Introduction
The End Times are nigh unto us!
In 2009 I published my Blog series on the End-Times. Many events, wars, pestilences and developments have taken place since then. The world situation has become much worse in 2022 and could be likened to the “beginning of sorrows” described by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24. This beginning of sorrows leads on to a period termed by the Lord as the “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to “this” time, no, nor ever be shall be.”
Today many worrying events have taken place. To name a few:
Russia and its brutal war in Ukraine, a defenseless nation with vast supplies of grain, whose cities and hospitals have been being merciless bombarded. Gog and Magog displaying his bullying image, as he would in the future against Israel.
The war in Ukraine has lead to a change reaction of global recession caused by food shortages, inflation in all nations, and price per of barrel oil has gone up with. The price of fuel in many nations has increased causing inflation to rise.
The effects of global warming has taken its toll in a number of countries, and most recently in Europe.
The recent Covid-19 Pandemic which although has been downgraded to an Epidemic, is shown to be rampant in most countries, especially in China and New Zealand which effective control of it in the past. Jesus said in Matthew 24 verse 7: Mat 24:7 “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” The word pestilences in the original Greek is “loimos” which is defined as a plague, literally a disease. Mat 24:8 “All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
Now we are faced by another pestilence Monkey Pox.
We have witnessed the Arab uprising, the war in Iraq and Syria. Even now Russia has close ties with Iran, Syria and Turkey. These wars will never end until Jesus comes.
There is also the threat of China’s claim on Taiwan which would involve the US involvement.
Turkey's role in prophecy is reflected as Tubal in the days of Isaiah.
Jesus again said in Matthew 24:32 “When its (fig tree) branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near”. He has given to us a clue when the Great Tribulation will take place and its for us to understand the times of the end and be prepared for the Lord’’s coming.
The day and time we know not as Jesus said, but the signs and the period we should understand and know.
I have covered scripture from Daniel to Revelation; comparisons between Daniel's prophecy and what Jesus himself stated in Matthew and Luke; quotes from reference books and commentaries. All that I could garner and were relevant are published. The Book of Revelation of-course takes the majority of pages with cross references to the Prophecies in the Old Testament.
The Book of Revelation is explained in Chapter 4, so if anyone gets bored with the first three chapters, they could start off with Chapter 4. The index is linked to each topic.)
Note: All scripture quoted, unless otherwise indicated are from the New King James Version of the Bible (NKJV). In certain verses I have included an amplification in parenthesis.
Be blessed by the Word.
Roland Thomas - Jul 2022
Chapter 1
Book of Daniel
We
start with the Book of Daniel written around 530 BC, as everything we
need to know about the future is predicted in this book of
prophecy.
The prophesies in Daniel were to be sealed or not
understood until the "time of the end".
Dan
12:4 -"But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book
until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge
shall increase."
The
world we live in today sees vast strides air,
sea and land transportation. Millions are running to and fro
as predicted in Daniel in . Knowledge has increased beyond all we
could imagine 60 years ago with Information Technology, Science and
Computer Technology being so advanced never imagined in the past. We
now have 5G.
Lawlessness
will prevail and the love of many will grow cold (Mt 24:12). Mans'
sin has abounded to levels similar to the times of Noah, and Sodom
and Gomorrah – LGBT (homosexuality etc), Abortions, God being
thrown out of schools, and recently trying to do away with the word
“mother”.
The "time of the end" is fast
approaching, mysteries in Daniel are now being unraveled as the end
approaches and major prophesies being unsealed.
Daniel
was not only a prophet of the Gentiles, but also a prophet to his own
people, the Jews. Daniel is distinctly dealing
with the "times of the Gentiles".
This is significant because the "times of the Gentiles"
continues on till the termination of Gentile world rule.
When
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, brought the vessels from the Holy
Temple in Jerusalem into the treasure house of his god, this was the
beginning of the "times of the Gentiles" which continues
until the time when the Messiah returns.
Recall,
Jesus said in Luke 21:24 "And
they (the Jews) will
fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all
nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times
of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
Translated this means Jesus is saying: Jerusalem will always be controlled by Gentiles, except for a brief interlude, until He returns (2nd coming). So in 586 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem, Gentile dominion began. From that time onward, Jerusalem would be controlled by the Gentiles, - the time preceding Jesus Christ's return to setup His glorious thousand year kingdom upon earth.
“Zech 14:3-4
3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle.
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley;
Half
of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the
south.”
With one exception. This
exception occurred with the miraculous victory the Israeli army had
when they captured Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, fought June
5th
to 10th,
1967.
After this military conquest, the Holy City, Jerusalem was
in Jewish hands for the first time in 2,553 years.
Jack
Van Impe a noted scholar of the end-times states:
“The victory
in 1967 "began the countdown to Messiah's coming to rule and
reign at Jerusalem.
Psalm
2:6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King, Upon Zion, My holy
mountain." (NASU),
and,
Matt 5:35-36 "or by the earth, for it is the footstool
of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING."
(NASU)
Here's
why. Just before Christ appears upon the Mount of Olives to establish
His glorious kingdom, all Gentile nations will gather together at the
valley of Meggido and then march to
the valley
of Jehoshaphat for history's final attack against Jerusalem. At this
time the Gentiles temporarily retake the city. But their victory is
short-lived, because then Christ appears and destroys the Gentile
armies, bringing the times of the Gentiles to its horrendous
conclusion. Christ then will reign from Jerusalem, the capital of the
world, for a thousand years (see Rev 16:16, Joel 3:2, and Zech
14:2-16)
Now here's the clincher. The Gentiles cannot march
against Jerusalem and take it during earth's final battle if the Jews
do not control the city. The Jews must be in possession of the Holy
City for such an attack. This is why the Six-Day War of 1967 was so
prophetically significant. It
prepared the way for the battle of Armageddon and Christ's return. In
a sense I'm giving you the end story first, but it's important for
you to understand this as we see the enormous impact that the Book of
Daniel has on the outcome of history"
Nebuchadnezzar 1st Dream
Now
to come to the prophecies of Daniel proper. It’s
amazing to think prophesies
were more than 2500 years ago, and which
such accuracy and consistency.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream
which troubled him. He called his "magicians, the astrologers,
the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans" to interpret it but no one
could. However the God of Daniel, a Jewish exile in Babylon, revealed
to him what the dream meant. Here's the scripture:
Dan
2:31-45
31
"You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This
great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its
form was awesome. 32 This image's head was of fine gold, its chest
and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of
iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You watched
while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on
its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the
iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed
together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the
wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the
stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the
whole earth."
36
"This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it
before the king. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of
heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and
wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and
the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has
made you ruler over them all - you are this head of gold (Babylon).
39 But after you shall arise another
kingdom inferior to yours (Medo-Persia:
this was fulfilled in 539B.C.)in;
then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all
the earth. (Greece, under Alexander
the Great. The two thighs represent the Western & Eastern
Empires) 40 And the fourth kingdom
shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and
shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will
break in pieces and crush all the others.(Roman
Empire ) 41 Whereas you saw the feet
and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom
shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just
as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.(Roman
Empire of today-European Union) 42
And as the (10) toes
of the feet (Confederation of 10
nations) were partly of iron and
partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly
fragile.
43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix. NLT version) 44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom (under Christ) which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone (or Rock) was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold - the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."
In the above passage, note the gradual deterioration of the metals in Nebuchadnezzar dream: from gold to silver to bronze to iron to clay, a clear demonstration that history marches on, men and their cultures become increasingly corrupt. Further the specific gravity of each of these metals decrease. Gold is 19; silver 11; brass 8.5; cast iron 7.8; mixture of iron and clay about 1.9.
The
period in which we are
in today is
the revived 5th
kingdom as prophesied by Daniel. The
stone or rock (as some translations quote -The New Century Version
and the New Living Translation), is Jesus Christ. And the kingdom
that will be setup up is the millennial Kingdom in which Christ will
reign for 1000 years.
In Matthew 16:
13
When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
followers, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
16
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God"
18 So I tell you, you are Peter. On this rock I will
build my church, and the power of death will not be able to defeat
it." New Century Version
Christ was the Rock in Nebuchadnezzar dream. Yes, the Rock will hit the feet, not head, or chest, or thighs or legs but the group that exist at the time of the end ie. the 10 toes, the restored Roman Empire.
To recap:
The Head of Gold represented Babylon itself who conquered Israel in 605 B.C.
The Chest and Arms of Silver represented Medo-Persia which was yet to rule over Israel from 539 B.C.
The Belly and Thighs of Bronze represented Greece who would take over from the Persians in 333 B.C under Alexander the Great.
The Legs of Iron represented Rome who would conquer and rule over Israel in 63 B.C.
This whole period of Gentile rule would last 483 years (69 periods of 7 of years)
The Feet and toes of Iron and Clay, would be the 10 nations (the revived Roman Empire ie. EU) that would rule in the last days also know as Daniels; 70th Week.
Daniel’s Dream: Chapter 7
Dan
7:1-8
In the first year of
Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his
head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main
facts.
2 Daniel spoke, saying, "I saw in my vision by
night, and behold, the four winds of
heaven were stirring up the Great
Sea (Mediterranean).
3
And four great beasts (representing 4
great nations) came up from the sea,
each different from the other.
4
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings.
(represents Babylon, which in
Nebuchadnezzar image, in Chapter 2, was the head of gold - 2:37-38)
I
watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from
the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart
was given to it. (reminds
us of how God humbled King Nebuchadnezzar, and made him live like a
beast for seven years (Dan 4:16,28-34). God told Daniel that the
Babylonian Empire would fall.)
5
"And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear (symbolized
the empire of the Medes and Persians who defeated Babylon).
It
was raised up on one side (the
Persians were stronger than the Medes),
and had three ribs in its mouth between
its teeth. (most probably, they stand
for Lydia, Egypt, and Babylon, nations that the Medes and Persians
had conquered.) And
they said thus to it: 'Arise, devour much flesh!' (Refer APPENDIX 1
on the Medes and location of Lydia).
6
"After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard,
which had on its back four wings of a bird.
(Greece;
the wings represents Alexander the Great's swift conquests. More than
11000 miles from Greece). The beast
also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
(Alexander's
untimely death in 323 B.C. left him without a successor and his
kingdom was divided into four
parts and assigned to his Generals.
Palestine
and Egypt went to Ptolemy I;
Syria
was ruled by Seleucus I;
Thrace
and Asia Minor were assigned to Lysimachus;
and
Macedonia and Greece were governed by Antipater and Cassander)
7
"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth
beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong
(the Roman Empire).
It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and
trampling the residue with its feet.
(The Roman armies swept across the
ancient world and defeated one nation after another until the empire
extended from the Atlantic Ocean east to the Caspian Sea and from
North Africa north to the Rhine and Danube Rivers. Egypt, Palestine,
and Syria were all under Roman domination.)
It
was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten
horns (10 Kings or Rulers).
8
I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one
(Antichrist - more on this little
horn later),
coming up among them, before whom three
of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this
horn, were eyes like the eyes
of a man, and a mouth speaking
pompous words.
The chart below summarizes the dreams in Daniel. (The dream in Chapter 8 I have not covered but the chart summarizes it)
In Daniel Chapter 7 above, he dreams about 4 winds and 4 beasts - all of which represents the same powers we read about Nebuchadnezzar dream in Chapter 2: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, along with the 10 toes of iron mixed with clay - a description of the revived Roman Empire, a regrouping of nations many believe to be the European Union.
In
Daniel Chpt 7, we see the 4th beast has 10 horns similar to the 10
toes of Nebuchadnezzar image: again, symbolic of the restored Roman
Empire.
The 4 winds blowing upon the sea indicate trouble - and
all these nations near the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and the
Mediterranean have indeed experienced troublesome times throughout
history. However, only when the European Union ultimately produces
the Antichrist will the world truly know what real trouble is.
Book
of Daniel 7:9-14
Vision
of the Ancient of Days
9
"I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of
Days (God
Almighty) was seated; His garment
was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His
throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery
stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands
ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated, And the books were opened.
11 "I
watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn
(Antichrist) was
speaking; I watched till the beast
was slain, and its body destroyed
and given to the burning flame.
(Martin
Luther said that this little horn is the New Testament Antichrist of
the future. This little horns' appearance was not for an earlier
period of history, but for the end time of Dan 12:4. Because this
little horn- the Antichrist- arises at the last day out of this
grouping of 10 nations. Since the European Union is now in place,
there is little question that the Antichrist can- and will- arise
soon.)
12
As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away,
yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time (a definite
period of existence).
13 "I was watching in the night
visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man (Jesus
Christ),
Coming with the clouds of heaven! He
came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before
Him.
(The
Ancient of Days in Verse 9,presents the kingdom to His Son, Jesus
Christ. This is the moment when the stone cut without hands we read
above, smashes the feet of the image in Daniel Chapter 2)
14
Then to Him (Christ Jesus) was
given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations,
and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which
shall not be destroyed."
Daniel
7:19-26
19 "Then I wished to know the truth about the
fourth beast, (Revived
Rome Empire) which was different from all the others, exceedingly
dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which
devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet;
20
and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which
came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes
and a mouth which spoke pompous words, (Antichrist)
whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
21 "I
was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints,
and prevailing against them,
22 until the Ancient of Days came,
and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and
the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
23 "Thus
he said: 'The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which
shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the
whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces.
24
The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And
another (Antichrist)
shall rise after them; He shall be
different from the first ones, And shall subdue
three kings.
25 He shall speak
pompous words against the Most High
(God),
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall
intend to change times and law. Then
the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half
a time (3.5 years. In prophetic
language a time signifies a year; time, times, and half a time refer
to the three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation, with "a
time" meaning one year, "times" two years, and "half
a time" six months. This equals the 1,260 days in Rev 12:6 and
the 42 months in Rev 11:2; 13:5).
26'But
the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To
consume and destroy it forever."
(The
passages in Chapter 7 where
Daniel dreams of four beasts, God provided him a messenger to
interpret the dream on His behalf - the angel Gabriel. The message of
Chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar dream, had been so clear and unified,
whereas now his own dream was filled with diversity, the edges of his
understanding ragged, all because he was dealing with 4 terrible
beasts - not an immense one-piece image of gold, silver, and bronze -
but a diversity of four beasts acting out their beastly nature in
fits of anger, violence and conquest. Then in verse 18, suddenly
something exciting happens where the saints of the most High take the
Kingdom)
Dan 7:17-18: 'Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'
This is when Jesus Christ returns, and, as we have already stated, the stone smites the feet of the image, placing Christ and His saints in control. They are the ones who return with Jesus - individuals who missed the terrible 7-year tribulation period because they were raptured (caught-up).
Daniel Chapter 9
Daniel
9:24-27. -(This
is the prophecy given to the Daniel by the angel Gabriel)
24
"Seventy weeks (70x7= 490
years. The first 62 weeks are pertaining to Israel, up to the time
the Messiah is cutoff/ crucified. Then there is a gap period for the
Church Age. When the church is taken away (raptured/ Caught
up). Then,
the last week of 7 years commences)
are
determined For your people (Israel) and for your holy city, To finish
the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for
iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision
and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.
25
"Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the
command To restore and build Jerusalem (444
B.C.) until
Messiah the Prince (Christ
Jesus), there
shall be seven weeks (see
below explanation of this first period of 49 years)
and
sixty-two weeks (7×7=49 years
+ 62×7=434 years. Total= 483 years from the command to rebuild
Jerusalem to advent of the Messiah);
The
street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome
times.”
Commentary; Daniel 9:25
The fourth decree was also by Artaxerxes Longimanus, issued on March 5, 444 B.C. (Neh 2:1-8). On that occasion Artaxerxes granted the Jews permission to rebuild Jerusalem's city walls. This decree is the one referred to in Dan 9:25. (from Bible Knowledge Commentary)
26 "And after the sixty-two weeks (444 BC + 483 years = 33 AD, see chart below) Messiah shall be cut off (crucified on the cross), but not for Himself; And the people (Roman Empire) of the prince (Titus, son of Vespasian) who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (70AD Jerusalem destroyed). The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined".
Notice how accurate this prophecy has been.
Bible
Knowledge Commentary on Daniel 9:24 states Thus:
The seventy
"weeks". The word "weeks" means "sevens,"
so Gabriel was speaking about seventy periods of 7 years, or 490
years. Keep in mind that these years relate specifically to
Daniel's people, the Jews, and their holy city, Jerusalem. In his
prayer, Daniel's great concern was that his people be forgiven their
sins against the Lord, the city be rebuilt, and the temple be
restored: and these are the matters that Gabriel will discuss. To
apply this important prophecy to any other people or place is to rob
it of its intended meaning.
Gabriel explained that during those
490 years, the Lord would accomplish six specific purposes for the
Jewish people. The first three have to do with sin and the last three
with righteousness. The Lord would "finish the transgression,"
that is, the transgression of the Jewish people, and "make an
end of " Israel's national sins.
The last three divine
purposes focus on righteousness and the future kingdom of Messiah.
When Jesus returns, He will establish His righteous kingdom (Jer
23:5-6; 31:31-34) and rule in righteousness (Isa 4:2-6). In that day,
the Old Testament prophecies of Israel's glorious kingdom will be
fulfilled, and there will be no need for visions or prophets. "To
anoint the most holy" refers to the sanctifying of the future
temple that is described in Ezek 40-48.
This 490-year period is divided into three segments; (a) 7 "sevens" (49 years), (b) 62 "sevens" (434 years), and (c) 1 "seven" (v. 27; 7 years). The first period of 49 years may refer to the time in which the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem, permitted by Artexerxes' decree, was completed (444 B.C. - 395 B.C.). Though Nehemiahs' wall construction project took only 52 days, many years may have been needed to remove the city's debris (after being desolate for many decades), to build adequate housing, and to rebuild the streets and a trench.
More on the three periods:
Period
#1—7 weeks/ 49 years (Dan 9:25). During this period, the Jews will
rebuild the city of Jerusalem in troubled times. The key issue here
is the date of the decree. This is not the decree of Cyrus in 538 BC
permitting the Jews to return to their land and rebuild their temple
(Ezra 1; Isa 44:28), because the emphasis of this decree is on the
city of Jerusalem. While some students opt for the decree of
Artaxerxes in 457 BC, sending Ezra to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:12-26), that
decree also emphasized the temple and its ministry. The decree of Dan
9:25 is probably that of Artaxerxes in 444 BC authorizing Nehemiah to
go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and restore the gates (Neh
2:5-8).
Period #2—62 weeks/ 434 years (Dan 9:26). Gabriel
affirmed that 483 years are involved from the giving of the decree to
the coming of "the Anointed One, the ruler" (7×7 = 49;
7×62 = 434; total = 483). When you count 483 solar years from the
year B.C. 444, you end up with A.D. 33, which brings us to the time
of Christ's ministry on earth. But this Anointed One, the Christ,
will not be permitted to rule; for His people cried out, "We
have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15). "We will not have
this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). The Messiah will be
"cut off, but not for himself ("and will have nothing,"
NIV). This speaks of His rejection by the Jewish nation (John 1:11;
Luke 13:33-35) and His crucifixion as a criminal, turned over to the
Roman authorities by His own people and one of His own disciples. But
He died for the sins of the world, including the sins of the Jewish
nation.
Daniel 9:26.
The 62 "sevens" (434 years) extend up to the introduction of the Messiah to the nation Israel. This second period concluded on the day of the Triumphal Entry just before Christ was cut off, that is, crucified. In His Triumphal Entry, Christ, in fulfilment of Zechariah 9:9, officially presented Himself to the nation of Israel as the Messiah. He was evidently familiar with Daniel's prophecy when on that occasion He said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42).
Thus the first two segments of the important time period - the 7 sevens (49 years) and the 62 sevens (434 years) - ran consecutively with no time between them. They totaled 483 years and extended from March 5, 444 B.C. to March 30, A.D. 33. How can 444 B.C. to A.D. 33 equal 483 years? For an answer see the chart below.
(After
the GAP period which commenced when Christ was crucified and His
church established - also referred to as the Church Age. Recall 69
weeks (483 years) are already passed):-
9:27
"He (Antichrist) will
make a treaty with the people for
a period of one set of seven (7
years),
but after half this time (3.5 years),
he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings (in
the Jerusalem Temple). Then
as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious
object that causes desecration, until the end that has been decreed
is poured out on this defiler." NLT
To
continue with Daniel Chapter 9 and it's prophecy, here's a quote from
The Bible Exposition Commentary:
"In A.D. 70 A.D.,
the prophecy in Dan 9:26 was fulfilled when the Roman armies
destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and the Jewish nation was
scattered. The Romans are the people of the prince that shall come,"
and that prince is the future Antichrist that Daniel described as
"the little horn" and the blasphemous king. This takes us
to the third period."
Period
3 : 7 years (Dan 9:27). "The pronoun "he" refers to
"the prince that shall come" (v. 26), this is, the
Antichrist. We are now approaching the final seven years of the
prophetic calendar that Gabriel gave Daniel, the period that we know
as "the Tribulation" or "the day of the Lord."
While the world has always known wars and desolation (Matt 24:3-24),
the end of the age will introduce a time of terrible suffering that
will climax with the return of Jesus Christ (Rev 6-19; Matt
24:15-35).
The event that triggers this last seven-year period
is the signing of a covenant between the Antichrist and the Jewish
nation. At this time, the Antichrist is a key political figure in
Europe one of the ten toes of the image in Dan 2, and the "little
horn" who emerges from the ten horns in 7:8,24 ff — and he has
the authority and ability to end the "Middle East problem."
He covenants to protect the Jews from their enemies, probably so they
can build their temple and restore their sacrifices. The spiritually
blind Jewish leaders, ignorant of their own Scriptures, will gladly
enter into the covenant "I have
come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me."
Jesus told the Jewish leaders of His day; "if
another comes in his own name, him you will receive" (John
5:43).
After
three and a half years, the Antichrist will break the covenant, seize
the temple, and put his own image there, and will force the world to
worship him (2 Thess 2; Rev 13:1). This is the "abomination of
desolation" (Dan 11:31; 12:11) that Jesus spoke about that marks
the midpoint of the Tribulation period (Matt 24:15; Mark 13:14). The
"man of sin" and "son of perdition" (2 Thess 2:3)
who up till now has deceived the world by playing a shrewd political
game will now reveal himself as a tool of Satan and a cruel world
dictator. Christ will defeat him when He returns to establish His
kingdom (Rev 19:11-21)”.
Jesus Christ in Matthew Chapter 24, also quoted the Book of Daniel reaffirming what was revealed to Daniel more than 500 years before.
Matthew
24:15-16
The
Great Tribulation (also in Mark 13:14-23; Luke 17:23,24,37;
21:20-24)
"Therefore
when you see the 'abomination of desolation,'
(placed there by the Antichrist-
statue of himself? pig? something that desecrates the Holy Temple of
the Jews?)
spoken of by
Daniel the prophet, standing in
the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand),
16
"then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
21
For then there will be great tribulation,
(3.5 years)
such as has not been since the
beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22
And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but
for the elect's sake (the
elect will be spared the worst of it)
those days will be shortened.
Daniel Chapter 12
Back
to the book of Daniel this time Chapter 12:
Dan
12:1-3
Prophecy
of the End Time "At
that time Michael (Archangel
of God)
shall
stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your
people (Jews);
And there shall be a time of trouble,
(tribulation
period)
Such
as never was since there was a nation (Israel),Even
to that (future)
time.
And at
that time your
people shall be delivered
(at
the end of the Tribulation),
Every one who is found written in the book.
2
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake
(those
who are dead),
Some
to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3
Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever
and ever."
"At that time" means "during the time of the end" the time period the angel is describing in this part of the prophecy.
At
this point we have arrived at the middle of the Tribulation when
Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel, seizes the temple, and
sets himself up as world dictator and god. This is the "abomination
of desolation" that Daniel wrote about in 9:27; 11:31; and
12:11, and that Jesus referred to in His Olivet Discourse (Matt 24
and Mark 13).
The last three and a half years of Daniel's
seventieth week will usher in a time of terrible suffering. "For
then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be," said Jesus
(Matthew 24:21). Also
refer Revelation 12.
One of the features of this terrible time
will be Antichrist's (Satan's) war against the Jewish people (Rev
12), but Michael, the angel assigned to care for the Jewish people,
will come to their aid. God's elect people will be preserved (Matt
24:22). This will include the 144,000 who are sealed by the Lord
(Revelation 7). God will keep His covenant with Abraham and see to it
that the Jewish remnant will enter into their promised kingdom.
Everything
so far in Daniel has been a prologue to the magnificent conclusion of
Daniel's prophecy. These verses are with reference to Daniel's people
- the Jews - and to the Archangel Michael, the protector of the
nation of Israel.
The end-time reality for the Jews, according
to prophecy, will deteriorate into worse than anything anyone has
witnessed in world history. The pain and suffering people are going
through now will be pale into insignificance when compared to the
trails and tribulations yet to come to so many.
Jeremiah
says in 30:7 - "Alas!
For that day is
great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's
trouble, But he shall be saved out of it."
Jesus
confirmed Jeremiah's prophecy years later in: Matthew 24:21-22: "For
then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the
beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall
be."
However
Jesus says in Revelation that Michael the protector will also be
there on the scene, doing battle with Satan in the heavenlies.
Rev
12:7-8
7 "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his
angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven
any longer."
God's
elect people will be preserved (Matt 24:22).
To
continue with Daniel Chapter 12, Dan 12:5-7
5
"Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two men (angels)
on each bank of a river.
6 And one of them asked the man in
linen robes (probably Jesus)
who was standing now above the
river, "How long will it be until all these terrors end?"(The
angel here is referring to the final dealings in general by God,
Antichrist's overthrow, and the resurrection.)
7 He replied, with both hands lifted
to heaven, taking oath by him who lives forever and ever, that they
will not end until three and a half
years (3.5 years)
after the power of God's people has
been crushed.” TLB
Two angels arrived on the scene in Dan 12, one on each side of the Tigris River. The man clothed in linen possibly refers to the awesome person Daniel saw at the beginning (Chapter 10), probably Jesus Christ. When one of the angels asked, "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" the Lord replied "until three and a half years".
The
last half of the Tribulation period is described in several ways:
time, times and half a time (in Daniel12:7, ; Revelation 12:14):
forty-two months (Rev 11:2; 13:5); and 1,260 days (Rev 11:3).
Once
the treaty is signed between Antichrist and Israel, the clock
starts ticking off seven years, and once Antichrist sets himself up
as god in the temple, the last half of Daniel's seventieth week
begins. (The execution of the treaty will be the sign for us as to
when the 7 year tribulation will begin). The Lord Jesus spoke
this under oath, raising both hands to heaven, so it is certain.
The key to God's timing is the purpose He fulfills for "the holy people," the nation of Israel. Throughout the Book of Daniel, the emphasis is on the nation of Israel, and the only reason other nations are mentioned is because of their relationship to the Jews. While the Tribulation period is a time for punishing the Gentile nations for the way they have sinned against the Jews (Joel 3:2-8), it's also a time for sifting and purging Israel and preparing the Jews for the return of their Messiah (Amos 9:9-12).
Dan
12:8-13
8 "I heard what he said, but I did not understand
what he meant. So I asked, "How will all this finally end, my
lord?"
9 But he said, "Go now, Daniel, for what I have
said is for the time of the end.”
(We
must wait "till the time of the end;". We see here the
reason why these prophecies are at present so imperfectly
understood.God has sealed
them.)
10
“Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But
the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will
understand.”
(but
those who are wise will
know what it means)
11 "From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days. (in my timeline below I have assumed that this 1290 days will be from the signing of the Peace treaty)
12 And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!
13 "As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you." NLT
How long?" and "How will it end?" are questions that we ask when the times are difficult and the future in doubt. "What's the purpose of it all?" Daniel did what all of us must do: he humbly asked God for the wisdom that he needed. But He may not tell us! (Deut 29:29) He knows how much we need to know and how much we can take (John 16:12). He did promise that all these things would be clearer for those living in the end times, which is an encouragement for us to prayerfully study the prophetic Scriptures.
But the Lord did reveal that, in the end times, as trials come to the people on the earth, these trials will make the believers purer and wiser, but the wicked will only become more wicked. "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived". The unbelievers will be ignorant of the truth but the believers will have their eyes opened to the truths of the Word. The Word of prophecy is our light when things get dark (2 Peter 1:19).
The
1260 days mentioned earlier equates to 3.5 years.
The
starting point is
the middle of the Tribulation, when the abomination of desolation is
set up in the temple. Since there are 1,260 days (three and a half
years) before the Tribulation ends, the 1,290 days would take us 30
days beyond the return of the Lord, and the 1,335 days 75 days beyond
the end of the Tribulation.
One biblical scholar states that
the additional 30 days to the 3 and one-half years, are there to
train God's people for Kingdom service for administering laws of the
Kingdom as described in Matthew chapter 5 through 7. My own personal
view is given in the scripture: Dan
12:11-12
11 "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days”. Therefore the additional 30 days is for the setting up of the abomination (a statue or something similar).
Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament states such:
“Daniel 12:11
The angel said that 1,290 days will be measured off from the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished (cf. 9:27, "he will put an end to sacrifice") and the abomination that causes desolation is set up (cf. 9:27, "one who causes desolation will place abominations on a wing of the temple"). The last half of the 70th "seven" of years is "a time, times, and half a time" (7:25; Rev 12:14), which is three and one-half years. It is also designated as 42 months (Rev 11:2) or 1,260 days (Rev 11:3). How then can the variance of 30 days (1,290 compared with 1,260) be explained? Some suggest that the 30 days will extend beyond the end of the Tribulation, allowing for the judgment of Israel and the judgment of the nations. Another possibility is that the 1,290 days will begin 30 days before the middle of the 70th "seven" of years when the world ruler will set up "the abomination that causes desolation" (Matt 24:15). The 1,290 days could begin with an announcement (about the abomination) made 30 days before the abomination is introduced. This abomination, as stated earlier, will be an image of himself (Rev 13:14-15.) and will be the symbol of this religious system.”
The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament further comments:
Daniel 12:8-13
“The significance of the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days isn't made clear, but there is a blessing attached to the second number. The starting point is the middle of the Tribulation, when the abomination of desolation is set up in the temple.”
“We aren't told why these days are important or how they will be used to bring blessing to God's people. Certainly there are activities that the Lord must direct and tasks to accomplish, all of which will take time. Perhaps the greatest task is the regathering of His people from the nations of the world (Ezek 20:33-38; Isa 1:24-2:5; 4:2-6; 11), their purging, and their preparation to enter the promised kingdom.”
And
the additional 45 days (in the 1335 days) are needed to determine who
enters the millennial period, for restoration and preparation
for Kingdom entry.
Whatever the reason it is certain that there
are activities that the Lord must direct and tasks to accomplish, all
of which will take time. Perhaps the greatest task is the regathering
of His people from
the nations of the world, their purging, and their preparation to
enter the promised kingdom.
(See table below)
What
did Jesus Christ say regarding the three and a half year great
tribulation period:
Matthew
24:21-24
21 For that will be a time of greater horror than
anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again.
22 In
fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human
race will be destroyed. But
it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones (implying
that those in Christ will be raptured or caught-up to avoid this
tribulation period. Whether it be at the onset of the 7 year
tribulation period - pre-tribulation, or mid tribulation does it
really matter).
23
"Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or
'There he is,' don't pay any attention.
24 For
false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great
miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even
God's chosen ones.” NLT
Some state that "God's chosen ones" in verse 22 above, refers to the Jews and Gentiles who believe and are converted mid-tribulation. But "chosen ones" here does not refer to the church since the church would have been raptured at least three-and-one-half years previously, in the event of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. World conditions will be so terrible that men will wonder if any relief will come, and this will give false Christs opportunities to deceive many. Satan is capable of performing "lying wonders". The fact that a religious leader performs miracles is no assurance that he has come from God. Many Jews will be deceived, for "the Jews require a sign" (1 Cor 1:22). Jesus performed true signs in His Father's name, and the nation rejected Him. Satanic miracles they accept.
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