Hi All,
Just wanted to share a study I did on Daniel's 70 week prophecy, would love to hear what you guys think. It is my position that the "7 year tribulation" model comes from a misinterpretation of Daniel 9:27 which is due to a mistranslation of the verse. Note the difference between the NKJV and NASB. It is also my position that the Rapture is to take place only at the end of the 3.5 great tribulation period, which the Scriptures do make exceedingly clear. Also did a study on that, hope to maybe share in the future.
NJKV
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.
NASB
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week,
but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering;
and on the wing off abominations will come one who makes desolate,
even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed,
is poured out on the one who makes desolate.
Rapture
Luke 21
"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
We (the Church) are here to witness all the events Jesus was speaking of, and even when we do begin to see them take place, our redemption is ONLY drawing near.
Matthew 24
But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels (RAPTURE) with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
This is the rapture, Jesus does not come back with people here, but with angels. This is not Jesus returning with His already raptured Church to pick up those who have been left behind, this is not the Second Coming!
1 Thessalonians 4
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel (RAPTURE) and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
1 Corinthians 15
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet (RAPTURE); for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Revelations 10
I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE EARTH AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT, that there will be delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel (RAPTURE), when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.
Revelations 11
Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying,
“We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great (RAPTURE), and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
God Bless
________________________________________________________________________________________
The single most important end-times prophecy is found in the Old Testament, believe it or not. It is known as the 70 week prophecy of Daniel. The reason why this prophecy is so important is because it serves as the prophetic "framework" for key end-times events that are to take place leading up to the return of Christ. It is the timeline which allows us to situate these very events in Biblical history, and is also the reference point for what is known as the Great Tribulation (Day of the Lord). The prophecy speaks of two princes, Messiah the Prince and the "prince who is to come" (Man of Sin/Anti-Christ). The prince who is to come will usher in the world's first and only satanic world system during the future Great Tribulation which is divinely assigned a time slot of 3.5 years only, and will be promptly overthrown by Messiah the Prince who will come to establish God's world order forever. The prophecy is given to Daniel on behalf of his people (Israel) and the holy city (Jerusalem). Even Jesus Himself referred to this prophecy (see Matthew 24:15), for it speaks of Him.
It goes without saying that before one can properly decipher the end-time prophecies, one must first properly understand this particular prophecy, for it is the key that unlocks the rest. Interestingly enough, this prophecy is among the most misinterpreted. The popular 7-year tribulation end-time model stems from a misinterpreting of this prophecy.
Before we turn to Scripture, there are two points that need to be iterated in order to avoid confusion:
(1) There is no future 7 year tribulation period, and only a future 3.5 year great tribulation period
(2) There is going to be a 3rd and final temple rebuilt in Jerusalem
These points will be proven as we move further into this study. What is the Day of the Lord, you may ask? We don't have the time to cover this topic, but you can read this brief article and get up to speed if need be:
http://www.gotquestions.org/day-of-the-Lord.html
Now, let's turn to the book of Daniel:
"Seventy Weeks and the Messiah"
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
(Daniel 9:24-27)
Another name for the "seventy weeks" is "seventy sevens", the reason being that each week is a period of 7 years. There's a lot going on in this passage of Scripture, so let's break it down into sections.
We know what this prophecy covers:
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
Here's the first leg of the prophecy:
So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks...
From the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there will 7 + 62 weeks, a total of 69 weeks. 69 weeks multiplied by 7 years per week is a total period of 483 years. Thus, from the moment that the decree to rebuild Jerusalem is given up until Messiah the Prince comes, there will be 483 years.
"Cyrus’s Proclamation"
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:
Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. Every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
(Ezra 1:1-4)
--- The first period of 7 weeks ---
This 49 year period begins with the 'commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem' which was given around 456 BC. This took place during the time of Israel's Babylonian exile, but at the time that the decree was given, Persia had already conquered and replaced Babylon as the world power.
--- The second period of 62 weeks ---
The 434 year period that follows will end with the coming of the Messiah, which is marked by the baptism of Jesus in 27 AD when He is 30 years old.
456 BC + 483 years = 27 AD
At the time of Jesus' baptism (Messiah the Prince arrives), the first 69 weeks of this prophecy have been completed. At the same time, the final 70th week begins.
Here's the second leg of the prophecy:
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off
After the 62 weeks, or after the 69 weeks. The 7 first weeks were already completed by the time the 62 weeks begin to unfold, so when Daniel records "after the 62 weeks", he means "after the 69 weeks". This is due to how Daniel separates this period of 69 weeks into two sections, 7 + 62.
How will the Messiah be "cut-off"? By His crucifixion, after having been rejected by Israel, His own people. When exactly is the Messiah cut off? Some time following the 69th week, meaning at some point during the final 70th week. How long was Jesus' earthly ministry? It was 3.5 years long.
It is at this point that one is able to clearly see that the Messiah is cut-off at the mid-point of the final 70th week, and not at the beginning of the 70th week. How come Jesus both be manifest to Israel (Messiah the prince arrives) and also cut-off from Israel at the same time?! Thus, all that remains to be fulfilled in this prophecy is the final half of the 70th week (last 3.5 years).
Here's the third leg of the prophecy:
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering
This is the critical part to understand. In error, many assume that Daniel was talking about the Man of Sin / Beast from the Sea here (see Revelations 13:1-10 & 2 Thessalonians 2:3 NKJV). In the 70 week prophecy, Daniel refers to him as "the prince who is to come", and confirms that it is his people who will "destroy the city and the sanctuary". This is what Jesus was referencing in Luke 21:20. For a sanctuary to be destroyed, it would have the be built, indicating that there will have to be a rebuilt 3rd temple.
The covenant that is formed is not between the Man of Sin and people, but between Jesus and people. In order to understand this passage properly, one must pay close attention to the use of the personal pronouns in the text.
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, (and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.)And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate,even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
Daniel is clearly speaking of two individuals in this portion of Scripture! "He" will make a firm covenant with many for one week, and then "there will come one".
Jesus will make a firm covenant with many for one week and then there will come one who makes desolate. The way Jesus puts a stop to sacrifice and grain offerings IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 70th WEEK is through his substitutionary sacrifice on the cross as the Lamb of God for the sins of mankind, which takes place at the end of His earthly ministry 3.5 years following His baptism. It is the one perfect sacrifice that was offered up to God once, accomplishing all things. It is at this point that He is "cut-off" from Israel due to her hardness of heart and spiritual rebellion, causing them to kill the one whom God sent to her, His own Son.
"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."
The cross of Christ was the turning point, and is the very thing that completely invalidated animal sacrifice and grain offerings forever as the means of atonement for sin, which is the prescription of the Old Covenant, the Mosaic Law. This is how Jesus but an end to "animal sacrifice and grain offerings".
In the abundance of witnesses the truth is established. This principle also applies to Scripture. If the anti-christ is to form a covenant with anyone (or with Israel, for that matter), then there should be ample scriptural evidence pointing to this. There is no such thing as any one prophecy being mentioned only "once", the truths of Scripture is always reaffirmed many times over throughout the Bible. So where else in the Bible is it mentioned that the anti-christ will form a covenant with anyone? Look far and wide, you will find the bible silent on such an idea. We know who the anti-christ (man of sin) is and what he will do, forming a covenant is not one of them.
What about the idea of Jesus forming a covenant with people? My goodness, is there any one Biblical truth that has as much scriptural support as this?
The covenant Daniel spoke of is the very covenant Jesus will form with His people, the Church, for whom He will provide propitiation and atonement for sin, as well as eternal salvation and the promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in permanence, all this taking place following the moment of His baptism when He is made manifest to Israel with His earthly ministry commencing, during the course of "one week"(the last 70th).
However, it is important to recognize that only the Israelite men and women that Jesus was sent to are in view here, it is with the Apostle Paul that the gentile church is established. Remember, this prophecy is given on behalf of Israel.
The span of this week-long covenant began at His baptism, and goes all the way up until His second coming and the Rapture of His Church at the end of the Great Tribulation / Day of the Lord (final 3.5 years), at which point this covenant has reached its consummation (Church glorified and will forever be with the Lord). As we shall see, the Church age is squeezed in between this week, as it hasn't been revealed to Daniel. I say a covenant He "will form" because at the time that this prophecy was written, it was still all future. It is a "firm" covenant, for through the person and work of Christ, God has made a divine, legal decision to "blot out the sins" of those who turn to His Son in faith. It is an eternal and irreversible decision, producing within the life of those who receive this gracious gift a salvation leading to eternal life.
It is at the moment of Jesus' baptism when He is given the Holy Spirit from heaven, and without limit, in order to conduct His earthly ministry in power and be the first human temple of the living God. It is at this moment that the final 70th week begins, the Lord's public baptism. For it as at this moment that Jesus is revealed to Israel as her Messiah.
It is 69 weeks until "Messiah the Prince", at which point the final 70th week commences.
Does not the John the Baptist reveal that the sign He was given by God that the Messiah had come would be a dove descending and alighting on Him?This dove is the Holy Spirit, and is the divine sign from heaven that the Messiah had come and that He would bring the Kingdom of God to men and grant THEM the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ, through repentance and faith. Before this point, Jesus was a regular looking man with nothing particular special about his outward appearance, who was not yet identified, for His time had not yet come.
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
(Isaiah 53:2)
--- The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” ---
(John 1:29-31)
The reason why Daniel said "a week" (7 years) and not 2000+ years is because it was not granted to him to see the Church age in His prophecy.
The first half of this week consists of the earthly ministry of Christ which the Old Testament testifies of to a great degree. The last half pertains to the Day of the Lord, and again this is something that both the Old and New Testaments prophesy about. Bear in mind that the Day of the Lord is what directly precedes the return of Christ / Second Coming.
** Squeezed right in the middle of this week is the Church age! **
For whom is the 70 week prophecy given?
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city...
It has been given on behalf of Israel and the holy city (Jerusalem), hence the reason why the Church age is not revealed to Daniel here. Both the ministry of Christ and the Day of the Lord ultimately center on and revolve around Israel. More specifically, Jerusalem City and the "physical" temple of God located in Jerusalem. These are two periods of time during which God personally and directly intervenes and deals with His chosen nation, which is the primary and foremost purpose for the writing of these prophecies.
To reiterate the chronology of the final 70th week:
Another important point to understand is that Daniel did not see the second destruction of Jerusalem and the temple at the hands of the Romans a few mere decades following Israel's rejection of her Messiah (70 AD). When Babylon conquered Israel and destroyed Jerusalem (around 600 BC), it was the "first destruction" followed by the "first rebuilding" approximately years later after the decree was given allowing the Jews to return to Israel, ending their first exile. Their second exile following the Roman destruction of Jerusalem ended in 1948, with the Zionist effort to immigrate Jews from all over the world back to the Holy Land becoming a successful endeavour.
To give an analogy, it is as if God took scissors and "snipped" the historical time line between the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus, and the destruction and desolation of the "third" Jerusalem at the hands of the Man of Sin millennia later. Within this "snipped" section, the second city and temple of Jesus' days is destroyed (as He predicted), with a second rebuilding of the city taking place in the centuries to follow, though the temple still remains to be rebuilt to this day.
Daniel doesn't see this, which is why he doesn't mention it. The reason being that it takes place during the Church age.
--- So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem...it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress...and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. ---
Daniel looks and sees the second Jerusalem and second temple. Then looks again, seeing the third Jerusalem and third temple (of the 20th century) being destroyed but apparently not discerning a difference, or at least not recording a difference. This is because of how his prophecy seems to give off the impression of a continuity all the way through.
Further proving this point powerfully:
From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
(Daniel 12:11)
Literally, that very "snipped" time-span doesn't exist to Daniel, it is "frozen". He sees the crucifixion of Jesus (abolishing of regular sacrifice) and the future destruction of the third Jerusalem (the setting up of the abomination of desolation) as happening at the same time. And it is from this time that there is another 3.5 years that elapse (1290 days), the final half of the 70th week which is the Great Tribulation.
God the Father, in His sovereign will and purposes, chose to withhold revelation of the church age in the Old Testament, as He chose to not reveal anything about it to His Old Testament prophets. At the same time, there are plenty of allusions to the fact that the Church would eventually come, beginning with the Abrahamic Promise, and how God promised Abraham that He would bless the nations of the earth through his seed, and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of the heavens and the grains of sand on the seashore. Paul reveals how this reality has taken place. It is not a physical reality, but a spiritual one:
Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
(Galatians 3:6-9)
Now, what about this last half (3.5 years) of the final 70th week? Where has it gone exactly? End times prophecy does not speak of any future "7 year tribulation", though it has plenty to say in regards to a future 3.5 year (42 month) great tribulation period. Scripture always proves Scripture.
He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Daniel 7:25
I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.
Daniel 12:7
From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
Daniel 12:11
Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.
Revelation 11:2
And there was given unto him [the Beast] a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Revelation 13:5-7
The one who is wearing down the saints, making war against the saints, shattering the power of the holy people, desolating the holy city and causing it to be trampled underfoot by "his" people, intending to make alterations in times and in law, speaking great things and blasphemies against God, His tabernacle, and those that dwell in heaven, is none other than the prince who is to come, the Man of Sin (Man of Lawlessness).
Next to Jesus the Messiah, this character is the most prophesied about individual in the Bible, who carries several different "titles" depending on the prophecy. He is an end-times character who will operate during the Great Tribulation just before the Second Coming of Christ, at which point Christ will destroy Him at His coming simply by "breathing" on Him. There will not even be a struggle! He will be "broken without human agency" (Daniel 8:25).
Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. (Daniel 11:45)
Finally, there is one last leg of the 70 week prophecy that needs to be considered:
...and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.
This particular portion of Scripture deals with the actions of the Man of Sin / Beast from the Sea, and is the subject of another study. Here are the main Scripture references.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 + Daniel 11:37 + Revelations 13:5-6
Daniel 9:27, 26 + Mark 13:14 + Matthew 24:15 + Revelations 13:14
Daniel 7:8, 11, 20, 21, 24 + Revelations 13:7 +Daniel 12:7
Daniel 8:24-25 + Revelations 12:9 & 17 + Daniel 11:39
Luke 21:20 + Daniel 11:41
Micah 5:5-6 + Isaiah 10:5-6 + Revelations 11:2
Daniel 11:36-45
Just wanted to share a study I did on Daniel's 70 week prophecy, would love to hear what you guys think. It is my position that the "7 year tribulation" model comes from a misinterpretation of Daniel 9:27 which is due to a mistranslation of the verse. Note the difference between the NKJV and NASB. It is also my position that the Rapture is to take place only at the end of the 3.5 great tribulation period, which the Scriptures do make exceedingly clear. Also did a study on that, hope to maybe share in the future.
NJKV
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.
NASB
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week,
but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering;
and on the wing off abominations will come one who makes desolate,
even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed,
is poured out on the one who makes desolate.
Rapture
Luke 21
"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
We (the Church) are here to witness all the events Jesus was speaking of, and even when we do begin to see them take place, our redemption is ONLY drawing near.
Matthew 24
But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels (RAPTURE) with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
This is the rapture, Jesus does not come back with people here, but with angels. This is not Jesus returning with His already raptured Church to pick up those who have been left behind, this is not the Second Coming!
1 Thessalonians 4
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel (RAPTURE) and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
1 Corinthians 15
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet (RAPTURE); for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Revelations 10
I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.” Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE EARTH AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT, that there will be delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel (RAPTURE), when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.
Revelations 11
Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying,
“We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great (RAPTURE), and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
God Bless
________________________________________________________________________________________
The single most important end-times prophecy is found in the Old Testament, believe it or not. It is known as the 70 week prophecy of Daniel. The reason why this prophecy is so important is because it serves as the prophetic "framework" for key end-times events that are to take place leading up to the return of Christ. It is the timeline which allows us to situate these very events in Biblical history, and is also the reference point for what is known as the Great Tribulation (Day of the Lord). The prophecy speaks of two princes, Messiah the Prince and the "prince who is to come" (Man of Sin/Anti-Christ). The prince who is to come will usher in the world's first and only satanic world system during the future Great Tribulation which is divinely assigned a time slot of 3.5 years only, and will be promptly overthrown by Messiah the Prince who will come to establish God's world order forever. The prophecy is given to Daniel on behalf of his people (Israel) and the holy city (Jerusalem). Even Jesus Himself referred to this prophecy (see Matthew 24:15), for it speaks of Him.
It goes without saying that before one can properly decipher the end-time prophecies, one must first properly understand this particular prophecy, for it is the key that unlocks the rest. Interestingly enough, this prophecy is among the most misinterpreted. The popular 7-year tribulation end-time model stems from a misinterpreting of this prophecy.
Before we turn to Scripture, there are two points that need to be iterated in order to avoid confusion:
(1) There is no future 7 year tribulation period, and only a future 3.5 year great tribulation period
(2) There is going to be a 3rd and final temple rebuilt in Jerusalem
These points will be proven as we move further into this study. What is the Day of the Lord, you may ask? We don't have the time to cover this topic, but you can read this brief article and get up to speed if need be:
http://www.gotquestions.org/day-of-the-Lord.html
Now, let's turn to the book of Daniel:
"Seventy Weeks and the Messiah"
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
(Daniel 9:24-27)
Another name for the "seventy weeks" is "seventy sevens", the reason being that each week is a period of 7 years. There's a lot going on in this passage of Scripture, so let's break it down into sections.
We know what this prophecy covers:
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
Here's the first leg of the prophecy:
So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks...
From the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there will 7 + 62 weeks, a total of 69 weeks. 69 weeks multiplied by 7 years per week is a total period of 483 years. Thus, from the moment that the decree to rebuild Jerusalem is given up until Messiah the Prince comes, there will be 483 years.
"Cyrus’s Proclamation"
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:
Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. Every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
(Ezra 1:1-4)
--- The first period of 7 weeks ---
This 49 year period begins with the 'commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem' which was given around 456 BC. This took place during the time of Israel's Babylonian exile, but at the time that the decree was given, Persia had already conquered and replaced Babylon as the world power.
--- The second period of 62 weeks ---
The 434 year period that follows will end with the coming of the Messiah, which is marked by the baptism of Jesus in 27 AD when He is 30 years old.
456 BC + 483 years = 27 AD
At the time of Jesus' baptism (Messiah the Prince arrives), the first 69 weeks of this prophecy have been completed. At the same time, the final 70th week begins.
Here's the second leg of the prophecy:
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off
After the 62 weeks, or after the 69 weeks. The 7 first weeks were already completed by the time the 62 weeks begin to unfold, so when Daniel records "after the 62 weeks", he means "after the 69 weeks". This is due to how Daniel separates this period of 69 weeks into two sections, 7 + 62.
How will the Messiah be "cut-off"? By His crucifixion, after having been rejected by Israel, His own people. When exactly is the Messiah cut off? Some time following the 69th week, meaning at some point during the final 70th week. How long was Jesus' earthly ministry? It was 3.5 years long.
It is at this point that one is able to clearly see that the Messiah is cut-off at the mid-point of the final 70th week, and not at the beginning of the 70th week. How come Jesus both be manifest to Israel (Messiah the prince arrives) and also cut-off from Israel at the same time?! Thus, all that remains to be fulfilled in this prophecy is the final half of the 70th week (last 3.5 years).
Here's the third leg of the prophecy:
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering
This is the critical part to understand. In error, many assume that Daniel was talking about the Man of Sin / Beast from the Sea here (see Revelations 13:1-10 & 2 Thessalonians 2:3 NKJV). In the 70 week prophecy, Daniel refers to him as "the prince who is to come", and confirms that it is his people who will "destroy the city and the sanctuary". This is what Jesus was referencing in Luke 21:20. For a sanctuary to be destroyed, it would have the be built, indicating that there will have to be a rebuilt 3rd temple.
The covenant that is formed is not between the Man of Sin and people, but between Jesus and people. In order to understand this passage properly, one must pay close attention to the use of the personal pronouns in the text.
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, (and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.)And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate,even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
Daniel is clearly speaking of two individuals in this portion of Scripture! "He" will make a firm covenant with many for one week, and then "there will come one".
Jesus will make a firm covenant with many for one week and then there will come one who makes desolate. The way Jesus puts a stop to sacrifice and grain offerings IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 70th WEEK is through his substitutionary sacrifice on the cross as the Lamb of God for the sins of mankind, which takes place at the end of His earthly ministry 3.5 years following His baptism. It is the one perfect sacrifice that was offered up to God once, accomplishing all things. It is at this point that He is "cut-off" from Israel due to her hardness of heart and spiritual rebellion, causing them to kill the one whom God sent to her, His own Son.
"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."
The cross of Christ was the turning point, and is the very thing that completely invalidated animal sacrifice and grain offerings forever as the means of atonement for sin, which is the prescription of the Old Covenant, the Mosaic Law. This is how Jesus but an end to "animal sacrifice and grain offerings".
In the abundance of witnesses the truth is established. This principle also applies to Scripture. If the anti-christ is to form a covenant with anyone (or with Israel, for that matter), then there should be ample scriptural evidence pointing to this. There is no such thing as any one prophecy being mentioned only "once", the truths of Scripture is always reaffirmed many times over throughout the Bible. So where else in the Bible is it mentioned that the anti-christ will form a covenant with anyone? Look far and wide, you will find the bible silent on such an idea. We know who the anti-christ (man of sin) is and what he will do, forming a covenant is not one of them.
What about the idea of Jesus forming a covenant with people? My goodness, is there any one Biblical truth that has as much scriptural support as this?
The covenant Daniel spoke of is the very covenant Jesus will form with His people, the Church, for whom He will provide propitiation and atonement for sin, as well as eternal salvation and the promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in permanence, all this taking place following the moment of His baptism when He is made manifest to Israel with His earthly ministry commencing, during the course of "one week"(the last 70th).
However, it is important to recognize that only the Israelite men and women that Jesus was sent to are in view here, it is with the Apostle Paul that the gentile church is established. Remember, this prophecy is given on behalf of Israel.
The span of this week-long covenant began at His baptism, and goes all the way up until His second coming and the Rapture of His Church at the end of the Great Tribulation / Day of the Lord (final 3.5 years), at which point this covenant has reached its consummation (Church glorified and will forever be with the Lord). As we shall see, the Church age is squeezed in between this week, as it hasn't been revealed to Daniel. I say a covenant He "will form" because at the time that this prophecy was written, it was still all future. It is a "firm" covenant, for through the person and work of Christ, God has made a divine, legal decision to "blot out the sins" of those who turn to His Son in faith. It is an eternal and irreversible decision, producing within the life of those who receive this gracious gift a salvation leading to eternal life.
It is at the moment of Jesus' baptism when He is given the Holy Spirit from heaven, and without limit, in order to conduct His earthly ministry in power and be the first human temple of the living God. It is at this moment that the final 70th week begins, the Lord's public baptism. For it as at this moment that Jesus is revealed to Israel as her Messiah.
It is 69 weeks until "Messiah the Prince", at which point the final 70th week commences.
Does not the John the Baptist reveal that the sign He was given by God that the Messiah had come would be a dove descending and alighting on Him?This dove is the Holy Spirit, and is the divine sign from heaven that the Messiah had come and that He would bring the Kingdom of God to men and grant THEM the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ, through repentance and faith. Before this point, Jesus was a regular looking man with nothing particular special about his outward appearance, who was not yet identified, for His time had not yet come.
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
(Isaiah 53:2)
--- The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” ---
(John 1:29-31)
The reason why Daniel said "a week" (7 years) and not 2000+ years is because it was not granted to him to see the Church age in His prophecy.
The first half of this week consists of the earthly ministry of Christ which the Old Testament testifies of to a great degree. The last half pertains to the Day of the Lord, and again this is something that both the Old and New Testaments prophesy about. Bear in mind that the Day of the Lord is what directly precedes the return of Christ / Second Coming.
** Squeezed right in the middle of this week is the Church age! **
For whom is the 70 week prophecy given?
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city...
It has been given on behalf of Israel and the holy city (Jerusalem), hence the reason why the Church age is not revealed to Daniel here. Both the ministry of Christ and the Day of the Lord ultimately center on and revolve around Israel. More specifically, Jerusalem City and the "physical" temple of God located in Jerusalem. These are two periods of time during which God personally and directly intervenes and deals with His chosen nation, which is the primary and foremost purpose for the writing of these prophecies.
To reiterate the chronology of the final 70th week:
Jesus the Messiah is baptised and manifested to Israel (first 3.5 years)
Jesus is "cut-off" from Israel due to her rejection and crucifying of Him, Jesus puts an end to sacrifice and grain offerings, freezing the prophetic time-clock of the 70 week prophecy in the middle of the week
Israel's rejection of her Messiah paves the way for the time of the Gentiles and the Church Age, lasting 2000+ years!
The Abomination of Desolation is committed by Man of Sin in the holy place, unfreezing the prophetic time-clock of the 70 week prophecy
The Day of the Lord / Great Tribulation commences (last 3.5 years)
Jesus is "cut-off" from Israel due to her rejection and crucifying of Him, Jesus puts an end to sacrifice and grain offerings, freezing the prophetic time-clock of the 70 week prophecy in the middle of the week
Israel's rejection of her Messiah paves the way for the time of the Gentiles and the Church Age, lasting 2000+ years!
The Abomination of Desolation is committed by Man of Sin in the holy place, unfreezing the prophetic time-clock of the 70 week prophecy
The Day of the Lord / Great Tribulation commences (last 3.5 years)
Another important point to understand is that Daniel did not see the second destruction of Jerusalem and the temple at the hands of the Romans a few mere decades following Israel's rejection of her Messiah (70 AD). When Babylon conquered Israel and destroyed Jerusalem (around 600 BC), it was the "first destruction" followed by the "first rebuilding" approximately years later after the decree was given allowing the Jews to return to Israel, ending their first exile. Their second exile following the Roman destruction of Jerusalem ended in 1948, with the Zionist effort to immigrate Jews from all over the world back to the Holy Land becoming a successful endeavour.
To give an analogy, it is as if God took scissors and "snipped" the historical time line between the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus, and the destruction and desolation of the "third" Jerusalem at the hands of the Man of Sin millennia later. Within this "snipped" section, the second city and temple of Jesus' days is destroyed (as He predicted), with a second rebuilding of the city taking place in the centuries to follow, though the temple still remains to be rebuilt to this day.
Daniel doesn't see this, which is why he doesn't mention it. The reason being that it takes place during the Church age.
--- So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem...it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress...and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. ---
Daniel looks and sees the second Jerusalem and second temple. Then looks again, seeing the third Jerusalem and third temple (of the 20th century) being destroyed but apparently not discerning a difference, or at least not recording a difference. This is because of how his prophecy seems to give off the impression of a continuity all the way through.
Further proving this point powerfully:
From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
(Daniel 12:11)
Literally, that very "snipped" time-span doesn't exist to Daniel, it is "frozen". He sees the crucifixion of Jesus (abolishing of regular sacrifice) and the future destruction of the third Jerusalem (the setting up of the abomination of desolation) as happening at the same time. And it is from this time that there is another 3.5 years that elapse (1290 days), the final half of the 70th week which is the Great Tribulation.
God the Father, in His sovereign will and purposes, chose to withhold revelation of the church age in the Old Testament, as He chose to not reveal anything about it to His Old Testament prophets. At the same time, there are plenty of allusions to the fact that the Church would eventually come, beginning with the Abrahamic Promise, and how God promised Abraham that He would bless the nations of the earth through his seed, and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of the heavens and the grains of sand on the seashore. Paul reveals how this reality has taken place. It is not a physical reality, but a spiritual one:
Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
(Galatians 3:6-9)
Now, what about this last half (3.5 years) of the final 70th week? Where has it gone exactly? End times prophecy does not speak of any future "7 year tribulation", though it has plenty to say in regards to a future 3.5 year (42 month) great tribulation period. Scripture always proves Scripture.
He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Daniel 7:25
I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.
Daniel 12:7
From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
Daniel 12:11
Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.
Revelation 11:2
And there was given unto him [the Beast] a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Revelation 13:5-7
The one who is wearing down the saints, making war against the saints, shattering the power of the holy people, desolating the holy city and causing it to be trampled underfoot by "his" people, intending to make alterations in times and in law, speaking great things and blasphemies against God, His tabernacle, and those that dwell in heaven, is none other than the prince who is to come, the Man of Sin (Man of Lawlessness).
Next to Jesus the Messiah, this character is the most prophesied about individual in the Bible, who carries several different "titles" depending on the prophecy. He is an end-times character who will operate during the Great Tribulation just before the Second Coming of Christ, at which point Christ will destroy Him at His coming simply by "breathing" on Him. There will not even be a struggle! He will be "broken without human agency" (Daniel 8:25).
Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. (Daniel 11:45)
Finally, there is one last leg of the 70 week prophecy that needs to be considered:
...and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.
This particular portion of Scripture deals with the actions of the Man of Sin / Beast from the Sea, and is the subject of another study. Here are the main Scripture references.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 + Daniel 11:37 + Revelations 13:5-6
Daniel 9:27, 26 + Mark 13:14 + Matthew 24:15 + Revelations 13:14
Daniel 7:8, 11, 20, 21, 24 + Revelations 13:7 +Daniel 12:7
Daniel 8:24-25 + Revelations 12:9 & 17 + Daniel 11:39
Luke 21:20 + Daniel 11:41
Micah 5:5-6 + Isaiah 10:5-6 + Revelations 11:2
Daniel 11:36-45
Last edited:
