Revelations- Chapters 10-13 -Don Love Ministries-doweknow studies Revelation, Rapture, Tribulation, End-time beast, etc.

Revelations-Don Love Ministries-doweknow studies Revelation, Rapture, Tribulation, End-time beast, etc.

In the Olivett discourse in the Gospel of Matthew, we find three major ends that are depicted by three major increments on the Clock of the Ages. These three major ends are associated with the three remaining peaks of prophecy; and each end paves the way for a new beginning. Because each major end has to do with the closing down of an age, they reflect the end of many things involving many entities. At the time of Israel's Visitation, at the first peak, we saw the Age of the Law brought to an end. The events associated with that end foreshadow the events that will take place at the second peak when the Age of Grace and Israel's dispersion will be concluded. In turn, this second major end will foreshadow the events that will be associated with the end at the third major peak; i.e., the end of the Kingdom Age and the end of the world.

Although in chapter five we took a brief look at some important endings associated with all three peaks of prophecy, still, because of the proximity of the second peak, we should probably take a closer look at the endings associated with it--especially since we may be the generation on hand when these ends come to pass.

Because Matthew is known as the Gospel to the Jews, let's look first at some "ends" as they will particularly affect them at the consummation of our age. In Matthew 24:13 Jesus makes mention of one such end. "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Mt. 24:13). Contrary to what many teach, this verse is not a doctrinal statement supporting a legalistic, incomplete salvation. Rather, as can be seen by its context, it denotes the completion of something very significant to the Jews, for it speaks of those Jews who will come through the great tribulation at the end of their dispersion, to those who will endure to the end of this final holocaust of the age. This verse speaks of those Israelites at the end time who will hear the trump and see their sign—their sign being their Messiah appearing in the clouds to take up His Church (Mt. 24:30). At this point in time, Israel will mourn for Him whom they've pierced and God will fly the remnant into the wilderness with two wings of a great eagle and nourish it throughout the day of wrath to come (Rev. 12:6-16).

This period in time will see many other ends as well as many new beginnings for end-time Israel. It will bring an end to their long, dormant wintering period when they did not know the warmth of God's love. It will bring an end to their age-old blindness, for they will see the Light of Heaven split the eastern skies. It will mark the beginning of the end of the Gentile's often-cruel dominance; for near the end of this peak, King Jesus will set up His government in Jerusalem in which Abraham's seed will enjoy a favored position, even as during Joseph's rule in Egypt. Above all, it will bring an end to the long silence from God; for once more the sons of Abraham will walk with their God on planet earth.

For God this second peak will bring an end to one period of His long-suffering and set in motion the first part of the awful day of His wrath—the first half of Daniel's seventieth week.

For the Church this time will bring the end of its Age of Grace, the end of its time of temptations and testings, and the beginning of a marriage truly made in heaven.

For the Gentiles it will be the time of a double end. The first advent of our Lord's second coming, when He takes His church up to be with Him, will mark the end of the time of the Gentile's authority over spiritual things. And then, at the second event of our Lord's return near the end of the first 3 1/2 years of Daniel's seventieth week, Christ will return with His heavenly hosts and defeat the Beast and his Gentile world system. This battle between heaven and earth will put an end to the Gentile political dominion (Rev. 19: 7-16). All this fulfills Luke 21:24, "And they [Israel] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."

For Christ the second peak will be a three-fold end. It will be the end of the wait for His Bride—His dearly beloved. It will be the end of His waiting upon the nation of Israel to return to their first love, to the one who brought them out of Egypt; for while He's at the marriage ceremony in heaven, Israel will be on the earth below waiting in the wings. Also, it will be the time of the end of His wait for the kingdom promised Him before the foundations of the world—a kingdom that will rule on this earth for a thousand years and in the new heaven and the new earth for the rest of eternity (Rev. 21:1-4).

In summation, although Matthew 24 and 25 are written about three prophetic peaks full of "ends" (ends that pave the way for new beginnings), the second peak (the next on the horizon) is loaded with "prophetic ends" that are of special interest to us because of its nearness. Also of special interest to us are the things that must take place before these ends can be brought to pass, things that we'll begin to examine in our next chapter.

So then, as we've seen, the Jews that will endure to the end of this horrible time of desolations—i.e., the final throes of their awful dispersion among the Gentiles—will be saved. In verse 14 Jesus gives us an element of when this salvation will take place. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Mt. 24:14).

At this point, we should mention the different gospels in the Scriptures, although they are not different gospels but different accentuations of the same. The word gospel means good news, and it has to do with the good news that Christ has provided a salvation for man by His death on the cross. The motivation for this salvation was at least two-fold. God had a reason and a purpose for sending His only begotten Son to die for sinful man. Tied up in His reason was His love for this man that He had made in His own image. Because He had fixed His heart on man, He sent His Son to die the wondrous death of the cross so that man might love Him in return. Incorporated in His purpose is a kingdom for His beloved Son, a people with whom to fellowship, and a body of the redeemed with which to share eternity.

When we speak of different gospels, we are usually accenting either the reason or the purpose. For example, the Gospel of God, of Jesus, of Grace, and of the uncircumcision, all have to do with the reason; i.e., the salvation of man. It is through this emphasis of the Gospel that men are convicted and converted into the Kingdom of God. The Gospel of the Kingdom, though, has to do with the purpose; i.e., the good news concerning the actual installation of the Kingdom of Christ here on the earth.

In addition to the two accentuations of the Gospel, we also have four recordings of the life and teachings of Christ. Indeed, these four books that record God's "good news" for man are called the "four Gospels"; and they are named after their writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

At this point, let's consider the Mount of Olives' discourse as recorded in the Gospels of Mark and Luke; and as we do, we should take note that their accounts of our Lord's end-time teachings have a different emphasis than does Matthew's Gospel.

It is generally agreed among Bible scholars that Mark's Gospel was written with the Grace Age Church in mind. Its few references to Old Testament writings and its explanations of Jewish words and customs would indicate that it wasn't targeted just for the Israelites. Its recording of the discourse on the mount in Mark 13:1-37 seems to follow this same pattern. For example, the disciples' question is only two-fold; and the answer recorded in Mark deals only with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Lord's return for His saints. Also, Mark 13:5-11 must be speaking to the future New Testament Church; for it would seem that through the disciples, Jesus is addressing a Spirit-filled body at the end time. That this passage in Mark is written with the end-time Church in mind can also be deduced from Mark 13:10 which reads: "And the gospel must first be published among all nations" (Mk. 13:10). From its context we understand this Gospel to be the Gospel commissioned to the Gentile Church and referred to in the last chapter of the book--"Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mk. 16:15). The emphasis of Mark's Gospel is the good news that "Jesus saves!" The Olivett discourse in Mark ends with the rapture of the Church.

The Gospel of Luke has its own slant. It was written with Greek names for the Hebrew and it stresses the universal grace of God that reaches to all men. The disciples' question to Jesus is again two-fold, but this time the answer, found in Luke 21:8-28, stresses the destruction of Jerusalem at the first peak of prophecy. This is the only version of the discourse that mentions the Gentiles by name: "...and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Lk. 21:24). Also, the noticeable absence of any mentioning of a dissemination of the Gospel fits the cast. After all, since the Gentile population is the field, it has nothing to do with the sowing of the seed (the Gospel).

The Gospel of John doesn't record the Olivett discourse. Its purpose is the manifestation of the heart and the mindset of an eternal God who has fixed His heart on His creation and acted on its behalf in an awesome way! "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John quotes our Lord as saying (Jn. 3:16).

But let's go back now to the Gospel of Matthew. Before we return to the Olivett discourse as recorded in chapters 24 and 25, let's look first at the underlying motivation of the book itself. Matthew's Gospel was written with the Hebrew children in mind and the Jewish spectrum of its prophetic passages is in agreement with its purpose. It is known as the Gospel to the Jews. It is literally filled with Old Testament quotes and prophecies concerning the Christ (their Messiah); and the writer shows a special interest in the valley after the second peak of prophecy: THE KINGDOM AGE OF THE JEW! In this Gospel the word "kingdom" is referred to fifty times, the term "kingdom of heaven" is mentioned thirty times, and Matthew speaks of King Jesus seven times. In Matthew's version of the Olivett discourse, we learn that this Gospel of the Kingdom must first be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come.

Because major prophetic events represent the hand of God at work, often changing the course of history, all men are affected by prophecy either directly or indirectly. But we should note that, except for those words directed to the New Testament Church in the Epistles, most prophecy is directed to the offspring of Abraham. The great prophetic time chain of Scripture is made up of links of Israel's prophetic events. The Gentile's doings, for the most part, become prophetic only when they affect God's plan for Israel. We in the Church are warned about false teachers and teachings. We are given light concerning our Rapture. Yet, prophetically, the Church is known as the wild olive branch—grafted in when Israel was broken off, as Paul put it, to make the Israelites jealous. We Gentiles should never forget that God has had a long, sometimes-rewarding, sometimes-grievous, but never-boring relationship with the sons of Abraham; and His promises to Abraham and his seed still hold sway. Whosoever blesses them is blessed of God, and whosoever curses them is cursed of God. The inhabitants of the planet have never been able to divorce themselves from the Jewish people; consequently, as it goes for Israel, well, so it goes for the whole world!

Before we leave the gospels of the Scriptures, we should probably mention two other gospels. Although they are usually thought of as being doctrinal in nature, their influence on the end-time Church cannot be ignored. Paul calls these gospels my Gospel and another gospel that he says is not a gospel but is a perversion of the Gospel that was delivered to him when he was called up into the third heaven. The tension between the two can be expected for the duration of the Grace Age and notably so as the midnight hour draws nigh and false teachers and seducing spirits will be at their zenith.

Paul states that his Gospel is the incorruptible seed that will bring forth the new birth in receptive hearts. Building upon this analogy, would it be wrong for us to say that this other gospel (an inclusive term that covers all gospels that are contrary to or perversions of Paul's), with its contaminated spiritual DNA and RNA, can only bring forth "strange ducks"? If this is a true assumption, then one of the purposes for this other gospel—this tainted seed that God cannot honor because it does not duly honor Jesus—is to blind people to the true seed and to produce church cults. Some of these cults, by the way, are very large and their main goal seems to be the continuation of the propagation of their "other gospel" with its strange words and strange fruit. It's sad to say, but unfortunately, some of these cults are more zealous and more successful with the spreading of their gospel than the Church is with the true seed, the Gospel of Christ. Oh that the Church might repent and return to its first love and get about evangelizing the world—the main purpose for which Christ left it here on the earth!

And then, there is another reason for the perversion of Paul’s gospel; i.e., the corruption of the Church. In his gospel (his epistles), Paul sets forth for the Church the principles for the life of faith--the only life pleasing to God; and this "other gospel" is a distortion of those principles. The goal of this altered gospel is to undermine the way of faith by appealing to the flesh and vanity of the believer through some form of the law. In this, Satan's logic should be obvious, for if he can get the Church to fall back under the beggarly elements of the law, then he can keep it from walking in the love and power of God.

Sadly, more than half of today's church is taught this "gospel that is no gospel"; and when we consider that the New Testament forewarns of this permeation of seducing spirits in the church at the end time, this, too, can be seen as the fulfilling of prophecy. After all, the Scriptures speak of many at the end of the age who will be deceived by seducing spirits, of many who will heap unto themselves teachers having itching ears. Sadly, when the Holy Spirit takes up the true Church at the Rapture, this segment of the church with its form of religion will be left at the mercy of the anti-Christ.

To summarize, as we look at the Gospel of Christ (eventually known as the Gospel to the Gentiles), we see the good news that God has provided a salvation for all of mankind. This salvation for man was procured by the death, burial, and resurrection of God's only begotten Son as per the Old Testament prophecies, all of which was duly recorded in the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). In addition, the New Testament Epistles detail the application of the Gospel of Christ to the Church. And it is in the epistles written by Paul (the chief writer of the New Testament) that we are warned of "other gospels." These other gospels are inspired by Satan, the counterfeiter, says Paul, and are not gospels at all. And this makes sense for what good news can there be in a word that leads to condemnation in this life and that can lead to eternal damnation in the existence to come? In fact, Paul told the Galatians concerning the Gospel delivered to him, "If any man [or angel] preach any other gospel...let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8-9). And then, there's the Gospel of the kingdom; the Gospel we're zeroing in on for our study. And by the way, we're told that the Gospel of the Kingdom, as well as the Gospel of salvation which is found in Christ, must be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then the end shall come (Mat. 24:14 cf. Mk. 13:10—Also see booklet 5.).

The next passage in Matthew 24, verses 15-31, has to do with the order of the events at the tail end of the Jew's wintering period. This passage begins with the abomination of desolation.

Before we comment, let's read from the discourse in Mark, the only other Gospel recording the abomination.

We're told in the Scriptures that all sin is an abomination to God, although some sins are apparently more abominable than others—sodomy being such. Be that as it may, the abomination referred to in our text, if it were to be rated, would surely rank high on any sin scale; for we are told that it will horrify the Israelites, that it will produce desolation, and that it will bring a quick response from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

As we look at the passages having to do with this event, let's keep in mind the who, the where, the what, the why, and the when of the matter.

The who, the main characters, will be the Israelites and the end-time beast. (We need to be mindful that there can be others before the beast who will be very similar to him and who can typify or foreshadow him.)

The where is not quite so obvious. In Daniel 11:31 and 12:11, verses that refer to the end of the Kingdom Age, we see the daily sacrifices being removed before the abomination that maketh desolate is placed. This would seem to place the event in the temple. But we need to remember that Daniel was a prophet to the Israelites. In Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14, passages that record our Lord's prophecies concerning the abomination, there is a noticeable absence of any mentioning of the taking away of the daily sacrifices when the abomination is seen "standing where it ought not." This could be because there will be no sacrifices on the altar in the temple to be removed. In fact, it could be because there will be no temple standing at the time. To understand why there will be no sacrifices to be removed at the end of our age, let's go once again to the Book of Daniel. Although Daniel deals mainly with the removal of the sacrifices at the end of the Kingdom Age; nevertheless, in the next passage he refers to the taking away of the sacrifices per both ages.

(This author has no axe to grind at this point. If the Jews do build a temple in the holy place in the next few years, well, I will rejoice with all who look for our Lord's return. But if they don't, I don't feel that this will hinder our Lord's return for I find no Scripture that places such a temple at the second peak of prophecy.)

Let's look now at the "what" of the abomination. First off, we find no Scriptures telling us exactly what the abomination is. And as we've already mentioned, we feel that there is some question as to whether the abomination standing where it ought not (Mt. 24:15; Mark 13:14) (the occurrence that we feel will alert Israel to the impostor in their midst at the end of our age) and the placing of the abomination, the event that will begin Israel's end-time countdown as recorded in Daniel 12:11, are one and the same. Remember, via foreshadowing, a prophetic event may be placed at more than one time on the prophetic time line; and the wordings associated with the abominations have the qualities of ambiguity used with foreshadowing. Consequently, it would seem that the two events, though very similar, are not necessarily the same. Also, although the Scriptures speak of times when the abomination will mark a moment in time, they do not seem to present the offense as a one-time rebellion, but as a sin that will be repeated or one that will be initiated and continue until Christ brings it to naught. We are told that the abomination(s) will greatly offend God and His law; and we are told that they will be a landmark for Israel, offending them and bringing an end to their alliance with the man of sin.

The why reflects back to the reason for Lucifer's fall. The beast, Satan's henchman on the earth at the time(s), will try to thwart the worship of God by setting himself up, first, as Israel's Messiah (Jn. 5:43) and, finally, as God Himself; and the abomination(s) is probably tied to this delusion. He will feel confident that he will be accepted because Israel is still looking for a Messiah, their ancestors having rejected their Christ.

As to the when of the abomination, its place on the Clock of the Ages, like the time of the Rapture, is hid in God's discretion. But we should note that like the Rapture at the next peak of prophecy, the placing of the abomination of desolation associated with the last peak of prophecy will also begin a prophetic countdown! The countdown from the moment of the Rapture to the installation of the Kingdom Age will be a time, times, and half a time, or three and one-half years; while the countdown begun by the placing of the final abomination of desolation at the end of the Kingdom Age will be an exact numbers of day which the Church at that time will undoubtedly understand (see Daniel 8: 13-14 and 12:11-12).

Let's consider now the abomination at the end of our age. Because the Scriptures are not explicit as to what the abomination is or as to how long it will continue before the Rapture, it--like all other end-time signs--cannot be used to set a date for our Lord's return. If this be so, someone might ask, why bother at all with the prophetic word? Well, when we're speaking of the when of things, we need to remember that Jesus had two words on the matter. True, He said that no man would know the day or the hour of His return, but He also said blessed would be the servant that He found watching for Him at His return (Lk. 12:37; Rev. 16:15). So the things associated with the abomination and the beast, though they are too vague for those wanting a "special revelation," still serve to enhance the expectations of the Church when viewed alongside the other end-time signs.

Let's finish up by examining the unique wording of Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14, for this uniqueness gives us insight into the revelation. The Greek word noieo, translated "understanding," carries the connotation of alerting the reader to take notice, to consider, and to ponder. It has the same root word for understand as Revelation 13:18: "...Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six." The key here is "whoso readeth, let him understand [notice, consider, and ponder]." Recognition of the beast and his abomination and insight into the number of his name may come forth in the Body; but if it does, it will be for the Body and not for those without. If it does, it will be for those who are given to studying the Word, for those who can ponder in their hearts.

We can conclude by saying that the abomination of desolation is one of those Scriptural terms that stirs the imagination; and that it is key to Israel's prophetic future. Chronologically, we can not exactly place it on the Clock of the Ages, but we do know that it will be placed just before the first half of Daniel’s seventieth week prior to the installation of the Kingdom Age. Also, it seems that there will be a similar event at the end of the Kingdom Age just before the final one-half of Daniel’s seventieth week. Although we can read much about the abomination and speculate even more, yet we may never be able to determine exactly what it is or when and how it will take place. Still, it’s only natural that it should stimulate the interest of the Church; for we are given to understand that it will be closely associated with the man of sin who will be a key character in the events associated with the end of our age. This being so, in our next chapter we'll contemplate this end-time beast who will place the abomination which maketh desolate.

As we've already noted, the main characters involved in the abomination of desolation will be the beast and end-time Israel. If we'll go to the book of Daniel, we'll find some visions that will give us some insight into this end-time beast who will place the abomination in Israel's midst.

In Daniel, chapter 7, we have the account of Daniel's vision of four great beasts coming up out of the sea. Once again, we're into prophetic symbolism. The sea represents the masses of people on the earth without a covenant with God, while the four beasts represent the rulers of kingdoms. In Daniel 7:17 a heavenly messenger explains to Daniel, "...these great beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth." History records their kingdoms as Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and the Roman Empire. The fourth of these beasts, the Roman Empire, was dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth. It devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue of the other kingdoms, and it had ten horns.

In Psalms 75 we read of horns that represent power. "I said unto the fools...lift not up the horn: lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the Judge. He putteth down one and setteth up another...All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted" (Ps. 75:4-7, 10). So then, the Bible uses horns to represent power, and out of these ten horns that will come up from the fourth beast or the fourth world power (the Roman Empire) will rise another horn. "I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things" (Daniel 7:8).

There is another vision in Daniel having to do with these ten powers that will come out of the old Roman Empire. This vision was given to King Nebuchadnezzar and it was interpreted by Daniel. In the vision Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon (the ruler of the first world power) saw a great image, the figure of a man. It had a head of fine gold, breast and arms of silver, thighs and belly of brass, and legs of iron. Its feet were iron and clay.

In the given interpretation the four parts of the body represent the four world powers as per the vision of the four beasts. The legs of iron, the fourth world power (the Roman Empire), is again shown as being divided into ten--this time ten toes which represent ten nations; and Daniel 2:44 tells us that in the days of these kings, Christ shall set up His kingdom and the Kingdom Age. For this reason, there has been much speculation in the church concerning the ten nations to arise out of the Old Roman Empire and the nation that will spawn Daniel's little horn--but such speculation, although it can be interesting, nevertheless, is still just speculation.

In chapter 8 of Daniel, we have a lengthy passage of another of Daniel's visions. In it there was a ram that had two horns that none could resist, and he became great. Then a he goat came on the scene with a notable horn between his eyes, and he broke the two horns of the ram. Eventually, the great horn of the he goat was broken and in its place came up four notable ones. From one of the four came forth a little horn that waxed exceedingly great toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. Scholars tell us the ram was Media-Persia, the he goat was Grecia, and the little horn that came out of the four divisions of the kingdom of Greece was Antiochus Epiphanes. This was the Epiphanes who persecuted the Jews in 175 B.C., who forbade the Jews to be circumcised, and who tried to burn all the copies of their Sacred Scriptures. He also mocked Israel and defied their God by doing the expressly forbidden act of sacrificing a pig on the altar, thereby profaning their temple. (And by the way, to Israel’s dismay, God did not honor the backslidden nation by striking Antiochus dead on the spot for his act of blasphemy.) All this took place during the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments when every man in Israel did what was right in his own eyes—during the 400 years of silence when Israel heard not a word from the God of their Father Abraham.

According to many scholars, this little horn foreshadows the "beast" of revelations, and his transgression of desolation is a type of the end-time abomination(s) of desolation. For sure, the attitude and activities of Epiphanes do give us clues as to how the end-time beast will act; and the reason Epiphanes can typify the end-time beast has to do with an old adage; i.e., history repeats itself. This is so because the two main players behind the scenes, calling the shots, have always been Christ and His archenemy, Satan--different pawns, so to speak, but the same two players. To illustrate, Jesus said of John the Baptist, "...if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come" (Mt. 11:14). John was anointed of God in his mother's womb to go before the Christ in the same Spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way (Lk. 1:5-25). Similarly, the ancient world powers, the Caesar's of Rome, indeed, all world powers in the flesh are inspired of the devil; and they not only become vain in their imaginations, but, as has often been the case, they begin to imagine themselves as being gods. As we read in Revelation, Satan will do his greatest job ever at creating the illusion of divinity with the end-time beast; but the beast will simply be the last in a long line of deluded world powers.

While we're looking at Daniel's little horn who will place the abomination that maketh desolate, we should reemphasize some implied "no-no's" given to the Church concerning the beast and the abomination.

First, just as no one can know the day or hour of our Lord's return, neither can anyone set a date for the abomination of desolation at the end of our age. In Revelation 11, verses 1-2, we read, "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the alter, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city they shall tread under foot forty and two months." For the Jews, other than those in their wintering period, the Bible gives seasons, years, months, and even days for their prophecies. But the best the Church can hope for is an order of the events to take place, sometimes, and the same stirring of the Spirit that accompanied the time of His Visitation to the planet! The court without, the Gentiles' court, measure it not, says John. (The last 42 months of the times of the Gentiles are measured only because Israel is back in the running prophetically. This will be the first half of Daniel's seventieth week.) As for the first abomination of desolation, even though it will be a Jewish event, it is shown in the Olivett discourse as taking place during the unmeasured time of the Gentiles. Also, because Israel is to flee into the mountains when she sees the abomination standing where it ought not and because she is to pray about when her flight will take place, it would seem that the matter of where the event fits on the Clock of the Ages is yet to be determined by the end-time generation of the descendants of Abraham. If we add to these uncertainties the mysterious language used to portray the abomination of desolation, we can understand why date setting for the event(s) is a taboo.

The other "no-no" has to do with trying to reveal the identity of the beast, for Paul tells us that will not happen until after the Church goes up.

Before we analyze this passage, we need to consider some Scriptural terms that are indisputably prophetic in nature. The terms can represent more than one time in time, and their positions in the chronological order of things are not always clear. The last day(s), the latter day(s), the last time, the day of the Lord, the day of the Lord Jesus, the day of Jesus Christ, and the day of Christ are some examples of such terms. To successfully place them in the scheme of things, we need to note when they were spoken and especially in what context they were spoken. For example, the latter day(s) or time(s) for those living during the age of the law could cover the time span from their Visitation (Luke 19:44) up to the end of the world. For those living in our age, the latter day(s) could mean those times prophesied for the end of our age forward. (For our understanding of the "days" of Scripture, go to our Chart of the Days.)

Let’s go back now to II Thessalonians 2:1-12 and see if we can determine just what Paul is telling us. This passage is a classic example of when one must be familiar with the context to understand the content; so, let’s look at the particulars. It is commonly agreed among scholars that I and II Thessalonians were Paul's first epistles, written well before the gospels and before his great doctrinal epistles. We're told of the founding of the Thessalonian church in Thessalonica in the seventeenth chapter of Acts. From that passage we learn that its members were first Jewish, then Greek. This being so, the mindset of the majority of the Jews concerning their future kingdom was prevalent; i.e., they were expecting their Messiah to somehow set up His kingdom in their day. Consequently, the new converts were having to wrestle with the Pharisaical teaching that saw no need for the cross and that was oblivious of Israel's impending dispersion, her regathering, her sign, and her end-time deliverance at the end of the Church Age.

Apparently Paul had tried to waylay the Pharisaical influence by teaching the differences between the day of the Lord and the day of Christ (see the study chart). Nevertheless, after his departure teachers had apparently arisen or come into their midst teaching that their afflictions, rather than being their lot as believers, were coming about because the day of the Lord (which will begin with the first half of Daniel's seventieth week at the end of the Church Age) was already upon them. In his first epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul tried to dispel their fears concerning such a belief by explaining that that day would not come upon them as a thief in the night, for they were not in the night as are the ungodly of Israel nor in the darkness as are the lost in the world (I Th. 4:13- 5:11). He assured them in his first epistle that the Lord Jesus had not yet returned (i.e., His resurrection and His second coming were not the same)--stating that he was praying for them that they would be preserved blameless unto the day of His return (I Th. 5:23).

Apparently, his first epistle had not set aside the erroneous teachings; for very shortly thereafter, Paul sent his second epistle to the Thessalonians addressing the same problem. Somehow, he had to get across to the Jewish Christians the difference between the first part of the day of Christ (their rapture to heaven for the marriage of the Lamb) and the first ˝ of the day of the Lord (also known as the first ˝ of Daniel’s 70^th week or the first ˝ of the day of God's wrath). Although these two events will take place simultaneously, the day of Christ has to do with the Spirit-filled Church while the day of the Lord is determined upon Israel and the unbelieving Gentiles (See Illustration #4.).

In his first epistle Paul had already explained that the Thessalonian believers were not of the night, but of the day. (The Grace Age is the night for the Jew under the law, but the day for the Christian under grace.) Consequently, for them, Jesus would not come as a thief in the night. Now in his second epistle, Paul was again trying to set their doctrine in order. This time by reassuring them that when Christ did return, He would gather the bodies of all believers up to be with Him at the time of the Rapture (the first event of His Second Coming)--the Thessalonians included. And as to the false teaching in their midst that the second event in the day of Christ (His returning with His glorified Church to set up the millennial kingdom) was at hand—not so, said Paul, for two major events must first take place. There must first be (1) the great falling away associated with the tribulation period at the end of our age, and (2) the revealing of the man of sin which will take place during the first half of the day of the Lord (the first 3 1/2 years of Daniel's seventieth week) immediately following the period of tribulation.

Then, beginning with verse five, Paul reinforces what he taught them in person and what he wrote them in his first Epistle. That is, the Lord will come for His Church and take it up (the Rapture), and "he who now letteth" (the Holy Spirit) will be taken up with them or "taken out of the way." And then shall that wicked one be revealed and be allowed to do those things that will fulfill the Scriptures.

Undoubtedly, as things progress (perhaps deteriorate would be a better word) towards the culmination of this age, the Spirit-filled, Spirit-led segment of the Body of Christ will be aware of the time. (God didn't destroy Sodom without first letting Abraham, Sarah, and Lot know what He was doing.) Nevertheless, many of the things that will be revealed to the Church may come in the same vein as the revelation of our Lord's virgin birth at the time of His Visitation. We're told that Mary and Elizabeth and those let in on the doings kept those things mostly to themselves--pondering them in their hearts (Luke 2:19)—an attribute that was apparently pleasing to the Lord.

Also, let's consider one other word of caution to the Church concerning this passage in II Thessalonians 2:1-12. It is unfortunate that many newer translations have ignored the content and the context of this passage and replaced the day of Christ, as was originally translated in verse two of this passage, with the day of the Lord. This is unfortunate because their having done so throws a "monkey wrench of confusion" into the study of prophecy!

So then, in conclusion, Daniel wrote of a man of sin in the latter days, identifying him as the "beast" or the "little horn." He tells us that this "beast" will place the abomination of desolation where it ought not to be. At the end of the Kingdom age this will be the event that will start the countdown to the end of Israel's troublous times.

Also, in the Olivett discourse Jesus talked of another of the abominations alluded to by Daniel as though it would be placed at the end of our age, but with a noticeable absence of any reference to the removal of the daily sacrifice.

(There is another passage from Daniel that can also be construed as referring to the placing of the abomination at the end of our age. As you read, note that this person who will be responsible for taking away the daily sacrifice and placing the abomination that maketh desolate will not be as the former, [i.e., the one of the Old Testament, the type--the person who acted as the end-time beast will act] or as the latter [the beast at the end of the Kingdom Age]... Consequently, we can deduce that the end-time beast to which Jesus was referring will be the "beast" at the end of our age.)

So for both halves of Daniel's 70th Week, the end-time beast will take away the daily sacrifices. And for both halves, he will place the abomination that maketh desolate. Also, concerning both placings of the abomination(s), Jesus said that when Israel sees it standing in the holy place where it ought not, Israel is to flee into the mountains.

For more about the Gospel [good news] that God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life, and more about the Gospel [good news] that God has a kingdom planned for those who so believe, go to the home page and read "Clock of the Ages" in its entirety.