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The End of the Great Tribulation

Joel 3:14-21

The end of the fight against the armies of the enemies of the Jews is marked by the battle in the valley of Jehoshaphat, as it was known in Joel's days, better known as the valley of Jezreel, which will be "the valley of decision".

Later prophecies provide much greater detail of this war, which will be fought in seven stages:

1. The assembling of the enemies of the Antichrist in the Valley of Jezreel: this begins with the sixth bowl judgment (Revelation 16:12-16). The Euphrates river will be dried up to make it easier for the Antichrist to assemble his forces for the Armageddon Campaign, which is the war of the great day of God, the Almighty (verse 14). Armageddon is a combination of two Hebrew words meaning "the mountain of Megiddo": Megiddo was a strategic city located at the western end of the Valley of Jezreel guarding the famous Megiddo Pass into Israel's largest valley, and the entire valley could be seen from this city. In this large valley the armies of the world will gather for the purpose of destroying all the Jews still living.

2. The destruction of Babylon: the world political and economic capital city of the Antichrist, after it is rebuilt (Zechariah 5:5-11), will be devastated (Isaiah 13, 14, Jeremiah 50, 51, Revelation 18:1-24).

3. The fall of Jerusalem: although the Antichrist will have all his allied forces with him when he receives the news of the destruction of his capital city, instead of going back, he will proceed south against Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:1-9, 14:1-2). After very heavy losses because of the resistance of the Jewish forces strengthened by the power of God, they will finally capture it.

4. The armies of the Antichrist at Bozrah: the main concentration of Jews and Jewish leaders will no longer be in Jerusalem or in Israel, but in Bozrah in the land of Edom or present day southern Jordan. So the armies of the world will move southward from Jerusalem to Bozrah (Jeremiah 49:13-14), to destroy the remnant of Israel that will be gathered there (Micah 2:12).

5. The national regeneration of Israel: the nation will confess its national sin (Leviticus 26:40-42, Jeremiah 3:11-18, Hosea 5:15), and plead for the Messiah to return (Zechariah 12:10, Matthew 23:37-39). Facing possible annihilation, they will remember Hosea 6:1-3, and their leaders will finally recognise the reason why the tribulation has fallen on them. This will last for two days as the entire nation becomes regenerated and saved. The national confession is given with its actual words in Isaiah 53:1-9. The nation as a nation will be saved, fulfilling the prophecy of Romans 11:25-27.

6. The second coming of the Messiah Jesus: the initial place of His return will be at Bozrah, on Mount Seir (Isaiah 34:1-7, 63:1-6, Habakkuk 3:3, Micah 2:12-13, Judges 5:4-5); He will come on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 24:30), in the same manner as He left (Acts 1:9-11), with power and great glory (Revelation 19:11-16). He will be accompanied by a great army of angels (Matthew 16:27) and another of church saints raptured previously (Jude 14-15), but He will do all the fighting on His own (Isaiah 63:1-6). There will be a massive slaughter of all the armies of the nations (Revelation 19:17-18,21, Ezekiel 39:17-20). Only then will the Gentile nations realise that God did not cast off His people for ever (Ezekiel 39:21-29). Another prophecy of His coming is found in Habakukk 3:1-19.

7. The battle from Bozrah to the valley of Jehoshaphat: the battle will continue all the way to the eastern walls of Jerusalem which overlook the Kidron Valley, present name for the valley of Jehoshaphat. The Antichrist will be among the first to be slain (Habakkuk 3:13b, 2 Thessalonians 2:8); his soul will first go to Sheol (Isaiah 14:3-11) and many will be able to view his body and stare in utter disbelief that he died so suddenly and easily considering the power he had under him (Isaiah 14:16-21). The battle will come to an end in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, therefore called here "the valley of decision", with complete victory of the Messiah and destruction of the world's armies.

The Lord Jesus will then make a triumphal ascent up the mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-4a). Along with this a number of cataclysmic events will occur as the Great Tribulation comes to an end, resulting from the seventh bowl judgement in Revelation 16:17-21):

1. Convulsions of nature including the greatest earthquake ever to occur in the history of the earth (verse 18).

2. The city of Jerusalem to split into three divisions (verse 19).

3. The city of Babylon will suffer the full wrath of God (verse 19).

4. Many geographical changes will take place (verse 20).

5. Hail will fall weighing 120 pounds (verse 21).

6. Not only will Jerusalem be split into three divisions, but the Mount of Olives will be split into two parts creating a valley running from East to West, permitting a way of escape from the earthquake (Zechariah 14:4b-5).

7. A complete blackout (Matthew 24:29 and Joel 3:14-17).

In our days Jerusalem is still being trodden down by Gentiles. Not only is a part of it occupied by Palestinians and Arabs, who still live there and have built a large mosque on the site of Solomon's temple, but various "holy" sites have been taken over for centuries by the Roman Catholic, Greek and other religious institutions.

The city throbs with tourists, not so much Jews as Gentiles from all over the world, coming and going all the time. And it has been a very fearful place of late because of the hate of the suicidal Moslems who blow themselves up in order to kill as many Jews as they can, in the belief that this is the way to Paradise.

The LORD will dwell in Zion after these cataclysmic events, and from this holy mountain He will reign over the world (Micah 4:6-8, Zechariah 8:1-8, 20-22, 14:9-11, 14:20-21). Jerusalem shall then be holy, peace and joy will return, and it will attract the Gentile nations from afar not as curious tourists, but in order to pay their homage to the King of Kings. All the former desolations of Jerusalem will be forever forgotten, for the streets of Jerusalem will bustle with the noise of joy and gladness and with the happy voices of brides and bridegrooms (Jeremiah 33:9-11).

There will be an abundance of water, and an increased productivity of the land, and Israel will, for the first time in its history, possess all of the land it was promised in the Abrahamic Covenant (Ezekiel 36:28-38).

There are three main passages that speak about the millennial river:

1. The river begins in the temple area and eventually makes its way south to the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:1-12).

2. It will first flow to Jerusalem where it will be divided in two: a branch will flow West down the mountain into the Mediterranean, and the other will flow East into the Dead Sea, thus providing the necessary water for the growth of the crops (Zechariah 14:8).

3. The fresh water running into the Dead Sea will change its character and enable it to sustain life (Ezekiel 47:8-10).

The valley Acacias, (Numbers 33:49, Joshua 2:1), is a plain or valley in the land of Moab (Jordan), on the other side of the River Jordan from Jerusalem. It will be made possible for the fountain in Jerusalem to water this valley because the rift which at present allows the River Jordan to run North-South will be replaced by the rift running East-West which will also split the Mount of Olives.

There will be a national conversion of Egypt (Isaiah 19:19-22), but because of its long-standing hatred of Israel, and mistreatment of the Jews, it will suffer a desolation similar to that of Edom, but not permanent (wilderness): it will be temporary, for only the first forty years of the kingdom (Ezekiel 29:1-16). But Edom, like Babylon, will be a place of continual burning pitch and burning brimstone. The smoke will rise and be visible for the entire one thousand years, and Satan's demons will be confined there.

Judah and Jerusalem will be forgiven for their bloodshed and shall abide forever.

 

R David Jones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness.

16 The LORD also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the LORD will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

17 "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, and no aliens shall ever pass through her again."

18 And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; a fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD and water the Valley of Acacias.

19 "Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom a desolate wilderness, because of violence against the people of Judah, for they have shed innocent blood in their land.

20 But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21 "For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; for the LORD dwells in Zion."