Timing Chart for the End Times
Author: Steve Amato
Description: Revelation - the timing of the end times
Keywords: bible study,Bible, end times, eschatology, antichrist, seals, trumpets, seven churches, 7, rapture

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Revelation Studies & Charts
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

Rev Outline Timing of Events The Rapture
The Seven Churches The Seven Seals The Seven Trumpets Second Overview The Seven Plagues | 1-3 6-7 8-11 12-14 15-16

The following is the best attempt I've been able to come up with sequencing the end times events, incorporating all the prophecies which speak of the order of events along with correlating the numbers of days/years the prophecies predict.

# The End Times Timeline

Events | Days til the Resurrection | Days from AntiChrist's Reign
The Anti-Christ begins ruling The First 4 Seals | 2520 | 0
Desolation of the temple (Dan 12:11) | 1290 | 1260
Persecution (The Rebellion - 2Thess 2:3) The First 6 Trumpets The 5th, 6th and 7th Seals Beast persecutes 1260 days (Rev 13:5) Witnesses prophecy 1260 days (Rev 11:3) Woman in desert 1260 days (Rev 12:6,14) Temple trampled 1260 days (Rev 11:2) | 1260 | 1290
The 7th Trumpet - The Resurrection Resurrection of the Two Witnesses Resurrection of the believers (1Cor 15:51,52; Rev 11:11,12) | 0 | 2550 | Christ Returns | The Day of The Lord
Events | Days After the Resurrection | Days since Temple Desolation
Rapture (1Th 4:13+) Beginning of the 7 plagues More of the 6th Seal The Marriage Supper | 45 (Dan 12:12) | 1335
End of the 7 plagues End of the Marriage Supper Rededication of the temple (Dan 8:14) Millenial Kingdom begins (Rev 20:4) | 1010 | 2300 |
Satan's final rebellion (Rev 20:7-10) General Resurrection (Rev 20:5) Great White Throne Judgement (Rev 20:11-15) New Jerusalem (Rev 21) | 1000 years |  |

# Prophecies of Daniel

Dan 7:25 "He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. (3.5 years)"

Dan 8:13,14 "Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled-- the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?" He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings(6.4 years) ; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."

Dan 9:27 "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' (7 years) In the middle of the 'seven'(3.5 years) he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

Dan 12:11-13 "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. (43 months = 3.6 years) Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. (44.5 months = 3.7 years) As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

# Prophecies in Revelation

Re 9:10 "They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months."

Re 11:2 "But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. (3.5 years)"

Re 11:3 "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."

Re 12:6 "The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days."

Re 12:14 "The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time,(3.5 years = 1260 days) out of the serpent's reach."

Re 13:5 "The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for 42 months.( 3.5 years)"

# Elaboration

First concerning the whole idea of making predictions, we note when asked by his apostles, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." Acts 1:6,7 And concerning his coming he says, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Mat 24:36 And I make no prediction as to the day or hour when these events will take place.

However, the Bible indicates that the order of events is predictable, as well as the timing between a number of those events. Consider Paul's response to what some had asserted in his day that the day of the Lord had already occurred.

> "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God." 2Thess 2:1-4

We don't know when the Lord will return. But the Bible tells us here that he won't return until after these events - the AntiChrist being revealed and desolating the temple. Which further implies the temple has to be rebuilt for it to be desolated. We note also that Paul didn't indicate that the next event to occur is the Rapture, as many Christians today believe. But wouldn't that have been his response if the rapture were the next event. Wouldn't he have said that the reason they should realize that the day of the Lord hasn't occurred is because the Rapture hadn't taken place. And it's not that Paul hadn't taught on the Rapture. For he also said,

> "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1Thess 4:13-17

This is what has become known among Christian circles as "the Rapture", Jesus also speaking of this event in Matthew 24 in which he also speaks of the "Coming of the Lord" and the Rapture, placing them after the tribulation period.

> Matthew 24:(3) Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming ("parousia" in the Greek), and of the end of the age? ... (9-10) Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.(2Thess 2:3) ... (15) Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (Dan 8:13,14;9:27;12:11-13) (whoever reads, let him understand) ... (21) For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. ...(29-31) Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven (Rev 6:13) , and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, (1Thess 4:16) and they will gather together His elect (2Thess 2:1) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.(The Rapture).

He further describes the gathering of his elect saying, "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left." Mat 24:40,41 Which seems to correspond to the event Paul spoke of above in 1Thess 4:13-17 which we call The Rapture.

Notice the order of events here in Matthew 24

> vs 6-8 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. These correspond to the first 4 seals of Revelation chapter 6.

> Then comes the Great Tribulation and the Rebellion of which Paul spoke of in 2Thess 2:3 in which many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other. This is also the 5th seal of Revelation 6, and also corresponds to the time in which the antiChrist (the man of lawlessness in 2Thess 2:3) desolates the temple.

> Then just after the start of the tribulation come the events associated with the seven trumpets, such as the sun and moon being darkened, which is mention in Rev 8:12 as the 4th trumpet and also corresponds to the 6th seal of Rev 6:12, and then the stars falling which is associated with the 5th trumpet in Rev 9:1 and also corresponds to the 6th seal of Rev 6:13,14.

> And both in the case of the 7 seals and 7 trumpets of Revelation, and here in Matthew 24, these events are followed by the coming of the Lord.

> And shortly thereafter, the Rapture occurs. In particular I take the time difference between the resurrection of the righteous and the rapture to be the difference in the two numbers given in Daniel 12:11-13, namely 1335 days - 1290 days = 45 days. Perhaps this time period is meant to reflect the time period between Christ's resurrection and ascension. (Acts 1:3 "He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.")

# Summary of Events

Based on the timing scenario derived above from correlating all the scriptures relevant to end times events, here's what I think may happen generally:

When the AntiChrist starts to reign he will confirm an allegience with many for seven years but there will be intensified war and famine and death. 1260 days into the allegiance he will desolate the temple at Jerusalem and publically declare himself God, 30 days after which he will start to persecute the saints. Many alleged Christians will fall away from the faith and betray and hate each other. This will go on for 1260 days. During this time 2 witnesses of the Lord will arise in Israel who will prophecy during this time period. They will have miraculous power. Three and a half days prior to the resurrection and the coming of the Lord these two witnesses will be killed, but will rise at the resurrection and go up in a cloud. Also during these 1260 days there will be tremendous natural disasters - possibly associated with a single event, perhaps the eruption of super-volcanoe. But the elect will be protected from its effects. There will be a great opening in the earth - the Abyss - out of which creatures like locust will come and inflict pain on those who are not God's elect.

Suddenly graves will open and the righteous dead will be raised to life and ascend to Jesus who is coming in the clouds. This is the beginning of Christ's reign over the earth. 45 days later the Rapture will occur. Then for 965 days 7 plagues will be visited upon the earth. It will end with the Armageddon in which the nations will attempt to attack Jerusalem. The Lord will descend to earth at the mount of olives outside Jerusalem.

> "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." Zec 12:8-10

> "Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south." Zec 14:3,4

> "And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths." Zec 14:12

> "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles."Zec 14:16 For the temple at Jerusalem will be redidicated.

The antiChrist and his false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. Satan is cast into the Abyss and locked up there for 1000 years. For 1000 years the saints will reign with Jesus in his Millenial Kingdom on the earth over those who are left, and over their descendants. After the 1000 years Satan is briefly released from the Abyss to deceive the nations into fighting against the saints. (bad idea!) They are destroyed and Satan is thrown into the lake of fire. Then comes the general resurrection and the final judgment. "If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Rev 20:15

Following this Jesus hands over his kingdom to his Father. A new heavens and earth are created. The old being destroyed by fire. And the New Jerusalem is established on earth. "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Rev 21:3,4

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