FM Riley and Doves,
I would like to weight in on an always controversial area of scripture, that being Daniel 9:27. That verse and the identity of whom “he” is in that passage has been discussed and argued about for many years.
Mr. Riley in his recent post along with many others insist that the “he” in that verse refers to the Antichrist who is to come and that he, the Antichrist, will orchestrate some sort of covenant or treaty or agreement with many (especially Israel) for a period of seven years and then he will renege on that agreement after 3.5 years.
There are others who maintain that the “he” in that verse is Jesus.
Until recently (6 months ago) I was in Mr. Riley's camp or agreed with his thought process or his discernment but all that and many of my other end time conclusions changed when God led me to multiple areas of scripture that I was unaware of or had not focused on or had just plain neglected to read. (I will get to my discernment of Daniel 9:27 farther below in the text)
What I believe Mr. Riley and so many others have missed is the huge part that God the Father plays in the end time scenario. In fact, the Father plays a much bigger part than either Jesus or the Antichrist in the end time workings. Why then does almost all so called bible scholars ignore this glaring fact and seemingly minimize the Father's presence and workings in the end time format?????
God the Father moves His kingdom from heaven to earth during that 7 year period of time just as Jesus prophesied in Matthew. He then Terra-forms, or reformulates a huge section of land from Jerusalem eastward to the area of the Euphrates River (Zechariah) where He sets up His throne in Elam (Jeremiah 49:38) surrounded by His end time resurrected Jewish army of 200 million. (Ezekiel 37, Joel 2:11 (His army), Revelation 9)
This new land mass will become ark- like in that it will have some sort of security bubble that encloses it just like the wood did in Noah's ark. The bible infers in Daniel 12 that Michael and his legions of angels will be tasked to provide the security for this ark-like enclosure. And just like as in the time of Noah everything exterior to this ark-like enclosure will be hostile territory.......in this coming case, the exterior will be controlled by Satan and the Antichrist's forces.
That's why a “special day” known only to the Father (Matthew 24, Zechariah 14) will be created by the Father to move His elect to the safety of this ark-like enclosure. On that special day Jesus and the angels of heaven (Matthew 24) will be tasked to gather God's elect and move them to the safety of this enclosure. The “elect” being the dead and the alive in Christ, the alive Jewish remnant from across the earth and the whole resurrected house of Jacob (Ezekiel 37)......all 200+ million of them.
And just like the simile of the wedding feast depicted in Matthew no one without the right clothing / credentials will be allowed to enter into this new security zone / ark-like enclosure.
Christ's Church will be taken up (raptured) from within this ark- like enclosure after they have been “born again” in the living waters of the new river which the Father created which emanates from Jerusalem. (Zechariah 14) Or as Isaiah referred to these waters as the wells of salvation in chapter 12. Read that short chapter (12) which depicts what the alive Jewish remnant will be thinking after they have been taken to the enclosure with God the Father in their midst.
The alive Jewish remnant will be forced to re-establish the original blood covenant rituals of the Abrahamic covenant just as they did centuries ago when the ark of the covenant was occupied by the Father in the time of Moses. This re-establishment will be due to the Jews refusal to accept Jesus as their Messiah when He was here 2000 years ago.
Now back to Daniel 9:27 which has a third interpretation which few have even considered which I believe to be the true representation / discernment of that verse. I believe the “he” in that verse does not apply to either Jesus or the Antichrist but to God the Father. Before I explain let me copy that verse below for your quick reference.
27 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.
Ok, here's my discernment of this verse 27 with the emphasis on the Father not Jesus or the Antichrist.
Then I, God the Father, shall confirm / validate a covenant, a binding and solemn agreement prophesied and proclaimed by My Son Jesus. He in Matthew 24 proclaimed that the gospel would be preached in all the world to all nations. I, the Father, will validate and confirm what My Son said there in Matthew by personally sending the two end time witnesses to preach the gospel of the kingdom for that duration spoken of in Daniel, that being the last week of 70 weeks or 7 years.
But in the middle of that 7 year period I, the Father, shall bring an end to what is going on religiously or spiritually on the earth. I will do this by allowing the Antichrist to kill the two witnesses.
The sacrifice and offering that has been going on will then change. Now, the old Abrahamic blood covenant will be re-established for the living Jewish remnant who will now reside within the new ark-like security enclosure and any sacrifice and offering of the Christian church will change radically because they, the church, will have been taken (raptured) up and taken by Jesus to a place of safety. Taken up from within this same enclosure after they have been gathered there by Jesus and the angels to be born again (John 3) in the living waters of the new river which flows from Jerusalem.
And all this change at the midpoint of the 7 years will happen swiftly. When will it happen? on the wing of the abominations or when the “abomination of desolation” is set up in Jerusalem as is spoken of in Matthew 24 and Daniel 12. That being, the erection of talking statue / idol of the Antichrist. Then at that time, I, the Father, will make desolate all the land east and west from Jerusalem to the Euphrates River and also from north to south in the same area. A vast tract of land will be laid desolate as is spoken of in Zechariah 14 and Isaiah 25 where I will then establish an ark-like security enclosure.
How long will this ark-like security enclosure be in place....in play so to speak?
Until the consummation (completion, fulfillment, end, or conclusion) of the end time wrath is determined...... to be poured out on the desolate. The desolate being all those people outside of the ark-like enclosure who had the opportunity to accept the gospel of the kingdom that the two witnesses had offered for 3.5 years but rejected. God's wrath and the wrath of Satan and the Antichrist will be poured out on the desolate until the consummation (the end of this wrath) which will be determined by God.
So I believe indeed there is a third approach, a third player involved in discerning Daniel 9:27 and I believe that third player is the correct one. That being God the Father with His massive role and interplay into the end times scenario as is perfectly depicted within scripture.......which most people seem to completely ignore for whatever reason.
To discount all that is written in scripture concerning the Father in the end times relocating His kingdom from heaven to earth and the ark-like headquarters He establishes in the Middle East and all that goes on within this enclosure is very foolhardy from my perspective.
So Mr. Riley from your mindset proclaimed within your recent post I guess I must be one of Satan's liars as well because I respectively do not agree with your analysis of Daniel 9:27. Again respectfully, I would encourage you and anyone else to reflect on what scripture promotes concerning the Father's huge role in the end times format. I believe if you do you may choose option three for Daniel 9:27 as well.
Blessings..........John B