We look to Daniel the prophet for
important revelations of prophecies which will be fulfilled at the end of the
age and immediately preceding the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ. “And I heard the man clothed in linen
(Jesus Christ), which was upon the waters o the river, when he held up his
right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him who lives forever
that it shall be for a time, times and a half and when he shall have
accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people (the Antichrist), all
things shall be finished,” (Daniel 12:7). The context of Daniel chapter
twelve gives us the precise time element involved in the great tribulation
which occurs at the end age and immediately prior to the resurrection.
The popular and
prevailing doctrine held by evangelicals concerning the duration of the
tribulation is that it spans a period of seven years, which they hold to be the
seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy found in chapter 9 of Daniel. The
“seventy weeks” determined in Daniel (Daniel 9:24) were entirely
fulfilled to the Jews at the first advent of Christ and therefore has no
application at the end of the age. The error of this position has been fully
exposed in a previous discourse and is thoroughly covered in the recent title These Prophet and the Revelation. No Scripture is available anywhere to
support this erroneous interpretation of a seven year tribulation period.
Likewise there, is no Scripture to support a pre-tribulation “rapture” of the
entire church.
Pursuing the truth of the three and
one-half year (i.e., a time, times and a half) tribulation we fast forward to
the Book of Revelation to survey several verses in the successive chapters:
eleven, twelve and thirteen, which view the tribulation from three different
perspectives. First, in chapter eleven where the measuring of the temple (the
church) and the ministry of the two witnesses is brought into focus we read the
following: “And I will give power unto my
two witnesses, and they shall prophecy one thousand two hundred and three score
days, clothed in sackcloth.” (3 ½ years)
(Revelation 111:3). Moving to
chapter twelve and verse six we read the following: “And the woman (the church) fled into the wilderness, where she has a
place prepared of God, that they should feed her a thousand two hundred and
three score days (3 ½ years).” (Revelation 12:6). And again we read: “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might
fly into the wilderness, into her place where she was nourished for a time,
times, and a half of time, from the face of the serpent.”(Revelation 12:14) Note
that the apostle John uses the same terminology as Daniel. This is to be understood
as time (one year), times (two years), and a half time (one half a year) or a
total of three and one-half years. On to chapter thirteen where we find a
summarizing of the power of the beast: “And
there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and
power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” (3 ½ years)(Revelation 13:5). Each of these three
chapters (11, 12, and 13) are dealing with events and different perspectives
that occur during the great tribulation.
The details of these events and
perspectives are interpreted in light of developing world events and will also
provide a comprehensive understanding of Biblical prophecy. This area of prophecy as well as many other
significant developments receives detailed coverage in the title, These Prophets and the Revelation, available
at Amazon .com and major book sellers, and published by Mindstir Media.
David Lance Dean
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