The angel who gave John the honey-coated little open book that was bitter also gave him a measuring reed. He asked John to measure the temple of God, the altar and the worshippers. Like the one hundred and forty-four thousand Jews that were sealed, this again is limited to a certain measurable value. But the angel asked John to leave out the outer court of the temple. It was given to the gentiles. These gentile unbelievers would tread underfoot the holy city for a certain time.

Forty-two months is seven times six. Six is the number of man (as mentioned in the thirteenth chapter). Month denotes a time scale specifically for the earth based on the revolution of the moon. Seven times six is a completion of the time of man. It is also the year 1948 / 1967 until which time, the Jewish Temple City of Jerusalem was under the control of the Muslims from the year 688, the year when it was destroyed completely to build the Al Aqsa Mosque. [AD 688 + (42 X 30 Jewish months) = 1948. Ad 688 + (42 X 30.4375 Calendar months) = 1967].

Daniel Nine

Believers are the people (Jews and gentiles) of the Prince of peace the Lord Jesus Christ of Daniel Chapter Nine. They shall come and destroy the city and the sanctuary (not tread, as per this chapter). Bloody Sacrifices are required no more. Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the ultimate sacrifice. The earthly altar for the purpose of animal sacrifice is redundant, outdated and old. Old must make way for the new. Jesus has opened the temple of God in heaven. Believers can approach the throne of God to receive grace and help anytime. The earthly temple has lost its relevance with the opening of the heavenly temple. Any attempt to rebuild it in Jerusalem or elsewhere would serve no purpose in the New Covenant of God.

Again, the Church and every individual believer’s body would become the Temple of the living God and the Holy Ghost in the New Testament times. Mt. Sinai and earthly Jerusalem indicate bondage and needs to be destroyed. The New Jerusalem Church is heavenly and stands for liberty. This ‘Mother’ bears the children of promise. Paul mentions this in his epistle to the Galatians.

Jesus also confirmed the new covenant with many (Jews first and then the gentiles at large) after three and a half years of his public ministry. He said that His blood that He would shed on the cross would ratify this covenant. From then on to the conversion of the gentile Cornelius, it was Jewish believers all along. Paul, the apostle exclusively to the gentiles was converted almost at the same time. Three and a half years after the death (and the resurrection) of Christ brought the end to the seventy weeks of Daniel. The time of Jews was over. This ushered in the time of the gentiles.

Satan is unable to withstand this offensive by the Church. So, God’s adversaries are waging a war against the believers. As then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now, continues Paul. But believers will keep causing the desolation. They will keep bringing down strongholds. It will go on unto the end of the war between Satan and the believers. The end thereof will be like a flood. A great number of believers will tread the outer court of the temple. It will be a great multitude (of chapter seven). This coterminates with the Philadelphia church (of chapter three) that would win souls in large chunks just before the hour of temptation. By the time the flood ends, it would be the beginning of the time of the end (1948 / 1967 AD) and the hour of temptation. The time of the church of Laodicea would have begun. Gentiles or Jews, only a few would remain to be added to the Church of Jesus Christ during this final period. Wood, hay and stubble would burn off. Gold, silver and precious stones in the existing super-structure would stand the fiery trials.

The two witnesses

Two witnesses of God will prophesy with the power they have received from God. The Holy Spirit was given to empower them. They stand before the God of the earth as did prophet Elijah. They will continue to witness for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. It is seven times six months converted to days. For them, every single day counts. This is the same period during which the gentile unbelievers will tread the holy city (1948/1967). Believers will populate New Jerusalem. These are the ones that are saved by the testimony of the two witnesses. If the Dome of the rock in Jerusalem is the ‘abomination that causes desolation’, then the one thousand two hundred and sixty years of witnessing will begin from the start of construction of this structure in 686-688 AD to 1948.

Though they are mentioned as two witnesses – the Jewish and the gentile Church – they stay together to show that they are a single entity. Following the principles of hermeneutics, we note, Paul mentions olive trees in Romans eleven as Jewish and gentile believers. Jewish believers are the natural olive tree. The gentile believers are the grafted olive branches. Two trees in one. These are the two olive trees mentioned by prophet Zachariah too. These are also like the candle sticks the Lord mentions in the first chapter. Candles represent the church among whom the Lord is moving. Here, they are two candlesticks on one stand.

The witnesses have been empowered by their Lord. They perform miracles. The word of their mouth devours their spiritual enemies like fire. God will recompense all that hurt them with the same kind of tribulation they caused to the church during the hour of temptation. The Lord will pour out His wrath on them immediately after the ‘catching up’ of the Church.

Like Elijah of old, the Church would have power to shut heaven from raining. Like Moses of old, they would have power to turn water to blood.

The Church, amidst the tribulation, would keep witnessing. The Church would overcome the enemy by the power of the Lord. God would bear witness as they perform signs and wonders. They would stop heavenly blessing from above and pronounce curse on the unbelieving ungodly. Reflecting on the words of our Lord, “Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. They would also be given divine power to smite the earth with all plagues (spiritual) as often as they will. This would go on during the time of the gentiles.

When the time of gentiles is over, the witnesses would have finished their testimony. The end thereof would be like a flood. The sixth church of chapter three (Philadelphia) would have won a flood of souls as the Lord threw open a door for them to function without hindrance. Then comes the hour of temptation. The time of the end would have commenced by then.

The world by this time will resemble Sodom. It will be filled with the wicked and the ungodly. Homosexuality and incest will be the norm. LGBTQIA+? The world will also resemble Egypt. Almost all people will be idol worshipers. They will worship idols, money and themselves. The Lord was crucified here. He came to His own but His own rejected Him. However, God protects the believers like He did the Hebrews at Goshen in Egypt.

The time of the Laodicean church is the hour of temptation. By this time, the Church would have finished their testimony. When the time of their testimony is over, the beast (Satan) that will ascend from the bottomless pit will overcome them and kill them physically. This is not the beast of chapter thirteen. That would be an antichristian kingdom comprising the Jews and Muslims (Divide and rule strategy?) that deny the divinity or humanity of Jesus Christ.

It is now the time when the angel of the Lord will let loose the Old Serpent or the beast. (Satan is called the beast because he will show animal behaviour possessing a man at any given time after his release). The Lord has permitted this to happen. And this time is now (AD1948 / 1967-AD202X). The king of the evil powers Abaddon / Apollyon who was, was not during the time of John until the time of the end, has ascended out of the bottomless pit in the year 1948 / 1967. And he knows that his time is short. So, he has set out to deceive the people from the four corners of the world. He is also making a final attempt to deceive the Elect. Those who are not the elect will be deceived. The deceived will be in millions. Many of the elect of this time will be killed by the beast. The Lord will permit Satan to do this. The dead bodies of the believers will lie in the streets – will be openly seen. They will die a humiliating death. People will not allow their bodies to be buried. The world will witness the dead bodies. This will happen here on this sinful earth.

The death of these believers will be celebrated by the world. They will exchange gifts. They will rejoice at the cessation of the torment brought on them by these believers while alive.

The sixth trumpet and the second woe contd.

Three and a half days after their death, the second woe will happen. The sixth trumpet will sound. A great earthquake will occur. One tenth of the world will fall. The earthquake will slay seven thousand names of men. (Seven is fullness and thousand is a large number according to the Bible. Names of men could be business empires headed by the billionaires of the world). The events following the breaking of the sixth seal will happen.

God will raise up the two witnesses (Jewish and gentile church) from their death in the same hour. Graves will open. The dead in Christ shall rise first. They will come out of the graves and stand on their feet. The world will be afraid to see them alive.

The resurrection of the believing dead in Christ has been mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:52 (in the Tamil Bible) as an event that will happen when the trumpet sounds. But, it has been clearly mentioned that the believers who are alive will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last (seventh) trump in 1 Cor 15:51 (in the Tamil Bible). These are two different events. However, these happen at quick succession as per 1 Thes 4:16, 17 – “rise first: then we which are alive”; and Rev 11:14 – the third woe comes quickly.

The witnesses will be called up. Their enemies will see them ascending to heaven. Those that escape the earthquake would be in terror and would give God the glory in fear. The seventh trumpet and the third woe follow soon after the second. They will happen on the same day.

The seventh trumpet and the last woe

The seventh angel will sound his trumpet. This is the last trump that Paul mentions in his first letter to the Corinthians. Saints will be changed. Believers that are alive, though a small number, would be caught up in the sky. (Enoch of the Old Testament was one single man that was translated to heaven from among his generation of probably billions!) The witnessing Church will ascend to heaven in a cloud. It would be the day of rapture for the believers. It will be a great day of reward for the faithful ones. God will give reward unto His servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear His name, small and great. They will remain with Him for ever.

The people of God would have conquered death, the final enemy. The Son of God would have made His believers triumph over death and the grave. The last enemy would have been conquered. The God of peace would have bruised Satan under their feet. The kingdoms of the world would become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. The believing generation would worship Him. They will give God thanks and glorify Him. The Lord had taken to Himself His great power and has reigned all along. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. Paul says so in His second letter to the Corinthians. God will reign for ever and ever.

The temple of God would open in heaven. This temple is the original. The temple in Jerusalem and the tabernacle that Moses built earlier were only earthly models of the heavenly temple. Jesus Christ is the ark of the covenant on whom the presence of God dwells. He will be in this temple of His saints. He will dwell in their midst. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men! This is the time the Saints will be in heaven. Then, they will come down to the new earth. The ‘tabernacle’ moves with Him.

By this time all the inhabitants of the world would be dead. God would destroy them in His wrath because they destroyed the earth. It will be the day of God. Lightnings, voices, thunderings, earthquake and great hail will occur. The sky and earth’s atmosphere will be on fire. They shall dissolve and pass away with a great noise. The elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Peter describes this in his second epistle.

The Lord will descend from heaven. A great multitude of saints will accompany Him to the earth. All dead that rejected God’s Way of Salvation will rise. The sea, death and hell will give up the dead. John saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.

God will open the books. He will also open the book of life. He will judge those who rejected Life. Their names will not be found in the book of life. He will judge them according to their works. All workers of evil, He will cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. All dogs (who went back to the filth and vomit of the world), sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie will be cast into the lake of fire. Death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire. The beast (the antichristian population) and the false prophet (the USA) that tortured the believers and deceived the world would have been cast into the lake of fire already. The Old Serpent Satan who is also called the Dragon and the Devil would also have been cast into the lake of fire.

Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon,
Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound;
All of the dead shall rise, the righteous meet in the skies
Going where no one dies, heavenward bound -Oak Ridge Boys.