The Great Tribulation Part 2
Taking in consideration the first article, we are going to look at what the tribulation period is that so many are discussing. The emotional argument is that anyone who sees the Scriptures for what they say must somehow be masochistic and have a martyr's complex. The truth is rather simple and the Scriptures do tell us the reason for us to be in existence, that is the church has a commission to go our empowered by the Spirit to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). A witness for Jesus is indeed a martyr and if we do not have a "martyr's" complex we are NOT a Christian! Living for Jesus whether we are talking in 1000 AD or 2000 AD or even during the tribulation period prior to His return is a "martyr's" action by definition and so to not be during the tribulation will be as normal as it is during this time of great apostacy. Let's take a closer look at the Word for this period that we call the Great Tribulation.
Jesus does indeed use the term Great Tribulation in Matthew 24:21, and He references it to the prophet Daniel in Matthew 24:15 when telling about the key to understanding what He was saying in answering what the disciples had asked Him at the beginning of the Chapter. Thus it is important for us to see the context of facts concerning Daniel. Daniel 1:17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. God has gifted Daniel with interpreting dreams and visions. Now we know that Daniel is with the rest of the captives in Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar is king. From Chapter 1, we see that Daniel had a heart for God, he purposed to follow the Lord even in Babylon (1:8), and favor was given Daniel and his friends as they were promoted in the kingdom because of the blessing of wisdom and knowledge the Lord had given them (1:19,20).
Now we come to the next test that could very well cost the lives of Daniel and his friends who are used by the Lord to run the Babylonian kingdom. Daniel 2:1-6 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
Now we have a problem! Nebuchadnezzar has dreamed during the nigh a dream that has his heart upset, but he doesn't know the dream, and he wants a person to interpret it. The king is convinced he has a bunch of numbskulls who will do anything to avoid death, and receive favor in the king's eyes with the added incentive of being heralded perhaps above the Israelite captives. They are not able! However in the hurry to destroy all the wisemen of Babylon, Daniel hears and asks for time to get the interpretation from the Lord. Daniel 2:16-19 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel gets the interpretation and Nebuchadnezzar becomes a happy camper!
In Daniel Chapters 1-6, there is no where found Daniel getting visions other than the interpertation of another person's dream. These chapters deal with history of Babylon, the Medes, and the Persians. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar again has another dream in Chapter 4, and we know the famous writing on the wall interpreted in Chapter 5, and finally Daniel is tossed in the lion's den in Chapter 6. This concludes the historical aspect of Daniel. There is nowhere in these chapters that Daniel has visions or dreams other than the interpretation for others.
The context of Daniel changes in Chapter 7! Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. Daniel realizes by the Holy Spirit that he hasn't had any ordinary dream, but he has had a dream of dynamic proportions that will impact Israel and the whole world. Daniel experiences what Nebuchadnezzar had no clue about when he had a dream that showed historical empires. However, Daniel's dreams and visions are much more descriptive and detailed. 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. Even while Daniel is having this "nightmare", he is extremely troubled in his spirit about these things in the vision itself. Look at what Daniel does because of the dream he has. 7:15-16 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
We see the dramatic shift in the Book of Daniel that is in Chapter 7, and the rest of Daniel remains true to this change of perspective whereby Daniel now has the visions and dreams which will see at the last Chapter the reason, these are for the endtimes. 8:1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, [even unto] me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. Because this is an endtime event we see in the vision the angel Gabriel come to Daniel and reveal the understanding. 8:16-17 And I heard a man's voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end [shall be] the vision. Gabriel gives Daniel some advice which if we would hear this advice, we would be able to see the Great Tribulation in light of Scripture as we would the remainder of prophecy more accurately. Daniel doesn't altogether obey the advice. Let's take a look. 8:26-27 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told [is] true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it [shall be] for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick [certain] days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood [it]. Notice that the advice is this is a series of events that are futuristic, and we will see from other passages of Daniel that the future is the endtimes. Daniel tells many people about his dreams, and the results were that no one understood what he was telling them. This is the nature of endtimes prophecy! The prophetic Word does not begin to make sense until you get closer to its fulfillment.
There is a change in procedure in Daniel 9 as we see Daniel realizing from his "daily" reading of Scripture a powerful passage in Jeremiah! Daniel while read the prophecies of Jeremiah has read the reason for the Babylonian captivity, and he understands the length of the captivity. 9:1-3 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, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: We also see one more thing about Daniel, he understands the prayers of the righteous touch the hand of God (James 5:16). After the Holy Spirit reveals what Jeremiah prophesied, Daniel is in prayer knowing the Lord will do what He has had His servants write from His hand of inspiration. If God says it, Daniel knew that it was true no matter how many skeptics there were nor who believed what or what so and so had to say as an educated opinion. Daniel knew that if God said it that he would do it, but the Lord was looking for someone who believed what He said, and would pray it into the physical manifestation. Jeremiah 25:11-12 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. Daniel is going to pray about this prophecy.
Daniel is a man of purpose and trust in the Lord. If you read through the great prophet Ezekiel, there is several times the Lord tells Ezekiel that if these three men prayed that He would not change His mind on a specific act of judgment and Daniel is one of the three men. God has always chosen to move based upon the prayers of the righteous, so Daniel begins to pray and touch the throne of God with the truth that he has had revealed by the Spirit when he was reading Jeremiah. Then something dramatic happens after a considerable amount of time in prayer. 9:20-21 And whiles I [was] speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I [was] speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. The Lord answers Daniel by sending Gabriel, the angel that he had seen in his first visions of endtime events. Daniel is praying in intercessory prayer for his people, Mount Zion, confessing Israel's sins, and there is Gabriel.
Now Gabriel is here for one reason, to help Daniel understand Jeremiah's prophecy and to explain that there are some intricate details to it. Here are one of the best studies of the numbers that Gabriel has given Daniel done by Sir Robert Anderson.
Sir Robert Anderson's Calculations
Artaxerxes Decree 445BC Neh 2:1 - Julian, Mar 14th
Seven x sevens 445BC - 396BC (49 years)
Nehemiah's Covenant Renewal
Sixty-two x sevens 396BC to 32AD (434 years) - April 6th
From second Temple dedication until Jesus' crucufixion
one x seven to be fulfilled
From Daniel and Revelation we see the Jewish month is 30 days, a 3 1/2 year span is 1260 days which Sir Robert Anderson simply does the multiplication out as follows:
483 years X 30 X 12 = 173, 880 days
15th year of Tiberias Caesar (29AD), who began his reign in 14AD - Luke 3:1
445BC - 32AD = 476 Julian years
476 X 365 = 173, 440
Adjustments: March 14th - April 6th = 24 days
Adjustments: Leap Years = 116 days
Total = 173, 880 days
This one seven that is left so many have made to apply in an incorrect manner, and because of the incorrect emphasis and stress of other prophetic Books, some have formulated that this means the church will not be in the tribulation period that part of the last seven contains. The Babylonian captivity was one of compromise by so many Jews. Yet its purpose was to allow the land of Israel to recover from its lack of sabbaths that was to be held as given in the Mosaic Law. The last seven must maintain the integrity of the first 69 sevens. As we see, the last seven is to be fulfilled. The apostle John also tells of the call of God to come out of Babylon, yet when Ezra returned from Babylon very few Israelites returned, they chose to remain and live in Babylon. Jesus tells us the last church is Laodicea that has chosen to live in compromise just the same way Babylon and Israel existed. This is a very severe spiritual condition yet we know the Hebrews will have 2/3s destroyed and only a remnant of 1/3 will repent and make Jesus their Lord (Zech 13). The church world is far far worse in scope because of all the heresies that have come down through the years and as Jesus talks of the Laodiceans, He tells them they are unable to see themselves as naked, poor, miserable, blind, and wretched people (Re 3). This one seven is yet to come to pass, and Daniel has seen in visions to this point many things about these endtime events as well as the orgination point of these events concerning the man of sin whom we know as the antichrist.
Nothing changes in scope in Daniel 10 as this is another vision that Daniel sees. 10:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing [was] true, but the time appointed [was] long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. Daniel has understanding what Gabriel had explained to him while he was praying God's will for Israel and Mount Zion. However take notice of the time frame that we are talking about concerning how long Daniel has been considering what Gabriel explained. Going back to 9:1 you see Darius is king, the Mede who took the kingdom away from Belshazzar, but in 10:1 we have Cyrus of Persia king. There are many years in between that Daniel is in consideration of Gabriel's explanation which he now has understanding. Then because Daniel is ready, he has another vision. 10:7-8 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
We see in the verses to follow that Daniel is serious about understanding what he reads and is given from the Lord. Daniel doesn't want just the pat on the back that he heard from God, but he wants to understand what he saw and what he has read about these blessed Words from the throneroom. The answer was delayed by the prince of Persia, and Michael came to fight him and allowed Gabriel to visit Daniel. Gabriel now tells Daniel an eye opening statement. 10:21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and [there is] none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. Michael is the archangel of Israel, the only one who holds to the truth at the level of Gabriel. We'll see later that it is Michael who is removed from protecting Israel in 2Thessalonians 2 and not the incorrect application of the Holy Spirit. So we have Gabriel who is going to explain the truth of what Daniel has contemplated for these years, that is Daniel 9:24-27.
So the question of what is Gabriel going to speak about in explanation of this passage of Daniel 9:24-27 is written in Daniel 11. The entire chapter is an explanation of the endtime event of the last seven. Notice that Chapter 12 is a continuation of Chapter 11, and see what Gabriel says to Daniel. 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. As previously stated, after Michael is removed by the Lord, the man of sin is able to do the things prophesied of him. The fact that Gabriel is explaining the whole prophecy that he made known in Daniel 9 is going to be closed now by him and the reason stated for closing it. 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Gabriel makes clear that Daniel 9:24-27, the last seven is for the endtimes which Daniel himself had been pondering for a few years and Gabriel explained in Chapter 11. Gabriel says to seal the Book. Daniel is a little cloudy in what he understands which is understandable so he asks a question. 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what [shall be] the end of these [things]?
Gabriel will declare an answer to this question, an answer that places clearly all the last chapters of Daniel into one category, the endtimes. 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Now the Scriptures can not get any clearer than this. Now with this clearly settled, we will look at what Daniel and Gabriel give for details of this last seven. Some mistakenly have applied parts of Daniel's endtimes visions and dreams to Antiochus Epiphanes who invaded Israel and was finally defeated my the revolt in 167 BC. As a side not, this is where the celebration of Hannukah came from as the oil in the lamp "miraculously" lasted in the temple for 8 days. However, Jesus refers to Daniel's vision and what He specifically details is the turning point of the last seven. Now since we know that Jesus died in 32 AD by Anderson's calculations, this is obviously after 167 BC. Thus the reference to the abomination that makes desolate is also after 167 BC, this emphatically states the impossibility of Antiochus to be nothing more than a "type" of antichrist. Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Therefore we see that from the abomination that makes desolate we will have the Great Tribulation which according to Daniel happens at the earliest at the midpoint, and at the latest after the midpoint of the seven to be fulfilled.
In Part 3 we will look at the details given by Daniel from Chapters 7-12 of the seven and what will happen as with the antichrist, and the horrors of the Great Tribulation. We'll look at the kingdoms and we'll see the intricacies of prophecy coming to pass before our very eyes.