When does the earth swallow the army pursuing the fleeing Jews?
The earth opens a deep crevice and swallows the pursuing army just before it catches up with the rear guard of the fleeing Jews. This divine intervention mirrors God's deliverance at the Red Sea, where He drowned the Egyptians. The Antichrist's armed force is destroyed before it can wipe out the escaping multitude.
Les explains that Revelation uses symbolic language. Just as Pharaoh sent an armed force after Israel when they escaped Egypt, the Antichrist will do the same when he learns multitudes of Jews are escaping. He will send a battalion, regiment, or similar armed force to wipe them out. But God intervenes. Verse 16 says the earth helped the woman: the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood—the armed force the dragon sent by decree to destroy those Jews. Just before that battalion, regiment, tanks, trucks, and vehicles catch up with the rear guard of the escaping Jews, the earth opens in a deep crevice and literally swallows them up. Les notes this is no harder for God than opening the Red Sea to drown the Egyptians. The Jews go out as if with eagle's wings, yet in Egypt they walked, not flew.
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.