Time of Trouble Bible Study (7)

In Bible Study 6 we noted the parallels between the ten plagues that fell upon Egypt (Exodus 7-10) and the seven last plagues destined to fall upon the entire world prior to the visible return of Jesus Christ (Revelation 16). The period of the seven last plagues is "the time of trouble, such as never was" predicted in Daniel 12:1. We know that this fearful time will strike shortly after the last crisis hits, after the mark of the beast is enforced (Revelation 13:15-17), and immediately after Heaven's door of mercy finally closes (Revelation 22:11) just like it did in Noah's day before the flood came (see Genesis 7:16; Matthew 24:37-39).

The focus of Bible Study 7 is the 10th plague that fell upon the Egyptians and how that plague contains the key to our protection during the time of trouble.

After nine plagues had ravaged Egypt's countryside and practically ruined his nation, amazingly, Pharaoh still stubbornly refused to let Israel go. The time for the 10th plague had come. Read these verses prayerfully:

Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. 8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover. 12 'For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:1-13, NKJV, emphasis added).

It was the crimson blood of slain lambs splattered upon their doorposts that protected the firstborn of Israel when the 10th plague struck Egypt. "When I see the blood," the Lord declared, "I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."

The truth is that ever since Adam and Eve first listened to the snake in Eden (see Genesis 3:1-6), blood has been at the heart of the Great War between our Creator and Lucifer over the salvation of our souls. On the night of the 10th plague, the blood was a sign of protection, and deliverance.

On the Day of Atonement, God also instructed His High Priests to enter the Most Holy Place of His Temple and to sprinkle warm blood on the mercy seat that sat on top of the ark containing the Ten Commandments (see Leviticus 16:14). In this case, blood above the law typified full cleansing from sin.

On His last night in Jerusalem before He died, Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover with His disciples. After distributing the juice of crushed grapes to the twelve, our Lord announced. "For this is my blood of the new covenant that is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). He was the ultimate Passover!

The next day Jesus hung crucified on a hill called Calvary. As He hung dying, drop-by-drop, and stain-by-stain, His own blood soaked the splintery wood of a tree supporting His beaten body. The Bible alone can explains the mystery. Paul explained,

"…we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Ephesians 1:7, emphasis added).

The book of Revelation also identifies those who beat the devil. Don't miss it:

And they [God's people] overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death (Revelation 12:11, emphasis added)

When you put all of these verses together, it becomes clear that salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ is Heaven's battle cry in the Great War. And just like the "sign" of the blood protected the firstborn of Israel when the 10th plague struck, even so will the blood of Jesus Christ protect God's people when the seven last plagues decimate planet Earth.

But we must do our part too, just as the Israelites did on their last night in Egypt. In our next study (number 8), we will look at the meaning of eating the flesh of the lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, shoes on the feet, staff in the hand, and eating in haste (see Exodus 12:7-11) before "the Lord's Passover."

May God help each of us to respond right now to Jesus Christ's love, and to trust fully in His blood, so that the final plagues will "pass over" us during the time of trouble!

The Seven Plagues

Revelation 16 describes seven angels pouring out seven plagues during a final period of "great tribulation" prior to the glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Preceding events are as follows:

1. A final crisis will strike planet earth (pending now)
2. The "mark of the beast" will be enforced globally as a desperate, last-ditch "solution" to this terrible crisis (Rev. 13:16,17)
3. When this mark is enforced, every human being will then make a final choice between the love of Jesus Christ, His everlasting gospel (Rev. 14:6), worshiping the Creator (Rev. 14:7), and keeping "the commandments of God" (Rev. 14:12), or worshiping "the beast," "his image," and receiving "his mark" (Rev. 14:9).
4. Then heaven's door of salvation will officially close in the sanctuary above (Rev. 22:11) shortly before Jesus Christ returns (Rev. 22:12)

When the door of mercy closes in heaven, the Revelation 16 sequence will begin. Notice carefully:

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth" (Revelation 16:1).

This fearful "loud voice" announcement, "Go…" testifies that every case has been decided for life or death and that the plagues are about to fall. These seven plagues are as follows:

1. Boils appear on those who get the mark (verse 2)
2. The ocean turns to blood (verse 3)
3. Rivers turn to blood (verse 4)
4. The sun scorches men with fire (verse 8)
5. Darkness falls upon the seat of the beast (verse 10)
6. The Great River Euphrates dries up (verse 12) and three unclean spirits like frogs go forth to gather the kings of the earth and of the whole world (verses 13, 14) to the final battle of Armageddon (verse 16)
7. Armageddon hits, the earth quakes, cities crumble, Mystery Babylon suffers God's wrath fully (verses 18, 19), mountains sink, islands vanish, and great hail falls upon men (verses 20, 21)

Many so-called "prophecy experts" mistakenly conclude that "the Church" will not go through this period but will be "raptured" before this "great tribulation," but this is not true. Make no mistake about it. God's Church will surely be here during every plague, but the good news is that it will be divinely protected, not plagued.

Here are some key facts:

1. The plagues fall only on those who receive the mark of the beast (Rev. 16:2), not on those who don't.
2. The plagues are called "the wrath of God" (Rev. 16:1), and the wrath of God falls only on the disobedient, not the obedient (Eph. 5:6).
3. The final plagues are called "the seven last plagues" (Rev. 15:1) which remind us of the former ten plagues that fell upon Egypt during the time of Moses. During each of those earlier plagues, God's people remained right in the midst of Egypt (in the land of Goshen), yet they were divinely protected.
4. "The seven last plagues" parallel the ten plagues (both include boils, blood, darkness, and hail).

Notice these precious Scriptures about God's special protection over His people when the ten plagues ravaged Egypt's countryside:

And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be."'" (Ex. 8:22,23)

So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died (Ex. 9:6)

Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail (Ex. 9:26)

So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings (Ex. 10:22, 23)

Thus God miraculously protected His people during the plagues while they remained in Egypt. During "the seven last plagues" we have the comforting assurance that He will do the same for us if we trust Jesus Christ fully, rest in His great love, are loyal to God's commandments, and refuse the mark of the beast.

The Time is at Hand

This is Part 5 of my Bible study series on the biblical "time of trouble" (see Daniel 12:1). Here we will examine three power-packed verses from the final chapter of God's Book. Notice carefully:

And he [an angel] said to me [John], "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book [Revelation], for the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work" (Revelation 22:10-12).
Unlike that portion of Daniel's prophecy that was sealed "until the time of the end" (see Daniel 12:4), the angel specifically told John not to seal Revelation because "the time is at hand." Obviously, the angel earnestly wants us to understand exactly what this "time" is all about, so we are not caught unawares. Sadly, the average person today has no idea what this "time" refers to, and even most Christians are clueless. Some assume it means the time of Jesus Christ's second coming.

But this is not correct.
A close look at Revelation 22:10-12 reveals exactly what this "time" is. Immediately after the angel warned, "the time is at hand" (verse 10), Jesus Christ Himself speaks solemnly, "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still (verse 11). Thus "the time" that is "at hand" is the closing of heaven's door of salvation and of God's offer of mercy to sinful men. In the very next verse Jesus clarifies that this closing of the door (in verse 11) is not the time of His return, but a time shortly before it. After the door closes, then Jesus says, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work" (verse 12). This is His second coming when He will "reward" the "righteous" and "holy," and punish those who have persistently chosen to remain "unjust" and "filthy."

Even most Bible-believing and prophecy-minded Christians are ignorant of these truths. Popular end-time teaching declares:

1. After Jesus returns at the rapture, souls can still be saved during a seven year tribulation.
2. At the end of the tribulation, at the visible Second Coming, many Jews will be converted at Armageddon.

Both of these doctrines are proved bogus by Revelation 22:10-12. The Bible really teaches:

1. The "time" of the closing of Heaven's door comes first, before Jesus returns at all.
2. After that time Christ will descend to "reward" everyone, for good or ill.

Dear friend, don't be deceived by false doctrines. After the Revelation 22:11 announcement is made, there will be no more conversions. Also, our greatest need is not merely to prepare for the Second Coming, but for "the time" just before it, that is, for the closing of the door and the time of trouble. Those who are ready for these events will be ready for the Second Coming. The biggest question now is: how can we be among the "righteous" and "holy" when Christ ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above? The answer is: By putting away sin, and by trusting entirely in the blood of the Lamb.

No one knows for sure when Jesus will say, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still." The word "still" means that then it will be forever too late. And amazingly, when Jesus finally says it, no one on earth will even know it.

Can't you see why the angel so earnestly told John, Don't seal the book of Revelation, "for the time is at hand!"

Dear friend, now is the time to prepare and to make sure that we will finally be found among those who have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14).

The Great Day of His Wrath

This is Part 4 of my Bible study series on the "time of trouble." Here, our focus is Revelation 7:1-3.

Read these verses prayerfully:

After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads" (Revelation 7:1-3).
This passage occurs immediately after Revelation 6:14-17 which describes "the great day of His wrath" and the end of the world. Revelation 6:17 ends with this question, "who shall be able to stand?" The very next verses (Revelation 7:1-3) answer the question. Those who are able to stand on "the great day of His wrath" are those who receive "the seal of the living God" before the four winds are released. Thus Revelation 7:1-3 clearly has an end-time message for you and me.

The words, "I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth" are obviously symbolic, for planet Earth does not literally have "four corners." This represents heavenly angels and the Holy Spirit who are even now "holding the four winds of the earth" that they should not "blow" or "harm" anything until God's servants are sealed in their foreheads.

"Winds" represent war, strife, and bloodshed (see Daniel 7:2-7 which describes the strife and conquests of four mighty ancient nations - Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome - fueled by the fierce "four winds of heaven"). In the "last days," at this very moment, God's holy angels are "holding," or restraining, the full blowing of war, strife, and disaster around the world.

Yes, things are bad right now, but as they say, "We ain't seen nothin' yet!" Our world has no idea what's coming. Most people also don't know that if it wasn't for the restraining work of God's angels, things would be far worse then they are. Yet someday - no one knows when - these angels will "loose" the four winds, and the restraint will be over. Think about it: no more restraint of evil! Then the "time of trouble" (Daniel 12:1) will hit, the "seven last plagues" (Revelation 16) will fall, and after the seventh plague, Jesus Christ will return in blazing glory to rescue those who have been "sealed" in their foreheads (their minds).

"The seal of the living God" placed in the foreheads of Jesus Christ's true people is the opposite of "the mark" of the beast which the Devil puts "in the foreheads" of his people around the world (see Revelation 13:16,17; 14:9-12). Thus, at the very end of time, all humanity will choose either "the seal of the living God" or "the mark of the beast" in their heads. When all are settled into one side or the other, then the four winds will be let loose. Yet the good news is that those who chose Jesus Christ completely, who trust Him fully, who obey Him completely, and who are sealed in their foreheads, have nothing to fear. When the four winds roar they will be protected from all "harm" because God will watch over them as the apple of His eye. We will study this in Part 5 of these articles.

To be continued…

In Him,
Steve Wohlberg
http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/

The Closing of Heaven's Door

I am happy to report that there is great interest in these "Time of Trouble" studies, even in their possible publication. Should time permit, we may do just that. But for now, they are only being sent out as White Horse E-news. Soon they will all be placed on our website for easy access in case you missed any previous ones.

Many have responded with questions about the idea (which is new to them) of "the closing of heaven's door" immediately preceding the "time of trouble" and the visible return of our Savior. Because of this, I am going to devote Parts 3 & 4 entirely to this very important, yet largely unknown biblical doctrine.

Jesus Christ warned, "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:37-39). Thus Jesus plainly said that the time of "the coming of the Son of Man" [His Second Coming] would be just like "the days of Noah," especially "the day that Noah entered the ark." This is vital. Prior to this, God said, "My Spirit shall not strivewith man forever…yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years" (Gen. 6:3). Notice this carefully. For 120 years Noah warned the world of its approaching doom. During that time, God's Spirit was striving with sinners and urging them to repent. Yet eventually - after everyone had made his or her choice - the Holy Spirit ceased striving and withdrew from the entire lost world.

After his last tearful sermon, "Noah entered the ark," the door closed, "and the Lord shut him in" (Gen. 7:16). At this point, everyone on earth was either in our out, saved or lost. For those outside the ark, the day of salvation was over. It was forever too late for them. Yet the flood didn't come immediately. There was yet "seven more days" (Gen. 7:4) until the rain fell. Notice this sequence:

1. The world was evil, corrupt, and violent (Gen. 6:5,11-13).
2. God gave man 120 additional years to choose or reject Him.
3. During those years, His Spirit strove with man (Gen. 6:4).
4. When that time ended, everyone had made a final choice.
5. Then Noah entered the ark, its door shut, and God's Spirit ceased striving with the lost.
6. Seven more days passed by (Gen. 7:4).
7. Then the flood hit and "all flesh died" (Gen. 7:21) that was not preserved inside the ark.

Again, Jesus Christ said, "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Here are the parallels:

1. Today the world is evil, corrupt, and violent.
2. Today God is giving man time to choose or reject Him.
3. Today His Spirit is still striving earnestly with man.
4. When this time ends (I will set no dates - Matt. 24:36), everyone on earth will have made a final choice.
5. Then heaven's door will shut (read carefully Rev. 22:10-12) and God's Spirit will cease striving with the lost.
6. Then the "seven last plagues" will fall (Rev. 16; 22:18), which is "the time of trouble" (Daniel 12:1).
7. At the Second Coming (Rev. 19:11-16) all "the nations" (Rev. 19:15) and "all people" (Rev. 19:17-18) not prepared for Jesus Christ's return will be destroyed (Luke 17:26-30; Rev. 16:17-21).

This is exactly what the Bible says. I realize that this teaching is unknown in most churches. But remember, only a small group (8 people) got it straight in Noah's day!

For those who wish to study #7 above more fully, I strongly recommend my little booklet, The Millennium: Shocking Facts about a Misunderstood Prophecy and Your Eternal Destiny. It only costs .95 and is now available from White Horse Media.

May Jesus forgive our sins, purify our hearts, and prepare us for His soon return.
To be continued….

Steve Wohlberg
http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/

Michael Shall Stand Up

The topic below is very solemn. Please pray and look up the verses. We live in a very serious hour of earth's history. Events will soon burst upon us, and millions know nothing about them. Let us thank God for this "window of opportunity" to learn the truth. As we saw in Part 1, the Bible predicts:

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…(Daniel 12:1)
Notice carefully that when "Michael shall stand up" (in heaven) "there shall be a time of trouble" (on earth). In our last study we saw biblical evidence (compare Dan. 10:21; Jude 9; Rev 12:7; 1 Thess. 4:16) that "Michael" (which means "Who is like God") is Jesus Christ Himself. It is Christ who descends with "the voice of the archangel" (1 Thess. 4:16) when He returns. As we also saw, the word "archangel" can literally be translated, "chief of the angels" (Enhanced Strong's Lexicon). I want to clarify that Jesus Christ is not a created being (see John 1:1). Rather, He is God Almighty (see Rev. 1:8; 11), the Commander of heavenly hosts, who became a Man in His incarnation (see John 1:1-3, 14).

So what does it mean that He shall "stand up," and how is this connected to the "time of trouble"? Let's find out. The Bible says that after His death and resurrection, Jesus ascended to be "seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens" (Heb. 8:1). This doesn't mean that our Savior has been sitting down for 2000 years. Rather, "seated" means seated in office as our "High Priest." Paul continues by stating that Jesus is a "Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man" (Heb. 8:2). In His sanctuary above, Jesus now ministers "His own blood" (Heb. 9:12) in our behalf. At this moment, He makes "intercession" (Heb. 7:25) for us in His heavenly temple.

Practically, this means that sinners may still be saved by an interceding Savior. The Holy Spirit still invites, woos, and pleads with fallen humans to confess and forsake their sins, and to trust in Christ. When we repent and believe, His royal blood is applied to our case in the courts above.

But will Christ plead forever? No, just like He didn't plead forever in Noah's day. Finally, after 120 years, Noah and his family entered the ark, the door closed, "and the Lord shut him in" (Gen. 7:16). That was it. People were either in, or out, saved or lost. Many years later Jesus warned, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man" (Matthew 24:37). Someday soon the door will shut again for the entire world, just like in Noah's day. When that time finally arrives, Jesus will then proclaim from within His sanctuary, "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still" (Rev. 22:11). When this announcement is made, every case is decided. Shortly thereafter, Christ will return to give to "every man according to his work" (verse 12). Thus the last chapter of Daniel (chapter 12) and the last chapter of Revelation (chapter 22) contain parallel truths. Both describe the closing of heaven's door and the end of the world.

To summarize, when Michael "stands up," this means that Jesus Christ will no longer be "seated" as "High Priest" in the temple above, and that the door of salvation will be officially closed. Then every human being on earth will be either "unjust" or "righteous," "filthy" or "holy," saved or doomed forever. Then the Holy Spirit will cease striving with rebellious humanity, because it's too late.

When the Holy Spirit departs, Satan will then have full control of the finally impenitent and will plunge our lost world into one last, great, apocalyptic, final "time of trouble such as never was." We must prepare for this right now by repenting of every sin, trusting fully in Jesus Christ, and by obeying God at all costs. May the Lord help us to be among the "holy" and "righteous" when mercy ceases!
In Him,

Steve Wohlberg
http://www.whitehorsemedia.com/

The book of Daniel predicts

The book of Daniel predicts:
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 (Daniel 12:1)

First of all, a future "time of trouble, such as never was" is plainly predicted in the Bible. Obviously, it will hit Planet Earth visibly down here. But notice carefully that what starts it is an invisible event that occurs up in heaven. First, "Michael shall stand up…" Who is "Michael," what does it mean that he will someday "stand up," and why will this result in a "time of trouble" down here"? Let's find out.

There is much speculation about Michael's identity, but a careful study of the Bible makes it clear who he is:

• "The great prince" who guards God's people (Dan. 12:1)
• "Michael your prince" (Dan. 10:21)
• "Michael the archangel" who resurrected Moses (Jude 9) so that Moses could personally appear with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3)
• The commander of holy angels (Revelation 12:7) who cast Satan and his hosts out of heaven (verse 9)

The word "archangel" does NOT mean Michael is an angel. In fact, the literal meaning of the term is "Chief of the angels" (Enhanced Strong's Lexicon). "Michael" means "Who is like God?" When Jesus Christ returns, He descends with "the voice of the archangel" (1 Thess. 4:16). Thus Michael, the Great Prince, the One who resurrected Moses, the Chief of the angels, can be none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

So what does it mean that He will someday "stand up?