Daniel 11:32 “But the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand.”
One of the principles that we have gleaned from our discussion of the Zadokian, or Melchizedekian priesthood is that it is possible to understand with clarity what God is saying and doing. Also, and just as importantly, we can know with a significant measure of certainty what God is going to do in the future. That is, if we will do the work and put forth the effort to learn the testimony of scripture, assisted by the teaching of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Melchizedek is the chief of the Zadok priests. The communities that they shepherded with their teachings were referred to as the Essenes. The record of their teachings and prophecies are recorded in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were initially discovered during the time of the return of the Jewish people to their homeland. They document the remarkable, uncanny record of a people who, due to their diligent study of scripture and other writings, had profound clarity and precision about the plans of God in Jesus Christ hundreds of years before the events happened.
As we stated, one of their predictions was that the Zadok priesthood would reemerge in the last days. If you read Daniel chapter 12 carefully, the word of God confirms that prophecy. In the coming years, we are going to become the beneficiaries of the knowledge that has been kept hidden for all of history until the intended time of disclosure. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is only the beginning of much more to come.
Let’s look closely together at Daniel chapter 12.
DANIEL 12:1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, UNTIL THE TIME OF THE END. Many shall run to and fro, and KNOWLEDGE SHALL INCREASE.”
DANIEL 12:8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed UNTIL THE TIME OF THE END. 10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
As we learned in Parousia Part 3, the Dead Sea Scrolls record that the Zadok priests predicted the final 50 year jubilee cycle before the dawning of the Kingdom Messianic Age to begin in March of 2026. If this is correct we should expect the birth pangs described by Jesus in Matthew 24:6-8 to increase dramatically:
Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Then in the midst of these times of chaos and revolutions, an obscure regional leader will emerge and broker a peace treaty on behalf of the nation of Israel and the Islamic world. This treaty will allow the Jewish people to resume temple worship on the temple mount. This leader will usher in a time of unprecedented prosperity on the one hand, but immorality and wickedness on the other. He will continue to win many amazing victories politically, socially, technologically and economically - but it will be a time of false peace. Three and one half years into this refrain from madness and chaos, the scriptures inform us repeatedly and clearly, he will desecrate the newly established Jewish place of worship by declaring himself to be god and demanding worship.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion (apostasy - “defection from truth”) comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
Matthew 24:15 “So when you see (you will literally see it with your own eyes) the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place
When this event occurs, it will mark the time of worst trouble the earth has ever seen. For the Jewish people first, and for the New Testament church second. It will be a 3.5 year reign of terror, as satan marshals all of his resources and rage to make his final stand. But God, by fulfilling the prophecy of the Zadok priests and repeating what he did through their ministry in the first prophetic cycle (which we have been studying about), will prepare areas of refuge in remote places where satan will not be able to get the upper hand (like all of West Texas). People will be able to flee to places like this to escape the madness and perilous trouble:
Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness (erémos - properly, an uncultivated, unpopulated place; a desolate (deserted) area), to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.
Luke 21:36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength TO ESCAPE all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Now here is how scripture records the conclusion of this dramatic time frame:
Daniel emphasizes a 1,290 day time frame. This is roughly 3.5 years. Daniel is written from a Jewish perspective. The key question for a Jewish person would be, “when will Jerusalem be delivered and resorted to the Jewish people?” “When will temple worship be restored?” God is answering these questions in Daniel.
The book of Revelation, on the other hand, emphasizes a 1,260 day time frame. It is written from a Christian perspective. The key question for a Christian would be, “when will Jesus Christ return to the earth as promises?” “When will the resurrection from the dead and rapture of the Church occur?” God is answering these questions in Revelation (11:3; 12:6). This is roughly 3.5 years as well, but exactly 30 days shorter than Daniel’s prediction. Why the difference? Does this amount to a disagreement in the text?
A pre-wrath return of Jesus Christ, resurrection from the dead, and rapture of the church resolves the tension that is created by these two conflicting time frames. A 30 day return of Jesus Christ, with 30 days of the wrath of God being poured out on his enemies renders both of these predictions accurate. Jesus arrives in the sky to assemble his church at 1,260 days, Jesus arrives to deliver Jerusalem and the Jewish people, standing on the Mount of Olives at 1,290 days.
1260 DAYS – Cosmic disturbance, the last trumpet, and the appearance of Jesus in the sky
The Last (7th) Trumpet announces the appearance of Jesus in the sky (Matt 24:31; 1 Cor 15:52; Rev. 11:15-19; 1 Thess 4:16)
The dead will be raised to life and believers who are alive will be instantly transformed into bodies that are immortal (Matt 24:29-31; 1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 Thess 4:15-18)
These three things are very clearly communicated as happening at the same time, at or near the end of the 3.5 year great tribulation (Matt 24:29)
Every early church father who spoke on the subject unanimously documented that the church would face the antichrist, not be raptured before his apostate reign as temporary ruler of the nations.
1290 DAYS – For 30 days Jesus gathers his saints and wages war on the ungodly, Jesus arrives at Jerusalem and is accepted by Jewish leaders as Messiah
Rev 15:1 “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.”
These final seven bowls of wrath poured out in Rev. 16 likely happen after the return of Jesus and the harvest of the saints.
These bowls of wrath are clearly intended for “people who bore the mark of the beast” (v. 2), those who “have shed the blood of saints and prophets” (v. 4), those who “did not repent (v. 9, 11), those who “curse God” (v. 21).
This episode represents a massive slaughter of the enemies of God at the hands of Jesus himself. (Rev. 19: 11-21; Isa. 63:1-6; Luke 19:27)
1335 DAYS – Jesus completes the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom and the Kingdom Age begins
1,335 days after the abomination of desolation will mark the official beginning of the Kingdom Age, or the Millennium, or the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ as King of the Nations.
“If the Essenes are right, the new Millennial Covenant (Kingdom Age) will be given on the first Pentecost after the Second Coming and the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom.” (Johnson, Ken. Ancient Mysteries of the Essenes : The Ken Johnson Collection (p. 114). Kindle Edition.)
The Bema Seat Judgement of believers happens at this time and kingdom assignments are handed down. (for a more detailed treatment of this topic see video below). At this time, under the headship of Jesus Christ, we will become the reigning kings and priests of the earth. Rev 5:10 “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
Dan. 12:13 - “and you shall rest and stand in your allotted place at the end of days.” (Daniel has his spot reserved and waiting for him, you do as well)
The kingdom age entails Jesus Christ as a resurrected man returning to the earth and ruling over a physical kingdom with his saints over the nations of the earth. The dead sea scrolls, the testimony of the New Testament, and the early church fathers are unanimously in agreement with this understanding of God’s eternal plan for the future. This age marks the final 1,000 years of human history before the new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem are established for the eternal state.