Session 4: The Redemptive World Order

THE REDEMPTIVE WORLD ORDER

Peter M. Wilson  

List of Major Doctrinal Revisions:  

27 November 2014 - Original Draft  

20 October 2020 - Preterist Hermeneutical Principle Applied  

12 December 2021 - Seven Heads of the Dragon Associated with the Seven Roman Rulers, & the Ten Horns Associated with Judean Provisional Council  

10 May 2022 - Antiochus as a foreshadowing of Titus  

29 November 2023 - Deity of Christ as Son, and divine rebellions as the redemptive backdrop 

God's redemptive plan shows us that there has been a purposeful order of specific events since the beginning of creation. These events have molded humankind and shaped the very foundations by which we experience life. People won't often attribute these events to God or His plans. They prefer to believe that random events occurred throughout human history and that there isn't order or a plan behind these events. However, some choose to believe that events occur precisely according to an exact timeline and that God published this timeline through individuals known as prophets. The prophets had strong relationships with God and would record in writing what they heard from God. Once these things were spoken and recorded, it was not clear whether the things spoken of would happen. However, as historical events unfolded, people began to possess the ability to see that these events occurred specifically as these people said they would. One event after another, they all continued to unfold just as recorded until the end or completion of all these events.  

The implications of comprehending what has occurred and what is destined to occur could significantly alter the trajectory of a person's life. With this understanding a person could begin to develop a valid purpose, they would be free from the captivity of years and generations of conditioning. Conditioning such as believing that nothing matters, everything is random, and there is no hope for anything beyond the physical. The timeline of world events that this writing seeks to explore is best defined as God's Redemptive World Order. The purpose of this writing is to convince any person who does not believe that this order exists that it, in fact, does.  

God created a myriad of angelic beings at the beginning of creation, before the earth was even formed (Job 38:1-7). The son of God was the first being created; we know him as Jesus (Colossians 1:15). Although we commonly aren't taught that this son of God was active in the Old Testament, with closer examination, we can see him throughout the entire process, of God's redemptive plan. He appeared throughout the Old Testament as the Angel of the Lord (Exodus 3:2; Exodus 23:21). We also see him identified as Michael the Chief Messenger (Revelation 12:7; Daniel 12:1; Revelation 20:1), which means he was and is the supreme being created and appointed over all other beings, the Only Begotten Son of God, the Preeminent One. Next, God formed what is known as the Divine Council, which was a collection of powerful beings who all came together to decide various things, much like how our human democracies function today (Psalm 82:6). 

Lucifer was a being created as a sort of heavenly prosecutor tasked with sifting out other beings and ensuring their integrity was true; however, he was ultimately overcome by evil (Ezekiel 28:15-19). An issue expanded because this being, and those like him, were created with free will. Yet, although they were created in a perfect state, they were overcome by various characteristics that were against the nature of their creator, resulting in their banishment from the heavenly kingdom (Genesis 3). This was the first rebellion, and this defiant act resulted in what are commonly known as the three spiritual rebellions.   

These rebellions were characterized by spiritual beings being influenced by those members of the divine council that were separated from God’s kingdom, known as Satan, in the plural form, meaning accusers or adversaries. The first instance of one of these beings exercising a demonic plan on God’s creation was in the story about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; the Satan' carried out the deception of Adam and Eve causing them to doubt God’s wordr and be enticed to sin. Ultimately, this led to the second divine rebellion as those fallen beings began to deceive humankind, teaching methods of war, drug usage, and deception (Genesis 6:1-4, 5). Leaving their natural spiritual habitation, they crossed over to the physical world and began to have relations with human women, resulting in unnatural offspring populating throughout the earth.  

After the flood of Noah occurred to cleanse the human population from the proliferation of unnatural hybrid beings, there was yet another third divine rebellion antagonized by these divine beings (Genesis 11:1-9; Psalms 82; 89:5-6). After being appointed over various earthly nations by God another set of spiritual beings rebelled and abandonded the commands of God (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). Members of God’s chosen nation were then given commands to cleanse the unnatural offspring that began to flourish once again from the actions of these disobedient divine beings. Much of the Old Testament of the bible tells the story of how these rebellions were interrupted and, ultimately, how God established his everlasting kingdom through His son, Jesus Christ. 

God desires relationships. Therefore, His creation must have free will to choose on their own whether to reflect His nature or not. If they didn't have free will to choose, this wouldn't be an actual relationship. Although the purpose is a relationship, God is perfect. Therefore, no created being that reflects what is contrary to His nature can be permitted to exist in a relationship with Him. God watched as His creation took advantage of this gift of free will. Rather than live in gratitude and reverence of Him, some would always choose rebellion. Knowing that the dark side of free will was an issue that would need to be resolved, God developed a plan that would ultimately lead all creation into unity and reconciliation into a truly perfected state of existence.   

Knowing that God is a personal and relational being, it follows that he would create other beings to share in the experience of life and relationships, and so He did just that. God created the earth and humankind with a purpose: to raise His creation into a condition whereby they could overcome evil and live in unity with Him. He accomplished this through a series of redemptive events. He did not create all things simply because he was bored or felt like being worshiped. There was a specific purpose to this entire plan. God decided to destroy the influence of evil forever, set apart people who reflect His nature, and live passionately in partnership with Him. 

The angels look intently into the world and try to understand this plan of redemption, to see how God is orchestrating His plan (1 Peter 1:9-12). Humankind is being perfected. However, we often think that merely because we exist, we are a finished creation. We are all taking part in building God's perfected kingdom as we are reconciled into a relationship with Him (1 Peter 1:15-16). That is the ultimate plan for humankind; it is our purpose, our destiny.   

CREATION 

After God established his divine council, He began to create what we now perceive as reality. At the beginning of time, God created everything that now exists in six literal twenty-four-hour days. On the first day, He created heaven, earth, and light (Gen. 1:1-5; KJV). On the second day, He made the atmosphere, then separated the water below and above it, which created a sort of water barrier above the atmosphere (Gen. 1:6-8; KJV). On the third day, God formed the earth, caused the water on earth to be collected into seas, land to arise from the water on earth, and vegetation to start growing on the land (Gen. 1:9-13; KJV). On the fourth day, God created the heavenly bodies and stars, including the sun and moon (Gen. 1:14-19; KJV). On the fifth day, God created sea creatures and flying animals (Gen. 1: 20-23; KJV). On the sixth day, God created animals, insects, and humankind (Gen. 1: 24-31; KJV). Lastly, on the seventh day, God rested and thought on his creation (Gen. 2:2-3; KJV).  

THE COVENANTS 

The primary means by which God established His redemptive world order was through a series of promises known as Covenants. God made several covenants throughout the Bible, each with a mediator or human appointee to serve as a witness to that promise (Galatians 3:18-20). The first covenant was with a man named Adam in the Garden of Eden. The covenant was given as a blessing upon humankind, and the only condition was not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil; this was The Covenant of Adam (Gen. 1: 28; KJV). The man and woman God created disobeyed him and brought evil into the world. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil after being deceived by that fallen being, Lucifer. Therefore, God cast them out of the Garden that he created for them to ensure they would not eat from the Tree of Life, which would give them everlasting life in an unredeemable state. From this point on, all creation was doomed to live under a curse. However, God made a covenant with humankind as well, which led to a series of subsequent covenants. The plan to redeem all things continued after Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. They were now living under a new covenant called The Covenant of Eden (Gen. 3: 4-24; KJV).     

Over time, humankind was deceived into rebellion under the influence of those fallen beings who left their natural habitation to create for themselves, resulting in unnatural hybrid beings. Therefore, God decided to destroy all living creatures besides various groups of animals. In this time of humankind's existence, only one man's family reflected God's nature; his name was Noah. Therefore, God spared him and his family (Gen. 6:5-9; KJV). Approximately 1600 years after creation, there was a worldwide flood, water began spewing out of the earth, and that canopy of water that was separated on the second day of creation fell upon the earth (Gen. 7:11; KJV). All creation was destroyed except the righteous man and his family.  

God made a covenant with Noah and all creation not to destroy life by flood ever again, and many other blessings; this was The Covenant of Noah (Gen. 9: 1-19; KJV).   

God completely altered the atmosphere and made a brand-new environment for man to live in (Gen. 2:5-6; 9:12-16 KJV). In this brand-new environment, humankind would now experience a very different kind of life. Environmental changes, dietary changes, and genetic changes would all play a significant role in the reduction of years humankind sustained, as opposed to before when people could live for hundreds of years. After that top layer of water around the earth collapsed, oxidation levels and higher levels of ultraviolet light would have been severely altered, which now had a more significant effect on all life. Also, God gave man the liberty to eat meat and anything else he desired. This new diet would also shorten life span (Gen. 9: 3-4; KJV).   

As time went on, all the earth was filled with descendants from the sons of Noah (Gen. 9:19; KJV). This is where the genetic factor comes into play, as the entire human population now went from a severely altered possibility for genetic variation. These genes would be far from perfect, as seen within Adam's lineage. This would also play a significant role in the shortened life span of humankind. At this time, humankind only spoke one language, and over time, humankind began to gather in one place and made an attempt to build a giant tower and a massive city. God was not pleased with the intentions of this ancient society, so He confused their language, causing humankind to spread out, which brought about various ethnicities, languages, and cultural backgrounds (Gen. 11:5-9; KJV). Tracing the lineage of humankind in the bible has led many to believe in a young earth creation model. However, some also believe in a longer time frame of creation (Gen. 5 & 7). 

From this point on, God made several covenants with humankind to redeem all willing people back to himself. The covenants are listed as follows:  

The Covenant of Abraham – Lineage as numerous as the stars (Gen. 17; KJV)  

The Covenant of Moses – Lead the captives free (Ex. 34; KJV) 

The Covenant of David – Root of an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam. 7; KJV) 

The Covenant of Jesus – Sin destroyed, salvation for all (Heb. 8-13; KJV) 

THE COVENANT OF JESUS 

Jesus was manifested in the flesh to fulfill the prophecies spoken of Him by all the prophets before His time, prophecies of the savior of all humankind. This savior would have had to come at a particular time in history to fulfill these prophecies and would have had to accomplish his mission within a specific time frame, as we will see. Jesus also came to fulfill the previous covenants by making an everlasting covenant for all humanity for all time (Mat. 5:17; KJV). Rather than embrace what Jesus came to do, many sought to kill him for his teachings and rejected him (Mat. 12:14; KJV). As Jesus began his ministry, his people thought he had lost his mind; he refused to meet with his own family at specific points (Mk. 3:21; Mat. 12:46-50 KJV). Despite these things, his words began to spread very quickly. His reputation began to grow so fast that the religious leaders began to devise a way to kill him so that they could maintain control. Jesus was sold into captivity, beaten, mocked, and crucified (Mat 27:3-4; KJV).   

After descending into Hell and Abraham's Bosom, three literal twenty-four-hour days passed, and he arose from the dead, raised many from the dead with him, and continued to walk the earth and perform miracles for forty days (Eph. 4:9; Mat. 12:40; Lk. 24:1-7; Mat. 27:52-53; Act. 1:3; KJV). Ten days after he ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit came into the earth and people began to receive the Holy Spirit into their lives (Acts 2:1-2; KJV). Before Jesus was crucified, he made many declarations that provide stunning clarity about where we stand on the timeline of God's Redemptive World Order.  

THE GREAT TRIBULATION 

The community of believers has many different views regarding the order and arrangement of the final events of God's redemptive plan. Some believe that Christ will physically return to set up a kingdom on earth; others believe this has already happened and that we are spiritually living in that kingdom already. Some believe that there will be a gathering up or rapture of all believers from earth into heaven in the future; others believe that this has already occurred spiritually as a result of the work of Christ. Some believe that in the future, the whole world must receive a mark, and without it, they won't be able to buy, sell, or be a part of society; others believe that this form of persecution already occurred in a symbolic sense during the first century.  

Some believe that an ancient and evil kingdom is still operating, others believe that Christ broke this kingdom and established his own, just as he said he would. Some believe that the only thing left to occur in the future is that the kingdom that Christ established will continue to grow until all are in complete unity of faith in Christ and with one another. This view is known as fulfilled eschatology, and it appears to be the most consistent view of scripture. This view is in direct agreement with the words of Christ, and with what the prophets explained about what Christ would do and when he would do it.   

Jesus, when talking to his disciples, stated, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:31-33; KJV)." He also taught his disciples that the generation he was speaking to would not pass away before all of the things he spoke of concerning "the end" occurred (Matt. 24:34). These fundamental statements by Christ himself, along with many others serve as the foundation for the Fulfilled Eschatological worldview.  

THE 70-YEAR PROPHECY OF DANIEL 

Long before the time of Christ, there was a prophet named Daniel. It is vital to understand his prophecy as it details the timeline of when Christ was supposed to come and what he had to accomplish in a specific timeframe for this prophecy to be valid. However, before discussing that there is another very important fact to take note of. The vision and prophecy were ordered to be sealed until "The Time of The End". To seal the vision and prophecy is a way of saying it would not be fully understood or comprehended until this spoken of "Time of The End". However, when Christ arrived, as well as when the apostles began their ministry they explain numerous times that the prophecy was no longer sealed and that the "Time of The End" had come (Col. 1:24-28, Eph 3:3-7; 19, Rom. 16:25-26, Heb. 9:6-28). 

Many refer to this "Time of The End" as the end of the world in fire and judgment from God. However, if that view is properly held up to scripture it can be observed to be inconsistent. The Old Testament prophets were not making prophecies of the end of time, and the end of all things, as many commonly tend to believe. The most consistent view is that this "Time of The End" is not a time of the end of the world; rather, it is the end of the old covenant age, which was to be followed by the everlasting age of the new covenant. 

With these things in mind, we can draw several conclusions from the 70 weeks prophecy mentioned in the ninth chapter of Daniel. An angel named Gabriel approached Daniel in the latter half of the ninth chapter after Daniel prayed for Israel. According to salvationprosperity.net Gabriel mentions "seventy-sevens" will take place before God will put an end to sin and bring everlasting righteousness (Daniel 9:24). Scholars agree that the sevens appear to mean years as in 70 X 7, which is 490 years. Therefore, when Christians refer to the period of God bringing everlasting righteousness as 70 weeks, they mean 490 years. This means the following events must all occur within those 490 years: Jerusalem must be destroyed, a king must give a decree to allow Jewish people to go and rebuild it, and finally, the work of the Messiah must be completed. The timeline of those events can be divided as follows: 

* 49 years (7 X 7 = 49): The time it takes to rebuild Jerusalem since the time the Babylonians had destroyed it (Daniel 9:25), which occurs in the Book of Nehemiah. 

* 434 years (62 X 7 = 434): The time between the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4) and the arrival of the Anointed One, Jesus Christ (Daniel 9:26). According to the Bible, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, was the monarch under whom the Babylonian captivity ended. In the first year of his reign, he was prompted by God to decree that the temple in Jerusalem should be rebuilt so that such Jews as cared to might return to their land. Towards the end of this period, Christ arrived on the scene and began his ministry just as prophesied (Daniel 9:27).  

* 7 years (1 X 7): This time is usually referred to as the tribulation period when the Anointed One would be put to death and the temple sacrifice rendered obsolete. Jesus explains what must happen in full detail to his followers in what is known as The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21). This includes Jesus' death on the cross, Satan and the false Prophet being cast out, Christian persecution, the Holy Spirit coming into the earth, and the establishment of the final covenant known as the wedding ceremony.  

The wedding ceremony is spoken of by Paul and other prophets as the mystery of God which being interpreted properly shows as the time of the righteous Jewish remnant being united with the gentile nations under one new and final covenant (Isa. 62 1-7; 11-12, Eph. 3:3-7, 19, Rom. 10:7, Heb. 9:6-28, Rev. 10:7, Rev. 11:15). Theologians have disputed whether this final stage has already taken place and some assume these events will take place in the future, however, that understanding would conflict with many areas of scripture, many of those being Christ's very own words.  

A review of how Christ compares the current generation to the generation of Jonah is essential to understanding this final stage of the 70-week prophecy. This point is often overlooked, but Jesus is making a direct prophecy for the amount of time until the temple would be destroyed. The Pharisees asked Christ about giving them a sign for them to know He was the Messiah, he responded an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas (Matt. 12:39 KJV). According to evidence-for-the-bible.com "Jesus was telling them that similar to how Jonah went to preach to the city of Nineveh, He, Jesus, was also sent out to preach to a city. The people whom Jonah preached to listened to him, and because they listened and repented, their city was saved. However, the people who Jesus preached to rejected and killed Him. This means we should see something in history that happened to the city of those who rejected Jesus within 40 years, just as was prophesied by Jonah.  

First of all, we need to discover the city that Jesus was sent to reach. Well, we see that in Matthew chapter 24, verse 1, it reads: Jesus left the temple and was leaving, but his disciples came near him and called his attention to its structures. Then Jesus says this to them. "Do you see all these buildings?" He asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another, each will be thrown down." Jesus understood that the people to whom he preached in a call to repent would decline him. Given the parallel to Jonah, he knew that if they rejected him, their city would be ruined in 40 years just as in the time of Jonah. And what was that city that Jesus was called to preach to? Jerusalem! 

Jesus said to them. Listen to me, repent, or the same thing that would have taken place in Nineveh will happen to you. However, they didn't listen. They had Him crucified. Now when Jonah was preaching to the Ninevites, he said that if they did not listen to him, their city would be ruined in Forty days. The timeframe of forty days here is not a coincidence. This is an instance of what the Bible sometimes refers to as a "day-to-year" prophecy. Day-to-year prophecy is a parallel where the number of days that something occurred in the past relates to the number of years something will happen in the future.    

Another example is shown in the book of Daniel, the day-to-year prophecy with the 70 weeks for 490 years (70x7). In Ezekiel 4 verse 6, we see another example. "I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year." And also, Numbers 14 verse 34 states, "For forty years, one year for each of the forty days you explored the land, you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.' Throughout scripture, we see that not every time, but many times, days point directly to the number of years something will take place in the future as they pertain to certain prophecies. 

Jesus went to preach to those in Jerusalem and they rejected and killed Him, unlike the people in the story of Jonah. So now when we look back into history, we ought to see something that happened to the city of Jerusalem 40 years after they killed God's messenger. Well, with numerous historical sources, references, and archaeological evidence, most historians concur that Jesus was killed in 30 A.D. The single largest event that happened to the Jewish people was the fall of Jerusalem when the Romans came and threw down its walls and annihilated its temple. And it is an absolute historical fact that the date that Jerusalem was destroyed and its city overturned occurred in 70 A.D" (evidence-for-the-bible.com).   

This is historical evidence that precisely 40 years after Jesus was killed in 30 A.D., Jerusalem, their city was destroyed in 70 A.D. just as he explained it would. Some say Jesus was not physically present for the destruction of the temple; therefore He did not accomplish this task within the 490 years of Daniel's prophecy. There is a common mistake made here to think that Christ's prophecy about the destruction of the physical temple in the future is the same as the destruction of himself, the true temple. The true temple was Christ himself as he spoke in a parable explaining that the temple will be destroyed and raised in three days, but he spoke of his own body, and also in Daniel where it explains that during this last week, the Messiah will be cut off not for his sake but to cause the oblation to cease, making himself the final sacrifice and thus fulfilling the covenant forever (Jn. 2:18-22; Dan. 9:26-27). Therefore, Christ did fulfill the seventy-week prophecy, exactly in the timeline that it was prophesied to be, and went a step further in prophesying about the final destruction of Jerusalem as well.   

"After the Fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the city and its Temple in 70 A.D., there were still a few Judean strongholds in which the rebels continued holding out at Herodium, Machaerus, and Masada" (Tropper, Amram D. (2016), p. 92). "Both Herodium and Machaerus fell to the Roman army within the next two years, with Masada remaining the final stronghold of the Judean rebels. In 73 A.D. the Romans breached the walls of Masada and captured the fortress, with Josephus claiming that nearly all of the Jewish defenders had committed mass suicide before the entry of the Romans. With the fall of Masada, the First Jewish–Roman War came to an end" (Josephus, Flavius (1974), p. 186–300.). This fully accomplishes the time frame that Daniel explains as 2300 days in Daniel 8. From the time that destruction began in 66 A.D. until it was complete in 73 A.D. is 2300 days. Even though some associate this event with Daniel 8 as it related to Antiochus Epiphanes IV and his desecration of the temple in 167 B.C. which also lasted 2300 days, many consider this event as a prophetic foreshadowing of the same type of event which was to come upon Judea, as it did from 66 A.D. - 73 A.D. exactly 2300 days.  

To conclude the evaluation of Daniel's seventy-week prophecy, Daniel 9:24 spells out six points that the Messiah had to complete to be qualified to be the prophesied messiah. According to bridemovement.com "These are as follows: Seventy weeks [490 years] are determined upon thy people [Jews] and upon thy holy city, [Jerusalem] [to accomplish six things] [1] to finish the transgression, and [2] to make an end of sins, and [3] to make reconciliation for iniquity, and [4] to bring in everlasting righteousness, and [5] to seal up the vision and prophecy, and [6] to anoint the most Holy. The Bible states that Jesus fulfilled each of these six points. If he had not, he would have been disqualified from being humankind's Savior". However, there is still discussion to be had for the last week of Daniel's prophecy, wherein Jesus is to confirm the covenant for one week and be cut off during that week.  

ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION 

The final event to fulfill this last week should have occurred when Christ was crucified, commonly referred to as The Abomination of Desolation. Matthew 24:15 shows us that the time of judgment over the old system would start when this Abomination of Desolation shall be observed standing in the holy place. It is important to mention that multiple "Abominations of Desolation" are mentioned by the Prophet Daniel, however, they do not all refer to the same event. One can be applied to Antiochus Epiphanes IV and His desecration of the temple in 167 B.C., which lasted 2300 days (Dan. 8:13-14; Dan. 11:21-35), another can be observed when Christ was crucified in the Holy City known as Jerusalem. Ultimately all the foreshadowing abominations find their final fulfillment with the destruction of the temple in 73 A.D. 

The abomination we are discussing was that of the crucifixion of Christ in what was considered the Holy City of Jerusalem, again foreshadowing the destruction of the Jewish temple in judgment by the wrath of Christ at his second coming. When Christ was crucified, Pilate asked the people if they should crucify their king. However, they denied Him and praised Caesar as their king instead (Jn. 19:6-7,14-15). This is what is known as the abomination that causes desolation (Dan. 9:27). This was the first part of a triggering event that Jesus explained to His followers would ultimately result in the overspreading of abominations and the destruction of Jerusalem (Mat. 24:15). The triggering event for this period of desolation is explained in Daniel 9:27, during this final week the messiah was cut off and thus caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease, making it null and void.   

The cessation of sacrifices was done so by the ultimate and final sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, not for "himself" but because as explained by the prophecy "by overspreading of abominations he shall make desolate", meaning the Roman people will begin to make the land of Judea desolate, through the overspreading of their abominations and idolatries within it, until the time of consummation or completion. Finally, "that determined shall be poured upon the desolate", that which was determined as the final judgment, and wrath of God.  

It will do good to discuss the verses further about this abomination that makes desolate. In Daniel 9 it is stated "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and during the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (Daniel 9:26‭-‬27 KJV)". 

According to free-bible-study-lessons.com "In verse 26 the Messiah is the subject of the sentence. The "he" of verse 27 should refer to the subject of the sentence, which indeed it does. When we consider this, Jesus the Messiah must be the "he" in verse 27. It is important to note the people of the prince to come. We see multiple princes discussed and so it makes the understanding difficult. We have Messiah the prince in (Dan. 9:25), we see a prince of Persia who resisted the angel who was coming to bring a message to Daniel (Dan. 10:13), and we are told that a prince of Greece will come as well (Dan. 10:20), and of course Michael who is described to Daniel as "your prince" (Dan. 10:21)". 

Fortunately for us, on this side of history, we know who destroyed the city and the sanctuary, so we can retroactively understand who the prince was as well as who the people of the prince were. Undoubtedly the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and its temple was a result of a Roman decree. Knowing this we should be able to understand who the prince of the people of Rome could be. If the other nations, Babylon, Persia, and Greece, each had a "prince" or spiritual ruler over them, then it's not a stretch at all to conclude that the final national power had one as well. Fortunately, again on this side of history, we know from scripture who this prince was and his fate. Satan is referred to as the prince of the power of the air multiple times throughout scripture. Paul tells us that the prince of the power of the air was the ruler of the present age (Eph. 2:2). 

In John 12:30-32 Christ tells us of how the judgment of the world has come and the prince of the power of the air cast out as a result of Christ overcoming death. John gives us even further detail in the book of Revelation as he informs us that there were to be seven kings associated with this final national power: and at the time of his writing five had fallen, one was, and the other had not yet come; and when he did come, that he must continue a short space (Rev. 17:10-11). He also tells us that this national power can be identified by noting the nature of its seven mountains.  

The Julio-Claudian dynasty of Rome was at its waning end at the time of John's writing, this was a time in Roman history known as the year of four emperors. This civil war lasted from 68 A.D. - 70 A.D. and was the first to occur within the Roman Empire. In fact at the time of John's writing, no later than 65 A.D.; five emperors had fallen (Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius), one was currently in power (Nero), and the last legitimate emperor (Galba 68 A.D. - 69 A.D.) only reigned for seven months before being murdered by Otho. Otho committed suicide three months later and was replaced by Aulus Vitellius, who himself was only in power for a short eight months. Vespasian replaced him; who was responsible for putting an end to the Julio- 

Claudian dynasty of the Roman Empire. Vespasian instituted his line of emperors known as the Flavian Dynasty beginning in 70 A.D.   

Clarification may be needed as to how the emperors could represent seven heads of the beast when there were more than just seven emperors. An investigation into the legitimacy of the emperors who held power during that year of four emperors should allow the reader to comprehend that the two emperors (Otho and Vitellius) cannot be considered legitimate emperors due to how they held office and the nature of their rule. Not to include the fact that during this time, Rome was in a state of civil war between various political parties, it can hardly be said that these two emperors held authentic titles enough that John of the Book of Revelation would consider them as part of His prophecy. However, he also tells us that a matter such as this would require wisdom to comprehend properly. 

There is no other way to be so clear as to communicate who this final national power was. The Roman Empire was often referred to as "the city on seven hills" due to the nature of its geographical features at the heart of Rome. It was this national power that the prince of the power of the air was working through. The seven rulers of that last national empire had fallen just as John explained they would, and the prince of it who was Satan, was also ultimately destroyed (Heb. 2:14-15; Rev. 12:12). It was this national power that crucified Jesus and destroyed Jerusalem with its sanctuary just as Daniel explained that it would. Now that we understand who the people of the prince to come were, we must seek to understand what is meant by the statement "that which is determined shall be poured upon the desolate, even until the consummation". We must understand what was determined to be poured upon the desolate to understand who was responsible for this "pouring out." We must also understand the consummation or completion of these things to understand how long this "pouring out" would be.  

This "pouring out" was nothing other than the wrath of God, which was to be "poured out" upon the desolate [unbelieving Jerusalem], and upon the wicked at the end of the age (Rev. 16:1). Jesus curses the Pharisees multiple times and even tells them that they are filling up the measure of their sins as in a reference to say they are filling up a cup of wrath that is to be poured out at the decided time because of their abominations (Mat. 23:32); due to their persecution of the prophets and saints their house was being left desolate (Mat. 23:37-38). We see this language used often throughout scripture. For example, in Genesis 15:16 Abraham is told that judgment is coming upon the Amorites, but not yet because the measure of their iniquities is not yet full. Jeremiah details an even more closely related event, the judgment coming over Israel and Judah as a result of their wickedness. We see the cup of wrath once again filled to the measure as Jeremiah is told that these unbelieving nations will drink from the cup of wrath and as a result, will be left desolate (Jer. 25:8-26).  

Now, when this desolation came upon Israel and Judah, we see that it came through Nebuchadnezzar. However, it was undoubtedly the wrath of God by which this was ordained and carried out. Similarly, we see this same routine carried out in Daniel 9:27 in a discussion of what this overspreading of abominations would be that caused all to become desolate, and when it would be as well. Considering these points should lead to an understanding that the people [Roman armies] of the prince [prince of the power of the air, working through the Roman emperor] were the instruments of judgment in the hand of Jesus. Therefore, Jesus was the One who made Israel desolate as a consequence of their rejection of Him as Messiah, for murdering Him upon the cross and persecuting His followers. The time determined for this event was during the lifetimes of the first-century saints, as we see their writing reflect bountifully the discussion of the time of the end and the consummation of the age (1 Cor. 10:11). 

Jesus explained to his followers that when they see this atrocity done to him, this abomination of desolation in the holy place, the time of judgment over Judea would begin (Dan 9:27; Matt. 24:15). He also explained his final judgment on the matter, when they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies to be destroyed, that they would know this end of desolation has arrived (Luke 21:20-21 KJV). In John, we see another very important "now" statement given by Jesus to his followers when he said "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die (Jn. 12:31-33)".  

All of these "now" statements by Jesus should warrant extreme attention to the time frame that he taught about when he would accomplish all of these things. Jesus fulfilled the seventy-week prophecy with the final sacrifice of himself, ceasing the oblation and sacrifice and pronouncing final judgment over Israel, thus accomplishing what he was prophesied to do within the timeframe shown. Jerusalem was persecuted and ultimately destroyed by the decree of Titus and the traditional daily sacrifice quite literally ceased exactly in the timeframe that Jesus prophesied in 70 A.D.   

Josephus records, "To the great grief of the people, the Jews, ever since the destruction of their city and temple, never offered any sacrifice again, esteeming it unlawful to do so in a strange land." Therefore, the time of Great Tribulation, began at Christ's crucifixion and the consummation or completion occurred in 70 A.D. when the Roman general (and future Emperor) Titus sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple. To understand this time frame in more detail we will look at Daniel's interpretation of the kingdoms that will be ruling in order of succession, from the time of his writing up to the time of The Great Tribulation, and the consummation of that age.  

THE FIRST BEAST & FALSE PROPHET 

The second chapter of the Book of Daniel explains how Daniel interpreted a dream of Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon. "In his dream, the king saw a gigantic statue made of four metals, from its head of gold to its feet of mingled iron and clay; as he watched, a stone "not cut by human hands" destroyed the statue and became a mountain filling the whole world" (Seow, C.L. (2003). Daniel). The "stone not cut by human hands" is also known as Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, the foundation upon which the prophets and apostles built. "Daniel explained to the king that the statue represented four successive kingdoms beginning with Babylon, while the stone and mountain signified a kingdom established by God, which would grow to consume the whole earth never to be destroyed" (Seow, C.L. (2003). Daniel). 

In the seventeenth chapter of the book of Revelation this kingdom is described as a seven-headed beast with ten horns and a separate beast called the false Prophet, that rises to power and causes all the people to worship the seven-headed beast. The seven heads represent seven kings and kingdoms, and the ten horns are described as being ten kingdoms, with ten rulers, that had not received a kingdom at the time of the writing, however, they would rule along with the beast for an hour or short time. This beast received a major blow to one of its heads and appeared to be dead, however, it regained its power for a short time until ultimately being destroyed.  

In the seventh chapter of Daniel, four different beasts are described. The first was a lion, the second was a bear, the third was a leopard with four heads, and the last was a dragon (Dan. 7:4-9). These animals are given specific characteristics whereby upon further study they can be observed to have striking similarities with the kingdoms of the times in direct alignment with the kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar's statue. In the thirteenth chapter of the book of Revelation, these same kingdoms were described in more detail once again including the description of the false Prophet being a beast with two horns. The difference with this description is all the kingdoms are depicted as one beast as seen with his appearance being of a leopard, with the feet of a bear, the mouth of a lion, and having seven heads with ten horns. An interesting point found here is that the dragon (the fourth beast of Nebuchadnezzar's statue - Satan) gave this beast its power, connecting the idea that it is the prince of the power of the air, called Satan, who ultimately was controlling all of these world powers only until the time came for Christ to cast out the prince of the power of the air.   

It is generally accepted that Babylon was the first kingdom, Medo-Persia was the second kingdom, Greece was the third kingdom, and Satan working directly through Rome was the fourth. These were the four kingdoms that succeeded each other at that time. The twelfth chapter of Revelation explains that a great dragon with seven heads and ten horns, which was the last beast, attempted to devour a woman's child who was destined to rule the nations. Therefore, we see that this final kingdom would have to be established, active, and in direct opposition to Christ who is the child in this description, attempt to kill him, and fail to result in his everlasting kingdom being established over the nations and in heaven. 

We see that when John was writing his revelation, he explains one woman (a great city that reigns over the others), rides the seven-headed beast over seven mountains on which seven kings rule; five kings had come, and one was currently ruling, and one had yet to rule at the time of that writing; these kings and their designations were described earlier. Ultimately, this beast's destiny would be that of destruction by a stone, which appeared and destroyed this entire image, and an everlasting kingdom would grow from that stone (Dan. 2:32-34; Dan. 7; Rev. 17:8-18). This shows us that the rule of this beast is not a description of one catastrophic event that occurs in the distant future, but was a coalition of kings that were ultimately destroyed by that stone, which is Jesus.   

The kings that were ruling when Christ was crucified, and when the desolation of the temple occurred, were the final kings, this was the last kingdom of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and it all occurred within the time frame of Daniel's seventy-week prophecy in conjunction with Christ's declarations as we have seen. Therefore, we can now see that the "stone not cut by human hands" which is also known as the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, did destroy this seven-headed beast or seven-headed system of governmental oppression facilitated by Satan. Some say this event could not have occurred because there would have been a time when all were forced to worship the beast and to receive a mark on their hand or forehead to buy sell or trade, and since this didn't happen, then this beast could not have been destroyed at that time (Rev 13:11-18 KJV). This is a false assumption based on a premise that Christ did not destroy this beast and false Prophet at the time when it was proclaimed that he would (Rev. 19:20), rather than on scripture that explains the exact timeline of all these things, which has already been shown.  

The time of tribulation that was upon the church when Christ finished His ultimate sacrifice, was unlike any that was before or has been since; it was unique to that specific generation and will never be replicated that same way again. Christians had no rights; they were not able to openly participate in society unless they renounced Christ. They were tortured, and killed by official Jewish and Roman decrees, and Christianity was outlawed. If this isn't considered the time when this final kingdom was causing everyone to "receive a mark", then there is no other time in history that this proposed timeline could have happened, which would cause the prophecies to be obsolete. Yet, that is not the case because if this were not that time, then the whole prophecy of Daniel and the timeline of Christ's prophecies wouldn't be consistent.  

The fact of the matter is this unless Christians renounced Christ and pledged allegiance to Rome, they were killed. This is symbolic of receiving a mark; the mark is defined by the worship that a person proclaims, either to God or to man. Furthermore, without the mark, they were not able to buy, sell, trade, or openly participate in any part of civilized society. This means that finances were the second area of influence controlled by this system. Whether the mark of their worship was proclaimed to Christ or Rome was the determining factor of their fate, and this also determined control of their finances. Therefore, it is consistent to say this was that mark that the false Prophet caused them to receive and proclaim.  

Some will then ask who was this false Prophet that caused everyone to worship the beast and receive his mark. Many Christians often believe this false Prophet will be some human being in the future; once again this is another false assumption. Scripture shows us that just as the seven-headed beast represented a system of rulers, and government, the false Prophet also represented a system. The system that caused all to give their worship to the beast was the religious system of the time, the same system that convinced so many people to hate Christ, and ultimately the system responsible for giving him over to crucifixion. This system is described in the book of Revelation as a false prophet and a beast with two horns (Rev. 13; 18:11-18).  

The Sanhedrin was the primary opposition to Jesus's ministry, which had two primary groups; the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Wisdom shows us that these two horns represent the two areas of influence this beast operated within, as it sought to control two main things, people's praise, and their finances. Therefore, it is simple to observe that this beast with two horns directly correlates with the religious system of that time, with the two horns representing the two groups, and two primary arenas of influence.  

After the seven-headed beast sustained the debilitating head wound, Satan was bound but returned to power for a short time just as Christ said, "Now is the judgment of this earth, and now is the prince of this earth cast out (Jn. 12:31-33; Rev. 12:12)". Again Jesus gives a parable about binding the strongman, which is a reference to the work that he would do when he bound Satan. He said "no man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house (Mk. 3:27)". This is why later in the book of Revelation when this beast is fully described it is said that people will marvel at this beast because he will receive a fatal head wound but then it will be healed. They will also marvel because "the beast was, but then wasn't, and then was again (Rev. 17:8 KJV)". This explains that he was cast out, absent, but then returned again (Rev. 20:1-7). 

We see that Christ did issue a fatal blow to this kingdom when he was crucified, and resurrected. However, the evil kingdom continued after Christ's time. This was the time between 30 A.D. and 70 A.D. the time when the Ten Kings arose, but were ultimately destroyed. There were many wars and calamities during this time; however, towards the end of this period, something interesting happened. The religious leaders of that remained of Israel consorted to form the Judean Provisional Government in 66 A.D. This false government was used as a vice over the people and ultimately led to the final destruction of Israel. "The ten horns of Daniel 7 and Revelation 17 finally appeared through the ten leaders listed by Josephus who were appointed to rule over the various provinces of Israel in 66 A.D. at the start of the Jewish Revolt "(1) Joseph b. Gorion (2) Ananus II, (3) Jesus b. Sapphias, (4) Eleazar b. Ananias, (5) Niger, (6) Joseph b. Simon, (7) Manasseh, (8) John the Essene, (9) John b. Matthias, (10) Josephus b. Matthias (The Wars of The Jews, Book II – Chapter 20)". This accurately accounts for the 10 horns/rulers that had their kingdom and a short time to rule alongside the seven-headed beast system.  

Since the ten horns were ten Jewish rulers of the time, then who was the little horn who is said to come up after them? Daniel 7:24 reads, "After them, another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings." In fulfillment of v. 24 this king who arises after the ten horns is Titus. Vespasian and his son Titus, the two primary Roman combatants countering the Jewish Revolt, arrived with the Roman army in Caesarea around March of 67 A.D. about four months after these Jewish leaders were appointed. Titus is "different from the earlier ones [horns]" because he was a Roman, not a Jew like the previous ten horns. Furthermore, Titus is depicted as a little horn because, upon his arrival in Palestine, Titus was just a general of the Roman legions and thus had no recognized power over the Jews in the region at the time of their revolt. However, this changed drastically beginning in the winter of 69 A.D. when Vespasian, his father, became emperor of Rome.   

At Vespasian's coronation, Titus was granted the title of Caesar because he was named his father's chosen successor. Thus, the Roman general, Titus was quickly promoted and appointed as successor to the Emperor of Rome at the start of the siege of Jerusalem during the climax of the war. Thus, this little horn quickly grew in prominence in explicit fulfillment of Daniel 7:20: "I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others." 

"After the fall of the Temple, Titus entered the Holy of Holies, his drawn sword in his hand, slashed the temple's veil, and spread out a Scroll of the Law on the top of the altar, had intercourse with two harlots he had brought in. Titus attributed the bloodstains on his sword to his having slain the Almighty (Git. 56b). Some of the sources, however, point out that in reality it was either the blood of the daily sacrifices or those of the Day of Atonement (Lev. R. 22:3). Titus began to revile and blaspheme God, boasting that he had vanquished "the king in his palace." He next collected all the vessels of the Temple, placed them in a net, and sailed for Rome" (https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/titus-flavius-vespasianusdeg).  

Titus also, spoke "words against the Most High," when, during the destruction of the Temple, as the Talmud records it: "Titus said, "Where is their God, the rock in whom they trusted?" This was the wicked Titus who blasphemed and insulted Heaven. And that he changed "times and laws" is clear because, with the destruction of the Jewish Temple, the ordinary observance of the law and the Jewish feasts were never to be observed again. Since the little horn was Titus, who are the three kings or horns subdued by this eleventh horn? Let us look at Daniel 7:24 again: "After them, another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings." As stated above, throughout the Jewish revolt Titus grew in prominence from general in 67 A.D. to Caesar at the end of 69 A.D. This growth in power corresponded exactly with the uprooting (Daniel 7:8) or subduing (Daniel 7:24) of the previous three horns.   

After being appointed Caesar and successor to Vespasian in 69 A.D. Vespasian left Titus in Palestine to crush the rebellion in Jerusalem, what appeared then to be the last Zealot stronghold of the war. During the siege of Jerusalem, Caesar Titus was appointed general over the entire Roman army in Israel. When Titus conquered Jerusalem in March of 70 A.D. Jerusalem was in a state of three-way civil war during which three of the ten remaining kings or horns were engaged in a battle for supremacy over the city. 

These three Jewish kings/generals or horns were Simon B. Giora, John of Gischala, and Eleazar b. Simon. Eleazar controlled the Temple; Simon held the upper and much of the lower city while John controlled what was left. These are the three horns that were uprooted or subdued by Titus, the little horn, as Titus soon captured Jerusalem after a five-month siege, and these three men were either imprisoned or killed during and after this siege 70 A.D. - 73 A.D" (revelationrevolution.org). Despite all these events that occurred in exact alignment with the prophecies many still disagree as to whether or not all things Jesus spoke of were fulfilled. Some choose to believe that Christ never crushed this seven-headed beast but will do so at an undefined time in the future; however, as we have seen, there was a specific timeframe that was prophesied for all these events to be fulfilled and valid.   

If these events did not occur this would cause many conflicting issues with Daniel's prophecy, the king's dreams, John's revelation, the apostle's guidance, and the entire redemptive order of biblical events would implode. This futurist type of reasoning as it pertains to these events would force one to accept an inaccurate, un-fulfilled eschatology and would be against the very words of Christ when he explained to his disciples "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:31-33; KJV)." From scripture, we know that when the prince of this earth (Satan) is cast out, he is cast into a bottomless pit for a certain time but then is released for a short time to deceive the nations and cause strong confusion to be upon the earth (Rev. 20:1-3)." Following this same timeline, we see a consistent order of events from Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, to the final destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. and disbandment of the remaining Jewish factions in 73 A.D. as the time of desolation and great tribulation, which also aligns with the parallel to the Prophet Jonah, and the Prophecy of Daniel, as well as the interpretation of king Nebuchadnezzar's dream.  

THE MILLENNIAL REIGN & THE RAPTURE  

As it has been shown the sayings in Matthew 24 concerning the "Great Tribulation" are to be understood as being fulfilled in Christ's ultimate sacrifice and the destruction of Jerusalem culminating in 73 A.D. Further support for this claim is drawn from Jesus' saying that "this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place (Mat. 24:34)" which has the appearance of limiting the events described to something that was going to take place in the first century.  

Some often mistake Christ's coming in judgment, and establishment of his kingdom as a physical reign over earth wherein he will physically reign on earth in physical, bodily form for a thousand-year period of absolute peace, which ultimately concludes with death, destruction, and a final judgment of the physical world including all the souls in it. They propose there has never been a time on earth such as this, therefore this part of the prophecy can't be finished. To understand the preterist understanding of this event we must first understand that the growth of this kingdom is always described as progressive. In Daniel 2:35 he says "the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth". We see that God's kingdom on earth starts as a single stone, then ultimately grows into a mountain that overcomes the whole earth.  

We see in Ephesians that the intentions of God are clearly to build his kingdom and guide it in ages to come forever and ever. As Paul says "even when we were dead in sins, [he] hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kingdom toward us through Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:5-7)". We see the purpose behind God building up His people, to show the exceeding riches of his grace in the ages to come. If the world was going to be physically destroyed, and then the judgment, descriptions such as these where God is establishing His people on the earth forever to reflect His nature and grace to all generations wouldn't fit the narrative.   

We also see in Matthew 13:31 that "the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field". Once again, we see a similar depiction wherein the kingdom is described as a small seed being planted in a field, alluding to the fact that this growth is something that will start small but grow to consume the whole earth progressively, over time. Some often refer to verses such as Isaiah 11, where after the time of Christ, absolute peace would be over the earth, however, they overlook the other verses in the very same chapter which explain how the knowledge of the Lord will be upon all the earth, and that this is what will cause people on earth to seek Him more over time. This can't happen if everything were destroyed at the end of this period of peace as the futurist interpretations of these events inherently cause adherents to accept.   

Some will look at verses in Isaiah chapter two to affirm the idea that this time of peace never occurred, and therefore conclude that Christ has not yet returned. Verses that say things such as "people will turn their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, and that they will learn war no more." However, this confirms the contrary. This confirms that over time, as the Lord's Kingdom grows like that mustard seed, and His peace expands like that rock into a mountain, humankind's destiny will progressively move towards peace and unity and ultimately, they will learn war no more. This is also a reference to how, through the old covenant, Israel was established through war and conquest, as opposed to in the new covenant, that the kingdom would no longer require war and conquest to be established, but that it would spread supernaturally.   

In scripture, two separate resurrections often need detailed clarification, which results in a flawed understanding of these very important historical events. The first and second resurrections are best understood as being in conjunction with what is known as Christ's millennial kingdom. The reason for this is that Christ says that for a thousand years, his saints would be resurrected and rule with him, and the rest of all the dead would not live again until the end of that thousand-year period, which would be an event known as the resurrection of the just and unjust or the second resurrection. However, he also says that Satan will be bound for a thousand years, then released for a short time to deceive many, but for the elect's sake that this time of tribulation would be shortened so that they are not deceived and overcome.   

A common exegetical mistake is made when attempting to overlay these two separate thousand-year periods over one another as if they occurred in sync with one another. As we have seen previously Christ was crucified during the last week of Daniel's seventy-week prophecy, and the remaining time of that final week can be understood as the time when Satan was bound. However, at the time when Stephen was stoned, his was the first death of one of the saints for the testimony of Christ and can be understood as a marker for Daniel's prophecy to be complete and Satan no longer bound. As a side note, the name Stephen means Victor's Crown, which would make sense for him to serve such a purpose to mark the victory and accomplishment of fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel. With all these aspects considered we can understand that the time of those saints ruling with Christ was from the time of his crucifixion to the time of his return in 70 A.D., however, the time of Satan being bound was from the time of Christ's crucifixion to the time of Stephen being stoned.  

When Jesus arose from the dead many saints arose from the dead along with him just as He said they would. These are those who died and were being held in anticipation of his coming when he descended into hell and freed them from bondage, these are the host of captives that he led free at the time of his resurrection (Mat 27:45;51-54; Jn. 5:25-29; KJV)". In Psalms it speaks of this event as well when the psalmist writes "You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train… (Ps. 68:18). Also, in Ephesians Paul writes "wherefore he saith, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things (Eph. 4:8‭-‬10 KJV).  

"This event was not related to the first or second resurrection, however, some in the apostle's time taught that when this occurred and Christ ascended with those saints that this was the final resurrection. However, the apostles, knowing the proper timeline, quickly condemned this teaching saying that this teaching corrupted the faith of believers at that time. This corrupted their faith because they were teaching that the law and the temple would remain even after the resurrection and that all must be converted to Judaism and keep the law to be saved. The false prophets of 2 pet. 3:4 were doing the same thing, which said, "all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" which contradicted Peter's own words that "the end of all things was at hand" (1 pet. 4:7 KJV). The Jewish age was to come to an abrupt end with the destruction of the temple and law (Mat. 24:3, 34; Dan. 9:24-27 KJV). Therefore, for anyone to teach that the temple was still standing and that the final resurrection had passed at that time would cause an overthrowing of faith to occur" (https://donkpreston.com/then-comes-the-end-but-what-end-3/).   

In the book of Revelation, we see that those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, nor in their hands..., would live and reign with Christ spiritually during these thousand years, that this is the first resurrection, and that the rest of the dead would not be raised until after this period (Rev. 20:4-5; KJV). Scripture also shows us that those who take part in the first resurrection will be priests of God and Christ and shall reign with him in what is known as the Millennial Kingdom, millennium is a term given to represent what is communicated in the text which is one thousand years.   

The second resurrection, also known as, the resurrection of the just and unjust we learn of from Christ when he explains that "the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (Jn. 5:28-29 KJV)". "This is the same event discussed by Daniel which was to occur at the final judgment (Dan. 12:2 KJV). This same resurrection of 1 Cor. 15 would be when "the law" that was "the strength of sin" was overcome and put away (1 Cor. 15:55-56). But "the law" that was the strength of sin, was Torah, the Law of Moses. Therefore, the resurrection of 1 Cor. 15 would be when the Torah, the Law of Moses, was overcome and put away. Notice that the resurrection of Daniel 12 was to be fulfilled "when the power of the holy people was completely shattered" (v. 7). God's covenant relationship with Israel – their only true "power" - was broken at the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. 

After some time, Christ would return a final time to gather the rest of his saints who had died, impart final judgment upon both the just and unjust, and establish his kingdom over the whole earth, and this was the second resurrection. This is the end that Paul was explaining "when it will come suddenly, and some will be changed into heavenly bodies instantly, others who have died as believers will be raised as well at His last coming (1 Cor. 15:51-52)". This particular event is consistent with his promise to those that followed him to rule in his kingdom. "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28 KJV)".   

However, this final resurrection was not a physical one as understood by many saints in the sense of masses of people suddenly disappearing, but a restoration to life and unity of His righteous elected remnant (12,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel), together with the gentiles in those days. In the Old Testament God speaks of coming to His people in judgment. In Isaiah 19, as a striking  

example, the Prophet refers to the impending judgment on Egypt, and we are told, "See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, and is coming to Egypt". The preterist view considers this event to  

occur in the same way as Christ is gathering his elect from the four corners of the earth as promised and also seen in the book of Revelation (Rev. 6:12-17; 7:1-3)" (https://donkpreston.com/then-comes-the-end-but-what-end-3/).   

We see that these elect' are a specific number of people. 144,000 are specifically chosen as the Elect. This is 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, who are ruled by the twelve apostles in the heavenly purified city of Jerusalem (Rev. 21:10-14). These 144,000 are the ones whom Christ was gathering [supernaturally preserving from the judgment against unbelieving Jerusalem] from the four corners of the earth and protecting during the final destruction of Jerusalem (Matt. 24:31; Rev. 7:3-8). Therefore, the Elect 144,000 are the chosen, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, and just as promised, they would enter into the New Jerusalem with Christ spiritually, with the twelve apostles who would be appointed over them in that heavenly city. They were the holy remnant that the times of tribulation were shortened for. 

We see that this time of reigning in the millennial kingdom, and the time when Satan was released for the short time, was shortened for The Elect's sake so that they would not be deceived (Matthew 24:21-25). This is further proof that this must have occurred at the time when The Elect' were living, and enduring the tribulation period of destruction in Jerusalem. We also see in Ephesians that the apostles gave many clear distinctions that they were currently priests, and kings in God's kingdom supernaturally because of the work of Christ (Eph. 2:5-7). John wrote in the book of Revelation "…and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be the glory and dominion forever and ever, amen (Rev. 1:6)". The second coming of Christ and final resurrection are directly aligned with the tribulation period that there was never like upon the earth ever again since that time between 30 A.D. - 70 A.D. This cannot be referring physically to the end of all things if Christ clearly says there shall never be affliction on earth worse than this time. If this great tribulation was the destruction of the physical universe and the last of days, it would make no sense to say "there will never be tribulations worse than this one ever again", because that would simply be the final tribulation, however, that is not the case (Matt. 24:21-41). 

Daniel made this area of prophecy very clear when he said "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before Him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed (Dan. 7:13‭-‬14 KJV)". This is that everlasting kingdom that was inaugurated, when Christ ascended into heaven only to descend upon Jerusalem in judgment for a brief time, before returning to his place on the throne.  

Critics of the preterist view of eschatology point out that Matthew 24 also refers to the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven. The claim is then made that since this refers to the return of Jesus in the air, and this never happened in the first century, then this point needs to be corrected. However, once again that conclusion is ultimately based on false assumptions of a faulty premise rather than on scripture. "The Bible often uses the word "Parousia" when mentioning the "second coming." Parousia is a Greek word meaning "presence" or "coming." This is a word used to denote the arrival of a conquering general, emperor, or high-ranking official into a city for an extended stay oftentimes for several months or years before then returning to the capital city, the seat of his throne.  

The word denotes a coming and an extended presence or stays followed by a subsequent departure. When people think of the "second coming" or Parousia, they often picture a one-time, brief physical appearance of Christ on the clouds. Rather than the proper context, which is described by this term which denotes a coming and an extended stay or presence as is implied by the way "Parousia" is used in Philippians 2:12. During His ministry, Jesus said that He would soon depart from this world to be with the Father in heaven (Lk. 19:12-27; Jn. 8:21-23; 13:1; 14:2-3; 16:7). Then after His death and resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven in Acts 1:9-11 and there he stayed at the right hand of the Father (Act. 3:19-21; 7:55; 1 Thess. 1:10; 2 Thess. 1:7; Heb. 9:24; 1 Pet. 3:22) until he returned to earth in judgment during the second coming or Parousia where he came on the clouds of heaven in swift judgment on wayward Israel in the same way that was described in Isaiah, a common phrase used for this was "in the glory of the Father" or in the same way as the Father.  

Christ's coming to the earth during the Parousia mirrors the coming of the Lord on the clouds of heaven in Psalm 18 when God descended from heaven to ride the clouds in judgment: "He [God] parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet (Psalm 18:9)." As stated above, "Parousia" is a Greek word used to describe an extended visit. The term implies that a regal figure will visit a city or province for some time before returning to his capital city, the seat of his throne, assuming, of course, that the city being visited is not the capital itself. This word is thus a perfect description of Jesus' coming into judgment during the Jewish-Roman War. Josephus wrote: "On the twenty-first day of the month of Artemisius [Jyar], a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities." The first-century pagan historian Tacitus also mentions this event: "In the sky appeared a vision of armies in conflict, of glittering armor." 

Pseudo-Hegesippus also describes the coming of Christ on the clouds with His mighty angels at that time when he writes, "A certain figure appeared of tremendous size, which many saw, just as the books of the Jews have disclosed, and before the setting of the sun there were suddenly seen in the clouds chariots in the clouds and armed battle arrays by which the cities of all Judaea and its territories were invaded." The medieval Jewish historian Sepher Yosippon expounds upon this angelic army in the sky by saying, "Moreover, in those days were seen chariots of fire and horsemen, a great force flying across the sky near to the ground coming against Jerusalem and all the land of Judah, all of their horses of fire and riders of fire." The parallels between these three accounts and Revelation 19 are striking. However, in Yosippon's account, one can see how 2 Thessalonians 1:7 was explicitly fulfilled in 66 A.D. 

At His ascension, Jesus departed to heaven where he reigned at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly Jerusalem mentioned in Hebrews 12:22 and Galatians 4:26. Jesus then returned to Israel to enact judgment during the Jewish-Roman War. Here his judgment stayed, causing miraculous events before returning to heaven, the seat of his throne, with his people being established at the Resurrection, at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 2 Thessalonians 2:1). Thus Christ's coming to Israel in final judgment from 66 A.D. to 73 A.D. during the Jewish-Roman war perfectly fits Biblical descriptions and historical uses of the Greek word "Parousia" which is an extended visitation–not a brief one-time appearance–of a regal figure often followed by a later departure back to the capital" (revelationrevolution.org). This capital is the heaven where Jesus ultimately returned with the saint's spiritually in 73 A.D. If Christ did what he said, then it would follow that he kept His promise. The Holy Spirit was sent to the Earth, and a loud sound was heard, and the Apostles received power to perform miracles. Therefore, once again it is consistent to say that all of this occurred in that same timeframe because those were Jesus' very words, and they align with all of these necessary components that have been discussed.  

NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH 

It has been coherently demonstrated that according to the preterist view of the redemptive order of biblical prophecy; the Great Tribulation, and the Resurrections have already occurred, the beast and the false Prophet have already been cast out, and Jesus's kingdom established in heaven, which is ongoing as Christ sits at the right hand of God. After Jesus was resurrected, he walked the earth for forty days and then ascended into heaven. Just as promised ten days after Christ ascended, He would send gifts to those who followed him, and the Holy Spirit is the result of that promise (Mat. 24:29-31; Mat. 16:28; KJV). This was a time when many had risen from their graves and were seen throughout Jerusalem (Mat. 27:52-53; Heb. 11:35). The 42 months following His departure were marked by a spreading of the gospel and protection upon his Apostles and saints.  

 It is not difficult to understand that during this time, Satan was bound, just as Christ said he would be (Rev. 12:14). When Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, it seemed to be common knowledge that Satan was bound. As he wrote "Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, and you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time (2 Thess. 2:3, 6)". This clearly describes the status of Satan being bound at that time. The event that marked the end of this 42-month provision and protection, was when the mob led by Saul murdered Stephen. Interestingly enough, the name Steven carries the meaning "the victor's crown", communicating to us that at this time, the crown of Christ's accomplishment of the seventy-week prophecy of Daniel was complete. The time of provision and protection was complete, and the time for Satan to be permitted to persecute began.    

Jesus taught that all these things would come to pass before the very generation he was speaking to passed away (Mat. 24:34; KJV)". It is paramount to believe that everything that Jesus spoke of came to pass just as he said before that generation passed away. As well as believe and understand the scriptures throughout the bible that confirm this. If we do not possess this notion, then we are in turn saying we do not believe that the prophecy Jesus spoke of has been fulfilled, even though the entire Old Testament, all the visions and understandings from the prophets, led up to that exact time in which the bible shows that these things were accomplished.   

It is appointed for all people to perish physically and then be judged by God. Those whose names are not found in what is known as the book of life, will not enter into eternity with God, but will be cast into a lake of fire for eternity at the end of their life; this is known in the bible as the Great White Throne Judgment and second death. Those found in the book of life will not take part in the second death for they are saved from it. They will enter into the spiritual kingdom of God with glorified immortal bodies just as scripture says (Rev. 21; KJV)." Through the study of all these events hopefully, the truth of the matter is conceivable; which is that the New Heaven and New Earth have been established spiritually over the whole earth, and when the time comes, we will all be able to see God's Holy Temple spiritually in all it's glory shining throughout the whole Heaven. This Holy temple established in heaven with Christ at the right hand of God is the fulfillment of the final stages of God's redemptive plan (Rev 21:1-3, 10). As it says in the book Isaiah "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it (Isa. 2:2).   

We should be thankful that there is such a graceful God and believe that He intends for all humanity to come into full unity under Christ. This is the ultimate destiny of humankind, and it will be accomplished progressively unto all ages through the everlasting gospel. Therefore, we must learn of our authority and place within this plan and know that we can possess the strength to endure all things for the glory of God. God will strengthen us with the power of the Holy Spirit, and give us the ability to assist with this mission if we acknowledge Him as king. However, if we do not recognize His authority, and in turn do not believe that He has put all things under subjection to His authority, then you must ask, whose authority are you living under?  

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Prophetic Evidence For The 40 Days Of Jonah - Evidence-For-The-Bible.

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DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed within this article are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the references.