The Seventieth Week Of Daniel

JULY 12, 2020 STUDY NOTES SERIES: SECOND COMING SUBJECT: DANIEL’S SEVENTIETH WEEK BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE SEVENTIETH WEEK OF DANIEL INTRODUCTION Daniel’s vision covered a period of seventy weeks which is a time-period of 490 years Since we know that the first 69 weeks were literally fulfilled We can be sure that the events of the 70th week, the final 7 years, will also be literally fulfilled The prophesied events following the completion of the 69th week were also literally fulfilled Dan 9:26 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. “Shall Messiah be cut off,” was Israel’s rejection of Jesus and the crucifixion of Jesus The 69th week (483 years) would come to an end before the crucifixion of Jesus At the time of the crucifixion of Jesus the first 69 weeks had been fulfilled But the cross of Jesus did not occur within the 70th week, the final 7 years of the 490 years Jesus was not crucified during or within the 70th week, but before the 70th week begins “The destruction of the city and the sanctuary” was also literally fulfilled The “city” is Jerusalem and the “sanctuary” is the Temple in Jerusalem Which was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and burned the Temple Which occurred about 40 years after the end of the 69th week of Daniel’s prophecy of 70 weeks Following the destruction of Jerusalem, the nation Israel was scattered throughout the world The destruction was at the hands of the people of a prince who is to come The prince who is to come is identified in Daniel 9:27, he is the future Antichrist The “end” that shall be “with a flood” identifies with the “prince that shall come” The flood of destruction represents the severe persecution Israel has continually faced Israel has experienced a steady stream of desolation ever since their destruction in 70 A.D. Israel has often faced severe persecution, kings and nations attempting to destroy them Satan will continue his attempt to destroy Israel until “the end,” the final 7 years of the 70th week Satan will put forth an all-out effort to destroy the nation of Israel within the final 70th week According to Jesus, the war and desolations unto the end have not yet been completed, Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. “All these” are the things that Jesus just mentioned, all-of which are present today They are not only currently present they are on the increase in number and severity But that which is happening today is only a dim picture of the future It is only “the beginning of sorrows” The beginning of a process that will bring about the final events of the end time There is much more to come, and the worse conditions are in the future Those things will all come together as a sign which one generation of people will witness We could be that generation we are living within that time gap between the 69th and 70th week There has never been a 7 year time period in the past identifying with all events of the 70th week Daniel tells us of the event that will mark the beginning of the final 7 years of Daniel’s 70 weeks Dan 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, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: “He”—Who is “he?” “He” is the “Prince who is to come” (Daniel 9:26) Both Christ and Antichrist are referred to as “prince,” referring to a ruler or a king In Daniel 9:25, Jesus is “Messiah the Prince,” Dan 9:25 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. Antichrist is the “prince that shall come,” Dan 9:26 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. There are many ways to determine the difference between the two identified as “prince,” or king The Antichrist comes forth out of the future Revived Roman Empire Jesus came from Heaven through the nation of Israel The Antichrist is the one who will “confirm the covenant,” which is a most important event The signing of this future covenant will be the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy The covenant of the Antichrist is a seven-year covenant with the nation of Israel The covenant of Jesus is a new covenant in His blood which is an everlasting covenant After 3 ½ years, mid-point of the seventieth week, Antichrist will break his covenant The covenant of Jesus is the covenant of God and God is a covenant keeping God It is the future Antichrist who will fulfill the prophecy of the covenant in Daniel 9:27 The prefix “anti” presents him as an imposter, meaning “instead of,” he is opposed to Christ The Antichrist will present himself as the “Christ,” but he is the one who is against Christ Before “The Antichrist” comes many antichrists will come (1 John 2:18; Matthew 24:5) The future Antichrist will come in a time of world-wide conflict and chaos Throughout the Middle East, nations will be at war, (Matthew 24:6-7) The nation of Israel will be the center of world attention, all eyes will be upon Israel Antichrist will arise to be a powerful political and military leader, a world leader He will not recognize any other authority, he alone will be the world’s authority He will come forth promising peace and prosperity, which the world will desire, especially Israel Israel will be in a time of great conflict, seeking peace, and will trust the Antichrist Antichrist will then make a covenant with the nation of Israel for her protection (Daniel 9:27) Israel will be deceived thinking that this covenant will protect them and give them peace The covenant will allow Israel to re-build the Temple and once again offer sacrifices It will not be necessary for the entire Temple structure to be rebuilt, just the Holy Place The covenant is called a “covenant with death,” and an “agreement with hell” (Isa. 28:15,18) In the context of the passage “with many” refers to the Jews, the nation of Israel As a nation, Israel has yet to accept Jesus as the “Promised Messiah” It will be unbelieving Jews who will desire to return to the O.T. sacrificial system Since the destruction of the Temple in 70AD there has been no acceptable place of sacrifice The Antichrist will offer to Israel the things that she has longed to do for 2,000 years Longing for peace, security, and safety, Israel will enter-into a 7-year covenant with Antichrist Israel will enter-into the covenant with the “prince who shall come,” believing he is their savior “For one week” is a 7-year period of time, the final 7 years of Daniel’s prophecy of 70 weeks and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, After 3 ½ years, in the middle of the final week, Antichrist will put a stop to the temple sacrifices “The oblation” refers to their grain offerings, Num 6:15 And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings. “In the middle of the week” Antichrist will break his covenant of peace with Israel He will break the covenant, conquer Jerusalem, and establish his throne, claiming to be God He will set up what Jesus called the abomination of desolation, Mat 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:) He will gain the attention of the world when he commits the Abomination of Desolation And the truth of the person of the Antichrist will be known at that time All will know who he is when he takes his seat in the temple and claims to be God The Abomination of Desolation will be the beginning of the Great Tribulation, Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. “Tribulation” means “affliction,” great distress, and very serious trouble It will be an unparalleled time in the entire history of the world Never-before it comes will there have been such a time of trouble The “Great Tribulation” will be the worst affliction upon man in all-of human history There will never be such a time-period until the time in which it begins Once it occurs it will never be equaled, never again will there be anything like it Jeremiah says there will never be another day like the day of Jacob’s trouble, Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. Yet there is hope for Israel, Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. The most wonderful event yet to come will take place and all promises to Israel will be fulfilled, Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. But prior to the time of the return of Christ Satan will have his day, the day of Antichrist Who will oppose and exalt himself above God and all others who are worshiped (2 Thess. 2:3-4) He will abolish all organized religion and promote the worship of Satan and himself (Rev.13:4,8) He will speak blasphemies against God and His people (Rev. 13:5-6; Dan. 7:25; 11:36) His assistant will be known as the “False Prophet” who will force the world to worship Antichrist He will seek to destroy Jews and Christians that will not worship the beast (Rev.13:11-18) The persecution will be far greater than ever experienced (Rev. 12:17; 13:7,15; Dan.7:21; 8:24) The world will not be able to buy or sell without receiving the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16-17) He will operate his system through a mysterious code, identified as the number 666 (Rev. 13:18) Those who worship the Antichrist will face the wrath of God (Rev. 14:9-11) The ultimate Satanic counterfeit is coming, he could be alive today and making his preparations Antichrist will come to offer the world a false savior, a false king, and a false kingdom Daniel explains his future work and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, “Overspreading” refers to the extremity of what the Antichrist is going to do The word “abominations” reveals what he is going to do, he will commit a blasphemous activity An abomination is anything that offends something religious or spiritual It has the meaning of that which is impure or filthy “Abomination” describes that which is reprehensible or detestable to God That which is sacrilegious, a mockery, blasphemy toward God, referring to some sort of idolatry A reprehensible act toward God, that which is filthy and disgusting, the utmost of idolatry Jesus called it “the abomination of desolation” “Desolation” means to make something waste, to bring it to ruin, or to destroy what is good The event described in scripture is actually “the abomination that causes desolation” The future Jewish place of sacrifice will become thoroughly saturated by the filth of idolatry Daniel 12:11 marks the event as an important time, Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Paul explains the same event in, 2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. The Antichrist will exalt himself above everything that is called God He will put himself in the place of everything that is worshipped He sets himself up as god in God’s temple and demands that the world worship him For a limited time, Antichrist will proclaim himself to be God, until God reveals Himself as God Daniel concludes the prophecy of the 70 weeks with that truth--even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. “Even until” is another word of assurance for Christians, God is in control of all future events “The consummation” means more than a completion, it means a complete destruction God has already “determined” the end of Satan’s work through the Antichrist Daniel saw it in his vision of the four beasts, Dan 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn (Antichrist) spake: I beheld even till the beast (the final beast empire) was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. John explains to us the meaning of Daniel’s words, Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Daniel said that what God has determined will be “poured out,” John explains it this way, Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Which means that nothing will prevent the purpose and plan of God from being fulfilled God’s judgment will fall upon “the desolate,” Satan, Antichrist, and all followers of Satan Which will take place in the time-period known as the “Day of the Lord,” the day of God’s wrath The Antichrist is going to come and present himself as the king of Israel And the real King is going to come and deliver us from the wrath to come, 1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. Sit back, relax, clear your mind of all other thoughts, and meditate upon what Daniel has said Listen to the song and pray that we will soon see the Day that the True King Comes