The Tribulation

'How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half"

(Daniel 12:6,7)

A time of expectation

The above text also shows that the Entime is not just about 'trouble'. It is also a time of 'wonders' or 'marvels'.

Against the darkness of the world powers, which are predominantly the US-empire and the zionist state of Israel, the brightness of Christ's works will shine as the glimmering hope of humanity, ending in Jesus' return in power and great glory.

The 'wonders' Daniel 12:6 speaks of are (1) the intervention of archangel Michael on behalf of God's people (vs.1), (2) the resurrection of myriads of dead (vs.2,3) - taking place at the beginning as well as at the end - and (3) the purification of an innumerable multitude (vs.10).

In the book of Revelation, we are informed about the enormous activity of angels, to which Jesus referred when He said: 'you shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man' (John 1:51). This prophetic verse is still future. Because the only angel that was seen during the life of Jesus was the one that strengthened Him in the garden of Gethsemane. And the only angels that were seen in the forty days thereafter were (1) the one that came from heaven like a lightning and rolled away the stone at the tomb of Jesus and (2) the two that the women saw within the tomb afterwards and (3) the two that the disciples saw after Jesus' ascension. But an account of angels ascending and decending upon the Son of man is nowhere to be found. That prophecy will become a reality during the Endtime, when angels will seal the 144,000 (Revelation 7), when angels will warn humanity of falling into the trap of the beast-system (Revelation 14), and when angels will prepare the grounds for the last battle, of Armageddon (Revelation 14, 16, 19). Angels will be sent in order to gather the people of the most High to the holy land, where they will be placed around the throne of the King of kings (Mathew 24:31, Mathew 25:31, 40).

Resurrection

The Endtime is not merely a time of utter darkness. It is also a time of the glimmering of the early daylight. It is the time of fierceless persecution. But it is also a time out of which an innumerable multitude of people will come into the blessed kingdom of God. It is a time in which many will find death. But those who died will be profoundly blessed in the resurrection at the start of the millennium, as the holy Spirit Himself testifies: 'And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.' (Revelation 14:13)

More important than finding death is finding Jesus, Who has conquered death and will share eternal life with all those that chose Him instead of a deceptive and fast disappearing world. In 15:2 we see the ones that were victiorious of the beast-system on the 'sea of glass' which according to Revelation 4:6 is before the throne of God: 'And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.'

In Revelation 20:4 those that opposed the setting up of the beast-system in the first part of the great tribulation are distinguished from those that refused to cooperate with the beast-system once it had been erected at the fifth and sixth trumpet. Both types of martyrs will be killed and both will be resurrected after the return of Jesus, to join Him in his thousand year reign over the whole earth: 'and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.' (Revelation 20:4)