03.04. Putting in the markers (the corners of the puzzle)

Putting in the markers (the corners of the puzzle)

It is time to start putting in some events as markers to eliminate those views that cannot be true. This is like starting with the corner pieces of a puzzle. There are only a few and then only the right pieces will fit. So, let’s start with the corner and edge pieces.

Daniel places the arrival of Jesus at the proper time. In light of this, any views that put the abomination of desolation prior to Jesus cannot be true. Other items from Daniel’s prophecy also do not fit with the historical account at the time of the Maccabees. The text of Daniel makes it clear that there is a time period between the 69^th week and the 70^th week. Daniel has a Jewish context and the 70^th week is set in a Jewish context with a temple where there will be sacrifices and offerings. This necessarily then puts the 70^th week into the future after the 3^rd temple is built.

Luke states that there is a “time of the Gentiles” after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. So, we must conclude that we are presently in this “time of the Gentiles” since the 3^rd temple has not been built and it is primarily the Gentile Christians that are currently present in the world. Considering that Israel is once again a nation, the stage appears to be set for the end of the “time of the Gentiles” and for the focus to return to Israel. Likely, the next significant event would be either the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem or the start of the removing of the seals by Jesus. This is in addition to the Church becoming apostate.

One item from Revelation gives us another marker at the opening of the 6^th seal. saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the slaves of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those having been sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: (Rev 7:3-4 LSB) The slaves (or servants in other translations) of God are to be sealed. Their total number of 144,000 is stated and they are all from the tribes of Israel. This must necessarily mean that the Gentile believers have been taken up in the rapture by this point (or have all become apostate). If the Gentile believers had not been taken up, they would be here at this point. If they were here, were they not marked or counted? The angel said that the servants of God were to be sealed, and that the total number was 144,000, so no other believers could be present at that point. All of the events after the sixth seal must be post “times of the Gentiles”. Therefore, looking for the “mark of the beast”, the identity of the “666”, “the” “antichrist”, “the” false prophet (yes, there were, and will be many false prophets) or the “revived Roman empire” is futile and really does not apply to our present age. The Seven Year Tribulation

We have already established that the 70^th week of Daniel is in the future and that it is a seven-year period. Most charts that you see will have the tribulation period spanning from the beginning of the seven seals to the second coming of Christ. Is this the correct view though according to the text? Let’s look at Daniel’s text again.

“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. (Dan 9:24 NAS95) The seventy weeks apply to the Jewish people, not to Gentiles.

Now, looking at the book of Revelation, we have two 3 ½ year periods. The first begins with the arrival of the two witnesses at the end of the 6^th trumpet. The second 3 ½ year period starts with the killing of the two witnesses and the beast being given authority to act for 3 ½ years. From the time of the opening of the seals to the arrival of the two witnesses, the judgements are on all of the earth. It is not until the arrival of the two witnesses, that the focus shifts back to Israel. In light of this, it is likely that the seven-year tribulation period proper does not start until the arrival of the two witnesses. That is not to discount the judgements nor their intensity from the start of the opening of the seals. This also provides for the time of the seal and trumpet judgements prior to the two 3 ½ year events that are listed. The apostasy that is referenced in 2Th 2:3 is a little harder to place, so this is a bit of speculation here. The apostasy has to be prior to, or associated with, the man of lawlessness, so it has to be no later than the middle of the Tribulation. Considering the severity of the judgements of the seals and trumpets, I would be inclined to think that it was prior to the opening of the first seal, so that going into the time of the judgements of the end, there would be very few Christians. More on this shortly.