Part 3 – World War III

Equipping God's Saints (Believers of Christ) through the prophecies of the End Times …

How do we know that World War III has to happen before the Great Tribulation begins?

We know this because the prophecy about the Sixth Trumpet War is given in Revelation 9:13-20. We then move into Revelation 10 where it tells about the beginning of the Great Tribulation. (We will discuss the 7 Trumpets in our next series of lessons.) Revelation 10:1 begins:

“I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud and a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book open in his hand and he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,”

We see this prophecy twice in the Bible and both times it indicates that this is the event that marks the Great Tribulation. Continuing down to Revelation 10:5, it says:

“The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever. Who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it that there should be delay no longer.”

The King James Version says “...time no more”. This is not the accurate translation because when you move into chapter 11 of the Book of Revelation, it immediately starts talking about another 3 ½ years and then later on in Revelation it talks about another 1,000 years. So when it says “...there should be time no more”, the New King James Version as well as the other translations of the Bible agree with “...there shall be delay no longer”. It is simply saying that we have reached the crossroads; we have reached the turning point. After you see this, you see the next thing in Revelation 11 which is a prophecy about measuring the Temple and saying that the Temple will be trodden down by the Gentiles for the next 42 months.

It gives us this time frame: We have the Angel with one foot on the land and one foot on the sea declaring that delay shall be no longer. Then immediately we move into the final 42 months. Then Revelation 11:3 tells us the two witensses of God begin their ministry of 1,260 days. So both of these passages indicate that from when the Angel stands one foot on the land and one foot on the sea, that that begins the final 3 ½ years of what we know as the Great Tribulation.

In summary, we have:

1. The 6^th Trumpet War (World War III) in Revelation 9
2. The Great Tribulation Begins in Revelation 10
3. The Final 3 ½ years in Revelation 11. This culminates with the sounding of the 7^th Trumpet, the Last Trumpet. Revelation 11:15 says that the kingdoms of this world are now become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.

This event is also recorded in the Old Testament. In Daniel 12:1 it states:

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the Great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people (speaking to Daniel and thy people, Israel): and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time (speaking of the Great Tribulation) and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the Book.”

As we continue down to Daniel 12:6-7, it states:

“And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, how long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

And I heard a man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half: and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”

What we are seeing is (Revelation 9) that it is 3 ½ years until the end of these wonders. We also see this war will begin, it will kill 1/3 of the human race, then the Great Tribulation will begin.

We don't know how far before the Great Tribulation this war will take place. Could be 2 years, 4 years, whatever. That is not given to us, however, we can have an understanding about how these events are going to fall.

Next, we will look at a time line of how all these things are going to unfold.

Resources: The anointing of the Holy Spirit and God Almighty, who I am accountable to. I have prayed diligently and am led to follow and support the teachings of Pastor Irvin Baxter from Endtime Ministries and his teachings of Understanding the End Times. I encourage you to visit his website at endtime.com.