Revelation: from the Greek apocalypse, which means the unveiling

Sunday, October 14, 2012

The End Times

We have reached the final chapter of Daniel. Daniel has received several disturbing visions throughout his life. Daniel was faithful to God even when it could have cost him his life and God blessed him even living among his enemies. This is similar to God's blessings on Joseph when he lived among the Egyptians. God blessed Joseph and all the Israelites because he was faithful to God. Daniel rose to a similar position of authority among the Babylonians, the Medes and the Persians. Through his faithfulness God used Daniel to show His power to the rulers of the land where the Israelites had been taken in captivity. These rulers, seeing God's power, acknowledged Him as God and passed decrees that the people must revere God. Daniel was faithful to God and God sent Daniel visions of the future. That may not seem like a reward, but God knew that Daniel was faithful and would write everything down just as he was shown. 


12 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise[a] will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”
The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever,saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.[b] When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.
I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”
He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

In Daniel 9:24-27 he was told that there would be seventy sevens before the Jews are restored to relationship with God.

 24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[d]transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[e]
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.[k][l]

After the 69th week there is an interlude, in this interlude we have the church age. That is the period that we are currently living in. The time period starts with the Messiah being cut off, this occurs with Jesus crucifixion about 33 AD. 

This period will end with the rise of the Antichrist and his treaty with Israel for seven years. This final seven years is the final seven of the prophecy. 
Daniel 12 is about this period of time, the final seven of the seventy sevens.
During this time the church has been removed at the rapture. The name Michael with the title the great prince can only mean Jesus the Messiah. When he first started His ministry, He came to His people, the Jews. Since the Jews rejected Him, the ministry went to all the others. Now, after the church has been removed, the final week is for the Jewish people to return to relationship with God, this does not mean that only Jews shall be saved at this time, but the focus of this period is the Jews. Those that turn to Jesus and stand for Him at this time will be saved, they may die a martyr but will live forever with Christ. 
Daniel is told to seal up the scroll until the time of the end, when men will rush here and there to increase knowledge. The end times prophecies were not going to be fulfilled for a long time and the people would not be able to understand them. Daniel was told to seal up the prophecy until the end times when people would be able to understand them. 
Two other angels appeared, one on either bank of the river, they ask when these things shall be fulfilled. Jesus swears by God that it will be a time, times and half a time, this is a week, two weeks and half a week or three and a half weeks, 1260 days or 42 months. 
Daniel does not understand what was going to happen. He is told not to worry about it. The time for these things was going to be a long time away. People would continue to be good or wicked. The wicked would not understand, but the wise would understand these words. 
Daniel is told that from the time that the Temple is defiled until the end will be 1260 days, or three and a half years. This is when the Antichrist breaks his covenant with the Jews and goes into the Temple and declares that he is god. 
Now the verse says that blessed is he that reaches the end of 1335 days, which is 45 days after the end of the final seven. There are many conflicting opinions about what this means, but really nothing certain. We will find out one day for sure. 
Daniel is then told to continue living his life, after he dies he will rest and at the end of days he will rise to receive his inheritance. 

No comments:

Post a Comment