Chronicles of the End Times, my newest book, presents chiastic structures revealed in Daniel and Revelation, and by doing so tells us more about the Four Signposts as identified in Daniel Revisited.
This added information consists of (1) confirmation of fulfillment of the Signposts, (2) an adjustment to the length of the Fourth Signpost, and (3) details added to the conditions that will likely exist during the Signposts, in terms of relative loss of life.
Confirmation of Fulfillment
Chapters 15–17 of Chronicles shows a deep relationship between Daniel 2 and Daniel 7. One of the discoveries regarding this relationship is that all kings and kingdoms to appear in the end times as fulfillment of Daniel 7, will be reminiscent of the kings and kingdoms in history fulfilling Daniel 2. In fact, the similarities are downright chilling.
As an example, the king of the first beast, Saddam Hussein, should be reminiscent of the king of the gold head, Nebuchadnezzar. Indeed, Saddam is reminiscent of Nebuchadnezzar in four ways, with all four ways being four features of Nebuchadnezzar’s life that are all spelled out in the Bible.
(One of the four ways is downright remarkable. Nebuchadnezzar is the only ancient Mideast king known to have lived like a wild animal by the bank of a river (Dan. 4:32-33). Among modern, end-time leaders, Saddam Hussein is the only Mideast leader known to have also lived like a wild animal along the banks of a river! A second way is both Saddam and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:30) built Babylon. This is amazing but true.)
In another example, the founders of the four last kingdoms of the Hellenistic realm (Epirus, Egypt, Syria, and Thracia) are all echoed by the founders of the four modern states of Albania, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. Chronicles presents all the detail.
These echoes not only confirm Saddam Hussein as the first horseman, but also confirm the identity of the four modern nations making up the leopard (yes, even Albania).
Adjustment to Fourth Signpost Length
In Daniel Revisited, I wrote that the Fourth Signpost would end at the beginning of Daniel’s seventieth week. Chronicles taught me this needs to be adjusted.
Instead, the Fourth Signpost will essentially continue all the way up to the beginning of the 42-month Great Tribulation. Why?
The chiastic structure of Scripture passages involved make it clear that the Fourth Signpost comes in two parts. The first part is war within Islam itself leading up to the ten Islamic nations coming together to join the man to be Antichrist, just as it says in Daniel Revisited.
The second part, starting with the covenant to be revived and made with many, involves Islam’s war against the whole world. The covenant that is renewed is the sign set aside for Israel alone that their seventieth week begins. To the Gentile world, it will be the start of a massive world war in which the Islamic armies led by their Caliph and Mahdi, attack and invade countries adjacent to the Islamic realm, such as those in Europe and Africa.
I’ve come to the realization there is no “seven-year Tribulation”—it is merely Daniel’s seventieth week. The only Tribulation with a capital “T” is the Great Tribulation of 42 months following the revealing of the Antichrist in the temple in Jerusalem.
The first-half of the seventieth week will see great wars being staged in various places outside of the Islamic realm. In a way, that will be a tribulation for the Gentile nations.
Added Detail to Signposts
Lastly, chapter 40 of Chronicles shows us some added detail of the living conditions during the Signposts. This major finding of more detail comes from a yet unforeseen Bible passage revealing the Signposts.
In the past, some readers of Daniel Revisited have asked me if I have discovered additional Bible passages talking about the Four Signposts other, than Daniel 7, 8, and Revelation 6.
Matthew 24, suggested by readers, is now added in Chronicles. But a surprise finding, which was only realized through chiastic structure, is Revelation 14!
The chiastic structure of the entire book of Revelation shows without a doubt that Revelation 14 is the echo of the seals (the first four seals being the Signposts) of Revelation 6, and 8:1–2.
When the markers are identified, echoing between Revelation 14 and Revelation 6 (as well as with Rev. 8:1–2), more insight about the seals is revealed. The marker trails also reveal an interesting twist to our understanding of Revelation 14.
There are parallel structures and convergent structures echoing between Revelation 6 and 14. One unexpected surprise is the echo showing us a fairly good answer as to why there was silence in heaven for half an hour, at the seventh seal! It’s an odd thing in Scripture, and yet with the chiastic structure the answer becomes rather eloquent and obvious.
Pertaining to the Four Signposts, Revelation 14 shows that there is a repeated pattern in the loss of human life as we go from Signpost to Signpost. The pattern is as follows.
There is to be comparatively little loss of life during the First Signpost. We saw from 1979 to 2003 that roughly one million people were killed during this time. The Iran-Iraq War caused most of this loss of life. This loss of life is to be contrasted with the major loss of life suggested for the Second Signpost. The Second Signpost is confirmed as being a horrific event, making the war with Islamic State (IS), and the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980’s, pale in comparison.
So the First Signpost has relatively less loss of life, but the Second Signpost will have much greater loss of life.
Then, we see a repeat. The Third Signpost will see relatively little loss of life. How can this be? Isn’t there a famine that might kill millions?
First, during the Third Signpost the great Sunni Confederacy ruling the Middle East, will be working to restore economic order and the oil flow. The great Sunni-Shia War will be over.
Second, nowhere in Revelation 6 does it say there will be great shortages of food, it merely says that food will be expensive, taking a whole day’s wage. Everyone might be poor, but they may likely still be able to eat.
The Fourth Signpost, though, is the next great loss of life, shown in Revelation 14’s echo with Revelation 6. This situation confirms the effects of the rider of the fourth horse, the green one, being Death.
So the bottom line is, the loss of life during the First . . . Second . . . Third . . . Fourth Signposts will be “little killing” . . . “great killing” . . . “little killing” . . . “great killing.”
Conclusion
The Four Signposts presented in Daniel Revisited are both confirmed by Chronicles as well as having more detail filled in, with the veil being pulled back a little more.
Chiastic reading of Daniel and Revelation made this possible.
(Just a reminder – if you liked Chronicles, your posted comments on bookstore sites is appreciated. Thanks!)
Categories: Chronicles of the End Times, teaching, The Four Signposts
THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS 
Chapter 16 has maps illustrating the bronze kingdom (Daniel 2:32) and its eventual four divisions (Daniel 11:4) and a map of showing that the four divisions of the Hellenistic realm were taken over by the Ottoman Empire.
Prior to the Ottoman Empire, much of the Hellenistic realm had been conquered by the Roman Empire, which later continued as the Byzantine Empire until 1453, when Turkish forces conquered Constantinople and made it the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
The four divisions of the Hellenistic realm had already been united under Christian Byzantine rule prior to their being taken over by Islamic Ottoman rule:
Through chiastic analysis of Daniel 2 and 7 we can interpret the leopard with four heads (Daniel 7:6) as an end-time revival of the four divisions of the Hellenistic realm. Figure 28 on page 115 shows this. I was not aware of the parallels between the historical metal kingdoms of Daniel 2 and the end-time beast kingdoms of Daniel 7 until I read Chronicles of the End Times.
Chapter 17 notes that clay is not a metal. Clay platelets are silicates like most rocks are. Although clay platelets contain no gold, silver, or copper, and usually only traces of iron, aluminum atoms are so much a part of their molecular structures that they can be called aluminum silicates.
That’s right, Prisms.
The last four Hellenistic kingdoms (in that bronze skirt) -> (Eastern) Roman Empire -> Ottoman Empire -> break-up into the four heads of the leopard.
I’ve been planning to make a post about this when I have some free time.
Mark,
I have been following Nelson Walters books some and reading this post, I really need to get into your book as well. Seems your books are lining up well with each other.
“So the bottom line is, the loss of life during the First . . . Second . . . Third . . . Fourth Signposts will be ‘little killing’ . . . ‘great killing’ . . . ‘little killing’ . . . ‘great killing.'”
These outcomes might result from how invading forces are organized. During the First Signpost only one nation Iraq invaded. During the Second Signpost, although only one nation Iran will invade, it will conquer most of the Middle East. When Mecca comes under Shia control, all hell will break loose. During the Third Signpost a Turkey-led confederacy of Sunni nations will restore order to the Middle East and put Mecca back under Sunni control. When that empire is broken up into competing factions during the Fourth Signpost, the civilizing aspects of an empire will be lost. Military invasions, forced starvation, and biological warfare could wipe out populations (Revelation 6:8) both before and after Antichrist unites Islamic factions into a ten nation empire.
“The second part [of the Fourth Signpost], starting with the covenant to be revived and made with many, involves Islam’s war against the whole world. The covenant that is renewed is the sign set aside for Israel alone that their seventieth week begins. To the Gentile world, it will be the start of a massive world war in which the Islamic armies led by their Caliph and Mahdi, attack and invade countries adjacent to the Islamic realm, such as those in Europe and Africa.”
The idea that confirming the covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) refers to Antichrist and the Islamic quarter makes more sense to me than “many” referring to the State of Israel.
This is appreciated Mark. Its easy to get ‘lost’ in your book due to the size of it, so these summaries are really crucial although I must admit that I still struggle to see some of the Rev6/14 alignments (although reflections in the central passage of Rev12 are obvious).
The famine comment of Rev 6 is excellent and is perhaps why the verse ‘and don’t harm the oil and wine’ is present – to make it clear that its not a famine?? Perhaps.
Thanks again
Ryan
oops apologies Mark – after re-visiting my notes, I had forgotten about about the ‘many’ vs ‘every’ chiasm you had noted…I had asked a question in my notes if the ‘many’ referred only to those nations who willingly handed over their sovereignty to the AC, vs those countries/tribes etc who had been conquered and in subjugation by the AC. Ryan
Have you gotten any more media interviews, Mark, since the publishing of Chronicles? This really should be grabbing some attention. I don’t get how Gary Stearman only presents a certain perspective on this subject and leaves you, Nelson Walters, Joel Richardson, and Alan Kurschner out of the discussion on prophecy. The academic research is so much more thorough with you guys. Finding out some seminaries are doing this as well.
Gary,
Regarding interviews, that is being worked, but there are none so far.
Regarding seminaries, I’ve been in discussions with two but so far pastors are protecting their traditional and cherished ideas.
This is why I ask everyone who knows and believes the Signpost message, to actively push the message. Eighteen centuries of tradition will take some time to undo.
[correcting a singular “Muslim” to plural “Muslims” in the last sentence]
I get the impression that there will be seamless transitions from the the second signpost to the third signpost to the fourth signpost to the Great Tribulation, each beginning immediately when the previous one ends.
I agree with Daniel Revisited that the first signpost ended in 2011. Daniel 7:4 and Revelation 6:2, relating to the first signpost, had both been fulfilled by then. I also agree with Chronicles of the End Times that it made no sense for the USA to remove Saddam from power. It happened because God wanted it to happen, and only after it was happening did anyone realize that Daniel 7:4 and Revelation 6:2 were being fulfilled.
The only gap has been from the end of the first signpost to the second signpost. But as the first signpost ended in 2011, massive Muslim migrations into Europe were beginning, much of it through Turkey, perhaps revealing Turkey’s desire to retake lands once controlled by the Ottoman Empire, which might happen during the third signpost.
A new book by Joel Richardson and Nathan Graves, The Mystery of Catastrophe, argues that catastrophes are God’s way of opening people’s hearts to hear the gospel. As the signposts are being fulfilled, Christians should be witnessing of the atoning power of Jesus Christ to Muslims who have been taught that he was not crucified. Nathan Graves, a missionary in Albania, helped organize missionary outreach in Europe when Muslims were migrating through the Balkan Peninsula.
Here is the most detailed map of Muslim migration into Europe that I have found. Since the type is small, here is a summary. From 2011 to 2014 Arab Spring migration was mainly through Italy (dark blue arrows). In 2015 was the great migration through Turkey and the Balkan Peninsula (red arrows). When the Balkan route was closed in 2016, migration through Turkey shifted northward (light blue arrows).
Arab Spring migrations into Europe began while the first signpost was ending.