The Time Is Near: Volume 2

By Ian Foley

The Time Is Near, the second and final volume of a paired set, builds upon the foundations laid in the first volume to offer a comprehensive and systematic interpretation and explanation of the final book of the BibleRevelation. The author, Ian Foley, summarizes the findings of the first volume before turning to an exploration of this often misunderstood biblical book.

This volume explains how two books of apocalyptic literature, Daniel and Revelation, have similar structures, display similar styles of writing, and offer seamlessly connecting content. The benefit of this comparison comes in recognizing that the ambiguities and confusions of meaning that typically accompany readings of Revelation fade away. The reader then receives a clear view of a complete prophetic picture of Gods plan for his world, stretching from 605 BC to the end of this age and beyond.

In its thirty-two parts, The Time Is Near presents concise statements of position that begin with Daniel, dwell on Jesus and Paul, and then focus primarily on Revelation. By offering this overall summary of a clear word of prophecy and by supporting it with immersion in the Bible and reflection on historical events, The Time Is Near invites readers reflection and testing. In a time in which the worldwide church faces great challenges, The Time Is Near speaks clearly of refreshingly new insights that will help Christians to face those challenges and to resolve their uncertainties about the meaning of Revelation for this world and the next.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: May 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504302562

Ian Foley

IAN FOLEY, serves as the senior pastor of Hope Christian Church, Melbourne, Australia. This multi-site church of several hundred members belongs to Hope International Ministries. After earning a PhD in physics at Melbourne University, he pursued an academic career before turning to the ministry.

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© 2016 Ian Foley.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-0255-5 (sc)

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Balboa Press rev. date: 05/25/2016

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We need to prepare our people for what is to come upon the world

Luke 21:26

Contents

Tables

Figures

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Part 1:   Daniel

1.   The Identity of the King

2.   The Time of the End

3.   The Time, Times, and Half a Time (TT½)

4.   The Identity of the Little Horns

5.   The Seventy Sevens Prophecy

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

6.   The Balance and Unity of the Book of Daniel

Part 2:   Jesus and Paul

7.   Jesus

8.   Paul

Part 3:   Revelation

9.   Interpretation Principles

10.   Revelation Is Structurally Similar to Daniel

The Linear Structure

The Chiasmic Structure

11.   Revelation Merges with Daniel to a Single Prophecy

12.   The Time Links

13.   The Seven Seals

14.   The Seven Trumpets

15.   God’s People in Action

16.   Satan Attacks the Jews

17.   Satan Attacks the Church

18.   The Final Events and Harvest

19.   The Seven Plagues

20.   The Prostitute

21:   The Final Battle

22:   The Millennium

23.   The Final Judgment

24.   God’s Eternal Empire

Part 4:   Implications

25.   We Need a Worldwide Conference to Resolve Confusion

26.   We Need to Understand What Is Coming on Our World

27.   We Must Fulfill the Great Commission

28.   We Need to Establish Worldwide Church Leadership under Apostles and Prophets

29.   We Must Learn to Walk by Faith

30.   We Need to Activate a Strong Expectation of Jesus’s Return and Long for His Eternal Empire

Part 5:   Chronology

31.   Numbers in Daniel and Revelation

32.   The Time Is Near

Part 1

Daniel

Background

A.   Daniel’s Preparation (1) (605 BC)

B.   Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2) (603 BC)

C.   The Vision of Four Beasts (7) (552 BC)

D.   The Ram and the Goat (8) (550 BC)

E.   The Seventy Sevens (9) (538 BC)

F.   The Final Prophecy (10–12) (535 BC)

Thesis 1:   The Identity of the King

1.1   The Character of Rome, Daniel 11:36–39

Daniel 11:36 NIV

Daniel 11:37–38 NIV

Daniel 11:39 NIV

1.2   The History of Rome, Daniel 11:40–45

Daniel 11:40 NIV

Daniel 11:41 NIV

Daniel 11:42–43 NIV

Daniel 11:44 NIV

Daniel 11:45 NIV

1.3   The Suffering of the Jews, Daniel 12:1–7

Daniel 12:1–4 NIV

Daniel 12:5–7 NIV

Thesis 2:   The Time of the End

Thesis 3:   The Time, Times, and Half a Time (TT½)

Thesis 4:   The Identity of the Little Horns

Thesis 5:   The Seventy Sevens Prophecy

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

Thesis 6:   The Balance and Unity of the Book of Daniel

Overall Conclusions from the Book of Daniel

Part 2

Jesus and Paul

Thesis 7:   Jesus

7.1   Setting the Scene

7.2   The History of the Church

7.3   The History of the Jews

7.4   Today

7.5   The Final Thrust

7.6   Jesus Returns

7.7   The Time Is Near

7.8   Be Careful

Thesis 8:   Paul

8.1   What Happens When We Die

8.2   The Rapture

8.3   Being Ready

8.4   The Man of Lawlessness

8.5   The Future of the Jews

Part 3

Revelation

Thesis 9:   Interpretation Principles

9.1   The Preterist Approach

9.2   The Futurist Approach

9.3   The Historicist Approach

9.4   The Idealist Approach

9.5   The New Approach

Thesis 10:   Revelation Is Structurally Similar to Daniel

The Linear Structure

The Chiasmic Structure

10.1   Structure and Interpretation

10.2   Frameworks

10.2.1   The Pattern of the Tabernacle of Moses

10.2.2   The Pattern of Isaiah

10.2.3   The Pattern of Ezekiel

10.2.4   The Pattern of Daniel

10.2.5   The Pattern of Hosea

10.2.6   The Pattern of Joel

10.2.7   The Pattern of Zephaniah

10.2.8   The Pattern of Zechariah

10.3   The Linear Structure

10.3.1   Simple Linear Structure

10.3.2   Detailed Linear Structure

10.4   The Chiasmic Structure

10.4.1   The Initial Situation and Final Outcome

10.4.2   Part 1

10.4.3   Part 2

10.4.4   The Transitions

10.4.5   The Cross-Links between Parts 1 and 2

10.4.6   Overall

Thesis 11:   Revelation Merges with Daniel to a Single Prophecy

11.1   From the Exile to the Very End

11.2   From Throne to Final Judgment

11.3   The Final Time Period

11.4   The Seventy Sevens Prophecy

11.5   Overall Comments

Thesis 12:   The Time Links

12.1   The Time Chain

12.2   Principles Guiding the Interpretation of Time Periods and Events

12.3   The Day=Year Principle

12.4   The Key that Unlocks God’s Plan

12.5   Daniel Unsealed

12.6   A New Interpretation

Thesis 13:   The Seven Seals

13.1   The 144,000

13.2   The Multitude

Thesis 14:   The Seven Trumpets

14.1   The Prayers of the Saints

14.2   The Six Trumpets

14.2.2   The Second Trumpet

14.2.3   The Third Trumpet

14.2.4   The Fourth Trumpet

14.2.5   The Eagle

14.2.6   The Fifth Trumpet

14.2.7   The Sixth Trumpet

14.3   The Seventh Trumpet

14.3.1   God’s Kingdom Comes

14.3.2   The Final Accounting

14.3.3   The Earth Is Holy

14.3.4   Transition

Thesis 15:   God’s People in Action

15.1   The Open Little Scroll

15.2   The Status of God’s People

15.2.1   Who Is Directing John?

15.2.2   Old Testament Perspectives

15.2.3   The Reed and Its Purpose

15.2.4   The Court outside the Temple

15.2.5   The Temple of God

15.2.6   The Altar and the Worshippers

15.2.7   The Holy City

15.2.8   The Forty-Two Months

15.2.9   Overall

15.2.10 The Final Earthquake

15.3   The Two Witnesses

15.3.1   Who Are the Two Witnesses?

15.3.2   Clothed in Sackcloth

15.3.3   The 1,260 Days

15.3.4   The Mysterious 1,290 and 1,335 Days

15.4   The Victory of the Two Witnesses

15.4.1   The Protection of the Two Witnesses

15.4.2   The Elijah Judgment

15.4.3   The Mosaic Judgment

15.5   The Defeat of the Two Witnesses

15.5.1   The Final Beast

15.5.2   The Great City

15.5.3   The World’s Joy

15.6   New Life for the Two Witnesses

15.7   The Consummation of God’s Plan

15.7.1   The Second Woe Ends

15.7.2   The Meaning of the Time Periods

Thesis 16:   Satan at War

16.1   The Woman, the Dragon, and the Child

16.2   The Dragon Cast Out

16.3   The Church Victorious on Earth

16.4   The Dragon Attacks the Woman

Thesis 17:   Satan Attacks the Church

17.1   The Beast out of the Sea

17.1.1   The Beast Introduced

17.1.2   The Near Fatal Wound Healed

17.1.3   The Unmatched Beast

17.1.4   Authority over Jerusalem for Forty-Two Months

17.1.5   All the Earth Worships the Beast

17.1.6   We Will Need Patient Endurance and Faithfulness

17.2   The Beast out of the Earth

17.2.1   The Beast Introduced

17.2.2   The Beasts’ Authority

17.2.3   The Unmatched Beast

17.2.4   The Image of the Beast out of the Sea Speaks

17.2.5   The Beast’s Authority Exercised

17.2.6   We Will Need Wisdom

17.3   Concluding Thoughts

Thesis 18:   The Final Events and Harvest

18.1 Faithful Israel Turns to Jesus

18.2   The Final Call for Salvation

18.3   Judgment on Babylon Proclaimed

18.4   Judgment on Beast Worshippers Proclaimed

18.5   Saints Encouraged to Stand Firm

18.6   The Grain Harvest

18.7   The Grape Harvest

Thesis 19:   The Seven Plagues

19.1   The Final Wrath of God Begins

19.2   The Seven Plagues

19.3   The First Three Plagues

19.3.1   The First Plague

19.3.2   The Second Plague

19.4   The Global Meltdown

19.4.1   Population Growth

19.4.2   The Limits to Growth

19.4.3   Peak Oil

19.4.4   The Economic Crisis

19.4.5   Food Price and Oil

19.5   The Third Plague

19.6   Water Supply

19.7   The Fourth Plague

19.8   Global Warming

19.9   The Final Three Plagues

19.9.1   The Fifth Plague

19.9.2   The Sixth Plague

19.9.3   The Seventh Plague

Thesis 20:   The Prostitute

20.1   The Scarlet Beast

20.1.1   The Great Prostitute

20.1.2   The Woman Rides the Beast

20.1.3   The Scarlet Beast Reigns

20.1.4   The Beast Destroys the Woman

20.2   The Fall of Babylon

20.2.1   The End

20.2.2   The Kings of the Earth

20.2.3   The Merchants of the Earth

20.2.4   The Shipmasters and Seafaring Men

20.2.5   God’s Heaven and the Saints

Thesis 21:   The Final Battle

21.1   Jesus and His Army

21.2   Imminent Defeat Declared

21.3   The Final Defeat of God’s Enemies

Thesis 22:   The Millennium

22.1   Introduction

22.2   Premillennialism

22.3   Postmillennialism

22.4   Amillennialism

22.5   General Comments

22.6   The Dragon Bound

22.7   The Church Reigns in Heaven

22.8   The Dragon Released on Earth

22.9   Summary of the End Times

Thesis 24:   God’s Eternal Empire

24.1   Perspectives on the Eternal State

24.2   The Perfected Bride

24.3   The Glorious Bride

24.3.1   The Bride Uniquely Radiant with God’s Glory

24.3.2   The Spiritual Character of the Bride

24.3.3   The Glory of God’s Presence

24.3.4   The Bride Is a Restored Eden

Part 4

Implications

Thesis 25:   We Need a Worldwide Conference to Resolve Confusion

25.1   The Final Vision in Daniel

25.2   The Time, Times, and Half a Time

25.3   The Seventy Sevens Prophecy

25.4   The Structure of the Book of Revelation

25.5   The Expected Outcomes of a Valid End Time Theology

25.6   Interpretation Principles

Thesis 26:   We Need to Understand What Is Coming on Our World

26.1   The End Time Ruler

26.2   The Persecution of God’s People

26.2.1   Physical Oppression

26.2.2   Deception

26.3   The Final Consummation

Thesis 27:   We Must Fulfill the Great Commission

Thesis 28:   We Need to Establish Worldwide Church Leadership under Apostles and Prophets

Thesis 29:   We Must Learn to Walk by Faith

Thesis 30:   We Need to Activate a Strong Expectation of Jesus’s Return and Long for His Eternal Empire

Part 5

Chronology

Thesis 31:   Numbers in Daniel and Revelation

Thesis 32:   The Time Is Near

32.1   The Reason for Biblical Time Periods

32.2   Testing the Interpretation

32.3   The Day of the Lord’s Return

32.3.1   There Are Three Groups of People

32.3.2   It Is Not for Us to Know the Time or Dates

32.3.3   Speeding the Coming of the Lord

32.3.4   The Restoration of All Things

32.3.5   The Man of Lawlessness

32.3.6   The Lord Will Come as a Thief

32.4   Summary

Bibliography

Tables

Table 1:   The scope and focus of Daniel’s visions

Table 2:   Luke’s record of Jesus’s prophecies

Table 3:   Matthew’s record of Jesus’s prophecies

Table 4:   Signs in Jerusalem

Table 5:   Structural parallels between Daniel and Revelation

Table 6:   Textual throne parallels between Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation

Table 7:   Textual parallels between Daniel’s final vision and Revelation 10–22

Table 8:   The meaning of the seven trumpets

Table 9:   The relationship between the first five trumpets and the Egyptian plagues

Table 10:   Parallels between the two Revelation 13 beasts

Table 11:   Table comparing the trumpets with the plagues

Table 12:   Textual comparison of the Great Prostitute and the wife of the Lamb

Figures

Figure 1:   History from the exile to the end (thesis 3 perspective)

Figure 2:   History from the exile to the end (thesis 4 perspective)

Figure 3:   Scenario 1, the end of the age crisis

Figure 4:   Scenario 2, the Grecian crisis

Figure 5:   Scenario 3, the Roman crisis

Figure 6:   History from the exile to the end (thesis 3 perspective)

Figure 7:   The two time, times, and half a time in Daniel

Figure 8:   History from the exile to the end (thesis 4 perspective)

Figure 9:   Scenario 1, the end of the age crisis

Figure 10:   Scenario 2, the Grecian crisis

Figure 11:   Scenario 3, the Roman crisis

Figure 12:   Scenario 1, the end of the age crisis

Figure 13:   Scenario 2, the Grecian crisis

Figure 14:   Scenario 3, the Roman crisis

Figure 15:   Daniel’s five visions

Figure 16:   Structural parallels between Daniel and Revelation

Figure 17:   Inner structural parallels

Figure 18:   How Revelation fills out the second half of the Daniel 7 vision

Figure 19:   How Revelation completes Daniel’s final vision

Figure 20:   The history of the Jews from the exile to the end

Figure 21:   Historical parallels in Revelation 11–13

Figure 22:   The beginning to the end

Figure 23:   World population growth (linear to log scale)

Figure 24:   Limits to Growth World3 Standard Run (scenario 1)

Figure 25:   Charts show global energy by source and global oil use

Figure 26:   US crude oil production to 2013

Figure 27:   World crude oil and liquids production 1980–2012

Figure 28:   World oil production and forecasts

Figure 29:   Leading crude oil producers first quarter 2014

Figure 30:   World oil supply and world GDP

Figure 31:   Oil production and square root of world GDP

Figure 32:   World growth in oil, energy, and GDP

Figure 33:   World crude oil production and oil price

Figure 34:   Food and oil prices rise together

Figure 35:   History from the beginning of exile to the end

Figure 36:   The seven heads of the dragon

Figure 37:   A liturgy to cleanse the world of sin

Figure 38:   The final years

Acknowledgments

I wish to dedicate this work to my wife and to thank her and my family for their wonderful support. This was no mean undertaking, which began in December 2008 and was finished in 2012 and then was revised in 2014 and 2016, so this book has been some years in preparation. So I would like to thank my wife and family for their patience and understanding throughout this period as I would often need to work by myself for substantial periods of time.

I am grateful for my colleagues in the church for their encouragement and for providing a listening ear to the many different ideas as they were put forward. Many people have kept me in their prayers.

To all these, I give my heartfelt thanks.

Preface

These thirty-two points summarize this new last-days¹ position about as succinctly as it is possible to do. The foundation lying behind these summary statements in the Introduction is contained in the greater detail that has been written about them in Parts 1 to 5. This position was first recognized in June 2006, and since that time has been thoroughly investigated and refined, but its major tenets have remained largely unchanged. The result has been that the position has been immeasurably strengthened.

The thrust of the message of this book is a word of prophecy from the Lord to the worldwide church. I give it to the church as a gift. I ask the church to test it, to analyze it, to assess it, to receive what is right, and to reject what is wrong. With this book, I lay down my life to the Lord. I take full responsibility for what is written, but at the same time I present it to the church as a vital message that I believe the Lord wants to bring to us now.

In his commentary of the Gospel of Mark, Edwards writes, The mischief caused by the misuse of eschatology has resulted in a virtual eclipse of eschatology in the life of the church. This unfortunate set of circumstances—both its abuse and its subsequent neglect—has weakened the church rather than strengthened it.² I totally agree with his statement. The church is very curious about the end times, and longs to understand it, but is confronted by a variety of views, often presented with conviction, but which frequently contradict each other. The church sees that the return of Jesus is near but does not know how near and is confused by all the divergent and often complicated views. End time theology is in crisis as current views are increasingly shown to be inadequate. New views are hard to sort out and frequently seem inadequate too. Over the last few hundred years, through the Reformation and until today, the Lord has continued to restore the church’s teaching and practice in many areas. Now we are in desperate need to restore our end time theology too, as within the mainstream church it remains the last major area of biblical understanding that needs a major injection of clarification.

As this work has progressed, it has become more and more apparent that our understanding of the end times, and especially the book of Revelation, correlates directly to our understanding of the content and structure of the book of Daniel. Since there are currently so many divergent interpretations of the book of Daniel, then it is critical to get Daniel right in order to get our end time theology right.

The first part of this book, therefore, focuses on the new perspectives of the book of Daniel.

A separate book is available,³ which is a reference commentary on the visions of Daniel, and lays out the exegetical basis of these conclusions thoroughly and in detail. In this first part, I am concerned to reveal a whole new perspective and understanding, and so I have focused on those parts of Daniel that impact on that understanding.

For those readers who have made extensive research and study on the book of Daniel, I would like to make the following comments. As far as I know, the conclusions reached are radically different from anything that has previously appeared in print. They do not fit into any existing category very well. I believe they will seriously challenge whatever view you hold, and so I request that you examine them with an open mind and with humility. One of the big puzzles that remains in my mind and for which I have intensively sought the Lord is why has this understanding never been seen before. It is my conviction now that it is the most obvious and natural understanding. Will your reaction be the same? I do not know, but I hope so. As far as I can tell, it is the only view that has a full explanation of all of Daniel clearly with no major unexplained passages, including Daniel 11:36–45 and the 1,290 days and 1,335 days in Daniel 12:11–12. It results in the book of Daniel having a remarkable balance and unity of content and structure. I believe the reason why it has not been seen before is because there are a few major detractors, whose effect has been to blind us to the obvious; these detractors have been examined carefully, their roots examined, and their basis exposed.⁴

As a result, the whole book of Daniel comes together in a remarkable unity, balance, and clarity, which I feel will leave you just as astonished as I was. It will leave you with a remarkable picture of the rise and fall of many nations together with the miraculous survival of the little but crucial nation of God’s people the Jews, like you have never seen before. It will leave you amazed at God’s plan. When these conclusions are applied to the book of Revelation, the results are dramatic and will be for the Christian at the same time both tremendously exciting and wonderful, and absolutely terrible.

The second part deals with the views of Jesus and Paul on the last days. This also was covered in volume 1. It will be seen how they mesh neatly with the new perspectives in Daniel and clear up some obscurities and confusion that have continued to surround understanding the teaching and prophecies of Jesus and Paul.

The third part deals with the interpretation of the book of Revelation. It is different from any perspective previously given and does not fit easily into the four recognized and traditional approaches; the preterist, historicist, idealist, and futurist, since it is a new kind of historicist approach. New linkages with the book of Daniel and other Old Testament books are identified. The allusions and structural associations with Daniel impart an interpretation that exposes Revelation’s structure and constrains its interpretation so that most (if not all) ambiguities are removed resulting in a degree of unity heretofore unseen. Not only that, the interpretive consequences dramatically enhance our understanding of church age history and particularly supply an exciting and startling, but precise, picture of the spiritual conditions today and what will unfold in the near future. This interpretation also clears up previously controversial areas of theology associated with God’s plan, His nature, His judgment, the millennium, the present spiritual scene, and life after death, hell, and the future eternal kingdom. It gives a very revelatory picture of where we are today and what we must expect and prepare for in the days ahead.

The fourth part draws on the earlier parts to identify the major practical implications for us in the church today. This is the blueprint for action. It specifies what we should expect to emerge in the near future and how we need to prepare for it. It also begins to identify urgent priorities.

The final part gave me the greatest heartache. The first four parts are independent of any specifics in terms of when these things might happen, other than that they look likely to be soon. This book prophetically proclaims that God now wants us to know much more and to perceive how urgent His mandates are, because the time is near. Some of you will likely object to what is being said, but I would like to caution you to be very careful about precisely what the Bible and Jesus actually say. The signs are all around us, and we dare not ignore the possibilities that are presented, but rather test them carefully and completely; reject what is wrong, but hold fast to what is true. The approach in time up to the Second Coming of Jesus is described by Him and by Paul as like a woman in labor and about to give birth.⁵ As the time approaches, the precision with which we will be able to know when He will return increases as the time of birth nears. So, I believe, is the time in which we live today. The word of God, the Spirit, and the unfolding events in the world around all bear witness to the nearness of His return, and we need to be very alert and sure of our end time theology. Better to boldly proclaim the word that I believe God has revealed and risk being wrong, than to fail to warn the church of what He is doing and what is about to happen. That is the nature of prophecy and the call on my life.

Is it possible that the end will come so soon? Time will tell, but I am very certain of this, in the nine years that have passed since I first received this understanding, events have accelerated rapidly so that the time scale projected is more likely today than it was in 2006. The Bible is very clear; be prepared and make sure that the end does not surprise you like a thief.

If I may make some personal comments, I would have to say that I have been on an incredible journey. For the first time, the whole of the books of Daniel and Revelation are meaningful, and there are no longer any substantial mysteries. The picture presented is clear and sobering. Human nature, reflected in the actions of nations and their rulers, is on trial, and their greed, arrogance, and selfishness are very apparent. By inference and observation, it would seem that, broadly speaking, the character of nations today has not changed, but through technology their capacity to cause enormous harm is drastically increased. At the same time as I am excited to understand God’s sovereignty over history and God’s tremendous love and justice and the wonderful plan that is unfolding for His people, I am tremendously concerned at the coming Day of Judgment. It is very near now, nearer than we think. The enormous loss of life that we are seeing today, which will increase dramatically over the next period of time and which is clearly described in the book of Revelation, should cause us to cry to God for mercy and pray for a worldwide spiritual revival. Every day, I sense the burden of the Lord for the salvation of all men and women; the Day of Judgment will be far worse for the Lord than it will be for us, because He loves us so much. He longs to pour out His Spirit in revival. It will surely happen, and as Christians we need to be ready and prepared for the coming of the Lord. It is not far away now. God is purifying His people and making His bride ready for His coming. Many churches will rise in power and authority; many other churches will die. In the not too distant future, the visible church will be destroyed and the worldwide church will be forced underground. We cannot be complacent. If we truly love the Lord, we must lay down our lives for Him.

I remain seriously concerned at the lack of unity in end time teaching. Among the goals that lie behind this book is to see the whole church come together in unity in our understanding of the end times. This is what I believe the Lord wants to do now. For this reason, not only does this book present a rather new perspective on the book of Daniel, not only does that perspective seriously impact on our view of the book of Revelation, but this book seriously attempts, to show how and where our previous interpretations have gone wrong. You may feel I am arrogant to say that or even to attempt to do so, but I want you to understand that I believe God’s time has come to expose His full plan to His people. My overriding motivation is love for the truth and love for the truth-giver. There is nothing personal in my comments about the works of others. My concern is for the truth. I’m writing this book because I feel the Lord wants me to do it. Please love the truth and approach what is written with an open mind; it is trying to build up, not pull down. It respects the works of others but is hungry for the truth. My prayer is that that hunger is reflected in the care that has been given to fully and properly understand what God wants to say to us. My heart is also to honor the many scholars who have gone before and with diligent effort and careful thought have given to us many treasures from these wonderful books. They also have sought to discover the truth and pass it on to us.

As this work continued, new cross links, associations, and understanding emerged. What you have in your hand is a book that shows that Daniel and Revelation are far more integrated and remarkable than has been previously recognized. Too little attention has been given to the Hebrew structures, and the links across Daniel to the seventy sevens prophecy have not been correctly recognized and understood. Generally, it would seem that too much exegesis has followed standard lines and too little attention has been given to the incredible creative nature of these two books in the Bible so that its actual text at the detailed level has not been examined carefully or closely enough.

At the risk of being labeled arrogant and of overreaching myself, I wish to humbly say in faith that part of the call of the Lord on my life is to challenge the prevailing worldwide church’s views of the end times in order to be a catalyst to bring about unity of the church in this area and so prepare it for the coming of the Lord.

For many years I have had the conviction that when the return of Jesus is very near, at the time He chooses, God will make known a full understanding of the meaning of the book of Revelation. I have felt that many of the difficulties would be cleared up, and what has been a difficult puzzle will become as clear as other New Testament books. That will be the time when the Lord will start to bring unity to the church in our understanding of the end time puzzle. In the conviction that this time has come, this book has been written for your careful analysis and prayerful consideration.

It is difficult for me to convey the emotion that lies behind this statement as I have gone over many parts of what is written many times and reconsidered whether there is something that I have overlooked that will totally invalidate it all. However, each time the result is the growing conviction that it is right or nearly so. At the same time, I am in increasing awe of the God of heaven who planned it all from the very beginning, and who has given us sufficient information so that we His people can be properly prepared for what is coming on the world. Indeed as John wrote in Revelation 10, the future ahead of us is as sweet as honey in our mouths but bitter in our stomachs. The terrible suffering that is nearly upon the world is indescribable in its intensity; the glorious splendor of what God has prepared for His people is also equally indescribable. When I look out my window, I find it almost unbelievable that the world I see may not be there in just a short time, as both Peter and John tell us that the world we know will be destroyed by fire. Then I am reminded of Noah and see that indeed it is very possible for the God of heaven to do this, as He holds the world in His hands and can do whatever He desires that is consistent with His love. Everything He does pours forth His nature of love, but without understanding Revelation it will be difficult to fully appreciate how or why. But now we can see that the present suffering of this world reflects the patience of God in withholding final judgment in order that all of us will have the opportunity to take the salvation He freely offers. I am so amazed that God cares for me so much and has afforded to me and to all those that trust in Jesus the full spiritual protection that we need. But I am horrified at the Day of Judgment that will soon be upon us. Brothers and sisters, there is much that God wants us to do in these last days, and there is very little time to do it.

April 2016

Ian Foley

Version 1.0: March 2012.

Version 1.1: Minor changes made to the discussion of thesis 19, July 2012.

Version 2.0: Significant amendments made especially to thesis 18 and 19 to bring it up-to-date with the latest events, October 2014

Version 2.1: Many small amendments made, but especially ensuring quotes fulfill copyright requirements and that graphs obtained from outside sources are copyrighted, April 2015

Version 2.2: Final refinements before editing, June 2015

Version 2.3: Many refinements before publishing, April 2016

Introduction

In this introduction, we present the thirty-two theses without further explanation or support. Please note that throughout the book. I often use we as a literary device for myself as the author of the book; no team of writers has been involved. This introduction provides a quick overview of the whole new perspective. In the subsequent sections, we examine each in more detail so that the scriptural and historical bases for the new perspective can be understood. This explanation is intended to be only a partial academic exegesis and is rather more focused on readability and personal response. However, the book The Time is Near, Volume 1 is a scholarly document laying out the biblical foundation far more carefully.

Part 1:   Daniel

1.   The Identity of the King

The king introduced in Daniel 11:36 is a generic term for the Roman state. The subsequent verses describe its character, its rise and fall, and its persecution of the Jews. The prophecy ends when the power of the Jews was totally broken (Daniel 12:7) and with the setting up of the abomination that causes desolation in Daniel 12:11. This end can be identified with the fall of Jerusalem to Islam in AD 638 and the construction of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in AD 688.

2.   The Time of the End

The time of the end in the book of Daniel (see especially Daniel 11:40) defines a long period of time, which starts with the rise of the Roman Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean in 192 BC when in conflict with the Seleucid king Antiochus III. The New Testament authors living during the Roman Empire write in harmony with this phrase as it becomes clear that the Old Testament prophets envisaged the consummation of God’s plan through Jesus as a single event that the New Testament authors saw as the last days, beginning with His first coming and ending with His second.

3.   The Time, Times, and Half a Time (TT½)

The two time, times, and half a time (Daniel 7:25, 12:7) are two contiguous periods that symbolically are each 3½, but both of which exceed twelve hundred years in length. The first starts in the third year of Cyrus (535 BC; Daniel 10:1) and extends until the abomination of desolation described in Daniel 12:11 is set up (the Dome of the Rock) in AD 688. The second (Daniel 7:25) starts at this time and extends until the end of the age. History from the beginning of the exile in 605 BC is then seen to comprise seventy years of desolations for Jerusalem followed by two consecutive periods of the time, times, and half a time (the TT½s). History in Daniel covers the first seventy years, and prophecy then extends through these two TT½s.

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Figure 1:   History from the exile to the end (thesis 3 perspective)

4.   The Identity of the Little Horns

The little horn that emerges out of the terrifying fourth beast in Daniel 7:8 is Muhammad, the prophet and founder of Islam. The little horn in Daniel 8:9 is the final, worldwide, end-of-the-age ruler.

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Figure 2:   History from the exile to the end (thesis 4 perspective)

5.   The Seventy Sevens Prophecy

The seventy sevens prophecy in Daniel 9:24–27 spans a period of time determined by God to complete His plan for the city and the people. The outcomes that will be achieved by the end of the seventy sevens are expressed in Daniel 9:24. They fall into an inverted parallel pattern that is divided at the point where God’s dealing with evil is achieved. The heart of God’s plan is the atonement for iniquity that will create the circumstances through which everlasting righteousness can be achieved. Daniel would see the sevenfold judgmental nature of this prophecy (see Leviticus 26:18–46) but has not specified years, suggesting that the seventy sevens is a long time with a factor of seven severity.

The sevens is a translation of the Hebrew word meaning period of seven. In Daniel 10:2–3, this Hebrew word is qualified with days, so we can be certain that a week was meant. However, here in Daniel 9, the period of seven is unqualified and has led to much scholarly debate. It must be interpreted from the context.

Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city

(A)   to finish the transgression

      (B)   and to make an end of sin

            (C)   and to make atonement for iniquity

            (C’) and to bring in everlasting righteousness

      (B’) and to seal up the vision and prophecy

(A’) and to anoint the most holy (Daniel 9:24).⁶

The details of God’s plan are now laid out. Verse 25 covers the first sixty-nine sevens of the seventy in two remarkably balanced parts that also form a chiasmic pattern.

(A) And you will know and understand that from the going out of a word

      (B) to restore and build Jerusalem to an anointed ruler

            (C) there will be seven sevens

            (C’) for sixty two sevens

      (B’) it will be restored and rebuilt with square and moat

(A’) but in a time of distress (Daniel 9:25).⁷

The final two verses make a statement about a covenant for the final seven preceded and succeeded by a tri-colon.⁸ These tri-colons are both identified by a time clause followed by three distinct, balanced, and matching phrases.

After sixty-two sevens

(A) an anointed one will be cut off and will have nothing.

      (B) People of a coming ruler will devastate the city and the sanctuary and its end will be with a flood.⁹

            (C) Until an end of warfare, desolations are decreed. (Daniel 9:26)

And he will make a strong covenant with the many for one seven. (Daniel 9:27a)

From the middle of this seven

(A) sacrifice and offering will be made to cease,

      (B) and upon a wing desolating abominations,

            (C) until an end which is decreed will pour out on the desolator. (Daniel 9:27b)

Careful consideration of the three clauses in each of Daniel 9:26 and 27b shows that they are related; the cutting off of the anointed one with ceasing of the sacrifice and offering, the devastation of the city and sanctuary with the desolating abomination, and the continuation of the effects of these things until the end. The two time phrases identify a period of time that must be within the period of the final seven, so the events in Daniel 9:26 and 27b are concurrent. It is also apparent that Daniel 9:26 deals with physical effects, whereas Daniel 9:27b is associated with religious ones.

The seventy sevens prophecy in Daniel 9:24–27 is God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer of intercession on behalf of his people. It lays out a pattern of how God will eventually achieve His plan extending from 605 BC (the prophecy of Jeremiah) to the end of the age. That pattern incorporates three distinct scenarios involving the desolating abominations (plural in Daniel 9:27). These are (1) where the final seven centers on the end of the age ruler (Daniel 8:9ff), (2) where the final seven centers on Antiochus IV in 171–164 BC (described in Daniel 11:21–35), and (3) where the final seven incorporates the two TT½s and extends from BC 535 to the end of the age, centered on the abomination that causes desolation described in Daniel 12:11. This third scenario also incorporates the death of Jesus, the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, and the suffering of the Jews until the end of the age (Daniel 9:26). The seventy sevens are not 490 years in length; they are much longer. Nor does this prophecy predict the year of Jesus’s first coming.

Scenario 1

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Figure 3:   Scenario 1, the end of the age crisis

Scenario 2

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Figure 4:   Scenario 2, the Grecian crisis

Scenario 3

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Figure 5:   Scenario 3, the Roman crisis

In this third scenario, the sixty-two sevens and the after 62 sevens (Daniel 9:25b–26) are concurrent with Daniel 9:27b–d. Both extend over the final seven in Daniel 9:27a.

6.   The Balance and Unity of the Book of Daniel

To the casual reader of the book of Daniel, the first six chapters encompass key incidents during the period of the neo-Babylonian Empire. In contrast, the second six chapters focus on future prophecies for God’s people. This looks like the linear structure below and is how most commentaries structure this book.

The Linear Structure

I. Historical Focus:

Daniel’s preparation (1) (605 BC)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2) (603 BC)

The Fiery Furnace (3)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Conversion (4)

The fall of Babylon (5) (539 BC)

The Lion’s Den (6) (538 BC)

II. Prophecy Focus:

The Vision of the 4 Beasts and a Little Horn (7) (552 BC)

The Vision of the Ram, the Goat and a Little Horn (8) (550 BC)

The Seventy Sevens Prophecy (9) (538 BC)

The Prophecy of 3 Great Kingdoms (10–12) (535 BC)

The Chiasmic Structure

For the careful reader, there is also a second structure, which also has two parts. The first part, from Daniel 2 to 7, was originally largely written in Aramaic. The second part, from Daniel 1, 8–12 was written in Hebrew. These exhibit an inverted parallel (otherwise called chiastic) structure as follows.

Daniel’s preparation (1) (605 BC)

I. Gentile Focus: in Aramaic from 2.4b to 7

A   Four Empires (2) (603 BC)

      B   God’s people in affliction by the Babylonian Empire (3)

            C   First Babylonian King judged (4)

            C’   Last Babylonian King judged (5) (539 BC)

      B’   God’s people in affliction by the Persian Empire (6) (538 BC)

A’   Four Empires and a little horn to the end (7) (552 BC)

II. Jewish Focus: in Hebrew (8 to 12)

A   Two Empires and a little horn to the end (8) (550 BC)

      B   The theological basis of God’s plan (9:1–19) (538 BC)

      B’   The pattern of God’s dealings with His people (9:20–27)

A’   Three Empires (10–12:13) (535 BC)

The value of this structure is that it exposes additional balance and meaning. Making section IIA’ finish with the Roman Empire rather than the Greek one like IA brings symmetry, unity, and balance to the whole book, because it makes the first and last sections end with the same physical empire. Similarly, making IA’ and IIA (the two middle sections) end at the end of the age also brings symmetry, balance, and unity, and thereby supports the interpretation that the little horn in Daniel 8 is the end of the age ruler.

Notice how the focus of the first part is on the witness of God’s people under the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires whereas the second part focuses on the suffering and protection of God’s people under the three later empires. Also notice that the inverted parallel structure very clearly shows how each of the visions (Daniel 2, 7, 8. 9 and 10–12) is chronologically in parallel (they recapitulate) with a stronger focus toward the beginning and the first half of God’s plan.

Part 2:   Jesus and Paul

7.   Jesus

Jesus has given us much teaching on preparing to live in God’s eternal kingdom and how we should apply our priorities in this life to receive the greater blessing and reward. Much confusion surrounds the interpretation of His sermon given just before His arrest in Matthew 24–25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. That confusion is resolved if it is recognized that Luke 21:21–24 speaks of the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, the scattering of the Jews, and Jerusalem’s subsequent desolation until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled in AD 1967. Whereas the abomination that causes desolation and the subsequent extreme persecution of God’s people described in Matthew 24:15ff and Mark 13:14ff is a different, end of the age time of trouble that will be worse than what the Jews experienced under Rome as described in Daniel 12:1. It also should be noted that Matthew 24:34 should be translated "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things begin to happen,"¹⁰ implying that those alive in Jesus’s day will see the beginning of the signs of the end, but not the completion of them.

8.   Paul

Paul teaches that when Christians die they go to be with Christ in heaven and that when Jesus returns, those in heaven will return with Him and be given a resurrection body that is imperishable. Paul also teaches that those Christians who are still alive on earth when Jesus returns will be caught up to meet Him in the clouds, changed in an instant and will return with Him with the same kind of imperishable body. This event is commonly called the rapture. For the alert Christian, this return of Jesus will be no surprise (1 Thessalonians 5:4) as they discern the events in the world spoken of in the word of God. These events include the final rebellion (Daniel 8:9ff and 2 Thessalonians 2) and the emergence of the final end time ruler. All Christians on earth need to walk with God and know the truth and discern the times in order to avoid deception. We also understand from Romans 9–11 that Paul taught that near the end of the age, the remnant of Jews that were alive would all turn to Jesus as the Messiah.

Part 3:   Revelation

The book of Revelation draws extensively upon the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus and Paul, and no interpretation can be complete without understanding these allusions. However, the acceptance of the six new perspectives on the book of Daniel above profoundly impacts the interpretation more than anything else. The result is an integration and unity in the word of God that has never been seen before.

9.   Interpretation Principles

The fundamental position with regard to the Bible is that it is God’s word and that the original words written carry authority and were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Consistent with this is the conviction that the original text was written so that every word is significant. It also is recognized that transmission and copying errors occur and that some minor editing of the original text may have happened when translators applied their own reason in trying to make the translation meaningful according to their own understanding. In general, it is recognized that the ancient manuscripts provide evidence that the various texts on which our modern translations are based are substantially similar to the original. This means that when it might seem that the authors of the books of Daniel and Revelation have made mistakes, it is more probable that they have not been understood correctly. If a particular interpretation of Daniel and Revelation, leaves significant portions of these books still obscure, then considerable caution needs to be exercised about the degree of confidence in that interpretation. Fundamentally, there has to be unity and clarity in the intended meaning of the text.

All interpretations of the book of Revelation are primarily determined by two fundamental features—first, the interpretation of the book of Daniel, and second the interpretation principles applied. These two features are not totally independent in that the second will influence the first. The primary issues with the interpretation principles relate to whether Revelation should be interpreted symbolically or literally, and if the latter, the extent to which symbolism is permitted in the literal interpretation. Whatever interpretation approach is adopted, it is our conviction that the correct interpretation must lead to unity between and within Daniel and Revelation and convergence with substantial completeness in understanding of them; the interpretation in these thirty-two theses achieves that goal. The outcomes must not lead to passages whose meaning is not known or ambiguous. It is our growing conviction that Revelation is symbolic, with a spiritual meaning, and that it also has a second literal meaning, which has only been fully discernible since 1967.

10.   Revelation Is Structurally Similar to Daniel

Revelation makes extraordinarily extensive allusions to the whole Bible, but especially with the Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. However, its integration with Daniel is unique since they are both structurally, content, and purpose related. Both books make substantial use of the apocalyptic genre to describe developments in the spiritual domain in symbolic form and literal developments as well. Both books divide into two halves, and they both have two structural layers. The first is a linear structural layer, which is easy to discern,¹¹ and the second is a chiasmic (inverted parallel) structure that exposes additional links, facilitates interpretation, and helps us to identify recapitulation.

The Linear Structure12

In the linear structure, this plan is revealed in four concurrent periods of judgment, three (the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls) revealing God’s initiatives and the fourth (in Revelation 12–14) revealing Satan’s initiatives.¹³ These four periods span the church age, but progressively focus more and more toward the end of the age.

• Introduction (1:1–11)

• The Initial Situation (1:12–4:11)

1. The Seven Seals (5:1–8:5): Man’s activity

2. The Seven Trumpets (8:2–11:19): God’s response

3. The Initiatives of Satan (12:1–14:20): Satan’s activity

4. The Seven Plagues (15:1–20:10): God’s response

• The Final Outcome (20:11–22:5)

• Conclusion (22:6–21)

The Chiasmic Structure

The book of Revelation has a chiasmic structure in two major parts. This way of viewing the book of Revelation exposes additional and very significant relationships between the sections that are not apparent in the linear structure, which can only reveal the flow of the visions in the order in which they were given to John.

Introduction (1:1–11)

---- The initial situation

A. The bridegroom (1:12–20)

      B. The seven churches (2:1–3:22)

            C. The throne of God (4:1–11)

---- Part 1—The seven seals and the seven trumpets

                  D. The Lamb reigns in heaven (5:1–14)

                        E. The seven seals (6:1–8:5)

                           - The 144,000 secured (7:1–8)

                           - The multitude in heaven (7:9–17)

                              F. Judgment begins (8:1–5)

                        E’. The seven trumpets (8:2–11:19)

                           - The little scroll (10:1–11)

                           - The ministry of God’s people (11:1–14)

                  D’. The Lamb reigns on earth (11:15–19)

---- Part 2—The initiatives of Satan and the seven plagues

                  D. The dragon defeated in heaven (12:1–17)

                        E. The two beasts (13:1–15:4)

                           - The final events (14:1–13)

                           - The final harvest (14:14–20)

                              F. Judgment concludes (15:1–8)

                        E’. The seven plagues (15:1–20:10)

                           - The prostitute defeated (17:1–19:10)

                           - The two beasts defeated (19:11–21)

                  D’. The dragon defeated on earth (20:1–10)

                  —The final outcome

            C’. The final judgment (20:11–15)

      B’. The New Jerusalem (21:1–8)

A’. The bride (21:9–22:5)

Conclusion (22:6–21)

11.   Revelation Merges with Daniel to a Single Prophecy

Together these two books merge to form a single prophecy. They are structurally similar, and the allusions to Daniel in the book of Revelation show how to integrate these two books into one. When this is done, it is seen that Revelation completes the prophecies that Daniel began so that together they span the whole period from the exile to the consummation of God’s plan. In Daniel the vision sequences focus detail on the first half of the time period (from the exile to the end of the first TT½, see Daniel 12:7) whereas Revelation focuses on the details of the second TT½ (Daniel 7:25). Both books together, carefully and precisely, describe God’s plan to bring about the establishment of His kingdom on earth as first intended in Genesis 1:26–28. Daniel begins with the new direction initiated by God with the exile of the Jews to Babylon in 605 BC and their return to rebuild Jerusalem some seventy years later. Revelation begins with the inauguration of God’s kingdom in heaven. They both end with the establishment of God’s eternal empire. Revelation exhibits a similar literary genre containing both apocalyptic and narrative prophecy styles. They also show the same purpose, with the book of Revelation adding prophecies related to the church as well as completing prophecies for Israel. Within this united framework, the book of Revelation draws on many other Old Testament books, especially Genesis, Exodus, the Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Hosea, Zephaniah, and Zechariah as well as the New Testament to expand the total picture and to assist us in its interpretation.

12.   The Time Links

The association of the time elements in Daniel with those in Revelation is a critical feature of all interpretations. This is explicit through the use of the time, times, and half a time phrase found in Revelation 12:14 and linking with Daniel 7:25. A second time link flows from the interpretation that the end of the forty-two months in Revelation 11:2 was in AD 1967, when the Jews regained full authority over Jerusalem. Careful exegesis then reveals seven additional concurrent periods of time, which all start at the beginning of the second TT½ (AD 688), but progressively focus more toward the end. These are (1) the description of the sixth trumpet (Revelation 9:13–21), (2) the forty-two months in Revelation 11:1–2 and 13, (3) the 1,260 days in Revelation 11:3–12, (4) the 1,260 days in Revelation 12:6, (5) the time, times, and half a time in Revelation 12:13–16, (6) the beast out of the sea in Revelation 13:1–10 and (7) the beast out of the land in Revelation 13:11–18.

13.   The Seven Seals

The events that are revealed as the seven seals (Revelation 5:1–8:1) are opened focus on man’s activity during the church age. This is permitted because Jesus won the victory on the cross; therefore creating the spiritual environment whereby God’s kingdom can be established. God can then be patient withholding final judgment as in His mercy He gives time for the entire world to turn to Him. The opening of the seals then symbolically describes the permission by God to allow a period for man’s salvation rather than immediately destroying the world. The first four seals then reveal man’s sinful behavior and the natural consequences that ensue. The outcome on God’s people is tribulation leading to spiritual refinement and martyrdom as reflected in the fifth seal opening. The outcome on the rest of the world is the destruction of the world. The seventh seal is silent because by this stage sinful man has been destroyed. The overall picture is to show that the judgment of God flows as the natural outcome of man disobeying God’s laws by selfishly seeking to acquire power and wealth for themselves without proper care for the consequences of that behavior on others.

14.   The Seven Trumpets

The seven trumpets (Revelation 8:2–11:19) are God’s initiatives in response to man’s sinful behavior in the world revealed by the opening of the seven seals (Revelation 5:1–8:1). The first four trumpets describe the preparation of the world (including the decline of the Roman Empire) for the rise of the Islamic Empire described by the fifth trumpet and the rise of the world’s resource based empire described by the sixth trumpet.

15.   God’s People in Action

The open little scroll in Revelation 10 contains the final vision in Daniel 10–12 and so describes the first period of the story of God’s people from the return from exile in 535 BC until the Jews were totally scattered and the Islamic kingdom captured Jerusalem and built the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount (the abomination that causes desolation in Daniel 12:11) in AD 688. Revelation 11 continues the rest of God’s plan, describing the second period of the story of God’s people beginning at AD 688 until the end of the age.

In Revelation 11:1–2, 13, we first of all see the status of God’s people at the beginning of the second period, right in the middle of the fulfillment of God’s plan. They are imperfect and incomplete, but worshipping God and building a place of God’s presence surrounded by a defiled temple in an unholy city. We also see the actual city of Jerusalem defiled by the nations for forty-two months, after which it will once again come under the authority of the Jews. Verse 13 then reflects the last resistance in the actual city of Jerusalem turning to God.

Then in Revelation 11:3–12 we see the church in action throughout the times of the Gentiles, witnessing to the salvation and judgment of God in the power of the Holy Spirit while the Jews are in mourning, scattered over the earth. When their witness is finished, near the end of the age, God will refine His people, allowing the physical, imperfect church to be destroyed, but leaving a perfected bride just before Jesus’s return, who will rise up and ascend into heaven. Thus the church will follow in the footsteps of Jesus, ministering for a symbolic period of 3½ years, then being killed, buried for 3 ½ days, rising again, and then ascending at the rapture to meet the Lord in the air and return with Him to reign on earth forever.

16.   Satan Attacks the Jews

In Revelation 12, Satan first of all seeks to destroy Jesus and fails as Jesus ascends into heaven. The resulting spiritual conflict results in Satan being thrown out of heaven. On earth he first pursued the Jews directly through the Roman Empire, which resulted in them being scattered (Revelation 12:6 and 13) and then via the Islamic Empire, which more subtly treated them as second-class citizens. He also subtly attacks the Jews through Christianized empires, which led eventually to a powerful world system that also made a number of attempts to destroy the Jews. However, on earth Satan is spiritually defeated by Christians through the blood of Jesus, by their testimony and their commitment.

17.   Satan Attacks the Church

In Revelation 13, Satan uses the beast out