Hello Gino,
Thank you for your reply
to what I wrote and your detailed study, with verses, on
this subject.
In this letter, I
responded to Gino's letter 3 Mar 2026 and then I asked him a
question at the end.
Remember that when
Daniel wrote down the prophecies they weren't just for the
"End Times" - they also covered other times in Israel's
future before the "End Times". I believe that Daniel's
Chapters 8 and 11 have already been fulfilled in
history. But Daniel 12:11 is for the "End Times".
Here are a couple of
authors who wrote about Daniel 8 and how it fits
historically:
Daniel 8:13 is about
Antiochus IV Epiphanes "He ruled the Seleucid kingdom.
His actions against Jerusalem were severe. He stopped
the daily sacrifices. He polluted the temple. He
forced harsh changes on God's people. The vision says
he threw truth to the ground. This describes the
spiritual attack that came with his rule." The 2300
evenings and mornings is thought to be "reference to the
period of temple disruption." "The Temple was later
cleansed by the Maccabean revolt."
Daniel 8:13 follows up
with Antiochus Epiphanes' stopping the daily sacrifices and
desecrating the sanctuary. "For two thousand three
hundred days: then the sanctuary shall be cleansed." For
2300 days, "The date when the Temple was cleansed is well
established as December 25, 165 B.C. If we count back
2,300 days from then, we come to the year when Antiochus
Epiphanes began his persecution in earnest (171 B.C.)"
Here are two authors who
wrote about Daniel 11 and how it fits historically:
This author wrote that
"The Hellenistic Age: Alexander to Antiochus III'' is
in Daniel 11:3 - 20. And "Antiochus Epiphanes" is in
Daniel 11:21 -32. "The Maccabees" is in Daniel 11:32 -
35. "Herod the Great" is in Daniel 11:36 - 39.
"Caesar Augustus is in Daniel 11:40 - 43. "Herod the
Great" is in Daniel 11:44 - 45.
For Daniel 11:31 he has
this as "Antiochus IV's army desecrated the Temple and
stopped the daily sacrifices." He placed an image of Zeus
Olympius upon the Temple altar and "ten days later, on the
25th of Kislev, swine's flesh was offered on the altar to
Zeus."
Daniel Chapter 11
"describes the end of the Persian Empire to the end of
Antiochus IV Epiphanes."
Daniel 12:11 is
fulfilled during the "Last Days". The daily is taken
away and the abomination that maketh desolate occurs.
Luke tells us the abomination that leads to desolation
is the surrounding of Jerusalem by armies. No mention
of 'polluting the sanctuary' or about a sanctuary at
all. And no mention of a temple.
I don't recall anywhere
in The Revelation 'the Antichrist building the Third Temple
or letting the Jews build their Third Temple', I don't see
desecrating an altar, I don't see the Antichrist going into
the Temple and declaring himself god', and I don't see a
'destruction of the Third Temple'.....I don't see where the
Antichrist mid-Trib or anywhere in the Trib declaring
himself god in any temple; and I don't see anywhere where
the Jews start animal sacrifices again. If this is
what is to happen mid-Trib, dividing the Seven Year
Tribulation in half...why isn't that very, very important
event written about in The Revelation? Why aren't any
of these things mentioned in The Revelation? Maybe,
because they don't happen?
As to your
question, Gino, about a 'simultaneous situation, one inside
the temple and the other surrounding Jerusalem'...I believe
the answer is no. Based on all of the above. And
Daniel 12:11 doesn't mention any temple. And those
verses in Daniel 8 and 11 - their prophecies - have already
been fulfilled.
I believe those armies
that surround Jerusalem lead to the Jews fleeing...the
Antichrist then sets up his rule from Jerusalem. There
is no mention of him doing this in any temple. This
leads to the eventual desolation of Jerusalem.
The Jews are told by
Jesus that when they SEE the abomination of desolation
taking place they are to flee - don't come down from roof
tops and take anything, don't come back from your
fields. I've wondered how can anyone see what's going
on inside a building/temple if they are in the fields or on
rooftops - what they see is what Luke describes - they see
Jerusalem surrounded...there is about to be a nasty military
takeover. And with it, eventual desolation of
Jerusalem. That army is 'standing where it should
not.' That's how I interpret this.
As for 11 Thessalonians
2:4:
2 Thessalonians 2:4. In this verse Paul
is describing a very arrogant Antichrist who exalts
himself above everything - he is a man who thinks so much
of himself that if possible he would sit
on the very throne of God. Showing himself to be
God. He's that arrogant. I don't see this
means a third temple is built.
"Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is
called God, or that is worshipped; so that he
as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that
he is God."
The Greek word "hoste" or "so that" is "insomuch
that" or "wherefore". "Hoste" is a word that
'expresses consequence or result'. It "defines more
accurately the magnitude, extent or quantity."
So to me this verse is more accurately interpreted
as 'Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is
called God or that is worshipped; he is so arrogant,
insomuch that he believes he could sit in the temple of
God, and pretend he is God.' Which is what he
does. The quantity or magnitude of his arrogance is
so great! Thus, I do not see a third Temple or the
AC declaring himself god in any temple. And this
event is not mentioned in The Revelation. Something
that important that splits the Seven Year Tribulation in
half should have been mentioned by John, I would
think. But it isn't.
Also, as I've written
before, I see all of the time periods of 1260 days given in
The Revelation as the same time periods - the AC ruling in
Jerusalem, the Jews fleeing into the wilderness, the two
witnesses prophesying, the holy city trodden down by
Gentiles - they are all 1260 days (42 months, time, times
and half a time). Over and over we are told the time
period is 1260 days or 3.5 years. Not seven years.
Again, many of my
thoughts are not main stream eschatology.
Thank you again Gino,
for your follow up letter. Your questions are always
very thoughtful and in depth. Many times I don't
respond because I am asking the same questions! And I
have nothing to add, but maybe even more questions!
I do have a question for
you though - I put this in a letter last week....
do you think it's
possible, that 'the taking away of the daily'
(sacrifice is an added word and we are now dealing with the
"End Times" prophecy in Daniel 12:11) could be the daily
prayers at the Western Wall? That's the only thing the
Jews have done 'daily' since they weren't granted a
'meaningful' access to the Temple Mount decades ago...so
this is really the most sacred place for them to pray.
I thought about this being 'prayers' years ago....and
now we have the war going on.
Since the U.S./Israel
attacked Iran on February 28, prayers at the wall have been
banned, the Wall is 'closed'. The Wall is still closed
to prayers. I've been watching this Wall for
years...it's very eerie seeing it without the people
congregated in the Plaza and praying at the Wall. The
'daily prayers' certainly have been 'taken away'.
Also, Jerusalem has been
'under siege', in and out of bomb shelters, since February
28...could that be the same as 'surrounded by armies'
(Israel is fighting a 7 front war - Hezbollah in Lebanon,
Hezbollah (Party of God Brigages) in Iraq, Houthis in Yemen,
ISIL in Egypt, and Islamic Resistance in Jordan, Hamas
(Islamic Resistance Movement) and Palestinian Islamic
Jihad in Gaza, ISIS in Syria, and many more - most are
proxies of IRGC/regime in Iran. Will this eventually
lead, 30 days later, to Israel being surrounded and taken by
the armies of satan/AC?
IF the 1290 days of
Daniel 12:11 are the '1260 days plus 30' and those 30 days
are before the 1260 days...and IF February 28 is the start
of the 1290 days...then 30 days from there should be the
start of the Tribulation....counting 30 days from February
28 ends up on March 29 - 10 Nisan according to the sighting
of the new moon. 10 Nisan being the (possible) day the
prophetic clock stopped and will start again and the day the
Tribulation period begins - in the future. And 1260
days from March 29, 2026 is Rosh Hashanah/Feast of Trumpets,
2029.
Maybe this is just a
coincidence. But the day of the banning of the daily
(prayers) February 28 to 10 Nisan (possible start of the
prophetic clock/Tribulation period) being 30 days...just
doesn't seem like a coincidence. And 10 Nisan, the
"Triumphal Entry" is actually Palm Sunday. I would
think the Rapture would happen before or on the day the
Tribulation period starts.
I've always been wrong
on dates...so there is that.
These are just my
thoughts for now...
Thank you again, Gino!
Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem!
Maranatha!
Chance