The Devil's Last Desperate Days Will Be Hell on Earth.

You have probably heard someone say, "the Bible is a Christian's manual for living". It is a true statement but so many are so lax in their approach, they assume far too much and become confused when they do not understand a difficult passage. Often times they will pass over or out and out avoid these portions of the Word. Revelation is a very complex book and so many choose to take the easy path by accepting as Gospel what another has written or preached. They will separate it from the rest of the Bible as being a stand-alone book, whereas the Truth is that it is the culmination of all Scripture. Why do I bring this up now? I have spent time going over many well known expositors ideas of the time-line of Revelation and I found two things most had in common. They leave out the context of the whole of Scripture and interject the Word where it is convenient. A common practice today is to use only portions of the Word or to seek out other translations that fit their theology. We have all done this at one time or another but it should not be. I do not claim to be perfect in my theology, but I do not rely on another's as I seek to discover and expound the Truth.

As Voltaire has said: "To hold a pen is to be at war."

Revelation 12:6 and 12:14 do cover the same time period, that being the last three and a half years of the 70th Week. Verse 6 ends the overview of Israel's history as we know it, whereas verses 14 to 16 explains why Israel disappears from the world stage; displaying God's amazing love for His people.

From the tents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to Mount Sinai to February 2020, no other nation has seen so many victories overshadowed by unparalleled troubles from within and without and has survived though it all. The 70th Week begins with a born again Israel upon whom the hand of God is so powerful that millions will come to know the Messiah as Savior. And as the Church has been removed prior to judgment, Israel will be removed, as Rahab, during judgment but prior to the final wrath of God. They will not be changed in the twinkling of an eye, but they shall be wondrously watched over while the earth endures the second and third WOE's. I would love to think that God has always preserved the Garden of Eden for the hiding place of His future people, Israel. It was or is a spiritual place from which man was banned and the way back guarded by an angel with a flaming sword. Whatever the case, they are well taken care of and they are perfectly out of reach by the Devil and his evil minions. As we shall see, the 144,000 are with Jesus but the next time we come upon Israel will be in the Millennium.

Michael is finally allowed to do what he has wanted to do for thousands of years, take on Lucifer in a winner takes all war. It is God who begins this war and Michael is no longer constrained in dealing with Satan as in Jude when he contended with the Devil over the body of Moses. I do not know if Satan saw this coming or not, but the phrase "and prevailed not" has the flavor of being powerless to do anything about it. That word 'cast' which is a common word used in Revelation meaning -with violence or intensity - shows that the Devil and his angels were not merely pushed out of heaven but literally body slammed to the earth. When you think about it, the Devil would never try to start a war on God's turf and when Michael is unleashed, it will be over before it began.

The great whiner of heaven is no longer to be heard in heaven's halls where he has for an eon spent his time accusing the brethren, day and night. We get sick of our own children whining about this or that; can you imagine what a relief it is to be rid of such a 'downer'; yet our Lord tolerated it for all that time. I am pretty sure His answers to the complaints aggravated the Devil to no end and increased his hatred of all things godly.

The praise in heaven, though hard to imagine, was even greater than before and was focused on those who overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony. Too often we find those who think they are saved but their testimony is sadly lacking. The Word denotes the character, for one exemplifies our Lord in not only what comes out of our mouths but is even more demonstrative in our actions; our love for one another. Many, many in the last day will say Lord, Lord but to no avail for they did not live out the character of Christ in their families, their communities, their businesses or within the body of Christ, the Church.

The Double-edged Sword

All heaven is commanded to rejoice because this is the turning point of ALL history, including that of heaven. The sixth trumpet heralded the onset of the second WOE and the voice of WOE from heaven to the inhabitants of earth is to place a double emphasis on the second WOE. It is a Hebrew form of stressing a point; repeat a word consecutively. Such as, truly, truly means pay attention, for this is very important. We do the same thing. We say I am really, really sorry or please, please can I, etc. to add great need to the hearer to respond in the way we desire.

"...for the Devil is come down to you, having GREAT wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Satan's first act after hitting the ground is to attempt to persecute and destroy Israel; the woman which brought forth the man child. I love how this Scripture does not call Israel His mother, for Jesus is not just a 'child' of Mary but of the nation Israel for our benefit and theirs. Verses 14 to 16 speak of an amazing supernatural event, for even the Devil who has operated within the spiritual realm since the beginning is now confined to the physical realm of this world along with his demonic minions and there is nothing he can do about it. A two hundred million 'man?' army I would think could resemble a flood if launched at such a small piece of real estate or could it be a literal flood of water? Something amazing will happen; probably right up there with the parting of the Red Sea. Whatever, he is foiled again! Strike one was being booted out of heaven; strike two was his failure to destroy Israel and now he is down to his last strike. He has only one avenue left in his demented mind he must take.

Kill the seed of the woman!

He already knows that forgiveness is not in his future and his time is very limited; why he would think that killing the believers of the 70th Week would accomplish anything, is because the deceiver of mankind is himself the most deceived creature in creation. He will be like a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum of the most devilish sort but with visions of being prepared for a final battle in which he might overcome. Chapter 13 will introduce the enforcer and his human minions that will carry out his fiendish plans. Again, Satan does not like to get his hands dirty, but loves the position of authority that orders the slaughter of the defenseless believers and anyone else who does not fall at his feet to worship him. He will be god for a season upon this earth and seemingly will have his way. The atrocities of this last half of the 70th Week will make Hitler, Stalin and Mao seem merciful and he will have the aid and consent of the mass of the population. I like Voltaire and this quote is so appropriate: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." As per 2 Thessalonians 2 - God will send a delusion, that those who have no love of the Truth, should believe a lie. Satan believes himself to be most clever, not even aware that a Sovereign God is always several steps ahead of him, orchestrating his demise. Satan, riding the crest of power and a willing populace, will exact a fruitless revenge and forever seal the fate of those who blindly follow him, including his own henchmen.