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In recent years, numerous arguments have been advanced to supposedly prove that the Church, the Body of Christ, will go through the "great tribulation" before being "caught up" to be with the Lord.



The present trend of events is, of course, causing many sincere believers to fear that this will be the case, but we place our confidence in the Word of God alone and we are amply confirmed in our belief that the Rapture of the Church will take place before the tribulation period begins, and that the members of the Body of Christ will thus escape the sufferings that the tribulation saints will be called upon to endure.



Our purpose in writing this article is not to defend or to attack anyone, but simply to consider whether arguments for a post-tribulation Rapture are valid.



NOT ONE SCRIPTURE?



Some who hold to the post-trib Rapture position say that there is not one verse of Scripture which explicitly affirms the Rapture of the Church before the tribulation.



But why need there be? There is not one verse of Scripture which explicitly affirms that our Lord was baptized before His temptation by the devil, or that He was crowned with thorns before He was crucified, or that baptism with water is no longer included in God's program for believers, or that God is a Trinity. Yet there is abundant Scriptural proof for all these and they are accepted as the truth of the Word of God.



Years ago we printed an article entitled First the Departure, in which we dealt at length with a passage of Scripture which does explicitly affirm that the Rapture will precede the tribulation. In this article we gave conclusive evidence that the words hee apostasia in II Thessalonians 2:3 should have been rendered "the departure" rather than "a falling away" and that the passage thus reads:



"Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day [the day of the Lord]1 shall not come except the departure come first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."



The preceding verses and the preceding letter written by Paul to these same people all bear witness that "the departure" referred to is the departure of believers to go and be with Christ.



We are quite taken aback to see how lightly some have disposed of the evidence we advanced for this rendering of II Thessalonians 2:3. We have given Scriptural proof after proof that the word apostasia does not mean departure from the truth, but simply departure, and that the original passage in question certainly does not use the words "a falling away" but rather "the departure".



To all this our post-tribulational brethren reply by simply stating authoritatively and dogmatically that the word apostasia means a departure from the truth.
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Lest some of our readers believe that apostasia means a departure from the truth, we offer again what we believe to be conclusive Scriptural proof that the words "a falling away," in II Thessalonians 2:3, should have been rendered "the departure" and that the Greek word apostasia does not contain ideas of revolt or rebellion as does our English word apostasy.



APOSTASIA AND APOSTASY



Actually the Greek noun apostasia occurs in only one other passage in the New Testament, namely Acts 21:21, where Paul is informed of the report that he has taught "all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses."



We suggest that "depart" here would be a closer synonym to the rendering "forsake" than would the word "apostatize." To forsake is not exactly to revolt or rebel against, and this is the meaning of apostasy. Furthermore, in this case we are explicitly informed that these Jews were being urged to forsake or depart from Moses, indicating that the word apostasia by itself does not mean "a departure from the truth" but simply "a departure."



But some people have evidently overlooked the root verb from which the noun apostasia is derived. This verb, aphisteemi, occurs 15 times in the New Testament and its meaning is easy to determine from those passages in which it is used. So that there may be no mistake, we present here a list of every New Testament use of this verb:



Luke 2:37 - "departed not from the temple."



Luke 4:13 - "the devil...departed from Him."



Luke 8:13 - "in time of temptation fall away."



Luke 13:27 - "depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity."



Acts 5:37 - "drew away much people after him."



Acts 5:38 - "refrain from these men."



Acts 12:10 - "the angel departed from him."



Acts 15:38 - "who departed from them from Pamphylia."



Acts 19:9 - "he departed from them."



Acts 22:29 - "they departed from him."



II Cor. 12:8 - "I besought the Lord...that it might depart."



I Tim. 4:1 - "some shall depart from the faith."



I Tim. 6:5 - "from such withdraw thyself."



II Tim. 2:19 - "depart from iniquity."



Heb. 3:12 - "in departing from the living God."
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The reader should observe carefully that in 11 out of these 15 occurrences the verb in question is rendered depart, departed, or departing.



Only three of the 15 are concerned with departure from the truth. In two of these it is clearly stated that the departure is "from the faith" (I Tim. 4:1) and "from the living God" (Heb. 3:12) while the third clearly implies a departure, or "falling away," from that which was "for a while believed," leaving the meaning of the verb aphisteemi in each case simply depart. And these are the only three passages of the above fifteen where departure from the truth is even involved.



In the other twelve the meaning of the word itself is again simply that of departure - nothing more.



In Luke 4:13 we read that the devil "departed" from Christ. In Acts 12:10 an angel "departs" from Peter. In Acts 15:38 we read how a man had "departed" from Paul and Barnabas. In II Corinthians 12:8 we read of Paul's thrice-repeated prayer that a thorn might "depart," or be removed, from his flesh. And so with all the others.



Indeed, in two of the 15 cases above the very opposite of apostasy or departure from the truth is involved.



In I Timothy 6:5 Timothy is told to depart ("withdraw thyself") from men who are "destitute of the truth," while in II Timothy 2:19 all who "name the name of Christ" are exhorted to "depart from iniquity."



If one carefully considers these fifteen occurrences of the root verb of the noun apostasia, he would surely not declare with finality that the meaning of apostasia is "apostasy" or "a departure from the truth."



THE AUTHORIZED VERSION AND ITS PREDECESSORS



Before leaving this subject we would call attention to Mr. Kenneth S. Wuest's rendering of II Thessalonians 2:3 in his Expanded Translation of the Greek New Testament. It reads as follows:



"Do not begin to allow anyone to lead you astray in any way, because that day shall not come except the aforementioned departure [of the Church to heaven] comes first and the man of lawlessness is disclosed [in his true identity], the son of perdition."



Now however Mr. Wuest's translation of the New Testament may be appraised, we doubt that in thus rendering the verse he was trying to establish some private theory as to the timing of the Rapture. He was just trying to produce a good English translation of what the Greek actually says, and he proves this in his preface to II Thessalonians, parts of which we quote below.



"If apostasia and aphisteemi meant what our word `apostasy' and `apostatize' mean, why did Paul when using aphisteemi in I Timothy 4:1 feel the need of adding the qualifying phrase, `from the faith' to complete the meaning of aphisteemi in that instance of its use.



In explaining why the Authorized Version failed to retain the rendering "a departure," which they found in the five versions which preceded A. V., Mr. Wuest points out a mistake contained in all six versions. Says Mr. Wuest:



"The fatal mistake the translators made was in failing to take into consideration the definite article before the word apostasia which appears in the Greek text of Eberhard Nestle, in that of his son, Erwin Nestle, and in that of Westcott and Hort. A. T. Robertson in his monumental work, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, asserts that the translators of the A. V., under the influence of the Vulgate, dealt with the Greek article in a loose and inaccurate way (p. 756). He goes on to say that the vital thing is to look at the matter in hand from the Greek angle and find a reason for the use of the article in any given instance. The use of the article here is classified by Dana and Mantey in their Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament as that of denoting previous reference. In this usage the article is used to point out an object the identity of which is defined by some previous reference made to it in the context (p. 141). The word `previous' is all-important here. The translators of the A. V. looked for the definition of the word in the subsequent context, whereas the Greek article points here to a previous context, namely, to the coming of the Lord Jesus into the air and the gathering together of the saints to Him and their consequent ascent to heaven. Thus, instead of speaking of a departure of men from the true Faith, Paul is referring to the departure of the saints to heaven. It is this departure of the Church which is preventing the coming of the day of the Lord and the disclosure of the man of lawlessness in his true identity."
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Dr. E. Schuyler English, too, has made a comprehensive study of the Rapture in relation to the tribulation and has written a book on the subject entitled Re-thinking the Rapture. In it he deals at length with the meaning of apostasia and its verb root, aphisteemi and goes on to say:



"The day of the Lord will not come, then, until the man of sin be revealed. And before he is revealed, there must be `the departure.' Departure from what or to what? It must have been something concerning which the Thessalonian believers were informed, else the definite article would hardly have been employed, and without any qualifying description with the noun. 2  Why do we assume that this departure must be from the faith?



"Again, how would the Thessalonians, or Christians in any century since, be qualified to recognize the apostasy when it should come, assuming, simply for the sake of this inquiry, that the Church might be on earth when it does come? There has been apostasy from God, rebellion against Him, since time began. And if it be proposed that the man of sin, sitting in the temple of God and showing Himself to be God, is the apostasy, we must ask ourselves a question: Is this act, on the part of the man of sin, apostasy, a falling away, or is it blasphemous denial by one who never at any time acknowledged God?



"There is a departure concerning which the Thessalonians had been instructed by letter. This is not conjecture but fact: it is the Rapture of the Church, described in I Thessalonians 4:13-17. It was on account of the confusion in the minds of these young Christians, in the matter of events associated with the coming of the Lord, that this epistle was written - for some had sought to deceive them, as by spirit (claiming, perhaps, some new revelation from God), or by word (possibly a misinterpretation of something Paul said), or by letter as from Paul, telling the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord was already present. And how could the apostle set their minds at rest? He could assure them, `by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him,' that the day of the Lord will not come `except there come the departure, the Rapture, first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.' The day of the Lord was not present; for they themselves, members of Christ's mystical Body, were still on earth. The Rapture had not already taken place, they being left behind; for the man of sin was not revealed.



"This interpretation corresponds perfectly in sequence, with that in verses 7 and 8, if the restraining power is, as we believe to be the case, the Holy Spirit. The Church departs, and the man of sin is revealed (vs. 3); the Holy Spirit, the restrainer, is taken out of the way, `and then shall that wicked one be revealed' (vss. 7,8 )."



CONCLUSION



1. The word apostasia and its root verb, aphisteemi, do not, used by themselves, mean "apostasy" and "apostatize." They mean "departure" and "depart," nothing more.



2. II Thessalonians 2:3 states in the Greek, that the day of the Lord will not come "except the departure come first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."



3. The term "the



4. Paul had written to the Thessalonians in his previous letter about the departure of the members of Christ's Body from this earth (I Thes. 4:16,17) and had even dissociated this from the prophesied "day of the Lord" with the "But" of I Thessalonians 5:1. He had also referred to this "departure" in the phrase "our gathering together unto Him," in II Thessalonians 2:1. Indeed, this was the basis for his appeal to the Thessalonians not to be "shaken" or "troubled" by those who would make them think that "the day of the Lord" was at hand. He had also "told" them about "these things" while he was yet with them (II Thes. 2:5).



5. "The man of sin" must also be manifested before the "day of the Lord" can come (II Thes. 2:3,4) and he cannot be manifested until "the departure" takes place "first."



6. Thus, in addition to many clear proofs that the Rapture of the Body will precede the great tribulation we also have a passage which "explicitly affirms" this.



"Wherefore comfort one another..." (I Thes. 4:18 ).



"Be not soon shaken in mind, or...troubled..." (II Thes. 2:2).



"Let no man deceive you by any means..." (II Thes. 2:3).



Endnotes



1. I Thessalonians 2:2 properly reads the "day of the Lord" not the "day of Christ."



2. "Such a noted scholar as Dr. George Milligan, in his commentary on the Greek Text (Macmillan, New York), although holding to the traditional translation of apostasia, states that the use of the definite article proves [that the apostasia referred to is one] regarding which the apostle's readers were already fully informed."

A number of years ago I was preaching the funeral of a dear lady who used to be in a church that I had pastored. Her husband, also a devout believer, asked that I build my sermon for his wife's funeral around 2 Corinthians 5. Since I had never taught through 2 Corinthians, I was somewhat surprised to discover during my preparation for the message that it spoke of our blessed hope - the rapture. Follow along with me and see what I mean.



The Context of 2 Corinthians 5



Many of us are familiar with the second half of 2 Corinthians 5, but what about the preceding context? Paul is dealing with a group of people who were rejecting his authority as an apostle of Christ. Thus, they were reluctant to accept his advice. In chapter 4, Paul notes that he is pouring out his life for their sake. He contrasts this temporal life, which the Corinthians believers greatly valued, with the one to come. Since the life and world to come are of greater value, then, Paul reasons, believers should live this present life from the perspective that places a priority on things that will have "an eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17).



The Corinthians, to which Paul wrote, had adopted the view that the physical body was of no value, since everything on the physical plane was inferior to things in the spiritual realm. Paul rejects this, and teaches that the physical is not in and of itself carnal but can be used to promote that which has eternal spiritual value. This Paul explains in his chapter on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. As he sets the stage for 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says, "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:17- 18).



A Tent Verses a Building



2 Corinthians 3:1-2 says, "For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. "Since verse 3 is based upon Paul's statements in verses one and two, we need to know what he is saying there. Paul tells the Corinthians believers that their current body is like an "earthly tent." Why did he choose the word "tent?" He most likely uses the word "tent" because it is a temporary dwelling for a person who is on a trip away from home. That is the status of a believer during the church age, he is a pilgrim, just passing through this world (Phil. 3:17- 21). The term used for a resurrected believer in heaven is called "our dwelling from heaven." It is also called "a house not made with hands." Thus, our permanent dwelling place is clearly said to be in heaven and something to which we look. Since heaven is our home, then it makes sense that "building" is the description that Paul uses since it connotes a permanent structure.



So our current physical body is called a "tent," while our future resurrected body is described as a "building." So what does Paul mean when he speaks in verse 3 of not wanting to be found "naked" in verse 3?



Naked Believers



Since the subject matter of this portion of Scripture relates to the state of the body, whether mortal or resurrected, Paul speaks of the interval between a believer's death and the resurrection. Robert Gromacki says, "This period between the physical death of a believer and his resurrection is designated as the time of nakedness. It is when the self has neither its old body or its new body. Theologians have called it the intermediate state of the soul." [1] This does not mean that when a believer dies he does not go to be with the Lord, since Scripture says, "to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). Philip E. Hughes explains as follows:
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At the death the soul is separated from the body, and man's integral nature is disrupted. This important aspect of the disintegrating character of death explains the Apostle's desire that Christ should return during his lifetime so that he might experience the change into the likeness of Christ's body of glory (Phil. 3:21) without having to undergo the experience of "nakedness" which results from the separation of soul and body at death. . . . It still means a state of nakedness and a period of waiting until he is clothed with his resurrection body.[2]



This passage, in its indirect way, is teaching that Paul was longing for the rapture to occur before he died, since the interval between Paul's death and the obtaining of his resurrection body would come at the time of the rapture (1 Thess. 4:13- 18; 1 Cor. 15:51- 58). Thus, 2 Corinthians 5 is a rapture passage. "It is the resurrection and the rapture which the new desire longs for," says Roy Laurin, "because the resurrection and the rapture will bring us this building which is "an house not made with hands." [3] Gromacki notes the rapture connection in the following:



The verb "clothed upon" is a double compound (ependu` using three words epi, en, du`). It actually means to put one piece of clothing over another which is presently being worn. The usage in this context probably means that Paul wanted to be alive when the Lord returned. In that way, the new body could be put on right over the old one. [4]



Paul further explains in verse 4 why he hopes for the rapture before his death. "For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." G. Coleman Luck explains, "The thing for which we groan is not death and dissolution of the body. We do not long to be 'unclothed,' so to speak, but rather to be 'clothed upon,' to have our mortal bodies transformed and perfected without dying at the time of the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:17; 1 Cor. 51, 52)." [5]



This passage seems to teach that a believer during the church age who dies before the rapture is with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), but do not yet have their new resurrection body. This seems to also imply that there is no New Testament basis for those who teach that we have an intermediate body (i.e. not a resurrection body) during the interval between death and the resurrection as we dwell in the presence of the Lord. Otherwise, how do they explain Paul's desire to not be naked? Further, this passage does not allow for "soul sleep" since the person is very much alive during the interval, it is the body that is "sleeping."



Rapture Implications of 2 Corinthians 5



There are a number implications that flow from the fact that Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5 that he desired to be taken in the rapture rather than die. I will attempt to note some of those implications.



First, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." This is significant in that the "judgment seat," or "bema" is the special judgment for church age believers only, not the end of the millennium great white throne judgment of unbelievers. Since verse 10 is part of Paul's passage where he has expressed his desire to be taken in the rapture, it supports the notion of pretribulationism since the bema will take place after the rapture of the church, while in heaven, in order to prepare the church for her return with Christ at the second coming (Rev. 19:1- 10).



Second, Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 15:51- 52 the following: "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. "Here Paul taught the doctrine of the resurrection, while in 2 Corinthians 5 he links it with the rapture. Although 1 Corinthians 15:51- 52 stands on its own as a rapture passage, it is further strengthened by Paul's rapture teachings in 2 Corinthians 5. Paul is writing to the same church in both epistles, thus, he is speaking of the same subject - the rapture - both times when he addresses the subject of the resurrection.



Third, we learn from 2 Corinthians 5 that it is indeed a godly attitude to desire for the rapture to occur in one's lifetime. Since Paul desired to be taken to be with the Lord via translation so that he would not be naked, it is clear that he is modeling a godly attitude to be emulated throughout the remainder of the church age by subsequent generations. Yet, many Christians in our day disdain the rapture. Rapture hater Gary North says the following:



Christians living today supposedly will escape this supposedly burning building because we all have been issued free tickets on God's helicopter escape.
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This escape never comes. The supposedly imminent Rapture has now been delayed for almost two millennia. . . . They care only about an imminent escape from long-term responsibility: the Rapture. Rapture fever destroys men's ability to reason theologically. It weakens God's Church. [6]



How does North explain Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 5:8, which says, "we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord"? According to North's theology, Paul's attitude is sinful. Apparently the rapture has destroyed Paul's ability to reason theologically. Perhaps Paul's theology also weakens God's church, as North declares. Paul clearly states that he would really rather be "at home with the Lord." Was Paul one of those just sitting around waiting for the helicopter escape known as the rapture? Of course not, and neither do we who would rather be "at home with the Lord."



Fourth, this passage does not teach one to shirk genuine biblical responsibilities as suggested by rapture haters like North. Instead, it teaches those of us who love His appearing that "we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him" (2 Cor. 5:9). Why? Because we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). Tim LaHaye has said many times and in many ways that those who believe in the pre-trib rapture have three great practical applications: First, a motive for evangelism; second, a motive for world missions; and thirdly, a motive to live a godly life in an ungodly world. That is exactly what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 5:1- 13, contrary to rapture nay-sayers like Gary North.



Even though 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 is a little used passage relating to the pre-trib rapture, it is an important one that needs to be considered by anyone desiring a complete understanding of the New Testament teaching of the rapture. It provides another interesting piece of the puzzle concerning the nature and role of the church and how it fits into the blessed hope, which is the rapture of the church. It models for believers a proper motive for longing for the rapture, not because we cannot handle life in the present, but because "though you have not seen Him, you love Him" (1 Pet. 1:8). Maranatha!



Endnotes



[1] Robert Gromacki, Stand Firm in the Faith: An Exposition of II Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978), p. 78.



[2] Philip E. Hughes, The Second Epistle to The Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962), p. 171.



[3] Roy L. Laurin, Second Corinthians: Where Life Endures (Findlay, OH: Dunham Publishing Company, 1946), p. 97.



[4] Gromacki, Stand Firm, p. 77.



[5] G. Coleman Luck, Second Corinthians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1959), pp. 48- 49.



[6] Gary North, Rapture Fever: Why Dispensationalism is Paralyzed (Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1993), p. 90.

(My Note:  To say that there is no Rapture of the CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST is ignorant and indicates that the person has not read and studied the Holy Bible. Further, I think it's silly to suggest that a Christian believing in the Rapture is lazy and not working as hard as a Christian who does NOT believe in the Rapture. The Rapture is one of GOD'S Promises to HIS CHURCH, and I would consider unbelief of this Promise to indicate a major problem. Some people say that there is no Rapture because the word "Rapture" is not in the Bible. "Caught up" is the terminology used in the Bible. If you do an ancient language study of "Caught up", you will find out why Christians talk about the "Rapture of the CHURCH". For those who deny the Rapture, I'd like to know how they explain 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and other portions of Scripture. I would also like to make a brief comment about the section of this article labeled "Naked Believer". This might be an interesting side study. Before they disobeyed GOD, did Adam and Eve have clothes or need clothes?)

I actually heard a sermon about this last night on my way home from work.  Thank you and God Bless, Eva

Hello Sister Eva,

You are most welcome, and I'm glad that you enjoyed this. I'm hoping to have some more really good material ready to post soon.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Over the years I have done dozens of radio and television interview shows which include a time where listeners are permitted to call in with their questions about Bible prophecy. Since I am director of an organization that researches, teaches, and defends the pretribulational rapture teaching, I get many questions and comments relating to that subject. It is not hard to detect questions and comments that flow from an individual who is biblically informed verses those who speak from a position of mere human whim or opinion. The same is true of written correspondence. I have found that when it comes to the issue of the tribulation so many have not taken the time to let the Bible define the meaning and purpose for that future period of time.



A common statement made by some is as follows: " I believe that the church will go through the tribulation because the Bible says that we will suffer for our faith." The problem with such a statement is that while it may appear to have the veneer of biblical correctness, at core it betrays a lack of understanding of God's purpose for the tribulation. Certainly the Bible teaches that all through out the church age Believers will suffer persecution. This is taught by such passages as John 16:33b, " In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." And in 2 Timothy 3:12 " Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." The question is will the church experience the trials of the tribulation? I have found that when a person is knowledgeable of what the Bible says is God's purpose for the tribulation, or any issue for that matter, then a very high percentage of those people will come to believe that the church will be taken in the rapture before the tribulation. What is God's purpose for the tribulation?



Start Of The Tribulation



First, we need to know that the tribulation in Bible prophecy is the period of time that begins with the signing of a covenant between Israel and the antichrist and ends seven years later at the second coming of Jesus Christ. The most extensive biblical comments on the tribulation are found in the writings of John, specifically in Revelation 6- 19. In these chapters, John provides a detailed exposition of the tribulation days. Daniel's "70 weeks," prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27 are the framework within which the tribulation or the 70th week occurs. The seven-year period of Daniel's 70th week provides the time span with which a whole host of descriptives are associated. Some of those descriptive terms include: tribulation, great tribulation, day of the Lord, day of wrath, day of distress, day of trouble, time of Jacob's trouble, day of darkness and gloom, and wrath of the Lamb.



Judgment Nature Of The Tribulation



Second, God's basic purpose for the tribulation is that it be a time of judgment, while at the same time, He will hold forth the gospel of grace. This will precede Christ's glorious 1,000 year reign from David's throne in Jerusalem. Judgment, or God's wrath, is needed to put down the rebellion of mankind in preparation for Christ's reign of peace upon earth during the millennium.



The Goals Of The Tribulation



Third, while a number of goals for the tribulation could be given, there are a least three specific major purposes. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum lists them as follows:



Gentile Judgment



Before the Lord can personally rule on earth in the Person of Jesus Christ He must first judge the world in order to prepare it for His righteous rule. Dr. Fruchtenbaum says that the first purpose for the tribulation is,



* To make an end of wickedness and wicked ones (Isaiah 13:9; 24:19-20)- The first purpose for the tribulation is seen to be a punishment in history upon the whole world for its sins against God, in a way similar to that of the global flood in Noah's days (Matthew 24:37-39).[1]



Deuteronomy 30:7 tells us that God will " inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you." This will take place during the tribulation and will be retribution to the nations for how they have treated the Jews during the last 2,000 years. This purpose does not encompass the church.



World-Wide Evangelism



The seven-year tribulation will be a time of phenomenal evangelistic outreach. It will be a time unlike any previous period of history. Dr. Fruchtenbaum explains:



* To bring about a world-wide revival- This purpose is given and fulfilled in Revelation 7:1-17. During the first half of the tribulation, God will evangelize the world by the means of the 144,000 Jews and thus fulfill the prophecy found in Matthew 24:14.[2]
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In addition to the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, there will be normal evangelism taking place like we see today. Further, the Two Witnesses will provide an evangelistic witness to Israel. Finally, at the mid-point of the tribulation Revelation 14 tells us that God Himself will use angels to preach the gospel and warn " earth dwellers" not to take the mark of the beast- 666.



The three angelic announcements are as follows: First, an angel will preach " an eternal gospel . . . to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people" (Revelation 14:6). Second, the next angel will make the following pronouncement: " Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality" (Revelation 14:8). Finally, the last angelic proclamation will specifically warn every person on earth not to take the mark of the beast, since doing so will result in their eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. " If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand . . . he will be tormented with fire and brimstone . . . forever and ever" (Revelation 14:9- 11). This tribulation purpose also does not include the church.



Conversion of Israel



One of the most glorious and important purposes of the tribulation will be the conversion of Israel. Dr. Fruchtenbaum tell us,



* To break the power of the holy people - Israel. Finally, the tribulation will be a time in which God, through evil agencies, prepares Israel for her conversion and acknowledgment that Jesus is their Messiah, resulting in the second coming of Christ.[3]



The Bible teaches us that God will use the tribulation to bring His elect people to faith in Jesus as their Messiah. When we put together the biblical information it appears that God will accomplish this goal in the following way: First, the Lord will return Israel to the land before the tribulation, the time of God's wrath. " I shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out (Ezekiel 20:34). The regathering before the tribulation is what our Lord has been doing since 1948 with the modern state of Israel.



Once the tribulation begins He " shall make you pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I shall bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 20:37- 38). This tells us that the unbelieving Jews (" the rebels" ) will be removed during the tribulation.



In an interesting passage that speaks of " My Associate," which is an obvious prophetic reference to Jesus The Messiah (Zechariah 13:7- 9), Zechariah gives us a numeric ratio that will be purged. " And it will come about in all the land," Declares the Lord, " That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ' They are My people,' And they will say, ' The Lord is my God.' " (Zechariah 13:8- 9) Therefore, we learn that two-thirds of Israel will be purged through the fire of the tribulation, leaving the one-third elect who will be converted to Jesus as their Messiah. Thus, " all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ' The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins' " (Romans 11:26- 27). What a glorious day that will be! Israel will be converted to Jesus as their Messiah resulting in the second coming, which will in turn give rise the millennial reign of Christ. The church is no where to be found in these tribulational activities.



Conclusion



While many people think the tribulation will involve the church, the Bible does not provide support for such a notion. Instead, Scripture informs us of at least a three-fold purpose for the coming tribulation, none of which involves the church. The New Testament teaches that the church will be taken at the rapture to be with the Lord before the tribulation begins, because God has not destined His bride for His wrath (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9; Revelation 3:10). Other groups of redeemed individuals will go through the tribulation, but not Christ's bride, the church. Maranatha!

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Endnotes



[1]Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, (Tustin, CA: 1982, pp. 122- 23.



[2]Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps, pp. 123- 25.



[3]Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps, pp. 125- 26.

Churches today often neglect the study and preaching of biblical prophecy because they consider it a controversial and impractical topic. At the same time, many bemoan the apathy of believers and struggle to encourage people toward holy living. Churches caught in this trap need to consider that the teaching of the Rapture, woven throughout the fabric of the New Testament, addresses these issues and can provide motivation for godliness. No single Bible verse says precisely when the Rapture will take place in relation to the Tribulation or the Second Coming in a way that would settle the issue to everyone's satisfaction. However, this does not mean that the Scriptures do not teach a clear position on this matter, for it does. As we shall see later, the Bible does promise that the church will not enter the time of God's wrath, which is another term for the tribulation. Many biblical passages teach the pretribulational rapture of the church.



Many important biblical doctrines are not derived from a single verse, but come from a harmonization of several passages into systematic conclusions. Some truths are directly stated in the Bible, such as the deity of Christ John 1:1; Titus 2:13). Other doctrines, like the Trinity and the incarnate nature of Christ, are the product of harmonizing the many passages that relate to these matters. Taking into account all that the Bible says on these issues, orthodox theologians, over time, concluded that God is a Trinity and that Christ is the God-Man. Similarly, a systematic, literal interpretation of all New Testament passages relating to the Rapture will lead to the pretribulational viewpoint: that, at the Rapture, all living believers will be translated into heaven at least seven years before Christ's Second Coming. This is what I believe the Bible teaches.



Foundational Issues



Four affirmations provide a biblical framework for the Pretribulational Rapture: They are (1) consistent literal interpretation, (2) Premillennialism, (3) futurism, and (4) a distinction between Israel and the church. These are not mere suppositions, but rather are important biblical doctrines upon which the doctrine of the Rapture is built.



Literal Interpretation



Consistent literal interpretation is essential to properly understanding what God is saying in the Bible. The dictionary defines literal as " belonging to letters." Further, it says literal interpretation involves an approach " based on the actual words in their ordinary meaning . . . not going beyond the facts." [1] " Literal interpretation of the Bible simply means to explain the original sense of the Bible according to the normal and customary usage of its language." [2] How is this done? It can only be accomplished through the grammatical (according to the rules of grammar), historical (consistent with the historical setting of the passage), contextual (in accord with its context) method of interpretation.



Literal interpretation recognizes that a word or phrase can be used either plainly (denotative) or figuratively (connotative). As in our own conversations today, the Bible may use plain speech, such as " Grandmother died yesterday" (denotative). Or the same thing may be said in a more colorful way, " Grandmother kicked the bucket yesterday" (connotative). An important point to be noted is that even though we may use a figure of speech to refer to Grandmother's death, we are using that figure to refer to an event that literally happened. Some interpreters are mistaken to think that just because a figure of speech may be used to describe an event (i.e., Jonah's experience in the belly of the great fish in Jonah 2), that the event was not literal and did not happen in history. Such is not the case. A " Golden Rule of Interpretation" has been developed to help us discern whether or not a figure of speech was intended by an author.



When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.[3]



The principle of consistent, literal interpretation of the entire Bible logically leads one to the pre-trib position. This means that the prophetic portions of the Bible are interpreted like any other subject matter in Scripture. The prophetic sections of the Bible use the same conventions of language found throughout the Bible.



Premillennialism



The next biblical principle foundational to Pretribulationism is Premillennialism. Premillennialism teaches that the Second Advent will occur before Christ's thousand-year reign upon earth from Jerusalem (Revelation 19:11- 20:6). It is contrasted with the Postmillennial teaching that Christ will return after He has reigned spiritually from His throne in heaven for a long period of time during the current age, through the Church, and the similar Amillennial view that also advocates a present, but pessimistic, spiritual reign of Christ.



Biblical Premillennialism is a necessary foundation for the Pre-Trib position since it is impossible for either the Postmillennial or Amillennial view of Scripture to support a Pre-Trib understanding of the Rapture.
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Futurism



The third contributing principle is Futurism. As if understanding the different millennial positions are not complicated enough, diversification is compounded when we consider the four possible views which relate to the timing of when an interpreter sees prophecy being fulfilled in history. The four views are simple in the sense that they reflect the only four possibilities in relation to time- past, present, future, and timeless. The Preterist (past) believes that most, if not all, prophecy has already been fulfilled, usually in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The Historicist (present) sees much of the current Church Age as equal to the Tribulation Period. Thus, prophecy has been and will be fulfilled during the current Church Age. Futurists (future) believe that virtually all prophetic events will not occur in the current Church Age, but will happen in the future Tribulation, Second Coming, or Millennium. The Idealist (timeless) does not believe either that the Bible indicates the timing of events or that we can know before they happen. Therefore, idealists think that prophetic passages mainly teach great ideas or truths about God to be applied regardless of timing.



Pretribulationism can only be built upon the futurist understanding of prophetic events. Such a conclusion is the result of the application of a consistent literal interpretation of prophecy as future historical events that are yet to occur.



Distinction between Israel and the Church



The final principle related to the pre-trib position is the biblical truth that God's single program for history includes two peoples, Israel and the Church. This view has been systematized into what is known as dispensationalism. While the basis of salvation (God's grace) is always the same for Jew and Gentile, God's prophetic program has two distinct aspects. Presently, God's plan for Israel is on hold until He completes His current purpose with the Church and Raptures His Bride to heaven. Only pretribulationism provides a purpose for the rapture. That purpose is to remove the Church via the Rapture so God can complete His unfinished business with Israel during the seven-year Tribulation period. Therefore, if one does not distinguish between passages which God intends for Israel from those intended for the church, then there results an improper confusion of the two programs.



It should not be surprising that God's single plan for history has a multi-dimensional aspect (Ephesians 3;10) that we know as Israel and the Church. If human novelists can weave multiple plots throughout their stories, then how much more can the Great Planner of the universe and history not do the same kind of thing?



Those commingling God's plan for Israel and the church destroy an important basis for the pre-trib rapture. The Bible clearly teaches that the church and Israel have in many ways different programs within the single plan of God even though both are saved on the same basis.



SPECIFIC PRETRIBULATIONAL ARGUMENTS



The fact of the Rapture was first revealed by Christ to His disciples in John 14:1-3. It is most clearly presented in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 which encourages living Christians that, at the Rapture, they will be reunited with those who have died in Christ before them. In verse 17 the English phrase " caught up" (NASB) translates the Greek word harpaz`, which means " to seize upon with force" or " to snatch up." This is the Greek word from which the English word " harpoon" is derived. The Latin translators of the Bible used the word rapere, the root of the English term rapture. A debate swirls around when this takes place relative to the Tribulation. At the Rapture living believers will be " caught up" in the air, translated into the clouds, in a moment of time.



An interesting tie between the revelation of the rapture by our Lord in John 14:1-3 and Paul's expansion in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 has been observed by commentator J. B. Smith. Smith has observed a " thought for thought" parallel between the two passages:



Let us now compare two passages of Scripture which, by the words employed, clearly show that they refer to the same event. . . .



John 14:1-3



trouble verse 1

believe verse 1

God, me verse 1

told you verse 2

come again verse 3

receive you verse 3

to myself verse 3

be where I am verse 3


1 Thessalonians 4:13-18



sorrow verse 13

believe verse 14

Jesus, God verse 14

say to you verse 15

coming of the Lord verse 15

caught up verse 17

to meet the Lord verse 17

ever be with the Lord verse 17
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Observe:



The words or phrases are almost an exact parallel.



They follow one another in both passages in exactly the same order.



Only the righteous are dealt with in each case.



There is not a single irregularity in the progression of words from first to last.



Either column takes the believer from the troubles of earth to the glories of heaven.



It is but consistent to interpret each passage as dealing with the same event- the rapture of the church. [4]



Such a comparison bodes well for the pretribulational rapture of the church, as we shall see below.



Operating consistently upon the foundation of these four biblical foundations, we will survey six specific biblical arguments for Pretribulationism. These are not all the reasons for a Pre-Trib Rapture, but are simply a summary of some of the basic arguments.



Contrasts Between Comings



The Rapture is characterized in the New Testament as a " translation or resurrection coming" (1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:15-17) in which the Lord comes for His church, taking her to His Father's house (John 14:3). On the other hand, Christ's Second Advent with His saints (the Church=Rev. 19) descends from heaven and arrives on earth to stay and set up His Messianic Kingdom (Zech. 14:4-5; Matt. 24:27-31). The differences between these two events are harmonized naturally by the pre-trib position, while other views are not able to comfortably account for such differences.



Paul speaks of the Rapture as a " mystery" (1 Cor. 15:51-54), that is, a truth not revealed until it was disclosed by the apostles (Col. 1:26). Thus the Rapture is said to be a newly revealed mystery, making it a separate event. The Second Coming, on the other hand, was predicted in the Old Testament (Dan. 12:1-3; Zech. 12:10; 14:4).



The New Testament teaches about the Rapture of the church and yet also speaks of the Second Coming of Christ. These two events are different in a number of ways. Note the following contrasts between the translation at the Rapture and Christ's Second Coming to establish the kingdom.



Rapture/Translation



1 Translation of all believers

2 Translated saints go to heaven

3 Earth not judged

4 Imminent, any-moment, signless

5 Not in the Old Testament

6 Believers only

7 Before the day of wrath

8 No reference to Satan

9 Christ comes for His own

10 He comes in the air

11 He claims His bride

12 Only His own see Him

13 Tribulation begins



2nd Coming/Establish Kingdom



1 No translation at all

2 Translated saints return to earth

3 Earth judged & righteousness established

4 Follows definite predicted signs including tribulation

5 Predicted often in Old Testament

6 Affects all men

7 Concluding the day of wrath

8 Satan bound

9 Christ comes with His own

10 He comes to the earth

11 He comes with His bride

12 Every eye shall see Him

13 Millennial Kingdom begins



Dr. John Walvoord concludes that these " contrasts should make it evident that the translation of the church is an event quite different in character and time from the return of the Lord to establish His kingdom, and confirms the conclusion that the translation takes place before the tribulation." [5]



Both events mention clouds symbolizing a heavenly role in both, but other differences demonstrate that these are two distinct events. At the Rapture, the Lord comes for His saints (1 Thes. 4:16); at the Second Coming the Lord comes with His saints (1 Thes. 3:13). At the Rapture, the Lord comes only for believers, but His return to the earth will impact all people. The Rapture is a translation/resurrection event; the Second Coming is not. At the Rapture, the Lord takes believers from earth to heaven "to the Father's house" (John 14:3); at the Second Coming believers return from heaven to the earth (Matt. 24:30).
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The best harmonization of these two different events supports a pretribulational Rapture (which is signless and could happen at any moment), while the many events taking place during the Tribulation are best understood as signs leading up to the Second Coming.



A Time Interval Needed Between Comings



An interval or gap of time is needed between the rapture and the second coming in order to facilitate many events predicted in the Bible in a timely manner. Numerous items in the New Testament can be harmonized by a pre-trib time gap of at least seven years, while other views, especially postribulationists, are forced to postulate scenarios that would not realistically allow for a normal passage of time. The following events are best temporally harmonized with an interval of time as put forth by pretribulationism.[6]



2 Corinthians 5:10 teaches that all believers of this age must appear before the judgment seat of Christ in heaven. This event, often known as the " Bema Judgment" from the Greek word bema, is an event never mentioned in the detailed accounts connected with the second coming of Christ to the earth. Since such an evaluation would require some passage of time, the pre-trib gap of seven years nicely accounts for such a requirement.



Since Revelation 19:7-10 pictures the church as a bride who has been made ready for marriage (illustrated as " fine linen," which represents " the righteous acts of the saints" ) to her groom (Christ); and the bride has already been clothed in preparation for her return at the second coming accompanying Christ to the earth (Rev. 19:11-18), it follows that the church would already have to be complete and in heaven (because of the pre-trib rapture) in order to have been prepared in the way that Revelation 19 describes. This requires an interval of time which pretribulationism handles well.



The 24 elders of Revelation 4:1- 5:14 are best understood as representatives of the church. Dr. Charles Ryrie explains:



In the New Testament, elders as the highest officials in the church do represent the whole church (cf. Acts 15:6; 20:28), and in the Old Testament, twenty-four elders were appointed by King David to represent the entire Levitical priesthood (I Chron. 24). When those twenty-four elders met together in the temple precincts in Jerusalem, the entire priestly house was represented. Thus it seems more likely that the elders represent redeemed human beings, . . . the church is included and is thus in heaven before the tribulation begins.[7]



If they refer to the church, then this would necessitate the rapture and reward of the church before the tribulation and would require a chronological gap for them to perform their heavenly duties during the seven-year tribulation.



Believers who come to faith in Christ during the tribulation are not translated at Christ's second advent but carry on ordinary occupations such as farming and building houses, and they will bear children (Isa. 65:20-25). This would be impossible if all saints were translated at the second coming to the earth, as posttribulationists teach. Because pretribulationists have at least a seven-year interval between the removal of the church at the rapture and the return of Christ to the earth, this is not a problem because millions of people will be saved during the interval and thus be available to populate the millennium in their natural bodies in order to fulfill Scripture.



It would be impossible for the judgment of the Gentiles to take place after the second coming if the rapture and second coming are not separated by a gap of time. How would both saved and unsaved, still in their natural bodies, be separated in judgment, if all living believers are translated at the second coming. This would be impossible if the translation takes place at the second coming, but it is solved through a pretribulational gap.



Dr. John F. Walvoord points out that if " the translation took place in connection with the second coming to the earth, there would be no need of separating the sheep from the goats at a subsequent judgment, but the separation would have taken place in the very act of the translation of the believers before Christ actually sets up His throne on earth (Matt. 25:31)." [8] Once again, such a " problem" is solved by taking a pre-trib position with it's gap of at least seven years.



A time interval is needed so that God's program for the church, a time when Jew and Gentile are united in one body (cf. Eph. 2- 3), will not become commingled in any way with His unfinished and future plan for Israel during the tribulation. Dr. Renald Showers notes that " [A]ll other views of the Rapture have the church going through at least part of the 70th week, meaning that all other views mix God's 70-weeks program for Israel and Jerusalem together with His program for the church. A gap is needed in order for these two aspects of God's program to be harmonized in a non-conflicting manner." [9]



The pretribulational rapture of the church fulfills a biblical need to not only see a distinction between the translation of Church Age saints at the rapture, before the second coming, but it also handles without difficulty the necessity of a time-gap which harmonizes a number of future biblical events. This requirement of a seven-year gap of time adds another plank to the likelihood that pretribulationism best reflects the biblical viewpoint.
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The Imminent Coming of Christ



The New Testament speaks of our Lord's return as imminent, meaning that it could happen at any moment. Other events may occur before an imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens. Imminency passages instruct believer to look, watch, and wait for His coming (1 Cor. 1:7; Phil. 3:20; 1 Thes. 1:10; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; 1 Peter 1:13; Jude 21). If either the appearance of the Antichrist, the Abomination of Desolation, or the unfolding of the Tribulation must occur before the Rapture, then a command to watch for Christ's coming would not be relevant. Only pretribulationism teaches a truly imminent Rapture since it is the only view not requiring anything to happen before the Rapture. As required by the above mentioned passages, the New Testament indicates that the believer's hope is to look, watch, and wait for a person and that is Jesus. Only pretribulationism enables a believer to look for Christ and yet at the same time give full meaning to Second Coming passages and the signs that lead up to our Lord's return to the earth. Imminency is a strong argument for the pre-trib Rapture and provides the believer with a true "blessed hope."



The Nature of the Tribulation



The Bible teaches that the Tribulation (i.e., the seven-year, 70th week of Daniel) is a time of preparation for Israel's restoration and regeneration (Deut. 4:29-30; Jer. 30:4-11; Ezek. 20:22-44; 22:13-22). Revelation 3:10 notes that the Tribulation will not be for the church but for " those who dwell upon the earth" (Rev. 3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10 [twice]; 13:8, 12, 14 [twice]; 17:2, 8), as a time upon them for their rejection of Christ is His salvation. While the church will experience tribulation in general during this present age (John 16:33), she is never mentioned as participating in Israel's time of trouble, which includes the Great Tribulation, the Day of the Lord, and the Wrath of God. Pretribulationalism gives the best answer to the biblical explanation of the fact that the church is never mentioned in passages that speak about tribulational events, while Israel is mentioned consistently throughout these passages.



The Nature of the Church



Only pretribulationalism is able to give full biblical import to the New Testament teaching that the church differs significantly from Israel. The church is said to be a mystery (Eph. 3:1-13) by which Jews and Gentiles are now united into one body in Christ (Eph. 2:11-22). This explains why the church's translation to heaven is never mentioned in any Old Testament passage that deals with the Second Coming after the Tribulation, and why the church is promised deliverance from the time of God's wrath during the Tribulation (1 Thes. 1:9-10; 5:9; Rev. 3:10). The church alone has the promise that all believers will be taken to the Father's house in heaven John 14:1-3) at the translation, and not to the earth as other views would demand.



The Work of the Holy Spirit



Second Thessalonians 2:1-12 discusses a man of lawlessness being held back until a later time. Interpreting the restrainer of evil (2:6) as the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit at work through the body of Christ during the current age, supports the pretribulational interpretation. Since "the lawless one" (the beast or anti-Christ) cannot be revealed until the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit) is taken away (2:7-8), the Tribulation cannot occur until the church is removed.



PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS



Like all aspects of biblical doctrine, teaching on the Rapture has a practical dimension. Dr. Renald Showers has summarized some of the practical implications of the pre-trib Rapture.



The fact that the glorified, holy Son of God could step through the door of heaven at any moment is intended by God to be the most pressing, incessant motivation for holy living and aggressive ministry (including missions, evangelism and Bible teaching) and the greatest cure for lethargy and apathy. It should make a major difference in every Christian's values, actions, priorities and goals.[10]



As John writes, " Everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:3). Our Rapture hope is said to urge a watchfulness for Christ Himself (1 Cor. 15:58); to encourage faithfulness in church leaders (2 Tim. 4:1-5); to encourage patient waiting (1 Thes. 1:10); to result in expectation and looking (Phil. 3:20; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28); to promote godly moderation (Phil. 4:5); to excite " heavenlymindedness" (Col. 3:1-4); to bring forth successful labor (1 Thes. 2:19-20); to experience comfort (1 Thes. 4:18); to urge steadfastness (2 Thes. 2:1-2; 1 Tim. 6:14; 1 Peter 5:4); to infuse diligence and activity (2 Tim. 4:1-8); to promote mortification of the flesh (Col. 3:4-5; Titus 2:12-13); to require soberness (1 Thes. 5:6; 1 Peter 1:13); to contribute to an abiding with Christ (1 John 2:28; 3:2); to support patience under trial James 5:7-8); and to enforce obedience (2 Tim. 4:1).



The pretribulation Rapture is not just wishful " pie-in-the-sky, in the bye-and-bye" thinking. Rather, it is vitally connected to Christian living in the "nasty here-and-now." No wonder the early church coined a unique greeting of "Maranatha!" which reflected the primacy of the Blessed Hope as a very real presence in their everyday lives. Maranatha literally means "our Lord come!" (1 Cor. 16:22) The life of the church today could only be improved if "Maranatha" were to return as a sincere greeting on the lips of an expectant people.

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Endnotes



[1] Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary, Unabridged, Second Edition, p. 1055.



[2] Paul Lee Tan, The Interpretation of Prophecy (Winona Lake, Ind.: Assurance Publishers, 1974), p. 29.



[3] David L. Cooper, The World's Greatest Library: Graphically Illustrated, (Los Angeles: Biblical Research Society, 1970), p. 11.



[4] J. B. Smith, A Revelation of Jesus Christ (Scottdale, Penn.: Herald Press, 1961), pp. 312-13.



[5] John F. Walvoord, The Return of the Lord (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1955), p. 88. The quotation and the first six contrasts in the comparison above are taken from pp. 87-88 of Walvoord's The Return.



[6] John F. Walvoord, The Return of the Lord (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1955), p. 88. The quotation and the first six contrasts in the comparison above are taken from pp. 87-88 of Walvoord's The Return.



[6]Many of the points in this section are taken from John F. Walvoord, The Rapture Question: Revised and Enlarged Edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), pp. 274-75.



[7] Charles C. Ryrie, Revelation (Chicago: Moody Press, 1968), pp. 35-36.



[8] Walvoord, The Rapture Question, p. 274.



[9] Renald Showers, Maranatha Our Lord, Come! A Definitive Study of the Rapture of the Church (Bellmawr, N.J.: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., 1995), p. 243.



[10] Showers, Maranatha, pp. 255-56.

One of the most important prophecy passages in the whole Bible is that of God’s prophecy given to Daniel in Daniel 9:24-27.  This passage constitutes one of the most amazing prophecies in all the Bible.  If worked out logically, this text is both seminal and determinative in the outworking of one’s understanding of Bible prophecy.  Especially for those of us who believe that prophecy should be understood literally, it is essential that a right understanding of this central text be developed and cultivated.  Thus, with this article, I am beginning a series that examines Daniel’s prophecy for the purpose of providing a consistently literal interpretation of the passage.

Enemies of Literal Interpretation

Critics of the literal interpretation of Bible prophecy must strike down the plain meaning of Daniel’s prophecy in their failed attempts to strike down the prophetic precision found in biblical prophecy.  Critic, Gary DeMar declares:

While nearly all Bible scholars agree that the first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel’s prophecy refer to the time up to Jesus’ crucifixion, only dispensationalists [literal interpreters like myself, T.D.I.] believe that the entire seventieth week is yet to be fulfilled.  Without a futurized seventieth week, the dispensationalist system falls apart.  There can be no pretribulational rapture, great tribulation, or rebuilt temple without the gap.  How do dispensationalists find a gap in a text that makes no mention of a gap?1

I agree with DeMar, that much rides on Daniel’s prophecy.  I hope to demonstrate in this and coming articles that the only interpretation of Daniel’s seventy-weeks that explains all aspects of this great prophecy is the consistently literal approach.

Should the overall approach of this prophecy be literal or allegorical?  If literal, then this would mean that the numbers should be taken literally and do count.  Yet some think that numbers don’t count.

This facilitates the adoption of the symbolical interpretation of the numbers, which, . . . we regard as the only possible one, because it does not necessitate our changing the seventy years of the exile into years of the restoration of Jerusalem, and placing the seven years, which the text presents as the first period of the seventy weeks, last.2

Harry Bultema observes:

The angel himself gives a literal explanation and it would be nonsensical to insist on giving a symbolical interpretation of a literal explanation.  If the exegetes had always obeyed the angel’s interpretation as is evident from practically every word he speaks, then this text would never have been so obscured by all kinds of human conjectures and imagined “deep” insights.3

Reasons For Literal Numbers

There are solid reasons why the numbers in Daniel’s prophecy should be taken literally.  First, chapter 9 opens with Daniel realizing from Jeremiah’s writings that Israel’s captivity would last 70 years.  These were literal years.  Since the prophecy delivered by Gabriel to Daniel in 9:24-27 is related to the 70-year captivity, it follows that the 70 weeks of years are equally literal.  Second, since definite numbers are used in the prophecy (7, 62, and 1 weeks), it would be strange indeed for such odd numbers to not have literal meaning.  Leon Wood asks, “Why should definite numbers be applied to periods of indefinite lengths?”4  Nothing in the context suggests a non-literal use of numbers in this prophecy.

Setting the Context

We know from the beginning of chapter 9 (verse 2) that Daniel had read about “the number of years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.”  The two passages which Daniel surely studied were Jeremiah 25:11-12 and 29:10-14.  Both texts clearly speak of Israel’s Babylonian captivity as limited to a 70-year period.  Both passages also blend into their texts, statements that look forward to a time of ultimate fulfillment and blessing for the nation of Israel.  This is why Daniel appears to think that when the nation returns to their land, then ultimate blessing (the millennial kingdom) will coincide with their return.  Daniel’s errant thinking about the timing of God’s plan for Israel occasioned the Lord’s sending of Gabriel “to give you insight with understanding” (Dan. 9:22).
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God was not yet ready to bring history to its destined final climax.  Thus, He told Daniel that He was going stretch out history by seventy times seven years (i.e., 490 years).  Dr. David Cooper wrote the following paraphrase that I think accurately captures the sense of the passage:

Daniel, you have been thinking that the final restoration will be accomplished and the full covenant blessings will be realized at the close of these seventy years of exile in Babylon.  On this point you are mistaken.  You are not now on the eve of the fulfillment of this wonderful prediction.  Instead of its being brought to pass at this time, I am sent to inform you that there is decreed upon your people and the Holy City a period of "seventy sevens" of years before they can be realized.  At the conclusion of this period of 490 years the nation of Israel will be reconciled and will be reinstated into the divine favor and will enter into the enjoyment of all the covenant blessings.5

The Meaning of “Weeks”

One of the Hebrew classes I took while a student at Dallas Theological Seminary was called “Exegesis of Old Testament Problem Passages,” taught by Dr. Kenneth Barker.  Dr. Barker thought that Daniel 9:24-27 had more problems for an interpreter to solve than any other passage in the entire Old Testament.  Dr. Barker did not mean by the term “problem” that these made the text unknowable, but that an item was difficult and required great care and skill to determine the meaning.  He thought that there were 14 problems that an interpreter needed to solve in order to correctly understand the passage.  The first issue that needs to be dealt with was the meaning of the term “weeks,” found at the beginning of verse 24.

For those acquainted with Hebrew, they will notice that the same word appears twice at the beginning of verse 24.  That twice used word is “sâbu‘îm,” meaning “seventy sevens.”  This Hebrew word appears first as a plural noun, followed by the participle form, functioning as an adjective.  That this Hebrew phrase should be rendered as “seventy sevens,” is unanimously agreed upon by representatives of all interpretative schools.  There is also great consensus that the “seventy sevens” refers to years, since this is what Daniel was contemplating in Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10-14, as evident in Daniel 9:2.  Thus, our Lord has in mind seventy weeks of years, or 490 years.

The next word appearing in the Hebrew text in verse 24 is a verb translated “have been decreed.”  This word appears only here in the entire Old Testament.  This verb has the basic meaning of “cut,” “cut off,” and came to mean “divide,” or “determine.”6  It appears that Gabriel choose this unique word to emphasis that God was carefully choosing or determining the length of Israel’s history.  “Just as a wise person never cuts or snips at random, the Lord as the all-wise God does so even less.  All His works are determined form eternity, and the times also are only in His hands.”7  Wood adds, “The thought is that God had cut off these 490 years from the rest of history through which to accomplish the deliverances needed for Israel.”8  G. H. Lang declares:

Decreed means divided or severed off from the whole period of world-empire in the hands of the Gentiles, as to which Daniel was already well informed.  It points to a fixed and limited period, of definite duration, forming part of a longer period the duration of which is not fixed, or at least not declared.9

Daniel’s People and City

For whom did God reveal this period of prophetic destiny?  The text says that they have been decreed “for your people and your holy city.”  This is such an obvious statement, yet too many interpreters attempt to shoehorn in a people not mentioned in the passage.  In the sixth century b.c., when Daniel wrote, who were Daniel’s people and holy city?  Clearly it can only refer to Israel as Daniel’s people and Jerusalem as Daniel’s holy city.  Yet many interpreters insist that it means something more, something different than what the text actually says.  For instance, H. C. Leupold says, “Here, as so often in prophecy, terms like God’s “people” and God’s “holy city” broaden out to the point where they assume a breadth of meaning like that found in the New Testament (cf. Gal. 6:16).”10  Another non-literalist, E. J. Young, says, “It is true that the primary reference is to Israel after the flesh, and the historical Jerusalem, but since this very vs. describes the Messianic work, it also refers to the true people of God, those who will benefit because of the things herein described.”11
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Notice that both allegorizers appeal to reasons that are outside of the text.  They just believe that it refers to individuals beyond Israel because that’s what they believe.  Therefore, the text must have in mind some beyond what it actually does say.  This is a clear example of reading meaning into the text from one’s own belief system, which is not what the Bible wants us to do.  Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 4:6, “that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written.”  Gabriel goes out of his way to inform Daniel that the seventy weeks of years are decree for Israel and Jerusalem.  Lang notes, “The endeavour to apply this prophecy, in general or in detail, to others than Daniel’s people, Israel, and Daniel’s city, Jerusalem, is an outrage upon exegesis, being forbidden in advance by the express terms used.”12  Gabriel says that God has specifically cut away those 490 years for Israel and Jerusalem, which would not include the addition of anyone else.  Wood expands upon this idea and notes:

It should be noted that Gabriel said the 490 years will be in reference to the Jewish people and the Jewish capital city, which would seem to exclude any direct concern with Gentiles.  That this concern is to be with the city, as well as the people, militates against the idea that the 490 years carry reference only to Christ’s first coming and not to His second.  It is difficult to see how the physical city of Jerusalem was involved in the deliverance from sin which Christ then effected but it will be in the deliverance from the destructive oppression which the Antichrist will bring prior to Christ’s second coming.13

In my next installment I will examine the six purposes stated in the second half of verse 24.

Endnotes

1. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA:  American Vision, 1999), p. 324.

2. C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Daniel, 10 vols., (Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975), Vol. IX, p. 399

3. Harry Bultema, Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids:  Kregel, 1988 ), pp. 279-80.

4. Leon Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 247.

5. David L. Cooper, Messiah:  His First Coming Scheduled, (Los Angeles:  Biblical Research Society, 1939), p. 369.

6. See Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (London:  Oxford, 1907), p. 367.

7. Bultema, Daniel, p. 282.

8. Wood, Daniel, p. 248.

9. G. H. Lang, The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel, (Miami Springs, FL:  Conley & Schoettle Publishing Co., 1985), p. 127.

10. H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Daniel, (Grand Rapids:  Baker Book House, 1949), p. 411.

11. Edward J. Young, A Commentary on Daniel, (Carlisle, PA:  The Banner of Truth Trust, 1949), p. 197.

12. Lang, Daniel, p. 130.

13. Wood, Daniel, p. 248.

(To Be Continued . . .)

Last installment I began a series on one of the most important prophecy passages in the whole Bible—Daniel 9:24-27.  I examined, last time, the first-third of Daniel 9:24.  This time I will be explore the six purposes of the seventy weeks that have been decreed for Israel, as stated in the remainder of verse 24.

The Six Prophetic Purpose Clauses

As we delve more deeply into the meaning of this text, let’s drop back and note a few structural observations about the passage as a whole (Dan. 9:24-27).  Verse 24 is the general statement from Gabriel, while the final three verses provide a particular explanation of the general point.  Thus, verses 25-27 will help us understand the main statement of verse 24.

There are six infinitives that tell us when the seventy weeks that have been decreed for Israel and Jerusalem will be fulfilled in history.  These six goals are 1) to finish the transgression, 2) to make an end of sin, 3) to make atonement for iniquity, 4) to bring in everlasting righteousness, 5) to seal up vision and prophecy, and 6) to anoint the most holy place.  Usually, when a list appears in Scripture, it is important to see if the items should be grouped in subsets.

I believe that these six items are arranged in two groups of three, instead of three groups of two.  The first triad has to do with sin, and interestingly these are the exact words that Daniel used in his prayer in 9:5.  God is speaking to Daniel’s prayer through the first three goals.  The second set of three goals for the 490 year period have to do with God’s righteousness.  This was a matter that Daniel was also inquiring about in his earlier prayer (9:7).  G. H. Lang agrees when he notes, “for the first three are concerned with the removal of sin, and the last three with the bringing in of righteousness.”1  “The first three are negative in force, speaking of undesirable matters to be removed; and the last three are positive, giving desirable factors to be effected.”2

Division of these six statements into two groups of threes appear to be supported by a structural observation from the Hebrew text.  The first three goals are all made up of two word units in Hebrew.  The second group of descriptives all use three word phrases.  This structural arrangement would lend literary support to the grouping suggested above.

Before we can determine when these six items will be fulfilled, we must first ascertain their purpose.  This we will now pursue as we inspect each phrase.

1) To Finish the Transgression

The verb “to finish” looks to bring something to its culmination.  It has the idea of “to close, shut, restrain.”  Here it has the idea of “firmly restraining” the transgression, thus the specific idea of restraint of sin.  “Examination of the use of this word shows that it means the forcible cessation of an activity.  It always points to a complete stop, never to a mere hindrance.”3  In this context it is “the transgression” which is being firmly restrained.  As I hope to demonstrate throughout this series, I believe that “finish” looks toward the completion of the 70 weeks at the second coming of Christ to set up His millennial kingdom.

The noun “transgression” in Hebrew is derived from the verbal root with the basic meaning of “rebel, revolt, transgress.”  Transgression is the idea of going beyond a specific limit or boundary.  “From all the definitions given we may be certain that it emphasizes the idea of rebellion against God and disobedience to His will.”4  Gabriel has in mind, in verse 24, more than just sin in general, but a specific sin since the definite article is attached to this word—“the transgression.”  “The article in Hebrew, as in Greek, is ver definite and points clearly to some outstanding thing or object,” notes David Cooper.  “Thus the expression ‘the transgression’ seems to indicate some specific, outstanding, national sin of the Chosen People.”5  Since the emphasis in this phrase is upon the finishing of Israel’s transgression, then this leads to the conclusion that it will occur at the second coming of Jesus, Israel’s Messiah.  Arnold Fruchtenbaum points out that “when speaking of the basis of the second coming of Christ that there are two facets to this basis: first, there must be the confession of Israel’s national sin (Lev. 26:40-42; Jer. 3:11-18; Hos. 5:15) . . .”6  The emphasis in this first goal is upon when Israel’s national sin—rejection of her Messiah—will be brought to an end.  “This passage assumes, therefore,” notes Cooper, “that the whole nation repents and turns to God for mercy and forgiveness.  Thus this first phrase implies the conversion of the nation.  But what is assumed here is stated specifically in the third phrase.”7
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2) To Make an End of Sin

The second goal to be completed at the end of the 70 weeks is to make an end of sin.  In the Hebrew, the word “to make an of” literally means “to shut, close, seal; to hide, to reveal as a secret,” and has the primary meaning of bringing a matter to a conclusion.  Cooper explains:

This word was regularly used to indicate the closing of a letter or an official document.  When the scribe had finished his work, the king placed his royal seal upon it, thus showing that the communication was brought to a close and at the same time giving it the official imprimatur.8

The Hebrew root word for “sin” is the most commonly used word for sin in the Hebrew Old Testament.  Its core meaning is “to miss the mark, to be mistaken”.  This is illustrated in Judges 20:16 where it says, “Out of all these people . . . each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.”  This word itself conveys the basic meaning of “to miss, to be mistaken.”  Interestingly, the only other uses of this word in Daniel occur in 9:20 (twice).  Daniel speaks of “my sin and the sin of my people Israel.”  Since this Hebrew word does not have the definite article as did “transgression” in the previous phrase, and since “sin” is plural, it seems refer to the sins in general of the nation.  “The sealing up of sins, consequently, signifies their restraint under safe custody.”9  “Since the cause of sin must be removed before the cure can be effected, this expression assumes that at the time here foreseen the nation will have turned to the Lord, and that by His Spirit a new heart and spirit will have been given to all the people.”10  Clearly the scene only after the second coming followed by the installation of the millennial reign of Jesus the Messiah.

3) To Make Atonement for Iniquity

The third infinitive “to make atonement for iniquity” is the translation of two Hebrew words.  Taking the second one—iniquity—first, we see that it is one of the most common Hebrew words for sin.  It has the core idea of twisting or defacing something beyond its intended purpose.  While speaking of a sinful act, this word, at the same time, looks to the fact that the reason why one commits iniquity is due to the perverted sinful nature inherited from Adam’s fall.  According to The Oxford English Dictionary, “iniquity” means “the quality of being unrighteous, or (more often) unrighteous action or conduct.”  Its core meaning is “uneven, unequal, wrong, wicked.”11  Thus, the idea of iniquity is used here to speak of that most aggressive nuance of sin flowing from human willful disobedience.  This paints a picture of the worst kind of offense before God.

Such an offense requires a heroic response from God.  Just such a provision is taught in the verb “to make atonement.”  Many are familiar with the word “atone” since it takes a prominent place in Israel’s Old Testament sacrificial system.  It is used in Genesis 7:14 as both a noun and a verb and carries with it the idea of covering the wood of Noah’s Ark with pitch.  When applied theologically to salvation, it communicates “the act functioned to cleanse, wipe away, or purify objects contaminated by sin or uncleanness or make kôper on behalf of persons.  This act of purgation served to propitiate Yahweh, thus enabling Him to dwell among His people to work out His purpose through them in the world.”12  The significance of this third phrase is noted by Cooper who says,

doubtless is a clear reference to the time when all Israel in genuine penitence shall acknowledge her departure from God and her national sin.  At the same time each individual, of course, will acknowledge his own wrongs and all will call upon God for pardon.  Then that which was foreshadowed by the annual atonement will become a reality.  At that time the nation will be brought back into fellowship with God and become a blessing in the earth.13

Conclusion

The first three of the six goals in Daniel 9:24 have to do with the sin of Daniel’s people, Israel.  The basis for dealing with Israel’s sin was provided during the first coming of Jesus when He died on the cross and rose again from the dead to pay for the sin of the Jews and for the sins of the entire human race.  However, the application of this wonderful provision for sin will not be realized for Daniel’s people until the end of the 70 weeks.  This will be fulfilled by the second coming of Messiah at the end of the tribulation period, which is yet future to our day.  Leon Wood has an excellent summary of the first three goals.
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The first introduces the idea of riddance, saying that the coming 490-year period would see its firm restraint.  In other words, God was about to do something to alleviate this basic, serious problem.  The second speaks of the degree of this restraint: sin would be put to an end.  The third indicates how this would be done: by atonement.  Though Christ is not mentioned in the verse, the meaning is certain, especially in view of verse twenty-six, that He would be the One making this atonement, which would serve to restrain the sin by bringing it to an end.  It is clear that reference in these first three items is mainly to Christ's first coming, when sin was brought to an end in principle.  The actuality of sin coming to an end for people, however, comes only when a personal appropriation of the benefit has been made.  Since Gabriel was speaking primarily in reference to Jews, rather than Gentiles . . . this fact requires the interpretation to include also Christ's second coming, because only then does Israel as a nation turn to Christ (cf. Jer. 31:33, 34; Ezek. 37:23; Zech. 13:1; Rom. 11:25-27).14

In my next installment I will examine final three goals stated in the second half of verse 24.

Endnotes

1. G. H. Lang, The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel, (Miami Springs, FL:  Conley & Schoettle Publishing Co., 1985), p. 131.

2. Leon Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 248.

3. Allan A. MacRae, The Prophecies of Daniel (Singapore:  Christian Life Publishers, 1991), p. 181.

4. David L. Cooper, Messiah:  His First Coming Scheduled, (Los Angeles:  Biblical Research Society, 1939), p. 371.

5. Cooper, Messiah, p. 371.

6. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Israelology:  The Missing Link in Systematic Theology (Tustin, CA:  Ariel Ministries Press, [1989, 1992], 1993), p. 784.

7. Cooper, Messiah, p. 374.

8. Cooper, Messiah, p. 374.

9. Lang, Daniel, p. 131.

10. Cooper, Messiah, p. 375.

11. The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford, England:  Oxford University Press, 1971), s.v. “Iniquity.”

12. Jerry M. Hullinger, “A Proposed Solution to the Problem of Animal Sacrifices in Ezekiel 40—48,” (Th.D. Dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1993), p. 53.

13. Cooper, Messiah, p. 376.

14. Wood, Daniel, p. 249.

(To Be Continued . . .)

As I continue a study of Daniel 9:24-27, one of the foundational prophetic passages in Scripture, I will complete the examination of the six prophetic purpose clauses.  Previously I dealt with the first three of six clauses.  These clauses are prophetically important, because if they are descriptive of items that have yet to be fulfilled, then the seventy weeks of Daniel have yet to be fulfilled.  This means that the final (70th week) has to be future to our day since all of the purposes must be brought to completion by the end of the prescribed time period.

In my previous article in this series I noted that the six prophetic purpose clauses were divided into two groups of three.  That is to say, that the first three clauses had to do with the sin issue in relation to Israel, while the second triad relate to God’s righteousness.  I will now examine prophetic purpose clauses four through six.

4) To Bring in Everlasting Righteousness

The first of the three Hebrew words that compose the fourth purpose clause is the infinitive which is usually translated into English as “bring in.”  This is a widely used Hebrew verb that has the primary meaning of “come in, come, go in, or go.”1  Since this occurrence of the verb is in the causative Hebrew stem known as hiphil, it has the sense that “everlasting righteousness” will be caused to come in.

The righteousness to be brought in is the same word Daniel uses during his initial prayer in 9:7, where righteousness is said to belong exclusively to the Lord.  David Cooper explains:

The English word, righteousness, primarily refers to the correct and proper motives and dealings of man with man.  God’s righteousness would, therefore, consist of His correct attitude and actions towards His creatures and His standards for them. . . . It also carries that idea.2

Thus, the righteousness to be brought in will not be the twisted and volatile standards of human invention.  Instead, God’s righteousness will be a changeless measure of God’s enviable code.

The Hebrew Lexicon of Brown, Driver, and Briggs (BDB) says that the Hebrew noun holamim has the core meaning of “long duration, antiquity, futurity,”3  The Lexicon specifically says that the use in Daniel 9:24 is a plural intensive and thus renders it with the specific sense of “everlastingness, or eternity.”4  Cooper provides a literal translation of “righteousness of the ages,” which captures its precise English meaning and notes that it

signifies that there are rules or formulas of attitude and conduct that are right and will be reckoned as correct throughout all ages— past, present, and future. . .
When, however, the 490 years are completed and the Almighty brings in His great regimé of righteousness, these eternal principles of justice and equity will be in force; therefore, Gabriel said that at this future time God will bring in the righteousness of the ages5

I believe that this clause is a prophecy concerning the future time we know as the kingdom or millennial reign of Christ (see Rev. 20:1-9).  This means that it is yet future to our own day.  In contrast to Israel’s many failures of the past to live up to God’s righteous standards (cf. Dan. 9:3-19), this time the Lord will provide everlasting righteousness for the nation.  Randall Price points out that Gabriel has

. . . in view a theodicial “age of righteousness” (cf. Isa. 1:26; 11:2-5; 32:17; Jer. 23:5-6; 33:15-18 ) that resolves the theological scandal (note Dan. 9:15-16) of the former age characterized by “the rebellion” (i.e., Israel’s rejection of the Messiah).  Therefore, this age will be vindication of God’s promise to national Israel (Ezek. 36:17-23) and a reversal of her condition and fortunes with respect to Messiah, hence a “messianic age” or the messianic kingdom.6

5) To Seal Up Vision and Prophecy

This triad of Hebrew words commences with the same infinitive used above in the second clause which was “to make an end of sin.”  The notion of this Hebrew word “seal up,” carries the idea of completion.  In this context it is rendered “seal up” since the last thing done by a writer as he completes a letter or document is to seal up the finished product.  Charles Feinberg expounds that this refers to giving the seal of confirmation to Daniel and his vision by fulfilling his predictions.  In Isaiah 8:16, this phrase meant that the prophecy was complete, and the command was given to bind it up, to roll it up like a scroll and seal it.  Again, in Daniel 8:26 the thought was to seal up the prophecy and make a permanent record of it, so that when it is fulfilled the event can be compared to the prophecy to show how completely the one corresponds to the other.7
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The dual nouns, which are singular, are literally translated “vision” and “prophet.”  Prophet is a concrete noun put for the abstract thing that the prophet produces, which is prophecy.  Vision is a prophetic vehicle (cf. Dan. 7), while the human instrument is the prophet who produces the prophecy.  Both are collective nouns for the sum total of all vision and prophecy.

Some think that this clause was completed during the first coming of Jesus.  Preterist Ken Gentry advocates this view:

The fifth result . . . has to do with the ministry of Christ on earth, which is introduced at His baptism:  He comes “to seal up vision and prophecy.”  By this is meant that Christ fulfills (and thereby confirms) the prophecy (Luke 18:31; cf. Luke 24:44; Acts 3:18 ).8

Gentry’s naked assertion is typical of those who advocate such a position, which is lacking any exegetical support.  Allan MacRae rightly concludes that there “is no Scriptural warrant for saying that the functions of the Old Testament vision and prophecy came to an end at the time of Christ’s first advent or that these terms do not also include visions and prophecies of the New Testament.”9  Harry Bultema declares,

“Prophecy” does not refer to Christ here but to prophecy in general.  The “vision” this verse speaks of is not a reference to this vision nor to any of the other visions Daniel received, but together with the word “prophecy” refers to all predictions.  A scroll was not complete until it was completely filled.  Thus this sealing of a scroll became a symbol of fulfillment (Isa. 8:16).  So also here it indicates a complete fulfillment of all prophecy.10

This fifth prophetic declaration, like the previous can only refer to a future time when all prophecy will be fulfilled relating to Israel.  There are yet hundreds of future prophecies relating to Israel and Jerusalem that await a future fulfillment.

6) To Anoint the most Holy

The sixth and final prophetic clause begins with the Hebrew verb usually translated as “anoint” means to pour oil on something or someone.11  BDB says that it is used specifically in Daniel 9:24 to “anoint or consecrate to religious service.”12

This much debated phrase usually translated in English as “most holy” is a dual use of the same Hebrew word.  This is a common occurrence in Hebrew when the superlative of a noun is intended and such is the case here.  The first use of the word is singular, while the second one is plural and can literally be rendered “most holy,” or “a most holy place.”  The German commentator C. F. Keil notes that the same exact phrase is used in Ezekiel 45:3 of a future temple and concludes that “the reference is to the anointing of a new sanctuary, temple, or most holy place.”13  Specific reasons for this interpretation of the sixth clause is stated well by Leon Wood.

The phrase “holy of holies” (qodesh qadashîm) occurs, either with or without the article, thirty-nine times in the Old Testament, always in reference to the Tabernacle or Temple or to the holy articles used in them.  When referring to the most holy place, where the Ark was kept, the article is regularly used (e.g., Ex. 26:33), but it is not when referring to the holy articles (e.g., Ex. 29:37) or to the whole Temple complex (e.g., Ezek. 43:12).  In view of these matters, it is highly likely that the phrase refers to the Temple also here, which, in view of the context, must be a future Temple; and, since the phrase is used without the article, reference must be to a complex of that Temple, rather than its most holy place.14

Without exegeting any of the details of Daniel 9:24, Ken Gentry, like many non-literal interpreters, simply declares that this clause refers to Jesus, “at His baptismal anointing that the Spirit came upon Him (Mark 1:9-11).”15  As Leon Wood documented above, this expression is never used of a person, only of things.  “So it is not a reference to the Messiah.  Nor to the church, for the church is nowhere mentioned or found in the whole prophecy of Daniel,” declares Harry Bultema.  “It refers to Daniel’s people Israel. . . . It refers to the state of bliss and holiness of all Israel after the Savior has come to Zion and has turned away the ungodliness from Jacob (Rom. 11:26).”16  Thus, we see that this final prophetic purpose clause also awaits a future fulfillment.
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Conclusion

As we survey the lessons from all six prophetic purpose clauses, we find that none of them have yet to be fulfilled in their entirety.  Therefore, we know from the goals that our Lord set for His people (Israel), and for His city (Jerusalem), that there remains a time of future fulfillment.  “Therefore, this twenty-fourth verse of our chapter,” notes David Cooper, “read in the light of the various predictions of the prophets, is obviously a forecast of the establishment of the kingdom of God upon earth in all its glory.”17  G. H. Lang echoes Cooper’s thoughts when he concludes:

We have now before us an outline of the whole prophecy.  And, after considering the statement of results which are to follow God disciplinary dealings, we cannot but conclude that the close of the Seventy Sevens must coincide with the end of the present order of things and the beginning of the Coming or Millennial Age.18

Even C. F. Keil, the German scholar, cannot resist the clear implications of this prophecy when he states:  “From the contents of these six statements it thus appears that the termination of the seventy weeks coincides with the end of the present course of the world.”19

In my next installment I will return to the issue of the seventy weeks and examine some of the chronological issues relating to it.

Endnotes

1. Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (London:  Oxford, 1907), p. 97.

2. David L. Cooper, Messiah:  His First Coming Scheduled, (Los Angeles:  Biblical Research Society, 1939), p. 376-77.

3. Brown, Driver, Briggs, Hebrew Lexicon, p. 761.

4. Brown, Driver, Briggs, Hebrew Lexicon, p. 762.

5. Cooper, Messiah, p. 377.

6. J. Randall Price, “Prophetic Postponement in Daniel 9 and Other Texts,” in Wesley R. Willis, John R. Master, and Charles C. Ryrie, editors, Issues in Dispensationalism (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1994), p. 150.

7. Charles Lee Feinberg, Daniel:  The man and his visions (Chappaqua, NY:  Christian Herald Books, 1981), p. 128.

8. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., He Shall Have Dominion:  A Postmillennial Eschatology (Tyler, TX:  Institute for Christian Economics, 1992), p. 316.

9. Allan A. MacRae, The Prophecies of Daniel (Singapore:  Christian Life Publishers, 1991), p. 188.

10. Harry Bultema, Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids:  Kregel, 1988 ), p. 283.

11. MacRae, Daniel, p. 190.

12. Brown, Driver, Briggs, Hebrew Lexicon, p. 603.

13. C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Daniel, 10 vols., (Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975), Vol. IX, p. 348.

14. Leon Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 250.

15. Gentry, He Shall Have Dominion, p. 316.

16. Bultema, Daniel, p. 284.

17. Cooper, Messiah, p. 379.

18. G. H. Lang, The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel, (Miami Springs, FL:  Conley & Schoettle Publishing Co., 1985), p. 133.

19. Keil, Daniel, p. 349.

(To Be Continued . . .)

In reaching a correct understanding of Daniel 9:24-27, it is most helpful to understand the circumstances that occasioned the giving of this revelation by God to Daniel.  No one questions that the occasion relates to Israel’s Babylonian captivity for failure to observe the sabbatical year in their calendar that was given to the nation by the Lord.  But how does that relate to the 70-weeks prophecy?  That is what I want to examine in this installment.

Israel’s Sabbatical Year

As part of the stipulations in the Mosaic Law Code, Israel was to let her land lay fallow every seventh year.  Scripture says,

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them,  ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the Lord.  Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard.  Your harvest’s aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year.  And all of you shall have the sabbath products of the land for food; yourself, and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you’” (Lev. 25:2-6).

Leviticus 26 provides the sanctions that God would impose upon His nation for the years that Israel did not obey the specifications of a sabbatical year.

Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.  All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your sabbaths, while you were living on it (Lev. 26:34-35).

For the land shall be abandoned by them, and shall make up for its sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, shall be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes (Lev. 26:43).

The Lord provided a Divine commentary to the nation on how they were keeping or not keeping His Law in the historical book of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles.  Thus, the Lord explains why Israel was sent away to Babylon for 70 years in the following passage:

And those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. all the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete (2 Chr. 36:20-21).

What passage in Jeremiah was the statement in Chronicles referring to?  The following two references provide the answer.

And this whole land shall be a desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years (Jer. 25:11).

For thus says the Lord, “When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place”  (Jer. 29:10).
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It is clear from the above passages that God had a specific reason behind the deportation of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) to Babylon for 70 years.  This would mean that Israel violated the sabbatical year 70 times.  The Jews entered the Promised Land around 1400 b.c. and were deported to Babylon around 600 b.c.  This means that they were in the land about 800 years before the Babylonian deportation.  Had they disobeyed the sabbatical year commandment every seventh year, it would mean that they should have been in captivity for about 114 years.  Instead, they were held captive for 70 years, meaning that they were disobedient for only 490 of the 800 years in the land.  This would mean that there were breaks or gaps in the accumulation of the 490 years, during the 800-year period, that resulted in Israel’s 70-year captivity.  Why is this important?  Because many of the critics of the literal interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27 insist that it is unreasonable to have gaps in that 490-year period.  Of course, it is not since there were many gaps in the 490-year period related to the Babylonian Captivity.

Critics of a Future 70th Week

Preterist Gary DeMar is one of the most outspoken critics of a yet future 70th week of Daniel.  DeMar argues that there are never any gaps in any time periods in Scripture that he examines.1  He declares, “If we can find no gaps in the sequence of years in these examples, then how can a single exception be made with the ‘seventy weeks’ in Daniel 9:24-27?”2  Interestingly, DeMar does not examine the 490-year period that took place during the 800 years of Israel’s occupation of the land as mentioned above.  As I have noted, there are all kinds of gaps within this sequence.  There were roughly 310 years of gaps interspersed throughout the 800-year period.  This makes it directly related to the 70-weeks prophecy given to Daniel.  DeMar acknowledges that Daniel’s 70-weeks are related to the violation of the sabbatical year laws of Leviticus 25 and 26, and connected to 2 Chronicles 36 and Jeremiah 25.3  But he fails to observe the fact that the 490 years of Daniel 9:24-27 are derived from the 490 years of Israel’s violation of the sabbatical years prescribed by God in His covenant with the nation.

Dr. Harold Hoehner answers critics like DeMar when he notes that “The seventy-year captivity was due to the Jews having violated seventy sabbatical years over a 490-year period and Daniel now saw seventy units of sevens decreed for another 490 years into Israel’s future.”4  Hoehner has diagramed this relationship as noted in the “Units of Seventy” chart below.5

We also know that Daniel himself was familiar with the reason why God had sent His people into the Babylonian captivity from the first part of Daniel 9.

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.  So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes (Dan. 9:1-3).

Dr. Leon Wood explains this matter as follows:

since Daniel was here thinking in terms of the seventy-year captivity, he, as a Hebrew, could have easily moved from the idea of one week of years to seventy weeks of years.  This follows because, according to 2 Chronicles 36:21, the people had been punished by this Exile so that their land might enjoy the sabbath rests which had not been observed in their prior history (cf. Lev. 26:33-35, Jer. 34:12-22).  Knowing this, Daniel would have recognized that the seventy years of the Exile represented seventy sevens of years in which these violations had transpired; and he would have understood Gabriel to be saying, simply, that another period, similar in length to that which had made the Exile necessary, was coming in the experienced of the people.6

Even though DeMar recognizes the cause for Daniel’s prayer and the subsequent revelation of the angel Gabriel to Daniel of the 70-weeks prophecy, he fails to recognize that the 70-year captivity was based upon a 490-year period that contained multiple gaps of time.7  DeMar argues that a gap of time between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel is not justified because there are not other examples of this in Scripture.8  This appears to justify such a gap if an example of other gaps could be found.  We have not only found an example, but it is an example directly related to the 70-weeks prophecy of Daniel.  Thus, using DeMar’s standard, he should recognize that a gap in Daniel 9:24-27 is justifiable.  I will show other reasons for a future 70th week in forthcoming installments in this series, but thought it important to make this point at this time in the development of the series.

Gary DeMar goes on to insist that it is impossible to have any kind of gap or chronological postponement of time between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel. 
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As has already been noted, the text says nothing about "a period between the sixty-ninth and seventieth-weeks."  There can be no "period between" any time period, whether seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years unless a period of time is expressly given.  It is impossible to insert time between the end of one year and the beginning of another.  January 1st follows December 31st at the stroke of midnight.  There is no "period between" the conclusion of one year and the beginning of the next year.  Culver, therefore, begs the question.  He first must prove that a period of time should be placed between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks before he can maintain that there is a "period between" the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks.  The "simple language of the text" makes no mention of a gap.9

Conclusion

I believe that there is clear evidence why the 70th week of Daniel is yet future and, thus, the necessity of a gap of time between the 69th and 70th week.  Just as Gary DeMar and others who do not think that Daniel 9:24-27 can be taken literally are mistaken, I will demonstrate in future articles in this series why this is the correct way to handle this passage.  Daniel 9:24-27 allows for a gap of time between the 69th and 70th week because the advancing of God’s program relating to His people Israel was put on hold and will be postponed until a future time.  Apparently critics like DeMar are not able to see the time gaps of the past, like the one I demonstrated in this article, so it is not surprising that they do not understand how there is one in God’s future plan for His people Israel.  In the next article, I will resume an exposition and analysis of the Daniel 9:24-27 text.

Endnotes

Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA:  American Vision, 1999), pp. 329-31.

DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 331.

DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 330.

Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1977), p. 118.

Hoehner, Chronological, p. 118.

Leon Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 247.

DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 330.

DeMar, Last Days Madness, pp. 329-331.

DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 332.

(To Be Continued . . .)

“Let the postmillennial and amillennial commentators look long and steadily at this fact.  This prophecy is a prophecy for Daniel’s people and Daniel’s city.  No alchemy of Origenistic spiritualizing interpretation can change that.”1

Daniel 9:25 provides the starting point for the chronological unfolding of the seventy weeks prophecy.  But, at what point does the text tell us it was to begin?  Since there are different views concerning the beginning point (sometimes know by the Latin phrase “terminus a quo”), I will provide an in-depth examination of this issue.

The Terminus a Quo of the Seventy Weeks

Examination of Daniel 9:25 should start with a reading of the text to make sure that this passage is foremost in our mind.

So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

Gabriel tells Daniel that he is “to know and discern” the message that follows.  The Hebrew word for “know” is a common word for knowledge or information.  However, “discern” has the notion of “to gain insight,” “comprehension,” or “to reach understanding.”  Thus, Daniel was to learn “from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem,” that the seventy weeks of years would begin their countdown.  Why Gabriel’s exhortation to Daniel?  “The history of the interpretation of these verses is confirmation of the fact that this prophecy is difficult and requires spiritual discernment.”2

A Decree to Restore and Rebuild Jerusalem

The next element of Daniel 9:25 is clear.  The countdown of time will begin with “a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.”  The Hebrew word for decree is the common word “dâbâr” which means “thing,” “speak,” “word,” or “instruction.”  In this context, it has the force of an urgent and assertive statement or decree.

The text is specific that the countdown will start with “a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.”  The decree involves the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem, not the Temple.  This is important since earlier edicts were issued in relation to the Temple (see 2 Chron. 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; 5:3-17; 6:3-5).  There are at least three different decrees that are considered in an attempt to “know and discern” the beginning of the seventy weeks of Daniel.

First, there was the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1:2-4; 6:3-5), issued in 537 b.c., which I will call decree one.  Second, the decree of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:11-26) given in 458 b.c., (decree two).  Third, a second decree from Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:5-8, 17, 18 ) given in 444 b.c., at the time of Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem, (decree three).  I want to note at the outset of the examination of these possibilities that the third decree is the only one that literally fits the exact words of Daniel 9:25, as we shall see.  Leon Wood notes that the “first stressed rebuilding the Temple; the second, the establishment and practice of the proper services at the Temple; and the third, the rebuilding of the walls, when, long before, most of the city had been rebuilt.”3

Non-literal interpreters of the 490 years of the seventy weeks of Daniel are vague and non-precise in their overall handling of the numbers.  If they try to establish a terminus a quo, it is rarely, if ever, the one given to Artaxerxes in Nehemiah 2:1-8.  For example, preterist, Gary DeMar, is fuzzy, at best, in explaining his beginning point for the prophecy.  In a lengthy quote of J. Barton Payne,4 DeMar appears, at first, to favor our view when he says:  “The beginning point would be indicated by the commandment to restore Jerusalem (v. 25), an event that was accomplished, a century after Daniel, in the reign of the Persian, Artaxerxes I (465-424 b.c.), under Nehemiah (444 b.c.).”5  He then proceeds to say that he favors the second view noted above, of Artaxerxes’ first decree (Ezra 7:11-26) which was issued in 458 b.c.  DeMar declares that “from 458 b.c. this brings one to a.d. 26, the very time which many would accept for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus Christ and the commencement of His incarnate ministry.”6
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Like DeMar, fellow preterist, Kenneth Gentry, is likewise vague, perhaps on purpose, as to the start of the 490 years.  Like DeMar, Gentry also references J. Barton Payne, but without specifically stating his terminus a quo.  Also, like DeMar, Gentry holds that the 483-year period comes to its end at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, “sometime around a.d. 26.”7  Gentry’s support for his view does not come from providing biblical data to persuade.  Instead, he says, “This interpretation is quite widely agreed upon by conservative scholars, being virtually ‘universal among Christian exegetes’—excluding dispensationalists.”8  In contrast to Gentry and DeMar, I will present reasons from the biblical text for holding that the correct starting point is the decree from Artaxerxes given in 444 b.c. as recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8.

Artaxerxes’ Decree

It is clear to me that of all the options available, the only decree that specifically fits the statements of Daniel 9:25 is the one by Artaxerxes given in 444 b.c. as recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8.  Why?  Because decree one and two relate to rebuilding the Temple.  Only decree three speaks specifically of Jerusalem.  It is clear that Nehemiah received a decree to “rebuild and restore Jerusalem” from King Artaxerxes.  The passage says, “let letters be given me . . .” and “a letter to Asaph . . .” (Neh. 2:7-8 ).  These letters were permission being given by King Artaxerxes to Nehemiah for permission and authority to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild it.  Said another way, the letters are decrees and they granted Nehemiah the right to rebuild Jerusalem (Neh. 2:5).  “The entire book of Nehemiah is proof that this godly governor built Jerusalem and its streets and walls,” declares Harry Bultema, “and that, as this prophecy says, in troublous times.  According to qualified chronologists this also agrees with the needed chronology set forth in Daniel.”9

Problems with Decrees One and Two

Further examination of the first two decrees provide us with even more objections to their being the one that Gabriel had in mind in Daniel 9:25.  Dr. Harold Hoehner, Chairman of the New Testament Department at Dallas Theological Seminary, has produced one of the best works on the chronological aspects of the seventy weeks of Daniel in his book Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ.10  Dr. Hoehner provides the following objections against the first decree as the one that fulfills Daniel 9:25:

First, Cyrus’ edict refers to the rebuilding of the temple and not to the city. . . .

Second, a distinction should be made between the rebuilding of a city and the restoration of a city to its former state. . . .  The commencement of the rebuilding began with Cyrus’ decree but the city’s complete restoration was not at that time.

Third, if one accepts the seventy weeks as beginning with Cyrus’ decree, how does one reckon the 490 years? . . .  the final week would be divided into two parts, the first half covering the life of Christ and going even until the destruction of the temple in a.d. 70, a period of thirty-five to seventy years (about ten to twenty years for each week), and the second half of the seventieth week would have not terminus ad quem. . . . it seems that this system makes havoc of Gabriel’s sayings, which were rather specific.11

Dr. Hoehner demonstrates that the second decree option does not fare any better than the first.  He notes the following objections:

First, and foremost, is that this decree has not a word about the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem but rather the temple in Jerusalem. . . .

Second, to have the sixty-nine weeks terminate at the commencement of Christ’s ministry in a.d. 26 or 27 is untenable for two reasons:  (1) The cutting off of the Messiah (Dan. 9:26 is a very inappropriate way to refer to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus at the commencement of His ministry.  (2) The date for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry is not a.d. 26 or 27 but a.d. 29, as discussed previously.12

Third, to what does Daniel refer in 9:27 when he states he is confirming a covenant?  If it refers to Christ, then what covenant was it and how did He break it?

Fourth, to say that the middle of the seventieth week refers to Christ’s crucifixion in a.d. 30 is untenable on two grounds:  (1) the sacrifices did not cease at Christ’s crucifixion, and (2) though the date of a.d. 30 is possible the a.d. 33 date is far more plausible.13
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Fifth, to say that the end of the seventieth week refers to Stephen’s death and Paul’s conversion in a.d. 33 is pure speculation.  There is no hint of this in the texts of Daniel 9:27 and Acts 8—9 to denote the fulfillment of the seventieth week.  Also, the dates of Paul’s conversion as well as Stephen’s martyrdom were more likely in a.d. 35.14

In conclusion, the decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra in 457 b.c. serving as the starting point of the seventy weeks is highly unlikely.15

Conclusion

The third decree is clearly the beginning point for the countdown of the seventy weeks of Daniel.  Dr. Hoehner provides the following arguments in support of the final decree as the terminus a quo as recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8:

First, there is a direct reference to the restoration of the city (2:3, 5) and of the city gates and walls (2:3, 8 ).  Second, Artaxerxes wrote a letter to Asaph to give materials to be used specifically for the walls (2:8 ).  Third, the book of Nehemiah and Ezra 4:7-23 indicate that certainly the restoration of the walls was done in the most distressing circumstances, as predicted by Daniel (Dan. 9:25).  Fourth, no later decrees were given by the Persian kings pertaining to the rebuilding of Jerusalem.16

In this article I was able to demonstrate that the third decree is surely the starting point for the countdown of Daniel’s seventy weeks.  In my next installment, I hope to build upon this fact that the exact date of this decree can be determined as March 5, 444 b.c.  This provides a solid plank in developing a literal interpretation of Gabriel’s great prophecy to Daniel.  Maranatha!

Endnotes

1. Robert Culver, Daniel and the Latter Days (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1977), p. 149.

2. John F. Walvoord, Daniel:  The Key to Prophetic Revelation (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1971), p. 224.

3. Leon Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 252.

4. J. Barton Payne, The Imminent Appearing of Christ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962), pp. 148-49.

5. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA:  American Vision, 1999), p. 327.

6. DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 327.

7. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., He Shall Have Dominion:  A Postmillennial Eschatology (Tyler, TX:  Institute for Christian Economics, 1992), p. 313.

8. Gentry, He Shall Have Dominion, p. 313.

9. Harry Bultema, Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids:  Kregel, 1988 ), p. 285.

10. Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1977), pp. 115-39.

11. Hoehner, Chronological, pp. 122-24.

12. See Hoehner, Chronological, pp. 29-44.

13. See Hoehner, Chronological, pp. 95-114.

14. See Harold Hoehner, “Chronology of the Apostolic Age” (unpublished Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1965), pp. 200-04; George Ogg, The Odyssey of Paul (Old Tappan, NJ, 1968 ), pp. 24-30.

15. Hoehner, Chronological, pp. 125-26.

16. Hoehner, Chronological, p. 126.

(To Be Continued . . .)

I believe that I demonstrated in my previous article that the starting point for the Daniel 9:25 prophecy was the decree of Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:5-8, 17, 18 ) to rebuild Jerusalem.  In this article, I hope to show that the decree was given to Nehemiah on March 5, 444 b.c.

The passage under discussion reads as follows:

“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. (Dan. 9:25)

Because there is no need to reinvent the wheel, I want to approach this issue by presenting the two best statements on this matter.  First, I will look at Sir Robert Anderson’s masterful presentation in The Coming Prince.1  Then, I will present Dr. Harold Hoehner’s insightful refinement of Anderson’s basic position from Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ.2

Sir Robert Anderson

Sir Robert Anderson, a British Brethren, developed a chronology that used a 360-day year, that he called a “prophetic year.”  Anderson bases this upon the Jewish calendar and the clear implication that the prophetic timetable of Daniel was derived from it as well (i.e., 42 months = 1260 days).  Anderson began the 483-year countdown with Artaxerxes’ decree that he said was March 14, 445 b.c. (Nisan 1, 445 b.c.) and it culminates in Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on April 6, a.d. 32 (Nisan 10, a.d. 32).  Here is Anderson’s explanation:

. . . According to the Jewish custom, our Lord went up to Jerusalem on the 8th Nisan, which, as we know, fell that year upon a Friday.  And having spent the Sabbath at Bethany, He entered the Holy City the following day, as recorded in the Gospels.  The Julian date of that 10th Nisan was Sunday the 6th of April, a.d. 32.  What then was the length of the period intervening between the issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and this public advent of "Messiah the Prince"—between the 14th of March, b.c. 445 and the 6th of April a.d. 32 (when He entered into Jerusalem)?  THE INTERVAL WAS EXACTLY AND TO THE VERY DAY 173,880 DAYS, OR SEVEN TIMES SIXTY-NINE PROPHETIC YEARS OF 360 DAYS).

From b.c. 445 to a.d. 32 is 476 years = 173,740 days (476 x 365) + 116 days for leap years.  And from 14th March to 6th April, reckoned inclusively according to Jewish practice is 24 days.  But 173,740 + 116 + 24 = 173,880.  And 69 x 7 x 360 = 173,880.

It must be borne in mind here that in reckoning years from b.c. to a.d. one year must always be omitted; for, of course, the interval between b.c. I and a.d. 1 is not two years but one year.  In fact, b.c. 1 ought to be called b.c. 0; and it is so described by astronomers, with whom b.c. 445 is—444.  And again, as the Julian year is 11 m. 10.46 s., or about the 129th part of a day, longer than the mean solar year, the Julian calendar has three leap years too many in every four centuries.  This error is corrected by the Gregorian reform, which reckons three secular years out of four as common years.  For instance, 1700, 1800, and 1900 were common years, and 2000 will be a leap year.3

As valuable as Anderson’s work continues to be, I believe that it does contain a few errors, even though this overall approach was a major breakthrough in understanding this part of Daniel’s prophecy.  The needed corrections have been pointed by Dr. Harold Hoehner of Dallas Theological Seminary.

Harold Hoehner

Dr. Hoehner has questioned the starting and ending times put forth by Anderson.  Hoehner advocates the time of Artaxerxes’ decree as 444 b.c. and not 445 b.c.  Dr. Hoehner explains:

The date of this decree is given in the biblical record. Nehemiah 1:1 states that Nehemiah heard of Jerusalem’s desolate conditions in the month of Chislev (November/ December) in Artaxerxes' twentieth year.  Then later in Artaxerxes' twentieth year in the month of Nisan (March/April) Nehemiah reports that he was granted permission to restore the city and build its walls (2:1).  To have Nisan later than Chislev (in the same year) may seem strange until one realizes that Nehemiah was using a Tishri-to-Tishri (September/October) dating method rather than the Persian Nisan-to-Nisan method.  Nehemiah was following what was used by the kings of Judah earlier in their history.4  This method used by Nehemiah is confirmed by the Jews in Elephantine who also used this method during the same time period as Nehemiah.5
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Next, one needs to establish the beginning of Artaxerxes' rule.  His father Xerxes died shortly after December 17, 465 b.c.6 and Artaxerxes immediately succeeded him.  Since the accession-year system was used7 the first year of Artaxerxes' reign according to the Persian Nisan-to-Nisan reckoning would be Nisan 464 to Nisan 463 and according to the Jewish Tishri-to-Tishri reckoning would be Tishri 464 to Tishri 463. . . .

In conclusion, the report to Nehemiah (1:1) occurred in Chislev (November/December) of 445 B.C. and the decree of Artaxerxes (2:1) occurred in Nisan (March/April of 444 b.c.8

Therefore, Nisan 444 b.c. marks the terminus ad quo of the seventy weeks of Daniel 9:24-27.9

Dr. Hoehner further objects to Anderson’s use of the solar year instead of the sabbatical year.  Dr. Hoehner also corrects some of Anderson’s calculations. Dr. Hoehner spells out his difference in the following:

First, in the light of new evidence since Anderson's day, the 445 b.c. date is not acceptable for Artaxerxes' twentieth year; instead the decree was given in Nisan, 444 b.c.  Second, the a.d. 32 date for the crucifixion is untenable.  It would mean that Christ was crucified on either a Sunday or Monday.10  In fact, Anderson realizes the dilemma and he has to do mathematical gymnastics to arrive at a Friday crucifixion.  This makes one immediately suspect.  Actually there is no good evidence for an a.d. 32 crucifixion date.

In previous chapters in this book it was concluded that Christ's crucifixion occurred on Friday, Nisan 14, in a.d. 33.  Reckoning His death according to the Julian calendar, Christ died on Friday, April 3, a.d. 33.11  As discussed above, the terminus a quo occurred in Nisan, 444 b.c.  Although Nehemiah 2:1 does not specify which day of Nisan the decree to rebuild Jerusalem occurred, it cannot have occurred before Nisan 1. . . . it could have occurred on some other day in Nisan.12

“Using the calculating method Anderson used, Hoehner comes up with the 476 solar years.  This is the difference between 444 b.c. and a.d. 33.  By multiplying 476 by 365.24219879 days, comes to 173,855 days, and Hoehner states:”13

This leaves only 25 days to be accounted for between 444 b.c. and a.d. 33.  By adding the 25 days to Nisan 1 or March 5 (of 444 b.c.), one comes to March 30 (of a.d. 33) which was Nisan 10 in a.d. 33.  This is the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. . . . The terminus ad quem of the sixty-ninth week was on the day of Christ's triumphal entry on March 30, a.d. 33.

As predicted in Zechariah 9:9, Christ presented Himself to Israel as Messiah the king for the last time and the multitude of the disciples shouted loudly by quoting from a messianic psalm: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord" (Ps. 118:26; Matt.21:9; Mark 11:10; Luke 19:38; John 12:13).  This occurred on Monday, Nisan 10 (March 30) and only four days later on Friday, Nisan 14, April 3, A.D. 33, Jesus was cut off or crucified.

The seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.  When that is accomplished, Daniel's inquiry will be fully realized for Israel will be back in her homeland with her Messiah.14

Dr. Hoehner has put together an airtight case for his understanding of the beginning and ending of the first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel’s prophecy.  Dr. John Walvoord notes, in support of Dr. Hoehner, that “the best explanation of the time when the sixty-nine sevens ended is that it occurred shortly before the death of Christ anticipated in Daniel 9:26 as following the sixty-ninth seven.  Practically all expositors agree that the death of Christ occurred after the sixty-ninth seven.”15

Conclusion

To date, no one has been able to answer the work done by Dr. Hoehner.  It is fully supportive of the literal interpretation of Daniel’s prophecy and is the only approach that has been demonstrated, thus far, to make the numbers work out.  This is why most all those who take this text literally have adopted Dr. Hoehner’s view.  Those taking other views, like preterists Gary DeMar16 and Ken Gentry,17 offer vague generalities when it comes to the number of the seventy weeks prophecy.
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A further value of the literal approach of Dr. Hoehner is that this prophecy provides an exact time in which Israel’s Messiah was predicted to show up in history. “And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it, saying,  ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!  But now they have been hidden from your eyes. . . . because you did not recognize the time of your visitation’” (Luke 19:41-42, 44).  How was Israel to have known the time of their visitation?  From a literal understanding of Daniel’s prophecy.  In fact, this prophecy, along with Christ’s fulfillment of every other first coming Messianic prophecy proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah.18  Many Jews have come to faith, over the years, as a result of being challenged by this prediction about the time of Messiah’s coming.  It is clear that a literal interpretation of this passage is demanded by the text itself.  Maranatha!

Endnotes

1. Sir Robert Anderson, The Coming Prince, 10th ed. (Grand Rapids:  Kregel, 1957).

2. Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1977).

3. Sir Robert Anderson, The Coming Prince, 14th ed. (Grand Rapids:  Kregel, 1954), pp. 128-30, as cited in Michael Kalafian, The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of The Book of Daniel (Lanham, MD:  University Press of America, 1991), p. 87.  I have been greatly aided by Dr. Kalafian in his outlay of the material concerning this matter.

4. Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings (rev. ed.; Grand Rapids, 1965), pp. 28-30, 161.

5. S. H. Horn and L. H. Wood, “The Fifth-Century Jewish Calendar at Elephantine,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, XIII (January 1954), pp. 4, 20.

6. Horn and Wood, “Fifth-Century Jewish Calendar,” p. 9.

7. Horn and Wood, “Fifth-Century Jewish Calendar,” p. 4.

8. Richard A. Parker and Waldo H. Dubberstein, Babylonian Chronology 626 b.c.—a.d. 75 (2nd ed.; Providence, 1956, p. 32; Herman H. Goldstine, New and Full Moons, 1001 b.c. to a.d. 1651 (Philadelphia, 1973), p. 47

9. Hoehner, Chronological, pp. 127-28.

10. J. K. Fotheringham, “The Evidence of Astronomy and Technical Chronology for the Date of the Crucifixion,” The Journal of Theological Studies, XXXV (April 1934), p. 162.

11. See Goldstine, p. 87; Parker and Dubberstein, p. 46; Fotheringham, The Journal of Theological Studies, XXXV, pp. 142-62; Joachim Jeremias, The Eucharistic Words of Jesus, trans. By Norman Perrin (3rd ed.; London, 1966), p. 38.

12. Hoehner, Chronological, pp. 137-38.

13. Kalafian, Prophecy of the Seventy, p. 89.

14. Hoehner, Chronological, pp. 138-39.

15. John F. Walvoord, Daniel:  The Key to Prophetic Revelation (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1971), p. 228.

16. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA:  American Vision, 1999).

17. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., He Shall Have Dominion:  A Postmillennial Eschatology (Tyler, TX:  Institute for Christian Economics, 1992).

18. For an explanation of the hundreds of prophecies fulfilled by Jesus at His first coming see Tim LaHaye, Jesus:  Who is He?  (Sisters, OR:  Multnomah Press, 1996); and Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict (Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 1999).

(To Be Continued . . .)

Last month I dealt with the starting and ending points for the first sixty-nine of seventy weeks of Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 9:24-27).  We saw that the time clock of the seventy weeks prophecy commenced about 100 years after Daniel received its revelation in 444 b.c.  As I continue in verse 26, it is important to note that God, through Gabriel the archangel, divides the seventy weeks into three sections:  “seven weeks,” “sixty-two weeks,” and “one week” (Dan. 9:27).  What is the significance of these divisions?

The Seven Weeks

Since the first seven weeks of years (49 years) is segmented from the whole, to what does it refer to?  Without belaboring this point, since it is not a point of significant debate, this first of three segments refers to time when “it [Jerusalem] will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress” (Dan. 9:25c).  This modifying statement connects the first seven weeks with the distressing days of Ezra and Nehemiah.  Thus, the first seven weeks refer to the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple.  Dr. John Walvoord notes:

The best explanation seems to be that beginning with Nehemiah’s decree and the building of the wall, it took a whole generation to clear out all the debris in Jerusalem and restore it as a thriving city.  This might well be the fulfillment of the forty-nine years.  The specific reference to streets again addresses our attention to Nehemiah’s situation where the streets were covered with debris and needed to be rebuilt.  That this was accomplished in troublesome times is fully documented by the book of Nehemiah itself. 1

The fact that this prophecy divides the seventy weeks of years into three sections will come into to play later when examining the single week in verse 27.

The Sixty-Two Weeks

The next segment of time is the sixty-two weeks of years that are said to follow the first seven weeks of years.  The total of the two parts equal sixty-nine weeks of years or 483 years.  The sixty-two weeks follow consecutively the first seven weeks because there are no textual indicators or historical events that would lead to any other conclusion.  The sixty-two weeks will end with the arrival of “Messiah the Prince.”  Daniel 9:25 says, “until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.”  Messiah the Prince can be none other than the Jewish Messiah—Jesus the Christ.  As was noted in the previous article, Dr. Harold Hoehner has demonstrated that the seven and sixty-two weeks (that is sixty-nine weeks) ended on the day of Christ’s triumphal entry. 2  This is diagramed in the chart below, which was adopted from Dr. Hoehner’s book.3  The fulfillment of the seven and sixty-two weeks is recorded in Luke 19 as follows:

“And when He [Jesus] approached, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!  But now they have been hidden from your eyes. . . . because you did not recognize the time of your visitation’” (Luke 19:41-42, 44).

After the Sixty-Two Weeks

We now enter the area of the greatest controversy concerning the seventy weeks prophecy.  The debate is focused upon whether the seventieth week follows consecutively the first sixty-nine.  I believe that the seventieth week is postponed until a future time we know as the tribulation.  Defense of a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks will be the topic of most of the material that I will cover in the rest of this series.

The issue now before us can be divided into two basic views, regardless of how a specific individual may handle the details.  The two views are whether all seventy weeks of years have already been fulfilled in the past, or whether the final, seventieth week is future.  Note what Daniel 9:26 says:

Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.  And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
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Textual Reasons For A Postponement

Before I look at broader arguments for a parenthesis, I want to point out reasons from the Daniel 9 passage itself.  Critics of our literal, futurist understanding of this text claim that there is no justification for a gap or postponement between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week.  Perhaps no one is more shrill in his criticism of a gap than preterist Gary DeMar, who says:

The ‘gap” that has been placed between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel’s prophecy was created because it was needed to make the dispensational hermeneutical model work.  Nothing in the text of Daniel 9:24-27 implies a “gap.”4

He later asks the following question:

Since there is no gap between the seven and sixty-two weeks, what justification is there in inserting a gap between the sixty-ninth week (seven weeks + sixty-two weeks = sixty-nine weeks) and the seventieth week?5

I believe that there are textual reasons for a gap of time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week!  First of all, the text says, “Then after the sixty-two weeks . . .”  In other words, after the seven plus sixty-two weeks, which equals sixty-nine weeks of years (483 years).  The Hebrew text uses a conjunction, combined with a preposition, usually translated “and after,” or better “then after.”  “It is the only indication given regarding the chronological relation between these sixty-two weeks and the cutting off of the Anointed One.  This event will occur ‘after’ their close, but nothing is said as to how long after.”6  Robert Culver clearly states the implication of what this text says:

There can be no honest difference of opinion about that: the cutting off of Messiah is ‘after’ the sixty-two weeks.  It is not the concluding event of the series of sixty-two weeks.  Neither is it said to be the opening event of the seventieth.  It is simply after the seven plus sixty-two weeks.7

Steven Miller summaries developments in the passage thus far as follows:

After the reconstruction of Jerusalem in the first seven sevens (forty-nine years), another “sixty-two sevens” (434 years) would pass. Then two momentous events would take place.  First, the “Anointed One” would come (v. 25), then he would be “cut off.”  Apparently his coming would be immediately at the end of the sixty-nine sevens, . . .”8

There is no real debate among conservative interpreters as to who is spoken of by the phrase “the Messiah will be cut off,” as a referral to the crucifixion of Christ.  Thus, it means that Jesus would be crucified after completion of the seven and sixty-second week, but before the beginning of the seventieth week.  For this to happen it requires a gap of time between the two time periods.  This is not the result of an a prior belief like dispensationalism, as claimed by some.  G. H. Lang notes, “it is here that the interval in the Seventy Sevens must fall.  This is not a matter of interference, but of fact.”9

DeMar’s Delusion

For interpreters like Gary DeMar, who advocate a continuous fulfillment view of all seventy weeks without a break, it is they who must put both the crucifixion of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem, some forty years later, into the final week of years which is only seven years in length.  Yet, DeMar accuses those of us who see a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week as exercising “’silly-putty’ exegesis,”10 of stretching out this biblical time frame in a manner not supported by the text itself.  DeMar argues that Christ’s death took place in the middle of the final week, which would then draw to a conclusion in a.d. 33 with the conversion of Paul (an event which in no way is even remotely alluded to in Gabriel’s prophecy).11  What DeMar fails to tell his readers is that while he rails against a gap, he is oh so silent about how to ram, cram, and jam two events separated by forty years into a seven year period.  Perhaps his approach should be called “shoehorn” exegesis!

A closer look at DeMar’s problem reveals a grave contradiction in his understanding of Daniel 9:24-27 and his view of Matthew 24:15 as having been fulfilled in a.d. 70.  “The abomination of desolation is mentioned in one Old Testament book (Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11),”12 declares DeMar.  He then states that “[T]here was no doubt in the minds of those who read and understood Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:15 that the abomination of desolation prophecy was fulfilled in events leading up to the temple’s destruction in a.d. 70.”13  Clearly DeMar links the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation in Daniel 9:27, which will occur in the middle of the week, with the Roman destruction of the temple in a.d. 70, some 40 years later.  Sorry Gary, but even with the flexibility of new math, the numbers don’t add up.  There is no way to ram, cram, and jam events that occurred at least forty years apart into seven years.
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Conclusion

Randall Price notes that “the events in verse 26: ‘the cutting off of Messiah,’ and of ‘the people of the prince,’ are stated to occur after the sixty-nine weeks.  If this was intended to occur in the seventieth week, the text would have read here ‘during’ or ‘in the midst of’ (cf. Daniel’s use of hetzi, ‘in the middle of,’ verse 27).  This language implies that these events precede the seventieth week, but do not immediately follow the sixty-ninth.  Therefore, a temporal interval separates the two.”14  Only the literal, futurist understanding of the seventy weeks of Daniel can harmonize in a precise manner the interpretation of this passage.  Maranatha!

Endnotes

1. John F. Walvoord, Daniel:  The Key to Prophetic Revelation (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1971), p. 227.

2. Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1977).

3. Hoehner, Chronological, p. 139.

4. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA:  American Vision, 1999), p. 325.

5. DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 331.

6. Leon Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 255.

7. Robert Culver, Daniel and the Latter Days (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1977), p. 157.

8. Steven R. Miller, Daniel, Vol. 18 of The New American Commentary (Nashville:  Broadman and Holman, 1994), p. 267.

9. G. H. Lang, The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel, (Miami Springs, FL:  Conley & Schoettle Publishing Co., 1985), p. 135.

10. DeMar, Last Days Madness, pp. 332-33.

11. DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 327.

12. DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 101.

13. DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 101.

14. Randall Price, Prophecy of Daniel 9:27 (San Marcos, TX:  World of the Bible, n.d.), p. 22.

(To Be Continued . . .)

It has been well observed by various writers that if the seventy weeks are to end with the death of Christ and the incoming destruction of Jerusalem, it is simply impossible — with all ingenuity expended in this direction by eminent men — to make out an accurate fulfillment of prophecy from the dates given, for the time usually adduced being either too long to fit with the crucifixion of Christ or too short to extend to the destruction of Jerusalem. — George N. H. Peters1

As I work my way through the various items to be tackled in the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27, I will continue my focus on issues related to verse 26.  We saw last time that verse 26 begins with the phrase “after the sixty-two weeks.”  The text goes on to describe three things that will take place at the end of the sixty-ninth week of years (i.e., 483 years).  Therefore, in this installment, I will deal with three important phrases in verse 26.  They are:  1) “the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing,” 2) “the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary,” and 3) “its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”

Messiah Will Be Cut Off

All evangelical interpreters agree that the cutting off of Messiah certainly refers to the death of Jesus.  This fits perfectly into my interpretation thus far.  Since the 483 years were fulfilled to the day on March 30, a.d. 33—the date of Christ’s Triumphal Entry (Luke 19:28-40) — and Jesus was crucified four days later on April 3, a.d. 33, then it was an event that took place after the 483 years, but not during the final week of years.  This textual point is recognized by many, including amillennialist E. B. Pusey who says, “Not in, but after those three score and two weeks, it said Messiah shall be cut off.”2  “As this relates to the chronology of the prophecy,” notes Dr. John Walvoord, “it makes plain that the Messiah will be living at the end of the sixty-ninth seventh and will be cut off, or die, soon after the end of it.”3  G. H. Pember further explains:

Now, His crucifixion took place four days after His appearance as the Prince—that is, four days after the close of the Four Hundred and Eighty-third Year.  Nevertheless, the prophecy does not represent this great event as occurring in the Seven Years which yet remained to be fulfilled.  Here, then, is the beginning of an interval, which separates the Four Hundred and Eighty-three Years from the final Seven.4

The next phrase “and have nothing,” literally means “and shall have nothing.”  To what does this refer?  Certainly Christ gained what was intended through His atoning death on the cross as far as paying for the sins of the world.  What was it that He came for but did not receive, especially in relationship to Israel and Jerusalem, which is the larger context of this overall passage?  It was His Messianic Kingdom!  Indeed, it will come, but not at the time in which He was cut off.  Dr. Charles Feinberg declares, “it can only mean that He did not receive the Messianic kingdom at that time.  When His own people rejected him (John 1:11), He did not receive what rightly belonged to Him.”5  It is because of Daniel’s people (the Jews) rejection of Jesus as their Messiah that the Kingdom could come in.  The coming of the Kingdom requires acceptance of Jesus as Messiah in order for it to be established in Jerusalem.  The Kingdom will arrive by the time the final week is brought to fruition.  Since Israel’s kingdom has not yet arrived, this means it is future to our day.  Therefore, we have just seen another reason why the final week of years is also future to our day.

The Prince Who Is To Come

Identity of the prince who is to come is a matter of considerable debate and discussion.  The full statement says, “the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.”  Perhaps the best way to determine the identity of this prince is to first look at what he is prophesied to do at his arrival upon the stage of history.  The people of this coming prince will destroy the city, clearly a reference to Jerusalem because of the overall context, and also the sanctuary.  What sanctuary was there in Jerusalem?  It could be nothing else other than the Jewish temple.  Has the city and the temple been destroyed?  Yes!  Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in a. d. 70 by the Romans.  This cannot be a reference to a future time, since, as Dr. Walvoord notes, “there is no complete destruction of Jerusalem at the end of the age as Zechariah 14:1-3 indicates that the city is in existence although overtaken by war at the very moment that Christ comes back in power and glory.  Accordingly, it is probably better to consider all of verse 26 fulfilled historically.”6

The subject of this sentence is “the people,” not “the prince who is to come.”  Thus, it is the people of the prince who is to come that destroys the city and the sanctuary.  We have already identified the people as the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in a.d. 70 under the leadership of Titus.  Yet, I believe that the prince who is to come is a reference to the yet to come Antichrist.  Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost explains,

The ruler who will come is that final head of the Roman Empire, the little horn of 7:8.  It is significant that the people of the ruler, not the ruler himself, will destroy Jerusalem.  Since he will be the final Roman ruler, the people of that ruler must be the Romans themselves.7
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The coming prince cannot be a reference to Christ, since He is said to be “cut off” in the prior sentence.  This prince has to be someone who comes after Christ.  The only two viable possibilities is that it could either refer to a Roman prince who destroyed Jerusalem in a.d. 70 or a future Antichrist.

Why should we not see the prince who is to come as a reference to Titus who led the Roman conquest in a.d. 70?  Because the emphasis of this verse is upon “the people,” not the subordinate clause “the prince who is to come.”  This passage is apparently stated this way so that this prophecy would link the Roman destruction with the a.d. 70 event, but at the same time setting up the Antichrist to be linked to the final week of years to the first “he” in verse 27.  He is not described as the prince coming with the people, but instead a detached and distant description, as one who is coming.  This suggests that the people and the prince will not arrive in history together.  Dr. Steven Miller adds, “but v. 27 makes clear that this ‘ruler’ will be the future persecutor of Israel during the seventieth seven.  ‘The people of the rule’ does not mean that the people ‘belong to’ the ruler but rather that the ruler will come from these people.”8  Interestingly our amillennial friends agree that this is a reference to the Antichrist as noted by Robert Culver:

Neither is there any difficulty with our amillennial friends over the identity of “the coming prince,” . . . Keil and Leupold recognize him as the final Antichrist, said to be “coming” because already selected for prophecy in direct language in chapter 7 as “the little horn,” and in type in chapter 8 as “the little horn.”  Young thinks otherwise but is outweighed on his own “team.”9

Its End Will Come With A Flood

This final sentence of verse 26 also occurs during the interval between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks.  However, the first part, ”its end will come with a flood,” refers back to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70, while the final phrase, “even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined,” is being fulfilled throughout the entire period (2,000 years thus far) of the interval.

“The antecedent of ‘it’ is obviously Jerusalem,” explains Leon Wood.  “’Flood’ or ‘overflowing’ can refer only to the degree of destruction meted out.  History records that the destruction of Jerusalem was very extensive.”10  The war and desolations that began with the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 would continue throughout the interval leading up to the seventieth week.  In fact, this language appears to parallel that of Luke 21:24, which says, “and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”  Charles Feinberg agrees:

The final words of verse 26 sum up the history of Israel since a.d. 70: “desolations are determined.”  Surely the determined wars and desolations have come upon them (cf. Luke 21:24).  Such has been the lot of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, and such will be the portion, until the “time of the Gentiles” have been fulfilled.11

Dr. Pentecost adds the following:

But that invasion, awesome as it was, did not end the nation’s sufferings, for war, Gabriel said, would continue until the end.  Even though Israel was to be set aside, she would continue to suffer until the prophecies of the 70 “sevens” were completely fulfilled.  Her sufferings span the entire period from the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 to Jerusalem’s deliverance from Gentile dominion at the Second Advent of Christ.12

Conclusion

Once again we see that a plain, straightforward reading of the text of the Bible provides a clear and convincing understanding that there is a biblical basis for halting God’s clock between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks.  Robert Culver summarizes our findings as follows:

All attempts to place the events of verse 26 (the cutting off of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem) in either the period of the sixty-two weeks (Keil and Leupold) or in the seventieth week (Young and a host of writers in the past) stumble and fall on the simple language of the text itself.  It seems that a more natural interpretation is the one that regards the events of verse 26 as belonging to a period between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks, when God has sovereignly set aside His people Israel, awaiting a time of resumption of covenant relationship in the future, after Israel has been restored to the land.13

Thus, with each passing article, as we plod through the text of Daniel 9:24-27, we find that critics such as Dr. Kenneth Gentry’s complaints fall silent to the ground.
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Only hermeneutical gymnastics, a suspension of sound reason, and an a prior commitment to the dispensational system allows the importing of a massive gap into Daniel’s prophecy.  Such ideas interrupt the otherwise chronologically exact time-frame.14

Sorry Dr. Gentry, but the text of Daniel itself demands a gap of time.  Maranatha!

Endnotes

1. George N. H. Peters, The Theocratic Kingdom, 3 Vols., (Grand Rapids:  Kregel, [1884], 1978 ), Vol. II, p. 659.

2. E. B. Pusey, Daniel The Prophet (Minneapolis:  Klock & Klock Christian Publishers, 1978 [1885]), p. 192.

3. John F. Walvoord, Daniel:  The Key to Prophetic Revelation (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1971), p. 229.

4. G. H. Pember, The Great Prophecies of the Centuries Concerning Israel and the Gentiles , (Miami Springs, FL:  Conley & Schoettle Publishing Co., 1984 [1909]), p. 345.

5. Charles Lee Feinberg, Daniel:  The man and his visions (Chappaqua, NY:  Christian Herald Books, 1981), p. 132.

6. Walvoord, Daniel, p. 231.

7. J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” in John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary:  Old Testament (Wheaton:  Victor Books, 1985), p. 1364.

8. Steven R. Miller, Daniel, Vol. 18 of The New American Commentary (Nashville:  Broadman and Holman, 1994), p. 268.

9. Robert Culver, Daniel and the Latter Days (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1977), p. 157.

10. Leon Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 256.

11. Feinberg, Daniel, p. 133.

12. Pentecost, “Daniel,” p. 1364.

13. Culver, Daniel, p. 157-58.

14. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Perilous Times:  A Study in Eschatological Evil (Texarkana, AR:  Covenant Media Press, 1999), p. 33.

(To Be Continued . . .)

Our study of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy now moves to the final verse in the passage, which also deals with the final week of years.

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)

In this installment I will provide further reasons for a time-gap between the sixty-nine and seventieth weeks and note features from the text that support the interpretation that this seven-year period is the yet to come tribulation period.

Antichrist or Christ?

Right off the bat, the first question that arises in verse 27 is to whom does the pronoun “he” refer to?  I believe that “he” must refer to “the prince who is to come” in verse 26.  However, opponents of literal interpretation disagree.  Preterist, Dr. Kenneth Gentry says, “[T]he indefinite pronoun ‘he’ does not refer back to ‘the prince who is to come’ of verse 26.”1  Fellow preterist, Gary DeMar, insists “it is Jesus who ‘will make a firm covenant with the many,’ not the antichrist.”2  Yet, such an errant interpretation violates the grammar and syntax of the Hebrew text.

In Hebrew grammar, as with most languages, a pronoun would refer to the nearest antecedent, unless there was a contextual reason to think otherwise.  In this instance, the nearest antecedent in agreement with “he” is “the prince who is to come” in verse 26.  This is recognized by a majority of scholars,3 including a number of amillennialists such as Kiel4 and Leupold.5  Only a prior theological bias could lead a trained interpreter of Scripture to any other conclusion.  Robert Culver explains the correct meaning of this text as follows:

The ordinary rules of grammar establish that the leading actor of this verse is the Antichrist, the great evil man of the end time. . . . If the pronoun “he” were present in the Hebrew, a case might possibly be made for the introduction of an entirely new personality into the story at this point.  However, there is no pronoun; only the third masculine singular form of the verb indicates that an antecedent is to be sought, and that of necessity in the preceding context.  Usually, the last preceding noun that agrees in gender and number and agrees with the sense is the antecedent.  This is unquestionably . . . “the coming prince” of verse 26.  He is a “coming” prince, that is, one whom the reader would already know as a prince to come, because he is the same as the “little horn” on the fourth beast of chapter 7.6

Leon Wood provides a list of further reasons for taking the “he” in verse 27 as a reference to “the prince who is to come” of verse 26.

Second, as noted above, the unusual manner of mention in verse twenty-six regarding that prince calls for just such a further reference as this.  There is no reason for the earlier notice unless something further is to be said regarding him, for he does nothing nor plays any part in activities there described.  Third, several matters show that what is now said regarding the one in reference does not suit if that reference is to Christ.  (a) This person makes a "firm covenant" with people, but Christ made no covenant. God made a Covenant of Grace with people, and Christ fulfilled requirements under it, but this is quite different from Christ's making a covenant.  (b) Even if Christ had made a covenant with people during His lifetime, the idea of mentioning it only here in the overall thought of the passage would be unusual, when the subjects of His death and even the destruction of Jerusalem have already been set forth.  (c) The idea of the seventieth week, here closely associated with this one, does not fit the life or ministry of Christ, as will be shown presently.  (d) The idea that this one causes "sacrifice and offering to cease" does not fit in reference to Christ in this context.  The amillennial view holds that these words refer to Christ's supreme sacrifice in death, which made all other sacrifices and offerings of no further use, thus making them to cease in principle.  But, if so, what would be the reason for such a statement (true as it is) in view of the purpose of the overall prediction?  One could understand a direct statement concerning Christ's providing atonement for sin - though its placing at this point in the general thought order the passage would be strange - because that would be important to sin-bondaged Israelites.  But why, if that is the basic thought, should it be expressed so indirectly, in terms of sacrificing and offering being made to cease?7

It is safe to conclude that the immediate context of this passage and the book as a whole supports our understanding of this matter.  This interpretation would also support a futurist understanding of verse 27.
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The Making of a Covenant

What is it that “he” will do?  The antichrist will “make a firm covenant with the many for one week,” that is seven years.  Non-literal interpreters of Daniel’s seventy-week prophecy usually attempt to make this covenant a reference to Christ’s covenant to save His people, usually known as the covenant of grace.  “This, then, is a confirming of a covenant already extant, i.e., the covenant of God’s redemptive grace that Christ confirms (Rom. 15:8 ),”8 claims Dr. Gentry.  Dr. Gentry and those advocating a similar view, must resort to a non-textual, theological interpretation at this point since there was no seven-year covenant made by Christ with the Jewish people at the time of His first coming.  They must back off from the specifics of the text in verse 27 and import in a theological interpretation, thus providing us with a classic example of spiritualization or allegorical interpretation.

If this is supposed to be a reference to the covenant of grace, then “it may be observed first that this would be a strange way to express such a thought,”9 notes Dr. Wood.  Christ’s salvation covenant is not limited to seven years rather it is an eternal covenant.  Daniel 9:27 says the covenant is to be made with “the many.”  This term always refers in some way to Israel throughout the book of Daniel (Daniel 11:33, 39; 12:3).  Thus it is a narrow term, used in a specific context.  It is not a broad term, synonymous with the language of global salvation.  Further, “it is evident that the covenant is subsequent to the cutting off of Messiah and the destruction of the City and the Sanctuary, in the twenty-sixth verse; therefore, it could not have been confirmed at the First Advent,”10 says G. H. Pember.  Such an interpretation does not fit this text and it does not account for the seven years that Gabriel says this covenant will be in place.  Dr. Wood further explains:

Since the word for “covenant” . . . does not carry the article (contrary to the kjv translation), this covenant likely is made at this time for the first time (not a reaffirmation of an old one, then) and probably will concern some type of nonaggression treaty, recognizing mutual rights.  Israel’s interest in such a treaty is easy to understand in the light of her desire today for allies to help withstand foes such as Russia and the Arab bloc of nations.11

Since a covenant as described in verse 27 has not yet taken place in reference to the nation of Israel, it must therefore follow that this will be a yet to occur future event.  This then, demands a postponement of the seventieth week with a gap of time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of years.

For One Week

This passage clearly says that the length of the covenant that “he” will make will be for one week or seven years.  I suppose that this could mean either that the covenant will be predetermined to last seven years or that it does not specify a length of time when made, but as it turns out, is only in existence for seven years.  Many of those who believe that the entire prophecy of the seventy weeks has already been fulfilled around the time of Christ’s first coming teach that the first half of the seventieth week was fulfilled by Christ’s ministry.12  “We know Christ’s three-and-one-half-year ministry,” says Dr. Gentry, “was decidedly focused on the Jews in the first half of the seventieth week (Matt. 10:5b; cf. Matt. 15:24).”13  G. H. Pember objects to such a view with the following:

if the Messiah could be the subject, and the time that of the First Advent, we should then be plunged into the greatest perplexity; for the Lord did none of the things that are mentioned in the twenty-seventh verse.  To fulfil that part of the prophecy, He must have made a covenant with the majority of the Jewish people for seven years, neither more nor less.  But there is no hint of such a covenant in the Gospels.  And, indeed, one of the prophets has intimated to us, that the Lord, just before His death, suspended all His relations with the Jews, and through them with the whole of the Twelve Tribes.  This exactly corresponds to the suspension of His dealings with the Jews at the close of the Four Hundred and Eighty-third Year, and to the facts of history.  Still further, the very next verse of Zechariah carries us over the interval, and brings us face to face with the Prince that shall come, the Anti-christ, who will make the seven years' covenant on pretense of being the Shepherd of Israel.  Lastly, Christ did not cause sacrifice and offering to cease, when He suffered without the gate: the Temple-services were carried on for nearly forty years longer.14

Conclusion

Once again we have seen in this installment on the seventy weeks that the text of this passage supports a gap of time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks.  It is becoming increasingly obvious that the seventieth week is still future to the time in which we now live.  “Israel has now been reestablished as a nation (1948 ), suggesting that the seventieth seven may soon begin.”15  Maranatha!
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Endnotes

1. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Perilous Times:  A Study in Eschatological Evil (Texarkana, AR:  Covenant Media Press, 1999), p. 32.

2. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA:  American Vision, 1999), p. 328.

3. According to Steven R. Miller, Daniel, Vol. 18 of The New American Commentary (Nashville:  Broadman and Holman, 1994), p. 268.

4. C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Daniel, 10 vols., (Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975), Vol. IX, p. 367.

5. H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Daniel, (Grand Rapids:  Baker Book House, 1949), p. 431.

6. Robert Culver, Daniel and the Latter Days (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1977), pp. 161-62.

7. Leon Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 257.

8. Gentry, Perilous Times, p. 32.

9. Wood, Daniel, p. 259.

10. G. H. Pember, The Great Prophecies of the Centuries Concerning Israel and the Gentiles , (Miami Springs, FL:  Conley & Schoettle Publishing Co., 1984 [1909]), p. 351.

11. Wood, Daniel, p. 259.

12. See for example, DeMar, Last Days Madness, pp. 326-27.

13. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., He Shall Have Dominion:  A Postmillennial Eschatology (Tyler, TX:  Institute for Christian Economics, 1992), p. 319.

14. Pember, Great Prophecies . . .  Concerning Israel and the Gentiles, p. 351.

15. Miller, Daniel, p. 270.

(To Be Continued . . .)

Gabriel divides his prophecy of seventy weeks of years to Daniel into three sections: seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and one week.  The final week of years - seven years - is detailed in Daniel 9:27.  Previously I dealt with the first part of verse 27, “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.”  This time I will be focusing upon the rest of verse 27, which says, “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.”  This verse tells us what will happen during the final week of years, which I believe to be a yet future seven year period often called the tribulation.

In the Middle of the Week

Since the week of years is a seven-year period, the middle of a week of years would be three and a half years into the seven-year period.  Interestingly, Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 both refer to a three and a half year period (time, times, and half a time).  The context of both passages speak of the future time of the antichrist or the beast.  This would support a futurist understanding of the seventieth week of Daniel 9:27. Daniel 7:25 says, “And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”  While this passage was given to Daniel before he received the revelation of chapter nine, it seems clear that the logic for the chronology of Daniel 7:25 is drawn from the seventy weeks prophecy of chapter nine.  Daniel 12:7 reads as follows:  “And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.”  Both Daniel 9:27 and 12:7 speak of the antichrist’s rule coming to an end at the conclusion of the same three and a half year period.  This supports the notion that they both refer to a yet future time that we often call the Great Tribulation.  Dr. John Whitcomb notes,

This important prophetic statement clearly refers to the same time units as previously described in the end-time activities of the Antichrist (“little horn”) of Daniel 7, where “he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they [the saints] will be given into his hands for a time, times, and half a time” (7:25).  The clarification provided here is that the three-and-one-half-year period at the beginning of which Antichrist “shall cause a covenant [with the many] to be made strong” (literal translation).  Then, for some unexplained reason, “in the middle” of this final seven-year period “he will put a stop to sacrifice [zebâh, bloody sacrifices] and grain offering [minhah, non-bloody sacrifices].”1

Allegorical Alchemy

This past weekend, I attended a conference in which my friend Hal Lindsey spoke.  He used a phrase that I think applies to non-literal interpreters like Gary DeMar2 and Dr. Kenneth Gentry3 who do not provide a textual interpretation of this passage.  They are rightly called “allegorical alchemist,” because they try to brew-up interpretations from out of thin air by just stating and then declaring them to be true.  In Daniel 9:27 they attempt a topical approach, selecting a word or two from the passage and declaring that “Daniel’s famous prophecy finds fulfillment in the first century of our era.”4  DeMar is even more bizarre in his alchemy when he teaches:

As the result of the Jews’ rejection of Jesus, they would lose their inheritance.  This would not occur for another forty years (Matt. 21:33-46; 22:1-14).  Similarly, Jesus pronounced the temple “desolate” when He walked out of it even though its destruction did not come for another forty year (23:38 ).  In principle, it was a “done deal” when He turned His back on the temple.  It is no wonder that Jesus described the temple as “your house” (23:38 ).  The temple’s destruction was a consequence, a result, of the apostate Jews’ rejection of Jesus (see 2 Sam. 13:32; Job 14:15; Isa. 10:22; Lam. 2:8; Luke 22:22). . . .

. . . The sentence is determined on one day while the sentence may not be carried out until some time in the future.  In similar fashion, we are told that the destruction of Jerusalem was “determined” within the seventy weeks while the sentence was not carried out until forty years later. 5

In response to Dr. Gentry’s claim that Daniel 9:27 refers to Christ’s salvation covenant see my previous installment of this series (Part IX).  Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost further explains:

This covenant could not have been made or confirmed by Christ at His First Advent, . . . because :  (a) His ministry did not last seven years, (b) His death did not stop sacrifices and offerings, (c) He did not set up “the abomination that causes desolation” (Matt. 24:15).  Amillenarians suggest that Christ confirmed (in the sense of fulfilling) the Abrahamic Covenant but the Gospels give no indication He did that in His First Advent.6
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What Dr. Gentry says just does not explain Daniel 9:27 in context.  When one’s interpretation cannot explain the details of a passage, then an allegorical alchemist, like Dr. Gentry, will take words or phrases out of context and place them into a different context so that, to some, it appears that he has explained the passage.  Yet, he has nothing of the sort and this a clear example of his interpretative slight of hand.  The text of verse 27 is simple not explained by Dr. Gentry’s statements.

In a way, DeMar’s explanation is even worse than his partner in crime - Dr. Gentry.  While verse 27 clearly says that the events to which it speaks will take place within the seven-year period, DeMar changes the meaning to simply mean “determine.”  Verse 27 says that in the middle of the seven-year period “he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering.”  This is the language of something that is to actually take place.  This is not the language of something that someone is proposing to do later.  The final part of verse 27 says, “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.”  How is this just a proposal of what has been determined, when passage clearly says that this will take place within the time frame?

The Abomination of Desolation

Verse 27 says that in the middle of the week (three and a half years), “on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate.”  Here we have a reference to the Antichrist who will do something to desecrate the Temple.  This did not happen near the time of Christ’s first coming.  If it did, then what event was it?  If it happened in a.d. 70, as some might say, then it could not have happened within the time-span of the seventy weeks of years by anyone’s calculation.  Yet, Jesus said in Matthew 24:15, “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).”  Here we have the interpretation of Jesus concerning the event Gabriel describes to Daniel in 9:27.  The event has to be future to the time of Christ, and since nothing like it corresponds to within seven years of His prediction then we have to see this as a yet future event.  Thus, another reason for a gap or postponement of time between the sixty-ninth week of years and the seventieth week.  Posttribulationist Dr. Robert Gundry notes:

Moreover, to place the complete fulfillment of the seventieth week at a.d. 70 or before severs the obvious connection between Daniel 9, Matthew 24, and Revelation.  (Compare “in the middle of the week” [Dan. 9:27], forty-two month and 1,260 days [Rev. 11:2; 12:6; 13:5], and time, times, and half a time [Dan. 12:7; 7:25; Rev. 12:14].  Under the historical view, if the relationship between Daniel and Revelation were retained, Revelation, which was written probably a quarter century after the destruction of Jerusalem, would be history instead of the prophecy it purports to be.7

A Complete Destruction

The latter part of verse 27 says, “even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”  Once again, when did this happen in conjunction with Christ’s first advent.  It did not!  Therefore, another reason to see this as a yet future event when the Antichrist will be destroyed at the second coming of Christ, which will bring to an end the seventieth week of years.

In another interpretation put forth by Gary DeMar that violates the clear statements of the biblical text, he sees the abomination of desolation taking place in a.d. 70.

The abomination of desolation is mentioned in one Old Testament book (Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). . . . There was no doubt in the minds of those who read and understood Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:15 that the abomination of desolation prophecy was fulfilled in events leading up to the temple’s destruction in a.d. 70.8

In addition to the problem that an a.d. 70 fulfillment does not fit into anyone’s scheme of the seventy weeks of years, none of the Romans, such as Titus, could be said to have been destroyed after performing the supposed deed.  Dr. Randall Price rebuts such an approach with the following:

However, historically, no known Roman leader ever “made a covenant with the Jewish leaders . . . for seven years, and so this awaits future fulfillment when seventieth week commences.

. . . However, if this is applied to the Romans in their crushing the Jewish Revolt in a.d. 70, then how was the Roman empire punished at this point, since the fall of the empire itself was still several hundred years away?9
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Conclusion

It is obvious that these events of verse 27 did not take place at or in conjunction with Christ’s first coming in the first century a.d.  A gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week is needed because it is what the text intended to make this prophecy work out in history with the exact precision that our Lord intends.  It is a shame that some let theological bias prevent them from seeing this, and many other passages, as God intended them when He revealed them to His prophets.  No other approach works and when one takes the final week of years literally then this harmonizes with hundreds of other verses that speak of the tribulation period that will lead up to the defeat of Christ’s enemies and the victory of our Lord.  Hopefully these events are just on the horizon.  Maranatha!

Endnotes

1. John C. Whitcomb, Daniel (Chicago:  Moody Press, 1985), pp. 133-34.

2. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA:  American Vision, 1999), pp. 334-35.

3. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Perilous Times:  A Study in Eschatological Evil (Texarkana, AR:  Covenant Media Press, 1999), pp. 31-33.

4. Gentry, Perilous Times, p. 33.

5. DeMar, Last Days Madness, pp. 334-35.

6. J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” in John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary:  Old Testament (Wheaton:  Victor Books, 1985), p. 1365.

7. Robert H. Gundry, The Church and The Tribulation (Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1973), p. 191.

8. DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 101.

9. Randall Price, Prophecy of Daniel 9:27 (San Marcos, TX:  World of the Bible, n.d.), pp. 24-25.

(To Be Continued . . .)

My previous installment concluded the textual examination of Daniel 9:24-27.  However, there are still other issues to deal with in relation to the passage and the postponement of the seventieth week from the first sixty-nine.  These final articles will deal will a few concluding issues.

Critics of a Time Gap

Those who do not think that the seventy weeks of Daniel 9:24-27 have a literal and chronologically precise fulfillment are opposed to the postponement of the seventieth week as a yet future time of seven years.  Examples of such criticism can be found by those within the Reconstructionist movement, holding to a form of preterist postmillennialism.  Gary DeMar complains:

Placing a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel 9:24-27 “must be fixed” because of the system created by dispensationalists, not because the Bible mentions anything about a gap. . . . dispensationalists force the Bible to comply to an already developed system that insists that these events cannot be describing first-century events.1

Fellow preterist, Dr. Ken Gentry echoes DeMar’s refrain in the following:

An overriding concern of the prophecy, in distinction to all other Messianic prophecies is that it is specifically designed to be a measuring time-frame. . . . If there were gaps between the units, the whole idea of measurement in the “seventy weeks” would vanish.  An elastic yardstick is a worthless measure.  None of the other prophecies brought forward as illustrations of a gap claim to be a measure of time.2

Dr. Gentry is right about one thing, that the Daniel 9 passage is the only Messianic prophecy that specifically deals with chronology or the time element.  While I believe that I have shown that the passage itself requires a chronological postponement between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of years, it is also supported by other Messianic passages which are not specifically time oriented, but clearly do refer to distinct time-periods:  Christ’s first coming and his second coming.

If anyone believes in the two comings of Christ, and both DeMar and Gentry do, then they also believe in a gap of time between the first and second coming of Christ.  I want to show how this fits into a clear biblical pattern that in turn lends support to the notion of a gap of time in Daniel 9:24-27.

The Two Phases of Christ’s Career

It is obvious from the Bible that if you view the ministry or career of Christ in its entirety, then it is composed of two parts or phases.  The first phase encompasses the first coming of Jesus two thousand years ago, while the second phase will consist of His second coming some time in the future.  Yet many Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah commingled their descriptions of both phases of Christ into a single passage, without distinguishing between the two comings or phases of His earthly career.

It is commonly understood today that the Jews of the first century did not understand that these Old Testament prophecies spoke of a single Messiah who would come twice - once in humiliation, then again in glorious exaltation.  We have learned that many Jews of Christ’s day thought that there would be two different Messiahs - Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David.  Messiah ben Joseph would be one who suffers and dies, but is immediately followed by Messiah ben David, who reigns in glory.3  The reality of Scripture is that there is but one Messiah - Jesus of Nazareth - who comes twice.  This means that there is a gap of time between the two comings.

Even though preterists like DeMar and Gentry belittle a gap of time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel 9:24-27, they are driven to believe in a gap of time between the two comings.  DeMar and Gentry even believe in a gap, so far, of almost 2,000 years.  Yet this time-gap is not explicitly stated in Scripture.  So how can DeMar and Gentry hold to something like a gap of time that not explicitly stated in Scripture?  Because the only possible implication that can be deduced from the facts of Christ’s two comings is that there is a time-gap between the two events.  In like manner, such a time-gap must also follow from the fact that Christ has a career that is two-phased.
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Why is this important to our study of the seventy weeks of Daniel?  It is important, because as Gentry noted above, “An overriding concern of the prophecy, in distinction to all other Messianic prophecies is that it is specifically designed to be a measuring time-frame.”4  True, so true, Dr. Gentry.  Yet, you believe in a gap of time between the two comings of Christ, even though it is not specifically stated in the Bible.  In the same way, I would argue that all other Messianic passages that speak of the two aspects or phases of the career of Messiah also must imply that they are fulfilled at the two comings of Christ, . . . with a gap of time in between.  This means that there are many similar passages that speak in a single statement of items that encompass both phases of Christ’s career - the first and second advents.  However, as Dr. Gentry has noted, only the Daniel 9:24-27 passage deals specifically with measuring time.  This explains why the Daniel passage is the only Messianic text that deals specifically with a time frame.  However, a significant number of other Messianic passages have something in common with the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27.  They all speak of components of Christ’s career that will take place in the two phases of His two advents.  Only the Daniel text speaks of time factors.

Two-Phased Messianic Passages

This means that it is legitimate to argue for a gap of time from the other Messianic passages that also include, in a single passage, the two elements of Christ’s career.  Dr. Randall Price makes note of the way Scripture uses time gaps and provides a list of passages that fit into this category in the following statement:

The revelation of a prophetic postponement in the fulfillment of the eschatological aspect of the messianic program is in harmony with numerous passages in the Old Testament that reveal the two advents of Christ (e.g. Gen. 49:10-12; Deut. 18:16; 2 Sam. 7:13-16; Isa. 9:1-7; 11:1-2, 11; 52:13 - 59:21; 61:1-11, cf. Luke 4:16-19; 7:22; Joel 2:28, cf. Acts 2:17; Zeph. 2:13 - 3:20; Zech. 9:9-10; Mic. 5:2-15; Ps. 2:7-8, cf. Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5; Ps. 22:1-32; 34:14, 16; Mal. 3:1-3; 4:5-6; 53:10-11).5

Perhaps the most well-known example of the kind of prophecy about which I speak is found in Christ’s reading of Isaiah 61:1-2 as recorded in Luke 4:16-30.  The passage reads as follows:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn,

Tim LaHaye and I have a chart diagramming this passage in our new book called Charting the End Times.6  We say concerning this passage:

Now when Jesus read the prophecies about Himself in Isaiah 61, why did He stop at the beginning of verse 2?  Because He was announcing the reasons for His first coming and because He was to “proclaim the acceptable year of Jehovah’s favor” (kjv).  That’s a reference to the church age, often called the age of grace, a time when sinners can freely call on the name of the Lord to be saved (Romans 10:13).  Jesus stopped at the words, “and the day of vengeance of our God,” which speaks of the Tribulation period, mentioned by the Hebrew prophets as “the day of wrath” and “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” and by Jeremiah as “a day of vengeance” (46:10).  That’s because the purpose of His first coming was to announce the period of grace and salvation we are living in, not the time of judgment that is yet to come.7

Another example of what some have called “double reference” is found in Zechariah 9:9-10.  Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum says concerning double reference:

This rule should not be confused with another rule often called Double Fulfillment.  This author does not accept the validity of the principle of double fulfillment.  This law states that one passage may have a near and a far view; hence, in a way, it may be fulfilled twice. . . . This author, however, does not believe that there is such a thing as double fulfillment.  A single passage can refer to one thing only, and if it is prophecy, it can have only one fulfillment unless the text itself states that it can have many fulfillments.  The law of double reference differs from the law of double fulfillment in that the former states that while two events are blended into one picture, one part of the passage refers to one event and the other part of the passage to the second event.  This is the case in Zechariah 9;9-10.8

In the same context we see that verse nine refers to Christ’s first coming:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Verse ten is a reference only to Christ’s second coming as follows:

And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow of war will be cut off.  And He will speak peace to the nations; and His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

In the Zechariah passage, there has to be a gap of time between the fulfillment of the verse nine that relates to Messiah’s first coming two thousand years ago, and His second advent, which is still a yet future event.  Even though no time factor is explicitly stated in the text, because of the specific nature of the events described in the two verses, a gap of time is required to coordinate the fulfillment of this prophecy with the events of history.
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Conclusion

The point that I am making in this article, relating to the seventy weeks of Daniel prophecy, is that it is not unreasonable to find implied time gaps in a significant number of Messianic passages in the Old Testament.  I am not saying that this proves that there is in fact a gap in Daniel 9:24-27, I believe that I have demonstrated that in the earlier installments in this series.  I think that this article demonstrates that it is not unreasonable to expect a Messianic passage that requires a time-gap between the fulfillment of all events prophesied in that passage.  This supports our literal interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27.  Maranatha!

Endnotes

1. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA:  American Vision, 1999), p. 333.

2. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Perilous Times:  A Study in Eschatological Evil (Texarkana, AR:  Covenant Media Press, 1999), pp. 29-30.

3. Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts (Detroit:  Wayne State University Press, 1979), pp. xxxii-xxxv.

4. Gentry, Perilous Times, p. 29.

5. J. Randall Price, “Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, Dispensational Interpretation,” in Mal Couch, ed., Dictionary of Premillennial Theology (Grand Rapids:  Kregel Publications, 1996), p. 77.

6. Tim LaHaye & Thomas Ice, Charting The End Times:  A Visual Guide to Understanding Bible Prophecy (Eugene, OR:  Harvest House Publishers, 2001), pp. 28-30.

7. LaHaye & Ice, Charting The End Times, p. 30.

8. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah:  A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, (Tustin, CA:  Ariel Ministries Press, 1982), pp. 4-5.

(To Be Continued . . .)

In this final installment on the seventy weeks of Daniel, I want to deal with the history of the church’s interpretation of it.  What has the church believed about this passage down through the years.  One of the main reasons for spending time on this matter is that some have said that our view that sees a gap of time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel is a recent development in church history.  Truth of the matter is that it is the oldest known view in church history.  Read on and see.

Recent Development Charges

Over the last few years, I have come to expect outburst against all aspects of the literal interpretation of Scripture from preterists who believe that Bible prophecy is a think of the past.  They come through in predicable fashion concerning this issue of the historical interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27.

Gary DeMar is perhaps the most strident on this issue when he says, “nearly all Bible scholars agree that the first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel’s prophecy refer to the time up to Jesus’ crucifixion, only dispensationalists believe that the entire seventieth week is yet to be fulfilled.”1  In a later edition of the same book, DeMar asserts concerning a non-gap view that it “has been the standard interpretation for centuries, except for minor differences in details.  John Nelson Darby and other changed all this with their church-parenthesis hypothesis.”2  After the first sentence of DeMar’s statement, he footnotes a reference to an errant source on the matter, Philip Mauro, who declares the following:  “Nor, so far as we are aware, was any other meaning ever put upon them until within recent years, and then only by those belonging to a particular ‘school’ of interpretation.”3  Of course, Mauro’s recent “school” is reference to those of us who see a future seventieth week in Daniel’s prophecy.  Mauro certainly was not aware of what was taught in the early church, as we shall shortly see.

Preterist, Dr. Kenneth Gentry, speaking of his non-gap interpretation insists that “Conservative scholars widely agree on such an interpretation, which is virtually ‘universal among Christian exegetes’ - excluding dispensationalists.”4  Later, Dr. Gentry continues his inaccurate statements by saying “that the early Father held to a non-eschatological interpretation of the Seventieth Week.”5  This is just not true, as shall be noted below.  Now I will examine just what the early church did believe about the seventy weeks of Daniel.

Early Church Views

The main point for which I am looking into the early church view of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy is whether they held to a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of years.  Interestingly, an article of note was done on this subject, published in a Reformed Journal, which is the general theological orbit of Gary DeMar and Dr. Kenneth Gentry.  The article was written by Louis E. Knowles6 and referenced errantly by Dr. Gentry when he said, “that the early Father held to a non-eschatological interpretation of the Seventieth Week.”7  Dr. Gentry’s statement is clearly in error when compared with the writings of the early church fathers.

The earliest extant writings of the church fathers reveal just the opposite of Dr. Gentry’s claim, with the exception of The Epistle of Barnabas (about a. d. 90-100), which presents a short and incomplete treatment on the subject.  Knowles divides the early church (Barnabas through Augustine) into two interpretive groups, “the eschatological and the historical.”8  By eschatological, Knowles refers to those who took the seventieth week of Daniel as future prophecy leading up to Christ’s return.  By historical, he means those who believe that Daniel’s final week has already been fulfilled.  Knowles concludes that Barnabas “envisioned the completion of all the weeks before the development of the church.”9

When Knowles deals with the next major contributors - Irenaeus (130-200) and his disciple Hippolytus (170-236) - he describes their views as “undoubtedly the forerunners of the modern dispensational interpreters of the Seventy Weeks.”10  Knowles draws the following conclusion about Irenaeus and Hippolytus:

. . . we may say that Irenaeus presented the seed of an idea that found its full growth in the writings of Hippolytus.  In the works of these fathers, we can find most of the basic concepts of the modern futuristic view of the seventieth week of Daniel ix.  That they were dependent to some extent upon earlier material is no doubt true.  Certainly we can see the influence of pre-Christian Jewish exegesis at times, but, by and large, we must regard them as the founders of a school of interpretation, and in this lies their significance for the history of exegesis.11

Thus, it is clear “that in Irenaeus and Hippolytus we have the originators of that method of interpretation that places the seventieth week of Daniel at the time of the consummation.”12
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Although, Irenaeus does not explicitly spell out a gap in his writings, there is no other way that he could have come up with his view of a future tribulation period of at least at least three and a half years.13  Irenaeus speaks of how “three years and six months constitute the half-week” in his section on the prophecy of Daniel 9.14  This is why Knowles says that in Irenaeus “we have the basic concept for a futuristic construction of the Seventy Weeks, viz., the position of the last week at the end of the age.”15  Hippolytus, Irenaeus’ pupil is even clearer.

Hippolytus is the first known person in the history of the church to write a commentary on any book of the Bible, and he wrote on Daniel.16  “Hippolytus give us the first attempt at detailed interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” observes Knowles.  “He is dependent, no doubt, upon Irenaeus for the foundational proposition that the last half-week of the seventy is to be connected with the Antichrist, but the detailed development is not found in Irenaeus.”17  In fact, Hippolytus refers to a gap or, in his words “division,” multiple times.18  Hippolytus says,

For when the threescore and two weeks are fulfilled, and Christ is come, and the Gospel is preached in every place, the times being then accomplished, there will remain only one week, the last, in which Elias will appear, and Enoch, and in the midst of it the abomination of desolation will be manifested, viz., Antichrist, announcing desolation to the world.19

Le Roy Froom grudgingly admits that “Hippolytus . . . arbitrarily separates by a chronological gap from the preceding sixty-nine weeks, placing it just before the end of the world.”20  “Certainly Hippolytus’ interpretation does not have the refinements of the later development, but it is the direct ancestor of it,”21 concludes Knowles.

Other Views

There were a number of others in the early church, up till the time of Augustine (354-430), who spoke about the subject of the seventy weeks prophecy found in Daniel 9.  Jerome (340–420) in his commentary on Daniel is reluctant to set forth his own interpretation of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy, “because it is unsafe to pass judgment upon the opinions of the great teachers of the Church and to set one above another.”22  So Jerome simply records the various views up till his time.  The first view that Jerome cites is that of Africanus (160-240), who does not mention a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks, but does, like early gap proponents “definitely views this passage as eschatological and decidedly Messianic.”23  Thus, Africanus fits into the eschatological camp, making him closer to the futurist gap position, and not the historical.

Eusebius (270-340), the father of church history, teaches an historical view, but he places a gap of time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks.  Knowles explains:

In regards to the last week, we have some rather distinct views in Eusebius.  We must recall that the last week does not follow immediately upon the sixty-ninth, but comes after the ‘indeterminate space of time’ in which the events of vs. 26 are being fulfilled.  This last week, then, covers a period of seven years that extend from three and one-half years before the crucifixion to three and one-half years after it.24

Knowles speaks of a writer named Hesychius whom Augustine refers to as an opponent of his historical fulfillment view.  “Hesychius has questioned Augustine about the fulfillment of the Seventy Weeks, and seems to be an adherent of the futurist school of interpretation.”25  Thus, it is clear that even in the early fifth century there are still proponents of the eschatological and futurist schools of interpretation of Daniel’s seventieth week.  “We have seen the formation of two definite schools of interpretation. . . .” notes Knowles.  “All the later developments in Christian literature will be found to fit into one of these categories.”26

Conclusion

In one sense it does not matter what others who have come before our current generation think on an issue, since in reality a matter rises or falls upon whether it squares with God’s Word.  However, in another sense it does matter what others have thought down through church history, since if something is taught in the Bible then it may be legitimate to ask why others have not understood a particular teaching.  While there are a number of doctrines that have gone well over a thousand years before members of Christ’s church have come to realize what was there in Scripture all along, the necessary gap of time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel is not one of those late teachings.  Why opponents of a future seventieth week of Daniel want to make matters worse for themselves by saying that we do not have ancient historical precedent is beyond me.  It is obvious that our futurist view was found early and often throughout the early church, and only became scarce when premillennialism was banded from the medieval church as a result of the influence of Augustine and Jerome.  “But the saints shall never possess an earthly kingdom,” declares Jerome, “but only a heavenly.  Away, then, with the fable about a millennium!”27  With Jerome’s banishment of early premillennialism went the literal interpretation of prophecy.  History would have to wait more than a thousand years for the revival of a literal interpretation of Bible prophecy and the literal approach to the seventieth week of Daniel.  Maranatha!
_______________________________

Endnotes

1. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Atlanta:  American Vision, 1994), p. 228.

2. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness:  Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA:  American Vision, 1999), p. 328.

3. Philip Mauro, The Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation (Sterling, VA:  Grace Abounding Ministries, 1988 ), p. 74.

4. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Perilous Times:  A Study in Eschatological Evil (Texarkana, AR:  Covenant Media Press, 1999), p. 18.

5. Gentry, Perilous Times, p. 27, f.n. 63.

6. Louis E. Knowles, “The Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel in the Early Fathers,” The Westminster Theological Journal (May 1945: Vol. VII), pp. 136-60.

7. Gentry, Perilous Times, p. 27, f.n. 63.

8. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 136.

9. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 137.

10. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 136.

11. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” pp. 138-39.

12. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 139.

13. See the views of Irenaeus in Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter 25.

14. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter 25, Paragraph 4.

15. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 139.

16. Michael Kalafian, The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of the Book of Daniel, (Lanham, MD:  University Press of America, 1991), p. 83.

17. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 142.

18. Hippolytus, Fragments from Commentaries, Daniel, Paragraph 22; Treaties on Christ and Antichrist, Paragraphs 61-65; Appendix to the Works of Hippolytus, Paragraphs 21, 25, 36.

19. Hippolytus, Fragments from Commentaries, Daniel, Paragraph 22.

20. Le Roy Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, 4 vols, (Washington:  Review and Herald, 1950), vol. I, p. 277.

21. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 141.

22. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, translated by Gleason L. Archer, Jr. (Grand Rapids:  Baker Book House, 1958 ), p. 95.

23. Kalafian, Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, p. 80.

24. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 157.

25. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 160.

26. Knowles, “Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks,” p. 160.

27. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, p. 81.

(My Note:  This is a very difficult Bible Study, but I highly recommend that you take the time and effort to do it. It will help you understand many other areas of the Bible in a light that will make you smile. This material is outstanding, and I think it represents one of the best studies of its type ever done. If you think that the material is lengthy, you would be wrong. Many lengthy books have been written about the Book of Daniel.

This material is written in a common sense and direct manner that becomes easier to follow as your study progresses. I think that the Author, Thomas Ice, is a genius in his presentation of such difficult material in a manner that average people can take this study and understand it. In short, I think that taking this study will save many years of time and effort in understanding some of the most difficult portions of the Holy Bible.

The conclusions are and will be obvious: There is a SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, and this hasn't happened yet. It's a fact and Promise from GOD that it will most definitely happen. There is much Bible Prophecy yet to be fulfilled, and the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST is just one major example. If you do this study, you will discover many other beautiful Promises of GOD that will be perfectly fulfilled at HIS Appointed Time. That time might be soon.)

It is as paul wrote to Timothy in 2nd Timothy, to endure to the end is to reign with Him. Whether we go through the tribulation or not, we shall see Him.  We shall behold the one who gives life eternal.

Because there are SO many that directly affirm a post trib rapture. If pre-trib were true, there would be as direct support for it as there is for the post trib view. But (sadly, I must confess) there is none.



Except for the fact that Jesus also taught about a falling away in the Olivette discourse, and he spoke of it as one of the signs preceding the AOD, which is also precisely what Paul does. Allowing scripture to interpret scripture, we really have no authority (scriptural or otherwise) to apply a positive meaning to a term that is used in a negative connotation in most all other uses of it.


It is always, in almost every usage of it, used in the context of a spiritual apostacy.

And I prefer to allow scripture to interpret scripture, instead of simply ignoring Jesus teaching regarding the last days, and (without any scriptural authority) claiming it to be "not for the church". It just doesn't wash.


I think that is a mischaracterization of the argument designed to make the post trib view seem cultic or unorthodox.

The fact is, he is referring to the same falling away that Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:10 - 13. Just as he is referring to the same gathering, and day of the Lord in verse 1, as Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:30 - 31, and the same AOD that Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:15. Ignoring the obvious relationship of Pauls words in 1st and 2nd Thess, to Jesus Olivette Doscourse, has always seemed to me to be a kind of "head in the sand" attitude.

And it is quite strange coming from those who are normally quite literal in all their other veiws of scripture.

Were I to insist that the term "raised" here....

Rom 9:17  For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

....has the same connotation as it does here.....

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

You would not doubt (and rightly so) object.

By the method you are using here to support your assertions, I could claim that the scriptures say virtually anything I want them to say. But the bible is a message system, and the only accurate interpretive authority that we can apply to it, is the scriptures themselves.

With so many scriptural evidences supporting Apostolic reference to the Olivette Discourse with regard to Eschatology, I personally do not see how any other view is justified, than that the rapture will be "after the tribulation".

Hello Superfundy,

I'm happy to agree to disagree, and it doesn't bother me a bit. We have numerous highly detailed debate threads on the forum from all reasonable perspectives. This isn't a critical or salvation question, so having a "pre", "mid", or "post" tribulation opinion about the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST doesn't cause me any concern at all.

I believe in a Pre-Tribulation RAPTURE, but I no longer argue or debate on this issue.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NASB
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 NASB
Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O  DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Hi Superfundy,

I tend to agree with you on the reasons for seeing a post-trib but also agree with Brother Tom that it is not a salvation issue and not worthy of being argued. What does it matter if the tribulation is pre, mid or post? What does matter is that we are ready for it when that time arrives. It is as Jesus tells us in Mat 24:42-51. He repeats this twice again in Mat 25:1-29, the importance is that we should be ready whenever that time is and until that time arrives we should be about our Father's work bringing as many to Him that we are able to in and through Him.

Well, the scriptures have been preserved for a reason.

Obviously, this is NOT an issue of salvation or even orthodoxy, but I think there are other legitimate reasons for addressing the reasonings behind the various views. There are good points in virtually every view that isn't cultic or just outragious.

For instance, I don't claim to know for a certainty that there will not be a pre-trib rapture. In fact, I cannot really even guarantee scripturally that we aren't IN the tribulation now (Has anyone read, "The False Prophet"?). But there was some reason for Jesus giving the signs he gave, and I believe it was that the elect would be ready when the time came. The question for me now, is have we seen some of those signs already, or are they all still (as I have always believed) yet future.

The fact is, no one really seems to have any reasoning that has the kind of scriptural certainty that I would really prefer. Then again, niether did most who knew the scriptures at Jesus first advent. They only THOUGHT they did, when in reality, they had completely missed it. I just would like to avoid being in that position, because Jesus seems to say that them that are NOT ready, are them that are decieved, and do not see the signs. Not just them that didn't pick the right doctrine but were saved anyway.

See my point?

But I don't disagree with you, and I certainly hate to see this issue divide believers.

But it often does.  :(

If you are referring to the book "The False Prophet" by Ellis H. Skolfield, no I haven't read it all. I have briefed through parts of it before though.

¶ And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to [him] for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

¶ And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come[/u].

¶ When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not.

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Behold, I have told you before.

Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

¶ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

¶ Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh:

So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

¶ But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

¶ Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of,

And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
 
- Matthew 24:1-51

Hello GunShowOnTheNet,

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make with the Bible Quote, so I'll just say that we need to use caution in not mixing Israel with the CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST.

Love In Christ,
Tom

"Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

- Matthew 24:3

There is no seperate body in the eyes of the Lord:

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

- Galatians 3:28

This is true, however there is much to be kept in mind that there is a difference between under the law and under grace. We must be careful in understanding which portion of scriptures is speaking of which. Also there needs to be an understanding of the promises made to the Jews and those made to non-Jews.

The portions of scriptures that you are speaking of in regards to being no difference between Jew or Greek is speaking of the gift of Salvation, the law of grace ... not the promises given to Israel as a nation.

It appears that you may be speaking of a mid or post tribulation rapture and that is okay, too. It is not a subject that should divide Christians. We can all agree that there is indeed going to be a rapture. When that rapture will take place is not of great importance. Whether it is before, in the middle or after, God's promises to those that accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour remain the same and will be kept for God does not lie.

Brothers and Sisters,

There are many highly detailed threads on this subject that are great for Bible Studies. Please allow me to make a contrast that should help everyone who wants to study this issue.

1 - Those who have accepted JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR are members of an eternal CHURCH not made with human hands - THE CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST. "IN CHRIST" is an accurate term for Eternity. HERE is where there is no difference between the Jew, Gentile, Greek, slave, free, etc., etc. etc. However, this is NOT Israel. ONLY the Jews who have JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR are IN THE BODY OF CHRIST - THE CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST. GOD has made many specific Promises that ONLY pertain to THE BODY OF CHRIST. We've already been rescued from the curse of sin and death, and we already have our KING. In fact, we are already Children of the KING OF KINGS. Our Kingdom is Heavenly, and our KING is already on the THRONE.

2 - GOD is not through in dealing with the LOST Nation of Israel. Israel is still waiting for her MESSIAH and KING, and Israel is still waiting for a Promised earthly kingdom. Israel was set aside for rejecting JESUS CHRIST, but this doesn't mean that GOD won't still fulfill the Promises made to Israel. JESUS CHRIST is the rightful and anointed KING of Israel, and HE will take HIS Throne after HIS SECOND COMING. Israel will be restored, and CHRIST will rule and reign over the earth from the Throne of David in Jerusalem. Israel will have the promised earthly Kingdom, and CHRIST will rule from HIS Rightful Throne. Israel is not THE CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST, and Israel is still waiting for rescue from the curse of sin and death.

I hope this little brief helps those who want to go to their Bibles and do a detailed study. The distinction between Israel and THE CHURCH must be understood before many important issues of the Bible can be understood.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Everyday is a gift from God who gives us the opportunity to witness to a dying world that there is hope.  It really does not matter the tribulation for we have hope of life eternal.  Our Father waits for us that we will be reunited in heaven because of the blood of His Son Jesus.  Christians need not argue but look up to the One who has done it all that we can live life abundantly and victoriously until we reach our final home.

The righteous and all who believe shall endue the times of trouble together. One unto glory and one unto gnashing of teeth.

The short answer is yes!

The Path Which is Truth is being prepared:

http://www.ubgone82 (http://www.ubgone82)

Truth is stranger to fiction...

This is a matter of opinion, and we can agree to disagree. Ref. the Truth, the truth has already been given in God's Word. I doubt you're saying that you're the only holder of Truth. At least I would hope not, but your post makes it appear that you're preparing the path for Truth. We are both just men with different interpretations of the Truth that God has already given.

Yes we will.  Christ & His Apostles taught of One gathering of people, after the tribulation, before Armegeddon.

And you back that up with what?  Is this your opinion?  We are of course all entitled to our opinion and no one knows the day or the hour.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

---

Gen 5:24  And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Heb 11:5  By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Enoch is a picture of the church. Enoch didn't go through the flood, but was taken up by God before it happened. The church also will be raptured before the tribulation. This is reinforced by: 2Th 2:7  For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall be revealed the lawless one, 
The antichrist won't be revealed until the one who restrains or hinders (the Holy Spirit) is taken away. The Holy Spirit dwells within believers (the church). When the church is removed, there will be no restraint at all on evil and the tribulation will begin.

---

Gen 7:15  And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Israel, like Noah, will go through the Tribulation. But a remnant will be saved: Rev 12:13  And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Rev 12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

My understanding is that the spirit of anti-Christ is already here and has been and that it is not any one person.

Christ was one person - the anti-christ will also be, as he is a false Christ.

Rev 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Six is the number of man - always just short of perfection (7). The triple 6 is man as god, the false trinity. The anti-christ will claim to be the messiah, God incarnate. Six is the number of a man, so the anti-christ will be a man, not a "spirit".

As Jesus said that even the angels don't know the time of His return, Satan as a fallen angel doesn't either. Therefore he always has to have an anti-christ waiting. So the anti-christ is always alive on the earth at any time, but not always the same person.

I suspect you are basing your argument on the following verses: 1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.   2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. But you have to distinguish between "an antichrist" and "the antichrist". There is a spirit of antichrist - it is manifested in anyone who denies the real Christ was God come in the flesh. There are a lot of "antichrists" around today in the sense they deny Christ was God, His resurrection, or even that He really existed. They are anti-christs in the sense that they oppose Christ and are deceivers.
There is also a man who will reign as antichrist in the last days during the tribulation. 2Th 2:3 clearly states he is a man: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

1.  Because Christ is one person is no proof the anti-Christ is one as well.

2.  666 is indeed the # of man (  failiure after failure, never  reaching perfection ) but its no proof of a  "false trinity".

3.  666 is the # of man but no proof the anti- Christ is such.  Is it possible the "man of sin" bespeaks a system of unbelief and deception"?

4.  Is it possible you have assumed too much?

2Th 2:3  "that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" is definitively speaking of one person as is shown with the word 'that' and 'the'. While there are indeed many anti-Christs in the world and were even in the time that scripture was written it is also a definite that "The Anti-Christ" as he is referred to today (The Beast mentioned in Revelations and "that man of sin" mentioned in 2Th 2:3 ) is one man. If you read on in 2Th 2 following verse 3 it continues with wording that is definitely describing one person.

Such as the pope or do you have any other suggestions? 

I don't think that person has been revealed as of yet. Could it be the pope? Perhaps so but personally I don't think so. When that person finally does come forward I am sure that there will be no doubt for those that do know scripture.

There is to much Scripture that calls the anti-christ a man. The number 666 is of man, but is also the number of the beast (anti-christ). This verse alone tells me the anti-christ is a man. In fact any common sense tells he is just a man.


One of the most commonly asked questions is whether or not the Antichrist is alive today. I believe he is, and I believe so for two reasons. First, I believe the Scriptures teach that the generation that sees the re-establishment of Israel (May 14, 1948) will live to see all the end time prophecies fulfilled (Matthew 24: 32-34). Second, I believe the signs of the times clearly indicate that we are standing on the threshold of the Tribulation, the most important of those signs being the regathering of the Jews to their land (Isaiah 11:10-12) and their re-occupation of the city of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24).

If the Antichrist is alive today, does he know who he is? I think not. I don't think he has the foggiest idea of the role that Satan has in mind for him. He will not become the Antichrist until satan possesses him and empowers him to deceive Europe and the Jews. His full revelation will not occur until he enters the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem in the middle of the Tribulation and declares himself to be god.  

He will be strong willed and reckless in his determination to have his way. He will show contempt for human traditions and will, of course, change even the calendar so that it will no longer be related to the birth of Jesus (Daniel 7:25).

Another point that is emphasized repeatedly is that the Antichrist will be possessed by Satan, just as Judas was (Luke 22:3). Daniel says his power will be mighty, "but not by his own power" (Daniel 8:24). Paul says his coming will be "in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9). John says that Satan will give his power and authority to the Antichrist (Revelation 13: 2).

Because he will be demonized, he will be a man who cannot be trusted. Psalm 52:2 says he will be a "worker of deceit." Psalm 55:21 says his speech will be "smoother than butter" but his heart will be filled with war. Psalm 5:6 calls him "a man of bloodshed and deceit." In Psalm 43:1 he is referred to as a "deceitful and unjust man."

Daniel indicates that he will be a sexual pervert, most likely a homosexual. As Daniel puts it, the Antichrist will show no regard "for the desire of women" (Daniel 11:37).

The overall picture is that of an ego-maniac who abhors God and exploits people for his own purposes. He is deceptive and ruthless. He is a man devoid of integrity. This is probably the reason that when Jesus returns, John characterizes Him as the "Faithful and True" One (Revelation 19:11), in contrast to the Antichrist who has been both unfaithful and untrue.

The lack of character that will be displayed by the Antichrist is perhaps best summed up in some of the names given to him in the Scriptures:

The Beast -- Revelation 13:1
The Man of Lawlessness -- 2 Thessalonians 2:3
The Son of Destruction -- 2 Thessalonians 2:3
The Despicable Person -- Daniel 11:21
The Willful King -- Daniel 11:36
The Worthless Shepherd -- Zechariah 11:17
The Insolent King -- Daniel 8:23
The Abomination -- Matthew 24:15

The Rapture of the Church is the event that will launch the career of the Antichrist. This is revealed in 2 Thessalonians 2 where Paul states that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until "he who now restrains" him is "taken out of the way" (verse 7). The restrainer of evil in the world today is obviously the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit performs that task by working through the Church.

It is the Church that will be "taken out of the way," not the Holy Spirit. We know this for certain because the book of Revelation teaches that a great multitude will be saved during the Tribulation (Revelation 7:9-14), and no one can be saved apart from the witness of the Spirit (John 6:44, John 15:26, and 1 John 5:7). The Spirit will remain in the world, but the agency the Spirit currently works through to restrain evil, the Church, will be removed.

The Rapture itself is likely to be the event that will catapult the Antichrist to power. This is because the Rapture will produce international chaos and panic. The Antichrist, energized by Satan (Daniel 8:24), will seem to have all the answers to the world's problems. He will take over the European Union through skillful intrigue (Daniel 8:23) and will establish his headquarters in Rome (Revelation 17:3,9,18).

The seven year time period of the Tribulation will actually begin when the Antichrist negotiates a treaty that will bring true peace to the Middle East, enabling the Jews to rebuild their Temple (Daniel 9:27). With his European base consolidated and peace achieved in the Middle East, he will set forth to subdue the whole world.

One of the myths about the Antichrist that has developed in modern day interpretation is that the whole world will become so enamored with him that all the nations will surrender their sovereignty to him voluntarily. The Bible does not teach this. It is also contrary to common sense. Africa and Asia and Latin America have not spent a century casting off European colonialism in order to suddenly turn around and receive a European dictator with open arms.

cont'd next post

The world will resist him, and the result will be a Third World War in which he "will destroy to an extraordinary degree" (Daniel 8:24). This war will initially result in the death of one-fourth of humanity, or 1.5 billion (roughly) people in today's terms (Revelation 6:2-8). As the Tribulation approaches its mid-point, this war will escalate into a nuclear holocaust (I believe) that will result in the deaths of an additional one-third of those still alive -- another 1.5 billion (Revelation 8 and 9).

It will be a empty victory because in the process of his conquest, one-third of the earth will be destroyed and half its population will be killed. He will then consolidate his "victory" by instituting a one-world economy and a one-world religion.

The key to his economic control will be a mark that each person will have to bear on their right hand or on their forehead (Revelation 13:16-18). No one will be able to buy or sell unless they have this mark. The mark will consist of "either the name of the beast or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:18).

His religious control will be exercised by a false prophet who will head up his pagan religious system (Revelation 13: 11-15). He will force all of humanity to worship the Antichrist. He will be a deceiver who will astound people with "great signs" that appear miraculous in nature. In order to consolidate this Satanic religious system, the Antichrist will launch a great persecution of all those who have placed their faith in the true God since the Rapture of the Church (Revelation 12:13-17). The result will be a mass slaughter of believers (Revelation 7:9-14).

This means that by the mid-point of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will have killed more than half of humanity (1.5 billion in the seal judgments, 1.5 billion in the trumpet judgments, and an undetermined multitude of saints.) It is no wonder that he is referred to in Scripture as "the man of lawlessness" and "the son of destruction" (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Nor will all this slaughter satisfy his blood thirst. About the time that the Antichrist has consolidated his world empire, Satan will be cast from Heaven and will come to earth in "great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time" (Revelation 12:12). At that point he will possess the Antichrist, even as he possessed Judas (Luke 22:3).

When the Antichrist becomes Satan incarnate, (Start of the Great Tribulation) he will become a megalomaniac tyrant obsessed with two things: himself and the Jewish people.

He will suddenly march into the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, stop the sacrifices, blaspheme God, and declare himself to be the one and only true god (Daniel 9:27 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4). And when the Jews reject this horrible blasphemy, he will turn on them and seek to annihilate them. This will be his all-consuming passion during the second half of the Tribulation. That's why Jesus told the Jews that this period of time would be the "great tribulation" (Matthew 24:21) -- not because it would be worse than the first half, but because the wrath would be focused upon them as a nation and a people.

Satan has an insane hatred for the Jews. He hates them because they gave the world the Scriptures. He hates them because God sent the Messiah through them. And he hates them because God has promised that He will bring a great remnant of them to salvation in their Messiah. He wants to destroy them so that God cannot keep that promise.

During the second half of the Tribulation, he will almost succeed in accomplishing this goal. We are told in Zechariah 13:8-9 that two-thirds of the Jewish people will die during this holocaust (another 9.3 million people). 

John confirms the fate of the Antichrist in Revelation when he says that both the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be thrown into "the lake of fire which burns with brimstone" (Revelation 19:20) where "they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). This means that the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be the first occupants of Hell. (Satan will not be confined there until the end of the Millennium -- Revelation 20:10).
Our Hope

The good news for believers is that we will not have to experience the horror of the Antichrist. We are never told to watch for the Antichrist; rather, we are told to look for Jesus Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 1:10 we are assured that we who are believers are waiting for Jesus to return to "deliver us from the wrath to come." That is a glorious promise. That's why Paul calls the Rapture our "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13), and its also the reason that he tells us to "comfort one another" with the promise of the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

But you know what, I'm not worried about the anti-christ because I won't be here.

Until something is reavealed in scriptural teaching I subscribe to the thought that it is the string of popes and the system over which he presides.  More seems to fit than anything else I've read or  heard.

Some things to think about.

The Greek characters for 666 is the exact same Arabic characters for Bismallah (in the name of Allah).

It is tradition in some muslim tribal areas to make non-muslims under their control to be marked on the back of their right hand in order to be able to conduct any kind of business. This means that they are paying a tax called jizya for that privilege.

The koran's end times teaching is the total opposite of the Bible. A person called Mahdi (Arabic meaning "The Guided one" or "Rightly guided") and a prophet called Isa (Arabic equivalent of Jesus) will rule the world and islam will be the only religion recognized in the world.

This Mahdi will reinstate the Caliphate. A Caliphate is a group of ten imams (rulers) that will serve the Mahdi.

Great summary, Shammu. The only point I might disagree with you on is that the "desire of women" is usually considered to be "becoming the mother of the Messiah", so this wouldn't particularly refer to sexual immorality, only that he has no regard for Christ. He may well be sexually immoral, but I don't think this passage refers to that.

I might also add that it would seem that in the early years of the tribulation, technological civilization as we know it is largely destroyed. This is logical considering the wars and natural disasters taking place. People don't realize how fragile our civilization is and how dependent on cheap and easily available energy and on unhindered transportation. But notice that the battle of Armageddon takes place with horses and wooden weapons! Not with unmanned drones, tanks, aircraft, etc.

Responding to soldier4christ, it seems all of the monotheistic religions are looking forward to the return of a savior and end times. This makes them extremely vulnerable to being misled and falling for the antichrist. So he will find it fairly easy to become a religious leader as well as a political one. I don't think he will be Islamic, but most likely of Jewish origin if he claims to be Messiah. I doubt the popes have much to do with it, unless there is a big turnaround in the Catholic church. The Catholic church is pretty much on the ropes at present. Of course, the collapse of the EU (increasingly likely) might bring them into power, as the collapse of Rome did.

 Dan 11:37  Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
Dan 11:38  But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
 These verses would seem to show that the Antichrist is of Jewish origin (God of his fathers, desire of women (Messiah)). I doubt he is a practicing Jew - if he actually worships anything besides himself, it is military power (god of forces or fortresses).

The "mark of the beast" is most likely just that, not a social security number or implanted chip, as the technology for those things will be largely destroyed.

I personally believe the time is soon:

1. We are headed for a major economic collapse. Though things have turned around temporarily, that only gives the politicians an excuse not to deal with the problems. A worldwide economic collapse will have people looking for a man to turn things around, and will force nations to yield to him.

2. Genetic engineering has us on the verge of irreversibly altering God's creation. God will let this go for awhile to show us what horrors we are capable of creating (Rev. 9: 1 - 11?), then He will pull the plug on modern technological civilization.

3. Most people remain ignorant, but food shortages are becoming a major problem, and prices are skyrocketing. It is this, not a desire for democracy, that is behind the "Arab Spring". Starvation, unrest, rebellion, and famine are next on the agenda, especially if the erratic weather continues. (No, I'm not pushing global warming, but I do believe it is a warning from God.)

4. The world seems to be moving in two opposite directions. On one level, it is consolidating towards one world government, with more and more power in the hands of an elite and less and less in the hands of the people. On the other, it is fragmenting into smaller nations and even tribal groups who refuse to answer to others. Even in the US you can see that, with the growth of the Tea Party, States Rights movement, etc while the government, especially the executive,  continues to consolidate more and more power in its own hands. Eventually the situation will result in anarchy, a golden opportunity for the antichrist to take control on grounds of restoring order, national security, etc.

Although the dominate race in islam are the Arabs, islam/muslim is not a race. There are muslims of all different races. It is difficult to understand a person of Jewish decent being a muslim but it has happened and quite frequently. As a fact there is an organization called Jews For Allah. This group rejects the Torah and holds the koran up as the only holy book. This is not the only such group of Jews either that are bowing down to islam. How many people do we see today that claim to be Christian or Jew that also claim they all worship the same god as the muslims, that Allah and the God of Abraham are the same? There are many people that will not bow down to anyone or anything. For people to bow down and worship the Anti-Christ many will have to be forced to do so. Which organization forces conversion? The Anti-Christ most likely won't be religious but he will surely use religion to his benefit since he will claim to be god.

In the religious arena, a false prophet will arise. In the political arena, the Anti-Christ will arise. The false prophet will help the Anti-Christ to gain power. Yes, I think that the time is soon for the Tribulation Period to be ushered in. I also believe that the Rapture is growing near.

Satan is both a liar and a murderer.  He has been influencing humans to kill both Jews and Christians for many years now........even at this moment.  In the end times.......he will be kicked out of heavan.......and the bad angels with him.  They will be full of wrath because they know that their time is short.   Rev. Chp. 12


"God has not appointed us for wrath".......namely His wrath.


I think that it is therefore crucial to identify where God's wrath begins. 


As the "Tribulation Period" and "Great Tribulation Period" are not found in Scripture......but are man-made expressions.......they are additions to Scripture.  I prefer not to use them.


Daniel's 70th week is all that can be used to describe the final seven years.......and  some of it most certainly shares some events with the 7 Seals of Revelation.

Revelations was given by Christ through John and addressed to the Church.   The 70 weeks prophecy was given to Daniel in response to his intercession for his people Israel.  He was asked how long the punishment would last.....how long God would hide His face from Israel.

By strictly adhering to the proper terms.......you will not get misled by prophetic Scripture that might include the word tribulation. 

It should just be read in it's normal sense......a time of great trouble.......the length of which is not specified. 



For example:


"Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light:  the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."  (Mt 24: 29-31)

Mark 13:27     "from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."

Incorrect Translation........"Immediately after the final seven years of Daniel's 70th week......."

As there is no Tribulation Period defined as such in Scripture.....you must translate translate the word "tribulation" as a time of great trouble........period.

There is no Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, or Post-Trib.


While Christ opens all 7 Seals of Revelation........the first 5 Seals of Revelation are part Satan's wrath......expressed through humans.

The persecution described in the 5th Seal and Rev. Chp 12 is ended by God after a period of time........"otherwise no flesh would be saved."

Then the whole world goes dark for an unspecified period of time.  The great ones of the world hide in fear in caves.  They know that God's wrath is about to begin.

They say to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  FOR THE GREAT DAY OF HIS WRATH HAS COME, and who is able to stand." (Rev.  6: 16-17)


This is stated in a very clear manner......please take note.  God is not the author of confusion. 


Then the 144,000 of Israel are sealed from harm.  They will remain on earth.  They are not sealed from harm prior to the First Seal........but just prior to the 7th Seal.

Also.......a great multitude from all the nations is discussed standing in heaven.  They can wear robes and have palm branches in their hands.  These are the Gentile believers in Christ who have been caught up by angels.  The parallel section was discussed in Mt. 24.  For the "rapture".......you do not just disappear.  That is a human addition to Scripture.  You are actually caught up by the angels to be with your Lord. 

Then you have God's wrath.......as described in the 7th Seal.  The 5th trumpet judgment by itself is 5 months in duration. 


In terms of Daniel's 70th week..........you will have the 3rd (day's wages for a loaf of bread) and 4th Seals before the mid-point.  The midpoint is the man of evil's persecution of first the Jews.......and then their offspring (the Gentile believers in Christ) (Rev 12).  This time of Jacob's trouble from the mid-point will go on a few years or so.......and God will end it.

Then the world will go dark for an unspecified period of time.

Then the Day of the Lord and His wrath will be announced.

Then the Sealing and the "Rapture." 

Then God's wrath......7th Seal........approx. the final 1.5 years of Daniel's 70th week.

During the 7th Seal we will be with the Lord.....for the marriage supper of the Lamb.  We will then return from the sky on white horses with Him........and He will destroy His enemies with a Word from His mouth. 

Then the Millennial kingdom will be ushered in with Christ as King of the world and David as prince over his people Israel.  The Saints will be involved in many things.  Not only are we described in Scripture as His children.......but we are also incredibly described as co-heirs with Christ.  We will be priests......serve as judges.....and probably have many other responsibilities as well. 

After the 1,000 years, Satan will be released for a short time and there will be one final battle.  Then God will burn up the earth and create a new one.  And we will be forever with the Lord. 


The above position is known as:    Pre-Wrath


To my knowledge.......the Pre-Trib position views all of the 7 Seals as God's wrath......and that the rapture takes place prior to the First Seal.  However, if you see a day's wages for a loaf of bread in your lifetime......on a worldwide basis......you will know that you are at the 3rd Seal. 

Remember............the Lord says to flee to the wilderness at the 5th Seal.  Have faith......He would not tell you to flee to the wilderness just to have you starve there.   The main thing is to be far away from other humans.


Jesus:   "Take heed;    see, I have told you all things beforehand."


"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;  for You are with me."
 

The Bible is clear. Those who are in Christ will be raptured before the tribulation. To say otherwise, is calling God a liar.

Calling God a liar depends on which interpretation is true!

I also think the time is soon Rhys. Until then keep looking up!!

I think we have a little ways to go still. Maybe the 30's or 40's.

Hello Brother David,

You might be right - nobody knows. However, we can say that there are signs around the world indicating that the world is ripe for Bible Prophecy to be fulfilled. Another fact to consider in the opinion of many is that the Rapture is not necessarily tied to the Tribulation Period.

Romans 11:25 KJV  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

The fulness of the Gentiles pertains to the Church which is the Body of Christ. I realize that there are various opinions on this, but I believe there is one time table for the Church and one time table for Israel and the Tribulation Period. When God's perfect number is reached for the Church, there is no longer any reason to leave the Church on the earth. The Tribulation Period was determined against Israel, not the Church which is the Body of Christ. Many errors are made in confusing the two entities:  Israel and the Church which is the Body of Christ. On this subject, the Church did not replace Israel and separate promises were made to each entity that will be kept perfectly. Many people also confuse the great number who will be saved during the Tribulation Period with the Church which is the Body of Christ.

OK........please show me the Scriptures that defines "The Tribulation Period" as a seven year period and the same thing as Daniel's 70th week........as you state that the "rapture" occurs before "the tribulation."

There is actually a warning at the end of the book of Revelations about adding to the prophecy or taking things out. 

There is no biblical support for the Church......the gentile believers in Christ......to be raptured out prior to Daniel's 70th week.  Daniel's 70th week is for Israel......the final seven years of which God will hide His face from them......for grievous sins that took place a long time ago. 


The only thing possibly associated with the beginning of Daniel's 70th week is the "covenant with death".......a false peace treaty between the leadership of Israel and the son of perdition.  He does not begin his persecution of the Jews until the mid-point of Daniel's 70th week. 

The 144,000 of Israel are sealed from harm just prior to God's wrath......just prior to the 7th Seal of Revelation.  They are not sealed from harm prior to the 1st Seal........nor is there any evidence that they are sealed from harm just prior to the beginning of Daniel's 70th week. 

All students know that Daniel's weeks are weeks of years and we're waiting for the 70th week to begin. That would be the final week equaling 7 years. We're living right now between the 69th and 70th week, as the prophetic clock is stopped right now. It is a difficult study, but the above is most obviously true - a Bible fact. Other Bible facts can be derived from this 7 year period of time once it starts. Again, all students of Bible Prophecy would know this. Examples:  the abomination of desolation, the Second Coming of Christ, and much more. You can read all about it in numerous highly detailed threads already on the forum, so there is no sense in covering the same ground again. All sides have argued their positions, so there is nothing new to argue. The varying sides with different opinions have all agreed on the Bible Facts. The differences regarded timing and sequence of events - the Rapture being the primary issue of disagreement. There IS most definitely Biblical support for at least 3 opinions about the timing and sequence of the Rapture:  Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, Post-Tribulation. I personally believe that the preponderance of evidence points to a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Yes, there is Biblical support for this opinion and others. I have no problem in disagreeing with you, but I also have no plans to restate the case or argue the issue some more. You don't have anything new to argue with and neither do I, so we can agree to disagree.

The only view I have a big problem with is the Preterist. All Bible Prophecy has most obviously NOT been fulfilled yet. To say otherwise would be to deny a large part of the Holy Bible and call God a liar.

Thanks Tom for the input.  Yes....we can all disagree on these secondary issues........that is no problem with me. 


I am only trying to make a simple point as the other poster mentioned that I was trying to make God a liar. 

I know that God will catch us up prior to unleashing His wrath.

Here is the point that I was trying to make.  We know that the final 7 years is referred to as Daniel's 70th week.


Therefore............why did humans some time ago also need a second expression to define it???

i.e. "The Tribulation Period"


As this is not in Scripture, it is an addition to Scripture. 


If some other expression were chosen........such as "Daniel's Period"..........you might have fewer misinterpretations when reading about end time events.


However, by choosing an expression with the word "Tribulation" in it.........."Tribulation Period".........and defining it as the final seven years.............and then also saying that "The Great Tribulation" is the final 3.5 years...........you will run into problems with you come across Scripture that contain the word:  tribulation....or great tribulation. 


God just put the word tribulation in the His Word to signify a time of great trouble.........that's it.


However, with the human addition of "tribulation period" added to our thinking.........many people will assign 3.5 or 7.0 years to the verse...........and this can result in error. 


For example, beginning in Mt 24:15 we have the abomination seen standing in the holy place.  A time a severe persecution is about to begin.  We then proceed down to verse 21 and 22:


"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved;  but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened." 


Some people might get confused with this verse........because they assign the final 3.5 years to it........as they have seen the words:    great tribulation.


However, 3.5 years should NOT be assigned to it...........because "The Great Tribulation" is a human invention.


Without the human imposition, it is easy to see how God can shorten those days.  It is not a fixed 3.5 year period.


It is just a time of great difficulty.........and for the sake of the elect............God will at some point in time end it.



Moving to verse 29............"Immediately after the tribulation of those days.............."


Here again.........it is an error to place the section that follows this verse at the very end of Daniel's 70th week. 


Verse 29 is just referring to the point in time just after the persecution has been ended by God.  There is no way to tell exactly when that will be.


Error:    "Immediately after the human-inspired "Seven Year Tribulation Period" of those days............


It was probably justified because it is easier to say   "Pre-Trib" than "Pre-Daniel's 70th week".........however it can result in errors when reading Scriptures that contain the words tribulation or great tribulation.


It is a subtle error........but Satan is the master of half-truths......and has always been interested in dividing and confusing the Body of Christ.   This will be put to an end when Christ returns.    Praise God. 

I think you make some good and solid points Brother Bob.  The only one that I disagree with is:

Daniel indicates that he will be a sexual pervert, most likely a homosexual. As Daniel puts it, the Antichrist will show no regard "for the desire of women" (Daniel 11:37).



While he may be a pervert, because evil is evil, I do not believe this means that he is homosexual but that it means that he has no regard for women.   As in Islam, where women are less than second class.  Islam also goes by a different calendar, does not believe in Jesus as the son of God or in the trinity.  Islam is waiting right now for the Mahdi, who I believe will be the antichrist.  The bible as talks of beheadings, which is a favorite of Islam.  I also don't believe that the antichrist, who is a man and his system, will take over the whole earth.  He will however take over the "world" as it relates to Bible lands.  Remember that Israel and Jerusalem are the center of the earth concerning God and the Bilble.  There will be countries that will fight even to the end and with Christ against the antichrist and his system.  I'm hoping that we are one of those.

(Computer started jumping on me before I was finished)

The antichrist will try to change the times and the laws.  I've already mentioned that Islam goes by a different calendar.  Islam also wants to change the laws.  Sharia Law.

I don't believe that antichrist will come out of a revived Roman Empire but from a revived Ottoman Empire (Islam) and out of Turkey.  The "wounded head", the Caliph, who is the supreme leader of Islam was taken out in 1924 after 4 centuries of rule and Islam was all but forgotten.  Now Islam has made a dramatic comeback and is waiting for another Caliph, the Mahdi, to arise and lead them to victory over the world but especially over Jews and Christains.

Two excellent books that lay this all out and explain it plain as day are: The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson and God's War on Terror by Walid Shoebat.  These are "Must Read" books for everyone in these end times and especially for Christians.  We have seen Islam take over the Middle East, most of Africa and Europe and has made a big play for the U.S., Canada and Australia.  That's an understatement.
The Mahdi in Islam, fits our antichrist like a glove.  And their antichrist, our Jesus, son of our glorious God, fits like a glove.  I encourage you all to read these books.

(darn computer)

You can these books at the library, but also you can watch these two on YouTube.  Also Perry Stone has some excellent videos on there.
There also two good videos that you may still be able to get a hold of from Netflix:  One is, "Obsession" and I forget the other one, but I'll tell you when I get it back from my mom.

Food for thought folks, but I can't encourage you enough to check this out on your own.

Blessings,
Hisdaughter

Finally and lastly - on my part - what one views as truth or error on the Tribulation Period is a matter of opinion, including the nit-picking on terms. The 7 year period prior to the Second Coming of Christ is called the Tribulation Period, and it will be a time of horror, chaos, and bloodshed like the world has never known. The last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation Period will be worse than the first 3 1/2 years. The last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation Period is also known as "the time of Jacob's Trouble". The Tribulation Period is also Daniel's 70th week - a week of years - 7 years. It isn't a matter of opinion that the Tribulation Period will take place or not - this is a Bible Fact that it will take place at God's Appointed Time. I personally believe that time for the ushering in of the Tribulation Period is drawing near.

I'm expecting it any minute!  Maybe I won't even make my bed today!

The Bride will not enter Daniels 70th week.
So who was it that was restraining evil prior to the Day of Pentecost?...the answer is that it was the Holy Spirit who is omnipresent.
So!......If the Holy Spirit is omnipresent,..then why did the Lord send the Comforter?...is not the Comforter the Holy Spirit? How can you send someone who is already omnipresent?
The reason the Lord sent the Comforter was that He would indwell believers.
The Holy Spirit will not indwell a man unless he sincerely asks and Believes Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
The Holy Spirit will "only" seal a "true" believer with the promise of redemption.(God does not break promises)
And the result of being sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise is..."SAVED BY GRACE"

But those who enter Daniels 70th week and come to Jesus During those days,...Their salvation is conditional,...they must endure unto the end, and the same shall be saved.These are saved by faith that must be evidenced by their works of faith,...meaning that these were not saved by grace,...that these were not sealed of the Holy Spirit of promise when they first believed.
The reason why is because the Comforter no longer functions the same way as He did during the Church age,..Fore He was taken out of the way,..and since it is that the Holy spirit Indwells believers in the Church age,...then they too were caught up!(Taken out of the way)
The Holy Spirit did not indwell believers prior to the Day of Pentecost,..and as we can see,..the Holy Spirit will not be indwelling those who are left behind when the Rapture occurs.

Hello Benny Balerio,

First, I see that you're new, so WELCOME!


Second, I say Amen to your post and agree with you completely. I have loved the study of Bible Prophecy for years, mainly because it takes you all over the Bible and deals with God's Promises. I look forward to having fellowship with you.

Love In Christ,
Tom

If you could only sit with Christ for but a minute or two and listen...


But you can not. As I read and am aware of the Truth I see fish out of water. Flying, flapping and afraid - they are not even sure what is wrong. But think not that I come to belittle - no! I praise these for their attempt and proclamation as they try hard to find the Facts and suppress the fiction. I giggled slightly as one discusses the beast (anti-Christ) and within each post curses the computer. For the beast described to control all buying and selling is indeed the Computer and the Internet. 3 6's as a name is WWW and with a card as the mark in thy palm you try and remember your password hidden within thy forehead. And to speak of the Comforter in past tense is flawed as he is promised right before the 2nd coming (3rd actually - later discuss) and has been with man always. Tribulation - referred to as man made when it is referenced and repeated within Scripture? It is simple...


Lest ye come as a child: Open, innocent and seeking the simple truth. Ye shall not find it.

Love, Hugs and a Spoonful of Spirit. 

Sometimes the Truth is right under your nose and you can not see it for visions of fear and grandeur.

The day you feel you have spent too much time and put in too much work on your own version of the Truth that you can not throw it out and start over is the day your journey ends. Seek and ye shall find. Create and you will be fooled...

I don't find this hard to do at all.


I have found that those that think they are aware of the Truth are not necessarily aware of the full Truth. I find it interesting that you say that you do not come to belittle and then immediately laugh at others for their thoughts on this subject.

Scripture specifically tells us that The Beast is a man, an individual not a thing made by men so I must disagree with you totally on your assumption. There are many theories associated with the Beast and the number 666 but that is what they are ... theories not fact. One that sounds very realistic and is more fitting to scripture is the Greek characters for 666 is also the Arabic characters for Allah and muslims, so far, use a system to put characters on the hand or forehead of those they have in subjugation (non-muslims) in order for them to buy and sell.