Posts

Showing posts from December, 2018

Seventieth Week

Synopsis :  An analysis of the final week of the “Seventy Weeks” prophecy – Daniel 9:26-27. We now reach the end of the “Seventy Weeks” prophecy, its final or so-called seventieth “ week ” ( Daniel 9:26-27 ). This passage describes a set of events for which the preceding sixty-nine “weeks” have prepared. The text says nothing about the destruction  of the city or the Temple. Instead, in this final “ week ,” the people of the city are “ corrupted ,” and the Sanctuary is defiled by the “ abomination that desolates .

First Sixty-Nine Weeks

The first sixty-nine “weeks” lay the groundwork for the tumultuous events of the final or “seventieth week”  –  Daniel 9:25 .  Next, the angel described the first sixty-nine “ weeks ” of the  prophecy, but only briefly. As he declared at the start, “ seventy weeks are  divided  upon your people and upon your holy city .” After presenting the  redemption  that would be realized by the end of the prophecy, he described its three subdivisions of “ seven weeks ,” “ sixty-two weeks ,” and “ one week ,” presumably, consecutive periods of 49, 434, and 7 years.

The Fierce King

Image
In the second half of Chapter 8, Daniel receives the interpretation of his vision of the “ Ram and the Goat .” In Chapter 7, only the first “ Beast from the Sea ,” the lion-like creature, could be identified with certainty, namely, the Neo-Babylonian Empire. In contrast, in the interpretation in Chapter 8, two of the four kingdoms are identified by name, the “ Kingdom of the Medes and Persians ” and “ Greece .”

Seed of the Woman vs Dragon

SYNOPSIS  –  After his expulsion from heaven, the “Dragon” began to wage war against the “seed of the Woman” – Those who hold the “testimony of Jesus”  -  Revelation 12:7-17 .  After the sounding of the seventh trumpet, John saw a “ great sign ” in heaven, a woman “ arrayed with the sun and the moon beneath her feet ” about to give birth. The vision concluded with an enraged “Dragon” standing on the seashore, poised to summon the ten-headed “ beast ” to ascend from the sea to execute his “ war ” against the “ seed of the woman .”

The Son and the Dragon

Image
In Chapter 12, John sees a new “ sign ” in the heavens, the Woman “ clothed with the sun, and the moon beneath her feet .” She is wearing a “ crown of twelve stars ,” and she is pregnant and about to give birth to one identified as a “ son .” He appears in fulfillment of the messianic promise in the Second Psalm, the King and Son of Yahweh who is destined to “ rule the nations .”

Little Scroll

Next, John sees the scroll again, only now it is unsealed and open, signifying the time for his call to prophesy once more to peoples and kings  – Revelation 10:1-11.  The first six trumpet plagues  failed to cause the “ inhabitants of the earth ” to repent. Instead, they only hardened their hearts even more.  Something more is needed to complete “ the mystery of God .” The narrative now takes a new direction. Rather than another plague, John sees the scroll unsealed, then he is commissioned to prophesy to “ nations and kings .”

Silence in Heaven

At the end of the seventh seal, seven angels prepare to sound their trumpets, unleashing judgment on the “inhabitants of the earth”  – Revelation 8:1-6.  The saints have been “ sealed ,” washed “ in the blood of the Lamb ,” and brought safely through the “ great tribulation .” The full complement of “ witnesses ” has been assembled, and the time has arrived for judgment to be rendered against the “ inhabitants of the earth ” that persecuted the martyrs. Their plea for “ vengeance ” is about to be answered.

First Four Seals - Aftermath

The first four seal openings occur under the watchful eyes of the “Lamb” and the “four living creatures” around the “throne”  –  Revelation 6:8 .  Collectively, the four “ riders ” are authorized to kill “ a fourth of the earth .” Each seal is “ opened ” by the “ Lamb ,” and each respective “ rider ” is commanded to ride by one of the “ four living creatures ” that surrounded the “ throne .” The forces unleashed by the first four seals result from the “ Lamb ” breaking open the seven “ seals ” of the scroll.

Multiple Final Judgments?

Final judgment scenes occur several times in  Revelation . The sevenfold series of “ seals ,” “ trumpets ,” and “ bowls of wrath ” all culminate in the final judgment, and each time it is punctuated by terrestrial and celestial upheaval. And these three “judgments” are in addition to the one that occurs as the “ Great White Throne of Judgement ” when the wicked are cast into the “ lake of fire .”

Throne and the Sealed Scroll

The central figure of the book is the freshly slain Lamb who alone has the authority to open the Sealed Scroll, beginning with its seven seals - Revelation 4:1-5:14.  The scene in chapters 4 and 5 is the theological center of the book of Revelation and sets the stage for all that follows. Through a paradoxical victory, the sacrificial Lamb is crowned sovereign over the Cosmos.  This next scene is connected to the preceding seven letters by verbal links.  

Second Division - Outline

The  Book of Revelation  is divided into four main literary units, each identifiable by the entry of John “ in the Spirit ” and his relocation to a new visionary vantage point (Patmos, the Throne, the Wilderness, “ great high mountain ”). Each division is easily subdivided into smaller units; for example, the series of the “ seven seals ” or the “ seven trumpets ” - (Revelation 1:9, 4:1-3, 17:3, 21:10).

Philadelphia and Laodicea

Philadelphia ( Revelation 3:7-13 ): The city of Philadelphia lay fifty kilometers southeast of Sardis and between it and Laodicea. It straddled a major road into the interior; trade with other regions was vital to its economic life. Philadelphia was established as a city around in 189 B.C. by Eumenés II, king of Pergamos. He named it in honor of his brother and successor, Attalus II . The city came under Roman rule when the last king, Attalus III, bequeathed Pergamos to Rome in his will (133 B.C.).

Thyatira and Sardis

Thyatira : The  city of Thyatira  was situated fifty-five kilometers southeast of Pergamos and eighty kilometers inland. Its proximity to Pergamos explains why the doctrines of the Nicolaitans also infiltrated this group. Christianity reached Thyatira at an early stage, but the details of those distant events remain unknown.

Four Beasts - Interpretation

The vision of the fourth beast, its little horn, and the war it wages on the saints is interpreted for Daniel by an angel .  Daniel’s vision of the four beasts “ from the sea ” concludes with a judgment scene. In it, the figure “ like a Son of Man ” approaches the “ Ancient of Days ” and receives everlasting “ dominion .” His vision leaves Daniel confused and troubled, but an angel provides him with the interpretation.

Next Imperial Power

After the overthrow of the Babylonian kingdom, the new ruler appointed Daniel as his chief officer over the other civil servants of the city. This caused resentment among the other officials, so a conspiracy was hatched to destroy by trapping Daniel with his own words, even ensnaring the unwitting king in the plot.

Head of Gold Shattered

The events recorded in the fifth chapter occurred on the eve of the city’s conquest by the “ Medes and Persians .” That night, the king hosted a feast “ for a thousand of his lords ” who “ tasted wine ” from the vessels looted from the Jerusalem Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, all while praising the false gods of the empire.

Downfall and Restoration

Nebuchadnezzar has another dream, and as before, one that only Daniel can interpret. Yahweh will remove the king from power until he learns that the “ Most-High God ” is sovereign over the affairs of men. Chapter 4 begins and ends with the Babylonian ruler acknowledging the sovereignty of the God of Israel.

Great Image of the King

Nebuchadnezzar implemented his dream by “setting up” the great golden image as he imagined it to glorify his majesty and realm  - Daniel 3:1-7.  The King invested great effort to make  his dream into reality. First, he “ set up ” an enormous image covered in gold to represent his majesty and the irresistible power of the Empire. Then, he commanded all the “ peoples and nations and tongues ” of his realm to pay homage to his image or face a horrific and certain death in the “ burning fiery furnace .”

Introduction to Daniel

An introduction to the book of Daniel with a brief overview of how the book of Revelation applies passages from it .  The book of  Daniel  is a well-structured literary work, not a collection of folk stories or random and unrelated visions. At the very beginning, the key themes of the book are presented in brief, then worked out in detail in its subsequent chapters, and each new vision builds on the preceding ones.

POPULAR POSTS

Silence in Heaven

Sorrow Not