Was, Is not, Yet is

THE REIGN OF SATAN IN TRIBULATION?

(HE RULES, HE IS DEFEATED AND CAST OUT, AND THEN USED

OF GOD TO DEVASTATE THE UNSAVED BODY)

TRIBULATION: PRE DEPART OUT, DEATH OF THE TWO WITNESSES:

Re 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

Da 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

Da 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. (this verse seems to imply that when the two witnesses were killed, it’s as if the WHOLE body (even prior believers) suffered with those coming into tribulation. And the reason appears to be that Christ is ONE with the body. They offend one member, they offend ALL members).

Eze 38:16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

Mt 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Da 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Re 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Re 6:4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

Re 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

Re 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

SALVATION: COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, BABYLON IS FALLEN, GOD’S VENGEANCE IS COME, CAPTIVITY IS BROUGHT BACK

Re 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Da 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Mt 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Re 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Re 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Re 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Re 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Re 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Re 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Re 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Re 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Re 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Re 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (resurrection appears to be another picture God gives of the depart out. This seems to be so because Babylon is also referred to as graves).

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (the dead in Christ appears to relate to the members of the body who’d been slain by Babylon over the years. And those remaining seem to point to the post-tribulation gathering taking place today – Mt 24:31 when existing elect are caught up to be with Christ as He is revealed through the Bible).

Re 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

Re 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Lu 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

Lu 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Re 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Re 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (verse 5 seems to be recapping verse 4. The rest of the dead appears to be the prior martyrs, again. They reign with existing believers also when Christ is revealed with ALL the saints through the WORD).

Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Jude 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. (these seem to imply also that as the elect body is spiritually resurrected, it’s as if the WHOLE body (even prior believers) are also raised to life with those who are being set free from Babylon. And the reason, again, appears to be that Christ is ONE with the body. If one member is raised, ALL are raised and are alive in Christ).

JUDGMENT: POST TRIBULATION, COMPLETE DEVASTATION OF THE UNSAVED BODY

Re 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Re 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Re 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Re 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Re 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

Re 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Re 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Re 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

Re 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Re 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Re 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Re 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

Re 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Re 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

Re 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space <3641>. (Five can be pointing to salvation or judgment. In this context, it appears to relate to the judgment on Satan when he was bound at the revelation of Christ).

Re 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. (the eighth here seems to be another way of calling attention to the final reign of Satan on the unsaved body as he is cast into hell with that body in judgment).

2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Re 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Re 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (there seems to be no literal passage of time with this thousand years. It appears to point to the judgment coming on Satan when he is bound, but at the same time, he comes up again out of the pit to go into perdition with the unsaved body).

Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

Mt 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Da 7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

Conclusion:

GREAT TRIBULATION: Satan and his kingdom are ruling as he exalts his throne above the stars of God (corporate body). SALVATION / JUDGMENT: Satan and his ministers are bound for a thousand years (judgment). Elect are raised and come out of tribulation to reign with Christ a thousand years (salvation). JUDGMENT DAY: Satan goes into perdition as he comes up again out of the bottomless pit and allowed by God to destroy the body completely. So it seems Satan is spoken of as coming up from the bottomless pit twice. (1) at the start of the tribulation when God hid His Face from the whole body and (2) At the revelation of Christ, he was bound for a thousand years (judgment) and then he is once again dispatched for the final demise of the unsaved body.

Correction Appreciated

Please note that I am sharing these verses and conclusion as I see them to be in harmony with the rest of the Bible, right now. But because I continue to search these things out, I would appreciate additional findings of support, comments or offer of correction.