THE GREAT TRIBULATION

THE GREAT TRIBULATION - What's it all about?





The Great Tribulation mentioned in the passage from Revelation 7:14 has been the subject of many studies and you would probably find on the Internet a very large number of analyzes and studies on the topic. Nevertheless, I think it's time to bring different lighting and talk about "This Great tribulation" from a different perspective. This study will help you to understand from God's viewpoint a greater scale of adversity, that the overcomers have to deal with.




We all know many Christian brothers and sisters who have experienced or are experiencing “trials, tribulations and afflictions” of all kinds. Many of these individuals literally deal with a “hell on earth”. Their problems range from physical to mental to spiritual, to financial to emotional, to familial to societal, to social to occupational. In other words, these problems cover every conceivable aspect of life, but I tell you that all these difficulties are also a part of life and for all the people of the world, even those who do not know God. Just think about the war crimes of WW2, the floods, fires, tsunamis, cyclones and conflicts of all kinds, and yet these have nothing to do with the Great Tribulation. All these emotionally or physically exhausting experiences ARE NOT THE GREAT TRIBULATION. The Great Tribulation is located in the spiritual realm rather than in the physical realm.




In the passage from Revelation 7:14, a detail places us in a very specific context. The vision given to John, recalls that the overcomers of the seven churches, overcame ONLY through their faith in the blood of the Lamb. As these winners come from the 7 churches and this scene pictured in Rev. 7;14, this is possible only after the Voice said in Revelation 12:10 "Finally! It has happened at last!" For those who think that the various scenes of the great vision from the Revelation Book should be all taken chronologically in time, this will sound quite different what they were taught. Let's read this passage :





Revelation 12:10 : "Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has happened at last! God’s salvation and the power and the rule, and the authority of his Christ are finally here; for the Accuser of our brothers has been thrown down from heaven onto earth—he accused them day and night before our God."




I want to emphasize here the expression "It happened at last" and further on "day and night"




When the Voice says : IT HAPPENED AT LAST !!!!!!!

I want to echo this one again "AT LAST!!! AT LAST!!! AT LAST!!! AT LAST!!! AT LAST!!!




For anyone of us, it is obvious, that when we exclaim "at last" in the sense of "after a long wait; finally; after much delay", that simply means that what's happening at last, was expected for a long time, and was not fulfilled before.




The dictionary says that "at last" and "finally" are rather similar in meaning as they suggest that we have been waiting for something for a long time. Then, the prophetic passage of Revelation 12:10 confirms the victory upon the accuser was once taken away and restored to the saints, after a long time or delay. And obviously, that is fulfilled only at the end of times, because the whole vision from Revelation is about the Day of the Lord. And I will show you that this event is closely bound to the overcomers from the seven churches. And obviously, you will also understand what was the great spiritual challenge and trials they experienced. Now let's locate the spiritual battleground.




The spiritual battleground

You will not be surprised that I tell you that the warfare is in the mind. Is the mind mentioned in the Scriptures? Is God really talking about "mind"? See for yourself. Well let's look at some passages:





―I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. … they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:33–34).


" He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.




" 1 Samuel 15:29 " Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;" Psalm 26:2




" for, "Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16 (Christ has His own Mind, which God's Mind)




Now, let me pinpoint this fact: when you have the Mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) that simply means that your own mind has merged with Christ's Mind. (I published "The meeting of the Minds" which is commonly used to describe an Agreement or Contract between two or more parties. The Bible says that we are One Spirit with the Lord. One Mind.





1 Corinthians 6.17 "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. " (I say that mind is also meaning spirit)




1 Corinthians 12:13 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." In other words : one mind, the Mind of Christ.




1 Corinthians 1:10 "....be of one mind, united in thought and purpose." (or be of one Spirit)




Then, in conclusion: or you have the Mind of Christ or the "other mind". You can't be genuinely born again, if you don't have the Mind of Christ. See? You might be a follower of Jesus, like apostle Peter was, and yet, have "the other mind"!





Matthew 16:23 "But he turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but your mind is set on the things of men.” Here Jesus says that the mind of Peter is the spirit of the devil. (spirit and mind are bound in that verse) Ok now, let's get back to the battleground, where is located the mind.




I brought several publications about the human brain and the human faculties. I proved with science, that the "conscience" and knowledge of moral values are part of several cognitive faculties that enables consciousness, perception, thinking, judgement, and memory—a characteristic of humans.




The human mind and spirit, according to Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia.

Whatever its relation to the physical body it is generally agreed that mind is that which enables a being to have subjective awareness and intentionality towards their environment, to perceive and respond to stimuli with some kind of agency, and to have consciousness, including thinking and feeling. In the late 20th and early 21st century the field of cognitive science emerged and developed many varied approaches to the description of mind and its related phenomena. Broadly speaking, mental faculties are the various functions of the mind, or things the mind can "do".




Thought is a mental act that allows humans to make sense of things in the world, and to represent and interpret them in ways that are significant, or which accord with their needs, attachments, goals, commitments, plans, ends, desires, etc. Thinking involves the symbolic or semiotic mediation of ideas or data, as when we form concepts, engage in problem solving, reasoning and making decisions. Words that refer to similar concepts and processes include deliberation, cognition, ideation, discourse and imagination.




The human conscience is in the human spirit and promotes an inherent knowledge of good and evil.





NeuroScience admits that the knowledge of good and evil (learned moral values) is a feature of the human brain, located in the Frontal Lobe. Scientists call the frontal lobes of our brain “superstructures above all other parts of the cerebral cortex so that they perform a more universal function of general regulation of behaviour.”




NeuroScientists point out the frontal lobes are important for self-control. They can prove that loss of large portions of the frontal lobes is associated with violent emotional outbursts and changes of character.




NeuroScientists say: The frontal lobes look after planning, organising, reasoning, and decision-making, judgement and the emotions. The activity of the Front-Brain determines who and what will control us, - truth or error, good or evil.




As neurology and all the science of the human brain was unknown until recent years, the Bible speaks of "heavenly skies" where the devil's mind is travelling, being also called the "Prince of the air" or "the dragon into the sea".




Now let's return to the passage from Revelation 12:10 where it is said : "... for the Accuser of our brothers has been thrown down from heaven (or the heavenly skies) onto earth—he accused them day and night before our God." Here you see the battleground? The truth is that this human feature in our brain, located in the forefront, is the same feature of knowledge of the good and evil that deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden. Same tree of knowledge and learning of good moral values. Despite its good looking "branch" of the good, this tree (or brain feature known as "conscience") this is the place where the "other mind" accuses you, day and night before God.




You human brain is where the devil's thoughts may reach you. Why ? because this tree belongs to his authority. Unfortunately, all mankind is ruled by this "spiritual authority" which is bound to our brain and "our heavenly skies". As long you will hold to your good moral values in order to please God, you miss the mark. (sin means "you miss the mark) Now, what about the Great Tribulation? Remember that the Lord said He was looking for overcomers (This is said to each of the 7 churches) Tell us brother Michael, what have they overcome?




They overcame the whole tree, in which they were bound from their birth on earth. Their tree of knowledge died and they moved to the tree of Life.





They fulfilled the passage of Ezekiel 28:18 "By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you." Just ponder about the deep meaning "a fire from the midst of you"




The Mind of Christ is dwelling in the Holy Everlasting Rest of God, the Mind of God in His Everlasting Covenant. When we look carefully at the prophetic victory of the people of God upon the accuser from Revelation 12:10, what we find is awesome! Notice that the prophecy says "At last!"




DAY AND NIGHTDay and night means never-ending, ceaseless, perpetual, continual, unceasing and constant. The Bible says that the devil accuses you, night and day before God. You can't overcome the mind of the devil, which is a never-ending accuser before our God, unless you overrun him with the everlasting Mind of Christ. It takes a superior mind to overcome the mind of the accuser. It takes the everlasting Covenant of God, the Mind of the Perpetual Sacrifice through the blood of Jesus, night and day.




The genuine New Birth is a new state of Mind which testifies night and day, from the morning to the evening, that you are Holy and Perfect, Sinless, in the Presence of God , because the perfect effectiveness of the blood of Jesus makes you Holy, as much as Jesus was on earth. You have the Mind of Christ. You are one with the Spirit of God. The genuine Perpetual Sacrifice is the Mind of Christ. Now we have a warfare going on: where? In the Heavenly Skies (The spiritual real of the mind)




Ok, your heart believes the whole Word of God: The Everlasting Covenant of God says that through the Perfect sacrifice of Jesus, through Jesus blood, you were made Holy and Perfect in the Mind of God, as much Holy and Perfect, than God Himself.




GOD GAVE YOU HIS ORDER "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" and we all know that Jesus echoed this shout of command, when he said "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." In order to enable you to achieve this command, God gave you His Everlasting Covenant. Through Jesus' blood and sacrifice, we have been made Holy and Perfect, once for all! (Hebrews 10:10)... Ok, I know you believe that, despite you don't fully understand how this is possible.




Several brothers came to me and asked: brother Michael, how can I be Holy and Perfect, being made Holy on the same level of Holiness imparted to Jesus? I heard several times some testimonies like "I still struggle with my weaknesses, my sexual drive is hard to control, my libido embarrasses me so much, I feel so guilty, it looks like I just can't reach the mark....! (Sin means "miss the mark")




Yes brother.... this is the ultime warfare, the total war. This is the Great Tribulation. God says you are Holy and Perfect, and your conscience still accuses you..what a challenge! First you know that you are made Holy and Perfect, in the Mind of God, through the blood of Jesus. Truly, you just need to be "beheaded" Someday you will understand why John the Baptist had been beheaded, as he was a type of the tree to laid to the carnal tree. Remember John said, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees…" (Luke 3:9).




Yes brother.... this is the ultime warfare, the total war. This is the Great Tribulation. God says you are Holy and Perfect, and your conscience still accuses you..what a challenge!




Now, as long you will not merge with the Mind of God, you will always feel guilty, according to your own acquired moral values. As long you hold to the wrong tree, you are bound to the devil's attacks. This warfare is the Great Tribulation. The devil's thoughts will always come to you with "How can you be God in the flesh, with all your weaknesses?" Then, you reply with Hebrews 10:10 " I do not belong to your tree, but the Tree of Life! I am Holy and Perfect because the Everlasting Covenant of God says it! God's Covenant is the Mind of Christ! I am Holy! I am perfect through the blood of Jesus! I painted my mind with the blood of the Lamb!




The genuine New Birth doesn't come without pains. But to the overcomers, who take their cross one day at the time, the reward will be the throne of the Lord!




Let's summarize: The Mind of Christ is Spirit, with the thoughts of God. Here are some thoughts from the Mind of Christ:





From Hebrews 10:10 " And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." and from Hebrews 10:14, it is said that : "For by one sacrifice he (Christ) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."




Not only this Mind makes you Holy and Perfect before God, but we must also understand that the Mind of the Perpetual Covenant is an everlasting State of Mind in a perpetual/continuous sense, and is bound to the expression "Everlasting Covenant, Perpetual Sacrifice.




I testify here, that the Mind of Christ is the genuine and only New Birth. And the Great Tribulation is the path to follow.




Why is the Mind of Christ the genuine New Birth? Because it is an Everlasting Spirit, and dwells only in the Everlasting Sacrifice through the blood of Jesus. As the Mind of Christ means also the Spirit of Christ, each son or daughter of God is a spiritual "sanctuary".




If we agree that the word "perpetual" means "continuous, uninterrupted, continuing in time or space without interruption, day and night", then just remember the same expression "day and night" is used in Revelation 12:10





"Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, ―It has happened at last! God’s salvation and the power and the rule, and the authority of his Christ are finally here; for the Accuser of our brothers has been thrown down from heaven onto earth - he accused them day and night before our God. " ... (this is the abomination of the desolation in the sanctuary spoken in Daniel 11:31)




As the expression day and night means "never-ending, ceaseless, perpetual, continual, unceasing, constant, uninterrupted...and we understand also that Revelation 12;10 locates "the accuser of the brethren" before God "in their mind" or "their heart" (this is the heavenly place, because the mind is spirit) we must understand that Mind of Christ is the Holy Rest of God, the Promised Land, or to say: the Peace of Mind in Christ forever.




The Mind of Christ is the never-ending thought of the New Covenant.




It is recorded that God said to Abraham "―I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you ".




God himself used the word "everlasting", meaning that once the blessing of the Covenant went out, it was done once for all, the same "once for all" found in Hebrews 10:10 where the people of God is made Holy and Perfect through the sacrifice of Jesus, once for all.




May my Heavenly Father bless all of you.




Brother Michael