Back outside the Temple in Jerusalem, Moses and Elijah declare to the assembled crowd: "Look into the eastern sky at the thick plume of black smoke rising high into the atmosphere from the Abyss. Hell itself is being unleashed onto this evil world as Satan's criminal demon forces are being released from their prison. These demons from the underworld have been waiting for this moment for thousands of years, and now it has arrived. They lust for revenge and are bent on mayhem and murder. Only the saved will be able to stand against these swarms of demons."
An audible gasp goes up from the crowd as they see the plume of thick black smoke. It is estimated to be eight miles high, and can be seen for over a thousand miles in all directions. It is swirling as it rises, somewhat like a giant tornado of smoke. And then black swarms go out in all directions from it, looking like bees escaping a burning hive.
In Petra, Jordan, the believers in hiding also see the plume of smoke and ask Josh Simmons to explain it. Josh reads again from the book "The Future Times:"
Revelation 9:1 “The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.”
The “star” is Satan (Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:16) who is now banished to earth during the last part of the Tribulation. Satan became ruler of the earth when man sinned, passing rulership from Adam to Satan. But Satan does not enjoy staying on earth, so his demons do most of his work there. Many do not realize that Satan currently has full access to Heaven...Once he is thrown out of Heaven and banned to earth he knows the end is very near for him. He has read the Bible. All he has left in his bag of tricks are chaos and destruction....Before Satan is kicked out of Heaven he will be given the keys to unlock the Abyss, a middle-earth jail where millions of criminal demons have been imprisoned for thousands of years since before man was created. These criminal demons violated the rules of the angelic conflict long ago in some unknown manner, so were imprisoned in the Abyss by God (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).
In another of the encampments where Jewish believers are hiding farther south in Jordan, the camp leader reads from Revelation 12 to those assembled there:
Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
The camp leader continues with his explanation:
"God's elect angels rejoice to see Satan and his demons finally thrown out of Heaven, and look forward to the end of the Tribulation when Jesus Christ will imprison all of these miscreants and set up His 1000 year Millennial reign on earth under perfect environment. Perfect environment is only possible in the absence of Satan and his fallen angels. We see how believers during the Tribulation will not shrink from death, and many will be martyred as a result of Satan's fury on the earth and their refusal to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ or take the mark of the beast. God allows this martyrdom as a testimony, but He will also judge harshly those who kill His believers. Satan knows his time is very short. He has had many thousands of years of freedom since his revolt against God, but that will soon end. He will be in a rage after being cast out of Heaven, and the entire earth will suffer for the next 3 ½ years as a result. In fact, it will be the worst period on earth in all human history. Matthew 24:21 says: “For then there will be great distress [Tribulation], unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again."
The camp leaders huddle among themselves and discuss what comes next. "Now we see how these simultaneous events come together at the Midpoint of the Tribulation. After Satan fails to kill the Jewish believers fleeing Israel at the Midpoint of the Tribulation he becomes even more angry and frustrated. As it says in Revelation 12:1 “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” As a result, he will take out his anger on those who become believers during the Tribulation. This is why there will be such a holocaust of Jewish believers during the second half of the Tribulation. These are the martyrs seen around the throne of Heaven in Revelation 7:14 “And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Back in the Petra encampment, Josh Simmons continues to address believers there: "The final three Trumpet Judgments or “Woes” will involve these demon criminals who are about to be released onto the earth where they will create chaos and torture and eventually kill unbelieving mankind. Even Satan will not be able to control them, as he was not able to control them in the ancient past when they violated the rules even Satan had abided by. It should be noted that demons have personalities and areas of extreme action just like humans. These demons being released during the Tribulation are pure criminals, and they will enjoy the torture they inflict on humans...With this as background we will now see what happens when the imprisoned criminal demons are released after thousands of years in the Abyss. It will not be pretty, as Revelation 9 declares:"
Revelation 9:2 “When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes.”
Josh continues to explain to the believers in hiding what is happening. "Satan has unlocked the Abyss and his demon criminal armies who have been imprisoned for thousands of years in chains of smoke and darkness have been released. This is the fifth Trumpet Judgment, and it releases multitudes of torturing demons which the Book of Revelation describes as looking like locusts and having stingers like a scorpion. They are criminals from long ago so they know how to torture people, and they will do it very well and with great enthusiasm. They have the ability to strike quickly and unexpectedly from the sky just as locusts can maneuver from place to place. People will not know when to expect them, so will live in constant fear. Unbelievers are tortured and also believers who depart from their faith and take the Mark of the Beast, but God protects His faithful believers."
Back in Israel, inside a children's orphanage in Tel Aviv most of the children fled with their leaders to the mountains. But one had hidden away and did not want to leave. One child named Ben peers out from his hiding place and sees that he is all alone. He carefully emerges and surveys the house for any signs of his orphan family. He is hungry so he goes to the cabinet but all the food has been taken. He ventures out into the street and sees "the Swarm." He did not know what it was, but he knew it was not right. A soldier spots Ben and yells for him to hide. "Stay back -- they are evil" shouted the soldier. Ben replies "But I have no one to help me, or feed me. I am only 12 years old. Please help me." The soldier motions to him to run across the street, which is empty of people. As he reaches the soldier he asks "where did my orphanage family go?" The soldier replies "To the mountains. I was supposed to flee but was stuck behind trying to help an elderly couple. But they were lost. So why didn't you flee?" Ben replies "Because I was afraid." The soldier replied "So you and I are a team now. We will stay and fight them. You must be strong. You are now a warrior. You will need to summon all your strength to survive. Are you with me?" Ben replies "Yes, I am." The two go off to the soldier's home where Ben gets a meal and contemplates what lies ahead. He wished he had not hidden from the orphan family. But he was just too afraid.
Ben hears a knock on the door of the soldier's house. He peeks through the curtain as the soldier answers the door. The person at the door announces "We are the Citizen's Police. We understand you have sided with the Believers, is that true?" The Citizen's Police used the term "Believers" to refer to Jews who had converted to being Christians. The soldier replies "I am just a soldier, nothing more. What I believe is just what I believe. You can leave now." The soldier sizes them up as untrained civilians who are now just thugs from the secret police. He looks to each side of them, then back behind himself, surveying the situation. There are three of them, and one has his hand in his coat, maybe a handgun. The leader says "Come with us, you are under arrest." If it had not been for Ben hiding behind him, the soldier might have complied. But now it was more complicated. Ben was his responsibility. The soldier appeared to be ready to comply, then suddenly grabbed a knife and stuck it in the neck of the leader, then quickly opened a drawer, took out a handgun, and shot the other two thugs. Ben came out screaming. The soldier said "Ben, we are soldiers. You and me. We are a team. These are bad people. They were going to take you away, but I will protect you. Do you understand?" Ben answers "I think so," to which the soldier replies "Good boy, now let's drag them inside and then we will figure out where to go." As they do, "the Swarm" appears in the distance. It is getting closer.
After they have hidden the bodies the soldier reads to Ben:
"This is from Revelation 12:13: When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child...17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus."
The soldier said to Ben "The dragon Satan has turned his hatred toward us who remain in Israel. We are those who keep God’s commands and hold fast to the testimony about Jesus. We are required to stay and fight. Ben, you are young but you are required to fight. Those who fled have their mission, which is to survive. Those of us who remain are the Resistance. Evil has been unleashed on the earth. We must resist it to the very end. We are required to be fierce warriors. Do you understand?"
Ben answered "Now I understand. It is clear to me that I was chosen to do this. I will fight them. I am strong because the Lord is with me." The soldier was amazed at the resilience of this young boy. "Good. I will always be at your side, I promise." There was no time to grow up slowly, this was a time of making quick choices and doing things required of adults. The two of them walked off into the streets of Tel Aviv together to fight the forces of evil.
At the Tel Aviv Citizen's Police Headquarters the Online Court session is about to commence. The soldier turns on the coverage of the court trials. Every Tuesday at 2PM it happens. Those who have been accused by the Citizen's Police, a vigilante justice system imposed on Israel by the Western Alliance as part of the Treaty, holds an online Court. Logins are obtained by anyone who wants to participate. But those who have tried to vote against convictions in the past have often ended up in the next online court conviction process. So the online voters are those who always vote to convict the accused brought in by the Citizen's Police. As the online session begins, each one who has been accused is brought out in front of the camera and the crime is stated. The first is an old man who was seen in the downtown park reading a book. The book was called "The Future Times." It is a banned book, and the punishment for reading banned books is hard labor. The charges are announced in a banner across the top of the page, over the face of the accused. Before the banner crosses completely, the votes are already complete. All votes are "guilty as charged." The man is hauled away as the next is brought in. It is a young woman from a town outside Tel Aviv. She is accused of "failure to yield" to a Citizen's Police officer. This could have various meanings, but the charge is well known to those who have been accused in the past. The woman is crying as the charge banner proceeds across her tear-filled face. The votes are in. Guilty as charged. She is hauled off as an old woman is brought in next, accused of trying to buy food without having the Mark. The process continues with predictable results until all accused have been judged guilty.
The soldier who had been watching the trial online has watched many of these and has been sickened by them. This time he has had enough. He is only a block away from the Citizen's Police courthouse. He heads out, and Ben follows. Ben has been training to fire a handgun. He was a natural. He would have been an athlete in other times. The pair make their way down the street and into the alley behind the courthouse just as the young woman they had seen on the Court website is brought out to be put into a waiting van. The soldier tells Ben "Do what you need to do." Ben nods, as the soldier walks toward the van. As he gets closer two armed Citizen's Police thugs raise their weapons. The soldier says "Whoa, I was just wanting to see if you guys need any help here." The answer is a terse "No, go away." The soldier pretends to turn away, then swings around shooting. One thug falls, and the other is wounded. The handgun of the soldier is jammed. The Citizen's Police officer tries to regain his foothold, then raises his gun and aims at the soldier, and "Bang." It was Ben, who shoots the Citizen's Police thug dead. The soldier grabs the hand of the young woman and says. "Hurry, follow us." She complies as she looks aside at the young boy who just saved them. Ben runs along behind, and even fires a shot as another Citizen's Police officer peers outside the door behind them. They make their way down the street and into an alley, then escape across town.
At the edge of town the young woman asks "Who are you two?' The soldier replied, I am General Gurian. I am the leader of the Jewish military resistance here in Tel Aviv. My counterpart in Jerusalem is General Dayan. My group is going to Jerusalem to join with his. You need to come along if you want to survive. And the boy, he is a soldier. His name is Sergeant Ben-Ben. He saved your life and mine."
Ben sticks out his chest in pride as he is announced as Sergeant Ben-Ben. He thinks he likes the name Sergeant Ben-Ben. He thinks it is funny that the soldier calls him the "son of a son." The General tells the young woman and Ben to move quickly, there is much to do, and no time to waste. They must get to Jerusalem by sundown.
As they make their way to safety, Ben asks the General, what is "the Swarm"? General Gurian pauses trying to think how to explain the concept to such a young boy. "Ben, the swarm is the army of Satan himself. They are demons who have been unleashed on the earth to do the will of their master Satan, who is bent of wreaking havoc and destroying whatever gets in his way. The swarm is a roving band of murderous demons, who have just been released from prison in the Abyss under the earth, and soon will be allowed to harm and even kill those who do not belong to the Lord. You might ask why Satan would kill his own people. Simply stated, it is because Satan is pure evil. There is a more precise explanation which we can discuss later. But those who belong to the Lord will be delivered from the Swarm, while those who do not obey the Lord will be delivered to them. They are heinous murderers, like their master Satan. We do not fear them. They cannot touch us. But as for the rest of the population of the earth, many billions will be killed by the Swarm. Yes, I said billions."
Ben shrinks back at the description of the Swarm as Satan's death squad. He ponders these things in his heart as the three make their way toward Jerusalem, where they must join with General Dayan's forces. Ben thinks about how he was playing soccer in the streets with other young boys just a couple weeks ago, and now he is a soldier in the Resistance against Satan himself. It is hard for such a young boy to get his head around such things. But he is trying. He remembers stories he had been told about the young boy David, who as a shepherd in the fields killed a lion and a bear who had tried to steal his sheep. "I am like David. I am strong. I will slay lions and bears. I will protect the sheep." He falls asleep in the van on the way to Jerusalem, and wakes up in a whole other world.
When they arrive in Jerusalem, General Dayan greets them. The two Generals head off to the Resistance HQ while the young woman and Ben-Ben sit at a cafe.
Ben: "So who are you?" The young woman replies, "I am Abby Levison, from Nazareth. I came to Tel Aviv two years ago with my grandparents after my parents died in an accident. I was working in a jewelry store when it was looted during the riots a year ago. Since then I have been working odd jobs, just like so many others. But you, Ben, you are just a young boy. And you killed my accuser. You are a hero at such a young age." Ben is not accustomed to dealing with women. But he does his best to seem grown up. "I was in an orphanage since before I can remember. When the Vanishment happened I lost some of my friends. Then when the people fled Israel for the mountains, I lost everyone in my orphanage. I hid and stayed behind. It was not very smart. But here I am. Now I am a warrior. I will fight the lions."
Abby does not understand the lions reference, so she instead asks him about the General. "What is the story of the General? What is he doing? Why did he chose me to rescue."
Ben tries to think. He does not know why the General chose to rescue Abby. But he decides to tell her something anyway. "The General saw you on the online court and knew you would be useful to the Resistance." Abby looks surprised, but knows she is dealing with a young boy. "So he chose me to do what, exactly?" Ben replies "To fight, that is what we must do." Abby decides to change the subject and ask the General later. Ben thinks to himself "That went pretty well. I think I deal with girls quite well."
At Resistance HQ the two Generals are talking. They have already discussed what the Book of Revelation says, which they both believe in, and will use as their guidebook. General Dayan concludes the meeting "We are required to fight for the freedom of the Jews who become believers in the Lord during this next 3 1/2 years. It is prophesied that we will win. So that is a fact, but how we will win, that is up to us to figure out. I propose that we split the defense of Jerusalem and Southern Judea into my forces in Jerusalem and your forces in southern Judea. There will be much fighting in both areas. My forces must hold on, while your forces must force the enemy to stop their advance on Jerusalem. It is the only way." The two Generals agree and they depart. General Gurian takes Abby and Ben to their new safe-house south of Jerusalem near Bethlehem.
The next day General Dayan gathers his Jerusalem military resistance forces, which are the remnant of the Jewish military which was mostly disbanded under the treaty with the Western Alliance. With the Jewish believers having fled to the mountains at the middle of the Tribulation, General Jacob Dayan, a new believer who has immersed himself into learning about what the Bible says will occur during the last half of the Tribulation, now emerges as the new de facto military leader in Jerusalem. With the Jewish political leadership having been reduced to supporting the False Prophet, a tool of the Antichrist, the protection of Jerusalem is in his hands. He knows the task will be very difficult.
General Dayan has been reading the book "The Future Times" and tells his assembled troops what they should expect:
"We in the Jewish military who have now recognized our previous error and have accepted the Messiah Jesus Christ have a solemn mission. We must defend Jerusalem from the enemy, namely the Western Alliance under the Antichrist. Our political leaders have sold out our people. Our military was virtually disbanded, and now only we few remain. The task ahead of us is daunting. In the short term we cannot do everything we would like to accomplish. The Western Alliance will invade Jerusalem according to Bible prophesy. The city will fall to them -- that much we know. But we will do what we can, wherever we can. All believers who were here in Israel during the first part of this period of Tribulation have fled to the mountains. They cannot help us any longer. They were required to flee and survive. But we who remain and are new believers are required to fight. And fight we will. The forces of the Antichrist are advancing against us as we speak. They are coming to destroy Jerusalem. We are but a few, and they are many. But the Lord is with us. We will be protected. And whatever happens in the short term, we will be victorious in the end. Are you ready?"
The troops unanimously approved and commit their lives to the cause.