A Prophetic Biblical Timeline

The title of the sermon today is a Prophetic Biblical Timeline. A Prophetic Biblical Timeline. Notice the word A, or the letter A, because others spend a lot of time with prophetic timelines. And what we're going to do is, from the Bible, try to develop a revealed prophetic timeline as nearly as we can. In Matthew, and in both in Mark as well, and I'm going to read Mark 13 verse 32, But of the day and the hour knows no man, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son but the Father. When Christ is going to come again, Christ makes this statement in Mark 13, 32, Not the angels in heaven, neither the Son knows the day that Jesus Christ is going to return, the day or the hour. So let's examine what the Bible has to say about the sequence of events that leads up to the return of Christ. So how should we go about trying to put in chronological order the sequence of events that lead up to the return of Christ? One way is to show from the Bible that which we know must happen on the world scene before the return of Christ. So what do we know about what must happen before the return of Christ and the saints to fight the battle of the great day of God Almighty? What do we know? According to the Bible, one event that must occur before the return of Christ is perhaps related to the warfare that is now raging in the Middle East. The warfare between Israel and Hamas, and actually it is far more than between Israel and Hamas. It is really much larger than that. One event that must take place before Christ returns is the building of a temple in Jerusalem and the reinstitution of temple worship. There are, of course, many other events that must take place, but let's note first one that the news of the day may relate to. Second Thessalonians 2 and verse 1. Let's turn there. Second Thessalonians 2 and verse 1. I think today is National Clem Day. So in Second Thessalonians 2 and verse 1.

Evidently some people were writing letters saying this, that, and the other that the day of the Lord was at hand, the coming of Christ was drawing near. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. He's going to be revealed whomever he is. Whom opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he as God sits in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. Some people talk about, oh well, they don't have to build a temple, they can build an altar. Well, this says that he will sit in a temple showing himself that he is God. Remember you not that when I was with you I told you these things. So Paul had gone over this with them in the past. Now we drop down to verse 11. And for this cause shall God send them strong delusion, that is, those who do not understand and know what the big lie is that is being perpetrated upon the peoples of the world. The peoples of the world are going to accept this false Messiah, and they are going to believe that he is the return of Jesus Christ. That they might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. And because they love not the truth, God sends great delusion. Do we really believe the truth? Do we understand the truth? This event, according to the Bible, must take place. And it seems that it is far from taking place at the present time. A lot of people say there will never be a peace agreement between the various opposing forces at the present times. The Muslims on the one hand and the Israelis on the other hand. And then we have the Christian world who, they read this and say, well, we would like to see the temple built. And the Jews have worked feverishly for several years. In the Jewish Institute, they have already made the garments for the priesthood. They have identified the sons of Zadok through DNA testing. And they say they are ready to build the temple. And of course, the Zionists want the temple to be built. They call it a house of prayer for all the world.

But the Zionists are really political people, and they are not really attuned to the Bible.

So some type of peace agreement must be reached with the surrounding Islamic nations that would allow them, that is, the Israel, to build a temple and institute temple worship. That would mean the sacrificial system. Some people make a lot of fun about that. I know I was on a radio program in New Zealand, sort of the Larry King program of New Zealand, back several years ago. And we talked about this very thing because the infafighter was raging in Israel at that time, in which there was an uprising of the Palestinians.

And I mentioned the fact about building a temple and animal sacrifice, and he said, are you kidding me? I mean, the world, the Hollywood types would go ape, they would go crazy with this. But that's what the Bible indicates. That's what we have taught through the years.

So perhaps the current war that is raging will end with such an agreement, by such an agreement that it allows there to be enough peace that Israel is able to go on the temple mount and build a temple. Now, in the 67 or 68, I forget which year it is, then which Israel once again defeated the forces that came against them. They gained control of the temple mount, but they turned it over to Jordan. So the Hashemite kingdom, they are responsible for the temple mount, for keeping it up and for overseeing it.

It's called the wif, something like that, the wif, the responsibility for keeping up the temple mount. Now, in 1 Thessalonians, you go back a page to chapter 5 in 1 Thessalonians, you will see that there is peace coming, but it is a pseudo-peace that is a false peace. In 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 1, But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that are right unto you, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. The world will not expect it. It will be.

It's what the Bible says. Will it come as a thief in the night? On us. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them as surveil upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overcome you as a thief. So we could ask ourselves, are we in darkness?

Or do we understand the critical crucial times in which we live? There has never been a time where the whole world was linked together by satellite and other communication sources that allows you to watch live and in color as they say what is going on in other parts of the world. According to Daniel 8, the Jews, or Israel, are going to be deceived and destroyed in the name of peace. So we want to go to Daniel 8 and Daniel 8 just before the minor prophets.

Daniel 8 will begin in verse 15. And it came to pass when I, even Daniel, had seen the vision and sought for meaning. Then, behold, there stood before me the appearance of a man, and I heard a man's voice between the banks of Eli, which called and said, Gabriel, make this man understand the vision. So the messenger angel Gabriel came on the scene to reveal to Daniel the meaning of the vision that he had seen. Now verse 20. The ram which you saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. Media and Persia conquered the Babylonian Empire, and the rough goat is the king of Grisha, Alexander the Great, and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

And that being broken were of four, so after Alexander died, there was no dynasty set up for succession, so after Alexander the Great was died, his kingdom was divided into four divisions, with his chief generals taking charge of much of the world. Bible prophecy centers on the Seleucid Empire and the Talmaic Empire. The Seleucid Empire extended from Syria all the way to modern-day Iran, and the Talmaic Empire extended from Palestine all the way into Egypt.

In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to fool, a king of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences shall stand up. I don't know for some reason over the years we have basically ignored Daniel 8. Why ignore Daniel 8? I don't know for sure. But I'm reading from the Bible, and you read the same thing that I'm reading.

The Israelites are corrupted, the mighty and the holy people. Through his policy, he shall also cause craft to prosper in his land. So he is of the hand of craft and witchcraft. He's part of the occult, and he shall magnify himself in his heart and by peace, by peace. They say peace, and there is no peace. There's really no true peace. But by peace, he shall destroy many, and once again corrupt many. He shall also, see this shows you that he is the one that stands up against the prince of princes when he comes again, as it says in Revelation 17. He shall also stand up against the prince of princes, but he shall be broken without hand. In other words, out of the mouth of God goes the, out of Christ, goes a sharp two-edged sword, which is the word of God. And through the word of God, the battle is won. And the vision of the evening and the morning, which was told, is true. Wherefore, shut you up, shut you up the vision, for it shall be for many days. It's really for the end times. And I, Daniel, fainted, and I was sick certain days afterward. I rose up and did the king's business, and I was astonished at the vision, but non-understood it.

We must remember in the physical sense that there are two groups that claim to be Jews, genetically true Jews, and they are more true Jews, probably, living in New York City than there are in Jerusalem. If you've ever seen some of the specials on presentations on YouTube with regard to the Orthodox Jews that live in Brooklyn, New York, right there, a suburb of the city of New York, and they have schools, and they practice basically what the Old Testament says, but more they have turned to the Talmud than they have to Scripture. But they are very diligent in what they believe and practice. And there are a group of Orthodox Jews living in Israel itself. Now, how do we know that there are people who say they are Jews and are not? You go to Revelation 2.9. Revelation 2.9, twice in the book of Revelation, and a message to the seven churches. God inspired Christ, who inspired the angel who brought the message to John, in Revelation 2.9. And I know your works in tribulation and poverty, but you are rich, and I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan. Then you look at Revelation 3, verse 9. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. So God Himself, through Jesus Christ and through the angel that revealed it to John, who brought it to the churches, showed very clearly that there are a group that claim to be and are not. The Apostle Paul in Romans 2, verses 28 and 29 identifies, and I was glad that Mr. Lucas turned to Galatians 6, 16 in his sermonette, the Israel of God, and that is God's goal to bring all peoples into a relationship with God as in the Israel of God. So I'm going to read now Romans 2, 28 and 29.

Daniel prophesied that the daily sacrifice would be taken away. And we turn back to Daniel 11, 31. You might want to mark Daniel. We'll be going there. We're going to probably verse 9 next. In Daniel 11, verse 31, we see what action takes place. But arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate. It is the abomination that makes desolate is placed when they cause the sacrifice, the daily sacrifice, to cease. And then they place the abomination that makes desolate. Daniel further prophesied in chapter 12, just across the page there, we'll begin in verse 5. Daniel 12, verse 5.

That's three years prophetically, three and a half years prophetically. And when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, and that's really what that one does in Daniel chapter 8, corrupts the people, all these things shall be finished. And I heard, but I understood not. But then said, oh 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 to the time of the end. And that word there, pronounced, Kate's, it's spelled Q-E-T-S, but it's pronounced A-E, has an A sound. It's Kate's. It means the literal termination, the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand. But the wise shall understand, and from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, which we read in Daniel 11.31, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, which we read there in Daniel 11.31, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. There shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Then blessed is he that waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty, three hundred and five and thirty days, three hundred and thirty-five days, which is about three years and seven months. So once again, perhaps the current war that is raging will result in a peace treaty. Jesus confirmed Daniel's prophecy. Now we go to Matthew 24 and verse 15. Matthew 24 and verse 15. The words of Jesus Christ Himself confirming the prophecy of Daniel. In Matthew 15, I mean 24 and verse 15, Matthew 24 and verse 15.

When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. We just read it two places. Chapter 11, chapter 12. We even saw that when it is set up there is a countdown begins.

So when that is set up, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whosoever reads, let him understand. Then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains. And it says, pray not that your flight be on the Sabbath. The reason it says that is because the gates at that time were closed on the Sabbath and you didn't travel out of the city. Now we come down to when the abomination is set up.

For then, when? When the abomination is set up. Verse 21. For then shall be great tribulation, such as would not sense the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be, and except those days should be shortened. And of course, we don't know about the shortening. It's not Crisco, but it's something about the shortening. And except those days should be shortened, there should be no flesh saved. But for the elect saved, these days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, lo, here is Christ, or there believe it not. So a lot of false messiahs are going to appear during that time, saying that they are the Christ. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs, and wonders insomuch that if it were possible, if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect.

The very elect. Blessed are they that are called, and chosen, and faithful. That's what it says in Revelation 17. So we can ask ourselves, am I among the very elect?

So after the abomination is set up, the Jews are told to get out of Jerusalem, the gates are closed on the Sabbath. Then, as we have just read, the Great Tribulation begins. The placing of the abomination of desolation marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Once again, the present conflict might explode into a conflict that results in an agreement that allows the Jews to restore temple worship and fulfill 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2, verses 1 through 12, we read parts of. There are at least three ways for the Jews to be able to build a temple. One is through diplomacy, and we've had diplomacy going on for decades between the opposing parties, and some peace treaties have been signed. We remember the Camp David Accords. We remember what happened recently, the Abrahamic Accords, and so on. The second way is war resulting in a peace treaty. And if that happens, it will be a pseudo-peace. And then thirdly, of course, as God's intervention, he could intervene and change the minds of people. He's done it in the past, and he can work things out. You better believe that God has his eye on what's going on. As it says in many places in the Scripture, God has not forsaken Israel. Israel in the flesh is going to be restored during the millennium. And I've mentioned that several times in the past, and you can read a description of that in Zechariah chapter 8.

Based on Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy, there are at least seven years to a prophetic week, and at least seven years to go to fulfill Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy. Now, some say that Jesus Christ's ministry that he confirmed the covenant with many for three and a half years, and three and a half years of it has already been fulfilled of the 70 weeks. Now, whether you accept that interpretation or that a full 70 weeks remains, we know at least there are 1335 days, even after the abomination is set up, and that is not set up until a temple is built, and one sits in the temple of God, and they're offering sacrifice.

And then that one that arises causes the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. And that begins the countdown. So keep in mind that in general prophetic sense, a day represents one prophetic year. Ezekiel 4.6 says, I've set a day for a year, and that vision of prophecy that he gave Ezekiel. I'm not turning... you might jot down Ezekiel 4.6 if you're taking notes, if you do, but if you do. However, a day can represent a literal day or a week. The two witnesses must prophesy 1260 days before they are killed. We know that no person lives 1260 years, so in that case, the 1260 days in Revelation 11, that it's literal days.

Now, 360 literal days constitutes a prophetic year on the Hebrew calendar. So 1260 divided by 360, we come to the time times a half-time or three and a half years. We know that the partial fulfillment of Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy, that 69 weeks have been fulfilled, and 7 times 9 equals 483 years, and 70 weeks would be 490 years.

Now we want to go to Daniel 9, and we'll read and explain as we go along some of this. In Daniel 9, let's set the stage with Jeremiah 25, verses 11 and 12. Jeremiah 25, verses 11 and 12, because Jeremiah had prophesied of a time in which there would be 70 years of desolations that were prophesied upon the Jewish people. And so when we get to Daniel 9, which we're going to next, we'll see that Daniel was seeking to understand the meaning of Jeremiah's prophecy.

So in Jeremiah 25, verse 11, and this whole land should be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years. And it shall come to pass when 70 years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and the Medes and the Persians did that, and that nation says, Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans will I make a perpetual desolation.

Now we go to Daniel chapter 9. In Daniel chapter 9, Daniel begins fasting and praying, as we shall see, to understand that prophecy by Jeremiah. In Daniel chapter 9, and we'll begin in verse 20. No, we will begin first of all and set the stage in verse 1. In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, the prophet.

We just read that. Three times it says 70 years in verses 11 and 12, in Jeremiah 25, that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God to seek my prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. So Daniel sought to understand it. And finally, verse 20, and while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sins of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord God, for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, once again the messenger angel, Gabriel comes on the scene to explain the vision whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly and touch me about the time of the evening oblation.

There were sacrifices offered both in the morning and the afternoon, the evening. And he informed me and talked with me and said, Oh, Daniel, I am now come forth to give you skill and understanding. At the beginning of the supplications, the commandment came forth, and I am come to show you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore, understand the matter and consider the vision.

Seventy weeks, so the seventy years become seventy weeks here in the understanding and revelation from Gabriel to Daniel. Now, seventy weeks, and once again, we go back to the seventy weeks, seven times seventy is four hundred and ninety, and as we shall see, it was divided up into three different blocks, and the seventy weeks are fulfilled in the blocks of seven. First of all, a block of seven times seven, which is forty-nine, and then a block of three hundred and sixty-two, and then you add the seven to the three sixty-two, get you three sixty-nine, and that's when Messiah will appear, as we shall read here.

We'll rehearse this as we go along. Seventy weeks are determined upon your people and upon the holy city to finish the transgression. So there are six things that are mentioned here. Finish the transgression to make an end of for sin, to make reconciliation for sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. All of that is contained in this verse. Finish the transgression to make the end of sin, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, lawlessness, sin, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy, the holy of holies that place.

Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem. Now that commandment was made by Xerxes, and Art of Xerxes, I'm sorry, it was made by Art of Xerxes, and the date is debated among scholars, but it is generally accepted in what the church has always used as a date of 457.

So in 457, the decree was made to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the prince, shall be seven weeks. Now I messed that up. I've got to go back and correct what I just said. The first decree was given by Cyrus. Cyrus, and you read that in Ezra chapter 1, verses 1, 2, 3, where Cyrus made a decree to rebuild Jerusalem, and Zerubbabel and Joshua went back with Jews to rebuild the city and the temple. And now, in addition to that, there was a decree made to build the walls. Know therefore and understand from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the prince, shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks, or 362 years.

The street shall be built again and the wall even in troublesome times. So from the time that that is made until the Messiah comes will be 49 plus 362, with 483, and there's still a week to go. And after three score and two weeks, shall Messiah be cut off.

So after 300 and... after 362 weeks, He'll be cut off, but not for Himself. And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city, and the sanctuary in the end thereof shall be with a flood, until the end of desolations are determined.

So I think I messed that up. Let's get it clear. According to Gabriel, seven weeks, seven times seven, and then 62 weeks, seven times 62 equals 434, plus the 49 equals 483 years. So from the time that this decree was given, there were two decrees given, one by Cyrus to rebuild Jerusalem, and then there was a decree given by Artaxerxes in 457 to rebuild the wall. Once again, one week or seven years.

The decree is dated from the time the decree was issued for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, that is, for Messiah to be cut off. And as I said, scholars have debated the date, but most accept the 457. Now, if we subtract 457 from 483, that equals about 26. And then you add one year because there is no year zero, and that equals 27 AD. So the decree was given in 457.

He says there will be the 362 weeks, and the 362 weeks added to the 457, plus the 49, will give us 483. The dating when Christ was born is still debated. The church has stated that Christ was crucified in 31 AD. However, the date of his birth and crucifixion are debated to this day among scholars. In Daniel 9, 26, which we are about to read, that after 69 weeks, or 483 years prophetically, the Messiah will be cut off.

So let's read verse 26. And after three score and two weeks, Now, that word prince is very important. Some say that that is speaking of Jesus Christ. But the word prince in the Old Testament is used several times. Twenty times it is translated as ruler, nine times as prince, six times as captain, four times as leader, three times as governor, and one time as noble, and one time as excellent things. It means a leader, a ruler, a captain, a prince, an overseer. Some argue that the word prince is only used by the Messiah, but we see clearly that it can be used of an earthly ruler.

Although God and Christ allowed the Roman army to come and destroy Jerusalem in 70 AD, they did not literally send the army. So let's read 26 again. And after three score and two weeks, and so you have to add the 49 that is already passed in the previous verse, shall Messiah be cut off? So after 69 weeks is 483 years, bringing us to the year 27 AD, because you had one year because there's no year zero.

But not for himself, and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city, and the sanctuary in the end thereof shall be with a flood. And until the end of the war desolations are determined, and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. Now historically, we have said that the confirming of the covenant has to do with Christ confirming the covenant, but there are other interpretations of it, saying that it is the beast's power that confirms a peace covenant for three and a half years, as we read from Daniel chapter 8.

And whichever way you interpret it, we still have at least 1,335 days, and before that, before the abomination of desolation is placed, you still have to have a temple built, and the restoration of temple sacrifices, according to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 1 through 4. So either way you look at it, there's still quite a bit of time left. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. Who does that? Well, we read from Daniel 11.31. We read from Matthew 24.15 and Matthew 24.21, that the one who causes the sacrifice and the oblation to cease is the one who is the beast's power.

He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. And so there will no longer be this suit of peace, but the Great Tribulation will begin. And the Great Tribulation will be a time of trouble since there never was any trouble on the face of the earth up until that time. And for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate. Who does that? Well, the beast's power, even until the consummation and that determine shall be poured upon the desolator as some translations have it.

Eventually, of course, our God is going to take the beast and the false prophet and place them into the lake of fire, as it says in Revelation 19. The Roman Emperor Nero sent an army under the command of Titus that destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. And here we note again the daily sacrifice is taken away in the abomination. Desolation is placed. And we ask the question again, who preforms this? Well, obviously, it is the beast's power.

And then the Romans, under the Titus, at the behest of Nero, came and destroyed Jerusalem. Jesus Christ, when he came, he did do several things. He died for the sins of the world. He covered so that our sins could be covered. And he did not finish the transgression against Daniel's people or the city. We see that vividly today as the transgression continues. But he did put an end to sin, and our sins have been covered by the blood of Christ. When Christ comes again and cleanses the sanctuary, it will be anointed with his presence, thus fulfilling the element, one of the final elements of the 70 weeks prophecy. As I have said many times, these prophecies cannot be viewed in isolation. They must be put together the best way that you possibly can. As previously noted, Gabriel divided the 70 weeks into definite time periods. Seven weeks are allotted for the building of Jerusalem. 62 weeks are allotted then. After the 49 weeks to the appearing of Messiah, he was cut off after 62 weeks, according to Daniel 9, verse 26.

And then the prophecy comes to an end when Christ comes and anoints the Most Holy Place. The people that are calling the shots today completely disregard what the Bible says to say about the situation in Israel. God has chosen Israel, and he will make sure that his word is fulfilled regarding end-time events. There are many events that must be fulfilled before Christ returns. Israel can destroy Hamas physically to a certain degree, but you can't kill every last one. And as they've been saying on the news that some of the leaders of Hamas have mansions in Turkey and other places of the world, they're not even there where the fighting is taking place. But you cannot destroy an ideology. The ideology goes back to the days of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and back to the days of Ishmael, and Isaac, and the conflict between the two of them. And then the conflict between Jacob and Esau, and that conflict will never be resolved until Christ comes. All of the world's major religions are looking for a great spiritual leader to come on the scene and lead the world into a new age of peace and prosperity. The Buddhists are looking for the fifth Buddha. Hinduism is looking for Krishna. Islam is looking for the Grand Mahdi, also known as the twelfth Mahdi, or the twelfth Iman. Judaism is looking for a Messiah. The New Agers are looking for a Maitreya. And Christians are looking for the return of Christ. Or the world's religions feel this kind of fervent expectation. It is not too difficult to see how Satan the Devil can use these expectations in deceiving the world into believing that the Antichrist, the one who sits in the temple, saying that he is God, that they will believe that great lie.

The great lie is that that one is God. He is not God. He is an impersonator. The Sunnis are looking for the twelfth Iman. The Sunnis make up about 20% of the Islamic religion, and Iran is a Sunni republic, they say. And what the Sunnis believe that when the world is in a state of chaos and confusion, the twelfth Iman will come and bring peace to the world. So they are not interested in any talk of peace except for propaganda purposes. In fact, they want to foment chaos and confusion and destruction. Because of more of that, they believe the closer it is to the return of the twelfth Iman.

As noted earlier, the Apostle Peter wrote in Thessalonians chapter 5 that when they speak, peace and peace, sudden destruction comes upon us. On them, the book of Revelation reveals a sequence of events. Note that the Revelation begins with God the Father in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 1.

In Revelation chapter 1 and verse 1, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto them. Now, in John 14 verse 28, it very clearly says that the Father is greater than I. The Father is greater than I. As we have read from Mark, where Jesus said, No man, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son of Man, knows the day or the hour that Christ is going to come. And some say, well, how can Christ be God and not know the day or the hour? Well, you are going to be resurrected into the kingdom of God. You are going to be on the God plane. Well, you know everything that God knows at that time, yet you are in a sense God because you have been born of the Spirit, and you are in the God family and in the kingdom of God. John writes in three dimensions of time. Let's quickly review the events that are given, the prophetic timeline given in the book of Revelation. In the book of Revelation, John is told to write in three dimensions of time, past, present, and future. Then in chapter 4, after the messages to the seven churches, John is given a vision of God on his throne. In Revelation chapter 5, we see the six seals begin to be unfolded, and the seventh seal is to come after the six, and only the lamb is worthy to open the seals. Now, some say, well, the seals have already been opened, and in a sense we've had wars, ruins of wars, earthquake, famine, floods, all of the things that you read about in Matthew 24 have been going on since time immemorial. But there is coming a greater time of the fulfillment of the six seals. If we look at... just hit a few highlights here in Revelation chapter 6. In Revelation chapter 6 and verse 4, In Revelation chapter 6 and verse 4, when I had opened the fourth seal, I heard a voice of the fourth beast say, of the fourth beast say, come and see, and it looked to behold a pale horse, and his name that set upon him was Death, and hell, the grave, followed him. He had power given unto them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with sword and with hunger and with death and with the beast of the earth. Has that ever happened before? Well, no, that's never happened before. A fourth part of the earth killed. And you go on and you can read all the succeeding seals that are open. A lot of people think about verse 9.

Well, some people look at that and say, oh, well, these are resurrected saints. No, the resurrection hasn't taken place. Remember, John writes in three dimensions of time, past, present, and future. He looks into the future, and he sees that there have been martyrs in the past. There are going to be martyrs in the future before Christ returns. And so he sees and vision those under the altar crying out, envision how long is it going to be?

Well, it's not going to be. It begins when the sixth seal is open, that God begins to directly intervene. Of course, he's been directing events up until that time. But with the opening of the sixth seal, as we read in Revelation 6, verse 12, and I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became his blood.

And the stars from heaven fell into the earth. And here we see a graphic description of symbolism. The literal stars in heaven are not going to fall to the earth. The smallest star is larger than the earth. What does that mean? That stars are symbolic of angels. The heavenly powers are going to be disturbed. They are going to be cast down.

And eventually, God is going to place them in the bottomless pit. The stars of heaven fell into the earth even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heavens departed as a scroll when it rolled together in every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, the rich men, the captains, the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man hid themselves in dens and in the rocks, and said, Have the rocks and all that fall on us, and ten hide us from the place of him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

For the day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? So this is when God literally begins to intervene personally. And then the six trumpet plagues are introduced a little later. But before the trumpet plagues are introduced, we have in chapter 7 the ceiling of the 144,000. And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth nor the sea nor on the trees.

And I saw another angel ascending, that hurt not the earth, neither sea nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And so 144,000 from twelve tribes of Israel are sealed. Then the trumpet plagues begin in chapter 8. The first four trumpet plagues are on the environment. Have these things happened yet? Of course not. They have not yet happened. God has not yet directly intervened. Contrary to what John Hagee or Jonathan Cahn may say about blood moons, they have not yet happened.

Those are natural phenomena that occur. What is occurring here in Revelation chapter 6, and especially forward from chapter 6, are supernatural events in which God is directing. In chapter 9 we have the first of the two woes, and men are tormented, and they seek death but cannot find it. Then in chapter 10 we have an inset chapter, which is especially instructive.

Chapter 10, verse 7. Chapter 10, verse 7. But in the days of the kings, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he begins to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished as he is declared to his servants, the prophets. What is the mystery of God? The great mystery of God is how the flesh can be transformed into a radiant, glorious spirit being at the resurrection. When the seventh angel begins to sound, then the mystery of God is finished. Then in chapter 11 we see that God gives power to the two witnesses.

It's interesting to note that the killing of the two witnesses, the two witnesses were killed by the beast that it sends out of the bottomless pit. So let's read that. In Revelation chapter 11, verse 7, And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that it sends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies lie in the streets, and eventually they are taken up and resurrected. Now you notice in verse 14, the second woe is passed, so the killing of the two witnesses is within the second woe.

And behold, the third woe comes quickly, and the seventh angel sounded. Now remember in verse 7 of chapter 10, when the seventh angel begins to sound, the mystery of God is completed. And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.

And the twenty-four elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which are to come, because you have taken to you your great power and have reigned. And then, after chapter 11 is fulfilled, we see that the seventh trumpet is divided into seven vials of wrath in chapter 16. In chapter 16, in Revelation 16, we turn there now.

It's interesting to note verse 12. Revelation 16 verse 12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates. And the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits, they have gone forth to the kings of the earth, to gather them together for the great battle of the day of God Almighty. Then the warning that he comes as a thief is that tonight they were gathered in verse 16 at Armageddon. See, Armageddon is the gathering place. It is not the battle. The battle is the great day of God Almighty. And they are gathered at Armageddon. Now, after that battle is fought, and of course, the resurrected saints will take place in that battle as we read in Revelation 19. If we turn now to Revelation 19, in verse 11, And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he that set upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no man but himself knew. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. It is Jesus Christ, and the armies which were in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, and white and clean. And out of his mouth goes a sharp two-edged sword, that with it he will smite the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the fierowness and the wrath of Almighty God. And so we see that this is the true timeline. Now we go back to Revelation 16, and we see that in conjunction with the battle of the great day of God Almighty, the great Babylon is destroyed. Verse 17. This is Revelation 16, 17. And the seventh angel sounded. See, here's the seventh vial of wrath. This is the seventh vial of wrath. Six have been poured out, and among those six, the sixth one was the battle of the great day of God Almighty. But there's more. This is the seventh vial of wrath. The seventh angel poured out his vial upon the air. There came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, and from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices and thunders and lightnings. There was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of Italian. And men blasphemed God because of the hail, where the plague thereof was exceeding great. You see, this seventh vial of wrath completes it. Then, after that, the saints are taken to, apparently, to the Mount of Olives, as it says in Zechariah 14, His foot shall stand on the Mount of Olives and the Mount of Cleven, too.

So the world's forces have been crushed, and Babylon has been destroyed, the cities of the nations destroyed. During this time, the church will be in a state of mourning, as described in Isaiah, chapter 61. I know you're anxious to leave, but this is more important.

In Isaiah 66, verse 1, in Isaiah 66, we have, in the first verse or so, we have what Christ stood up to read after being baptized, He returned to Nazareth, to his hometown, and He stood up in the synagogue, and He read from Isaiah 61, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, this is what He read, Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. At that point, He sat down. At that point, when He said those words, He sat down. The rest of this is yet to be fulfilled.

So sitting down after saying, the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of the vengeance of our God, which we have just been talking about with the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven vials of wrath, and the day of the vengeance of our God, to comfort all that it mourn. So the church will be in a state of mourning at that time.

And this goes with Mary Beth's song, that from mourning to ashes, I may not have that exactly right, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, Zion is also symbolic of the church, to give unto them beauty for ashes. I think that's the name, beauty for ashes. And oil of joy for mourning, and the prophet of praise for the Spirit, and the garment of praise for the Spirit of Heaven is, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified. And they shall raise up the form of desolations, they shall repair the waste cities and desolations of many generations. And you can read the rest of this. The Word will go out from Jerusalem, and God will give every person who's ever lived or ever will live the opportunity to be in His family and His kingdom. So, we have seen here that we call this a prophetic timeline. It is a timeline, and tried to follow the Bible outline as much as we could. But we know for sure that what we read from 2 Thessalonians has to be fulfilled before much of anything happens, and that will require a lot of doing before a temple is built and temple worship is restored. So, brethren, let's watch and pray always, that we may be kind and worthy to escape.