Monday, May 02, 2005
Seven Years to Go
So far we’ve figured out sixty-nine of the Seventy Sevens. One seven to go and pretty much all of history! You might be wondering how the first four hundred eighty-three years fit so smoothly into the “seven years”, into time frames we can understand. But the last “seven year” time frame covers 2000 years and counting?! This is the problem traditionalists like Dr. James Kennedy have with the loose Church Age gap interpretation. First of all, we can be absolutely sure the seven 7’s and sixty-two 7’s are complete. Other than the kickoff event, rebuilding Jerusalem, two events which this prophecy proclaims, did happen in human history. “The Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing” has been covered previously. The other major event to happen after the sixty-ninth seven and before the seventieth seven is the destruction of Jerusalem, including the temple where the Jewish people could offer sacrifices for their atonement. Verse 26 says, “The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood…” This destruction, nearly forty years after Christ’s cut-off in A.D. 70 came at the hands of the Romans under Titus. The rest of verse 26: “War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” “Until the end” tells us there is a span of time. MacDonald’s (William) Believer's Bible Commentary sees “the end” as an “end of the times of the Gentiles.” However you look at it, war continues to this day in Jerusalem and in the world. What’s the point? This is too obvious to say “war will continue” and it did and it does. The point is, now there is a vague sense of time in the prophecy. All of a sudden, we’re not counting! There for a while, interpretations were coming down to nearly the minute in accuracy! Oh, I mean day. And, what happened to the seventieth seven? Daniel 9:27 helps. “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 on a wing [of the temple], He will set up an abomination that causes desolation until the end that is decreed is poured out on him (it).” Who is “he”? Verse 26 said, “the ruler who will come”. Here might be a good place to explain why Dr. Kennedy’s traditional ideas don’t jive. They like to say that these things happened already and there is no end time prophecy here. So, what time frame in history holds to the seven years, which we can be fairly certain is literal? Jesus’ ministry was three years. Was Jesus the "abomination that causes desolation" when He rampaged the Temple? I can hardly consider Christ an abomination without severe implications of heresy! If we try to consider Christ as “the ruler to come”, we will investigate shortly how this particular ruler is likely to be Roman. Jesus is Heaven’s citizen alone, and of Jewish heritage on earth, not Roman by any stretch. Well, me thinks I’ve said too much, getting ahead of myself and probably confusing you. Mainly, these queries are offered as reasons why I lean toward the popular, Bible-believers’ revelation of Daniel’s prophecy.
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I've been following your discussion on Daniel with interest.
Whilst I don't think that Daniel 7 or Daniel 9 are about the 'End Times' in the sense of being immediately before the second coming.
I think the Jews of Jesus' day understood this passage not to be about some Antichrist figure who would arise just before the end of the world, but in reference to the acts of Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC, who did indeed desecrate the Temple.
Whilst I don't think that Daniel 7 or Daniel 9 are about the 'End Times' in the sense of being immediately before the second coming.
I think the Jews of Jesus' day understood this passage not to be about some Antichrist figure who would arise just before the end of the world, but in reference to the acts of Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC, who did indeed desecrate the Temple.
Hmm.
Interesting post. Lots of good thoughts and points.
The seventieth seven, well it seems sort of obvious to me, within a broad reflection of revelations.
Interesting post. Lots of good thoughts and points.
The seventieth seven, well it seems sort of obvious to me, within a broad reflection of revelations.
# posted by 
: 3:02 PM
: 3:02 PM
Welcome, rare visitors. Thanks for the encouragement! What do you think of dual-meaning prophecy? I read Antiochus Epiphanes was a "type" for the Antichrist, a peek at the future personality of the end-times ruler. So the prophecy was fulfilled and also will be! It really is a "broad reflection", Crystal. Those who try to get too detailed are simply going against the fact, "no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen..."(Matt. 24:36)
I think most prophecy has a dual meaning. The bible is full of poetry and prose and metaphors wrapped around prophecy and to only consider one meaning of it is ignoring the other. You have to take both hand in hand to see the way it is. Without one, there is no other.
Though I do realize that without one, there still is the other, but we don't know them fully without.
Look at Revelation 12 for a perfect example of a dual meaning prophecy. It's happened once, but will likely happen again, just not literally but more metaphoric/symbolically.
Though I do realize that without one, there still is the other, but we don't know them fully without.
Look at Revelation 12 for a perfect example of a dual meaning prophecy. It's happened once, but will likely happen again, just not literally but more metaphoric/symbolically.
# posted by : 12:38 PM
: 12:38 PM
I think there's something to seeing the seventh creation day as still going on. Jesus seems to take it that way when he says that God is resting but still works. This wouldn't be any different in seeing the seventieth week still going on.
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