To
understand the books of Daniel and Revelation and related
scriptures such as Mt 24-25; Mk 13; Lk 21; 2 Thes 2, and
especially to understand the time of the RAPTURE and the
second advent, one must clearly understand the 70 weeks of Daniel
9:24-27. Without doubt, all the above scriptures will be
fulfilled during the last 7 years of this age known as “Daniel’s
70th week.” It must be understood, if we
want clear truth, that Israel, and not the church, is the one
dealt with in the 70th week, for Israel
only was the one dealt with in the first 69 weeks. All the 69
weeks were literally fulfilled with Israel before the church
began. Not once was the New Testament church mentioned in
their fulfillment (Dan 9:24-26), and not once is the church
mentioned as being on earth during the fulfillment of the 70th
week of Daniel 9:27; Mt 24:15-31; Lk 21:25-36 and Rev 4:1-19:21. The
New Testament church was not yet made and ratified by the blood
of Jesus Christ (Mt 26:28) until the end of the 69th
week when the Messiah was cut off and crucified (Dan 9:26). The
future 70th week will not and cannot begin until the
New Testament church is raptured and God again begins to deal
with “thy people (Israel), and thy holy city (Jerusalem)”
to do 6 things with them as listed below.
Any
involvement of Gentiles in the 70th week will be their
seeking to exterminate both Israel and Jerusalem from the earth. In
fact, this will be the sole purpose of the nations who will come
against Israel and Jerusalem at the battle of Armageddon (Isa 63;
Ezek 38-39; Joel 2-3; Zech 14; Rev 19:11-21). At the return of
Christ to the earth anti-Semitism will be banished from men
forever (Isa 2:1-4; Zech 8:23; 14:16-21). All activity of
the New Testament church will end before the 70th
week begins!!!
Daniel’s 70
Weeks (Dan 9:24-27)
The
expression of seventy weeks literally means seventy
sevens of years. If days were meant it would be so
expressed as in Daniel 10:3. Daniel’s prayer, to which
this vision was an answer, did not concern days, but years (Dan
9:2). Then, too, we know from scripture that the last week
(Dan 9:27) is divided into two parts of 3½ years each (Dan
7:25;12:7; Rev 11:2,3;12:5,14; 13:5). The whole period of
“seventy weeks” is 490 years which are determined or
marked off from all other years and concern only “thy people
(Israel) and thy holy city (Jerusalem),” for which Daniel
was praying (Dan 6:10; 9:1-23).
There are 6 prophetic events to take place during these 490 years
relative to Israel and Jerusalem, for 6 purposes:
1. To
finish the transgression. The Hebrew word for
“transgression” here is “pasha.” It
means to revolt, rebel, or sin against lawful authority. It
is often translated “transgression” (Ps 51:13; Isa
43:27; etc.). This transgression has reference to Israel in
her rebellion against God. This prophecy foretells the
culmination of that rebellion. The law was added because of
transgression until the seed should come, and it served as a
schoolmaster to lead Israel to Christ (Gal 3:17-25). Israel
failed to receive their Messiah so they were broken off in
unbelief from God’s favor as a nation. They will not
be received again fully until the second coming of Christ, who
will “turn ungodliness from Jacob” and cause a nation
to be born at once (Rom 11:25-29; Isa 66:7-10; Ezek 36:24-30;
Zech 12:10-13:1).
2. To
make an end of sins. Israel’s sins, if
collected in the form of concrete matter, would fill the whole
earth; for she has been in rebellion against God from her
beginning and she will be until the fulfillment of this
prophecy at the return of Christ. This “end of
sins” will not be made until after the tribulation, but from
that time on Israel will obey God forever (Ezek 36:24-30;
37:24-27; 43:7; Zech 14:1-21).
3. To
make reconciliation (atonement) for iniquity.
The Hebrew word for “iniquity” is “avon” and
means perverseness, to be crooked, or wrung out of course (1 Sam
20:30; 2 Sam 19:19; Job 33:37). Atonement was made on the
cross for the whole world, but Israel as a nation has not yet
appropriated its benefits and will not do so until the return of
Christ (Zech 13:1-7; Rom 11:25-27; Isa 66:7-8).
4. To
bring in everlasting righteousness. When the
transgression has been finished , an end of sins made, and the
full benefits of the atonement will have been realized by
Israel, then everlasting righteousness will be ushered in (Isa
9:6,7; 12:1-6; Dan 7:13,14,18,27; Mt 25:31-46; Ezek 43:7; Rom
11:25-29).
5. To
seal up the vision and prophecy. This means to make
an end of certain prophecies concerning Israel and Jerusalem.
The word “prophecy” should be translated “prophet”
as elsewhere. It means that there will be no further need
of inspired men to rebuke Israel in an attempt to lead them into
the way of righteousness “for all shall know the Lord from
the least unto the greatest” (Jer 31:31-40; Isa 11:9).
6. To
anoint the most Holy. This refers to the cleansing
of the holy of holies, the temple, and the city of Jerusalem from
the abomination of desolation and the sacrilege of Gentiles, and
to the establishment and anointing of the Millennial temple of
Ezek 40-43, which is yet to be built.
5 For thus saith the LORD; We
have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
6 Ask ye now, and see whether a
man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with
his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are
turned into paleness?
7 Alas! for that day is great,
so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's
trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
Study is taken from the book "Revelation Expounded" by brotherFinis Dake
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