- Scripture: Daniel 9 v 23 - 27: "At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
- 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, 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.
- 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 weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
- 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince 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 the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
The seventy weeks vision of Daniel ranks highly among the most important prophecies of the Old Testament that were accurately fulfilled in the New, with one notable exception, part of this prophecy is about to be fulfilled in the seven years of tribulation that includes the Rapture.
In this seventy weeks prophecy each week designated a year. There were 69 weeks of years from the date of the restoration of Jerusalem till the death of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. 483 actual years. Then 7 years or 1 week for the tribulation.
The Archangel Gabriel was sent to Daniel to give him full understanding of this vision. The 483 years were accurate, so the left over 7 Years is likely to be just as accurate.
This tribulation is a focus on the Antichrist. Daniel prophesies about him in Daniel 8 v 23 - 25: "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand."
We can set our clocks to the final countdown when Israel signs a 7 year peace treaty with all the Arab nations. The last two days in Warsaw, Poland, many Arab leaders were gathered with the United States and Israel to have summit discussions around peace in the Middle East. There are videos of these Arab leaders embracing Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister. Are we witnessing the beginning of the beginning of the end?
Matthew 24 v 15: "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:)" Words spoken by Jesus when discussing the great tribulation with His disciples.
In the last days the Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and the Jews will again bring lambs and bullocks to be sacrificed there. In the midst of the 7 years this will cease when the abomination of desolation stands in the Holy place. This refers to when the Antichrist seats himself in the Holy of Holies and declares himself God.
At this moment the eyes of Israel will be open to the truth. They will know that this man is an imposter and they will remember Jesus and know Him as their Messiah. They will flee into the mountains of Petra in Jordan where they will find millions of New Testaments hidden for them to finally understand everything.
The last half of the seven years is called the Wrath of the Lamb. The Rapture will take place before this time. His wrath will fall upon the sinners of the world. The Antichrist will also impose the mark of the Beast on everyone, without this mark no one can buy nor sell.
Jesus Christ will be joined to His Body and be the complete Bridegroom as He enjoys the beginning of the Marriage Feast with all born again Christians dead and alive. On Earth the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the Beast are preparing for Armageddon, the final annihilation of Israel, the Bride of Christ.
It ends when the Bridegroom returns to Earth where every eye will see Him, and destroys that terrible army of 200 million in one moment of time by the sword of His mouth. Those who survive try to hide themselves under rocks and in caves to escape their punishment for daring to touch the Apple of His eye. He has rescued His Bride and the Marriage Feast will continue.
This is followed by 1000 years of peace on Earth as Jesus restores everything the way He created it. This time is called the Millennium and if we are born again believers doing all we can to save the world then we will be there to enjoy it.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, our constant hope is that all this ugly evil around us will end soon. The 7 year Israeli-Arab peace treaty is the spark that will ignite a world revival of Christianity for the first half of it. We pray Lord that this summit in Warsaw will not fade away but gather momentum and become a reality that has been promised for so long. We want to be with You for eternity. In Jesus' name. Amen.