2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Writing about the Scriptures should never be only and academic exercise. That’s why its important to ask why is this particular passage important to us? We continue to look at Daniel’s Vision of the Seventy Weeks which is found in DN 9: 24-27. The parts of it we saw yesterday (verses 25-26a) allowed us to see what was still in Daniel’s future, but what is in our past. That let us see that some of this prophecy has already come true. Since DT 18: 21 tells us that the measure of a real prophet is the truth of what he says, we can conclude that Daniel was a real prophet; his words were those of God. That’s important for us to know in light of the many false prophets that have tried to convince people of their lies throughout history. It is also important because of the prophecy that in the latter days there will be a great increase both of spreading of the Gospel and of false prophets plying their trade.
Today we will look at DN 9: 26b-27, which gives us insights about some events in our past and some still in our future. “The city and the Temple will be destroyed by the invading army of a powerful ruler. The end will come like a flood, bringing the war and destruction which God has prepared. That ruler will have a firm agreement with may people for seven years, and when half this time is past, he will put an end to sacrifices and offerings. The Abomination of Desolation will be placed on the highest point of the Temple and will remain there until the one who put it there meets the end which God has prepared for him.” We already know that the Temple in Jerusalem, in fact, Jerusalem itself, was destroyed when the Romans under Emperor Vespasian and the leadership of his general, Titus, invaded in 70 AD. This touched off the second dyaspora (scattering of the Jews and loss of Israel’s nationhood) which lasted until May 14, 1948 when Israel once again became the national homeland for the Jews. It is interesting to note that the prophecy of MT 24: 1-2 came true. “Jesus left and was going away from the Temple when His disciples came to Him to all His attention to its buildings. ‘Yes,’ He said, ‘you may well look at all these. I tell you this: not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down.’ “ When Herod’s Temple was constructed, gold had been inserted between the stones. Titus put out the order to his soldiers not to burn the Temple, but to retrieve the gold to be melted down later from between each of the stones. Thus, not one, except for those of the western wall which had no gold between them, was left undisturbed.
Part of the book of the Macabees which is in the Apocrypha, writings of the inter-testamental period not accepted as canon by the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, tells the story of the war between the evil Selucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163 BC) and the Jewish family, the Macabees led by Judah Macabee. The Selucids were a nation put together from the intermarriage between Greeks and Syrians. They were at war with the Egyptians with the balance of power being traded back and forth between these two kingdoms. Geographically, Israel is in the middle between them and was viewed as enemies to both the Egyptians and the Selucids. Antiocus had sacked the Temple in Jerusalem in 168 BC in his efforts to assimilate Jews into the Greek culture. That year, he committed the quintessential insult to the Jews by burning a swine on the highest altar of the Temple. It was known as the Abomination of Desolation or the Awful Horror. The celebration of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, by the Jews is to commemorate the fact that Judas Macabee and his men wrested control of the Temple back from Selucid hands and had only enough oil to light the eternal light (Ner Tamid) for one day. God intervened and kept it burning for eight days supernaturally, just enough time for the Jews to make enough olive oil to keep it lit continually afterward. I mention these events, because they foreshadow another Abomination of Desolation, the one mentioned in DN 9: 27 that is still to take place in our future.
The ruler referred to in DN 9: 27 is the antichrist. It is prophesied that he will be a charismatic man of mystery and intrigue who will convince the Israelis to enter into an agreement with him in which he will provide them safety. We already know that safety is enough of an issue with Israel that it has been very willing to trade land for peace in modern times. The boarders of modern day Israel look nothing like those God outlined in GN 15: 13-21, which I hope you will read. So, it is logical that such a bogus agreement will happen in the future, a future many of us think is not far off. This seven year pact will be broken after 3 ½ yrs., and there will be another Abomination of Desolation placed on the altar of the Temple by the antichrist. Christ, Himself, prophesied this would happen in MT 24: 15. I have noted before that nothing is said about the Church Age (Age of Grace) from the Pentecost through to the Rapture in Daniel’s vision. That is because it is a secret that God was not ready to reveal in Daniel’s time. It was revealed by the apostles and prophets of the NT.
This gap, the Age of Grace, is well illustrated by our Lord in the synagogue at Nazareth [LK 4: 18-19] where He quoted IS 61: 1-2a, but cut it short of quoting 2b. IS 61: 1-2a, “The Sovereign Lord has filled me with His Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to announce release to captives and freedom to those in prison. He has sent me to proclaim that the time has come when the Lord will save His people.” IS 61: 2b, the part Christ left off, “And defeat their enemies. He has sent me to comfort all who mourn.” The first part includes His First Advent, “the acceptable year of the Lord.” However, the judgment of His Second Advent and the “day of the vengeance of our God,” is note cited by Christ in LK 4. In between these two events was to occur the whole Church Age.
Yesterday and the day before, I shared the remarkable calculations that bear out the timetable and the facts of Daniel’s prophecy. You will remember that it was said there would be 490 years from the rebuilding of Jerusalem (445 BC) until the evil would be vanquished. There were 483 years from the rebuilding of Jerusalem until the Messiah would be cut off. Since the Church Age was held secret, it doesn’t figure into these calculations. 490 years - 483 years = 7 years, the seven years of the Tribulation. This is the time referred to in DN 9: 27. Since the Abomination of Desolation will remain in the Temple from the mid-point of the Tribulation until the “one who put it there meets the end which God has prepared for him,” it will remain for the rest of the 3 ½ years of the Tribulation and until the antichrist is thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur [REV 19: 20]. We know that the persecution of Jews will continue throughout the Tribulation, in which those who refuse to worship the antichrist’s image will be tortured and destroyed. It is my belief that God gave us this knowledge to encourage us to help Him bring as many people to faith as possible and to get our own spiritual houses in order as soon as possible.
PRAYER: O Lord, we are so blessed to have been born into the Age of Grace. We must never take this privilege for granted. The important lessons of Daniel’s prophecy should not be lost on us. You want us to turn away from sin, to take up Your ways, and to spread the Good News of our salvation through faith in Christ to others. We are to understand that the time for doing this is getting short. We are to serve You all the days of our lives, as Your agenda is the only one which is wholly righteousness and which leads to life everlasting. Your love for us through the sacrifice of Your Son as a once and sufficient, sin offering shows us the depth of the love You have for us. When You esteem a person, You demonstrate that by revealing Yourself to him and asking Him to join You in Your work. We are honored by that and must accept Your call. Thank you for blessing our lives, loving us exceedingly, and guiding us to eternal joy and fellowship with You and with each other in Your Kingdom. Hallelujah! In Christ’s name, amen.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn