2. Future

Future Part 2.pdf

Why Christians have a fervent desire for the promised future
NKJV (John 3:16) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
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In the previous article we talked about the eternal life of a human being, how the spirit will have a determining function in this and what the kingdom of God really is.
We also spoke about the second dream of Nebuchadnezzar, who had to stay as an insane in the field for ‘7 times’ until he came to comprehension through humiliation.

The theme of this article is the worldwide preaching and the preliminary to the inclusion in heaven.

  • 1 The first fruits

Who of all people will receive their reward according to Scripture?

NKJV (Revelation 11:18) 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Three groups are mentioned, who will receive a precious reward, the prophets, the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and great.

But they are not all first fruits or first ones.
To be called first fruits means, that these people belong to a group who will be the first in a heavenly resurrection.
The 144,000 saints are mentioned several times first fruits in the Scriptures:

NKJV (James 1:18) 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
NKJV (Revelation 14: 1,4) 1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads…..4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

The Feast of Weeks (Hebrew Shavuot) was originally the ‘first fruits’-feast, the first and best part of the (wheat-)harvest of the Israelites, which was sacrificed in God’s temple.
It was celebrated 50 days after Pesach: (fifty is in Greek Pentēkostē, translated Pentecost)

NKJV (Numbers 28:26) 26 Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the Lord at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation…..

However, these 144,000 saints, called first fruits in the Scriptures, are not the only first fruits. All who will be part of God’s first spiritual harvest are first fruits.
The prophets are also saints, the first fruits of the Old Testament:

NKJV (Luke 1:70) 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,
NKJV (Acts 3:21) 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

  • 2 The prophets

NKJV (Revelation 4: 4) 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.

The 24 elderly are certainly not the 144,000 saints, because in Rev. 5:10 a song is sung by the 24 elders about the 144,000 saints:

HCSB (Revelation 5: 8-10) 8 When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals; because You were slaughtered, and You redeemed [people] for God by Your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Further on, in Revelation chapter 14, the 144,000 saints sing a new song for the 24 elders:

NKJV (Revelation 14: 1, 3) 1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.….3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.

According to our research, with the 24 elders are meant the 24 prophets.

HCSB (Isaiah 24:23) 23 The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and He will [display His] glory in the presence of His elders.

Jesus is the Firstborn from the dead, so that Jesus might be the First fruit in everything:

NKJV (Colossians 1:18) 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

The prophets are already sitting around the throne of God when the seven seals of the scroll (Rev. 4: 4) are opened. Only after this, the sealing of the 144,000 saints in Revelation chapter 7 follows.
So the prophets will have an earlier heavenly resurrection than the saints of the New Covenant:

NKJV (Revelation 4: 4) 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
NKJV (Revelation 6: 1) 1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.”
NKJV (Revelation 7: 3-4) 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

Jesus is the Firstborn from the dead ones, the First fruit of the heavenly resurrection, and after Him followed by the 24 holy prophets and then the 144,000 saints as firstfruits.

3 The wrath of God, opening the scroll with the 7 seals

Revelation chapter 4
John sees God (YHWH) sitting on his throne and around the throne the 24 elders.
Revelation chapter 5
In God’s right hand a scroll with seven seals and only the Lamb can open the seals.
Revelation chapter 6
After the Lamb receives the scroll with seven seals;
When the Lamb opens the first seal (Rev. 6: 1):A white horse, He who sat on it was given a crown (Rev. 6: 2):
The person on the white horse is logically an image of Jesus, Who had to wait long, before Him was given the crown as a sign of Kingdom-power.
The white horse depicts the battle that Jesus will have to deliver.
When the Lamb opens the second seal (Rev. 6: 3):
A red horse, he who sat on it, could take peace from the earth (Rev. 6: 4):
When the second seal is opened, peace is taken away from the earth, resulting in wars.
When the Lamb opens the third seal (Rev. 6: 5):
A black horse, he who sat on it, had a scale in his hand (Rev. 6: 5):
Opening the third seal means famines.
When the Lamb opens the fourth seal (Rev. 6: 7):
A gray horse, he who sat on it, had the name death (Rev. 6: 8):
The fourth seal means the death of the 4th part of the earthlings, by wars, food shortages, diseases and by wild beasts.
When the Lamb opens the fifth seal (Rev. 6: 9):
A call for retribution from those who were slain for the word.
When the Lamb opens the sixth seal (Rev. 6:12):
A great earthquake, and the sun turned black like a sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.

NKJV (Revelation 6: 15-17) 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
NKJV (Luke 21: 25-26) 25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.

Revelation chapter 7
Revelation chapter 7 describes that the number of the 144,000 saints is composed of the twelve tribes of Israel (supplemented by the Gentile Christians). Also that there is also a large crowd before the throne.
Revelation chapter 8
When the Lamb opens the 7th seal, there is a silence of half an hour. (Rev. 8: 1)
A brief summary of God’s torments:
– The opening of the seven seals (see Rev. 6: 1-17, 8: 1-5)
Rev. 8: 6 The opening of the 7th seal includes – the blowing of the seven trumpets
– The blowing of the seven trumpets (see Rev. 8: 7-9: 21, 11: 15-19)
Rev. 16: 1 The blowing of the 7th trumpet includes – pouring out the seven bowls of wrath
– The pouring out of the seven bowls of wrath (see Rev. 16: 2-21)

After blowing the 5th trumpet – but before blowing the 6th trumpet – an interstate section is inserted in Revelation; the two witnesses prophecy. (Rev. 11: 1-13)

  • 4 The preaching worldwide; the two witnesses prophecy

The two witnesses are the ‘messengers’ for the coming of the King Jesus as savior of his disciples.
The legal testimony of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 has a supporting value for the reliability of their testimony:

NKJV (Deuteronomy 19:15) 15 “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.

NKJV (Revelation 11: 3) 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Who then do these two holy prophets represent?
Moses and Elijah are among the anointed prophets and are the first ones to be considered for this.
The two prophets will bear witness in ‘the spirit and power’ of Moses and Elijah, just as John the Baptist did in ‘the spirit and power’ of Elijah. (Luke 1:17)
(See for support also: 3. The two witnesses https://www.dojc.nl/?p=3139&lang=en)

See further the notable resemblance of 40 days of fasting of both Jesus, Elijah and Moses:

NKJV (Exodus 34: 28) 28 So he (Moses) was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water….
NKJV (1 Kings 19: 8) 8 So he (Elijah) arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
NKJV (Luke 4: 1-2) 1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

Elijah represented the prophets, Moses represented the laws and Jesus the Messiah, the King-High Priest. The number 40 has the meaning of cleansing or washing in the Bible.
Jesus preached for 3.5 years and was completely attuned to the Jewish people:

NKJV (Matthew 10: 5) 5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.

The preaching during the two witnesses’ prophecy is also 3.5 years, but is now fully attuned to all peoples.
If the call comes from the two witnesses, be prepared to participate in the preaching:

NKJV (Matthew 24:14) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

After the preaching has ceased during the death of the two holy prophets and after these saints have been included into heaven, then the false prophet will be given the disciples of Jesus in his hand for 3.5 years according to Daniel 7: 25-26:

NKJV (Daniel 7: 25-26) 25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. 26 ‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever.

  • 5 The times of the Gentiles, that Jesus spoke about.

According to Daniel, the Messiah would be exterminated in the middle of the 70th (year-)week:

(Concerning the prophecy about the (year-)weeks, see: 8. The visions of Daniel https://www.dojc.nl/?p=3850&lang=en)

NKJV (Daniel 9:27) 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering….

The death of Christ has indeed strengthened the covenant for many.
The gospel then went to the Gentiles, at first to the Italian centurion Cornelius with his family. (Acts 10: 1-2, 45) Afterwards, millions of people worldwide have come to faith.

This pattern we see again in the two witnesses prophecy in the last days.
As we also saw in the previous article, the 7 times of insanity of Nebuchadnezzar, but now until everyone honors and worships the true Creator (YHWH), to receive life:

NKJV (Revelation 11: 3) 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

3.5 years will be prophesied and preached by the holy prophets, supported by the worldwide Christian community, until their testimony is fulfilled, just as in the case of Jesus.
This is followed by 3.5 years of heavy persecution, just as the first Christian congregations were heavily persecuted at that time and Christians were killed like Stephen:

NKJV (Acts 7: 59) 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

In the last days, the beast out of the abyss or earth, the false prophet, will overcome the saints:

NKJV (Revelation 13:11) 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
NKJV (Revelation 11: 7) 7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.

The period that follows after the death of the two prophets in the last days is also 3.5 years and is called the times of the Gentiles:

NKJV (Revelation 11: 2) 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
NKJV (Luke 21: 24) 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Jerusalem will literally be trampled in the last days:

NKJV (Daniel 11: 40-41) 40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown;….

The King of the North (hypothesis; the US with NATO) will invade the Glorious Land.
Israel is in Scripture ‘the glory of all lands’. (Ezekiel 20: 6).
(See: 5. Worship of the ‘image’ https://www.dojc.nl/?p=5272&lang=en)

  • 6 How is the ‘naming of’ or calculation of time or times compiled?

The indication of time and times occurs frequently in Scripture, therefore an explanation about this.
The two witnesses will be preaching during 1260 days or during the period which in Rev. 11: 2 is previously mentioned 42 months (of each 30 days).
A ‘prophetic’ month counts 30 days in this way, and a ‘prophetic’ year turns out to be 360 days.
This can also be deduced by comparing Revelation 12 verse 6 with verse 14:

NKJV (Revelation 12: 6, 14) 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days…. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

From Revelation 12: 6, 14 it appears that ‘time + times + 0.5 time = 3.5 time’ and corresponds to ‘one thousand two hundred and sixty days’ = so the theory is then 3,5 times of 360 days each.
This period of ‘time + times + 0.5 time = 3.5 time’ is also quoted in Daniel 12:7 :

NKJV (Daniel 12: 7) 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

We understand from this the same, 3.5 prophetic years of 360 days, just like in Revelation.
The end of the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24) will thus be the beginning of the New Jerusalem and will also be the beginning of God’s Kingdom. (Rev. 11: 15-17)
As soon as the two holy prophets are included into heaven, the New Jerusalem is born as a child in heaven: (See also: 4. New Jerusalem, part 1 https://www.dojc.nl/?p=3328&lang=en)

Rev. 11: 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.

This is not the second coming of Jesus, which will be after the great tribulation. (Matthew 24: 29-31)
This voice will be – according to our research – from the heavenly Father, who calls out of heaven all 24 prophets to sit – as a reward – on their own thrones around the throne of God:

NKJV (Revelation 4: 4) 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.

With the end of the preaching work of the two witnesses and their Christian supporters, there will come an end to all these things according to Jesus:

NKJV (Matthew 24:14) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The explanation for the violent persecution of the Christians, after the prophets are included in heaven, we can find in the casting to the earth of Satan, who has great wrath.
Jesus Parousia or second coming is described as ‘on’ and ‘in’ the clouds of heaven:

NKJV (Matthew 24:30) 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
NKJV (Luke 21:27) 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
NKJV (Revelation 1:7) 7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.….

  • 7 The heavenly woman from Revelation chapter 12 further elaborated

NKJV (Revelation 12: 1) 1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.

We have previously seen this representation of celestial bodies in a dream of Joseph:

NKJV (Genesis 37: 9-10) 9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” 10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?

This image in Rev. 12: 1 is therefore representative of the heavenly promise made to Jacob (or Israel) in Exodus 19: 5-6.

(Rev. 12: 2) 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

The woman from Rev. 12: 2 who is pregnant, represents the heavenly woman, the heavenly Jerusalem.
The heavenly Jerusalem is described in the Bible as the heavenly mother:

NKJV (Galatians 4: 25-26) 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children– 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
NKJV (Hebrews 12:22) 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,…

The heavenly Jerusalem is thus a heavenly organization of an innumerable company of God’s angels with their duties. Isaiah prophesied about the delivery of the heavenly woman:

NKJV (Isaiah 66: 7-8) 7 “Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child. 8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.

In the Scripture above Isaiah does have a point, first a son is born, then the contractions come and another son is born.
Isaiah prophesied here about the inclusion of both the prophets and the saints.
About the prophets is also written:

NKJV (Acts 3:21) 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
NKJV (Isaiah 24: 23) 23 Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the Lord of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously.

So why did Isaiah prophesy that a son was born before the contractions began?
The prophets are already around the throne of God as 24 elders, when the saints receive their reward, as we have seen in the section: 2 The prophets
Why is the other son born with contractions?
When the 144,000 saints have their inclusion in heaven in the New Jerusalem, then that is a much more far-reaching organization change than the 24 prophets around the throne. That is why this is experienced as ‘very substantial’ by the angel organization:

NKJV (Luke 22:30) 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
NKJV (1 Corinthians 6: 3) 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

  • 8 The child is born, the New Jerusalem

(See also: 5. Revelation, the pregnant woman https://www.dojc.nl/?p=2243&lang=en)
The saints will be included in heaven in the New Jerusalem, God’s temple:

NKJV (Revelation 21: 2, 9, 22) 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband…. 9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”…. 22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

Satan is ready to devour the Child that the woman is about to give birth:

(Rev. 12: 3-4) 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

A large number of angels (the third part) is under the influence of Satan and is thrown to earth by Satan.

(Rev. 12: 5) 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

The symbolic child is quickly brought to God’s throne and as an organization is the replacement of the heavenly Jerusalem, the heavenly mother.
The (holy) participants of this new organization, the New Jerusalem, will take care of the Gentiles with an iron staff. The coming ‘new earth’ will never again be destroyed and polluted:

NKJV (Revelation 2: 26-27) 26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— 27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’– as I also have received from My Father;
NKJV (Psalms 2: 6-9) 6 “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” 7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ “

  • 9 The persecution of the woman

The woman flees to the wilderness after the child, the New Jerusalem, is born:

Rev. 12: 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

With the blowing of the 7th trumpet – the 3rd woe -, God’s promised kingdom has come.
The Heavenly Father has started reigning as King, in cooperation with the Messiah. (Rev. 11: 15-17)
That the woman must flee appears to be necessary.
A war in heaven breaks out between Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels:

(Rev. 12: 7-9) 7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

After the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles, the Kingdom of God has a start (Rev.11: 15).
And after the casting out of Satan, the power of the Kingdom and the power of Christ has come:

Rev. 12: 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Now that Satan has been cast to earth he is going to prosecute God’s angels, the woman:

(Rev. 12: 13-14) 13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

The woman – tens of thousands of God’s angels – is brought to safety for 1260 days or 3.5 prophetic years of 360 days:

Rev. 12: 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

But the woman is helped and given eagle wings:

NKJV (Exodus 19: 4) 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.

(Rev. 12:15-17) 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Then the King of Kings (YHWH) will protect the woman with his rulers (the 24 prophets):

HCSB (Isaiah 32: 1-2) 1 Indeed, a king will reign righteously, and rulers will rule justly. 2 Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the rain, like streams of water in a dry land and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land.

If Satan cannot destroy this woman (God’s angels), he focuses on the offspring of the woman, the children of God on earth:

NKJV (John 1:12) 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
NKJV (Galatians 3:26) 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

  • 10 The parousia or second coming

All the tribes of the earth will mourn during Jesus’ second coming and the elect will be gathered. The Parousia of Jesus is described as followed:

NKJV (Matthew 24: 29-31) 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Jesus speaks about his coming as the coming of a thief to warn His disciples to remain vigilant:

NKJV (Revelation 3: 3) 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
NKJV (1 Thessalonians 5: 2) 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

The inclusion in heaven happens according to our research in 4 phases. Of the first fruits, Jesus is the very first, then the prophets, then the saints, who will meet the Lord in the clouds.
In the very last phase, the large crowd of Christians are included.
(see: Newsletters 6. The inclusion in heaven https://www.dojc.nl/?p=3596&lang=en)

  • 11 The inclusion in heaven

The inclusion of the prophets
Just as the apostles are the foundation of the New Jerusalem, so do the prophets in some sense form the foundation of the New Jerusalem:

NKJV (Revelation 21:14) 14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
NKJV (Ephesians 2: 19-20) 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,

When the two holy prophets are called after 3.5 years and are included in heaven, this will be the moment – according to our research – that all other (24) prophets are raised and included in heaven:

NKJV (Revelation 11:12) 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.

The inclusion of the saints
The group of 144,000 saints have been selected or chosen with the privilege of ruling with Jesus as kings and priests.

The Scripture speaks of an inclusion in heaven of the saints during the last trumpet:

NKJV (1 Corinthians 15: 51-52) 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Jesus will gather His chosen saints after the two witnesses prophecy has started and 7 times or years have elapsed, so after the great tribulation:

NKJV (Matthew 24: 21,31) 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be…. . 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The inclusion of the great multitude that no one could count, from all nations, tribes, peoples and languages
The ‘great crowd that no one could count’ is a group ‘who fear God’s name, both small and great’ and who also receive their reward:

NKJV (Revelation 7: 9, 15-16) 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,…. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
Why the great multitude will also receive a heavenly resurrection will be dealt with extensively in the next article.

All Christians worldwide belong to a holy nation and must therefore behave in a holy way:

NKJV (Romans 11: 13, 16) 13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,… . 16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

All consciously baptized Christians are children of God:

NKJV (Galatians 3:26) 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
NKJV (Romans 8:17) 17 and if children, then heirs,….
NKJV (1 Corinthians 15: 50) 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

The great crowd (the great multitude) has been watchful and called to take part in heaven in the supper of the Lamb with his bride (the 144,000 saints):

NKJV (Matthew 25: 1-2,10) 1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish….. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
NKJV (Revelation 19: 9) 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ “….

Daniel writes about the further fulfillment of the 2 witnesses prophecy in the last days:

NKJV (Daniel 12: 7, 10-12) 7 … that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished….. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

Start two witnesses prophecy to death prophets:     3.5 times or 1260 days 1260 days
Resurrection prophets to end times of the Gentiles: 3.5 times or 1260 days 1290 days
(See: Rev. 11: 2, Luke 21:24, Daniel 7: 25-26)          —————————–      45 days
.                                                                         Total:    7 times or 2520 days 2595 days

From the time (of the death and resurrection of the prophets) that the recurring sacrifice (the preaching, Hebrews 13:15) will be taken away and the abomination of desolation of  ‘the mark’ (and thus the worship of the image) will be set up, is 1290 days
1290 + 45 days = 1335 days.
This abomination will thus be established 30 days after the period of 7 times or years.
The inclusion of the great crowd will be 75 days after the 7 times or years,
Total after 2595 days from the beginning of the 2 witnesses prophecy.

In these last 45 days probably the war at Har-Mágedon takes place, the war against all Christians.
Those who belong to the great multitude and are still alive at the end of the great tribulation will not have to die, but must come along without hesitation and are then immediately included into heaven.

  • 12 What is a spiritual resurrection?

Paul describes the resurrection, where ‘a spirit’ becomes active and alive in a spiritual body:

NKJV (1 Corinthians 15: 35-38,40,44) 35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.
37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain–perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body…. . 40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another…. .. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

  • Finally:

As for the preaching during the two witnesses prophecy, consider that Moses was a laborious speaker and that he had fear of speaking to others:

NKJV (Exodus 4: 10-13) 10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” 13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”

Jesus assured us that He will assist us in this worldwide preaching work:

NKJV (Luke 21: 13-15) 13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.

In the next article we will discuss the new heaven and the new earth, and why it is logical that the great multitude will be included into heaven.

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