Introduction
to Bible Prophecy
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Who but God Has the Authority to
Declare Chronological Order?
The visions within
Daniel behave in a predictable way.
Once this behavior is detected, it
keeps us on track. It helps us
decipher prophecies and enlightens us
with information that we could not
otherwise know. For example, one
consistent behavior that occurs
throughout the book of Daniel is that
each prophecy has a beginning point
and an ending point in time, and the
events within each prophecy occur in
the order in which they are given.
This chronological behavior may sound
simple, but it has profound
ramifications. Consider the results
of violating this behavior. If the
events given within a particular
prophecy do not occur in the order
given, who has the authority to
declare the order of events? Does
anyone other than God have the
authority to change the order that He
created?
The chronological
behavior found in Daniel’s
prophecies is the basis for Rule One.
I have distilled this behavior into
the following words (rule): Each
apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning
point and an ending point in time and
the events within each prophecy occur
in the order they are given. Be
assured, I am not inventing a rule. I
am expressing a consistent behavior
that recurs without exception
throughout the book of Daniel (as
well as the book of Revelation).
When the fulfilled
elements in Daniel and Revelation are
aligned with widely published
historical records, the validity of
Rule One proves true every
time! The prophecies in
Daniel began unfolding more than
2,600 years ago. Some of the
prophecies in Revelation began
unfolding 2,000 years ago. These
lengthy periods of time contain a
sufficient sample to validate the
four rules that spring from
Daniel’s architecture. The book
of Daniel also provides a historical
foundation for some of the prophecies
in Revelation. Since prophecies in
Revelation run parallel to prophecies
in Daniel we can link them together
and establish the timing of events
mentioned in both books. So, the use
of Daniel’s architecture, like
the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta
Stone, enables us to resolve many
prophetic mysteries that would
otherwise be impossible to resolve.
I have arbitrarily
made the rule governing chronology
“Rule One” because
establishing the chronological order
in each prophecy eliminates a great
deal of speculation and aligning the
seventeen prophecies in Daniel and
Revelation is “Job One.”
The importance of this rule cannot be
overstated. Draw a time line on a big
sheet of paper and place all of the
events specified in Daniel and
Revelation on this time line. If you
attempt this, you will immediately
confront the question of
chronological order. Rule One is
deceptively simple. It is also
incredibly powerful. It demolishes
two thousand years of prophetic
speculation and tradition. Think
about this: If God has not
declared the chronological order of
events within each apocalyptic
prophecy, there is no chronological
order in apocalyptic prophecy. If
there is no order, apocalyptic
prophecy remains in the realm of art.
On the other hand, if God has
declared chronological order,
apocalyptic prophecy becomes a
science and there is prophetic
certainty (“the more sure word
of prophecy”) instead of endless
chaos and cancelling views.
If apocalyptic
prophecy is art, everyone has the
same license and authority. Everyone
is permitted to define and create
whatever prophetic order and
interpretation they want. This
ongoing process has produced a cloud
of confusion and as a result, many
Christians treat prophecy with
contempt. Worse, there is no general
agreement among Christians on the
next prophetic event.
When apocalyptic
prophecy is regarded as art, church
groups will turn to some external
authority in an attempt to clarify
their prophetic understanding. This
authority can be the writings of
founding fathers, a prophet, or even
church tradition. Like the math
teacher, Jesus confronted the
traditions of His people and He was
considered a blasphemer because the
Jews put their religious traditions
(art) above God’s Word
(authority)![8]
Because there is
chronological order within
apocalyptic prophecy, we can
determine which prophetic event has
been fulfilled and what prophetic
event will come next. We have
twenty-six centuries of prophetic
progression and fulfillment since the
book of Daniel was written. Looking
backwards from our day, world history
proves there is
chronological order in the
prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.
This is good news because the final
generation can know and understand
prophecies that previous generations
could not discover! Remember,
God’s greatest gift to the
honest in heart is greater truth.
This gift will never end throughout
eternity! During the Great
Tribulation God will swing a powerful
magnet of truth over a junk pile
called Earth and the honest in heart
will be attracted and captured by its
power and the rest of mankind will
feel nothing. This is how the sheep
will be separated from the goats.
What about the Other
Three Rules of Apocalyptic
Interpretation?
Please consider the
remaining three rules.
- Rule Two: A
prophecy or prophetic element
within a prophecy is not
fulfilled until all of the
specifications are met. This
includes the order of the
events given within the
prophecy. (Fulfillment)
- Rule Three:
Apocalyptic language can be
literal, symbolic, or
analogous. To reach the
intended meaning of a
passage, the student must
consider (a) the context, (b)
the use of parallel language
in the Bible, and (c) a
relevant text that defines
the symbol if an element is
thought to be symbolic.
(Language)
- Rule Four: The
presence or absence of the
Jubilee Calendar determines
how God measures time. If a
prophetic time period occurs
during the operation of the
Jubilee Calendar (1437 B.C.
– 1994), time is
translated as a day for a
year; otherwise, translation
is not permitted. (See
Appendix A for further study
of the Jubilee Calendar.)
(Timing)
Issues and Answers
Because apocalyptic
prophecy involves many facets,
several issues need to be addressed
before we jump into this study.
Please take a few minutes and
thoughtfully consider each of the
following issues. Later on, as you
near the end of this book, I also
hope you will review these matters
again. I have identified these issues
before you begin reading in hopes
they will accelerate your
investigation and pique your interest
in apocalyptic prophecy.
1. This Book Is a
Commentary, Not a Paraphrase or a
Translation
According to the
dictionary, a paraphrase is an
attempt to clarify the meaning of an
author’s words by restating the
author’s original idea with
different words. On the other hand, a
translation is quite different. A
translation is a direct conversion of
the equivalent sense from one
language to another. I mention this
distinction so that you will
understand that this book is not a
paraphrase or a translation. This
book is a commentary. This book
contains only my current
understanding of Daniel and
Revelation.
Through the years, I
have experimented with different
teaching techniques such as
translating, paraphrasing, and
interlacing. (Interlacing is the
practice of inserting words within
brackets [attempting to make the
Bible text read more easily].) Some
people dislike interlacing because
they feel that I am distorting the
integrity of the text. My response
(attempting to be humorous) has been,
“What difference does it make if
I distort the text before you read it
or after you read it?” When it
comes to Bible commentaries,
all commentaries stem from human
opinion and none have divine
authority, for if they did, they
would not be commentary. As far as I
am concerned, the Bible does not have
or require external authority. It
stands on its own. As Christians, we
do not worship the Bible, we worship
God the Father, Jesus Christ,[9] and the Holy
Spirit, who are one in purpose, plan,
and action.[10] Since there are
distinct differences between a
translation, a paraphrase, and a
commentary, please regard this book
as a commentary.
This commentary has
not been designed to thoroughly prove
every point. Rather, it was designed
to increase your interest in Daniel
and Revelation and your faith in God.
Above all else, we cannot forget
this: Soon, everyone on Earth will
witness the amazing fulfillment of
Daniel and Revelation. Once the Great
Tribulation begins, it will be very
easy for ordinary people to determine
which commentaries on Daniel and
Revelation were based on valid rules
of interpretation and which were not.
The truth will be self-evident and
speak for itself.
The better we
understand God’s Word, the more
clearly we comprehend God’s
love, ways, and plans. Contrary
to what many people think, the
primary objective of apocalyptic
prophecy is not future telling.
The primary objective of Bible
prophecy is to understand God and how
He operates. I have no intention of
corrupting the intended meaning of
Bible prophecy. I take the warning
given in Revelation 22:18,19 very
seriously. I understand that God will
deal harshly with anyone who
knowingly and willingly corrupts the
message in Revelation by adding to it
or taking away from it. On the other
hand, like any other human being, I
am fallible and I appreciate the
promise in Revelation 1:3 which says
that everyone who studies and tries
to understand what Revelation means
will be blessed. So, consider this
commentary a stepping stone. It was
written by one Bible student to help
other Bible students understand the
prophecies in Daniel and Revelation
as quickly as possible.
Additive Nature
The study of
apocalyptic prophecy is somewhat like
math. Both are additive in nature.
Algebra I precedes Algebra II for
good reason. So, please read this
book in chronological order. Do not
jump around looking for answers to
your questions until you clearly
understand the operation of the rules
of interpretation that I am following
and the chronology of the elements
within the prophecies. When you find
a conclusion in this book with which
you disagree or that is different
from what you have believed, it is
important that you refer to the
apocalyptic chart on pages 4 and 5
and note the prophecy and
chronological time of the event under
consideration. Compare my conclusions
with other events in other prophecies
that occur at the same time. In fact,
you should often refer to the chart
so that you can see how each story
progresses chronologically. Once you
see how all seventeen prophecies
connect and align with each other,
you will then see the intricate
relationships that exist between the
prophecies.
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