REVELATION 20-22 AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD |
Daniel 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
The Bible describes a time period, an age when the (earthly) promises of God that generally remained unfulfilled in the ancient world would finally begin to come to pass in nations that meet the conditions. It does this in many different ways and in many different places using illustrations, symbolic or coded language. Not very much of it is literal language but it is there. Revelation 20-22 is a prophecy in the code of the illustrative language of Bible prophecy about that time period. The second half of Revelation 22:3......but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: is a reference to the oft prophesied rule of the invisible Kingdom of God's involvement in all of this. Here are a few scriptures on that subject of that invisible government of God and the prophesied timing of that extent of its dominion that would enable the saints and nations they influence to possess Gods earthly promises.
Daniel's prophecies about four empires that would rule over all the saints; about the end of two separate ages and then the age that would follow.
Daniel chapter 2 is the first prophecy about the four empires and the end of the age of those four empires that is followed by what would turn out to be this current age. The first empire is named as Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian empire. Then in a vision at a later date recorded in Daniel Chapter 7 the prophecy is repeated with added details. In that second vision not only does it give added details about the four empires, it also gives the date of the end of the fourth empire. By the way, this could never be figured out without help from the Holy Spirit, the rest of scripture including more prophecy about that date and also hind sight. These two prophecies are the first to really emphasize an end time event, the end of the reign of those four empires that pop culture teaching calls "end time prophecy." In the book of Daniel's third vision the second and third empires are named as Medo\Persia and Greece. It is also the first time the end of the Old Covenant age is mentioned and the troubled times that are the beginning of that end. In his forth vision the date the the messiah would come followed shortly the destruction of Jerusalem which would signal the end of the old covenant age. As many other prophecies by the Lord himself and his apostles said. The end turned out take place in that very generation they lived in. Modern pop culture end time prophecy teachings mix the prophecies about ends of these two ages together, and as one future episode. His fifth vision, the 11th and 12th chapter of Daniel speaks of the Medo\Persian kings, Alexander the Greats conquering their empire and the breakup of Alexander's empire. Then the wars between the Seleucid Greek kings and the Egyptian Greek Kings with Israel in between. It doesn't name Rome but in detail records the first Roman emperor Octavian conquering the last of the Greek empire in Egypt. It speaks about Herod the Great and the Gospel being preached in Israel and then Jerusalem's destruction at the end of that age.Now back to Daniel's first and second prophecies about the four empires and the end of that age, called by Jesus the times of the gentiles. In it we see an eleventh of ten Roman emperors making war with the saints and overcoming them. It gives a time period of three and a half years which turns out to mean 1260 years, repeated six more times in the book of revelation five different ways. The book of Revelation actually tells which ten emperors are being prophesied about in the book of Daniel. If you take out all contestants to the throne and only count the victor who gained the throne after protracted civil wars for it, (as opposed to counting the claimants who just happened to be in Rome when they claimed the throne.) Its the ten emperors who came directly after the first seven. Its the ease of which the eleventh emperor, the little horn of Daniel 7 is identified that really wraps up the mystery of all this. The capitol of the Roman Empire was moved to Constantinople in 333 AD. From that point on the western emperor who was to fall in a few centuries was the lesser of two equals. There never ceased to be an emperor on the throne in Constantinople, the capitol of the empire until 1453 AD when the Ottoman Turks conquered the remainder of the Roman Empire. Simply take 1260 years off that date and you come up with the year 193 AD, the year Septimius Severus began his reign. He precisely fulfilled Daniel's prophecy about him and his was the reign that started a full scale war against believers that would last until the empire was destroyed.The Book of Revelation is essentially a prophecy about the seven churches in Asia minor. Then two separate prophecies about the time period of the four empires. These include about a half chapter in each of the two prophecies about the end of the Old Covenant age. The end of the age of those four empires is Revelation 18-19 which correspond to Daniel chapter 7: 9. I looked until the thrones were set up, and the ancient of days sat, whose robe was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the flames of fire, and its wheels were burning fire. 10. A river of fire ran and issued from his presence: thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood in his presence: the court was seated, and the books were opened. 11. I was looking then because of the sound of the great words which the horn spoke: I looked until the animal was killed, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. 12. As concerning the rest of the animals, they had their empires taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. 13. I saw in the night visions, and look, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14. And there was given him an empire, and glory, and dominion, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his empire is an everlasting empire, which shall not pass away, and his dominion that which shall not be destroyed. Later in the chapter it expands or interprets these sentences. 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. 23. So he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and crush it. 24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be different from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 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. 26. But the court will sit, and they shall take away his empire, to consume and to destroy it until the end. 27. And the kingdom and empire, and the greatness of the dominion under the whole heaven, will be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all empires shall serve and obey him.The point is that these are common prophecies known to all who are familiar with the Bible that spoke of a time period where the Kingdom of God, (through Gods people,) is dominate in the earth. The confusion surrounding the subject is great and without question a mystery to most. Jesus revealed, or shall we say the Bible reveals things about this invisible government in his parables about it. The time period where his government was to dominate the affairs of men, for the betterment of the world is what Revelation 20-22 are illustrating as prophecy. A judicious reading of these three chapters reveals that during this time period the world is not free of evil, evil doers, sin, unrighteous nations and war. Gog and Magog in Revelation 20 and Ezekiel illustrate exactly that. Just like Daniel 7 does when it says: 13:I looked until the animal was killed, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. 12. As concerning the rest of the animals, they had their empires taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. You see this is not a time period free from evil. Its a time period where evil does not win the day as it had outside ancient Israel for the past 6 millennia. If one wants to see how this has played out in a very practical fashion since the age of the gentiles came to an end. The simplest way to view it historically is this. Since the Roman empire fell in 1453 AD. Then, due the invention of the printing press that enabled courageous people to illegally get the Bible into the hands of the general public. The nations most influenced by those Bibles have been dominate in the earth. Even though great empires, kingdoms and dictatorships have sought to conquer the peoples being influenced by the Word of God and the preaching of the Gospel. Even though it was almost a sure thing that the wicked would prevail. They haven't. That is the difference between the ancient world, the past ages and this one. Further than this, even as we speak, the influence of the Word of God and the preaching of the Gospel in power continues to grow world wide which ultimately transforms cultures and nations for the better. This can be seen by anyone willing to look at the past, present and future honestly and it is exactly what these prophetic illustrations about the New Jerusalem or the Kingdom of God in the book of Revelation said would happen. |
|
© Daniel Martinovich 2002-2016 |