The Stone that Crushes - Part 2

      As Daniel explained, Operation Consume and Destroy brings us to the bottom of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue that foretold the times of the Gentile oppressors—to the feet made of clay and iron that do not mix. The oppressive times of the Gentiles shall end. The dream and its interpretation are sure. Nothing can change it or stop it, no matter how prideful or powerful the counterfeit one-world order becomes.
      We hinted in an earlier blog that the end of the 3½-year war for Jerusalem doesn’t come as most people think it does. You see, it doesn’t end with a single conflict called the Battle of Armageddon. That is a misinterpretation that comes from several mistranslations, including the reference in Rev. 16:16. This is why scholars cannot agree on the location, let alone, if it actually exists. Instead, Scripture calls the sudden destruction of Operation Consume & Destroy as the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:14).
     We know this may rattle some of your preconceived ideas. However, we have to let Scripture interpret Scripture. And when there are multiple man-made interpretations of a passage with no agreement, we have to be honest with ourselves and God’s Word. Nowhere in Scripture is there a direct, specific reference to a 7-year tribulation. But there are at least 8 specific references to a 3½-year war.
      The Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty is fought from above, from the position of heavenly authority (Eph. 1:21). By the end of Christ’s 7th Day reign, Christ’s exalted position shall be completely fulfilled. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Phil. 2:9-10).   
      End-Time Message: Revelation goes on to describe the mop-up operation after the Stone has crushed the Antichrist’s forces. “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great’ ” (Rev. 19:17-18). Gruesome, for sure, but effective.
      As for the Beast and the False Prophet, they are captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire (eternal damnation). As for the power behind the Beast, John tells us his fate. “Then I saw an angel coming down from Heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit [a compartment in Hades/Hell] and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years [the rest of Christ’s millennial reign]; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while” (Rev. 20:1-3). More on this to come.
        Thus, Operation Consume & Destroy is complete. Now let’s take a moment to see what this same scene looks like from below, from earth’s perspective. This 31/2-year war is prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39. God speaks directly to Gog of Magog (the Antichrist). “Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured” (Ezek. 39:3-4).
       Earlier, the prophet Ezekiel described the earthquake that split the Mount of Olives at Christ’s return at the rapture (Ezek. 38:18-22). This allows Israel to flee to the place God has prepared for them. Since they finally recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the latter rain outpouring empowers them to become mighty men in battle. Of course, it helps that God is fighting on their side now, compliments of the heavenly army above! Verse 23 sums up the purpose of the war for Jerusalem. “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”