Hope of Our Calling
Session 3
Estimated reading time: 16 minutes
Hope of Our Calling: Session 3
In this session, we’ll be covering
- The Beginning of Sorrows
- The Great tribulation
- Ending with when Christ comes to the earth
The Beginning of Sorrows
Two categories: beginning events and the rise of the anti-Christ.
The Beginning Events
The Book of Revelation reveals something that was not revealed in the Gospels. This seal on the foreheads of 144,000 from the tribes of Israel (excluding the tribe of Dan) occurs before the events described in the Gospels.
Revelation 7:1–8 KJV:
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission to damage the earth and the sea: 3 “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Now I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, 144,000, sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel:
5 From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand,
6 from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand,
7 from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
The 144,000 are from Israel. It is interesting that the tribe of Dan is left out due to the idolatry that they got into.
We will be reading mostly from the Book of Matthew, but you can follow the corresponding records beginning at Mark 12:3 and Luke 21:7.
Matthew 24:3–8 parallels Revelation 6:1–8.
John has a vision in which there are seven seals and the only one who can open the book or scroll is the Lamb. The first four seals correspond to the section in Matthew 24 and is called the beginning of sorrows.
Matthew 24:3–8 KJV:
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end [sunteleia] of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end [telos] is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Four things were mentioned:
- Many false messiahs.
- Wars and rumors of wars.
- Famines, pestilences, and earthquakes (other gospels add troubles and fearful sights).
- The culmination of all those are death.
We see these four things in Revelation.
Revelation 6:1–2 KJV:
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
1. The rider on the white horse is the image of a false Messiah (mentioned in Matthew).
Revelation 6:3–5 KJV:
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
2. That’s the wars and rumors of wars mentioned in Matthew.
Revelation 6:5–6 KJV:
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
3. That’s the famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. The “penny” is the word denarius, which was a whole day’s pay.
Revelation 6:7–8 KJV:
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell [the grave] followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
4. That’s the culmination, which is death.
During this beginning of sorrows, one fourth of the people of the earth die. We are not in the tribulation right now.
In Matthew 24, Jesus Christ called this period “the beginning of sorrows.” Where that word “sorrows” is like birth pains of childbirth (as other translations render it). When you first start going into labor it starts sporadically and then gets more and more intense.
Rise of the Anti-Christ
The anti-Christ is a man, not the devil. There are many names for him, but the name anti-Christ is only used in one verse. You could also translate it “instead of the Messiah” or “instead of Christ.” He sets himself up to be the Messiah.
Let’s look at a few of this false Messiah’s names.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 KJV:
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [the Day of the Lord] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Here we see two other names: “the man of sin” and “the son of perdition.” Perdition means destruction. The Aramaic says “the destructive one.”
2 Thessalonians 2:4 KJV:
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
From the beginning, the Evil One wanted to be higher than God. In the end times, Satan will set up this man who will appear to be like Christ and he’s going to call him God.
2 Thessalonians 2:5–6 KJV:
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
Let’s look at this from the Aramaic translation.
2 Thessalonians 2:6 APNT:
And now, you know what holds back [this day] that he should be revealed in its time.
“This day” refers to the Day of the Lord. What holds back the Day of the Lord from coming.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 APNT:
For the mystery of wickedness has already begun to work, however, [it will work] by itself when that which now holds [it] back is taken away from the middle.
How had it “already begun to work”? The adversary always had to be ready to destroy a quarter of the population of the earth because he did not know when this would happen. He had to be prepared all the time to not only kill so many people, but also to raise up this man, the anti-Christ. So there always had to be such an evil man ready to be raised up.
Where the Aramaic translation says “when that which now holds [it] back is taken away from the middle,” the King James Version says “he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” “Letteth” is an older English way of saying “prevents” or “holds back.”
We, the born again believers, are the ones who are holding down or holding back this mystery of iniquity. But when we are taken out of the way, then nothing will be holding him back.
2 Thessalonians 2:8 APNT:
And then the unjust [one] will be revealed, whom our Lord Jesus will consume by the breath of his mouth, and he will put a stop to him with the manifestation of his coming.
That’s another name for him, “the unjust one.”
2 Thessalonians 2:9 APNT:
For the coming of that [one] is by the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders
Part of the way he comes into power is because he works power, signs, and lying wonders.
He is also called the Beast. There are other names for him in Daniel.
Daniel 7:8 KJV:
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
A “horn” is someone in power and here in Daniel the anti-Christ is called the “little horn.” He wins the approval of people through his oratory skills. He rises from obscurity to great power.
Daniel 8:25 KJV:
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
He will change our calendar system. This also refers to a week of seven years. The anti-Christ rises up during the beginning of this seven-year period. He has power for the first three-and-a-half years, and then the tribulation starts.
Daniel 8:26–27 KJV:
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
That later part refers to the Kingdom of the Messiah.
The anti-Christ, this man, will very quickly rise to power over the entire earth. But it won’t last very long because the true Messiah will come in and take over.
Another name for the anti-Christ is “the prince that shall come” (Daniel 9:26).
Daniel 11:21 KJV:
And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
Another name for him is a “vile person.” The center of power will be Babylon.
Ezekial 21:25–27 KJV:
25 And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, 26 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. 27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.
The anti-Christ is also called “the profane wicked prince of Israel.” The diadem refers to what the priest wore on his headdress. This man will set himself up as both the high priest and the king, like the Lord Jesus Christ. The anti-Christ tries to make himself look as much like the true Messiah as possible. He even orchestrates events to make it look like he was killed and then resurrected.
Revelation 13:1–2 KJV:
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea [meaning out of the Gentile nations], and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
He’s not the dragon, but the dragon gives him authority.
Revelation 13:11–14 KJV:
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
This guy is called “the false prophet.” The evil one sets up a Trinity. Satan wants to have worship.
Revelation 13:15–18 KJV:
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
One explanation is that it’s not so much the numbers, but the letters that represent the number are like the beginning and ending letters of Christos, with the serpent in the middle.
Although there are endless speculations and debates about the number 666, one simple explanation has to do with the acronym for the Greek words behind 666: Χξς (and most minuscules use Χξς for the number 666).
The Greek word for Messiah is Χριστός Christos, which is translated as “Christ.” The 666 representation is the first (Chi) and last (Sigma) letters of Christos, with the letter Xi, which looks like a serpent, in the middle: Χξς
This man (from Revelation 13:18) makes a covenant with Israel to have temple worship again. This is the start of that last period of seven years that Daniel had prophesied about. But in the middle of Daniel’s “week,” the seven years, he will break the covenant and begin a great persecution of Israel.
Matthew 24:15–16 KJV:
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
This refers to Daniel 8:11–13.
Daniel 8:11–13 KJV:
11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. 13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Something is set up in the temple and could be this image of the beast that people must worship. That’s what breaks the covenant and starts the persecution.
Persecution
It is also called the Day of Affliction, the Day of Trouble, and the Day of Calamity. All the persecution is against Israel.
Luke 21:21–22, 25 KJV:
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled… 25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity…
From Luke, you can understand the timing. The persecutions come before the great signs that usher in the Day of the Lord.
Matthew 24:22 KJV:
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
The persecution will be so bad that if God did not intervene, no one would survive.
Interestingly, the gospel will continue to be preached. From the time of the gathering together to the very end, the gospel will be preached. God’s will is for every single person possible to be saved.
The Signs
After the persecutions, the tribulation, come the great signs.
Matthew 24:29 KJV:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
The great signs usher in the Day of the Lord, also called the Wrath. The Wrath of God is against unbelievers. It is not against believers at all. It is not against Israel either. The Wrath of God is poured out against those who, after everything, still refuse to believe.
At the height of the tribulation, when people are being killed one after another, God says, “Enough!” Then, it becomes the Day of the Lord. It is no longer man’s day.
Here’s another key to help you understand Revelation. Revelation is divided into visions on the earth and visions in heaven. If you read the visions about the earth, you’ll better understand what will happen on the earth during that time. The heavenly visions are harder to understand. But you can understand what will happen on the earth.
Most of the visions from Revelation 8–18 are from this period of the Wrath of God or the beginning of the Day of the Lord. There are seven trumpets, three woes, and seven plagues. As you get to the end of this time, when God is doing the judging and pouring out His Wrath against unbelievers, a third of the people remaining are killed. They are the unbelievers.
The very last thing is that Babylon, the seat of the power of the anti-Christ, is destroyed by earthquakes and hail. The anti-Christ and false prophet are not in Babylon when that happens. They have already started going through the earth, gathering all the kings and people in power in order to assemble all their armies to surround and attack Jerusalem. When all the armies surround Jerusalem, it sets the stage for the final battle.
That is the time when Jesus Christ will come back to earth. And we will be with Him.
Matthew 24:27 KJV:
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
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