"Prophecy's Time Frame" - Pastor Stephen Bohr

the title of our study for today is prophecy's time frame and i would like to begin by reading a passage that we find in the book of titus titus chapter 2 and starting with verse 11 titus chapter 2 and verse 11. here the apostle paul says this for the grace of god that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great god and our savior jesus christ you'll notice here that the apostle paul calls the second coming of jesus the blessed hope of the christian who is not desiring with an intense burning desire the second coming of jesus in glory and majesty i believe all christians desire jesus to come it's their blessed hope but the devil hates the blessed hope he hates the idea of the second coming of jesus to come and pick up his people to take them home and so the devil is going to do everything in his power to blind people to fog the issues so that they are not ready for the second coming of jesus this shouldn't surprise us because it happened also in connection with the first coming of jesus turn with me to the gospel of john chapter 1 and verse 11. the gospel of john chapter 1 and verse 11. here it's speaking about the first coming of jesus and we are told this he came unto his own and his own received him not when this text says that jesus came to his own it's speaking about the jewish nation they had all of the prophecies of the old testament concerning the messiah religious leaders studied this prophet these prophecies intensely the populists listened to the teaching of these great religious leaders they were expecting a messiah who would come and destroy the hated romans and establish his throne in jerusalem to rule the world and in spite of the fact that they had all of these prophecies we are told in this verse that he came unto his own and his own received him not you see a false interpretation of bible prophecy by the religious leaders who taught it to the populace led the people to have a misunderstanding about the way in which jesus would come and because they had the idea that the messiah was going to reign in jerusalem a different way than what prophecy indicated when the messiah came they were unprepared to receive him now let me ask you do you suppose that this same scenario could be repeated in connection with end time events and the second coming of christ do you suppose that the professed people of jesus at the end of time could actually accept and follow the teachings of the religious leaders without studying things for themselves and as a result reject jesus in his second coming if it happened to god's professed people in connection with the first coming we can be certain that the devil is alive and well and he's going to do the same thing in connection with the second coming of christ and so we need to be very careful about the way in which we study bible prophecy because history will be repeated in fact most of the end time prophecies tell us that satan is going to come with great deceptions in the end time to receive if possible even the very elect so what happened in connection with the first coming will happen also in connection with the second coming of christ as god's people were unprepared to receive the messiah because they misunderstood the way in which he would come in the same way before the second coming those who profess to be followers of jesus most of them according to scripture will be deceived because they are expecting jesus to come in one way when prophecy actually indicates that he's going to come in a different manner so it behooves us to stand next to jesus and see jesus turn the curtain of end time events aside so that along with him we can look into the future and particularly know how to interpret bible prophecy correctly so that we will not be deceived as the jewish nation was deceived before the first coming of christ now today in the world there are basically three different methods of interpreting bible prophecy primarily the prophecies of daniel and revelation there are three schools of interpretation the first of those schools is known as preterism it's the idea that most of the prophecies of daniel and revelation were fulfilled in the distant past for example they say that the little horn predator say that the little horn of daniel 7 as well as daniel 8 does not represent the antichrist that arose during christian history or at the end of time but rather represents a nasty fellow called antiochus epiphanes who in the year 165 bc sacrificed a swine in the jewish temple and desecrated the jewish temple in other words the little horn prophecy of the book of daniel has nothing to do with an antichrist in christian history or at the end of time most preterists in their interpretation of the book of revelation say that the book of revelation was fulfilled with the early roman emperors or perhaps with the destruction of jerusalem in the year 80 70. in other words the prophecies of daniel and revelation were fulfilled mostly in the distant past now there's a second school of interpretation which is the futurist school of interpretation that school is popular primarily among conservative protestants today you see they teach that the book of daniel particularly the parts that has to do with the antichrist with the little horn has not been fulfilled yet in christian history in other words the little horn of daniel 7 and most of them say the little horn of daniel 8 as well represents a future antichrist which will arise in the middle east after the jewish temple is rebuilt he will sit in the jewish temple he will desecrate it he will demand worship from everybody on planet earth and he will persecute the literal jews and all of this has happened after the church has been raptured to heaven according to this scenario in other words the antichrist prophecies of daniel the little horn of daniel has not been fulfilled yet in christian history it will be fulfilled in the last segment of time the last seven years of history before the glorious second coming of jesus christ they also teach that revelation chapter 4 through revelation chapter 19 has not been fulfilled yet in fact they teach that revelation 4 verse 1 when john is called to come up hither that represents the rapture in other words john when he's called to go up that represents the rapture of the church to heaven and then revelation 4 through 19 is fulfilled with the literal jews in a literal jewish temple persecuted by this nasty antichrist who sits in the temple in other words revelation 4 through 19 nothing has been fulfilled yet it is future the antichrist of daniel chapter 7 and daniel chapter 8 the little horn has not been fulfilled yet it is going to be fulfilled in the future after the church has been raptured to heaven now the third main school of prophetic interpretation has been known as historicism i prefer to call it the historical flow school of interpretation rather than historicism now what does historicism say about bible prophecy basically it's the idea that the great prophecies of daniel and revelation begin to fulfill in the days in which the prophet lived then they continuously flow and are in the process of being fulfilled without interruption culminating time events primarily the setting up of god's everlasting kingdom in other words the great prophecies of daniel and revelation begin to be fulfilled in the days in which the prophet wrote and they continuously are fulfilled without interruption without any break without any damn so to speak they're fulfilled in a chain sequence culminating with the setting up of christ's everlasting kingdom you see the advantage of studying prophecy from this perspective is that we know at all times exactly where we are in the development of events in this world you see with futurism you can never know when the antichrist is going to appear because the time frame has been broken for 2000 years since the we're going to notice that since the fourth beast of daniel chapter 7 existed and ruled which is rome and today there's been a gap in the fulfillment of prophecy of 2000 years and being that you have this gap of 2000 years between the roman empire and when the antichrist arises there's no time frame for us to know exactly when and where the antichrist is going to appear now which of these methods of interpreting bible prophecy is correct i believe and i have no doubts whatsoever and i'm going to share this with you this evening i believe that the method which god used as he revealed the books of daniel in revelation was the historical flow method or the method which is known as historicism now let's talk first of all about the book of daniel and we'll illustrate this methodology from the book of daniel as the book of daniel begins in chapter one where is daniel he's in jerusalem and he's just been taken where to babylon so in other words the book of daniel begins in the time when daniel lived how does the book of daniel end in daniel chapter 12 and verse 3 it actually ends with the setting up of god's everlasting kingdom i want you to notice this in daniel chapter 12 and verse 3 the very end of the book actually chapter 12 and verse 4 and following is the epilogue of the book but 12 3 is the climax of the book of daniel it says in chapter 12 and verse 3 and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they shall turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever in other words god is going to set up his everlasting kingdom with his people and his people will shine like the stars in other words the book of daniel begins in the time of the prophet when daniel lived when he was taken from jerusalem to babylon and it ends with the setting up of god's everlasting kingdom the whole book of daniel functions on the principle of historicism but you say now what about in between those two points fine you know the book begins with daniel in babylon and it ends with the setting up of god's everlasting kingdom but what about everything that is in between those two points well let me just tell you that the book of daniel is organized in a very interesting way you cannot read the book of daniel in a linear fashion in other words you can't say i wonder what's going to happen between now and the end time and so you say okay i'm going to read chapter 1 and verse 1. and i'm going to read continuously across the book of daniel and i'll know exactly how one event is going to follow another in a sequence because the book of daniel is not written in that way in other words the book of daniel is actually written in cycles in a repetitive fashion the material is repeated more than once in fact the book of daniel has four prophetic outlines those four prophetic outlines are daniel 2 daniel 7 daniel 8 and daniel 11 and the first few verses of chapter 12. in other words the book of daniel has four prophetic outlines each outline enlarges and amplifies that which came in the outline which preceded it in other words daniel 7 amplifies daniel 2. daniel 8 amplifies daniel 7 and daniel 2. and daniel 11 and 12 amplifies daniel 8 daniel 7 and daniel 2. in other words all of these outlines complement each other and as you study all four together you get a complete picture now the interesting thing about these four prophetic outlines is that each one of them begins in the day when the prophet lived not only does the book of daniel begin when daniel lived and end with the everlasting kingdom but also each one of these prophetic outlines begins in the day when the prophet wrote in a moment we're going to give some examples of this begins when the prophet wrote and actually culminates with the setting up of christ's everlasting kingdom in other words each cycle has the same characteristic as the book does as a whole are you understanding what i'm saying now the book of daniel has two halves and those two halves are daniel 1 through 7 and daniel 8 through 12. those of you who have been here for some time know that i have actually written a document talking about the little book what is the little book which was sealed until the time of the end what is that little book of revelation chapter 10 which the angel has in his hand which is opened in revelation chapter 10. actually that little book is daniel chapter 8 through 12. that uh those chapters are actually a book within a book so we need to study daniel 1 through 7 as a unit and we need to study daniel chapter 8 through 12 also as a unit now let me share with you something interesting about daniel chapter 8 and daniel chapter 11. do you know that daniel chapter 8 begins with persia it continues with greece then it continues with rome if you go to chapter 11 you'll find the identical sequence you'll find that in daniel chapter 11 it begins with persia it continues with greece and then it continues with rome in other words there's a very close relationship between you between daniel 8 and daniel 11. they have the same beginning and they also have the same end now allow me to share with you some examples biblical examples specifically of the principle of historicism let's begin with the granddaddy of them all the prophecy of daniel chapter 2 and i don't think that we even have to look up the the passage because we all probably know it because we've heard it so many times but let's just review in daniel chapter 2 we have a gigantic image what is the head of that image made of the head is made of gold okay the breasts and arms are composed of silver the belly is composed of bronze or brass the legs are composed of iron and then the feet do the feet still have iron yes they do the feet have iron but now there's an added element and what is that added element the bible says that it is clay now what does the head of gold represent it represents the kingdom of babylon question what kingdom was ruling when daniel lived babylon so when does daniel 2 begin it begins in the days when the prophet lived you see the principle of historicism now the head of gold is babylon the breast in arms of silver represents what medo-persia the belly of bronze represents greece the legs of iron represent rome the roman empire right so you have four kingdoms babylon medo-persia greece and rome question how many gaps do you have between one kingdom and the other you have absolutely no gaps when the head of gold falls you have immediately ruling the breast and arms of silver when the breasted arms of silver representing middle persia falls then immediately you have greece rising to rule when greece falls immediately you have what when greece falls immediately you have wrong and by the way the feet have what ten toes and the feet have iron so does rome continue in the feet of course because the legs of iron are roam and because the feet have iron rome continues in the feet but let me ask you is it a different kind of rome yes because it has two elements it has the iron which is political room but it also has what clay a different element in other words it's going to be a mixture it's going to be a mixed kingdom a different kind of kingdom but a continuation of what of rome let me ask you which was the kingdom that came forth from the roman empire which ruled for 1260 years it was another rome it was papal rome the roman catholic papacy isn't that right was the roman catholic papacy different than the empire of rome yes because rome was a political kingdom but what was religious rome religious wrong was not only a political kingdom represented by the iron but it also was a religious kingdom in other words it was a political religious amalgamation if you please by the way how many kingdoms was rome divided into rome was divided into ten kingdoms and then you have the clay mixed in the feet among those ten kingdoms now let me ask you in daniel chapter 2 what comes in the days of those kings the days of those kings represented by the feet and by the toes what happens in during their time the bible speaks of this gigantic stone that comes and smites the image on its what on its feet and totally demolishes all of the metals the gold the silver the bronze the iron the mixture of iron and clay breaks them to smithereens the wind takes it all away and god sets up an everlasting kingdom which shall never be destroyed how many gaps in this prophecy there are no gaps in this prophecy you see you have the head of gold immediately the breasted arms of silver you have the belly of bronze you have the legs of iron then you have the feet which are a mixture of iron and clay and then you have the stone which smites the image and the setting up of god's everlasting kingdom where did daniel 2 begin in the days of daniel with babylon where does daniel 2 end with the setting up of what of christ's everlasting kingdom do you see the principle principle of historicism functioning in this prophecy you have a revelation of the history of the world at least in in outline form in daniel chapter 2 from the times of daniel till the setting up of christ's everlasting kingdom now allow me to go just for a few moments to daniel chapter 7 which is parallel to daniel 2. you see daniel 2 and daniel 7 are twins and daniel 8 and daniel 11 are twins and so you have to study daniel 1 to 7 as one unit and you have to study daniel 8 through 12 as a unit in itself but let's go through daniel chapter 7. there you have instead of medals beasts now what is the first beast you know this what is the first beast the first beast is a lion what is the second beast a bear what is the third beast a leopard what is the fourth beast the fourth beast is what i choose to call a dragon beast it's called the non-descript beast but it's a dragon-like beast that tramples everything chews everything up now what does the lion represent in this prophecy the line represents babylon is it the same as the head of gold yes what does the bear represent middle persia is that the same of the as the breast and arms of silver absolutely what does the leopard represent greece is that the same as the belly of bronze or brass yes then you have this dragon beast is that the same as the legs of iron yes now how many horns does this dragon-like beast have this dragon-like beast has ten hearts now how many toes did the image have ten ten toes ten horns are you following me but now i want you to notice that but the bible tells us that among the ten horns arises what arises a little horn is that little horn different than the other horns you can read it there in daniel chapter seven let me ask you is the clay different than all of the other metals that you find in the image yes is the little horn different than all of the other beasts that have come before us yes so the little horn is the same as the what as the clay in daniel chapter 2. and by the way how long does this little horn rule according to daniel chapter 7. it rules time times and the dividing of time which is three and a half years and applying the year-day principle which by the way was not invented by seventh-day adventists it was used by the protestant reformers it was the method of choice by the protestant reformers and by protestantism for 200 years after martin luther using the year day principle that would mean that this little horn after the rise among the ten horns was going to rule how long 1260 years and it was going to come from rome yes it was going to arise among the 10 horns which is western europe now are you catching the picture yeah babylon 605 to 539 bc then you have medo-persia 539-331 bc then you have greece 331 to 168 bc then you have the roman empire 168 bc to 476. and by the way have you ever heard of the barbarian invasions from the north into the roman empire where they carved up the rome and actually divided it into ten kingdoms the ten kingdoms were complete in the year 476. so what would you expect to happen shortly after the year 476 when the ten kingdoms are complete you would expect the little horn to arise where it would have to be in western europe where the ten horns come forth from the dragon which represents rome it would have to be in western europe and how long would that power rule it would rule 1260 years and it would persecute the saints of the most high it would claim to have the right to forgive sins it would claim to have the right to change god's law and to change god's prophetic times and it would rule during this whole period now let me ask you when you follow the historicist principle is there any doubt about what this power represents the little horn represents no there's no doubt whatsoever because the historicist method allows us to know exactly where we are in the flow of history you see yeah babylon medo-persia greece the roman empire the roman empire is divided into ten kingdoms and then from the roman empire represented by the dragon among those ten horns arises the little horn which means that the little horn must rise in western europe and it must be a roman power let me tell you folks there's only one power in the world that fits this description that has ruled for 1260 years and that is the roman catholic papacy that's not saying that everybody in the roman catholic church is bad there's lots lots of god's true children in the roman catholic communion in fact i believe most of god's true people are there but they don't know these things i believe that the protestant churches who teach some future little horn antichrist in the middle east they're sincere they love jesus they don't know any better but it behooves us to let them know because soon these issues are going to be a matter of life and death and then of course in daniel chapter 7 the little horn rises governs 1260 years and then the very next scene is jesus going to his father to receive the kingdom and it says there in daniel chapter 7 the kingdom was given to jesus and then jesus gave the kingdom to the saints of the most high and he ruled forever and ever so where does daniel 7 end with the setting of god's setting up of christ's everlasting kingdom where does daniel 7 begin it begins with babylon the time in which daniel what the time in which daniel wrote are you understanding the principle of historicism it's actually very simple but you know most christians today conservative christians say yes ah the head of gold is babylon the lion is babylon yes the breast and arms of silver and the bear represents middle persia we agree there and yes the leopard and the belly of bronze represents greece no doubt there yes the fourth beast and the legs of iron represent rome but then they say the prophecy suddenly stops stops fulfilling and then 2 000 years go by before the little horn can even appear now is that in harmony with the historicist principle of interpreting bible prophecy do you have gaps all over the place let me tell you the protestant method of interpreting bible prophecy is filled with gaps everywhere there's a gap between the 69th and the 70th week there's a gap between the fourth empire and the little horn there's gaps all over the place like we're going to study but there's no biblical justification for creating gaps in the flow of time because everything flows one step right after another is this clear yes raise your hand if this is clear praise the lord this is the time tested method this is the method which was used by martin luther john calvin ulrich swingley milan and all of the great reformers as well as the lesser reformers this is not a system invented by the seventh-day adventist church it is a method of interpreting bible prophecy which actually existed long before there was ever a seventh-day adventist the thing is protestantism has gone astray from its roots now let's talk for a while about the book of revelation where does the book of revelation begin where is john when revelation begins john is on the isle of patmos so does revelation begin in the days of the prophet yes where does revelation end revelation ends in chapters 21 and 22 with the setting up of christ's everlasting kingdom the new jerusalem descends and the lord rules in jerusalem forever and ever so it begins in the days of the prophet and it ends with the setting up of god's everlasting kingdom question is that the very way that the book of daniel is organized it's the identical way it begins and ends in the same way in which the book of daniel begins and ends do you know that the book of revelation also has two major sections just like daniel the book of revelation is actually divided into the first part chapters one through 11 and the second part which is chapters 12 through 22 and by the way just as a parenthesis there is no way that the book of revelation can be understood unless you understand the hebrew sanctuary because the book of revelation follows in unbroken sequence the order of the hebrew sanctuary let me just go through that very quickly revelation chapter 1 verse 5 says that jesus was sacrificed and he washed us in his blood there you have the altar of sacrifice then when the seals begin actually when the churches begin jesus is walking among the seven what among the seven candlesticks where is jesus at this point he's no longer at the altar of sacrifice he's he's in the holy place that's where the lamps were the seven lamps then when you get to the seals the series on the seals revelation four through eight jesus is actually standing at the table of the show bread he's feeding his church with his word with his spiritual word then when you get to the series of the trumpets jesus is standing before the golden altar where the prayers of the saints were offered in other words in revelation you have first of all the sacrifice of jesus in revelation 1 verse 5 then you have jesus in the holy place where the seven lamps are where the table of the show bread is where the altar of intercession is the first half of revelation deals with the court and the holy place of the sanctuary but when you get to revelation chapter 11 and verse 19 suddenly you are where it says that in heaven the temple was opened which means that it must have been what closed during the first half of the book of revelation the temple of god is open in heaven and what is seen the ark of his covenant is seen so the last half of the book of revelation is going to have to do with things which deal with which apartment of the sanctuary the last half of the book of revelation deals with issues taking place where in the most holy place of the sanctuary revelation 11 19 begins this process and you know what's interesting we're going to come to this a little bit later but i want you i want you to understand that revelation is actually following the order of the hebrew sanctuary now what happened uh when the end of the year came in israel what happened you have the great day of what you have the great day of atonement where the sanctuary was cleansed what happened when the day of atonement was finished could anybody else come into the sanctuary and receive provision for their sins no probation what probation closed and those who had not participated in the day of atonement the bible says they were cut off from among god's people and then what happened with the sins of the congregation where were they placed they were placed upon the head of the scapegoat now do you know revelation follows the same sequence and we're going to come to this more specifically in a few moments but in revelation chapter 12 13-14 you have the enemies of god's people and you have the three angels messages proclaiming that the hour of his judgment has come when the whole world has taken sides what happens in chapter 15. the bible says that the temple of god in heaven is filled with smoke the sanctuary administration closes and then what it does god pour out in revelation 16-18 he pours out upon those impenitent people what the plagues and then in chapter 19 he comes to take his people to heaven and then what happens in revelation chapter 20 you have satan bound to this earth for a thousand years that's the same as the scapegoat ceremony in the sanctuary are you understanding me so basically not only does the book of revelation follow the historic historicist mold but it also follows the order of the hebrew sanctuary beginning in the court where jesus washed us with washed us with his blood then you have him among the candlesticks then you have him at the table of the showbread then you have him at the altar of incense then the most holy place is open in chapter 11 verse 19 the announcement is made the always judgment has come when that message comes to an end the whole world belongs to two groups either to christ or to the beast and his image and when all decisions are made the temple closes and is filled with smoke probation is closed and now the plagues fall on the impenitent and god's people are protected and at the end of the period of the plagues jesus comes to rescue his people and azazel the scapegoat receives his punishment and then of course you have a new heavens and a new earth do you see how revelation is following the pattern of the hebrew sanctuary not only is revelation revealing the history of salvation from the time of john until the very end of time it is also explaining the sanctuary service now we need to say a few things about the book of revelation it is not written in strict chronological order was daniel written in chronological order you say okay i want to know what's going to happen in bible prophecy so i'm going to start in daniel 1 and then i'm going to read daniel 2 daniel 3 and i'll know all of the sequence of events as they're going to happen from the days of the prophet till the end of time is that the way daniel works no it works in what cycles do you know that the book of revelation also functions in cycles the first half of the book of revelation you have first of all the churches the seven churches when do the seven churches begin at what time they begin in the days of whom they begin in the days of john with the apostolic church and where do the churches end they end with the end time church see the seven churches are symbolic of seven periods of the history of the christian church from the days of john till the very end of time now you have also the seven seals the seven seals enlarged upon the seven churches they're going to repeat once again christian history but from a different perspective and so the first seal begins in the days of john with the church going out conquering and to conquer and then when you get to the seventh seal you have the setting up of christ's kingdom where you have have about a half an hour of silence in heaven i don't have time to get into that but the seventh seal is the time when jesus takes over his kingdom so once again that the churches begin in the days of john and end at the very end of human history with the last church the seals begin in the days of john and they end with the setting up of christ's kingdom the same thing with the trumpets the trumpets repeat what we find in the seals and what we find in the churches in other words you have three cycles here the the seals repeat what we find in the churches and the trumpets repeat what we find in the seals and in the churches i understand what i'm saying so basically if you study the churches the seals and the trumpets you'll have three perspectives and as you study them together you'll have a complete view of what happened between the apostolic age and the setting up of christ's everlasting kingdom in other words the book of revelation functions on the basis of cycles the first of the churches the seals and the trumpets represents events in the days when the prophet wrote and the seventh of the churches and the seals and the trumpets represents the end time setting up of christ's everlasting kingdom now as i mentioned revelation chapter 11 and verse 19 begins the final portion of the book of revelation let's uh let's go and read that verse revelation chapter 11 and verse 19. jesus has already moved from the court to where the candlesticks are to where the table of the show bread is to where the altar of incense is and now the temple of god is open in heaven it says there in verse 19 of revelation 11 and the temple of god was opened in heaven and there was seen in this temple the ark of his testament or as other versions say the ark of his covenant and there were lightnings and voices and thunderings and an earthquake and great hail does this portion of revelation deal with particularly end time events absolutely does it fit perfectly with daniel chapter 8 where we are told that unto 2300 days and the sanctuary shall be cleansed do both daniel 8 14 the cleansing of the sanctuary and revelation 11 19 deal with the same issue the cleansing of the sanctuary the beginning of the judgment which is the cleansing of the sanctuary do you see that daniel 8 through 12 covers basically the same material as revelation chapter 11 through chapter 21. in other words you have to study daniel 8 through 12 and revelation chapters 12 through 22 together because they fit together now go with me to revelation chapter 13 and i want to show you that revelation 13 has the same historicist perspective as we find in the book of daniel revelation chapter 13 and i want to start reading at verse 1. it says there and i stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns and upon his horns ten crowns and upon his heads the name of blasphemy and now notice verse two and the beast which i saw was like unto a leopard and his feet were as the feet of a bear and his mouth as the mouth of a lion and the dragon gave him his power and his seat and great authority how many beasts do we have here in revelation 13 verse 2 we have four what are they is there any connection with daniel 7 what do you think is there any connection with daniel 7 how do we know that we know that because we have the same beast as daniel 7. is revelation amplifying what we find in daniel 7 of course now you'll notice that in the book of daniel you have an interesting order it speaks of the lion bear leopard dragon but here in revelation 13 the beasts are mentioned how in reverse order it's dragon leopard bear lion and immediately you ask why does daniel speak of lion bear leopard dragon whereas john speaks of dragon leopard bear and lion it's very simple you see daniel is looking what forwards whereas john is looking backwards daniel is living in the time of the lion and he says lion bear leopard dragon john is living in the period of the fourth fourth beast the dragon so he says dragon leopard bear lion are you understanding what i'm saying this is the historicist method of interpreting prophecy and then i want you to notice it says that this dragon this fourth beast gives his power and authority unto whom let's read the the last part of verse two it says and the dragon gave him this beast his seat actually his power and his seat and great authority let me ask you to whom did the dragon beast in the book of daniel give his authority the dragon beast with ten horns to whom did he give his authority in daniel 7 to the little horn right to whom does this dragon in revelation chapter 13 give his power and seed and authority to the what to the beast so the beast is the same as what is the same as the little horn by the way if you read revelation 13 carefully you're going to discover that the little horn rules or the beast rules how long 42 months which is the same you multiply 42 months times 30 days per month gives you 1260. in other words the beast rules the same time period as a little horn after the dragon that has ten horns rules right so let me ask you is revelation following the same order of daniel 7 it most certainly is now one thing that you'll hear people say as they read daniel 2 they say now wait a minute you have head of gold pressing arms of silver belly of bronze legs of iron feet of iron and clay and then you have the rock spiding the feet of the image you say but man if you say that that rome was divided back in 476 and that the the little horn arose in the year 538 man that's 1500 years ago so so how how do you say that you know the stone that's going to smite the feet of the image is going to be the next great event in human history so much time has passed and they say besides the roman catholic papacy has no power anymore well this is where you have to go to revelation 13 to amplify daniel 7. let me ask you according to daniel 7 does the little horn rule until the second coming of christ is he destroyed when jesus comes he most certainly is must he rule until jesus comes yes but we have a problem daniel says that he only rules 1260 days so you say how is it that he rules 1260 years which historically say end in 1798 and you say that he's destroyed when jesus comes well the fact is the book of revelation explains why it says that this beast power this little horn power has two stages of existence you see after the 1260 years it receives a what it receives a deadly wound and for time it is what inactive but then it says that its deadly wound is what is healed and all the world wanders after the beast and then he's destroyed when jesus comes so let me ask you can this little horn originate in the year 538 and still exist when jesus comes yes with a period of inactivity in between absolutely you see that's why you need revelation to complete the picture of daniel now let's compare revelation 13 and daniel 7. do you have a lion in both yes do you have a bear in both do you have a leopard in both do you have a dragon beast in both does a dragon beast have ten horns in both does a dragon beast give his authority to the little horn in one does he give his authority to the beast in the other yes does the little horn rule 1 260 years yes does the beast rule 1260 years yes does the beast receive a deadly wound at the under at the end of the 1260 years yes is it is its wound then healed absolutely now what's happening what principles being used here do we know exactly where we are at every moment in human history of course you do see you can see babylon okay i see middle persia okay i see greece okay i see rome okay i see the ten kingdoms into which rome was divided which are the ten horns and yes i see the papacy rising to power and ruling for over a thousand years 1260 years yes and in 1798 i see the papacy uh taken into captivity because the civil power no longer recognizes it or accepts it but as i look at what's happening in the world today this system is receiving great respect and its wound is what healing are you with me or not can you follow the sequence of prophetic events step by step by using the historious method you most certainly can now where are we today you know revelation speaks about a second beast that rises to help the first beast get its power back what does that second beast represent it represents the united states and by the way that's the last power before jesus comes and it says that it's going to speak like a dragon are we starting to see that today we most certainly are listen folks we are at the very end of human history according to the historicist perspective of interpreting prophecy because babylon is past medal person has passed greece is past rome is past the ten kingdoms have passed the little horn during its 1260 years has passed the deadly wound is quickly in the process of healing and the power which helps it recover its power is very much alive and beginning to speak as a dragon today and by the way that's the last event before the setting up of christ's everlasting kingdom are you following me is there any room for projecting the little horn and the beast way into the future within the historical historicist perspective no it's senseless now allow me to go quickly through the sequence of revelation 12 through 22. i already did it with reference to the sanctuary but now i want to do i want to do it from a slightly different perspective you have revelation 12-14 do you have in revelation 13 the powers that will be enemies of god's people at the end of time do you have a dragon in revelation 12 yes you do do you have the beast in revelation 13 same as a little horn is it going to get its power back yes do you have a second beast in revelation 13 which makes an image to that first beast yes let me ask you is the dragon the beast and the false prophet or the image are those the enemies of god's people at the end of time are we supposed to flee from those powers yes but listen to me if those powers are not going to arise until the church has been raptured to heaven why even bother to flee from them why even bother to study about them if god's people are going to be in heaven let the jews worry about it because they're going to be left behind if revelation 4 through 19 applies to the jews during the tribulation and not to the church why even bother to study it see the devil doesn't want people to study the book of revelation he wants people to think that the book of revelation does not apply to us he wants to hide who the true powers that are dangerous to god's people are that's why he directs all eyes to the middle east when prophecies being fulfilled in the west and people can't see it because they're looking in the wrong place serious business so revelation 12 13 presents the enemies of god's people does revelation 14 warn us about these powers the three angels messages which we study 20 whole sessions on the three angels messages does the third angel's message warn against the beast and his image and his mark in the number of his name yes does it command god's people to worship god and to fear him and to give glory to him and to come out of babylon this system this three-fold system absolutely so revelation 12 13 and 14 has the the main purpose of pointing out who the enemies of god's people are and to let the world know that they're not supposed to belong to these systems they're supposed to leave these systems and once the whole world has made their decision either for or against revelation 15 speaks about the closing of the sanctuary all decisions have been made the temple is filled with smoke no one can enter anymore until the seven last plagues have been poured out are you understanding are we dealing with the last half of revelation with primarily end time events yes we're dealing with the end time stage of the dragon the beast the false prophet with the preaching of the three angels messages when the three angels message us finish proclaiming to the world what god has has given them to proclaim then the sanctuary service closes and the plagues fall upon those who rejected the three angels messages and then in revelation 19 jesus comes with the armies of heaven to to rescue his people to pick us up he pick his people up and revelation 19 1-10 speaks about them being in heaven singing glories to god by the way they're in heaven when jesus comes at his second coming and then of course in revelation chapter 20 it speaks about the devil staying bound on this earth he has no one no one in this world to to deceive anymore because all the we get our what our dead he's like the scapegoat in a desolate wilderness non-inhabited land and then after the millennium you have a new heavens and a new earth do you see the emphasis of the last half of revelation do you know what the devil has wanted to do he's wanted to convince the christian world that the book of revelation has nothing to say to us listen folks if revelation 4 through 19 applies to some future antichrist in the middle east after the church has been raptured to heaven that must mean that the three angels messages are not to be proclaimed now but then are you catching my point it must also mean that when revelation chapter 12 verse 17 says that the dragon was rocked with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed who keep the commandments of god and had the testimony of jesus christ that verse is not speaking about the seventh-day adventist remnant church who keeps the commandments of god and has the gift of prophecy but it's speaking about a jewish group of people who will live in the middle east after the church has been raptured to heaven who do you suppose would want people to think that the three angels messages are not for now but they're for them satan because the three angels messages prepare the world to receive jesus that's why the book the great controversy is so important you want to read a classic presentation of the historicist method of bible prophecy read the book the great controversy by ellen white every person in this world should read that book because it begins it begins with the destruction of jerusalem way back there then you notice the historicist mode then it moves through the periods of the persecutions of the church then it moves into the period of papal dominion then it speaks about the deadly wound given by france in 1798 then it speaks about the the opening of the sanctuary in heaven and the judgment beginning and at the same time it speaks about the enemies of god's people gathering their forces together to persecute god's people at the end of time and then it speaks about the end time crisis and then it speaks about the time of trouble which comes after the sanctuary closes and during the time of trouble the plagues are falling and then in the chapter god's people delivered you have jesus coming with his angels and the clouds to take his people to heaven and then she speaks about the millennium and after speaking about the millennium she describes the new heaven and the north what is ellen white doing in the book of the great controversy she's beginning where revelation begins and she's ending where revelation ends she's explaining the book of revelation from a historicist perspective in other words she's seen the true fulfillment and interpretation of bible prophecy by the way that's why she said that she would want the book the great controversy to go out more than any other book that she ever wrote you know we distribute steps to christ a lot that's not a bad book it's an excellent beautiful book but if ellen white had her way we would be distributing the book the great conversation like the leaves of autumn because in a world where christendom has totally misinterpreted bible prophecy it is a corrective it gives the proper and correct method of interpreting bible prophecy by the way for those who christians who believe that the church is going to be raptured to heaven before the tribulation when they are caught in this world in the midst of the tribulation without having developed the necessary faith to go through this period they will be found without shelter you see the devil wants people to believe that they're not going to go through the tribulation the devil knows that this is going to be the worst period in the history of the world and we are going to need an unbreakable and unshakable faith which needs to be developed now but christians they say you don't have to worry about the tribulation we're going to go to heaven before that and when they're caught in the midst of the tribulation because there's not going to be any pre-tribulation rapture when they're caught in this world during this period of time they will not be prepared people today want answers to their questions but they want more than that they want how we got the answer i remember one time i sat down for a test it was a math test when i was in high school and the teacher says now i not only want you to provide the answer i want to have your worksheet that shows me how you got the answer you know as adventists we're experts and say oh the beast is the papacy the second beast is the united states the wine you know represents false doctrine we can just spit it out just like that but can we show people why the method which we use to reach our conclusions when they see what i've shared tonight the sequence of powers the the sequence of the sanctuary the the twofold division of daniel revelation when they see that it begins in the days of the prophet and ends with the setting up of the everlasting kingdom when they understand the method that we use to reach the message they say wow this is inspired truth from the word of god so we need to show them the method as well as the answer to their questions i have a lot to say yet but allow me to conclude just with this go with me to daniel chapter 2 and verse 21. we'll introduce our study for next time daniel chapter 2 and verse 21 daniel 2 21. in daniel chapter 2 we find the dream of the image and of course you know the story god called i mean nebuchadnezzar called the wise men and they were not able to tell the king his dream so he was going to have them all slaughtered but then daniel appears on the scene and he tells the dream and what it means now let's go to daniel chapter 2 and verse 21. here daniel says and he that is god changeth the times and the seasons what does god do he changes the times and the seasons don't forget that by the way does the little horn think he can change the times so who does the little horn think he is god number two number one he changes the times and the seasons number two he what he removes kings and sets up kings number three he giveth wisdom unto the wise and knowledge to them that no understanding okay three things number one he changes the times and the seasons number two he removes kings and sets up kings and number three he gives wisdom on to the wise now do you know that the rest of daniel chapter 2 and chapter 3 are going to pick up on these three phrases and i'll just synthesize this did god give daniel understanding and wisdom understanding and wisdom to do what to interpret the king's dream that's by the way daniel chapter 2 and verses 27 and 30 it says in fact daniel says god has given me understanding he's given me wisdom to interpret the dream for the king and then if you continue in daniel chapter 2 verses 37 to 41 it explains that god placed nebuchadnezzar on the throne you are a king of kings because the god of heaven has given you a kingdom and then of course what did nebuchadnezzar do did nebuchadnezzar like this scenario that god presented that there's going to be babylon middle persia greece rome and then there's going to be a sequence of kingdoms and nebuchadnezzar like that oh no he was furious he didn't like god's perspective of history he didn't like god's delineation of prophetic events so what did nebuchadnezzar try to do he tried to change god's prophetic calendar did he not of course he did but that god changed his change oh yes he did you know really the issue in daniel chapter 3 yes it's obedience and worship no doubt about that but the issue really is which prophetic scenario will be fulfilled because nebuchadnezzar says i don't like babylon middle persia greece and rome so he sets up he sets up an image all of gold he says history is not going to develop as god says history will develop as i say is he trying to change god's calendar of events yes he is he says woe to him who questioned my perspective of history and there are three young men that say we accept god's scenario not yours so he's filled with rage and he tries to destroy them throws them through into a fiery furnace but god delivers them from the fiery furnace do you know this whole story is going to be repeated again in the end time is god going to give his people wisdom to interpret and explain bible prophecy absolutely is god still going to set up kings and remove kings he most certainly is is the christian world going to try and change god's prophetic scenario yes will they persecute anyone who does not agree even proclaiming the death decree against those who do not worship the image to be see daniel 3 the image to the beast will god have a remnant which will stand and they'll say we accept god's prophetic scenario not yours yes will they be delivered from the greatest tribulation in the history of the world absolutely so what we have in daniel 2 21 is three things god gives understanding actually god changes the times and seasons god places kings and removes kings and god gives wisdom to the wise then the rest of daniel 2 and 3 daniel is given wisdom to interpret the dream god places nebuchadnezzar and the rest of the kings on the throne and number three when nebuchadnezzar tries to change god's times god changes nebuchadnezzar time nebuchadnezzar's times in fact in daniel chapter 3 and verse 28 nebuchadnezzar himself says and he uses the word god changed the decree of the king are you understanding what i'm saying so basically what took place once is going to take place again it's saddening that in the seventh-day adventist church today there are many scholars who are beginning to become futurists in their interpretations for example they say that the little horn is not the papacy but muslims they say that the prophecy some of them say the prophecy of the 70 weeks was fulfilled in the times of the persian empire all of the 70 weeks they're saying that the trumpets will all be fulfilled in the future they're saying that the 12 60 12 90 and 1335 days are literal days and future as time goes by more and more in the seventh-day adventist church are are reinterpreting the prophecies not from a historicist's perspective but from a futurist perspective not our presentation next time we're going to talk about a little horn daniel 7 25 let's read that as our closing verse daniel 7 verse 25 this little horn that we've identified as the roman catholic papacy we'll deal with this more in our next study and he shall speak great words against the most high and shall wear out the saints of the most high and think to change times and laws what does a little horn think he can do change the times who is the only one who can change the times god what does this mean that he'll think he can change the times we'll study that next time and they shall be given into his hand until time and times and the dividing of time in this very verse time times and the dividing of time describes a prophetic event so perhaps the word times refers to god's prophetic calendar and what god is saying is that the little horn thought he would change god's prophetic schedule of events did the roman catholic church try and attempt to do this and did protestants imbibe it we have exciting things to study i hope you some of you weren't offended tonight this is the truth and as we get into history and prophecy more and more it'll become clearer and clearer that the devil has played tricks on the christian world and unless the christian world discovers this soon there will be many people lost and worshipping the wrong powers in this world let us pray father in heaven we thank you for the study we've been able to have this evening i just asked lord that you will give us your divine wisdom open our minds and hearts to receive your truth for the most important thing is for us to prepare to be in your kingdom nothing else matters except preparing and preparing others to be there so be with us bless us in this series we pray in jesus name amen amen

Channel: Aaron

Views: 27,559

Rating: 4.8497314 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: LEe9BaxBiuw

Length: 69min 41sec (4181 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 01 2021