Jacob's Trouble

Chapter Seven The Sea Of Sulfur

At Dawn - View From Mt. Of Olives

On Sunday, everyone woke up early. Many traveled throughout the day. After an hour or two, there was an amazing sight seen from the mountain overlooking the Temple Mount. A large cloud of dark gray passed over the Mount of Olives and rose towards the heavens. People from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem and noticed the ominous cloud approaching. For several minutes, the anomaly seemed to stand still but it slowly moved into the horizon.

Many sealed ones and other believers watched this phenomenon as they approached the temple mount for the large service. Joseph and Levi supervised the planned gathering and were bustling around the event making sure everyone was getting a good seat and plenty of refreshments.

Eliyahu was in a private room praying and preparing for his presentation to the hundreds of believers. He was anxious to share some of the new things God was doing on the earth on this very morning.

Before he gave his message, however, he wanted to confirm something he heard recently from Zechariah and other prophets. He knew Yoshua would be coming in the next four years and he wanted to be prepared.

"God Jehovah's holy word tells us in the Revelation of John the Apostle, and I quote, 'The Lord says, "The times of the Gentiles are nearly over. I am going to save Jerusalem from her enemies. My glory will shine upon her, and she will be radiant with joy. Her enemies will be silenced. They will flee because they cannot hide. They will say, 'We can no longer hide. God has shown us his glory. The Lamb of God is in our midst.' The seventh angel blew his trumpet and a loud voice from the temple was heard across the land.

"God says, 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the end. I will wipe away all tears from their eyes and death will be no more. Neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.'"

A brief silence settled over the audience as Eli listened to God's Words. He looked around the crowd from his viewpoint. People, young and old were listening intently.

Eliyahu continued, "Today we saw as we arrived this morning at our big cave, the mountain of sulfur flying into the atmosphere. It will land in a big sea, possibly the Pacific Ocean. The scriptures say it will destroy a third of the creatures in the sea and the vessels that sail on it. This is what the Bible calls the second trumpet."

"Another event we haven't discussed that has already happened is the building of our beautiful third temple here in Jerusalem. Many of you have already toured this incredible structure. Sorry to say this temple building was just a ploy to get in the good graces of the Jewish nation by none other than the Anti-Christ, Gutierrez."

The audience let out a loud gasp. All the crowd looked at each other in amazement. Most were sure that this man had honestly tried to make peace with Israel.

"Another spectacular event that is happening as we meet is the arrival from heaven of the two witnesses that John wrote to us about in Revelation 11. God sent Moses and Elijah to us here in the holy city to declare the word of God to all who will listen."

He waited a moment for a response and got only a few whispers of agreement.

"This is amazing," Eliyahu continued. "I'm sorry, but you will need to trust me when I tell you that they are both alive. In fact, God raised them from the dead and brought them back to us today."

Several others agreed and started shouting. One shouted, "Yes! I've been waiting for this day!"

Everyone in the congregation was stunned. Some cried, and others shook their heads. Some ran out the door while others stood silent with mouths open.

As quickly as the event unfolded, the event ended. Everyone went back to their seats and waited anxiously for Eliyahu's conclusion. They hoped he would continue. Many had questions.

Just as before, after a brief pause, Eliyahu spoke again. "Well, now you have seen all the signs. You know the enemy is real and getting stronger every day. We will still witness the trumpets sounding and one-third of the sun, moonlight, and stars will cease to be bright. Darkness will prevail. Hideous creatures will come and torment people but not kill them, and later two-hundred-million demon-inspired horsemen will kill another third of the world. This will mark the middle of the tribulation with the great Tribulation to come."

"In a short time from now, the Anti-Christ will turn his back on the peace treaty and offer an abomination on the altar in the temple and he will declare that everyone will need a mark to buy or sell called the mark of the beast. This will be only the beginning of the great persecution of the Jews around the world."

The congregation looked at each other and sighed deeply. Some said, "What next? This is hard to hear."

Others spoke softly, trying to comfort those who were grieving the loss of loved ones in the recent disasters.

Eliyahu continued. "Now is the time to pray and prepare for the days ahead. No one knows exactly when Jesus will return. Even the angels don't know. But one thing is certain: God is true to His Word and has revealed the future to us through the holy Scriptures."

He paused and then added, "This is my final thought for today. The anti-Christ is rising and even if he gives his permission for his followers to worship the devil himself, as long as you follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and obey His commandments, you will be saved and receive eternal life in heaven with Him."

"Be encouraged, brethren, that whatever happens, whether it's war, famine, flood, fire, or earthquake, remember that Jesus promised never to leave you alone. No matter where you are or what you are facing, do not lose hope. Stand firm and do your best to serve God in all you do. We all believe that God hears our prayers, and He is faithful to answer us according to His perfect will."

"It is time for us to spend some time in prayer, not only for the trials we will face in the Great Tribulation, but for guidance for us in the leadership. We know that a lot of you will be susceptible to temptation once the anti-Christ requires the mark to be taken by everyone. We, the leaders of this group will meet shortly and talk about this group's future. We have a secret location God has already prepared for us and we will have our own gardens and resources to store all the food we need for the next three and one-half years. We have a large facility, so find a place for your family members and pray for each other."

For hours, the worshipers prayed for themselves, family, friends, and strangers who needed help.

After service concluded, Joseph and Eliyahu, Eli, and several other leaders met privately in a side room.

"How did it go?" Joseph asked.

"Oh, I'm happy and the Lord opened my mind to a word of prophecy, 'The Women in the Wilderness.' That's us. This group will invite as many Jews as we can, and we will protect them in the fortress of Petra in the wilderness. We're heading out in the next few days to gather believers wherever we can find them. They will join us as we travel out to the desert. Let's work together on this as fast as we can. Our time is short."

"I agree," Joseph responded. "We must hurry and get everything ready. Eli, get your team working. They will also be headed to Petra."

As soon as everyone was dismissed, the team was busy planning and packing. Several bags were filled with survival gear and provisions for several months in the wilderness. Before leaving Jerusalem, many groups met and talked about strategies to accomplish their mission of rescuing as many Jews as they could. Each group left for its designated area.