A Treatise On
A Week
                                                                                           By Pastor F. M. Riley
                                                                                            January 1, 2019
     "And he shall confirm [strengthen] the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst [middle] 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 9:27.   
Introduction
     By the grace of God, I know the length of a week.  A week is seven days.  I know this to be true, because the very first week at the beginning of the creation, set in place by the Lord God Himself was exactly seven days.  Read it for yourself in Genesis chapter 1, and the first three verses of Genesis 2.  
Defining a Week in Scripture
     However, what is typified in those Scriptures is God's Great Plan of the Ages for fallen mankind; a week of 1,000 year days for a total of 7,000 years.  Now don't get carried away by false teachers on this point.  Each of those days in Genesis 1 - 2 was a 24 hour day, exactly like our days today.  But each of those 24 hour days typified or represented 1,000 years in which the Lord God is working out His great Plan of the Ages for fallen mankind.  That each day represents 1,000 years is absolutely certain, for such is clearly stated in 2 Peter 3:8.  See also Psalm 90:4.  
     In the light of this truth, every serious Bible believer should be able to figure out, that (we) mankind on the earth today, is swiftly approaching the end of 6,000 years, or six days in God's Great Week.  The seventh period of 1,000 years will be the Lord God's own special Sabbath Day, in which He will rule and reign in His Millennial Kingdom in absolute peace and righteousness.  During that time all the nations of mankind who have survived the Tribulation,  will come before His throne to worship Him, and give to Him the honor due Him.  Read it for yourself in Zechariah 14; the whole chapter.  
     Since a seven day week, and a 1,000 year day, making up a 7,000 year week, are clearly stated and established in God's inspired Word, then it should be no problem for our readers  to figure out that there is also a seven day week of years, which is exactly what is being referred to in Daniel 9:27.   
     I emphasize that it is the inspired Word which interprets God's Word.  God did not leave it up to fallen mankind to decide what His Word says and means.  Or to inject their own ideas, opinions, and theories to explain or give understanding to His Word.  Any reader who hasn't figured this out yet,, ought to spend more time in study and prayer, and less in blabbering out things they really don't understand. I would also add that unless one is a true believer, genuinely saved by "repentance toward God, and faith toward  our Lord Jesus Christ,"  Acts 20:21, they will never be able to understand the great truths of God's Word, nor be able to "rightly divide" the Word.  Read it for yourself in 1 Corinthians 2:14.  Readers might also read John 16:13.  
An Exposition of Daniel 9:27
     The Book of Daniel was given to Daniel some 600 years before the First Coming of Christ.  The context in which Daniel 9:27  occurs, is quite plain that Daniel was given a prophecy of the, future destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, Daniel 9:26.  According to this prophecy given to Daniel, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple  would be carried out by a Roman "prince."  And it was!  The commanding General of the Roman armies in 70 A.D. was Titus, who was also a  "prince" in theRoman government.
     Now between 9:26 and 9:27 is a gap of some 2,600 years.  Yet 9:27 resumes speaking about a Roman ruler right where 9:26 left off.  History records the Roman Empire as being the greatest empire in human history. But due to uprisings against the Roman Empire, the Roman government was briefly defeated, and the empire ceased to exist.  However, those in the old Roman government raised an insurrection, defeated their enemies and re-established the Second Roman Empire.  Due to the wickedness of the Roman people, Second Rome just finally collapsed.  
       Now dear readers, tell me what it was that Adolph Hitler wanted to reestablish on the earth when he began invading and occupying other nations in 1937?  The answer is the "Third Reich."  This term was quite familiar during the Second World War.  The term literally means, "Third Rome."  In other words, Hitler wanted to establish the Third Roman Empiire with himself as the Roman Emperor.  Every reader knows, or should know, how that all ended.  
     The prophecy that Daniel received in 9:27 speaks of a future man who will arise out of the same territory in Europe, which was once a part of the ancient Roman Empire. This man will be the "he" in 9:27.  Upon coming to some position of political power, "he"  will "confirm" [strengthen] a covenant with the nation and people of Israel for a period of seven years.   
      It is not just "coincidence" that there is right now as I write,  a strong movement in the nations comprising the European Union, and also in the United Nations, to establish a one-world government.  There are some powerful political leaders in the EU and the UN who believe that a one-world government would finally enable the nations of the world to live in "peace and prosperity."  
     Only two nations which have absolute veto power in the U.N. are presently standing in the way of a one-world government.  Those two nations are the nation of America, and the nation of  Russia.  Hello!
     Does the prophetic Scriptures have anything to say about either of these two nations being taken out of the way?  Oh brother, does it!  But that is not the subject we are concerned with in this study.  
     The "he" in Daniel 9:27 is obviously the man whom we believers presently refer to as the future "anti-christ."  This can easily be seen by God's people, when this passage is compared with the vision of John as recorded in the Book of Revelation.   It is the anti-christ who will stop the daily sacrifice in the rebuilt Jewish Temple during the future Tribulation Period, and who will enter the Temple and declare himself to be God.  "He" will then then set up his own image, and demand that the Jewish people, and the whole of mankind on the earth,  worship only  him and his image.  This will  cause the Jewish people to flee from the land, exactly as the Lord Himself warned them to do, thus bringing  the land of Israel into a state of desolation [emptiness; deserted].  Now read it for yourself in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, Revelation 13:1-18, and Matthew 24:15-22.  
     I will not fail to mention that in the presidential election in the nation of France just a few weeks ago, a man was elected as the president of France, who has expressed his ambition to rule the whole world, and to be worshiped as the God of the Universe.  Look up the news about this man for yourself and reach your own conclusions in the light of inspired Bible prophecy.  
      Returning to Daniel 9:27, the word translated as "confirm" in our English Bibles, is actually the Hebrew word which means to "strengthen."  This then clearly implies that a covenant with the Jewish people will already be in existence.  The future anti-christ, as a powerful political leader,  will then come along and "strengthen" that covenant.  In other words, he will make the covenant much more favorable to Israel, perhaps guaranteeing their borders and independence, and perhaps even assisting them in building their third Temple.  These things would certainly ingratiate him in the eyes of the Jewish people, whom he will be trying to deceive.  He might even applaud their resumption of the daily sacrifice once the Temple is built.   
     The Covenant will obviously be "strengthened" [guaranteed] by the anti-christ for a period of seven years.  But in the middle of the seven years [after 3 1/2 years] the anti-christ himself will violate the covenant by stopping the daily sacrifice, entering the Temple, declaring himself to be God, and setting up "the abomination of desolation" [Matthew 24:15], and demanding to be worshiped by all of mankind left on the earth.  
     Again, is it just "coincidence" that the nation of America will be ready to present a "World Peace Plan" before the U.N. this very next month; February, 2019?  This peace plan, of course, includes distinct borders for the land of Israel, hoping to bring the wars between Israel and the Muslim nations to a complete halt.  I highly suspect this "World Peace Plan" will be adopted by the U.N.    
     When the anti-christ violates the covenant at the middle of the seven year Tribulation Period, the Jewish people will flee from Jerusalem and the entire land of Israel, just as the Lord warned them to do, Matthew 24:16-22.  The whole land will then be left empty and desolate, exactly as stated right here in 9:27.  
     The Jewish people will flee into the rose red rock city of Petra, where they will be kept safe during the last half of the seven year Tribulation.  But their flight, and what happens to them there, is another subject for another Bible study.
The Seven Year Tribulation
     I think Daniel 9:27 makes is very clear that the length of time involved in  the covenant is for a seven year period, which completely verifies the vision of John in Revelation, chapters 4 through19.   A few people today have begun teaching a 3 1/2 year Tribulation Period.  They do this by ignoring the context, taking Scriptures out of context, refusing to accept the Scriptures at face value for what they actually say,  and twisting Scriptures to make them say what they want them to say.  I think the Lord Jesus Himself issued a warning to His people about "false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing," Matthew 7:15.  
     The Lord Jesus also said, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:  and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much," Luke 16:10.   In this context, the subject being discussed is money, yet a principle is set forth in this statement of the Lord.  If a man [or a woman] is willing to corrupt and misapply any Scripture in God's Holy Word, then that person will also corrupt and misapply other Scriptures in God's Word.  Such people should not be looked to or  trusted as authorities on what the Scriptures actually and literally say and teach.  Take heed!   Use your God given discretion about whom  you are going to listen to when it comes to the truth of God's Word.  
      May our gracious add His blessings to this study.  
<<<<<<<       O       >>>>>>>
     My personal contacct information:
POSTAL.......Pastor F. M. Riley, 14275 Co. Rd. 8120, Rolla, MO 65401
EMAIL.........francismriley34@gmail.com
PHONE.......573-202-6493  
<<<<<<<       O       >>>>>>>