The Time of the Rapture

Subject: Summary of Daniel

                  Summary of Daniel and Revelation
     Daniel 2

     Through a dream, with Daniel as the interpreter, God showed
Nebuchadnezzar that there would be a series of earthly kingdoms. Babylon was the first in that series, but it would be followed by three other major kingdoms. The point of this is that no earthly kingdom, however powerful, is really built to last. This is bad news for those who desire security, because worldly kingdoms really can't guarantee that. The good news of the dream is that the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will last. When it comes, it will remain forever. This is wonderful news for those who love and trust God, because it means there's ultimate and enduring security under his rulership.

     Daniel 7

     Next, it is Daniel himself who receives the dream. This dream, like
Nebuchadnezzar's, comes from God, so it shouldn't be surprising to see a similar theme. Again, there would be a series of earthly kingdoms, but none of them would last. Ultimately, God's kingdom would supersede all earthly kingdom. This time, though, there are a number of details added. Out of the fourth kingdom, there would arise a king that would blaspheme God and persecute his saints until the court in Heaven would sit and God would bring an end to his rule. The purpose of this court session is evidently to determine the lawful ruler of God's kingdom, and the wonderful news is that the rulership is given to one like a son of man--someone who is one of us and who can identify with us.

     Daniel 8

     Daniel 8 speaks again of earthly kingdoms that were to come and go, but then it introduces something new: a rebel king who will arise in the time of the end--just before the time when God's wrath is poured out on the wicked. The court of Heaven has found the one like a son of man worthy to receive God's kingdom and to be its lawful Ruler, but the rebel king arises in opposition to his rulers. The rebel king will arise when those who reject the lawful Ruler have become completely wicked. He will be successful in whatever he does, he will cause deceit to prosper, he will cause astounding devastation, and he will destroy many of God's saints. Ultimately, he will take his stand against the Prince of princes--the lawful Ruler. Nevertheless, he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

     Daniel 9

     Daniel 9 does not contain an actual vision: Gabriel, who had begun to explain to Daniel the meaning of the vision contained in Daniel 8, has simply returned to give Daniel a clearer understanding (see Daniel 9:21-23). In Daniel 9, both rulers appear: the lawful Ruler, who is the Anointed One, and the ruler who comes when the rebels have become completely wicked. The Anointed Ruler will come at a specified time, and he will be cut off but not for himself. (According to Isaiah 53:8, he will be cut off for the transgressions of others.) Jesus made atonement not for his sins (he was without sin) but for mine and yours. He came to redeem us from sin so we could be part of God's
enduring kingdom. The rebel ruler is God's enemy, and his people will
destroy the city and the sanctuary, just as Daniel saw in the earlier vision (Daniel 8:11, 13). However, the end that is decreed will finally be poured out on him: as Gabriel had declared earlier, he will be
destroyed but not by human power (Daniel 8:25).

     Daniel 11-12

     Daniel 11 and 12 get rather more involved; however, the same basic theme is there, also. There are a lot of kings listed, culminating with the rebel ruler--the king who exalts himself above every god and says unheard-of things against the God of gods. While the rebel ruler is exercising his power, Michael, the great prince who is our Lord and
Protector, stands up, takes his power, and begins to reign (Revelation11:17). Now begins the time of the worst distress ever to befall earth: the seven last plagues, which are described in detail in Revelation; however, at that time, the saints will be delivered. It is at that time that those who have died in the acceptance of the Anointed One as their Ruler will be awakened to everlasting life, while those who crucified him will awaken to everlasting contempt (cf. Matthew 26:64; Revelation 1:7).

     Revelation is a message from our Commander--our Ruler and Redeemer Jesus Christ--to his church. Basically, it's the battle plan, telling us how he is going to work, what our role will be, how the world will respond, and how God will wrap everything up. Jesus Christ, our Kinsman-Redeemer (Revelation 4-6) After Jesus addresses his church (chapters 2-3), John is taken in the spirit into Heaven, where court is in session. Here, he watches as the Lamb who was slain is found worthy to be mankind's Kinsman-Redeemer.   We find the concept of the Kinsman-Redeemer in the Old Testament (Leviticus 25:25; Ruth 3:9; Jeremiah 32:6-8). If someone lost his inheritance, the nearest relative could redeem it if he had the resources to do so. When God created Adam, he gave humankind dominion over all the earth (Genesis 1:27-28); however, when Adam and Eve sinned by giving heed to the serpent, they forfeited our inheritance (Genesis 3:17-19; Luke 4:5-6). Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer because he became our brother (Hebrews 2:17) and paid the price for our redemption (Revelation 5:9).

   The 144,000 and the Final Harvest (Revelation 7:1 - 8:1)

         Once the court in Heaven establishes that the Lamb is the lawful Redeemer, no time is lost in harvesting the firstfruits. These are the 144,000 servants of God, sealed from the tribes of Israel. The 144,000 are the firstfruits, and through them God will bring to fruition the great multitude who will be the final harvest from the earth. There is a parallel between Revelation 7 and 14. Both begin with the 144,000, and both describe the final harvest. Revelation 14 contains three messages that are to be proclaimed to everyone on earth. These are represented as being given by three angels, and it is our understanding that the 144,000 will be the primary human agents through whom these messages are given. These messages call mankind to worship the true God--the Creator--to recognize that Babylon (man's solution to the crisis described in Revelation 8-9) is fundamentally unsound and not to be trusted for security, and a warning that Babylon and all who side with her will receive the full wrath of God. The four winds are held back until the 144,000 are sealed. Once they'resealed, the winds are released, and the trumpets sound. When the first four trumpets have sounded (perhaps in rapid succession), mankind is wide awake to hear the first angel's message
proclaimed by the two witnesses. However, the beast of Revelation 13 also comes out of the sea around this time in response to the crisis brought on by the trumpets.

         The Trumpets (Revelation 8:2 - 9:21)

          After the 144,000 are introduced, John is shown the means God will use to get the attention of mankind so they will listen to the
messages proclaimed by the 144,000. Unfortunately, it will take a major crisis to get man's attention; and that's exactly what Revelation 8 describes. This is the crisis that results in the rise of Babylon, the
seven-headed, ten-horned beast that comes out of the sea in Revelation 13. The first four trumpets affect the very things mentioned by the first angel in Revelation 14: the earth, the sea, the springs of water, and the heavens. It is our understanding that these first four trumpets will be fulfilled literally and that the first angel's message ("Worship God who created the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water") will be particularly relevant in light of them. While we don't know for sure precisely how the first four trumpets will be fulfilled, there are natural explanations that fit with John's descriptions. For example, Revelation 8:8 describes something like a huge, blazing mountain being hurled into the sea. This could be an asteroid impacting one of the major bodies of water. The results John describes in Revelation 8:8-9 are consistent with what scientists predict would happen in such an event.

         The fifth trumpet brings what John describes as an army of
locusts. These have as their king an angel whose name is Destroyer. This angel was represented as a star that fell from the sky, and we believe this to be Satan--formerly, Lucifer, the light-bearer. The locusts are an army of evil angels that come up from the bottomless pit (see Joel 2 for a description of an army of holy angels). This army will have power to torture men for five months.

         The sixth trumpet brings a great world war involving 200,000,000 troops. At the end of this war, all who will accept salvation through the Lamb who died to redeem them have done so; all others have become confirmed in rejecting him as their Redeemer.

         The Two Witnesses (Revelation 10:1 - 11:14)

         Revelation 10:1 - 11:14 could easily be titled "Acts, Part 2." The book of Acts begins with Jesus ascending to Heaven in a cloud after telling his disciples that they, under the power of the Holy Spirit, would be his witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the whole world. This was around the time of Pentecost (Jewish celebration of the Spring Harvest). Now, in Revelation 10, John again sees Jesus (the angel Michael) traveling between Heaven and earth in a cloud. This time, however, he's coming, not going. Jesus again declares that he will give power to his two witnesses (Revelation 11:3) and that they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. The Bible teaches that Jesus' two witnesses are the Spirit of truth and the apostles (Matt 10:18-20; John15:26-27; Acts 5:32). The human element (the apostles) is represented by the lampstands; the divine (the Spirit of truth) by the olive trees, which produce olive oil. The
relationship between the two is plain: a lampstand serves as a receptacle for oil, and together they provide light. In the same way, the apostles are the "receptacle" or habitation of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 3:16; 2
Corinthians 6:16; Hebrews 3:6). Together, they give light. The references to Elijah and Moses (Revelation 11:5-6) are very important, as they relate to the last prophecy in the Old Testament (Malachi 4:4-

6). The work of the two witnesses will be to call mankind to be reconciled to God and worship him. We understand that the human element of the two witnesses is chiefly the 144,000 servants sealed prior to the releasing of the four winds--just as the human element of the two witnesses at Pentecost was particularly the 12 apostles. So far, Revelation has told us about how God is going to act and how he will work through his servants for man's redemption in the last days. Now, we are about to see how sinful, self-sufficient man will respond to all of this. Before launching into details, though, John is given some background information as a sort of foundation for what Satan's agents are going to do.

     History of Heaven's Ambassadors and Their Opposition (Revelation 12)

         Revelation 12 depicts God's ambassadors collectively as a woman. In the Old Testament, this was the nation of Israel, after God called them out of Egypt to be his kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:5-6). The New Testament indicates that this calling encompasses all of God's elect (1 Peter 2:9-10). In this sense, all who believe in Jesus Christ belong to Israel. Revelation 12 describes the Messiah's first coming as the firstborn of the woman. He is the seed of the woman, the one who will crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Self-preservation and self-exaltation are the prominent characteristics of Satan, and these traits will be seen in those who follow him. Out of self-preservation, the serpent gets ready to devour the woman's child; but he fails. The serpent then turns his fury
against the woman herself, but she is delivered. Finally, Revelation 12
ends with the serpent plotting his war tactics against the rest of the
woman's children--those who keep God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:17).

     How Man Responds To Crisis (Revelation 13:1-10)

     Revelation 13 picks up with the execution of the serpent's battle
plans. The beast coming up from the sea is reminiscent of the four beasts that came out of the sea in Daniel 7: it is, in fact, a conglomeration of all of them. This beast comprises all human systems of government and religion. The seven heads represent the complete system of false worship (seven is the number of completion), and the ten horns seem to represent ten political kings. When does this beast come up, and why? Daniel 7, combined with Revelation 7 gives us a clue. In Daniel 7, the beasts came out of the sea when the four winds were blowing. Revelation 7 speaks of the
four winds being held back until the 144,000 are sealed. Therefore, it seems that the beast comes out of the sea sometime shortly after the 144,000 are sealed; that is, once the four winds have begun to blow. The blowing of the four winds means harm for the earth, the sea, and the trees (which we believe to be caused by the trumpets). This will be a major crisis for earth, and it is in response to this crisis that the beast comes out of the sea. (The beast gets his power from the dragon, for whom self-preservation and self-exaltation are the main motives). For 42 months, or 1,260 days (Revelation 11:2-3; 13:5), the two witnesses are calling mankind to worship the Creator God, while the beast is seeking worship for itself (and the Dragon). During this time, the beast is persecuting God's saints. The beast's major attraction seems to be its apparent invincibility: one of its heads has healed from a fatal wound, received in battle. From Revelation 17, we
understand that each head represents a false form of worship. To identify the invincible head, we would look to history for a religious system that had great power to persecute the saints in the past but whose power was brought to an end in battle. Because Revelation 13 indicates that the beast itself will exercise power for 42 literal months (three and one-half years), it is noteworthy that the little horn in Daniel 7 exercised power to persecute the saints for a "time, times,
and half a time." We understand that the wounded and healed head of the beast represents the same power as the little horn of Daniel 7; except that the little horn is the historical aspect, whereas the head is the future manifestation.

         The False Prophet (Revelation 13:11-18)

          The beast that comes up from the sea is very, very powerful. Let there be no question about that. Further, there will be no place on earth where its power is not felt. The trouble is that the beast has seven heads. The one that has been healed is clearly the most prominent; however, there are six others, and each of them has its own ideas of how God ought to be worshipped. Whose ideas should ultimately hold sway over men's consciences? Enter the false prophet. This beast comes out of the earth--something entirely new in prophecy. It resembles the Lamb but talks like the serpent. It is significant that Revelation 13:11 is the only place in Revelation that mentions the word lamb and does not refer to the Lamb of God. This fact is one of a number of clues to this beast's identity. We understand this beast to symbolize the dragon masquerading as the Lamb of God--Jesus Christ. In addition to being the false prophet, the beast from the earth is identified in Revelation 17 as the beast from the Abyss, one of the kings of "Babylon"--the beast from the sea. The false prophet exercises all the power of the beast from the sea on its behalf, and it even performs miracles and signs to back up its claim to speak for God. Finally, it sets up a image in honor of the beast from the sea and endows the image with power to force everyone to either worship it or be killed. This is a replay of Daniel 3: Everyone will be forced to choose between worshipping the image set up by the king of Babylon or facing execution. No one will enter into this decision without full knowledge of what he or she is doing. The 144,000 have already given the message that Babylon is cracked--that, although she is very, very powerful and apparently invincible (one of the heads actually recovered from a fatal wound), she cannot be trusted for security, because God is not her founder. Now, with the image in place, the 144,000 give the warning that if anyone sides with Babylon and the image and receives the mark of allegiance to her, he or she will also partake in her punishment--God's unmixed wrath.

Soon, everyone on earth has made his choice--either to trust Babylon (self-preservation) or to trust God, even if it means death. Now, the two witnesses are killed, as the Spirit of Truth no longer pleads with men; and shortly after (3.5 days, to be precise), the 144,000 ascend visibly to Heaven as their enemies look on.

The Seven Last Plagues (Revelation 16)

Next come the plagues. The time of the plagues is the time of great tribulation mentioned in Daniel 12:1 and Matthew 24:15-22. God has evidently allotted a certain amount of time for the plagues; but because the plagues will be so severe, this time will be cut short so that the entire human race will not perish (Matt 24:22). God's promise is that he will be a refuge for his people during this time of tribulation (Psalm 91). The plagues fall after the mark of the beast is doled out, and they fall on all who received it (Revelation 16:1-2). At the end of the plagues, Jesus comes to destroy Babylon and deliver his people (Revelation 19:11-21).

Praying for your delight in these two books of PROPHECY,

Ralph Porter, collect this info from some source, years back?

Last changed: 09/17/08