Chapters relate the beautiful story of the heroine Susanna and mention the prophet Habakkuk in the vignette on Bel and the Dragon. Jesus Christ , in announcing the Kingdom of God is at hand in Mark 1: The prophecy of Daniel This period is called the Great Tribulation by Jesus in Matthew The great nations of the world have risen against the Lord; but God will protect His people and His Kingdom shall prevail and last forever.
The textual problems encountered in the Book of Daniel in a sense are representative of the entire Old Testament. The traditional view that the Book was written by Daniel in the sixth century BC has been questioned, the book is written in three different languages, and the actual text varies with each of our four extant versions: Chapters 1 to 2: The first complete version of Hebrew Scripture was composed in the third century BC in Alexandria and was actually written in Greek, known as the Septuagint.
The Hebrew canon for Judaism developed through the ages and recognized 10 books less than the Greek Septuagint. The Masoretic Text developed from the eighth through tenth century AD reflected the traditional Hebrew canon. See the Canon for a more complete discussion. Even though nearly half of Daniel was composed in Aramaic, the Hebrew Canon for Judaism retained all of the book except the Greek text: The time of composition has become a matter of interest. The informed description of historical events in Chapters 1 to 6 and the use of the first person in the apocalyptic visions of Chapters 7 to 12 suggest that Daniel likely originated the book during his lifetime.
This traditional view is also supported by classical historians such as Flavius Josephus and Church Fathers such as St. Jerome, the Father of Biblical Scholars. Whereas modern historical-critical methods propose the book may have been written in the mid-second century BC, the inclusion of the book in the Hebrew Canon for Judaism advises that Hebrew tradition placed the Book as written before BC!
The Hebrew and Aramaic texts are in blue, the Greek scripture is in navy. The Douay-Rheims Bible was the standard English Bible for Catholics for over years, and still remains in use today. Jerome's Latin Vulgate Bible. Kennedy took the oath of office on January 20, to become the 35th President of the United States. The king allotted them a daily portion of food and wine from the royal table. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
If he sees that you look wretched by comparison with the other young men of your age, you will endanger my life with the king. Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. When they came and presented themselves to the king, 3 he said to them, "I had a dream which will allow my spirit no rest until I know what it means. O king, live for ever: The thing is gone out of my mind: Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will declare the interpretation of it. I know for certain that you seek to gain time, since you know that the thing is gone from me.
Tell me therefore the dream, that I may know that you also give a true interpretation thereof. There is no man upon earth, that can accomplish thy word, O king, neither doth any king, though great and mighty, ask such a thing of any diviner, or wise man, or Chaldean.
And when Arioch had told the matter to Daniel, 16 Daniel went in and desired of the king, that he would give him time to resolve the question and declare it to the king. Blessed be the name of the Lord from eternity and for evermore: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: I have found a man of the children of the captivity of Juda, that will resolve the question to the king.
Thinkest thou indeed that thou canst tell me the dream that I saw, and the interpretation thereof? The secret that the king desireth to know, none of the wise men, or the philosophers, or the diviners, or the soothsayers can declare to the king. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these: As iron breaketh into pieces, and subdueth all things, so shall that break and destroy all these. Verily your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of hidden things: And they stood before the statue which king Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
To you it is commanded, O nations, tribes, and languages: Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago, that you do not worship my gods, nor adore the golden statue that I have set up? We have no occasion to answer thee concerning this matter. And the flame of the fire slew those men that had cast in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago.
For he hath delivered us from hell, and saved us out of the hand of death, and delivered us out of the midst of the burning flame, and saved us out of the midst of the fire. Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered the king, and said: Behold I see four men loose, and walking in the midst of the fire, and there is no hurt in them, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago, ye servants of the most high God, go ye forth, and come.
And immediately Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago went out from the midst of the fire. Blessed be the God of them, to wit, of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that believed in him: It hath seemed good to me therefore to publish His signs, because they are great: I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was exceeding great.
Cut down the tree, and chop off the branches thereof: But the king answering, said: Belteshazzar, let not the dream and the interpretation thereof trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered, and said: My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thy enemies. Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, and let it be bound with iron and brass among the grass without, and let it be sprinkled with the dew of heaven, and let his feeding be with the wild beasts, till seven times pass over him.
Is not this the great Babylon, which I have built to be the seat of the kingdom, by the strength of my power, and in the glory of my excellence? To thee, O king Nebuchadnezzar, it is said: Thy kingdom shall pass from thee, 29 And they shall cast thee out from among men, and thy dwelling shall be with cattle and wild beasts: Why hast thou done it? And the king spoke, and said to the wise men of Babylon: Whosoever shall read this writing, and shall make known to me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and shall have a golden chain on his neck, and shall be the third man in my kingdom.
Now therefore let Daniel be called for, and he will tell the interpretation. And the king spoke, and said to him: Art thou Daniel of the children of the captivity of Juda, whom my father the king brought out of Judea? Thy rewards be to thyself, and the gifts of thy house give to another: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.
We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, unless perhaps concerning the law of his God. King Darius, live for ever: That whosoever shall ask any petition of any god, or man, for thirty days, but of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. O king, hast thou not decreed, that every man that should make a request to any of the gods, or men, for thirty days, but to thyself, O king, should be cast into the den of the lions?
And the king answered them, saying: The word is true according to the decree of the Medes and Persians, which it is not lawful to violate. Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, hath not regarded thy law, nor the decree that thou hast made: Know thou, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree which the king hath made, may be altered. And the king said to Daniel: Thy God, whom thou always servest, he will deliver thee.
Daniel, servant of the living God, hath thy God, whom thou servest always, been able, thinkest thou, to deliver thee from the lions? PEACE be multiplied unto you. For he is the living and eternal God for ever: I beheld till her wings were plucked off, and she was lifted up from the earth, and stood upon her feet as a man, and the heart of a man was given to her.
Arise, devour much flesh. The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be greater than all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. I Daniel was much troubled with my thoughts, and my countenance was changed in me: No beast could withstand it or be rescued from its power; it did what it pleased and became very powerful.
It threw the ram, which had not the force to withstand it, to the ground, and trampled upon it; and no one could rescue it from its power. It cast truth to the ground, and was succeeding in its undertaking. But he said to me, "Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the end time. He shall destroy powerful peoples; 25 his cunning shall be against the holy ones, his treacherous conduct shall succeed. He shall be proud of heart and destroy many by stealth. But when he rises against the prince of princes, he shall be broken without a hand being raised.
Daniel's first vision begins with the four winds stirring up the great sea. This action of the wind can only mean a time of great upheaval. The sea usually refers to people so we see the peoples of the world as being upset and the unsettled conditions of the times is the force that is upsetting the people. Daniel 7 must be opening with the great time of trouble. The four great beasts coming out of the sea could be a response to the up-side-down conditions Satan has brought on the world.
A beast in prophecy usually represents a power; a nation or kingdom. Since we seem to be looking at a world-wide scenario "the Great Sea", we could be seeing some system of government that might be set up in order to reverse the trouble that is on the earth. This closely parallels our understanding of what will happen in the last days. We know that because of the trouble in the world, people will blame the people of God, who keep the commandments of God in their hearts, for the troubles that are on the earth. In reality, this world government system is set up by Satan to bring on persecution to God's people.
Especially will the Sabbath be attacked at this time. Point 2 The first beast is the lion with eagle's wings, the second beast is like a bear. The third beast is like a leopard having four heads and four wings, and the fourth beast is a terrible beast. Many associate these four beast with the great image described in Daniel 2.
So they apply the four beast to Babylon, Medo-persia, Greece, and Rome. It is important to realize that, Daniel 7 does not fit the description of Daniel 2. In verse 11 of Daniel 7 we see the fourth beast destroyed and given to the burning flame, but the first three beasts, described in verse 12, are allowed to survive for a while longer. This scenario is not the same as is found in Daniel 2 where Daniel interpreted the image as describing a series of powers on the earth. First Babylon rules before Medo-persia takes over the city.
Then after Medo-persia rules for a while, it is destroyed by Greece which is eventually replaced by Rome. Daniel 7, on the other hand, describes a very different scenario. Four beast come out of the Great Sea, but the last beast, the terrible beast is destroyed first while the first three beasts are allowed to survive for a time. It seems reasonable to surmise that the four powers represent four parallel powers that exist at the same time. On close examination of the beast we see some strange things going on.
The first three beast don't seem to have any mind of its own. The lion with eagle's wings has its wings plucked and is lifted up. It is made to stand on its feet like a man, and a man's heart is given it. Notice that the lion doesn't do anything. If it really was a great power than why isn't it doing anything or making any decisions on its own?
It seems that this power is a pawn. A power controlled by some other organization. Its interesting that we are seeing a similar situation today with the new world order where the New World Order dictates what other nations are to do. Lets look at the bear which is the second beast. If we only look at the King James version, we see that the bear is told to arise and devour much flesh.
If we look at another version of the Bible such as the New King James, we see that bear is raised up on one side. It looks like the bear doesn't even get up on its own, it is raised up by others. The third beast is said to have dominion given to it. It looks like the leopard like beast is a kingdom that is set up by others. So it looks like the first three beasts represent three kingdoms that are either set up and controlled by someone else or it is taken over and controlled by someone else.
The fourth beast is very different from the first three beasts. Suddenly we see a beast that is doing everything itself rather than being told what to do. In addition we see that it is doing terrible things: It would seem reasonable that this terrible beast is the power that forces the other three to act. The four beasts are actually a single system. In Revelation 13 we actually see this same system as a single beast but it has all the parts of the four beasts found in Daniel 7.
It is very possible that these four beasts represents a world system that much more powerful than today's New World Order. It could be that the New World Order might evolve into the power described by these four beasts. The terrible beast is a multifaceted power with 10 horns which are eventually broken down to 7, and a great horn that speaks great things against the Most High. The great horn seems to do the direct work of Satan in killing and persecuting the saints.
From Satan's perspective, the four beasts are the framework from which Satan, which could even be the identity of the great horn, works. More will be said later in this chapter. It is now that God sits down to judge the world and one of the first things He does is to put a check on the activities of the great horn. Once the terrible beast is destroyed; then Jesus is seen as inheriting the kingdom from the Ancient of Days. In spite of the fact that Jesus inherits the kingdom, the other three beasts are said to remain for a little while. Verses 15 to 18 recaps the first part of chapter 7.
Four kingdoms arise out of the earth but the saints will possess the kingdom that was given to Jesus. Daniel seems especially upset over the terrible beast since he sees that it does terrible things to the people of God. It devoured and broke in pieces and trampled the residue with its feet. We often speak of the remnant of God's people, well the residue is the same thing. The terrible beast is killing God's people until judgement begins.
Finally Daniel receives some more information on the terrible beast with the great horn. We see that this terrible beast will triumph over the whole world and it will subdue it. We could even understand from the text that the actual world could be destroyed from verse 23 And shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. We see that the ten horn are ten kings of this power. Some new power will rise and he will subdue three of these kings. Once his place is assured he starts a war against the people of God, and God says that the saints will be given into his hand for three and a half part years.
A new point is given us, this king will think to change times and laws. We know that the Sabbath will be attacked by Satan. This is a clear indication of this attack. Point 4 verses The judgement and the inheritance of God's people is expanded. This becomes obvious when studying the rest of Daniel 8. Daniel is very specific in telling where he saw the vision. In addition, we in his vision that he is next to the river Ulai.
Many think because of the importance that Daniel places on the location that the actual activities described by the vision will take at or near that site. The location is at the southern border that separates Iran and Iraq. This is a location with much tension in today's world. The ram is seen first as it pushes westward, northward, and southward. Apparently no nation can withstand their forces and the ram is allowed to do anything it wants. Apparently this situation is not an overnight situation since the ram is allowed to become great through the process.
The ram is apparently the union of two previous powers. Today, names such as Iran, Syria, and Iraq come to mind as possibilities for the two horns. Another possibility are some of the tribal groups within these countries. The He Goat male goat which either represents the US, the united nations or some form of the New World Order, becomes upset over the activities of the Ram and it travels over the face of the earth either by air or sea to attack the ram.
The contest is apparently so one sided that there is no chance for the Ram. The He Goat thoroughly destroys the Ram. These four horns are the same as the four beasts in Daniel 7. How do we know that? Look at the next verse and beyond. Out of one of the horns came a little horn which casts down some of the host and the stars to the ground and tramples them. This description is similar to the activities of the horn that spoke great things and persecuted the righteous in Daniel 7.
In verse 11 of Daniel 8, we see that this little horn exalts himself even as God! He takes the daily continual away and throws truth down to the ground. Why this matches Daniel 7: In addition he tries to changes times and laws etc. It is clear by the four horns and the activities of the little horn that Daniel 7 and 8 overlap in time. The Daily and the Days Daniel 8: He takes away the daily or continual. The word sacrifice is not in the original script. It was added because the translators thought it would add meaning.
The period of time that the little horn controls the temple is evening morning. The meaning of that could either be days, years, or days. The or days is a more literal approach, but the years uses the year for a day approach. He mentions the kings of Media and Persia as being the two horns of the Ram. Today these could be Iran and some power between Syria and Iraq, possibly the Curds of northern Iraq. The male goat is said to be the kingdom of Greece in the Bible; However, on looking at the original language, we see that Greece could be replaced by some power from the west.
The later rising of a cunning power described in verses is really the little horn of both Daniel 7 and 8. In verse 25 we see that this cunning king will be broken with human hand. This matches the destruction of the little horn when the terrible beast is destroyed. Daniel 9 70 Weeks Prophecy Daniel is sick over the actions of his people.
He sees that the time of the 70 year prophecy according to Jeremiah the prophet but he sees that the Jews do not want to go back to Jerusalem. They are now accustomed to Babylon. Daniel pleads for God to take things into His own hands and remedy the situation. Upon close examination of Daniel's prayer we see that it is an intercessory prayer. Daniel probably interpreted the 70 weeks prophecy to be directly related to his prayer and his people. There are obvious historical but there are more literal last day interpretations a well.
Look in the time chart region of this harmony for a more complete discussion of the 70 Weeks. Practically all of Daniel 10 is a description of Daniel as he began to receive his last vision. We also are able to listen in on much of the dialog between Gabriel and Daniel and we are able to see to some extent some behind-the-scenes look at the battle that is raging between Christ and Satan.
Daniel 11 describe the battles between the King of the North and the King of the South. These two kingdoms somehow relate to the four beasts of Daniel 7 and the little horn of Daniel 7 and 8, because the same activities that we have already seen in Daniel 7 and 8 are again explained in greater detail.
Only this time, we see the picture from the prospect of the Northern and Southern Kingdom. There seems to be an endless series of wars described in Daniel We almost seem to get lost in the description until we reach Daniel Suddenly we have Michael Standing up and all things are coming to an end. We now know where to put the long series of wars and actions of the various parties. The whole vision ends at the end of time so it seems reasonable to assume that Daniel 11 concerns itself with the secular events of the time of trouble that directly cause Michael to stand up.
We often choose to read the Bible when we are in need of peace and solace; However, it is in the Bible that we read of severe conflicts that speak of a desperate war between good and bad. In the Gospels we see Jesus, who usually speaks of peace and love, speak words of heated anger and wrath, we see that the look on His face is such that the priests and scribes run in terror from His presence.
After that incident they decided that they would never run from Him again. Well, Jesus came the second time to cleanse the temple, and in spite of their determination not to run, they ran in absolute terror. They could not even face Jesus at this time. What is the reason why Jesus has to act this way? Also, What is it that the priests and scribes are running from? We know God operates on love. We also know that love can result in rather harsh treatment. Often a parent, who truly loves his child, has to face this reality. The parent will give a stronger punishment if he or she feels that the punishment will help change the actions and outlook of the child.
Others, not directly involved with the child might let some types of bad behavior slide, but the loving parent who sincerely wants the child to improve will press on harder. Christ's actions suggests a similar situation. Jesus is facing a crisis. People all around Him would eventually be led by the leaders He is facing to face eternal death unless He can reach their hearts.
God is apparently willing to whip or even kill in order to save them. We also find ourselves in this same life and death struggle while not fully realizing it. God would have us depend on Him for much more than solace, because there is an intergalactic war in the Universe. A war between Christ and Satan. Listen to what Isaiah says about Satan: How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
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For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
There are, of course, indications throughout the Bible of the struggle, Job being perhaps the most notable; However, the main emphasis of Revelation centers on the dramatic closing events of this war. In Revelation , we see how Jesus will end the misery that Satan has brought in starting this war. In spite of the fact that Revelation speaks of war and bloodshed, of evil and God's wrath, we can have comfort in knowing that Jesus will be eradicating sin from the face of the universe. All evil and misery will be done away. As evil and sin increase we will feel an ever increasing need to know the assurance that God still is in control, that He will end all the confusion and that if we choose to believe in Him, that we will end up in a place that will be free of the death and destruction that is so common in today's world.
In that place, the place where Jesus lives, will be a place of love and peace. The promise that Jesus has given us is at the very center of our hope of the future and we must read and study His promises again and again. Please note that when John wrote Revelation, he did not tell what the order of the events would be. Instead, what John did was to describe them how it was told to him by Jesus. We must remember that in the beginning of the book, the revelation is identified as the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
What Jesus did was to show what would take place in the last days by allowing John to view a series of events that will take place in their order. Then Jesus allowed John to see another series of events which was different from the first. So, John described several series of events.
First he described the first series, then he would start over and describe another series of events. One might call them parallel accounts, but I have called them anything from pictures, subjects or themes. Because Revelation is organized by themes, the book is topically driven rather than being event driven.
Instead of having a list of events, John the Revelator discusses different topics of note. So, Revelation is composed of a series of verbal pictures or subjects or themes. John discusses every thing within a single topic before approaching another topic. Because of this the timing of the events between two different typics cannot easily be placed, indeed one is not often sure how these series of events or pictures relate to one another; they definitely seem to be far more theme orientated than time orientated.
Something special happens in Revelation 4 and 5. After all if the process was not important, why would Jesus Himself go through the effort to give us this book! We are seeing the beginnings of the process that will start the events as described in Revelation, we are seeing the process that will end pain and bloodshed and allow peace to reign everywhere in the universe. Notice that before either God or Jesus chooses to do something, that all of heaven praises Their worthiness to do what They are about to do.
Remember, there is a war of trust! It was Satan who accused both God and Jesus of being selfish in not letting the angels do anything they want to do. Read Paul's description of what Satan has done: In addition we can see that Satan has succeeded in deceiving one third of the angels of heaven: And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: It is evident that even God's pleasure is good A third of all heaven did not trust God originally to stay with Him, instead they chose to follow Satan.
However, as described in Revelation 4 and 5, we see that the angels in heaven are fully decided. They are declaring both God and Jesus as the winners in the contest because of their character and power. This action on the part of the angels was part of God's plan. God chose that not He but His creations decide who was to be worthy to sit on the throne. God chose to wait until all of heaven could exclaim with their voices that He was indeed worthy to sit on the throne.
Read the following verse: Immediately after God is declared worthy, we see that He has a scroll. It seems to be very important because the cry is made: Only God could write something that could cause all of heaven to wonder who was worthy enough to open it. As heaven is waiting for the answer to who is worthy to receive the scroll, the angel gently informs John that one has prevailed.
The angel must be hinting at Christ's prevailing against Satan on earth in spite of everything that Satan could do to Him. Jesus, standing with those at the throne of God reaches out and takes the scroll. The response is immediate. The creatures and the 24 elders fall before Christ the Lamb and declare Him worthy to take the scroll. Only after Jesus is declared worthy is He able to open the seals of the scroll. We can only wonder what is in the book. It is not clear what is in the book that has the attention of all heaven. Could it be the book that has the names of all the righteous?
Maybe the message and purpose of the trumpets are in the book, or maybe it contains the mystery of God that is spoken of later in the book. As the Lamb opens the seals, things begin to happen on earth. This connection between heaven and earth is strong. As the lamb opens the first seal we see the first man going forth conquering and to conquer.
When the second seal is broken we see that peace is taken from the world. The third seal results in famine. Starvation will be a major concern The fourth seal results in massive death across the earth. The breaking of the first four seals could very indicated the initiation of the time of trouble. This is the time when we know there will be sudden unrest on the earth. Especially is the unsettled nature of this evident when the fifth seal is opened. We see that the righteous will be killed for their faith!
More time than the righteous want. The time of the breaking of the seals may cover the entire time of trouble. In verse 11, the righteous are told to rest awhile while others are to be killed as well. Apparently the Greek could be made to say: The sixth seal results in many signs in the heavens: A great earthquake, the sun turns black, the moon turns red, and the stars fall. At this the people of the world hide from the face of the one on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
The end of Chapter 6 Ends with the second coming of Jesus. We see four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth. Then another angel comes with a loud voice, saying hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
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Could the four angels holding the four winds of the earth be the four horsemen of the first four seals in chapter 6? In the Book of Zechariah we get a possible connection: In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
It's quite possible that the four angels of chapter 7 are also the four horsemen. If so then it only stands to reason that chapter 7 describes the conditions when the four horsemen start their actions. The four angels must hold back the winds of strife until God's people are sealed on their foreheads. Since the four horsemen are to spread war and bloodshed, famine and unrest; it would seem that they would actively cause the misery.
However, in Revelation 7: When the death and destruction begin it is because these four spirits stop their work. Its not the time they start their dirty work. God has all along helped to control this world's peace. It is only because of God's protective hands that we have received the blessings of peace, law, and order. Once God's people are sealed that complete anarchy will prevail. We see that the , come from the 12 tribes of Israel. Right away this scenario does not seem right. Where are these tribes today? Only a few tribes exist today. Most disappeared when the northern kingdom of Israel was taken away to Assyria.
Those tribes today don't exist. What are the possible meanings? Some ignore this list of tribes and the numbers. Others declare that Christians have been drafted in to the various tribes, according to the character of each person drafted in. Still others suggest that the , were selected long ago when the tribes actually existed, possible from the time of Christ.
Could they possibly arise from the special resurrection? The major problem for having the tribes sealed from the past is found in verse 3. Don't harm the servants of our God until they are sealed on their foreheads. The , must be living on earth in the last days when the time of trouble comes on the world. John's attention now seems to be directed to heaven and he sees a great multitude so large that he can't number them.
Who are these people? Also, remember,The earlier part of Revelation centered on the , as well. Would it make any sense to suddenly jump to another group other than the , John is talking about the righteous who were sealed on their foreheads. If the great multitude is not the , then who are they? Some say that since the great multitude is so large that no one can count it, shows that the group can't be the , since a , is a number that can be counted. An additional reason is in the identification of the group.
The , comes from the 12 tribes of Israel; However, the great multitude of composed of people from all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues. What could this great multitude be?
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Some suggest that it is composed of all who are saved upon the earth, from all times. Even of those who are long dead. Others think that a second group other than the , will go through the time of trouble, however they are not part of the first fruits group that is identified as the , There are some reasons not to go along with the notion that the great multitude is some other group than the , John first sees the opening scenes in heaven that allows Jesus to start opening the seals of the scroll.
Then we see what happens when the seals are actually opened. Then in the seventh chapter we see that the seals can't be opened until the , are sealed. John now starts describing the , Why would John now start speaking of another group without saying what the group is or how it relates to the sealing or to the seals? Contextually John is still talking about the , The , could be the great multitude. When John says the groups is too large to number, he could just be using a figure of speech. Any group composed of humans can be numbered since the number of humans throughout history is a finite number.
Even if we include the wicked.
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John could we seeing , and find the group too large to number. In other words, he could not then easily determine the number of people in front of him. How could they be the same group? We need to remember that there is a problem with having the 12 tribes making up the , Most of the tribes no longer exist now, much less at the time of trouble. Either the , was chosen from people from an earlier time when the tribes existed or some other explanation is needed. Some think that since Christians have been drafted in to Israel, making up Spiritual Israel that it is only natural that the , would be comprised of people from all the peoples of the world.
Another explanation might be: Yes the tribes don't exist as tribes any longer but the descendents of the lost tribes could be found among all the peoples of the world. They might be found among all races. It makes no sense to say that these people come from before the time of trouble.
Since in verse 14 the angels says "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation. We also remember that the , also are living in the time of trouble as the seals can't be opened until they are sealed of their foreheads. It seems that the , and the great multitude is the same group.
In heaven we see that they "serve Him day and night in His temple.
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This description sounds like the , as well. It seems strange to have the , being sealed on their foreheads on earth before the seals can be opened yet to have them in heaven following the lamb where ever He goes. The second coming doesn't seem to have yet happened, yet we find the great multitude in heaven. How did they get there? Is it possible that they are there because they are the first fruits and thus will be brought to heaven earlier.
If this is true then why doesn't John describe the , departure from earth separately from the others? Either John is describing things in the order that they happen or he is describing things in the order that will give the greatest sense to the topic that he is discussing. If John is describing things in order than the great multitude is in heaven the , is in heaven. This logic has encouraged some to assume that these people came up in the special resurrection when Christ was brought up after He rose from the grave years ago.
This would allow them to be composed of the 12 tribes however it does not explain why they must be sealed before the seals are opened. If they are in heaven they should already be sealed. The other explanation is that John is describing things in the order that will give the greatest sense to the topic that he is discussing. John has just introduced the ,, it makes sense that he would give us a larger picture of who this group was. Also, John shows the position that the , will have in heaven. It is the opinion of the author of this harmony that John introduces subjects topically.
The events are not always introduced in their correct order but instead he introduces things in a way that will give the greatest sense to the topics he discusses. What is the main point of seeing the great multitude , in heaven. In this text we not only hear who this group is and what it continues to do, we are told what they say before the throne of God.
They cry out saying: The , is an important group in the world. They are those who will live through the time of trouble. Its important that we see that they also will praise God, even after experiencing the trials of the time of trouble. It makes sense for John to add this small section to the prophecy since he has shown others to have the same attitude toward God. Remember God's purpose is to win the hearts of the universe.
He especially wants to win those of this world. If the first six seals goes from the time that the , are sealed to the time of the second coming of Jesus Christ, when does this seventh seal get opened? If everything is discussed according to a sequence of events, then we would expect the seventh seal to be opened at or after the second coming of Christ. But it is clear from the text describing the seven trumpets that are sounded once the seventh seals is opened.
The time of the different trumpets is marked as being given at a time when the people on earth will not want to follow God. It must be during the time of trouble that the seventh seal is opened. So the trumpets are discussed out of sequence.