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I. The Seventh Trumpet (the Third Woe):  Revelation 11:15-19
II. The Woman and the Dragon:  Revelation 12:1-6
III. War in Heaven:  Revelation 12:7-12
IV. The Dragon’s Persecution of Believing Israel:  Revelation 12:13-17
V. The Beast out of the Sea:  Revelation 12:18 - 13:3
            1. The Biblical Symbolism of the Beast out of the Sea
            2. The Kingdom of the Beast
VI. The Beast’s Prophet and the Worldwide Anti-Christian Religion:  Revelation 13:4-18
            1. The Anti-Christian Religion and its Worldwide Expansion:  Revelation 13:4-10
            2. The False Prophet:  Revelation 13:11-15
            3. The Mark of the Beast:  Revelation 13:16-17
            4. The Number of the Beast:  Revelation 13:18
VII. The Great Persecution:  Revelation 14:1 - 15:8
            1. The Martyrdom of the 144,000:  Revelation 14:1-5
            2. The Three Angelic Proclamations:  Revelation 14:6-13
                        a. The Way of Salvation Proclaimed:  Revelation 14:6-7
                        b. The Coming Judgment on Babylon Proclaimed:  Revelation 14:8
                        c. The Need for Fortitude in Persecution Proclaimed:  Revelation 14:9-13
            3. The Harvest of the Martyrs:  Revelation 14:14-16
            4. The Vintage of the Persecutors:  Revelation 14:17-20
            5. The Vindication of the Martyrs:  Revelation 15:1-8 

Introduction:  Having examined the career of antichrist up until the mid-point of the seven year tribulational period, we return to the book of Revelation and resume our verse by verse treatment of the history of the apocalypse.  The establishment of the beast as the effective ruler of this world under the guidance and support of his father the devil and his session in God’s temple in Jerusalem representing himself as God (2Thes.2:4) marks the end of the Tribulation’s first phase.  With this “revelation” of antichrist, we are brought to the threshold of the most terrible time in world history, the Great Tribulation. 
 

And it shall be a time of distress such as has never occurred since people first existed on the earth until that time.
Daniel 12:1b
 

For at that time there will be a Great Tribulation such as has never occurred from the beginning of the world until now, and [such as] will never again occur thereafter.
Matthew 24:21  (cf. Mk.13:19)

The Great Tribulation will unquestionably be a devastating experience for all the inhabitants of the earth, but it will fall especially hard upon believers in Jesus Christ.  For the principal and truly eponymous event of that period, that is, the intense tribulation that will characterize those three and a half years, will be the unprecedented persecution of the Church and the martyrdom that accompanies that persecution.  Key to the solidification of his world kingdom will be the beast’s pseudo-religion.  As was the case to a somewhat lesser degree in historical Rome, adherence to the cult worship of the ruler will be the litmus test of loyalty to the state.  But while Roman emperors made use of this admittedly evil device primarily for pragmatic reasons relating to the solidification of their power, antichrist and his father the devil will also be intent upon eradicating faith from the earth through the elimination of the faithful.  This has always been a central design of Satan’s plans, for if all to whom the promises of God have been made could be removed (either through death or apostasy), then God’s promises would have to fail.  If there is no one left for Christ to return to, then the devil wins.  Such, at any rate, runs Satan’s twisted thinking.  With the whole world under antichrist’s control, the forcible conversion of all of the inhabitants of the earth to the beast’s devil worshiping religion becomes not only theoretically possible, but is also the perfect satanic final solution:  all who refuse to convert will be put to death so that, either way, faith will perish from the earth.  And such would be our fate, except for the mercy, the goodness, and the power of our God, who is coming to rescue us through the return of His Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
 

And they will say on that day, “Behold!  This is our God!  We waited in hope for Him to deliver us.  This is our Lord.  We waited in hope for Him.  Let us rejoice and be glad in His deliverance!
Isaiah 25:9 
 

Strengthen the hands that are weak.  Bolster the knees that are giving way.  Say to those with anxious hearts, “Be strong!  Don’t be afraid!  Behold!  Your God will come, as an Avenger.  [Your] God will come, as a Rewarder.  He will come, and He will deliver you.
Isaiah 35:3-4
 

We must ever look forward to that ultimate deliverance.  But we must also remember that the Great Tribulation is aptly named, and that just as many fell through apostasy during the Tribulation’s first half, many will fall in martyrdom during those final three and a half years.  We must remember, learn well the lessons the Bible has – not without good reason – stored up for us in advance, and make every effort to prepare spiritually for whatever may betide. 

I. The Seventh Trumpet (the Third Woe):  Revelation 11:15-19
 

(15) Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, “The world Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ has [now] come, and He will rule forever and ever.  Amen”.  (16) And the twenty-four elders were sitting in front of the throne, and they fell on their faces and worshiped God, (17) saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and the One who was, even because you have taken up your great power and begun to reign!  (18) Although the nations thronged together in their wrath, your wrath has come, even the time for the dead to be judged, for giving to your servants the prophets and to the holy ones, even to those who fear your Name both great and small, the reward [that is due them], and for destroying those who are destroying the earth!”.  (19) And the temple of God which is in heaven above opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple.  And there occurred flashes of lightning and thunderous voices and an earthquake, and large hail [fell].
Revelation 11:15-19
 

1. The Seventh Trumpet (Revelation 11:15a):  With the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the Great Tribulation begins.  Seven is the number of perfection and completion (cf. Ps.12:6; 119:164; Prov.6:16; 9:1),⁽¹⁾ and as we saw in part 3A of this series, while the first six trumpets announce and commence warning judgments of ascending intensity and longevity during the Tribulation’s first half, the seventh trumpet opens the longest and most intensive warning judgment of all, namely, the Great Tribulation itself.  For the Great Tribulation is the ultimate admonition to prepare to meet with God, for He is coming at the end of that final three and a half years in the Person of the conquering Messiah who will mete out vengeance to His adversaries even as He brings deliverance to His people (cf. 2Thes.1:3-12).  That is why all of the other events and proclamations in this paragraph, Revelation 11:15-19, directly connect the sounding of the seventh trumpet and the Great Tribulation’s commencement to that glorious future day.  For the Tribulation as a whole is, as we have seen, the opening twilight of the Great Day of the Lord whose dawn will come in blazing glory with the Second Advent of the Morning Star, the Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the true Light of the World (Num.24:17; Matt.2:2-10; 2Pet.1:19; Rev.2:28; 22:16; cf. Jn.1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:36; 12:46).⁽²⁾
 

2. The Proclamation of the Kingdom (Revelation 11:15b):  The traditional translation of this verse “the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ”, common to all the major versions (with which the author is familiar) and popularized by Handel’s “Messiah” is, while possible, very unlikely from both a linguistic and a theological perspective.  Linguistically, the traditional translation depends upon taking the genitive phrase “of our Lord and of His Christ” as the predicate of the sentence, and, while this is not impossible, it is somewhat rare and certainly uncharacteristic of John’s writing.  But in its particular word order, directly after the first genitive phrase, “of this world”, deriving such a meaning would be suspect for most later Greek prose and altogether incongruous with John’s style.  On the other hand, the translation given above is entirely in keeping with John’s Hebraic compilation of genitives.  The above translation is to be preferred on theological grounds as well (although it may seem at first glance as if there is no great difference of meanings between the two translations).  For while the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of heaven in the person of the Messiah is a central theme of Revelation, that Kingdom’s arrival cannot correctly be understood as in any way an equivalent to the current kosmos of evil.  Satan’s rule over planet earth has never been absolute or uncontested, and to equate the two kingdoms in any way (as the traditional translation of necessity does) is a mistake.  Simply put, there is no sense in which the devil’s kingdom of evil could ever “become” the Kingdom of the Messiah.  Satan’s kingdom is on the point of being entirely replaced by the Messiah’s coming millennial Kingdom, not “morphed” into it in any way or in any sense.⁽³⁾  When the Kingdom of heaven does arrive with the second advent of our Lord in glory, Satan’s kingdom will come to an end.  It will not “become” anything except extinct.  What we have here is not a transfer of power but a complete replacement of the old with the new heralded here through this proclamation of the imminent arrival of the Kingdom (now spiritually operational) "in the flesh” at the revelation of its King, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whose rule will endure forever and ever (exactly the same point made in very similar language at Rev.12:10ff.).⁽⁴⁾
 

3. The Worship of the Angelic Elders (Revelation 11:16-18):  The seventh trumpet is the Great Tribulation, the final twilight of the devil’s rule soon to be dissolved by the brilliant light of the Day-Star’s dawning as our Lord returns and takes up His millennial rule in Jerusalem.  Each of the sections of Revelation chapter 11:15-19 speak to this same central point, even as each adds additional details.  The proclamation of verse 15b puts into words the underlying meaning of the 7^th trumpet, namely, the imminent judgment upon the world, its evil, and present evil ruler with the victorious return of the rightful King.  At the end of this final 42 month period, Christ will return to mete out judgment upon the nations who have thronged together to oppose Him, and will wreak vengeance upon all those who have persecuted His Church and oppressed His people Israel.  In the synoptic picture presented in the hymn of the 24 elders, therefore, we find the establishment of the Kingdom whose imminent advent on the far side of the Great Tribulation the 7^th trumpet announces (“you have taken up your great power and begun to reign”), the destruction of the nations at Armageddon at the second advent (“the nations thronged together in their wrath, [but] your wrath has come”; cf. Ps.2:1-2), and the culmination of all of history in the last judgment (“the time for the dead to be judged”), with the rewarding of the resurrected Church in the newly established millennial Kingdom receiving additional emphasis as an encouragement for all who will endure the dark days of the Great Tribulation immediately preceding that time (“for giving to your servants . . . . . the reward [that is due them]”).  Finally, the vengeance about to fall upon all involved in committing, aiding, or abetting the Great Persecution comes in for special mention.  Christ’s impending return will result in the literal destruction of “those who are destroying the earth”, a phrase with primarily moral and spiritual implications, referring in particular to all who have been responsible for the martyrdom of those who remain faithful to Jesus (rather than referring exclusively to any physical or environmental damage to planet earth proper; cf. in Rev.19:2, the whore Babylon “who was destroying the earth by her excessive prostitution”, that is, destroying it in a moral and spiritual sense; cf. Is.14:18; Hab.2:17; Rev.6:7-8).  This includes Babylon, the beast, the devil, his angels, the nations and those from the nations who participated in Satan’s evil plan to eradicate the faithful and the seed of Israel from the earth.  So we see that just as they did prior to the opening of the book with its seven seals representing the beginning of the Tribulation proper (Rev.5:8-10; albeit in this earlier instance they do so in company with the four living creatures), here too the twenty-four elders are performing a special hymn of worship to memorialize the importance of the 7^th trumpet, the event which marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation even as it heralds the imminent arrival of the Kingdom and its King who will vindicate His own on the dawning of the Great Day of the Lord.
 

4. The Appearance of the Ark (Revelation 11:19a):  As we have had occasion to see several times in the past, the earthly ark of the covenant along with its “mercy seat”, constructed under the supervision of Moses, together symbolize God’s throne which takes the form of a battle chariot (Ezek.1:4-28; 10:9-22; cf. Ps.132:7).⁽⁵⁾  The earthly ark no longer exists (cf. Jer.3:16), but the appearance of a heavenly ark here is highly significant.  As the temple opens, the rolling out of this war chariot of God symbolizes the imminence of the Messiah’s return to do battle on behalf of His people, meting out retribution upon all the enemies of God.  For, as we have seen before, the ark is itself a picture of Jesus Christ (with the acacia wood covered in gold representing His true humanity and resplendent deity respectively), so that what we have here is a powerful symbol of the conquering Messiah poised to return to earth at the head of His heavenly hosts for the vindication of His saints and for the destruction of His foes.  Therefore the message behind the appearance of the ark is substantially the same as that of the sounding of the 7^th trumpet, of the heavenly proclamation of verse 15b, and of the hymn of the twenty-four elders.  For all of these events and symbols focus our attention upon the coming judgments of Armageddon as our Lord returns in glory to vanquish His enemies and in victory to establish His millennial Kingdom on earth. 
 

The fourfold emphasis upon this same essential point unquestionably means that we are to take special note:  the beginning of the Great Tribulation (announced by this final trumpet blast), for all the horrific suffering those three and a half years will entail, is in truth merely a prelude to the end of the devil’s control of planet earth and to the beginning of the reign of the Son of God following His glorious and decisive victory at the second advent.  This is an extremely important point to digest, especially for all those to whom it may fall to endure those dark days.  For the message is clear:  the darkest period of human history and the period of greatest Satanic persecution is, from God’s perspective, merely a brief overture that serves to usher in the end of the reign of evil and darkness upon the earth and the beginning of the reign of truth and light in the person of the Son of Man, the true Morning Star, our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 

5. The Heavenly Signs (Revelation 11:19b):  With the sounding of the 7^th trumpet and the beginning of the Tribulation’s final phase, the “Great Tribulation”, there will occur a series of signs of unmistakably divine origin which serve to punctuate the significance of the opening of this final phase of Satan’s rule on earth and its impending replacement by the millennial Kingdom of the Messiah.  These signs are almost identical to those which heralded the beginning of the Tribulation proper (as we saw in our treatment of Revelation 8:5) as well as to those which will signal the imminence of Christ’s return on the eve of the battle of Armageddon (Rev.16:18).  But while each of these three sets of heavenly signs includes thunder and lightning and a worldwide earthquake, there is an intensification factor as the end approaches.  Here, on the threshold of the Great Tribulation proper, we see the addition of a worldwide hailstorm of powerful effect (Rev.11:19.  Prior to Armageddon, the earthquake which occurs is of previously unprecedented magnitude, while the hail becomes even more massive in its size and devastating in its effects (Rev.16:18-21).  The thunder, lightning, earthquake and hail which here give notice of the arrival of the Great Tribulation will serve notice worldwide to everyone on earth – both for those who care to take warning and the majority of humanity remaining under the sway of the beast who do not – that the terrible time of testing has now arrived.
 

6.  The Character of the Great Tribulation:  It should be safe to assume that anyone reading this series will understand both from its prior installments and from their own previous Bible study that the second half of the final seven years before our Lord’s return, the “Great Tribulation” as our Lord Himself calls it, will be a period of suffering and disaster unprecedented in all of prior human history (Matthew 24:21; Mk.13:19; cf. Dan.12:1). 
 

The vastly increased level of worldwide trouble and tribulation that serves to qualify this period as the “Great Tribulation” is perspicuous from a comparison of the competing trends which we have previously studied from the Tribulation’s first half with those of the Great Tribulation  (to be covered in our study below):
 

The primary differences between the Tribulation’s first and second halves from a thematic point of view should become readily evident by comparing the two charts above.  From the earthly perspective, while the first three and a half years – terrible as they will be – will be consumed by the prologue to the devil’s plans, the final phase of the Tribulation, the “Great Tribulation”, will see the fulfillment of the earthly rule of his antichrist, and the logical extension of his ultimate purpose, namely, his brazen attempt to destroy faith and the faithful from off of the earth.  From the divine side of things as well the Great Tribulation will be an intensified phase inasmuch as judgments of wrath must of necessity be more severe than judgments of warning.  And while it will be painful for true believers in Jesus Christ to experience the severe ostracism of their former fellow believers who fall into antichrist’s trap during the Great Apostasy, the persecution and martyrdom of the Great Persecution during the Tribulation’s final phase will be, beyond all argument, even more difficult to bear and endure. 

The second thing to notice about the trends of the Great Tribulation is that all four revolve around the one, central theme of those final years, namely, the Great Persecution of the Church.  Satan’s primary purpose in installing antichrist and promoting his worldwide rule is precisely the elimination of the remnant of faith on earth, for thereby he vainly hopes to frustrate God’s promises to believing humanity and so prove Him a liar (thus “winning” the conflict which now dominates human and angelic affairs, the rebellion which occasioned the creation of mankind in the first place).  The massive martyrdom which this persecution will produce and the subsequent divine wrath that it will bring down upon the unbelieving world are likewise results of this one central plank in the devil’s planning as carried out by his antichrist, that is, the unleashing of a monstrous and worldwide persecution of believers designed to eradicate from the earth all who stay loyal to Jesus Christ come what may.  It is important for believers to note, however, that although this will be a period of extreme testing, it cannot begin until God Himself gives the signal (i.e., the 7^th trumpet), and, as it is with everything else that has ever happened in human history, even this most terrible of times is designed to accomplish the will of God (cf. Is.45:4; 46:11 Ezek.38:4).  We believers, all who may be called upon to endure those dark days, must never forget that even such trials as the Great Tribulation serve to demonstrate God’s grace to us in testing, just as they offer us an opportunity to demonstrate our faith in Him and our unshakeable love for His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  And the greatest opportunity to do so will come during the persecution and martyrdom of the Great Persecution where faith and truth will find themselves more directly opposed by satanic forces than ever before in human history. 

But these [believers] have defeated [the devil] through the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony. For they did not love their lives, [even] to the point of death.
Revelation 12:11

 
During the Great Tribulation, the essence of evil will be laid completely bare with all the artifice of the first three and a half years stripped away in the intensity of the crucible of the Great Persecution.  But, especially if we find ourselves involved in these events, we must not lose sight of the fact that this final fury of the devil will remain entirely subject to the power and grace of God, as He works His will in judgment, replacement, and restoration, culminating in the return of our King Jesus Christ.  Marana Tha!  O our Lord, return [we pray]!  (1Cor.16:22).

II. The Woman and the Dragon:  Revelation 12:1-6 
 

(1) And a great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon [was] beneath her feet.  And on her head was a crown of twelve stars.  (2) And she was pregnant, and she cried out in the pain and pangs of childbirth.  (3) And another sign appeared in the sky.  And behold, a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns.  (4) And its tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.  And the dragon took his stand in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child.  (5) And she gave birth to a male child who is going to shepherd the nations with an iron staff.  And the child was snatched up to God and to His throne.  (6) And the woman fled into the desert, where she has a place prepared there by God, so that they might take care of her for 1260 days.
Revelation 12:1-6

The Woman in the passage above symbolizes Israel, and these verses trace her history in synoptic form in a breathtakingly beautiful way from the patriarchs to the earliest days of the Great Tribulation, the period now under study.  As the origin of both the written and the living Word of God, the Woman is clothed with the sun, the symbol of day and of light, while the moon, which rules the night and the darkness (the time and the realm of evil and evil one: Lk.22:53; 1Thes.5:4-10), lies in submission at her feet.  The twelve stars in the crown on her head symbolize the twelve sons of Israel and the eponymous tribes which spring from them (Gen.37:9; cf. Gen.15:5; 22:17; 26:4).  But by far Israel’s most significant and glorious offspring is the Messiah Himself, our Savior Jesus Christ, whose human lineage is traced through Abraham, Isaac and Joseph (Rom.9:5; cf. Rom.9:7).  Jesus is the Seed of the woman (Gen.3:15), the true Seed of Abraham (Gal.3:16), and the Son of David destined to rule all the nations with an iron scepter (Ps.2; Rom.1:3; cf. Is.4:2; 11:1; 53:2; Jer.23:5; 33:15; Zech.3:8; 6:12).  Thus the Messiah, the true Christ, is the Son of the Woman Israel, and all of the pangs, the pains, and the purpose of this archetypical Woman’s history are focused upon, concentrated upon, and culminate in the birth of the archetypical Son, Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Son of Man, the One through whom alone salvation comes (Gen.3:16; Mic.5:3-5; cf. 1Tim.2:15). 

Directly opposed to the impending birth of the Messiah, the God-Man Jesus Christ, we next see another sign in the sky representing the chief fallen angel, Satan, depicted here symbolically as a great red dragon (Greek drakon, drakwn).  The term “dragon” in the original Greek refers to a serpent (cf. Gen.3:1-15), albeit one of exceptional size, and the addition of the adjectives “great” and “red” bring home the monstrous nature of the sight.⁽⁶⁾  This particular dragon, moreover, has seven heads and ten crowns, and thus symbolically reflects the devil’s world rule which the Messiah is destined to replace, with the seven heads and ten crowns specifically representing the revived empire of Rome which will be Satan’s (and antichrist’s) final stepping stone to the long sought after goal of total world domination which will finally be achieved during the Great Tribulation just heralded by the 7^th trumpet (cf. Rev.13:1; 17:3-9).⁽⁷⁾  As in the case of the Woman, the description given here of the dragon’s actions is synoptic of the devil’s history, beginning with Satan’s original rebellion and his seduction of a third of the angels, the stars of heaven (and anticipating the one third of believers who will fall away from God to follow the beast during the Great Apostasy),⁽⁸⁾ moving then immediately to his most direct opposition to God in his attempt to destroy the Messiah who embodies the plan of God in every way (cf. Matt.2:1-15; 4:1-11; Lk.22:3; Jn.13:27).  Following the failure of his attempt to thwart the plan of God by destroying the Messiah and after our Lord’s subsequent ascension to heaven (where He waits at the Father’s right hand until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet at His glorious return at the end of this final period of Great Tribulation: Ps.110:1; Eph.1:20-23; Heb.10:12-13; cf. 1Cor.15:25), the dragon will concentrate his efforts on attempting to destroy the Woman and all of her spiritual offspring “who obey God’s commandments and hold fast to the testimony of Jesus” (Rev.12:17).

What we have here in synoptic form, therefore, are the key developments in God’s plan for victory over Satan and his rebellion set against the backdrop of the devil’s efforts to oppose and frustrate that plan.  By taking us from Satan’s prehistoric seduction of the fallen angels to his opposition to the first advent of the Messiah to the devil’s final attempt to destroy all who remain faithful to Him, we have been brought by these verses full circle to the point where the Great Tribulation and the Great Persecution which it embodies begin.  These verses thus serve as a prologue and an introduction to the events of the Great Tribulation (i.e., everything that happens after the mid-point of the seven years has been reached and after the 7^th trumpet which announces the final phase of God’s pre-millennial plan has sounded), and especially to the event which in spiritual terms dominates those final years, the Great Persecution. 

III. War in Heaven:  Revelation 12:7-12
 

7) And war broke out in heaven.  Michael and his angels fought with the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought [back], (8) but they did not prevail against him, and they could no longer find any place [of refuge] in heaven.  (9) And [so] the great dragon, the ancient serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, was thrown down; even he who deceives the entire world was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  (10) And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, 

“Now our God’s deliverance and might and kingdom have come, even the power of His Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, the one who accuses them day and night in front of our God, has been thrown down.  (11) But these [believers] have defeated [the devil] through the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony.  For they did not love their lives, [even] to the point of death.  (12) Because of this, rejoice, O heavens and those residing in them!  [But] woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you, having [great] anger, because he knows that he has [only] a short time [remaining]”
Revelation 12:7-12

Antichrist, the visible prime-mover of earthly events during the Tribulation, is not even mentioned in the verses above, nor anywhere else in chapter twelve.  Instead, it is the dragon, Satan, who is clearly seen as the opponent of the plan and people of God historically and specifically during the Great Tribulation.  Just as the allegory of the woman and the dragon served to concentrate our attention on the true albeit invisible nature of the conflict that dominates all human events, so here we are given to see at the very outset of the Great Tribulation that angelic events are at the heart of everything which will transpire during those horrific three and a half years.  For Satan’s ejection from heaven along with his followers will be a crucial turning point in the history of his rebellion against God.  From that point forward, the dynamics of the conflict will change so radically and fundamentally that no other period in human history will be comparable.  That is in no small part why, from the divine point of view, the Great Tribulation is largely inseparable from “the Day of the Lord” which brings it to a close at our Lord’s return.  For once Satan has devoted all of his resources to this final furious assault upon the people of God, God’s wrath, God’s judgment, and God’s deliverance cannot be long delayed.

War in heaven:  The fight described here between Michael and Satan and their respective forces, resulting in the expulsion from heaven of Satan and his angels, is the first event of the Great Tribulation proper.⁽⁹⁾  The way in which the outbreak of the “war” is described in this verse indicates that “Michael and his angels” are the initiators of this attack, and we may be certain that they commence these hostilities on divine authority.  It may seem strange to some that up until this point in human history God has allowed the devil to present himself in the heavenly assembly and to continue to bring accusations against the elect (1Kng.22:19-22; 2:1; Job 1:6-19; 2:1-7; 15:8; 38:7; Ps.29:1ff.; 89:5-7; Jer.23:18 & 22; Zech.3:1; 1Pet.5:8; Rev.12:10).  Clearly, God has always had the power to cast the devil out of heaven, whether by immediate means or, as here, through the agency of his elect angels.  But everything which has yet transpired in heaven and on earth has all been according to the ineluctable plan of God “whose judgments are unsearchable and whose ways are beyond finding out” (Rom.11:33).  God’s plan to repair the breach in the moral fabric of the universe rent by creature rebellion has always involved the allowance of true creature free will on the one hand together with an irrefutable demonstration of the justness and rightness of God and His perfectly holy, good and loving character on the other.  In all of the time and opportunity given to Satan and in all of the devil’s assaults upon the righteous throughout time, God’s will has ever triumphed, and all of the evil done by creatures, human and angelic alike, has only served to demonstrate the quality of the faith of those who have chosen for God together with the faithfulness and mercy of the One in whom they have put their faith.  The process of judgment, restoration and replacement has been proceeding apace throughout human history,⁽¹⁰⁾ but with the sounding of the 7^th trumpet, the final warning which marks the true “beginning of the end” (cf. Rev.12:10), we enter a new phase of God's plan, the second phase to be precise, wherein God will judge the devil’s kingdom on earth, restore the earth to an environment of blessing (i.e., the Millennium), and replace the present de facto ruler of this world with His own Anointed One, the true Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.⁽¹¹⁾

Thus the period of Great Tribulation which starts immediately following the sounding of the 7^th trumpet and at the same time as Satan’s expulsion from heaven is in essence theologically indistinguishable from the Day of the Lord which follows hard upon its heels.  For this is the beginning of the judgment that is answered by restoration and replacement through Christ’s millennial kingdom and reign.  In the casting down of Satan and his angels we see the process of judgment beginning, immediately after the concluding sign of warning, the 7^th trumpet, has been given.⁽¹²⁾  All of the trends of the Great Tribulation which follow are either part of the process of judgment (i.e., the seven bowl judgments of wrath and the remaining sequence of seven major judgments on Babylon, at Armageddon, and etc.) or provocations thereto (i.e., the blasphemous rule of antichrist and the Great Persecution), and are essentially inextricable from the blessed restoration and replacement that is to follow immediately on their heels when the powerful and cleansing wind of judgment has swept away all that is fetid and foul and ushered in the crisp and bright new day of righteousness in the Messiah’s kingdom of a thousand years.

The last three and a half years of Satan’s reign thus constitute the final darkness before the dawn when the Morning Star rises and bathes the earth in the glorious light of His presence and His truth.  What we have here in verses seven through twelve is the first step in this process of judgment, restoration and replacement in the exclusion of Satan and his fallen angels from heaven and their consignment to the earth for this last, terrible period of human testing and suffering. 

It is surely in no small part the devil’s restriction to planet earth for the remainder of the time allotted to him that makes the Great Tribulation so horrific, a time like no other in the history of the human race (Dan.12:1; Matt.24:21-22).  No longer will Satan split his time between heaven and earth, accusing our brothers and sisters before the Lord even as his minions assault us on earth.  From this point forward, all of the devil’s efforts will be focused upon the earth – if only because this is where he and his will have been confined until the Great Day of the Lord sweeps them away.  So while a number of factors contribute to the “greatness” of the Great Tribulation such as the removal of Holy Spirit restraint and the subsequent unleashing of lawlessness, and such as the one world rule of antichrist and the subsequent breakdown of all human restraint, the confinement of Satan and his minions to the earth is, nevertheless, not the least of the reasons why the Great Tribulation will be so consummately horrific.⁽¹³⁾
 

But] woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you, having [great] anger, because he knows that he has [only] a short time [remaining]!”         
Revelation 12:12

Michael’s victory and the devil’s expulsion is nonetheless cause for great rejoicing as well (Rev.12:12a), for it marks a tangible beginning of the end of the reign of evil and the devil’s reign of terror, made possible through the victory of Jesus Christ on the cross and now entering into the phase of final glorious fulfillment.
 

[For by means of the cross, God] has stripped [demon] rulers and authorities [of their power] and subjected them to public humiliation, having triumphed over them in [Christ].
Colossians 2:15  (cf. Rom.16:20; Heb.2:14; 1Jn.3:8b)

Satan’s casting out of heaven is a first visible step in the eventual exclusion of all evil from the coming eternal kingdom wherein righteousness dwells, and one which is well documented elsewhere in prophetic scripture at that:

(12) How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, O son of the dawn!  You have been cut down to the earth, O you who laid the nations low.  (13) For you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend heavenward.  I will set my throne above the stars of God.  And I will take my seat on the mount of assembly on the sides of the north.  (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.  I will be like the Most High God’.  (15) But indeed you will be brought down to Sheol, to the sides of the pit.
Isaiah 14:12-15

In all your ways you were perfect from the day of your creation until unrighteousness was found in you.  In your extensive conspiring, you were filled with wickedness, and you sinned.  So I cast you from the mountain of God as one profaned, and I blotted out [your memory] from among the stones of fire, O covering cherub.  Your heart became haughty because of your beauty, [and so] you destroyed your wisdom on account of your splendor.  So I cast you to the earth, and I made a spectacle of you before kings.
Ezekiel 28:15-17

The seventy returned and said with joy, “Lord, even the demons obey us in your Name!”  And Jesus said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like a star”.
Luke 10:17-18

Michael:  A brief aside is perhaps necessary at this point concerning Michael and his angels and the battle fought with Satan and his angels.  While scripture does have much to say about the angelic realm, it says less than we may perhaps desire to know and yet everything we need to know.⁽¹⁴⁾  Lacking physically material bodies such as we possess, angels apparently cannot be wounded or killed (though they may be incarcerated).  So the exact nature and detail of the combat that will transpire when the 7^th trumpet sounds is beyond our ability to know.  We are given only the result, that is, the total defeat of the devil and his forces and their complete exclusion from the heavenly realm.  We have posited before that the ultimate tally of saved humanity will eventually equal twice that of the fallen angels (the first half constituting the Church, and the second the echelon of millennial believers).⁽¹⁵⁾  Therefore such massive numbers and the completeness of the victory and defeat certainly indicate that the struggle will be a monumental one, especially given the extraordinary power of angelic kind.  Furthermore, the significance of the expulsion of the fallen angels from heaven, an “estate” which they have held since before the re-creation of the heavens and the earth and the creation of mankind, is immense.  This event will be real, and the mere fact that we are unable to see it and can barely imagine its specifics in no way diminishes that significance.  For the world of angels, the change will be profound for both victors and vanquished, and will also of course not be without serious consequence for the earth and for humanity.

One thing that we can surmise about this decisive battle between elect and fallen angels is that, while the numbers involved will be immense, not all of angelic kind will participate.  Michael, by rank an archangel, is one of a college of seven such “general officers”.⁽¹⁶⁾  Positing an equal share of the total elect “host” under the command of each officer would leave Michael in charge of a force less than one third the size of Satan’s entire command (i.e., one seventh of two thirds versus a full third for the devil).  Although a goodly number of demons will certainly be involved in earthly activities, the same will be true at least to some degree of Michael’s forces as well (cf. Dan.12:1).  What all this means is that instead of the elect angels fighting an easy battle with overwhelming numbers on their side, Michael’s victory will require extraordinary strategy and tactics, and exceptional courage and bravery. Even though this victory has been prophesied for nearly two millennia here at Revelation 12:7-9, the brazenness of the attack with such inferior numbers and the astounding nature of the defeat still seems to come as a surprise to the devil and his minions, and this humiliation will be no small contributing factor to the “wrath” Satan will subsequently vent upon the world in the short time remaining to him (Rev.12:12b).  Although we are not privy to the details, a clear principle does emerge from Michael’s most impressive victory.  Armed with this prophecy, Michael and his forces are even now using the time allotted to prepare for the unequal fight to come, and will as a direct result of this diligence be astoundingly successful in conquering a complacent foe who has clearly drawn false confidence from superior numbers.  Finally in this regard it is very likely that Michael’s forces are the elite of the elect warrior angels (we may think of them as the “Marines” or the “Rangers” among angelic kind).  For as we have seen previously, the number of the elect angelic clans totals six, not seven.⁽¹⁷⁾  It certainly fits the context and everything else we may discern about angelic organization, therefore, to posit that while each clan possesses an archangel (in addition to four elders; see the previous note), Michael holds a special command composed of elite warriors who have distinguished themselves in the fight against the rebellion thus far by their martial valor, courage, integrity, and zeal for the Lord (compare David’s cadre of heroes marked out for special mention: 2Sam.23:8-39; 1Chron.11:10-37; cf. 1Sam.22:1-2).  It certainly behooves us as loyal followers of Jesus Christ to remember that in the spiritual conflict in which we are engaged what we do for the Lord is not only of critical importance – it certainly does not go unnoticed now, nor will it be unrecognized on that great day to come.  Let us therefore continue to encourage one another with the truth that, like David’s mighty men and like Michael’s elite, we too have a great opportunity to likewise write out names on the Lord’s scroll of valor for exceptional conduct in the spiritual conflict in which we are engaged.  And let us remember as well that, although the darkest of times may lie ahead, the battlefield of the Great Persecution will also offer those who fight upon it unprecedented opportunities for glorifying Jesus Christ and winning in the bargain an undying crown of glory (1Pet.5:4; cf. Rev.12:11).

The victorious proclamation:  This heavenly proclamation to the effect that God’s “deliverance and might and kingdom” have now arrived on the scene establishes what we have said above, namely, that in divine terms the return and victory of the Messiah are at this point so close and so sure as to be all but a present reality.  From God’s point of view, attempting to distinguish between the rescue of believers from the devil’s final offensive, the demonstration of divine power at Christ’s return which accomplishes this deliverance, and the blessed Kingdom of the Messiah established thereafter is both fruitless and pointless.  Satan’s launching of the Great Persecution, beginning with Israel and then expanding to the Church at large, guarantees the judgment and deliverance which follows and cannot rightly be separated from them.  All of these aspects of victory spelled out in the proclamation of verse ten come from God, and all three are summed up in one breath in the following phrase, “even the power of His Christ”.  For Jesus will accomplish the deliverance and set up the kingdom as the true Messiah operating in the delegated power (Greek exousia, exousia) of God the Father Almighty.  We who now contemplate the inception of the Great Tribulation and all those who will experience it have a right, indeed a need, to see the horrendous events to come in this same heavenly light.  For the very assaults of the devil, taking his campaign to exterminate faith and the faithful from the earth to never before seen levels of intensity, are thereby guaranteeing the protection and personal deliverance of the people of God by God’s own Son through His omnipotent power into a blessed new day and a glorious new kingdom ruled in perfect righteousness by our very own Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  So although we are tempted to fear the prospect and groan under the weight of the actual experience, it is incumbent upon us to remember that God’s power is not to be compared to that of a mere creature, no matter how great the power of devil and his forces and no matter how terrible and onerous the persecution he will launch at that time.

The accuser thrown down:  The Greek conjunction hoti (“because”, “for”) here significantly links the victorious proclamation of the first half of verse eleven with the casting down of the “accuser” in the second half of the verse.  That is to say, the imminent coming of the kingdom is signaled by the casting out of Satan (that is Jesus' point in Lk.10:17-18).  As terrible as the consequences of the devil’s confinement to earth will be for its inhabitants, it is an unmistakable sign that the wonders of the kingdom are not far off.  Further, we also see here an important change of dynamics in the ground rules under which the devil has heretofore been allowed to prosecute his rebellion against God.  Up until this future time, Satan’s slandering of believers before the throne of God has been tolerated, and has apparently been a very regular occurrence (cf. Job 1-2).⁽¹⁸⁾  After all, it is not for nothing that scripture calls him diabolos (Greek diaboloV, “slanderer” or “accuser”; cf. Hebrew Satan, ]us, “adversary [who accuses]”).⁽¹⁹⁾  By virtue of his confinement to the earth, however, the devil will no longer be able to bring slanderous accusations against believers before God (cf. Jude 1:9), and this constitutes a highly significant turning point.  Now the entire course of the rebellion Satan undertook against God so long ago has entered an entirely new (and final) phase.  God’s tolerance of Satan’s attempts to challenge human free will by attempting to influence His treatment of errant believers is at an end, and we may extrapolate from this the end of such tolerance in general terms as well.  Since his intrusion into the garden of Eden, the devil has been testing and twisting the hearts of mankind.  In His unfathomable wisdom, God has allowed Satan to observe us, to try us, and to accuse us – yet not to destroy us – all within the parameters of His all-wise and comprehensive plan.  The end of the devil’s accusatory audience with God on the one hand and the removal of much  restraint from his attempt to destroy faith from the earth on the other vividly give evidence of the coming termination of all such operations at the end of these final three and a half years of the Great Tribulation.  The heavenly truce which has obtained since God’s judgment upon the universe in the wake of Satan’s coup d’itat is now at an end.  Hostilities have moved into their final phase with the devil and his followers soon to be removed altogether from any part in the affairs of mankind upon Christ’s return, but determined in their attempt to eradicate believing mankind from the earth in the meantime.  It will be helpful to recall at this point that the plan of God can be viewed as working in three distinct phases (see part 4 of Satanic Rebellion).  This three phase process, consisting of Judgment, Restoration and Replacement, phases I, II, and III respectively, is, essentially, God’s plan for total victory over Satan and his rebellion as described in strategic terms:

Phase I: Constitution:  Lays the foundation for the eternal victory (the “much” phase).

• Judgment I:  The Genesis Gap judgment: judgment is passed upon Satan and his angels while the devil’s original headquarters, the pre-historic earth, is devastated and the original universe plunged into darkness.
   

• Restoration I:  Earth is restored to a habitable environment (the Seven Days of Re-creation).
   

• Replacement I:  The creation of the first Adam begins the human race (the source of eventual replacement for Satan and his angels).  The gift of the Last Adam, Jesus Christ, provides the grace necessary for the salvation of the human race after the fall through the Messiah’s work on the cross.  The Church is called out for replacement.
   

Phase II: Completion:  Realizes eternal objectives with victory in time (the “more” phase).

•  Judgment II: the Tribulation (the Day of the Lord): God’s judgment upon the devil’s kingdom and upon his earthly subjects.  Satan and his angels are expelled from heaven and later imprisoned.
   

• Restoration II: the Millennium: earth is restored to an environment of blessing.
   

• Replacement II: Christ the King replaces Satan as the de facto ruler of the earth.  The Church is resurrected in replacement.

Phase III: Consummation:  Crowns the victory with surpassing eternal blessing (the “most” phase).

•  Judgment III:  The Final Judgments:  Satan and his angels are removed to the lake of fire along with unbelieving humanity (the Great White Throne judgment).
   

• Restoration III:  The New Heavens, New Earth and New Jerusalem provide an unparalleled  and eternal environment of perfect blessing.
   

• Replacement III:  The Advent of the Father: along with Christ, He will rule forever from earth.  The Church is complemented by the double portion of millennial believers.

Thus with the commencement of the Great Tribulation we are likewise witnessing the commencement of Phase II of the plan of God, the great “Day of the Lord”, which begins with the tribulational process of judgment upon Satan and his angels, along with the beast and his human followers.  In the casting down of the devil we see the beginning of this process of judgment which will terminate in the series of seven judgments associated with the second advent of the Messiah (see part 6 of this series).  

This also has implications for the completion of the second echelon of the resurrection, the initial replacement for the devil’s fallen angels, namely, the Church.  The end of standard-type satanic testing tolerated and used by God (replaced during the Great Tribulation by direct satanic opposition of the most severe sort) demonstrates that the Church, the company of believers from Adam to the second advent, has now been completed (and so testing of the standard sort has now fulfilled its purpose).  The missionary efforts of the 144,000 under the sponsorship of Moses and Elijah will also terminate with the onset of the Great Tribulation so that those final three and a half years will not be a time for evangelism and adding to the numbers of the true Church, but of endurance and refining, as many of those who had formerly professed faith slip away into apostasy, while many others who remain faithful until the end are martyred for Jesus Christ.  
 

There is no little irony in the fact that, while the devil in his own grand strategy has been driving towards the Tribulation and the installment of antichrist as ruler of the world as the capstone of his own plan, his complete and penultimate defeat (foreshadowed none too subtly in his expulsion from heaven) is nevertheless in a very real sense a result of the reaction that this violation of all divine ground rules inevitably provokes.  Fathering  antichrist, establishing for him a one-world rule, and attempting to eliminate Israel and all believers from the earth are clearly courses of action that God has never and will never allow to stand.  The Great Tribulation, whose inception is thus marked by Satan’s expulsion from heaven, marks in turn the start of the second phase of the plan of God wherein the perfect world rule of the perfect King will replace and be directly juxtaposed to the most horrendous rule of the most anti-God ruler in history, and the unparalleled horror of the latter compared with unparalleled blessing of the former will only serve to glorify God and His victory in Jesus Christ all the more. 

The martyrs vindicated:  In verse eleven we find the heavenly voice continuing this beautiful hymn which foreshadows the Great Tribulation’s major trends.  Beginning with the ultimate victory of God in the coming of His Messianic Kingdom (verse 10a), and punctuating the victory with a chorus of exaltation over the casting down of the adversary (verse 10b), the hymn now turns its attention to the faithful on earth who will be tested by the devil’s redoubled efforts in the fires of the Great Persecution.  We are told that these courageous believers who have refused to fall in behind antichrist, and who have not wilted under the many tribulational pressures so as to fall away in the Great Apostasy, have defeated the devil (Greek nikao, nikaw).  That is, they have “won the victory” over him (the central idea in the Greek root nik-; cf. Nike).  This victory is, of course, the victory of faith, maintaining one’s belief in and faithfulness to Jesus Christ in spite of all pressures and challenges to the contrary (cf. Rom.8:37; 12:21; 1Cor.15:57; 1Jn.2:13-14):
 

For everyone who has been born from God overcomes (nikao) the [devil’s] world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the [devil’s] world:  our faith [in Jesus Christ]!  For who is the one who overcomes (nikao) the [devil’s] world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
1^st John 5:4-5

In the passage above we see clearly the victory of faith defined not only by our continued belief in and allegiance to our Lord, Jesus Christ, but also by our continued faithful defiance of the present lord of this corrupt world.  The tribulational believers in the context we are studying, Revelation 12:11, are likewise said to gain their victory over “him”, that is, the accuser, Satan, now thrown down to the earth.  During the Tribulation and especially during its final three and a half years this reality of faith locked in a deadly struggle with the devil and his dark forces will become all the more visible in practice just as it now is in principle:
 

You are of God, children, and you have overcome (nikao) them (i.e., the precursors of antichrist; cf. vv.1-3).  For greater is He who is in you (i.e., the Spirit) than he who is in the world (i.e., Satan represented by his antichrist-like false prophets now, and, ultimately, by antichrist himself).
1^st John 4:4

 
The theme of victorious faith seen in our context of Revelation 12:11 is more overtly prevalent in the Book of Revelation than any other place in scripture, and with good reason.  For there will never be a crucible of testing the likes of which believers will have to endure during the Great Tribulation and its concomitant Great Persecution (Dan.12:1; Matt.24:21; Mk.13:19).  The life of faith is a serious and difficult fight under the best of circumstances, and the reality and importance of our “faith struggle” will be all the more so as never before during the Great Tribulation.  Victory during the time of greatest satanic opposition will constitute the greatest victory of all.
 

To the one who wins the victory, I will give to him [the right] to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:7
 

The one who wins the victory shall not be hurt by the second death.
Revelation 2:11
 

To the one who wins the victory, I will give to him the hidden manna, and I will give to him a white stone, and on it will be written a new name which no one knows except the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:17
 

And to the one who wins the victory and gives heed to My works until the end, I will give to him authority over the nations.
Revelation 2:26

And I saw a sea of glass, glass [yet] mixed with fire, and those who were winning the victory out from [under] (i.e., suffering martyrdom rather than submit to) the beast and his image and out from [under] the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass with lyres of the Lord God.
Revelation 15:2
 

The one who wins the victory shall be heir to these things (i.e., the glories of the New Jerusalem), and I will be His God, and He shall be my son.
Revelation 21:7

The tribulational believers in our context are said to be victorious over “him”, the accuser, by means of persistent faith manifest in faithfulness, specifically, “through [their faith in] the blood of the Lamb and [through] the Word of their testimony [faithfully preserved]”.  The means of victory as described here in Revelation 12:11 are thus twofold, representing respectively the object of faith, the Person and work of Jesus Christ, and the production of faith, their work of witness in the world, requiring in many cases during this most trying of times the sacrifice of their lives on the altar of truth as martyrs of the Lamb.  For the final words of this hymn of victory, “they did not love their lives, [even] to the point of death”, adumbrate the main challenge to faith during this time, namely, the Great Persecution, and make it abundantly clear that faith-victory during the Great Tribulation will absolutely require valuing one’s relationship with Jesus Christ much more dearly than one’s physical life.  For many believers during those final three and a half years will be called upon to render the ultimate witness for our Lord, the loss of their lives through martyrdom, and all who live through that period will also have to live with the threat of being martyred at any time for what they believe (not to mention having to endure the daily abuses of the Great Persecution; see section VII below). 

Joy and woe:  The final section of this hymn which encapsulates the Great Tribulation as a whole is concerned with the extreme contrast between the new reality in heaven as a result of Satan’s having been cast down and the new reality on earth.  In the presence of God, all is joy and rejoicing as no longer will the adversary trouble the assembly of the righteous by his vile presence and slanderous accusations, and the fact that the devil has now been consigned to earth is a harbinger of the coming of the Kingdom of the Messiah.  At this juncture, all in the heavenly realms will know that the time is short indeed, and will be looking forward in blessed anticipation of that glorious time which is shortly to arrive.

 On earth, however, the situation is reversed.  Satan too knows that his time is short now, and there is no longer any reason to husband any resource or respect any rule.  In his wrath, the devil (along with all of his minions, likewise confined to earth along with him) will now spare no expense and forgo no effort in his attempt to make Israel and the faithful in Jesus Christ “pay” for his expulsion.  So while heaven is aglow with the prospect of the second advent, earth will groan under the satanic assault of those days as never before in her history.  The Great Tribulation will affect all who live upon the earth, but will fall heaviest upon the seed of Israel, whether saved or unsaved, and upon all who have chosen for Jesus Christ and are determined to stay faithful to Him no matter the cost. 

IV. The Dragon’s Persecution of Believing Israel:  Revelation 12:13-17

 (13) And when the dragon saw that he had been cast down to the earth, he gave chase to the woman who had born the male [child].  (14) And to the woman were given two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly into the desert to a place [prepared] for her where she is [going to be] sustained there away from the presence of the serpent for a time and times and half a time.  (15) And the serpent spewed [forth] from his mouth after the woman water like a river in order to sweep her away.  (16) And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon had spewed [forth] from his mouth.  (17) And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and he went away to make war with the rest of her seed, [even] those who are keeping the commandments of God and maintaining their testimony to Jesus.
Revelation 12:13-17

 
Beginning in verse thirteen we find the first earthly event of the Great Tribulation proper.  Satan’s first assault upon the people of God, foreshadowed in the final stanzas of the heavenly hymn previously studied above (Rev.12:11-12), is an all out attack against the largest concentration of Jewish believers on earth, specifically all who had responded to the ministry of Moses and Elijah and the 144,00, and who now reside within the state of Israel.  As we have mentioned before, while scripture does not say so explicitly, yet it is more than probable that the new remnant of faith present in Israel and described as the object of the devil’s wrath in chapter twelve has neither arisen primarily from among the citizens of Israel proper nor does it constitute a majority of them (Rom.9:27; cf. Is.10:21-22), but must instead have assembled there from elsewhere in the world in response to the ministering of the 144,000 (just as they themselves were drawn to Jerusalem through the ministry of Moses and Elijah as we have seen in part 3A of this series).   

Moreover, the verses above also indicate that this trend in migration of believers of Jewish ancestry to the present day Jewish state will be a uniquely Jewish phenomenon.  Gentile believers in nations outside of Babylon will face persecution in their own countries following God’s frustration of Satan’s plan to eliminate this new Jewish remnant (cf. Rev.12:17, which marks the inception of the Great Persecution).  From what we know about present day realities, it seems extraordinarily unlikely, given the apparent magnitude of the wave of Jewish immigration to Israel which will result during the Tribulation’s first half, that the state of Israel, which has never been particularly welcoming of non-Jewish immigration (especially when the intended newcomers have been evangelical Christians), will allow any significant number of gentile believers who might desire to come and study at the feet of Moses and Elijah to do so.  We who are gentiles should not lament this fact overly much.  Each of has his own gifts, his own mission field, and a particular effectiveness of ministry ordained, intended and empowered by God (1Cor.12:4-6).  That we are to remain behind in our places, ministering and witnessing to our own countrymen, is clearly what God has in mind for us, even though (and especially since) in very many cases this will result in intensive persecution and even martyrdom.  

 Babylon constitutes a special case.  As we have also mentioned before, there are indications from scripture that as the beast’s original power-base, Babylon, will be somewhat of a safe-haven during this period of intense persecution, although the safety involved must be understood in relative terms.  For there will indeed be a call for all believers to “flee Babylon” in the days before her destruction (and we shall have more to say about this in part 5 of this series), a fact that in and of itself suggests a large number of believers are still residing within her borders and effectively surviving if not thriving up until that point.

 Before beginning our detailed exegesis of this section of Revelation, it will be helpful to recap the series of events which will transpire just prior to the flight of the Jewish believers into the desert described here in chapter twelve.  Prior to the blowing of the 7^th trumpet and the commencement of the Great Tribulation proper we have seen . . .

• Antichrist’s complete and total victory in his second campaign against the south (Dan.11:29-30a; 11:40-43).
   

• The collapse of all remaining organized resistance to antichrist, his armed forces, and his empire worldwide (Rev.13:3-4).
   

• The plundering of the riches of Egypt, antichrist’s final objective at the end of the second campaign (Dan.11:43; cf. Ezek.29-32).
   

• The failed assassination attempt against antichrist (Dan.11:30b).
   

• Antichrist’s subsequent return to Israel with a substantial contingent of his armed forces (Dan.11:30c; Lk.21:20-24).
   

• The breaking of the treaty with Israel by antichrist, and his war on Moses and Elijah (Dan.9:27; 11:30c-31a; Rev.11:1-13).
   

• The erecting of "the abomination which causes [spiritual] desolation", and antichrist’s session in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God (Dan.11:31b; 12:11; Matt.24:15-16; Mk.13:14; 2Thes.2:4).
   

• The expansion as compulsory of his new worldwide religion whose object of worship is himself and his father the devil (Rev.13; see section VI.1 below, “The Anti-Christian Religion and its Worldwide Expansion”).
   

The dragon’s reaction to his expulsion from heaven:  It is at this point that the 7^th trumpet sounds and Satan, along with all his angelic forces there residing, are cast out of heaven and confined to the earth for the duration of the Tribulation.  Thus the dramatic steps listed above designed to finally implement his grand scheme for frustrating the plan of God by eliminating faith from the earth and establish in its stead a visible and physical worldwide kingdom whose inhabitants universally worship him and his antichrist meets with an immediate and equally dramatic consequence:  the termination of the access to heaven and the presence of God which Satan had continued to enjoy up until this point.⁽²⁰⁾  In all this we see clearly the plan of God in action and the devil’s schemes in reaction.  Just as Satan is on the point of carrying through his fondest desires, he is cast to the earth, no doubt in part because of the actions he has taken to bring those plans close to fruition (the spawning of antichrist, establishment of a one-world rule, the setting up of the abomination of desolation in the temple court, and his session in the temple of God being the primary violations of the ground rules under which he and his compatriots have heretofore been allowed to operate).  And although the effects of the devil’s intensified depredations on the earth create the greatest wave of apostasy in history and will soon result in the greatest outbreak of persecution of believers, in short order it will be revealed how even these most distressful events have only served to bring about the fulfillment of what God has had in mind all along.  This will take place when the Messiah returns at the apex of the Tribulation’s final battle to lay all of God’s enemies low, to rescue the remnant of believers, to deliver the nation of Israel, and to establish His kingdom of light and justice, with Satan and his followers removed not only from heaven but from the earth as well for duration of Christ’s millennial rule.

 Finally in this regard, although the dragon, Satan, is viewed here as the actor in the persecution of the woman which follows immediately upon the heels of his expulsion from heaven, the earthly agent for this persecution is not the devil but his antichrist.  The consonance of action between the devil and his son can be seen in the similarity with which scripture describes the two.  Comparing these verses with the immediately following opening verses of chapter 13, we see that both the dragon and the beast are “red”, both have “seven heads” and both have “ten horns”.  We will discuss the various aspects of this symbolism in section V.1 below, but suffice it to say here that the complete agreement and seamlessness in planning and execution between the devil and antichrist respectively is effectively brought out by this deliberate similarity in symbolism.  

The frustration felt by the devil at being expelled from heaven even as he is on the cusp of finally accomplishing his long planned designs on earth brings immediate retaliation in his driving out of the woman.  The woman, as noted above, represents true Israel, and in our context here it is very important to understand that she represents believing Israel as opposed to the majority of the population of the nation Israel at that future time (and this believing remnant will most definitely be a minority: Rom.9:27; cf. Is.10:21-22; Joel 2:32; Rom.10:13).  These are the converts of 144,000 witnesses and the ministry of Moses and Elijah.  They are Jewish believers in Jesus Christ who have assembled from the nations in response to the unique evangelism of the Tribulation’s first half (covered in parts 2B and 3A of this series).  In that these believers, “the woman, Israel”, are said to be driven out by the dragon, it should be noted that the devil’s purpose is definitely not merely to evict them from the land of Israel.  Were he able to do so, antichrist at the behest of his father the devil would have destroyed these Jewish believers at this point.  Only the divine intervention mentioned in the following verses preserves them from that fate, a fate of martyrdom which will indeed befall many of their brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ around the world. 

The wings of the eagle:  In keeping with the symbolism of the allegory, the woman’s deliverance is likewise expressed in metaphorical terms with the “eagle’s wings” representing miraculous divine provision for escape.⁽²¹⁾  The Lord’s miraculous deliverance of Israel from Pharaoh, which event is typical of this deliverance (with antichrist functioning as an anti-type of Pharaoh), provides an identical use of this metaphor (Deut.32:11; cf. Is.40:31):
 

 You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Exodus 19:4

 
Just as the Lord miraculously delivered Israel from Pharaoh in the past, sustaining her in the desert and bringing her safely into the land of promise, so now the Lord will deliver believing Israel from the hand of antichrist, sustaining her in the desert through the Great Tribulation until our Messiah returns and establishes the millennial Kingdom in the land of promise.  The wings of the eagle vividly convey the idea of soaring majestically over the trouble on earth below, and of swiftly departing from the danger at hand.  When the time comes, the Lord will bring about the woman’s deliverance in a manner so dramatic and miraculous that this passage in Revelation thus deliberately compares it to the dramatic and miraculous Exodus of the sons of Israel out of Egypt and out of the hands of Pharaoh. 

1. Warning Signs:  Deliverance will require unhesitating obedience.  Scripture gives sufficient indications of the imminent arrival of this attempted persecution and leaves in no doubt the absolute necessity for swift and immediate flight just as soon as the conditions prophesied below by our Lord have been met.  The first such sign is great earthquake which, as we have seen, will occur immediately following the departure of Moses and Elijah to heaven (Rev.11:13).  The upheaval following such an intense disaster will no doubt cause the initial departure of the believers to go unnoticed.  The second sign, mentioned by our Lord Himself, will be equally unmistakable, namely, the erecting of the so-called “abomination of desolation”, the statue of antichrist set up in the temple court:
 

(15) So when you see the abomination of desolation (which is spoken of through Daniel the prophet) standing in a holy place – let the reader understand –  (16) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  (17) Let the one on top of his roof not go [back] down to pick up his things out of his house, (18) and let the one in the field not turn back to pick up his cloak.  (19) And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days.  (20) And [so] pray that your flight may not take place during a storm or on a Sabbath.  (21)  For at that time there will be a great tribulation such as has never occurred from the beginning of the world until now, and [such as] will never again occur thereafter.
Matthew 24:15-21  (cf. Lk.17:31-32)

(14) But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, (15) and let the one on top of his roof not go [back] down, neither let him enter [back] into his house to pick up anything out of it, (16) and let the one in the field not turn back to pick up his cloak.  (17) And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days.  (18) And [so] pray that it might not take place during a storm.  (19) For those days will see a tribulation the like of which has never occurred from the beginning of God’s creation of the world until now, and never will occur again.
Mark 13:14-19

Once the abominable idol of antichrist becomes visible in the temple court, believers remaining inside the city must flee without delay.  At that point, the necessity for departing immediately and with deliberate speed will be so urgent that even the briefest delay – only to retrieve one’s coat or a few essential items – may result in being caught in the beast’s net.  Further, this emergency departure will be a “one day only” affair, for those involved are told to pray that that day of flight might not be one of inclement weather (which would hinder their movement) nor a Sabbath (where their movements would be obvious).  For all who have remained in the city up until this point, strict obedience to our Lord’s command to depart without any further hesitation will be absolutely essential in order to avoid being swept up in the persecution the dragon and his antichrist intend.  Only swift response will ensure that those believers who have stayed on in Jerusalem will be able to escape safely into the desert now.  

 This absolute last chance for deliverance from the impending persecution is delivered from the perspective of those believing Jews who are still resident in Jerusalem at that time.  Once antichrist has conquered the southern alliance, returned to Jerusalem, killed Moses and Elijah, and put a stop to the temple rites, he will erect the idolatrous statue of himself in the temple court, the so-called “abomination of desolation” (i.e., “the abomination which causes [spiritual as well as material] desolation”; see part 3B, section VIII.1), and this will be the signal for believers in Jerusalem of their final opportunity to leave the city safely.  For the dragon’s pursuit of the departing Jewish believers will follow immediately, and any who choose to remain or otherwise neglect our Lord’s command to make haste will find themselves trapped. 

Which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to come?
Isaiah 42:23  NIV

 
In addition to the passages in Matthew and Mark which address this issue from the point of view of believers in Jerusalem, in the gospel of Luke our Lord also gives an earlier warning sign, addressing it to believers residing outside of Jerusalem:
 

(20) And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that her desolation is near.  (21) Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and those who are in the middle of [Jerusalem] depart from her, and those who are in the countryside not enter into her.  (22) For these are days of retribution in order that everything which has been written may be fulfilled.  (23) Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days!  For there will be great distress on earth and [great] wrath against this people.  (24) And they will fall by the mouth of the sword and will be taken captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trodden [down] by the gentiles until the times of the gentiles have been fulfilled.
Luke 21:20-24

 
The armies mentioned above are the forces of antichrist returning from plundering Egypt at the conclusion of the beast’s victorious second campaign against the south.  It will be recalled that during this second campaign for the first time significant contingents of antichrist’s armies will swarm through Israel in conjunction with his surprise naval assault to the rear of the Mahdi’s armies.  This event is prophesied to be an unpleasant experience for Israel as she will be treated roughly at that time, a sure indication of things to come (Num.24:23-24).  However it will not be until after the defeat of the king of the south that antichrist’s forces will return to the land of Israel and “ring” Jerusalem.  For during the prosecution of the second campaign their movements will be focused upon defeating the Mahdi’s armies.  It will only be after his defeat that antichrist will  redeploy his forces northward with the express intention of removing Moses and Elijah to enthrone himself in the temple, a development which will require no small “war” in and of itself as we have previously seen (Rev.11:7; cf. Part 3A in loc., section V, “The War against Moses and Elijah”).  Thus between our Lord’s words in Luke on the one hand and in Matthew and Mark on the other we are given both the inception and the terminus of the period of warning for believers to flee Israel proper for safety and refuge in the mountains and desert, with antichrist’s initial encircling of Jerusalem marking the beginning of the period of flight and his erecting of the idolatrous image of himself in the temple court marking its end.  Before this time Moses and Elijah will still be ministering so that such flight will be premature, but by the end of this time those still remaining in Jerusalem and Israel will have missed their opportunity for a retreat under divine protection to the safe haven where this remnant of Jewish believers will ride out the remainder of the Tribulation, protected from the wrath of the dragon and the beast and from the Great Persecution they subsequently launch.

The reason for the necessity of paying careful heed to our Lord’s commands in this respect is made clear enough in the verses above.  We have shown previously in this series how that the Tribulation, and especially the Great Tribulation, is characterized by divine judgment (see the synoptic chart in section I.6 above).  In the second half of the Tribulation, and especially in its latter days, these judgments will take the form of exceptional divine wrath poured out upon the unbelieving world (the “retribution” referred to in Lk.21:22 above).  And while believers can expect protection from the direct effects of these judgments, it is nonetheless obviously true that life in the protected haven to which these fleeing believers are about to be led will be far less onerous during those dark days than life in Israel, the very focal point of the penultimate and ultimate divine judgments of wrath, the battle of Armageddon and the second advent (Rev.16:12-21; cf. Rev.6:12-17; 19:11-21).  Secondly, and even more pertinent to this point, is the fact that the Tribulation’s second half will be, as we shall shortly see in detail below, characterized by its defining event, the Great Persecution (i.e., the “great wrath against this people” mentioned in Luke 21:23 above), and those believers in Israel who at this time for whatever reason fail to flee according to our Lord’s command will, to one degree or another, be caught up in the suffering produced through the attempt on the part of the dragon and the beast to eradicate faith and the faithful from the earth.
 

(30) For ships of Kittim (i.e., the western “Babylon”) will attack with him (i.e., antichrist) [so that he will be victorious].  Then he will be stricken [as if dead], but will revive.  And he will be enraged at the holy covenant, so that on his return [to Israel from the far south] he will take action [against it] (i.e., ending the sacrifices, setting up the abomination, taking his seat in the temple).  And he will give his support to those who abandon the holy covenant.  (31) For it is from him that the military forces will issue forth which will pollute the sanctuary (i.e., ending the ministry of Moses and Elijah), remove the daily sacrifice, and set up the abomination of desolation.  (32) And with enticements he will seduce [people] to violate the [holy] covenant, but the people who know their God will continue to hold fast to it.  (33) And those among the people who have insight will teach the people who will be persecuted by sword (i.e., martyrdom), and flame (i.e., torture leading to martyrdom), and captivity (i.e., imprisonment), and plundering (i.e., confiscation of property), for some time.  (34) And when they are persecuted, they will receive a little help, yet many will ally themselves to them under false pretenses.  (35) For even from among [the ranks of] those who have insight, some will be persecuted, in order to refine, purify, and cleanse them until the final end.  For [it is] yet to come at its appointed time.
Daniel 11:30-35

This pressure and persecution upon believers residing in Israel, whether those who failed to flee at the proper time or those who became believers as a result of the beast’s depredations as indicated and implied in the verses above, will continue throughout the time of gentile control, that is, the 42 months of the Great Tribulation which terminate with our Lord’s return and victorious eradication of the forces of antichrist at the battle of Armageddon (compare Lk.21:24 with Rev.11:2).⁽²²⁾

2. Divine Protection for the Flight:  Once Jewish believers within Israel do heed the warnings to escape, all indications both from this passage, Revelation chapter 12, and from elsewhere in scripture suggest abundant divine provision for that flight.  In the first place, after the beast’s conquest of Moses and Elijah, we may safely assume that the devil and his son will make their first order of business the capture and destruction of genuine Christian leaders worldwide, beginning with those in the territory of Israel.  Inasmuch as the general persecution of the Church follows antichrist’s attempt to exterminate believing Jews residing in the land, and that it is only after the dragon is “enraged” by the frustration of his attempt in this regard that he turns his attention to “the rest of [the woman’s] seed” (Rev.12:17), Christian leadership is the logical first target.  And beyond question the most significant leaders in the world at that time next in rank behind Moses and Elijah will be the 144,000.  Now while their teams of two are distributed throughout the world, we may posit a disproportionately large number in the land of Israel for reasons discussed previously (see part 2B of this series, section V, “The Sealing of the 144,000”).  We know from Revelation 14:1-5 (in the context of all of chapter 14 whose subject is the Great Persecution and the antithetical fates of those who love and those who oppose the Lord) that the 144,000 constitute the first wave of martyrs.  In this respect then, the 144,000 will serve to “cover” the escape of the rank and file believers in Israel at that time, refusing to hide or cower or run, and offering up a testimony to their persecutors as penetrating as that of Stephen prior to his martyrdom in Acts chapter 7 (cf. Matt.10:17-20; Lk.21:12-15).

Secondly, since, as we have already seen above, the parallel to the Exodus here in Revelation chapter 12 is being drawn by the Holy Spirit in such a deliberate and obvious way, we are right to conclude that the provision for these Jewish believers of this “second Exodus” out of the hands of this “second Pharaoh” will be equally miraculous and equally sufficient.  It will be remembered that on that first occasion God provided absolutely everything the people needed, from strong and competent leadership, to specific divine guidance, to tangible material support, to powerful divine protection.  For it will be recalled that the command to depart from Egypt on that first occasion came so abruptly that the people did not even have time to leaven their bread (the origin for the memorial of the unleavened bread at Passover: Deut.16:3; cf. Ex.12:11; 12:33-34), yet they suffered no ill-effects on account of their rapid departure.  Now too we must understand that our Lord’s command not to return home even for one’s outer garment will not present any serious hardship.  For those who obey with due speed and diligence, every material need will be met and provided.  Just as the Lord provided Moses and Aaron to lead the people and a pillar of cloud and fire to guide them by day and night, so we may be confident that these exiles will not lack for whatever leadership and guidance they need to bring them to their safe haven out of the clutches of the beast (cf. Ps.77:20).  And just as the shoes of those participating in that first Exodus did not wear out nor did their feet swell (Deut.8:4; Neh.9:21), we may be confident that whatever stretching of material means and strengthening of personal health may be necessary for a safe escape will be faithfully and miraculously provided by our Lord as a part of the “wings of the eagle” carrying these refugees out of harm’s way.  As those early refugees “plundered Egypt” through the divine favor our Lord poured out for them among their enemies (Ex.12:36; cf. Ex.3:21-23; 11:2-3), so we may expect a like measure of favor for these future believers to find grace in the eyes of all they encounter on their flight to safety (Is.21:13-15; cf. Is.48:20-21).  

Thirdly, it is very clear both from our passage and from the obvious threat posed by the victorious armies of antichrist against an unarmed civilian column that these refugees would stand no chance whatsoever without a very large measure of supernatural protection.  Revelation 12:16 describes the earth as giving aid to the woman by swallowing up the forces of antichrist sent in pursuit of the retreating remnant, and in this we see a clear parallel to the sea which “helped” retreating Israel during the first Exodus by covering over Pharaoh and his hordes.  Obviously, in both cases the Lord is the One who is working supernatural deliverance for the children of Israel.  In the latter case to come, moreover, we actually have an indication of direct angelic support as well against the unseen forces of Satan ranged against these believers in their flight, for the role played by Michael and his victorious angels in this safe retreat is specifically referenced in the book of Daniel:
 

At that time, Michael the great prince (i.e., archangel) will take his stand [in your defense], [even] he who stands [in defense] over the sons of your people.  For [that time] (i.e., the Great Tribulation) shall be a time of distress such as has never occurred since people first existed [on the earth] until that time.  But during that time your people will escape, [that is,] everyone who[se name] is found written in the book [of life] (i.e., present and future believers).
Daniel 12:1

 
Since the context here is the commencement of the Great Tribulation, we can see from the correlation of these events that Michael’s ejection of Satan from heaven is followed up by his immediate protection of Israel (something that is thus clearly taking place behind the scenes in Revelation 12:13ff.).  Following the defeat of the devil’s army, Michael and his forces are thus instrumental in preventing Satan from effectively spilling out his wrath upon these Jewish believers as they make their way into the desert and safety.

3. The Place of Refuge:  In Revelation 12:6, we were told that the woman would find refuge “in the desert” and that there was a place “prepared by God” for her there.  This point is reiterated in greater detail at Revelation 12:14 where we find that provision has been made for her in her desert sanctuary sufficient to endure the entire time of the Great Tribulation.  This will be a fulfillment in part of several Old Testament prophecies.⁽²³⁾
 

Thus says the Lord:  “Those from among the people who are survivors from the sword will find favor in the desert [at the time] of My coming to give Israel rest (i.e., the Great Tribulation preceding the Second Advent).”
Jeremiah 31:2

Therefore, behold, I am going to woo her (i.e., Israel).  For I shall bring her into the desert and speak to her heart.
Hosea 2:14  (cf. the Exodus comparison in v.15)

 
Our Lord’s command given in the synoptic gospels to flee “to the mountains” (Matt.24:15; Mk.13:14; Lk.21:21), rather than being contradictory, actually offers us some additional information about the progress of the flight.  In rough terms, the historical land of Israel is split from north to south by the Jordan valley rift (the ‘arabah as it is often called in scripture).  To the east of this wide valley one finds what is essentially an unbroken range of mountains running all the way from Lebanon in the north to the gulf of Aqaba in the south as the land rises out of the rift to the central plateau beyond.  Even in our Lord’s day and before, this area and the plateau beyond was predominately “desert” in both senses in which we employ the word, namely, arid, inhospitable land which is at the same time largely unpopulated.  Thus “mountains” and “desert” are not mutually exclusive terms, but we can glean from our Lords words when set against the context of Revelation 12 and the related passages we are considering here that the mountains on the far side of the Jordan valley are to be the first objective of these fleeing believers.⁽²⁴⁾  Once the initial safety of this remote area is gained, we can safely assume that by various means, human, angelic, and divine, the refugees will be gathered together and, under divinely provided leadership, provision and protection, taken further into the desert sanctuary where they will pass the darkest days of the Tribulation in complete security.
 

(40b) And [the beast] will invade the lands [of the southern alliance], and inundate [them] and sweep through [them],  (41) and he will advance into the Beautiful land (i.e., Israel).  Now many lands will fall before him, but these will escape from his control:  Edom, and Moab, and the first [part of the territory] of the sons of Ammon (i.e., the southern half of historical Ammon contiguous to Edom and Moab).
Daniel 11:40b-41

 
This passage in Daniel shows that the northern limit of the flight will be roughly parallel with Jerusalem (i.e., the northern part of biblical Ammon will not be safe).  This means that the corridor from Jerusalem to Jericho will be the northernmost escape route, with many refugees undoubtedly opting for more southerly routes, either traversing the Dead Sea or taking to the highways heading south of Dead Sea through the Negev towards biblical Moab and Edom.  Once the remnant has made its way thus far, the “wings of the eagle”, all the unspecified divine provision necessary for their journey, will continue to carry them southeastward into the desert to the specific place “prepared” for them by God (Rev.12:6; 12:14).
 

(13) An oracle concerning Arabia:  You caravans of the Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia, (14) bring water for the thirsty;  you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives.  (15) They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the heat of battle.
Isaiah 21:13-15  NIV

 
Dedan and Tema are settlements located several hundred miles farther out into the Arabian desert.  Along with Dumah to the north (Is.21:11-12; cf. Is.42:11), they constitute the extreme eastern boundary of Edom (see Ezek.25:13).  We can thus posit as a general area for the place of refuge a parallelogram of at least some 20-30 thousand square miles in area, extending on lines running roughly from the mountains opposite Jericho in the north and from the central Negev in the south southeastward into the Arabian desert for a distance of between 200 and 400 miles (and possibly farther).  This is the approximate location of the biblical Kedar (Is.42:11; cf. Is.21:13-17).

4. Divine Provision in the Desert:  Just as during the Exodus the Lord provided manna from the sky and water from the solid rock, so He will miraculously provide for all the needs of these tribulational refugees.
 

(18) “Forget the former things;  do not dwell on the past.  (19) See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up;  do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.  (20) The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, (21) the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
Isaiah 43:18-21  NIV

 
The context of comparison for the verses in Isaiah above is the Exodus (cf. Is. 43:16-17), but instead of 40 years in the desert, these believers will endure only three and a half before being resurrected at the glorious return of their Lord and ours.  For while that earlier generation tested the Lord “ten times” until He lost all patience with them (Num.14:22-23), these believers will truly be “the salt of the earth”, departing from trouble at His Word, and abiding in the place prepared for them by Him in complete safety and perfect divine provision through the Tribulation’s darkest phase, kept safe “away from the presence of the serpent” (i.e., the devil; Rev.12:14), and so kept safe from the beast and all his forces until the time of trouble finally comes to an end (cf. Is.40:3-4; compare also Elijah’s years in hiding and our Lord’s infancy in Egypt).
 

Get out, My people.  Go into your rooms and close your doors behind you.  Hide yourselves for a little while until My indignation has run its course.  For behold, the Lord is about to come forth from His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.  And the earth will reveal the blood shed upon it, and conceal its slain no longer (i.e., the persecution of believers will be punished).
Isaiah 26:20-21 [cf. 2Pet.3:10b]

The earth’s drinking up of the water:  The