Why the pre trib. rapture is correct. Part 2: Edited 4/20/15.
The doctrine of pre and post tribulation is an important teaching, and concerns me greatly that Christians are divided over this issue.
Someone wrote me, “Dispensationalists attempt to make Christ’s entire ministry take place in a contrived ‘gap’ they’ve inserted between the 69th week and the 70th week. They then seek to say the last “week” — i.e. the last 7 years — is yet to begin; thus the idea that the last 7 years is the tribulation.
However, the prophecy is very clear that Christ is the only one that can accomplish the list of items that must be achieved within the 70 weeks. It is Christ that makes “reconciliation for iniquity” and it is Christ that brings in “everlasting righteousness.” (Daniel 9:24) He accomplished all of these things during his 3.5-year ministry — which must then be seen as a part of the seventy weeks.”
Phil replied, “I will take your last paragraph first. I agree with your statement that, “Christ is the only one that can accomplish the list of items that must be achieved within the 70 weeks.” The reason,
John 28:18, “All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
But I disagree with your comment that he accomplished all these things during his 3.5 years of His ministry.
He did not finish, nor did He put an end to man’s transgressions, and sin. Satan is the prince of this world. The saved still transgress against God. The evidence is all around us, famines, wars, diseases, murder, etc. things that have overcome mankind because of sin. Everlasting righteousness has-not been achieved among men, only in Christ. I understand what your saying, Jesus did accomplish the above in Himself. But did Jesus put an end to our unrighteousness yet? The answer, NO!
1 John 3:4, “Whosoever commits sin transgreses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” Compare with,
John 1:10, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him (God) a liar.”
Let’s examine Daniel 9:24-25, It concerns the first 69 week of the prophesy. We both agree that the 69 weeks are finished.
Daniel 9:24, “Seventy weeks are determined upon THY people (the Jews) and upon the holy city (Jerusalem,) To finish the transgression, and make an end of sins.”
Lets take a closer look at the following, “To finish the transgression, and make an end of sins.”
This does not appear to have been fulfilled yet. But from the context, this would have to apply to the Jews and the land of Israel only, because this prophesy was for Daniel’s people, it has nothing to do with Gentiles, or Gentile world history. Daniel was told it was for, “Thy people,” Israel.
Dan.9:26, Messiah shall be cut off. This was accomplished on the day Christ entered Jerusalem. This was when Christ presented himself to Israel as their Messiah, being crucified a few days later. This is when Messiah was, “cut off.”
After Jesus came into Jerusalem He said,
Luke 20:42, “If thou (the Jews) hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy (Israel’s) peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.”
We agree that the 69 weeks ran consecutively, 483 years. They are the sum of, 7 weeks, and 62 weeks, = 69 weeks. But, Messiah was NOT cut off in the 70th week.
He was cut off, Verse 26, “AFTER,” the 69th week, this on the day He was crucified. But if a person believe that the 70th week started soon after the 69th, then your comments would be correct. But I find no Scriptural evidence for this. Also the 3 1/2 years of His ministry could not be the beginning of the 70th week because the 69th had not ended, therefore He had not been cut-off.
After he was cut off, the people and the land were set aside for a season, in order for the church to be established. This season (over 1900 years) of building the church, or the time of the Gentiles is still a work in progress even as I write this commentary.
A season in Greek would mean, time, as in the abstract, as perceived and measured by the succession of objects and events, marking duration, time how long. Mark 2:19, “As long as.” Luke 20:9, “For a long time.” John 7:33, “Yet a little while.” Revelation 6:11, “Rest for a little season.” Revelation 20:3, “Loosed a little season.”
I do NOT believe the church is spiritual Israel, and that the 70th week will be fulfilled in them. You ask, why not? I am glad you asked;
Because of the pattern established in and by the first 69 weeks. The first 69 weeks included the Jews’ and the land alone. So why would the 70th (the last 7 years) be any different? We should change the players, the place, interpretations or end goals of this prophesy. Based on this, let me continue.
Lets examine, Daniel 9:27, “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.”
Let’s discuss this part of the verse. For discussion sake, put down your personal thoughts for a moment and let’s say the rapture of the church has taken place. In my understanding then, there remains on earth, non-believing national Israel having been placed back into their land, this started in 1948. The second group is the non-believing Gentiles or all other nations.
From the day of the Roman conquest and occupation, Jerusalem has been trodden down by the Gentiles.
The problems and differences in opinions on this subject begin with the understanding of, Who is the “He,” in Dan.9:27?
I believe it is Jesus Christ, as you do also. The confirmation of the covenant is assigned to Him.
Isaiah 42:6, “I the LORD — will give thee for a covenant of the people.” The covenant is between Jesus (He is the he) and Israel.
Luke 22:20, Jesus said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you (the church.)”
Now it is established that it is Jesus who shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (7 years.) The next question is how?
I had asked you, Has the 70th week of Daniel’s prophesy, Dan.9:27, been completed?
From your comments I am going to say that you believe the last 7 years has been fulfilled in part only, 3 1/2 yrs. this during Christ’s ministry. The remaining 3 1/2 is still in the future, is that correct?
On that issue, I disagree. I am not saying that I am right, but that I disagree. So here we are, at a stalemate, no winners, all losers. Why? Because something is wrong with both teaching, and I base it on the fact that our Lord would not put out confusing doctrines that would divide the church.
Here are a few thoughts that I have been mulling over lately. It may bring the subject into a clearer focus, or maybe not.
The whole of the problem lies in the last week of Daniel’s prophesy. Let’s look at our points of agreement.
1. We agree that the first 69 weeks are finished.
2. There is coming tribulation upon the world like never before.
3. Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, the anti-christ, demon angels, and a second beast are involved. Jews, Gentiles, 144,000 saints of God having the Father’s mark, and two witnesses for God will take part. These are pretty much the main players.
In Daniel 9:27, we have the words, “He (Christ) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.”
Some say it’s Christ, others teach its anti-christ, so who, or what can it be?
The Hebrew for confirm means, to make strong, firm, to exert one’s strength. Based on this definition to make strong, to exert one’s strength, how does one confirm something, or strengthen it?
Of course it may be through a direct action by Christ himself, or through other authorized agents. These envoys have been given the authority and power by God. In this case, the He that confirms the covenant may be the two witnesses sent by God, who speak and act for Christ, they representing Christ as His direct agent, His personal messengers, His ambassadors. Let me explain.
Witness: In later ecclesiastical writers it became current in the sense of a martyr. This office was given to the prophets for testifying or the witnessing of future events, many having become martyrs. Generally, a witness is one who testifies or can testify to the truth of what he has seen, heard, known; so of one who bears witness for God, and testifies to the world what God reveals through him, as in a teacher or prophet.
Daniel states that “He (Christ) shall confirm the covenant.” Revelation 11:3 states that the two witnesses sent by God, in the days of their prophecy, will give there testimony. They will have the power of God to prophesy for 3 1/2 years.
In the above verse, three words pop up here that may give us further clues. They are Prophecy, testimony, and power.
Let’s compare Daniel with Revelation:
Revelation 11:3, “God said, “I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” So this confirms that God has delegated His power to these two witnesses.
Greek word Prophecy: To foretell future events, to predict; but often including also from the Hebrew the idea of exhorting, reproving, threatening, or indeed the whole utterance of the prophets while acting under divine influence as ambassadors of God and interpreters of His mind and will. In a like sense, of persons acting by a divine influence as prophets and ambassadors of God under the N.T. as in,
Revelation 11:3, “I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy.”
What sticks out here are the words, Exhorting, reproving threatening, being under God’s influence.
Our second word is,
Testimony: Generally it means testify to the truth of any thing as in,
Revelation 11:7, “When they shall have finished their testimony –.”
John 19:35, “He that saw it bare record, and his record is true.
Our third word is,
Power: It means, to have over persons and things, dominion, authority, rule, A present participle of a sequel to follow, as in power over, common, and general use,
Revelation 11:3, “I will give power unto my two witnesses.”
So, what is the power that the two are given from God?
The two witnesses are given power to devour and kill their enemies in the manner in which they were attempting to kill them. They had power over water, to turn it to blood, to smite the earth with plagues.
Let’s go back to Daniel,
Daniel 9:27, “In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease.”
Sacrifice in Hebrew is, offering of a victim, a bloody sacrifice, burnt offerings etc.
Oblation in Hebrew means a tribute, a gift; an offering to God, specially a sacrifice without blood.
This sacrifice and oblation fits the old Jewish sacrificial system. Therefore it should be applied to the Jews. It becomes obvious that they will again be giving sacrifices and gifts at a holy place in Jerusalem during this 3 1/2 year period, probably in a rebuilt temple.
How they accomplish this, I don’t know. I do know the Muslim dome of the rock will have to come down. Maybe by earthquake, fire, war, or God giving the mullahs a dream to remove it, who knows!
Christ sends His two witnesses (His authorized gents) with the authority and power to confirm his covenant to the world and especially to the Jews. The covenant of Christ is now confirmed, but the world still rejects it, because they reject Christ. The beast is then allowed by God to kill the two witnesses, (martyred) and the world rejoices.
Someone wrote me, “Since the two witnesses are prophets that will ultimately be killed by “The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit” (Revelation 11:7), at least a partial overlap of the two periods is required.”
Phil replied, Good point. Daniel 12:12, When the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be 1290 days. The two witnesses are going to be around for only 1260 days.
Daniel 9:27, “And for the overspreading of abominations he (Christ) shall make it desolate.”
Overspreading is used once in Scriptures, and means in Hebrew, the highest summit of the temple.
Abominations means; impure things, the flesh of victims, and of idols. In summary, from the highest part of the temple to the lowest, the abomination of O.T. sacrifice in temple worship will be made desolate.
The newly revived sacrificial system of the Jews in this early period of the 7 years may have been established or just begun days before the rapture of the church, and appears to end after the first 3 1/2 years into the tribulation, soon after the two witnesses are killed.
After this a great earthquake and a tenth part of the Jerusalem will fall, and 7000 men will die, and those Jews who remain will in fear, “Give glory to the God of heaven.” The third woe will come quickly.
Let’s end here; we know the 144,000, the beast and anti-christ have a part in this scheme of things. Again this is a new project for me. Have more work to do. I need to tie all the loose ends together.
Phil LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com