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Bible Prophecy Explained
Jesus Christ and End
Times
Dr. Roger Barrier
Preach It, Teach It
Dear Roger,
I've read the book of Daniel several times. Recently,
I read a verse that I'd never noticed before that got me quite excited. In
Daniel chapter 12 God instructed Daniel to seal up the prophecies in the book
until the last days. He describes how knowledge will increase dramatically as
the Second Coming of Christ approaches.
As I look at what's going on in the world this makes
me think that the last days are upon us. So many prophecies seem to be fitting
together in ways that people have not seen for 2000 years. Could you please
comment on this?
Sincerely,
Susanna
Dear
Susanna,
Of course, you are referring to Daniel 12:4: "But
you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the
end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
The
prophecies do seem to be opening up for us to see and understand. And of
course, knowledge is doubling every year or so; as result, I'm getting rather
excited, too.
Old
Testament Prophecies - Book of Daniel
The
book of Daniel provides an overview of world events from the days of King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon all the way to Christ's crucifixion, resurrection and
subsequent millennial reign.
Daniel
forms the framework for the book of Revelation and for the understanding of
biblical prophecy.
Daniel's
70 "sevens" prophecy encompasses the chronological framework
for the history of the Jews from now until eternity.
Again,
the book of Revelation fits into this framework. It's really impossible to
understand what's going on in Revelation without understanding the book of
Daniel.
Daniel's
generalized overview occurs in Daniel chapter 9.
Daniel
was reading the book of Jeremiah when he realized that the 70 years of Jewish
Babylonian captivity was coming to an end.
Daniel
wondered what would happen next -- exactly what many Christians today are also
wondering about our own times.
Understanding
these prophecies can help us understand what God has revealed to us about His
plan for the End of the Age.
Along
with asking God to tell him what came next for Israel, Daniel spent time in
prayer, confessing the sins of Israel and pleading God's forgiveness for those
sins.
Daniel's
overview begins with Nebuchadnezzar's dream-vision in Daniel 2.
Prophecy
1 - Nebuchadnezzar's dream
Nebuchadnezzar
dreamed of a huge multi-metallic man with a golden head, chest and arms of
bronze, belly and thighs of brass, and feet and toes made out of iron mixed
with clay.
He
then saw a mountain coming out of the sky which hit the man on the toes and
feet. The mountain crushed the man into powder, and the mountain grew to fill
the earth.
Daniel
explained to Nebuchadnezzar that the different metals represented different
kingdoms.
Babylon
was gold; Media-Persia was silver; Greece was bronze; and Rome was iron.
The
iron mixed with clay represented a future conglomeration of loosely federated
governments united around one man whom Daniel identifies as the antichrist.
The
nations were in chronological order from top to bottom. We see here the
devolution of human governments. The value of these kingdoms begins with gold
and ends with iron.
Also,
notice that the nations increase in power over time. Babylon was a terrible
foe; however, its wickedness and power were nothing to match the wickedness,
strength, and power of the Roman Empire.
I
suppose that the lesson here is that all governments degenerate over time and
that God is ultimately in control of each of them.
As
explained in the book of Revelation, the 10 toes represent 10 nations,
occupying the area of the old Roman Empire.
These
nations will come together in the last days in an attempt to destroy Israel and
take over the world.
The
nations don't get along very well just as iron doesn't mix well with clay.
Revelation describes these nations, along with several others, that will all be
led in a loose coalition by the antichrist.
The
mountain which destroyed the multi-metallic man is a picture of the resurrected
Jesus Christ at His Second Coming destroying the wickedness of the Gentile
nations on earth.
The
mountain which grew to fill the earth is a picture of the millennial reign of
Christ on earth.
Prophecy
2 - 490 Years and the Reign of Jesus (Messianic Kingdom)
God
sent the angel Gabriel to give Daniel an answer to his prayer concerning what
God had planned for Israel.
Gabriel
shared that God had another program for Israel when the 70 years were concluded.
This plan was for 490 years.
As
you read the verses below you will see how the book of Revelation fits into
this passage.
Daniel
9:24 gives us an overview. Daniel 9:25-27 fills in the details.
Daniel 9:24 is the overview: “Seventy ‘sevens’ are
decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to put
an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,
to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place."
Daniel 9:25 -27 gives the details: “Know and
understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild
Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven
‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench,
but in times of trouble.
“26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will
be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come
will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War
will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
“27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.
In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And
at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the
end that is decreed is poured out on him."
Remarkably,
this passage looks 560 years into the future to predict the very day when Jesus
Christ entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, April 6, 30 A.D.
In
Daniel 9:24 we learn three facts regarding God's plan for Israel.
First,
God’s program for Israel extends for 70 "Sevens" (70 x 7 = 490
Sevens).
"Seven" is the Hebrew word "Heptad." This is a
generic word which can mean seven of anything.
It
is similar to our word, "Dozen" which can mean twelve of virtually
anything: twelve bananas, twelve pencils, twelve years.
The
context of this passage helps us to determine that here the word
"Heptad" is referring to seven years. One "Seven" equals 7
years. (70 X 7 years = 490 years.)
Second, this program applies to Israel. "Your
people and your holy city."
Third,
this program will continue until Christ establishes His Messianic Kingdom.
Gabriel
shared six characteristics of the Messianic Kingdom of Christ's l000-year reign
on earth.
To
finish transgression: refers to Israel's national transgression of rejecting
the Messiah. At the Second Coming, transgression will be ended because they
will accept Him as Savior.
To
put an end to sin: the national sin of Israel will end.
To
atone for wickedness: refers to the reconciliation for all in the Cross of
Christ. At the Second Coming Jew and Gentile alike will recognize and believe
in the atoning work of Christ.
To
bring in everlasting righteousness: Christ's Kingdom is set up on earth for a
millennium.
To
seal up vision and prophecy: After 70th week all prophetic announcement and
visions will be confirmed and fulfilled.
To
anoint the Most Holy: refers to the Millennial Temple which will function
during that time.
God
reassured Daniel that He still has a plan for Israel. After 490 years Israel
will be restored to their land and will prosper in a glorious future.
The
first sixty-nine "sevens" (483 years) (Daniel 9:25) began at
the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This decree is
described in Nehemiah 1:1 and 2:5-8.
Historically,
the "20th year of Artaxerxes" was 444 B.C.
Using
the Jewish calendar of 360 days per year and the fact that the prophecies began
on the first day of the month, we know for certain that this period began on
March 4, 444 B.C.
Prophecy
3 - Birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ
The
69 "sevens" are broken down into two phases: One seven and
sixty-two "sevens."
Seven
"sevens" tells of the time during which the temple was
rebuilt. It took 49 years.
Ezra
and Nehemiah both helped in the rebuilding and spoke often of the troubled
times occurring during this process.
The
69 "sevens" concludes when the Anointed One, the Ruler comes.
From 444 B.C. until the coming of Christ on Palm Sunday is 483 years or 69 "sevens."
483
prophetic years (360 days adjusted to 365.25 days =5.25 days difference between
the Jewish calendar and our present-day calendar.
483
X 5.25 = 2535.75 days or about 6 years and 11 months. Subtract adjustment...
and... 483 Jewish years from March 4, 444 B.C. to Palm Sunday is April 6, 30
A.D. (see Robert Anderson's book, The Coming Prince).
This
is one way that Anna and Simeon knew that it was about time for the Messiah to
be born so that they could carry out their planned worship of Jesus as a baby.
To
a believer in Christ, Daniel's 490 year prophecy is a tremendous confirmation
of the Word of God!
We
live in a day in which the Word of God is under attack on every hand.
Many
mock it, and thousands ignore it; yet, here is a tremendous confirmation for
all of us to see this prophecy fulfilled in absolute detail to the very day.
Of
course, most of Israel was blinded to it all, as many are blinded to how God is
working today as well.
Several
things occur between the end of the 69th seven at the beginning of the 70th (Daniel 9:26).
Prophecy
4 - Death of Jesus Christ
First, "the Messiah will be cut off and have
nothing."
This
is one of the prophecies in the Bible of the death of Jesus Christ.
"Cut
off" describes his death. Isaiah
53:8 describes Jesus as "cut off from the land of the living."
Jesus mentioned often that he must go to Jerusalem and die (e.g. Matthew 16:21).
One
of Holman Hunt's most famous paintings of Jesus hangs in the Birmingham City
Museum and Art Gallery, and is called "The Shadow of Death."
Christ is pictured as a young man in Joseph's
workshop. The sun is setting. Christ stretches out his hands after a hard day's
work.
At
that moment, the artist catches Jesus' image. The shadow on the wall shows a
man with arms outstretched like He's dying on a cross.
Jesus
Christ lived his entire life in the Shadow of the Cross. He came to die on that
cross for the sins of Israel and for the sins of the entire world.
After
69 "sevens" - 483 years, Jesus was "cut off".
Prophecies
5, 6, 7 - Jerusalem Destroyed, Antichrist, Church Age "Gap"
"The People of the Ruler who will come" refers to the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the
Temple in 70 A.D.
More
than three million Jews were killed. Masada occurred.
When
you are in Rome be sure to see the huge arch of Titus standing at the entrance
to the Roman forum which commemorates Titus' his victory over Israel.
Seeing
the coming Holocaust, Jesus wept for Jerusalem as described in Matthew 23.
"The
Ruler who is to come" is the
Antichrist. He's the little horn of Daniel 7:8 and the Beast of Revelation l3.
A
time gap occurs after the end of the sixty-ninth "seven" and
before the beginning of the seventieth "seven".
At
the Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, 30 A.D., God's
prophetic time clock stopped. The hands stand poised at 69, indicating that
there is still one seven-year period left.
We
have no indication giving insight into how long until the 70th "seven"
commences. After all, long gaps of forty years occurred between the crucifixion
and the destruction.
Today
we are in the gap, waiting for the last seven years to commence, but in His
Word, God has revealed much information concerning his plan for this "seven,"
so that we can understand the times in which we live.
You
can read more about the gap in Luke 4:18-21, as Christ quotes from Isaiah
61:12.
Prophecy
8 - Antichrist Rules
The
Seventieth "Seven" (Daniel 9:27) begins when the antichrist
makes a peace treaty with the nation of Israel for seven years.
"He" is "The Ruler of People Who Will Come".
The Romans came in 70 A.D. The antichrist will be descended from them.
"Many" refers to the Jews and the nation of Israel.
Daniel
sketches the outline of 70th seven; Jesus roughs in the picture with the Olivet
Discourse; John fills in details with the Book of Revelation.
This
is why we don't have to be baffled or surprised by what we see in Europe and
the Middle East. I believe that God is preparing to restart the clock. The
teams are lined up and the ball is about to be snapped.
Amazingly,
Israel has never been assimilated into another nation.
In
1948 Jews came home from all over the world. Sociologically, this has never
happened with any people.
When's
the last time you saw a Babylonian walking around? They're all gone. But not
the Jews.
We're
told elsewhere that the Jews will accept the Peace Treaty with the Antichrist
who rules Europe because they are fearful of the threat of the "King of
the North."
When
a Bible student sees Israel aligned with the West, and not the North or South
or East, he or she is not surprised!
This
is simply a sign of the times. The teams are lining up. We may one day witness
the Antichrist taking control of a ten-nation confederacy in Europe by subduing
three nations.
Incidentally,
the Jews will mistake the Antichrist for their coming Messiah and the beginning
of peace for the initiation of the Millennium.
Notice
that the Rapture does not restart God's prophetic clock. No one knows exactly
when the Rapture may occur. It could come at any moment.
Prophecy
9 - Antichrist Led by Satan - Abomination of Desolation
In
the middle of the 70th "seven" (3 l/2 years, 42 months, l260
days) Satan falls from Heaven and indwells the Antichrist (Revelation 12:912;
13:4).
Then,
the Antichrist breaks the peace treaty and does two things:
He
forbids the offering of sacrifices in the Temple (Daniel 9:27). This indicates that
Israel will have a Temple during this time.
He
sets up the Abomination of Desolation on the altar in the Holy Place in the
Temple.
The
Abomination of Desolation is mentioned by Christ in Matthew 24:15-16.
The
Abomination of Desolation as described in the Old Testament refers to anything
which desecrates the Temple of God.
The
Abomination of Desolation is a resurrected image of the Antichrist that the
Antichrist forces people to worship as God or face death (Revelation13).
Prophecy
10 - Great Tribulation
Jesus
said that this is a sign for the godly to flee. The Antichrist will then launch
the greatest wave of Anti-Semitism that the world has ever seen.
Three
and a half years of Great Tribulation will then begin as the Antichrist tries
to wipe the Jews off of the face of the earth.
As
the time of great tribulation comes to an end, Jesus returns with the Armies of
Heaven and defeats the Antichrist (Revelation
19).
Prophecy
11 - Second Coming of Jesus
The
Messianic Kingdom begins and the six characteristics of Daniel 9:24 will occur.
Baffled?
Never, thanks to Daniel 9.
Today,
we see the rise of Israel as a state, its alignment with the West, its
possession of Jerusalem, its plans to rebuild the Temple.
Soon
to be deployed Iranian nuclear missiles, and the beginnings of worldwide
anti-Semitism: all of which are preparing the way for the Beast.
Watch
closely the rise of the European Union.
We
see it all as God preparing the scene for His program with Israel. We don't
look for 70th seven.
We
look for our deliverance (1 Thessalonians
1:10).
We
look for our blessed hope (Titus 2:13).
Here is a good way to think about the Second Coming: "We
plan as though Jesus isn't coming for 1,000 years, but we live as if He is
coming in the next 10 minutes."
Israel's
immediate future is desperate, but she will repent and turn to God, trust in
the blood of Christ, and have a glorious future with the Lord.
By
the way, the same future is available to all who apply the blood of Christ to
themselves.
Susanna,
I know that I answered a lot more than you asked, but hopefully this overview
will help you to make sense of Bible prophecy and how it applies to what is
going on in the world today, as well as to remind you that God is in control of
our future, and has been since the beginning of time.
Sincerely,
Roger
Editor's Note: Pastor Roger
Barrier's "Ask Roger" column regularly appears at Preach It, Teach
It. Every week at Crosswalk, Dr. Barrier puts nearly 40 years of experience in
the pastorate to work answering questions of doctrine or practice for
laypeople, or giving advice on church leadership issues. Email him your
questions at roger@preachitteachit.org.
Ask RogerDr. Roger Barrier
retired as senior teaching pastor from Casas Church in Tucson, Arizona. In
addition to being an author and sought-after conference speaker, Roger has
mentored or taught thousands of pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders
worldwide. Casas Church, where Roger served throughout his thirty-five-year
career, is a megachurch known for a well-integrated, multi-generational
ministry. The value of including new generations is deeply ingrained throughout
Casas to help the church move strongly right through the twenty-first century
and beyond. Dr. Barrier holds degrees from Baylor University, Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary, and Golden Gate Seminary in Greek, religion,
theology, and pastoral care. His popular book, Listening to the Voice of God,
published by Bethany House, is in its second printing and is available in Thai
and Portuguese. His latest work is, Got Guts? Get Godly! Pray the Prayer God
Guarantees to Answer, from Xulon Press. Roger can be found blogging at Preach
It, Teach It, the pastoral teaching site founded with his wife, Dr. Julie
Barrier.
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