Spir Dynamics 1139-1168, 1191-1225 1/25/98

DOCTRINE OF OPERATION FOOTSTOOL

A. Definition. 1. The prerequisites to Operation Footstool.

a. The first prerequisite was our Lord’s victory on the Cross—the imputation of all sins of human history to Christ on the Cross and their judgment.

b. The second prerequisite is the resurrection, ascension and session of Jesus Christ, at which point He received a third royal title (“King of kings, Lord of lords, the Bright Morning Star"), which demands the calling out of the royal family of God during the Church Age to provide a royal family for His third royal patent. The second prerequisite includes the completion of the Church as the body of Christ, and this prerequisite is completed at the Rapture of the Church.

(1) Israel under the fifth cycle of discipline as a client nation no longer represents Christ on earth during the Church Age.

(2) Israel is replaced by the Church in the Church Age, Eph 1:22-23, 4:4-5, 5:23-24, 5:30-32; Col 1:18, 24, 2:19; and by the 144,000 Jews in the Tribulation, Rev 7:4.

(3) Because of the session of Christ, the angelic conflict has intensified during the Church Age, Eph 6:11-13.

(4) The body of Christ, the Church, is being prepared on earth by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, in which every believer is entered into union with Christ, 1 Cor 12:12-14; Col 2:10, 12.

(5) When the body is completed, it is removed from the devil’s world by means of the Rapture of the Church, 1 Cor 15:51-57; 1 Thes 4:16-18.

(6) After the Rapture, the Church becomes the bride of Christ, Rev 19:7.

(7) Once in heaven, the bride is prepared for the wedding supper which will occur at the Second Advent, Rev 19:8-9.

(a) The bride enters into ultimate sanctification by receiving a resurrection body like Christ’s, 1 Cor 15:51-57; Phil 3:21; 1 Jn 3:1-2.

(b) The bride, in receiving a body like Christ’s, no longer possesses an old sin nature, Phil 3:21; 1 Thes 5:23.

(8) The bride returns with Christ at the Second Advent, 1 Thes 3:13; Rev 19:11-16.

c. The third prerequisite is the great Tribulation. Operation Footstool cannot begin until the resurrection of the Church and evaluation of all Church Age believers at the judgment seat of Christ, so that we know exactly who is qualified to rule nations on earth during the millennium. Only Jeshurun believers will be qualified to rule with Christ.

2. Operation Footstool refers to the termination of the strategic victory of the angelic conflict, by which the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth to establish His kingdom and to remove Satan and all fallen angels. It constitutes a coup d’etat whereby Satan loses the rulership of the world to the Lord, Ps 110:1; Heb 1:13; 10:13.

3. Then follows Operation Footstool.

a. First comes the triumphal procession in which all demons are disarmed by Jesus Christ and publicly displayed, Col 2:15.

b. Satan is imprisoned for one thousand years, Rev 20:1-3.

c. Church Age believers cast demons into prison, Zech 13:2; 1 Cor 15:24-25; Col 2:15.

4. The removal of Satan and all fallen angels, plus the rulership of Christ, changes the environment of the earth during the Millennium.

a. Religion is eradicated, 1 Cor 10:20-21.

b. False doctrine is removed, 1 Tim 4:1.

c. Spirituality changes to include ecstatics, since Christ is personally present on the earth, Joel 2:28-29.

d. Perfect environment will exist on earth until Satan is released to foment the Gog revolution, Rev 20:7-10.

5. Principles.

a. Human history cannot be fulfilled until Operation Footstool is completed.

b. It will take one thousand years to complete Operation Footstool once it starts.

c. Operation Footstool cannot even begin until two more prophecies are completed.

d. Originally there were three prophecies that had to be fulfilled before Operation Footstool could begin: the victory of the Cross, the formation of a royal family of God, and the Tribulation.

e. So far in history one prerequisite is completed (the Cross) and two prerequisites still need to be completed. The Church Age must be completed and Satan must receive the rebuttal phase of his appeal trial. While this is going on, you must be evaluated on what you did with your spiritual life.

f. In all of human history and eschatology, Jeshurun status in the royal family is the gem of history. The highest rank ever given to believers is Jeshurun status. It is one of the few things passed down from the dispensation of Israel to the Church.

g. Therefore, Jeshurun status is the ultimate in postsalvation spiritual life of the Church.

h. The Church Age is absolutely necessary as both a prerequisite and as a principle part of Operation Footstool. Jeshurun believers will play a major role in human history during its last one thousand years.

i. There are two completions involved in the dispensation of the Church. Individual completion (execution of the spiritual life) and corporate completion (the Rapture) is all a part of the next prerequisite for Operation Footstool. In Operation Footstool, every believer who reaches Jeshurun status will rule with Christ during Operation Footstool. Every Church Age believer has equal privilege and equal opportunity to reach Jeshurun status.

(1) Individual completion is a matter of your daily decisions.

(2) Corporate completion is the resurrection of the Church, and God, and God alone, decides when the resurrection of the Church will occur. You cannot pray for the resurrection of the Church. No one knows when it will occur. All we know is that it will happen “suddenly.” Anyone who says they know is in a state of blasphemy.

2. Scripture.

1. Eph 1:22, “And He [God the Father] has subordinated all things under His [Christ’s] feet. Furthermore, He has appointed Him ruler over all things to the Church.”

a. “All things under His feet” is eschatology. “All things to the Church” is ecclesiology. God the Father is going to subordinate everything in the world to Christ.

b. The first doctrine anticipates Operation Footstool. The second doctrine emphasizes the prerequisites before Operation Footstool can begin.

c. Our Lord’s royal title in relation to Operation Footstool is “King of kings, Lord of lords, the Bright Morning Star.” This title is found in four passages: 1 Tim 1:17, 6:15; Rev 7:14, 19:16.

d. The rulership of Christ over the Church includes the fact that He is a ruler with another special title. He is a Royal High Priest, 1 Pet 2:9. Because He is a royal High Priest, every believer in the Church Age is a priest. We are called a kingdom of priests, Rev 1:6, 5:10. In 1 Pet 2:5, we are called “holy priests” in the sense of being separated until God for a special purpose.

2. Ps 110:1, “The Lord [JHWH—God the Father] says to My Lord [Adonai—Jesus Christ], `Sit down at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.’”

a. Only the humanity of Christ can sit down in one location at the right hand of God the Father. Our Lord is invited to sit down with His human body because in His body He won the victory of the Cross.

b. Operation Footstool was decided in eternity past as a part of the divine decrees, but cannot be fulfilled in time until the prerequisites have been fulfilled.

c. Who are the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ?

(1) Satan. Isa 14:13-14 mentions the revolution of Satan.

(2) All fallen angels.

(3) All religion is the enemy of God. Religion is man by man’s works trying to gain the approbation of God. Christianity is not a religion. In Christianity, God seeks mankind through the salvation ministry of Jesus Christ.

(4) Carnal believers or believers in perpetual carnality. In Phil 3:18 believers in a state of carnality are called “the enemies of the Cross.” Perpetual carnality is emotion instead of doctrine.

(5) All unbelievers. Rom 5:10, “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be delivered through His life [the prototype spiritual life of Christ].” We were all born spiritually dead in total separation from God and enemies of God.

(6) Death. 1 Cor 15:23-28. Verses 25f, “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.” Death is abolished for the unbeliever by being cast alive into the lake of fire, Rev 20:10,14; Mt 25:41; and for believers, Rev 21:4, “There shall no longer be any death.”

d. Ps 110:1 is quoted in the gospels, Mt 22:44; Mk 12:36; Lk 20:42. It is quoted in Acts 2:34-35. It is quoted in the epistles, Heb 1:13, 10:13. Heb 10:12-14, “but He, having offered one sacrifice as a substitute for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies were made [culminative aorist passive subjunctive from the verb TITHEMI, meaning “to set, place"] a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has brought to completion for all time those who are sanctified.”

C. Warfare and Operation Footstool.

1. There are five great demon attacks in history.

a. The genetic attack of Gen 6:1-13; 2 Pet 2:4-5; 1 Pet 3:18-22; Jud 6. This was an attempt by Satan to destroy true humanity on the earth by the sexual intercourse of angels with women producing a race of half human half angelic beings. This race was destroyed in the flood. The true human race was reduced to only eight people, Noah and his family.

b. The attacks of demon possession, in which the demons occupy the bodies of unbelievers resulting in: diseases, Mt 9:33, 17:18; Lk 4:35, certain mental disorders, Mt 11:18; Lk 7:33; Jn 7:20, divination, the operation of the Phallic cult, and many other things.

c. The attacks of demon influence against mankind, in which demons penetrate the soul and personality of both believers and unbelievers. They do not actually get in the soul but provide information through human sources. This is the doctrine of demons.

d. The physical attack of Satan’s demon armies during the Tribulation. There are three attacks.

(1) The attack of the first demon assault army stationed in the Abyss, Rev 9:1-12.

(2) The attack of the second demon assault army stationed under the Euphrates river, Rev 9:13-21.

(3) The attack of the third demon assault army stationed in heaven under the direct command of Satan, Rev 12:7-17.

e. The Satanic conspiracy of Rev 16:13-14.

2. The Satanic conspiracy of Rev 16:12-15, “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, in order that the invasion route [way] for the kings, those from the east, might be prepared. Then I saw three frog-like demons from the mouth of the dragon [Satan, Rev 12:9], and from the mouth of the beast [Gentile dictator of revived Roman Empire], and from the mouth of the false prophet [Jewish dictator of Israel who passes himself off as the Messiah]; for these are the spirits of demons performing miracles [this is the emotional appeal to the general public as a part of the public lie], who go out to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to mobilize them for the war of the great day of God [second Advent], the Omnipotent One [Jesus Christ]. Be on the alert, I will come like a thief [suddenly]. Happy is he who stays alert and guards his uniform, so that he may not march naked [if the soldier woke up in time, he put out the flames, was arrested, and marched naked to his execution], and they [other soldiers] see his shame [of being a loser].”

a. This is also mentioned in 2 Thes 2:3 and includes an alliance between great dictators. Two of these dictators are mentioned in Rev 13 and Dan 11:36ff. One is the dictator of the revived Roman Empire, called the king of the West. The other is the dictator of Israel during the Tribulation. The invasion of the king of the South will also occur at the same time, Dan 11:40; Isa 63. The invasion of the king of the North will occur. Rev 16:12 indicates there will be an invasion of the kings of the East. There was an alliance between the dictator of the revived Roman Empire and the dictator of Israel. The invasion of the king of the south (Dan 11:40; Isa 63:1-6) is a result of this alliance. The king of the north attacks rapidly through Israel to attack Egypt. The navy of the king of the west defeats the navy of the king of the north in the Mediterranean, but the king of the north continues his attack through Africa. He hears of trouble along his supply lines in Israel and turns back to fight in Israel. At the same time the king of the west lands troops from the Mediterranean and the king of the east attacks into Israel from the east. So all four armies gather in Israel at the same time and try to destroy Israel as a part of anti-semitism.

(1) 2 Thes 2:3-4, 8-9, “Let no one deceive you in any manner; for it [second Advent] will not come unless the apostasy [of the Tribulation] comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed as the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called god or worshipped as Him, so that he sits in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. ...Then [Tribulation] the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will destroy with the breath of His mouth and abolish by the appearance of His presence [Rev 19:19]; that is, the one [beast-dictator of the revived Roman Empire] whose presence is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and miracles, and false wonders.”

(2) The man of lawlessness or the man of sin is the dictator of the revived Roman Empire, also called the king of the West, Dan 7:17,23. He is called by many titles.

(a) “The man of sin, the son of perdition,” 2 Thes 2:3.

(b) “The beast from the sea,” Rev 13:1-10 (his political title); “the beast,” Rev 17:8-13 (his religious title); and “the beast on whom the scarlet woman rides.”

(d) “The abomination of desolation,” Dan 11:31, 12:11; Mt 24:15. A statue of him is put up in the temple at Jerusalem, a sign for all believers to flee to the mountains.

(e) “The prince that shall come,” Dan 9:26-7.

(f) “The prince of Tyre,” Ezek 28:1-10. He is given this title because of the Phoenician Satan worship.

(g) “The feet of the image,” Dan 2:31-45.

(h) “The god of force,” Dan 11:38.

b. This elect angel is a member of an execution squad which carries out the sentences handed down by the supreme court of heaven. This means that the last great war in human history is a direct judgment of God Himself and is a judgment against anti-semitism and all the other evils of the Tribulation.

c. These frog-like demons are KOSMOKRATOR demons of Eph 6:12, who are war demons. Satan is the KOSMOKRATOR demon as ruler of the world, Lk 4:5-7; Jn 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2.

d. Satan is the source of the public lie which begins the great war in the middle East. He uses the public lie to get his way. Satan starts the greatest war in all of human history and at the end of the millennium will start the greatest revolution in human history.

e. The second Advent will take both the unbeliever and the apostate believer by surprise. The suddenness and the power of the second Advent will surprise everyone but Jeshurun believers. Doctrinal believers will be alert and happy. Soldiers who fell asleep on guard duty were set on fire while asleep. You guarded your tunic by staying awake and alert. This is analogous to the use of the problem solving devices. Jeshurun believers will have the greatest happiness during the time of greatest tribulation. There is no safer or happier place to be than in Jeshurun status as a mature believer regardless of historical circumstances.

(1) Alertness means maximum Bible doctrine circulating in your stream of consciousness. Alertness deals with memory, being able to recall immediately the doctrine you need. Alertness is wisdom above all else.

(2) This alertness is commanded of all believers. We must be alert in several areas of our life.

(a) The first area in which we must be alert is in the area of God’s plan for our life.

(b) We must be alert with regard to historical trends. In the Tribulation, believers must be alert to prophetical trends. Alertness demands cognition of the prophetic events of the last half of the Tribulation for those in the Tribulation. Hence, the importance of cognition and inculcation of genuine eschatology.

(3) Believers by the thousands will survive the worst historical disaster in all of human history by alertness. That alertness also carries with it great happiness. The same doctrine that makes the believer alert also provides the most fantastic true inner happiness of life. This happiness does not depend on circumstances. True happiness in life is sharing the happiness of God, and the environment in which we live and the adversities which we face are not the issue.

(4) The believer who keeps right priorities will never be surprised or overcome by any form of personal, collective, or historical disaster. There is great happiness from the use of the problem solving devices.

(5) Doctrinal alertness is absolutely necessary for both survival and blessing in historical disaster today and in the disasters that are prophesied for the future.

(6) The alertness comes from the modus operandi of the spiritual life. Three things are involved in that alertness: humility, professional (understanding the mechanics of the problem solving devices and being able to use them), and integrity (the spiritual strength to execute the problem solving devices in disaster). 3. Rev 16:16, “And He assembled them together in the place which in Hebrew is called hill of Megiddo [Armageddon].”

4. Rev 19:11-21.

a. Rev 19:11, “Then [the first day of the second Advent of Christ] I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who is mounted upon it is called, ‘Faithful and True’; and with justice He will judge and He will make war.” The white horse is analogous to the white horse ridden by the victorious king of an army at the time of writing. Our Lord is mounted on the horse in His humanity. The white horse portrays the majesty of His battlefield royalty. “Faithful and True” is the title of our Lord because He keeps His word in the deliverance of Israel at the second Advent.

(1) All divine violence comes from the perfect integrity of God. The perfect righteousness of God can use violence without abusing the power of violence. Perfect righteousness condemns and perfect justice executes all the unbelievers who had the same love from God. The love of God did not reject these unbelievers, but they rejected the love of God.

(2) The only way to meet the violence of evil is with the violence of righteousness, justice, love and grace. That is the principle of law enforcement and military establishment.

(3) The violence of righteousness takes life both under the authority of the laws of divine establishment and from the integrity of God.

(4) In this way the human race is preserved throughout the course of human history. This is part of the principle that Jesus Christ controls history.

(5) The key to the proper use of violence in history is integrity, which uses authority without the abuse of authority. Once you have authority and abuse it, you have tyranny.

(a) Arrogance abuses authority and has no sense of responsibility or accountability; therefore, arrogance uses violence for evil. If people in government are not responsible and accountable, you have tyranny.

(b) The criminal uses a gun, which gives him power over the law abiding citizen, who does not have such a gun. Hence, the criminal misuses the gun for illegal power and violence. The fault does not lie with the gun, but with the criminal. The violence of tyranny and murder is the function of the criminal and cannot be blamed on the firearm. Getting rid of the firearm is not the solution, but execution of the criminal. Guns do not kill people; people kill people because their sin nature is out of control.

© The only way to meet the violence of evil is with the violence of integrity. The violence of righteousness in military function provides national freedom, so that the citizens of the nation have a better chance of hearing and believing the gospel.

(6) What the righteousness of God demands, the justice of God executes through the love of God as expressed in the grace of God. The love of God does not reject the millions of unbelievers at Armageddon, but they reject the love of God, Rom 5:8.

(7) What the righteousness of God condemns, the justice of God judges, while the love of God provides a solution expressed through the grace of God, Eph 2:8-9; Jn 3:16.

(8) The righteousness of God condemned all sins of every person in the armies that attack Israel at Armageddon. The justice of God judged those sins by imputing to Jesus Christ on the Cross and judging them. The love of God provided the solution to this condemnation and judgment through faith alone in Christ alone.

(9) The solution is expressed in the grace of God, Eph 2:8- 9; and the manifestation of that grace is stated in Heb 12:2, “be concentrating on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our doctrine, who because of His exhibited happiness He endured the Cross and disregarded the shame, then He sat down at the right hand of the Father.”

(10) The conclusion of Rev 19:11 is found in Isa 2:4, “And He will judge between the nations, and He will condemn many peoples, and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. No nation will lift up a sword against another nation and never again will they train for war.”

b. Rev 19:12, “And His eyes a flame of fire, also on His head were many crowns [Divine, Jewish, battlefield royalty]; and He has a royal title which has been written which no one understood except Himself.”

(1) This passage emphasizes the integrity and perfect righteousness of the deity of Christ plus His impeccability from His life in the prototype spiritual life.

(2) Divine judgment is designed to bring the unbeliever of the Tribulation to the reality of His status and need for salvation even as he sees others dying before him.

(3) All judgment is delegated by God the Father to the Lord Jesus Christ for Operation Footstool, Jn 5:22-23,27, “But not even the Father judges anyone, but He has delegated all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. He gave Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man [true, perfect humanity].”

(4) The principle of grace before judgment—there is always a grace period of intense evangelism before judgment is administered by our Lord Jesus Christ. The principle of grace by means of judgment—all divine judgment has the purpose of bringing the unbeliever involved in the cosmic system back to reality. Arrogance blinds the unbeliever regarding his need of eternal salvation, but judgment removes that blindness by means of personal or historical disaster. Historical disaster offers the option of grace or judgment; hence, the principle of grace before judgment and grace by means of judgment.

(5) Positive volition is stimulated by divine judgment by never by those disasters brought about by the function of human volition. Decision from human volition and its consequences is always an issue in the historical phase of the angelic conflict. Jesus Christ not only controls history, but Jesus Christ is the issue of history. To believe in Jesus Christ in time cancels judgment from Jesus Christ in eternity.

c. Rev 19:13, “Furthermore, He was wearing a robe which had been splattered with blood, furthermore, His title has been designated, “The Word of God”.

d. Rev 19:14, “And the armies in heaven were following Him on white horses [sign of victory], and they were clothed with fine linen [ultimate sanctification], white [resurrection body] pure [ultimate sanctification].”

e. Rev 19:15, “And a sharp broadsword proceeds from His mouth, in order that with it He might destroy the nations, then He will rule them with an iron scepter; prior to this He treads the wine press of the wine of wrath, even the anger of God, the Omnipotent One.”

f. Rev 19:16, “Furthermore, He has a royal title which has been written on His robe [military tunic] and on His thigh “King over kings and Lord over lords”.

g. Rev 19:17, “Then I saw one angel standing in the sunlight; and he shouted with a loud voice saying to all the birds which fly in mid air, “Come gather to the great feast from the God [Jesus Christ],”

(1) This unique angel is the king of arms, a seraph, the ruler of the angelic college of heralds. He is also called the powerful angel of Rev 5:2; 8:3,5; 10:1; 14:18; 18:1,21. He is going to make an announcement and invite all the carrion birds to a party.

(2) The fact there is sunlight indicates that the supernatural darkness has ended and the war is over.

(3) There are two banquets in Rev 19. The first is the feast of blessing of verse 9 and the second is the feast of judgment of our verse.

h. Rev 19:18, “in order that you may eat the corpses of kings, the corpses of general officers, the corpses of the mighty [field and company grade officers], both the corpses of horses and their riders [mechanized forces], in fact the corpses of all [both combat arms and service support organizations], both free and slaves [volunteers and draftees], both small and great [enlisted personnel and officer corps].”

(1) There is no security in being in the lower ranks and no security in being in the higher ranks. There is no security in being on the front lines or in being in the rear areas.

(2) True security in warfare is related to personal relationship with Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ controls history. God has a plan for every believer whether in war or peace.

(3) A parallel passage is found in Mt 24:27-28, “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

(4) Another parallel passage is found in Joel 3:9-17.

(5) The love of God did not reject the people of these demon inspired, anti-semitic armies. But the personnel of these attacking armies rejected the love of God.

i. Rev 19:19, “Then I saw the beast dictator [revived Roman Emperor] and the kings of the earth and their armies, who had been concentrated to make war against Him Who sat upon the horse, and against His army.”

(1) This is retroactive exposition to fill in the details regarding the human leadership under demon possession and their final judgment.

(2) The beast dictator is a Gentile and the leader of the ecumenical religion involved in the worship of Satan. He is the ruler of the revived Roman Empire. The false prophet is a Jew and the leader of Israel who hates Jews and tries to destroy all Jews and pull Jewish believers in Christ away from their spiritual life and worship the image of Satan. These two dictators are found in Rev 13.

(a) The “beast dictator” is the ruler of the revived Roman Empire. The word “beast” signifies certain characteristics of these dictators—power, irrationality, persecution of those who oppose them, evil, a smooth liar.

(b) The dictator of the state of Israel is also called the false prophet.

(3) The kings of the earth are demon possessed dictators and are judged with their armies by Jesus Christ, Rev 19:15; Isa 63; Zech 12,14; Dan 11; Ezek 38-39. The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire.

j. Rev 19:20, “Then the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed miracles in his presence, by which [miracles] he had deceived those who worshipped his idol; though still alive these two were thrown into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.”

k. Rev 19:21, “Then the rest were killed [slaughtered] with the broadsword which came out of the mouth of Him [Jesus Christ] Who was mounted on the horse, then all the birds were gorged with their corpses.”

D. Our Lord’s prophecy of the Tribulation is given in Mt 24:3ff.

1. “And Jesus answered and said to them, `Be alert that no one deceives you.’” You remain alert by persistence in learning Bible doctrine and metabolizing it. This is the only thing that prevents you from being deceived. Believers who are not learning the spiritual life always believe the public lie and distort the spiritual life into something that is false.

2. The first false sign will be the false Messiah trend. Mt 24:5, “For many will come in My name, saying, `I am the Christ,’ and will deceive the many.” The “many” are believers. 3. The second trend is the warfare trend. Mt 24:6, “Furthermore, you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. Be alert. You are not to be frightened; for all of these things must occur, but the end [of the Tribulation] is not yet.” You cannot stop wars; they will continue to occur prior to the millennial reign of Christ. All you can do is be prepared for war as a nation. 4. The four horseman ride in every dispensation. Mt 24:7, “For nation will be attacked by nation [the red horse of Rev 6:4], and kingdom shall fight against kingdom [the white horse of Rev 6:2], and there will be famines [the black horse and by implication the pale horse] and earthquakes in various places.”

5. The general trends of human history, however, are not the Tribulation. Mt 24:8, “Now all of these things are the beginning of birth pangs.” The birth pangs had continued for all of the Church Age and will continue during the Tribulation. Warfare, depression, natural disasters, and death throughout the Church Age are false, not true signs of the Tribulation. These are historical trends. The true signs of the Tribulation are specific prophecies found in Mt 24:9-26. By analogy the intense birth pains are the Tribulation.

6. The true signs of the Tribulation, Mt 24:9-28.

a. An intensified anti-semitism, Mt 24:9, “Then they [Gentiles] will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”

b. There will be Jewish anti-semitism against other Jews, Mt 24:10, “At that time many will be caused to sin. They will both betray one another and hate one another.”

c. There is maximum apostasy during the Tribulation, Mt 24:11-12, “Many false prophets will appear and shall deceive many [believers]. Also because lawlessness shall increase, the love of many [Jewish believers] will be extinguished.”

d. The deliverance of Jeshurun in the Tribulation is a true sign of the Tribulation, Mt 24:13, “But the person [Jeshurun believer] who endures to the end [of the Tribulation] shall be delivered.”

e. There is the intensification of evangelism during the Tribulation, Mt 24:14, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to the entire inhabited earth for a testimony to all those nations, and then the end [of the Tribulation] will come.

f. Mt 24:15 “Therefore when you see the detestable idol [abomination of desolation] which has been communicated by Daniel the prophet [Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11], set up in the holy place [this is the empty holy of holies of the Tribulation temple in Jerusalem] (let the who discerns understand),” The unbelievers in Israel make a deal with the dictator of the revived Roman Empire to allow his statue to be erected in the holy of holies in the temple in Jerusalem.

g. Mt 24:16, “then let those [believers] who are in Judea flee to the mountains;” The mountains are the caves of Moab, Edom, and Ammon, which today form what is known as Jordan.

h. Believers in the first half of the Tribulation in Israel must make a quit decision in the middle of the Tribulation when the detestable idol is set up, Mt 24:17, “Let the one who is on the roof not come down to get the things out that are in his house.”

i. Mt 24:18, “Let him who is working in the field not return for his clothing.”

j. Some will have a hard time, but they must still get going, Mt 24:19, “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!”

k. Mt 24:20, “But pray that your flight does not occur during inclement weather, or on a Sabbath [when the roads are jammed].”

l. Mt 24:21, “For at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall occur again.”

m. Mt 24:22, “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been delivered; but for the sake of the excellent ones [the highest quality believers—Jeshurun] those days will be cut short.”

n. Beware of the public lie by knowing your doctrine. Mt 24:23, “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe that person.”

o. Mt 24:24, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear on the scene and will show great signs and wonders, to deceive even the excellent ones, if possible [but it is not possible].”

p. Mt 24:25, “Be alert, I have told you in advance.”

q. Mt 24:26, “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is out in the desert,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the private rooms,’ do not believe them.”

r. When will believers know that it is time to come out of hiding and return to Jerusalem? Mt 24:27, “For just as lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Lightning signifies speed. The second Advent will happen very quickly.

s. Mt 24:28, “Wherever there is a corpse, there the vultures will be assembled.” 7. Dan 11:36ff.

a. In Deut 33:26-28, “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun [the God of Jeshurun is the Lord Jesus Christ], who rides the heavens to help you and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is our refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms, and He drove out the enemy before you. Destroy the enemy. So Israel dwells in security.”

b. Dan 11:36, “Then the king [this is the Jewish dictator of the Tribulation] will do according to his own will, and he will both magnify and glorify himself above every god [all of the false gods of religion; He presents himself as Messiah to Israel]; furthermore, he will speak blasphemous things against the God of gods [Jesus Christ]; and he will be successful until the tribulation has been completed, for what has been decreed will be accomplished.” All of Satan’s opposition does not change one thing in the historical fulfillment of the divine decrees from eternity past.

c. Dan 11:37, “Neither will he have any understanding of the God of his fathers [Jesus Christ] nor have any desire for women [he is a homosexual], nor does he recognize any God [he is atheistic]; and he will glorify himself above them all.” The dictator of Israel is called “the false prophet", “the false Messiah,” “the beast out of the Land,” and “the man of lawlessness” of 2 Thes 2.

d. The foreign policy of this dictator is given in Dan 11:38, “But in his status quo he will make a treaty with the dictator of fortified cities [dictator of the revived Roman Empire], even to a god whom his fathers did not know he will make a treaty with gold, silver, precious stones and other valuable commodities.”

e. The domestic policy of the Jewish dictator is given in Dan 11:39, “Consequently, he will construct a system of fortifications with the help of a foreign dictator; to those who acknowledge him, he will enrich with great wealth; he will cause them [apostate Jews] to rule over many [Jews], and will parcel out the land for a price.” The dictator raises money for the fortifications he builds throughout the Land by selling off land to the highest bidder.

f. The cause of the great war is given in Dan 11:40, “And now at the time of the end [end of the Jewish Age] the king of the South shall make war against him [the Jewish dictator], and the king of the North shall launch a blitzkrieg attack against him with both armored divisions and mechanized infantry, and also many ships; and he [king of the North] will go through many countries; he will both overflow and pass through them.”

g. The importance of the eschatological alert is given in Dan 11:41, “He [the king of the North] will also invade the Land of Beauty [Israel in the Tribulation], and many [both Jewish believers and unbelievers] will fall; but these shall escape danger from his hand: Edom, Moab and the first portion [the mountainous portion] of the sons of Ammon.” This is a reference to Mt 24:16.

h. The king of the North invades Africa by way of Israel, Dan 11:42-43, “Then he [the king of the North] will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will have no deliverance. But he will gain control over the treasures of gold and silver and over all the valuable resources of Egypt; both the Libyans and Ethiopians will be in his line of march.”

i. Dan 11:44, “But intelligence information from the East and from the North will disturb him. Therefore, he will advance with great anger to destroy and annihilate many [Jews].” The king of the North learns that his supply line to the north is cut off in Israel. So he must turn around and go back to fight in Jerusalem. Ezek 38-39 give full details of the invasion of the kings of the East.

j. Dan 11:45, “Consequently, he shall establish his command post between the seas [between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea on the edge of Jerusalem] and the glorious Holy Mountain, where he shall come to the end of his career, and no one will help him.”

E. The Second Advent. 1. Zech 12:1-9.

a. Zech 12:1, “The prophecy of the word of the Lord concerning Israel, a declaration of the Lord, the One who measures out the heavens [space] and who ordains the earth, and the One who forms the life of mankind within him.”

b. Zech 12:2, “Behold, I have appointed Jerusalem a drinking goblet for staggering to all the armies surrounding it; furthermore when the siege is against Jerusalem, it is also against Judah.” The drinking goblet metaphor is tantamount to the destruction of all the anti-semitic armies surrounding Jerusalem at the end of the Tribulation. As these armies drink of the cup of anti-semitism they will stagger from the inebriation of divine judgment from the supreme court of heaven.

c. Zech 12:3, “And it shall come to pass in that day that I will appoint Jerusalem as a heavy stone too heavy to lift for all the Gentiles; all the ones who try to lift her shall be annihilated. Furthermore the nations of the earth will be gathered against her.” The heavy stone is a metaphor again for anti-semitism.

d. Zech 12:4, “In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse [mechanized vehicles] with confusion and his rider with mental disorders [an arrogance that takes you from reality]. But on the house of Judah I will open My eyes, and I will strike every horse of the Gentiles with blindness [the supernatural darkness that prevents them from fighting— Isa 5:30, 13:9-10, 60:2; Zech 32:7-8; Joel 2:10-11, 3:15-16].” The mechanized armies invading the Land will be in great confusion.

e. Zech 12:5, “Then the generals of Judah will think in their stream of consciousness, ‘My strength is in the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Lord of the armies, their God.’” Two Jeshurun general officers have now taken over command of the Jewish army from the dictator of Israel. They are called ALUPH, which means “a commander of thousands.” These generals are capable of thinking under great adversity and this adversity does not become stress in their souls. The faith-rest drill will carry them through the crisis.

f. Zech 12:6, “In that day I will make the generals of Judah like a pan of fire [leadership in combat arms] among the sticks [the troops] like a flaming torch [leadership] among the sheaves [staff officers]. Therefore they will cut to pieces on the right hand and on the left hand the surrounding troops. Therefore the inhabitants of Jerusalem will live again in their own homes in Jerusalem.” Here are two analogies as to how military leadership motivates to continue fighting against overwhelming odds.

g. Zech 12:7, “The Lord also will deliver the tents of Judah first, in order that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may be magnified above Judah.” Both those who flee during the first have of the Tribulation and those who fight during the second half of the Tribulation are delivered. Those who fight are delivered first. Both categories are heroes of the faith.

h. Zech 12:8, “In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, even the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David [they are willing to fight], and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord [Jesus Christ] at their head.”

i. Zech 12:9, “And it will come to pass in that day I will search and destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

(1) Ps 75:6-7, “Not from the east [the kings of the east] nor from the west [the king of the west], nor from the desert [the king of the south] comes exaltation [bragging about winning]. But God is the judge. He puts down one nation and He promotes another.” (2) Zech 14:12-13, “Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouth. And it will come to pass in that day that a great panic from the Lord will fall on them; and they will attack one another, and the hand of one will rise up against the hand of another.” These Gentile armies attack and kill each other in the supernatural darkness.

(3) Joel 2:20, “I will remove the northern army far from you. I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, both its advanced guard into the eastern sea [the Dead Sea] and its rear guard into the western sea [the Mediterranean]. Then its stench will arise and its foul odor will come up; for He [Jesus Christ] has showed Himself great in the doing.”

(4) Ezek 39:2-5, “and I [Jesus Christ] shall turn you [the king of the north] around [go back north from Egypt to Jerusalem], and drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Furthermore, I will strike your bow from your left hand and cause your arrows to fall from your right hand [destroy their weaponry]. You shall fall on the mountains of Israel. You and all your armies and the peoples who are with you I will give you as food to every category of predatory bird and beast of the field. And you will fall in the open field; for it is I who have spoken,” declares the Lord God.”

(5) Ezek 39:12, “For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. In fact all the people of the land will bury them; and then it will become a memorial to the day when I glorified Myself,” declares the Lord God.”

(6) Rev 14:20, “Therefore the wine press was trampled outside the city [Dan 11:45; Zech 12:1-9, 14:1-4], and the blood flowed out of the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, as far as one hundred and eighty miles.”

(7) Rev 19:21, “And the rest [the beast and the false prophet] were thrown alive into the lake of fire. But the rest [armies of the dictator of the revived Roman Empire] were slaughtered with the board sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse (Rev 19:11ff). Then all the vultures were gorged by eating their corpses.”

(8) The destruction of the army of the king of the north is found in Joel 2:20; Ezek 38:14-23, 39:1-13.

(9) The destruction of the army of the king of the south is found in Isa 63:1-6.

(10) The destruction of the army of the king of the east is found in Rev 14:20.

(11) The destruction of the army of the king of the west is found in Rev 19:19-21.

(12) The removal and imprisonment of Satan for one thousand years, Rev 20:1-3.

(13) The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire, Rev 19. 2. Zech 14:1-9.

a. Zech 14:1, “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord [the second Advent] and your spoil will be distributed among you.” Spoil means two things in this verse—the distribution of escrow blessings to Jewish believers of the Tribulation who used the shield of faith to fulfill everything that was mandated by God and the fulfillment of the unconditional covenants to Israel. This verse also indicates that Jesus Christ controls history.

b. Zech 14:2, “For I will assemble all nations against Jerusalem for battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women raped and half of the city will depart into slavery, but a remnant of the people will not be cut off from the city.” This is due to the attack of the king of the north as he comes down through Israel to attack Africa. The remnant of the people refers to those Jewish believers who made Bible doctrine their number one priority and became spiritually mature and a pivot. Negative believers were disciplined through historical disaster and went into slavery.

(1) Believers minus doctrine cannot survive personal adversity especially when it is crisis adversity.

(2) Believers minus doctrine cannot survive historical disaster that involves the use of weapons.

(3) Personal adversity and historical disaster is used by the supreme court of heaven to discipline and punish believers minus doctrine and to eliminate them from any influence or decision making with regard to this great crisis.

(4) There is no substitute for metabolized doctrine circulating in the believer’s stream of consciousness in time of crisis. Believers who do not have doctrine are eliminated by the crisis.

(5) The alternative to perception and application of doctrine is monstrous disaster and unthinkable woe to believers.

c. The principle of deliverance is found in Zech 14:3, “Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations on that day as when He fought in the day of battle.” This is the beginning of Operation Footstool.

(1) First, the Lord will fight against the king of the north, Dan 11:45; Zech 12:7-9; Ezek 38:14-23, 39:1-13; Rev 19:21. The invasion of the king of the north is mentioned in Joel 2:20, “And I will remove the northern army far from you, and I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, and its advance guard into the eastern sea [the Dead Sea], and its rear guard into the western sea [the Mediterranean]. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, for it has done great things.”

(2) Then our Lord will fight against the king of the south, Isa 63:1-6, “Who is this One coming from Edom with clothes stained bright red and with blood from Bozrah; this One who is royal in His dress, marching in the greatness of His power? It is He who speaks in justice, mighty to cause deliverance. ‘Why is Your clothing red and Your royal garments as one treading in a wine press?’ ‘I have trodden down the wine press alone; consequently, from the peoples there was no one [doing the fighting] with Me. For I have trampled them down in My anger. I have trampled them down in My wrath, so that their blood has been splashed on the clothes, so that I have stained all My royal raiment with their blood. For the day of judgment was in My thinking, and the year of My redemption [of Israel] has come. And I looked around for help, but there was no one [no other nation] helping Me. Consequently, I was astonished that there was no one helping Me. However, My arm [the Lord Jesus Christ—Isa 40:10; 51:5,9; 52:10; 53:1] delivered Me, and My righteous indignation sustained Me. Therefore in My anger I will trample down the peoples, and in My fury I will make them drunk, and I will cause their life-blood to be poured out on the land.”

(3) The phrase “as when He fought in the day of battle” is a reference to the military image of our Lord Jesus Christ which began in Ex 14:14. The enemy will be annihilated just as the army of Pharaoh was annihilated during the exodus of Israel from Egypt.

d. The mechanics of deliverance are given in part in Zech 14:4, “On that day [the second Advent] His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will split from east to west forming a great valley. Consequently half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.”

(1) The Mount of Olives was where our Lord taught Israel about their future in the Olivet Discourse of Mt 24-25.

(2) The Mount of Olives was the place of our Lord’s ascension, Acts 1:9-12.

(3) The Mount of Olives is the scene of the second Advent.

(4) The remnant will escape through this split in the Mount of Olives.

e. The deliverance of Jewish believers in found in Zech 14:5, “And you will flee through the valley of My mountains, for the valley of My mountains will reach Azel; and you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah [BC 785, Amos 1:1]. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all of His saints [elect angels, Rev 19:14, and resurrected Church Age believers] with Him!”

f. The doctrine of darkness before the second Advent is found in Zech 14:6, “And it shall come to pass in that day [the day that begins Operation Footstool] that there shall be no more light, and the bright lights from the stars will be shut down.” See the Doctrine of Supernatural Darkness.

g. Zech 14:7, “For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord [God the Father], neither day nor night, but it will come to pass at evening time that there will be light.” This day is unique for several reasons.

(1) It is a day of supernatural darkness during daylight hours that can only be brought about by the omnipotence of God stopping light coming into this planet.

(2) It is a day of unique light in the evening, for the light is the second Advent of Christ, Rev 1:7. The light of the coming of Christ will be seen by all through the supernatural darkness. The light that comes in the evening is described in:

(a) Isa 30:26, “Then the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of the seven days [of the earth’s restoration]. On that day the Lord will bind up the fracture of His people and He will heal the bruise of His blow.”

(b) Isa 60:19-20, “No longer will you have the sun for light by day nor for brightness will the moon give you reflected light, but you will have the Lord for an eternal light and your God for your glory. And your sun will set no more, neither will your moon wane; for you have the Lord, an everlasting light; and the days of your mourning will be finished.”

(3) It is a unique day because it is a transitional day between the Tribulation and the Millennium. It separates the rulership of Satan over the world from the rulership of Christ over the world.

(4) It is a unique day because it is the last day of human warfare in human history.

(5) It is a unique day because all the Jews of the earth who are in harms way from satanic anti-semitism are delivered on that day. The Jews wait patiently in the supernatural darkness for their deliverance.

h. Jerusalem will become a seaport in the millennium, Zech 14:8, “Furthermore, it shall come to pass in that day [immediately after the second Advent and during the millennial reign of Christ] that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.”

(1) The splitting of the Mount of Olives at the second Advent plus the terrible earthquake plus water coming up from under the earth will change Jerusalem into a seaport.

(2) Water coming up from under Jerusalem is described in Ezek 47:1, “And He brought me back to the door of the house [temple]; and behold, water was flowing from under the entrance of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar.”

(3) Joel 3:18c, “And a spring will go out from the house of the Lord to water the valley of Shittim.”

(4) In the millennium Jerusalem will have an all weather seaport because Jerusalem will be the capital of the world. The channel will never be dried up in the summer or frozen in the winter. There will be no navigational problems reaching the port of Jerusalem.

(5) Korah died in an earthquake because of his rebellion against Moses, but the sons of Korah who did not agree with his rebellion did not die but lived to write in Psalm 46 about the earthquake at the second Advent (Num 26:9-11). Ps 46:1-11, “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in a stress situation. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and the mountains slip into the sea; though its waters roar and foam [the formation of the seaport] and though the mountains quake at its swelling. Selah [Pause]. As a result, a river whose channels will make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her [Jerusalem], she will not be moved; God will help her when the morning [millennium] dawns. The nations made an uproar [the last world war in the last half of the Tribulation], the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of the armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our fortification. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations on the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. “Relax and know that I am God [the faith-rest drill]; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.” The Lord of the armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our fortification. Selah.”

i. Zech 14:9, “Then the Lord will become king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be unique, and His name will be unique.”

_________________________________________________________________

R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries 5139 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77056 (713) 621-3740

---------------------------------------------------------------------------