Being chased into Petra
Will we be soon resting in the safe place in Jordan sipping pomegranate juice like Cathi and myself were pictured above doing at Petra high in the mountains in 2017? Looks pretty nice hey?
In fact, we are given some clues in the Scriptures as to what it will be like in the safe place where the woman of Revelation 12 will be protected for time, times and half a time during the second half of the final seven years. You can see on my tribulation timeline that this equates to 1290 days. We are told specifically in Rev. 12:6 that it will be in the desert and that she (the woman) has to flee there of her own accord. In the process of getting there, we are also told that she will have special protection1 just in getting there and that she will be chased by an enormous seven-headed red dragon with a flood which is either a real flood or symbolic of an army.2 We are told a bit about the process of getting there and when to get there but what is it actually like?3
The soldier’s psalm
We need to do a bit of digging into the Scriptures. I believe that we are in fact given Psalm 91, known as the “soldier’s psalm.” This psalm was of great comfort to many soldiers during World War I and was apparently recited daily. So let’s dig and examine Psalm 91 more closely to get an idea of what it will be like to be protected during that horrific time of the last 3 ½ years. It doesn’t take a huge stretch to see that this psalm was intended not just for soldiers and as a nice psalm for us to read and spiritualize for us today but in fact that God intended it to be a picture of what the real physical place of safety will be like. Many take this as metaphorical and not a real place. As I have said before the Scriptures often have multiple meanings.
Psalm 91 exegesis
Psalm 91:1-2
Psalm 91:1-2 declares that this place of refuge or safety is a shelter and that it is in His shadow. It is like a fortress which implies protection that no one including the Antichrist will be able to penetrate with his forces. And this is very important because the most important aspect during this period is that the woman will need to be protected.
Psalm 91:3-4
Psalm 91:3-4 lets us know that when we are there we will be protected from any traps or deception of the devil (fowler’s snare) and that no pestilence or virus will harm us. This speaks of the plagues and typical seal and trumpet judgments that will be occurring on the outside during the last half of the tribulation. It reminds me of how the Israelites were protected from the 10 plagues in Egypt that occurred 3500 years ago.
Psalm 91:5-8
Psalm 91:5-8 talks some more about the terror, war, pestilence, plagues, and the huge number of deaths that will be occurring. Those protected in the safe place will only be able to see what is going on and see the punishment of the wicked but the implication is that they won’t be involved or affected.4 I kind of imagine a huge protected dome in southern Jordan including Petra where the woman (God’s faithful people who have listened) will see the arrows (possibly missiles and warheads) pass overhead as they hit Israel. The thing is that there will be great terror and fear on the outside and people will go into hiding–the world will have seen nothing like it before.
Psalm 91:9-10
In Psalm 91:9-10 we are given the promise that if we listen to God’s plan, flee and take refuge in this place then no harm will befall us, no disaster will come near our tents. This gives us the first hint that this place is physical and that it is also temporary because we are said to be dwelling in tents. This is how the Bedouins live in the desert–in tents as pictured below.
So it looks like we will be living in tents which makes sense because we know that this is only a temporary dwelling place until the Lord returns after 1290 days at which time we will meet the Lord in the air at Mt. Nebo. See the blog “The eagle has landed” to learn about the significance of Mt. Nebo and the rapture of the church.
Psalm 91:11-13
Psalm 91:11-13 was the passage of Scripture quoted by the devil when he was trying to tempt Jesus in the Judean wilderness.5 That is ironic as these two verses in Psalm 91 are literally saying that we will be helped and guarded by angels in this safe place and like Jesus we will be in the wilderness albeit southern Jordan and not the Judean wilderness. Of course, the devil takes Scripture out of context and abuses it for his own benefit but what is the true context of this passage? Perhaps it really is referring to the future 3 ½ years when the church who have been faithful and have fled to the desert, will be helped and ministered to by angels at that time.
Psalm 91:14-16
Finally, in Psalm 91:14-16 we see that now it is the Lord Himself who is speaking and He makes six promises to those who have loved Him by obeying His commands to flee to the place of refuge. I believe these are real promises made to His people who have really listened by going to a physical place in the wilderness. They are not only metaphorical promises for those trusting in the Lord nowadays. The six promises can be seen by six “I wills” in the passage.
The Lord makes six promises to those who take refuge
Firstly the person who loves God will be rescued. He will be saved and will not have to go through the trials and tribulations of the last 3 ½ years. This lines up perfectly with the promise given to the Philadelphia church in Rev. 3:10. This church will be kept from the hour (small amount of time) of trial that is going to come upon the whole world. This “brotherly love” church is the church that heeds the call to flee and is truly listening.
Secondly, the person who loves God at this time will be protected because he has acknowledged His name.
Thirdly that person will have his prayers answered. We know that we are instructed by Jesus to pray that we may be able to escape all that is about to happen.6 We need to call upon the Lord that He will lead us to that place and that we might escape. If you do then your prayers will be answered!
The next two promises in verse 15 tell us that God will be with us in times of trouble and that we will be honoured as well for our obedience. Great promises to those in the safe place of Jordan.
The sixth and final promise to us who have listened and taken physical refuge is that we will be satisfied and will literally enjoy our eternal salvation. We will be shown the many fruits of salvation and we will begin to understand what salvation really means.
Post-tribulation rapture
So how do 3 ½ years in the wilderness of southern Jordan grab you? Maybe it doesn’t enthrall you but one thing I know–I want to go where I am protected and safe and looked after. Better that than the alternative. The thing is if you are trusting in a pre-tribulation rapture then I think you will be disappointed. My understanding after translating the Scriptures and study is that the rapture occurs after the tribulation not before so to be safe we have three choices: Refuse the mark of the beast and be martyred; be prepared to either flee in time; survive and escape capture for 1290 days as a part of the elect described in the Olivet Discourse.7
Whatever happens we must ‘become ready’ not merely be ready–that’s going to take work studying the Scriptures about the time frame and timeline involved of when Jesus will return.8
I know for one thing when the call comes, Cathi and myself will be making every effort to be there perhaps sipping pomegranate juice under the shade in the desert. I would like you to be there too.
Do you have more questions regarding the great escape? See FAQ here.
One Response
You are giving me lots to think about Steve… really appreciate all the effort you are going to to produce these blogs for the benefit of folks all over the place!
Thank you so much!
Tracey