Chronology of End Time Scenario

As you know, brethren, there's a lot of things going on in the world. A lot of different nations are in conflict. And I've had some people ask me a bit about explaining the end-time scenario. And so I thought, well, since there are several that wanted to have that explanation, I thought, well, let's give it to the whole congregation. So now let's hand out the graph and information here. So I'll take a moment while that's being handed out to everybody. And before we begin with this, to explain as best as we understand it now, this chronology of the end times, there are three scriptures that you can jot down. First is 1 Thessalonians 5.20. First Thessalonians 5.20 says, do not despise prophecies. Do not despise the prophecies. Which is what Paul was saying is prophecy has a place. The second scripture is 2 Peter 2 verse 19, where it tells us to take heed of prophecies. Again, it's part of scripture. They say between one-third and one-fourth of scriptures is prophecy. Notice 2 Peter 1 verse 19. It says, and so we have the prophetic word, which is God's word, confirmed which you do well to heed. So it's saying you better heed it. Pay attention to it. He says, there's a light that shines in a dark place. So God's word is like a lamp in a dark place. And these prophecies help us see what is going on. It says, until the day dawns and the morning star, mentioning about Jesus Christ, rises in your hearts. And so I wanted to share with you because over time, people will ask you as well, well, what about the end times and some of these scriptures that are confusing? And so I want to give you the understanding that we have, as it was brought out in the first message, that this isn't something that is just revealed through reason and logic. It has to be God opening the scriptures up. It mentions there in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verses 10 through 13. Let's go there real quick. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. It says in verse 10, it says, but God has revealed, talking about the things that man doesn't know, God has revealed them to us through his Spirit. For the Spirit, talking about the Holy Spirit in a person, searches all things. Yes, the deep things of God. We can look at and analyze, but through God's Spirit guiding us. For what man knows the things of a man except the Spirit of the man which is in him. That's the Spirit gives us the reasoning skills, the critical thinking, all of these analytical skills that we have. Well, a monkey can't do that. They don't have those skills, but man does. He has a Spirit in man. He says, even so no one knows the things of God except, and it's through the Spirit of God. It should say there, through the Spirit. Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit, and it should say, which is from God. That we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. Again, it's not something that a person earns. Verse 14, but the natural man, it means a physical person, doesn't know, does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. It has to, you have to have God's Spirit, in other words. And so over time, and this has been our teaching more than 70 years about this, and in this part of the chronology, let's look at Daniel chapter 9. This is called the 70 weeks prophecy. It's one of the key prophecies in the Bible. Verse 9, verse 25.

It says, know therefore, and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and 62 weeks, the street shall be built again in the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the 62 weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the Prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood until the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering, and on the wing of abomination shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate. And so we have here that the Messiah on that last week, the 70th week, the Messiah has a three and a half year ministry, and then it ends. And so you have three and a half years left for everything to be fulfilled. And if you notice in the back, I have two sources I mentioned in the in the bottom of the first page. It says, sources, study paper, the 70 weeks prophecy, page 13. So you can go to the website, look up study papers, the 70 weeks prophecy, and page 13 is what is here in the back of this sheet. And then beyond today's commentary, Daniel 11 36 through 12 13. So if you look at the 70 weeks prophecy, it says there, the summary and conclusions. In summary, what do we know about the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9, and what do we not know? There are some things we can teach with a degree of certainty, and others that must be left open for discussion. So this these are eight points that they have. The first is we believe that the prophecy, which I just read, that 70 weeks is actually seven times 70 years. It's 490 years, and is divided into three parts. Seven weeks, 49 years, then you have 62 weeks. That's 434 years, and then one week, which is seven years. Number two, we believe that the 70th week is divided into two equal parts of three and a half years each. So again, that period of time until the Messiah came, the 69 weeks from the time of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. And it is precisely this period of time. It says, verse three, we believe that the prophecy begins with the decree of Artesuchus in 477 BC. Number four, we believe the first 69 weeks of the prophecy ended in AD 27 when Christ was baptized and began His ministry. So again, if you look at from the decree of Artesuchus, those are, remember, 489 years, which takes you to 27 AD when Christ began His ministry.

It's, so number five, we believe that the Messiah was cut off in the midst of the 70th week. Daniel 9 27. And after three and a half years of confirming or strengthening the covenant, magnifying the law, Isaiah 42 21, His, this is what He did, confirming the law and making it stronger, magnifying it. His being cut off, sacrificing Himself, brought an end to the need for animal sacrifices for the people of God. So with His death and His substitution for sin, you don't need animal sacrifices anymore. And that, once He finished and died and was resurrected, that was accomplished. Then it says the sixth point, we believe that there are yet three and a half years of confirming the covenant to be fulfilled. We're not sure about, there are two main possibilities. Some think that that three and a half year period would be at the beginning of the millennium. Christ comes back and there's a three and a half year period to fulfill that period of His ministry. But others say it can be the three and a half years of the end time when the church is taken to a place of refuge and is there taught and confirmed that covenant and Christ is there guiding, not physically, but guiding the church. So that's something we have to wait and see. Then the seventh point is we believe that Christ was cut off, killed in the midst of a literal week on a Wednesday. So just like we have that final week, He was cut off. It wasn't just a year, that 70th week that He's talking about, but also in a weekly sense, He was cut off in the middle of the week, which was on a Wednesday. We just celebrated the Tuesday evening to Wednesday evening. Passover. Number eight, we believe that the abomination of desolation will be set up in Jerusalem in the Holy Place. That's there where you have right now the temple area. They've got a couple of mosques there as well. So nothing has been done so far, but it's there. The Jews are in charge of Jerusalem now. The man of sin in second Thessalonians and the king of the north, the beast, will come into Jerusalem by flattery as a quote peacekeeping power. Have you heard about that type of thing? Where problems in the Middle East are so much that you have a peacekeeping type of intervention, but this time from what we believe is Europe. And as you know, Europe right now is really suffering politically, militarily, economically. The latest Economist magazine just talks about Europe needs to get their act together because they look like a paper tiger and they're not doing much. And economically, they need to get together and have just one ruling council, not 27 different nations, that just one veto undermines everything. So they know that's got to be fixed, but they don't still have that powerful man that has to arise. So it says, at some point animal sacrifices which have previously been allowed, that hasn't happened yet, either on the altar that has been dedicated or in a new temple to be built, will be stopped.

Did anybody see the movie this past week called The Legend of the Lost Ark? Anybody see that? Okay, that was in the theaters, and I got a heads up from the archaeology society about it. And so Cady and I went to it, and it's this archaeologist and that they have these three different scenarios about where that lost Ark of the Covenant could be. And they've made a lot more headway. They haven't found it yet, but they're closer than ever before. Now if you have something like that being discovered, I'll tell you it's going to change the whole Jewish nation. And sacrifices and everything else. So that can happen. And it's it'll probably be online that you can rent it. It's very well done. It has a lot of new information I didn't have about the search for that lost Ark. So anyways, it says here that the sacrifices, animal sacrifices, will be permitted again.

And it says, this is the taking away of the daily sacrifice spoken of in Daniel 1211. And the destruction of the sanctuary referred to in Daniel 926. And the desolation or appallment, which means something appalling of the area of sacrifices, referred to in Daniel 927 in Matthew 2415. That talks about, Christ said about when you see that abomination desolation be placed in the holy place. You have to know, you're going to have to flee. So Christ's fulfillment of Daniel 927 isn't the same event which has to do with his sacrifice and taking away sins, and the taking away of sacrifices because of the abomination of desolation, which is described in Daniel 12, which we'll get there in a moment. So don't confuse the two. One has to do with Christ's sacrifice, and the other one has to do in the end time when the sacrifices are going to end at that time. So it says Christ's sacrifice brings an end to the need to sacrifice. But the abomination of desolation will stop the Jews from sacrificing in the end time. That's what they want. You know, religious Jews, they want to establish the sacrifices again.

The Bible doesn't demand there be a temple, but it does demand a reintroduction of sacrifices prior to the return of Christ. So it doesn't have to be something elaborate and going in there, knocking out all the Muslim sacred sites that they have there. No, it can be just right alongside or to a side above it. They might negotiate that one day.

The denial of sacrifice will mark the beginning of the great tribulation and the treading down of Jerusalem by the Gentiles. This will last 1260 days or three and a half years. So let's go to Daniel chapter 12, because I want to give you a summary, and then we we can go through Daniel and then better understand what it's talking about.

Daniel chapter 12 and verse 1, and remember it's talking here in the previous verse in chapter 11, it's talking about the king of the north battling the king of the south, and the king of the north is basically north of Israel and that area which we call Europe today, western Europe. And then you have the king of the south, which are these Arab Muslim countries around Israel. It says about the king of the north, it says verse 45, and he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas. That's a Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Jordan, River Jordan, and that whole area, the Red Dead Sea, and the glorious holy mountain, which is Jerusalem. Yet he shall come to his end and no one will help him. And then it says verse 1 of chapter 12, at that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. So Michael has a special commission to protect God's people.

And from what we know, he's one of the three carabims that had a third of the angels, one was Lucifer who fell, and then you have Michael as one of the carabims over a third, and then you have Gabriel as the carabim over the other third. But regardless, Michael is going to fight Satan and his angels, and Michael and his angels will fight. It says, and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time, and at that time your people shall be delivered. So look at the world today. How many dangers, how many weapons that people could not imagine here talking about the end of World War II, and no imagination. What the world has become now, how quickly the destruction can come. And so it says that your people shall be protected. Now leave a finger here, and let's go to Revelation chapter 12, because it describes again the battle of the world. Between Michael and Satan. Revelation chapter 12.

It says here, let's go to verse 7. It says, and war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought. But they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. They can't ever go up there again. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of all called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Now that hasn't happened yet. But then it talks about the woman in verse 14, talking about the church. It says the woman was given two wings of a great eagle. That means the powers of transportation through air, because it's not, it was, it was taken by a great eagle. Because in Exodus it talks about being on eagles, wings, and things like that. But no, this is talking about just the wings are given to the woman, which means aerial flight. So people are not going to walk to that place. They're going to go there very quickly.

It says that she might fly into the wilderness to her place. Doesn't talk about multiple places, to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent. We're talking about Satan. So those are the three and a half years that Daniel's talking about. And this is the battle that we have in Daniel 12, Michael and Satan. And so it says there at the end of verse two, it says, at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. And that's talking about the book of life, that your name is there. You've been called, you received God's Spirit, you've been sealed, and you've been annotated. You've been listed in that book of life. It says, the many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. And so now we have the periods of resurrections. It doesn't go into all the details, but it talks about that at that time, when Christ returns, many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. So again, it doesn't go into all the resurrections, but it does indicate that some are going to be resurrected into that first resurrection, then others in the second resurrection, some won't make it. And then we have the third resurrection, which is after that, which is what it talks about, that to shame and everlasting contempt. So everything, God is sifting out this process. It says, verse 3, those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament. So those are resurrected. You will shine like the sun in all its glory. And those who turn many to righteousness, somebody talked about being future teachers and kings and priests like the stars forever and ever, they will be shiny in that way. And it says, 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. Those are two definitions of our world. The first one, many running to and fro. Now that could not have happened before the age of automobiles, because if you looked back in the late 1800s, what did you see? You know, people on horses, people on carts, and very little transportation.

A hundred years later, there are not millions of cars. There are billions of cars on the earth right now, everybody running to and fro. So if you look at, like I said, just within 140 years before to now, it is a whole different world. You have airplanes flying through the air. You have millions of ships plying the seas. You have, I said, millions and millions of automobiles. And so it says, and knowledge shall increase. And I'll tell you, just in our lifetimes, how much has increased now with what they have, AI. And you ask AI something, and it takes them maybe five seconds or ten seconds to basically answer whatever you thought. Knowledge has increased, has multiplied, has grown exponentially. So this is accurate.

And then it says, and then I, Daniel looked, and there stood two others, one on this river bank and the other on that river bank. And one said to the man clothed in linen, and who was above the waters of the river, how long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be? Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times and half a time. That's three and a half years. And when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, that's through the great tribulation, that part of those faithful will end up being part of, you know, just like the ten virgins awaiting the coming of the groom, and five are going to be prepared and five aren't. And so that's part of our mission, is trying to help people be prepared, be part of those five wise virgins that do have the spiritual oil to withstand all the things that are going to happen. He says, although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white and refined. That means people converted. But the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. They will have God's truths to prepare them. It says, verse 11, and from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, what we were talking about, and the desolation of, abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1290 days. So we have 1260 days, which is three and a half years. And here we have an additional month, which is 1290 days. And then it says, verse 12, blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1335 days. That is an additional 45 days, which is a month and a half. He says, but you go your way till the end, for you shall rest and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the day. So we know Daniel made it. He's going to be part of that first resurrection. Wouldn't it be great to see him one day? And we have nothing to do with all the righteousness, but boy, it should be nice to be in his team, wouldn't it? And so let's go to the front of the handout. We've covered Daniel 12, 1 through 12, in the three periods that we just discussed. So we have 1260 days that are mentioned first. This is the time of great tribulation that God's people will be protected. At the end of this time, a resurrection will take place of many. The saints will shine like the stars in heaven. This is described as the time of the end. It is a time when many will be spiritually purified, but sinners, not called at this time, will not understand the times they live in.

Okay, so then you have the second lapse of time, 1290 days. It seems 30 days previous to the time of the great tribulation, the sacrifices in Jerusalem will be suspended, and the abomination of desolation will be established there. Now it's important to mention that in Daniel, where it talks about verse 11, and from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up. So both things happen at that time. The sacrifices and the abomination and desolation occur. So that's why it says previous, the 1290 days, it seems 30 days previous to the time of the great tribulation, the sacrifices in Jerusalem will be suspended, and the abomination of desolation will be established there.

And 13, 35 days later, it seems 45 days previous to the sacrifices being suspended, some important event will take place. The one event we see is that the work of the church of sending out the gospel will come to an end. So the church has to prepare during that time to to wait those 45 days for the abomination to be set up. We're not going to have to be preaching at that time, but certainly we do have the work of the two witnesses that will take place soon after that, after 1260 days. This is kind of what we call here a countdown. This is the countdown 1335, then 1290, and then you get to the 1260. And those are the three and a half years, and then it says the Messiah will come. The everything is completed at that time. Notice in Matthew 24 verse 14, Matthew 24 verse 14. Christ predicted that the gospel would go out until it stopped. It says in verse 14, and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come. So that's one of the requirements that has to be met. Now if you turn the handout over, let's read what the Bible commentary, the BT, Beyond Today Bible commentary on Daniel 11 36 through 12 13 says. So we're talking about Daniel 12. In verse 11 of Daniel 12, Daniel is specifically told that the time from the taking away of daily sacrifices and the setting up of the end time abomination of desolation would be 1290 days. Verse 12 then mentions an enigmatic 1335 days. The key to understanding appears to be verse 13, where Daniel is told that he will rise to his inheritance at the end of the days. This seems to mean the end of the various groupings of days where days mentioned. That is the three and a half years, 1260 days, the 1290 days, and the 1335 days all seem to end at the time Daniel is resurrected at Christ's return, because they said how long? Well, the three and a half years.

A possible scenario is that the breaking of the power of the saints, the cutting off of their public preaching, will come 1335 days before Christ's return. Then 45 days later, 1290 days before Christ's return, the abomination of desolation will be set up. And then 30 days later, 1260 days before Christ's return, the great tribulation will commence. Thankfully Christ will return in just three and a half years from this point to bring deliverance to the people of Israel and Judah as the commencement of his deliverance of all mankind and everlasting life to his saints. The dead in Christ will live again. So this is the scenario that we best understand it. We know it's a lamp, that we're still in darkness. As things get closer, we'll see. Oh, well, we're going to have to adjust, because guess what? We just saw an object that we couldn't see right now with the light. But this is the best we understand. And so if you wanted to know a little bit more about that chronology, this is what we best know it. And so you can comfort your family and those that are there waiting, because there's going to be a time when these things are going to be fulfilled. God willing, we'll all rise up to the occasion and be ready for that return of Jesus Christ.

Just one more part of the chronology. I'm not going to go into it, but you'll see about revelation in the front of this. I didn't have time to go through the entire thing, but it also coincides with Daniel, what we've been talking about, the first four seals. Then the work ends. Jerusalem attacked. Church flees. Six seal open. And then the seven and final seals. So you can study that on your own. It's got the scriptures, but it basically just gives more details about the chronology we just covered.