Scripture: Daniel 9 v 16 - 27; Ezra 4 v 7; Ezra 7 v 12;
Matthew 24 v 15.
In Matthew 24 Jesus is giving His disciples specific
signs that will precede His coming again, most of which have been fulfilled.
Jesus also refers the reader back to Daniel in Matt 24 v 15 and says that those
who can figure this out will know what He is trying to explain.
Daniel - a prophet and an intercessor - is crying out to
God from the Jewish captivity in Persia, now known as Iran. In response to this
deep prayer God sent the Archangel Gabriel to give Daniel a very important
message that stretches beyond this present time. Gabriel told Daniel that he
had come to give him skill and understanding.
Gabriel's message from God said that 70 weeks have been
calculated to the time when sin will end and to reconcile sinners to God. The
70 weeks begin at the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes (Ezra 4 v 7) and end
at the last day of the Great Tribulation, still ahead of us.
The calculation (in hindsight) was 70 weeks of years ie
490 years. From the first week to the crucifixion of Jesus was 62 weeks (3
score + 2) = 434 years; then another week of 7 years ie 49 years makes 483
years or 69 weeks of years to when the Temple and all Jerusalem was destroyed
by Titus the Roman in AD70.
This prophecy was fulfilled exactly to the day and we are
left with 1 week yet to be fulfilled which is the 7 years of Tribulation during
which the Church will be raptured and Jews will finally recognise their Messiah
as Jesus Christ.
The last week cannot have come before Israel was restored
to the Promised Land after 1900 years of exile. This occurred after the Second
World War when Hitler tried to exterminate all Jews. The League of Nations
voted in 1948 and the Jews won the right to return to their Homeland again.
This fulfilled a prophecy in Jeremiah. In Hebrew it says
Eretz Israel Kibbutzainim meaning that Israel will return to the land and make
kibbutzes to reclaim the wasteland and make it productive. This started in 1948
and continues to this day.
For more information on this topic please read Timeline
to the Second Coming of Jesus on this blog.
The Abomination of Desolation that Jesus mentions in
Matthew 24 v 15 and Daniel speaks of it in verse 27. In the midst of this final
week of the 7 year tribulation Satan will fully manifest in the Antichrist - a
world leader - and seat himself in the Holy of Holies in the rebuilt Temple in
Jerusalem, and declare himself to be God.
The eyes of the Jews will be opened to the truth and they
will flee into the mountains of Petra. The full horror of the Great Tribulation
will come upon the sinful world. The Church has been raptured and all believers
will have left Earth to meet Jesus in the air. The devil will be rampant over
those left alive until the battle of Armageddon. Many people go about their daily lives
completely unaware of the unfolding of the End Times and how their lives will
be affected just as happened in the time of Noah. They mocked Noah for 100
years while he built the Ark to keep his family and the animals safe. Their
mocking turned to fear when the storms came and there was no place to hide from
God's wrath against sin. They all died regretting that they had not listened to
Noah.
There are many preachers sending warnings into the
churches and to whoever else will listen that the Tribulation is coming. Be
ready for the Rapture. Mockers and scoffers abound and laugh off these
warnings. They think we are too modern, too scientific or too smart to believe
all that.
Nothing could stop the tsunamis that hit Japan and
Indonesia. Nothing could stop the towers going down on 9/11 or the war in Syria
or tornados, earthquakes and hurricanes. Climate change is a sign of the coming
of Jesus. Financial upheaval is a sign. One World is a sign.
It is coming like an express train and yet billions upon
billions of dollars are spent to save some unknown bugs from becoming extinct.
God is in control of the creation of bugs and animals. Spend the money on
getting the humans saved rather and guaranteeing their eternity in Heaven. I
read this week that in the last year $1,780 billion was spent on global
warfare. If one third of that amount was spent correctly it would permanently
remove global poverty. Who is really running this show?
Prayer: Father God we need You to shake the nations and
bring them to their senses. Time grows short and many will be lost. Help us to
overcome spiritual lethargy and lunacy in the world to revive Your people to win
the lost. In Jesus' name. Amen.