from
the North will terrify him, and he will go out with great wrath to eliminate
and annihilate many." Dan. 11:44.
The beast will learn that the kings of the east and other nations have
started to move toward the land of Palestine.
And he will hear that the king of the north has invaded Jerusalem. The beast
will respond by sending troops into Northern Palestine and into Jerusalem.
When he enters Jerusalem, "he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion
between the seas AT the beautiful Holy Mountain." Dan. 11:45a.
This will effectively split the northern army into two parts as described at
Joel 2:20.
"But I will remove the northern army far from you, And I will drive it into
a dry and desolate land,
Its advance guard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western
sea."
This branch of his army will stay in Jerusalem and continue fighting
remnants from the various invaders. The beast himself will probably keep
moving west and north to join the rest of his army and confront the
rebellious nations in the valley of Megiddo.
And it is now when the invading armies are fighting with each other Jesus
will descend from His location on the cloud (Rev. 14:14) and begin His
3-fold judgment on all the invading armies. Zech. 12:3.
"Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He
fights on a day of battle."
He will descend physically and visibly from the sky (Rev. 19:11-16) and He
will survey and startle the nations (Habakkuk 3:6).
It is at this time that the warring armies will realize that the real
conflict is with Jesus.
These will then begin to organize into a massive army to try and defeat Him.
This is what is seen at Rev. 19:19.
"And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled
to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army."
Jesus will go first to Edom and probably in a matter of minutes pour out
God's wrath upon it (Habakkuk 3:7; Is. 63:1-6).
The judgment on the land area of ancient Edom in Southern Jordan will
totally destroy the beast-worshipping people who have been active in
oppressing the Jews. Obadiah 10-18; Hab. 3:7; Is. 63:1-6.
After judging Edom Jesus will leave Southern Jordan and go to Jerusalem and
stand on the Mt of Olives.
Zech. 14:4-54. "On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
WHICH IS IN FRONT OF JERUSALEM ON THE EAST; and the Mount of Olives will be
split in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley. Half of
the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half toward the
south. And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of
the mountains will reach to Azel."
This will cause the great earthquake of Rev. 16:17-19.
"Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice
came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” 18 And there
were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a
great earthquake, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon
the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 The great city
was split into three parts."
The earthquake will split the Mt of olives down the middle from N to S which
will split the city of Jerusalem into 3 parts.
It will also create a valley extending from east to west which will run
along Northern Jerusalem leading to a place of safety for the women and
children away from both Jerusalem and Megiddo.
Megiddo is about 80 miles North of Jerusalem.
After Jesus stands on the Mount of Olives, He will strike the enemy soldiers
with a plague of confusion.
As a result, the clans of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be
emboldened to fight with David-like prowess and they will consume the
invaders until all are totally defeated. Zech. 12:4-9.
"On that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion
and its rider with insanity. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while
I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of
Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a strong
support for us through the Lord of armies, their God.’
On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of
wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right
and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of
Jerusalem again live on their own sites in Jerusalem."
"The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the
house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be
greater than Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them on that day will be like
David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord
before them. 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that
come against Jerusalem." (Micah 4:11-13).
Zech. 14:12-15.
"Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples
who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they
stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their
tongue will rot in their mouth. 13 And it will come about on that day that a
great panic from the Lord will fall on them; and they will seize one
another’s hand, and the hand of one will be raised against the hand of
another. 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the
surrounding nations will be gathered, gold, silver, and garments in great
abundance. 15 And just like this plague, there will be a plague on the
horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey, and all the cattle that will be in
those camps."
The physical defeat of these neutralized and confused invaders will be over
in minutes as there will be no resistance.
After that the believing Jews in Jerusalem, will possess all the wealth that
somehow was brought and left.
Through this victory, all the resources possessed by these invading armies
will become plunder for Israel. Zech. 14:1, "Behold, a day is coming for the
LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you."
Verse 14, "and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered,
gold and silver and garments in great abundance."
(Ezekiel 39:10; Obadiah 18; Micah 4:13)
While the Israelites are defeating the troops in the immediate vicinity of
the city, Jesus will destroy all the nations that have come against
Jerusalem as was mentioned at Zechariah 12:2-3.
It is restated here at verse 12:9, "And it will come about in that day, that
I will set about
to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."
The main armies of the nations have now assembled in the valley of Megiddo
and are united in their goal to defeat Jesus. It is at this time that Jesus
will go forth to destroy the armies that have gathered in the valley.
Zechariah 12:9-14 and 13:1-6 flashes forward to the start of the earthly
kingdom.
Zechariah 13:7-9 is a POETIC parenthesis that goes from the Messiah's first
coming,
through national discipline on Israel, and then to the blessing of the
kingdom.
Zechariah 14:1-5b then picks up again with the Battle of Jerusalem and
Megiddo.
Zechariah 14:5c-7 gives a summary statement of the initial physical descent
of Jesus.
Zechariah 14:8-11 flashes forward to blessing in the kingdom.
Zechariah 14:12-15 flashes back to the battle of Jerusalem.
Zechariah 14:16-21 flashes forward again to life in the kingdom. (Isaiah
11:10; 2:1-4)
ON TO MEGIDDO
As Joel developed the Armageddon confrontation, he wrote,
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD
is near in the valley of decision.”
“The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness,” (Joel
3:14-15).
This is not talking about the “initial” arrival of the Day of the LORD, but
the effect of That Day in reference to Armageddon.
It is already here, but it is NEAR in the Valley of decision.
Joel 3:16, "And Yahweh roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the heavens and the earth tremble. But Yahweh is a refuge for His people
And a stronghold to the sons of Israel."
Here we see the order of movement. FROM Jerusalem He goes somewhere else.
We know that location to be the valley of Megiddo.
It seems that anytime Jesus makes a movement to a different location there
will be some dramatic visible and physical occurrences.
Here, as usual, we see effects in the sky and on the earth. There was
already the extreme darkness (Zech. 14:6-7) when He descended from the cloud
in the sky at Revelation 19:11.
The darkness at that time and here plus the earthquake from standing on the
Mount of Olives will have the armies that are gathered in Megiddo seriously
agitated and frightened.
In fact the plague upon all the armies will extend from Jerusalem to the
valley so that all the soldiers will be confused and fighting against each
other.
THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
It is possible to let the very Scriptures themselves describe what happens,
with very little commentary.
Before the battle, the scavengers of nature sense what is coming and await
the slaughter in order to feast on the dead. Revelation 19:17-18
Rev. 19:19
And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled
to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army.
Here the armies of the East, West and North have regrouped to join forces
against the Son of God. Once gathered here, God will judge the assembled
nations and destroy them.
Joel 3:12-14
Let the nations be aroused And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat
(Yahweh's judgment), For there I will sit to judge All the surrounding
nations.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press
is full; The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of the verdict! For the day of Yahweh
is near in the valley of the verdict.
Rev. 14:19-20
And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and gathered {the clusters
from} the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the
wrath of God.
And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the
wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
That which causes the various nations involved to move into Palestine, is
the political, military, religious and economic influences placed upon them
by the demonic powers that control the beast and the false prophet.
Rev. 16:13-14, 16
And I saw {coming} out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of
the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits
like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out
to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the
great day of God, the Almighty.
And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called
Harmagedon.
But just before all these armies will be killed, the beast and the false
prophet will be snatched out of the earth and cast into the lake of fire.
Rev. 19:20, "And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who
performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had
received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two
were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone."
Just as was prophesized about him at Dan. 11:45b, "Yet he will come to his
end, and no one will help him."
DINNER TIME!
The peoples who are assembled in the valley are to be physically killed
through the military prowess of the Lord Jesus as He wields the sword of His
mouth and scatters the enemy on the face of the battlefield. Since the
bodies of the dead will be left lying on the ground for later burial by the
Jews at the beginning of the Kingdom, it provides an abundant food source
for the scavengers of the animal kingdom. Thus, they are called to gather in
anticipation of the divine meal that will be provided to them.
Rev. 19:17-18
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice,
saying to all the birds which fly in mid-heaven, “Come, assemble for the
great supper of God; in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the
flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and
of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves,
and small and great.”
Ezek. 39:17-21
“And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord Yahweh, ‘Speak to every kind
of bird and to every beast of the field, “Assemble and come, gather from
every side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great
sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink
blood.
“You shall eat the flesh of mighty men, and drink the blood of the princes
of the earth, as {though they were} rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of
them fatlings of Bashan.
“So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are
drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
“And you will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with
mighty men and all the men of war,” declares the Lord Yahweh.
MESSIAH’S PERSONAL VINTAGE
Rev. 14:19-20
And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and gathered {the clusters
from} the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the
wrath of God.
And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the
wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
This distance of 200 miles includes the entire area affected by the influx
of nations into Palestine. The land of Israel itself is only 160 miles from
North to South, but this number should probably be taken as “square mileage”
covering all directions from Jerusalem.
Thus, although the "battle" is designated as being in the valley of Megiddo,
the armies are scattered all over the land as a result of all the
maneuvering and forced retreats.
Armies from the king of the North will be located everywhere from the
Mediterranean Sea, West of Jerusalem, East to the Dead Sea, and in Megiddo
as well.
Armies from the King of the East will be gathered into Megiddo. Armies from
all the Arab nations that are in Palestine will be gathered there.
The "blood" coming up to the height of horses bridles is hyperbolic
symbolism. It communicates the extent of the slaughter. There won't be any
horses for this will involve mechanized and manual warfare.
Rev. 19:21
And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who
sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
The summary of this final battle finds ALL the people who have gathered,
killed and placed on the “table” of the battlefield as a divine meal for all
the predatory animals that have been invited.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NORTHERN ARMY
Ezekiel 38:18-23; Joel 2:18-20; Zech. 12:2-9; 14:12-15;
Through both the battle of Jerusalem and the battle of Armageddon, the
Northern army will be totally destroyed. This army receives special
attention in the Scriptures since it will have accomplished such a
devastating ruin in Israel.
Although viewed separately, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, it can be
determined that the ultimate destruction of the Northern army takes place at
the final battle described above.
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