|
LEFT BEHIND |
|
A Reply |
|
|
|
D. Lewis Staton |
|
|
|
Copyright 2003 by David Lewis Staton |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Introduction
This paper is written in response to the popular
Left Behind book series
co-authored by a leading prophecy scholar, Tim LaHaye and writer Jerry
B. Jenkins. The great
concern for writing these pages is the likely acceptance by multitudes
of readers of these books of a “second chance” doctrine as espoused in
them. If the “second
chance” doctrine is true, then the publishing of the
Left Behind series does
indeed fairly accurately describe the great revival in the post rapture
period wherein multitudes will be saved.
If this doctrine is not correct and biblical, then the opposite
is true - the damnation of multitudes of procrastinating would be
believers is accomplished.
You, the reader, along with your Bible, be the judge whether or not this
“second chance” is biblical.
The quotes and names of leading past and present prophecy scholars are
given to illustrate the many that espouse and believe in a “second
chance” doctrine. These men
are great men in their own right, having attained national recognition
as ministers of the gospel.
These quotes from the published books are solely for informational
purposes to show the basis for the
Left Behind series “second
chance” concept. You are
requested to analyze their interpretation of the scriptures to see
“whether those things are so” or not.
Acts 17:11
I am a nobody. Just a
pastor for nearly 40 years and a lifelong student of biblical prophecy.
I do not have the credentials the mentions scholars have, but I
do have the same Bible and leadership of the Holy Spirit as they do.
Over the years I have read extensively on the subject and prayed
much for God’s leadership and guidance.
These scholars all belong to a close-knit group, basically coming
from the same institutions of higher learning where the “dispensational”
interpretation of biblical prophecies dominates.
May the message contained herein be a blessing to all who read it.
David Lewis Staton
May 24, 2003
The Rapture
The subject of the rapture is covered in more depth later in this paper,
but the mention of it here is important to better understand what
follows. Do you believe in
the rapture? Of course you
do. The rapture is that
great event when Jesus comes in the clouds and the deceased believers
are resurrected and the living believers are changed in a moment, as
Paul the apostle put in, “in the twinkling of an eye”.
I Corinthians 15:51-52. Then in I Thessalonians 4:13-18, he gave
a vivid description of the rapture as an event when “the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the Lord.” These mortal bodies will be changed in a flash to immortal
bodies capable of living in heaven.
This is the event of the ages.
This is our hope.
All believers are taken up to be with the Lord forever.
No more sickness, sorrow, tears, deaths, crime and we are free
from these bodies of corruption and out of reach of our enemy, Satan.
What a day that day will be!
But have you considered what those missing the rapture will do?
They were not saved.
They were not living for the Lord.
They were not ready for the rapture.
They were left behind.
What becomes of them?
This is a serious question as the scriptures states that few go
to heaven, and that many do not.
How sad. Are you one
of the many who might be left behind?
But, dear friend, have no fear about being left behind when Jesus Christ
comes in clouds of glory to take all believers - dead and alive - to
himself in that great event of the ages, the rapture.
True, your Christian friends, your spouse, parent, children, and
many other you cherish and love, will suddenly be taken from you.
They will be sorely missed.
Then you think to yourself, “I should have become a Christian
long ago, but I kept putting off accepting Christ as My Savior and here
I am,
left behind.
What am I going to do?”
Don’t worry. Don’t
despair. You have a second
chance to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Let the rapture be a warning, a wakeup call if you will, that
your days on Earth are now numbered and that number is not great.
That you have missed the rapture does not shut you out of Heaven.
You have yet another chance, a second chance, to be saved.
All that preaching over the centuries that you must be born again before
the rapture occurs that you might go to Heaven has turned out to be not
quite so true. Those
preachers just wanted to put pressure on their listeners and fear in
their hearts. They were
either ignorant or they knew all the while that people
left behind
would have a second chance to prepare to meet the Lord.
They also knew that people could live without being religious and
enjoy a life of sin and then be jolted by the rapture to think “it is
now time to make things right with my Maker”.
They preached that “we should live godly lives” just to make our
lives miserable while our unsaved friends lived
life to the fullest. They
wanted us to be restricted as to what we did, where we went, what we
said, and anything else to keep us from having an enjoyable life.
“You will be forever lost if you miss the rapture,” they boldly
proclaimed.
If you like what you have read in these few short paragraphs, read on.
Some great Bible scholars have come to your rescue and agree with
you. You will love what
they have to say. They
cannot be thanked enough for proclaiming their messages of this “second
chance” to be saved. The
essence of their teaching has been captured and highlighted in the book
series, Left Behind, by Tim
LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
That recent Left
Behind book series
has proved to be very popular with the general public.
The latest figure I saw was that 50 million copies of the books
have been sold. The time
setting of the plot is a “seven year” period immediately following the
“rapture” and commonly known as the “great tribulation”.
Though this series, per the authors, purports to be fiction, the
theme is none the less based on the biblical book Revelation using the
“dispensational” view of the interpretations of the scriptures.
This dispensational view has the rapture occurring in Revelations
chapter four, verse one where it is recorded, “Come up hither”.
It is further based on chapter seven of Revelation where an
innumerable multitude of tribulations saints are mentioned.
Will this series lead many honest and sincere people to a belief that
salvation after the rapture is for real?
Will it then influence these people to procrastination in
receiving the Lord Jesus as their Savior prior to the rapture and
therefore prevent their being “raptured” when He does appear in the
clouds of glory? Even
though they miss the rapture do they then have the assurance they will
have an opportunity to accept Christ and be saved during that
intervening period between the rapture and His second coming?
The scriptures are very clear that Christ will come to “snatch away” his
saints as vividly described in I Thessalonians 4:13-18.
This event is commonly labeled “the rapture” though the word
rapture never appears in the scriptures.
In this event Jesus Christ comes in the clouds, not to the earth,
to gather his children - dead believers of all ages and the living - to
himself. Another excellent
description of this event is I Corinthians 15:51-52 where the dead
believers’ bodies are resurrected and the living are momentarily
changed.
First, some clarifications.
The “second coming” is that event when Christ comes as described in
revelation 19 and Zachariah 14.
At this coming the battle of all battles, Armageddon, will be
fought and won by Christ, after which Christ begins his 1000 year reign
on earth as given in Revelation 20.
The Great Tribulation is that period of time between the
“rapture” and the “second coming” when the wrath of God as described in
Revelation is poured out on a wicked and vile world.
The more severe the plagues, the more the people of the world
blaspheme God. Revelation
16:21
Is there a sound biblical foundation for this concept of a second chance
to be saved as presented in the fictional
Left Behind
books? Many great
biblical scholars, including one of the authors of this series, Tim
LaHaye, believe so.
Following are some of their comments.
Meet The Scholars
Tim LaHaye
“As a special climax to God’s ministry of salvation, Revelation 7:9
indicates that during the first part of the tribulation the greatest
soul harvest in all history will take place.
In fact, it is the writer’s belief that more people will accept
Christ during the early months of the tribulation, before the Antichrist
really has a chance to consolidate his one-world government and set up
his one-world religion of self-worship, than have been converted in the
entire 1900+ years of the church age.”
Further he stated, “It is nevertheless exciting to think that
more people will be saved during that time than responded under the
preaching of the apostles, the early church fathers, the reformation
preachers, modern missions, fragmented denominationalism, radio and
television preaching, and even the present day, when Bible-teaching
local churches seem to be gathering in such large number of souls.”
Revelation Illustrated and Made Plain, Page 114.
“The Holy Spirit will most assuredly be there to empower the ministry of
the 144,000 (sealed Jews).
The prophet Joel foresaw this ministry of the Spirit of God in Joel
2:28, 29. This passage
makes it clear that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit experienced on the
day of Pentecost will be the type of out pouring experienced by the
144,000 witnesses of the tribulation.
Although it did occur on the day of Pentecost, as Peter said, the
primary teaching of Joel 2:28, 29 concerns the work of God on the earth
during the Tribulation Period.”
The ministry of the 144,000 sealed Jews of Revelation 7 “will be
like having 144,000 Apostle Paul’s proclaiming the Gospel of Christ”.
Revelation Illustrated and Made Plain, Page 112.
On the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the Tribulation, LaHaye
said, “no man can be saved without the Holy Spirit, and since our text
clearly states there will be countless conversions during the
tribulation, it is evident that He will be on earth at that time in
great power.”
Revelation Illustrated and Made Plain, Page 116.
On the Redeemed Multitude of Revelation 7, “The people will be from ‘all
nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues.’
This indicates that the extent of the revival will approximate
the first-century moving of the Spirit of God, when ‘every creature that
is under heaven’ heard the Gospel.
However, here we find that every tribe will not only hear, but
will have some of its members respond.
Praise His name!”
Revelation Illustrated and Made Plain, Page 118 & 120
Revelation Illustrated and Made Plain by
Tim LaHaye, Zondervan
Publishing House, Revised edition copyright 1972, 1975 by Tim LaHaye
Question: “Who are the 144,000 we hear so much about?”
The Bible’s Answer: “Revelation 7:1-17 describes 144,000 Jewish
believers who are saved during the Tribulation.
They are joined by a great multitude of people from every nation
on earth who have received Christ.
These bold witnesses will produce the greatest soul harvest in
history.”
Bible Prophecy - What You Need To Know, Quick Reference Guide by
Tim LaHaye, copyright 1997
by Harvest House Publishers
Dr. W. A. Criswell
On the 144,000 Jews sealed between the opening of the sixth and seventh
seals, “Before that judgment falls and before this visitation comes from
an Almighty God, the Lord says, ‘Wait, wait, stay thy hand; for first,
before that judgment falls, we must seal the servants of God.’
Care must be taken to protect those who belong to God before that
terrible judgment falls. It
is thus in all the story of human history.
God’s elect are precious in His sight, and for their sakes
judgment is stayed.”
Expository Sermons on Revelation Volume 3, Page 136
On the 144,000 and the Holy Spirit: “In the sealing of the one hundred
forty-four thousand, they were endued with Pentecostal power; and the
Holy Spirit of God, in unction and in glory, came upon them.
Fearlessly and in bravery, they gave witness to the Word and to
the salvation in Christ in that dark and evil day.
That same glory (as was upon Moses) is upon these one hundred
forty-four thousand. They
are endued, endowed and glorified of God, and their eloquence, their
witness and their testimony to the truth of Christ is beyond compare.”
Expository Sermons on Revelation, Volume 3, Page 145
On the great multitude of Revelation 7: “But these converts no man could
number. They are a
multitude of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.
There is going to be a revival such as this earth never saw, even
in those dark and tragic days of the visitation of God.
The Lord never withdraws His hand.”
Expository Sermons on Revelation, Volume 3, Page 146
Dr. Criswell says this great multitude was saved from listening to the
144,000 preachers. “So this
great multitude is a saved throng from among those who were left in the
earth at the coming of our Lord when He takes His church to glory.
These are from among those who were left behind.”
About them he said, “They were among those who said ‘No’ to
Christ. They were among
those who were not born again.
They were left behind in their unbelief.”
Expository Sermons on Revelation, Volume 3, Pages 152 & 153 Sermons on
Revelation by W.A. Criswell, Zondervan Publishing House, copyright 1962,
1964, 1965, 1966 by Zondervan Publishing House.
Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy
In their Part 2 (Page 25) in answer to “What is the Purpose of the
Tribulation?” and “Why is the tribulation necessary?” they reply: “God’s
basic purpose for the tribulation is that it be a time of judgment,
while at the same time holding for the grace of the gospel, which will
precede Christ’s glorious 1000-year reign in Jerusalem from David’s
throne.” Further, on Page
26, “This purpose is given and fulfilled in Revelation 7:1-17: During
the first half of the tribulation, God will evangelize the world by the
means of the 144,000 Jews and thus fulfill the prophecy found in Matthew
24:14.”
The Truth About The Tribulation By Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy,
Copyright 1996 by Pre-Trib Research Center, Published by Harvest House
Publishers
Dr. David Jeremiah with C. C. Carlson
Of the 144,000 Jews, Dr. Jeremiah states: “God will choose 144,000 Jews
for a very special earth-to-heaven mission.”
Page 201
These “Spirit-filled Jewish evangelists will evangelize the whole world
in seven years, a task their nation has not been able to accomplish in
the past two thousand years.”
Page 204
“I have watched Billy Graham crusades and have been overwhelmed by the
hundreds and thousands of people who respond to a simple,
straightforward gospel message.
Can you imagine how it will be when those Jewish Billy Grahams
begin to preach? Stadiums
will not be able to hold the masses.”
page 205. Escape The Coming
Night By David Jeremiah with CC Carlson Word Publishing, Copyright 1990,
1997, and 1999 by David Jeremiah
J. Vernon McGee
“My friend I believe that there will be a greater company saved in that
period (tribulation) than in any other seven-year period in the history
of the world. Chapter 7 is
going to tell us how that will take place.”
Page 58
“Therefore, this will be a period when multitudes will turn to Him
(God). A great company is
going to be saved, and this reveals that these judgments will accomplish
a purpose for God.”
Page 60
“One hundred forty-four thousand is the number sealed from the nation
Israel, but we will see that out of the earth there will be multitudes
of Gentiles saved - too numerous to count”
Page 63
“I want to repeat this: the 144,000 witnesses in the Great Tribulation
period are going to do in seven years what the church up to the present
has not done in over nineteen hundred years.
Do not boast about your missionary program.
None of us are reaching very many.
But, during the Great Tribulation, there will be a great company
of people who will be saved”.
“Again may I say, the greatest days of God’s salvation are in the
future.”
Page 20 The Prophecy Revelation Chapters 6-13 By J. Vernon McGee; Thomas
Nelson Publishers, Copyright 1991 by Thru The Bible Radio
Hal Lindsey
About the 144,000 Jews, “They will be like 144,000 Jewish Billy Grahams
turned loose at once! The
effectiveness of the evangelism during the Tribulation is overwhelming.
What a revival! It’s
enough to make a Southern Baptist evangelist’s mouth water!”
Page 111
“This time a ‘remnant’ of 144,000 Israelites hand-picked by God Himself
and empowered by the Holy Spirit enjoys astounding success in
evangelizing the world. The
third and perhaps most remarkable story of Revelation 7 is the
record of God’s graciousness in judgment.
Even while He is justly punishing the world for its persistent
rejection of Christ, God offers both Jews and Gentiles still another
opportunity to change their minds and receive the Savior.”
Page 113 There’s A New World Coming by Hal Lindsey, Harvest House
Publishers, Copyright 1973, and 1984 by Harvest House Publishers
Dr. Jack Van Impe
“However, there is going to be a great revival.
It will occur during the seven-year Tribulation period when
144,000 Jews will circle the globe, preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
declaring the good news: The King is coming!
At that time, the Bible says, ‘All Israel shall be saved.’
That means Jews. But
when one gets to Revelation 7:9, it is a ‘great multitude.’
Who are they? These
are the ones who emerged from the Great Tribulation ‘and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’
They have trusted in the blood of the Lamb.
They have been cleansed.
Both Jews and Gentiles are saved during the greatest revival in
history, because at that time, God says, ‘I will pour out my spirit upon
all flesh.’ Yes, there will
be a great revival, and it will occur after the Rapture.
In all probability, the Rapture will convince many that all these
things they heard about Jesus and the Bible are, in fact, true,
persuading them to want to know the Lord before it is too late.”
Pages 38-39 The Great Escape by Jack Van Impe, Word Publishing,
Copyright 1998 by Jack Van Impe Ministries
John R. Rice
“Now comes a parenthetical interlude.
While the woes and plagues of God’s wrath and man’s hate go on,
the book of Revelation turns aside to discuss those who will be saved in
that tribulation period.
Many will be saved in the tribulation time.”
Page 148
“Some Bible teachers think that one who has heard the Gospel before the
rapture and was not saved cannot be saved during the tribulation.
I think they are mistaken.
There is no change in the Gospel nor in the promise, and
‘whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely’.
Pages 148 &149
“Note that relatively few Jews are mentioned here as being saved --
144,000 compared to ‘a great multitude, which no man could number’ of
Gentiles of all countries of the earth, mentioned as saved in the
following verses” (9-14).
Page 152
“Multitudes of Gentiles Saved During Tribulation.
We are expressly told that there are ‘...they which
came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.’
How will these be won to Christ?
1. No doubt many will have heard the Gospel but will not turn to
Christ until suddenly their loved ones are taken away.
They know how to be saved, so turn to Christ too late for the
rapture. 2. These
converts certainly will win others.
3. Two special, miraculous witnesses will prophesy in 1260 days,
that is 3 1/2 years during the Great Tribulation.
So those who will be saved will hear the Gospel, will be
convicted by the Holy Spirit just as people are saved now.
Remember Acts 10:43 shows that there is only one plan of
salvation in all ages. It
is the same ‘everlasting gospel’ that will be preached during the
tribulation fulfilling the Great Commission we now obey.”
Page 153 Behold He Cometh by John R.
Rice, Sword of the Lord Publishers, Copyright 1977 by Sword of
the Lord Publishers
Dr. C.I. Scofield
“The tribulation will, nevertheless, be a period of salvation.
An election out of Israel will be redeemed (Rev. 7:14) with an
innumerable multitude of Gentiles (v.9).
These are said to have come ‘out of great tribulation’ (v.14).”
Page 1337, The Scofield Reference Bible, Copyright 1909 by Oxford
University Press, Inc.
Peter & Patti Lalonde
“If you have not taken the mark of the allegiance, there is hope for you
yet. Although it is too
late for you to have been taken in the rapture, it is not too late for
you to become a believer in Jesus Christ.
It is not too late for you to ask Him to be your Savior so that
you may spend eternity with Him.
Don’t forget: We are talking about a decision of eternal
consequences. The
seven-year period you are now living in is but a speck of time, quickly
passing away. And, even
though the tribulation period in which you are living is the most
deceptive and evil period of any time in history, God’s Word tells us
that it is still possible for you to be saved in spite of it all.
In Revelation chapter 7 there are two different groups of
‘saints’ mentioned. In the
first part of the chapter you will see a group of 144,000 saints who
represent a godly remnant from the nation of Israel....
Some students of Bible prophecy on this side of the rapture
speculate that they will be like 144,000 Billy Grahams running around
the world! We said earlier
that there is another group of saints in Revelation chapter 7.
These are Gentile saints who have come from the other nations of
the world. The fact that
these saints are from the tribulation comes out in verses 13 and 14.
The white robes refer back to Revelation 6:9-11, which
identifies these tribulation saints as martyrs.”
Pages 123-125 Left Behind by Peter & Patti Lalonde, Harvest House
Publishers, Copyright Ontario #1006094 and Ontario #1006095
Charles C. Ryrie
Of the 144,000 Jews, “It is commonly assumed that their service includes
evangelism, though this is not specifically stated.”
Page 60
Of the multitude, “Many of these will doubtless be saved through
believing the message by means of tapes and literature that are left
after the Rapture and/or through the service (evangelism) of the
144,000”
Page 63
“and the saved multitude who are largely Gentiles, demonstrate clearly
that the Tribulation will be a period of salvation for many people.
The activity of the grace of God will not cease as long as time
continues.”
Page 64 Revelation (New Edition) by Charles C. Ryrie, Copyright 1996 by
Charles C. Ryrie
M. R. De Hann
“These 144,000, all Israelites, the physical descendants of Abraham
through Isaac and Jacob, will become God's missionaries during the
Tribulation Period. As a
result of their preaching and testimony there will be a great number
saved from the Gospel of God's grace.
When the Church is raptured, all those who have heard the Word
and been invited to Christ and have rejected Him will be left behind to
perish in the Tribulation.
There will be no 'second chance' for them.
But the great masses in the world who have never heard the Gospel
of God's grace will hear the message in the Tribulation from the lips of
these 144,000 Israelites, and as a result a great number will be
saved...”
Page 135
“In
the original, as well as in the Revised Version, the expression reads,
thus: 'These are they which are come out of the great
tribulation.’ Here is the
picture. After the sixth
seal, and before the seventh, God, who knows what lays ahead, seals and
saves 144,000 missionaries from Israel who preach the Gospel during the
remainder of the Tribulation Period.
As a result, a great multitude of Gentiles are saved, who are
martyred for their faith and will be added to the glorious company of
the Church when Jesus returns, as we read in Revelation 19:11”
Page 136 Studies in Revelation by M. R. De Hann, Kregel Publications,
Copyright 1946 by the M. R. De Hann Trust.
There you have the teaching, statements and beliefs of some of America's
most revered and respected prophecy scholars.
They all, without exception, believe the “best is yet to come” so
far as soul winning and spiritual revival on this planet.
We have seen nothing yet, according to them.
According to them....
WHY THE RAPTURE?
When I was growing up, the old-time preachers preached that if one
missed the rapture, they had missed heaven.
Being ready for the rapture (or death) was the all-important
thing in life. Were they
misguided? Now, the above
quoted scholars give everyone a “second chance”.
Of the twelve ministers previously quoted, all believe in a
“second chance” except one.
That one, M. R. De Hann, said, “When the Church is raptured all
those who have heard the Word and been invited to Christ and have
rejected Him will be left behind to perish in the Tribulation.
There will be no 'second chance' for them.”
But he went on to say, “But the great masses in the world who
have never heard the Gospel of God's grace will hear the message in the
Tribulation from the lips of these 144,000 Israelites, and as a result a
great number will be saved...”
Accordingly then only those who had never heard about Jesus, but
are now hearing about Him, can be saved, and those who had heard about
Him prior to the rapture, cannot be saved.
What?! At least one of them, John R. Rice, said such
teachers are mistaken per his statement, “Some Bible teachers think that
one who has heard the Gospel before the rapture and was not saved cannot
be saved during the tribulation.
I think they are mistaken.
There is no change in the Gospel or in the promise, and
'whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
Here are two of the prophecy experts pitted against each other on
this matter of who can and who cannot be saved after the rapture.
A logical question then is, Why is there a rapture in the first place?
What is its purpose?
The answer these scholars give is, “The rapture is only an evacuation of
believers before the great judgment of the Tribulation hour.”
Page 65 Revelation Revealed by Jack Van Impe, copyright 1982
by Jack Van Impe Ministries, Word Publishing.
What are they afraid of?
Are they afraid to suffer?
The early Christians suffered as much as or more than those who will
suffer under the future antichrist.
Christians down through the ages have suffered greatly.
These believers gave their all - their lives - for their faith.
Cannot those living when antichrist reigns do the same if called
upon to do so? The “Wrath
of God”, is not the work of antichrist.
The Christians will be gone then.
So indeed we will escape the wrath of God at the rapture of the
saints just prior to the beginning of the wrath of God.
Another thought that comes to mind is: the mission of the church is to
win souls. We love to see
souls saved. We have
revivals, crusades and all kinds of programs to attract and win the lost
to Christ. If these efforts
have all been so puny as so expressed by some of the aforementioned
scholars, wouldn't it be great for us to be around for the “grand
finale” of soul wining?! At
this point, the rapture becomes a stumbling block to prevent us from
sharing and experiencing the “greatest” harvest of souls of all times.
One said that more souls will be saved then than in all the
history of the church! The
rapture becomes a spoiler to our hard work, dreams, efforts and prayers
at winning souls by denying us the privilege of rejoicing in the “great”
harvest. How absurd can
this be!
A PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE
The interpretation of the mentioned scholars is that interpretation
based on the pre-tribulation (pre-trib) rapture concept developed to
complement and re-enforce the “dispensational” view of biblical
interpretation. Let us look
at some of the major scriptures which are used to “support” the pre-trib
rapture interpretation.
Daniel 9:24-27.
The 70th week of Daniel's prophecy given in Daniel 9.
Indeed this chapter gives an exact time when Jesus the Messiah
would be crucified. Had the
scholars of Jesus' day only understood this chapter of the “70 Weeks”,
they would have known that Jesus was their Messiah.
Not understanding this, they missed him!
And crucified him.
Daniel was told, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon
thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins,
and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the
most Holy. 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.
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.
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.”
Daniel 9:24-27
History has proved these 70 weeks to be “weeks of years”.
That is, a “week” is understood to be seven years.
Thus 70 weeks total 490 years.
To be more accurate, these are Jewish years of 360 days each.
The prophecy gives a beginning of the 70 week period and the
ending of the 69th week.
It does not specifically date the 70th week.
When was the beginning of the 70 weeks?
The answer is found in chapter two of the book of Nehemiah.
Daniel's prophecy stated the beginning date, “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.”
This 69 weeks translates into 483 years of 360 days each - 173,880 days.
The commandment was the authorization of Persian King Artaxerxes
in his 20th year to Nehemiah to go and rebuild the
walls of the city of Jerusalem which had been destroyed by
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon in the year 586 BC.
The 20th year of King Artaxerxes would be 446
BC. The month was Nisan,
our March-April. Without a
more exact date given, the date is understood then to be the first day
of Nisan which is our March 14.
Hence, March 14, 446 BC.
The ending date of the 483 years of 360 days each (173,880 days) would
then fall on April 7, 30 AD.
What happened on April 7, 30 AD?
Jesus was crucified!
This is verified in the publication Easter, the Awakening,
copyright by Morehead Planetarium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
So the first 69 of the 70 weeks were fulfilled to the day.
The date of April 7, 30 AD as stated in Easter, the Awakening
was arrived at, not by scripture, but by science, the science of
astronomy. Most writers,
including those mentioned in this paper, place the crucifixion and
resurrection of Jesus in April, 33 AD.
They just haven't been careful enough in their math.
33 AD will never accurately calculate to the first 69 weeks of
Daniel's prophecy. It's
three years off!
Daniel's 70th week is the crucial week used by the
quoted experts to fabricate a seven-year tribulation period.
This week is indeed a seven year period and the experts place its
beginning coinciding with rapture of the Church.
This is why the rapture is called the “Pre-Tribulation”
(before-the-tribulation) rapture. The
experts explain that all the events following Revelation 4:1 occur after
the rapture and thusly comprise a seven year tribulation - Daniel's 70th
week. They explain that the
church age (a parenthetical period of an unknown number years which
began on the day of Pentecost) is over and God turns back to the Jews to
fulfill any and all unfulfilled prophecies pertaining to them.
Daniel stated “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...”
This is interpreted by the experts to mean that antichrist (the he
who shall confirm) will make a seven year treaty (covenant) with the
Jews. He allows peace and
prosperity for 3 1/2 years, but then he breaks his treaty in the middle
of the seven year period and rules ruthlessly for the remaining 3 1/2
years. In addition to
the ruthlessness of antichrist, the wrath of God through the trumpet and
bowl judgments is also experienced.
Revelation 4:1
Assuming there will be a seven-year tribulation (Daniel's 70th
week) where does it begin according to the experts?
The answer is not a “date” answer, but an “event” answer.
As stated in the previous paragraph, all the experts place the
rapture at Revelation 4:1 where the apostle John hears the words, “Come
up hither”. The experts
with one accord declare John's invitation to “come up hither” is
also directed at, to and for the church - the rapture of the Church.
Dr. C. I. Scofield says, “Beginning with 4:1 the viewpoint of
John is from heaven. As the
word 'church' does not appear again in The Revelation until 22:16, the
catching up of John from earth to heaven has been taken to be a symbolic
representation of the translation of the Church as occurring before the
events of the tribulation described in chapters 6-19”
Page 1356, The New Scofield Reference Bible, copyright 1967 by Oxford
University Press, Inc.
Please be aware that this statement in The New Scofield Reference Bible
is not in the original Scofield Reference Bible copyright in 1909 and
1917. It was added by some
editor some 46 years following Dr. Scofleld's death in 1921.
Was this done to give added re-enforcement to the “second chance”
doctrine?
Dr. Jack Van Impe states, “Verse 1: After this I looked, and, behold, a
door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it
were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I
will show thee things which must be hereafter.
John states, 'After this.’
After what? After
the completion of the history of the seven churches.
After this, John sees a door opened in heaven and hears a trumpet
like voice loudly and victoriously crying, 'Come up hither.' This is the
rapture of the church of Jesus Christ.”
Page 45 Revelation Revealed by Jack Van
Impe, copyright 1982 by
Jack Van Impe Ministries, Word
Publishing.
Further on this, notice the “history of the seven churches” phrase.
By this Dr. Van Impe means the seven churches of Revelation 2 &
3: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and
Laodicea. The experts
proclaim these seven churches represent the stages the Christian
church would pass through from the days of John until the Rapture
occurs. Dr. Clarence Larkin
even gives dates for the stages these seven church represent: Ephesus,
70 - 170 AD; Smyrna 170 - 312 AD; Pergamos, 312 - 606 AD; Thyatira, 606
- 1520 AD; Sardis, 1520 - 1750 AD; Philadelphia, 1750 - 1900; and
Laodicea, 1900 until the Church of the 'New-Born' is taken out.”
Pages 20-27 The Book of Revelation by
Clarence Larkin
copyright 1919 by Clarence Larkin, Erwin W. Mover Co., Printers
Dr. Larkin further states, “The character of the Church today is
Laodicean, and as the Laodicean Period is to continue until the Church
of the 'New-Born' is taken out, we cannot hope for any great change
until the Lord comes back.
Page 27 The Book of Revelation by Clarence Larkin, copyright 1919 by
Clarence Larkin, Erwin W
Mover CO., Printers
Does this mean that any and all efforts at spiritual revival in our day
will be fruitless? Something to
think about. Maybe we
should just sit around and while away the time until Jesus comes?!
Dr. Jack Van Impe states “As we begin chapter six, which introduces the
tribulation hour upon
earth...”
Page 65 Revelation Revealed by
Jack Van Impe; copyright 1982 by Jack Van Impe Ministries, Word
Publishing.
So then, the Tribulation, also known as the 70th week
of Daniel, begins immediately following the rapture.
This is a Pre-Tribulation rapture.
Now that we have explored some of the foundation scriptures upon which
the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is built, we can now better understand the
experts' explanation of the worlds “greatest harvest of souls”.
It is simple. The
rapture occurred in Revelation 4:1 and the “great harvest of souls”
occurred between Revelation 4:1 and Revelation 7:17.
A SIXTH SEAL RAPTURE
So much for the Pre-Trib rapture.
What if the rapture is not Pre-Trib as these scholars so boldly
declare? What if it occurs
later than at Revelation 4:1.
After all the argument is very weak at best that the “Come up
hither” statement was a symbolic representation of the church being
invited to heaven. Common
sense declares that this statement was to the apostle John and him
alone. Remember Dr. C. I.
Scofield words? “As the
word 'church' does not appear again in The Revelation until 22:16, the
catching up of John from earth to heaven has been taken to be a symbolic
representation of the translation of the Church as occurring before the
events of the tribulation described in chapters 6-19”
Page 1356, The New Scofield Reference Bible, copyright 1967 by Oxford
University Press, Inc.
There is no rapture here, period!
You be the expert.
Do you see a rapture here?
Or do you see this as an invitation to the apostle John?
Do you see any “symbolic” summons for the church to “come up
hither” in rapture?
What if the real rapture occurs after the opening the Sixth Seal of
Revelation 6:12-17?: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal,
and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven
fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when
she is shaken of a mighty wind.
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together;
and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men,
and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every
free man, hid themselves in the dens and the rocks of the mountains; And
said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face
of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; For
the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
In the opening of this Seal the coming of the Lord is revealed.
This cannot be denied.
Note that it is not inferred or a symbolic representation.
It is the real thing.
And it is not the second coming.
That is given in Revelation 19.
This passage is almost identical to Matthew 24:29-31: “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: 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.
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other.”
Compare this to the rapture scripture, I Thessalonians 4:16, “For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first; Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord.”
The same event? Yes.
THE FIFTH SEAL THE SOURCE OF MARTYRS
Now take a look at the fifth seal.
That will reveal the source of the “great multitude, which no man
could number”, mentioned in Revelation 7:9.
Note the opening of the fifth seal in Revelation 6:9-11: “And
when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which
they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying How long, O Lord,
holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that
dwell on the earth: And white robes were given unto every one of them;
and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little
season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should
be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
Who are those “souls of them that were slain for the word of God” and
their “fellow servants and brethren” who are yet to be slain?
This all happens under the reign of antichrist.
The experts agree that the reign of antichrist begins with the
opening of the first seal.
To understand why there are martyrs (these slain and those to be slain
are martyrs for the faith as mentioned at the opening of the fifth seal)
we turn to the antichrist chapter, Revelation 13 and look at verses
seven and eight, “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,
and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds,
and tongues, and nations.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are
not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.” (Italics
mine for emphasis - see various other translations of this verse in the
next paragraph.) Note those
words, “whose names are not written in the book of life”.
Are these then believers left behind even though their names were
already in the book of life?
Why were they not included in the rapture?
Also note that the second beast, the false prophet has “power to
give life unto the image of the beast (antichrist), that the image of
the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship
the image of the beast should be killed.”
Let's look at some other translations of Revelation 13:8 concerning when
names are written in the book of life.
New American Standard, “And all who dwell on the earth
will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the
foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been
slain”. Revised Standard
Version, “and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one
whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in
the book of life of the Lamb that was slain”.
English Standard Version, “and all who dwell on earth will
worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the
foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain”.
The Jerusalem Bible, “and all people of the world will
worship it, that is, everybody whose name has not been written down
since the foundation of the world in the book of life, of the
sacrificial Lamb”. New
Scofield Reference Bible, margin, “And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him, whose names are not written from the foundation of
the world in the book of the Lamb that was slain”.
The Interlinear Greek-English
New Testament, “and shall do homage to it all who dwell on the earth
of whom have not been written the names from the founding of the world
in the book of life of the Lamb slain.”
Revelation 17:8, “The beast that thou sawest, was, and is not; and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that
dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the
book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the
beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”
Revelation 21:27, of the New Jerusalem, “And there shall in no wise
enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh
abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's
book of life”.
Daniel 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.”
Everyone?
It is clear from all the foregoing scriptures that the names of all who
will be saved from Adam to the end of the age were written in the Lamb's
Book of Life before the world was made for man.
Then, why did so many, whose names had to have been in the Book
of Life since before the world was, not go up in the rapture?
The scriptural fact is they did all go up in the rapture.
There is no hint of anyone being saved after the rapture.
Again, that great multitude from great tribulation in Revelation
7 are the church saints just prior to the rapture.
THE 42 MONTHS REIGN OF ANTICHRIST
The length of the time of persecution under the antichrist is 42 months:
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two
months”. Ironically,
coincidentally, or by Divine appointment, the prophet Daniel wrote
almost the same words: “And he shall speak great words against the most
High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to
change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a
time and times and the dividing of time.”
This is 3 1/2 years, or 42 months!
Daniel 7:25 Daniel's prophecy has to do with the 11th
horn appearing with the 10 horns of the fourth beast (kingdom) as given
in Daniel's vision. This 11th
horn is the antichrist.
Note the words, “he... shall wear out the saints of the most High.” Why
were these not raptured?
The experts maintain that since the word “church” is not mentioned after
Revelation 3, this means the church is not on earth but was raptured in
Revelation 4:1.
Page 1356, The New Scofield Reference Bible, copyright 1967 by Oxford
University Press, Inc.
Then are they ignoring the “saints” mentioned in Revelation 13 and
Daniel 7? No, but the
experts define them as “tribulation saints”, that is, people saved after
the rapture during the tribulation period.
This, then is that
“greatest soul harvest in history”.
Bible Prophecy - What You Need To Know, Quick Reference Guide by
Tim LaHaye, copyright 1997 by Harvest House Publishers
Are they really tribulations saints?
Definitely, yes!
“These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:14 Indeed these are Christians, members of
the church, martyred before the rapture of the church occurs in
Revelation 6:12-17, at the opening of the sixth seal.
Revelation 13:16-18 states that the second beast (false prophet),
“causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to
receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no
man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the
beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let
him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the
number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
For those who receive this mark, Revelation 14:9-11 states, “And
the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man
worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead,
or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and
he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the
holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their
torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor
night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the
mark of his name.” So, receiving the mark of the beast is spiritual
suicide; eternal damnation!
Never, ever receive this mark.
But what happens to those who do not receive the mark?
“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them
that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over
his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass,
having the harps of God.”
The next couple of verses state they are singing a song of worship to
the Lamb - Jesus Christ.
Those refusing the mark will be killed.
This is fulfillment of Revelation 6:9-11, the martyrs of the
fifth seal.
These martyrs are the Christians slain prior to the Rapture.
They are tribulations saints, the tribulation inflicted by the
antichrist against believers worldwide.
Remember that he will have full sway for 42 months to overcome
the saints. Revelation
13:7 Life will be miserable for Christians during this reign of
antichrist. They will not
be allowed to trade and lead normal lives.
But on the other hand, they will be killed.
Not a beautiful picture, but, nevertheless, true.
Revelation 13:17 This great multitude of Revelation 7 is
the raptured church of which the last living generation has just been
through hell on earth under the antichrist.
They are now in heaven and free from their suffering.
Revelation 7:14-17
The “Great Tribulation” for the world really begins after the rapture
when the Seventh Seal is opened in Revelation 8.
During this time the judgments of God in the form of various
plagues are poured upon the earth.
Note that the reign of antichrist is tribulation to the saints,
but the saints are raptured prior to the beginning of the wrath of God,
which is tribulation to the unbelieving world - the world that rejected
the Lord Jesus Christ, including both Gentiles and Jews.
CORRECT OR INCORRECT?
What if this view
(sixth seal) of the rapture and its relation to the tribulation is
incorrect
and the view of
the experts is correct?
Well and good. Excellent!
The church saints will
not suffer under
the antichrist. But, if
this view is correct and the experts' view is
incorrect, then
what? Millions of
Christians are left in despair and totally unprepared for
the persecution
that will be inflicted. I
hope my view is not the right one.
But I am fully assured that it is!
The experts view
is built on innuendos, symbolism and liberties taken when interpreting
the Word
of God, i.e., the word church not being mentioned in the Revelation from
chapter 3 till 22:6 is taken, by them, to mean the church is gone -
raptured. Also, the
invitation to
John to “come up
hither” in Revelation 4:1 is, by them, interpreted to be the place and
time of
the rapture of the church.
This is shaky and scary to say the least.
Revelation 14:
12-13 sums it up for Christians: “Here is the patience of the saints:
here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
And I heard a voice from
heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord
from henceforth: Yea, saith
the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do
follow them.”
This scripture, being a part of the persecution of the saints, is
a word of comfort to those
who die before the persecution begins.
Every saint who goes on to be
with the Lord, whether in the past
or in the present, is “blessed” in that they have escaped
living in that time of trouble that
is coming. This should
cause us to rejoice rather than
mourn when one of our loved ones
goes on to be with the Lord.
One more child of God
has escaped the persecution to come!
Things to
think about. (1) The
144,000 sealed Jews of Revelation 7, are they really preachers?
Billy Grahams preaching worldwide?
The scripture doesn't even hint this.
But, yet, the scholars have
declared them to be so. (2)
If “stadiums” are going to be filled
(Dr. David Jeremiah with C. C.
Carlson) this will be done in the bloodiest age of any
Christian believer ever.
How could, or will, so many - more than over the past 2000
years - be willing to commit to
Christ knowing it means sure death?
Why is discussing
this second chance issue so important?
The answer is simple: As long
as you and I are
alive and should we be alive when Jesus comes, then we are the
generation faced
with the consolations, or consequences, of these conflicting views of
interpretation of the scriptures.
If we die before Jesus returns, no problem for us
personally.
But what about our descendants?
And friends? Do they
deserve to know the truth?
DANIEL'S 70th
WEEK
What about the 70th
Week of Daniel? Will
it be the final seven years of history as we
know it now,
that seven year period just prior to and ending with the Second Coming
of Christ as given in Revelation
19? According to the
“dispensational” interpretation, yes.
But is it? Daniel 9:27 is
the sole scripture used to promote a seven year tribulation period.
“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.”
The experts place this week (seven year period) between the rapture and
the second coming of Christ, which seven years are the tribulation
period. We do know, as
earlier stated, that 69 of Daniel's 70 weeks expired on April 7, 30 AD
when Messiah (Jesus) was cut off (crucified.)
That does leave seven years yet to be fulfilled.
At this point let the question be raised, “Does the Bible support a
seven year tribulation?”
The answer is no. Let it be
stated again, Daniel 9:27 describes a seven year period, whose
fulfillment comes sometime after April 7, 30 AD.
Is there any other scripture to define this seven year period as
a tribulation period? The
answer is no. This seven
year period has conveniently been placed between the rapture and the
second coming of Christ to satisfy the “dispensational” interpretation
and, at the same time, stated as a seven year tribulation.
All hypothetical.
The periods of time given in the scriptures are time, times and the
dividing of time and forty-two months.
Each of these expressions is actually three and a half years.
Both references, the first one in Daniel 7:25 and the other in
Revelation 13:5 are the period the antichrist will persecute the saints.
There is no scripture that states there will be a seven year
tribulation.
Could Daniel's 70th Week have been fulfilled anytime
between April 7, 30 AD and the present?
Very possibly. There
is one period of time that exactly is a seven year period.
But before we get to that, let us consider what will be taking
place during that 70th Week.
Again Daniel 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.”
Think of all the things that must be in place for this to come to
pass. (1) Israel must
exist. It presently does.
(2) A political leader of great international power must make a
seven year covenant with many (presumably Israel) for some reason.
This covenant is between the powerful leader, not a national
entity, and Israel. This
leader as described is very similar to those dictators of long ago, not
the leaders of the present age.
(3) The Jews must be offering sacrifices as they did long ago if
the “anti-christ” is going to cause sacrificial worship to stop.
(4) The Jews must have a Temple in which the sacrifices take
place. (5) The desolation,
as stated in this verse, is it a short time of only 3
1/2 years (as
the experts' interpretation would require) or a longer time - hundreds,
or even thousands of years?
Think. Is it possible for
all this to take place in the present or in the very near future?
How long will it take the Jews to build a Temple in Jerusalem?
I've read that
approximately eighty percent of the Jews are not religious and therefore
couldn't care less about
having a Temple and sacrifices.
If the rapture occurs at the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week as
the experts teach, then, by reason the temple, which the “antichrist”
destroys, must be constructed first which delays the rapture some
several years into the future until the temple is built.
Remember, the Dome of the Rock, the holy shrine of Islam, now
stands on the temple site.
What, and how, will be done to remove it to clear the way for the
construction of the Temple?
A holy war would surely occur!
The building of a Temple in the present day just doesn't seem
feasible or practical, and is not predicted in the scriptures, even
though some scholars claim so.
Consider this. In this
present age, would mass killings of animals, for sacrifices be an
accepted practice?
Absolutely not! The humane
societies around the world would declare holy war, too!
Would the Jews, of all people, commit themselves to such a
practice being among the most highly educated and sophisticated people
on earth? I don't think so.
This practice would lend itself to more barbaric days akin to
heathenism.
You say, but this was the practice in the Old Testament.
True. But there was
a reason for this in the Old Testament.
(1) Sacrificial worship was instituted as a foreshadow of the
coming of the real Lamb of God.
Remember that he who sins will die.
Genesis 2:17. Blood
sacrifices of animals were substitutes for the blood of mankind.
This practice started with Adam and continued throughout the Old
Testament. The whole
purpose was to impress on mankind the awfulness of sin, how it separates
God and man, and that only the giving of life (of the animals) could
save the life of men. God
accepted animal sacrifices, in fact, he initiated them, as atonement for
sin because it was carried out in obedience to him.
It was not the blood of the animals that forgave sin, but the
obedience in offering the sacrifices.
Hebrews 10:4. (2)
This sacrificial worship vividly illustrated what Jesus Christ would do
when he was offered as the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the
world” John 1:29.
Then also consider: Would God again accept animal sacrifices when the
utmost sacrifice was given, his Son?
Read the entire ninth chapter of Hebrews.
Especially verses 26-28.
Would it not be sac-religious, profane, contemptuous, and mockery
to even think of offering animal sacrifices now that Jesus Christ has
been offered to atone for sin?
When the veil separating the holy of holies from the outer part
of the temple in Jerusalem was rent into the moment Jesus died on the
cross animal sacrifices were ended.
I believe the argument can easily be made and won that future
animal sacrifices by the Jews is out of the question.
If this be true, Daniel's 70th week is not in the
future. Then when?
ENTER JOSEPHUS
Most of the apostles were martyred before the destruction of Jerusalem
in 70 AD. The apostle John
was probably the only one who lived through and passed that time and he
never mentioned the event in any of his writings in the New Testament,
which writings include the Revelation.
The only source of Jewish history of this period is the writings
of Josephus, a Jewish military leader in the 60's AD, who, following
defeat of his Jewish military band, became a friend of the invading
Romans and was allowed to live His elaborate accounts of Jewish history
comprise a large volume of over one thousand pages of small print.
His works, “The Life and Works of Flavious Josephus” were
translated by William Whiston, A.M., professor of Mathematics in the
University of Cambridge and published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New
York. Others who have
written histories of the Jews have leaned heavily on Josephus' works.
We know from the New Testament that the Romans controlled Judaea and all
the area previously known as the promised land of the Jews at the time
Jesus was born. The Roman
governor, Pontius Pilate, was in power in Jerusalem when Jesus was
crucified. Roman soldiers
actually crucified Jesus.
Tension between the Jews and the Romans ran high during the years
following the birth of the church in 30 AD.
There were many Jewish attempts of revolt against the Romans.
A revolt in 66 AD was the turning point of kindness, if there
were ever any, of the Romans towards the Jews.
The Romans lost thousands of soldiers in that revolt and had to
retreat. During the spring
of 67 AD, the Roman offensive began to subdue the Jews for good.
It took almost three and a half years to reach the soul of the
Jewish people, the Temple in Jerusalem.
On August 9, 70 AD, the temple went up in flames.
This was the same exact date in
586 BC when the
temple Solomon had built in the 900's BC was burned to the ground by the
Babylonians. Coincidence?
The Jews that had fled the Jerusalem area went to Masada, an
elaborate mountain top fortress of palaces built by Herod the Great, the
Roman ruler at the time Jesus was born.
It took the Romans three more years to conquer Masada and the
remaining Jews, which occurred in 73 AD.
From the commencement of the campaign to conquer Jerusalem until
the fall of Masada is six and a half years.
As this is short of seven years, it could be fulfillment of
Jesus' words about this very event (destruction of the temple and fall
of Jerusalem), “And except those days should be shortened, there should
no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those shall be shortened.”
Matthew 24:22.
Further, this is a seven year period corresponding exactly to what Jesus
taught about the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24:1-2, 1 “And
Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to
him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things?
Verily I say unto you, 'There shall not be left here one stone
upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’”
In Daniel 9:26-27, we see the written prophecy of this event.
“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.
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.”
Almost three and a half years after the siege of Jerusalem began in 67
AD, the sacrifices ceased on August 6, 70 AD.
Three days later, the temple was burned.
Three years later, the war was over.
The surviving Jews were dispersed over the Roman Empire.
Is there a “covenant with many” identifiable in relation to the
beginning of the Roman war against the Jews in 66 AD?
No. But that doesn't
mean, in and of itself, that there was no such covenant.
Joseph did record that the Roman general, Vespasian, “invited
many of them (Jews) to peace by the offer of his right hand for their
security, and of his intercession for them.”
Page 741, The Life and Works of Josephus, Holt, Rinehart and Winston,
New York
Now let's restate Daniel 9:26-27 and insert, in italics, clarifiers,
names and dates. “And after
(the) threescore and two weeks (483 years ending on April 7,
30 AD) shall Messiah (Jesus) be cut off (crucified),
but not for himself and the people (Romans) of the prince
(Titus) that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;
(August 9, 70 AD) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and
unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
And he (Vespasian -father of Titus) shall confirm (66
AD) the covenant (pledge of peace and security) with many
(Jews) for one week and in the midst of the week (August 6, 70
AD) he (Titus, his son) shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to; cease, and for the overspreading of abominations
he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation (end), and
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
Note: Vespasian, who began the campaign to subdue the rebelling
Jews, was called to Rome to become Emperor upon the death of Nero.
His son, Titus, assumed control of the campaign and carried it to
victory over the Jews.
Mention is made in Daniel 9:27 that desolations would hold until the
consummation (end.) If a
temple were built in modern times, this prophecy would be invalidated.
The desolation commenced in 70 AD and will be sustained to the
“end”. As a matter of
history, the Moslems built their Dome of the Rock on the temple site
around 691 AD. Could this
heathen temple be the abomination of (the) desolation spoken of by the
prophet?
Considering all that just given, the 70th
Week of Daniel has probably already been fulfilled.
That being the case, a seven year tribulation based on Daniel's
prophecy is also invalidated.
If one looks at the trumpet and vial judgments of Revelation, a
time much shorter than seven years is very likely.
Only one of the judgments is given a time - five months,
Revelation 9:5. If the
judgments occur rapidly, they could all be over in much less than three
and a half years. I
perceive the trumpet and bowl judgments to be in rapid succession and
the total time for their execution will be not much more than a year or
two.
CHALLENGE
Several years ago a prominent sports person, one who had excelled in
many sports at the University of North Carolina, told the youth of my
church during, a youth revival to “challenge the Bible”.
Good exhortation.
With that in mind, I say to you, challenge what interpreters of the
Bible say. Don't be afraid
to do so. Challenge this
every script you are now reading.
We are not told or expected to take any man's word as being God's
word. Especially when men
“interpret” the Bible as we all do.
The Bible is a complete and total revelation from God to man and
should be interpreted as such.
That is let the whole of the Bible be its own interpreter.
Comparing scripture with scripture and not taking any scripture out of
its context to prove a point.
Some classical interpretations to challenge are:
• A pre-tribulation rapture occurring at Revelation 4:1.
Be realistic and believe exactly what this verse states, “After
this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the
first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking
with me;
which said, Come
up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.”
Notice the personal pronouns (in italics for emphasis) which
describe “John” the writer.
Also, the pronoun you (meaning John) is understood before the
words “Come up hither.”
This is not a summons to the church by any stretch of the imagination or
biblical interpretation.
This is wholly directed to John.
• A seven-year tribulation.
The lone verse in the Bible for a seven year tribulation is Daniel 9:27
- Daniel's 70th week.
The previously mentioned experts' placement of this 70th
week after the rapture and trying to place the events of the book of
Revelation within this week has no biblical basis.
• The church is raptured at Revelation 4:1 simply because the word
church is not mentioned thereafter.
What kind of biblical basis is that?
Speculation at best.
• The 144,000 sealed Jews are evangelists, “modern Pauls” and “Billy
Grahams”. Totally
unprovable! Again, just
speculation.
• The Jewish temple will be rebuilt and animal sacrificial worship will
be re-instated. As argued
earlier, the restoration of sacrificial worship in a soon-to-be-built
temple would be anathema and mockery to the death and resurrection of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the last and permanent sacrifice for mankind's
sin.
Don't be swept away with the plot of the Left Behind
books. Instead challenge
the plot of this series of books.
Take them as they are, fiction.
Look in the Bible for the true and accurate prediction of things
to come. And please don't
count on having this so called Second Chance to accept Jesus as your
Savior. It just is not
true! Accept Him now!
IN CONCLUSION
In conclusion, let me encourage you to be faithful to your Lord and
church. When that time of
persecution comes, and should this be the generation, it will not be
easy especially on those who are careless in their relationship with
God. And God have mercy on
the sinners. Do you think
anyone, much less “multitudes that no man can number” will become saints
(Christians) under the threat of death if they do so?
And, if they have already taken the mark of the beast, it is then
too late. Now is the time
to renew our covenant with Jesus and to be diligent in proclaiming the
good news of Jesus Christ to the lost world, at home and abroad.