DANIEL'S SEVENTIETH WEEK - THE LAST SEVEN YEARS OF THIS AGE
DANIEL'S SEVENTIETH WEEK
THE LAST SEVEN YEARS OF THIS AGE
'CP' denotes 'compare passage'
In the Old Testament book of Daniel, the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel and foretold a future period of time - Gabriel referred to it as "seventy weeks" - during which certain events would take place concerning Israel, Jerusalem and Messiah (CP Dan 9:21-27). Seventy weeks literally means seventy sevens of years. Week is from the Hebrew word shbuah, which means seven. It refers to years, not days, because Daniel's prayer, to which Gabriel is responding here concerns years (CP Dan 9:2-3). Thus, in the context of Dan 9:21-27 seventy weeks means four hundred and ninety years, which are divided into three periods.
The first period of seven weeks or forty-nine years, in V26, was the time appointed for the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. The fulfillment of this is recorded in Ezra, chapters 3-7, and Nehemiah, chapters 2-6. The second period of sixty-two weeks, or four hundred and thirty-four years, was the time appointed between the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem and Messiah's crucifixion … and after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (CP Dan 9:25-26). From the commencement of the rebuilding of Jerusalem until Christ was crucified was four hundred and eighty-three years, or sixty-nine weeks, so there is still one week, or seven years - Daniel's seventieth week - yet to be fulfilled. The time gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks is the church age which began on the day of Pentecost in Ac 2 and will culminate in the rapture of the church at the first resurrection, when Jesus comes again to take all the saints of God, both living and dead - Old Testament and New Testament alike - back to heaven with Him (CP Dan 12:2; Jn 5:28-29; 14:1-3; 1Cor 15:51-58; Php 3:20-21; 1Th 4:13-18; 2Th 2:1-8; Rev 3:10. For a more detailed study on the rapture see this author's comments on Lu 21:36, Jn 5:28-29, 14:1-3, 1Cor 15:51-58, Php 3:20-21, 1Th 4:13-18, 5:1-11, 2Th 1:1-3, 2:6-8, Rev 1:19, 3:7-13 in A Question and Answer Study of the New Testament. Also, refer his study - The Rapture - Lesson 12, Foundational Truths of the Christian Faith)).
The seven year period of Daniel's seventieth week has been decreed to be fulfilled in the last seven years of this age after the church has been raptured to heaven. This period will be the worst time of affliction and distress ever to occur in the history of the world. It centers on Antichrist and the tribulation, and ends at the second coming of Christ (CP Dan 9:26-27; 11:31; 12:1; Mt 24:15-31).
At His second coming Christ will fulfill the six things Gabriel foretold in Dan 9:24 (CP Dan 9:24). To finish the transgression means that at Christ's second coming the transgression of unbelief, which resulted in the rejection of Christ by Israel, will cease. The whole nation will be converted to Christ in one day (CP Dan 9:11; with Isa 66:7-12; Eze 36:24-28; 37:21-28; Ro 11:25-32). To make an end of sins means that at His second coming Christ will pour out the spirit of grace upon Israel. All Israel will turn to Christ and He will forgive their sins (CP Eze 43:7-12; Zech 12:10 - 13:1; Ro 11:25-32). To make reconciliation for iniquity means that at Christ's second coming Israel will be fully reconciled to God (CP Psa 14:7; 94:14; Isa 10:20-23; 11:10-13; 27:12-13; 59:20-21; 66:8-13; Jer 23:3-6; 31:31-34; Eze 37:12-14; Joel 2:32; Mic 2:12-13; 4:6-8; 5:7-8; Zech 8:6-8; 12:8 - 13:1; Mt 24:30-31; Ro 9:27-29; 11:1-5, 23, 26-29).
Christ made atonement for the sins of the world on the cross (CP Mt 26:28; Jn 1:29 Ac 10:43; 2Cor 5:14; 1Ti 2:5-6; He 2:9, 17; 1Jn 2:2). But Israel as a nation has not yet partaken of the benefits of the cross because of her rejection of Christ. God cut Israel off from His blessing as a nation when she rejected Christ and crucified Him at the end of Daniel's sixty-ninth week (CP Isa 65:1-2; Mt 21:43-44; 23:37-39; Lu 21:20-24; Ac 13:44-47; Ro 9:30-33; 10:1-4, 19-21; 11:7-10, 25).
To bring in everlasting righteousness means that at Christ's second coming, Israel, having made an end of its transgression and sins and accepted Christ's atoning death for its iniquity, will have everlasting righteousness (CP Isa 12:1-6; Eze 43:7; Ro 11:26-27). To seal up the vision and the prophecy means that at Christ's second coming all prophesies concerning Israel and Jerusalem will be fulfilled. There will be no need for further prophetic rebuke of Israel, for God will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more (CP Isa 65:18-19; Jer 31:31-34; Ro 11:25-27). To anoint the most holy means that at Christ's second coming, He will consecrate the most holy place in the temple, which is described in Ezekiel Ch 40 - 48 (CP Eze 40:5 - 48:35). This temple is still future but Christ Himself will build it (CP Zech 6:12-13; Rev 21:1-3). The tabernacle of God that is with men in Rev 21:3 is God's temple in the New Jerusalem. That John said he saw no temple in V22 simply means that there is no temple or shrine as an object of worship in New Jerusalem. Both God and Jesus will be the object of worship (CP Rev 21:22). Scriptures clearly teach that God's temple is in New Jerusalem; it is His throne forever (CP Isa 2:2-3; Eze 37:26-28; 43:1-7; Joel 3:17; Hag 2:6-9 with Rev 3:12; 11:19; 15:5-8; 16:1, 17). Some Christians believe that to anoint the most holy refers to the Jews anointing Christ at His second coming preparatory to His millennial - thousand years - reign on earth. But that is not correct, for no man can anoint Christ - only God can, and He has already done it (CP Dan 7:13-14; Lu 22:29; Ac 2:36; Php 2:9-11; He 1:1-3, 8-9; Rev 11:15; 19:11-16).
Many Christians believe that Daniel's seventieth week has already been fulfilled. But that is not correct as scriptures clearly teach. The prince who shall come in Dan 9:26, and make and break his seven year peace treaty with Israel in 9:27 is Antichrist, and he has not yet been revealed (CP Dan 9:26-27). Antichrist cannot be revealed until the church age has been fulfilled and the church has been raptured, as we learned earlier on in Dan 12:2; Jn 5:28-29; 14:1-3; 1Cor 15:51-58; Php 3:20-21; 1Th 4:13-18; 2Th 2:1-8 and Rev 3:10. These scriptures all foretell events that define the end of the church age and depict the rapture of the church together with all the saints of God , both living and dead - Old Testament and New Testament alike - to heaven by Jesus (CP 2Th 2:6-7). It is the church Paul refers to here as the restrainer of lawlessness that must be taken out of the way before the revelation of Antichrist and the onset of the tribulation, which fulfills Daniel's seventieth week.
That the rapture of the church precedes Daniel's seventieth week, is also proved by the fact that the church is never again mentioned in scripture as being on earth after Rev 3:22. It is in heaven, represented by the twenty-four elders seated around God's throne (CP Rev 4:1-4, 9-11; 5:8-10; 19:1-4). The four and twenty elders identified themselves in Rev 5:9 as the church, redeemed to God from out of every tribe, language, people, and nation in the earth (CP Rev 5:9). The things which must be hereafter in Rev 4:1 refers to events that are predestined to take place after the things which thou hast seen, pertaining to the vision John had received of the glorified Christ in Ch 1 and the things which are, pertaining to the rapture of the church and the fulfilling of the church age, in Ch 2 - 3 (CP Rev 1:19). The things which must be hereafter are all described in Ch 6 - 19. They include the revelation of Antichrist and the tribulation, which, as stated earlier, will be the worst time of affliction and distress ever to occur in the history of the world. It will extend over the whole of the seven years of Daniel's seventieth week, culminating in Christ's second coming and the defeat of Antichrist and his confederation of nations at the battle of Armageddon (CP Zech 14:1-3; Rev 19:11-21). We will go into more detail regarding Christ's second coming and the battle of Armageddon later. All the events leading up to this in Daniel's seventieth week are recorded for us in Rev 6:1 - 19:21. Let us study these scriptures now and find out exactly what they teach (CP Rev 6:1-2).
Here we have the revelation of Antichrist. Many in the church think that the rider of the white horse is Jesus, but that is not correct because Jesus is opening the seals; He would not be the contents of the seals and open them as well. Furthermore, Jesus is symbolized by a lamb here, not a horseman (CP 5:1-10). The rider on the white horse in Rev 6:2 is Antichrist. The opening of the first seal and the revelation of Antichrist are synonymous with the first half of Daniel's seventieth week. Antichrist rises up at the start of this period and enters into a seven year peace treaty with Israel which he breaks after three and a half years, and then makes war himself on Israel (CP Dan 7:7-8, 20-21, 24-25; 8:8-13, 23-25; 11:36-45 with 9:24-27; Rev 12:13-17). These scriptures symbolize the emergence of Antichrist at the start of Daniel's seventieth week as the little horn among the other ten horns. He rises to power as the eleventh king among the other ten kings through the empowering of Satan (CP Dan 8:24 with 2Th 2:8-9; Rev 13:1-8).
The white horse of Rev 6:2 is not to be confused with the white horse of 19:11. The horse in 6:2 is only symbolic whereas the horse in 19:11 is literal. Christ is the rider of the white horse in 19:11, but until then He is symbolized by a lamb (CP Rev 19:11-13). There are no scriptures whatever to corroborate any teaching that Christ is the rider of the white horse in Rev 6:2 who went forth "conquering, and to conquer". Antichrist was given a crown because he had brought peace and prosperity to the earth. He has a bow but no arrows, which depicts him as a benevolent dictator. We know he brought peace to the earth in V2 because in V4, after the opening of the second seal, he is given power to take it away (CP 6:3-4). As we saw previously, this power comes from Satan.
The opening of the second seal in Rev 6:3, and the revelation of the rider on the red horse and the events that followed in V4 signaled the onset of the great tribulation in the middle of Antichrist's reign. This is synonymous with the second half, or the last three and a half years, of Daniel's seventieth week (CP Dan 7:25; 9:27; 11:36-39; 12:1; Mt 24:6-7, 15-22). We learn from all this that the great tribulation will occupy the last three and a half years of Antichrist's seven year reign. In the first three and a half years the tribulation will be less severe for Antichrist is a benevolent dictator, not yet the enemy of God. He becomes God's enemy at the end of the first three and a half years when he breaks his peace treaty with Israel and sets up the "abomination of desolation" in the temple (CP Dan 9:27; 11:31, 36-37; 12:11; Mt 24:15; Mk 13:14). Abomination of desolation means "abomination that desolates or appalls". Here it refers to the image Antichrist will set up of himself as God in the temple which people will be forced to worship or be killed (CP 2Th 2:3-4; Rev 13:1-6, 11-15).
The revelation of Antichrist is contained in the first two seals but there are still five seals yet to be opened (CP Rev 6:5-6). At the opening of the third seal here we see famine personified as the rider of the black horse. The exorbitant price of grain and the scales for weighing it symbolizes the scarcity of food and the economic hardship the world will suffer during Antichrist's reign (CP Eze 4:16-17; Mt 24:5-8). It is not clear what the command not to hurt the oil and the wine means. Knowing is not fundamental to salvation so it serves no purpose to speculate (CP Rev 6:7-8). Here we see death and hell personified as two horsemen. Together with the sword and famine, personified by the previous two horsemen - revealed after the opening of the second and third seals in V 3-6 - and the beasts of the earth, they will kill a quarter of the earth's population. There will be an intensification of war, famine, pestilence, evil beasts and death during the tribulation (CP Lev 26:22; Eze 5:16-17; 14:21; 33:27-29). The four horsemen involved in Rev 6:3-8 are known in Christendom as "the four horsemen of the apocalypse" (CP 6:9-11).
This signifies the multitude of saints who will be martyred during the tribulation (CP Mt 24:9; Rev 7:9-14; 17:6). They were beheaded for their witness to Christ (CP Rev 13:7-8, 15-17; 14:13; 15:2-4; 20:4). These are not the church saints as so many Christians believe. The church and the Old Testament saints were raptured to heaven, which God had predestined before these things - the things which must be hereafter - began in Rev 4 (CP 4:1). The tribulation saints' cry for God to avenge their blood in Rev 6:10 is for the vindication of God's justice, not for personal vengeance. It is a prayer that the wicked who have rejected God and killed His saints, will receive divine justice (CP Ro 12:19 with Rev 18:1-2, 5, 7, 15-16, 20; 19:2).
It should be noted here that the only ones who will be saved during the tribulation are those who have never had an adequate opportunity to receive the knowledge of the truth or to hear and understand the gospel while the church is on earth - before it is raptured to heaven (CP 2Th 2:7-12). This teaches us that salvation will no longer be available to those who have already heard the gospel and rejected it, once the church is taken out of the way. This includes members of our immediate family and other relatives and friends whom we dearly love, as well as professing Christians not truly committed to Christ, and others who are backslidden. Show them all this scripture and explain what it means, so that they may be won to Christ. There is no time to lose - the rapture could happen at any moment; there are no prophecies yet to be fulfilled for the rapture to happen (CP Php 3:20-21; Tit 2:13).
Now to the opening of the sixth seal (CP Rev 6:12-17). Here, for the first time since the seals were opened, we see God's judgement upon sinners. Prior to this, the sword, representing war, famine, death and hell were the natural consequences of Antichrist going forth "conquering and to conquer" (CP 6:1-9). Now, in V12, God unleashes His judgement upon the earth from which there will be no escape for those left on earth who have heard the gospel and rejected it, after the church is raptured to heaven (CP V15-17 with Lu 14:24 and Ro 1:32; 2Th 2:7-12). When God brings down his judgement upon the earth during the tribulation, sinners would rather be crushed to death by mountains and rocks than endure the judgement of God and the wrath of Jesus (CP Hos 10:8; Lu 23:27-30). This is the wrath from which Christ promises to save the church (CP Ro 5:8-9; Eph 5:1-6; 1Th 1:10; 5:2-11; 2Pe 2:9; Rev 3:10).
God's judgement on the earth in Rev 6:12-17 will be so cataclysmic it will cause the sky to recede as if it were a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island will be moved from its position (CP He 12:26-27).