A time and times and the dividing of time, 42 months, 1260 days.

We have looked at the 2300 evenings and mornings that make up 2300 literal years, and the 70 weeks that make up 490 literal years. We will now look at a new time prophecy given to us through three different expressions.

A time and times and the dividing of time.

Dan 7,25 And he shall speak [great] words against the most High and shall wear out the saints of the most High and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

First to the main character in this verse, he:

A) He in verse 25 points back to another in Daniel 7,24 which in turn points back to verse 20 and the other. He in verse 25 is therefore a horn, but not just any horn. It is the horn that Daniel 7,8 explains as another little horn.

B) He in verse 25, which points back to another in verse 24, also points back to ten kings in the same verse that shows us that he is much more than just a little horn, he is in this context synonymous with king, not necessarily what we usually mean by the word king such as King Nebuchadnezzar, but it means that the little horn is an executive power.

1) the little horn, he, or the king shall speak great words against the Most High

2) the little horn, he, or the king shall wear out the saints of the most High

3) the little horn, he, or the king, shall think to change times and laws

4) they shall be given into his hand for a time and times and the dividing of time.

Daniel 7,25 points to Dan 7,8; 7,20; 7,24; 8,9; 8,23; 11,16; 11,41

In Daniel 12,7 we read that the power of the holy people will be completely scattered: And I heard the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that [it shall be] for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these [things] shall be finished.

The main point of this verse, Daniel 12,7, is in what I mean when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people. This points directly back to verse 1 in the same chapter where Michael is to appear. Michael is another name for Jesus Christ. He is called the great prince a title no angel can carry: And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Dan 12,1 

This does not mean that Michael will appear at the same time as the 1260 years end, because as we see from the text in Daniel 12,1, the angel says to Daniel at that time! This is a fleeting concept and it means that sometime after the end of the 1260 year, Michael (Jesus) will appear. Once after the end of a time and time and the dividing of time, which ushers in the transition from the prophetic time to the end time in the broadest sense, the power of the holy people will be completely scattered. We are in the end times and then time does not matter anymore. We still measure the month in days, the day in hours, and hours in minutes, etc., but in the prophetic sense there is no longer any time (ref .: Revelation 10,6). However, it is implicit in the text that it must be towards the end of the end times because it is mentioned that and at that time shall Michael stand up, and thy people who are the people of Daniel and who are here synonymous with those who are faithful to God shall be delivered. As we know, the second coming of Christ is the last thing that happens in this world as we know it today.

This verse, Daniel 12,7, takes us to the absolute end time in the broadest sense, and clearly refers back to Daniel 12,1 which tells us that Michael will stand up at that time, and which is a continuation and a dissolution of the prophecy in what we call chapter 11. By end time in the broadest sense I mean the time from when Jesus entered the most holy place in the heavenly temple in 1844 until His second coming.

I think we need to read chapter 12 as an extension of chapters 11 and 10, and keep in mind that the distinction between the chapters is an artificial division of this prophecy. It is clear that the context of chapters 10, 11 and 12 shows that it is one and the same prophecy.

Chapter 10 tells of King Cyrus and a great war, and that Daniel mourned for three whole weeks. Then an angel comes to Daniel to explain why he did not come earlier with the explanation. Then follows an explanation of the great war, and it extends from Dan 10,20 to Dan 12,3.

What Daniel does not understand in Daniel 12,8 is what is the end of it all. All this is given in the prophecies of Daniel 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, and includes in addition to the time prophecies already mentioned also the 1290 days and 1335 days. All of these prophecies have been hidden from almost the whole world until the time around the transition from prophetic times to the end times in the broadest sense, which Daniel 12,9-10 provides clear guidelines for: 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

This leads us also to Revelation 10,2: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and [his] left [foot] on the earth,

But why does the angel make a number out of the fact that the book is open?

It must be because this is a book that previously has been closed, hidden, or sealed to humans, and has now been opened. It is only the book of Daniel in the Bible that has been sealed and of which is has been said to be understood in the end times:

– Dan 8,26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told [is] true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it [shall be] for many days.

– Dan 12,4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

– Dan 12,9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Now we are not to acquire the quality that we are wise, that we have great knowledge – not in ourselves. But Proverbs 9,10 clearly tells us that: The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding. Therefore, it must be those who fear the Lord, as the angel in Daniel 12,10 thinks. In Psalm 111,10, David says: The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.

At the opposite end of the scale we find this: The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1,7. It is a natural consequence of one’s actions that one is not given the wisdom the Lord wants to give His people if one does not show reverence for God. Those who do not choose God, who is the source of knowledge, cannot expect to be blessed with the knowledge and wisdom with which He wants to equip us.

Many choose to interpret the last six verses of Daniel 11 independently of the other 39 verses. Those who do this do not care about the harmony of the Bible or the book of Daniel. It is beyond doubt that all the prophecies in the book of Daniel are about the same kingdoms and tell the same story. The reason for breaking the harmony of the prophecies is here as elsewhere, to adapt the prophecies to a preconceived notion of what the prophecies tell us. These do not want to relate to the written word, but put on the glasses of prejudice, enter imaginative guidelines, and read into the text kingdoms and nations that have never been part of the prophecies.

I mean, as I said, the whole of Chapter 10, the whole of Chapter 11, and the whole of Chapter 12 belong together in one unit. This is something I am not alone in thinking, but anyone who bases their interpretations on the Bible will find the same thing. One of the last things Daniel learns about the prophecies is that they will be hidden until the end. Daniel had probably realized this, and he probably understood better than anyone else that the prophecies span a long period of time.

Daniel 12,7 also shows that this prophecy is related to Daniel chapter 7 through a time, and times and the dividing of time, which in turn is related to chapters 2 and 8. Furthermore, we have the following in chapter 12 and to verse 4 which indicates that the book should be sealed until the end time, when knowledge will increase, especially about the Bible in general and about the book of Daniel in particular, verse 2 which refers to both the first and the second resurrection, and verse 1 which refers to Daniel 11,40-45 and which tells of a time of trouble that has never been in human history. And here we come to what connects the last six verses of Daniel 11 with the first 39 verses:

And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries and shall overflow and pass over. Dan 11,40

The first time we meet the king of the south is in Daniel 11,5. In verse 6 we meet both the king of the north and the king of the south. It becomes to me a rather strange thought that the king of the north and the king of the south should be something different in verses 40 – 45 than they are in verses 5 to 39. For me, this confirms the claim that it is one and the same prophecy. God’s word is always homogeneous and harmonious, and it never conflicts with itself. The verse in Daniel 11,40 is actually the confirmation that all the verses in Daniel 11 belong together. As mentioned, this verse points both back to verses 5 and 6 through the expression the king of the south and the king of the north, and points to chapter 12 verse 1, and links chapters 11 and 12 together through the word the time of the end (11,40 and 12,4).

As we enter Revelation 12, we find the following text in verse 14: And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

We see in the book of Daniel that the little horn should pursue and wage war against the saints of God, that is, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Now we see that the woman, who is a picture of the church, has to flee into the wilderness (other translations use the waste land), to get away from the little hornet’s attack. The little horn is one of the agents the serpent or the devil uses in his fight against those who are faithful to God.

1) At the start of a time and times and the dividing of time God’s faithful remnant have to flee from Satan’s attempt to annihilate them, this because they are subjected to oppression from all sides, and the papacy, which is now established, is the one who leads in this war against the saints of God, (Daniel 7,21; Revelation 13,7). During this period, they sought refuge in secluded places in the mountains and in the forests where they could worship God as God had prescribed, and thus they avoided falling under the grip of the dragon.

2) Towards the end of this period, God’s remnant seeks refuge in the new world – America. The first to travel across the sea to settle in the new land, the so-called pilgrim fathers, came to Plymouth, Massachusetts in the fall of 1620. Their highest priority was religious freedom. Everyone had the right to worship God as they wished, and not forced to fall down to worship idols set up by the fallen church.

The only time we encounter a time and times and the dividing of time outside the book of Daniel is in Revelation 12,14, and this connects these two books inextricably. The fact that the woman is given two wings of a great eagle must be understood in that wat that God came and helped his faithful people in Europe and opened a way for them to escape persecution from the Catholic Church. This is the same as when God brought Israel out of Egypt, and it was in this connection that God himself in Exodus 19,4 says the following: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I took you, as on eagles’ wings, guiding you to myself.

The main characters in Revelation 12,14 are the woman and the serpent. In this verse, the woman represents God’s faithful church, while the serpent is a picture of Satan. Here we clearly see the cosmic conflict, where the dragon, which is another name for Satan, persecutes the church. This is a clear parallel both to Daniel 7,25 where it says, and (he) shall wear out the saints of the most High and to Daniel 12,7 which says, when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people and shows us how everything are woven together in a marvellous way.

Another important point is that we must take into account that the woman must be explained as both God’s faithful remnant and the fallen church. Therefore, we must distinguish between church and church, and as we saw before here, we have a) God’s pure and faithful remnant which is the pure and faithful church on the one hand, and … b) the fallen church on the other side.

We must relate this to the fact we have mentioned before that ever since the days of Cain and Abel there have been two ways of worshiping God; 1) as God has prescribed and as Abel followed, and as Seth continued a few years later (Genesis 4,26), and… 2) the way man chooses to worship God, as Cain did (Genesis 4,3). This is how it is also today, and this is how it was at the start of a time and times and the dividing of time. Satan has been trying to scatter the power of the holy people since the days of Cain and Abel, and he has used several methods to bring it about, but God has always preserved a small remnant, something we can read here

– And now for a little time grace has come to us from the Lord our God, to let a small band of us get free and to give us a nail* in his holy place, so that our God may give light to our eyes and a measure of new life in our prison chains. Ezra 9,8

– Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant**, we should have been as Sodom, [and] we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Isaiah 1,9

* The word translated a nail is the Hebrew yated (yaw-thade´), which means stake or plug. Stake in the sense of a strong pole or stake of wood driven into the ground and supports something such as a tree, a form of fence or a boundary marker.

** The origin of the word remnant, (´yated´) is the Hebrew sarid meaning a remnant or one who survives. It is Set’s line that is described as a stake in Ezra and as a small remnant in Isaiah, and then it is probably appropriate to use the translation a remnant or one who survives, because that is really what has happened. It is a remnant that has always survived. It is extremely interesting that both a nail and one who survives are derived from the same root word.

42 months.

Here we have another time prophecy, 42 months, which is the same as 1260 days of prophetic time or 1260 literal years. It is thus about the same time period as during a time, and times and a dividing of time.

But the court, which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [and] two months. Revelation 11,2

We cannot understand this verse correctly if we do not read it together in verse 1. Verse 1 tells us that the angel asks John to take a reed like unto a rod to measure the temple of God, the altar and those who worship there. Verse 2 says that the gentiles will trample the holy city underfoot for 42 months. And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein, verse 1.

So what does this mean? Since we have the same time period as the little horn grows large, we have left Old Testament time and therefore it cannot be the temple in the holy city, Jerusalem, it is about.

When John is told to measure the temple, it does not mean that it is the physical temple in Jerusalem that is to be measured. The temple was destroyed in the year 70, and as long as we are dealing with the little horn, we are at some point after the little horn took power in the Roman Empire. It is most likely that we are towards the end of prophetic time, perhaps in the end time when this will happen. But if we add to the rules that applied to the temple in Old Testament times, that said that only the priesthood had access to the altar, the holy and the most holy, we can conclude that God distinguishes between those who constitute God’s faithful remnant, and those who are not as faithful. To measure in this context means simply to examine God’s people to see if they are keeping God’s commandments and doing His will.

Let us first take a closer look at a couple of the words and expressions that are used in this verse that have been translated into respectively the gentiles and the holy city. These are two expressions that may have a deeper meaning than the usual understanding of the words.

The Gentiles: It is the Greek word e’thnos, (G1484) used in this inflectional form e’thnesin (G1484.2) (noun neuter plural dative): (translated with; people, peoples, nation, foreigner, Gentiles, Gentile Christians). – About the word G1484 ethnos, eth’-nos; Strong´s Concordance states the following: ethnos derives from ethô (G1486); which means a race (those who are from the same place), i.e. a group – (in the extreme consequence of the word group for example professional group such as carpenters and the like); especially a foreign (non-Jewish) (usually in the sense of pagan): Gentile, heathen, nation, people.

The holy city: The Greek word translated as city is po´lis (G4172) used in the inflectional form po´lin G4172.7 (noun feminine singular accusative): (translated with; city, capital, village, the people of the city) Strong’s concordant says about G4172 polis; pol ‘-is; that it probably comes from the root word polemos (G4171) which means war, battle or strife, or perhaps from polus (G4183); which means a village (a proper village with city walls, a village of a certain size): city.

G4171 polemos, pol’-em-os; again derived from pelomai (G3990-a) (to make noise) acts of war (literally or figuratively; a single incident or a series of events): battle, war.

G4183 polus, pol-oos’; incorporates the forms of the alternative word pollos; (singular) much (in any sense) or (plural) many; neuter (singular) mainly as an adverb; in the neutral form (plural) as an adverb or noun often, mostly, mainly: abundant, + overall, common, + far past, long used + to be of old age.

If we look at the words G4172 polis, G4171 polemos and G4183 polus together, it seems to come out that the sum of this will be the people in the city as it mainly will be waged war against for 42 months. This also seems to fit well into the cosmic conflict. Because here, as elsewhere, we must read the relevant text into the context of the cosmic conflict, and that Satan infiltrates God’s people.

Then we should take a closer look at what e’thnesin (e´thnos) can mean. If we look at what the English Strong´s Dictionary gives of translations and put this in the mentioned context, there is a high probability that it should be translated with a group (someone who is from the same place), in other words a race; especially a foreign (non-Jewish – in Old Testament context – usually in the sense of pagan. It is now beginning to get confusing, but it is at the same time also quite enlightening, if we can have two or more thoughts in our head at the same time.

The Greek word e’thnos, can thus be translated as a group and a race (those who come from the same place), or put another way, e’thnos can describe a group of people who are not of God people, but who have a common goal, which Strong´s explains as non-Jews or Gentiles. The question is whether this is the way we should understand it. In Old Testament times, as we know, the Jews (Israel) were God’s special people, or put another way: they were God’s chosen people. In New Testament times, therefore, non-Jews or gentiles must mean that those who are to trample on the holy city are not God’s chosen people. It is when it is said that those who are not God’s chosen people will trample the holy city underfoot for 42 months it starts to get really bad.

When God says that the temple, the altar, and those who worship there are to be measured, it is because God wants to examine His people (an investigative judgment). God’s faithful people make up group 1), but this group has been infiltrated as we saw before. The measuring rod that is to be used to measure God’s temple, the altar, and those who worship there is God’s standard. This is revealed in verse 3, which begins with the words And I will give power to my two witnesses … There are many who think they belong to group 1), but who really have added habits that are not compatible with God’s pure word. It is by comparing those measured with God’s standard we can find who is God’s faithful remnant and thereby belongs to group 1), and who does not belong to God’s remnant.

Those who believe they belong to God’s faithful remnant, but who have acquired something that deviates from the standard, are those described in Genesis 6,2: … … the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. These belong to group 2A) and consequently believe that they follow God’s commandments completely, but who have more or less unconsciously acquired some habit that is not compatible with God’s word.

The group that Revelation 11,2 calls gentiles must therefore be all those who follow 2B) in the line of Cain and who consciously worship God in the way they choose. According to these two verses, these should not be examined. Not this time. Perhaps Isaiah 63,18 can help us understand what God means by Revelation 11,2: The people of thy holiness have possessed [it] but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.

What the holy people of God have had for a little while was the promised land. Shortly after Israel had taken possession of the land, the struggle for survival began, and eventually the kings of Israel also began to introduce pagan customs, traditions, and pagan gods into Israel. Isaiah 63,18 can be seen as a picture of Revelation 11,2. Through this, the claim of two lines, two ways of worshiping God, and the infiltration among those who are God’s faithful remnant are also confirmed. Then it simply means that everyone in group 2, both 2A and 2B, tramples down the holy city, and they do so for 42 months. Some do it unconsciously, while others do it consciously.

Revelation 13,5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months.

Once again, the personal pronoun he is used about this power that both speaks big words and mocks. It is the dragon in Revelation 13,4 that gives this beast, called he in this chapter, the power it has to oppress God’s people.

From the Catholic Church was established as we know it today until the end of the 42 months, it absorbed many pagan traditions, and even launched many new non-biblical teachings, and the Pope calls himself Vicarius Filii Dei, The vicar of Jesus Christ, and even considered himself god on earth, and stated that what the pope, and his priesthood, bound or loosened on earth, the God of heaven had to obey. This I will also come back to later.

In 1870, the dogma of the Pope’s infallibility was published, claiming that statements made by the Pope ex cathedra, that is, from the pulpit (of St. Peter), are protected by the Holy Spirit from error, and in Pastor Aeternus, First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ, it is said that this is the highest form of authority attributed to the pope, defined by the virtue of his ultimate apostolic authority and his office as pastor and teacher for all Christians. However, this causes problems when even Catholic theologians disagree on whether statements have been made ex cathedra or not, and when Catholic theologians accept that a statement has been made ex cathedra, but still disagree on what this infallible statement really means. To invoke such infallibility is in the highest degree to mock and speak great words against God.

1260 days.

This is the third variant of the same time prophecy, 1260 days, or literal years. And then, of course, what follows during this time prophecy will fall into the same time period as for a time, and times and a dividing of time, and 42 months.

Revelation 11,3 And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

There has always been a great deal of discussion about who or what these two witnesses are, but fortunately the Bible has the property of explaining itself, allowing us to avoid many mistakes we would have made if we left to our own limited understanding to interpret the Bible.

Verse 4 says that these, (the two witnesses), are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. Here we are given a clue so we can find out who these witnesses are. Many claim this is Moses and Elijah, but it does not hold in relation to the Bible. Jesus says the following in John 5,39: Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they (the scriptures) are they which testify of me. Jesus thus calls the scriptures witnesses (they testify), and Peter calls the scriptures sure word of prophecy … (2 Peter 1,19), while Zechariah gives us a similar description of two oil trees (Zechariah chapter 4). Olive oil is used in the Bible as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has lit two great candles in the world: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The two witnesses are the Bible.

According to the text, the two witnesses will prophesy for 1260 days. That they are dressed in sackcloth means that they mourn when they meet resistance. But in what way did God’s two witnesses meet with opposition?

For most of those 1260 years, the Bible was nearly impossible for ordinary people to obtain. The papacy had decided that only the clergy were able to understand the scriptures. The Bible was found only in Latin, a language that the common man did not know. The argument for keeping the scripture from the people was that they were unable to understand the Word of God, much less could they interpret it, and that these were privileges given only to the clergy of the Catholic Church. The real reason for keeping the Bible away from people was probably that they should not read that the only way to salvation is not the one who goes through the Catholic priesthood, but the one who goes through Jesus Christ, and Him alone.

Fortunately, God always makes sure that there is a small remnant that keeps His Word high, even during this period. We have groups such as the Waldenses and Albigensians who, at the risk of their own lives, translated and distributed translations of parts from individual books to the entire Bible, and individuals such as Wyclif, Luther, Hus, Hieronymus, and others which led to the Reformation, also with danger to life. In fact, most of them lost their lives for the sake of God’s Word.

Around the 1450s, Johann Gutenberg developed and improved the art of printing, which is originally a Chinese invention from the 5th century, and this, together with Martin Luther’s Reformation, made it easier towards the end of the period to obtain a Bible, although it was still expensive. ordinary citizen to acquire a copy.

As an apropos to the Reformers who were executed to speak against Rome, I can add that Pope Benifaz VIII who was pope between 1294 and 1303 issued the Corpus juris canonici, Extravag where he says that The apostates can not only be excluded from the church community, but also legally executed. By the apostates he means, of course, those who stuck to the pure and clear word of God and refused to submit to the commandments of the papacy. And to somehow emphasize that the Catholic Church never is changing the pope of our day, Francis, has stated the following: Religious fanatics, even if they are not violent, are terrorists, and it is only an appropriate punishment for them… … The interesting thing about this is that just before he got to this point, he specifically mentioned a small group, the Seventh-day Adventists. What this penalty is he does not say, that was hanging in the air, but it is probably not so difficult to add 1 + 1 to make it 2!

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament speak of the origin of God’s law and of its eternal validity, and both testify to the plan of salvation. The models, the sacrifices, and the prophecies of the Old Testament point to a Saviour to come. The Gospels and letters of the New Testament tell of this Saviour who came exactly as the symbols and prophecies foretold, and not least the fulfilment of the Messianic prophecies. Even though the evil one dominated this time period of 1260 days, the two witnesses would still prophesy.

Revelation 12,6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days.

The woman, who in this case is dressed in the sun is a picture of God’s faithful people, and it is these who must seek refuge from the persecution and the dominant Catholic Church threats of death and misery.

This time period of a time, and times and the dividing of time, or 42 months, or 1260 days, spans as mentioned over 1260 literal years. The question is when this period starts and when it ends.

I think we need to start with Revelation 13,1-3 to calculate the starting time for the 1260 days. This verse is about the beast from the sea, which is the fourth kingdom/metal/beast in Daniel 2, 7 and 8, and which is explained as the Roman Empire. As we know, the Roman Empire is undergoing a radical change (see Daniel 7,19), and it goes from being a military-political power to becoming a religious-political power, and it is the year the fourth beast has undergone the transformation from being a military-political to become a religious-political power we must set as the starting point for the 1260 days. It was from this time that the two witnesses prophesied in sackcloth and that the woman had to fly out into the wilderness.

Revelation 13,1 and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

In this verse we see the beast rise from the sea, and in this verse also lies the key to understanding the time. The beast from the sea is none other than the fourth kingdom in Daniel 2, 7 and 8, and it has been explained as the Roman Empire, and it enters the scene as a military-political power. We have previously seen that the fourth kingdom in Daniel 7 took over world domination in the year 168 BC. and the fourth empire was then for a time a military-political empire. However, we are interested in when the change of this kingdom was a fact, when it had become religious-political

Revelation 13,2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Here we see that the beast has elements from Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece, and it shows us that paganism and philosophy accumulate in the fourth beast: It was like a leopard – Greece, the feet of a bear – Medo-Persia, and mouth like a lion – Babylon. We also see that it is the dragon that is behind this beast.

Daniel 7,24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom [are] ten kings [that] shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

Revelation 13,3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

In Revelation 13,3, we have come to the time after the change took place with the fourth beast. This change is not so evident in Revelation 13,3, but is more evident in Daniel 7,24. The change the fourth empire went through did not happen overnight, but it took a few years from the Roman Empire being divided into two, the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, towards the end of the fifth century and the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire when the ten Aryan tribes divided the Western Roman Empire among themself. When the Western Roman emperor moved to Constantinople, the bishop of Rome eagerly grabbed the opportunity and seized power in Rome, exterminating three of the ten Aryan tribes that shared Western Rome. Now the Catholic Church got its first pope and the Catholic Church appears as we know it today. The fourth beast has now become religious-political.

The three Aryan tribes that was pluced up by the pope were:

• The Herules, who were exterminated in 493 by the Frankish king Clovis, • The Vandals that were exterminated in the year 534 and … • The Ostrogoths who were exterminated in the year 538 with the help of the Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I the Great.

It was in this way that the bishop of Rome managed to seize power, and at the same time he filled the political vacuum that arose after the emperor had moved to Constantinople by taking over the emperor’s throne and title, Pontifex Maximus, with the emperor’s blessing. Daniel describes this incident as follows in chapter 11 verse 21: And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

Using the year in which the papacy was established in Rome as we know it today is the usual way to determine the beginning of the 1260 year. This period started in the year 538 AD. The question is whether it is tenable to just make a claim to say, that’s just the way it is. But here, as elsewhere, the Bible itself gives us the help we need. We can check this with another calculation.

In the second half of chapter 13 in Revelation we find the solution. In the same year that the beast from the sea, which is the the Roman Empire in both military and religious disguise, gets its mortal wound, another beast will appear, this time from the earth. This beast from the earth is explained as the United States. We cannot use the Roman Empire to justify the claim that it is the religious Roman Empire that stands out in all its power in the year 538. It will be a circular argument. But we can use the beast from the earth as a control function.

The question is whether this fits into the story. When was it that the United States proclaimed its independence? It was done in 1776. When was it that the beast from the sea, the first beast, got its mortal wound? It happened in 1798. Here there is a difference of 22 years, and that does not harmonize. The question, however, is not when independence was proclaimed, but when the United States was formally recognized as an independent nation. This beast began to rise from the earth in 1776 when independence was proclaimed, but was not fully recognized then. The new nation, the United States, was recognized by France, which was the last of the great and important countries in Europe and Europe’s leading nation at that time, first in 1798.

This is based on the Treaty of Alliance from 1778 between the United States and France which said that neither the United States nor France could make peace with England without the other part. The treaty was finally annulled in 1799, but it was the so-called XYZ affair that put an end to the Treaty of Alliance in 1798. The XYZ affair was a diplomatic problem that arose between the United States and France, and which worsened relations between them and led to the Quasi-war in 1798, which in turn led to United States standing completely alone on its own two feet in 1798.

This gives us the following simple calculation: 1798 – 1260 = 538.

We then have the following interesting scenario:

• It was the French king Clovis who helped the pope to power by helping to exterminate the Herules in 493. • It was one of the French emperor Napoleon’s generals, Berthier, who arrested the pope and imprisoned him in 1798. • It was France that decided the recognition of the United States as an independent nation, also in 1798.

We now leave the time prophecies and move on to the seven epistles and the seven seals. As we will see, there is a slightly different structure to these prophecies. The epistles give us the church’s religious history from the cross to the second coming of Christ, and the seals tell us the political history of the same period. The letters or churches replace each other in the same way as the different kingdoms in Daniel’s prophecies, while the seals have a different structure. This will become visible as we go through these 14 sections.

But before we get into the letters, let us look at some circumstances around the year 1844 that are more than interesting.