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breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:22

Number 9. The Prophet Daniel Speaks Today

Types and shadows of the future

The Book of Daniel is complex until we have the keys of understanding. It was written by Daniel who rose to prominence while Judah was in exile in Babylon. Daniel set himself to obey the laws of God yet he rose to a prominent position in the days of both Babylonian and Persian rule. The Book of Daniel is both prophetic and historical. It is both a faithful message of the days of exile and also looks to the future, right up to the end of time. It contains both hope for the people of God, centred on GodÂ’s promises for Israel, and a picture of the falling away of Gentile nations in the end time. Just as the Scriptures contain types and shadows of the Messiah Jesus (Yeshua HaMashiach) so the message of Daniel contains types and shadows of the coming world system.

Daniel, a foundation for all end time prophecies

A number of the prophets speak of the end times. Sometimes they seem to give different pictures, but we must remember that there is only one picture. We do not live in parallel universes where several different things will happen at once. Therefore, we have the task of reconciling all of the end time prophecies into one overall picture. Daniel forms the basis of this picture. When this picture is in place other prophecies add further details and confirm what he was shown. It is wise to read and reread the whole book and then set it alongside trustworthy accounts of the history of the times in which he lived, such as The Cambridge History of the Ancient World. It may take many days of independent study over some details, such as the compressed details found in Chapter 11 of Daniel, or the exact identity and dates of the Persian Kings. In doing such a study we must be aware that there are many attempts to interpret the Book and not all of them can be correct. It is possible, however, to give a brief and meaningful survey of the Book and its message for us today. Since our attitude to the days in which we live and those which are in the future depends on our view of the end times, we will give a very brief survey of the message of Daniel here, which depends on the overall message and is not dependent on the fine detail. The reader is advised to read the whole Book through in order to make sense of the comments.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:24

History

The period of history that Daniel covers is more concerned with events than in the years when they took place. Different calendars were in force across the ancient world and they are different from those in force today, so dating can be accurate in parts and approximate in others depending on the dates available that can be matched to the events. It is generally reckoned that Israel went into exile in 586 BC. Daniel was among the captives. He had a prominent role in the Babylonian Kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar and Belteshazzar and in the Kingdoms of the Medes and Persians under successive rulers. He was a young man at the beginning of his exile and an old man at the end. Daniel lived through the time when some of his prophecies came true and he foresaw the rising and falling of Empires until the end time. He saw the beginning of the return of his people to the land of Judah when Cyrus gave permission for the rebuilding of the Temple. This would be around 539 BC, the time when he prayed the very special prayer recorded in Daniel Chapter 9. The completion of the Temple in 516 BC would have been the end of the 70 years of exile and the beginning of the final building up of Jerusalem and its wall for the return of the exiles. This rebuilding of the wall is covered in more detail in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, while the rebuilding of the houses of Jerusalem go beyond the explicit details given in Scripture, after the wall was completed and the Temple had been restored for worship in Jerusalem. The returning exiles did their rebuilding in various stages, often under great pressure from surrounding people, so that the project was often interrupted, specific mention being made of the way Darius 1st confirmed the decree of Cyrus relating to the rebuilding of the Temple (around 520 BC) and the major edict at the time of Arterxerxes in his twentieth year (around 444 BC), when the edict of Cyrus was confirmed and strengthened.

The history is accurately reported in the Bible as far as we need to know it and is confirmed by other historical accounts in various degrees of detail. However, while a search for exact historical detail still goes on in our day, this should not deflect us understanding the overall message of Daniel, which is important for us today, and on which we have sufficient detail. Indeed, as we see the beginnings of the promise for the restoration of Israel in our day we can look back and see similar characteristics to the return from the time of exile at the time of Daniel. The past is a shadow and key to the present and future.

Layer upon layer

Woven into the Book of Daniel are prophecies that began in his time of exile and end at the end of time. They come layer upon layer, with different aspects to the same picture adding to the detail to the revelation as the life of Daniel proceeded. The revelations were given at a time of desperate need in the life of the Kingdom of Judah and contained a message of hope for Daniel and His people. They remain as a message of hope for the times of trouble for Israel and Judah through other periods of history, including the time of the end, of which we see the initial stirring in our day.

We see from the revelation given to Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 2 that the world would have four main Gentile Empires that have importance to the people of Israel. They are interpreted as the head of gold, which is Babylon, the chest and arms of silver, which is that of the Medes and Persians that subdued Babylon in 539 BC, the belly and thighs of bronze which is the Greek Empire and which subdued Media and Persia around 331 BC, and the iron legs and toes which is the Roman Empire following behind to dominate the world. The rest of the prophecies concern further details on these Empires.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:27

The future in view

The stone that struck the feet of the statue and gave rise to the everlasting kingdom is Jesus the Messiah and His coming Kingdom at the end of time. When we realise that the picture before us is filled out with other detail, we also realise that the final kingdom, that of Rome, has not disappeared up to and including the day in which we live, and the rock has not yet struck in such a way as to bring the messianic kingdom in. Rome is the Empire that influenced the entire world and still influences it through laws and customs that form the foundation of the worldÂ’s society today. The rock (Jesus) was struck on the cross, but Jesus has not yet returned as King as the rock that strikes the Empires of the world. Thus, in the feet of iron and clay mixed, we begin to see the Empire of Rome going forward to the end of time. Since the statue is one unit we can deduce that the characteristics of all of the four Empires will be woven into the nature of the kingdom throughout the ages. The characteristics of Greece and Rome mixed together give us humanism, and when projected into the whole world through democracy, we see elements of a fragile kingdom ruling the world through the character of Roman rule of central iron-like control. This is the picture of the future world, which will also return to the ways of the pagan gods that were evident through the early days of all the Empires.

The four beasts that Daniel saw in Chapter 7 are the same four Empires, now represented through the characteristics of animals. Babylon, the lion gave way to Medes and Persia, the bear, which then gave way to Greece, the leopard. The last Empire was too terrible to describe, and this is the one that will come to its power in the end times, Rome in its revived form. Just as ten toes represented Rome, it is here represented by ten horns, symbolising power. These refer to ten rulers in the world in the last days, who rule through co-operation in one great Empire, but an evil power will spring up, which is in other biblical prophecies related to the antichrist, the one who comes to rule the whole world and will be worse than any dictator who has ever been. He will wait until the world is unified under one system and then come, take over three of the ten areas and dominate with all evil intent against GodÂ’s people. Yet we also foresee the time when God will fulfil the promise of the stone breaking up the statue to destroy the evil Empire, bringing in the eternal kingdom and the day of judgement.

Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image to himself and this was possibly in response to the interpretation that Daniel gave that he was a king of kings in that day. This is the way mankind reacts to GodÂ’s power, making themselves like gods instead of becoming servants. Nebuchadnezzar was humbled through the grace of God. It was not yet the time of the end and so it was not time for an antichrist to dominate the whole world in the way it will be in the future. The ruler in the end times who is likely to set up his image in the same way will be allowed to do his evil outside of the grace of God. By considering Nebuchadnezzar, however, we see a shadow of the future antichrist, as we do in other ways when succeeding Emperors and Rulers came to dominate the world of the Middle East, particularly Antiochus Epiphanes, who was so arrogant against God as to use the name Epiphanes, which means God made manifest.

A time for fulfilment of prophecy In Chapter 9 we read how Daniel understood the prophetic days in which he lived. He read the prophecy of Jeremiah and, despite the exile he was in, realised that God had appointed a time for its end. It was about 47 years into the exile when Daniel had this revelation and Daniel prayed in faith for the fulfilment of GodÂ’s promise which would take place about 23 years later. At this time the first steps were taken when Cyrus allowed some of the people to return to begin building the Temple in Jerusalem. The building proceeded under great resistance from neighbouring people in Judah through many years and into the reigns of Xerxes (also named Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther), Artaxerxes and Darius King of Persia (Ezra 4-6).

In the coming days, God will be giving insight to people like Daniel who will understand the times in which we live and who will be praying through the times of trouble to the end of the fulfilment of promise, which includes the return of Jesus. Daniel gives us glimpse into the future through what happened in the past and a model for what we will endure and what our character before God should be.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:30

70 weeks (70 Shavuot in Hebrew)

The Hebrew Shavuot means sevens not weeks so where our English translation refers to seventy weeks, it should more accurately be interpreted as seventy periods of seven. Thus we see that seventy times seven periods of time (which are to be interpreted as years) are prophesied for Israel and Judah and all the covenant people. The first periods of 7 and 62 lots of seven years point accurately to the periods to rebuild Jerusalem and to the time of JesusÂ’ crucifixion. Just as Jesus fulfilled the first part of Isaiah 61:1-2, before His crucifixion, as He said in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19), leaving the ministry of bringing the day of vengeance of God to the end of time when He returns, so there is a break in prophetic history at this point of the first 69 periods of 7 years. The last 7 years are reserved for the end of time when God sets to restore Israel through times of trouble brought by the antichrist. These 7 years are still in the future and the signs in the world are that the scene is being set for them to begin. These are the 7 years when God will pay specific attention to Israel again. While there is an early stirring related to this in our day, just as when Cyrus gave the first permission for the rebuilding of the Temple some years before the end of exile, so the final period of 7 years has not yet begun.

From DanielÂ’s prophecy, we deduce that in the middle of this last period of history the world leader will set up an image (the abomination of desolation) and bring an end to sacrifice and offering. We can visualise a time coming when the world system will be established and a kind of peace be enforced by military might. At that time when the world is subdued, Jerusalem will become a centre for worship for the remaining world faiths. Jews will be allowed their Temple, whose outer court will be for the Gentiles as is prophesied in Revelation. After three and a half years the antichrist will set up his image for worship like Nebuchadnezzar did, and at this time the world powers will set out to annihilate Israel, causing the Temple to cease their offerings. This will be in the midst of JacobÂ’s Trouble after which grace for salvation will come. This time is in the future and yet the signs in the world are that the scene is being set.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:31

Kings of the Empires

Chapter 10 and 11 record how Daniel had further revelation concerning the Empires. He was reminded that the Medes and Persians had displaced Babylon according to prophecy and four Kings of Persia would then come (history shows these to be Cambyses, Guatama, Darius I and Xerxes I). As Daniel was told, the fourth, Xerxes, would stir up Greece, and though he lived in luxury, it was the end of the Persian Empire as the chief world power, because Greece would begin to rise. This was fulfilled through Alexander the Great (Chapter 11 verse 3). After Alexander, the Greek Empire was split into four and the prominent rulers then discussed in Chapter 11 are of two of these four areas of the Greek Empire, namely Syria (The North) and Egypt (The South). The Kings of the North and South are the Seleucids and the Ptolomies. Chapter 11 is hard to follow without careful study of history. Even there, historians disagree. Somewhere between Chapter 11 and Chapter 12, the latter of which gives a view of the distant future, there is a break of history, the same as there is a break in the prophecy of the 70 lots of 7 years. It is debatable where this occurs, and it may be that God has deliberately made it so that the past merges into the future in our concepts. The theologian Jerome, who lived in the late fourth and early fifth century AD, made a detailed study of the Greek world and, referring to the ancient historian Porphyry, he gave accurate and plausible accounts of who the Kings of North and South were right up to Daniel 11:33. There was conflict in the countries to the North and South of Israel that included the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, who came to power, set out to destroy Jewish identity in Israel, was resisted by the Macabees, slaughtered pigs on the Temple altar and also set an image of the Greek God Zeus on the altar (verse 31). This is a type of the antichrist of the future who will also bring an end to sacrifice and offering and set up his abomination (Jesus Himself referred to this Â– Matthew 24, and it is also in the picture of the end times in Daniel 9 and 12). The character of the future is typified by the character of the past. Antiochus shows us a shadow of the coming antichrist at the end of time.

Verse 33 of Daniel 11 takes us from the past to the future when kings will arise again and bring in their warring and their oppression, which for Israel will be a time of trouble such as has never been before, but out of which many will be saved.

Though there is much detail in Daniel 11 and 12, there is a simple and important key to understanding, and it is as if God has woven the prophecy together in such a way that the shadows of the past merge with the details of the future. The 70 weeks determined for GodÂ’s specific attention to Israel are woven together as if continuous but with a break of about 2000 years (as we can now see it) while the Gospel went out to the Gentile world. It is not easy to notice it in Daniel 11 because, for Israel, there is a continuity of GodÂ’s specific dealings over the period of 490 years (7 times 70), and the time of the Gentiles is not mentioned, thus ignoring the break between the 69th and 70th week. What happened to Israel between DanielÂ’s prophecy and the first coming of Messiah is a shadow and contains the same key events that will occur in the last seven years of history, prior to the return of the Messiah.

The countries mentioned towards the end of Chapter 11 are presently dominated by Islam, but it is most likely that a different form of New Age religion will encompass the world by the end, going back to the worst of Babylon, Egypt and other ancient mystery religions. This system will fall without help, just as we saw when the rock struck the feet of NebuchadnezzarÂ’s statue in his dream. Islam and many other ideologies and nations will fall before that time, and in their fall, many people will be saved through faith in Jesus the Messiah. This could be soon.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:34

The past as a sign to the future

Chapters 11 and 12, whatever the fine detail, give us the message that in the future we will see what has already passed. We are given the historical account of Daniel and detail of his prophecies so that we can take courage for the future. Just as there was a deliverance from exile in DanielÂ’s day, exactly as God said, so the end time will be exactly like this and as God has said. We will need this assurance in the days of pressure in the whole world that is to come, and from the character of the world Empires that will be repeated in the end times, we know what to expect. Indeed, further details are in other prophetic books, particularly Revelation. There will be signs to mark the way Â– the falling away into a global kingdom, the rise of the antichrist in the midst of this, a revived Roman Empire with the additional characteristics of the preceding three Empires making it horrific in its manner of control and dominance of the whole world, a peace with Israel, a Temple with a multi-faith section on Temple Mount, a statue of the antichrist, a time of trouble when nations turn their wrath on Israel, followed by a great salvation and return of Jesus (Yeshua). We have marks to help us on the prophetic clock, as the days unfold.

The fundamental key to understanding Daniel is that God has given us a picture from the past of the things that will happen in the future.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:38

Number 10. Focus on Israel

We must remember the answer to JoshuaÂ’s question when he crossed over Jordan into the Promised Land. He had Jericho before him, and also all the other struggles to take the Land of Canaan as an inheritance for his people. He asked the Man who appeared before him (Joshua 5:13-18 ) whether he was for the Israelites or their adversaries. The answer was that he was not for one or the other, intimating that the question lacked some understanding, Â“No, but as commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come.Â” He also said, Â“Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.Â” While Israel was and is GodÂ’s special people, there were and still are higher purposes than simply winning battles for Israel.

The attitude of God has not changed over time. What began in the days of Moses and Joshua will be completed in the end time.

The Scriptures testify powerfully to an everlasting covenant with Israel and it contains a land promise as well as a spiritual promise. Israel needs land, as do all the nations on earth. Yet the land is a symbol of something higher as well; an eternal dwelling place in the Paradise of God. Israel is at the centre of covenant history, needing a land but also salvation. They have suffered on account of this, being the first to be made accountable for their sins. Israel is GodÂ’s servant through whom all may learn to focus on the plan of salvation. The plan of salvation is for people from all nations, Israel at the centre and having the first revelation of Messiah, then the rest of the nations. IsraelÂ’s opportunity came when Jesus first came to the earth. Then, God set them aside while giving all people on earth the opportunity to repent and be saved through belief in the Jewish Messiah, but Israel will return to centre stage at the end of time.

Yet, if the Man who appeared to Joshua were to appear again today, he would say the same thing. GodÂ’s covenant purposes are still being fulfilled as Israel goes back to their land today and they are higher than simply supporting Israel through her trials, though they are a central nation to outwork those purposes. We must ensure that we are in balance over this, or we will be biased in our own judgements of what God is doing today, as the first stirrings of Israel returning to their land have taken place.

It is likely that there is human as well as heavenly reaction to Israel in the present day. On the negative side there are those who misinterpret the Scriptures and think that Israel is no longer a nation with a special promise for the end times. They see Israel in the Land as a political accident. On the other there are those who can see no wrong in Israel and would think that GodÂ’s attention to Israel in these days completely disregards the fact that, at the moment and in many ways, Israel is far from being a nation following God. Wherever we are between these two positions, we respond to GodÂ’s covenant work in Israel and among the nations influenced by our view. We can be harsh in our opinions and we can also be over-emotional, both attitudes being human reactions rather than ones that are fully from the heart of God.

When Daniel was in exile, Cyrus gave the major decree for the rebuilding of the Temple, but study of the approximate dates of history indicate that there were still some years of exile to go. It was some years before the work of restoration began to succeed to completion. Could it be similar today, with much human effort and thinking still surrounding the nation of Israel? We must be among those who see GodÂ’s higher purposes for the whole covenant plan and also what must happen in Israel before the Holy Spirit is poured out. Daniel and other prophets have spoken clearly of an end time completion of GodÂ’s purposes for Israel, but it will be in a time of trouble greater than any that went before and in the midst of a world Empire of immense ungodliness. We are not at that point yet, and so the Gospel is also going out among all nations, with still some great harvests for the Kingdom of God to be brought in.

Our support for Israel in a realistic sense is vital, but it must be in a realistic and balanced sense, or we will send busloads, boatloads and planeloads of Jews to Israel to face trouble without them being aware of either the need of salvation or the nature of the days that lie ahead. We must also be aware that all nations will one day turn on Israel and in the end will be judged on account of the way they treated these people at the centre of GodÂ’s covenant purposes.

These are the days when the whole covenant community should seek to be united in Spirit and Truth regarding the times to come so that we can act as one man, balanced in perception of GodÂ’s covenant purposes for Israel and what this means for the rest of the world. Most of us need to study this more deeply in order to come to a rightly balanced conclusion that will influence our response to GodÂ’s whole covenant work in these days, which are surely coming quickly to completion. The prophecies of Daniel are basic to this understanding.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:40

Notes

The following is a plausible timetable of the events that Daniel prophesied

586 BC Exile begins at time of Nebuchadnezzar Babylonian Empire dominates world of Middle East

539 BC Cyrus gives edict beginning return to rebuild Temple. This is also the time of Darius the Mede. Some say that Darius the Mede is the same as Cyrus the Great and this would be on account of different names being used for the same Kings. Others see him as a relative of Cyrus put in charge of Babylon. In both cases the time of Cyrus the Great is the same as Darius the Mede. Kingdom of Medes and Persians

539 BC DanielÂ’s prayer

516 BC Temple completed with troubles all around. Rebuilding of Jerusalem delayed.

Four succeeding Kings of Persia are
Cambyses, son of Cyrus (530-522 BC)
Gautama (522 BC)
Darius I (522-486 BC)
Xerxes (Called Ahaseurus in Esther) (486-464 BC)
(Xerxes stirred up Greece which began the move culminating in the defeat of Persia by Alexander the Great)

464 to 423 BC Artaxerses I
In 444 BC the edict went out from Artaxerxes (Ezra 7) confirming and extending CyrusÂ’s edict. This is the beginning of the 70 weeks of years prophesied by Daniel for his people. The wall was completed and then Jerusalem was built up.

Alexander the Great (336-323 BC)
Greek Empire
After 323 BC four of AlexanderÂ’s generals rule four areas of the Greek Empire. The Northern and Southern rulers have specific mention (North and South of Israel. North: Syria, the Seleucids, South: Egypt, the Ptolomies)

Some of the Kings of the North and South

Egypt The Ptolemies
a. Ptolemy I Sotar 323-285 BC
b. " II Philadelphus 282-246 BC
c. " III Euergetes 246-221 BC
d. " IV Philopator 221-203 BC
e. " V Epiphanes 204-181 BC
f. " VI Philometor 181-146 BC

Syria: The Seleucids.
g. Seleucus I Nicastor 311-280 BC
h. Antiochus I Sotar 280-261 BC
i. Antiochus II Theos 261-246 BC
j. Seleucus II Callinicus 246-226 BC
k. Seleucus III Ceraunus 226-223 BC
l. Antiochus III (the Great) 223-187 BC
m. Seleucus IV Philopator 187-175 BC
n. Antiochus IV Epiphanes 175-164 BC (Type of the Anitchrist)
o. Antiochus V Eupator 164-162 BC

Using the letters preceding the above rulers as an abbreviation, Jerome identifies the Kings of the North and South relating to the fulfilment of Prophecy in Chapter 11 as

Verse 5, a and b
Verse 6, b and I
Verse 7 to 9 c and j (involving Berenice)
Verse 10 k and d
Verses 10 to 19 l (involving Cleopatra)
Verses 14 to 17 e
Verse 20 n
Verses 25 to 27 f
Verses 21 to 35 n

This plausible interpretation from ancient historical sources puts Antiochus Epiphanes as a forerunner of the coming antichrist placing the type of abomination on Temple Mount, and all of Daniel 11 up to verse 35 as fulfilled history.

From 2nd Century B.C Roman Empire grew to dominance, dividing under Diocletian (285 AD and Valentius 364 AD), continuing in its influence until the present day and will divide into ten areas in the future.

Around Verse 36 of Daniel 11 there is a coincidence with the end of the first 69 weeks of DanielÂ’s prophecy where there is a break in GodÂ’s attention to Israel. This coincides with the Crucifixion of Jesus.

Then begins the time when the Gospel goes to all nations prior to the end.

The last seven years of JacobÂ’s Trouble lie ahead, out of which will come a great salvation and the judgement of all nations.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:45

Number 11. The Bridegroom is Coming!
Report on a consultation held in Jerusalem in June 2002

The Lord of Creation has given us many views by many of His prophets concerning the times leading up to His return. Some of them appear to be more clear and complete in their descriptions than others, yet the Word of G-d saw fit to include them all for our benefit and instruction. The Lord has a purpose in revealing that which He has told us, and yet He has chosen to tell us only parts of the story.

More than that, He has chosen to reveal it in the often mysterious language of the prophets, and has couched it in visions and revelations of the spiritual significance of events and developments, rather than describing them from a human perspective. To understand them, we therefore need to ignore many of the conventions of scholarship and human wisdom, and let the Lord speak to us through them.

For three days in June, about a dozen of us gathered in Yad Hashmonah in order to allow study many of the prophetic Scriptures. We asked those who participated to be prepared to share as the Spirit might enable them. The following is a summary of many areas of interest that were raised with respect to prophecy in Scripture.

The Timeline
We were presented with a timeline approach to the prophetic events leading up to the LordÂ’s return and the end of this physical creation. The scriptures of Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Matthew and Revelation were placed on this line as a series of overlays, each adding breadth and depth to the picture already in place. Many of these events were viewed repeatedly from different angles by the prophets, and we considered how these could be built into a unified picture, resulting in a composite progression through the events leading from the present to the LordÂ’s return. The initial focus was on the events surrounding the seventieth Â“sevenÂ” of Daniel.

Repeated Fulfillments
It was often noted as we looked through the different passages that a given prophetic picture could be fulfilled in more than one historical incident. The Â“completeÂ” fulfillment might include a number of such incidents containing echoes of the full picture, leading up to a final and complete occurrence that would contain the full power of what was foreseen. This is essentially a cyclic view of history; and as these various cycles are overlaid on the historical timeline, giving a historical order to the original prophetic pictures becomes complicated by having to choose one fulfillment which is the Â“historically representativeÂ” fulfillment for that picture. If we are looking at only one of the multiple fulfillments, we might find that the apparent historical order of the prophetic picture is not preserved with respect to the various fulfillments of other pictures.

The Vertical Line View
The inherent difficulties in knowing which echoes of which prophetic pictures are being viewed from our current historical vantage point leads to an alternate way of looking at expected fulfilments. This view imagines the as yet future fulfillments of prophecy to be held in a divine repository above our current position on the timeline. As the Lord of history determines that the time of various events has arrived, they Â“drop downÂ” from heaven onto the timeline for their fulfillment. The echo of a future complete fulfillment can occur at almost any time, and since various degrees of these echoes are what most believers experience throughout history, it is not particularly helpful to know the order of the Â“ultimateÂ” events. This view would rather focus on the relative priority of the various pictures as they relate to our walk in the Lord and our preparations for His coming, and so would see prophesied events as a prioritized Â“verticalÂ” list suspended above our location on the timeline.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:50

The Imminent Return
The imminence of the LordÂ’s return is true for each of us individually. No matter who we are, or where we fit into the LordÂ’s overall historical timeline, He might require our soul from us at any moment (unless He has individually shown us otherwise). We who serve Him will each be with Him when we leave our physical body, and for us personally that is His Â“returnÂ”. This has certain inescapable conclusions with regard to the conduct of our everyday affairs. Nevertheless, this does not answer the broader question of when we might expect the main events of the prophetic tapestry that will lead up to the LordÂ’s physical appearance and the destruction of THE false messiah.

The Effect of Disobedience
One person was not able to attend, but felt impressed by the Lord that we should notice the effect that the disobedience of Israel had on their ability to conquer the land that the Lord promised to give them as their inheritance. Because of their disobedience, the fulfillment of part of the promise was delayed indefinitely, since the Lord decided not to drive out the nations that were left in the land when Joshua died. (Judges 2:20 Â– 3:4; Joshua 13:1-6)

The Effect of Intercession
Â“Then Moses entreated the LordÂ… So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.Â” The Lord loves to be entreated for mercy; and when there is no man to do so, He himself often does so for us. Â“And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede.Â” He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, so He can often be turned back from His announced intention to bring judgement through an act of intercession such as MosesÂ’. Yet there comes a time when intercession will no longer avail. (Jer. 7:16; 11:14; 14:11)

The Effect of Repentance
Unlike Moses with respect to Israel, Jonah was not an intercessor for Nineveh. Yet even without intercession the people repented, and so G-d did not carry out his announced intention with respect to that city: Â“Behold forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.Â” Â“Then G-d relented concerning the calamity which He has declared He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.Â” Jonah was not pleased, and was rebuked for his lack of compassion. The Â“forty daysÂ” were never enforced.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:54

Composite Prophecies
Prophetic pictures are not as simple as they appear at first. Take for example the four-part image in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. Has the stone that was cut without hands struck the feet of iron and clay yet? It was suggested that this has not yet happened. However, the physical empire of Rome that those legs and feet symbolized has fallen, as have the other empires depicted in the image. Yet, even if we say that that the gospel resulted in the fall of Rome, it can hardly be said that there is not a trace left of Rome, as in the dream. In fact, we learn from Scripture that Babylon herself perseveres in spiritual form. The final fulfillment of this prophecy can only come when spiritual Babylon is destroyed, and Â“the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Messiah.Â” The mountain to which the stone grew will then fill the whole earth.

Multiple Prophetic Views
It can be difficult to differentiate between two prophecies that are describing different views of the same thing, and prophecies that are describing similar but different things. Often prophecy and history are like a symphony that builds through variation on a theme. For example, the fourth beast of Daniel 7 has one head, while the beast of Revelation 17 has 7 heads; yet their similarities are so great, and their place in prophetic history seemingly identical, that we ignore this difference. Even so, in Revelation we are told that this beast Â“was, and is not, and will comeÂ”. It is therefore possible that the picture in Daniel describes what was. Nevertheless, five of the heads in Revelation are said to have fallen; do these not relate to what was? We might say that the beast in Daniel was only seen with its current king. But if we are talking of a kingdom that Â“was, and is not, and will comeÂ”, then John was not seeing this in current time, since Â“is notÂ” for Rome had not happened yet. And if we are speaking of historically distinct events, then are these not separate fulfillments, which have a common spiritual foundation?

Israel in Prophecy
There is a level of prophetic fulfillment that relates to Israel, and yet it can meld imperceptibly into prophecy relating to the Church. Sometimes there are explicit unifying factors, such as Messiah; but sometimes these factors are not so explicit, such as with Ephraim and the Â“fullness of the GentilesÂ”. (Rom. 11:25, Gen. 48:19) Israel and the Church represent two different covenants that exist in two different domains; nevertheless, there are areas of overlap. In the complete restoration of Israel spoken of by Paul (Â“and thus all Israel will be savedÂ”), there will be complete overlap with regard to Israel. We therefore have many prophecies regarding the restored future of Israel which are essentially true for Gentile believers as well. Such prophecies need to be treated carefully, however, so as not to suppress their specifically Jewish elements in favor of promises for the Church. While there is usually no problem understanding the promised return from exile as being for the Jewish people, the Â“restore all thingsÂ” which Yeshua declared would characterize the future coming of Elijah is often understood as restricted to a New Covenant restoration.

The Church in Prophecy
The ChurchÂ’s view of prophecy tends to be less parochial and less from a specifically Israeli point of view. Nevertheless, she should not ignore nor neglect how prophecy affects Israel, lest she lose sight of the fact that Israel is a type of the Church. Much of what was prophesied very specifically for Israel and Jerusalem has been fulfilled in type for the Church, and much more probably will be before the Lord returns. More importantly, if Israel is restored in the end times (Rom. 11:25), and their restoration will be Â“life from the deadÂ”, those not of Israel stand to gain a great deal by learning from their stand against the Man of Lawlessness.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:58

Prophetic Measures of Time
Specifically when discussing the coming of the Lord, Peter wrote that Â“with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day.Â” He specifically makes reference to Â“the day of the LordÂ” as the thousand year reign, including both Â“come as a thiefÂ” (the beginning of the reign) and the destruction by fire of this physical creation (the end of the reign) in his description of that Â“dayÂ”. DanielÂ’s Â“sevensÂ” turned out to be seven years, rather than weeks; and we like to think that his Â“time, times and a part of timeÂ” means three and a half years. In short, prophetic time does not always work the way we think it should when we want to calculate past and future dates.

Start and End Times
Even when we are sure that after the fact we have identified a prophecy as having been fulfilled, timing that fulfillment is not trivial until some of the historical dust has settled. Jeremiah prophesied an exile of 70 years. However, for those wishing to calculate the time of the return, such as Daniel, things were not very simple. There were several waves of exile, and several waves of return. In retrospect we may come to a satisfactory allocation of the seventy years, but it could not have been clear for someone who wanted to return after exactly seventy years. That was not the point. And as far as we can tell, it was never the LordÂ’s intention for them to go in only one wave of return at exactly at seventy years from a given date.

The Â“Mountain RangeÂ” Factor
The prophetic vantage point in time, looking forward, is sometimes compared to a scout looking at a mountain range from a distance on a clear day. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish one ridge from another, and mountains which from a distance might look to be next to each other, might in reality have several valleys separating them. Thus, for example, chapter 11 of Daniel runs continuously in a way that makes us think that to Daniel, it may have appeared that he was seeing a fairly continuous sequence of events. With the advantage of hindsight, however, we can identify a long historical break at about verse 36. And who would have guessed that there would be a break between DanielÂ’s 69th and 70th Â“sevenÂ” which would be several times longer than 70 Â“weeksÂ” of years?

What versus When
When trying to determine G-dÂ’s purpose in providing us with prophetic descriptions of the future, it is tempting to think that He wants us to be very ingenious, and to use His partial clues to figure out when our Lord Yeshua will most likely return, or when other major end time events might occur. Scripture itself warns us off such an attempt by telling us that only the Father knows specifically when. On the other hand, we are told to watch and be alert, so that the day will not take us by surprise. In the parable of the ten virgins, they had all fallen asleep. Five, however, were prepared for the possibility that the bridegroomÂ’s delay would be long, and the other five were not. It was the wisdom to prepare for a potential delay that made the difference between those who went in, and those who were closed out. This is an example of the Â“what to doÂ” of prophecy, as opposed to the Â“when to doÂ” of trying to be ready by calculating a time for the bridegroomÂ’s arrival.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 14:59

Physical and Spiritual Fulfillments
It is not always clear when prophecy is looking at a physical object only as a type of a spiritual reality, and when it is looking at the physical object itself. Babylon has fallen, and Scripture tells us that she will not be rebuilt. However, Babylon figures prominently in Revelation; so we conclude that there is a spiritual Babylon which has long outlasted the empire of that name, and that Revelation is viewing this spiritual entity. In this case, we have no choice. But in other cases, it is not clear whether we have the spiritual entity in view, or the physical one, or both. Will Rome be reconstructed as a physical empire, or will it, as Babylon, return only as a spiritual one?

The Sealed and the Unrevealed
There are prophecies that have been sealed: the seven thunders of Revelation, and the 2300 mornings and evenings of Daniel are examples. There are also things that G-d has done that were hidden in previous ages, such as the Gospel to the Gentiles. Â“The secret things belong to the Lord our G-d, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever.Â” Since there are things that have not been revealed, we need not build a picture of the end times which pretends that we know everything. The potential of the unknown to change what we think we know is great indeed. Â“If any man supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know.Â”

The Challenge
If we are new to the prophetic arena, or to our wonderful G-d, the issues raised here might seem daunting indeed. However, Â“It is the glory of G-d to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to find it out.Â” If we are to be reigning with Him, it is to our glory to find out these things. Let His Â“dayÂ” not steal up on us like a thief in the night; rather, let us be consistent and persistent in our willingness to enter the prophetic realm of the Holy Spirit, and to search these things out.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 15:03

Number 12. Restoration

The word Â“RestorationÂ” is used a lot in the Church today. God is indeed a restorer. He is a restorer of fellowship with Him. He is a restorer of family. He is a restorer of community. He is a restorer to His covenant people Israel. If we are in fellowship with Him then we too have a ministry of restoration. Yet, what are we to expect as GodÂ’s current ministry of restoration?

In this world today we see Israel being restored to their Land in preparation for their restoration, in national terms, to fellowship with Him. This is a special case of GodÂ’s restoration programme, which has been left until the end times as the culmination of the plan of salvation, but will be realised in its fullness through the period that is called Â“JacobÂ’s TroubleÂ” (Jeremiah 30:7) But what of other nations?

There are many moves within the Church that are based on the view that we will see great moves of God to restore whole nations. Indeed, many believe that this is the ChurchÂ’s commission so that the Spirit of God working in the Church prior to the return of Jesus the Messiah (Yeshua HaMashiach) will subdue even governments. This is very important to consider when we realise the strong Christian emphasis that there has been at the heart of some nations for many centuries, including Britain and America. The contrary view is that there will be a great falling away from even these nations as the return of Jesus draws nearer, and that this will result in an anti-Christian world alliance of all gentile nations. While we are to be witnesses throughout this period and do what can be done, this implies that the main goal of the Church is to seek to be one worldwide family scattered among the nations, fulfilling the restoration of this family to living in biblical truth. We consider that this is the correct interpretation of Scripture.

The Bible mentions two kinds of restoration in the Last Days and we need to understand what we are to do and what God alone can do, as we pray for the people of our nation in the coming days.

One restoration occurs before the LordÂ’s return and the other after His return.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 15:06

There is a restoration that we are to seek to accomplish prior to the LordÂ’s return. This is the restoration of the family of God, as prophesied by Malachi. This is what Jesus mentioned in Matthew 17:11: "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.Â” Prior to His return, the LordÂ’s purpose through us is the prophetic task of restoring the international family of God to a place of preparation for His return Â– a family scattered among the nations.

The other restoration (Acts 3:21) is what the Lord will do in the Millennium: Â“And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.Â” A misinterpretation of this passage has led to Â“Kingdom NowÂ” and other such moves based on a Post Millennial view. This passage does not emphasise restoration, so much as time for restoration. The Lord will remain in Heaven until the time when He returns to restore the world and His Kingdom in the Millennium Â– a set time for this ministry.

We are to restore the family of God to its biblical foundations in preparation for His return. We will fail, however, to restore the world itself as a whole, or countries of the world, to be a sort of messianic kingdom. He alone will bring in His own Kingdom, as the Biblical Prophets have foretold, and we must wait for Him do this in His own time. The whole world will rise to a point where we see the need for His return as the only hope for the bringing in a righteous kingdom. This has major implications for our planning the way ahead Â– just consider it. This could help us to understand why God is letting all the gentile nations fall away prior to the end, while calling His own community, the One New Man of Messianic Jews and Gentiles, scattered across the world to be strengthened, waiting for the coming of Jesus. In our nations even like Britain and America, where there has been a strong Christian heritage, we must face up to a paradox. It is, on the one hand, not possible to become a nation that is a Christian society, but we should strive for it. This is a paradox that we will need to understand in our days of witness ahead. In the coming days, every nation as a whole will be shaken and warned even as each nation, as a whole, will turn towards co-operation that will result finally in the anti-christian coalition prior to the LordÂ’s return. It is no small thing to seek understanding of this and to turn to the task that God has given to strengthen the believing community in the context of the world apostasy, waiting for His Kingdom to come in its fullness on His return.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 15:09

Number 13. Times of Refreshing Ahead?

Much has been said in recent years about Â“RevivalÂ”. This is what we call the wonderful times of blessing that come when the Holy Spirit of God comes to individuals, possibly in great numbers over a short time such as in the Wesleyan Revival or the Welsh Revivals. At such times, people are convicted of sin, brought to repentance and refreshed through the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit through the power of the shed blood of Jesus. Of course, Christians long for such times of refreshing, but what can we expect as the days go by and as nations of the world move towards the end times picture?

Key scriptures come from Acts 3 18-21:

18 But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

This is a progress of three things, one past, one present and one in the future. Verse 18 speaks of what Jesus fulfilled when He came 2000 years ago. Verses 20 and 21 speak of what He will fulfil when He returns. Verse 19 speaks of what we can ask the Lord for during the present time. Indeed, we will need such times of refreshing in the future. However, it seems appropriate to speak of the context of this. In the past it is true that times of refreshing have influenced whole nations (such as Wales in 1904), but we are moving into the times of the falling away of the gentile nations. This means that it is realistic to expect times of refreshment to come to the believing community through these times of trial ahead, rather than to whole nations. Undoubtedly the door is open for repentance and conversion to all who call upon the name of Jesus for salvation and times of refreshment in the Church can result in numerical growth. In general, however, the times ahead will be tense in the world and it is in this context that our prayers should be for times of refreshment among believers rather than to expect national revival (though at the end Israel will be the sole exception to this).

Many of us have had growing expectation of Â“revivalÂ” over recent years but most of us have not discerned the true context. Two such expectations are given below, illustrating the point. The first expectation came several years ago when the author of this paper would have had a vague idea about the meaning of revival in our day, hoping for national revival. The second was more recent and reported by a friend of the author. It is very important that we become discerning in our understanding and expectations, as there is false expectation as well as true in the Church today. Whether we like to accept it or not, false spirits are abroad seeking to seduce even believers into a false sense of refreshment that will steal away from what is true and valid for the days ahead. While there is a valid hope for the LordÂ’s strengthening and blessing in times of need, there is also a false hope.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 15:11

1. An experience in Loughor South Wales

Loughor is the place where the 1904 Welsh revival began. One cannot be in the area as a believer and not long for a repeat of what God did in Wales in those years. I had lived in that area for a few years before the day in question. It was a particularly sunny day when a pastor friend and I were sitting in his van on the edge of the Loughor estuary discussing the church. We were there in intense conversation for quite a long time. The spot was just a short distance from the little chapel that Evan Roberts the Welsh revivalist had built and near where he lived. It was not far from the Chapel where the 1904 revival broke out. Perhaps one has this in mind when one is by the estuary where one can walk as the believers of old might have done and pray for revival. Perhaps this is why the Lord spoke through an interesting incident.

When we began our discussion the estuary was absolutely drained down to its muddy bottom and during our conversation I happened to look up and saw something for the first and only time in my life. I saw the first wave of the tide coming in Â– a ripple that slowly moved up the estuary with the incoming water behind it. The ripple passed by where we were and our conversation proceeded and time went on. It seemed only a short time later that I looked out and could not believe that so much time had passed because the estuary was now full Â– the tide was in.

I enjoyed the experience but thought no more of it, but when I returned home I Â“happenedÂ” to pick a book of my bookshelf, discovering it to be Â“Times of RefreshingÂ” by Selwyn Hughes. I flicked through the book and then came to a short Â“parableÂ” at the end. It described exactly what I had just seen in the estuary, likening the picture to times when believers need revival. They feel empty like an estuary where the tide has gone out. Then the first hint of the Spirit comes to revive as the first wave comes up the estuary. Before long the estuary is full, just as the Spirit of God can come and refresh us.

I took this as a God given coincidence, but years have gone by without the expected revival. Now I realise that my expectation would have been vague and misapplied. God promises times of refreshment when we pray and we may see these times ahead of us, but we should seek Him for the context, which I now believe to be in terms of refreshment of believers through difficult times ahead, rather than national revival.
breytonhartge
23 Jun 07, 15:15

2. Revival or Survival? (A more recent experience from one of the friends of the author)

On a Friday morning last June I felt inspired to get on my local River Waveney in East - Anglia, England, for a time with the Lord from Friday evening through to Saturday lunchtime, canoeing from Beccles to Great Yarmouth (about 25 miles). Our fellowship had decided to spend part of the weekend praying for revival, individuals taking on different half - hour slots. My time being for 9.30am on Saturday I knew that IÂ’d be well on with my trip, probably nearing Breydon Water, a large (for East Anglia) tidal estuary lake that IÂ’d never crossed before.

Friday evening went well enjoying time with Jesus, the exercise and the sunset. I camped a little way upstream from Somerleyton in a deserted spot and slept until 4am when being awakened by cuckoos I prayed some more before dropping off again. Up at 6am and on the river by 7am I had the tide with me for the crossing of Breydon Water somewhere near low tide, the safest time for a little slalom kayak like mine.

Gentle south westerly breezes had been forecast but the wind was decidedly fresh as I got going. Otherwise the day promised to be warm and sunny. After the first stretch of river head into wind I was soaked but with the sun shining I felt exhilarated and continued to call upon the Lord. Jesus had been teaching me to shout out loud to Him through the summer. Reaching Burgh Castle a mile or so above Breydon Water a little before 9.30am I took a short break. I had thought to spend my allotted time in this tranquil place before adventuring further but the tide seemed to be further out than the tables had indicated. So, knowing that I would not be able to paddle against a strong incoming tide if I arrived at Breydon Water too late, I decided to spend my allotted time of prayer in the middle of the lake, getting right alone with Jesus.

The wind was still quite brisk but coming from behind and I enjoyed entering the lake praising Jesus. I was getting well into the centre when the wind picked up from behind me as did the waves. Within a matter of minutes the waves had increased, each crested with white horses and very little gap between. Spray was flying from the boughs of a few cruisers as they ploughed into the waves coming the other way. The bough of my kayak started to dig into the trough between each wave and it was taking much of my strength to stop from swinging around and capsizing. It was not possible for me to get to either bank because of large areas of mud flats just below the surface away from the central channel and I didnÂ’t relish the thought of turning around, which would be risky, and heading back to Burgh Castle which would be exhausting and smacked of defeat.

I could only go on. At this point my prayers to God for revival turned very definitely into prayers for survival. I found that I had to looking to Jesus with my heart while with my eyes I had to keep concentrating on Yarmouth Bridge which from about three and a-half miles away looked rather small. The channel is marked by large posts between which the waves were roughest and I found that by keeping just outside of the main channel the waves eased though at times I ran the risk of being washed over onto a mud bank. I prayed and headed for each post in turn. It would have been a relief to have headed straight for Yarmouth bridge but the channel meanders. A short cut over open but shallow water would have been a treacherous. For about an hour I took this course, at times expecting to capsize at any moment but continuing to call on Jesus. And the bridge gradually came closer. An occasional wreckage of some unfortunate boat did nothing to boost my confidence. I just had to concentrate on Jesus, the posts and the bridge.

I reached the end of the lake (thank you Lord!!) And even continued across a section of very choppy channel to the planned disembarkation point though earlier my only thought had been to get off the water as soon as possible.

Looking back I guess I could think of many life lessons from my adventure. However, what stands out to me is that my intended prayer time for revival turned into a very intense and desperate crying out to God for my survival. I had to get stuck in and paddle for all I was worth and Jesus heard my cries and saw me through. I believe that through my adventure God has given me a picture that a future revival (refreshing or however else youÂ’d call it) is going to be in time of great difficulty. As local churches we will need revival to survive! The alternative is to go under.

John Quinlan
Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…..

We leave you to test these things. There will be refreshing for believers ahead to help us through difficult times and to help us fulfil Malachi 4 in the building up of the family of God as we wait for the return of Jesus (Yeshua). Times of refreshing are for our families and our believing communities, to which many may be added who are saved from the world, but this is different from national revival. Indeed, we foresee a falling away, rather than national revival in the coming days.

Clifford Denton
Dave Hilsley