By Pastor Greg...
Watching that video makes us wonder if what we are seeing in the world
today are signs of the “end times.” Well,
the chaos in our world might resemble
the end time events in Revelation, but they are not the specific events. They are a foretaste of what will come.
We even see this in the
Bible. For example, consider what
happened to the people of Jerusalem. Before
Babylon conquered them, a priest named Ezekiel was given an interesting
revelation. In a vision, he saw God’s
throne leaving the Temple, allowing the Babylonian army to destroy the city. Because God was no longer protecting
Jerusalem, the king of Babylon destroyed everything, even the Temple. Without God, Jerusalem was exposed to the
wickedness of humanity… and their world fell into utter chaos; a foretaste of what happens in the book of
Revelation.
John the Apostle was also given an
interesting revelation. He too saw God’s
throne (compare Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4).
In both cases, the Spirit of the Lord had been withdrawn, except in
John’s vision, the Spirit had been withdrawn from the entire earth. In Revelation, the Spirit brings with Him every
Christian man, woman, and child, leaving the rest of humanity exposed to the
wickedness of Satan. And when the Spirit
of God departs, the whole world will fall into utter chaos.
So, anything we witness right now is
a foretaste of things to come, not the
actual events described in Revelation 6.
I know life can seem kind of chaotic at times. Sometimes it feels like life is falling
apart. But you need to know that our
Heavenly Father is in control of things.
He is mindful of all things. He
is not blind. He has not lost
control. “Yes, these things must take place first, but
the end won’t follow immediately,” says the Lord in Luke
21:9. All these things are happening
according to God’s timeline.
Really. Nothing happens by chance. Everything that is happening is according to
God’s plan and His timing.
I know; that’s a rather bold
statement. But it’s true. Nothing happens a day sooner or later than
God intends. In fact, let me show you
just how precise God’s timeline truly is.
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I know. I’m digressing from the study of
Revelation; you’re all ramped up about the seals on the scroll. But trust me; this rabbit trail is
important.
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According to Gabriel, “A period of seventy
sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish
their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring
in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint
the Most Holy Place. 25 Now listen and understand! Seven sets
of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is
given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will
be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times”
(Daniel 9:24-25).
These “70 periods” are broken down
into three segments; he says there will be 7 sets of 7 with 62 sets of seven
added on, and then 1 set of seven. The
he says, “After
this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed,
appearing to have accomplished nothing” (Verse 26). So, in God’s timeline, the Anointed One will
be killed after “Seven sets of seven plus
62 sets of seven.” This accounts for 69
of the 70 sets of seven Gabriel mentioned at the beginning. Finally, he tells Daniel that a “ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple.
The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that
time to the very end. 27 The ruler will make a treaty with the
people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put
an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible
deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the
fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him” (verse 27).
Like I said, it is a strange
answer. So, let me help clarify a few
things. In this Jewish culture, they
functioned in sets of sevens. Every
seventh year they were supposed to take a Sabbath rest (Leviticus 25:1-7). After 7 sets of seven (which equals every 49
years) they were to celebrate the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-12). So, 70 sevens equals 490 years. Anyway, in his message, Gabriel tells Daniel
that 483 years will pass until the Anointed One appears in Jerusalem.
What you may not know is that according
to some very accurate records,[1]
the Jews were sent back to Israel and commanded to rebuild on March 5, 444 B.C.
(Nehemiah 2:8). The 69 sets of seven –
the 483-year span – extended to March 30, 33 A.D. The day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey
(Palm Sunday). Jesus rode into Jerusalem
precisely when God had planned. His hour
had finally come.
Jesus didn’t experience some bad
luck that week. It wasn’t “fate” or “destiny.” It was God’s timeline. He arrived precisely on time; exactly
according to God’s plan. And the reason
this should be important for us is because it clearly demonstrates that things
are happening according to God’s plan.
He is intimately involved in life.
He has a timeline, and things will unfold precisely when He has
determined. In fact, your Bible says
that God has determined the full number of people who will become Christians
(Romans 11:25) and the number of those who will be killed because of their
faith in Jesus (Revelation 6:11). Jesus
says God knows us so well that nothing happens in our life beyond His knowledge
(see Matthew 10:30). King David suggests
that God knows our thoughts, where we are, what we are doing, and even counts
out each of our days before we are born (Psalm 139). For example, consider Nathaniel. Jesus knew who he was and what he was doing long
before the two ever met in person (John 1:47-48).
So, I understand that the chaos in
our world causes us to fear. We become
alarmed and tend to worry about things.
But isn’t that exactly what Satan wants us to do? He wants us to worry and lose faith. He wants us to live in fear. He feeds
our fears; trying to convince us we don’t have enough material things. He uses the media to spread panic and
alarm. It happens, but we must not allow
our “Fears for
today or our worries for tomorrow” to overpowers us (Romans
8:38). We must “let the peace that comes from Christ rule in
our hearts” (Colossians 3:15).
Although it seems like our world is filled with chaos today, things are
not nearly as bad as they will be on the day Jesus begins to open that scroll.
Oh, I almost forgot the Last Week
mentioned by Gabriel; that final set of sevens.
This last week is a seven-year span where a ruler will act like he is
helping Israel, but part way through, he will turn against them. This, of course, is when the antichrist rises
to power. Now, the big question scholars
ask is whether that week has happened
or is yet to come. Are the events we are witnessing in the world
today part of this “last week?”
In Luke 21:24, Jesus indicates
that an interlude in these 70 “weeks” was about to take place. He mentioned a period called “The time of the
Gentiles,” and that once this came to an end, Jerusalem would no longer be
trampled down by foreign kingdoms. So,
according to conservative scholars, we are presently living in something called
the Church Age – that interlude between the 69th week (the death of
Christ) and the 70th week mentioned by Gabriel (where Christ returns
at the end). As I said in an earlier
message, the events associated with the “Seven Seals” in chapter six do not
happen until the Church is called to Heaven.
Listen, I know somedays it’s
difficult to imagine that God is still in control. It sure seems like we are living in chaotic
times. And I struggle with the
understanding that God is intimately involved in my life. Maybe you do as well. But to me, this whole section from Daniel
confirms that, yes, God is still in
control. The end of things is in the Lord’s hands. The Father and the Son are in control of everything.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no
longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry,
or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 37 No, despite all these things,
overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us (Romans 8:35 & 37). God is in charge, not humanity. He has given authority to Jesus, and Jesus
will determine when and where it all ends.
The Scroll is in His hands
And so is your life.
[1] Harold
W. Hoehner. (1977). Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan Publishing House.
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