Escaping the Final Tribulation
By
Gary Primo
March 22, 2012
I debated with myself whether to title this article the above or “Escaping the Final Testing”. Either title would have been appropriate. The final testing of man by the Creator Elohim is exactly what it is. The single most qualifying factor that changes man’s heart and turns them toward Yahuwah is when they have totally ran out of all plausible options for survival.
I am sure that all Believers have read the Book of Revelation, perhaps more than once, trying to imagine living through those days. It is, indeed, a very scary vision. The purpose of this article is not to try to interpret these visions but to focus on their intent. Most Believers today feel that they are going to escape to the Place of Safety mentioned in Scriptures. If that were true, the Place of Safety had better be a pretty large piece of real estate. I consider myself more of a realist than a dreamer. I believe in studying the past to get a clearer picture of the future. The hope of going to a place of safety and escaping the tribulation for the majority is simply wishful thinking.
The tribulation or persecution of the saints of Elohim began in the Garden of Eden. It was then that the very first man and woman rejected Yahuwah Elohim in favour of HaSatan. The two trees offered two ways of life – the Way of Yahuwah and the Way of HaSatan. Man did first receive instruction from Yahuwah concerning the two trees. He told them that they could freely eat from the Tree of Life but if they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would surely die. What He meant was that if they ate from the tree of the Way of Yahuwah first, they would learn all knowledge in its proper time and order afterward and eventually be changed into immortal, self-existent beings (i.e. elohim). The Way of HaSatan only leads to the second death. There is no future in it for us.
What HaSatan told Adam and Eve was that Yahuwah had lied to them; that they would not “surely die” if they ate from the Tree of Knowledge and that they were already elohim and were capable of handling the knowledge of good and evil right away. This is basically the same lie he told to the angels who followed him and rebelled against Yahuwah. We all know the rest of the story.
Adam set the course of history for all men when he gave into HaSatan’s deception. Except for a very few, all of mankind has followed after HaSatan ever since. Basically they rejected the One True Elohim and made HaSatan their Elohim. It was mankind that enabled HaSatan to become the “god” of this world.
Throughout history man has done the same thing with human kings and emperors, religious leaders etc., etc. They would rather be under anyone but Yahuwah. However, when they see their demise coming, and see no alternative available to them, they call out to Yahuwah, not HaSatan, for salvation. By that time, of course, it is too late. They have been judged and are about to be executed. Theirs is not a true act of repentance, but one of desperation and last hope. Their interest is in immediate physical salvation, not some form of future spiritual salvation. The Jews of Yahushua’s time were merely hoping for salvation from the Roman occupiers. Yahuwah, who knows our hearts and minds, and cannot be deceived, knows the difference. He will NOT honour the requests of those who only call on him out of a last ditch effort for redemption without truly turning to Yahuwah.
Since the time of Adam and Eve there have been very few men who chose and remained true to the Way of Yahuwah. Every one of them experienced persecution from the followers of HaSatan – i.e. the entire world. By the time of the flood, only four couples were accounted worthy of escape from the coming tribulation (flood) and some of them were only saved because of their relationship to Noah, not because they themselves were worthy. Only Noah and Shem are recorded as having continued in the Way of Yahuwah. And following their deaths, they too were deified by the followers of HaSatan and falsely worshipped. This, of course, was not any of their (Noah and Shem’s) doing, but of the false religious leaders. After the flood, the true servants of Yahuwah continued to be persecuted, but in many cases were delivered from such persecution.
Yahuwah fully expects all who claim to be His to follow his direction and instructions TO THE LETTER and NOT deviate in any way, shape or form. This is what transforms an individual from a state of unrighteousness to one of righteousness. Many assume that the laws of Yahuwah have only existed from the time they were clearly spelt out, in black and white, to the children of Israel. This is absolutely false. The laws of Yahuwah have existed from before the creation and were firmly built into Yahuwah’s plan for His creation. The rewards and punishments for obedience and disobedience were also built into the creation design at that time and are: therefore, automatic. Yahuwah’s word is firm and sure and cannot ever be changed – else, what kind of a wishy-washy Elohim would He be? Any who claim that Yahuwah’s laws have been done away with, or have been reduced from 613 to 7, are liars and are not of the Father. Even the temple and the temple laws are going to be restored during the millennial rule of Yahushua.
No matter what road we take, because of Adam’s choice, all of mankind (except for the relatively few in the Last Day) has had and will have to suffer the first death. The only escape from death that the righteous have a hope of escaping is the second death. And yet many professing believers are still looking for salvation from the first death. This is a worldly pipe dream. Scientists and doctors are all working towards extending the life spans of mankind. Why? To bring glory and honour to themselves. This is not the life we should be wanting to cling to. It is the future life of being born into the new creation that we should have our total focus on. If we are truly righteous, we should not fear the first death, but look forward to it, fully knowing and believing that in our next conscious moment we will be raised to glory and eternal life.
Our next example is found in the Exodus story
Exodus 19:1 - In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 - For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
3 - And Moses went up unto Elohim, and Yahuwah called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
4 - Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
5 - Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 - And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
7 - And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which Yahuwah commanded him.
8 - And all the people answered together, and said, All that Yahuwah hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto Yahuwah.
First of all we are told that this event occurred in the 3rd month of the year which is generally May/June and most likely was three days before the Day of Pentecost. The exodus itself occurred in the first month. One of the truths that should be immediately apparent is that the Jews have changed the calendar of Yahuwah, where the months were numbered, not named; and that the 1st month of the new year is the one in which Passover occurs, not Tishri 1. The Jews today follow the Babylonian calendar not Yahuwah’s. The months all carry Babylonian names and recognize the 7th month as the beginning of the New Year, rather than the first. This is but one of many changes the Jews have made to their system of faith. Therefore, we must not look to the Jews for ALL truth.
Next, take notice of the use of the term “how I bare you on eagles’ wings”. The only Scriptural references to “eagles wings” all have the meaning of “angels’ wings”. Remember this when we get to a similar reference in the Book of Revelation.
The main point of this; however, is that Yahuwah was offering His anointed followers a chance to enter into a covenant with Him now, in real time. The length of this covenant is for all of eternity. Yahuwah lays out the terms of this covenant as obeying His voice and keeping His covenant. To this the people all gave their affirmation, thereby sealing the covenant. This is the very same contract Yahuwah earlier made with Abraham.
Ex. 19:9 - And Yahuwah said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever. And Moses told the words of the people unto Yahuwah.
Every covenant or contract requires a witness or witnesses. In this case Yahuwah wanted all of the Israelites to witness the conditions of the covenant.
Ex. 20:18 - And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 - And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not Elohim speak with us, lest we die.
20 -And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for Elohim is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
21 - And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where Elohim was.
The reality of this situation is that the hearts of the people were not pure before Yahuwah and; therefore, they feared approaching him. It might also be said that they were refusing to witness the covenant, which would soon (in their minds) make the covenant void.
Ex. 24:7 - And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that Yahuwah hath said will we do, and be obedient.
8 - And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Yahuwah hath made with you concerning all these words.
It is likely because the people refused to witness the first covenant that Yahuwah required it to be sealed in blood. All the people were sprinkled with the blood, which, of course, represented the blood of Yahushua. So they gave the affirmation to the covenant, not once, but twice. Once with their mouths and once by accepting the blood of the future Messiah – which is the seal of the covenant.
Ex. 32:1 - And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
It took less than 40 days for the children of Israel to break their covenant with Yahuwah and go whoring after gods of their own design. They had refused to witness the terms of it as they were given from Yahuwah to Moshe and their consent to the sealing of blood meant absolutely nothing to them. Their word could not be believed and they certainly did not have any desire to become one with the Creator. You can take the man out of paganism, but it is very difficult to take the paganism out of man. Paganism is merely the natural tendency of man to automatically gravitate towards sin and rebel against all things of Yahuwah. We all know the rest of the history of Israel; how it was a never ending case of breaking the covenant. Shortly we are going to see how this very same thing happened with Christianity. In both cases mankind honoured Yahuwah with their lips but dishonoured him with their actions. It was their actions that were the true reflection of where their hearts were at.
You may be wondering what all of this has to do with the topic of this article, but bear with me. By the end you will hopefully have a clearer view of the big picture.
Let’s jump ahead now to the first coming of the Messiah and the spiritual condition of what was left of Israel at that time.
By the time that Yahushua arrived on the scene, the priesthood was fragmented into 3 different “political” groups – the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Sanhedrin. I am not sure if all were Levites or not. The position of “High Priest” had become one that was bought and sold like any other commodity. They honoured their Talmud (created during the Babylonian captivity) over the Torah, which was basically their own interpretation of the law. Yahushua constantly criticized them for honouring Yahuwah with their lips, but not with their actions or conduct (hearts). Yahushua branded them as hypocrites, spiritually dead and a brood of vipers. These are labels that as true servants of Yahuwah, we never want applied to us. It is our conduct that reveals the condition of our hearts before Yahuwah. We must continually examine ourselves (by comparing ourselves with Yahushua) to affirm that we are on the same path Yahushua took. I have witnessed precious little of this in any of the churches or groups that I have been affiliated with.
Matthew 5:13 - Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 - Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 - Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
At one time salt was a most valued commodity. Therefore, we are to be seen as a most valued commodity. We must not proclaim the Way of Yahuwah with our lips only, but by our actions before other men also. We are to be a light to the rest of the world, no matter what they do to us. We are to GLORIFY Elohim in our words and deeds. Anyone can speak the right words, but it is our actions that bring true meaning and reveal any hypocrisy in adhering to our own words. And, let’s face facts – we are all hypocrites in one way or another. All things that we say and do must be for the glorification of the Father. That means that others should see the glory of the Father in us. The glory of the Father can easily be seen in every other aspect of nature save mankind, who continues to rebel against their creator.
17 - Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
18 - For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Since the very first man and woman sinned, the spirit of man has been antinomian (contrary to the law). The claim “the law has been done away” has been the battle cry of man throughout all of history, openly declaring war with the Creator. Yahushua did not come to destroy the law but to show by his example of total obedience to the law, how we may become righteous before the Eternal Elohim. Anyone with even an ounce of intelligence can plainly see that heaven and earth have not passed away. Therefore, neither has the law. Yet, otherwise intelligent men, continue to battle against the most high and the great glory that was intended for them from the beginning.
19 - Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 - For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
How much clearer can anyone make this issue? These are the words of the Messiah, our High Priest and King of Kings. Why would anyone profess to believe in the Messiah and completely ignore his words? It is totally insane. This is precisely what we are going to be judged by in the last day. If the law was indeed “done away” what criteria would be left to be judged by –our good looks? I hope not, else I’d be in real trouble.
The following verses reveal the spiritual intent of the law.
21 - Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 - But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 - Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 - Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
One cannot come before the alter expecting their offering to be accepted by Yahuwah if they have any unresolved dispute with a brother or neighbour, inside or outside the brotherhood of Believers. It would be like the offering of Cain – impure.
25 - Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
This does not mean that you simply agree with your adversary, but that you do your best to work and amicable resolution with your adversary before taking your dispute before a judge, where the judgement may go against you.
25 - Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
26 - Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
27 - But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
28 - And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
I know that this is a difficult one for pretty much all men. It is like it is our nature to turn our attention to any attractive female that walks by. It is one thing to appreciate her beauty and quite another to go up and “hit” on her or fantasize about having sex with her.
29 - And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Think before you act is the wise old saying that comes to mind here. If you cannot control and keep your hands from doing evil, how can you ever expect to get into the Kingdom in the first place – much less go to any place of safety?
30 - It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
31 - But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Ah, this is the big one in this present day and age. The marriage of a man and woman was purposed as a training ground for an intimate relationship with the Creator and His Messiah. People are not thinking before they get married and divorce over any minor disagreement. If we cannot work things out in our own personal relationships, how can we ever work things out with our Creator? Yahushua gives only one legitimate excuse for divorce – marital infidelity. However, I believe there are other legitimate reasons such as physical and sexual abuse that violate the marriage vows as well.
32 - Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto Yahuwah thine oaths:
33 - But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is Elohim’s throne:
34 - Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
35 - Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
36 - But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
We are not to swear by an oath on anything that does not belong to us. Along with what is mentioned above, this would include swearing by one’s mother’s grave, by their child’s life and any other stupid thing that comes out of a person’s mouth. All one should answer is yes or no. Even our own lives do not belong to us since it was Yahuwah that ultimately gave it to us and has the power to take it away.
37 - Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
38 - But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
39 - And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
I confess that this one is a great problem for me. My Father was a boxer and started training me to fight when I was 3 years old. When someone takes a swing at me it is an automatic reflex to block and strike back. I am half Italian too, which means that revenge is in my blood. When someone does me wrong I find myself consumed with thoughts of revenge. I am very “old school” in my thinking at times. Even though I know that I should not be thinking these things, they naturally and automatically consume me. I can, and often do, resist the temptation to take revenge, but cannot control the thoughts that surface before I even realize what I am thinking. This is my Achilles heel and I feel powerless to control it, but I am working on it and am much better than I used to be.
40 - And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
41 - Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
This is talking of beggars and the needy, not common con artists. Do not confuse the two.
42 - Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
43 - But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Again, I have a problem with this one; therefore, I have no advice to offer to others.
44 - That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
45 - For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?
46 - And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?
47 - Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
This I do not have a problem with. Normally I am very upbeat and treat everyone the same, in and outside my spiritual circles. Yahushua fellowshipped with sinners and publicans, even though his actions brought with them accusations and condemnation from the religious bureaucracy of his day. There is no reason why we cannot be involved in events and activities in our local communities, as long as they do not conflict with the laws of Yahuwah. We are to let our light shine, especially when amongst sinners. How else are we going to be an example before them? We are not to hide our light under a bushel. We are to let it shine for the whole world to see.
I am sure that we all have our Achilles heels when it comes to observing all of spiritual intentions of the laws of Yahuwah. The most common one that I have witnessed is gossip. The tongue is indeed the hardest thing to control. Nevertheless, we must be found at least attempting to control these natural human attributes. One is as bad as another – sin is sin. Yahushua was one of us. He knows the difficulties we have in overcoming all sin. Fortunately, he gives “A’s” for effort. Therefore, we must all keep working on these flaws if we hope to graduate into the Kingdom and escape the tribulation. I am convinced that only those whose hearts are truly pure will be escaping to a place of safety. Those that end up suffering the tribulation may well be those whose hearts Yahuwah is not yet sure of. These will have to prove unto death that they are fully committed to Yahuwah and will never deny His name.
Let’s jump now to the Book of Revelation to see exactly what is says concerning the end time and the final tribulation.
Revelation 14:1 - And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
2 - And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 - And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
4 - These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto Elohim and to the Lamb.
5 - And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of Elohim
Do we have the Father’s name written on our foreheads? What does that mean, anyway? I believe that it means that we declare the Father’s name with every fiber of our being – in word, thought and action. There may be many other definitions as well that may fit, but I believe this one covers them all.
144,000. That is it. That is all who will be “redeemed” from the earth? I believe that the current number of Christians on the earth is approximately 100,000,000. !44,000 is merely a drop in the bucket compared to that number. What is it that these 144,000 are doing that the other 99,856,000 are not doing? This calls for intense investigation and introspection on our behalf to identify our current failings.
The 144,000 will be those “not defiled with women, for they are virgins.” The term “women” in Scripture is also used to describe churches. All church systems were developed by man for the purpose of mind control, power and the accumulation of riches. They are part of the satanic system that we now live in. Part of following after Yahushua is that we are to liberate ourselves from all worldly influences. Belonging to a worldly, corporate church is one of those influences. They are stumbling blocks to our growth into the full glory of Yahushua. They do not want us finding out the truth because that would expose what frauds they really are. We need to learn to stand on our own two feet now; else we will not be able to in the judgement. Yahushua opened the door for us to have direct and personal communication with the Father. All we need to do is walk through it. No one can stop us unless we allow them to. We already have an Eternal High Priest and the entire universe is our temple. We have no need of another. We must not defile ourselves with these “women” (churches). By remaining true to Elohim alone, we remain virgins.
We must follow the Lamb wherever he goes. We must think his thoughts, speak his words and do his deeds. No worldly church will allow you to do this! You will be excommunicated if you try! They want you to blindly think, speak and act as they do. All these churches will soon be mandated by our governments to follow the corrupt 7 Noahide Laws in place of the Ten Commandments. This will be a test of who will remain faithful to Yahuwah and who will remain faithful to Emperor Constantine, the true “god” of the Christian faith. Unfortunately, the majority will fail this test miserably.
The 144,000 will be the “firstfruits” unto the Lamb – the first to be changed and promoted into the new creation without having to taste the first death. They will hold the loftiest positions in the Kingdom. They will hold the highest honours behind the apostles and the great patriarchs.
These will be they in whom there is no “guile” or falsehood and are “without fault”. We must continually examine ourselves to see what faults and falsehoods remain in us if we expect to be among the 144,000. We have a tough road ahead of us if we expect to be among this elite group. We must prove to Yahuwah that our hearts are pure and that we do not need to be tested unto death. He will know. There will be no fooling Him. It is better to honestly judge ourselves than be judged.
Rev. 14:13 - And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in Yahuwah from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
“Blessed are the dead which die in Yahuwah from henceforth”, following the sealing of the 144,000. This is talking of the martyrs who will be perfected by the suffering of death for Yahuwah’s sake. Check the website of the Followers of Yah for their 4 ½ hour video “The Imposter” for a preview of what is in store for us in the Last Days. It is not a pretty picture.
http://followersofyah.com/index.html
As we have seen above, the criteria for being amongst the 144,000 is pretty strict. Even if we are doing our best to attain them, there is no guarantee that we will be successful. Yahuwah may need for some of us to remain behind and be lights to those who do not quite make the cut. We must think, pray and meditate on and prepare ourselves for this possibility. Like the old saying goes, “If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.” This is not something to be taken lightly or for granted.
Think about how much greater the population of the earth is today than in the Messiah’s day. The obvious likelihood is that there will be more Believers martyred in the end days than the total of the past 2,000 years. The video “The Imposter” shows exactly what is today being prepared for us by the Beast power. The mark of the Beast just may be the taking on the 7 Noahide Laws in place of the 10 commandments of Yahuwah. The punishment for choosing the 10 commandments will be death by guillotine. The guillotines and plastic coffins are already being built and stock pilled in the U.S.
Revelation 20:4 - And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Yahushua, and for the word of Elohim, 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 HaMashiyack a thousand years. 5 - But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. 6 - This is the first resurrection.
7 - Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of Elohim and of HaMashiyack, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
There will be two resurrections. The first occurs at the beginning of the millennial reign of Yahushua. These will be the ones who offered up their lives as a free will offering for Yahushua. They will have remained true throughout their intense interrogation and torture. They will be those who refused to deny Yahuwah’s name and have their robes washed clean. Of these there will be a great multitude.
Revelation 13:4 - And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 - And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 - And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against Elohim, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 - And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
The Dragon is the False Prophet (religious order) that gives its power (the power of HaSatan) to the Beast (a military super power). Both offices, of the False Prophet and the Beast are found within one entity – the Roman Catholic Church. The office of the False Prophet is the one that all the popes since Constantine have held. The office of the Beast is the one currently held by Jesuit Superior General, Adolfo Nicolas. He is the most dangerous and evil man on the face of the earth at this time. Their current military champion is the United States of America. We are currently witnessing the beginning of WW3 in the Middle East. The rising of the One World Order will follow. It will be then that the Beast and the False Prophet will reveal themselves and be seen as “saviours”. This was the very same purpose of the first two world wars as well. The League of Nations and the United Nations were the forerunners of this global vision. The League of Nations completely failed. The United Nations has been more successful and is slowly gaining power. Since the power of the coming One World Order will extend over all nations and tongues, we can put forth an educated guess that the entire world will be in agreement with them and will joyfully worship and support them. With all this power and support it will grow into the most powerful and oppressive power that has ever existed throughout the history of mankind.
The erecting of the “abomination of desolation” will mark the beginning of the final 3 ½ years of man’s self rule. The RCC will then be headquartered in Jerusalem. From there they will blaspheme Yahuwah’s name, His Tabernacle and all who dwell in heaven. It will be from there that they will make war on the saints and overcome and kill them. This will be the greatest slaughter in all of history. Millions will watch with glee as we are beheaded. There may be up to one thousand executions per day.
Rev. 13:16 - And he causes 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.
I have heard many different interpretations of what this number (666) means. There might be only one right answer, or they all might be right. I do not know for sure, so I won’t speculate about it now. What we can know for sure is that it involves the Roman Catholic Church, the Jesuit Order and the New World Order. We will not be able to work or purchase anything without this mark. We will be forced to either live in the wilderness or form an underground economy but the rest of the world will be against us and will seek us out and turn us in to the authorities. Their laws and the laws of Yahuwah will be in such conflict that we will have no choice to become criminals by their definition of the law.
Rev. 12:4 - And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
13 - And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto Elohim, and to his throne.
14 - And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of Elohim, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
A third of the stars are the exact number of angels who believed HaSatan and rebelled against the Most High. They have been cast to the earth to wage war against mankind and Yahushua and his angels when they come. The woman who bore the man child was Mary but the woman who flees into the wilderness is the bride or assembly of Believers. I read an article from one of the Sacred Name assemblies where the leader actually claimed that he was the man child spoken of here. I was not a member of that church but was receiving their literature; however, I lost all respect for the man then and there. There definitely is a place of safety that Elohim has prepared for some of us. Whoever winds up going there will not have to worry about how they are going to get there or what to take with them. Everything those 144,000 individuals need will be provided for them. They will be protected and hidden from those who seek to kill them. It would be nice to be among those who end up there. Yet I maintain that the vast majority will be left behind to face the tribulation head on and have to prove their faith unto death. Can you imagine police departments all over the world receiving 144,000 missing person reports all at the same time?
Rev. 12:12 - Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
13 - And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14 - And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 - And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 - And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
The tribulation is actually going to take place over a span of the final seven years. So if one figures that the devil comes at the beginning of that 7 year period, all Believers will be suffering at least a portion of the tribulation. None of us know what trials we are going to face during the first 3 ½ years. The 144,000 will only escape the final and most horrendous portion (the last 3 ½ years). Who knows what their situation will be when they are rescued? They may be free, hiding somewhere or they may be in prison being tortured day in and day out. To think that we are going to escape the entire tribulation is just wishful thinking. We have to think about this reality and prepare ourselves for it.
Are we presently strong enough, spiritually speaking, to endure even the first half of the tribulation? The only place of safety then will be being fully in the arms of the Messiah. What I mean by that is that we must be found doing our utmost to be growing into the fullness of Yahushua and his glory. This is going to be a time of testing, to see what our hearts and our faith are really made of. Those who are weak in this department are likely going to give in quickly, likely at the very beginning of the tribulation. They will deny the name of Yahuwah and His Son and agree to the terms of the official state sponsored religion of the One World Order to save themselves. These will be they who are merely giving lip service to the true Elohim and will cave in immediately.
You may not think that such a thing can happen so easily, but I and others who were part of the Worldwide Church of God did indeed witness such a phenomenon. Approximately 1/3 of that church was deceived into returning to traditional Christianity. About another third splintered off into different “copycat” churches which, as far as I have seen, merely worship Herbert W. Armstrong (that church’s founder). I have not seen any growth in any of those churches. The last third have either left off of following Yahushua altogether or have become independent truth seekers. It is this last group of which I am part of and I have only personally ran into a handful of others like me from the WCG. Yet I am sure that there are more. The rest may have abandoned their faith altogether. My own experience has been one of enormous growth since trusting in Yahuwah alone as the source of truth and knowledge. And yet I know there is still a long way to go before I measure up to the fullness of Yahushua and that I cannot afford the time to rest.
The two wings of the eagle typically are talking of an angel. In the Book of Jasher, it is reported that following the incident of Moses slaying the Egyptian, he was carried away on eagle’s wings about 40 days journey outside the Egyptian border into the wilderness of Sinai. Afterward it is confirmed that the author was talking of an angel. Later, when Israel was escaping Egypt, they too were under the protection of an angel and witnessed the sea swallowing up their enemies in a similar manner that the 144,000 will witness the demise of the army that HaSatan sends after them. Yahushua fed the Israelites with manna and provided them with water to drink. The Israelites did not plan any of this. None of our plans will do us any good either. For those who do escape to the place of safety, they will not know the day or the time. They will merely be in one place one minute and in the place of safety the next – with only the clothes on their backs, totally and completely dependent on the Father for the sustenance of life.
17 - And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of Elohim, and have the testimony of Yahushua HaMashiyack.
Those who are left behind will experience the worst of the tribulation. HaSatan will be very angry because of the ones who got away and take out the extremity of his rage on the remnant. It will be a very great slaughter of which only a precious few will survive or somehow escape. However, death can also be seen as a method of escape, as horrendous a death that may be. Once dead, nothing can hurt us anymore. In our next conscious moment those will be in the Kingdom, reborn as totally new creatures in the Elohim family. It really is a win-win situation for all who remain faithful unto death.
Rev. 11:3 - And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
14 - These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the Elohim of the earth.
15 - And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
16 - These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
17 - And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
18 - And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Master was crucified.
19 - And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
20 - And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
21 - And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from Elohim entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
22 - And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Another great event that spans the final 3 ½ years will be the appearance of these two witnesses. Yahuwah will empower these two men with great power over the earth. They will stand in stark opposition to the Beast and the False Prophet. Following the 3rd World war, the entire world will see these two demons as their saviours and their messiah. The two witnesses will be sent to dispute that belief and will speak for the Almighty Elohim. The WW3 survivors will be so brainwashed that they will hate Elohim’s anointed and see them as evil demons. This phenomenon is known as the Stockholm syndrome developed following the Pattie Hearst abduction. This is a common result of the trauma experienced by abduction survivors. The victims see their abductors as saviours simply because of the fact that they did not kill them. Survivors of WW3 will see the leaders of the One World Order as such saviours, even though they will be the very ones who caused the trauma in the first place.
The prophet Zechariah prophesied concerning these two olive trees.
Zech. 4:2 - And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
3 - And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
4 - So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
11 - Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
12 - And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
13 - And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
14 - Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by Yahuwah of the whole earth.
There is a difference of opinion as to whether these two will be men, angels or resurrected prophets. I have no idea so I won’t hazard a guess. Whoever they turn out to be, they will smite the earth with great curses and plagues. They will be hated by all the inhabitants of the earth who will be blind to their call to repentance, just as in the days before the flood. The remnant of the woman that did not go to the place of safety will have to suffer through these plagues along with everyone else. The Beast will try to kill the two witnesses but all who come against them will be killed until the 3 ½ years is accomplished.
At that time, the One World Religion will be headquartered in Jerusalem. That is likely one of the reasons that this city is called Sodom and Egypt. Another is because of its past tendencies to trample upon the word of Elohim and because the Messiah was murdered there.
Note the rejoicing that takes place following the murder of the two witnesses. Does it not sound a lot like the Christian celebration of Christmas? It makes me wonder if these two witnesses will make their debut on or around the time of the Day of Pentecost and end on or around the time of Christmas, which will be 3 ½ years. I also wonder if they will be killed around mid day and resurrected before sunset on the third day, as was our Messiah? With the advantage of worldwide news coverage, the entire world will witness these events. Following their deaths, the world will likely be glued to their television sets on the third day to see if what they prophesied concerning their resurrection from the dead will come true or not. It is my hope that many will repent after witnessing this event.
Rev. 7:1 - And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 - And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living Elohim: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 - Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our Elohim in their foreheads.
During the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites identified themselves to the death angel by smearing lamb’s blood on the lentils of their door ways. The lamb’s blood, as everyone knows, represented the future shed blood of the Messiah. Could this also be the seal placed upon the foreheads of the 144,000? Remember that Aaron sprinkled the Israelites with blood at the second confirmation of the covenant.
4 - And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
9 - After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 - And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our Elohim which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 - And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped Elohim,
12 - Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our Elohim for ever and ever. Amen.
13 - And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 - And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 - Therefore are they before the throne of Elohim, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 - They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 - For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and Elohim shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
These will be those who were not chosen to go to the place of safety along with those who repent following the witness of the resurrection of the two witnesses.
Rev. 6:9 - And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of Elohim, and for the testimony which they held:
10 - And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 - And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Those who do not survive the tribulation will be raised first, along with all the rest throughout history who died in the name of Yahuwah. They have been and will be sealed by their deaths, they salvation assured. HaSatan will be powerless to deceive them anymore.
Rev. 22:12 - And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 - I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Apparently not all will receive the same reward. The rewards will be according to their works. Therefore, how is it possible that works can be eliminated from the salvation equation as the Christians claim? No works = no salvation.
Conclusion
The conclusion of this matter is that no one alive at the time is going to escape the entire tribulation. I have read other articles in which the authors claim that it has already started. I strongly disagree with those authors. There are a number of events that must occur first. I can see the Jews reclaiming the temple mount in the near future and believe we are witnessing the build up to WW3 right now in the Middle East. This war might be short but very devastating. Nuclear weapons, along with chemical, biological and whatever weapons the U.S. has in outer space will most likely be used. The addition of the natural disasters prophesied for our time will add to the devastation. The population of the earth is going to be dramatically reduced. The One World Order must first become a reality. The end-time Beast and False Prophet have yet to make their appearance on the world stage. The Vatican must move their headquarters to Jerusalem. Admittedly, these events could all take place in a relatively short span of time.
The thing is that none of us know for sure. In the meantime we must live like the end is coming tomorrow, working feverishly toward our common goal of growing into the fullness of Yahushua. No matter when the tribulation comes or whether we are alive for it or not, we only have til the end of our physical lives to get this right. We do not know what circumstances might end our physical lives sooner than we expect and must be ready at all times to stand before our Creator Elohim. We all need to ask ourselves, “If today is our time to die, are we ready?” I don’t feel that I am, do you?
Yahuwah Bless
G.P.