The Great Tribulation

The UFO sightings in Jerusalem were certainly sparking debates. The first thought that came into my mind upon hearing of the sighting was the word of Paul: “…God will send to them a working of error, for them to believe the lie.”

Personally I do not believe in UFO’s, but at the same time I do not underestimate the power of God. But the testimony of God reveals that when He created the heavens and the earth He found no other beings.

“You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides Me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” (Isaiah 44:8)

“Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me.” (Isaiah 43:10)
“Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.” (Isaiah 40:26)

What then of the UFO sightings in Jerusalem? A hoax? Or was it a “working of error, for them to believe the lie.” And if so, who is the “them” that is being referred to? I, must confess that I do not believe that the UFO sighting was a powerful delusion from God. Still, the word of Paul is a curiosity? And why would God do that anyway?

From this point, I decided to look very closely at the verse. If there is a “working of error” sent by God it seem imperative to try to find it. That is so unlike God to do such a thing! Why? What is it about?
A bit of background history: When Paul made the statement about the “working of error” he was preaching the gospel to new converts at a seaport town in Thessalonica. He was advising them to stand firm in the faith, and not be alarmed at the rumors they heard concerning the expected “second coming” of Christ, because, previously to this coming, there would be a great renunciation from the true faith, and the manifestation of a very bad man destined to everlasting punishment. Here’s what Paul wrote:

2 Thessalonians 2:2 “…we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. (Note: The day of the Lord, is used by the prophets to refer to any specific period of time in which the God of Israel intervenes in human affairs to save and judge.) Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”

What rebellion? The original word used for “rebellion” was “apostasy”. The word is frequently employed to indicate the “abandonment,” or “rejection” of God. The practice of idolatry is “abandoning” God.
Who then abandons God? The Jews? The Christians?

Note: It is offensive to the Jewish religion and considered idolatry to give God a form. The early Christians did not assert that Jesus was God. FOR many years, there had been much opposition on Biblical grounds to the developing idea that Jesus was God. To try to solve the dispute, Roman emperor Constantine who lived from 274 to 337 A.D. summoned all bishops to Nicaea. About 300, a fraction of the total, actually attended.
Constantine demanded that the 300 bishops make a decision by majority vote defining who Jesus Christ is. Constantine commanded them to create a “creed” doctrine that all of Christianity would follow and obey a doctrine that would be called the “Nicene Creed” upheld by the Church and enforced by the Emperor. The bishops voted to make the full deity of Christ the accepted position for the church.

It has been suggested that this decision back in 300 A.D, could fit in with what the apostle Paul foretold would follow after his time. They said that there would be an apostasy, a deviation, a falling away from true worship.

Did the forefathers of Christianity abandon God when they elected 300 years after his ascension to deify him? But there is support within the Old Testament to the deity of Jesus.

“For a child is born to us; a son is given to us; and is the government on his shoulder; and is called His name wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace.” Isaiah 9:5-6

The prophet Isaiah said that God would be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem (clinging to the House of David) He would be a trap and a snare.
“Is called his name … the Mighty God.” Reading this verse, as a simple prophetic fact holds to truth, for at the deification of Christ the Christians would, did and still do call his name Mighty God.

Furthermore, this doctrine places Jesus in a very precarious position, one that could be confused with that of Lucifer. For it is Lucifer who exalted himself saying, “I will go up to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God…, I will be likened to (God) the Most High.” The sons of Israel have been likened to “stars”. Is such a posture Lucifer becomes the figure of the Anti-Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 “… God will send to them a working (an undertaking directed to produce and accomplish the task ) of error (a working that will lead them out of the right way, or the right path, in a sense of a distortion of the truth) for (the misleading of ) them to (turn away from obedience to firmly) believe the lie (changing the truth of God for a falsehood, by the making of an idol)…”

Some sort of apostasy from the true faith, such as the “working of error”, will lead the way for the man of lawlessness. He will exalt himself above all divine authority taking on God’s attribute of theocratic power and vengeance. In such a posture he will have the highest place of authority within the Christian Church, as it pertains, perhaps to an underground vein of wickedness known as the Synagogue of Satan.
There is a system of corrupt doctrine which will lead to the general apostasy, already in existence, but it has remained a mystery. We can however catch up with Satan, in the Book of Revelation.


“A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.” Revelation 12:1-2

“The ancients believed that heavenly signs signaled changes on earth. The magi followed a star a great distance to see the new king of the Jews. Because Herod knew the importance of such an omen, he gathered information about the star in order to kill his potential rival to the throne.” – M. Wilson

“That the woman was clothed with the sun reflects redeemed Israel’s unique glory, brilliance, and dignity because of her exalted status. The twelve stars on the woman’s head refer to the twelve tribes of Israel (10 tribes from the House of Israel, the Christians, and 2 tribes from the House of Judah, representing the Jews). Also, the reference to “the rest of her children,” those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” shows that this woman is a symbolic mother.”

Her children hold to the Ten Commandments. The sins forbidden in the first commandment are; idolatry, in having or worshiping more gods than one, or any with or instead of the true God. It would appear that she represents the nation Israel in a non-idolatrous state, viewed as those who come out the great tribulation, having washed their robes white in the blood of the lamb.

Just like a pregnant woman in labor feels pain, so the nation of Israel was in pain, waiting for the Sun of Righteousness to come forth and rise with curative medicine in his wings.

“The cause of some of the pain for the woman is the persecution by Satan, who attempts to destroy the mother. Having described the woman’s agonizing labor pains, John introduces the cause of her suffering.”
“And was seen another sign in Heaven, and behold, a great red dragon (identified in verse 9 as “Satan”), having seven heads (pointing to the time of fulfillment by figurative representation of fallen and active world empires that oppressed the nation of Israel over the course of history) and ten horns (symbolizing that this particular society of the beast derived its great power and support directly from the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom – the Christians, though perhaps in an underground context of the Synagogue of Satan), and seven crowns on the heads of him (denoting kingly or royal authority of the fallen and active world empires that oppressed Israel)...”

• Crowned Heads
• (1) Egypt
• (2) Assyria
• (3) Ancient Babylon
• (4) Persia
• (5) The Greek Kingdoms, Alexander the Great
• (6) Rome
• (7) Babylon the Great – the center of secular power of a secret underground society seeking one world order being the active, current empire. (In other words this would occur during the time of reign of Babylon.)
• “His (Satan’s) tail (the end extremity of his great strength) swept a third of the stars (the select son’s of Israel who washed their robes white in the blood of the lamb) out of the sky and flung them to the earth (rebuking them as illegitimate son’s of Israel). The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child (the prevailer), who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And was seized the child of her to God and the throne of Him.”

Curative Medicine: Jesus taught, “And as (accordingly) Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so to must be lifted up the son of man that everyone believing in him may not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:14

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