We can understand the events of the last half of the Tribulation in the light of Revelation 12 and Matthew 24

And He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”

– Luke 10:18

As we have discussed in previous episodes of Behind Blood Falls, both the Old and New Testaments clearly prophesy a terrifying and distinct disruption of nature and world systems leading to a climax in history. These events will lead to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (not to be confused with the Rapture of the church that precedes these. Remember Enoch and Noah).

Why is it critical to understand what is happening upon the earth?

Your future depends upon it.

There is a time coming, as in the days of Noah, when God will pour out His wrath upon an unbelieving world. Unlike the first, this judgment will be executed with fire.

For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

– 1 Peter 3:5-7

To whom was Jesus speaking in Matthew 24?

It’s important to read the Scriptures and understand them in proper context. Matthew 24 is a crucial chapter to get right, and it’s a particularly difficult passage that is often taken out of context. Matthew 24 is not written for the church, but for Israel. Remember Jesus was a Hebrew, the God-man who came first to His people, the Jews, as the long-awaited Deliverer. He already knew they would reject Him. This rejection opened the door for the Gentiles to be presented the opportunity to be grafted into the promises to Israel. 

Be assured He has not deserted Israel. Judgment upon the world will simultaneously bring Israel to recognize their true Messiah.

His plan, given us as a type in the events of the worldwide flood, reveals the open door through the Messianic hope through Jesus. In antiquity, Noah listened to the Word of God and built a ship that would weather the storm. He represents those who are sealed in Christ and carried through the wrath upon evil. But we can never forget the strange disappearance of a godly man before judgment came: Enoch, taken away by God before the Flood, never to taste His wrath. 

This template will be used again at the end. The Enoch generation of believers, called the Bride of Christ, will be taken to heaven. Those who turn to the Messiah Jesus Christ during the time of judgment called the Tribulation will be sealed in the “ark” of salvation and carried through the storm. Those who refuse to listen to God’s call will perish in the fire of destruction outlined in Revelation.

Christ’s urgent message to humanity:

Repent now and escape the wrath of God, or repent during the wrath to come and suffer through the storm. Multitudes will come to Christ, Jew and Gentile alike during that time, and will join the Bride of Christ in eternity. They will, however, have to suffer the consequences of waiting until the door is closed. It’s important to know God’s Word and put it in proper context. 

Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

– Matthew 24:15-20

As discussed earlier, these events cannot have already occurred, since Jesus distinctly speaks of their future fulfillment. No past historical event-not even the destruction of the Temple in AD 70-meets all the Scriptural requirements.   

 How can Revelation 12 help explain Matthew 24?

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;

– Revelation 12:1

Bible students offer differing views of who this woman might be. Is she the harlot? The New Testament believers? The Old and New Testament believers throughout history? A study of the Scriptures gives us the key to this passage. All the way back in Genesis, in a dream given to Joseph, we learn who this woman represents:

Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?”

– Genesis 37:9-10

Joseph’s father, the patriarch Jacob, immediately knew the interpretation of the dream. He understood the sun and moon to represent him and his wife. The eleven stars represented Joseph’s brothers. God had already given Jacob a blessing and bestowed the new name Israel upon him (Genesis 32:28). Jacob’s twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.

This woman in Revelation 12, therefore, symbolizes the nation of Israel.

And she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

– Revelation 12:2

A long-awaited deliverer…

At the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God cursed both the ground and Satan. The ground afterward bore weeds along with the good crops man grew with his toil and sweat. Satan was forever sentenced to grovel before God and eat the dust of the earth. Mankind suffered both physical and spiritual death. He gave them a promise, however, in Genesis 3:14-15.

He promised them a Redeemer.

The long millennia between the promise and the Savior incurred much grief for the people of Israel. They longed for their Messiah; in pain, so to speak, to give birth.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

– Revelation 12:3

The red dragon symbolizes Satan, as is seen in other portions of the Revelation. He has seven heads bearing seven diadems, representing seven kingdoms under his power. The ten horns represent power in ten coming kingdoms.

Daniel received a vision during the first year of Belshazzar’s reign in Babylon. This vision showed him four great beasts coming up from the sea. Each was different.

1. The lion with the wings of an eagle represented Babylon. A winged lion was the symbol of Babylon. The gates of the royal palaces of Babylon were decorated with winged lions. Daniel 7:4 describes the “plucking” of the lion’s wings, it being made to stand like a man, and that a human mind was given to it. These depictions describe Nebuchadnezzar’s pride causing him to lose his sanity. Symbolically, his wings were “plucked.” He crawled on all fours and ate grass in a pasture like an ox. When he remembered God, repented for his pride, and God restored him to the kingdom.

2. The bear represented Medo-Persia. This beast is depicted as being “raised up on one side,” indicating the stronger kingdom of Persia. This creature was a voracious conqueror.

3. The winged, four-headed leopard represented Greece. Alexander the Great of Greece quickly conquered territory from India to Africa. At his death, his four generals divided the kingdom four ways.

4. The fourth beast represented the Roman Empire. This kingdom was especially cruel, devouring nations and crushing the rest. This beast had ten horns, or seats of power. From the ten horns arose another horn. This horn embodies a man, one full of boasts; the Anti-Christ, whose hour is yet to come.

After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the other beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. “While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.

– Daniel 7:7-8

He will devour the earth.

Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which Was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates. “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.’

– Daniel 7:19-23

The ten horns symbolize ten kingdoms, after which another king arises, who will speak out against God and persecute the believers for three and one-half years of his seven-year reign. At the end of this period, he will be judged by God and removed from power. Then the everlasting kingdom of God will be established on earth.  (Daniel 7:24-28)

The king spoken of here is the coming Anti-Christ. Revelation 13:2 reveals that the dragon (Satan) gives this king his power and authority.

Falling, falling

And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

– Revelation 12:4

In Revelation 12:4 the dragon waits to devour the woman’s child, reminding us of Herod’s slaughter of the Jewish infants at his discovery of the birth of a Hebrew child destined to be king. (Matthew 2:13-18).

And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

– Revelation 12:5 

Amazingly, this one verse spans the thirty-three years of the Incarnation of the Word of God spoken of in the first chapter of John, the millennia between Christ’s first and second coming, and the Lord’s Ascension between the other two events. 

The reference to one-third of the stars being swept away by the dragon is generally believed to be the number of angels who joined Satan in his rebellion and lost their first estate in heaven. These fallen angels now comprise the legions of demons under Satan’s command.

Though both the Old and New Testaments describe Satan’s ability to approach the throne of God with accusations toward believers, that day will end, probably at the mid- point of the Tribulation. When Satan is cast out of heaven to earth, his minions will join him. No longer will any unclean thing be able to approach God’s throne.

How you have fallen from heaven,

O star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth,

You who have weakened the nations!

– Isaiah 14:12

See also Ezekiel 28.

Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

– Revelation 12:6

Since a definite span of days is given, this can only refer to a time in the future, most probably Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24 concerning the coming Abomination of Desolation. This interpretation correlates with the time frame given in Daniel 7.

Here the scene changes in Revelation 12. Verses 7-12 describe “war in heaven” between the archangel Michael and his angels and the “dragon” Satan and his “angels.” Satan and his demon army are cast out of heaven forever.

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world….

– Revelation 12:9

There’s no doubt who the dragon is, for here he is identified by four of his common Biblical names—dragon, serpent, devil, and Satan.

Jew and Gentile alike, we have been warned.

Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.

– Revelation 12:12

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