Chapter 1
We start with an explanation of how we know this age ends in a seven year tribulation which is referred to as Daniel’s 70th week. It is the backbone of end-time prophecy. It is referred to in the following scriptures:
Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. 8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will break his (Satan’s) yoke from your neck, and will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them’ (Jeremiah 30:7-8).
Jesus called it “the great tribulation:”
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21).
Daniel recorded it this way:
At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:1-2).
This time we are about to go into will be like the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37).
The book of Daniel reveals prophecy and fore-tells where we get the last seven years of this age or Daniel’s 70th week. Let’s look at a few verses in Daniel chapter 9:24-27.
24“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)
In verse 24 we understand, this is a time for God’s people and His holy city. It is a time of finishing the transgression, making an end of sin, making reconciliation for iniquity, bringing in everlasting righteousness, sealing up vision and prophecy, and anointing the Most Holy. Seventy weeks here is seventy weeks of years which are 490 years of which 483 years have been fulfilled leaving seven years to be fulfilled.
In the Jewish culture, a week was considered a week of years, or seven years. In Genesis, we see an example of this:
And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Fulfill her week and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years” (Genesis 29:26-27).
Let’s look at verse 25 and 26 of Daniel 9:
25 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.
In verse 25 and 26, we see 69 weeks of the 70 weeks of this prophecy are divided into two parts. So these verses are saying there will be seven weeks (49 years), from the command to restore and build Jerusalem and until the covenant renewal and 62 weeks (434 years), from the covenant renewal until Messiah will be crucified. This was fulfilled to the day by our Lord’s crucifixion. In 70 A.D. the sanctuary was destroyed fulfilling the rest of this prophecy.
Then, we have a 2,000 year intermission and in verse 27 is where we get Daniel’s 70th week which is yet to be fulfilled.
Then he (the Antichrist) shall confirm a covenant with many for one week (seven years); but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offerings; and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).
The “he” in verse 27 is the Antichrist, and from this we conclude that the tribulation is seven years at the end of this age. The Antichrist confirms a covenant to usher in the seven year period. Halfway through the seven years at the 3½ year mark the false prophet sets up the “abomination of desolation,” which is an idol of the Antichrist and demands everyone to worship it. Of course those who know their God will not fall for this deception, but most of the world will be deceived by the Antichrist and the false prophet.
Some additional scriptures that provide more information about the Antichrist and his objectives are:
He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time (3½ years) (Daniel 7:25).
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months (3½ years). 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them and authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation .8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:5-8).
The saints are persecuted but they:
“…overcome him (Antichrist) by the blood of the lamb, the word of their testimony, and by not loving their lives to the end” (Revelation 12:11).
A Scripture in Isaiah that refers to the Antichrist is:
Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms 17 who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?’ (Isaiah 14:16-17).
Something to think about: God is a just God, and yet He allowed the first century Christians to be persecuted. They were not “appointed to wrath” (I Thessalonians 5:9), and this persecution tested their faith and separated the true believers from the false believers. In other words, this persecution separated the wheat from the tares. It seems inconsistent if God would allow the last century Christians to be whisked away and miss a chance for their faith to be tested as well.
In conclusion, seventy weeks of years were given to us prophetically by Daniel of which sixty-nine weeks have been fulfilled, leaving one week (seven years) that has not been fulfilled. The Antichrist will confirm a covenant with many for one week that will begin the final seven years of this age. Halfway through the seven years he will proclaim himself to be God and demand to be worshipped. The ones who don’t understand what is happening will be deceived and they will be offended at God because of their lack of understanding.
The false prophet brings down fire from heaven and performs signs and wonders to deceive many people. One of the signs he will perform haft-way through Daniel’s 70th week is raising the Antichrist from the dead (Revelation 13:3). Everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb will worship the image of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:8). The Antichrist rises up out of a one world government and is given power over every tribe, tongue, and nation for the last 3½ years. The Antichrist will be credited with making the earth tremble, making it a wilderness, and destroying all the cities of the world. The believers will be made ready for the resurrection by following in the foot steps of Jesus and experiencing the “fellowship of His sufferings.” During this time the church will experience revival and see the fulfillment of Jesus’ Words that “we will do greater works” than He did (John 14:12). There will be a massive harvest of souls into His kingdom, also, and the great commission will be fulfilled at this time.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).
The good news is our Lord will use these end-time events to bring this present world system to an end and refine and deliver His people.
If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, this would be a very good day to do so. The end of days is upon us, and as for tomorrow, there are no guarantees. Those who have accepted Jesus will experience everlasting life and those who have not accepted God’s gift of salvation will experience shame and condemnation without the possibility of changing because of what we read in Revelation:
“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11).
Don’t put it off. You want Jesus on your side for what is coming. Let’s go to the next chapter and see what the Word says about the seals in the book of Revelation.
Chapter 2
In the book of Revelation, in chapter five we read about a scroll that is sealed with seven seals and no one is worthy to open the seals except the “Lamb of God.” The scroll is the title deed to the earth and Jesus is the only one who is worthy to open it. A scroll is a parchment that is rolled up and held closed with seals. The first seal has to be broken before the scroll can be opened and unrolled and read. When you get to the next seal it needs to be broken and you can read the next part of the scroll, and so on. This translates today into something similar to chapters in a book. The seals are opened one after another or chronologically.
There are 21 judgments of God (three sets of seven) that are organized into seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls each getting closer together and more intense like birth-pangs. There are seven seals and the seventh seal introduces and contains the seven trumpet judgments and the seventh trumpet introduces and contains the seven bowl judgments.
In chapter six of Revelation the Lamb starts opening the seals and we see a description of the seals and what they release on the earth. These seals are the same events as the signs Jesus prophesied about His second coming that are recorded in Matthew 24; Mark 13; and Luke 21.
Some think the seals have already been opened but what we see are mere shadows of what is coming.
1st Seal: (Deception)
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see. 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:1-2).
Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you…5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5).
The Antichrist confirms a peace treaty with many at the opening of the first seal. It is a false peace and He goes forth deceiving the nations into thinking world peace has finally come.
2nd Seal: (War)