DECEMBER 2 "END TIMES FOR DUMMIES"

 Daniel is one of the greatest prophets for end times that ever lived. Over 2000 years later, we still have no prophet, no man that has ever given us more accurate detail about end times, the coming of Christ and the 7 year tribulation. What gives Daniel even more authority is that Jesus himself, tells us to reference to Daniel’s book for End Times “prophecy”. Daniel’s math and prophecies can seem too complex to even begin to digest, but if we take the time we find out they are amazingly accurate. In a simple, “End Times Prophecy for Dummies” let’s break down his numbers. Daniel references the time period for the completion of Israel ’s judgment for their rebellion as 70 x 7, which equals 490 years. Daniel also goes on to predict another prophecy about the “anointed one” “Christ” to come and then be killed, seemingly accomplishing nothing. The dates Daniel gives for the Anointed One are 7 sets of 7 (7x7) = [ 49 ] + 62 sets of 7 (62 x 7) = [ 434 ] . So 49 + 434 = 483 Years. According to Daniel, the clock starts ticking for this prophecy when the 2nd Temple is rebuilt. There’s no way Daniel could have ever known what the date would be for the rebuilding of the 2nd Temple . He simply writes that it will be 483 years from that date. Today, we know that the 2nd Temple was attempted to be rebuilt and stopped quite a few times, but most commentators agree that when the temple was finally and fully rebuilt was around 450 B.C. Again, Daniel predicts that from the time of the completion of the 2nd Temple to the time of the cutting of the Anointed One would be 483 years. We know that in B.C. we are counting down, then when we get to zero, we start counting upwards with 0 A.D. (Anno Domini / In the Year of our Lord/after the birth of Christ) and then counting upward, 1 A.D., 2 A.D. etc…etc…So if the Temple is rebuilt around 450 B.C. and Daniel predicts the cutting off of the Messiah at 483 years, let’s do the math! We count down 450 B.C. down to Zero, that leaves us with 33 Years. We count 33 years forward and that leaves us at 33 A.D. Who do we know and all Historians alike, that was around in 33 A.D., that was known as “The Anointed One” and was killed? Jesus (Savior) Christ (Anointed One) of course! All Theologians and Historians agree that there was a man by the name of Jesus Christ, that was by the Romans, using crucifixion as their means, around 30 – 33 A.D. Daniel prophecies that in 490 years would be the completion of the judgment of Israel and 483 years for the cutting off of the Messiah. There’s a difference of 7 years between Daniels first prophecy (490) and 2nd Prophecy (483). 490 – 483 = 7. We have never seen the fulfillment of these last 7 years of Judgment? This is where Jesus helps us! In the Gospel of Mathew 24:15 Jesus is quoting as saying, “ So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel —let the reader understand…” Jesus himself goes all the way back in time to reference to Daniel’s Prophecy of which, Jesus is one of them, but now Jesus references to a part of Daniel’s prophecy not yet fulfilled, “ so when you see ” in other words, this part has not been seen yet. Jesus is alluding to the fact that there is a part (the 7 years) of Daniel’s prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled and this 7 years of course is the 7 year tribulation. It is in the 7 year tribulation that God’s judgment on the people of Israel is finalized. Daniel writes about a Peace Treaty at the beginning of the 7 years and he writes about the Peace treaty being broken and the Anti-Christ setting himself up in the temple and breaking that peace treaty, which goes alongside with what John writes in Revelations Chapter 3. The accuracy of Daniel’s prophecy is simply amazing, but even more amazing is we know that we serve a God “who is working out all things according to his purpose and plan”. We may look around at times and feel like everything is getting out of control, especially for Christians, but Jesus is trying to show us through Daniel that history’s events are actually going just as Daniel and of course Jesus has always known and predicted. The comfort we can have in Daniel’s pinpoint accuracy is that they came from Jesus and God knows exactly what He is doing and one of the greatest prophecies that we can read in His Word is that in the end, WE WIN! No matter what we have to go through, no matter how bad things degrade in our society (as they are) Jesus tells us if we will endure until the end, He will come back, set things straight, throw the dragon, the false prophet and the devil into the lake of fire and we reign triumphantly with Him. Everything Gabriel, the Arch Angel shared with Daniel in our text we know came from Jesus, who is the Living Word, the Alpha & The Omega, The First and the Last, who knows all things to be and all things to come. If you want to take a peek, skip to the last chapter of The Book and you will read that in the end, according to Jesus, we win and our triumphant!!! “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but every jot and every title of my Word, shall be fulfilled, says The Lord”