I love this subject, but I also know how daunting it can be. I am going to play this like an artist in concert. I will give you something you like (radio hit), then you give me something I like (side B garage lost single). So, this post will keep things splashy and normal, then on part 4 I think things are going to get weird.
Revelations is extremely complicated with so much sssssyybolism of lions with 7 heads and crowns and beasts with 7 horns and white robes and doom and gloom. It becomes very easy to tune out and head back to John 3:16 for your comfort scrip. The verse in the bible that keeps me coming back to tough interpretations is 2 Cor 4: 8-10..."we are perplexed, but not in despair" Yes, the bible is tough at times to fully comprehend and it is easy to get bogged down in theories and texts. But, we must remember that this is not in despair or waste. Or how about this scrip to keep you coming back (Rev 1:3) "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near". Wow! That is an intimidating text. We might be confused, but we aren't lost. Keep your heart, 3 stacks. Keep your heart.
Ok, onto where Jules left off (or where I'm taking this) CAN CHRISTIANS BECOME TOO HEAVENLY-MINDED?
The short answer is NO CHANCE! This is what we are called to do says Paul (Col 3:2) "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things"
Jules hit on Revelations 3: 10-11, which is our greatest promise from the Lord, "...since you have kept my command, I will keep you from the hour of trial...." ( I will talk about a snippet of that trial in closing of this post)
This is the dilemma that happens to many of us when we become Christians. We get the message, it finally rings true and we sit on it. We forget to share the good news. We just found a new toy and don't want anybody to play with it yet, not yet... let me hold it for awhile until I'm ready. Or we might get caught up in escapism. Or, the idea of just sitting in your rocking chair and waiting for the rapture. You got the message, it was right there for everyone else. Might as well not stress over this world, right?
Sorry kids, we don't get to do that as warriors of the Word. We are called to get the good news out. That is our job while we are here. Take this sentence to heart, "We don't escape this life by dreaming of heaven, but endure this life because of the certainty of heaven"
Ok, I say that to remind you to be thankful for the time God gave you to turn from sin. We need to use that time to work to help others turn as well. I want to wrap this up by showing you some of the horrors that await non-believers to jump start your drive to help out that co-worker, teammate, parent, sibling less they have to go through this.
Sounding the 7 trumpets...please, please don't skip this. Gotta open your bibles to Revelations 8:6-12 about the first 4 trumpets. I'll wait....ok now read on to 13. Those weren't even the bad ones if you can believe it. One point I want to make is that the next 3 horns cause spiritual harm. It talks of the "inhabitants" of the earth. I think these inhabitants are the non believers. There will be believers created immediately after the Rapture. Can you imagine being someone who went to church and went through the motions, but never believed? When you see people disappearing it is going to give you a quick realization that Jesus is real and things are about to get terrible. But, with the last 3 trumpets I don't think that the believers left on earth go through them because God has guaranteed believers protection from spiritual harm (Rev 7: 2,3)
Revelations 9:5-6 (speaking of the 'locusts' from the Abyss. Most believe these are demons) "There were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them."
A sobering lesson for us that feel strong in our faith, but haven't spoken up to that certain someone that is on our minds. The person that we KNOW if they died today would not be heading to paradise.
I remember reading chapters 8 and 9 of Revelations and having to put the bible down and take a second at how scary it was and how relentless the Judgement was.
I don't know where Jules wants to go from here. I was all over the place on this one. If you are confused or want to expand on a certain part of Revelations after reading it a little, hit up a comment and Jules can run with it or I can in part 4. I know there is always debate on the Tribulation, Birth Pangs, Daniel prophecy connection, 144,000 saved, Olivet Discourse, etc...
ONE.
Ty
8 comments:
Nice work, 8 and 9 are straight meat. I hope everyone replies and voices their ideas and questions.
Btw, I'm loving this post and this topic in general. I like to look to the book of Daniel (chapters 7-12) when discussing the end times because nobody lays it down like Daniel. If you've never read these chapters in Daniel and studied them to understand what he's talking about, you're missing out big time. Anyway, Tyler's post has got me studying Daniel right now so I'm hoping to have something to add to Tyler's topic sometime later today. Good work Tyler and Jules. It's pleasurable to mix in some theology every now and then.
you know...its good to get the entire message of the Bible. yes, it is great to hear the grace message, but sometimes you need the fire and brimstone message also. revelation is a book that people often dont dive into because it is scary. but it is also real. in rev 9...that is 5 months of torture from locusts that i will be glad i'm missing...yuck. wait a second...was that a trumpet i just heard? Its comin fellas...
If the abomination of desolation refers to an event that ends ceremonial worship and sacrifices in the temple then doesn't the temple have to be rebuilt and ceremonial worship restored before the end times are upon us??
Anybody?
-TEvans
Antiochus to Antichrist
When studying biblical prophecies it is interesting to note that a particular prophetical sentence can pertain to two distinct events in history. There are several cases throughout the Bible where a prophet will speak of something that is in the near future while his words also are referring to a larger more significant event in the distant future. For example:
God tells David in 2 Samuel that "I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son" (2 Samuel 7:12-14). Here, God is talking about David's son Solomon building His temple while at the same time referring to the coming Messiah who would be the "seed" of David. God will "establish the throne of [Jesus'} kingdom forever". God will be the Messiah's Father and He shall be His Son.
Another example can be found in Daniel 9 when Gabriel tells David that "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city;
- to finish the transgression
- to make an end of sins
- to make reconciliation for iniquity
- to bring in everlasting righteousness
- to seal up vision and prophecy
- and to anoint the Most Holy" (Daniel 9:24).
Here we notice that the first three things that are mentioned were dealt with in Christ's first coming and the last three will complete His plan upon His return. So while this is one prophetical sentence, it is referring to two different events in history.
I could attempt to exhaust this topic but I just wanted to give a couple examples of what I'm trying to talk about here. My actual reason for bringing this up is because of the uniqueness of Daniel's prophecies about the antichrist and how they relate to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Antiochus reigned in Greece from 175 BC to 164 BC which was about 350 years after Daniel wrote his self-titled book. Daniel in his prophecies predicts certain events that were fulfilled by Antiochus during his reign but these same prophecies are awaiting future fulfillment through the antichrist during the tribulation. Basically, Daniel's prophecies of Antiochus are loaded prophecies that reflect the future antichrist. This can be confusing when reading through Daniel and the fact that he predicted so many detailed historical events so accurately has raised much skepticism. Daniel 11 alone predicts about 400 years of history and the rise and fall of 4 empires. The details of this prophecy are so incredibly detailed and accurate and so confirmed by history that unbelieving critics have, without evidence, insisted that it was actually written 400 years after the life of Daniel. Basically, Daniel's book of prophecies are so confirmed by history that it will blow your mind. Anyway, let's dive into the prophecies of Antiochus that are to be one day repeated on a different level by the antichrist. In chapter 8, Daniel has a dream and then his dream is interpreted by Gabriel. I'm just going to be focusing on the parts of the dream and interpretation that pertain to Antiochus. So here we go:
"Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered."
Gabriel's interpretation of this particular prophecy can be found in Daniel 8:22-25 but I'm going to go ahead and clear up what's going on in this prophecy. The male goat with the large horn refers to the kingdom of Greece and Alexander the Great. The large horn that was broken refers to Alexander's early death at age 33. He died without an heir so four men assumed rule over the 4 sections of Greece. These four rulers are the "four notable horns that came up" in the large one's place. Then the prophecy states that out of one of the four horns a "little horn" emerged. This is Antiochus and let me explain the history. The four rulers who took over the 4 sections of Greece were Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. Antiochus was the brother of Seleucus and seized the throne from the true heir thus the "little horn" emerged from Seleucus. Gabriel speaks of this "little horn" in his interpretation saying,
"A king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall b broken without human means."
Doesn't this description of the "little horn" sound a lot like a description of the antichrist? This is another example of what I referred to earlier. Gabriel's interpretation is fulfilled first in Antiochus but the far fulfillment sees this description of Antiochus as prophetically illustrating the final tribulation period and the antichrist. For the complete story of Antiochus please read Daniel 11:1-35. Starting with Daniel 11:13 and reading through chapter 12 the prophecy spans from the reign of Antiochus to the future reign of the antichrist during the tribulation. In 11:31 we find an Antiochus version of the ever so infamous "abomination of desolation".
"And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation."
This prophecy predicted the actions of Antiochus as they pertain to the temple. Antiochus' soldiers guarded the temple, halting the worship, banned daily sacrifices and even stooped so low as to sacrifice a pig on the altar (remember pigs were spiritually unclean). The second book of the Maccabees describes this abomination this way, "Not long after this the king sent an Athenian senator to force the Jews to abandon the customs of their ancestors and live no longer by the laws of God; also to profane the temple in Jerusalem and dedicate it to Olympian Zeus, and that on Mount Gerizim to Zeus the Hospitable, as the inhabitants of the place requested. They also brought into the temple things that were forbidden, so that the altar was covered with abominable offerings prohibited by the laws. A man could not keep the sabbath or celebrate the traditional feasts, nor even admit he was a Jew." Antiochus completely desecrated the temple, however, this atrocity was only a preview of the abomination that will occur later under the final antichrist. Now after the abomination of desolation by Antiochus the prophecy in Daniel 11 jumps forward to the future antichrist in verse 36. From 11:36 to the end of the book, Daniel is speaking of the reign of the antichrist during the 70th week also known as the 7 year tribulation.
I'll wrap this up for now because there is so much more to be said on this subject but this is a good start. Just like many other prophecies we find throughout the Bible, Daniel's prophecy about Antiochus IV is loaded with insight and information about a specific event in the far future. Basically, Antiochus is just the cover band and the antichrist is the actual main event in which Daniel's prophecies will reach there actual complete fulfillment. Jesus says in Matthew 24 that "whoever reads, let him understand". May the Lord continue to bless us with understanding of the future events He has revealed to us through His Word.
-TEvans
Terry,
you bring up a good point. Doesn't the temple have to be rebuilt? Well, I think it does and how about Babylon, doesn't that city have to be rebuilt too? Modern day babylon is currently a dustbowl in the middle of Iraq. Would it be too hard for us to think that the country of Iraq could decide to rebuild their pride and want to rebuild their most historic and famous city? Interesting...
Terry,
After reading over what you wrote about the parallels between Antiochus and the Antichrist it goes right with the question that you asked regarding the rebuilding of the temple.
When Antiochus prepared to launch a final assault against Egypt in 168 B.C., he was told to hold up by Rome (via Cyprus) not to make war against the Ptolemies. Daniel talks about how much this pissed off Antiochus in 11:30. He goes into Jerusalem with a fake peace sign in the air and proceeds to run horrible acts on all the Jews, who barely fight back because it was the Sabbath.
He set out deliberately to defile the temple, and this he did by sacrificing a pig (an unclean and forbidden animal, according to Lev. 11:7) on the altar and forcing the priests to eat its flesh.
His big idea was to set up a new religion of his own, (NWO) a kind that completely mocked Judaism.
This is when he committed his abomination of desolation. HIstory records that this was an image of Zeus and an altar to Zeus, built right on the Jews' altar of the burnt offering. Again Daniel talked about this in 11:31.
Anyways, since Christ Himself quite plainly stated that the "abomination of desolation" was a future event then we have to conclude that the ultimate meaning of Daniel's prophecy was not fulfilled but merely foreshadowed in the events of Antiochus' time.
Yes, the temple has to be rebuilt because it is such an integral part of the prophecy from Daniel.
The big and final abomination happens in the middle of Daniel's seventieth week, during the Tribulation era. So, the temple has to be rebuilt by then. the Antichrist will do just as Antiochus did and pretend peace with Israel. Scripture does not say exactly what the nature of the agreement is (Dan 9:27) between Israel and the Antichrist, but some say is will be some sort of a peace treaty that gives Israel the right to rebuild a temple on Mount Moriah.
So, in the middle of the week (3 and a half years) the antichrist will defile the rebuilt temple with an idol of himself and then breath life into that idol (like the one of Zeus that Antiochus did). That scenerio is shown in Rev 13.
Paul talks about a similar scene when "the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, wo opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:3-4) Antichrist will then turn against Israel, set himself up as God, and demand an end to all other forms of worship (NWO)
The resemblance of this to Daniel's abomination of desolation and the history of Antiochus is impossible to miss.
ONE
Ty
Chapter 13 and breathing life into an idol, does that strike any of you as a crazy event? I heard that computer chips are currently made of sand and silicon but new chips are being made based on living matter such as proteins. Studies say the computing power will increase 50,000 times. Could this statue be a Robot or do you think it will be just a demonically powered structure? Thoughts?
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