Convergence Post #14 – Drum Roll…Melded Timeline

And…drum roll…here is the merged composite timeline that shows the main points of convergence between Daniel and Revelation. 

Starting at the top left, we see Jesus among the lampstands.  We had discussed the Deity of Christ in a previous takeaway, and His Glorious Presence that brought John to the point where he could totally relate to what happened to the priests (cohanim) in Solomon’s brand new temple—When the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, For He is Good, for His steadfast love endures forever, the House, the House of the LORD, was filled with a cloud…because of the cloud, the cohanim could not stand up to perform their service; for the Glory of Adonai filled the House of God. 2 Chronicles 5:13

John could not stand up, in fact, he fell on His face as if dead. 🙂  And in the Book of Daniel, the Prophet saw the anthropomorphic Jesus on probably two occasions—7:13 and 10:6.  But Nebuchadnezzar had a vision which evolved from a prophetic stream to a river of revelation, becoming a major point of convergence between the books of Daniel and Revelation.  Nebuchadnezzar saw a curious stone.  In his “wildest dreams,” he could never have understood that he had observed the Stone of Stumbling, the Rock of Offense, the Cornerstone Precious and Elect in Zion.  The curious stone that broke off and rolled down the mountain began smashing and flattening ephemeral, earthly kingdoms in its centuries-long path—as Jesus raises up an eternal kingdom that will fill the whole earth, an unshakable kingdom that cannot and will not ever be moved.  And it’s that Kingdom that He invited the church to dwell in…with Him…forever. 

Next we move down in the timeline, to the statue which elucidates the earthly kingdoms—and two multi-faceted prophecies.  So we have two prophetic phases of fulfillment.  One prophecy is the symbolic segue into a second, amazing eschatological prophecy; the first was precisely fulfilled from the day it was given until the day Jesus ascended on high.  The second is still unfolding today as the Book of Daniel converges with Revelation.  Three earthly kingdoms came and went.  One king was a mass model mock-up of a future global leader who will escort the world into destruction.  And the fourth kingdom morphed from being state-based to church-based, and will eventually be the vehicle for a worldwide religion—a religion that will propel this completely evil leader to commit the act of utter desecration that will spell disaster and doom for this earth. 

The beasts that were depicted in Daniel converge in Revelation into future beasts—one representing the developmental end time world order, and one representing the imposition of a worldwide false religion.  And convergence is also seen between the one-who-makes-desolate in Daniel, and his devil-possessed future counterpart with eventual global reach.

The seventy weeks prophecy, shown in small banners above the statue and its toes, includes a logarithmic progression of events that were kicked off in Daniel’s day, and continue through the first prophetic phase into the second. Sixty-nine weeks encompass the time from the Jews’ return from Babylon to Jesus’ ascension.  The remaining week refers to the end time period.  This could have kicked off immediately after the ascension, or may start after the times of the Gentiles, when Israel is ready to embrace Yeshua as her Messiah (referred to as the “Great Interval” in the timeline). 

The end time week is divided in half—into two 3.5 day segments. The terminology for the segments is “time, times, and a half.” There is concurrence, as well as convergence on this term. 

Wiki: The day-year principle was partially employed by Jews as seen in Daniel 9:24–27 and in the early church.  It was first used in Christian exposition in 380 AD by Ticonius, who interpreted the three and a half days of Revelation 11…as three and a half years, writing ‘three days and a half; that is, three years and six months’…1

The reference to this 3.5 year time period occurs eight times in scripture:

Daniel 7:25, time, times and a half. (The saints will be given into the anti-Christ’s hand.)

Daniel 9:27, half one set of seven. (When one half of the week is up, the anti-Christ will cause the sacrifice and offering to cease, and commit the Abomination of Desolation.)

Daniel 12:7, time, times and a half. (The power of the holy people will be shattered.)

Revelation 11:2, 42 months. (Israel’s enemies will trample the holy city.)

Revelation 11:3, 1260 days. (Two witnesses will be raised up who will prophecy for 3.5 years.)

Revelation 12:6, 1260 days. (Israel’s saints will flee into the wilderness, to a place of shelter under God’s protection.)

Revelation 12:14, time, times and a half. (Re-emphasized:  Israel’s saints will flee into the wilderness, to a place of shelter under God’s protection.)

Revelation 13:5, 42 months. (The inhabitants of the earth will be deceived and ordered to erect an image of the anti-Christ.)

And then things will totally implode in a major way:

Daniel prophesies it (The Time of Trouble):  There will be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred from the beginning of nations until that time.  Daniel 12:1

Revelation confirms it (The Great Tribulation) and, as the revelation river continues to flow, spells it out in frightening detail in Chapters 15 – 17.

But the revelation river takes us from Daniel’s cryptic summary (just before he was told to “zip his lip,”) to four Revelation chapters of Jesus’ redemptive work as He irrevocably deals with evil, achieving resoundingly indisputable, ultimate victory:

But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered…Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.…Daniel 12:1,3

That victory is for our microcosmic lives today as well.  He is ready, willing, and well able.  Here are the scriptures that I feel that the LORD has given me, for these unsettling times:  1 Timothy 4:16, Ephesians 1:18, Luke 1:53, Job 5:20, Ecclesiastes 3:11 and my personal favorite:

He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.  2 Samuel 22:17-18.

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1Wiki website:  /wiki/Day-year_principle

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