Prophecies are promises of truth that are revealed at a future date. Therefore, the fulfillment of a prophecy is a 'timed event' that...
Prophecies are promises of truth that are revealed at a future date. Therefore, the fulfillment of a prophecy is a 'timed event' that covers a period of time. The Bible tells us, "For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing Unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
The Prophet Daniel first learned about 'the fulfillment of a prophecy' in regards to the Jews being released from Babylonian Captivity from the Book of Jeremiah. The Prophet Daniel began to believe in a specific date and he walked by faith.
in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of years mentioned in the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet to fulfill the desolation of Jerusalem, namely, 70 years. (Daniel 9:2) And all this land will be reduced to ruins and will become an object of horror, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon for 70 years. (Jeremiah 25:11) For this is what Jehovah says, ‘When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, I will turn my attention to you, and I will make good my promise by bringing you back to this place. (Jeremiah 29:10)Supporting scriptures as to the timing:
He carried off captive to Babylon those who escaped the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia began to reign, to fulfill Jehovah’s word spoken by Jeremiah, until the land had paid off its sabbaths. All the days it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfill 70 years. (2 Chronicles 36:20-21) So the angel of Jehovah said: “O Jehovah of armies, how long will you withhold your mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with whom you have been indignant these 70 years?” (Zechariah 1:12) Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and wailed in the fifth month and in the seventh month for 70 years, did you really fast for me?' (Zechariah 7:5)When Daniel discerned the timing of the end of captivity, he did not sit around and become inactive but rather, he walked by faith and kept busy. Knowing the date doesn't bring Salvation nor give anyone extraordinary insight but is a test of integrity. When the date comes and goes, will you continue walking by faith?
Luke 7:50 But he said to the woman: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Romans 10:9 For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved.
Jude 1:5 Although you are fully aware of all of this, I want to remind you that Jehovah, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those not showing faith.
Ephesians 2:8 By this undeserved kindness you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; rather, it is God’s gift.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, after receiving divine warning of things not yet seen, showed godly fear and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; and through this faith he condemned the world, and he became an heir of the righteousness that results from faith.
Psalm 78:22 Because they did not put faith in God; They did not trust in his ability to save them.
Luke 8:50 On hearing this, Jesus answered him: “Have no fear, only have faith, and she will be saved.”
James 2:26 Indeed, just as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Even the religious can show contempt for prophecy. For example, the Sanhedrin as a whole rejected Daniels' Prophecy about the timing of the First Presence of Christ which introduces the Messiah to arrive in 29 CE. It's very interesting that the common and ordinary folk were looking for the Messiah at this specific time but the Sanhedrin was not?
Now the people were in expectation and all of them were reasoning in their hearts about John, “May he perhaps be the Christ?” (Luke 3:15) Only two members of Sanhedrin displayed faith by giving the Messiah a proper burial. "Now after these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus but a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body away. Nicodemus, the man who had come to him in the night the first time, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about a hundred pounds. So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews." (John 19:38-40)Those who treat Prophecy with contempt will not be able to SEE or discern the prophecy unfolding. Imagine the Sanhedrin telling its' population to reject Daniel's teaching about the Presence of the Messiah in 29 CE. Don't believe it, anyone who believes in the year 29 CE is a false prophet. But this Man (Jesus) just healed someone who was crippled from birth and told him to get up and walk and the crippled man was healed! No, no, don't believe in the year 29 CE. This man (Jesus) is starting his own religion, he is in a cult. Does this all sound familiar? It's the same ole song and dance.
But they will do all these things against you on account of my name, because they do not know the One who sent me. (John 15:21)The same ones who have contempt for prophecy say the same thing about Daniels' Prophecy about 1914. Remember, those who treat Prophecy with contempt, will not be able to SEE or discern the prophecy unfolding. We have entered the Last Days quite awhile back and the Nay Sayers are still barking like dogs. (Rev 22:15) They can't SEE.
The Last Days don't last forever, they are a 'timed event' and have an end to them. However, this ending can catch you completely off-guard if you let it. Even though the scriptures are graphic, the rotting away is symbolic, at first anyways. "And this is the scourge with which Jehovah will scourge all the peoples who wage war against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot away while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot away in their sockets, and their tongues will rot away in their mouths." (Zechariah 14:12)
At first, the wicked will not realize that they are dying the second death like that of Adam and Eve. That realization comes when those 'marked' for survival start growing to perfection. Slowly, little by little. "Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land." (Exodus 23:30)
Armageddon is not at all what you're thinking. The wicked may be destroyed in the manner you think not. They simply do not receive the 'mark' of survivorship. That's Armageddon folks! The wicked are not burned alive but are dying the second death without the hope of a resurrection. They die forever. Are you getting the sense of these things? Okay, now read and apply Psalm Chapter 37 for understanding.
Please accept this invitation to learn the truth about the true God Jehovah and His Wonderful Kingdom that began ruling in 1914 to collect out of the earth a people for His Name. Jehovah chose and anointed his Precious Son (Jesus Christ) to become King to represent him. The time of distress described at Daniel 12:1 is coming to its' Conclusion. We warmly invite you and your loved ones to learn more at JW.org You can visit our website anytime day or night. Use our search engine to seek Biblical Answers. Watch encouraging videos and listen to wholesome music and songs to build yourself up. Learn more about how to cope with the anxieties of life. God's Kingdom will soon remove such ailments and replace them with joy, laughter and happiness. Please come and inherit these things!
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