Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince
which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of
trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and
at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book.
Here is the time of Jacob's trouble. The seven year tribulation period that
Revelation speaks of and Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24.
Michael is the angel that fights for Israel. This tribulation period deals
mostly with Israel and their deliverance from the wicked kingdoms of the world.
It is the trial of all trials. This does not involve the church. This is the
time that Israel discovers who the real Messiah is. Israel finds salvation as a
nation.
Just like the Gentiles before them though, the requirement for deliverance will
be that their names were found written in the book. How do we get our names
written in the book. We will let the bible speak for itself here:
Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are
these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are
they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.
1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin.
1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Not all Israel is saved at the same time. In Revelation we see that in the
middle of the tribulation there are 144,000 who are sealed so that the plagues
cannot harm them. They are numbered and are part of the 12 tribes of Israel.
These are not all of Israel so the rest of that nation have not yet repented of
sin and turned to Jesus Christ. The rest of Israel are not delivered or
sealed because their names are not yet in that book of life. These are not
Gentiles or any group or religious sect but are the tribes of Israel. When God
says Israel He means Israel not the church.
The reason so many people get confused between Israel and the church is simply
because before 1948, there was no Israel and bible theologians, in trying to
make the scriptures fit into the church age thinking put the church in places
that it didn't belong. We are still having trouble coming out of that error even
today. There are verses in Isaiah that many of these well meaning theologians
think refers to the church. However, the sealing of these 144 thousand is clear.
They are Israel.
These are men that are saved at the beginning of the tribulation or in the
middle of it and probably are used of God to reach the rest of Israel with the
message of the gospel. These are the first fruits of Israel as a nation. It is
clear that they are sealed in the middle of the tribulation but they could have
been saved long before that time.
Another place in Revelation tells us that after the manchild is removed which is
probably the 144,000 (Others believe the manchild is Jesus Christ), the anti-christ
goes after the rest of Israel to try to destroy them. This is symbolized in
Revelation
Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman
clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of
twelve stars:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be
delivered.
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red
dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast
them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be
delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a
rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared
of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore
days.
A great many people believe the man child to be Christ but Jesus wasn't caught
up to God's throne without suffering and dying on the cross for sin first. He
didn't escape with his life. Those caught up in heaven here seem to escape
death.
The woman or Israel flees as Jesus warned them to do in Matthew 24. They go into
Jordan, into the city of Petra to escape the armies of the anti-christ. Some
mistakenly think this woman is the church. It is clearly Israel pictured as this
woman. We can understand this clearly by remembering the dream of Joseph.
Genesis 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren,
and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon
and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
Gen 37:10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father
rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall
I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to
the earth?
Jacob understood Joseph's dream about the sun, moon and stars to be He, Joseph's
mother and his brethren are the eleven stars.
If we realize the tribulation period is all about Israel and God bringing that
nation back to Him, we will not get confused. This does not concern the church.
Gentile believers may be saved during this period also but this prophecy
concerns Israel. The whole book of Daniel concerns Israel for those are the
people Daniel was praying for in chapter 9.
In the book of Revelation, the church is not mentioned after chapter 3. It is
not seen again until all these terrible things have passed. There are saints in
heaven that may represent the church but it is not seen on the earth at least in
the book of Revelation.
Jesus also told Israel to flee when the abomination of desolation is set up in
Matthew 24. Again this message is to Israel not the church. The church doesn't
have to worry about fleeing Judea and going to the mountains and they certainly
wouldn't worry about fleeing on the Sabbath Day. Israel will flee to to a place
prepared for them. So after the 144 thousand are taken up to heaven, the others
flee and leave Judea. The armies of the anti-christ chase after them and an
earthquake opens up and devours them. Some were delivered by being sealed and
these are delivered by fleeing.
Then the anti-christ returns in anger and goes after the rest of Israel. Jesus
Christ will deliver them at His coming.
Revelation 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood
after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and
swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the
remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony
of Jesus Christ.
There will be many that are killed for refusing the mark of the beast, for
refusing to go along with the false religious system set up before the rise of
the anti-christ and for just believing and trusting in Jesus as their Lord. But
here is the results of being faithful.
Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Daniel is not told that 1000 years separates the first and second resurrection.
We see that in the book of Revelation in more detail.
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment
was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the
witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the
beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or
in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on
such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Here is a comforting message for the church or believers that are Gentiles
and Jews.
1Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also
which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are
asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the
firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and
ever.
Those that believe, turn away from sin and obey God by believing in the one He
sent to save them, shall shine as stars forever.
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to
the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased.
This describes this day and age where knowledge has increased more than any age
before us.
Dan 12:5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on
this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of
the river.
Dan 12:6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of
the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
Dan 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the
river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore
by him that liveth forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and
when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all
these things shall be finished.
The whole time of Jacob's trouble is 7 years but the final part of it, the war
on Israel by the anti-christ is 3 1/2 years.
Dan 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what
shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed
till the time of the end.
Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked
shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall
understand.
Tribulation and persecution actually is the best thing to discern the false from
the real and bring out the worst or the best in us. When real persecution rises,
we find out what we are really make of.
Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and
the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two
hundred and ninety days.
Dan 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred
and five and thirty days.
Dan 12:13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in
thy lot at the end of the days.
This shows that Daniel the beloved will have his place in the latter days. Old
Testament saints also will be among those the rule and reign with Jesus Christ.
Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they
brought him near before him.
Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be
destroyed.
Here we see the vision of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament years before even
His first coming. Here we see what transpires at His second coming.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.