“Thus he [an angel] said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time [3½ years]. But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever.’” Daniel 7:23-26.

“I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days [the Most High] was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9-10.

“But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his [beast/Antichrist] dominion, to consume and destroy it forever.” Daniel 7:26.

“I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man [Jesus], coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14.

“I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.” Daniel 7:11.

“And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him [Jesus Christ] who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Revelation 19:19-20.

Be very careful when reading the above; the verses in Daniel 7 are in a mixed order. The intention is to give a general idea as to the order in which these events occur in prophecy.

If you study the books of Daniel and Revelation and read some good commentaries on them you will find that most conservatives agree with the order of events shown here and as follows. But never just take my word for it; check your Bible out for yourself.

These and other Scriptures are describing the tribulation, a period of seven years of bloody horror beyond description. The last three and a half years of this period mentioned in the passages above are often called the time of Jacob’s trouble because during this period the Antichrist will attempt to exterminate the Jews as a race.

The little horn with the eyes of a man, who came up among the ten horns, the beast, and the number 666, are all references to the murderous Antichrist.

So what is the purpose of this horrendous period at the end of history? And why do we have passages like the ones below?

“… [Antichrist/beast] He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25.

“I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to posses the kingdom.” Daniel 7:21-22.

“It was granted to him [Antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Revelation 13:7.

“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” Revelation 6:9-11.

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” Revelation 7:9-10.

“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’” Revelation 7:13-14.

God’s saints, Christians and Jews are persecuted and slaughtered relentlessly for seven years with the last three and a half being the worst under the Antichrist, why? The answer is in the book of Daniel.

“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered [rescued], every one who is found written in the book [those who had or would accept Christ].” Daniel 12:1.

The tribulation period of seven years begins when Israel signs a treaty with the beast, who is just starting his rise to the top. For the first 3½ years the super church (see Revelation 17) will torture and murder more Christians than Islam is doing, with greater violence and efficiency.

It is most likely that because of their treaty with the beast, Israel is left alone to practice their religion for the first 3½ years.

It is because the beast breaks this treaty half way through the seven years and demands that all worship him, that the times for the Jews and all Christians turn to pure horror. It is a time of trouble never before endured by mankind.

It is somewhere within this period of seven years that Michael stands up for Israel, see Daniel 12:1 quoted earlier.

“And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.” The reference to your people means the Jews and the book is the book of life.

This means that many Jews have or will accept Christ as their Savior during the tribulation period; some as late as at the battle of Armageddon, the last battle of the tribulation.

The reason for this horrific period is given later in chapter twelve, while it is talking to the people of Israel specifically; it concerns the rest of mankind also. Daniel 12:10 will be taken up in the next post, Tempus Fugit, Part B.

“Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” Daniel 12:10.

Tempus Fugit, Part A taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 4-19-16, updated on 7-18-21.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.