READING TIME: 1-2 MINUTES
December 17, 2019
What are the main events that will occur in the middle of the future seven-year Tribulation?
Satan is thrown out of heaven (he fought God and unsurprisingly lost), he empowers the Antichrist (Revelation 12:7-11) and intensifies his persecution of the saints (Revelation 12:12-17). God will protect the Jewish people who flee to a place of asylum (Revelation 12:13-16), but the ones who do not flee will suffer (Revelation 12:14-17).
The Middle East ruler is now identified as the Antichrist. He becomes a world dictator.
The Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel (Dan 9:27).
The 144,000 Israelites are sealed (i.e., a guarantee of ownership, protection, and security) – Rev 7:1-8. Also, see Rev 14:1-5 in which passage this group is described after their work of testimony has been completed.
Some Side Notes
God’s wrath extends throughout THE ENTIRE seven-year Tribulation (not just a part of it); it begins at the 1st seal. The term “wrath” does not appear in the book of Revelation until 6:16-17 but the concept of God’s wrath is there from the beginning (see Rev 5:9, 6:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12; 8:1 – Jesus breaks all of the seven seals, which begins God’s wrath). Christ – NOT Satan, the Antichrist, or rebellious mankind – will institute the terrible things that occur when all seven seals are broken.
It is important to remember that many times in the book of Revelation God uses human instruments and activity through war to carry out His sovereign purpose against His enemies (see Rev 17:17). Many times in the OT God did this very thing: He raised Assyria to judge the northern kingdom of Israel in the 700s B.C. (Amos 5:18, 20), Babylon to judge the southern kingdom of Judah in the 600s/500s B.C. (Lam 1:12; 2:1, 21-22; Ezek 7:19; 13:5; Zeph 2:2-3), and Medo-Persia to judge Babylon in the 500s B.C. (Is 13:6, 9).
So, in other words, God’s wrath includes those types of judgments that are direct supernatural acts (i.e., great disturbances in the heavens and 75-pound hailstones) as well as those forces, elements & individuals that God uses in an indirect way (such as war, famine, the Antichrist, and Satan).