ALL OF GOD’S WORD CAN BE TRUSTED
We are informed that the words of Revelation are trustworthy and true, and we are warned not to add or take away anything “from the words of this book of prophecy” (Revelation 22:19 NCV). If anyone does so, God will take away that person’s “share of the tree of life and of the holy city” (verse 19 NCV). He doesn’t want or need us to water down the prophecies to make them more bearable. Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God proves true” (ESV), and verse 6 states, “Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.”
Jesus said that what John recorded in Revelation is true, and that He’s coming soon. The end-time events laid out in Revelation, or any other book of the Bible, are not allegory. They aren’t make-believe or metaphors. If they were, God would have given us some indication of that. Through the prophetic portions of Scripture, God has declared the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and His Word can be trusted as truth. If we can’t trust or believe one part of the Bible, then how can we trust any other part of it? But because the Word comes from God Himself, because it is God-breathed, as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, we can trust it: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
It’s important to understand that the prophecies in the Bible weren’t given to us through the prophets’ own understandings, opinions, ideas, or interpretations, but through the Spirit of God. There were times when even a prophet didn’t understand what was being proclaimed. For example, Daniel asked about a prophecy he was given concerning the end times:
I heard the answer, but I did not really understand, so I asked, “Master, what will happen after all these things come true?” He answered, “Go your way, Daniel. The message is closed up and sealed until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:8-9 NCV).
Daniel didn’t understand, and he wasn’t given the answer, but was faithful to write down the prophecy.
Second Peter 1:20-21 assures us, “Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God.”
Jesus said that prophecy is true and serves as proof of who He is.
I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I AM the Messiah (John 13:19 NLT).
I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe (John 14:29 NLT).
In the pages ahead, we’ll use the entirety of Scripture to help us grasp what it says about the end of the age. Remember, 109 prophecies concerning Jesus have already been fulfilled with 100 percent accuracy, leaving 224 prophecies to be fulfilled. Without any doubt, we can be assured that they will come to pass according to God’s Word.
Everything that’s written in The Time of Jacob’s Trouble and the two books that follow is meant to encourage us to share Jesus with those who don’t know Him, to follow Christ faithfully, and to keep looking up in anticipation for His coming so that “when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2).
WHERE IN THE WORD?
AMERICA IN THE END TIMES
People often wonder if America will play a big part in the end times. Given the fact that the United States is not mentioned in Scripture as a key player in the end times, it is only conjecture what happens to the country from an international perspective. The Time of Jacob’s Trouble has been written as if America has been weakened due to the mass disappearances of millions, which, in turn, will leave the nation vulnerable to attack. It is estimated that there are over 27,000 nuclear weapons in the world.1 With that in mind, I created a story in which America is struck by foreign enemies that are determined to destroy the world’s superpower and cripple the great nation. Mark Hitchcock has said the United States will probably lose more people per capita than any other nation in the world.2 I think we can suggest that if foreign enemies can bring her down, then those enemies can rise to greater world power without America’s interference. A weakened America will also leave Israel vulnerable to attack, prompting her enemies to strike there as well.
There are some who believe that references to an eagle in Daniel 7:4 and Revelation 12:14 are nods to America, but if we look closely at just the verse in Revelation, we will notice it says, “The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.” The “woman” referred to here is Israel, not a singular woman. As the Antichrist pursues and persecutes the Jews they will flee for their lives, just as Jesus told them to do in Matthew 24:16-18. We can be certain that the eagle isn’t America because God tells us in Zecheriah 14:2, “I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle…” (ESV). Joel 3:2 also mentions “all nations.” All nations will turn against Jerusalem in the latter half of the tribulation. America won’t save the Jews; God will.
America isn’t mentioned by name in Bible prophecy, and most other modern nations aren’t mentioned either. For instance, we don’t see Canada, Japan, or Australia. If America was still a mighty force on the world scene, it seems that the country would be mentioned. Prophecy scholar John Walvoord says, “Scriptural evidence is sufficient to conclude that America in that day will not be a major power and apparently does not figure largely in either the political, economic, or religious aspects of the world.”3
It’s difficult for some to fathom that America will no longer hold a major spot on the world’s stage. However, the end times aren’t about America, but Israel. We’ll examine this a bit more in this book, and in greater detail in the next two books.
PEACE IN THE TRIBULATION?
The world is living in turbulent times; riots and rebellion are in the daily news all over the globe, and that’s with law enforcement and peacekeeping agencies in full operation! Imagine what will happen when millions or billions of people are removed from the earth; it will throw the world into chaos. No one will then suddenly decide to play nice and get along. Rather, evil will rise; and chaos, rebellion, and lawlessness will only increase.
I’ve heard some pastors and teachers say that the first few years of the tribulation will be rather peaceful, which is contrary to what we already see in the world. At the time of this writing, according to CNN and PBS Newshour, Haiti is experiencing the tenth day of “violent protests and unrest” as demonstrators call for the president to resign. The entire country is on lockdown as demonstrators block roads, stone emergency vehicles, and destroy businesses by vandalizing and looting them. “People can’t get out to find water and are running out of basic supplies.”4 Many people have been killed, tourists have been evacuated, hospitals are running out of medicine, and “aid workers remain cut off as Haiti braces for another bout of chaos and bloodletting.”5
Also happening at the time of this writing: India and Pakistan are threatening war against each other after a Pakistan-based terrorist group fired on Indian paramilitary soldiers, killing 40. India retaliated with airstrikes, causing tensions to escalate between the two countries. Farmer-herder conflicts in Kaduna, a state in Nigeria, are raging again, with 120 dead and 140 homes destroyed.6 In Christchurch, New Zealand, a 28-year-old white supremacist opened fire on Muslims worshipping in two mosques, killing 51 people and injuring 49 others in what is described as the deadliest mass killing in New Zealand since 1943.7
All of this is happening at a time when the world, for the most part, is at peace and gatekeepers are in place. Imagine how people will respond when millions or billions who possess the restraining power of the Holy Spirit inside of them vanish, many of whom are presently gatekeepers on the world scene. Due to the resulting tumult in
the world, conditions will be such that it will be virtually impossible to keep warring nations or people groups in check. Chaos will cover the globe. The many tensions in our current world do not point to peace in the future.
Consider the 18 sects in Lebanon who have been embroiled in conflicts for hundreds of years, or the warring people groups in Africa, the Middle East, or other parts of the world. Are they suddenly going to get along? Chaos breeds confusion and anarchy, not peace. With all the gatekeepers gone, the world will become a thieves’ paradise. Enemy combatants will seize the moment to attack one another. Countries with nuclear weapons will use them at will because there won’t be global gatekeepers holding them accountable.
This notion of peace during the first few years of the tribulation also opposes what the first few seals in Revelation reveal. When Jesus takes the scroll from God and begins opening the seal judgments in Revelation 6, the wrath of God begins to fall upon the earth. Some believe the first few years of chaos during the tribulation will be due to man’s wrath being poured out upon other people, but the Bible makes it clear that it is Jesus, the Lamb of God, who is opening the seals—see Revelation 5:5-7; 6:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12. With the opening of the first two seals alone we see the arrival of the Antichrist (verse 2) and peace disrupted as people kill each other (verse 4). There’s nothing calm or peaceful about that.
In response, a coalition of ten nations will arise (a revived Roman Empire under the Antichrist, symbolized as ten toes in Daniel 7:7 and ten horns in 7:24; Revelation 13:1; 17:3, 12-13) in the hopes of bringing calm and order to the world. (It’s possible that what is left of America will be part of that confederacy, given its history with European allies, as I’ve suggested in the fiction portion of this book.)
THE 144,000
If God is a God of mercy, compassion, and grace, how could He possibly leave a world to itself without someone to point the way to salvation? God’s love never ceases, and as J. Vernon McGee once said in a radio broadcast, “He never leaves Himself without a witness.” After Jesus snatches away all those who are in Him, the world will be left with Bibles, Christ-based podcasts, Internet material, Christian books, and videos that will lead people to the cross. People will also hear the gospel message from the two witnesses in Jerusalem and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists who are specially sealed and appointed by God to serve a crucial role in end-time events.
The Time of Jacob’s Trouble features Elliott, a Jewish man in New York City, and Zerah, a Jew in Israel, who are sealed for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel. They and the others of the 144,000 will be “purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4). Like all who put their faith in Christ, these men will be bought with the blood of the Lamb, and they will be offered as firstfruits, which in Scripture refers to the first part of a harvest. The 144,000 are the firstfruits of the harvest of souls that will come out of the tribulation.
We find the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7:1-8 and again in Revelation 14:1-5. Chapter 7 is one of the chapters which breaks the chronological sequence of the events taking place during the end times. Instead of advancing the narrative, it introduces some key players.
Here is what chapter 7 says about the 144,000:
“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 (Revelation 7:3-8).
WHY JEWISH MEN FROM THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL?
Some people believe these 144,000 men represent the church, but as we read through Scripture, the words Israel and tribe are never used to mean “church,” and in Revelation 7 we see that John used “tribe” repeatedly. There are 323 uses of the words tribe or tribes in the Bible, and none of them refer to the church. The men listed in Revelation 7 are descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Bible scholar J.A. Seiss says, “I know of no instance in which the descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel include the Gentiles.”8 There are 65 uses of the word Israel in the New Testament, and each time, they refer to Jews. John Walvoord adds, “The word Israel is never used of Gentiles and refers only to those who are racially descendants of Israel, or Jacob. The remnant of Israel, as portrayed in Revelation, should not therefore be taken as meaning the church.”9
THE CHURCH AND ISRAEL
Throughout the entirety of Scripture, the church and Israel are two distinct groups (when a Jewish person becomes one with Christ, he or she is still Jewish but also part of the church). This distinction is made clear by John in Revelation, for he describes the 144,000 as being from “all the tribes of Israel,” not the church. The number 12 is consistently associated with Israel throughout Scripture, and never with the church.
John is very specific in not only mentioning that the 144,000 will come from the 12 tribes of Israel, but goes on to list that 12,000 will come from each tribe. When the Bible speaks of the 12 tribes of Israel, it always literally means the 12 tribes of Israel, leaving no room for confusion with the church.
We must keep in mind that the church is absent beginning in Revelation 4. Prior to that, in chapters 2 and 3, we read seven times, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” However, beginning in Revelation 13:9, the word church is missing from the phrase “Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Scripture doesn’t say, “What the Spirit says to the churches,” which tells us the church is no longer on Earth to be addressed. Because the church is gone and no longer proclaims the gospel, there is a vacuum that needs to be filled. The 144,000 Jewish evangelists and the two witnesses in Revelation 11 will fill that void.
A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES
God had originally chosen the Jews to show Gentiles the way to Him.
I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6).
“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,
“and my servant whom I have chosen…
You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,
“that I am God” (Isaiah 43:10, 12).
Ron Rhodes says that during the future tribulation, these 144,000 Jews will fulfill this mandate from God and serve as His witnesses around the world.
WHEN ARE THE 144,000 SEALED?
In Revelation 7:3, an angel says, “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” In Scripture, we see that winds are used by God to fulfill His purposes. The four destructive winds spoken of earlier in verse 1 are not allowed to blow until His servants are sealed. Nothing, and no one, can harm these 144,000; God will supernaturally protect them.
Once these witnesses are sealed, the four destructive winds will be unleashed as God’s judgment falls, but we see His love manifested in the 144,000 as they cover the earth, proclaiming the love of God and salvation through His Son. Robert Jeffress asks, “If God were simply interested in annihilating unbelievers, why would He dispatch 144,000 missionaries to proclaim His message of salvation?”10
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 144,000
1. They Are Virgins
In Revelation 14:4, John is again specific regarding the identity of the 144,000, saying, “These are those who did not defile themselves with
women, for they remained virgins.”
A lot of people struggle with this fact about the 144,000. How could all of them be celibate? Given the intensity and violence of the tribulation, it makes perfect sense that God would choose men who are free of the worries of caring for a wife and children and protecting them from horrific bloodshed, wars, plagues, famines, persecution, etc. A married man’s heart and concern would be at home, not out in the streets and the world.
In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul says this about singleness:
I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—and his interests are divided…I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord (verses 32-33, 35).
These 144,000 Jewish evangelists will be able to live in complete devotion to the Lord during the most turbulent time on Earth because they won’t be torn between family and service to God.
2. They Are Devoted to Christ
The extent of their devotion is further clarified in Revelation 14:4-5: “They follow the Lamb wherever he goes… No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.”
These are men of outstanding character and integrity. They will be blameless in the midst of the most corrupt, deceptive, murderous, and evil time on Earth. David Jeremiah says, “Think of the spiritual power that would be harnessed by 144,000 evangelists who are unspotted by the world and pure in their thoughts and words.”11
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