The Great Battlefield's

Their ministry: Will be in the first half of the tribulation. Revelation 11:3 "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."

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  The precise timetable: They will have a ministry for 1,260 days or 3 and 1/2 years. The Jewish calendar is 360 days per year and that is what this is based on. It will not be based on our calendar of 365 days.
  
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  The preaching of truth: They will proclaim the truth of God and share the gospel of Jesus. The Bible says that they will be clothed in sackcloth and that represents mourning and humility. 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." I believe the 144,000 will be saved as a result of the ministry of the two witnesses. I also believe that they will be saved within the first few months of the tribulation period. There will be great confusion after the rapture and the only two that will be preaching the truth in the beginning is these two witnesses.
  

3. Their message: Will be very evangelistic and will cover the essence of the gospel.

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  Man's problem: Is that he is a sinner. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" This fact will not be watered down but will be proclaimed boldly by these men.
  
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  Man's penalty: That because of his sin he deserves death in hell. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
  
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  Man's promise: That if he will repent and turn to Jesus by faith he can be saved and have his sins forgiven. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
  

4. Their miracles: They will do great things for 3 and 1/2 years. Revelation 11:5-6 (5) "And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. (6) These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.'

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  Their power: Given to them by God will allow them to do great things. They can cause a draught, turn water into blood and send as many plagues as they desire during this time. Considering one of these men will be Elijah and how fearless he was in the Old Testament he will not back down from those who oppose him.
  
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  Their protection: If anyone tries to harm them they will be killed by fire that comes out of their mouth. They would be like a fire breathing dragon. Elijah called fire down from heaven at least 3 times in the Old Testament. 2 Kings 1:12 "And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty."
  

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   Their murder: The two witnesses will be killed. Revelation 11:7-8 (7) "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (8) And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."
   

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  The place: They will be killed in Jerusalem.
  
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  The perpetrator: Will be the antichrist.
  
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  The plan: They were not harmed until they finished the purpose for which God sent them.
  

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   The misguided: Will celebrate their deaths. Revelation 11:9-10 "And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. (10) And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
   

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  Their rejection: They reject the truth because they love darkness and sin more than God. John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
  
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  Their rejoicing: They literally had their own perverted version of Christmas. They exchanged gifts and rejoiced because they thought their problems were over, but in reality they would now be greater than they ever were. It shows how depraved man is and at this point he is at an all time low. They are rejoicing in the death of two righteous men and following a demon possessed man who claims to be God.
  

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   The miraculous: God will raise them up. Revelation 11:11-13 (11) "And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. (12) And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (13) And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven."
   

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  The victory: God raised up these two witnesses from the dead. This is a great miracle and will manifest forth the glory of God.
  
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  The viewing: Their enemies would see it.
  
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  The violence: A great earthquake comes and kills 10% of the people.
  
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  The vindication: The resurrection showed that these two men were truly of God. Also if you serve God he will protect you and keep you. The great persecution is about to go full force now and every person will have to make a choice. God did receive glory.
  

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   The Army (Revelation 7:1-17)
   

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   The delay for protection: God watches out for them. "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." (Revelation 7:1-3)
   

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  We see grace: God protects his own and there will be no judgment until that is done. They belong to God and they have a special job to do.
  
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  We see geography: Some very significant things happen or come from the east. "In the second verse another angel is seen ascending from the East. The tabernacle of the Israelites was pitched toward the East, and the royal tribe of Judah faced the East. The star which announced the birth of Christ was in the East, and it was from the East that the wise men came searching for Him who was King of the Jews. The glory of the Lord departed from Israel by the east side of the city, see Ezekiel 11:23. Our Lord was led out of Jerusalem by way of the east gate. When the glory of the God of Israel returns, it is by the way of the East. (Ezekiel 43:2, Matthew 24-27)" Dr. Glen Spencer from Revelation: Unveiling Christ and His Prophetic Program. This is from his excellent Expository Pulpit Series.
  

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   The details of their people: These men are clearly Jewish. "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand." (Revelation 7:4-8)
   

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  Their nationality: They were Jews and they were real men. Do not try to use imagination to replace interpretation of the scripture in context.
  
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  Their number: There were 144,000 of them and 12,000 came from each tribe. "In the listing in Revelation 7, the tribes of Dan and Ephraim are dropped and replaced by Levi and Joseph to keep the list at twelve. Why? Well, no one knows for sure. My guess is that Dan and Ephraim were dropped because they were the ones that led the children of Israel into idolatry (Deuteronomy 29:18-21 and 1 Kings 12:25ff). It thus appears that the two tribes responsible for luring others into idolatry will not be entrusted with sharing the Gospel with others during the Tribulation." Dr. David Reagan from Lamb and Lion ministries. (Nathan Jones does an excellent job with this website).
  

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   The delight of their preaching: Their impact was huge. "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Revelation 7:9-17)
   

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  The multitude: A great number of people will be saved during the tribulation. This is exciting time of evangelism and the fires of revival will burn during this time. This will include people from every nation and people group around the world. Though we do not know the number I believe it could easily be well over 100 million. If 1% of the population that exists at the start of the tribulation gets saved that will be over 70 million people. I believe the numbers will be from 1% to 10% of the population will be saved. Which would mean 70 to 700 million people will be saved during the tribulation. I believe most of the people saved will be the first half of the tribulation and the majority of that will be in the first year. I anticipate an average of 250,000 to 1 million people a day will be saved during the first year of the tribulation. I believe several factors lead to that conclusion.
  

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  Death: Over half the population will die during the first half of the tribulation. That is over 4 billion people.
  
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  Devastation: With all the judgments and disease people will blame God for all their problems and heartache.
  
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  Demonism: The mark of the beast will be instituted in the second half of the tribulation. All those who receive this mark will not be saved.
  
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  Decline: In morals and the hearts of men will grow cold and hard because of sin. We see a drastic change in things after the antichrist declares himself God.
  

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  The martyrs: During the tribulation many who get saved, will be killed for their faith. Many will get saved in the first half of the tribulation and some will die from the wars and natural disasters and many will be killed by the antichrist in the second half of the tribulation. This will be a horrible time to be on the earth and if you get saved today you can avoid this fate.
  
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  The mercy: God will comfort and wipe away all tears. What a great day that will be. We see the love of God displayed as he personally ministers to his people.
  

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   The Angel (Revelation 14:6-7)
   

Re 14:6 "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, (7) Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

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   The sacredness of the ministry: He is entrusted with the gospel message. You say why the angel at this time. This is now near the end of the tribulation, the two witnesses are dead and I believe most if not all the 144,000 have been killed by now.
   
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   The scope of the ministry: He would the gospel in all the world. No country, ethic group or people would be left out. It has always been the desire of God to have the gospel message preached to every person. Mark 16:15 " And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
   
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   The seriousness of the message: That they needed to be saved now, I believe this may be their last chance. Even in the midst of the greatest judgment of all time, we see God still seeking the souls of men, women, boys and girls.
   
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   The substance of the message: We see the elements of the angels message to mankind.
   

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  Recognize you are a sinner: We see that in the words "fear God" that were spoken. We live in a day when men have little fear of God and it will no doubt be worse during this time. Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate." Men need to hate evil not embrace it. Everyone is a sinner and needs to face that fact.
  
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  Recognize the savior: Each person needs to "give glory unto him" or they will never be saved. Jesus only is the savior, it is not the antichrist or any other false God.
  
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  Recognize the sentence: "the hour of his judgment is come" God's punishment is just and men should not blame God for what is going on in the world. People need to realize that there is a penalty for sin, and Jesus is the only hope to escape that penalty.
  
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  Recognize his salvation: There is no other to be saved except through Jesus. Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
  

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  Accept his cleansing: Come to Jesus by faith. There is no other way. John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
  
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  Acknowledge him as creator: Jesus created the world it did not evolve through the lie of evolution. To call God a liar is dangerous and shows that you have been deceived or you are rebelling against the truth because you refuse to submit to it. If you are not saved, today is the day to get that settled.
  

Lesson Five The Battlefield of Despair

Text: Revelation 8-9

Introduction: There will be a great time of despair throughout the earth. It will come from different sources but it will affect everyone on earth. If you are saved today no matter how tough you may have it today, this time in history will be worse than anything that has ever happened before. There will be no hiding and anyone who is not saved who hears or reads this message should not delay any longer. Get saved today!

Illustration: During the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, German pastor Paul Gerhardt and his family were forced to flee from their home. One night as they stayed in a small village inn, homeless and afraid, his wife broke down and cried openly in despair. To comfort her, Gerhardt reminded her of Scripture promises about God's provision and keeping. Then, going out to the garden to be alone, he too broke down and wept. He felt he had come to his darkest hour. Soon afterward, Gerhardt felt the burden lifted and sensed anew the Lord's presence. Taking his pen, he wrote a hymn that has brought comfort to many. "Give to the winds thy fears; hope, and be undismayed; God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears; God shall lift up thy head. Through waves and clouds and storms He gently clears the way. Wait thou His time, so shall the night soon end in joyous day."

It is often in our darkest times that God makes His presence known most clearly. He uses our sufferings and troubles to show us that He is our only source of strength. And when we see this truth, like Paster Gerhardt, we receive new hope. Are you facing a great trial? Take heart. Put yourself in God's hands. Wait for His timing. He will give you a "song in the night."  Our Daily Bread, May 7, 1992.

Overview of Causes of Despair

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  The Effect of Nuclear destruction: This will cause untold death and human suffering. There will be food shortages, hyper inflation and disease will run rampant. This conflict will make World I and World War II look like nothing in comparison. The potency of the weapons today is scary and man will unleash a monster that he is not able to control.
  
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  The Effect of Natural disasters: The effect of all this war will cause great havoc in the earth. Natural disasters and devastation from war will make food and a safe water supply very rare and precious. These are items that are taken for granted today, but at this time that will no longer be the case. The intensity and frequency of these natural disasters will be greater than anything our world has ever seen before. There is going to be riots, stealing and it will be a giant nightmare for all who on the earth at this time.
  
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  The Effect of Nasty demons: There will be much demonic activity during this time. It will be all out war on those who get saved during the tribulation. Our world is moving further and further away from the true and living God. It will hit an all time low during this period. Demonic activity will abound and it will be the norm in society. Truth will totally be twisted by the world and those true believers will endure incredible persecution. The stage is being set for that in our world today. Perversion is being held up as normal in our world today. We are told we are bigots and intolerant if we do not accept it. The world continually tries to portray Bible believing Christianity as the major problem in our society today.
  

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   The Effect of Natural disasters
   

Re 8:7 "The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up."

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   Agricultural disasters: Life on earth began with agriculture and man's ability to have access to food was essential to his physical life. With the destruction to the grass and the trees this would greatly affect the food supply on earth. Genesis 2:7-9 (7) "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (8) And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (9) And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." We see three important things from this passage.
   

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  Creation: God created man. God desired to have man fellowship with him and walk in his ways. Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Mankind should be delighted that God loves and wants to spend time with us, but sadly most people today want nothing to do with God.
  
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  Cultivation: God created fertile land that would grow food that would provide nutrition and sustain life. Genesis 1:29 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." It is God's blessing that gives us an abundance. Genesis 26:12 "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him."
  
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  Consummation: Man would eat the food that was provided by the land. Agriculture has always played a vital role in any society. Healthy farming practices and properly taking care our environment are important for quality food. When man tampers with this process for short term financial gain it will become a future nightmare for those having to deal with the consequences. 1 Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
  

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   Air disaster: Think about how terrible the smoke will be from the fire which will make it difficult it extremely difficult to breathe. " Air pollution is a problem for all of us. The average adult breathes over 3,000 gallons of air every day. Children breathe even more air per pound of body weight and are more susceptible to air pollution. Many air pollutants, such as those that form urban smog and toxic compounds, remain in the environment for long periods of time and are carried by the winds hundreds of miles from their origin." (US EPA website)
   

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  A problem breathing: mankind will find it very difficult to do something they used to take for granted. All the green grass will be burnt up and no longer exist. One third of the trees will be gone and it will greatly affect the oxygen supply left to sustain life. The quality of life on earth will be greatly affected and the suffering of mankind will be great.
  
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  A problem believing: Even with all the things they see many will curse God and not turn to him in faith. Without God's blessing man has nothing. Job 12:10 "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." Man should be using the breath that he has to do something very important, but sadly neglected and that is praise the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 150:6 "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
  

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   Aquatic disasters: Now we have the world’s oceans becoming a toxic sewer, and the smell will be unbearable. The death toll will be staggering. This will affect freshwater fish as well. Food is becoming very scare now, and perhaps the only way one might get something to eat is by killing those animals and birds of prey. Of course they might attack you as well. Revelation 8:8-11 (8) And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; (9) And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. (10) And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; (11) And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
   

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