The Great Tribulation: Israel's Flight & God's Protection Explained

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Okay, good to have everybody back once again. And we're going to go right into the book because time always seems to get away from us. So turn with me to Matthew 24. Of course, we always like to invite our television audience to get your book and follow these things with us, take your notes. And if you have any questions, give us a call on that toll-free number. And a lot of times we can answer a question over the phone or write to us or whatever. We'll be glad to help in any way we can. All right, now in Matthew 24, beginning with verse 15, we're going to pick up this remnant that we talked about in the last program that I feel will be the one -third that will survive the horrors of the tribulation. And Jesus speaks of it, and so if He speaks of it, we can rest on it because after all, He's the author of all of history. He's the author of our salvation. He's the author of eternity, and certainly He is the author of this book. And so now He says in verse 15, Matthew 24, "...when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet." Now, we just looked at that a program or two ago, and I'm not going to have you go back again to Daniel chapter 9. But you remember in 9 verse 27, it says that in the middle of the week, He will go into the temple and He will defile it. And that will be in the middle of the tribulation, at the end of three and a half years. All right, so now Jesus is clearly defining that this event is what Daniel was talking about. Now in verse 16, He said, "...then." In other words, when the word suddenly goes out that the Antichrist has come into the temple and defiled it, I wouldn't doubt that since they will be back into animal sacrifices and the altar will be operating, He will probably, just out of orneriness and demonism and what have you, He will offer a hog. That's what I think He'll do, because that is anathema to a Jew, you know, to think of a hog being slaughtered and its blood spilled on their altar. But whatever, He's going to defile the temple and He will then immediately turn on the Jew. All right, so then verse 16, Jesus said, "...then." "...Let them who be in Judea flee to the mountains." Now, we talked about this several months ago, but again, since it's in line with our study of the book of Revelation, we're going to repeat it. Verse 17, now I want you to watch as we come down through these verses that this is not a group of just one age or one sex. This is a mixed group of people. "...Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house." Now, we've explained this once before, that these are probably Jewish people living in the area of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and what have you, who are maybe retired, are living fairly high on the hog, if I may use that expression. They're living a good lifestyle, and so they have this leisure time on the housetop. And so the admonition is, don't even stop to take extra clothes. Then He goes to another group of people in verse 18, "...Neither let him who is in the field," now that includes, of course, the younger people, the ones who are still in working and production and what have you, "...and so neither let him who is in the field return back to take his clothes. Also, he shouldn't take time to do anything, but from wherever he may be presently working, be ready to take off for the mountains." Then verse 19, Jesus says, "...Woe unto them that are with child." In other words, you have your young pregnant women, and expecting, and they're also included. So now you've got your well-to-do retired people, you've got the working class people, now we come down to the young mothers and mothers-to-be, as well then as in verse 19, continuing on, to those that are nursing, nursing mothers. It's going to be hard for them. It's going to be hard for some young gal that's almost ready to deliver to make this long trek down to the mountains, which I think will be to the southeast of Jerusalem, probably to the area of Petra. Possibility, I'm not saying it is, but it's a possibility. And then he comes to verse 20, and notice now that this is an indication that the Jew will be back under the law. For he says, "...Pray or beg that your flight be not in the winter," so that they would have to suffer cold and snow and rain and ice, and that can happen in the area of Israel. "...and pray that it won't happen on the Sabbath day." Now according to law, you see, they were limited as to how far they could walk on the Sabbath day, and Jesus said, "...you better pray that this doesn't happen on the Sabbath day, otherwise the law would limit them from being able to escape." Now as we look at this whole scenario, I always like to remind the folks that I teach, flashback to the Exodus out of Egypt. So much of this is almost identical. Now, whether it will be in numbers or not, I'm not sure. But nevertheless, the scenario is so much the same. They're going to have this great number of Jews suddenly, just providentially, moving out to a distant place. Now then, verse 21. Here Jesus makes it so plain that since this is in the middle now of the tribulation "...for then..." In other words, from this point on, this last three and a half years, "...for then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be." Now think what that covers. That covers all of the horrible experiences that Israel had in Old Testament days. This covers the horrors of the Holocaust. This covers the horrors of famine and war that the world has experienced in the last generation. And none of that can measure up to what these last three and a half years are going to be. And He says, verse 22, "...and except those days should be shortened." Now, from what I can get out of the Greek word shortened, it doesn't mean that all of a sudden, instead of three and a half years, it's only going to be three years. But the word means unless it would end right on schedule. In other words, if this three and a half years would go an extra month, not a soul would survive. It's going to be so awful. But there will be survivors, and we'll be seeing that in lessons to come. That even under the terrible cataclysmic events of the final three and a half years, yet there will be survivors all around the world. All right? Verse 22 then again, "...and except those days should be shortened or brought to its timely end, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake." In other words, for those that will be believers going into the kingdom. Now, never lose sight of this. We have to have flesh and blood believers to go into the kingdom. And so the Lord will have to stop this before all of them are killed, or there would be no one for the regeneration of the human race in the kingdom economy. So unless this should be brought to its timely end, there would be no flesh saved. But since it will end on time, there will be survivors. And of course, like I said, we'll pick that up back in Isaiah. All right, now then let's go to Revelation chapter 6 again, because after all that's where we've been, where we're studying the book of Revelation. And remember in this chapter 6, we were looking at the seals. Those seals that were on the outside of this scroll out of Revelation 5, which you remember was indicative of a mortgage. And we've seen this mortgage being opened up now by taking off the triggering mechanisms for events in time. First, the white horse, which was a symbolism of the coming of the Antichrist. The red horse, the symbolism, I think, of the Russian invasion. And the pale horse, the symbolism for famine and disease. And then you had the black horse, which indicated the great death and destruction that will come as a result of the famine. And then you come down to verse 12, and he opens the sixth seal. Now remember there are seven, but the seventh one we'll cover a little later, because it's going to introduce the other trumpet judgments that will follow after the midpoint. But I want you to see now that this sixth seal is at the midpoint of the tribulation. And I beheld, and when he had opened the sixth seal, lo, there was a great earthquake. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. Now of course, I think what you've really got pictured here is that as a result of the cataclysmic events of earthquakes and probably volcanoes, you're going to, as we've often seen, the moon will just turn red as blood because of all the pollution in the air. The sun will actually be blackened out because of it. Now we're going to pick up the intervening verses at a later time, but now come all the way down to verse 17 in this chapter 6. Remember, now first there's going to be a great earthquake. Now this is at the midpoint. There's going to be a specific earthquake. And now you come down to what is to come. Now I think Scripture indicates that, like I said a program or two ago, the first three and a half years are not going to be a Sunday school picnic. They're not going to be a utopia. Maybe just for a few months, the Antichrist is going to seem to have everything under control. But the remainder of that three and a half years is going to get progressively worse. The war and the invasion in Israel and all the attending famine and so forth, it's already beginning to crescendo. And then when you come to the midpoint, I haven't got my line up there, but when you get to the midpoint of the seven years, here comes this great earthquake. We've already seen the two witnesses, resurrected and ascended, all probably within a matter of 72 hours or three or four days or whatever, but at the midpoint. And now verse 17 says, "...for the day of his wrath is come." In other words, that last three and a half years, the one that Matthew 24 said was worse than any other period in all of human history. All right, now come over to chapter 11 here in Revelation. Matthew, I mean Revelation chapter 11. Now in order to pick up the timing again, I always have to take this slowly, or people say, well now where do you get that this is the midpoint? How do you know it isn't at some other time? Well, remember when we were studying the two witnesses several programs ago? Verse 3, where God says, "...I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy, or speak forth, a thousand two hundred and sixty days." How long is that? Three and a half years. All right, then as they finish their testimony, they're put to death, remember, and they're resurrected. Verse 11, three days later, "...the Spirit of life from God entered into them, they stood upon their feet." And now you come to verse 12, "...they heard a great voice from heaven saying, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and there any of you held them?" Now that's the midpoint. That's the end of the twelve hundred and sixty days. Now you go right into the next verse, and what did it say? "...and the same hour..." See? So we're at the midpoint. "...at the same hour there was a great earthquake." See how that fits with chapter 6, back in Revelation? There's going to be a great earthquake? Well, here it's repeated. "...and there shall be a great earthquake. The tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake there were slain of men..." Now, I think it's predominantly Jews in the area of Jerusalem. "...there were slain of men seven thousand, and the..." What's that next word? "...remnant..." See that? "...and the remnant were affrighted..." In other words, God's got their attention now. "...and they were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven." Now here's where I always have to tell my classes, now be careful. A religious Jew today doesn't have any trouble giving glory to God, does he? No, no. I mean, they're always elevating the God of Abraham. But what is the problem with the Jew today that God has the controversy over? They will not recognize the Christ. Isn't that right? That's where they are still blinded and they are still in their unbelief. They cannot recognize that Jesus was the Christ. Now then, according to this verse, even though they give glory to God and they're religious, they've been practicing temple worship for three and a half years, have they recognized the Christ? No. And so I maintain that this remnant, oh, under the thumb, under the protection of their Almighty God, they are going to flee to the mountains, but as yet in unbelief. Sovereign is going to be providential. All right, now then we're ready for chapter 12. Revelation chapter 12, which again is a whole chapter full of symbolisms. Verse 1, And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. Now, all through the Old Testament, remember Joseph's dream? Who are the twelve stars? Well, it's Israel, see? And so verse 2, And she being with child cried, travailing in birth and pain to be delivered. Now what does Isaiah say? Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. See? All right, so who's the woman? Israel. What's the delivery? When the Christ child was born at Bethlehem. Now verse 3, And there appeared another wonder or a sign in heaven, and behold a great red dragon. And of course the dragon in Scripture is always a symbolic picture of Satan. Having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns, and again as I mentioned earlier, that's a depiction of his power. All right? Verse 4, His tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven. Now who do you suppose the stars of heaven were that Satan influenced? Well, it was the angels. At the time of his rebellion, clear back before Genesis 1-2, when in that interval, Satan rebelled against the authority of God, and evidently took a third of the angelic host with him in his rebellion. All right, now then, the dragon or Satan stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered to devour her child as soon as it was born. What was Satan going to do with the Christ child after he was born? Kill him. That's why the decree went out to kill all the boy babies under the age of two, to make sure that he would include this child that had been born at Bethlehem. All right? Now verse 5, She brought forth a man -child. See, Israel was the vehicle through which the Messiah came. And He came. And now it leaps, see, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. Well, that's been depicted ever since the onset of human history, that He would one day rule the world as His kingdom, as King of kings and Lord of lords. All right? Her child was caught up unto God and to His throne. What's that a reference to? The Ascension. Back in Acts chapter 1, when He left from the Mount of Olives, and He went back up to God the Father, and sat down at the right hand of the Father on high. Now then, verse 6. Now again, we leap, we leap time. The woman fled into the wilderness. Now this is at the midpoint of the Tribulation. We've come all the way through the birth of the Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, His Ascension. We've come over the Church Age, and now it's about time for Him to enter into human affairs and rule and reign. But first, the woman, the nation of Israel, fled into the wilderness, that is into the mountains. Now watch it. Where she has a place prepared of her there. How long? Three and a half years. See? There's our three and a half years again. Now, like I said, keep thinking of the Exodus of Egypt. When God brought Israel out of Egypt and brought Him to Himself, what did He do for them for 40 years? He fed them. Their clothes didn't wear out. They had need of nothing. He provided everything miraculously. All right, He's going to do the same thing for this group of fleeing Jews for three and a half years. And even though all the events of the Tribulation will be raging around them, they are going to be safe and secure in this place that God will prepare for them. Now then, we're going to have to skip across to verse... I'll come back and we'll look at verses 7 through 12, if not in this half hour, in the very next one. But now I want you to come across to verse 13. Now this is all at the midpoint of the Tribulation. Israel is going to flee. Now remember the ones we talked about back in Matthew, the retired people, the working people, the young parents, the young mothers and what have you. All right, now verse 13, "...so when the dragon," or Satan, who has now indwelled the Antichrist. So when, I guess literally I could say that when the Antichrist, through the empowerment of Satan, saw that... I'm sorry, when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, which took place back in these previous verses, he persecuted the woman who brought forth the man child. Who's he going to turn on? Israel, the Jew. Verse 14, "...and to the woman," that is this escaping remnant of Israel now, "...to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she will be nourished for a time one year, plus two times two years, for a total of three and a half, from the face of the serpent." All right, now we have to go back to Exodus a moment. Go back all the way to Exodus chapter 19. Keep your hand in revelation. If we've got time in this half hour, we'll be back. But in Exodus chapter 19, and I want you to see this constant analogy between Israel coming out of Egypt and the fleeing remnant coming out of Jerusalem to this place prepared of God for that final three and a half years. Exodus 19. Drop down to verse 3. "...And Moses went up unto God," that is into Mount Sinai, "...and the Lord called him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, And tell the children of Israel, I will go unto myself." Used what? Eagle's wings. What did Revelation say? They're going to go as if they had wings of an eagle. Well, now I always have to remind you, did the Jews sprout wings and fly out of Egypt? No. How did they go? They walked. But it was a supernatural walk. I have to think that God just supernaturally, somehow or other, moved those 3, 4, 5 million Israelites out of Egypt. Now come back to Revelation and you have the same setting. Supernaturally, sovereignly, God is going to bring this remnant of Jews that are going to be saved. They aren't believers yet, but they're going out in unbelief, but nevertheless under the sovereign thumb of their eternal God. And He will take them into the wilderness for those 3 1⁄2 years. Now, here's another analogy of Egypt. Verse 15. "...when the serpent," that is again working through the man Antichrist, who remember is now headquartered at the temple, "...when the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out." Now, you got the picture? Just as sure as Israel was fleeing out of Egypt down to the Red Sea, what did the Pharaoh do? Well, he sent his army and his chariots after them for what purpose? Destroy them. Well, the Antichrist is going to do the same thing. When he gets wind that there's a great group of Jews fleeing out of the area of Jerusalem, he will immediately put out the order for an armed force to pursue after them and to destroy them. I mean, after all, this is his hatred. But, God is going to intervene and as he opened the Red Sea for Israel and then closed it up on the chariots of Pharaoh, God is basically going to do the same thing with this armed force of the Antichrist. Do you see it? And as Israel is making her way into the mountains, just before that armed force, a battalion or a regiment or whatever he may send after them, just before they pick up with the rare echelons of Israelites, the earth is going to open up and swallow them. And they'll just simply be totally destroyed. Now, has that happened before in Scripture? Sure it did. You remember when the false fire was offered? Huh? Sure you do. And what happened to them? The earth opened up and they fell in. Well, you're going to have the same thing here. Now, I've reminded you before, as you study Revelation, constantly remember that so many of these events are on a grander and greater scale, of course, but they've happened before. This isn't the first time in Scripture that the earth has opened up and swallowed something, but here it is. Now read on. This gets interesting. So when that happens, the Word gets back to the Antichrist in Jerusalem that his armed force was totally destroyed and the Jews went on into a place where they couldn't be touched. So verse 17, the dragon. Now remember, the Antichrist and Satan are synonymous now. And so the Antichrist, indwelled by Satan, was angry with the woman and went to make war to turn all of his effort and all of his energy on the remnant of her seed. Now watch what remnant this is. This remnant keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Now think. Think. What remnant has already been out there for three and a half years literally screaming at the world, the King is coming? The 144,000. See? Now this remnant, and I usually put it on the board this way, as we come through our timeline and we're at the midpoint. Here at the midpoint you have this escaping remnant and they're heading out to the mountains in the east. Now that is the remnant of Israel that of course is going to be saved in a day when they see Christ coming in His second coming. And they're down here in a place and I think they're visibly going to see Him come. And when they see Him, Isaiah says a nation will be born in a day. Zechariah says, what are these wounds in your hands? And he'll say, with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. And so they will become believers at, I think, His second coming. Those 144,000 who are proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, the King is coming to the whole world. Now then, when the Antichrist realizes that he can't touch these, then he will turn all of his wrath on these 144,000. And then when you get to Matthew 25, what do you find out? They've been thrown in prison, they've been naked, they've been hungry, they've been thirsty. See? Because the Antichrist is going to turn all of his wrath on those 144,000 Jews. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick. A weekly Bible study. If you would like more information about the Les Feldick Ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program, write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552. That's Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552. Through the Bible, and be sure to tune in next time for Through the Bible with Les Feldick.