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Many are
wondering what the next seven years (2008-2015) will hold. Are we looking at
Daniel's seventieth week? Will the
Tribulation Period be unleashed upon the world? Israel has expressed concern over
Iran's nuclear program,
saying that if something is not done about it, Iran
will be able to field a nuclear weapon by January 2009.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was outraged
over the United
States sending a top level negotiator to meet
with Iranian representatives after President Bush assured him that we would not do that.
Olmert is resigning as
Israel's prime minister, effective as
of the middle of September. A primary election should determine who his
successor will be. But Olmert's replacement will have to face a general election
against the Likud party's Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Hizbollah have secured two of
Lebanon's highest peaks,
Mount Sannine and Mount Barukh. They have amassed 40,000 missiles
from Syria and
Iran that can reach as far
south as Beersheba. Israel is now in
a desperate situation.
However, a large U. S. armada is moving into the Persian Gulf and
another warship is sitting in Haifa harbor -- one of the class of ships that
recently shot down a failing satellite. This ship is there for the purpose of
shooting down any nuclear missiles that might be launched against Israel.
Israel's recent involvement in
Georgia's war with
Russia could have dire consequences
for the tiny nation, possibly leading to the battle of Gog and Magog.
We Look to Daniel For Clues
Gabriel gave Daniel some important clues as to end-time events and
the background of the Antichrist. He said that Jerusalem would be destroyed by "the people
of the prince that shall come" (Dan. 9:26). Since we know that the Romans
destroyed Jerusalem and Herod's Temple in A.D. 70, we
may assume that the future Antichrist will be from one of the royal families of
the ancient Roman Empire. That could be a
reference to European royalty or, for that matter, anyone with family ties to
the royal bloodline of the ancient Roman
Empire.
In Daniel 7, the little horn rises out
of the fourth beast -- the Roman Empire. In
Daniel 8, the little horn rises out of the he-goat -- the Greek Empire. In
Daniel 9, Gabriel returned to the
subject of the Roman Empire as the source of
the "prince that shall come." And in Daniel 11:20,21, we are told that the "vile
person" will stand up in the estate of the Greek overlords. How can the
future Antichrist be both Roman and
Greek? In the case of the "vile person," we look to the Greek ancestry of
the Seleucid dynasty, then ruling a vast territory. I
believe Antiochus IV Epiphanes was a prototype of the future
Antichrist. He sacrificed a sow on the Temple altar and erected a statue of Jupiter.
Some early scholars are satisfied that he was the "little horn" to whom
Daniel pointed, but Jesus explained that another was yet to come.
Gabriel did not end the prophecy there. The
gap between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth weeks began with the appearance
of the Messiah, but will conclude with three signs: a flood, desolations, and
war (Dan. 9:26). The world is still awaiting these signs. We do not know how or
when these events will occur, but we can be certain that they will happen during
the seventieth week. We cannot be dogmatic about these events, but it seems that
the seventieth week could begin in the aftermath of some great war. The next
verse explains that the Roman Prince will "confirm" or strengthen a
"covenant with many."
The Seventieth Week
Daniel was told that a seven-year Sabbatical
cycle (called in Hebrew a Shavuah) would be launched during the time of a
flood, desolations and war:
"And the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are
determined.
"And he shall confirm the covenant
with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations
he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined
shall be poured upon the desolate" (Daniel 9:26,27).
Most scholars agree that this
seventieth week is the notorious Tribulation Period. The Roman Prince will pretend to be a peacemaker. He
will launch an effort to restore peace -- but where?
I think the "covenant" that
will be "confirmed" (possibly through military strength) will
specifically concern the city of Jerusalem and
its territory -- the Holy Land. Let us not
forget that the prophecy of the seventy weeks is all about the desolations of
Jerusalem. That
is what Daniel was praying about. And
that was the subject addressed by Gabriel in this prophecy.
The future Antichrist will confirm or
strengthen an existing covenant, setting the time-frame for its full deployment
at seven years. In order to fall within the framework of the seventieth week, it
must begin in the first year of a Sabbatical cycle and conclude in a Sabbatical
Year, seven years later.
The Antichrist might seek to "divide
the baby," so to speak -- following the story of Solomon's display of great wisdom. It is possible that
Jerusalem could remain a divided city, but this
time, Israel would be allowed
to erect a sanctuary on the Temple Mount. According to Ezekiel, a wall will
be built to make a separation between the Jewish sanctuary and a "profane
place" (Ezk. 42:20). In Revelation 11, John was told to measure the area of Jewish worship,
but to leave the Gentile area alone.
It is possible that current
negotiations over the destiny of Jerusalem will
result in a divided city and a divided Temple Mount. Since the Moslems have already
developed the southern half of the Temple Mount,
with three mosques in the area, perhaps Israel will be given the northern half of the
compound for the restoration of Temple liturgy. Some kind of Jewish presence
has to be there, because Gabriel links
the abomination of desolation to the Antichrist stopping "the sacrifice."
This will occur in the middle of the Tribulation Period.
In June of this year, The Temple Institute began the mass
production of the garments of the priesthood, following the biblical
descriptions given about the material, the weaving, etc. With plans for
restoring Temple
liturgy in full gear, we are caused to wonder if the coming seven-year cycle
might be the one prophesied in Daniel's
ancient writings.
The Desolation
The term "desolation," as used
in "abomination of desolation," is a direct reference to the Mosaic Law
of the Sabbatical Years. Moses wrote:
"And I will bring the land into
desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
"And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after
you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
"Then shall the
land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your
enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
"As
long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your
sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it" (Lev. 26:32-35).
The Antichrist will fulfill this
prophecy of desolation when he commits the abomination of desolation. Evidently,
the Babylonian captivity did not end the "desolations" of the land. It
has continued down through the centuries -- until the return of the Jews in the
last century. Yet, even though the land now has trees and crops, the Temple Mount remains desolate of a Jewish
sanctuary. Why has Israel continued to suffer over the
past two millennia? Wasn't their Babylonian captivity enough? Moses tells us:
"And if ye will not yet for all this
hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your
sins" (Lev. 26:18).
It seems that Gabriel was addressing this very subject when he spoke
about a future "seventy weeks." Going one-step further, God may have
multiplied those 490 years by seven! If so, the prophecy could be a reference to
490 Sabbatical cycles, or 70 Jubilees -- 3,430 years.
Counting from Joshua's first
Sabbatical cycle beginning in 1437/36 B.C., there have been 490 Sabbatical
cycles (3,430 years) -- leading up to the signing of the Israeli/Palestinian
Peace Accord on September 13, 1993 -- just a few days before Israel's
490th Sabbatical Year in 1993/94, which was followed by what should have been
their 70th Jubilee in 1994/95.
Did a Jewish messiah arrive on the
scene that year? If so, why has it been such a long interim with no prospects
for peace? Moreover, no clear information has emerged to unveil the Antichrist.
While Israel awaits their messiah,
Gabriel foretold that the Antichrist
will come and present himself as deity. Perhaps this "prince" will try to
revive the failed Peace Accord, divide the city, establish a Palestinian State, and deploy a multinational military
garrison to keep the peace.
If the coming seven-year cycle is the
fulfillment of Daniel's seventieth
week, then we should soon witness the events leading up to the Battle of Gog and
Magog. Perhaps Israel's
involvement in Georgia's war against
Russia will lead to a
military response against Israel |