A “TOUR GUIDE” TO FINDING YOUR WAY ON GOD’S END TIME AGENDA:

From our human perspective, action in “time”, like “Time’s Arrow”, moves unchangeably and irrevocably forward. But, GOD is the great I AM. For Him all of time is now. He declares “I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ... God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). In The Revelation, God, Who “is and was and is to come” (Rev.1:4), shares with us His divine viewpoint, which appears as four panoramas of time. Just as an artist can sketch the past, present, and future on a wall mural, or you can see where you have been and where you are going from a Viewpoint on a mountain highway, so we have sketched God’s four “Divine Viewpoint Time Panoramas” in this “TOUR GUIDE TO THE TRIBULATION”.

The seven years begin with seven Seals, followed by seven Trumpets, then seven Thunders, finally seven Vials. The seventh is always one of these Divine Viewpoint Time Panoramas (and also introduces or contains within it the next seven) – everything else in the Revelation is in strict chronological order. If this is completely accurate, then understanding The Revelation becomes much more straight forward than has been thought and taught heretofore.

This Time Line accounts for every verse in Revelation chapters 1- 20 : who does what, and when. The prophetic fulfillments of the seven feasts of Israel, which are overlaid at the top of the Tour Guide, tell the WHY. (For example, see how the “Harvest Home” of the fourth feast, Pentecost, results in the salvation of 1/3 of humanity – over two billion eternal souls! What a good reason “why” He winds up “time” as He does!) God’s gracious and perfect purposes will all be fulfilled, and we each will choose how we will participate (willing or otherwise ) in His action.

We pray this Tour Guide will give essential guidance to Godly pilgrims on their way to fulfilling His call for them here at the end of “time”:

before the 70^th week of Daniel: to preach the Gospel — “to the Jew first” (Rom. 1:16b);

during the 70^th week (The Tribulation): Take heed that no man “deceive” you (Matthew 24:4,5,11,24).

This Tour Guide is much more than a map; it guides what to see and where not to go!

If you will prayerfully descend the Timeline step by step, verse by verse, rather than trying to jump down the great height, your trip should be successful.)

WHERE TO START:

(1) The seven Feasts of Israel (in chronological order, from left to right) head this Tour Guide, because they are fundamental to our understanding of why all this is happening.

(2) Familiarize yourself with the four bottom foundation lines: The Second Coming, the breakdown into years/months/days, the four sevens of judgment, and Time’s Arrow, as well as the specific studies of The Book, Russia, The Temples, Babylon, Satan’s 7 tries.

(3) Now, starting in the upper left at Revelation 1 and Feast 1 (Passover), follow the Timeline, verse by verse, left to right, top to bottom – down the slippery Tribulation slope.

The chapter and verse divisions of the Bible are not in the original Hebrew and Greek and therefore have no authority. They sometimes seriously threaten a reader’s ability to follow what is being said. For example, not every chapter begins a new subject — especially note Daniel chapters 10 ,11 and The Revelation chapters 6,7 (7 is part of 6), 12-16.

The following are three observations made in this Timeline which are not found on most fundamental timelines. Please evaluate them in the full light of Scripture to adjust, correct, reject, or just be blessed and empowered by them:

1.) That the Rapture starts the Tribulation is based on the following: A) Mankind is always under covenantal relation with God — that is, God is always in control. If pulling the plug on the Church Age at the Rapture doesn’t automatically kick into gear the Tribulation, then the world will be out of God’s covenantal control for a period of time until the Tribulation starts. Israel’s prophetic clock stopped at the completion of Daniel’s 69^th week, the crucifixion of Messiah — to the day! That clock obviously restarts at the beginning of Daniel’s 70^th week, simultaneously switching focus from the “fellowship of the mystery” Ephesians 3, back to “The people” (Dan.9:24). Satan doesn’t control anything by signing the 7-year treaty with Israel, and his man will sign it right on God’s time. B) First Corinthians 5:7 & 8, and the prophetic message of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, indicate that the Church is (or should be!) characterized as unleavened bread (the second Feast). Now, the date of the ending of the unleavened bread Church Age (the Rapture) is not given AND the date of (the third Feast) First Fruits is not given, “When ye be come into the land...and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits...” Lev.23:10. (A date is given for each of the other six Feasts.) Two things equal to the same thing are equal to each other — QED, the Church Age ending and the beginning of The Feast of First Fruits is simultaneous, starting the 70^th week of Daniel, the Tribulation. C) If our understanding of the second coming of Jesus Christ as one event that is seven years long is correct (that is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”, Rev. 1:1, takes seven years), then wouldn’t it start with His meeting the Church in the air at the Rapture and end when He arrives at the Mount of Olives at the end of the seven years — with everything in between revealing His “power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev.5:12; 7:12)?

2.) That the Tribulation Temple will be dedicated 250 days after the Rapture is shown by simple subtraction of 2300 days from 2550 (the 7 years + 30 days to the cleansing of the Temple) as shown on the Timeline. The meanings of the different Hebrew words for “taken away” in Dan. 8:11 and “taken away” in Dan. 12:11 also seem to indicate that these are two different events. One of them is shown to be 250 days into the Tribulation and the second at the mid-point.

3.) The significance of The Seven Thunders (along with the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14) are simply passed over by virtually all Bible teachers; yet they are critically important information to the Tribulation Saints in the second half, the “Great Tribulation”. (The seven vials can only be in the last hours of the Tribulation because there will be no water to drink, and it will get scorching hot.) This Timeline shows what appears to be all seven of the Thunders, each introduced by a loud voice (as the voice of a great thunder” Rev. 14:2), perhaps not written because (fallen) angels don’t take notice of implied truth.

Imagine the power of testimony to be able to say to devout Jewish friends who don’t see the Messiahship of Yeshua yet: “I and all (most) Christians whom you really respect are going to disappear on the same day. Then count 250 days, and you will be in Jerusalem.” “How do you know?” they reply. “Because your Temple will be dedicated.” “I’ll be there”! they say. Then say to your Jewish friends, “However, Israeli leaders and a great world leader will not allow the ‘daily sacrifice’ to Levitically sanctify the new Temple (it will be killed and will ‘breed worms’ rather than be burned on the altar).” At that time, go to ‘Ha Kotel’ (the Wall); there are two men that want to speak with you.”