Dear Doves,
I am always amazed at how the Holy Spirit leads
us to truth when we ask. I have been reading Doves and
also been on fire for the word of The Lord and have been
given a thirst for eschatology over the last few years. I
have studied and read many many teachings on Revelation,
Daniel and those things concerning the rapture and end
times trying to understand the timing of such things and
always living each day with the expectancy of His return
for us. I find that I find a certain amount of truth in
much that is taught and understood (at the time) of the
study. The Holy Spirit has slowly lead me to understand
things and build upon past learning's as
time goes on to reveal a bigger piece of the puzzle and
thus new revelation in His word. As such, I began reading
the material provided in the link from yesterdays
posting Daniel
Matson (URL) 2,520 years and Israel’s regathering
As usual, this was just a teaser for me so I began
reading the other articles here which lead me to what may
answer questions I have had and see continually
debated by the doves posting on this site. The portion of
this article
http://watchfortheday.org/70weekstart.html
seems to answer many questions about the timing of the
70th week of Daniel, the war of Ezekial 39. I am sorry to
say that many who read this may be
initially disappointed that we are not in the midst of
the 70 weeks but there is hope here that the rapture is
still imminent.
So, I challenge you all to put off preconceived notions
and ask the HS for wisdom and lead you to truth. There is
much for those who love numbers and calculations to digest
in all the articles provided on this site so I would ask you
to be a good Berean and search for the truth.
Here is an excerpt that describes why it is NOT the
antichrist that confirms the covenant and has evidence of
such. So, please review the information, pray for revelation
and I would love to hear back about this on the Doves site.
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 9:27 KJV
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 9:27 NASB
The next event
on the horizon in the 70 Weeks prophecy is the
confirmation of a covenant with the many, which is
Israel. Those who believe that the 70th Week has
been fulfilled, have long held that the “he” of Daniel
9:27 was Christ himself. They believe his public
ministry of three and a half years fulfilled the first
half of the week with his crucifixion ceasing the daily
sacrifices. Though the time element may fit three and a
half years, but as we have seen, the chronological
sequence does not. The 69th Week must conclude just
before Christ is “cut off” and not at the start of His
public ministry.
To counter this
view, Futurists have held that the “he” of Daniel 9:27
is the Antichrist. Since the Antichrist has not
come, it keeps the 70th Week in the future. This is the
opposite of the Preterist view. However, the
chronology alone should keep this passage future. So if
the “he” were Christ, then it still refers to the
future. Whoever the “he” is, it should not impact the
chronological sequence of Messiah first being crucified,
then the destruction of Jerusalem, and then later the 70th Week can
begin.
Most who have
held to the futuristic view of this verse believe that
the “he” is the future prince of the people (Romans) who
destroyed the Temple. The use of “prince” in verse 26 is
the nearest antecedent. Therefore, it is commonly held
that the Antichrist makes or enforces a treaty for seven
years with the Jews. It is then deducted that this
treaty probably allows for the Jews to rebuild their
Temple. The Antichrist then halts the Temple sacrifices
mid-week and sets up the Abomination of Desolation
to demand worship of himself as god. At the conclusion,
Jesus rescues Israel and believers from the
Antichrist.
However, what
about the other option? It is possible that the “he”
refers back to the main subject in verse 26, which is
the Messiah himself. The nearest antecedent rule has its
exceptions, if the context warrants it. However,
by making Christ the “he” in Daniel 9:27, Christ would
then be the confirmer of the covenant that continues
seven years. In light of Ezekiel 39:7-10, it
would indeed seem to make more sense that Christ is the
confirmer of the covenant with His people to restart the
70 weeks, as He saves Israel from this invasion found in
Ezekiel. Therefore, the burning of the weapons for
seven years would be the parallel to the time of the
70th Week.
However,
there is a problem with this view because then
Christ would be the same “he” that stops the
sacrifices in the middle of the seven years. Unless
this shows His sovereign control, it is otherwise
apparent that the Antichrist is the one who ceases
the sacrifices and sets up the Abomination (Daniel
8:11, 12:11, Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14) . However,
the “one who causes desolation” is a separate
subject than the “he” in the same verse. Some
versions such as the NKJV and NASB show this
distinction. In any regard there are multiple issues
to any of the solutions. The thing to consider is
that the original Hebrew does not contain the “he”.
These are supplied in the English translations. It is
interesting that the Septuagint Interlinear
rendering does not show an attachment with a
personality. Here is its translation:
And one week shall establish the covenant with many:
and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering
shall be taken away: and on the temple shall be the
abomination of desolations; and at the end of time an end
shall be put to the desolation.
–Daniel 9:27 LXX Interlinear
Translation, Samuel Bagster and Sons, London, 1792
Therefore, with
this translation, one is to look for the confirmation of
Israel’s covenant for seven years and then the
sacrifices are halted in what has to be a rebuilt temple
in the middle of the seven years. Then it all comes to
an end at the end of the seven years. There is then no
attempt to identify any personality that may not be
warranted in the first place. If we then let it mean
only what it says, it then stands that other related
biblical passages will shed light and provide the
necessary understanding of this verse. The big issue is that the
view the Antichrist enforces some covenant with Israel
for seven years may simply have evaporated with this
understanding. Without
that as an eschatological foundation, there are obvious
ramifications, but it seems to solve many complications
and problems.
It
has always seemed strange that the 70th Week supposedly
begins with the Antichrist confirming some covenant with
Israel that has already been in place. Why would
he set up a covenant for seven years? But more
importantly, why would Israel make a deal with the
Antichrist at the relative same time as their awakening
moment when God delivers them from the invading armies
found in Ezekiel? Of course, that is if Ezekiel’s War
commences the seven years. But it would seem to be so.
It would also seem problematic to have the Antichrist
confirming or strengthening God’s covenant with His
people and how would that even be possible?
What
it then comes down to is laying out the order of end
time events in the Scriptural and logical sequence to
ensure that it all fits together. At first there will be
a summary of what the flow of events may be with this
understanding, which then will be followed by the
Scriptural references that seem to back it. Of course,
new views must be handled with caution, but here we go.
The
first event would be the Rapture/removal of the Church
to end this parenthetical age. The second item that
quickly happens is that the Islamic Confederacy found in
Ezekiel and Psalm 83 sees the
disappearance of the friends of Israel (Church) as an
opportunity to destroy Israel. This then backfires as
God delivers Israel and thereby wakes them up to realize
why they had been scattered among the nations during the
fullness of the Gentiles. This moment of deliverance is
the confirmation or strengthening of God’s Covenant with
Israel (the many) with seven more years until Messiah
returns to establish the Kingdom. Israel then cleanses
her land from the dead armies and then rebuilds the
Temple, since the great earthquake of the invasion
leveled all buildings. The world at this time will be in
chaos after the Rapture and the removal of what was left
of the former world powers (Russia, USA). Out of
these ashes will arise the Ten Toes of Daniel, which are
ten kingdoms from the former region of the Roman Empire.
As depicted consistently by Daniel’s statue, five kings
should be from the east and five kings from the west as
fitting to the manner in which the empire was divided.
It is not until after the establishment of the ten kings
that the Antichrist can then come to power. The
Antichrist then comes to full power in the middle of the
seven years with his taking of Israel and his indwelling
by Satan himself. In three and a half years, the
Antichrist comes to his end with Jesus the Messiah’s
return with his armies. Jesus then fulfills the 70 weeks
prophecy and his kingdom then continues for 1,000 years.
Blessings,
YbiC
Brad