My class isn't finished yet. We were supposed to be done by the end of May - it isn't happening. We are still working through Revelation and hope to be done by the end of June (we will see).
I think the best way to present my posts is to go through how I have studied in class - Starting with Daniel Chapter 9. I may change this up a bit as I am writing but lets see how this goes. Now before I get into Daniel Chapter 9, I want to say that my teacher believes the rapture will happen sometime after the mid-point but before the end of the 7 years. I haven't actually been taught this before or studied it this way. So basically my notes are going to be what she taught. I might add some of my own thoughts on certain things here and there but from what I have studied inductively over the past 5 months....I tend to agree. Please feel free to comment with your thoughts as my teacher has acknowledged that she could be wrong about this whole thing. We studied through different books in the Bible plus we used Kay Arthur's New Inductive Study Series on 1 & 2 Thessalonians (which BTW I do not like near as well as a Precept Upon Precept Study).
So here is Daniel Chapter 9. In the context of verse 1-3 NASB - "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasureus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldean's- in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes."
This chapter takes place about 539 BC. Basically Daniel has been studying Jeremiah and adds up the years to see that the captivity is nearing its end. So he prays to God about the end of captivity coming. Now, skip over the verse 21-23 ESV:
20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision."
Here, Gabriel, the same Gabriel in Chapter 8, returns to Daniel to let him know what is going to take place and that there is more to come. Now with verses 24 - 27ESV, things get interesting:
24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
Now, lets see how we can work through this. What I do when I study is make lists. Whenever there is a sequence of events or listing in Scripture, I write them down in the margin of my Bible so I can easily see them. The first list we see begins in verse 24, Seventy Weeks (490 years) have been decreed for:
- Transgression Finished
- Made and end of sin
- Make atonement of sin
- Bring in everlasting righteousness
- Set up vision and prophecy
- Anoint the Most Holy Place
At the end of verse 24, the Most Holy Place tells us that a Temple has to be built. We know that during the siege of Jerusalem under the Babylonians the temple was destroyed. But in 445 BC, Artaxerxes issues a decree to rebuild the temple and the temple is finished in 396 BC.
The issuing of this decree begins what we call the 490 years. This period of time is referred to as the first 7 of Daniels 70 weeks.The next 62 years goes to about 33AD during the Triumphal Entry in Jerusalem. This is around March 30th. Then the Messiah was cut off (verse 26) - or crucified - which would end the 62 year period. So the first 7 years + 62 years = 69 years. Therefore, we have 1 week of time left to complete, which is what we believe will be the 7 year tribulation or 70th week of Daniel. Right now, we are in a Gap of Time. Most end time beliefs agree with this basic teaching...the 7 years/62 years may be a few years off here and there but for the most part this is the most accepted teaching. A few believe the 70th week happened or finished in AD 70 when the 2nd temple was destroyed. And there is some teaching that most of Revelation is symbolic and not literal. But I don't agree with that so I'm going to stick with this basic teaching that we are now in a gap of time and that 69 weeks of Daniel's 70 weeks have been fulfilled.
Now look at verse 27, this is what I believe "kicks off" Daniel's 70th week. He (the anti-Christ) will make a firm covenant with many for one week (Daniel's 70th week). Here, the anti-Christ will sign a covenant with the people of Israel allowing them to rebuild their temple. This will be interesting to see how it plays out since The Dome of the Rock is now located where many believe the temple was previously. From sitting in this prophecy class, which happens to be at a Jewish Learning Center, our teacher said that the priests are ready to begin sacrifices again as soon as the temple is ready. They have been preparing for this for a long time. I asked her about the Ark of the Covenant that has not been located yet. She said the Jewish priests believe that the Ark will supernaturally appear once the temple is ready. Again, this will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Then verse 27 goes on to say that in the middle of the week he will put a stop to the sacrifice and grain offering - this is the Abomination of Desolation which will happen at the mid-point of the 70th week where Anti-Christ sets himself up in the temple as god. If people thought the first 3.5 years were bad, they will be in for a shock for the last 3.5 years - which I will talk about more later.
That is where I will stop today and write more as I can...moving on to Daniel 12 next.
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