Scientists have warned that it's only a matter of time ... before a sizable meteor penetrates the atmosphere or someone starts a nuclear chain reaction causing most, if not all, life on Planet Earth to be destroyed. 

The truth is, the end of the world will come suddenly but not from a global catastrophe of man's invention or nature's bold display of power. Instead, Bible prophecy forewarns about a series of earth-shattering events lasting several years that will bring the planet, as we know it, to the brink of annihilation. These include the escalation of terrorism, nuclear holocaust, chemical/biological warfare and bloodshed, along with increased disasters such as hurricanes, tidal waves, earthquakes, tornadoes, uncontrollable fires and diseases in epidemic proportions, to name a few.

There is little excuse for not knowing how the final events will be played out. Daniel has promised at "the time of the end... many will go here and there [in the pages of God's Word] to increase knowledge" (Daniel 12:4). In the midst of turmoil, multitudes will search through the ancient predictions with a sincere desire to understand the world's frightening predicament. 

Daniel 12:10 states "none of the wicked will understand [the prophetic warnings] but those who are wise will understand." God has given His prophets a Festival road-map, which will guide His people through untold adversity and even death to the revelation of Messiah, the Bright and Morning Star. Jesus said "all men will hate you because of Me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved," Matthew 10:22. He also promises, "Surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age," (28:20); He will never leave or forsake His people, but Christ asks for our perseverance.

My question for you is, "On a scale of 1-10, how well do you understand Bible prophecy--particularly the book of Revelation?" 

          Poorly   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10    Exceptionally              

Consider these facts: Paul, the apostles and the early church believed the writings of Daniel to be a book about the end. By all accounts, they expected the immediate, literal fulfillment of the "appointed time of the end," and God's eternal kingdom in their day. However, as time moved on and the long delay set in, the saints became understandably discouraged. Teachers and scholars, especially in the Dark Ages, found encouragement from Daniel through applying his predictions to historical events, and by turning the literal periods of days into years. 

These views, handed down through the centuries have reached our modern commentaries as scholars assign nearly the whole of Daniel's visions to various military activities and political events of years gone by. Nonetheless, we will revisit Daniel's predictions in light of current events and we will reclaim what is promised to be ours. God promised that the sealed book of Daniel would be unlocked at the end of time. Once Daniel is studied alongside Revelation as complimentary end-time books of prophecy, ominous and eye-opening predictions about our future emerge.

In this series, we will apply the long-recognized principle of Biblical study--that of looking primarily to the "literal" or "straightforward" language before turning to any "interpretive" explanation. Therefore, the five prophetic time periods found in Daniel will be studied as "literal" 24 hour days, for that is exactly how the early church would have read and understood them. These include the 70 weeks (490 days) of Daniel 9:24; 2,300 evenings and mornings (1,150 days) of 8:14; the time, times and half (1,260 days) of 7:25; and the 1,290 days and 1,335 days of Daniel 12:11, 12. The lessons correspond to the Appointed Times & Seasons Calendar, which has merged all these time periods into one end-time Hebrew Festival Calendar of the last days.

All these periods, merged alongside the identical 1,260 day period discovered five times in the book of Revelation (indicating three and one-half years to be the primary period of end-time activities), create a last-day chart of events that is packed full of insight. Quite importantly, this time table precisely matches God's Festivals "to the day".  To set this view apart from other concepts of interpretation, we have coined it the "Collective Futurist View".  In practice, we collect the events of both Daniel and Revelation and merge them into one completed view of the future.

This study series is just one way of delving deeper into Biblical predictions. Whether you agree with every detail is not important; the study itself is. We will investigate the prophecies about the return of God's Son, Jesus Christ. Together we'll venture into new frontiers and go where no man has gone before. In the search we'll discover Daniel's unsealed warnings and the potential meaning of the mysterious symbols and language of Revelation.

Our hope is that as you take time to study God will impress you with any insight that is true, and dismiss all that is wrongly presented. Our best efforts, poured over with much effort and prayer, still fall short of the amazing God we serve, Who knows all. God Almighty declared, "Remember the former things, those of long ago [because patterns will be repeated]; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known [through the Hebrew prophets] the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come [in the future]. I say: My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please," Isaiah 46:9-10.

The Insight In Prophecy Bible Discovery Series has been published using passages primarily from the New International Version (N.I.V.).  Although the King James Version (K.J.V.) of the Bible is the teacher's personal favorite, because of a worldwide audience the newer translation employing customary English is being used as the primary text. However, we encourage you to click on the online passage links which will give you access to the King James Version and several other translations of the Bible for comparison study.