We just read the first 6 verses in Rev 12.   Verse 6 conveyed us the time in the middle of the Apocalypse.    Until its end there are still 1260 days = 3 1/2 years to go.

 

The verses 7 - 11: 

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

 

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

 

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. 

 

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.

 

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

 

 

Satan has been cast out of heaven. Now it becomes obvious, that Jesus takes over the power, as God hopes already for quite a time, because He does not want, that a stranger is his heir, as He expressed by Abraham. 

But why could this happen? 

 

                                a) They have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. 

                                b) They confessed the Messiah. 

                                c) They did not compromise with the world.

 

But this did the followers of Christ from the beginning?   But why - now - has Satan been cast out of heaven?   The answer: The full number of the Jesus followers has been reached.

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To justify this position we want to refer to two Bible passages: 1.Moses 22, 15-18. 

 

15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

 

16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

 

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

 

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 

 

 

These are the three promises of God to Abraham:

 

                 1.) Abraham will have numerous descendants, like "the stars in heaven". 

                 2.) The descendants shall possess "the gate of their enemies". 

                 3.) One of your descendants shall be the Messiah. 

 

Now we are interested here in the 2nd promise.

The "gate" is the place in former times where justice has been dispensed.

 

Also Paul writes about this: 1.Kor 6. 

3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 

When the first text expresses the matter more generally, Paul tells us directly:   

We shall judge angels.  

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Now, if we consider our temporal aspect, then 3 1/2 years ago was the beginning of the Apocalypse.

 

Directly before happened the rapture. ( The Apocalypse begins with the opening of the Seven Seals. Before this John sees the Eldest in front of the throne of God. With those Eldest their communities are in heaven already.) 

 

The justified, the dead and the living, are all in heaven. But this is not yet the full number. 

The full number will be achieved in the middle of the Apocalypse. 

 

Because: Many overslept the rapture, as the parable of the 10 maidens tells us. And the great number of those, who do not accept the sign of Satan, will be killed and taken into the heaven. (Rev 7 )

 

This leads to the full number.

 

Now Satan will be condemned and cast out of heaven. This happens in the middle of the Apocalypse. Mary and the people of Israel are rescued in the desert. 

 

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But what did cause the rapture 3 1/2 years before?

 

Rom 11: 

11   I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 

 

12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 

 

13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine Office: 

 

14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

 

15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? 

 

16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 

 

 

In verse 12 we read something of an other full number. This full number is not reached by the people of Israel, but by the "firstfruit" of Israel. (Vers 16) Today those Jesus followers are called Messianic Jews.  Those and the justfied Israelis before Christ are the full number of Israel. 

 

( The firstfruit.  Israel as a people did not accept Jesus as the Messiah.) 

 

Now verse 15: Their acceptance is "life from the dead". "Life from the dead" is a very common description of salvation. Everybody, who follows Jesus, achieves a "life from the dead".

 

But in the connection with the full number of the "firstfruit", which is unique in the history of mankind, this salvation has also the character of singularity. 

 

Now begins the rapture of the dead, "a life from the dead". Then is the rapture of those on earth. 

 

So let's remind: The full number of the firstfruit causes the rapture. To this number added those from the nations gives us a second full number. This causes the end of Satan in heaven. Then Israel will be saved by Mary from the aggression of Satan. 

 

God did combine the fate of Israel with the fate of the nations.

3 1/2 years before: The full number of the "firstfruit". 

 

With the rapture the world community has come to an end of its way. But many are not yet. We remember the parable, that from ten of the maidens fife have not been accepted.

 

For those now the misery begins. They were so full of happiness, they experienced the heaven on earth, the world awakening, the end of the mission, the completion of the community, they served the people in the name of Jesus - but then Jesus said to them: "I don't know you." 

 

And now begin the 7 miserable years, the Apocalypse.

 

(Genesis 41: 

28  This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. 

29  Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 

30  And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; 

31  And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.) 

 

The influence of Satan on mankind has been reestablished.  The Spirit of God has left them. Desolation clenches their hearts.  "Jesus did not want us."

 

But then they meet the two witnesses of God.  They tell them: "God looks for you. You are expected in heaven urgently."   They say: "We know it better.  Jesus did not want us."

 

The witnesses answer: "This is not quite true. Jesus did not know you." 

 

If this is so - what could we do now? 

 

The witnesses: "They have prepared everything. They are going to kill you. They get you dressed in a white gown and they will baptize you into the name of Christ.  Directly into the death.  They are cynical. But this is a good chance for you. Let them kill you. God waits for you. Don't run away.

They are going to get you anyway.  Go freely. 

 

Then they queue up in the procession of the those to die. They give them the white gown but prohibit to sing songs to honor God. The procession moves towards a door. There is a woman with a bolt gun.

 

Now somebody begins to hum a song. They all join in and humming fills the air.  And there are no restrictions. ( A dream event in the spirit. - The witnesses are Elias and Moses.) 

 

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With those people the full number of the Jesus Followers is complete. They do not belong to the bride of Christ, but they have found their peace in heaven.

 

Now the goal is reached. Satan can be thrown out of heaven. 

 

In his wrath he turns against those, who "keep the commandments of God and have the witness of Christ". 

And so everybody is saved, who refuses the mark of the beast. With them the first resurrection has come to an end, which began with the rapture. All of those from the first resurrection will rule with Jesus in the coming Millennium. 

 

                                                                                  March 2015, deFrohna.