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John the Revelator saw the Last Seven Years of Daniel's Seventy Weeks of Years - Part 3
By Joseph Chambers
THE LAST WEEK: SEVEN YEARS AND THE DECEIVER'S COVENANT
It is beautiful to see how clearly this last week of years is separated from the first 69. The words of the previous verse (26) plainly predict the Roman destruction 38-39 years after the conclusion of that first period. The statement, a "flood," was used symbolically of sorrows and consternation and the words, "wars and desolations are determined," show that a considerable time was clearly the focus.
As this verse is seen in its future fulfillment, the prince from the previous verse ("Prince that should come") will be on the scene. He will have already established himself as the false "Messiah" and made a covenant with the Jewish nation. He is in the driver's seat and is apparently performing the Jewish expectation for the true Messiah. I believe this prince may give tremendous aid to Israel in the defeat of the Russian horde, along with her allies. Whatever is left of the Northern Confederation will probably transfer their allegiance to the prince whom we recognize as the Antichrist. John states that he arises out of the sea, which prophetically represents a Middle Eastern personality, an Assyrian as mentioned above and, likely, an Assyrian Jew.
Whoever this incredible personality is, his love affair with the Jewish nation will be short-lived. Within three and one-half years his powers will be consolidated. The One World religious coalition will decide it is time to end the separatist idea of the Orthodox Jewish worship. The Antichrist/Messiah must be worshipped and Jewish sacrifices are cancelled. The false prophet (the false anointing is already spreading the word) will have the image of the "World Messiah" placed on the altar in the temple. The Jewish nation will suddenly reel in utter dismay. They have been deceived; he is not a Messiah, he is an imposter. All hell is unleashed on the Jewish people; anti-Semitism reaches a new level.
Jacob's Trouble
Words do not describe the horror for the Jews during the last 42 months. The only bright side of this period is the hope that begins to dawn for their souls. While two-thirds of all Israel shall die, the one-third left shall be turned to the Lord. Zechariah told of this slaughter, "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God." (Zechariah 13:8-9)
In the two verses below, Zechariah declared that the Jewish nation would finally recognize the true Messiah as Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. These two statements are breathtaking. "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zechariah 12:10)
In the original Textus Receptus Hebrew there are two Hebrew characters that were never translated to English. These two characters follow the word "me" or "upon me". They are the aleph and the tau, or the first and last characters in the Hebrew alphabet. It would read "and they shall look up me (the aleph and the tau, or the beginning and ending) whom they have pierced." This was not a faulty translation, but rather a case where the Holy Ghost placed these two letters in the margin to be understood on that glorious day when Israel turns to the Lord.
The other verse states, "And one shall say unto him, what are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." (Zechariah 13:6) To assist this great spiritual awakening, the Lord Jesus seals 144,000 Jews in the first half of this week of years. "Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel" (Revelation 7:3-4).
Israel's greatest hour begins to dawn during the last 42 months. Out of their darkest hour and by great tribulation, an indestructible nation of people humbles themselves. They finally accept that indeed Jesus Christ was their Messiah and they shall mourn for Him "as one mourneth for His only son." What an incredible awakening! Apostle Paul prophesied this profoundly. "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. and so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." (Romans 11:25-27)
The Seven Years: Jews, Gentiles and the Church
I am giving you this picture of the last week of years only from the Jewish perspective. It actually has three parts. The apostate church led by the false prophet, along with the tribulation saints, etc., is a story in itself. The judgment of the ungodly and the Antichrist crowd presents a different and equally intriguing picture. All three stories, of course, occur simultaneously. Please remember, God always deals with the Jews, the unbelieving Gentiles, and the church of God, each individually. As you study end time events always watch and do not confuse God's dispensational program for each of them.
The Book of Daniel
It adds tremendous power to the book of Daniel when you understand how many enemies this book has endured. It was translated to Greek (285-270 B.C.) long before the major fulfillment of the 70 weeks. Also, the discovery of the entire book in the caves of Qumran serves to authenticate its author, Daniel, and the book itself. Randall Price, who has done a thorough book on this subject, personally answered a question for me at our Pre-Tribulation Study Conference concerning the Qumran manuscripts. My question was, "Which text does the Qumran manuscript support, the Alexandrian or the Textus Receptus?" His answer was, as I had supposed, "The Textus Receptus."
Conclusion
This prophecy will be fulfilled perfectly. The stage is being set. At times certain events seem to slow the process. The numerous interruptions or shattering events does not take the Lord God by surprise. We are like a grand auditorium of a multiplied host watching the performance on stage. The Lord God, our director, has given us a prophetic foretaste to whet our appetites. Keep your heart tuned, your loins girded with truth and your lights burning. The only event that restrains the Antichrist is "only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." (2 Thessalonians 2:7) The Bride of Jesus Christ will be out of here shortly.
Original Article
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