The common mistakes in mainstream prophecy teaching

In this eNewsletter we discuss many of the false mainstream teachings and beliefs held by the vast majority of Christians concerning the Great Tribulation and the book of Revelation.

The tribulation is 7 years long - false!

• Daniel 9:27 is where this comes from. Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of 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. 

• A week in Old Testament verbiage is a "week of years", representing a 7 year period of time. Gen 29:27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.  28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. 

• So the entire "week" is usually mistaken to represent the time of the tribulation that Jesus mentions in Matt 24: Matt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place... 21 ... then shall be great tribulation ...

• The mistake they make is that they incorrectly interpret this without using the other scriptures that talk about this same event, and they assume it's a 7 years long event!

The tribulation is 3.5 years long - truth!

• The first clue we have is in Daniel 9:27, if we pay attention to the words used in this prophecy where it shows when the "abomination" takes place: Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of 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.  It's in the middle of the week that this "abomination" happens, so it can't be the whole 7 years!.

• The second clue comes when we combine the other scripture in Daniel where it gives us more information about the abomination of desolation: Dan 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

  Daniel 11 is continued into Daniel 12 and gives us the time frame of this event.

  We see that it's specifically stated to be a 3.5 year period of time: Dan 12:7  And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.  10  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.  11  And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

  So Daniel specifically tells us that this event will happen 3.5 years before "all these things shall be finished". (time (1 year), times (two years) and a half (half a year) = 3.5 years, and 1290 days = 3.53 years)

  These things are what Daniel 11 and into Daniel 12 just said. It's the time of the Antichrist who will "come to his end", and "at that time", "there will be a time of trouble such as never was".

• This "time of trouble" from Daniel 12 is the same thing Jesus is referring to if we continue reading in Matthew 24 when He says "when we see the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet" , Matthew 24:21 " ... then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

  So Daniel and Jesus together specifically say that the Abomination of Desolation will start the Great Tribulation and that it will last for 3.5 years.

• So we see that the truth of the matter is that there is a 3.5 year period where the tribulation takes place. It is not the whole week as they assume!

• Another place that gives us a hint as to what this Abomination of Desolation actually is, is found in 2 Thessalonians:

  2 Thess 2:3 ... that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

  This event Paul is referring to in 2 Thessalonians is the “abomination of desolation”. Three and one half years after the confirmation of the covenant, he (the man of sin, the Antichrist) will sit in the rebuilt temple of Jerusalem and claim to be God. Then the second half of the final week, the final 3.5 years begins, where he rules the world.

  And other scriptures that show us the same 3.5 years where the Antichrist will be in power:

  • Dan 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 (3.5 years). 
  • Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months (3.5 years).

• Combining all these truths show us that the "tribulation" will be the time of the Antichrist's rule, and that it will be the 3.5 year period of time of the second half of that final week in Daniel 9.

The tribulation is an Apocalypse, an imminent cosmic cataclysm, which includes catastrophic calamity for the world (sinners) - false!

• The Great Tribulation isn’t going to be for the “world”. Take a look at these scriptures: Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. Jesus said in Luke above that His day, the day He returns, would be as the days of Lot and Noah. When destruction came on the world at the flood and at Sodom and Gomorrah, the only people that had “tribulation” were the men of God. Lot was persecuted and so was Noah, by the people who did not believe. The wrath of God was poured out on the other people after God saved His faithful. The world today is just like it was before the flood and before Sodom and Gomorrah destruction, and it will continue to be this way until the Lord returns on the Day of the Lord.

• The Lord will come as a thief in the night, but only to those in darkness, not to those who know the Lord. 1 Thess 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. They shall say, “Peace and Safety”; Just as the world was reveling in abandon before the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah, the world will have no idea what is about to happen. But those that Love God will know. What is the call of the New World Order? Peace and Safety!

• The mistake they make is to assume, as most people do, that the Lord comes as a thief in the night to everyone and it's the whole world that will come under tribulation. They do not hear what Jesus said here and don't put this in proper context. The "world" will be reveling in abandon, thinking mankind has finally achieved "world peace"! They'll be eating, drinking, getting married, building and planting, buying and selling and celebrating the "savior" who brought the world together! That's when Jesus will return, and sudden destruction will come upon them (the wrath of God).

The tribulation will not be for the world, but will be a terrible time for those who Love God, the Saints - truth!

• So who will experience this great tribulation? Rev 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Those that come out of great tribulation in this passage are the Saints of God.

• We see the same group of people here in Revelation 15, just prior to the Wrath of God being poured out on the world. Rev 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. ... 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.  Again we see the Saints of God, those who had gotten the victory over the Antichrist. Since they were victorious over the Antichrist and his mark, we know they were on the earth when he was ruling for that 3.5 years of tribulation.

• And the same group of people here in Revelation 20, that are part of the first resurrection, and who did not take the mark or worship the Antichrist during his reign, which is that 3.5 year period, the time of the tribulation that we discussed above. Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Again, these are the same people that come out of great tribulation in Rev 7. Note: This is the first resurrection! This is the "rapture".

• It's important to note that yes, the saints are removed just as Noah and Lot, before the wrath of God. The wrath of God will be poured out only after He has saved His faithful, but the time of trouble called the Great Tribulation will be trouble for the saints, not the rest of the world.

• This is why we're told to have patience and keep the faith! Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

• This is why Jesus said that those who endure to the end will be saved. Mark 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

The tribulation is the Wrath of God - false!

• The reason people think this is because they read Revelation as if it chronologically laid out in sequential timelines... Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Since the Sixth Seal is recorded so early in Revelation, they assume the entire book is the wrath of God.

• And the wrath of God is mentioned throughout Revelation in several places: Rev 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
  Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
  Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
  Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
  Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. All of these scriptures show the wrath of God! This is why they believe it's all about God's wrath.

The wrath of God is mentioned so many times because the book of Revelation shows us this same event over and over - truth!

• It's very important that we understand Revelation is a record of many, many visions that all end at the same place!

• Take a look at this chart:

  

  I'm focusing mostly on the wrath, here, and this understanding goes much deeper than just the wrath being a one-time event, but it's very important to see that the wrath is described and mentioned in many places even though it is a one-time event.

  Study the chart and compare what occurs in each scripture. Each of the passages are describing the same events that occur immediately after the Tribulation at the Battle of Armageddon (same as the Battle of Gog and Magog).

  Notice that the Seal, Trumpet and Vial all have an earthquake and the wrath of God is come upon the earth. Matthew shows the same events that also are shown in the 6th Seal and the events in Matthew happen immediately after the Tribulation, which is when the battle of Armageddon takes place. The islands and mountains moving, the great hail, God's wrath and the earthquake from Ezekiel are the same as the 7th Vial and except for the hail not mentioned in the Seal, it's also the same. Likewise the 7th Trumpet has the same events except for mountains moving. The battle of Gog in Ezekiel is the same event as the battle of Armageddon (See proof of this, here).

  The conclusion is obvious. All of these events happen at the same time but they are described in several places in the bible. If this is true, then Revelation is definitely not written in chronological order. The wrath of God is a single event that happens over a short period of time at the end of the final seven years, immediately after the tribulation, right after He gathers His elect and takes them out of the world (the rapture).

• Revelation 6:17, 11:18, 14:9-10, 14:19, 15:1, 16:1, and 19:5 all speak of the wrath of God. In Revelation 6, 11, 14, 16 and 19 God's wrath is poured out, and in chapters 14 and 15 God's wrath is presented as a future event. Will the great day of God's wrath really be poured out 5 separate times? And why would John, the writer of Revelation, present God's wrath as a future event in the middle of the book if it was already being poured out? The wrath of God is specifically the vials and only the vials. See Rev 15:1 and 16:1. The vials contain the wrath of God and they are poured out at the very end of the final seven years.

  The reason I'm showing you all this is because the 6th Seal, 7th Trumpet and 7th Vial are all the same event , which happens immediately after the tribulation!

  No, it does not make sense that Revelation is a chronological record of events from start to finish. We are being told about the end time and what to expect in several different ways. The wrath of God does not happen throughout the entire time of all of the visions, it only happens at the end of each of the visions and is recorded in each place, but the visions all end at the same place, at the day of the Lord when He gathers His elect and then pours out His wrath!

• I have not given you nearly enough information. This is just the tip of the iceberg and I'm just pointing out the wrath here. I can't completely cover understanding Revelation in a email, so please click this link and study the document I have there and take the time to really wrap your head around the book of Revelation: Understanding the Book of Revelation

• The mistake they make is that they assume all of Revelation is the wrath of God. And, they assume that Revelation is read as if it's a chronological record of events from start to finish. It cannot be understood correctly if that is assumed!

The wrath of Satan is what the Saints of God must endure, not the wrath of God - truth!

• And Saints of God will not be subject to the wrath of God 1 Thess 1:10 ...Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
  Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
  1 Thess 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ

• The Saints will not be subjected to God's wrath!

• The mistake people make is assuming that this promise extends to things other than the wrath of God, like the persecution of the devil during the tribulation.

• The devil will be cast to earth having great wrath for 3.5 years, the last half of the final week of years. Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. ... 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.  14 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.  This 3.5 years will be the great tribulation. Remember that a time is one year, times is two years, and half a time is half a year, so we have 3.5 years. This is the same 3.5 years that the Antichrist is ruling! It's that same final 3.5 years which is the second half of the final 7 years, at the very end. It will be the time of Satan's wrath as he knows his time is very short.

• This is why we see that the Antichrist makes war with the saints, and prevails against them! Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
  Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

• This is why we're told to have patience and keep the faith! Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

• This is why Jesus said that those who endure to the end will be saved. Mark 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

• It's important to note that Satan is very much behind the power of the Antichrist as he rules the world. He will make war against God's people during the Great Tribulation.

• See my videos on the Wrath of God for a much deeper dive into this subject: The Wrath of God

The rapture comes before the tribulation - false!

• Matt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation , spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
• ... 21 then shall be great tribulation , such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
• ... 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
• 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
• 31 And THEN (Mark 13:27) he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

• Jesus said, point blank, it would be after the Tribulation, which follows the Abomination of Desolation, that He comes in the clouds with power and glory and gathers His elect.

• The mistake they make is that they assume that the tribulation is the wrath of God, and knowing the Saints will not have to endure the wrath of God, they assume the rapture will come before the tribulation.

• And Paul, in 2 Thess, shows us that day shall not come (our gathering together unto Him), except the Antichrist be revealed at the abomination of desolation, where he sits in the temple claiming to be god!

• See my video and documentation on the timing of the rapture for a much deeper dive into this subject: What about the Rapture? When will it happen?

• Both Jesus and Paul tell us specifically what the timing of the gathering of the saints will be! We don't have to guess, we can just read it and believe it.

The rapture (the gathering of the Saints) comes immediately after the tribulation, right before the wrath of God - truth!

The entire book of Revelation is prophetic, and all the events described in it happen during the tribulation - false!

• Chapters 1-3 are definitely not prophetic and do not happen in the final 3.5 years. Chapter 1 shows what John saw, and his conversation with Jesus. Chapters 2-3 are the letters to the seven churches that existed in that day, in Asia, that John delivered when he was release from Patmos.

• The first four Seals (spirits as shown in the parallel passage in Zechariah 6:1-8) almost certainly have already been in the world for a long time. These spirits are not released and active only during the last 3.5 years. The four horsemen - click to see

• The first six Trumpets almost certainly happen prior to the final 3.5 years. While this is not as certain as the Seals having already been begun, it's possible that we're already between the 4th and 5th Trumpets today! But, even if that theory is not correct, it's almost certain that they will begin before the final 3.5 years which I explain, here: The timeline - click to see
  
  The seven trumpets theory - click to see

• The Vials which are the wrath of God all come after the tribulation.

• There are many parts of Revelation that happen before and after the tribulation timeframe.

• Again, I have not given you nearly enough information. I can't completely cover understanding Revelation in a email, so please click this link and study the document I have there and take the time to really wrap your head around the book of Revelation: Understanding the Book of Revelation

• The mistake they make is that they assume that the tribulation is the wrath of God, that all of Revelation is prophetic, and that it's a sequential timeline from start to finish, and that all of Revelation is the tribulation.

• Prophecy is written in the same way that Jesus taught in parables: Mark 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. Jesus taught in parables while He was here on the earth so that those who don't love Him will not understand. He did it on purpose. Prophecy is written the same way, so that it's impossible to understand unless you really love the Lord and take the time to study it and seek understanding through His Spirit.

The book of Revelation is a record of many visions, most of which end at the same time, and it covers a very broad range of time - truth!

So there's no Apocalypse? No!

• While we do have many events that are major events and warnings to be people of the earth, it is not at all what the movies and false teachers say it is.

• The world will be reveling and partying, thinking they've finally achieved "world peace", and then the Lord will come. See the quote from Luke 17 above.

• The seven Trumpets are certainly major events, and when we get to the last three (the three woes) the world is definitely going to feel the effects of those warnings, but it's important to understand the difference between what most believe and the reality that will come to pass.

• The mistake they make is that they listen to too many false interpretations without really studying it themselves. The mainstream belief is so far from reality that it creates a lot of false assumptions and will lead to people being "caught naked".

God gives the world many warnings, and many chances to turn to Him before He pours out His wrath, but the teaching of some apocalyptic 7 year period of time is just a lie from Satan to confuse people - truth!

The preterist views - false!

• Many people believe that parts of the end time discourse in Matthew 24 came to pass during the life of the Disciples. Their mistake is not understanding that from verse 4 on it's all prophecy of the last day, 2000 years later!

• Just before Jesus ascended up to heaven, the disciples asked if it was time for the kingdom of God to come: Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.  Jesus told them it is not for them to know the times or seasons. He was saying that they would not know, and we know now that they would never know in their lifetimes.

• While the disciples did go through similar persecution and most were martyred for Christ, it's incorrect to assume that Jesus was prophesying of their time, during their lifetime. This is what's termed as "partial preterism", where people think that part of this prophecy has already come to pass.

• Preterists believe that all end time prophecy came to pass in 70AD, with Emperor Titus and the overthrow of Israel at that time.

• Titus burned the temple and destroyed it after looting some of the artifacts, but Titus didn't do anything more than Nebuchadnezzar and his son did back in the days of Daniel... Nor, was the time after Titus any more of a "tribulation" for the Jews than the time of Nebuchadnezzar, either. Claiming that Titus placed the abomination and began the tribulation isn't factual nor does it even make sense in the context of the scriptures explaining it and the timing we just looked at above.

• For one thing, this was all accomplished in one year, in 70AD. It didn't take 3.5 years for anything specifically relating to this destruction of the Temple and Titus at that time. -= NOTE =- Some preterists say that the 1290 days is actually 1290 years but take note that the scriptures give us that time frame in several ways; 1290 days, time times and an half, and 42 months. This diversity in the verbiage gives us the proof that it's actually 1290 days since the other scriptures show the same 3.5 year time frame.

• Second, if you've read Revelation 16:12 you know that it's the Kings of the East that come over the Euphrates river for the Battle of Armageddon. Where is Rome in relation to Israel? It's due west!

• Third, what does the scriptures say happens immediately after the Tribulation? Did these happen in 70AD? We have very specific events that we're shown will happen immediately after the Tribulation in Matthew 24 and Mark 13.

• The sun, moon and stars go dark... no, this did not happen!

• Jesus comes the in clouds with power and glory, as the lighting flashes across the sky... no, this did not happen!

• The gathering of saints... no, this did not happen!

• None of those things happened in 70AD! There is no way that Titus could have been the Antichrist and/or Abomination of Desolation!

  Click here to see a very detailed document on this subject

The signs Jesus gave that would herald His coming did not happen 2000 years ago, and they are all coming to pass now. We're waiting for the end time prophecies to come to pass and waiting for the Day of the Lord in the near future - truth!

Some additional information for in-depth study can be found on these pages:

What about the Rapture? When will it happen?

Understanding the Book of Revelation

The Wrath of God - VIDEO

When is the End of the World? The SIGNS Jesus gave us.

Study, watch, pray, and be ready for the Day of the Lord!

We must watch and be prepared!