Hello everyone.
Today, we are resuming the study we had begun in our last blog post in this series.
To orient us to today’s study, we are comparing scripture with scripture, as Isaiah 28:10 instructs us to do, in order to understand more about the background and activities of the little horn power mentioned in Daniel 7:24-27. The activities of the little horn power mentioned in Daniel 7 invite God’s judgments, and in Daniel 12:1, Michael is standing up from a scene of judgment. What commences after He stands up is “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Daniel 12:1 KJV)
We see, in Revelation 12, an account that provides more detail about the background and history of the little horn power. This background and history provide us with relevant knowledge and perspective as we see how the activities of this power culminate in a time of trouble which is followed by the final judgments of God.
In our last blog post in the Bible Prophecy Studies series, we learned that the woman depicted in this chapter represents the church, that the child she is carrying represents Jesus, and that the dragon depicted in this chapter represents the devil. The devil is at war with God and His church. For a detailed review of what we covered in our last blog post in this series, please see the blog post here.
We will now proceed with our study.
I want to stress that the archenemy of Christ is Satan. Satan uses people to carry out his designs. While there are, tragically, people who are enemies of the One who gave His life for them, we must never forget that there is an overarching conflict between Jesus and Satan. We are to hate sin: not people who sin.
In Revelation 12:9-11, we see that Satan is a defeated foe. Michael has overcome him, and we are also privileged to be able to overcome him “by the blood of the Lamb” and by our personal experience of surrendering to and cooperating with Jesus. We may experience a love for Jesus that is so rich, profound, and strong, that we would rather die than sin against Him. (Revelation 12:11). God has no doubt that there will be people in heaven who are overcomers. He has already written in the past tense:
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Revelation 12:11 (KJV)
Satan is angry because he knows that his days are numbered. He targets God’s church because he knows that the church is beloved of God. (Revelation 12:12 KJV)
“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.”
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. Revelation 12:13-14 (KJV)
Let us now follow the Isaiah 28:10 principle of comparing scripture with scripture. Let us compare Revelation 12:13-14 with Daniel 7:25.
“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Daniel 7:25 (KJV)
In Revelation 12:13-14 and Daniel 7:25, we see great similarities. In both places, there is a persecuting power, and in both places, the same prophetic time period is mentioned:
“…a time, and times, and half a time” Revelation 12:14 (KJV)
“…a time, and times, and the dividing of time” Daniel 7:25 (KJV)
A “time” in Bible Prophecy equals one year. Therefore, the time period mentioned in Revelation 12:14 and Daniel 7:25 is 3 1/2 years. In the Hebrew calendar, there are 360 days in a year.
360 x 3= 1,080
360 x 0.5= 180
1080 +180= 1,260
A deep dive into history will show us that “…the Roman Catholic church functioned as a very prominent religiopolitical power in Europe for 1,260 years. During these years (538 A.D-1798 A.D), the church martyred millions of people who rejected the church’s unbiblical traditions and teachings.” (Copied and pasted from this blog post.)
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I want to insert here that this blog post is mentioning errors of the Roman Catholic system: it is in no way intended to be an attack on Catholic individuals. Both Catholic clergy and Catholic laypeople, as well as all people from all other backgrounds, are precious. There are sincere followers of God from all kinds of walks of life who are living up to the light that they have.
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During this same period, those who held the authority of the Bible over the authority of the Catholic Church had to flee into the wilderness in an effort to shield themselves from persecution.
We have established that the dragon in Revelation 12 is Satan. If we look back in Genesis 3, we see that Satan contested God’s command to Adam and Eve. He questioned whether God had really told them that they couldn’t eat from the “tree in the midst of the garden.” Genesis 3:3 (KJV)
“And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Genesis 3:3-4 (KJV)
The serpent (Satan, as Revelation 12:9 clarifies) said in response:
“…Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 (KJV)
A read of the rest of this chapter shows us that the results of the woman, and eventually her husband as well, buying into the idea that the knowledge of good and evil was good was tragic.
The Roman Catholic church has attempted to “change times and laws” (please see this blog post for a review regarding this) and her doctrines and practices are a merging of paganism and Christianity.
Some examples:
Paganism: Worshipping of idols
Catholicism: Veneration of Saints
Paganism: Worship of the sun
Catholicism: Worshipping on Sunday
The Bible is very clear about the fact that light and darkness should not coexist. Please take some time to look through some or all of the Bible verses on this page.
The dragon is against God and God’s church: really, he is against all of humanity. The dragon loves to mix light and darkness. Let us pursue the pure truth of God and nothing but the pure truth of God.
God is against everything that harms us and for everything that brings healing to us. He cannot mix toxins with healing balms. He must draw out one and infuse us with the other.
God is no respector of persons and He holds grudges and bitterness against no one. Anyone who wants to taste His love- former enemies and all others, is welcomed into His embracing arms.
He cannot allow the merging of light and darkness to continue indefinitely, and He is calling everyone from everywhere to surrender to and cooperate with Him as He lovingly draws them into the light of His love, peace, and truth. Won’t you come into your loving Father’s arms?
The time of trouble is the climactic time when the merging of good and evil reaches an all-time, worldwide high. Our loving Jesus will look down and see that the world’s cup of iniquity is full. He will make an end to every evil thing and establish His kingdom of love, peace, and righteousness. This kingdom will last forever. ❤
In our next post in the Bible Prophecy Studies series, we will explore some details regarding the time of trouble.
Please remember that the Michael who stands up in Daniel 12, and the Michael who has conquered the devil in Revelation 12, is none other than the loving Jesus: a tender and compassionate Savior and a mighty and righteous Judge. What a comfort we have in Jesus!
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