If the "abomination of desolation" has already happened, who was the Antichrist who declared himself to be god in the temple and who was the false prophet? Where can I read about the billions of people who died as a result of God's judgment being visited on the earth during that time? Can you refer me to any kind of writings from that time that recorded all the rest of the judgments that God said would happen during the end-time Tribulation but apparently already happened thousands of years ago? How exactly was the population of the entire world fitted with the mark of the beast?
Thanks for your help. I guess I can stop looking for the promised second coming of Christ, since, I guess, that already happened too?
First of all, where do you read “billions” will die?
Secondly, look up “antiChrist” in your concordance and you will NOT find it anywhere in Revelation. The word is only found in 1 and 2 John. Read what it says for yourself.
Thirdly, regarding the “man of lawlessnes,” here’s what 2 Thess. says:
“And now you know what IS holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time”
Here’s a quote from Chilton on that subject:
“According to Roman imperial theology, the Caesars were gods. Each emperor was called Augustus or Sebastos, meaning “One to be worshipped.” They also took the name divus (god). Nero commanded absolute obedience and erected a 120-ft image of himself. For this reason Paul called Caesar ‘the man of sin.’”
Jesus told them that they (i.e. the people He was speaking to) would see the Son of Man coming on the clouds. God’s “coming on the clouds” meant coming in judgment. For example:
Exodus 16:10: While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.
Jeremiah 4:13: Look! He advances like the clouds,
his chariots come like a whirlwind,
his horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us! We are ruined!
In other words, Jesus was speaking of the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem and the end of the Age (Mosaic Age), not the Second bodily coming at the end of the world. “Those who pierced Him” were alive and saw it happen, and they knew that He is God because it happened as He said it would.
One more note: Notice the difference in the instruction given to Daniel as opposed to John:
Daniel 8:26: “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the DISTANT FUTURE.”
Revelation 22:10: Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the TIME IS NEAR.
“This generation” meant “this generation,” not “that” generation in the 21st Century. “Near” meant “near,” not thousands of years later.
To sum up, we fall into error when we allow modern day “prophets” to interpret Scripture for us, rather than allowing the Bible to speak for itself.