THE BOOK OF DANIEL

THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Daniel of the Book of Daniel is included in the Jewish canon’s Writings part, commonly known as the Wisdom section, of the Old Testament. Daniel’s knowledge was recognized (Daniel 1:17; 2:14), and his work is now included in the Jewish sacred book.

In English Bibles, the book of Daniel is included in the prophet’s part of the Old Testament. Daniel is included in the book of Revelation in the New Testament. Both feature end-of-the-world prophesy and are written in the same apocalyptic manner.

Half of it was written in Hebrew, and the other half in Aramaic, a Bible language that is only mentioned a few times. The primary keys to interpreting the future are found in three main portions of prophecy. Daniel possesses the biggest collection of Aramaic-language Scripture. While each passage dealing with Bible prophecy contributes something unique, there are three basic areas of prophecy that provide the key to interpreting the future.

These three sections are:

(1) the book of Daniel;

[2) the Olivet discourse (Matt. 24-25); and

(3) the book of Revelation.

To gain a basic understanding of Bible prophecy, one must have a general grasp of these three key passages, in this chap­ter I will present a broad overview of each of these key passages. The format I will use in surveying these parts of Scripture is the old ABCs outline: author, background, and content.

1. THE BOOK OF DANIEL (The Handwriting on the Wall)

The book of Daniel is one of the most beloved and beneficial books in the Word of God. The stories in this book are unparalleled in their drama and suspense. Every child who has ever been to Sunday school knows about the three young Hebrew men in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the lion’s den. However, there is much more to this precious book than just children’s Bible stories. It is also one of the key passages in the Bible that describe the events of the end times. Let’s spend a little time delving deeper into this unforgettable book.

Author The book of Daniel bears the name of its human author—the prophet Daniel. Almost all that we know about the life and times of Daniel comes from this book. His contemporary, Ezekiel, mentions him as one of the godliest men who has ever lived (Ezek. 14:14, 20). Nebuchadnezzar’s armies deported Daniel to Babylon.in€05&&i when he was between fourteen and seventeen years old. He lived the remain­der of his life in and around Babylon and died around the age of ninety,

Background In 605 b.c., the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar sub-Jugfited the nation of Judah. His conquest was God’s discipline on the nation (Deut 28:47-52; Jer. 25:7-11). God had sent his

Three Key Passages of Bible Prophecy

prophets to warn the people of coming judgment if they did not repent. There was a temporary, superficial revival under King Josiah. But when Josiah was killed in battle, the nation started on an irreversible path of rebellion that ended in their conquest and captivity.

Part of Nebuchadnezzar’s policy of conquest was to deport some of the finest, brightest young men of nobility to Babylon to train them in the language, culture, religion, and government of Babylon so they could assist him in the administration of his empire. Daniel, along with many other young men, was deported from Judah to Babylon. Daniel was taken away from the godly influence of his parents, ripped away from his culture, and exposed to overwhelming pagan influences.

One can only imagine what must have been going through the mind of this young Hebrew man when he first laid eyes on the city of Babylon, as he entered the massive Ishtar Gate and was led down the ornate, idol-filled avenues of the city. But even in the midst of this godless environment, Daniel remained true to the God of heaven all of his life.

THEME:

The theme of Daniel is the absolute transcendence and sover­eignty of God over the affairs of people and nations. God is the one who raises up kings and kingdoms and brings them down. God reveals hid­den mysteries. God rescues his people from seemingly impossible situations.

The book of Daniel contains seventy-eight occurrences of titles for God. In Daniel God is sovereign, loving, omnipotent (all-powerful), com­passionate, omniscient (all-knowing), and righteous. He is the Highest God, the King of heaven, the living God, the Ancient One, the God of gods, the God of heaven, the Commander of heaven’s armies, and the Highest. Daniel presents God as Ruler, Revealer, and Redeemer.

PURPOSE The purpose of Daniel can be summarized in two words:

“Prophecy and piety. Daniel reveals the prophetic program for this world in the future and how God’s people are to live in a godless society in the present.

As noted before, the Bible always Links the study of prophecy with liv­ing a godly life. Daniel is no exception. This book contains many of the greatest prophecies in the Bible as well as some of the greatest will living. Therefore, prophecy and piety are the in

There are five major prophetic sections of Daniel that find’s future program for this world. Each of these five sections information about the future that God gave to Daniel either by means of a vision, a heavenly visitor, or, in some cases, both. The prophetic sections of Daniel are as follows:

1. Chapter 2—Dream vision of Nebuchadnezzar (the great statue)

2. Chapter 7—Night vision of Daniel (the four beasts out of the sea)

3. Chapter 8—Vision of Daniel in the fortress of Susa (the ram and the goat)

4. Chapter 9:24-27—Visit by the angel Gabriel (the seventy-sets-of

seven prophecies)

5. Chapters 10-12—Final vision of Daniel (the rise and fall of

Antichrist)

These five sections cover a lot of ground. They unveil the course and consummation of Gentile world history from the time of Nebuchad­nezzar in 605 b.c. to the second coming of Christ They help us under­stand where this world has been and where it is going. Daniel takes us on a whirlwind tour in these chapters:

•From the fifth-century B.C. to the final century A.D.

• From the first world empire (Babylon) to the final world empire

(Christ’s kingdom}

• From the commencement of Gentile domination of Israel to its

completion

• From Nebuchadnezzar to the new Jerusalem

• From the furnace of fire to the lake of fire

• From Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to the nightmare of the

Antichrist

PIETY There are also five key sections in Daniel that reveal how we are to live our lives in the present, in the midst of a pagan society as we await the events of the last days. Chapters 1,3, and 6 provide us with the posi­tive examples of Daniel and his; three friends who used to compromise their standards under the pressures of the world. In addition, chapters 4 and 5 warn against pride and rebellion against God:

1. Daniel 1 —Daniel refuses to defile himself with the king’s food

2. Daniel 3—Three Hebrew men refuse to bow to the king’s image

3. Daniel 4—God humbles Nebuchadnezzar, the proud king

4. Daniel 5—The finger of God dramatically ends Belshazzar’s

drunken orgy

5. Daniel 6—Daniel continues to pray to God even under the threat of death.

OUTLINE

The book of Daniel is divided into three broad sections.

I. THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DANIEL (chapter 1)

II. THE PROPHETIC HISTORY OF THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES (Chapters 2-7)

A. The Statue and the Stone (chapter 2)

B. God or the Golden Image? (chapter 3)

C. Beauty Becomes a Beast (chapter 4}

D. The Handwriting on the Wall (chapter 5)

E. Daniel In and Out of the Lions’ Den (chapter 6) F. The Jungle Book (chapter 7)

III. THE PROPHETIC HISTORY OF ISRAEL DURING THE TIMES OF

THE GENTILES (Chapters 8-12)

A. A Preview of Coming Attractions (chapter 8)

B. The Prayer of Daniel (9:1-19)

C. The Seventy-Sets-of-Seven Prophecy (9:20-27)

D. The Final Vision (10:1 -12:4)

E. All’s Weil That Ends Well (12:5-13)

THE STRUCTURE OF DANIEL 2-7

These six chapters form the heart of the book. They are presented in what is known as a chiastic structure, that is, each chapter in this section has a corresponding, parallel chapter as you work your way to and from the middle. The centre of this chiasm is Daniel 4-5. The following diagram represents this structure:

Chiastic Structure of Daniel 2-7

•Daniel 2—World empires symbolized by four metals of a statue

• Daniel 3—Three young men delivered from the fiery furnace

• Daniel A—Nebuchadnezzar humbled

• Daniel 5—Belshazzar humbled

• Daniel 6—Daniel delivered from the lions’ den

• Danie! 7—World empires symbolized by four wild beasts

THE THREE KEY PROPHETIC SECTIONS OF DANIEL

There are three sec­tions in Daniel that are indispensable to a proper understanding of the last days.

The first section is Daniel 2, which records a dream that Nebuchad­nezzar had one night. In this dream, he saw a great statue of a man, made of four different metals. As he looked at the statue, a great stone

Came and smashed the image to pieces. This stone then became a great mountain filling the whole earth. Daniel interpreted this dream for Nebuchadnezzar. He said that the four different metals in the image represented Gentile world empires that would rule the world in succession.

The Metallic man

Body part	Empire
Head of gold Chest and arms of silver Belly and thighs of bronze Legs of iron Feet and toes of iron and clay	Babylon Medo-Persia Greece Rome Rome II (Ten toes equals a ten-nation confederacy.)

The smiting stone that destroyed the image pictures the second com­ing of Christ when he will destroy all those opposed to his rule. The mountain that filled the earth is Messiah’s worldwide kingdom, which will replace the kingdoms of humanity.

The second section is Daniel 7, which covers the same ground as Daniel 2, only using different imagery and adding a few new details. H. A. Ironside notes an interesting difference between Daniel 2 and 7:

Chapter seven covers practically the same ground as chapter two. It takes in the whole course of The Times of the Gentiles, begin­ning with Babylon and ending with the overthrow of all derived authority and the establishment of the kingdom of the Son of Man. But the difference between the first and second divisions is this: In what we have already gone over we have been chiefly occupied with prophetic history as viewed from man’s stand­point; but in the second half of the book we have the same scenes as viewed in God’s unsullied light In the second chapter when a Gentile king had a vision of the course of world-empire, he saw the image of a man—a stately and noble figure—that filled him with such admiration that he setup u similar statue be worshipped as a god. But in this opening chapter of the second divi­sion, Daniel, the man of God, has a vision of the same empires, and he sees them as four ravenous wild beasts, of so brutal a character, and so monstrous withal, that no actual creatures known to man could adequately set them forth

The following chart represents Daniel’s vision recorded I chapter 7

THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL 7

BEAST	EMPIRE
Lion Bear Leopard Terrible beast	Babylon Medo-Persia Greece Rome

The numerous parallels between these chapters reveal that they cover the same material from two vantage points.

PARALLELS BETWEEN DANIEL 2 AND 7

WORLD EMPIRE	DANIEL2	DANIEL
Babylon	Head of gold	Lion
Medo-Persia	Chest and arms of silver	Bear
Greece	Belly and thighs of bronze	Leopard
Rome 1	Iron	Terrible beast
Rome II (reunited)	Ten toes	Ten horns
Antichrist		Little horn
God’s kingdom	The smiting stone that destroys the image	The Son of Man, who receives the Kingdom

The third section, Daniel 9:24-27, is one of the most important pro­phetic portions in the Bible. It is the indispensable key to all prophecies. It has often been called the “backbone of Bible prophecy,” and “God’s prophetic time clock.”

In Daniel 9:1-23, Daniel confesses his sin and prays for the restora­tion of the people of Israel from Babylonian captivity. He knows that the seventy years of captivity are over (9:1-2), so he begins to intercede for his people. While Daniel is praying, God sends an immediate answer through his angelic messenger, Gabriel (9:21). Daniel 9:24-27 is God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer, but in this answer, God goes far beyond the restoration of Israel from Babylon to Israel’s ultimate and -final restoration under Messiah:

A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people

and your holy city to put down the rebellion, to bring an end to sin, to atone for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to con­firm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two

COMPLETE BOOK OF BIBLE PROPHECY

sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to re­build Jerusalem until the Anointed One comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defences, despite the perilous times.

After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are de­creed from that time to the very end. He will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. 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.

TEN KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE SEVENTY WEEKS

1. The term sets of seven or week refers to periods or sets of seven years. Daniel had already been thinking in terms of years in 9:1-2.

2. The entire period involved, therefore, is a time of 490 years (seventy sets of seven-year periods, using a 360-day prophetic year).

3. The 490 years concerns the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem, not the church—”for your people and your holy city” (9:24). The purpose of these 490 years is to accomplish these six divine goals:

•To put down the rebellion

•To bring an end to sin

•To atone for guilt

•To bring in everlasting righteousness

•To confirm the prophetic vision

•To anoint the Most Holy Place

Since these goals look to the coming kingdom age, then the 490 years must take us all the way to the Millennium.

4. The divine prophetic clock began ticking on March 5,444 b.c., when the Persian king Artaxerxes issued a decree allowing the Jews to re­turn under Nehemiah’s leadership to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.

5. From the time the countdown began until the coming of Messiah (“the Anointed One”) will be sixty-nine sets of seven (seven plus sixty-two} or 483 years. This exact period of time, which is 173,880 days, is the precise number of days that elapsed from March 5,444

Three Key Passages of Bible Prophecy

b.c. until March 30, a.d. 33, the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the Triumphal Entry.3

6. When Israel rejected Jesus Christ as her Messiah, God temporarily sus­pended his plan for Israel. Therefore, there is a gap of unspecified du­ration between the sixty-ninth and seventieth sets of seven. During this gap, two specific events are prophesied: (1) Messiah will be killed {this was fulfilled in a.d. 33), and (2) Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed (this was fulfilled in a.d. 70).

7. God’s prophetic clock for Israel stopped at the end of the sixty-ninth 15lJ set of seven. We are presently living in this period of unspecified duration between the sixty-ninth and seventieth sets of seven, called I the church age. The church age will end when Christ comes to rap­ture his bride to heaven.

8. God’s prophetic clock for Israel will begin to run again—after the church has been ruptured to heaven—when the Antichrist comes onto the scene and makes a seven-year covenant with Israel (9:27). This is the final or seventieth set of seven, which still remains to be fulfilled.

9. The Antichrist will terminate this covenant after three and a half years and will set an abominable, sacrilegious image of himself in the tem­ple of God in Jerusalem (see also Matt. J4:1_5;

10. At the end of the seven years, God will slay the Antichrist (“this de-filer”—9:27; see also 2 Thess. 2:3; Rev. 19:20). This will mark the end of the seventy sets of seven and the beginning of the Millennium when the six characteristics outlined in 9:24 will be fulfilled.

OVERVIEW OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS (Daniel 9:24-27)

TIME PERIOD:

Remembrance	Time period
Daniel 9:24	The entire seventy weeks (490 years)
Daniel 9:25	The first sixty-nine weeks—seven weeks plus sixty-two weeks (483 years)
Daniel 9:26	The time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks (? years)
Daniel 9:27	The seventieth week (seven years)

TIMELINE OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS PROPHECY

DECREE TO REBUILD JERUSALEM 70th

JERUSALEM 444 BC DESTROYED AD 70

Christs second coming

Messiah

Killed AD 33

70 years 483 years 3 years

Millennium
	Tribulation Millennium Final Set of Seven

Babylonian– 69 Seta of Seven Church Age

Captivity

The Antichrist in Daniel One of the key topics in Daniel 7-12 is the person and work of the coming world ruler, the Antichrist. He is the (dominant human character in these chapters. He holds a prominent

11 h 11 the final four great prophetic sections of Daniel, as outlined in the chart below:

THE ANTICHRIST IN DANIEL 7-12

Chapter	Anti Christ time
Daniel 7	The small or little horn (7:8,11)
Daniel 8	A fierce king (823); a master of intrigue [8:23)
Daniel 9	A ruler [926); this defiler (927)
Daniel 11	The king (1136)

Key Predictive Prophecies in Daniel The book of Daniel contains twenty key, predictive prophecies:

1. The successive rule of four great world empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (chapters 2 and 7)

2. The reuniting of the Roman Empire in the last days in a ten-kingdom form (2:41-43; 7:24)

3. The appearance of Messiah to rule 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (9:25): This prophecy was fulfilled to the day when Christ rode into Jerusalem at the Triumphal Entry.

4. The violent death of Messiah (9:26)

5. The destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 (9:26)

6. The rise of Antichrist to power (7:8,20; 8:23)

7. The beginning of the seventieth week: Antichrist’s seven-year cove­nant with Israel (9:27)

8. Antichrist’s breaking of the covenant at its midpoint (9:27)

9. Antichrist’s claim that he is God (1136)

10. Antichrist’s persecution of God’s people (7:21)

11. Antichrist’s setting up of the abomination of desolation in the

last-days temple (9:27; 12:11)

12. The Russian-Islamic invasion of Israel and Antichrist (11:40-45; see also Ezek, 38-39)

13. Antichrist’s military conquest and consolidation of his empire (11:38-44)

14. The final doom of Antichrist (7:11, 26; 9:27)

15. The second coming of Christ (2:44-45; 7:13) ‘

16. The resurrection of the dead (12:2)

17. The rewarding of the righteous (12:3,13)

18. -The judgment of the wicked ^7:9; .122)

19. The establishment of Christ’s kingdom (2:44-45; 7:14,22,27)

20. A great increase in the knowledge of Bible prophecy in the

last days (12:4).

2. The Olivet Discourse (The Outline of the End Times) There’s an old saying, “If you want to End out what happened yesterday, read the newspaper; if you want to discover what happened today watch we, read the Word of God.” This statement is absolutely true. And there is no place in the Bible that gives a clearer, more concise overview of what’s going to happen tomorrow than the basic outline of the last days Jesus gave in his Olivet discourse.

Author, The Olivet discourse is a written record of a sermon or discourse that Jesus preached three days before he died on the cross. The author of this teaching, therefore, was Jesus himself. The Olivet discourse is found in three places in the Gospels: (1) Matthew 24-25; (2) Mark 13; and (3) Luke 21.

Background

THE PLACE

The Olivet discourse is so named because Jesus preached this sermon from the Mount of Olives, just outside Jerusalem. This mountain is directly east of the city of Jerusalem and overlooks the tem­ple area. Jesus gave this message after spending the day in the temple, denouncing the religious leaders of Israel and pronouncing judgment on Matt. 21:23-23:36). Interestingly, Christ preached this sermon about the last days and his second coming from the same place to which he will one day return (Zech. 14:1-4; Acts 1:10-11).

THE PEOPLE

Jesus preached this sermon to a select group of his disci­ples. Mark 13:3 says that Jesus’ audience consisted of only four men: Peter, James, John, and Andrew. Imagine what it must have been Like to hear the Savior outline the blueprint of the end times in such an inti­mate setting.

THE PROBLEM

Jesus gave this sermon or discourse in response to his disciples’ question about the destruction of the temple and the end of the age. Matthew tells us that before arriving at the Mount of Olives, his disciples said to be in Jerusalem on the temple grounds. As they left this area, Jesus made a monumental statement: “As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the vari­ous Temple buildings. But he told them, ‘Do you see all these buildings? I assure you, they will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another!'” (Matt. 24:1-2). As Jesus and the disciples made their way across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives, these.

COMPLETE BOOK OF BIBLE PROPHECY

Three Key Passages of Bible Prophecy

wards must have been seared into the minds of the disciples. They must have wondered how this could be. When would this happen? When would the end come?

Jesus and the disciples finally arrived at the Mount of Olives, the four men came to him for some clarification: “Later, Jesus sat on till .lopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately.11 I asked, ‘When will all this take place? And will there be any sign Head of time to signal your return and the end of the world?’ ” Matt.24:3).

THE PERIOD

One of the most important questions about this sermon is, What time period does it cover? There are several possible answers to this question, but the best one is that it covers the second corning of Christ and the time immediately preceding his coming. Jesus estab­lished the time frame for this sermon in Matthew 23:39, when he said, “I tell you this, you will never see me again until you lay, ‘Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!'” Jesus was telling his disciples that he was going to leave this world and Income again only when the Jewish people would repeal and leave him as their Messiah. This statement is very significant since It farms the backdrop for what Jesus says in Matthew 24. Obviously, this event, which Jesus prophesied has never occurred hi the past, so it must be future or even in our day.

Another related question often considered in it this passage is, How many questions did the disciples ask Tim most common answer is two or possibly three questions: (I) When will all this take place? (When will the temple be destroyed in Matt. 24:2?); [2) Will there be any sign ahead of time in your return? and (3) Will there be any sign of the end of the world?

While it is possible that the disciples had all written in one mind, it is best to view, these questions as one big (conclusion with three. parts. Clearly, the disciples’ question focuses on the return of Christ and the end of the world. For the disciples, the destruction of the tem­ple, the coming of the Messiah, and the end of the world all comprised one great complex of events (see Zech. 14:1-11).

The period of time addressed in this .sermon, therefore, is the seven-year Tribulation period that will occur just before Christ returns.

THE TIME PERIOD OF THE OLIVET DISCOURSE

The Tribulation Period (24:4-28). The Second Coming (2429-31)

THEME;

Jesus’ Olivet discourse is often called “The Mini Apocalypse” because it provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of the end times. It is also called “the eschatological discourse” because it pre­views the end of the age, or “the prophetic discourse” since it prophe­sies the future. Christ’s sermon gives us the basic blueprint or outline for the end—a checklist of the signs of the times. There are four keys to properly interpreting the Olivet discourse:

1. Study it in conjunction with the other prophetic books.

2. Notice the Jewish atmosphere (“temple,” “Judea,” “Sabbath”).

3. Remember that the main subject is the second coming of Christ, at the end-of-the age, and the signs that signal this event. The Olivet discourse contains a specific “checklist” of signs that signal the coming of Christ.

4. Observe the importance of the practical application in Matthew 24:32-25:30. These words call those who read them to be alert and ready for Christ’s return.

PURPOSE The purpose of this sermon was to outline for Israel the events that would lead up to the return of their Messiah to establish his kingdom on earth and to call Israel to faithfulness in view of that coming.

OUTLINE:

The Olivet Discourse can be divided into three main sections:

I. THE TRIBULATION (24:4-28): RETRIBUTION

A. The Events of the First Half of the Tribulation (24:4-8):’ The beginning of the horrors to come”

1. False Christs (24:4-5)

2. Wars (24:6-7)

3. Famines (24:7)

4. Earthquakes (24:7)

B. The Events of the Second Half of the Tribulation (24:9-28)

l. The first 3 Description. (24:9-14): In these verses, Jesus gives a broad overview of the last half of the Tribulation period. Notice that verse 14 takes us all the way to the end of the Tribulation—” and then, finally, the end will come.”

a. Persecution

b. Hatred

c. False Prophets

d. Sin and Lack of Love

e. Worldwide Preaching of the Gospel

2. The Specific Description (24:15-28): Jesus now backs up to go over some of the more specific events of the final half of the Tribulation. He begins with the “sacrilegious object that causes desecration”; this will occur at the midpoint of the Tribulation and trigger the Groat Tribulation, or the second three and a half years of the Tribulation.

a. The Abomination of Desolation: This is a reference back to the Old Testament book of Daniel when Antiochus drilled the temple in Jerusalem by setting up a statue of Zeus or Jupiter in the Holy of Holies and offering a pig on the altar. In an even greater act of blasphemy, the Antichrist will set himself in the rebuilt last-days temple in Jerusalem and will declare himself to be? God (2 Thess. 2:4). This wretched act, which will occur at trie midpoint, of the Tribulation, is the main, specific sign of the coming of Christ and is the act that plunges the world into the Grcal

b. Great Tribulation (verse 21 —”a time of greater horror”}: This is the final three and a half years of the seven-year tribulation period.

c. False Prophets and False Christ’s

d. Second Coming

e. Judgment (Corpses and Vultures): When Christ returns, the birds will gather to feed on the putrefying carnage (Rev. 19:17-18).

Il. THE TRIUMPH (24:29-35): RETURN

A. The Signs (24:29-30)

1. Sun and Moon Darkened

2. Stars Falling from the Sky

3. Powers of Heaven Shaken

B, The Son (24:30)

C The Salvation (24:31): The gathering of the elect of Israel at the Second Advent

III.THE TEACHING (24:32-25:46): RESPONSIBILITY

A. Three Parables concerning Preparedness (24:32-51)

1. Parable of the Fig Tree (24:32-35): There are two important issues with this parable.

a. The first concerns the imagery of the fig tree.

“Wow learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near. Just so, when you sec the events I’ve described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.”

Many believe that the picture of the fig tree is a reference to the nation of Israel since this was used to represent Israel in the Old Testament. However, Jesus is probably using a natural illustration that anyone could understand. He is simply saying that just as one can tell summer is nearby the blossoming of the fig tree, so those alive in the Tribulation will be able to see that his coming is near when the signs predicted in Matthew 24:4-31 begin to happen.

b. The second issue relates to the meaning of the words this genera­tion in 24:34. “1 assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place.” In the context, “this. generation” probably refers to those living during the Tribulation, who will personally witness the events described in Matthew 24:4-31. Jesus emphasized that the same generation that experi­ences the Tribulation will also witness the Second Coming.

2. Parallel of Noah {24:36-41): Verses 39-41 are often mistakenly taken as a reference to the Rapture.

People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Two men will be working together in the field; one wit! be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

John Walvoord explains the meaning of this passage clearly:

Because at the Rapture believers will be taken out of the world, some have confused this with the Rapture of the church. Here, however, the situation is the reverse. The one who is left is left to enter the kingdom; the one who is taken is taken in judgment. This is in keeping with the illustration of the time of Noah when the ones taken away are the unbelievers. The word for “shall be taken” in verses 40-41 uses the same word found in John 19:16, where Jesus was taken away to the judgment of the cross.4

3. Principles of Alertness (24:42-51)

B. Three Parables of Warning (25:1-46)

1. Parable of the Ten Virgins (25:1-13)

2. Parable of the Master and His Servants (25:14-30)

3. The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (25:31 -46). All the Gentiles who survived the Tribulation will be gathered before the King on his throne. The righteous will enter the millennial kingdom. The unrighteous will be cast into hell.

THE OLIVET DISCOURSE (the Blueprint of the End Times)

TRIBULATION PERIOD CHRIST’S SECOND

(24:4-28) COMING (24:29-31)

Abomination and desolation

Matt. 24:9-28 “A time of greater horror” The second half of the Tribulations 1/2 years 9-14 General signs 15-28 Specific signs
	Matt. 24-8 The binging of the horrors to come” the first half of the tribulations ½ years initial signs

BOOK OF REVELATION (Apocalypse)

The final book in the Bible, Revelation holds a special place in the hearts of God’s people. It is God’s final inspired message to the church.

Revelation is particularly important for two key reasons: First, Reve­lation looks ahead. It is perfectly fitting and necessary that the last book ill the Bible reveals God’s prophetic program for the future and tells us how everything is going to come out in the end. And this is exactly what Revelation does. The word revelation is a translation of the Greek word apocalypses, which means to unveil, uncover, or disclose something that was hidden. The purpose of this book is to reveal, uncover, or “take the lid off” the future. Revelation is an exciting, breathtaking, enthrall­ing account of the future of this world.

Second, Revelation looks back. Revelation not only looks forward to the future consummation of all things under Christ; it also looks back and brings together all the threads from the first sixty-five books of the Bible. Revelation has been called the “Grand Central Station of the Bible” because it’s the place where all the trains of thought throughout the whole Bible come in.

Of the 404 verses in Revelation, 278 allude to the Old Testament. In addition, there may be up to 550 total allusions back to the Old Testament in Revelation. Proportionately, Daniel is the book most frequently alluded to, followed by Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Psalms.

Author The apostle John is the human author of Revelation. Four times the human author of Revelation identifies himself as John (1:1,4,9; 22:8). He is clearly the leader of the churches in Asia Minor (Rev. 2-3) and calls himself a prophet [22:9). Moreover, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian affirm John’s authorship of Revelation.

Background John wrote Revelation around a.d. 95, near the end of the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian (A.D, 81-96). _At this period of time, the churches in Asia Minor were facing trouble both from without and within. Externally, Domitian proclaimed himself to be God and had a magnificent temple built in his honour in Ephesus. Emperor worship was furthered under Domitian more than under any other ruler. Therefore, needless to say, Domitian was a virulent opponent of Christianity.

Domitian banished John, the last living apostle, to the tiny island of Patmos because of his influence in the Christian community in and around Ephesus (Asia Minor). At the time of his exile, John was proba­bly about ninety years of age.

Internally, the churches were facing the double onslaught of spiritual apathy and false teachers, who promoted heretical teachings and immoral living.

One Sunday morning (the Lord’s Day)probably while John was

I king and praying about the churches of Asia Minor as they gathered together for worship—the glorified Christ appeared to him (Rev. 1:!) 20) with a message for seven of these churches. The seven churches Christ singled out are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Against this dark background of external and internal pressure on the church, Revelation was written to reveal tin: final outcome of human history to God’s people in order to ensure them and exhort them to faithfulness. Even though evil seems to prevail, God is in control of all the events of human history, and Christ will return someday in power and great glory to punish the wicked and establish his kingdom.

After writing down the messages and visions Christ revealed to him and dispatched the message to each of the seven churches by means of an angel. The word angel simply means messenger, it is best to see these “angels” as human messengers from each of the seven churches, who had come to visit John on Patmos.

TITLE Although Revelation contains its own title in the opening verse, the title of this book is often incorrectly stated in two different ways. First, it is frequently referred to as Revelations (plural). But in 1:1, it is “revelation” (singular). It is one revelation.

Second, it is often called “the Revelation of St. John.” This also is not the title of the book. It is specifically titled “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” because this book contains a revelation or unveiling of Jesus Christ.

There are two ways to understand the title “Revelation of Jesus Christ.” It can mean” a revelation about Christ” [the revealed one) or “a does powerfully reveal Christ, it is best to take the expression “of as meaning a revelation from or given by Christ.

First, Revelation pictures Christ as a revealer throughout the book. He speaks to the seven churches, and he opens the scroll and discloses its contents. Second, Revelation 1:1 specifically says that Jesus gave the message to the angels and John just as the Father had revealed it to him.5 Christ is pictured from the outset as the revealer.

CHRIST IN REVELATION

CHRISTS ROLE	CHAPTERS
Christ in the church	1-4
Christ in the cosmos	4-18
Christ in conquest	19-20
Christ in consummation	21-22

TRANSMISSION Revelation 1:1 specifically states the transmission or chain of communication for this book: “This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God’s servant John so that John could share the revelation with God’s other servants.”

The Father gave the revelation to the Son, and the Son shared it with John, sometimes directly from himself and sometimes using an angel as his intermediary. The main point is that the contents of this book came from God. Like the first sixty-five books of the Bible, Revelation is the inspired Word of God.

God the Father Jesus Angels John God’s Other-Servants

APPROACHES The vivid imagery and striking have led to very different views on how we should interpret it and what time period it describes. Broadly speaking, there are four main ways that people approach the book of Revelation:

1. Preterist view—views most if not all of the book as being fulfilled in the first century with the fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70

2. Historicist view — sees Revelation as a panorama of church

history from the time of the apostles until the Second Coming

3. Idealist view — envisions Revelation as a depiction of the

the timeless struggle between good and evil that teaches ideal principles

4. Futurist view — interprets Revelation 4-22 as describing real

people and events yet to appear on the world scene.

I believe the futurist view is far superior to the others. It is the only view that follows the principles of literal interpretation. Moreover, it makes sense that the final book of God’s Word would focus on the future and tell us how everything finally comes out in the end. Ed Hind-son summarizes the futurist approach:

The Apocalypse reveals the future. It is God’s road map to help us understand where human history is going. The fact that it points to the time of the end is clear throughout the entire book. It serves as the final consummation of biblical revelation. It takes us from the first century to the last century. From persecution to triumph. From the struggling church to the bride of Christ. From Patmos to paradise.7

KEYWORDS Every book in the Bible contains some keywords that occur frequently and reveal the emphasis in the book. Revelation has ten keywords that define its focus:

1. And (kai Greek) occurs more than 1,200 times in Revelation. About two out of every three verses in Revelation (271 out of 404) begin with the word kai in Greek. While it is also sometimes translated as “but,” “even,” “both,” “also,” “then,” “yet,” or “indeed,” it is most often translated as “and.” The constant repetition of this word moves the book along at a breathtaking rate. As Ed Hindson notes:

One cannot read this book and mentally standstill. The reader will sense, consciously or unconsciously, that he or she is moving through a series of events that appear like instantaneous flashes on a video screen. These glimpses of the future are intended to keep us moving toward the final consummation of human history. The closing chapter actually fast-forwards us into eternity itself”.

2. Great (Greek Megas — eighty-two times): Revelation is a

“great” book!

3. Seven {fifty-four times)

4. Throne (forty-six times)

5. Power/authority (forty times)

6. King (thirty-seven times)

7. Lamb (twenty-nine times)

8. Twelve (twenty-two times)

9. Glory/glorify (nineteen times)

10. Overcome, victorious, conquer (Greek word nikao—the

Sporting goods company Nike borrowed this word from

ancient Greece; seventeen times)

THEME; Revelation contains three main themes, which are empha­sized in the three main sections of the book:

(1) The Christ (Rev. 1);

(2) The church (Rev. 2-3); and (3) the climax (Rev. 4-22),

While these three themes summarize the message of Revelation, the central theme that permeates the entire book is stated in l;7; “Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen!”

The central-unifying theme of the book is the second coming of Christ. Even in chapters 2-3, the coming of Christ Is mentioned again and again.

OUTLINE Many different outlines have been proposed for Revelation, but the best outline is the threefold outline in Revelation 1:19: “Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later.”

I. “WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN” (Chapter 1): THE GLORIFIED CHRIST

11. ‘THE THINGS THAT ARE NOW HAPPENING” (Chapters 2-3):

THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES

A. Ephesus(2:1-7)

B. Smyrna (2:8-11)

C . Pergamum(2:12-l7)

D. Thyatira (2:18-29)

E. Sardis (3:1-6)

F, Philadelphia (3:7-13)

G. Laodicea (3:14-22)

III. ‘THE THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN LATER” (Chapters 4-22)

A. The Tribulation (chapters 4-19)

1. Worship in Heaven {chapters 4-5)

2. The Seal (chapter 6)

3. The 144,000 Witnesses and the Redeemed -{chapter 7)

4. The Trumpets (chapters 8-9)

5. The Little Scroll (chapter! 0)

6. The Two Witnesses (chapter 11)

7. The Woman (Israel) and the Dragon (Satan) (chapter 12)

8. The Antichrist and the False Prophet (chapter 13)

9. Announcements (chapter 14)

10. Prelude to the Bowls (chapter 15)

11. The Bowls (chapter 16)

12. The Fail of Babylon (chapters 17-18)

13. The Second Coming of Christ (chapter 19)

B. The Millennium (chapter 20)

C The Eternal State (chapters 21-22)

FRAMEWORK AND OVERVIEW The simplest way to survey Revelation is by using the following framework, which divides Revelation into the four different ages found in this book:

THE FOUR AGES IN REVELATION

Chapters	age”	‘YEARS
Chapters 1-3	Church age	7 Years
Chapters 4-19	Tribulation	Seven years
Chapter 20	Kingdom Age	One thousand years
Chapters 21-22	Eternal age	Endless years

Revelation begins with three chapters that deal with the present church age. The focus in these chapters is on the lordship of Christ (chapter 1) and the letters of Christ (chapters 2-3). The churches are pictured as lampstands arranged in a circle that is to emit light in the midst of a dark world. Christ is seen standing in the middle of the lamp-stands as Lord of the church and walking among the lampstands as the all-knowing Lord, inspecting and evaluating his church (1:12-13; 2:1).

Christ writes seven letters, one to each of the seven churches in Asia Minor. (These seven churches were situated on a circular road that linked them together. Postal workers in that day travelled along this route.) The letters follow this basic pattern with a few exceptions:

•The commission

•The character

•The commendation (Letters to Sardis and Laodicea lack this) • The condemnation (Letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia lack this}

•The correction

•The call

* The challenge

The seven churches are significant for two main reasons. First, they have a practical significance—they are seven literal, historical churches that existed at the end of the first century in the cities mentioned. Sec­ond, they have a perennial significance—they represented all the dif­ferent kinds of churches that would exist simultaneously throughout church history. (There are seven churches mentioned because seven is this number q£ completeness or totality.)

The seven churches were not selected because they were the most prominent churches in the area; only two of them, Ephesus and Laodicea, are mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament. Rather, these seven were chosen because their spiritual conditions were repre­sentative of churches throughout the world.

Here is a simple overview of the different kinds of churches that will always end lt. As you look at this list, you might ask yourself which of these represents the church you attend. What would Christ’s message be to your church?

• Ephesus—the lost-love church

• Smyrna—the suffering church

* Pergamum—the compromising church

• Thyatira—the permissive and tolerant church

• Sardis—the dead church

• Philadelphia—the faithful church

• Laodicea—- the useless church

Many students of Bible prophecy believe that these seven churches have a prophetic significance. They claim that these churches repre­sent seven successive periods of church history spanning the entire church age from the time of the apostles to the last-days church. While this view is possible, I reject it for three reasons: First, there is nothing in the text of Scripture to indicate that these seven churches represent seven stages of church history. Second, there is no clear-cut way to divide church history into seven distinct stages. Third, this view doesn’t fit the facts of church history. For instance, while some may view the church in America today as Laodicean (lukewarm, useless), this certainly doesn’t describe poor, persecuted churches in other parts of the world.

The second age is the period of tribulation (chapters 4:19). the focus in these chapters is on the three sets of seven judgments that the Lord pours out on the earth. There are seven seal judgments (chapter 6), seven trumpet judgments (chapters 8-9), and seven bowl judgments (chapter 16). This series of judgments will be poured out successively during the Tribulation,

Seven Seals-

Seven Trumpets-

Seven Bowls

The seven seals will be opened during the first half of the Tribulation. The seven trumpets will be blown during the second half of the Tribula­tion. The seven bowls will be poured out in a very brief period of time near the end of the Tribulation, just before Christ returns.

167

FIRST HALF OF Seven Trumpets CHRIST’S

TRIBULATION TRIBULATION SECOND

COMING

Seven Seals

HALF OF SECOND Seven Bowls

The third age is the kingdom age (chapter 20). During this time an angel binds Satan and imprisons him in the bottomless pit for a thou­sand years, hi addition, the saints return to earth with Christ to reign with him over his millennial kingdom.

The fourth and last age is the eternal age (chapters 21-22}. At this time God will judge those whose names are not found in the Book of Life. He will also destroy the old heaven and the old earth, creating a new heaven and new earth to take their place. Finally, the new Jerusa­lem will descend from heaven and come to rest on earth. Here God’s people will enjoy eternal life in the presence of their Savior forever.

Revelation 22:20 contains the final words of Jesus Christ to his church: “Yes, I am coming soon!” The only proper response to these words is: “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”

thanks for joining this intense study. I shall stop here for now till the next update.

From this part of the world, It is all thanks and be rupturable, from pastor Godstrong.

 

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