Times, Months, and Days of Great Tribulation
There are three phrases of time that describe the duration of different aspects of the end time tribulation. These phrases refer to viewpoints of time relative to Israel, the church, and the world:
1. Time, times, and half a time:
Daniel 7:25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
2. Forty two months:
Revelation 11:2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.
Revelation 12:5The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.
6It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.
7It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
3. 1,260 days:
Revelation 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Revelation 11:3 “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
It is generally presumed, as I have subscribed to in the past, that these descriptions of time all refer to the same 3.5 years. I taught it this way for several years. However, the more I study Revelation and talk to Jesus about it, I see that He inspired the writers of the Bible to phrase it differently, because they refer to different time periods that actually overlap and describe different people groups Jesus is dealing with. The time also becomes more known and minutely measured as time goes on.
Each one of these phrases describe different aspects of what happens during the trumpet judgments that commence at the end of the sixth seal and the beginning of the seventh.
The seventh seal initiates the seven trumpets of Revelation...like the fuse of a bomb. Picture the seals as the burning fuse, and the trumpets as the explosion.
At the time of the sixth seal, a cascade of events described elsewhere in the Book of Revelation commence:
1. The devil and his demons are cast out of heaven and to the earth. They become imprisoned on the physical Earth and Satan no longer accuses us before the throne of God, instead he accuses us to the earth, and
2. A war breaks out against God's people.
At the same time
3. God pours out His Spirit on those who prepared in consecrated gatherings of repentance (Joel 2:11-18). This preparation gets some believers ready for the outpouring, just as the waiting 10 days in the upper room did for Peter and his friends:
Joel 2:28“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
29And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
30“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
This matches the description of the sixth seal and prepared saints to endure the war against them.
It is easy to know when, in the chronology of Revelation, this happens if you piece together the narrative:
Sixth seal:
Revelation 6:12I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
13And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17“For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
The phrase "stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind," is referring to demons being cast to the earth. This is clear from other Bible passages:
Isaiah 24:20The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard,
And shall totter like a hut;
Its transgression shall be heavy upon it,
And it will fall, and not rise again.
21It shall come to pass in that day
That the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones,
And on the earth the kings of the earth.
22They will be gathered together,
As prisoners are gathered in the pit,
And will be shut up in the prison;
After many days they will be punished.
23Then the moon will be disgraced
And the sun ashamed;
For the LORD of hosts will reign
On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
And before His elders, gloriously.
Host of heaven cast to the earth, imprisoned with kings, short time, moon and sun...see the connections?
There are many places this same event is described:
Isaiah 34:4All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,
And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll;
All their host shall fall down
As the leaf falls from the vine,
And as fruit falling from a fig tree.
5“For My sword shall be bathed in heaven;
Indeed it shall come down on Edom,
And on the people of My curse, for judgment.
This war that begins in heaven, ends up spilling onto the earth. This happens as a result of the opening of the sixth seal:
Revelation 12:7And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
These two events coincide: *Satan being cast down, and then *an earthly attack against first Israel, then the church:
Revelation 12:13Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This war in heaven where Satan is cast to earth, starts with "Michael standing up." We find out from the Book of Daniel that this is the beginning of the "Great Tribulation." Jesus borrowed from Daniel 12 to coin the phrase "Great Tribulation":
Daniel 12:1“At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
So, what is referred to as the "Great Tribulation" begins with the sixth seal and extends to the seventh trumpet. The focus of the times, the months, and then the days is referring to the way time becomes more acute in the birth process. When a woman becomes pregnant, she knows her time. Then she calculates the months remaining. As delivery nears, she begins counting days.
Matthew 24:7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
This birthpain time we are in is quickly transitioning to heavy labor. The famine, disease, conflict, and natural events in the news this week is going to quickly transition to a global war against true believers mostly fomented by offended worldly believers who, just as in Jesus' day, look to the government to maintain their security, and in the power of Satan, and with the armies of kings, make war on the faithful for telling the truth.
Jesus' bride's love will be proven just as His was on the cross. The Holy Spirit will provide all that is needed, just as He did for Jesus.
We are going from discerning the times to counting the months. Soon we will begin. Counting days.
Can you discern the time?
Luke 12:56 “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?
Luke 21:28“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
29Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30“When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31“So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
32“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. 33“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 34“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35“For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
The practical application of what I am laying out, and the reason for my post is this: if you want to be ready for what is next, find a group of people willing to physically gather to repent and get ready to receive the outpouring of the Spirit. The flesh claims it will "rise to the occasion.". Those filled with the leadership of Jesus kneel in prayer at the challenge coming to the church.
"Do" Joel 2:11-18 if you want to be ready for Joel 2:28-32. The sixth seal is opening right now, in my opinion. We see dimly. That is just my opinion. It is never too early to get ready. Too late is always too late.
Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O undesirable nation,
2Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you!
3Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’s anger.
Read Zephaniah 1 with this in mind and you will see what I mean.
Much love from me to you.
1. Time, times, and half a time:
Daniel 7:25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
2. Forty two months:
Revelation 11:2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.
Revelation 12:5The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.
6It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.
7It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
3. 1,260 days:
Revelation 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Revelation 11:3 “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
It is generally presumed, as I have subscribed to in the past, that these descriptions of time all refer to the same 3.5 years. I taught it this way for several years. However, the more I study Revelation and talk to Jesus about it, I see that He inspired the writers of the Bible to phrase it differently, because they refer to different time periods that actually overlap and describe different people groups Jesus is dealing with. The time also becomes more known and minutely measured as time goes on.
Each one of these phrases describe different aspects of what happens during the trumpet judgments that commence at the end of the sixth seal and the beginning of the seventh.
The seventh seal initiates the seven trumpets of Revelation...like the fuse of a bomb. Picture the seals as the burning fuse, and the trumpets as the explosion.
At the time of the sixth seal, a cascade of events described elsewhere in the Book of Revelation commence:
1. The devil and his demons are cast out of heaven and to the earth. They become imprisoned on the physical Earth and Satan no longer accuses us before the throne of God, instead he accuses us to the earth, and
2. A war breaks out against God's people.
At the same time
3. God pours out His Spirit on those who prepared in consecrated gatherings of repentance (Joel 2:11-18). This preparation gets some believers ready for the outpouring, just as the waiting 10 days in the upper room did for Peter and his friends:
Joel 2:28“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
29And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
30“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
This matches the description of the sixth seal and prepared saints to endure the war against them.
It is easy to know when, in the chronology of Revelation, this happens if you piece together the narrative:
Sixth seal:
Revelation 6:12I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
13And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17“For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
The phrase "stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind," is referring to demons being cast to the earth. This is clear from other Bible passages:
Isaiah 24:20The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard,
And shall totter like a hut;
Its transgression shall be heavy upon it,
And it will fall, and not rise again.
21It shall come to pass in that day
That the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones,
And on the earth the kings of the earth.
22They will be gathered together,
As prisoners are gathered in the pit,
And will be shut up in the prison;
After many days they will be punished.
23Then the moon will be disgraced
And the sun ashamed;
For the LORD of hosts will reign
On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
And before His elders, gloriously.
Host of heaven cast to the earth, imprisoned with kings, short time, moon and sun...see the connections?
There are many places this same event is described:
Isaiah 34:4All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,
And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll;
All their host shall fall down
As the leaf falls from the vine,
And as fruit falling from a fig tree.
5“For My sword shall be bathed in heaven;
Indeed it shall come down on Edom,
And on the people of My curse, for judgment.
This war that begins in heaven, ends up spilling onto the earth. This happens as a result of the opening of the sixth seal:
Revelation 12:7And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
These two events coincide: *Satan being cast down, and then *an earthly attack against first Israel, then the church:
Revelation 12:13Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This war in heaven where Satan is cast to earth, starts with "Michael standing up." We find out from the Book of Daniel that this is the beginning of the "Great Tribulation." Jesus borrowed from Daniel 12 to coin the phrase "Great Tribulation":
Daniel 12:1“At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
So, what is referred to as the "Great Tribulation" begins with the sixth seal and extends to the seventh trumpet. The focus of the times, the months, and then the days is referring to the way time becomes more acute in the birth process. When a woman becomes pregnant, she knows her time. Then she calculates the months remaining. As delivery nears, she begins counting days.
Matthew 24:7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
This birthpain time we are in is quickly transitioning to heavy labor. The famine, disease, conflict, and natural events in the news this week is going to quickly transition to a global war against true believers mostly fomented by offended worldly believers who, just as in Jesus' day, look to the government to maintain their security, and in the power of Satan, and with the armies of kings, make war on the faithful for telling the truth.
Jesus' bride's love will be proven just as His was on the cross. The Holy Spirit will provide all that is needed, just as He did for Jesus.
We are going from discerning the times to counting the months. Soon we will begin. Counting days.
Can you discern the time?
Luke 12:56 “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?
Luke 21:28“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
29Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30“When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31“So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
32“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. 33“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 34“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35“For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
The practical application of what I am laying out, and the reason for my post is this: if you want to be ready for what is next, find a group of people willing to physically gather to repent and get ready to receive the outpouring of the Spirit. The flesh claims it will "rise to the occasion.". Those filled with the leadership of Jesus kneel in prayer at the challenge coming to the church.
"Do" Joel 2:11-18 if you want to be ready for Joel 2:28-32. The sixth seal is opening right now, in my opinion. We see dimly. That is just my opinion. It is never too early to get ready. Too late is always too late.
Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O undesirable nation,
2Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you!
3Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’s anger.
Read Zephaniah 1 with this in mind and you will see what I mean.
Much love from me to you.
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