As we approach the end of the end times, we need to consider where we are in the prophetic times and to ask the all important question, "Am I ready for what lies ahead?" Ready for the Rapture of the Church (true believers); ready spiritually to be assured of Jesus taking me to heaven to be with Him.
In the Bible book of Daniel, we have prophecies concerning the end times and the antichrist and, specifically, the 70 weeks of years in Daniel 9. In July of 2016 I wrote in detail about this topic, which you can read here.
Following is an excellent recent teaching video on Daniel's 70 weeks by Amir Tsarfati :
Amir stresses that "God wants His children to know His plans. He is not hiding them, He is declaring them."
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." - 2 Peter 1:20-21
Amir tells us that the Daniel 9 prophecy basically says that our days are numbered. We need to be spiritually ready, born-again, and living godly lives pleasing to the Lord. You need the Holy Spirit's help to guide you to live a holy life, and the Holy Spirit seals you as God's own when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Master. Repent of your sins, confess them to the Lord, and begin to live for Jesus.
Time is short ! Remember, this tottering and chaotic world is not our home. We believers are citizens of heaven. And that is where we will soon make our home (after the Rapture}; of course, we will also live on earth in a Paradise during the Millennial reign of Christ (this is after the 7 year Tribulation period ends).
Following is the hymn "This World Is Not My Home":
"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same."
C. S. Lewis, in "Mere Christianity."
Jesus tells us at John 14:1-3 , "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
This information might end up being rather lengthy, but I will endeavor to simplify as much as possible. To begin with, Israel and the Jews are God's chosen people; He made a covenant with Abraham and the nation of Israel....an everlasting covenant. The modern day "replacement theology", where supposedly the Christian Church replaces the Jews and God is "through with the Jews", is not biblical at all; the Bible simply does not support replacement theology which you can readily discern if you study God's Word diligently.
Daniel was a Jew who was taken to Babylon as a young captive, along with many other Jews, when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. The Babylonian captivity was God's punishment upon the Jews who had previously rebelled against God. Actually, the first captives, which included Daniel, were taken to Babylon in 605 B.C.; the second group of captives were taken in 597 B.C., which included the prophet Ezekiel; the third deportation was in 586 B.C., when Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed by the Babylonians.
Daniel was a godly man, and when he was over 80 years old (around 538 B.C.) he read the writings of the prophet Jeremiah and perceived that soon the Jews would be released from Babylon as a free people. In Daniel 9 it explains how Daniel prayed fervently for his people and pled for mercy. The angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel in answer to his prayer and told him of future events, some of which would be immediate and others that would occur in the far distant future (Daniel 9:20-23).
The following is from Daniel 9:24-27 : " (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 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. "
Almost all scholars agree that the seventy "sevens" are seventy weeks of years which equal a period of 490 years. The prophecies would start at the time a decree was made to rebuild Jerusalem, and this was given in 445 B.C. by king Artaxerxes of Persia. From that decree to the time of the Messiah would be 483 years. Using the Jewish 360-day calendar year, 483 years after the decree brings us to A.D. 30, when Jesus, the Messiah, made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-9). Remember that the prophecy said that after 62 weeks the Messiah would be "cut off", which occurred when Jesus was crucified.
Of these 70 weeks, 69 have been fulfilled. This obviously leaves one more "seven" to be fulfilled. There is a very long time period between the 69th week and the 70th week. The final "seven" is known as the Tribulation period, which will occur sometime after the Rapture of the Church (true believers).
Daniel 9:27 speaks of the antichrist and how he will make a seven-year covenant with Israel. This is the beginning of the Tribulation period. But after three and a half years he will break that covenant and the antichrist will stop the sacrifices in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and will cause the abomination that causes desolation, as spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24:15 : "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:)"
The holy place refers to the temple in Jerusalem (Acts 21:28; Psalm 24:3). Daniel 9:27 makes it clear that it is a person who causes some sort of desolation in the holy place, the temple. Please read 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 where it speaks of the antichrist as sitting in the temple of God, showing himself to be God. Revelation 13:14-15 speaks of how the beast (another name for the antichrist) makes an image of himself, for all the people to worship. It may be that this image is set up in the holy place, the temple, for all to worship, which would definitely be an abomination that causes desolation. This is more likely, maybe, than the antichrist himself being seated there in person.
It is good to know that at the end of the Tribulation, when Jesus makes His Second Coming (not the Rapture of the Church which happened years previously) , but His Second Coming to earth, Israel will repent and will accept Jesus Christ as its Messiah. Also, when Jesus destroys all enemies at the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation, He will then set up His rule as Lord and King during the 1000 years of peace and paradise on earth. I could continue all this further, but it may be best to save more for another future post. Below is a video about Daniel and his prophecies.
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. " - Revelation 21:3
