In the Olivet Discourse Jesus answers the question(s) of the disciples: Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Jesus told them the signs of the end times and then Jesus tells them the events that will take place leading up to the day of the Lord, ie the second coming, ie the Rapture.
* The Abomination of Desolation
* The GREAT(a) Tribulation begins
* The Gospel shall be preached to all the world
* Sun darkened
* Moon shall not give her light
* Stars fall from heaven
* Heavens shall be shaken
* The Son of Man will appear
* Angels gather the elect
* God pours out His wrath
If you walk outside and the sun is shining and the moon still ‘shines’ and the stars are NOT falling from heaven and the heavens are NOT shaken then…. TODAY is NOT the DAY!
BUT, there’s more! Daniel prophesied other things that will take place as well. There are events that will take place setting up the return of Jesus.
This is the order of events that will take place ushering in the return of Jesus Christ:
1. The antichrist makes a covenant with many (Daniel 12:11-12*) | Day 0-2520 |
2. 1260 days of Tribulation (Daniel 7:25, 12:7, Revelation 11:2, 12:6) | Day 0-1260 |
3. The sacrifices begin (Daniel 8:13) | Day 220 |
4. The Abomination of Desolation (Daniel 12:11-12*, Matthew 24:15) | Day 1260 |
5. The two witnesses appear (Revelation 11: 3,7,11) | Day 1260 |
6. 75 days of Great Tribulation begins (Daniel 12:11-12) | 1260-1335 |
7. The sacrifices shall be taken away (Daniel 8:13-14, 12:11) | Day 1290 |
8. The gospel is preached throughout the world (Revelation 14:6) | Day 1335 |
9. The Sun and Moon will be darkened (Matthew 24:29) | Day 1335 |
10. The stars fall to the earth (Matthew 24:29) | Day 1335 |
11. The Son of Man appears (Matthew 24:30) | Day 1335 |
12. Angels gather the elect (Matthew 24:31) | Day 1335 |
13. God pours out His wrath | 1335 - 2520 |
1. The antichrist makes a 'peace' covenant with “many” for one week.
Daniel 12:11* And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
“One week” is expressed several ways:
a. 7 years
b. 84 months (7 years times 12 months)
c. 2520 days (84 months * 30 days) Back then a month was 30 days. They would add a month every 5 years to make up the difference.
The midst (or middle) of the week is expressed as:
a. 1260 days (half of 2520 days)
b. 42 months (half of 84 months)
c. 3.5 years (half of 7 years) - a time (1 year) and times (2 years) and the dividing or half of time.
2. The covenant marks the start of 1260 days or 3.5 years or 42 montths of Tribulation ie wearing out the saints & the holy city will be tread under foot.
Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall WEAR OUT the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Daniel 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be FINISHED.
Revelation 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they TREAD UNDER FOOT forty and two months. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Revelation 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
“A time” = 1 year (12 months)
“Times” = 2 years (24 months)
“Half a time”, “dividing of time”, “an half”, “half a time” = half a year (6 months)
Add the three together and you have various ways of expressing the ‘midst of the covenant’:
a. 1260 days
i. A time, times and the dividing of time (Daniel 7:25)
ii. A time, time and an half (Daniel 12:7)
iii. A thousand two hundred and threescore days (Revelation 11:3, 12:6)
iv. A time, times, and half a time (Revelation 12:14)
b. 42 months
i. Forty and two months (Revelation 11:2)
c. 3.5 years
i. The midst (halfway point) of the 7 year covenant
3. The daily sacrifices will start 220 days AFTER the covenant begins. This is calculated by working the math BACKWARD from the end of 2300 days.
Daniel 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
The sanctuary will be ‘cleansed’ at the end of the 7 year period (2520 days) when the antichrist is defeated. So, working backwards from 2520 days, ie 2520 – 2300 = 220 days.
This means the daily sacrifices will START 220 days AFTER the covenant BEGINS.
4. The abomination of desolation.
At the end of 1260 days the antichrist stands in the temple and proclaims himself to be God. The two witnesses also appear.
Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5. The two witnesses appear.
The two witnesses shall prophesy 1260 days. Then they die and come back to life 3 days later, before the 7th trumpet sounds. Working the math backwards from the 7th trumpet, that means they show up about the same time as the antichrist.
Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Revelation 11: 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Revelation 11: 11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
6. There will be 75 days of Great Tribulation.
Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (1290 days). 12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days (1335 days).
Take the 1335 from Daniel 12:12 subtract the 1260 days in Daniel 12:11 and that gives you 75 days of GREAT Tribulation. See Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
If you endure to the end of the Great Tribulation, then ‘you’ & your body shall be saved. If you do not endure, if you die before or during the Tribulation, then you will be resurrected with a new body.
7. The sacrifices are taken away.
The sacrifices are taken away 30 days after the Abomination of Desolation.
Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
The Abomination of Desolation takes place on day 1260.
The Sacrifices are taken away on day 1290.
That means they are taken away 30 days (1290 – 1260 = 30) after the Abomination of Desolation takes place.
8. An angel will preach the gospel throughout the world one last time.
Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting GOSPEL to PREACH unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
A good tree produces good fruit. Angels don’t produce good fruit.
Matthew 24:14 And this GOSPEL of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Mark 13:10 And the GOSPEL must first be published among all nations.
9. The Sun and Moon will be darkened.
Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the Tribulation of those days shall the sun be DARKENED, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be DARKENED, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
10. The stars fall to earth.
See Matthew 24:29 & Mark 13:24 above.
Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
a. What are the stars? Short answer: I think the stars are and have always been angels. I don’t think all angels are stars. But I think all stars are angels. What do we know about stars?
* Stars have names. Psalm 147:4
* Stars were created. Genesis 1:16
* Stars fight. Judges 5:20
* Stars sing. Job 38:7
* Stars praise God. Psalm 148:3
* Stars are all different. 1 Corinthians 15:41
* (the devil's) Stars Wander. Jude 1:13
* Some Stars are the devils' angels. Revelation 12:4
* Jesus is the bright and morning star. Revelation 2:28 & Revelation 22:16
If the devil's angels can be stars & Jesus is the bright and morning star, then why can't (some) angels be stars, too?
UPDATE: Revelation 6:13 says the stars of heaven fell unto the earth.
It does not say the stars destroyed the earth let alone caused a catastrophic event. I believe the stars falling to earth are the angels gathering the elect.
Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels... and they shall gather together his elect...
11. The Son of man appears.
Matthew 24:30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mark 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
The Day of the Lord is the day the Son of Man shall appear. The Day of the Lord marks the beginning of 1260 days God’s Wrath.
Isaiah 2:12 For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
Isaiah 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
Isaiah 13:9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
Acts 2:20 the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
12. The angels gather the elect. People won't levitate or vanish. They get escorted by an angel.
Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mark 13:27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
When will all of this happen?
Nobody knows the day or the hour… yet. But, if you know when the antichrist makes the covenant of peace, then you can calculate the day of the rapture. When the antichrist goes into the temple and proclaims himself to be God then you will REALLY KNOW.
As of December 8, 2021, the rapture will NOT take place before August 4, 2025.
There are other books in the bible that contain related prophesy. Look for the phrase “Day of the Lord” and you will find more information on the rapture.
(a) January 10, 2022 - added "GREAT" because there is 1260 days of tribulation followed by 75 days of GREAT tribulation.
*Correction. I replaced Daniel 9:11 with Daniel 12:11
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