Ahwatukee, who are "God's holy People" in Revelation 13:7? If the church is gone who would the holy people be? The beast wages war against them and conquers them.
It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them.
Hello RevelationMan!
In answer to holy people (hagios) in Rev.13:7, it is this group below introduced in Rev.7:9-17
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9After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
13Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
14I answered, “Sir, you know.”
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.
15Therefore,
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If you recall, John was previously asked to write letters to the seven churches, which covers chapters 2 thru 3. Then in Chapter 7, John sees a group in white robes which no man can count from every nation, tribe, people and language meaning that it is a very high number and that they are all Gentiles. The very fact that the elder is asking John who they are demonstrates that they are not the church whom John just wrote to, but a different group. In addition, John says that he doesn't know who they are and the elder tells him that these are those who come out of the great tribulation. Since the great tribulation has not yet begun in the chronology of Revelation, then this would be a vision of those saints who will have died during the great tribulation, who are also mentioned in Rev.20:4-6 as those who john sees beheaded and then resurrected:
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands.
They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
So, those in Rev.13:7 who the beast is given authority to make war against and to conquer for 42 month, are those great tribulation saints. 42 months (in 30 day increments), is referring to the last 3 1/2 years of that seven year period. Daniel also mentions this same group:
"He (beast) will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time."
A time = one year
times = two years
Half a time = half a year
Total = 3 1/2 years
Throughout Revelation chapters 1 thru 3, only the word 'ekklesia' translated as 'church' is used within those chapters. Then from chapter 4 onward, only the word 'hagios' translated as 'saints' is used. We never see the word church again until Rev.22:16 and is alluded to in Rev.19:7-8 referred to as the bride.
I personally believe that Rev.4:1 is a prophetic allusion to the where the church is called up when John hears that voice that sounds like a trumpet who is identified as the Lord in Rev.1:10 and 4:1. I believe that this is also a clue representing the 'trumpet of God' mentioned in I Thessalonians 4:16.
The church cannot be on the earth during the time of the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments, because they make up God's wrath which we are not appointed to suffer. And that because Christ already suffered God's wrath on behalf of all believers.
