| (Copyright) by Dwight Fleming (Oroville, California) |
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| Jesus warned His disciples, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that the desolation is near. Let them which are in Judea FLEE to the mountains, and let them in the center of it depart out; . . . For these are the days of vengeance to fulfill all things that have been written” (Luke 21:20-22). This is obviously describing a time of Great Tribulation as mentioned in the Olivet prophecy of Matthew 24. Who will need to flee in order to escape the devastation of an advancing army? And from which city? Those living in or around Jerusalem are located in the midst of Judea. If you aren’t living in or near Jerusalem at that time, then fleeing won’t apply to you. If a disaster should happen near you, then you may need to flee. If an earthquake happens in California, then anyone living in Florida doesn’t need to flee because of it. If a hurricane hits Florida, those living in California don’t need to flee unless they happen to be visiting Florida at the time of the disaster. Yet, when you see a situation happening to Jerusalem at some future date which causes a mass fleeing for those who live there, then realize that this may be the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Besides Jesus’ warning in Luke 21, are there other prophecies which describe a fleeing? “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days” (Revelation 12:6). This woman mentioned in Revelation 12 first flees for 1,260 days and later flees a second time for “a time, times, and half a time” (verse 14). Who is this woman and why does she need to flee twice into the wilderness? There are various interpretations of Revelation 12. Some believe that the woman is the New Testament church which has already fled into the wilderness for 1,260 years. The woman (church) will need to flee again at a future date for three and a half years during the Great Tribulation according to one interpretation. If you want to subscribe to that interpretation, then you are free to do so. If you want to consider a different interpretation, then keep reading. In Revelation 17, another woman is described. Verse 18 says that the woman is a “great city.” Staying consistent with the interpretation given in Revelation 17:18, the woman in Revelation 12 should also be a great city. Obviously, not the same one described in Revelation 17. The Revelation 12 woman has a crown of 12 stars (verse one). The description of this woman is very similar to Joseph’s dream of his family which formed the 12 tribes of Israel (Genesis 37:8-10). Thus, the woman of Revelation 12 depicts a great city in Israel which I believe is Jerusalem. And when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies, those living in the area need to flee to escape impending doom. The first fleeing is for 1,260 days (years). Has that already happened as some believe? In Revelation 11, we read about the Two Witnesses. They are given power to prophesy for 1,260 days. Afterwards, they will be killed by the Beast. Their dead bodies will lie in Jerusalem for three and a half days and then be brought back to life. The next thing that happens in the story flow of chapter 11 is the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet which brings about the Resurrection. This means that the 1260- day period of the Two Witnesses is at the end-time just prior to the Resurrection and return of Christ. I contend that the 1260-day period that the woman flees into the wilderness is the same time period that the Two Witnesses prophesy. I don’t agree that the woman is in the wilderness for 1,260 years. Revelation 12 does not tell us to apply a day for a year principle as found in Ezekiel four. What causes the woman (Jerusalem) to flee into the wilderness for 1,260 days which also brings the Two Witnesses to the forefront? If you have been watching current events, then you are well aware of the threat Iran imposes against Israel. That threat is a nuclear weapon, and it is very real. The Two Witnesses won’t just pop out of nowhere. It is likely that they will already be involved with a warning message to those in Judea and Jerusalem of the need to turn to God for protection and for seeking God’s righteous kingdom. Those who heed their warning will be the ones who will wisely flee before a major disaster strikes. Does the Bible confirm that there may be a future nuclear strike against Jerusalem? This is where Zechariah five comes in. Others have already seen this possibility and I must give them credit for it. I first learned about this from Michael Rood a few years ago. Recently, I came across another explanation of it by pastor Steve Cioccolanti from Australia. Zechariah 5:5-11 describes a wicked woman in a basket or ephah. The Hebrew word used for “woman” has the same consonants as “fire.” Hebrew is written without vowels. The reader must supply any vowels. If one vowel is changed, instead of the text meaning woman, it could mean fire. Strong’s Hebrew 802, “ishshah,” woman. Strong’s Hebrew 801, “ishsheh,” fire. This may be a play on words which God inspired to be used. Fire can be a synonym for a wicked woman. “For by means of a whorish woman, a man is brought to a piece of bread, . . . Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” (Proverbs 6:26-27). Is it a woman in the basket or is it a fire? This basket has a lid which is made of lead. As you know, lead is a heavy metal which is used as a shield against radioactive material. Some believe that Zechariah is describing a nuclear bomb or a nuclear reactor for producing electricity. In the first few verses of Zechariah five, some also believe that the flying scroll is depicting a missile. However, the scroll is not rolled up to form a cylinder that could be deemed a missile. It is spread open and has writing on both sides. It only affects thieves and liars. I don’t think a nuclear missile would be able to distinguish between good guys and bad guys. Rather, I believe it is describing a digital dollar that the government will soon impose upon everyone to eliminate an underground economy and capture more tax revenue. It will also be a means for them to control every aspect of our lives and serve as a forerunner of the Mark of the Beast. The woman/fire in the basket or ephah is pushed or cast down. When you look up the Hebrew word for “cast down,” other possible meanings are listed: “to throw, cast, hurl, fling.” See Strong’s Hebrew 7993. Could Zechariah be describing fire being thrown down against the wickedness of a city (woman)? Didn’t God “throw down” fire against Sodom? How would Iran throw down fire against Jerusalem? A nuclear-armed missile would certainly do the evil deed. Is a future missile attack against Jerusalem the event which causes the woman of Revelation 12 to flee into the wilderness the first time? That is fast becoming a very real possibility. The lead lid over the basket may be a symbol of protection that God will provide for the righteous. See one example in Ezekiel nine. The need to flee will still be necessary. Zechariah five shows that the basket or ephah will be taken away by two women with wings. The two women of Zechariah five may depict the two times that the woman of Revelation 12 flees into the wilderness. The Revelation 12 woman is also given wings (verse 14). Can we find any other parallels between Zechariah five and Revelation 12? Are both chapters describing the same future events with different symbolism? What is an ephah? It is a measuring basket used for measuring grain. Some translations will say “measuring basket” rather than “ephah” for clarity. What is being measured? “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there” (Revelation 11:1). This measuring appears to take place prior to the 1,260 days. Is this how God will decide who is worthy of His protection? The woman of Revelation 12 flees into the wilderness where she has a place prepared for her. In parallel, the measuring basket is taken to a house prepared for it (Zech. 5:11, see various translations). But here’s the rub. The woman of Revelation 12 flees into the wilderness where-ever that may be. The measuring basket of Zechariah five is taken to “the land of Shinar.” Where is that? Traditionally, it is southern Mesopotamia which is Iraq today. How can that be? Why would Jews or Christians fleeing from an assault against Jerusalem flee to Iraq? This is what kept me stumped about Zechariah five for some time. I recently watched a video about that area. It showed in parentheses their interpretation of a possible meaning for Shinar. When I saw it, I realized that Zechariah 5:11 may be a symbolic meaning for Shinar rather than just the traditional geographic location. The Two Witnesses will be killed in Jerusalem, yet it is also considered Egypt and Sodom because of the wickedness that will also exist there. See Revelation 11:8. No one knows exactly the meaning of Shinar. We first hear about the land of Shinar in the account of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel. See Genesis 10:8-12; 11:1-9. Nimrod was a “mighty hunter before the Lord.” Not much information in Genesis to determine if Nimrod was good or bad. Stories about him from other sources paint him as a rebel. The building of the Tower of Babel was also a kind of rebellion against the wishes of God. One possible root meaning of Shinar that I found means to “cast out the breach.” A breach involves rebellion. Over and over, we read in the Bible about man’s rebellion against God. This is speculation on my part: Could “the land of Shinar” have a possible meaning as “the land of rebellion.” If so, then Zechariah five is giving us a clue as to which wilderness the woman of Revelation 12 will flee to. “We have sinned like our fathers; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders or remember Your abundant kindness; but they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. . .. So, He said He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach to divert His wrath from destroying them” (Psalm 106:6-7, 23). Moses led the children of Israel to the land of Midian in Arabia to the foot of Mount Sinai where God established a covenant with them which was soon broken. Nebuchadnezzar conquered this area which became part of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (Jeremiah 49:28). Here is another interesting clue: The measuring basket mentioned in Zechariah five is called an “ephah.” “The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah” (Genesis 25:4). The future glory of Zion is described in Isaiah 60: “Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come . . . proclaiming praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you . . . and go up on my altar with acceptance, I will adorn my glorious house” (verses 6-7). Midian, Ephah, Sheba, Kedar are found on the Arabian Peninsula. Will the wilderness that the Revelation 12 woman flees to be in the same general area that the Israelites fled to when they left Egypt under Moses? Consider this: “This message came to me concerning Arabia: ‘O caravans from Dedan, hide in the deserts of Arabia. O people of Tema, bring water to these thirsty people, food to these weary refugees. They have fled from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and the terrors of battle” (Isaiah 21:13-15 NLT). These refugees were fleeing from attacks by Kedar as verse 16 reveals. They are told to hide in the deserts of Arabia. Very interesting. Notice further: “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do His just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD” (Zephaniah 2:3). The Revelation 12 woman flees to a place in the wilderness prepared for her. Is a place now being prepared in the Saudi Arabian wilderness? Yes, indeed. It is called Neom. It will be a city of the future. You can find videos on YouTube to learn more about it. Israel and Saudi Arabia are developing closer ties. Both nations are worried about the ambitions of Iran. Time will tell if Saudi Arabia will someday allow refugees from Israel to hide in their wilderness near the Red Sea. Of course, there may be other places that some will flee to. During the 1,260 days of the first fleeing, the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel nine will kick in. Jerusalem will be re-inhabited. The cause for the second fleeing will likely be the invasion of the King of the North aka the Beast. The Beast or Antichrist is the abomination of desolation that Christ warned about in His Olivet prophecy. This second fleeing is the primary one that Jesus made reference to. This second fleeing from Jerusalem will last for “a time, times, and half a time.” Everyone thinks that it means three and a half years. Not so. The same Greek word for “times” that is used in Revelation 12:14 is used in Galatians 4:10: “You observe days and months and times and years.” Times are not years. It refers to an “appointed time” which refers to a feast day appointed by God. Briefly, a “time, times, and half a time” is the time from Passover to Pentecost or about 7 weeks. To summarize: A nuclear attack against Jerusalem will cause a mass fleeing perhaps to Saudi Arabia for 1,260 days leaving the Two Witnesses behind to continue their work with great power from God. Jerusalem will be repopulated by new residents perhaps because of the Two Witnesses’ testimony. Jerusalem will remain a powder keg for conflict. The King of the North will launch a massive invasion of the area after the end of the 1,260 days which precipitates another mass fleeing. The Two Witnesses are killed by the Beast (King of the North). The Seventh Trumpet sounds on Pentecost and the Resurrection takes place. . . . |
| Iron Sharpening Iron In regard to: The Woman Flees Article by Dwight Fleming Comments by Ray Daly (Lincoln, North Dakota) |
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| Regarding Dwight Flemings article, where he uses the words of Luke 21:20. I find said “surrounding” referring to the time in the not too distant future, that the Gentile armies will be the ones surrounding Jerusalem, and for one specific purpose. Said purpose being found in the meaning of the the vision seen in heaven, in Rev. 6:16. Here “all nations on earth” will see the “Face”, and the “Lamb”. The latter referring to the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. Again, all nations will see this. The question is, how will “all nations, Israelite and Gentiles” react when they do see said sign. How will the Christian nations react, when they see the sign of “their Messiah”? For that matter, what about the religions of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism? Which likely makes up some 90% of all beings on earth. How will all of the rest of said religions react. Well, will they not likely act like the Christians will react? After all, all c.90% of said religions also believe in “their Messiah’s coming”. Do you not think that they all will, together, try to gain access to Jerusalem and Judea, in order to prepare for said coming of “their Messiah”? Of course, the Edomite Israeli Jews today (and the majority are not living in the holy land) react, since they to expect “their messiah” to return. Look at the c.90%, and then read Lk. 21:20 again. And note also Rev. 12, which seems to picture the events that will take place, when the, mostly gentiles, will take over the holy land. Editor’s Note: Dwight’s article was excellent and biblical, but it is also prophecy which can change over time as we learn new stuff, so I will let Dwight defend this in an upcoming newsletter if he sees a need. Laura |
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