The epochal event that marks the end of the Time of Distress is a Big Battle. When the Time of Distress is getting rough, the remaining political powers will engage in a battle to the death.
The battle will emerge out of a series of skirmishes between the Western Beast and the Islamic powers.
Trade wars will break out in various places.
Control of oil fields will be a big issue.
Minor military powers will seize local trade routes.
China will take advantage of the situation and push into Central Asia to secure control of minerals and oil.
The Western Beast will be used to getting its own way. It will enter various confrontations, assuming that old enemies will be intimidated and back down, as in the past. This time these enemies will push back.
The Eastern powers will get tired of being pushed around by the Western Beast and will decide to have a go too (Rev 16:12-14).
The Islamic nations will attack Israel to plunder and loot the precious metals that were stored there during earlier economic crises (Ez 38:12-13).
These nations will want to punish the Western Beast for its policies while controlling the promised land. They will believe it has not gone far enough, so they will attack it where it is exposed in Israel (Dan 11:40-45).
The major players in the Big Battle will be the Beast, representing the West, the Islamic nations inspired by the Prince of Persia, and the powers from the East. Russia is too weak to be more than a bit player.
The Old Testament prophets focus on the combat in Israel, because that was their interest, but the battle will take place on a much broader scale (Rev 16:19).
Different Battle
The Big Battle will often become a personal struggle between political leaders. For most of history, war was a struggle between one king and another, with each being supported by a small retinue of followers. Ordinary people did not get involved, unless they lived close to the battlefield. The nature of warfare changed dramatically with the emergence of nationalism. War stopped being a contest between kings and became a struggle between nations. Nations tend to fight over causes, and everyone is drawn into the struggle.
During the Time of Distress, war between nations will be transformed into personal struggles between political and military leaders (Dan 11). Assassinations of political leaders will be a morally acceptable tool for projecting the Beast’s power. Fear of death will cause many leaders to submit to the Beast. The weapons of war will change.
Large concentrations of infantry will be superfluous.
Independent mobile strike teams will be efficient tools for strategic assassinations.
Predator drones will intimidate people by keeping them under surveillance and threat of attack. They will only kill a few people, but will torment many (Rev 9:1-6).
Mobile missile launchers will kill many more people (Rev 9:17-19).
Remote-controlled weapons will project power across great distance.
Caught in the Middle
A global struggle between the big powers will spill over into Israel. This is often called the battle of Armageddon, but that is a misunderstanding of a single verse in Revelation.
Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon (Rev 16:16).John was not describing the site of the Big Battle, but explaining how it affects Israel. The Hebrew words transliterated as Armageddon refer to the Mount of Megiddo, which is seared in Jewish memories as the place where King Josiah died. He was one of Judah’s best kings. At the peak of his career, he was drawn into in a battle between Egypt and Assyria and killed by a random arrow. Jeremiah composed a lament, because his death was a tragic waste and Judah never had a good king again (2 Chron 35:20-25).
The Big Battle will be the same. Israel will be drawn into the posturing between the Western Beast and the Islamic powers in the same way that Josiah got caught between Egypt and Assyria (Ezek 38,39; Dan 11:40-45).
Joel says that the nations will be gathered in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:12). This event will bring destruction on the powerful nations.
Christian Prophets
At the peak of the Big Battle, God will intervene decisively.
The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God (Is 52:10).When Israel is besieged and the people are full of fear, Christian prophets will speak out and warn the nations gathered for battle that they will be destroyed. These prophets will speak protective judgment in Jesus name. Their prayers will release God’s hand (Is 62:6-7).
The Christian prophets will encourage the Jewish people to trust in God. They will warn that trust in military power will disappoint. This message was foreshadowed by Isaiah.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins (Is 40:1-2).Prophets will announce that Israel's spiritual exile has ended. They will promise that Israel will be delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit, and not by military force (Zeph 3:14-16). The people of Israel will not believe them, but when deliverance comes, they will remember their words and will bless those who prophesied in Jesus name. This is the true sign that the Times of the Gentiles has ended.
Look, your house is left to you desolate... until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Matt 23:38-39).These prophets must be scrupulous about timing. Announcing Israel’s return to blessing before God gives the word would undermine their authority. Many Christian prophets have already disqualified themselves for this role by announcing the end of Israel’s desolation before God has spoken. These prophets will have no credibility if they were required to promise deliverance for Israel during a time of great disaster, because they have promised this before and been proved wrong.
The prayers and declarations of the Christian prophets will release the power of the Holy Spirit. He will bring about the destruction of the political and military powers of the world in several different ways.
On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another (Zech 14:13).
Every man’s sword will be against his brother (Ezek 38:21).
The cities of the nations collapsed (Rev 16:19).The declarations of the prophets will deliver Israel.
Suffering Prophets
John saw these Christian prophets being called (Rev 10:9-10).
Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey (Rev 10:9).When these prophets are called to their ministry, it will seem to be a sweet calling. Once they begin to fulfil their calling, they will suffer for their faith and it will suddenly feel quite sour. The prophets will lead the way for the suffering church by passing through suffering first. When they have suffered for Jesus, they will be ready to prophesy to the nations and release God’s purposes on earth.
Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings” (Rev 10:11).The suffering prophets will release the events that end the Time of Distress and open the way for the Kingdom of God (More at Prophet to a Nation).
