Daniel's 70th Week
Daniel's 70th Week
by
Jerome Gerbasi
E-mail him with your comments
Technical Note: You can expand the text-font size for easier reading by clicing on the PDF button in the above right corner - but it only works if you have PDF capability on your computer. Using PDF enables you to change the text font size if you're having trouble seeing the words and need a bigger size of lettering.
EditorsNote: Some of the views in this article are not shared by this publication or its publisher. It is being presented to provide our readers a better under-standing of alternate views concerning the length of the Tribulation Period.
At A-O we believe the Tribulation Period to be a duration of 7 years but we do feel it is worthwhile to understand the logic of the theory that the Tribulation Period is only three and one-half years if for no other reason than to recognize the flaws in that theory.
With that in mind, we present what we think is a well-written article advocating a view that we do not totally agree with. Of course, we admit that we could be wrong and we also admit the author of this article may well be wrong. If you have comments, thoughts or questions on this to share with our readers please email them to us by utizing our direct contact email line by clicking here. Then click on - H. Harris - editor and a form will open for you to write your message. You may also email the author with your comments or questions. See his email link above - just below his name. We now present "Daniel's 79th Week" by Jerome Gerbasi.
The 70 weeks prophecy in Daniel is without a doubt one of the most important in the bible; for it outlines the entire time of redemption for mankind through Christ. So, a very close examination of it should be done by anyone who is involved in this redemption. But this is just a study into an area of the prophecy that I think many have misunderstood; namely the fulfillment of the last 70th week, when it begins and terminates, and who it involves.
Most prophetic teachers seem to take the position that all 7 years of the last 70th week are yet future tense, such as the Pre-Trib Rapture adherents. Then there are some that contend that all of the 70 weeks have been fulfilled long ago with Christ's mission on earth and thereafter, such as the Preterist view. I am of the position that both positions hold some truth, but both hold error as well. As we go through this, you'll understand what is meant by that.
So let's first just look at the text of Dan. 9:24-27:
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy(Daniel's) people (the Jews) and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy (Christ). [25] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two (62) weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. [26] And after threescore and two weeks (483 years) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince (Titus) that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. [27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for (because of) the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
What we want to really focus on is the last verse of this prophecy, verse 27, and not remove it from the context of the prophecy, which is what I feel happens when people attempt to ascribe it to the antichrist. The personal pronoun "he" is used to begin it: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many." Therefore, it must already be understood to the reader who "he" is, by the previous verses, otherwise "he" would be meaningless to us. And the "he" of this prophecy is none other than the Messiah. He is the focal point of the prophecy.
[25]..."From the going forth of the commandment...unto Messiah the Prince" And then in verse 26: "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off,..." and then it describes the consequences to Israel for that act: "and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary..." And that can be proven to be the Roman prince Titus that sacked Jerusalem and didn't have anything to do with confirming any covenants. And so, when it picks up again in verse 27 with "he", we are left with only one reasonable conclusion from the text as to who it is talking about: the Messiah. And we will see many many more verses of scripture that support this, and that the 70th week began at the "anointing of the most Holy", Jesus' baptism. That is most likely when the 69th week ended and the 70th began.
There are those that claim that the “he” of the text refers back to “the prince that shall come”. But that simply doesn’t agree with scripture for a number of reasons: 1) Taking the prophecy literally (as it plainly indicates that it should be), the people that destroyed the city and the sanctuary in 70 AD were Romans and their prince at that time was Titus. 2) If a future prince is sought to be the meaning here, as is also claimed (meaning the ancient Romans who destroyed Jerusalem were of their future endtime Roman prince, the antichrist), this also conflicts with scritpure. Nowhere does the bible state or imply that the antichrist will be from Rome or Roman. On the contrary, “Lucifer” the man of sin described in Isaiah chapter 14 is “the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 14:1-12) This is confirmed in Habakukk 2:5-9 as well as in the famous prophecy in Rev. 17 about the mighty endtime Babylon the Great which is the United States of America. An erroneous, and now deceptive, teaching held by tradition, that Rome is the end-time Babylon the Great, has further confused this prophecy of Daniel’s 70th week, attempting to associate the “he” in the text with a future Roman prince. (The fact that the USA is Babylon the Great is scripturally indisputable. It goes beyond “interpretational differences” or points of view. The Word of God taken as it is written leaves no other valid or sound conclusion on the matter. And there are many in-depth research studies and documentaries available that one can study to be enlightened about it, which this study doesn’t delve into.) But to prove a point on the identity of the “he” in the above verse, the antichrist is always found to be intimately involved with Babylon, not Rome. Therefore ‘the people of the prince that shall come’ cannot refer to the antichrist, but refers to Titus who fulfilled that prophecy in 70 AD. He and his soliders “destroyed the city and the sanctuary”. This is not what the antichirst will do to the future temple because he will claim it for himself, “so that he as God sits in the temple of God showing himself that he is God.” (2 Thes. 2:4)
Therefore the assumption that the “he” in the beginning of verse 27 is the antichrist doesn’t hold any merit, either textually or prophetically, and we’ll now go into an alternative view to this prophecy’s fulfillment.
To determine when the first 69 weeks ended and the 70th started, we need to know when they began with a command given to restore Jerusalem and it’s temple.
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two (62) weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” (Dan. 9:25)
So from the going forth of this command until The Anointed One, or Messiah, shall be 69 weeks of years, or 483 years. It can be determined that the first decree issued by the Persian King Artaxerxes I Longimanus was for this very purpose to restore the Temple as well as Jerusalem, and it occurred about 483 years before Jesus’ baptism. All of these precise dates of years are difficult for scholars to determine, so we’ll later look for greater confirmation in scripture as to when the 69th week began and ended. I’ll now exerpt from a book which I highly recommend, Earthquake Ressurection written by David W. Lowe, in which he also shows that the 69th week most likely ended at Jesus’ baptism:
“The second decree given by Persian King Artaxerxes I Longimanus in the seventh year of his reign, which began in approximately 464 BC. This decree was given to Ezra, the priestly scribe, in 457-456 BC, allowing Ezra and his men to return to Jerusalem and to finish the work on the temple started by Zerubbabel:
Ezr 7:12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the perfect law of the God of heaven.
Ezr 7:13 I have now issued a decree that anyone in my kingdom from the people of Israel – even the priests and Levites – who wishes to do so may go up with you to Jerusalem.
Ezr 7:14 You are authorized by the king and his seven advisers to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your possession,
The decree also mentions the institution of judges and court officials to oversee cases in the city of Jerusalem. In addition, according to the prayer of Ezra recorded in a later chapter during this rebuilding, God was allowing more than just a restoration of the temple:
Ezr 9:9 Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has revived us to restore the temple of our God and to raise up its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
While the decree addresses the rebuilding of the temple, there is more going on in the restoration of the city of Jerusalem than just the rebuilding of the temple. Courts, judges and officials were being set up, and according to Ezra, a protective wall was being raised around Jerusalem.
Counting off 69 weeks of seven years, or 483 years, from 457-456 BC calculates to an approximate date of 27-28 AD. If Jesus was born in the 4-3 BC time frame, which most scholars agree is the best supported date range for his birth, this coincides with the approximate time Jesus would have been baptized and began his ministry at the age of 30. This decree is an excellent candidatefor the starting point of the first 69 weeks, placing the beginning of his ministry in 27-28 AD.”
It’s important to note that the term “Messiah” (Strong’s # 4899) in Dan. 9:25 actually means “anointed”, referring to someone who has been christened or anointed. So the prophecy is saying that the first 69 weeks will lead to the Anointed One of God, the Messiah. And this is exactly what Jesus became at his baptism, as He himself proclaimed:
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (Luke 4:16-21)
Even if we cannot determine the exact countdown of years from recorded chronologies, which are much debated, I take the position that we can figure out when the 69th week terminated and when the 70th began just from the Word of God alone. If we can determine that Daniel's 70th week is talking about Jesus, then based on that, we can know the sequence. The question is; when did the first 69 weeks terminate, and when did or does the 70th begin? Dan. 9:26 reads: "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself."
It is very clear that the first 69 weeks ended prior to Jesus' crucifixion. If the entire 70th week remains future tense from that time, that would mean there is a period of time from the conclusion of the 69th week to the beginning of the church age that is simply left out, or unaccounted for in the prophecy:
crucifixion
|-----------------------------------69 Weeks------------------------|?| |---Church Age--|---70th Week---|
And this is the very period of time that is the most notable in all of History! The death burial resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is central to this prophecy of 70 Weeks. But when you apply Dan. 9:27 to the Messiah, as it plainly reads, then the periods of dispensation follow a very sraightforward sequence with no periods of time unaccounted for at all. In my studies, I have never found God to be sloppy at all in his dispensations. On the contrary, every second seems to be accounted for and runs in a divine flow.
Baptism Pentecost Day of the Lord
|---- 69 Weeks-|---3 ½ Year Ministry---|---Church Age--|---3 ½ Year Great trib.----|
|-------------------------70th Week-------------------------------------------------------|
Furthermore, if we are to take the popular position, we are forced to read into the prophecy a + / - 2000 year time gap between the 69th and 70th week that is just not stated. Not only that, we are to just arbitrarily move our focus from the Messiah to his very antithesis with absolutely no transition of any kind. That again, makes God very sloppy, and even misleading. To be clearly speaking of the Messiah and his arrival to mankind, and then to suddenly jump ,with no textual distinction or clarification, to his very imposter…doesn’t that just on the surface alone seem very awkward and unlike the normal flow of scripture?
The only place we find a time gap in the prophecy is in the midst of the 70th week: "and in the midst of the week he (Messiah) shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, (by his own sacrifice in place of it), and for the overspreading of abominations (Jews revile and murder their Messiah) he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation."
The 69th week ends with the coming of the Messiah to Israel:
Dan. 9:25
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks (69 weeks)...."
Many scholars seem to think that the 69th week terminated when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. But is that when he was first presented to Israel as the Messiah? Is this when He became the Anointed One? We will find that the entire mission of John the Baptist was to openly declare his arrival to the Jews. And this occurred right at Jesus' baptism, the anointing of the most Holy:
John 1:6-7
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe."
The intention was for men to believe that Jesus was the Messiah through the witness of John.
John 1:29-34
"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (the Messiah) This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is prefered before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not. BUT THAT HE SHOULD BE MADE MANIFEST TO ISRAEL, THEREFORE AM I COME BAPTIZING WITH WATER And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, THE SAME IS HE which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, AND BARE RECORD THAT THIS IS THE SON OF GOD."
This was the entire purpose for John the Baptist's ministry as was prophesied:
Matt. 11:10
"For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee."
This was a quote from the prophecy in Malachi, and look what it calls Jesus in it:
Mal. 3:1
"Behold, I will send my messenger (John), and shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, EVEN THE MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord."
This plainly shows that Jesus was raised up as the Messiah at the very beginning of his ministry, which John came to make manifest to Israel. And he came as "the messenger of the covenant". And when his disciples heard him declare this, they knew that the Messiah had arrived right on time:
John 1:40-41
"One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is being interpreted, the Christ."
Soon after this, Jesus went into the temple and purged out the money changers, in fulfillment of that prophecy, "he shall suddenly come to his temple."
This shows precisely when the 69th week was fulfilled, and the 70th began. And Jesus himself declared it:
Mark 1:14-15
"Now after that John was put into prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel (confirming the covenant), And saying, The time is fulfilled (69 weeks fulfilled), and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
That is why the people were in such expectation of the Messiah's arrival at that appointed time:
Luke 3:15
"And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ."
The book of Acts also reveals when the 69th week was fulfilled when Messiah was made manifest to Israel:
Acts 13:23-24
"Of this man's seed (David's) hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Savior (Messiah), Jesus: WHEN John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel."
Acts 3:25-26
"Ye are the children of the prophets, and of THE COVENANT which God made with our fathers (which Jesus came to confirm for the 70th week), saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus (as the Messiah), sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."
Rom. 15:8
"Now I say that Jesus was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, TO CONFIRM THE PROMISES (COVENANT) MADE UNTO THE FATHERS:"
Acts 10:36-38
"The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ:...BEGAN from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God ANOINTED Jesus of Nazareth ("the most Holy") with the Holy Ghost..." (that began the 70th week)
Acts 1:21-22
“Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us..."
The Messiah began to bless Israel and confirm the covenant at the very beginning of his 3 ½ year ministry. His Messiah-ship didn't begin when he rode into Jerusalem near the very end of it. The "time was fulfilled" when he was made manifest to Israel at his divine baptism and anointing, being witnessed by the messenger that God sent for that very purpose.
With that in mind, let's take another look at Dan. 9:27:
"And he (the Messiah) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week (3 ½ years later) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, (which Jesus did by the offering of himself) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation (completion), and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
This also is exactly what Jesus declared towards the end of his 3 ½ year ministry:
Matt. 23:37-39
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee (the overspreading of abominations), how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold your house is left unto you DESOLATE. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (at the end of the 3 ½ great tribulation)"
In the midst of the week, their promises are made desolate even until the consummation or completion. That is where the mysterious time gap of approximately 2000 years exists, and we only await the last 3 ½ years of the week, called the "great tribulation". That is why we don't find reference to a 7 year period in the book of Revelation, but it talks about a 3 ½ year period many times. Have you ever wondered why the duration of Jesus’ ministry was 3 ½ years? It didn’t last for 4 years, or 5, or 3, or 2 ½, but for 3 ½ years. Well I think this alternative view explains why perfectly.
Now it is a fact that the antichrist will enter into the future Jewish temple/tabernacle and will "cause the abomination that maketh desolate." But that is an entirely different prophecy than Dan. 9:27. (And it is worded differently, which is very important to pay attention to.) That is found in the following chapters of Daniel:
Dan. 11:31
"And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination (singular) that maketh desolate."
Notice that this is one abomination that maketh desolate placed by the antichrist and his forces. But in Dan. 9:27, about the Messiah, it says "and for (because of) the overspreading of abominations (many abominations committed by the Jews), he shall make it desolate."
Again in Dan. 12:11 it follows up with that same prophecy in chp 11:31 about the antichrist:
"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination (singular) is set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days."
This is what Christ was quoting in reference to the great tribulation:
Matt. 24:15-21
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination (singular) of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)....[21] For then shall be great tribulation,.. (for the last 3 ½ years of the week)."
There is a distinct difference between the two prophecies of "desolation" which we must take note of:
Dan. 9:27 is describing the punishment that Christ gives to Israel "for the overspreading of (many) abominations." Jesus decribes the overspreading of Israel's abominations in his parable of the wicked husbandmen (Matt. 21:33-43), who continually persecuted and slew the prophets sent to them, and then they rejected God's own Son that he sent to them, the head stone. And for all of these abominations, the kingdom of God is taken from them and given to the nation of the Gentiles to bring forth the fruit thereof. "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."
As is stated in the Messianic psalm 69:
[24] "Pour out thine indignation upon them (the Jews), and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. LET THEIR HABITATION BE DESOLATE; and let none dwell in their tents. For they persecute him (Jesus) whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded. ADD INIQUITY TO THEIR INIQUITY (overspreading of abominations): and let them not come into thy righteousness (the new covenant is taken from them and given to the Gentiles)."
Jesus made it very clear that this generation, during the time of his earthly ministry, would be held accountable for an enormous number of abominations committed from the beginning of the world. The Lord, in fulfillment of this prophetic Psalm, “added iniquity to their iniquity” and they were made “desolate”:
“Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; (overspreading of abominations) From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.” (Luke 11:47-51)
And the bible makes it clear that the shedding of innocent blood, along with other sins, is indeed a grievous “abomination” to the Lord:
“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Prov. 6:16-19)
That generation was held to account for all these evils, plus the evils of their fathers before them, and because of that their promises were indeed made desolate. This is the opposite of the other prophecy concerning the antichrist, who "places the (singular) abomination that maketh desolate."
Do you see the difference?
THE COVENANT
"And he (Messiah) shall confirm THE covenant with many..."
Again we can see why it is not explained to the reader what covenant this is, because it is self-evident; it was already known to the Jews what covenant this was. It was "THE" covenant that God had made with the fathers, beginning with Abraham, that in his seed would come the redeemer, which we will shortly get into. If this was just some future peace treaty that the anti-messiah (the opposite of who it is talking about )was to make with Israel, it would most likely read "and he shall confirm "a" covenant with many." Or there would need to be some clarification as to what this “covenant” is. But it says this is "THE" covenant. Again, making it very clear that this is talking about THE covenant given to the Jews of a savior which was already well understood and anticipated. And this is what Jesus confirmed with many:
Rom. 15:8
"Now I say that Jesus was a minister of the circumcision (which was the sign given to Abraham of the covenant) for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers."
Luke 2:34-35
"And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child (Jesus) is set for the fall and the rising again (rebirth) of MANY in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of MANY hearts may be revealed."
Luke 1:67-73
"And his (John the Baptist's) father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up a horn of salvation (Jesus) for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember HIS HOLY COVENANT; THE OATH WHICH HE SWORE TO OUR FATHER ABRAHAM,"
Gal. 3:13-16
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us....That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit (rebirth) through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's (Abraham's) covenant, yet if it be CONFIRMED, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ ('The messenger of THE covenant')."
Acts 3:25
"Ye are the children of the prophets, and of THE COVENANT which God made with our fathers (which Jesus confirms for the 70th week), saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Now it should make sense why there are so many verses of scripture that link the 3 ½ year ministry of Christ with the 3 ½ year great tribulation. We find these two time periods placed back to back over and over again throughout the bible: You might want to ask yourself: why?…
Zech. 13:7-9
"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow (Jesus), saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd; and the sheep shall be scattered (during Jesus' ministry): and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass (during the great tribulation), that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God ('the consummation')."
Mal. 3:1-3
"Behold, I will send my messenger (John), and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold he shall come, (at the beginning of the 70th week) saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? (at the end of the week) for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. ('the consummation')"
Isaiah 11:1-4
"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch (Jesus) shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (baptism-beginning of 70th week), ...and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked (at the end of the 70th week)."
Zech. 9:9-10
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee (during the first half of the week): he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off (made desolate): and he shall speak peace unto the heathen (during the church age): and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth (consummation of the week)."
Rev. 12:5-6
"And she (Israel) brought forth a man child (Jesus), who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne (at the end of the first half). And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days (3 ½ years-the end of the week)."
Why do we find this same thing in so many different places; the 3 ½ year ministry of Christ, immediately followed with a description of the 3 ½ year great tribulation? Because this is Daniel's 70th week, with the mystery of the church age in the midst of it. This mysterious period of time is invisble in most cases here, because it is of the spirit, which is why the church is refered to as a "mystery". Only the first half and the last half are described, with this long period of time in the midst, in which Israel is "desolate" and the Gentiles receive the blessings of Abraham. This is what is meant by: "and in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate EVEN UNTIL THE CONSUMMATION (of the week), and that determined (the promises) shall be poured upon the desolate."
This arrangement of the 70th week follows the same pattern as the seven lamped candlestick, or Menorah; just as the seven feast days do; the 'lamp of God', where the Lord dwells in 'the midst', being the mystery church age, the age of rebirth into Divine Love. And it is surrounded by 3 ½ years on one side, and 3 ½ years on the other, which are of a totally different dispensation. And this is significant to understanding the rapture, where in time it is located, and why:
|----------------------------------------Daniel’s 70th Week---------------------------------------|
Christ’s Ministry Church Age Great Tribulation
(3 ½ years) (3 ½ years)
It is very easy to show that the church will remain on earth to see the antichrist go in to the temple of God and "place the abomination that maketh desolate".
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet (Dan.12:11), 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:…For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24: 15-21)
Daniel reveals that this begins a 3 ½ year period of time:
“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” (Dan. 12:11)
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 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; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.” (2 Thes. 2:1-6)
Paul couldn’t be any more clear: The day of Christ, which is the coming of the Lord and our gathering together unto him, shall not come until the man of sin is revealed who sits in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. The Church will remain on earth to witness that event, and soon thereafter (30 days) begins the 3 ½ year great tribulation, or the rest of Daniel’s 70th Week.
We find the same thing confirmed in the book of Revelation during the opening of the 6th Seal which begins the wrath of God:
"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues (Gentiles), stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, SALVATION to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore (because of them doing that) are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them (at the marriage supper), and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Rev. 7:9-17)
These people of all nations and kindreds, and tongues were collectively taken out together when the great day of his wrath is come, at the beginning of the great tribulation , and proclaimed: "Salvation".
We find the same thing revealed in chapter 12:
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered…And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman (Israel) fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 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 (3 ½ years), from the face of the serpent.” (Rev. 12:1-14)
In all cases we find that the Church is on earth until the great day of God’s wrath begins, the Day of the Lord, which starts the “great tribulation” for 3 ½ years, which is the last half of Daniel’s 70th Week. But this has to be resolved with one very good argument that some "pre-trib" followers assert. And that is: that the 70 weeks of Daniel are only determined upon the nation of Israel and the church has nothing directly to do with them.
Dan. 9:24
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy (Daniel's people, the Jews) and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem)..."
The age of the church had nothing to do with the first 69 weeks, and will have nothing to do with last 70th week either. They are completely separate dispensations. So why would the church go half way into Daniel's 70th week, if in fact, the entire week remains to be fulfilled in the future? The fact really is, it can't. And in reality, it won’t. This proves that the first half of the 7 year period has already transpired and we are now presently in the “midst” of the Week. We which are alive and remain to witness the ‘abomination of desolation’ by the antichirst and his forces will know that 30 after that event is the rapture at the beginning of the great tribulation on the Day of the Lord. Daniel made it clear, as we quoted before, that this event begins a 1,290 day period:
“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” (Dan. 12:11)
And if the great trib. is exactly 1,260 days which we know from Rev. 11:3 and Rev. 12:6,
Then that means there is exactly 30 days from this event of the antichrist until the great tribulation begins on the Day of the Lord.
There is also a final time after this of an additional 45 days which will most likely be when the last 7 vials of wrath are poured out:
And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days (1,335).” (Dan. 12:11-12)
We can see from what has been presented in this study how all of the confusion and conflicting positions surrounding Daniel’s 70th Week, the supposed 7 year tribulation period, and the rapture of the church, are perfectly resolved by a clear understanding of who Dan. 9:27 is actually referring to. God has truly provided so much for us to understand, if we would only listen to Him above all other voices.
Jerome Gerbasi