When God said "Let there be light" he was not starting an undirected arbitrary project... he knew where he was going... his creation was made in his mind before it ever came into existence in the physical world. He always knows what is going to take place because God knows everything from end to the beginning. As humans, we must move through time in order to discover the events of our lives, but God is outside of time and knows all things without regard to past, present, or future. Isaiah reveals this when he prophesies "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My council shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." (Isa 46:10)
God has a plan and all that he does is "... according to the purpose of him (God) who worketh all things after the council of his own will." God confers with himself in all that he does so that he already knows what is going to happen... he never needs time to reveal anything to him because it is all by his own design.
In studying prophecy it is essential to keep in mind that what we are reading, or studying, is not a history of events moving through time, but rather the declaration of events from the perspective of eternity. That which has not happened in time is just as real as that which has, and the prophetic word is giving insight to the reality of the future. Therefore, it is important for us to approach our interpretation of prophecies not from our historical thinking, but from God's declarative thinking... that is to say we need to look first of all to the end of God's plan so that we may know where events are going to conclude.
God sent Gabriel to Daniel to give the prophet the determined plan of God for the time of Daniel up to the beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ. The 70 determined weeks began with a command to restore and build Jerusalem and the end of the same 70 weeks of years was that the Most Holy would be anointed. My purpose in this writing is to establish that in order to correctly understand the end time prophecies we need to start at the end and work backwards.
Often, for example, the four horsemen of Revelation chapter 6 are interpreted as various things. Some say that the white horse represents Jesus Christ others say that it represents the anti-Christ. Which is it? Or, is it something entirely different? These interpretations will end up being very arbitrary, or worse biased, because the interpretation is approached from the wrong end... the beginning. We must start at the end and realize that the outcome of all these things is the anointing of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem as King of Kings.
To illustrate this consider the first (white) horse and the fourth (pale) horse. Which of the two are easier to identify? Obviously, the pale horse is easier ... it is very clear that it represents a time of much suffering and death. This is stated within the prophecy itself. This horse is revealed at the opening of the fourth seal. What about the fifth seal? We see the souls of the dead speaking out for justice (a logical consequence of the fourth seal). And the sixth seal reveals mankind fearfully watching the Day of the Lord approach. This seal is accompanied by the heavenly signs in the sun, moon, and stars. These celestial events are very identifiable and without question are associated with the return of Jesus Christ and his subsequent anointing as King.
I write these things to illustrate the very important fact that the closer the events in a prophecy are to the anointing of the King (the end) the more clearly they can be interpreted ... and consequently more correctly.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Endtime Thoughts: Tribulation and the 70th Week
The time is come, and in some ways already past, to look seriously at Bible Prophecy even if it comes at the expense of some of our long held beliefs. So much teaching on the coming of the Lord has bred complacency rather than preparedness. This must change lest that day overtake us as a thief.
While the subject of prophecy is a vast and controversial arena, it should not be shunned simply because it is a large undertaking. It is my intent to begin a regular series of "notes" that look at important aspects of the subject, which often have been overlooked at the expense of a correct prophetic viewpoint. In this late hour we cannot afford to miss the prophetic mark by much... if at all.
While the point of this post may be a relatively small matter, it is a most important truth that carries a large implication with it. The subject of this post is the great tribulation and its relationship to the seventieth week of Daniel. Quite often the tribulation and Daniel's seventieth week are taught to be one and the same... this is simply not true. Let us examine.
The great tribulation begins somewhere near the middle of Daniel's seventieth week at the abomination of desolation and lasts for about 3 and 1/2 years. Jesus said, "when ye therefore see the abomination of desolation... then shall be great tribulation." (Matt 24:15 & 21) He then adds a curious statement that those days (of tribulation) must be shortened in order for any flesh to be saved. It seems as if this shortening rolls back the tribulation so that it ends before the seventieth week is complete. It is clear that the tribulation is finished before the seventieth week is finished because Gabriel gives Daniel very specific purposes for the seventy weeks to accomplish (Daniel 9:24).
The final purpose of this period of time was declared to be the anointing of the most Holy. This is the installation of the king... King Jesus. Simply, Jesus must return before he is anointed. The signs of the coming of Jesus are declared to be the darkening of the sun and the moon, the disappearance of the stars, and the shaking of heaven. Verse 29 of the 24th chapter of Matthew tells us that these signs happen immediately after the tribulation. The tribulation is over at that point and Jesus has not yet returned nor has he been anointed. The purpose of the seventy weeks of Daniel has not been fulfilled and it is not yet over.
The end of the shortened tribulation period gives room for another event that must take place. It is vital for us to see what this is. I leave you with these thoughts... can you see what happens during that space of time that is provided by the shortened tribulation? Notice: Isaiah26: 19-21, Daniel 12:11 and 12
While the subject of prophecy is a vast and controversial arena, it should not be shunned simply because it is a large undertaking. It is my intent to begin a regular series of "notes" that look at important aspects of the subject, which often have been overlooked at the expense of a correct prophetic viewpoint. In this late hour we cannot afford to miss the prophetic mark by much... if at all.
While the point of this post may be a relatively small matter, it is a most important truth that carries a large implication with it. The subject of this post is the great tribulation and its relationship to the seventieth week of Daniel. Quite often the tribulation and Daniel's seventieth week are taught to be one and the same... this is simply not true. Let us examine.
The great tribulation begins somewhere near the middle of Daniel's seventieth week at the abomination of desolation and lasts for about 3 and 1/2 years. Jesus said, "when ye therefore see the abomination of desolation... then shall be great tribulation." (Matt 24:15 & 21) He then adds a curious statement that those days (of tribulation) must be shortened in order for any flesh to be saved. It seems as if this shortening rolls back the tribulation so that it ends before the seventieth week is complete. It is clear that the tribulation is finished before the seventieth week is finished because Gabriel gives Daniel very specific purposes for the seventy weeks to accomplish (Daniel 9:24).
The final purpose of this period of time was declared to be the anointing of the most Holy. This is the installation of the king... King Jesus. Simply, Jesus must return before he is anointed. The signs of the coming of Jesus are declared to be the darkening of the sun and the moon, the disappearance of the stars, and the shaking of heaven. Verse 29 of the 24th chapter of Matthew tells us that these signs happen immediately after the tribulation. The tribulation is over at that point and Jesus has not yet returned nor has he been anointed. The purpose of the seventy weeks of Daniel has not been fulfilled and it is not yet over.
The end of the shortened tribulation period gives room for another event that must take place. It is vital for us to see what this is. I leave you with these thoughts... can you see what happens during that space of time that is provided by the shortened tribulation? Notice: Isaiah26: 19-21, Daniel 12:11 and 12
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