The Great Tribulation, Part 1 B

There is coming a special distress but in the midst of it a special defender will arise and that special defender will allow God to bring about a special deliverance and out of that deliverance will come a special destiny, a resurrected glorious life and in the midst of that glorious life there will be a special dividend, the capacity to radiate the glory of God forever. What a hurt. That's His real soul. You know something?

That's our hope too. Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur. I'm your host, Phil Johnson. The history of Israel continues to be a tale of political tension and shocking violence. Israel is rarely out of the news headlines and, of course, far more explosive events are in store for that nation. You can read about, not in the newspapers, but in the pages of God's Word. John MacArthur considers those events today as he continues his study titled The Future of Israel. Yesterday's lesson highlighted the two witnesses and the remnant of faithful Israel. Today John looks at an event he calls the climax of the Great Tribulation.

And now here's John with today's lesson. Recently, as we've been studying chapter 10, 11 and 12, we have found that in the vision that is given as the last revelation, Daniel is made to see that Israel's history is going to be one long string of oppressions. Now the heart of the message is in chapter 11, verse 35. The whole purpose of this chastening period for Israel is to test them and to purge and to make them white. In other words, God never gives up on His people until finally they are purified, finally they are purged. They will be subjected, says the angel to Daniel, to a series of Gentile pagan oppressors who will bring them grave suffering. Well that's a pretty bleak message, isn't it? For God to say as His final word to Daniel, Daniel, it's just going to be like this for thousands of years, and then leave it at that, would leave no light at the end of the tunnel.

It would be so bleak. And so in the first three verses of chapter 12 comes the light. This is hope. How and why at that time can men have hope?

Several reasons. I want to share them with you. A distress without equal in human history, the time of Jacob's trouble, the 70th week of Daniel, the time of the tribulation, the great tribulation, all of these terms are used to describe that period. But here comes the hope. In the midst of the special distress comes a special defender. Back to verse 1, a special defender, and at that time shall Michael stand up. The nation will not be utterly destroyed, for Michael will stand up.

And who is he? The great prince who stands or who guards the children of thy people. Thirdly, a special deliverance, a special deliverance. Back to verse 1 again.

This is great. It says at the end of the verse, and at that time, there's that word again, that phrase, thy people shall be delivered. Israel will be delivered.

Now I've already hinted at that, haven't I, in telling you that God will protect them in the wilderness for three and a half years. Israel will be delivered. All Israel will be, what, saved. Jeremiah 30 says that. After it says there'll come a time of trouble such as has never been in the history of the world, it says, but we shall be saved out of it. Jeremiah 30, verse 7. Verse 11 says, for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee. Verse 17, I will restore health unto thee, I will heal thee of thy wounds. There's coming a time when Israel is going to be delivered, and it's going to be in that same time.

Marvelous thing. When the persecution is the worst, that's when their redemption is going to take place. Now listen, who is the all Israel that'll be saved? Well in the end time, first during the testing period, the apostates and the rebels will be purged out. Only the remaining ones will be protected. Zechariah 13, 8 says two-thirds will die. That leaves one-third purged as the remnant.

That one-third purged then becomes the duly constituted nation. They are the all Israel. They are the Israel, this promised redemption, the godly remnant.

And that's verified. Go back to verse 1 now of Daniel 12. He will be delivered, who will be delivered?

Every one that shall be found written...where?...in the book. The promise of deliverance and the promise of salvation is for those who believe. The delivered one-third then seem best to be understood as the remnant of believing redeemed Jews. Now some people would ask the question, how does this remnant come to believe? How do they come to faith?

And we can't be very specific and get all these little things in sequential chronological slots, so we really do injustice to the general tone of Scripture. But I think one of the very key things to remember is that God sets apart, according to Revelation chapter 11, two witnesses, remember them? Two olive branches, two witnesses who can do miracles. In fact, they're killed and they're going to lie in the street and they're going to be murdered because of their testimony. And then you remember after a given period of time, they rise from the dead.

That'll be interesting on instant replay. They rise from the dead and I imagine their message becomes somewhat more convincing. In addition to them, in Revelation 7 and Revelation 14, you have 144,000 Jews who are sealed and protected by God as evangelists during this period of time, 12,000 from every tribe. And I believe it is the ministry of the two witnesses and it is the ministry of the 144,000 that reaches the Jewish people.

But that isn't all of it. Then the Jewish people that they reach begin to reach others. And even in the midst of all of the holocaust, Jews will become true believers and they will win other Jews to Christ so that many will come to know Him and they will be preserved as a living remnant, a redeemed nation. So the deliverance is twofold. It is a deliverance of personal salvation. But it happens on a wide enough scale and God protects those that are redeemed so that it becomes a national deliverance as a duly constituted remnant of believing Jews become the all-Israel that is saved. This, beloved, is Israel's hope.

The purging will someday be over. The nation will be saved and ushered into the long-awaited and long-promised kingdom. Now that special deliverance leads to, fourthly, a special destiny. And by the way, what I've tried to cover in the last point is to sum up a whole scheme of prophetic truth.

So if you have a few loose ends, it's understandable, but I wanted you to get the overall thrust. Fourthly, a special destiny. A special distress demands a special defender. A special defender provides the opportunity for a special deliverance and a special deliverance leads to a special destiny, verse 2, and many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. The angel says to Daniel, Daniel, the climax to the tribulation is resurrection. Now this has long been the hope of the Jews. Some Bible scholars and commentators feel that they never had this hope, that Jews never really had a clear understanding of life after death, but that's not true. It is very clear that Abraham had confidence in the resurrection of the dead and that's why he offered Isaac. If you doubt that, you should read Hebrews 11.19.

It is very clear that Job, which may be the oldest book in all the Bible, probably lived before Moses, said this, for I know that my Redeemer liveth and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for myself and not another though my rains be consumed within me. He knew He'd be resurrected. Isaiah, who lived more than a century before Daniel, predicted that dead men would live again and their bodies would rise, Isaiah 26.19. Hosea, a contemporary of Isaiah, said in chapter 13, I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death. Even the resurrection of Christ is predicated on the words of David who said, my flesh shall rest in hope for thou wilt not leave my soul in Hades, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.

No, this has been their hope all along. And so, says the angel, there is hope, there will be deliverance and beyond the deliverance there will be an incredible destiny, a resurrection. Revelation chapter 20 talks about it, we won't take the time to go into it, but it talks about that very special resurrection. What's going to happen in that resurrection? Well, it says, back to verse 2, many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. There are two parts to the resurrection, positive and negative.

It's going to be for life and it's going to be for contempt. Now, let's talk about the resurrection number one, to everlasting life, the resurrection to everlasting life. This simply is a large, broad, categorical term.

Think with me. And it really has several specific elements. In Acts 24, 15, it's called the resurrection of the just. In John 5, 29, it's called the resurrection of life. Hebrews 11, 35, calls it the better resurrection. But it is the resurrection of all glorified saints, all glorified saints, all believers, all redeemed, Old Testament, New Testament, tribulation, everybody will get in on everlasting life.

But specifically here, he's referring to Israel, and that's very important. The first resurrection, as it's called in Revelation 20, verse 4, has three parts. First Christ, the firstfruits.

That's part number one. And by the way, when He was raised from the dead, there were several others with Him, right? The graves were opened and they came forth too. And that was a genuine resurrection apparently. So Christ was the firstfruits, and that was a picture of what was going to come in the kingdom.

Christ was the firstfruits. The second part of the first resurrection is the church. And when does our resurrection take place? At the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then they which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with the Lord to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. I believe that Christ is the firstfruits, the church comes second. Then comes the tribulation period. The church is removed.

We weren't in the first 69 weeks, we aren't going to be in the 70th. God goes back to dealing with Israel. At the end of that seven-year period, at the end of that time of testing, purging, purification comes the third and final part of the first resurrection, the raising of the Old Testament saints' bodies and the tribulation saints. Now it will include some Gentiles because there will be Gentiles saved during the tribulation who will be martyred, just as there have been Gentile proselytes to Judaism through its ancient history. So these will be raised at the end of the tribulation. The second resurrection just has one part. It happens a thousand years later.

At the end of the thousand years, when God raises from the dead the bodies of the unjust. Look with me for a moment at Revelation 20 and I think you'll see the clarity. I just wanted to give you the picture, now I'll show you the Scripture. Verse 4, I saw thrones, they sat upon them and judgment was given unto them. I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God who had not worshiped the beast, neither His image, neither received His mark on their foreheads or in their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. That implies a resurrection.

John in his vision sees the kingdom. He sees a thousand-year millennium and there living alive and reigning with Christ are all the saints. Those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, for the Word of God, those who wouldn't worship the beast, those who wouldn't take His mark, they're alive. But the rest of the dead, verse 5, didn't live until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection, that is prior to the thousand years. And blessed and holy are the ones that have part in the first resurrection.

They're the blessed and the holy. Then, verse 7, when the thousand years are ended, that's the timeframe. Now verse 11, I saw a great white throne and Him that sat upon it. Then verse 12, and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works, and the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead that were in them, and they were judged, every man according to his works, and death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

That, my friends, is the resurrection to shame and everlasting contempt. Now Daniel does not see a thousand years in between, but that's just because the whole concept was a mystery to him. The whole flow of redemptive history had some big gaps for the Old Testament prophets. That's why Peter says they looked into what they wrote to see what it really meant, because they didn't have the full range of revelation. Daniel says there's a resurrection to life and a resurrection to shame and contempt and in Revelation we see they're a thousand years apart. They didn't understand everything I've told you.

They didn't get the whole picture. Jesus tried to help them a little bit. Early in His ministry He said, Marvel not at this, John 5.28, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear His voice and shall come forth they that have done good under the resurrection of life, they that have done evil under the resurrection of damnation. Jesus said, everybody's going to come out of the grave, all bodies will be resurrected, some to life and some to death.

That's the choice, life or death. And that's exactly what the angel says is the hope of Israel in the midst of a time of terrible distress, in the darkness of suffering under the antichrist, in the horror of Armageddon, the overrunning power of demons shall stand a special defender, Michael. And through the instrumentality of Michael, God shall bring a special deliverance that promises to all who believe a special destiny. Finally, for those there is promised a special dividend, verse 3, and they that be wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. Oh, this is so rich. Marvelous verse.

Marvelous. It doesn't mention anything about the punishment of the wicked, it just drops that subject almost as if it was a thousand years later. The message here is hope. And so he focuses on the hope and says after the resurrection, that is in the end, comes the reward, comes the time of dividends. You not only will receive everlasting life, but in that life, they that be wise, and who are the wise? The wise are the ones who believe. The wise are the ones who are purged. The wise are the faithful, the redeemed. And what are they going to receive but the brightness of the firmament?

They're going to shine like stars. The wisest people in the world are the saved and the biggest fools are the unsaved. The wisest of all men are those that come to Christ and everybody else is a fool, a fool.

There will be many that will come in the tribulation, not only of the Jews, but Revelation 7 says there will be so many Gentiles saved, you couldn't count them, innumerable. And the ones that are saved are going to shine like stars. What does that mean?

I'll tell you what it means. This is beautiful. I really believe that you have here is this, the concept that in eternity we will be rewarded by the capacity to manifest the blazing glory of God. There are little stars and there are big stars as we look in the sky, right?

They're all stars and they're all beautiful, but all of them have a different beauty. And I believe in eternity we will shine as stars. And I believe that the capacity to glorify God will be dependent upon our faithfulness. We'll all shine like the brightness of the firmament. In other words, we will all have the capacity to eternally radiate the glory of God. We'll all be blazing suns in eternity. But there's a special glow for they that turn many to righteousness. They shall shine as the stars forever and ever. I really believe in the New Testament we've talked about this, but I think that rewards or crowns that we get when we go to glory are simply ways to express the capacity which we'll have to radiate the glory of God. If we're saved, we'll shine like stars, especially if we've turned many to righteousness. The brightest glories of eternal capacity are reserved for those who have influenced others to faith, and I really believe He's saying what's going to happen in the tribulation is Israel's going to be saved and they're going to lead others to Christ. Where do all those Gentiles come from? So many Gentiles that can't even be counted from every people, tongue, tribe and nation are going to be redeemed and sing the song to the Lamb. Where do they come from?

I think they come from the Jewish evangelists. Their stars will shine all the brighter, for they have caused many to be righteous. Beloved, we can draw that to our own selves.

The faithfulness of our own witness will determine our eternal capacity to manifest the glory of God. Have you always wanted to be a star? Who are the stars of our world? The great.

Oh, I suppose historically they are the great war makers, the greatest, most known names of history, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, the ones we remember had armies that raped the land and wreaked havoc. Contemporarily where we live, who are the stars? Walk down Hollywood Boulevard. They're right there under your feet. Or you can walk at Forest Lawn and they're right there under your feet. We have stars in the sidewalk, singers, dancers, actors, TV people. Their graves and their stars are all under our feet.

In fact, they're walked on by common men. They don't shine very bright. Who are God's great? Who are the greatest in God's sky?

The shining stars. They are those that turn many to righteousness. When you think back and look at your life, what have you done to contribute to such a future? Now, he's speaking specifically of Israel here, but I think we can extend this to us as well. I believe that the Lord wants us to be faithful to preach the Word and give out the gospel. In Philippians 2, 15, he says, we are to be blameless, harmless children of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked, perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the Word of life.

I think God wants us to do the same. Well, Daniel is given great hope here. There is coming a special distress, but in the midst of it, a special defender will arise and that special defender will allow God to bring about a special deliverance, and out of that deliverance will come a special destiny, a resurrected glorious life, and in the midst of that glorious life, there will be a special dividend, the capacity to radiate the glory of God forever. What a hope. That's Israel's hope.

You know something? That's our hope too, for we're blessed in the tents of Shem. We become the seed of Abraham by faith. We too shall reign in the kingdom and have the same privilege to give him glory. We're listening to Grace to You with John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary.

John's current study is called The Future of Israel. John, yesterday we talked about Satan and all of the violence and evil that he unleashes in the end times, and the truth is, the book of Revelation is filled with disasters and judgments and it's easy to think about biblical prophecy solely in those terms. You said the other day that we need to study biblical prophecy because it's so important to know the end of the story because the end of the story is not about disaster and judgment, it's about hope. So talk about that for a minute.

That's absolutely the point. The book of Revelation ends in all glory. It's the millennial reign of Christ. It's the exaltation of the saints.

It's the creation of the new heavens and the new earth and the glories of eternal heaven. The end of the story is marvelous. Getting to the end of the story encompasses judgment, but that's the way it's always been.

Those who reject God and His purposes and His salvation will experience His judgment. But the story ends in glory, and that is the reason to know what the book of Revelation is about, so that you can give glory to God. As I said the other day to you, I was talking to this Jewish guy who was deeply concerned about who was going to win in the Middle East. He was deadly serious about this.

Obviously, his parents were at Dachau, and he wanted to know how it was going to end. And I said, the end is already written. The end is already written. No enemy of Israel is going to win. No enemy of God is going to triumph. No, Christ triumphs in the end. That's what the book of Revelation shows you. That's what it depicts in beautiful, graphic ways. So I want to offer you a free copy of a booklet, A Jet Tour Through Revelation. That's right. It's free to anyone who asks.

You don't need to be unclear about the future. It's there in that incredible book. Again, the title, A Jet Tour Through Revelation, free to anyone who asks. And we're glad to send these out, because we want you to understand the fullness of God's revelation.

But something else to add to that. While the booklet will give you kind of a bird's eye view, a quick run through Revelation, I have two volumes in the New Testament Commentary Series on the book of Revelation that take you into the depth of the book of Revelation. I can't think of anything more fascinating than understanding the details of Revelation, particularly after you've seen the bird's eye view. You can order them from Grace To You, prices reasonable as always. But contact us today for the free booklet, Jet Tour Through Revelation, and for the commentaries if you want them.

Thanks, John. And friend, again, the booklet, A Jet Tour Through Revelation, is free for the asking for a limited time. And to dig even deeper into the book of Revelation, consider ordering John's two-volume commentary on Revelation when you contact us today.

You can call our customer service line at 800-55-GRACE, Monday through Friday, 730 to 4 o'clock Pacific Time, or just go to our website anytime at GTY.org. Again, John's booklet called A Jet Tour Through Revelation is free. All you have to do is request a copy when you call 800-55-GRACE or when you go to GTY.org. And if you'd like to order the Revelation commentaries, they're each $19, and shipping is free. And just a reminder, you can also buy John's entire 33-volume New Testament commentary series all at once, and you'll pay a lower price per volume that way.

Shipping is still free. To get John's two-volume commentary on Revelation or the complete New Testament commentary series, give us a call at 800-55-GRACE or shop online at GTY.org. Now for John MacArthur and the entire Grace to You staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Remember to watch Grace to You television Sundays on DirecTV channel 378, or check your local listings for broadcast times in your area, and then be here tomorrow as John shows you how knowing the future can make you a better witness for Christ today. That's another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time, on Grace to You.