XVI. Three Major End Time Battles. When, Where and Why do They Happen.

There are volumes of Old Testament scriptures that detail gruesome wartime battles that take place during, before, and 30 days after Daniel’s seventieth week.  The Lord directed several of these Old Testament prophets to prophesy about these battles, concluding with the battle of Armageddon.  Let me try to describe these battles as to their timing, the combatants, where they take place, and put them into perspective as to their importance in God’s end time planning.  All of the land surrounding Israel, and in particular Jerusalem, will be a war zone during the last few months of the first 3½ years, and will continue through most of the last 42 months, plus an additional 30 days. (1260 days plus 30, 1290 days, Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.)  There will be three major battles within this approximately four-year period of continuous war which we will look at.  These three major battles will be referred to as Battle One, Battle Two, and Battle Three. 

BATTLE ONE. 

Before we look at the battle itself, let me introduce to you Satan’s designated leader (prophesied of and approved by God) for the seven years known as Daniel’s 70^th week.  That leader is the beast, the Antichrist.  We will look at where he comes from and how he fits into the picture.  In Ezekiel 38:2,3 we are introduced to the name Gog, or supreme one, which is a name given to the one we will eventually know as the Antichrist. (Ezekiel 38:2-3, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.”’)  He is of the people or nation of Magog (verse 2), prince (might be translated “chief prince”) of Rosh (could be a territory or division of Magog), and he is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.   These three nations can be traced back to Noah.  Noah had three sons (Genesis 9:18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.) and the third son, Japheth, had seven sons. (Genesis 10:2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.)  Three of these seven sons were Magog (2^nd), Tubal (5^th), and Meshech (6^th), and history tells us that after the tower of Babel, these three sons, all their families, and their succeeding generations, over the period of a few thousand years, eventually migrated and populated eastern Russia (Tubal, Tobolsk), central Russia (Meshech, Moscow) and western Russia (central Europe, Magog, Germanic).  They continued on to Germany, Italy, and perhaps to most of Europe, and eventually to America (Caucasians).  Ezekiel 38:2,3 (above) also gives confirmation that these three nations, Tubal, Meshech and Magog, are part of the ten-nation confederacy, the ten horns, described to us in Daniel 7:7,8,20-26. (Daniel 7:7-8,20-26, 7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” 20 “and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. 21 I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor or the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. 23 Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom, and another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. 25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time. 26 But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever.”)  Gog (the little horn, Antichrist) overcomes these three nations (verse 8, “before whom three of the first ten horns were plucked out by the roots”) and takes control over them.  Gog uses this huge three-nation confederacy, which is perhaps most of, if not all of, Europe as his base of strength prior to Daniel’s seventieth week.  He now becomes the pre-eminent power in the entire world. 

This alignment of the above nations very likely takes place prior to the beginning of Daniels’ seventieth week.  Backed by his huge European power base, this ‘little horn’ (Gog, and soon to be Antichrist) exhibits his false propensity for peace by offering Israel something it cannot refuse.  We read in Daniel 9:27 that He shall confirm (lit. causes to prevail) his peace covenant with many, Israel, and he guarantees this covenant for one week, i.e., seven years. (Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”)  After seeking peace for years and years, the Israelites will be full of exultation and renewed confidence with their new guaranteed security, but it will prove to be a false security.  The world will later come to know this peacemaker at the 3½-year mark as Antichrist when he desecrates the temple in Jerusalem.  Perhaps as part of the peace negotiations, this negotiator will also guarantee the Israelites protection and may give them permission to build a temple on the temple mount to sweeten the deal, since no nation surrounding Israel will dare to challenge his authority and power.  The previous sentence is not supported in scripture, but I like to think of it as a possibility.  If all the facts and assumptions of these two paragraphs prove to be correct, you can understand why there could be a strong possibility that a long period of time, perhaps hundreds of years or more, could still elapse before the seven years can begin.

Where does Antichrist come from, and who chooses him?  Jesus, through an angel, dictated and vividly previewed to the Apostle John the entire book of Revelation when He caught him up to Heaven in approximately 95AD. (Revelation 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.)  We read in Revelation 17:9-11, and which is verified in historical manuscripts, that five beast empires will have fallen prior to 95AD; (1) Egyptian, (2) Assyrian, (3) Babylonian, (4) Medo-Persian, and (5) Grecian. (Revelation 17:9-11, 9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is (Roman, 95AD), and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.”)  One exists at 95AD, the sixth beast empire, (6) Roman, and one, the seventh beast empire, is yet to come after 95AD and last for a short time.  The seventh beast empire must be a hater and exterminator of the Jews as were the prior six, which explains the term “beast-empire”, and why the Antichrist is referred to as the “beast” throughout Scripture.  This seventh (7) beast empire, obviously, must exist between 95AD and 1948, and we are told it must last only a short time.  Perhaps there were a few empires between those years that matched this description and exterminated Jews, but none matched or exceeded the ferocity of the Third Reich.  This empire lasted a short time, and killed approximately six million Jews.  The leader of one of these first seven (7) beast empires just mentioned, a leader who was killed in battle with a wound to the head, and whose deadly wound will be healed, will be given new life (13:3) and will indwell or be Gog, the Antichrist. (Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.)  That person will then become the leader of the eighth (8, revived Roman Empire) and final satanic beast empire at the midpoint of Daniels’ 70^th week when he desecrates the temple.  This eighth beast empire will last 3½ years.  If there were one terrible Jew-killer from each of the first seven beast empires, this would make seven ruthless killers from which God will choose, or allow, one to become the Antichrist.  Most of those seven killers would not meet God’s qualifications as set forth above.  Thus, a strong possibility exists that this leader, out of several possibilities, could be Nero or Hitler.  Sounds very scary, doesn’t it? 

So that you might have a better understanding of what the earthly conditions are during the first half of Daniel’s 70^th week that could provoke Battle One, let us briefly look at the first four seals.  In previous sections of this study (Section VIII), we described Satan’s activities during the opening of the first four seals.  No matter what we may have been taught, the opening of the seals is Satan’s time to start dealing his wrath on earth.  No less an authority than Jesus Himself dictated to John the Apostle that the time for Jesus to begin His Day-of-the-Lord wrath begins at Revelation 6:16,17, after the opening of the sixth seal, and after the great worldwide earthquake, and after the heavenly upheaval. (Revelation 6:16-17, 16 and 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?”)  Jesus opens the seals, and patiently endures and bides His time to begin His wrath judgment, and allows the four horses to leave Heaven.  It is necessary to understand what Satan and Antichrist do after the signing of the “peace covenant” on through the first 3½ years before you can understand the significance of what Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet do in the second 3½ years.  After the first seal is opened in Revelation 6, Satan, or one of his designees, exits Heaven on a white horse representing unparalleled peace on earth, a false peace.  Instead, he immediately begins to conquer the remaining portions of the earth, which he doesn’t already control, verse two.  The second seal is opened, and a red horse and its rider (these horses and riders likely represent forces rather than specific individuals) exits Heaven and takes peace from the earth and people all over the earth will be killing each other, or worldwide wars, verse four.  The third seal is opened, and a black horse and its rider exits Heaven signifying worldwide famine, likely as a result of the upheaval caused by the worldwide wars, verse 6.  The fourth seal is opened and a pale horse exits Heaven and the rider is Death, “and power was given to them (from our Lord) over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth,” verse 8, or possibly 1½ billion souls.  Seals 5, 6, and 7 are opened in the last 3½ years.  This will not be a pleasant time to be alive any place on earth, and especially in the area surrounding Jerusalem.  But God will provide for His chosen Israelites and the Church, His precious elect, to survive and overcome.  We can be positive of this. 

For several months prior to the end of the first 3½ years of Daniel’s seventieth week, Gog, the future Antichrist, as part of his devious plans, and also following the commands of God Himself, starts gathering his troops in Magog, Meshech and Tubal. (Ezekiel 38:4 I [the Lord God] will turn you [Gog] around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.)  This large army comes out of the far north. (Ezekiel 38:15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army.)  God then directs Gog and his army from Magog, Meshech and Tubal toward the land of Israel for his involvement in Battle One.  Ezekiel 38:5 further states that in addition to the three nations just mentioned, troops from Persia, Gomer and Togarmah also become a part of Gogs’ armies. (Ezekiel 38:5-6, 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.)  When Gogs’ threatening armies start approaching the area of Israel, the king of the South (Egypt and perhaps Libya, Ethiopia and Sudan) decides to challenge Gogs’ intrusion into what they consider “their” territory, and they go north to make war against Gog. (Read about this in Daniel 11:40-45, 40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be over thrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.)  Gog and his armies overwhelm the king of the South like a whirlwind and he takes treasures of gold, silver and precious things of Egypt.  After Gogs’ great victory, verse 43 tells us Egypt, the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels, or, in other words, join Gog’s fighting force.  After this major victory, Gog is given news from the east and the north (from Jerusalem), which troubles him greatly.  With great fury he destroys and annihilates many.  This annihilation likely occurs at least in all of the Arabian Peninsula, eastern Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq at the minimum.  All of these battles are a part of Battle One. However, the small territories of Edom (southeast of the Dead Sea), Moab (east of the Dead Sea), and Ammon (northeast of the Dead Sea) escape his hand!  God is again working His miracles.  This is the specific area, east thru Jericho and south on the east side of the Dead Sea, thru which perhaps millions of Jews will likely soon flee to the caves in Petra to seek protection, food and water for 1260 days

As was detailed above, Battle One starts during the few months preceding the midpoint of the 70^th week and lasts perhaps only a matter of several days or a few weeks at the most into the last 3½ years.  The main part of the battle takes place in the land surrounding Israel, and concludes with perhaps a speedy coup when Gog, with his overwhelming force, captures all of Israel and Jerusalem itself.  This part of the battle is detailed in Ezekiel 38:8-16a.  I find no evidence that Jesus and the Father challenge him at this time, but the Lord God warns Gog and his followers in Ezekiel 38:18, as we will see in Battle Two. (Ezekiel 38:18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My fury will show in My face.”)  We read in Daniel 11:45 that Gog, at this midpoint, “shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas (Mediterranean Sea and Dead Sea) and the glorious holy mountain,” meaning in Jerusalem. (Daniel 11:45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.)  Satan and Gog will already have determined that Jerusalem and the temple mount are going to be one of their headquarters, one among many likely major bases of their worldwide operations, and must therefore be captured.  At this point in time, we know from scripture that armies will surround the City of Jerusalem. (Luke 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.”)  Luke says that Desolation is at hand.  Luke also writes that these will be Antichrist’s days of vengeance, specifically against God’s people the Israelites, and also the elect.  Matthew and Mark describe this same period as the beginning of the time of the Great Tribulation, and they also write that this is the time of abomination of desolation (or perhaps more correctly, abomination by the desolator).  In Matthew 24:21, Jesus describes this period of time and the several or more months that follow as the worst tribulation since the beginning of the world or ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21, For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.) 

The Heavenly War of the Angels is also being fought in Heaven at this midpoint of the seven years.  God and His angels defeat Satan and his angels in the Heavens, and Satan and his angels are hurled down to earth, forbidden forever from entering Heaven again.  Satan likely goes into a killing rage after this terrible defeat in Heaven. (Revelation 12:7-9, 7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So 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.)  At this seven-year midpoint, Satan now directs Antichrist to desecrate God’s Holy Temple, and Antichrist then sets himself up as the only god to be worshiped in the Jerusalem temple as well as in every temple or place of worship on all the earth.  God the Father and Jesus give Satan and Antichrist a short time to reign on the earth and spread their Great Tribulation and terror, 3½ years total. (Revelation 13:5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.)  This is also the moment the true identity of Antichrist is revealed. (II Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day (the day of RAPTURE) will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,)  Someone, perhaps God the Father Himself, sounds an alarm and warns His people the Israelites, all those living in Jerusalem and the surrounding area who would heed His call, to flee as fast as they can. (Matthew 24:16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”)  God avails to those who heed His warning, as it were, two wings of a great eagle to fly into the wilderness, to the place God has prepared for them, likely the caves of Petra. (Revelation 12:14 But 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.)  It would seem God’s only intervention in Battle One is to protect and fight for those who chose to flee.  This escape could involve some one to two million Israelites.  Perhaps two-thirds of the Jews living in Jerusalem will choose to remain, accept Antichrist as ruler, and many will even take his mark and worship him.  After all, he is the one who brought and falsely guaranteed them their wonderful peace.  The following assumption is controversial, but this period is very likely the time of the ‘falling away first’, one of the greatest “falling-aways” of His chosen children from their God to a false god ever, which event must occur before the God’s day of RAPTURE. (II Thessalonians 2:3 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,)  Much, if not all in this paragraph, takes place in one day.

Satan and Antichrist will try to kill all of the Jews fleeing the area around Jerusalem, but Gods’ protecting hand will prevail.  As a last resort the serpent, Satan, will spew water from his mouth (a deluge of rain), sending a killing flood to the deep crevices of the mountains and caves of Petra to drown the fleeing Jews. But, miraculously, God the Father will make the earth open its mouth and swallow up the flood. (Revelation 12:15-16, 15 So 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. 16 But 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.)  Then God will protect and give food and drink to this fleeing throng for 1260 days.  Satan proceeds to make war against the remaining Jews in Jerusalem as well as Jews and Christians throughout the world. (Revelation 12:17 And 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.)  God’s two witnesses who take up residence in Jerusalem at this same moment of time are powerful adversaries to Antichrist’s control.  Antichrist has now captured and will now control all of the earth through his ‘mark of the beast’ and the spirits of the False Prophet.  An overwhelming majority of those who dwell on earth will accept this mark and worship him.  However, there will be some who will choose to avoid taking his seal in addition to those whose names are written in the Book of Life of the Lamb. (Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.)  The preceding sentence implies that the Church, the elect, is still present on earth at this moment in time, which fact we have proved irrefutably in prior sections.  The army of the Antichrist will capture and gain control of the Holy land, including the Temple Mount, will take “booty, silver, gold, livestock and goods,” and make it one of his world capitals and one of his main bases of operations. (Ezekiel 38:12-13, 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”)  The Antichrist will keep at least some armed force in the area throughout much of the last 3½ years.  These moments are the terrible beginnings of Jacob’s (Israel’s) trouble, a time of Great Tribulation. (Jeremiah 30:7 “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.”)  I would not be so bold as to say all the above is exactly how this battle unfolds since only God knows all the final details and timing.  However, based on all the scriptures that have been referenced, and you should verify what they all say, it would seem reasonable that this is how one could perceive and describe what takes place in Battle One.

BATTLE TWO.

( TAKE NOTE--What you are reading here about end time battles, especially regarding Battle Two, was written in the spring and summer of 2003.  In January 2003, I listened to a 90-minute dissertation on the end-time battles described in Ezekiel and other Old Testament books, and afterwards I asked the speaker just when he thought these battles would take place.  The answer I received was, “I have no idea”.  That answer sparked considerable interest on my part to study these books in depth for myself to see if the Lord might have given any prophecy instructions to these prophets that would give some hint or indication as to just when and where these battles would occur during Daniels’ 70^th week.  On the following pages is a description of how I believe God enlightened my thinking regarding when and where and why Battle Two takes place, and also a description of Gods’ apparent New Covenant relationship with the Israelites starting with the beginning of the Day of the Lord wrath judgment [from that day forward, Ezekiel 39:22] and continuing through all eternity. (Ezekiel 39:22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward.)  Many others that have studied these passages likely must have arrived at the same conclusion, but I personally have never read or heard of anyone taking this position.  Therefore you should study it very, very carefully, and thoroughly absorb every scripture reference to help you arrive at a proper conclusion as to whether or not you would agree with the facts that I will give you to back up my position.  Traditionalists will say the conclusion I arrived at does not fit with their understanding of the writings of Isaiah 65:11-17, or Ezekiel 39:9-12, or Daniel 9:24, or Romans 11:25-26, or Revelation 20 and 21.  Most would also tell you the wartime descriptions in Ezekiel, Joel, and Zechariah really refer to the Battle of Armageddon [about which I will give you many scriptures proving that to be wrong] and that the many promises given to the Jews will only become effective starting with the Millennium.  I have studied all of the above references very carefully and find no conflict with what I have written.  Gods’ end time plans will be perfect as we will see someday, but just how He executes every minute detail is not revealed to us.  What I have written regarding Battle Two is, in my thinking, in perfect agreement with the above scriptures.  The conclusion I arrived at seems to fit perfectly with what God the Father prophesied His plan would be for both the New Testament elect and His people, His chosen remnant of Israelites.  He rescues both groups, and gives them salvation [deliverance] from the Great Tribulation, and this happens just immediately prior to His terrible Day of the Lord Wrath judgment.)   

Of the three battles that we will describe for you, Battle Two is the only one to which we cannot assign a specific moment in time at which it takes place within the seven years, or more specifically seven years plus 30 days.  The reason for this is because there are many references as to the timing of this terrible battle, but almost everyone makes a precise reference that it is identified with immediately “preceding” the Day of the Lord.  So now we must try to come to an agreement as to just exactly when the terrible Day of the Lord begins.  We described at length in Section VIII, under 6B, just what is and when is the Day of the Lord.  It is NOT a 24-hour period, but a period of time starting immediately after the rapture of the elect and after Battle Two, both of which likely happen almost simultaneously.  You should study my reasoning for that assumption, which is explained in XVII.  Revelation 14, and Blood Flowing 184 Miles?  This period of time is referred to as Jesus’ “parousia” (Jesus’ coming and staying to carry out God the Fathers’ plan of great wrath), when He will release his pent up anger and spread His terrible “Day of the Lord” wrath trumpet and bowl judgments on Satan,  the Antichrist, and the nations of the earth.  Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 1:10 that Jesus, God’s Son, is going to deliver the Christians, the elect, from this wrath by way of the rapture. (I Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.)  This wrath of God the Father, directed by His Son Jesus, starts at Revelation 6:16-17 and the opening of the seventh seal, and lasts thru the seven trumpets, plus an extra 30 days for the seven bowl judgments and the Battle of Armageddon. (Revelation 6:16-17, 16 and 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 Day of the Lord is immediately preceded by God’s gathering His elect, the born again Christians. (Matthew 24:31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.) The dead in Christ will rise first.  Then those who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (those who were dead) in the clouds, and all will meet their Savior in the air and be taken to Heaven where those who were previously dead will be reunited with their souls. (I Thessalonians 4:16-17, 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.)  Following the rapture, the Day of the Lord is also immediately preceded by Battle Two, as will be shown conclusively in the following pages.

From the above paragraph it is quite evident that God did not reveal to us exactly when God’s chosen moment of rapture occurs, which He described in verses 30-31, since only He knows this moment in time. (Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.)  Starting on day one of the Antichrist’s and the False Prophet’s 3½-year reign with great terror under the supervision of Satan, and which God the Father is allowing, the Antichrist will control the world economy thru his marking on the forehead or on the right hand, the mark of the beast. (Revelation 13:16-17, 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name,)  Satan causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave to receive this mark, all except those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life and those who will stubbornly resist this pressure. (Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.)  Great pressure will be put on the Jewish people and the Christians worldwide, and many will be killed.  This is why this period is called the “Great Tribulation”, the greatest period of horror the world will ever know.  It will become so bad that Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24:22 that the number of those days would have to be shortened, cut off, amputated, or no flesh (Christian elect and Jews) would survive. (Matthew 24:22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.)  “But for the elect’s sake,” the exact words Jesus spoke, “those days would be shortened.” 

So how long will it be from the beginning of the second 3½ years until God’s Day of the Lord wrath judgment begins?  Only God the Father knows, not even His Son Jesus, nor the angels. (Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.)  This Day of the Lord might not start for some 6 months into the Great Tribulation portion of the last 3½ years, 12 months, or 18 months or more.  However, there is one thing I can guarantee you, and that is “that Day” of the Lord will not come one day before or one day later than God has already planned.  Scripture does tell us God and Jesus His Son have strong reasons to not let too much time elapse before it begins because Jesus has massive plans that must fit into this 1260 day window of time.  The first reason is His chosen lineage and people, Israel, is being terrorized even worse than at any time in all previous history.  Jeremiah 30:8 tells us that they have, as it were, a yoke around their neck, they are in bonds, and are enslaved by foreigners. (Jeremiah 30:8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, and will burst your bonds; foreigners shall no more enslave them.’)  God’s reason for Battle Two is to overwhelmingly defeat Antichrist and his armies and stop Satan from ever mistreating His precious nation of Israel and the Jewish people again worldwide, at least those in His chosen remnant.

The second reason for beginning His Day of the Lord wrath is the elect, the Christians, who have suffered greatly throughout history and will be martyred during this Great Tribulation period for the name of Jesus they claim. (Matthew 24:9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.)  Hundreds of millions of Christians, the elect, have died as martyrs in the last two thousand years, but let me assure you, any suffering we experience will be worth it all when we see Jesus.  Just before the Day of the Lord begins, Jesus, the Son of God, is going to have His angels gather His elect together (as described above) from the four winds, from one end of the Heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.)  Do not let anyone ever persuade you that the word elect in the previous sentence refers to the Jewish people and not to the church, which is one of the main points for Pre-tribulation teaching.  In Matthew 24:5 it says “many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ (Jesus),” and verse 9 reads “you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake (Jesus),” and we read in verse 14 “And this ‘gospel’ of the kingdom will be preached in all the world,” and in verse 23 “Look, here is the Christ (Jesus).”  All these references are New Testament church, elect, references.  Jewish people who are not born again believers would not be caught dead accepting any of the teaching regarding ‘Jesus’ in the previous verses, so you cannot jump ahead to verse 31 and conclude that everything is now changed and the word ‘elect’ all of a sudden refers to only the Jews.

The third reason to start the Day of the Lord is to not prolong the beginning of God the Father’s   terrible day of wrath and judgment against Satan, the Antichrist and the nations of the earth, and complete the seventh trumpet judgment exactly on the last day of the last 3½ years.  At this seventh trumpet, there are heard loud voices in Heaven saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”  You can read about this beautiful account in Revelation 11:15-18.  Jesus is victorious and takes back earth, but 30 more days of the terrible bowl judgments and defeat at Armageddon are still awaiting Satan, the Antichrist, the false prophet, and the nations of the earth.

The exact term “Day of the Lord” can be found in 25 places in Old Testament scripture, and 5 places in New Testament scripture.  A similar reference to this moment in time is “in that Day”, and there are 109 verses with that exact phrase, with at least half referring to the Day of the Lord or the days just preceding the Day of the Lord, and most of these are in the Old Testament.  Thus you can see that God put a great deal of emphasis on this subject when He was giving prophecy instructions to the Old Testament prophets.  The author of Hebrews tells us in the first two verses that God spoke in times past through the prophets, and since the time of Christ, in these last days, has spoken to us by His Son.  I would interpret that as meaning only through His Son, not through men who have lived since that time who claim “God told me”.  Therefore, even though some 2,500 years or more have elapsed since the Old Testament prophets penned these books, God must have had a wonderfully designed plan that had to be told regarding this pre-Day-of-the-Lord period, Battle Two, which takes place during the last days of the Great Tribulation.

Antichrists’ Great Tribulation is not aimed at those who follow after him, but specifically at these two groups: one, God’s old testament and current chosen people the Israelites, and two, the church, the new testament elect.  These are also the two groups to whom the Lord seems to give equal concentration to in His pre-Day of the Lord plans.  The first group, the Israelites, at least those who call upon the name of the Lord, will be granted a special, new, protected relationship with God after the conclusion of Battle Two.  In the Old Testament books of Ezekiel, Joel and Zechariah, God makes many unconditional promises to His chosen people and they seem to be an affirmation of the New Covenant given to the Israelites from the Lord in Jeremiah 30-33.  These promises will become effective just before the beginning of the Day of the Lord.  In Joel 2:31-32, He tells them “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”, and He gives this invitation and promise just prior to the beginning of the Day of the Lord. (Joel 2:31-32, 31 “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” 32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls.)  Many verses will be referred to in the next several pages that reflect these new promises to the Israelites.  God the Father in His infinite wisdom knows every Jewish person living at that time who will accept these new promises and this special new relationship and protection, His remnant.  Those names will be written in God’s book of life. 

During Battle Two, half the city shall go into captivity, and this half could be comprised of those who refused God’s appeal to call on His name, some could be atheist Jews, and some could be those who took the mark of the beast and worshipped the Antichrist. (Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.)  In present day Israel, the population is almost 50% Jewish and 50% Palestinian, approximately six million of each.  Those taken into captivity by Antichrist’s army likely would not be Palestinians, generally his Muslim followers, but those Israelites who rejected God’s invitation to flee or “call on the name of the Lord.”  As a result of God’s victory in Battle Two, the other half, the remnant (also in verse 2) will remain for some time in Jerusalem under God’s protection.  This protection in the Jerusalem area will last at least through the seventh trumpet judgment.  Zechariah 14:5 seems to infer that after the seventh trumpet, God will perhaps provide safety and protection for this remnant, plus the 144,000, and plus those who sought refuge in the caves at Petra, in a place called Azal, God’s place of safety for the thirty days of the bowl judgments and the Battle of Armageddon. (Zechariah 14:5 Then you shall flee through my mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord My God will come and all the saints with You.)  These will be the “sheep” of the sheep-goat judgment as Matthew recorded in Matthew 25:31-46, and will enter the millennial kingdom alive. (Matthew 25:32-33, 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.)  The second group mentioned in sentence one of the previous paragraph, the elect, will be gathered, raptured, and taken to Heaven forever, likely just prior to Jesus’ victory over Antichrist in Battle Two, and just before God commences His Day of the Lord wrath judgment as He promised in I Thessalonians 1:10. (I Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.)  The reasoning for my timing of the rapture just prior to Jesus’ victory in Battle Two can be found in section XVII  Revelation 14, and Blood Flowing 184 Miles?  After the 1,000 years, Heaven, the New Jerusalem, comes down to earth, and both groups will be with the Lord through all eternity.

In most Old Testament references to Day of the Lord, reference is repeatedly made that the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give its light, and the stars of Heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light.  Some of these verses that make this solar reference, many of which are interspersed with references to Battle Two and/or the Day of the Lord, are Isaiah 13:10, (all are very similar to this, Isaiah 13:9-10, 9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.) Ezekiel 32:7,8, Joel 2:2,10,30-31, 3:15, (Joel 2:30-31, 30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.”) Amos 5:8,20, and Zephaniah 1:15.  This exact same solar phenomena, and which appears at the same moment of time on God’s calendar during the last 3½ years as described above in the Old Testament, is also written about in the New Testament.  This confirms that the conclusion of Battle Two and the time of the rapture very likely happen almost simultaneously, and ties these two major events together as to timing and prominence.  New Testament references are recorded in Matthew 24:29, (after the Great Tribulation of those days but prior to the Day of the Lord); this is an example but all are very similar and are found in Mark 13:24-25, Luke 21:25, Acts 2:20, and in Revelation 6:12-13 at the opening of the sixth seal. (Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation (the Great Tribulation) of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.)  All these solar references happen just prior to the great day of God’s Wrath judgment.

In Ezekiel 38 and 39, which were written approximately 590BC, it takes a considerable amount of discernment to determine just what Battles are being referred to and when they take place.  In chapter 38, the first six verses are an introduction to Gog (see Battle One), where he comes from and the peoples he leads.  There is mention made in I Chronicles 5:4 of a father naming his son Gog, (I Chronicles 5:4 The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,) but nowhere else in the Old Testament is there mention of the name Gog except in Ezekiel 38 and 39, and in these two chapters the name is mentioned ten times.  Jesus makes the only New Testament reference to Gog in Revelation 20:8, describing when Satan is released for “a short time” at the end of the millennium. (Revelation 20:8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.)  This could be an indication that Gog is not the actual name of a person (it could be the ‘title’ of a person), but a “nickname” which would describe a very potent, spirit led, evil force of power.  In Ezekiel 38:4, note that it is God that directs Gog to gather his army, horses and horsemen, along with other nations to the land of Israel, where the Israelites have been brought forth out of the nations, and now dwell safely, verse 8. (Ezekiel 38:4 I [the Lord God] will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.)  The Israelites live in unwalled villages, they are at rest, they dwell safely without walls, having neither bars nor gates, and all of this is primarily the result of the peace Gog guaranteed them.  This sounds like much of present day Israel.  Then from verse 7 thru 16a, Battle One is described. 

Verses 16b thru 39:7 describe Battle Two.  In verse 15, it says Gog comes “out of the far north, you and many peoples with you,….a great company and a mighty army.”  He might also have assembled the other seven nations (in addition to Tubal, Meshech, and Magog, being most if not all of Europe) in the 10-nation confederacy to fight in this battle, which we will look at a little later.  In verse 16, we again see, as we did in verse 4, that God will bring Gog (now the Antichrist) against the land of Israel, so that the heathen in the entire world will see God the Father sanctified in His victory over Gog before their eyes (television?).  In verse 17, God rhetorically asks the question, is this the Gog, the Antichrist, that God the Father spoke of thru His servants, the prophets of Israel, which God “in those days” would bring against Israel, and the answer is yes.  In verse 18, when it comes to pass that Gog does come against the land of Israel, God says, “My fury will show in My face.”  In verse 19, God the Father says that in His jealousy (for His chosen people Israel and His Holy name) and in the fire of His wrath has He spoken.  Those are strong words.  Then take note of the next sentence, that “in that day,” just before the Day of the Lord, “there shall be a ‘great earthquake’ in the land of Israel.”  This is the exact same “great earthquake” mentioned in Revelation 6:12, about which we studied earlier, but with many more additional details as to its power and destruction.  In the book of Revelation, there is mention made of five earthquakes: (1) great earthquake 6:12, which immediately precedes The Day of the Lord and His day of wrath judgment, [this earthquake is also the only one to take place prior to the solar phenomena of the sixth seal in Revelation 6:12 and Matthew 24:29]; (2) earthquake, 8:5; (3) great earthquake, 11:13; (4) earthquake, 11:19; and (5) greatest earthquake since men were on earth, 16:18.  Isaiah 2:12 also makes mention of the Day of the Lord, (Isaiah 2:12 For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up—and it shall be brought low--) and further in Isaiah 2 he writes in verses 19 and 21 that the Lord “arises to shake the earth mightily,” which is a reference to the same earthquake. This earthquake is also mentioned in  Isaiah 13:13. (Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.).

Jesus’ New Testament description of this particular great earthquake, as he dictated it to an angel, and from the angel to John the Apostle in Revelation 6:14-16 reads, “every mountain and island was moved out of its place.  And the kings of the earth (all over 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, and 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’.”  Even the heathen, every man on earth, knew the wrath of God had not come before that time, but was soon to follow.  It was still very fresh in the minds of the ‘kings and all the men on the earth’ in the Revelation account, since they very likely recently saw the victory on television in Israel by Jesus over Antichrist, and heard Him say “so that [all] the nations may know Me, when I am hollowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes” from Ezekiel 38:16. (Ezekiel 38:16 “You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hollowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.”)

In Ezekiel 38:20, God, through His prophet, describes this same earthquake as “the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who ‘are on the face of the earth’ shall shake at My presence.  The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall (buildings?) shall fall to the ground.”  This is worldwide, and God now has the attention of every inhabitant on earth, just preceding the Day of the Lord, when He cometh with both cruel wrath and fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it.)  Ezekiel writes in verse 21, the Lord God says “I will call for a sword against Gog, (the Antichrist) throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God, “Every man’s sword shall be against his brother.”  Note carefully God the Father mentioned in “all My Mountains,” and soldiers will be killing their brothers.  To me, this again gives positive confirmation that this battle is not the battle of Armageddon, which many claim it is, since that battle will take place in the flat Plain of Esdraelon, in the Valley of Jezreel, at Megiddo, and Jesus alone is going to kill everyone there who comes to that battle, with a sharp sword (the Word of God, Hebrews 4:12) from out of His mouth. (Revelation 19:15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.)  At Armageddon, out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, and with it He strikes the nations. And He Himself rules them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  Further in Ezekiel 38, verse 22 says God will bring judgment in Battle Two on Antichrist and his troops with pestilence and bloodshed.  And God will bring flooding rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone on them.  Then in verse 23, God says, “Thus will I magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations” (the whole world). “Then shall they know that I am the Lord.”

In Ezekiel 39, God again reiterates He is against Gog.  Verse 2 tells us God is going to bring Gog from the far north, all his troops and the nations that are with him, against the mountains of Israel.  In verse 3 we read, there God the Father will knock the bow out of his left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of his right hand.  All of Gog’s troops and peoples will fall upon the mountains of Israel, and in verse 4 God says He “will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.”

This is a sidelight relative to ‘birds of prey.’  On a Monday evening, just three days before He would die on the cross, Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives with His disciples, and could have been gazing west over the Kidron Valley (Valley of Jehoshaphat) toward the Temple in Jerusalem in the late afternoon sun.  In response to questions from His disciples, He was prophesying end time events in sequence that were going to happen, and He reached that point in His prophesying which would be immediately prior to when the Day of the Lord would occur.  In Matthew 24:25 Jesus tells them “See, I have told you beforehand,” many of the secrets of the future that would be taking place on earth before, during, and after Daniel’s 70^th week.  Jesus is also prophesying to us, the elect, through the writing of Matthew.  These disciples are intently listening to every word from the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, their Master and our precious Savior and Redeemer.  This cannot be verified with scripture, but it could be a likely possibility that at that moment mentioned above, as He was looking out over the Kidron Valley, He recalled what He and the Father had prophesied through Old Testament prophets about inviting “birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field” to feast on the tens of millions Jesus will kill in Battle Two (Ezekiel 39:4).  Jesus almost seems to be contemplating His future victory over Antichrist when the Kidron Valley will be full of blood from the dead bodies in His slaughter of the “surrounding nations”, and then in verse 28 he changes from prophesying and says “wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”

In Ezekiel 39:6 we are told that ‘God’, (many teach that this is a nuclear retaliation, but I personally do not believe God will need man’s devices) at this time, is also going to attack Gog in his homeland and send fire on Magog (Europe) and on those who live in security in the coastlands, and then they, the world, will know that He is the Lord.  In verses 7 and 8 the Lord God promises that He is going to make His Holy name known in the midst of His people Israel, and He will not let them profane His Holy name anymore. (the Third Commandment, Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.)  And the nations shall then know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.  In verse 8 the prophet Ezekiel prophesied that surely these things are coming, and it shall be done, says the Lord God.  “This is ‘the day’ of which I have spoken,” and this is what God the Father had related to several of His prophets to record regarding this spectacular period in Daniels seventieth week.  In verses 9-20, God tells of the conditions in Israel following this huge victory over Antichrist in Battle Two.

In verses 17-20, the Lord God describes the feast for the birds and beasts.  In verses 21-29, just before the Day of the Lord and from that day forward, God reveals His special new commitment and relationship to His Jewish people, His New Covenant.  As we look at these verses, try to feel and absorb Gods’ love, His promises, and His deep desire for a like response to His invitation from His people, the Israelites.  We read in Ezekiel 39:21-29, 21 “I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. 22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God ‘from that day forward’. 23 The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them.  I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them. 25 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name—26 after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. 27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, 28 then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, Who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer. 29 And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord God.”  He is the Lord their God, and He promised that ‘from that day forward’ He will not hide His face from them anymore, “for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel, says the Lord God.”  This is what Ezekiel prophesied would take place immediately prior to and throughout the length of the Day of the Lord wrath judgments and what the conditions would be between God and His remnant of Israelites for this ensuing time period.  

On some of the previous pages, ment