Brother Ahwatukee,
All of the scriptures above regarding the beast are just informational regarding him and his actions from the time that he comes up out of the Abyss. When he comes out of the Abyss, he will kill the two witnesses (Rev.11:7) and then he will be given authority to make war and conquer the great tribulation saints for 42 months which is takes place during that last 3 1/2 years until the Lord returns to the earth to end the age - Rev.13:7
The two witness will prophecy for 1260 days, which is 3 1/2 years. The seven year period mentioned in Dan.9:27 is divided up into two 3 1/2 year periods. Therefore, there are only two choices for the time of prophecy for the two witnesses which would be from the beginning of the seven years to the middle or from the middle to the end of the seven years. Scripture states that no one will be able to kill the two witnesses until their 1260 days are over. That said, the angel of the Abyss/beast comes up out of the Abyss at the sounding of the 5th trumpet which is just before the middle of the seven years. Therefore, the two witnesses time of prophecy must be from the beginning of the seven years to the middle, which is when the beast is able to kill them. Otherwise, the beast would have to wait 3 1/2 before he could kill the two witnesses.
So we see that the story of the 2W's and the 7 seals/7 trumpets run parallel to each other, they are the same story from different perspectives.
They do not run parallel, but you only force them to do so by your interpretation. As I said and as scripture supports, the seals and trumpets all take place in sequential order. For example: the earthquake which takes place at the 6th seal, is a completely different earthquake from the one that takes place at the 7th bow judgment. In addition there are other earthquakes in between which are also individual earthquakes. Likewise, you have multiple events taking place with the sun, moon and stars, but they are all individual events which take place at different times. What you are doing is seeing something in scripture that has a similarity and then you interpret them as being the same event. Below are some examples:
6th Seal: (takes place during the first 3 1/2 years)
"And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place."
7th Bowl: (Takes place at the end of the last 3 1/2 years)
"And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and rolls of thunder, and a great earthquake, the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon the earth—so mighty was the great quake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath. Then every island fled, and no mountain could be found.
At the 6th seal there is a great earthquake which stirs the foundations of the islands and the mountains, but they do not disappear. Where at the 7th bowl the greatest earthquake to ever hit the earth since man has been upon it will cause the islands and mountains to sink into the earth and will also cause the cities of the nations to collapse.
Where the 6th seal has the sun being darkened and the moon turning blood red and the stars of the sky following to the earth, none of that is not mentioned as taking place at the 7th bowl.
At the 6th seal you also have the sky receding like a scroll, which is another characteristic that is not mentioned at the 7th bowl
The above are two completely different events, which take place at different times within that seven year period.
Then every island fled, and no mountain could be found.
The seals/trumpets are the perspective of the natural branches being cut off from Gods blessings after rejecting the gospel kingdom.
The 2W's being the perspective of the natural branches being loved by God and restored to Jerusalem. (1967)
This proves that the Revelation is not always consecutive in it's time line, that it tells the same story, has parallel time lines and is not exclusively consecutive.
I don't know where you got the idea that the two witnesses represent the natural branches, but scripture statues that they will be two literal individual men. As proof of them being literal men, please read their following characteristics:
* Fire proceeds from their mouths to kill their enemies
* Make it so that the earth will receive no rain, turn waters into blood and to bring every kind of plague upon the earth
* The beast will kill them at the end of their time of prophecy
* Their bodies will lie in the street of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days
* The people of the earth will party over their deaths and not allow their bodies to be buried
* After 3 1/2 days the two witnesses will resurrect, standing up on their feet
* Then the two witnesses will ascend up into heaven
The two witnesses have nothing to do with the natural branches which Paul used in reference to natural Israel. It is by your misapplication of the two witnesses that leads you to your erroneous conclusion.
I think that even you believe that the story of the 2W's starts at the beginning of the 7 years, so it would run parallel to the 7 seals/trumpets.
No, I don't believe that. Just because the two witnesses prophecy during the first 3 1/2 years, has nothing to do with them running parallel with each other. You have a really distorted way of looking at things!
-----The antichrist, represented by the first seal rider on the white horse, will establish his seven year covenant with Israel. During this same time the two witnesses will begin their time of prophecy. Following the first seal and while the two witnesses are still prophesying, the second seal rider on the red horse will be opened taking peace from the earth so that mankind kills one another. Following that and while the two witnesses continue with their time of prophecy, the 3rd seal rider on the black horse will cause severe world-wide famine. At the opening of the 4th seal pale green horse, death and Hades are given power to kill a fourth of the earths population. At the opening of the 5th, 6th and 7th seals, as well as through most of the trumpets, the two witnesses will continue to prophesy until the end of that 3 1/2 years when the beast will kill them. After the two witnesses are resurrected, God's wrath will continue with the bowl judgments.
See how both the 6th trumpet and the 6th vial both describe events that take place across the Euphrates River from Jerusalem. See that both describe armies that cross the Euphrates to attack Jerusalem restored to Israel.
Let's check out your claim by comparing the 6th trumpet and the 6th bowl judgment:
6th Trumpet:
Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, “
Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. "
6th Bowl:
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on
the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.
Comparison:
6th Trumpet - Four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates are released to kill a third of mankind
6th Bowl - The Euphrates river is dried up to make way for the kings of the east to cross over to take part in Armageddon
So, all that you are doing is relating the 6th trumpet and the 6th bowl judgment as being the same because the "Euphrates river" is mentioned in both and that's it. That is terrible or non-existent exegesis on your part! Did you ever stop to think that they are two separate events mentioning the same river?
At the 6th trumpet the four angels are mentioned as being bound somewhere in the region of the Euphrates, where at the 6th bowl, the angel pours his bowl out on the Euphrates and dries it up. The army that the four angels gather are demonic, where the kings of the east that cross the Euphrates is a human army.