END-TIMES PROPHECY SERIES

1. God purposely presents His truth to veil its meaning especially to the unbelieving. 2. It is difficult to determine what is literal and what is symbolic. 3. The order of events are not presented systematically. Chronology is not important. Events are repeated from different vantage points. 4. Revelation is not a stand alone book. It must be studied in light of other great pockets of eschatology in the Bible. 5. Most people refuse to do the homework. They give up and move on.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John Revelation 1:1

 Author: Written by the Apostle John  Where: Island of Patmos  When: Around AD  Purpose: The purpose is three-fold.  To call the church to repentance  To reveal the ascended Christ for His glory and worship  To unveil future prophetic events

 Preterist (from Latin term for “past”) – Events of Revelation happened in the past during the Roman Empire  Historical – Revelation is a panorama of church history  Idealist – Not actual events but rather symbolic of struggle of good and evil  Futurist – Beginning with Rev. 4 – the events are actual future events

 The Seven Churches 1-3  The Tribulation 4-19  The Millennium and Final Judgment and Eternal State 20-22

19 “Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. Revelation 1  the things which you have seen 1  and the things which are 2-3  the things which will take place after these things 4-22

A. The letter to the church in Ephesus (2:1-7) B. The letter to the church in Smyrna (2:8-11) C. The letter to the church in Pergamum (2:12-17) D. The letter to the church in Thyatira (2:18-29) E. The letter to the church in Sardis (3:1-6) F. The letter to the church in Philadelphia (3:7-13) G. The letter to the church in Laodicea (3:14-22)

The coming seven year tribulation is God’s impending wrath on the world for her refusal to bow to her Creator and repent from sin and wickedness

The close of Revelation deals with the thousand year reign of Christ in His millennial kingdom, the final Great White Throne Judgment of unbelievers, and the Eternal State of heaven for the saints.

Event:Key Passage: The Gog and Magog attack on Israel Ezekiel The RaptureI Thessalonians 4:13-18 The TribulationDaniel 9:27, Rev 4-19 The Second ComingMatthew 24:29-30 The MillenniumRevelation 20:4-7 The Eternal StateRevelation 21:1-22:5

 Literal? Every word must be seen as literal  Symbolic? Every word is symbolic of some other truth  Allegorical? Every detail has a corresponding hidden meaning which must be discovered

 Literal – We start by taking the meaning of words in their plain and normal sense. That is, we do not read into the words.  Grammatical – We follow the standard rules of grammar  Historical – We take the words in their historical context

16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. Revelation 1

We start by taking what we read and study as literal. If the context directs us to understand what we are reading as primarily symbolic then we must adopt that as our fundamental interpretation. To know what is to be taken literal and what is to be taken as a symbol is perhaps the Bible student’s most difficult task. So Jesus doesn’t really have a two edged sword coming out of His mouth but rather the sword is symbolic of His judgment.

Some believe heaven is a place in our universe trillion and trillion of light years from where we are presently. I am not so sure. My own personal view is that heaven may be a different dimension from our own. If that is true then the writers of the books of Scripture were directed to use language that could get as close as possible to the meaning we mere humans could understand. For example how would you describe music to someone who was deaf?

Daniel 9:27 describes Daniel’s Seventieth Week (week equals seven years) which is the seven year tribulation as described in Revelation It is imperative that the student of Bible prophecy get this point.

24“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. Daniel 9

 “Weeks" is misleading, actually it is the plural of the word "seven, therefore seventy sevens or 490. (The NIV uses “sevens” not ”weeks.” )  Context best suits one day = one year (Lev. 25:8)  Babylonian captivity lasted 70 years – Dan. 9:2  Answer: 490 years

 Jewish year = 360 days (see Rev. 12:6 and 14)  69 weeks X 7 X 360 = 173,880 days  Decree goes out March 4, 444 BC plus 173,880 days bring us to March 30, 33 AD when converted to solar years  March 30, 33 AD Christ presents Himself to Israel by His Triumphal Entry (Zech. 9:9 and Luke 19:28-40)  Crucifixion - April 3, 33 AD

1. Finish the transgression 2. To make an end of sin 3. Make atonement for iniquity 4. Bring in everlasting righteousness Fulfilled: When Jesus on the cross declared, “It is finished,” in John 19:30, the work of salvation was completed 5. Seal up vision and prophecy Fulfilled: When Jesus on the cross declared, “It is finished,” in John 19:30, the work of salvation was completed 6. Anoint the most holy place Fulfilled: Zerubbabel’s temple

 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” Fulfilled: 444 BC in Neh. 2:1-8  “until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks” Fulfilled in Christ’s first coming after 49 years (444 to 395 BC ) years (395-BC to 33 AD) = 483 years  “it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress” Fulfilled: See Ezra and Nehemiah when the wall and temple were rebuild amidst much persecution and difficulty

 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing,.” Fulfilled: Christ’s crucifixion (cut off is idiom for killed or destroyed)  “and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined” Fulfilled: Titus and his Roman army in destroys Jerusalem in 70 AD

And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” Daniel 9:27  The week = seven years  Beginning of tribulation antichrist signs a peace treaty Israel  At the three and a half year mark the antichrist turns on Israel and sets himself up as God.

 The rebuilding of wall and temple. Weeks 1-7 = 49 years (444 to 395 BC )  Time till Messiah is rejected and crucified and Jerusalem is destroyed. Weeks 8-69 = 434 years (395-BC to 33 AD)  (Pause) From 70 AD to the rapture  The tribulation. Week 70 = 7 years of tribulation as described in detail in Revelation 4-19