Complete Broadcast Text
Welcome to The Prophet Daniel’s Report. This is Daniel Whyte III here to remind you that Jesus Christ is coming back soon and that you need to be prepared. This broadcast is not about predictions, however it is all about preparation.
First, today, let’s look at some Signs of His Coming in the news.
The disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 24:3, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Jesus Christ then went on to give them (and us) clear signs that show us when we can begin to expect to see the coming of the Lord and the end of the world. Looking at world events through the lens of the Word of God, let’s look at some headlines from today’s news that point to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
European nations propose a closer fiscal union at the G20. According to Reuters, European leaders rejected pressure to deliver quick new measures to fight their debt crisis at a summit of world leaders and promised to press on with a longer-term plan for closer economic integration in hopes that that will settle jittery markets. European countries signaled to the Group of 20 they were considering concrete steps to integrate their banking sectors, a major reform sought by the United States and other nations. Among commitments in a draft communication obtained by Reuters was a pledge to consider concrete steps towards a “more integrated financial architecture” in Europe that would include common banking supervision, resolution of failed banks and guarantees for bank depositors. These steps would help break the link between government debt and banking problems. European Union Council President Herman Van Rompuy underscored Europe’s earlier commitment to launch the process in June and finalize it before December. The EU holds a summit on June 28-29 to discuss its next steps. The EU president said, “I will propose building blocks for deepening our economic and monetary union so that we can show to the rest of the world and to the markets that the euro and the euro zone is an irreversible project and that we want to deepen it and to give it a strong policy infrastructure.”
Iran says it is planning war games with Syria, Russia, and China. According to The Times of Israel, Iran, Syria, Russia and China are planning the “biggest-ever wargames in the Middle East,” according to an unconfirmed report on the semi-official Iranian news site Fars News. According to the article, the four countries are preparing 90,000 troops, 400 aircraft and 1,000 tanks for the massive joint maneuvers, which are to take place along the Syrian coast within a month. The report states that Russian “atomic submarines and warships, aircraft carriers and mine-clearing destroyers as well as Iranian battleships and submarines” will participate and that Egypt has agreed to let 12 Chinese warships cross the Suez Canal for the exercises. According to Israel Radio, Bou-thai-na Shaa-ba-na, a Syrian official and President Bashar Assad’s special adviser, said the reports about such a drill are “baseless” and false. The Israeli military’s spokesman’s office called the report a “political matter” and declined to comment.
Palestine is developing a plan to bring thousands of Muslims to the Dome of the Rock. According to Reuters, Muslims have kept up an informal boycott of the Temple Mount since Israel seized East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan in a 1967 war, saying visits would amount to recognition of Jewish occupation of Palestinian territory. Palestinian and Jordanian officials now want to reverse that. President Mahmoud Abbas urged Muslims to resume the journeys to Jerusalem to counter what he called Israel’s attempts to “Judaise” the city and in solidarity with the Palestinians. Since then, several high-ranking Arab and Islamic leaders have turned up to pray at Al-Aqsa and — they hope — kickstart a new wave of pilgrimages. Palestinian Religious Affairs Minister Mah-moud al-Ha-bash said, “Some Muslims haven’t visited the Al-Aqsa mosque since 1967, but this was a big mistake. We have now decided to correct our mistake.”
You can read these stories in-depth and get more Second Coming-related news on our website at www.SecondComingHerald.com
Now, it’s time for Prophecy Bootcamp.
Prophecy Bootcamp is where we deal with the basics of prophecy and what will happen in the future according to the Bible. Our aim here is not to make predictions but to help you get prepared by understanding how things will unfold in the end times.
Our topic for today is titled “The Period of the Tribulation (Part 1)” from John MacArthur’s book “The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.” MacArthur writes the following on this subject:
The Bible spells out the doom of the human race very clearly. It spells it out in terms of a time known as the Tribulation. The Tribulation is not simply the apex of natural consequences or the cycle of man’s natural violation of God’s laws coming to an end. It is the active wrath of God intervening in judgment. God is going to judge this world for its sin.
When we looked at the prophecy of Daniel’s seventy weeks, we saw that Israel would have 490 years (seventy “weeks” of seventy years each) from the time of Artaxerxes’ decree to rebuild the kingdom (March 14, 445 BC), to the beginning of the Kingdom. We also saw, according to verse 25 of Daniel chapter 9, that the 69th week ended when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and announced himself as King (this occurred on April 9, 32 AD). Because of Israel’s rejection, however, the seventieth week (or final period of seven years) has yet to be fulfilled. I believe this final week is the seven-year period known as the Tribulation, and is considered in verse 27 of Daniel 9.
The Division of the 7 Year Period
Daniel 9:27a reads: “And he (Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate…” Here we see that the seven-year Tribulation is divided in the middle, creating two equal halves of three and one-half years each. According to Revelation 7:14, the last half is called the Great Tribulation. The first three and one-half years of Daniel’s seventieth week is a time of relative peace, but in the middle of the week the Antichrist desecrates the temple in Jerusalem and begins his tremendous persecution of Israel. This starts the Great Tribulation.
The Description of the 7 Year Period
In Daniel 7:25 we are given a description of the last half of the Tribulation. Speaking of the Antichrist it says: “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.” Again we see a period of three and one-half years: “a time” is one, “times” is two, and “the dividing of time” is one-half. So, Antichrist is going to have dominance for a period of three and one-half years.
In closing, let’s consider what God wants you and I to do in light of His Second Coming.
God wants us to have the right spiritual attitude toward the world as it crumbles around us in these last days. In light of that, please listen to what Dr. David Jeremiah writes in his book titled “I Never Thought I’d See the Day” about the mentality that Christians should have.
Romans 12:1–2 says: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Let’s begin by defining the most arresting word in the passage: sacrifice. Romans 12:1 tells us to “present your bodies a living sacrifice.” The idea of sacrifice is not readily embraced in our modern society.
We have been trained by our culture not to believe in sacrifice—to believe instead that we can have it all. And this carries over to our spiritual lives. As Christians, we have a healthy regard for the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us two thousand years ago by willingly laying down His life. But we think of sacrifice as “won and done”—since He won that victory by sacrificing Himself, it’s not something we are called to do.
So when the twenty-first-century Church reads Paul admonishing her to “present your bodies a living sacrifice” to God, it doesn’t sit too well—if for no other reason than because we’re Americans. It doesn’t fit the kind of life we all enjoy. We have everything we need either at our fingertips or at the nearby shopping mall, where we can get it instantly just by sliding a plastic card.
We’re not used to having to sacrifice for much of anything. If sacrifice is such a foreign word in this land of instant abundance, maybe we’d better talk a little about just what that word really means. Sacrifice always means one of two things:
Somebody has to pay. Somebody has to die.
If you are the one being called to sacrifice yourself—depending on the sacrifice called for—either you have to pay or you have to die.
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CLOSING PRAYER
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Now, if you are listening to this broadcast and you do not know Jesus Christ as your saviour, God wants you to accept Jesus Christ before He returns. The Bible says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Friend of mine, if you are willing to trust Christ as your Savior today, please pray with me the following prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner. For Jesus Christ’s sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life. Amen.
Remember the words of the Lord in Matthew 24:42: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
Matthew 24:44 says, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
Keep looking up for your redemption draweth nigh. Let us join in the prayer of John the Revelator — “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” God bless you.
