Eschatological timeline

My note, Dan 12.9-10 says the prophetic details given to Daniel would not be understandable to him, but would be understandable to those who have insight, e.g. who are believers experiencing the events. (Daniel 12:8–10 (NASB95) 8As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” 9He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. 10“Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.)

From AMG Concise Bible Dictionary/Second Coming, plus my own input:

Chronological notes

• Prior to Christ's resurrection
  • Believers:
    • Their "earthly manifestation" is as a dead person: inanimate body buried
    • Their spirit goes to a pleasant, non-heaven location termed Paradise, aka "Abraham's bosom"
  • Unbelievers go to a place of torment called Hades, which is not the Lake of Fire
• At Christ's resurrection
  • Believers in Paradise are transported by Christ to heaven. Paradise is forever emptied.
• After Christ's resurrection, prior to the rapture:
  • Believers:
    • Their "earthly manifestation" is as a dead person: inanimate body buried
    • They are immediately placed in the presence of the Lord in their glorified body (2 Cor 5.8)
      • Their glorified body is like Jesus' resurrected body, Phil 3.21
• At the rapture
  • Christ and all believers with Him move from heaven to the earth's upper atmosphere, 1 Thess 4.13-14
  • Then (1 Thess 4.15) all the believers then living on earth are quickly, maybe instantaneously, moved to the upper atmosphere to meet Christ (1 Thess 4.16-17), and simultaneously transformed into their glorified bodies (1 Cor 15.50-51)
• After the rapture, before Christ's second coming, which includes the time of the Tribulation:
  • Believers' who die:
    • Their "earthly manifestation" is as a dead person: inanimate body buried
    • They are immediately placed in the presence of the Lord, in heaven, in their glorified body (2 Cor 5.8)
  • Actors during the Tribulation
    • The nation of Israel
      • 144,000 will become worldwide evangelists of the Gospel of Christ
      • Two prophets will plague the unbelievers, be killed, and resurrected the third day.
      • During the first half of the 7-year period will make a treaty with the Antichrist and disarm. Dan 9.27a, Ezek 38.8b, 11, 14
      • Half-way through the 7-year period, when the Antichrist desecrates the Temple and abolishes the Temple sacrifices (Dan 9.27, 11.31, 12.11; Mt 25.15) will be betrayed by the Antichrist and be ferociously persecuted for the remainder of the 7-years.
        • Starting with the Abomination of Desolation (AoD) Israeli Jerusalem and Palestine fugitives from Antichrist to be protected in a God-provided location for 1260 days (1260/360=3.5 years). Rev 12.6
        • God’s 3.5-year period of cleansing of the earth and of Israel, amidst the strongest satanic opposition ever, to last 3.5 years + 30 days: e.g. 1290 days. Dan 12.11.
      • By the end of the 7-year period 2/3 of the world’s Israelites will have died and the remaining 1/3 will all be believers in and followers of Christ. Zech 13.8-9, Rm 11.26-27
      • Likely this 30-day period is the sheep-goat judgment Jesus described in Mt 25.31-46.
      • After the 1290 days, e.g. after the judgment is completed, Christ will oversee a 45-day period of blessing prior to the formal start of the Millennial Kingdom. 1335 days per Dan 12.12.
    • The Dragon, e.g. Satan. Rev 13.4
      • At the 3.5 year point, when the “Abomination of Desolation” occurs that terminates Temple sacrifices and desecrates the Temple...
        • Jesus’ prophesied Jews should quickly flee Jerusalem. Mt 24.15-22, Mk 13.14b-18
        • Pursues the Jews, symbolized as the woman who bore Christ. Rev 12.13
        • The fleeing Jews enabled to rapidly travel into the wilderness, symbolized by their traveling on the wings of a great eagle. Rev 12.14a
        • Attempts to flood the Jews’ refuge. Rev 12.15
        • The flood/river swallowed by the earth before it can inundate the Jews’ wilderness refuge. Rev 12.16
      • At the end of the Tribulation, at Christ’s second coming, incarcerated in the bottomless pit for the duration of the Millennium. Rev 20.1-4
    • Ten kings/dictators temporarily empowered with the Beast. Rev 17.12
      • After a brief reign “one hour”, God induces them (Rev 17.17) to voluntarily cede their authority to the Beast. Rev 17.13
      • They go to war against “the Lamb” and are defeated. Rev 17.14
      • They and any other kings/dictators on earth are dominated by Babylon (economically?, politically?, militarily?). Rev 17.,18
    • The "Beast", e.g. the Antichrist. Rev 13.1-10, 17.8
      • Arises from the sea, e.g. from humanity. Rev 13.1
      • Gets power from the Dragon. Rev 13.2b His power is seen in his political success and ascendancy; his ability to rule over demons; and achieving worldwide worship.
      • Has 7 heads each with a blasphemous name, 10 horns, and 10 crowns (diadems). Rev 13.1 I speculate the 7 heads represents a 7-member “board of directors” over an organization that includes 10 dictatorships (Rev 17.12).
      • Pictured as (having a body?) like a leopard, feet like a bear, and a mouth like a lion. Rev 13.2a I hesitate to speculate on the meaning of these three animal characteristics beyond that they are all dangerously harmful carnivores, appropriate for this person being called a “beast.”
      • Followed and worshipped by "the whole world". Rev 13.2b-8
      • Makes a treaty with Israel. Dan 9.27a
        • Starts the 7-year period called “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”, and “The Day of the Lord.”
        • Because of the treaty Israel gives up their self-defense forces.. Ezek 38.8b, 11, 14
      • Half way through the 7 years he violates his treaty with Israel. Dan 9.27b
        • Declares himself God in the Jerusalem temple
          • Jesus called this “the abomination that makes desolate”, Mt 24.15, Mk 13.14
        • Attempts to arrest all Jerusalem and Judean Jews, implied by Jesus warning to immediately flee when “the abomination” occurs. Mt 24.15-22, Mk 13.14b-18
      • Dominates the 10 kings who cede their authority and power to him. Rev 17.12-13
      • Killed-resurrected. Rev 13.3, 13.12b
      • Destroyed. Rev 17.11
      • Loses Battle of Armegeddon. Rev 17.14, 19.19
      • Thrown into Lake of Fire. Rev 19.20 (never to be seen again)
    • The False Prophet
      • Also described as "a second beast rising out of the earth", Rev 13.11
      • Represents the Beast. Performs signs and wonders to induce people to worship the Beast. Rev 13.12-17
        • Seems like an analog to the Holy Spirit; just as the Beast is an analog to Christ and the Dragon an analog to God the Father.
      • Thrown into Lake of Fire. Rev 19.20, 20.10 (never to be seen again)
    • The Great Prostitute. Rev 17.3
      • Called "Babylon the Great". Rev 17.5
      • Leader of worldwide luxury, sin and debauchery. Rev 17.2-5, 18.3, 5, 7a, 9a, 16
      • Leader of world commerce. Rev 18.11-18
      • Leader of spiritual/demonic activity. Rev 18.2
      • Influential over many peoples, nations, languages. Rev 17.15, 18
        • Dominates the kings/dictators of the earth. Rev 17.18
      • Leader of persecution and martyrdom of many Tribulation saints. Rev 17.6, 18.24
      • Hated by the Beast and the 10 kings; and destroyed by them. Rev 17.16-17
      • Destroyed quickly and utterly. Rev 18.16-24
    • Many nations against Israel
      • Will come against Israel militarily. Is 29.1-4
      • Will be suddenly defeated and destroyed by divine application of natural forces (thunder, earthquake, loud noise, whirlwind, tempest, consuming fire). Is 29.5-8
    • The 144,000 Jews
      • Sealed, e.g. protected: Rev 7.3. Pp Ezek 9.3-6 depicts God directing the sealing of people He spares from His judgment
      • From every listed tribe 12,000: Rev 7.4-8
        • The tribe of Dan is omitted.
        • The tribe of Manasseh is included: Rev 7.6.
      • Implied: the 144,000 evangelize the world. Implied by the subsequent vison of a large number of saved people from every nation, tribe, people, and language: Rev 7.9-12.
    • The two witnesses. Rev 11.3-7.
    • The flying angel proclaiming “an eternal gospel” of (ESV), “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” Rev 14.6-7
  • The physical creation, earth and the heavens will be “shaken” (Heb 12.26): heavily damaged, though not destroyed -- its destruction occurs at the end of the Millennium in preparation for God’s creation of new heavens and earth (2 Pet 3.10-12)
    • The two lower heavens (atmospheric & astronomic): Is 13.13; Hag 2.6; Mt 24.29; Mk 13.24-25; Lk 21.25a; Rev 6.12b, 6.14, 8.12, 16.8-9
    • The sea: Hag 2.6; Lk 21.25b’ Rev 8.8-9, 16.3
    • The earth and its waters: Is 13.13; Hag 2.6; Rev 6.12a, 6.14b, 8.5, 8.7, 8.10-11, 16.4, 16.18-21
  • Everyone on earth will see Christ, the "Son of Man" coming with power and great glory. Entire nations will be in distress, dreading what all these signs presage. Mt 24.30a, Mk 13.26, Lk 21.25-27 Rev 6.15-17
• At Christ's second coming
  • Christ's second coming will occur when "the time of the gentiles" is fulfilled. Lk 21.24
  • Believers who had died, whose "earthly manifestation" has been as a dead person, return to earth, living and moving upon earth in their glorified bodies. From the earthly perspective, they are resurrected, in that their "earthly manifestation" has changed from that of a dead person to that of a living person. 1 Cor 15.20-23, (in the following verses "sowing" is burying a dead body, and "raising" is the appearance of a living body on earth: 1 Cor 15.42-57),
  • Unbelievers will see Christ coming "in power and great glory" and will mourn His coming. Mt 24.30, Lk 21.27
    • Ps 64.9 When God acts everyone fears. (ESV) “Psalm 64:7–9 (ESV) 7But God shoots his arrow at them; they are wounded suddenly. 8They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them; all who see them will wag their heads. 9Then all mankind fears; they tell what God has brought about and ponder what he has done.” Father, as Psalm 64:7-8 reminds me, at a time of Your choosing You act, and whenever You do Your purposes and intentions are always accomplished. Here in Psalm 64.9 I see that when You act everyone, willing or not, end up acknowledging You and Your works, and fearing You as a result. That will certainly be the case in the Tribulation as You pile one judgment on another until everyone acknowledges You, Jesus, at Your return to earth. Some acknowledging You with exultation and great relief, and some acknowledging You by trying to hide (Is 2.10, 19-21; Rev 6.15-16).
  • Christ will send angels to transport believers scattered throughout the world to Israel. Mt 24.31, Mk 13.27
  • Angels will be dispatched to remove unbelievers from the earth (Rev 14.14-20), pictured as a “harvest” or a “reaping” of the earth (MT 13.36-43, 40-42, 47-50, 24.36-44).
• At end of the Tribulation, beginning of Millennium
  • Jesus' "Second Coming"
    • Called the "Day of the Lord",
    • His arrival will be:
      • Visible and recognizable by everyone on earth
        • As visible as a lightning strike is visible; Mt 24.27
        • Marked with great glory against a backdrop of a completely dark sky:
          • Great glory, Mt 24.29-30
            • The appearance of Christ in His glory is called "the blessed hope", Titus 2.13
          • Flaming fire, 2 Thess 1.7-10
      • Sudden and unexpected by unbelievers, 1 Thess 5.2-3
      • Leading the armies (e.g. the "hosts") of heaven on white horses, Rev 19.11-16
      • Accompanied by His "mighty angels", 2 Thess 1.7
      • Sufficiently gradual that His enemies will have time to see Him coming, understand that means a coming judgment, mourn their impending demise, and attempt to hide from Him; Mt 24.30
    • Associated with Christ's arrival on earth, He will:
      • Dispatch angels to seize the "dragon", Satan, and incarcerate him for about 1000 years, Rev 20.1-3
  • Establishment of the Kingdom on earth
    • Judgment/separation of "sheep and goats"
      • Mt 25.34-46
        • Believers into the Kingdom:
          • Believers gathered by angels, Mt 24.31
          • Believers allowed into the Kingdom, Mt 25.34, 46a
        • Unbelievers, enemies into judgment, Mt 25.46b
          • Jesus' vengeance on His enemies, 2 Thess 1.8-9
          • The "lawless one" (the Antichrist I think) is revealed and killed, 2 Thess 2.8
          • As in the days of Noah, unbelievers are "swept away", e.g. removed from living on the earth; Mt 24.37-41
          • God to purge non-elect, unbelieving Jews from Israel. Eze 20.33-38
        • Satan and demons dealt with
    • Jesus rules as King over all the earth, Zech 14.9, Rev 11.15
      • Jerusalem, aka Zion, established as Jesus' earthly capital city, Isaiah 52, Ezek 37.26-27, Joel 3.17, Zech 14.16-21
  • Satan incarcerated for 1000 years, Rev 20.1-3
• During the Millennium
  • Believers in their glorified bodies, aka "saints", will reign with Jesus on earth; 2 Tim 2.12, Rev 5.9-10, Rev 20.4, 6 ("came to life", since these people are obviously living and existing in heaven below God's throne, this must mean they appear on earth fully embodied)
  • Christ rules and judges the earth's nations with equity, Ps 67.4-5
    • Greater than the previous “Pax Romana”, Jesus imposes global international peace. Ps 46.9
    • Suggesting Jesus’ rule has opposition, He rules “with a rod of iron”. Ps 2
  • Much of the sin-curse is lifted from earth's systems, Ps 67.6, Is 51.3, Ezek 34.25-29
• At end of Millennium, beginning of new heaven and new earth (the sequence of the following is unclear)
  • Satan released (Rev 20.7) and leads a revolt against Christ's earthly rule (Psalms 2, Rev 20.8), and all are defeated in battle; Rev 20.9
  • All Christ's enemies, including death itself, vanquished/destroyed, 1 Cor 15.24-26
    • Satan thrown into the Lake of Fire, never to return, Rev 20.10
  • The Great White Throne judgment of Satan, demons, and everyone not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, Rev 20.11-15
  • Christ turns the Kingdom over to the Father, 1 Cor 15.28
  • The heavens and the earth destroyed by fire, called the "Day of God", 2 Pet 3.11-13,;Zeph 1.2-3,18
  • The "bema", the "judgment seat of God", also called the "Judgment seat of Christ", is held for believers: (timewise, this event may occur earlier, and even could occur gradually over time as each believer enters their eternal state)
    • Includes every believer, Rom 14.10
    • Judges believers' works while on earth, whether good, meaning worthy of reward, or evil (Gk phaulos), meaning worthless for reward; 2 Cor 5.10
  • The new earth, and the new heavens are created. Is 66.22, 1 Pet 3.1-3
    • That the new earth is created at this time is implied of John’s vision of the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven onto this earth. Rev 22.9-21
    • Currently there are three heavens: the atmosphere, the celestial realm, and the heaven where God resides and currently has His throne. At least two new heavens will be created since Is 66.22 and 2 Pet 3.13 both cite heavens in the plural. Since God’s abode is perfectly sinless and eternal, the implication is the two new heavens to be created will be the new earth’s atmosphere and a celestial realm beyond that. We are not told whether or not the new celestial realm, e.g. “outer space”, will be populated by astronomical bodies as the current one is.
      • Rev 22.3 provides some non-definitive information about the new astronomical realm. It says because the New Jerusalem is illuminated by God’s glory the city does not need light from the sun or the moon. This may mean the sun and moon are not present in the new astronomical realm, or maybe they are but their light is not needed in the New Jerusalem. A parallel to this idea is that electric lighting makes sunlight and moonlight unnecessary for illumination.
    • Death is permanently ended. Is 25.8

Terminology

• The Day of the Lord