Revelation 10 & 11 - The Abomination of Desolation, The Rebuilt Temple & The Two Witnesses

Moore's Corner Church

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Let's turn to Revelation chapter 10 tonight, hopefully we'll cover both chapters, chapter 10 and chapter 11.

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So this brings us to the middle of the book revelation as how many chapters, 22.

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So chapter 11 is the middle of the book. And I know there were not chapters in revelation originally that's added later, but they did a good job, uh, putting the chapters where they're at, because really this is the middle of the tribulation period as well.

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So chapter 11, uh, is yeah, middle of the book, middle of the seven year tribulation.

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You see the chart here, I got the timeline seven year tribulation and the first half is what?

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42 months or three and a half years, the same thing, right? 42 months, three and a half years.

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I think a Jewish month was 30 days. So we're going to start with chapter 10, which is a rather mysterious chapter.

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Uh, John, here's something from an angel that's unidentified. He's, he's given a message, but he's told not to write it down.

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So whatever the message was, whatever John hears, he has to keep it secret, which is kind of unique because the whole book, right?

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It's the revelation of Jesus Christ. The whole point of the book is to tell

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Christians what's going to happen and why would this part be kept secret? So not exactly sure, but, uh, again, we're in the middle, around the middle of the seven years.

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Why is it a seven year tribulation? If you remember in our study in Daniel, almost a year ago, this, the tribulation is also known as what

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Daniel's 70th week and it's weeks of years.

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So, uh, seven, seven days in a week, but it's actually seven, seven years.

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So 42 months to get up to this point, three and a half years or in day, how many days is that?

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42 months, 1 ,260 days. So I just,

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I'm repeating this because it's going to matter going forward. Just remember three and a half years, 42 months, 1 ,260 days.

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All right, let's read chapter 10 and then we'll get into 11. We'll see why that, why that matters.

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Revelation 10, we'll start with verses one through seven, John writes, and I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud and a rainbow was on his head and his face was like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire.

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And he had a little book open in his hand and he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and cried with a loud voice as when a lion roars.

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When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices,

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I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered and do not write them.

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The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it and the sea and the things that are in it that they should, uh, that there should be delay no longer.

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But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound the mystery of God would be finished as he declared to his servants, uh, the prophets.

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And we're going to stop there, but you, you even see that word mystery, uh, in this, in this section.

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And of course, a mystery in the Bible is something that God's people previously didn't understand, but now

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God is showing them, he's revealing it. Uh, he says there should be delay no longer.

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Basically, uh, God, the fullness of God's wrath is going to be poured out and nothing can stop it.

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Nothing can delay it. Cause like I said, we're, we're halfway, just about halfway, uh, into this thing and there's, there's no turning back.

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So just to go back to the first verse that says an angel, what does it say?

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He fell from heaven, descended from heaven. What's what does your Bible say? Coming down.

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Does everyone have coming down or does someone have anything different? Okay. So it says he came down.

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That's different than what we saw last week. If you remember with chapter eight, it said a star, which we understood to be an angel.

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Last time it says the star fell from heaven. So you say, well, what's the difference?

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One is falling. One is coming down. Well, there's a big difference because if the angel is falling, that indicates that it's what a fallen angel or, or a demon.

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This angel, however, seems to be coming down of his, of his own accord.

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Okay. So this we understand is not a demon. This is a holy angel. Yes. I was just going to point out the choice.

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Okay. They didn't choose. Right. Yeah. One's like being cast out of heaven. This one is just coming down.

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Uh, so who is this angel? Well, it obviously doesn't tell us, but based on the glorious description, if you look at maybe you have a study

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Bible and it gives the author's opinion or the commentators opinion, every commentary

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I've read, um, most of them say that this angel people believe is

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Christ himself. Did anyone read that? Does anyone see that maybe in your study

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Bible or commentary, Mark, do you have that? Yes. I have it in the J. Vernon McGee says several people say it's

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Christ. So he doesn't commit that it's Christ. He said, this is what people say. Right.

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All right. Uh, you know, that's the same thing to say, well, you know, people say this that way you're not on the line in case, in case it isn't now you say, well, if most commentators say that this angel is

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Christ, there's kind of an obvious question that arises from that. And what's the question or what's the statement it's like, wait a minute,

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Jesus isn't an angel. An angel is a created being and Jesus is not an angel.

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As a matter of fact, pastor, you've said many times that one of the problems with some of the, the cults, like the

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Jehovah's witnesses is they teach the Jesus is like the archangel Michael. So how can solid biblical commentators teach that Jesus is an angel.

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Of course, the word angel angle loss, it can refer to a variety of different things, right?

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So an angel, what does the word angel mean? Messenger. So it could be an angel like we think of.

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And that's probably what it is because it says, and another angel. So the way it's worded, it's, it's another angel like the others.

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So I don't believe this is Christ, but Jesus is, we do tend to believe

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Jesus is the angel of the Lord that the old Testament talks about. But that it's not that Jesus is a literal angel.

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Like we think it's, it's, he's the messenger of the Lord. And you remember in chapters two and three, the angels of the seven churches we thought were probably the pastors.

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So the word angel doesn't necessarily refer to a, an angel like you normally think of.

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Okay. So long story short, we don't really know who the angel is. I mean, this is just a, one of the many mysteries of chapter 10 and unidentified mighty angel

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Marcus. He's not just the angel of the Lord. He is the Lord also. So right.

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That doesn't clarify it any other way. Well, yeah. The angel of the Lord in the old Testament.

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He is like the messenger of the, but if you look at those accounts, he's worshiped and spoken of as if he is

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God. So, and that's the thing about Christ, he's, he is

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God, but he's distinct from God at the same time. Cause he's not God, the father, but he is

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God. So that's how he can be the angel of the Lord and the Lord at the same time.

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Okay. So, all right. So this is one mystery. We don't know who the angel is when he cries out, you know, you have the, these thunderings and within the thunderings, there's, there's a message, there's some voice and John hears what is said.

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And he's told, he's about to write it down, which I really wish he did. Right. Cause then I want to know what this is, but he's commanded not to.

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So I mean, that's just another mystery. Mystery. We, we have no idea why, what was said and we don't know why it was kept a secret.

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So that is kind of unique in this book. And then the next thing we read,

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John, this book that the angel has, John is told to do what with it, eat it.

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That's another kind of strange thing. Look at verses eight through 11, then the voice, which

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I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, go and take the little book, which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.

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So I went to the angel and said to him, give me the little book. And again, we don't know what the book is.

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It could be the scroll mentioned in chapter six. We don't know. Another thing we don't know. And he said to me, take it and eat it and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.

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Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.

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But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, you must prophesy again about many people's nations, tongues, and kings.

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Okay. So this is just a lot of mystery revolving around chapter 10 and I know it's part of my job to give you the answers, right?

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I just have to say when it comes to chapter 10, I don't have the answers.

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We're not really given many answers. Let's turn to Daniel chapter 12, but because of all the mystery,

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I do have a takeaway from all that. To me, this is what it tells me, take this for what it's worth, that it's like the

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Lord is telling us, hey, allow for a little bit of mystery. You know, you want to know what's happening.

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Anyone who reads revelation, we should dig for those answers. But at the same time, we have to stop and say, okay, we're not going to have all the answers.

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We're not going to know everything. So this is to me, God's way of saying be okay with not knowing some things because that's just the way it is.

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Daniel chapter 12, I'm going to see a connection here in just a moment.

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Just one comment on why would John eat the book? He says it tastes so good because why?

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It's God's word, right? We should have a hunger and a passion for God's word. So that's why it was sweet,

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I think, but whatever it said, it made his stomach bitter because I mean, let's face it in revelation, there's a lot of death, destruction, judgment.

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So it's wonderful, but it kind of leaves your stomach like just hearing about all the things that are happening.

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So my only speculation that the content of the book might be like the rest of the book, the bold judgments and things that are going to come out later,

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I don't know. So we're looking at the book of Daniel. What's the connection between Daniel and revelation?

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Basically, revelation, yeah, go ahead. Daniel had a vision of the one -world government from Babylon and Greece and Rome and the 10 toes that we're living in the age of now, the texture of the

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Roman Empire. Right, well, since you brought that up, I wasn't planning on looking at that, but remember it was

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Nebuchadnezzar who saw the vision of that great image, right? And the head was Babylon, then

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Greece, or Medo -Persia, Greece, and then Rome.

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And then the toes were Rome, but it was a mixture of iron and clay.

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And long story short, commentators believe that, yes, these are successive world empires.

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And in the end of days, the Roman Empire is going to be revived.

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So the kingdom of the Antichrist will be a revival of the Roman Empire. So that's why we tend to think it's going to be like a

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European Union, a confederation of European states, probably headquartered in Rome.

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We'll get to that in chapter 17. But yeah, the book of Daniel, long story short, it's the main

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Old Testament book when it comes to Bible prophecy. We're in the main New Testament book,

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Revelation, Bible prophecy, but Daniel is sort of the Old Testament counterpart to Revelation.

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But the difference with Daniel is Daniel is told, well, are you in chapter 12?

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Did I tell you the chapter? All right. Daniel 12, look at verse four. So this is the angel

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Gabriel speaking. He says, but you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end.

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Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase. I mean, this is similar to what we see with John in chapter 10 of Revelation.

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Okay. Take what you heard and seal it up. Can't tell anybody. So Daniel's prophecy, much,

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I mean, obviously we have the book of Daniel. We can read it. We know what he said, but there, there's something about the book of Daniel that's not going to be understood, or at least when he wrote it up until when

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Revelation was written, Daniel was, it was a mystery. So we use the book of, long story short, we use the book of Revelation as like a key to understand the book of Daniel.

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Daniel is told, said, or said, well, won't be understood a revelation though.

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It's, it's a revealing. So you will understand a Daniel 12 verse five, just to continue, then

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I, Daniel looked and there stood two others, one on this river bank and the other on that river bank.

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And one said to the man clothed in linen, who is above the waters of the river, how long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?

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Then I heard the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven.

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So again, that's very similar to what the angel did, lifting their, his hands to heaven.

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And swore by him who lives forever and ever that it shall be for a time, times, and what half a time.

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And when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

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Now, I don't know if they understood this back then or not, but when you hear a time times and half a time,

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I mean, you might know what that means because you were taught what it means. But the first time somebody reads that, what, what do

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I do with this? What does it mean? One plus two plus a half. Yeah. A time one times plural.

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So that's two and then half, basically three and a half years. So a time is one year times is two, one plus two plus a half, three and a half.

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Okay. Let's keep reading verse eight. Although I heard,

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I did not understand that. I said, my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

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And he said, go your way, Daniel, for the words are what closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

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Many shall be purified, made white and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand it.

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I, you know, I like that because, um, the world is oblivious when it comes to the book of Daniel and revelation.

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The average person would open the book and have no earthly idea what's going on. I like how we know, we know the future.

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You ever think about that? We, we know how this story is going to end. We know where, where the world is headed.

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We know how it's going to go down and they're just totally in the dark, but this is important.

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Verse 11 and from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1 ,290 days.

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So I, I brought up the timetable, 42 months, three and a half years.

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It's how long? 1 ,260 days. Okay. This is an extra 30, but it's very, very close.

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Okay. Uh, we know from Daniel nine 27 that this event known as the abomination of desolation, this happens when, okay, so seven year tribulation, we're going to be in revelation 11, which is right around the middle.

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We know for a fact that this event happens in the middle of the tribulation period.

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So from that time, the middle of the tribulation to the very end is 1 ,200 and how many days?

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Well, 90 says 90 days. And then he says in verse 12, blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1 ,335 days.

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Okay. So who's confused? It's like, I thought it was supposed to, can't we just stick to the 1 ,260?

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I mean, I think I got that, but then it 1 ,290 and now 1335.

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Okay. Okay. So you see one set of numbers has an extra 30 days to it, tacked on to the three and a half years plus 30 days.

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And then the other one, another 45 days after that. So let, let me try to clear this up just so I don't lose people don't start tuning out.

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Blessed is the one who waits and comes to the 1 ,300, 335 days.

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The way I understand this, we have the second half of the tribulation, abomination of desolation takes place.

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We'll talk about that in a second at the middle, three and a half years, more or less until the end, Jesus comes back and then it's going to be another, whatever, 30 days, 45 days.

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I view this as kind of like a, a cleanup period. Okay. After the battle of Armageddon is fought, there's going to be a big mess in the middle

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East. That's going to be the headquarters of the, the millennial kingdom.

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So I think probably what happens is Jesus is going to come back and they're literally going to have to clean things up.

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And then Jesus, from the time he fights the battle of Armageddon to the time he's actually sitting on his throne, there probably will be a few months where it's like a transition.

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Look at it this way. When we have an election, it happens on what

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November, what's the date, eight, seven, first Tuesday.

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Okay. Whatever. Early in November. Um, and you know, you're supposed to find out that night, the next day who won, but they don't actually take office until January 20, whatever.

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Okay. So you got to wait a few months, right? Because there's a transition. Well, this is going to be like the biggest transition in the history of the world.

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We're going from the, the kingdom of antichrist, which has just been totally leveled and destroyed to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

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So whatever happens in that time, you know, blessed is the one who's still around when Jesus actually, you know, takes the throne and gets to see that.

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So I think that's the explanation of, uh, of the extra date. Any questions about that?

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Hopefully I'm explaining it. Okay. All right. So let's go back to revelation.

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Uh, this time revelation chapter 11, uh, revelation chapter 11.

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Now we're at the midpoint. We just heard about the abomination, abomination of desolation.

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What happens at that moment? Who knows? Marcus. The antichrist sacrifices of hitting on the author or something.

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Okay. So, well, that was an event that happened in Jewish history. The abomination, the abomination that makes desolate was something that took place, um, prior to the birth of Christ where Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed, uh, sacrificed a pig on the altar.

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But, uh, what is going to happen in the future? The antichrist basically, yeah, the, the temple is going to be rebuilt and the antichrist or the beast, the man of sin, he's going to enter into the temple and declare himself to be

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God. Let's turn. Actually, let's just turn to second Thessalonians chapter two for a moment, just cause

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I want you to, I want you to see it with your own eyes and you know, as I always say, no matter what, no matter what

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I teach, there will be someone out there who says, no, no, no, that's not the way it is.

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And it's going to happen differently or, I mean, I've met, I've met born again Christians who don't even think there's going to be an antichrist.

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I don't, I don't know how that works, but, um, to me it's all very clear what happens.

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Second Thessalonians two, uh, the apostle Paul writing to the church, you know, they're concerned that maybe they're in the tribulation right now because they received a letter supposedly from Paul saying that the day of the

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Lord, you're, you're living through it. It seems to be what happened. So Paul is writing to correct that second

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Thessalonians two one now brethren concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and are gathering together to him.

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We ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us, as from us, as though the day of Christ had come, let no one deceive you by any means for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed the son of perdition.

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So these are names for the antichrist. And what does he do?

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He opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is

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God. So where does the man of sin or the son of perdition sit in, in the temple of God and he's telling everyone,

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Hey, I'm God. You need to worship me as God. Okay. Now let's go to revelation 11.

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That's the event known as the abomination of desolation. So revelation, well, okay.

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Pastor prove that revelation 11 is the middle of the tribulation. Why do you believe that?

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Well, how does it begin? Begins with the angel telling John about the, the temple, the rebuilt temple.

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Okay. So, uh, the rebuilt temple, let's see revelation 11, one, he says, then

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I was John speaking. I was given a read like a measuring rod. So how many of you have ever gone out to a swamp or a pond and you have the bamboo, right?

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The reeds. Yup. Yup. Yup. And, uh, basically

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John takes this thing and it's going to be like a measuring rod and the angel says, rise and measure what?

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The temple of God. Now, where is the temple of God right now? Now I know under the new covenant, the temple of God is, is you like our body is the temple.

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Okay. That's the correct understanding. But uh, a physical, is that what

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John is told to measure? Hey, measure your own body cause you're the temple. Now, obviously he's being told to measure a structure, the, the new,

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I believe this temple is there again, there's going to be debate on that.

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You'll find commentators saying different things. I believe the temple that he's measuring is the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem that the antichrist is going to go in and sit in.

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Okay. Uh, so revelation begins, revelation 11 begins with the angel telling

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John measure the temple. This is probably going to be rebuilt. We don't know exactly when, probably when the tribulation begins, maybe a little before that, a little after we're not exactly sure.

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It's probably completed by now. Okay. So the temple is ready to go.

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And from what I hear, I suspect you probably heard stuff like this, that there are preparations right now in Israel.

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There are people in Jerusalem, like all the furniture that goes, you know, went in the tabernacle originally and would be in a temple like they have it all ready to go.

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I think they even have people who they trace back their lineage and they think they would qualify as priest.

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You know, there's something about a red heifer. I don't, I'm not sure about all that, but, uh, I think it's pretty well established that, uh, preparations are made as soon as the

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Israeli government says, Hey, you can, you can start building. They're going to, they're, they're going to do it.

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They're ready. They have the money. They have the materials. There's one problem, however, yeah.

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On the temple Mount right now is this massive mosque called the dome of the rock.

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And I think it's the second holiest site in Islam, but in order to build the temple, what has to happen?

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That mosque has to get bulldozed or destroyed or, or something, they make a graveyard right where Christ is supposed to enter it because you can't, you can't remain clean if you pass through a cemetery.

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So they've done all kinds of things to stop the building of the temple as well. I mean, if anything happened to it, if the

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Jews did anything to it at all, it would likely start a war.

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So you say, well, it's their country. Why don't they do it? Because they know what would happen if they did it.

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So long story short, that's why it's not being built now, or at least one of the main reasons.

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But remember back in chapter six, uh, world war three, we assume it'll be world war three.

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It's already broken out. So maybe that's why, maybe that's one of the reasons why it started anyways, uh, revelation 11 one, then

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I was given a read like a measuring rod and the angel stood saying, rise and measure the temple of God, the altar and those who worship there, but leave out the court, which is outside the temple and do not measure it for it had been given to the

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Gentiles and they will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months.

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And I will give power to my two witnesses and they will prophesy 1 ,260 days clothed in sackcloth.

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These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the

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God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies.

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And if anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed in this manner. These that is the two witnesses, they have power to shut heaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy and they have power over waters to turn them to blood and to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they desire.

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So John is told, measure the temple and because we believe the church has been raptured at this point and then you had the 144 ,000

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Israelites sealed. Do you notice who we're reading about? We're reading about that.

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It's all about like the children of Israel, Jerusalem, the 144 ,000 why?

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Because now at this point, God in the tribulation has gone back to working with his covenant people because the church, we haven't, we're not reading anything about the church.

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The church is in heaven ever since when, well, chapter chapters four, five and six.

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So any questions on that? If you, if you look at Bible prophecy all throughout, especially old

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Testament, even new Testament, it doesn't really deal with the church. Bible prophecy deals with, with Israel.

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Yeah. Well, I have two questions actually, because I hear a lot about how the prophecy is done.

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There are no prophecies yet. These two are about prophecy, right? So is it going to start up again or I get confused there, and so I'm asking.

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And the other question I had is it just one more comment sounds a lot like they're like Elijah. I mean, it's the same.

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He shot up the sky. It didn't mean for three years. Yeah. So there's no verse that says the age of prophecy is over.

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This is another one of those things you will find Christians disagreeing on.

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I don't believe there are any prophets today. Most, most Orthodox evangelicals that I know don't believe in modern day prophets in this age.

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Okay. But once the tribulation begins, it's like a different time period.

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So I believe a matter of fact, when the, when the Pentecostal movement began in the early 20th century, originally they taught that the gifts, the miraculous gifts prophecy, they said it was all being restored because Christ is about to return.

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So they thought that the tribulation or, you know, these end time events were like right at the door and that's why they're being restored.

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I don't think they were restored personally, but they will be in the tribulation.

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Okay. Cause clearly these men are prophesying. And as far as the two witnesses, okay, now you have 144 ,000 they're leading a mass revival.

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You could say along with these two characters were now introduced to the two witnesses.

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So we interpret these to be two like literal people. And as Aaron already said, one of them sure seems to resemble who

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Elijah and the other one resembles why, why

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Elisha? Well, it's just similar in the miracles that were performed by him, the fact that the sky was shut up.

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There was something, the fire pouring out. I'm thinking of the bears that ate the kids cause they made fun of him for being bald.

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But just he, he can speak a word and people are dying. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So what did we read?

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We read that they shut up heaven. That's what Elijah did, right?

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No rain that the drought also strike the earth with plagues and turn water into blood.

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That sounds like who? Yeah. Well, it sounds like Aaron, but Aaron and Moses did.

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So basically there's a few different theories that the two witnesses will either be

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Elijah and Moses. The other theory is Elijah and Enoch because Elijah and Enoch are the only two men to never die.

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So it's appointed unto man wants to die. And after this, the judgment, therefore they have to come back for this and then they die.

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But if the transfiguration, it was Moses and Elijah. Right. Transfiguration is Moses. I personally, yeah,

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I personally believe it's Moses and Elijah. It could be just two guys that do similar things, but so,

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I mean, it's not worth a, you know, it's fun to debate these things. We don't really know, but Moses and Elijah, I think is the best getting best bet.

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Now they're called the two olive trees and the two lamp stands. Now that is symbolic or figurative, right?

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Two witnesses. They really are that. Why are they called the two olive trees? Well, here's what a John MacArthur says about that.

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The imagery is drawn of two olive trees, lamp stands from Zechariah chapters three and four.

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He says olive oil was commonly used in lamps together with olive trees and lamp stands.

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It symbolizes the light of spiritual revival. The two witnesses preaching will spark a revival just as Joshua and Zerubbabel did in the book of Zechariah.

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So that's, that's the idea that with 144 ,000, the two witnesses are going to spark this end times revival.

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And guess who that makes upset. Who's, who's angry about this? Satan is really angry.

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The antichrist, he's not going to be happy, but the devil is certainly angry.

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And because of that, look at verse seven. When the two witnesses, when they finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them and kill them.

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And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city, Jerusalem, which spiritually is called, and I inserted

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Jerusalem because that's, that's what it is. It's called Sodom and Egypt because of their unfaithfulness, where also our

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Lord was crucified. Then those from the people's tribes, tongues and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days and not allow their dead bodies to be put into the graves.

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And those who dwell on the earth, this will be like a holiday. Once the two witnesses die, they rejoice over them, make

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Mary send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

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Okay. So they leave this revival. Satan is angry and he, he causes the antichrist gives them the power, him, the power to kill the two witnesses.

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So we were almost done and only got five minutes left going through a lot of information. So, you know, good job for sticking with it.

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We learn a few things here. One is the name for the antichrist.

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He is called what, what is he called here? The beast, right?

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The beast who ascends from the pit. Okay. And because the beast now does the antichrist himself, does the man ascend from the pit?

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No. I mean, he's a human being. I mean, some, here's a theory that's out there.

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Some believe some reputable scholars believe that the antichrist is going to be who, who is actually taken from the pit and brought back.

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Does anyone know someone in the gospels who died and went to his own place?

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So that's, that is a theory that the antichrist will be Judas Iscariot brought back.

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I don't know. That seems like, how, how would that work? Well, never heard that before.

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No. Okay. John F. Kennedy. John F. Kennedy. Yeah. I mean,

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I've heard that. There's different ideas. Yeah.

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Well, I'm glad you mentioned that because the antichrist, the beast, there's passages that seem to indicate he might die and be resurrected, or there's going to be some event that looks as though he were dead and then he lives.

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Long story short, the statement about the beast ascending. We believe the antichrist will be personally indwelt by Satan himself.

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And if you remember, Judas is the only character in all of the Bible who is actually possessed by Satan himself.

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So I'm not saying that proves it, but it's a interesting viewpoint.

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So that's the first thing we learned. Second, the antichrist, he has, or is given the ability to kill the two witnesses.

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The witnesses are wreaking havoc upon the people of the earth. I mean, they're like Moses, you know, raining down the plagues on Egypt.

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Like the people of this earth hate these two men more than anybody else. But the beast is given the power to actually kill the witnesses when no one has been able to do it.

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I think that's probably one of the reasons why the rulers of this earth give him power.

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Like he's able to do what no one else could do. In Revelation 13, four, it says, so they worship the dragon, people of the earth who gave authority to the beast and they worshiped the beast saying who is like the beast, who is able to make war with him.

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He is able to, no one can stand against him. Not even these two witnesses who are like invincible up until now.

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So this may be instrumental in getting him that position as like world dictator.

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So the witnesses die. Is that going to last? No, no, because they're, they're resurrected.

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Look at verse 11 after three and a half days, you know, that's interesting. Three and a half.

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I don't know. Jesus of course rose on the third day and it's three and a half years.

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I don't know what to make of that, but after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them.

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They stood on their feet and great fear fell on those who saw them. And then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, come up here.

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Where have we heard that before? That was back in chapter four when

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John was come up hither, right? Okay. Um, so based on this, this is a resurrection and a rapture.

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So the two witnesses are taken to heaven right after this event.

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This is why, um, there are some people who believe in a pre -trib rapture, well that's us.

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Uh, there are some people who believe the rapture is in the middle of the tribulation. They would point to this. And I see there's a rapture of the two witnesses.

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And then the very next event is what the seventh trumpet.

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And this is the last trumpet that's mentioned. And Paul and first Thessalonians or first Corinthians 15 when he says, talks about the rapture happening.

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He says it happens at the last trumpet, which they say is the seventh trip.

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So that's the mid trip viewpoint. And I only mentioned that just, just to be fair, because we want to give all opinions.

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So some people do believe that. All right, let's try to finish. We're almost done. So this is the seventh trumpet, verse 15, then the seventh angel sounded and there were loud voices in heaven saying the kingdoms of this world had become the kingdoms of our

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Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. So it almost sounds like this should be the end of the book, like this should be chapter 22.

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It has that, that sense of finality to it, but we're only halfway. So basically the seventh trumpet is all encompassing and it includes the seven bowls, battle of Armageddon, return of Christ and everything else.

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Upon hearing this, John sees more worship breaking out in heaven. Verse 16, the 24 elders who sat before God and their thrones fell on their faces and worship

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God. Who are the 24 elders again? Represents to 12 apostles, 12 tribes.

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So the 24 elders symbolizes what the church. So where's the church right now?

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In heaven. It's first 17. What did they say? We give thanks to you or Oh Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come because you have taken your great power and reigned.

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The nations were angry and your wrath has come and the time of the dead that they should be judged that you should reward your servants, the prophets and the saints and those who fear your name, small and great, and you should destroy those who destroy the earth.

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Okay. So after reading chapters 10 and 11, uh, what's, what's the takeaway chapter 10 going back to that?

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I think that's God saying, allow for a little mystery. Okay. That's chapter 10.

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Not going to have all of our questions answered, but, uh, the comfort and part of the blessing that's promised to those who read the book of revelation is the blessing and the comfort of knowing that even though it looks like the world is spiraling out of control and even though this is like hell on earth right now in the tribulation, we know that what does

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God do? He takes, he takes power and he reigns.

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So all in all the future looks bright. One last thing that I left out, uh, one of the reasons why people said that the book of revelation has to be like allegory has to be said, there's no way you can take revelation literally because it says that people from all nations, tribes, and tongues are going to see the two witnesses going to see their bodies laying.

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How can people from all over the world see the same event? These two guys dead in the streets, it's impossible.

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Well you say TV and CNN, well guess what? They said this, you know, a hundred years ago, 200 years ago for centuries.

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This was an argument why you, you can't take revelation. That is impossible. Well, it's not impossible anymore.

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It'd be very simple to see that. So, uh, that's, that's the comfort.

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We know how things that you know, the future, okay? The world doesn't know they're in the dark, uh, literally spiritually and everything else, but you know how it's going to end.

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And this is the last verse. We'll close with this revelation 11, 19, then the temple of God was opened in heaven and the arc of his covenant was seen in his temple.

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That is the picture of God dwelling in the midst of this people.

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And there were lightenings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.