Millions Missing: Where Did Everyone Go?

When the stars fall from the sky, we'll be right back back to the show. Welcome to Understanding the Times Radio. I'll say a little bit more about that video clip. In fact, the entire video as we move into the program today. I've had the privilege of doing some, what we call them, Prophecy Round Tables online, airing on Facebook Live, YouTube, various websites, and more with my guest for this hour, Pastor Barry Stagner, Amir Sarfati, and I do them a couple times a month. And this kind of a live platform online.

Has drawn hundreds of thousands and even millions of viewers over time from dozens and dozens of countries. And we talk about some of these issues that we're going to hit today. Matter of fact, we covered a topic very recently that I wanted to bring to my radio audience and expand on. That being, what might life be like during the tribulation? Let's clarify the church escapes this ordeal as stated in Revelation 3 10 and many other places, but every listener to this program today, I suspect is going to be leaving behind someone they care about who is unsaved, who's going to go through that tribulation. And we hope that this hour spurs all of you on to reach out to that lost person or persons that you care about with greater intensity to keep preaching the gospel to remind them they are running out of time. It is literally a minute to midnight. I wrote an e-newsletter recently. It's titled When the Stars Fall from the Sky. Let me summarize it because then I want to bring on my guest Barry Stagner.

But in this article, and again, I'm just hitting bullet points in it. I talk about for those who are left behind. Here's some things they're going to face in part.

Can't go through the whole list, but in part they're going to face a time of devastation, a time of dissension, a time of disease, a time of disaster, a time of death, a time of delusion. The sun turns black. The moon turns blood red.

The stars fall from the sky. There are devastating earthquakes. There's rampant lawlessness.

The restrainer is gone. Mountains and islands move. The oceans become blood. The water becomes poison. Many long to die but cannot. Demons are running unchecked during this tribulation and great tribulation.

Drugs are bending the minds of most people as they practice sorcery. The world is such a chaotic mess that billions are going to perish tragically. A satanic trinity forms a global government and religion. A ruthless man known as the Antichrist or the Beast will rule with an iron fist and require a mark in order to survive.

The world's governments will be reset to global socialism in the great reset being presented by the World Economic Forum. That's just a partial list. We may talk about more items than that. The situation becomes so critical that unless Jesus Christ returned in his second coming, no flesh would be saved, it says in Matthew 24-22. So we hear a lot today about an end time revival. And I believe that happens in the tribulation, probably not before. And if possible, we may reference that as well. I'd like to enter into a discussion now. And again, the purpose of this is not to scare anyone. It is to prepare everyone and to encourage listeners who may not know Jesus Christ personally as their savior to escape the coming trial of the tribulation and for that matter, even worse, escape the flames of hell.

We'll talk about it. Pastor Barry Stagner is senior pastor of Calvary Chapel, Tustin, California. I had the privilege of ministering at two of his prophecy conferences in Southern California in 2019 and 2020. Pastor Stagner, welcome back to the program. Thank you, Jan.

It's always a privilege to be with you. Now, I just referenced a tremendous revival that's going to take place during the tribulation. The 144,000 Jewish witnesses will be winning many, many to faith. The two witnesses and more an angel is going to be proclaiming salvation. Barry Stagner, why shouldn't a skeptic listening right now just wait until that time and become a believer then?

What's the hurry? Today is the day of salvation. The Bible tells us and I think the clip you played makes an important point that there's going to be countless videos that are being uploaded showing the catastrophic events that are the end result of the rapture outside of any of the things that are going to happen that fall into the category of the wrath of God.

You're going to have cars that are vacant of any type of driver, planes too, just horrific situations all over the world. So I think just initially you may not necessarily survive the opening moments of the tribulation or the moments following the rapture of the church. Jan, and I think you made an important point that you now can accept Christ and know that you have in front of you the escape from all these things and yet you refuse him.

What makes you think that you're going to be willing to accept him after the fact when there is no escape and you'll actually die for your faith? There's two good reasons to take care of business now and give your life to Christ today. I believe the tribulation is for salvation of the Jewish nation. The tribulation is for Israel.

It's for the unbelieving world to bring judgment on them. One third of Israel actually does come to faith during that tribulation. It's also called the time of Jacob's trouble. Jeremiah 37, it's called Daniel's 70th week, and the first three chapters of Revelation really are to the church.

Here it's so intriguing, Barry. I mean, a blessing is promised to everyone who reads and heeds the book of Revelation. I don't see that promise in reading other chapters of the Bible, not saying they're less important, but for some reason there's a blessing for those who will read this particular book. In chapter 4, verse 1 of Revelation, the church is called to heaven.

Then she is gone until the end of Revelation. Many believe, of course, I've already referenced it, and please back me up if you don't mind, that there is a second chance for salvation during the tribulation. Again, two witnesses, the angel, the 144,000, a great evangelistic time, correct?

Oh, absolutely. There's going to be the greatest great awakening in the history of humankind as we see a multitude, according to Revelation chapter 5, that no one could number. And they are from every tribe, tongue, nation and people who have the seal of God placed upon them because they have been redeemed. As the text says, actually, in verse 9, you've redeemed us to God by your blood.

That blood obviously points to a personal relationship with Christ, the same means by which everyone must be saved. So you've got this absolutely incredible number of people saved during the tribulation. And Jan, as you alluded to, there are those who say that if you rejected Christ prior to the wrath of the church, you won't accept him after. I think people that have heard at least some form or a portion of the gospel, that maybe it didn't resonate with them at that time, I think there's going to be a good portion of this multitude of people that say, you know what, those Christians were right.

I do believe and now, Lord, help my unbelief, forgive my sins. There's going to be just an absolutely incredible great awakening during the tribulation period. Well, and I hope that encourages listeners who have loved ones that they suspect may be left behind if in fact they're just not going to respond to the gospel. I do not believe the average Christian realizes the severity of what those they care about may face if they are left behind. Revelation spells it out. I've introed with some of those bullet points.

For one thing, few churches are talking about it. And I'm going to be playing some clips and I'm going to play one now. And this is taken from a video that we carry. It's produced by Prophecy Update. It's called After the Rapture Left Behind.

I want to play this little clip and then we're going to come back and talk about it. For starters, people are going to try to explain away the rapture with all sorts of wild theories like possibly global warming or UFOs. So-called religious leaders are going to come out and say the church is still around because they didn't disappear.

Whatever scenario the world uses to explain the rapture, you can be assured it is a lie. We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this breaking news. There are reports coming in from across the globe that suddenly hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people have just disappeared. Vanished. One second they were there and then suddenly they were gone. This is not a joke. There are reports of car wrecks, plane crashes and massive traffic jams.

People everywhere are running around in a panic looking for those that have disappeared. Thank you Pete. While we are waiting to hear from the Speaker of the House Carson, let's check in with Ali in our room bureau.

Thank you Seb. We have spoken to Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi and he assures us that the Pope is still here and that he has personally spoken to his holiness. Therefore, this could not be the so-called rapture that many religious leaders around the world are proclaiming. Currently the Holy Pontiff is meeting with the members of the Roman Curia along with several high ranking bishops and cardinals.

An official statement from the Vatican is expected to be issued shortly, possibly even from the Pope himself. Thank you Ali. Well there you have it folks. Certainly the most astounding news I have ever reported. I have not seen anything like this since 9-11. Stay tuned, we'll be right back. Barry Stagner, just millions missing alone would have to be a living nightmare.

With loved ones missing, some will figure it out, others will have no clue because how can life go on as normal with millions missing? Normal will be out the window. We've been hearing a lot about a new normal lately and one of the interesting parts about this is that in the day that we now live, the Church and Christians and believers are viewed in a negative light in ways that are really unprecedented. We're being looked at as enemies of the greater good, the events of globalism, the equality of all beliefs and sexual practices and tendencies. Really today the god of this world is equality or egalitarianism.

Everybody has to have the same thing, nobody can be different from one another, everything has to be a level playing field and for the Church to say no these things are sinful, they separate you from God is exactly the opposite of what the globalist mentality is today. And one of the things I think that's important to highlight is that the book of Revelation is the most detailed apocalyptic type description in all of Scripture. We have several books, Isaiah and Ezekiel, Daniel, have chapters dedicated to the days we're talking about, but the book of Revelation predominantly from chapter 6 to 19 is all about the tribulation period, a period the Church is going to be absent from. So why would God want us to know so much about something we're not going to experience? And I believe that is to create within us a desperation for the lost and perishing around us and to embolden us to let them know that there is, as promised in Revelation 3-10, a way of escape. We don't have to go through all these things.

A normal will not exist any longer and the second half of the tribulation in particular is going to be strictly a run for your life time period. Barry Stagner, God is just and people want to know about the children of unbelievers. We know that everyone of all ages perished in Noah's flood, but you feel that children under the age of accountability, whatever that is, will be taken in the rapture no matter what the spiritual status of their parents is. Now, number one, that's intriguing. Number two, I agree with you. Number three, that adds to the mystery and the panic and the fear if in fact children, particularly unbelieving parents, children suddenly missing. Why don't you clarify that, that the children not of the age of accountability you feel will be taken?

I think there's two things to establish. One, David, when he had sinned with Bathsheba and the child was born and became ill and the Lord told David he was going to spare his life, but was going to bring that child home, meaning to heaven, David said when he was told that the child had died that he can't come to me, but I will go to him, which implies David well understood that a child in its innocence is going to go to the presence of God, even though they may not have consciously been old enough to make a decision to follow Christ. So that establishes the fact that this is something that we can look at as a biblical precedent. As you mentioned, Jan, God is just and has a heart for the innocent, and Jesus told his own disciples who tried to hinder the children from coming to him, he said no, let the children come to me.

As a matter of fact, he drew word pictures of this is the manner in which you have to come to me in a childlike faith and fashion. One, I think there are those who make the argument from 1 Corinthians chapter 7 that because children in the home of a believer are sanctified, that has nothing to do with the rapture of the church, it has nothing to do with going to heaven. It has everything to do with when one believer lives in a household with another non-believer.

Paul was dealing with the issue of divorcing your spouse because they weren't a Christian. In the first century, he says no, your home is sanctified. Your children are covered by the believing spouse.

So your home is eligible for God's blessings and protections because you are the sole believer in the household. That's not a text we can use to say only sanctified children will be taken in the rapture. Children are innocent by nature. And as you said, we don't know the age of accountability, what establishes that. And I think it's different for every child.

Definitely, there's a point where one can make a rational cognitive decision to follow Jesus or to reject it. We see it in our junior highs and high schools right now. You are listening to Understanding the Times Radio. I'm Jan Markell. I have on the line from Southern California, Pastor Barry Stagner, Calvary Chapel, Tustin. Find more information at cctustin.org. You can catch Pastor Barry Stagner on YouTube.

Look him up under The Truth About God. I'm playing clips from a new product we carry. It's a DVD. We're selling it so inexpensively. It's a left behind type product. It's called After the Rapture Left Behind, and it's something you can leave behind. We're selling it for just $10, $6 shipping.

It's approximately an hour. I think it's a good information source as to what just happened at the rapture. Learn more about the Ministry of Prophecy Update and watch their tremendous videos at prophecyupdate.com. That's prophecyupdate.com.

I'm going to play another clip. Let me introduce the clip by saying this, and Barry Stagner, you and I believe there's going to be a gap. The rapture happens. The tribulation follows, but there could be a gap of weeks to months, probably not years, because the world will be in chaos and it will be longing for a leader and longing for somebody to direct everything and solve the chaos. World leaders, some of them may be missing. Chaos will reign, so there's going to be a gap. We don't know quite how long.

Play this little clip here and come back and talk about it. Daniel chapter 7 lays out the sequence of the world's final kingdom before Christ returns. The fourth kingdom will initially emerge as a global government that shall devour the whole earth, verse 23. Then we are told that there will be ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom, verse 24. They will be followed by the antichrist and another shall rise after them. He shall be different from the first ones and shall subdue three kings.

Compare this passage with Revelation 13 and 17. Today the world is rapidly heading toward a global government and economic system. However, believers are hindering the emergence of a global government. After the rapture, when all believers have been removed and chaos ensues, a global martial plan shall be implemented. Of course, the rise of a ten-region global government followed by the rise of the antichrist will require time. Clearly, the antichrist will not dominate or enforce a peace covenant until after the ten-region worldwide system is firmly established.

All of this will take time. The woman of Revelation 17 rides the beast into power. She is one holding the reigns at the start of this period. Therefore, it is improbable that the antichrist will dominate and confirm a covenant with Israel and the world immediately after the rapture. The harlot's Babylonian-like religious system will come in Christ's name, not the antichrist's name. She will present herself as queen of the true church, but she will be a seductive counterfeit. Clearly, the organizing of her global religious system will require time to set up. Barry Stagner, the official start of the tribulation again would be the signing of a covenant between the antichrist and Israel.

That's Daniel 9, 27. What do you think? Weeks?

Months? I think there's two things to consider. One, there are two hindrances to globalism and the rise of a single world ruler and religion. And one is Christianity and the other is Islam. The rapture will take care of the Christian problem, so to speak, to the rise of this man to power. And the second issue is the Ezekiel 38 and 39 war scenario. The nations that are represented there represent less than 5% of the total population of Muslims around the world.

But they represent some 90-some-odd percent of the radical areas that we're always seeing in the news. Once we see the Ezekiel war scenario play out and we see God's hand deal with these invading nations the way he's going to, and with the earthquake and the hailstones of fire mingled with blood, this cataclysmic-type event that takes place that destroys radical Islam, then you're going to have a world that's a little more ready to see a temple built, to listen to a single world leader, to lay down their ideologies to a degree that they would be more acceptance of a single system that allows people to operate. It's very possible that the Ezekiel war starts before the rapture and the rapture happens during the battle and then the final events happen during the tribulation because this description we see in Ezekiel 38 and 39 of how the battle comes to an end is specific to the events that take place in likeness during the tribulation period. The battle can start before, rapture happened in the middle or prior to, and then the finality of the battle that shakes the world is when God deals directly with this particular invading set of forces.

That's going to take time. The point is there's a gap, and we don't know how long it is. I can't imagine the chaos during that gap, missing people, missing world leaders. If they're believers, the world leader will be gone as well. I just want to talk here more specifically about the first half, and then we're going to hit the second half of the tribulation. Folks, we're doing this not to be sensational, not to be fear mongers, but to give you a greater burden to win your lost loved ones, friends, neighbors, working associates before they have to endure.

Some of that lineup I gave you as an intro into the program, the time of devastation, dissension, disease, disasters, death, delusion, and much, much more. If someone can avoid that with putting their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, they will go with the rest of the church in the rapture before all of this breaks out. But the first half of the tribulation, Barry, many say it will not be all that bad, that there will be even a season of peace perhaps brought on by the Antichrist. After all, he's passing himself off as a savior, and he hasn't revealed the worst of him in the first half.

The 144,000 Jewish evangelists begin evangelizing the world in the absence of the church. The first half, maybe not that bad, except we have the terrible seals of Revelation beginning in chapter 6, and they will be followed by even worse judgments called trumpet judgments, bowl judgments. A little later, that would be the second half. Each of these judgments getting more severe, more grievous, but the seals are part of the first half of the tribulation, at least most of the seals, for which those saying the church will go through the first half because it won't be all that bad, not true because the seals are going to be just horrific, and they are partly in the first half.

Absolutely. If we look at when the lamb opens the first of the seals, you have the man who goes out on a white horse, which many mistakenly identify as Jesus. He is not Jesus because, first of all, we're told with the opening of the second seal that the one who's on that horse, the fiery red horse, takes peace from the earth, and when Jesus brings you peace, nobody can take it from you. So this is obviously not Jesus Christ and his return. We see this particular character ride out with a bow, which is symbolic of a covenant, like the rainbow, God's promise not to flood the earth again in total destruction, and he goes out conquering and to conquer. So this is the introduction of the Antichrist, and then immediately, without any indication, and the Bible does at times, take a leap forward in time without any mention or indication, and history will prove it to be so, but at this point in time, there's nothing that says that these events aren't going to continue in the sequence that they're listed in without any particular spacing necessary. And we have to remember, the world is going to be an emotional mess, and all of these things are going to put the world in a state that makes them vulnerable to what comes within the second and third seals, especially as we see greed and hunger and some people killing one another. It's not a time, even though there is a season of peace, I think just that peace is based more on shock than anything else at the mass disappearance of people. This peace is going to be taken away at the rider of the second horse, the fiery red horse as it goes out.

He's given a great sword. It's just hard to read anything positive into these events. Seeing that the church would go through these things is completely inconsistent with other passages in Scripture that remind us, we don't have an appointment with these things. This is something reserved as exclusive to the 70th week of Daniel, to the final discipline of the Jews, to bring a third of them to faith in Christ as they look upon the one whom they pierced and mourn for him, and also to judge a Christ-rejecting world. So if this is specific to fulfilling the wrath of God, the judgment of God, why in the world would the church be present in such a time?

It's inconsistent. Seal number three, again, famine, the black horse. People have to work all day to be able to pay for a loaf of bread, Revelation 6. Seal number four, the pale horse, the fourth of the earth, killed by sword, famine, plague. Seal number five, those martyred for their faith, God gives each a white robe and avenges the martyrs. Seal number six, a tremendous earthquake, astronomical phenomenon. Blood moons, stars fall from the sky, mountains and islands move.

Men hide in caves. Now we're probably into the second half of the tribulation. And they say, hide us from the wrath of the Lamb, and amazingly, most of them will not repent.

And the 144,000 Jewish witnesses are protected. Again, not presenting this hour to scare people, particularly not to scare believers, as Pastor Barry Stagner has said, we are absent from all of this horrible mess. But for those who are just unwilling to make that commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, there's more to come. I'm going to talk about it in part two of my programming here. There's more to come because towards the end of the tribulation, it gets worse.

If it's possible, it gets much worse. We'll talk about it, but we'll have good news as well. Coming back in just a couple of minutes.

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And that's really what the world is being driven by now. We are always honored to be joined by pastors and other ministry leaders who present sound theology, who offer hope, and who understand the times. If you can't be by a radio for understanding the times radio, remember all programming is posted to our website in both its audio and video format.

Just visit OliveTreeViews.org and go to our radio category. Here are Jan Markell and Pastor Barry Stagner to wrap up today's program. Why didn't he take me? If you are watching this video after the rapture, you need to realize that you've been left behind. At this time, you may be feeling rejected by God. You might be saying to yourself, why didn't he take me?

Or, I don't understand, I've led a good life. The problem isn't that God rejected you, the problem is that you rejected him. By not committing your life to Jesus, and by declining to follow him, you have left him with no choice but to leave you behind. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven, will enter. Matthew 7, 21 For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother. Matthew 12, 50 Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow.

Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. Isaiah 1, 18 Why it has happened? Believers in Jesus were taken out of this world to spare them from the great wrath that has just begun to befall the planet. Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. Romans 5, 9 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1, 10 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5, 9 Jesus' return for all his true believers was just a prelude to his final second coming. The second phase of Jesus' return is to set up his kingdom on earth. Jesus' kingdom is why this whole thing is happening. You see, we've come to the end of one age and will soon be beginning the age of Jesus' glorious reign right here on earth. But first, God must deal with rebellion, sin, before setting up his kingdom. God's going to use this intermediate time period you now live in to pour out his wrath on mankind for its continued refusal to accept his Lordship. The time you live in now is called the Tribulation. Again, playing some clips from a new product we're carrying produced by Prophecy Update after the rapture left behind.

It is designed for, well, you can leave it behind. You can leave it in a prominent place where an unbelieving loved one might see it and hopefully they will watch it and understand what happened, what happened to you and what they need to do now that they have been left behind and they are in the beginning stages of the unbelievable, unspeakable tribulation and the great tribulation. You can watch these clips we're playing, clips we play for every program, if you access the video version of our programming at our website under radio, on his channel TV or on our YouTube channel. You'll remember much more if you view the video version of the program. Learn more about Prophecy Update at prophecyupdate.com. In part one, we went over some of the early horrific stages of the tribulation, the seals.

That's followed by trumpet judgments and bowl and vial judgments and we're going to talk a little bit more about that. Not to necessarily scare, though I would have to admit they are a bit terrifying, but not to the believer, but to spur people on to be sharing their faith like never before. Folks, we're at one minute to midnight.

If you don't believe that, I don't know what you can do other than look at some of the headlines that are happening on a daily basis. That's not the purpose of this hour because we're focusing on this event known as the tribulation and the great tribulation. By the way, that product, find it in my online store, olivetreeviews.org, olivetreeviews.org. Get on my various newsletter, e-newsletter, print newsletter, you'll find it in there. Call my office, we'll get one out to you very promptly.

Again, we're just offering it for $10, $6 shipping. For that, you get a wonderful little left behind product. Pastor Barry Stagner, he is my guest for the hour, Calvary Chapel, Tustin, California. He has some wonderful prophecy conferences that he's had for years.

I was privileged to be at two of them. I want to go back to where I left off in part one of my program. And I did indicate that as a part of the seals during the tribulation, it would be in part two of the tribulation, the great tribulation that men are going to retreat to caves and plead, hide us from the wrath of the Lamb, meaning the Lamb of God, and they will not repent. This says something about the stubbornness and the hardness of the heart. And yet at the same time, there's tremendous revival going on during this tribulation. So some hearts are ready to repent and yet some are hardened and simply will not repent. And they run into the caves and they curse God and die. This just shocks me that at this point in time, they might not say, God forgive me and I'm turning my life over to you.

It's not too late. It is interesting, Jan, to consider that they know full well that they are under the wrath of God as they look to the creation instead of the creator and call out to the rocks of the mountains to hide them from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. And I think that's an important phrase. We have this mentality that there's an Old Testament God and a New Testament God, but it's Jesus who, according to the Gospel of John, He said that the Father had committed all judgment unto Him. It's Jesus who is going to bring all of this to its final conclusion in Revelation chapter 19.

It's He that has the robe dipped in blood, blood spattered robe, and He defeats His enemies. And He is pouring out His wrath on this world that has rejected Him. Jan, I think because the big question that we all want to know but can't know, and that is when, because no man knows the day or the hour, we also need to recognize that we are seeing things that are going to reach their fulfillment during the tribulation period. And because we know that the rapture of the church will happen prior to the tribulation period, that unknown day and hour has to be within close proximity. We're soon going to be caught up in the air and meet the Lord and forever be with Him. If we look at this and examine society today and parallel that with 2 Timothy chapter 3 where perilous times are described, we see all these human character flaws that lead to the place of an outright rejection of God.

Anything He does is going to be wrong. I like that the clip said, Why wasn't I taken? I'm a good moral person. That really is indicative of a lot of the thinking today because our comparison is one another. That's not the standard by which we measure ourselves when it pertains to getting in or accessing heaven or defining us as sinners. The moral standard we measure ourselves against is God and His word. Therefore, we are all sinners.

We have all fallen short of His glory, and therefore we do all need a Savior. But if we're close to the rapture and we're close to the tribulation, then we would expect to see people with an indifference for human life, a greed that is willing to take this Robin Hood approach that we see happening in our government today, take from the rich, give to the poor, this whole mentality that I have a right to things I didn't earn or work for. And all of these things are elements that are prophetic in nature. As I said, Paul talking to Timothy about the perilous times, headstrong, haughty, traitors, lovers of self, haters of God, having a form of godliness. That word formed there in 2 Timothy 3.5, the Greek word morphosis, which means to form out of something that previously existed. In other words, there's going to be something that justifies man's hunger for religion, even in the midst of all these dark and ugly human characteristics that are presented there that would cause someone to get to the state where they know God's judging the world, but it will continue in a hatred of God rather than repentance of their own sin and turning to God during the tribulation. Just an unbelievable time.

That underscores what we said earlier. There's nothing to wait for. Come to Jesus today. He'll forgive your sin.

He turns not away. Come to Him by faith in His name and His shed blood. Well, I'm still on the seals and the seventh seal. Again, these are judgments that are poured out on the earth, folks. Church is gone, but God is judging the wickedness of the earth.

The seventh seal is so horrific. This is intriguing that there's silence in heaven for a half an hour because the judgment is so severe. Barry Stagner, does this mean that in heaven we know all of this is going on if suddenly we're silent for a half an hour? Help me understand this.

Yeah, it's kind of funny. There's been books written about what happened during that silence, what the seven thunders uttered that John was told not to write. We don't really know this pause, but I think it's very possible that this gives us an indication that we reached the midpoint of the tribulation because one of the things that happens during the second half is that the blowing of the seventh trumpet we're told seven bowls are going to be released. In the seven seals, the seventh seal opens the seven trumpets. In the seven trumpets, the seventh trumpet opens the bowls of God's wrath that are poured out on the earth. But all seven of the bowls, because there's nothing beyond that, are God's wrath. And we're told, for in them the fullness of the wrath of God is made complete. This could be an indication that there's a pause in heaven because of the gravity that's about to come on the earth.

Here's Mark Hitchcock talking about our topic. The tribulation period, as you understand it, is a seven-year period according to biblical truth. You see it divided, and most do see it divided into two segments. Is the first half different than the second half?

It is. One of the things I always like to point out, too, is a lot of people think the rapture starts the seven-year tribulation. The seven-year tribulation starts, Daniel 9.27 tells us, when the Antichrist makes a treaty with Israel. So, you know, the rapture could happen today, and the tribulation could start next week, next month, maybe a year or two from then.

There could be a gap of time that will allow for some further preparation. At some point in time, this Antichrist figure is going to come on the scene and make a treaty, the Bible says, with Israel. And that's going to trigger this seven-year period of time. But it's divided in Daniel 9.27 into two halves.

There's a first half and a second half to it. The first half of that period of time, Israel's going to enjoy peace. And I think at the beginning of the tribulation, there's going to be a time of worldwide peace. It says in Thessalonians, while men are saying peace and safety, then sudden destruction is going to come on them.

So, the world is going to finally get its desire of having some peace and prosperity. But at the midpoint of that tribulation period, there's going to be some events that happen that trigger the Antichrist and is going to take the world over. And so, that second half of the tribulation period, that last three and a half years, he's going to dominate the world and rule the world. And it's going to be a reign of terror that's going to come, really, when he's on the earth. So, the first half is going to be Antichrist forming the coalition or made the coalition with other nations around the world. And a peace treaty is signed with Israel. So, there's peace. And we've got the global currency going on with the Mark of the Beast.

And so, there's prosperity. And then we'll move into the second half. Is there any tip point? Is it the signing of the peace treaty? How far along is it? Is it maybe three and a half years after the signing of the peace treaty that you'll see the peace and there's some Kumbaya in the world?

And then there's a tip point. In the last half, is Antichrist basically breaking the deal? He does, yeah. It says at the midpoint of that covenant, that seven-year period, he breaks the treaty with Israel.

I call it one of the greatest double crosses of all time. Then what he's going to do, you know, the mask is going to come off at that point in time. And he's going to begin to persecute the Jewish people because, obviously, God has made promises to them. Satan wants to get rid of them and wipe them out.

But he's going to dominate the world at that point in time. So this world is going to end with this great apostasy, the Bible calls it, a great falling away when this one man is going to be worshipped as God. You're listening to Understanding the Times Radio. I'm Jan Markell, spending the hour on the tribulation, the great tribulation, hoping to spur all of you on to greater witnessing in the fact that we are one minute to midnight, I believe, talking for the hour with Pastor Barry Stagner, Calvary Chapel, Tustin, California, cctustin.org. Barry Stagner, the great double cross.

Mark is so right there. The Bible doesn't call it the great double cross. The Bible calls it the abomination of desolation. Why don't you talk to us about what is the abomination of desolation in the temple? We do know that there's going to be a third temple that is built.

It is not a biblically sanctioned temple, but it's a temple that is built out of human desire for the peace and security and stability of the world. It's going to come on the heels, I believe, of the removal of radical Islam and the removal of the church in a world attitude of, can't we all get along for peace and safety? And then we're going to see this Antichrist moving through the different phases of his covenant that he establishes with the nation of Israel and moving toward a new geopolitical format for the whole of the world, assigning certain segments of the world to his cronies. And then we see some breakdown in that system there in Revelation 17 and 18 as well in Daniel chapter 7 and 8.

But if we look at what we're seeing happening in the world today and the movement toward this globalist mentality, the world is beginning to focus upon smaller and smaller groups of people to lead us and direct us. And ultimately, this is going to encourage this man of sin, the son of perdition, the lawless one, all the other descriptions associated with the Antichrist, to make the declaration from the rebuilt temple that he allows to be rebuilt through his diplomatic efforts. He's going to sit in the most holy place reserved exclusively for the Ark of the Covenant, which represents God's physical presence on the earth.

To the Jews, he's going to make a declaration that he is God and the whole world is going to go after him. And I think what Dr. Hitchcock said is so important because they are worshipping him. In Revelation 13, it says that he is given his power by the dragon, and the dragon is definitely Satan. And it also says, and they worship the dragon who gave power to the beast.

The predominant religion during the tribulation period is going to be Satan worship, even though it would be masked as worship of this one who received a deadly wound and was healed, supposedly had a false resurrection mocking that which Jesus did, which is a true resurrection. And it says in Revelation 13, 16, both great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, receive a mark on the right hand of their foreheads, that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark of the name of the beast or the number of his name. And we're told that this is an act of worship. Worship is an interesting word.

The word actually means to lick the hand, like a dog would lick their master's hand. Figuratively, it means to prostrate and submit. This is unashamed worship of Satan, to prostrate and submit yourselves before Satan by the worship of his beast. Jan, if you look at the things that are going on in our culture today, if you look at people in their glazed over, bizarre positions on matters that have long been clear and well understood by all of humanity, even without the scientific data that we have today, take life in the womb.

Generations and generations, millennia, of people have known that a woman is carrying a baby, and all of a sudden it's just a blob of tissue, can be discarded as though it's just a piece of garbage. This speaks of that mentality, that they're open to worship, to prostrate themselves before, and submit to even the most satanic of characters, and that being the Antichrist. The wrath of God is going to intensify, and that's the case within the tribulation, folks. It's outlined in the book of Revelation. Some more things that are going to happen in the latter part of the tribulation. A fourth of the earth's population, billions, are going to be perishing. A third of the sea now becomes blood. The stars fall from the sky. It's going to be something called wormwood.

A great star falls from the heavens. A third of the water becomes bitter. A third of the sun is darkened. This is climate change, folks. This is the Green New Deal, but it's during the tribulation.

I hope AOC sort of gets her way, because this is when climate really, really changes. Demonic locusts plaguing the people for months. People will not cry out for God's grace.

They just would not repent. We referenced that earlier. They've got massive sorcery with pharmakeia going on, use of drugs.

We talked about that last week. Eventually, those two witnesses are killed. All I'm saying is, going down a list of just some of the things that are going to be transpiring during this terrible time known as the tribulation or the Great Tribulation. Point being, anyone listening who does not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you don't want to wait around and think, well, I'll make this decision during this time.

It'll be so bad that you might not have the opportunity or, as Pastor Barry Stagner said in Part 1, you may perish in the opening minutes. Point is, today is the day of salvation. Barry Stagner for Israel, Jeremiah 30, verse 7, says, Alas, for that day is great, there is none like it. It is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. Again, the tribulation is called the time of Jacob's trouble. Folks, the church is not Jacob.

Jacob is Israel. But he shall be saved out of it. One-third of the Jews are saved, literally spiritually saved, out of the tribulation. Two-thirds perish, and you and I and others who hold to this are criticized, but we're taking that out of the Bible. The one-third see him whom they pierced, they mourn, they recognize. In fact, it is Jesus who they did pierce a couple thousand years ago.

Talk to me about that. As Paul wrote in Romans, all Israel is going to be saved. And obviously, as Jesus is dealing in John chapter 3 with the teacher of Israel, Nicodemus, he was telling him he had to be born again. So this gives us an opportunity to talk about dual covenant theology, and that Israel is going to be saved through obedience to the law, observances, and rituals which have no capacity to save anyone.

When it was enforced, of course, now as Jesus deals with the issue of how to access heaven, he states specifically that you must be born again. So these believing Jews that are supernaturally protected, which is a precedent that set all the way back when Egypt was being plagued with the ten plagues, they were protected by blood from the death angel passing over. The same is going to be true of the second death, just like the Christian, just like the church. They're going to be protected by the blood of Jesus. He is going to, in his foreknowledge, supernaturally protect believing Jews during the tribulation period. And as you said, two-thirds of the Jews are going to be, as Zechariah chapter 12 to 14 covers in great detail the tribulation period, they're going to be cut off.

It's a Hebrewism for kill. So the surviving Jews are going to be those who will look upon the one whom they pierced, mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, grieve the decision of their ancestors to reject the Messiah of Israel, the man that's being reported in Isaiah chapter 53, who's wounded for their transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. They're finally going to realize that this Jesus Yeshua, as they call him, was indeed their Messiah. Those who look upon him, just like us, who have his blood cover our sin, are going to be saved.

This will bring about the final discipline of God. They've gone through the diaspora, the scattering amongst the nations for the rejection of their Messiah. They've been brought back into the land as promised in Ezekiel 36-7.

Now the land is flourishing. Jan, one of the most fascinating things is that we have in the Ezekiel 38-39 war scenario that Arab people seeking to make peace with Israel are coming to their defense when these other nations, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, and Sudan, invade Israel from the north. Sheba and Dedan, represented by the Arab Gulf Peninsula area and states, are going to protest this invasion.

Isn't it interesting that we see today Isaac and Ishmael making amends or overtures toward one another to reconcile. The Arabs, I think we have to remember, the Arabs make up just a small portion of Muslims. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world, some 300 million. The Arab portion is not the majority portion by any stretch.

But here you've got these Arab nations, Saudi Arabia, leading the charge. All this movement towards something that's going to reach its ultimate fulfillment during the tribulation period, which will ultimately lead to the salvation of all believing Jews. I'm reading an email here from Chris.

He's in Bogota, Colombia. And I think, Barry Stagner, in one of the frequent emails I get, you get, many in our line of ministry receive, as people would love to talk about, the issues as it concerns the end of days, and they're met with all sorts of negative response. But Chris in Bogota, and he gave me permission to read this, he says, I discovered all of you at the beginning of the year, and my life changed. You, Amir Safadi, Pastor Barry Stagner, became my mentors. I've learned so much about the topic itself, my beloved Israel, and I love and identify with your understanding on apostasy. And Chris says, I use so much of the material of all of you in my teachings.

God bless you all and can't imagine what you all mean to us here in Colombia. He says, everybody is just hypnotized here, waiting for their hope. And then he says, the hope is in the new President Biden or in the vaccine that people are getting.

And then everything will be all right again. And then he says, we are just not welcome with our apocalyptic words. And then he concludes, knowing you are out there is so comforting.

That's all I know for now. And I hope you get this and understand how important you and your ministry have been for my life and some others of us around here in Bogota, Colombia. The point of reading that, Barry Stagner, is there is a remnant of believers that believe as you and I do, and they feel very alone, and they try to talk about the issues that we've presented in this hour. And some of the issues are indeed sobering, and they could be seen as depressing. And as Chris in Bogota, Colombia, says, he tries to talk about some of these things. They're called apocalyptic words that he's presenting.

He's shunned and shut down. And look, things are going back to normal, don't you know that? There's a new president in America. We're going to have normal life again. Maybe not, Barry, maybe not.

No, I don't think so. We have to remember, the president has been signing executive orders at a record pace, and many of them are pointing to things that are a part and parcel of why God is pouring out his wrath on the earth. To equate biological male to a female simply because they choose to express himself in that manner at that point in time, and they're free to change their mind later and demanding the rest of the world to accept that, flies in the face of God. It goes all the way back to the creation narrative. When God said he has made two genders, male and female, we are moving toward the acceptance of delusion.

The rejection of the love of truth, and therefore God is going to send strong delusion because they would not receive the love of the truth, but rather they have their own desires that they want to follow and their own passions and lusts, and that's really what the world is being driven by now. We are not in a good place. People, I think, in looking at this past election in particular here in the United States, the U.S. has the greatest superpower in the history of the world, there's no question about that. But we're also the most generous country in the history of the world. We've done more for other countries than any country has ever done.

There's a certain amount of desire that the U.S. prosper because it's beneficial for the whole world. It's interesting that we see this very scenario played out at the destruction of Babylon in Revelation chapter 17 and 18, where we're told about the discussion about the one world religion, the woman riding the beast, and all of that. But the interesting factor about that is that the main concern, Babylon is destroyed, and the merchants of the earth sit and mourn saying, who's going to buy our stuff? And that says a lot about the mentality of the world at that time, and I believe we are at that stage even now. Logic's out the window, biology, chemistry, it's all out the window.

Out the window. Just for the sake of creating our own personal delusional reality that anybody can be anything they want. Everybody else has to accept it.

The main thing is that we all have enough and more than we need. The real mourning factor that's going to happen during the tribulation isn't the loss of life at the destruction of Babylon, but rather who's going to buy our stuff and keep us rich. You can learn more and communicate with Pastor Barry Stagner at cctustin.org. You can catch Pastor Barry Stagner on YouTube. Look him up under The Truth About God. The Truth About God.

Again, I'm referring to the video we played clips of that we now carry after the rapture left behind. Be a wonderful tool to leave behind. Check it out, olivetreeviews.org, my online store, my newsletters, call my office. I'm going out of the program. Thank you, Barry Stagner, so much for joining me for the hour. I'm actually reading from Barry Stagner's blog.

It's two paragraphs, and we're going out of the program. With it, perhaps today is the day the Lord comes for His people. Perhaps today is the last day before things begin to spiral toward the end that Scripture warns is coming. Every God-honoring Christian has things he or she hopes to do for the Lord someday, when life settles down, when the job isn't so demanding, or when some other legitimate concern that demands attention is resolved. But Peter tells us, we must always be mindful that time is a limited commodity. Whether globally or personally, time is running out. Each day is the best day to live with urgent expectancy, as though the last witnessing opportunity with someone you know is before you. The day that you are now living is the best day to deal with some spots and wrinkles in your own life.

One day someday it will be that day, perhaps today. I want to thank you for listening, folks, and we will talk to you next week. We get our mail when you write to Jan Markell and Olive Tree Ministries, Box 1452, Maple Grove, Minnesota, 55311.

That's Box 1452, Maple Grove, Minnesota, 55311. All gifts are tax-deductible. Remember, we believe that prayer support is as important as financial support. Always keep in mind that as God orchestrates end-time events, His eye is on the sparrow but you are engraved on the palms of His hands, and everything is falling into place.