These 6 Events Must Come Into Alignment Before Jesus Returns

All the prophets speak of the coming difficulties in the end times. Jeremiah calls it “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (30:7), and it is called the “tribulation” in the gospels (Matt. 24; Mark 13).

Here is a simplified survey of Daniel’s tribulation prophecies from the second half of his book.

Chapter Seven—First Year of Belshazzar

1. Monstrous kingdom like a beast with teeth of iron (7; 23).
2. An evil king, the “small horn,” speaks boastful things against God (8; 20; 25).
3. He makes war against the “saints” of God (21; 25).
4. He takes over government and calendar for three and a half years (25).
5. The Ancient of Days (God Himself) appears on His throne of fire (9-10).
6. He judges the world (10; 22; 26).
7. The horn and beast will be completely destroyed by fire (11).
8. The other kingdoms will be allowed to continue for a certain period (12).
9. The Son of Man (Yeshua) is given authority over the nations and comes on clouds of glory (13-14).
10. That kingdom authority is transferred to the saints (18; 22; 27).

Chapter Eight—Third Year of Belshazzar

1. Two kingdoms fight against one another (1-8; 20-22).
   1. Two-horned ram [Persia-Iran]
   2. Single horned goat [Greece-Europe]
2. A small horned evil king overcomes and then turns toward the Pleasant Land [Israel] (9).
3. He fights against God and makes war on the saints (10-11; 24).
4. He will have a “fierce countenance, skilled in intrigue” (23), demonstrate supernatural power (24) and act with corruption, deceit, intelligence and peacefulness (24).
5. He will take over the temple for three and a half years (14).

Chapter Nine—First Year of Darius

1. Temple overcome and daily sacrifice stopped for three and a half years (27).
2. Abomination set up in the temple (27).

Chapter Ten—Third Year of Cyrus

1. Yeshua appears in glory (5-6).
2. He and Michael fight against the princes of Persia and Greece (13; 20-21).

Chapter Eleven

1. King of the North attacks land of the Pleasant Land [Israel] (16; 41), and sets up camp between the seas and Jerusalem (45).
2. Evil king rules “peaceably” with “flatteries” (21; 32).
3. Temple overcome, daily sacrifice stopped, abomination set up (31).
4. The saints during this period will
   1. be crushed and persecuted unto death (33)
   2. be strong and take action (32)
   3. receive great revelation (33)
   4. instruct many others in faith (33)
   5. be purified (35)
5. Evil king of the north will be greatly lifted up, defy God, succeed, conquer many in anger (36; 40; 44), but at the end will be destroyed (45).

Chapter Twelve

1. This is the End Times
2. Michael fights for Israel (1).
3. Many will yet be saved (1).
4. The dead will be raised (2).
5. The saints will shine with glory (3).
6. The secrets of Scriptures will only be revealed in the end times, when knowledge increases (4).
7. The saints will:
   1. be persecuted and shattered (7)
   2. be purified (10)
   3. prove that the wicked deserve to be punished (10)
   4. bring many to faith (10)
8. The temple will be defiled, the daily sacrifice stopped and the abomination set up (11)
9. The time of trouble will last three and a half years (7; 11; 12).

It is surprising and enlightening how the basic elements of the end times’ troubles are repeated and emphasized in Daniel’s prophecies, and the picture becomes clearer as we study the Scriptures.

1. The divine Messianic angelic figure appears in each of the prophecies;
2. The evil king is mentioned 16 times;
3. The persecution of the saints appears seven times;
4. The victory of the saints is referenced eight times;
5. The defiling of the temple is described four times;
6. The three-and-a-half year period is referenced six times;

May God give us grace to understand and prepare ourselves to stand in faith, righteousness and victory in the end times.{eoa}

Asher Intrater is the founder and apostolic leader of Revive Israel Ministries and oversees Ahavat Yeshua Congregation in Jerusalem and Tiferet Yeshua Congregation in Tel Aviv. Asher was one of the founders of Tikkun International with Dan Juster and Eitan Shishkoff and serves on the board of the Messianic Alliance of Israel and Aglow International. He and his wife and full-time partner in ministry, Betty, have a passion for personal prayer and devotion, local evangelism and discipleship in Hebrew and unity of the body of believers worldwide.

This article originally appeared at tikkuninternational.org.