I Have a Dream That Gets Farther Away

Today, August 28^th is the 57th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech.  I thought I would bring to your attention a few of his private notes, which were honestly expressed.  It’s obvious he had a higher view of Jesus Christ than most people think.  His views on churches are spot-on, I believe.  His last sentence is a prophecy that has largely become true.  Read on.

"How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law."

"We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws."

"I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

"But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John Bunyan: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal ..." So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremist for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime---the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists."


"I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership . . When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows."

"In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: "Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern." And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular."


"There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators"' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests.

Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often even vocal sanction of things as they are. 

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust." 

Martin Luther King
from Letter from the Birmingham Jail
April 16, 1963

Vaccine, Chips, and the Mark of the Beast--Chronology of End Times

I’ve been listening to a great series of messages by Dalton Thomas, from Frontier Alliance International, on the subject of end times. Since End-Time Scripture is focused on the Middle East, he is well-positioned to speak, being an American citizen living in Golan Heights-along with a mentor, Joel Richardson, who has written several popular books such as The Islamic Antichrist.  So I would like to give you his take on end times, with my explanations, a Cliff’s Notes, as it were, of what he calls “The Mark of the Beast, Pandemic of Coronavirus, and the New World Order.”

Dalton is responding to the fear expressed in Facebook, in emails, on whether the world-wide pandemic, and the vaccine, are a mark of the beast, or will bring about a global restructuring, a New World Order. People are also worried about taking a “chip” to bring about a cashless society.  Some people are anxiety-prone, responding to hyper-sensationalism and news of conspiracies.  It’s true that the mark of the beast is important, however, since the antichrist uses it to gain and maintain power, so let’s study this. 

Many are afraid if they take the vaccine, or take a chip to go to a cashless society, that they’ll go to hell.  They've read a Scripture that seems to say that, in Revelation 14:9-10:

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 

As you see, you must "worship the beast and his image," which is what is involved with taking "his mark."  That will send you to hell.  Neither the vaccine nor the cashless society mark, if there is one coming, fulfill the verses' expectations for those bound for hell.  

Mr. Thomas does say that with the rise of Islam and their goal of making a 10-nation caliphate (another video and blog upcoming), and the responses of each government to the pandemic, we are indeed restructuring society—and this could make it hard for a Christian to go through life untouched by persecution.  He makes it clear, though, that the vaccine or “chip” to go cashless are NOT the mark of the beast, then begins Scripture proof of this.

First, the Scripture is about the Middle East; so when we’re trying to time end-time events, we should be focusing on changes there, not in the Western Hemisphere, where we frankly don’t get mentioned in the Bible.  No political leader or techno CEO or health department from the USA or Germany, for instance, will implement the mark of the beast. Taking the “mark,” or the number 666, will initiate in the Middle East; and it will come after a worldwide military buildup of power by “the beast, ” as the ruler is also known in Scripture—and it will affect every nation, every person, on the globe for 3-1/2 years.  Thus, as far as what is important in end times, the world no longer revolves around the United States or the EU.  We’re not saying the U.S. is irrelevant—but the point is, the U.S., in end times, is not in the Bible anywhere, so we conclude that the USA is not a worldwide power at this point.  The focus is on Jerusalem, the city of the Great King, and surrounding Islamic nations. 

We need a “baptism" of study in the Bible to know what to expect in our earthly future, and turn away from pop culture or people that just want to sell books to people they hope are undiscerning.  We don’t have to fear as the world fears if we know His Word—therein is His truth.  Our concern about negatives right now in world events is way too great, it does not even compare to the truly horrible events of the future.  We are not persecuted, now, considering how we might someday be persecuted to martyrdom. We desperately need to get regularly into the Word, get right with God, to prepare ourselves for what’s coming.  Let’s begin our real study with Revelation 13:4-10:

So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”  ⁵ And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. ⁶ Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. ⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

A question that arises of the above verses:  Why do people love the beast?  Since Revelation 6 and Matthew 24 speak of continual war, “nation against nation,” the people who get tired of all the war and death, just want peace and order. They will cry for security. They will be happy about a man who could be successful militarily that he could restore peace to us.  He will deceive, and make us think that he is benevolent.  Only when he attacks Jerusalem is his satanic nature exposed.  Even then, most people don’t know (or don’t care) that he is the beast (the antichrist, or Gog), and is a true child of the devil who they also worship when they revere the beast.  This is shockingly true, even if he blasphemed God and proceeded to make war with the saints—well, they closed their eyes to evil in exchange for peace and security. They will pay dearly for this complacence.  Their names “have not been written in the Book of Life.”  They will be in hell when they die.  They wanted a calmer life in the present, not thinking about eternity. Don’t let this be you. 

A second aspect of the verses:  God will actually give the devil (the dragon above) worldwide authority, even to kill His children, which Satan passes along to his son, the beast. How could God do that? Is God not loving? But I ask you, who opens the seals in Revelation 6 for the horrible things to come?  Jesus, the Lamb of God. So the truth is, God does this to test our faithfulness to Him.

Consider Deuteronomy 13:1-3:

“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ ³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

This life-or-death testing by God is a heavy reality, but very true nonetheless.  This messes with our theology, but that’s because we’ve had it so good that we’ve developed “easy believism” in our “cotton candy Christian culture,” and don’t know of the two sides of God. As Paul says it in Romans 11, “consider the goodness and severity of God.”  Difficult times are coming; this will be the most severe possible test by God.  We must hold onto our faith, knowing by faith that He will win, that He has ultimate sovereignty.  But remember, this testing will last for only 42 months.  Jesus calls it the “tribulation,” see Matthew 24:21.  If we want heaven, we should not take up a sword as resistance; that’s the way of the world. Note Jesus, who did not resist the Cross. We can flee to a remote place, but if confronted, we give all allegiance to God and do not resist. Be willing to be a captive; be willing to be slain.  Just endure in faith—even to the end of your life, if need be. Such could be an astounding testimony. The greatest harvest of new saints to heaven in the past came upon the martyrdom of His children.  God may call upon us to suffer—but is the servant greater than his master?  If Jesus suffered, shall we not also expect to suffer?

Here is Revelation 13:16-18, the verses everyone is concerned about:

He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave (slavery and human trafficking will arise again), to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. ¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

We may be confused about the “mark;” is it just an economic device as to who can buy or sell? Well, it’s something on the hand or the forehead, yes, but Mr. Thomas thinks it’s something more.  We can learn some from history.  In the past, when Islam took over rule, those that wouldn’t bow to Allah were subjugated—it was difficult to get a good job, hard to travel, especially internationally. They had to pay what they called the “jizya tax,” an extra tax, and had the letter “N” on their house (infidel worshippers of the Nazarene).  They had their neighbors rewarded for spying and tattling on them, their rights as to freedom of speech would go away, their lawyers would still have to learn Islamic law in court.  They became part of the house of the unfaithful. It was simply a test of what God they would worship, and were they faithful enough to suffer for their God.  Perhaps when the antichrist, who is Islamic, takes over, Satan, or the beast, wants worship the same way.  So the “mark,” besides the non-buy and sell, really asks: Can you subjugate like this, enduring for Christ, or do you bow to the beast and the dragon (Satan), and become Islamic?  A different meaning for “mark,” is it not? But it is in Merriam Webster’s dictionary.  

Before you imagine what you will do to keep from starving, since you can’t buy or sell, it might be tempting to “pretend” to convert to Islam.  But here are some more verses to think about: Revelation 14:9-11:

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Everyone will hear, and maybe see, this angel.  The beast, in administering this no-buy, no-sell, has worldwide authority, so he can rather effectively enforce this terrible rule.  So if you are being asked in one country to take a chip in your hand for cashless banking, it can’t be “the mark” that would send you to hell.  God will require that Satan sets the real “mark” to be a worship of the beast, so that if you do it, it is out of defiance to Him.  THAT’s the one that will send you to hell. It’s an open, conscious decision of worship that you have to announce.  It would never be an “accident.”  You must decide; temporary life on an admittedly deranged earth, followed by an eternity in hell—or suffering, perhaps dying, for God, who will reward you with heaven?  The real issue is, who do you worship?  God cannot have any mercy on you if you have chosen to depend on the beast rather than God for your needs. 

You may say yes, you must have the mark to buy or sell, and yes, you want to protect your family—“we’ll starve unless we take the mark.”  But I believe there will be alternatives; maybe there could be a black market in a food co-op if you join a Christian group (joining a hated group would require a lot of faith).  Maybe you could grow your own food.  Of course, then you must protect it. (This will cause many thefts and deaths for sure.) Maybe God could send an angel dropping it off—probably a rare event. Since it might be tempting to avoid all that life-endangering risk and take the mark, we must resist the urge, we must endure and have radical faith that God means every word He says. If He says, “Everyone who takes the mark is bound for hell,” as it does in verses above, believe His Words.  Can you take a chance that He is kidding, that you “know” Him better than that? Care to gamble on an Eternity in hell? 

Another proof that you’re not going to hell taking a vaccine, or a chip for a cashless society:  The last 7 years is detailed in Scripture.  Scripture divides the 7 years in two. Proof of that is in Daniel 9:27:

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one seven; But in the middle of the seven He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,

Here’s what happens in the first 3-1/2 years.  It begins with a covenant of peace that the antichrist makes with the Jews.  That begins the first 3-1/2 years, also called “the beginning of sorrows.” But this is not the tribulation, but a warm-up.  There will be many wars, but not the War to End All Wars, or Armageddon; there will be deception and famine, and earthquakes, but so have we at all times—just not so many at once. These repeating events cannot be measuring points for when the 7 years begin. Only the covenant is an effective time test as to when the 7 years begin.  There might be a testing of technology to see a chip’s workableness for the future mark, but using it to hunt for Christians’ lives will not be yet.  The covenant with the Jews is the beginning.  Start counting there.  You cannot be fearful of any “mark” then. Remember, the antichrist is deceptively appearing as a friend to Jews and Christians, so no great harm yet.

The real hurt happens in the second 3-1/2 year, the tribulation.  Look what Daniel 7:25 says about it:

He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand
for a time and times and half a time.

The saints, all those who believe and follow the Lord, are hunted down and killed for 3-1/2 years, or “Time, times, and half a time.”   This period is so important that from Revelation 6 to almost the end of the book, all the events take place in that second 3-1/2 year timeline.  We know that because the introduction to all this, in Revelation 11:2, 12:6 and 12:14 all refer to periods called, variously, “time, times, and half a time”--and “1260 days,” which is 3-1/2 years, and of course, “42 months,” which is also 3-1/2 years.  This is how it will go. Right after the first 3-1/2 years is over, the deadly last 3-1/2 years is going to begin. What is the big event that starts it?  The answer is, in Revelation 11, the city of Jerusalem is attacked and trampled down, and the Jews flee—that’s the measurable beginning of the last 3-1/2 years.  Measure it.  The antichrist blasphemes on the altar of the restored temple in Jerusalem, see Matthew 24:15:

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), ¹⁶ “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

What is this “abomination?”  Maybe he sacrifices a pig on the altar in the holy of holies, perhaps he erects an altar to himself. In any event, Jews in Jerusalem are able to figure it out—they take flight, knowing he will go on a killing spree.  Consider Zechariah 14:1-2: 

Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. ² For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Half will go into captivity.  The other half? Slain, fled, or hidden.  Only the “remnant” is left there.  His saints, see Daniel 7:25 above, should also flee urban areas, since he is gunning for them too.  He is worse than Hitler, worse than Nero, worse than the Inquisition, all rolled together.  At the beginning of the second 3-1/2, the beginning of tribulation, upon blaspheming the Jews’ holy site, his true self is unmasked; he is an enemy of Jews, and Christians. 

THIS is when taking his mark of worship will mean eternal death.

Looking back for context, Revelation 12 has a broader storyline—it tells of the birth of Jesus, in metaphors. It reminds you of Genesis 3:15, of the conflict of Jesus and the devil.  Satan has tried throughout history to oppose God, but in this last 3-1/2 years, there is unprecedented war that Satan brings on Christ’s followers and on the Jews. See Revelation 12:12:

Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

An eradication of the saints is also his goal. He is devastatingly effective.   

Keep in mind that God gave him the authority for 42 months (Rev. 13:5) to put His children to such trial and death.  The “mark” is a symbol of his authority at that time.  So, let’s say some governmental agency currently comes up with a vaccine, or, let’s say, airlines won’t let you fly currently unless you can show proof of vaccine; so is taking the vaccine a mark of the beast? No, because the real “mark” in Rev. 13 is after the beast has been unmasked, and has taken his place on the world stage.  Thus, any mark you may be fearful of now, you need not fear until these things happen. It will NOT be the mark of the beast until then.

You need to know that even now, with Kurdish groups under the oppression of Turkish proxy groups, or with Shia groups occupying Sunni populations in Syria, you cannot buy or sell unless you take a knee to their Islamic religion and Shiite law.  But this localized problem is not the end time. (For further explanation, see Daniel 9-12, covered in other videos, which includes other references to these last 3-1/2 years).  Isis did much damage, despite being a small band of rogue jihadists.  Imagine the damage that could be done by a 10-nation confederacy of jihadists with scripturally inspired bloodlust, bent on one thing—killing and destroying.   

If we are living in this time of the invasion of Jerusalem, we know that this second 42 months, despite its horrors, is just before the edge of Eternity; it is the hallmark sign and prophetic event that signals to the church that this is close to the End War, that this is the final countdown.  We are on the brink of the glorious age to come, months away from heaven, to be with our just and victorious and loving Lord forever.  A time of excitement, not fear. To quote Mr. Thomas, “the Day of the Lord is very great and very terrible. It’s going to be the most glorious hour of human history, but also the most difficult, terrible and challenging hour of human history.” It’s the great clash of the extremes. This is not about vaccines, which are minor; we’re talking about mass bloodshed, mass jihad, mass subjugation of the people of God. 

Mr. Thomas also makes a shocking statement:  The pre-tribulation rapture theory is “so destructive.”  If you have plans for being in heaven during this time, being conveniently rescued out of here, then thinking of how you can educate your spouse or your kids, or speak prophetically to the church, and how you can best mentally prepare those around you for the terror that could happen (followed by the best that could happen) won’t be your concern—it’s irrelevant. “That’s destructive,” he says. Revelation repeats many times a call to endurance for the saints.  So how can you line this up with the doctrine that God intends to rescue us painlessly?

In any event, currently opting out of the vaccine or the “chip” cannot use the “mark of the beast” as an excuse to opt out.  You may have other reasons to refuse it, but not this. Other talk about us being persecuted, even if true, pales in comparison to the future. 

Keep one thing in mind:  Yes, “it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.”  (Rev. 13:7).  But who is the ultimate overcomer?  We His children are:  As Rev. 12:11 says:

And they (saints) overcame him (the antichrist) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

This is how we obtain victory.  We simply follow a crucified Messiah.  We shall be victors with Him.

Even better than this, thanks to Jesus, He raises our bodies as new bodies in His rapture to be with Him forever.  So we are the ultimate overcomers. So we must know this:  Forget self-defense. That doesn’t mean not to flee, not to protect your family.  But do not take up arms, form militias and rebel, or fight against heavier taxes and persecution by cheating and by retribution, killing your opposition. Keep in mind that you will be in heaven, they will be in hell.  Unless they repent.  If you kill them, they will not have a chance to repent.  Vengeance is God’s.  Do not worry about giving up your life.  You will live again.

How Long Do Christians Have to Suffer in the Tribulation?

The order of End Times events we left off Part II was: Deception, wars, famine (these 3 are called “the beginning of sorrows”), then the abomination of desolation (sacrilege by the antrichrist) in the holy place (i.e., in Jerusalem), then the tribulation with death and martyrdom of Jews and Christians. Then the cosmic disturbance, blackening the sky, then the sign (like bright lightning), then His Coming in the clouds, visible to all, with angels blowing the trumpet, believers are rescued, gathered in the sky—and then on the same day, the Day of the Lord’s wrath on the rest begins.

Now other questions arise: “How long do all these End Time events take? How long will the tribulation—the death and martyrdom--be? What event triggers these horrors?” The answers to those three questions are in Daniel 9:24ff:

“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

Very difficult verses, but here are likely the main points:

a. Since the word "seven" (an accurate NIV translation) doesn't explain time, we will change the word “seven” above  into “seven years,” simply because of the accuracy of the date that it predicts. Follow that assumption below and you'll see what I mean:

b.With that "seven"="7 year" assumption, the span of time from the command to “restore and build Jerusalem,” until “the Anointed One” (the Messiah, Jesus), was prophesied to be 7x7 years+62x7 years, or 49+434=483 years. But these are Hebrew years, of 360 days each. To translate it to Roman years, our years, with leap year every four years, a real year is really 365.24 days. 483 times 360/365.24 is 476. So 483 Hebrew years is 476 Roman, or our years, being predicted for the span of time between those events.

c. As it turned out, the 476 years prophesied was dead-on, which is why we substituted "years" for "sevens." The actual command to restore Jerusalem happened under the Persian emperor Artaxerxes, in 444 BC. Jesus, the Anointed One, died (as proven on another blog I have) in 33 AD. Keep in mind, you only count a year from 1 BC until 1 AD (there was no “year zero,” so you lose a year in the count. So the span of time goes like this: Adding 444 BC to 33 AD, minus 1, you get—476! As prophesied! Well, why should we be surprised—that’s the way God does it.

d. As you may have noticed, only 69 (7+62) of the 70 required “sevens,” or 7-year periods (see Dan. 9:24), of Jewish suffering have happened already. Only 483 of the required 490 Hebrew years. So the 70th seven-year period has not happened yet. So we can possibly assume the last 7 years prophesied is still in the future. (The phrase “Anointed One will be put to death”—verse 26--MAYBE suggests a stop to the counting of years at 33 AD, with the final seven reserved for the future--we're assuming that). I’m also suggesting (with proof for this idea, below) that the six events, or “seals,” we’ve talked about in Revelation 6 and confirmed in Matthew 24 (deception, wars, famine, death, martyrdom, rescue) will take 7 years to happen—so you can see why we make it the 70th “seven.” I’m finally suggesting (with more proof below) that the last 3 seals last for half the seven years, or 3-1/2 years. That means, of course, that the tribulation (two of those last 3 seals—death and martyrdom) are in those last 3-1/2 years, before Christ comes again at the tail-end of the 6th seal.

What is my proof for these claims? Let’s start with the “ruler who will come," under whose orders "his people---will destroy….the sanctuary” (v. 26). That can’t be speaking of Jesus. It’s talking of the deceiver, the antichrist, who is trying to take His place as God. Before this, he will “confirm a covenant” (v.27), presumably with the Jews, to protect them as he pretends to be their friend (that's his deception). This will happen at the beginning of the seventieth 7 years, since he did it “for one seven” (v.27), a 7-year covenant covering the span of the 70th "seven." But then “in the “middle of the seven” (v.27), or after 3-1/2 years, he breaks the covenant, doing sacrilege (an “abomination,” as Daniel 9 calls it), thus revealing his true nature as an enemy of Jews. Jesus, in mentioning end times in Daniel, warned Jews to run for their lives when they see this (Matthew 24:15-16). Now you can easily assume that the antichrist will spend the last 3-1/2 years, from the middle to the end of the 7 years, killing Jews and Christians. See Rev. 13:7 for proof of Christians being involved:

It was granted to him (the antichrist) to make war with the SAINTS and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

There is NO Scripture that limits the word "saints" to Jews. Saints always refer to all God's children.  Since there was no previous rapture, the living saints have to go through the tribulation--as we have proved in other ways.

Proof of the second 3-1/2 year time period is how it is also prophesied in several Biblical passages. It’s variously called “time and times and half a time,” or 3-1/2 times, “42 months” and “1260 days,” all meaning 3-1/2 years (these references are in Rev. 11:2,3; 12:6, and 13:5, and Daniel 7:25). That’s the length of the Death and Martyrdom —and the length of the tribulation, as the rescue/rapture doesn't come until the last day. This perfectly proves our prior idea that the antichrist splits the last 7 years in half (see Dan. 9:27b).  As you can surmise, the first 3-1/2 years of the 7 year period was the deception period, the wars, and the famine. Then is the antichrist's unveiling in the middle. Since the antichrist boasts that he is God (Rev. 13:6), he gets his commands from Satan, and we can fairly presume he was the biggest reason for those first three seals, or disasters, too. As we pointed out before, Revelation 12:2 shows how Satan will be enjoying himself causing such grief and death. So for the first 3-1/2 years he makes a peace pact with the Jews, pretending to be their friend. But then he makes war, consolidating power. War's destruction helps bring on famine. Then in the middle of the 7 years, he does sacrilege, the abomination, and reveals himself as their (and saints') enemy, then in the last 3-1/2 years--the tribulation--he goes all-out to kill all Jews and Christians. Don't forget, this order of events is proven in Matthew 24 AND Revelation 6 (see Part II). After all that, at the end, the rapture saves remaining genuine Christians from physical death and the wrath of God is reserved for those who have ignored God and ignored His laws.

Jesus, in Matthew 24:15-21, clearly says the antichrist’s revealing himself (which is in the middle of the 7 years) begins the tribulation.

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains… 21 For THEN there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Thus, to repeat this for emphasis, the real tribulation is not 7 years, but only the latter 3-1/2 years. This latter period is also called “travail” in Rev. 12:2. Also, this is not God’s wrath, and also remember, Christians go through the tribulation, see Parts I and II in my blogs of the two weeks for more proof of that.

Some interesting additional facts: In the tribulation will come the most audacious move of the antichrist’s reign. He will evidently have the world’s worship and control of the world’s money system—because he will implant, on the hands/foreheads of everyone who submits to him, a “mark.” Thus, buying or selling food, etc. is impossible unless you submit to his lordship and receive the mark (Rev. 13:16-17). Let us never submit to that, because as an angel will warn everyone (Rev. 14:9-11), anyone who thus submits to the antichrist WILL WRITE HIS OR HER TICKET TO HELL:

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” 

You may ask, cynically, "If I want to follow God and reject the mark, will God "reward" me by allowing me to starve?" or "Will God send me to hell for eternity just because I wanted food, and took the mark?" I'm betting God will show many of His faithful ones a separate way to get food. Maybe even by miracles. Waiting out starvation, exercising this kind of resolve and faith will be challenging for Christians, but saving your soul will be definitely worth it. Yes, in saving your soul, your body may be martyred. Yes, there will be many who will be weak and fall away. (II Thess. 2:1-4). Do not join them! You must endure to the end to be saved! (Matthew 10:22).

Another interesting additional fact: Two "witnesses" (maybe Elijah and Moses) will appear for the last 3-1/2 years, prophesying God's truth and performing miracles (Rev. 11:3,5-12), such as fire from their mouths destroying their enemies, stopping rain from falling, and rising from the dead.

***So here is our final course of events: At the very beginning of the 7-year End Times, Antichrist makes a covenant to protect Israel, deceiving the world--and the Jews. This begins Daniel’s 70th 7-year period. First 3-1/2 years are the “beginning of sorrows:” Deceit by the antichrist, Wars, and Famine. Then the antichrist desecrates the holy place in Jerusalem, reveals himself as an enemy of Jews and saints, and we begin the last 3-1/2 years, the tribulation, the “travail”: Death and Martyrdom of Jews and Christians. The antichrist institutes a mark--you must worship him to buy or sell. Two witnesses speak up for God and perform miracles. Then at the end of the 7 years, we have the cosmic disturbance, and the Coming, which is: the sign (bright lightning), then His appearance in the skies with angels blowing the trumpet, believers rescued, they are gathered to be with Him. On the same day, then the Day of the Lord’s wrath begins on the unsaved.

Let’s say this one more time: As you can see, from our three-week analysis: (1) the tribulation is not the same as God’s wrath; and (2) Christians are not raptured until the end—we have to endure the tribulation. Many of them will die first. (3) Saved people (rescued) and unsaved people (wrath) are dealt with on the same Day of the Lord—there is no one “left behind.” Other theories some theologians give are popular simply because they say just what you want to hear, as II Timothy 4:3-4 says:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

The most popular alternate theory is the pretribulationist, or “pretrib” theory—that Christians are raptured before the tribulation. Escaping such devastation sounds so nice. But don’t fall for this; as this 3-part study proves, the order of events is otherwise. Read the Scriptures yourself. (Consider this too: The pre-trib theory feeds an “AWOL” mentality; see my comments in part I). Even their best pre-trib mind, John F. Walvoord, from Dallas Theological Seminary, admits their theory is shaky and has no real Scriptural proof. In his book, The Rapture Question, page 16 and 148, he says: “Neither posttribulationism nor pretribulationism is an explicit teaching of the Scriptures…it is therefore not too much to say that the rapture question is determined more by ecclesiology (what different church denominations believe) than eschatology.” (Wait a minute…this is supposed to be a study of eschatology--a study in the future! Mr. Walvoord, you’re admitting you can’t find Scriptural support in future studies?) Richard Mayhue, also a proponent of the pretrib view, told the Grace Theological Seminary “perhaps the position of pretribulationism is correct although its proof at times has been logically invalid or at least unconvincing.”

And all the pre-tribbers say, “Thanks for the support.”

Let’s believe the Bible, not theological suppositions which have as their highlight, that you can escape suffering. After all, Jesus and Paul said we would suffer for Him (Romans 8:17, among many others).