The Seventy Weeks of Daniel (Part 4, Messiah the Prince)

25. "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress."

                                 Daniel 9:25 NASB

Imagine you are living in Nazareth. It's the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate is governor of Judea, Herod is tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip is tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lyanias is tetrarch of Abilene. It was at this time when Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, that John the Baptist came preaching a baptism of repentance. The year is 27 AD.

You think back on the last thirty or so years. Rome had been in power for some time now, and Messianic fervor abounded. There was that time when some shepherds saw angels who told them of the birth of the Messiah. Or what about those wise men from the east who were looking for the king of the Jews who had recently been born? Herod and all of Jerusalem were pretty upset about that. He had ordered all the boys under two years old to be killed. Apparently he didn't want any competition.

Everyone is looking for the Messiah. Daniel the prophet wrote that sixty-nine "sevens" would pass until the Messiah, and that is where we are at now. Where can he be? 

As you are thinking on these things you are sitting in the synagogue. Suddenly Jesus stands to read out of the scroll. This is something he has customarily done. "I better pay attention," you tell yourself, "Jesus is about to read."

Jesus takes the scroll of Isaiah and begins to read,

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has annointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD."

The Messiah was right on time. Sixty-nine weeks of sabbath years were fulfilled.

So how do we determine the accuracy of Daniel's prophecy? He foretold a complete sabbath year cycle of forty-nine years followed by sixty-two more "weeks" or cycles for a total of 483 years. We need to determine a start of that cycle, and than determine if the close of those sixty-nine sabbath years coincide with the appearance of the Messiah.

There are several passages in the Bible that we need to look at as potential start dates. The first, is the decree of Cyrus, permitting the Babylonian captives to return to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding their temple. 

2 Chronicles 36:22-23 records that in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, a decree was issued by him allowing the return of the exiles, and permitting the temple to be rebuilt. Ezra 1:1-4 affirms this, also adding that he ordered the people who presently occupied the land to provide the Jews with whatever was necessary for the rebuilding of their temple.

I looked at potential dates, for the following information that I will share, on several sites.

biblicalarcheology.org was the one I primarily used. It is very technical so I will aim to keep my post simple. 

The year the Babylonian empire was defeated by the Persians was 539 BC. The return of the exiles occurred in 538 BC, so if we add 483 years to that we arrive at 55 BC. That would mean the arrival of Jesus (the Messiah) would have to occured then. That is considerably early considering most scholars believe that Jesus began his ministry between 27 to 30 AD and was crucified sometimes between 39-33 AD. Luke 3:1-3, which I alluded to in the above illustration, timestamps the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry to 27 AD, which would mean that Jesus' baptism and "revealing" to Israel (see John 1:31) would have occured shortly thereafter.

If one reads through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah along with Haggai and Zechariah you find a lot of information about the events surrounding the building of the temple, and then the building of Jerusalem, starting with its walls.

The building of the temple came with much opposition. The building was eventually forced to a stop until second year of Darius, the king of Persia (see Ezra 4:1-24). This Darius after searching the records found that Cyrus had previously authorized the building of the temple, so around 520 BC he issues a decree that orders those who hindered the work to cease their opposition and allow the Jews to continue on. He also states that the royal treasury will cover the costs of the project, and whatever the priests need to offer the daily sacrifices must be provided for them (see Ezra 6:1-12). 

According to the Full Life Study Bible the temple was completed in 516 BC, which was in the sixth year of Darius ( Ezra 6:15). Again, this would place the issuing of his decree allowing the completion of the temple in 520 BC 

If we add sixty-nine weeks (483 years to this we arrive at 37 BC, which is still to early if the arrival of Jesus is what is spoken of here in Daniel 9:25.

Again, to keep it simple, I am only touching on the basic facts here. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah go into more detail about the opposition the Jews faced in the rebuilding of both the temple and the wall itself of Jerusalem. Several letters were written and sent to various Persian kings, voicing "concerns" if the building was to continue. Read these accounts for yourself to get more details.

Now we will take a look at Ezra, and the decree given by Artaxerxes in 457 BC. Ezra 7:1-28 records that in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, He issued a decree sending Ezra with a group of priests and Levites to Jerusalem to teach the law of their God. The empire again pledged financial support for the temple and the sacrifices needed for temple worship. Ezra was granted the permission to do whatever seemed best according to the will of God, with any of the extra money (Ezra 7:18).

The restoration of Jerusalem spiritually seems to be in mind here. Ezra came with the intent to teach the law of God to those who had previously returned. Although they had begun the sacrificial system, they needed a spiritual reformation, as can be seen as one reads through the passages related to these events. 

Also of note is the fact that they now have permission to use the money given them for "whatever seems best according to God's will." While not an outright command to rebuild the walls and city itself, it opened up the possibility. It is interesting to note that the letter sent that effectually put a stop to the building of the temple previously, was primarily concerned with the "dangers" of the Jews rebuilding the wall and city itself ( Ezra 4:12-22).

If we add  sixty-nine weeks from this starting point we arrive at 27 AD, which makes this perfectly fit within the life and ministry of Jesus. 

483 years brings us to the timeframe we are looking for, but can we determine if this is the cycle of seven year sabbaths, or just an arbitrary number of years? 

Again, Ezra's main concern in his return to Jerusalem is the reformation of the people. He has come to teach and implement the law of God. More than a mere religious system, it is worship, and pleasing to God, if obeyed from a willing and submissive heart; a heart devoted to God. The people had gone into exile for their departure from the Lord. As shown in my previous posts, the sabbath cycle was one of the things neglected as the nation slid into apostasy. 2 Chronicles 7:21 specifically mentions the seventy year captivity as a time for the land to receive its rest, one year for each sabbath year missed. It would seem likely that Ezra, in his efforts to bring the people back to covenant obedience, would restart the sabbath year as well, as soon as possible.

We find some clues in Nehemiah. Although there is no verse that explicitly states the exact point at which the sabbath year cycle was reinstated, we find that is was, and more than likely, this occured on the first day of the seventh month in 457 BC, after Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem.

The book of Nehemiah begins with Nehemiah receiving word from the remnant in Jerusalem describing the condition of the city. The walls were broken down and the gates burned. This moves Nehemiah to seek the favor of God as he desired to go back and help his people rebuild.

Nehemiah receives permission from Ataxerxes along with a letter granting him safe passage and timber for rebuilding the city gates and wall. This occured 13 years after Ezra's return in the seventh year of Artaxerxes. Nehemiah returns in 444 BC, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:1-9).

There are some interesting clues that help make the case for the restarting of the sabbatical year, found in scripture. In Nehemiah 8:1-3 we read that the people all assembled on the first day of the seventh month for the public reading of the law. This was something commanded to occur every seventh year, in the seventh month during the feast of booths (Deuteronomy 31:10-13). One can deduce from this that the Shemitah cycles had been started at least six years previously. As this event occured 13 years after Ezra's arrival in 457 BC, it is quite possible that on the first day of the seventh month after his arrival he, as part of his reforms, began the sabbath year cycle once again. Therefore, when Nehemiah arrives 13 years later, the cycle is entering it's seventh year for the second time. As the sabbath year is tied to the agricultural season instead of the yearly calendar which started in the first month, it started in the seventh. It is widely accepted that the first day of the seventh month was when it usually began. The following is a quote from the website Associates for Biblical Research  (biblicalarcheology.org)that explains this,

"Jewish tradition (Rosh HaShanah 1a in the Talmud) is that Sabbatical years and Jubilee years began in Tishri, the seventh month according to the religious calendar that starts in Nisan (roughly April). This is consistent with the text of Leviticus 25, which for both Sabbatical and Jubilee years speaks of sowing before mentioning reaping. In Israel, the sowing of the winter crops (barley and wheat) takes place in approximately November and reaping takes place in the spring. If the Sabbatical and Jubilee years started in Nisan, then the crop sown in the preceding fall could not be harvested, after which the fall sowing would be missed, thus resulting in two years without harvest rather than the one year that is intended in the legislation. Sabbatical and Jubilee years therefore started in Tishri, the month in which the Jewish Rosh HaShanah or New Year’s Day was celebrated in the past and is celebrated in our own day."

And another quote from the same site that shows how Israel could already be going into the sabbath year shortly after the arrival of Nehemiah in 444 BC.

"Zuckermann’s tabulation includes both 451/450 and 444/443 BC as sabbatical years, years we independently proposed based on Ezra’s beginning the counting of years for the initial post-exilic sabbatical year cycle as of the first Tishri after his arrival in 457 BC. Thus Zuckermann corroborates the dates we derived from considering the implications of Ezra’s summer 457 BC return to the Land."

As I stated earlier, this site contains much information. It can get long and technical, however feel free to check it out. If you would like to, click on the link here

It is interesting to note that the people gather again for a time of national mourning and repentance on the twenty-fourth day of the same month. This leads to the making of a covenant, by the people, to fully obey the laws Moses set forth, including laws forbidding mixed marriages, buying and selling on the sabbath, and the observation of the seventh year sabbaths ( Nehemiah 10:28-31). These three things were specific problems that Israel had struggled with, even in the post-exilic time they were now living in. Again, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah should be read through for a deeper understanding of these things.

To sum this up, we find that the "seven weeks" were fulfilled in the start up of the sabbath year one again. Sixty-two sabbath cycles followed after for a total of sixty-nine cycles or 483 years. During this time Jerusalem was rebuilt in turbulent times, as Daniel predicted. The opposition was relentless, even throughout the days of Nehemiah which extended to at least 432 BC.

The sixty-nine weeks closed with the arrival of Jesus Christ. In 27 AD He was revealed to Israel at His baptism and began His ministry. It is fitting that He read from Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue at Nazareth, applying these verses to Himself. As I stated in my previous which you can read here  the Jubilee has a deeper spiritual meaning that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the return of Christ and the millennial age.

I would like to continue this in another post, and discuss what comes next.

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel (Part 3, The Jubilee Cycle)

1. And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,

2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.

3. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;

4. But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

5. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.

6. And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,

7. And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. 

8. And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.

9. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 

10. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

                            Leviticus 25:1-10 KJV 

In the same way that God gave man six days to work, and then a sabbath day of rest, He also gave the land a rest from normal planting and harvesting. Six years were given for normal agricultural use, with the seventh year set aside as a sabbath of rest. 

This practice allowed the land to replenish nutrients in the soil as it lay fallow for a year. But more than that, it was a recognition that all we have comes from God. He owns all, and we are stewards of what He entrusts us with. Something like this would demand faith. 

God would be faithful to provide enough in the sixth year to last through the seventh and eighth years until that harvest came in. 

20. And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:

21. Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.

22. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.

                       Leviticus 25:29-22 KJV

This is reminiscent of the wilderness experience, when they relied upon the manna that God sent down every morning. They were to take enough for each day, but the day before the sabbath they were to take enough for two days. Therefore they would not have to gather on the sabbath (Exodus 16:23-25).

After seven sets of seven year periods, or forty-nine years, the trumpet was to be blown on the tenth day of the seventh month of Tishri, the day of atonement. A fiftieth year of jubilee was hallowed. This fiftieth year was technically still the forty-ninth year not a consecutive one. This line of thought is referred to as inclusive numbering. A similar concept to that of Jesus' resurrection after three days. Placed in the tomb Friday before sundown, in the tomb all of Saturday, risen early Sunday morning. I have also seen it explained as the fiftieth year is also the same as year one in the beginning of the next seven year sabbath cycle. At any rate the seven year numbering remains the same. Seven cycles of years equal forty-nine years, ten jubilee cycles equal 490 years.

During this year of Jubilee,  land leased out to others reverted back to the ancestral line of ownership. Individuals who due to unfortunate circumstances were now in servitude to another were released and could return home. The year of Jubilee was a time for the releasing of debt. The law carefully lays out a system meant to take care of the poor, or one who had encountered hardship. People had to be honest and fair with one another. The valuation of a sale of land, or the redemption of one who had sold himself into servitude was based on the number of years unto the Jubilee. Again, this was a system meant to take care of someone in need. To take advantage of someone in their hardship was forbidden. (Leviticus 25:13-55).

The land was central to this. Released slaves returned to their own clans and ancestral possession. Land sold (this is probably more like a lease agreement) was restored to its ancestral line of ownership. One could not "buy up" land for the sake of owning more property. This is soundly condemned in Isaiah 5:8-10, where we read of individuals joining "house to house and adding field to field."

The LORD, speaking of this in the passage we are looking at, has this to say,

The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.

                       Leviticus 25:23-24 KJV

Although the land spoken of here is that which was given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as an eternal inheritance, the LORD God was still owner, and had the sole right to determine what was done with it. This piece of land has been  the center of controversy for thousands of years, and it will all come to a head during the final week of Daniel's prophecy.

This concept of release finds a deeper meaning in the writings of the prophets. Moving beyond a system mandated to ensure Israel's stability as an agrarian society, we read of a time of Spiritual transformation. A time of redemption from all enemies, physical, material, and spiritual.

1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the LORD hath annointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2.To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God...

                                      Isaiah 61:1-2

The day is coming when this will find it's literal fulfillment in the Millennial age. Not only will the scattered Jewish remnant be set free at the second coming of their Messiah, but they will find spiritual freedom as well. Everlasting righteousness will be brought in on a national level, and the nation will now fulfill their calling to be a light to the Gentiles,

2. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

3. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

4. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be called married.

                                   Isaiah 62:2-4 KJV

And ultimately the return to the land, never to be uprooted again,

25. Therefore this saith the Lord God; Now I will bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and be jealous for my holy name;

26. After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.

 

27. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;

28. Then shall the know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

29. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.

                          Ezekiel 39:25-29 KJV

This is the ultimate Jubilee, at the end of seventy sabbath cycles. 490 years to bring about the salvation of a nation.

The law prescribed blessing for obedience and judgement for disobedience. Yet in the midst of exile on account of sin there was room for repentance and mercy,

32. And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

33. And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

34. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.

35. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when you dwelt upon it.

                      Leviticus 26:32-35 KJV 

Israel spent seventy years as exiles in Babylon. One year for each of the seventh year sabbaths they neglected. That was 490 years of disobedience (2 Chronicles 36:21). Now, they will face 490 years again, this time the intent is to bring about restoration, the final Jubilee, when Jesus Christ dwells among them as their God forever.

39. And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.

40. If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespass against me, and that also they have walked contrary to me.

41. And that I also have walked contrary to them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.

                      Leviticus 26:39-41 KJV 

To sum this up, Daniel's prophecy of seventy weeks is calibrated to the ancient cycle of seven year periods: six to work the land with a seventh year of rest. In this prophecy we have three periods of time mentioned. Seven weeks or 49 years. Then sixty-two weeks ending with the arrival of the Messiah. Now we are at 483 years. There have been sixty-nine cycles to this point. Then there is a week of seven years yet to come culminating with the salvation of national Israel and the establishment of the Messianic kingdom. 

The term used to describe the seventh year of rest in this cycle is Shemitah. I hesitated to use this term, as there are some who teach that the Shemitah is a warning of God's judgement against America.

Now I believe that America is no doubt a candidate for God's judgement. One does not need to look far to see that we are on a slippery slope of immoral practice in this country. That said however, the Shemitah was part of a covenant between God and Israel. No other nation on earth is in a covenant with God. We are not expected to observe the yearly cycles that Israel as a nation were commanded to observe. 

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel are markers of time based upon the Shemitah cycles that are intended for Israel's final redemption. Gabriel was sent to Daniel to explain what would happen to his people. This is who this decree is for, the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:31-24). 

Again, while America is going down a dangerous path, we should not look at this as a sign for us as a nation. All nations in a sense will be affected by Daniel's final week, as it will contain the great tribulation and the return of Christ. However, to try to determine what years are Shemitah years, and then look for disasters that have occured in America during these years stretches this prophecy farther than God intended, and gets our eyes off of what we should really be focusing on as Christians. Things like this don't go away. Instead, they generate hype and sell books. 

In the next part to these posts I plan to examine the events that were foretold, namely, the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah.

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel (Part 2, The Purpose Statements)

Continuing from my previous post which you can read here, I would like look at the six purpose statements found in Daniel 9:24.

"Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to annoint the most holy place."

Daniel has just finished interceding for his people and city, Jerusalem. Jerusalem had been left desolate, the temple destroyed, and the people carried into exile on account of their departure from the Lord God.

As I stated previously, Jeremiah, as well as other prophets, had repeatedly warned the people to repent and obey the Lord. Their refusal to listen had finally brought God's judgement upon them as prescribed in the covenant between God and the people of Israel.

Daniel, recognizing that Jeremiah had prophesied a seventy year captivity, and knowing the time had come, seeks the favor of God on His people once again.

Scripture records for us that when Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian empire, Cyrus, king of Persia, allowed the Israelites to go back, as foretold in Isaiah 44:21-45:7. The fulfillment of these prophetic words are recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23, and Ezra 1:1-4.

However, God's dealings with His people were not complete. Although they had suffered much, and many returned humbled and obedient, as a nation the root of unbelief had not been "pulled up" and destroyed.

Imagine Daniel's surprise when instead of seventy years, which were coming to a close, Gabriel announced seventy weeks were yet to come before Israel would be transformed as a nation into the people God had called them to be.

This is not seventy weeks in the literal sense of seventy, seven day weeks. Just like we would say there are 52 weeks in a year so add 18 more weeks and you have a year and roughly 4 months to go. No, this is speaking of seventy weeks of years which total 490 actual years. 

There is biblical precedence for this use of the term "weeks"  found in other passages of scripture. 

We see this in the story of Jacob (see Genesis 29:18-28). Jacob meets Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, and agrees to work for Laban seven years for her to be his wife. When the time was up he assumed he was getting Rachel, but ended up being deceived, and woke up to Laban's daughter Leah instead. He confronts Laban, and is told this,

27. "Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years."

28. Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.

                      Genesis 29:27-28 NASB

So we see here the term week used interchangeably with seven years. We see a similar thing in Leviticus and the law of the jubilee cycle,

8. 'You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. '

                             Leviticus 25:8 NASB

This is the same concept as in the above example of Jacob working a seven year week for Rachel.  Every seventh year was considered a sabbath. Therefore seven sabbaths of years would constitute forty-nine years. The Amplified version puts it like this,

8. And you shall number seven sabbaths or weeks of years for you, seven times seven years, so the total time of the seven weeks of years shall be forty-nine years.

                                  Leviticus 25:8 AMP

This differs from our western way of thinking, and it pays to understand that the scriptures that we read and love were written by men centuries ago with a middle eastern mindset. To understand this can go a long way in understanding and applying the word of God in our own lives today. I would like to come back to this concept of the jubilee cycle later.

We have these six purpose statements in this verse that must come to pass before Israel as a nation can be restored to permanence in the promised land, find restoration with God, and enter the millennial age. Again, a humble people returned from exile in the days Daniel, but they yet as a whole have not returned to the LORD. These six things must be accomplished in and by them on a national level.

1. Finish the transgression.

2. Make an end of sin.

3. Make atonement for iniquity.

4. Bring in everlasting righteousness.

5. Seal up vision and prophecy.

6. Annoint the most holy place.

Ultimately, the failure of the nation of Israel to remain faithful to the Lord their God was rooted in unbelief. This was the basis for their refusal to enter the promised land in the days of Moses (see Numbers 14:1-45). 

The LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?"

                                    Numbers 14:11

And the author of Hebrews, referencing Psalm 95:7-11, states this,

15. While it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME." 

16. For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 

17. And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

18. And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?

19. So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

                        Hebrews 3:15-19 NASB

Although the Bible makes mention of godly men and women found within the nation Israel, as a whole, the nation remained in this unbelief, which found its ultimate fulfillment in the rejection of their Messiah, Jesus.

This transgression, and the sin that flows out of it must be put away, not only on a personal level, but on a national level as well. As people who have been, and remain in covenant with God on a national level it must be this way. Although Israel is a secular nation by and large today, and by their departure from God have broken the covenant, it still remains in effect today, and Israel remains under God's judgement until they give up their unbelief and sin. This is something the Bible says they will do in the last days as a nation, not a few individuals here and there, but on a national level. 

Ultimately the issue of Jesus is at the core of the transgression. Jesus Himself had this to say,

37. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

38. "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 

39."For I say to you, from now on you will not see me until you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! ' "

                      Matthew 23:37-39 NASB

The day will come when Israel receives their Messiah as a nation. At the return of Christ they will look on Him whom they pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns the loss of a firstborn son (Zechariah 12:10-14). At this point they will enter into what we know as the New Covenant. As Christians, do we realize that this covenant has been offered to the Jew first, and those of us who are Gentiles are grafted in?

31. "Behold days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,

32. not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.

33. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

34. " They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD, ' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

                   Jeremiah 31:32-34 NASB

Keep in mind that the larger context of these verses concern the time of Jacob's trouble or great tribulation. Although the New Covenant has been in effect since Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection, and millions have entered into it through the new birth, the Jews for the most part have not. The first believers in Messiah were Jews, but for the last two thousand years it has been primarily Gentiles who have entered in through the blood of Jesus. Again, the Bible assures us that the day is coming when all Israel shall be saved (Romans 12:26).

Zechariah tells us that at the close of the final tribulation a fountain will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants ofJerusalem for cleansing from sin (Zechariah 13:1). This is the point of Christ's return. Every eye will see Him, and those who are left of Israel, who have survived this terrible time will look upon Jesus, the one they pierced, and grieve for Him. Zechariah records the time of national repentance that occurs at this time (see Zechariah 12:1-14). The sin of the nation will be removed in one day (Zechariah 3:8-11).

At this time the fulfillment of Ezekiel 36:22-29 will take place. The nation scattered throughout the nations will be gathered back to their land for good. They will be cleansed from all of their iniquity, and they will be God's people, and He will be their God. 

Isaiah tells us that "A redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," declares the LORD (Isaiah 59:20). 

If we read on we see the Spirit poured out upon the nation for good, never to depart. Again, we are talking about the return of Christ in the last days. If we read on into chapter 60 we come to the millennial kingdom, a time of peace and righteousness on earth. The dilemma of disobedience and the ability to remain in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be forever removed as the people will now be righteous, not only in right standing with God, but in faithfulness as well,

"Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified."

                                Isaiah 60:21 NASB

14. 'Behold, days are coming, ' declares the LORD, 'When I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

15. 'In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.

16. 'In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness. '

                       Jeremiah 33:14-16 NASB

 The apostle Paul tells of the certainty of this in Romans 12:26-27, and so all Israel will saved; just as it is written,

"THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM , WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."

What does it take to bring an individual to the end of themselves? Our pride is what keeps any of us from yielding our lives to God. This pride is what must go if we are to surrender to Him in true repentance. We have touched on the end of transgression and sin, and the bringing in of everlasting righteousness. Now I would like to share some thoughts on making atonement for sin. 

The concept of atonement is one of reconciliation. We understand that Jesus has made atonement for sin on the cross. Through His death and resurrection we have forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God. This is what most of us probably think of when we hear the word atonement. 

There is another aspect to atonement or reconciliation however, and this is what Daniel 9:24 is referring to in the statement "make atonement for sin."

Again, Jesus is the one who has provided atonement for sin, and there is no other way to receive forgiveness for our sin, no way to earn it or pay for it. However, this is something Israel has to go through to reach the point of brokenness. It is a judgement brought on by disobedience, ultimately meant to sift, refine, and bring a nation to the point of repentance. 

A purging of sin is a necessary part of this process. In Ezekiel 20:33-38we read that God will take severe measures to bring Israel back into covenant relationship with Him. It will be with a mighty hand and outstretched arm and wrath poured out (Ezekiel 20:33). They will be brought out into the wilderness where God will enter into judgement with them (Ezekiel 20:35-36 compare Jeremiah 31:1-2).

37. "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;

38. and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. This you will know that I am the LORD."

                          Ezekiel 20:37-38 NASB

This purging of the rebellious from the land will bring forth a humble people who find grace in the wilderness,

This says the LORD, "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness-- Israel when it went to find it's rest.

                               Jeremiah 31:2 NASB

8. "It will come about in all the land," declares the LORD, "That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it.

9. "And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people, ' and they will say, 'The LORD is my God."'

                           Zechariah 13:8-9 NASB

And finally the idea of atonement entails the removal of guilt and punishment as we see in Isaiah 40:1-2,

1. "Comfort, comfort My people," says your God.

2. "Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her, that her warfare had ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins."

This passage articulates these points perfectly. This time of warfare or tribulation has achieved its goal. The nation had suffered much for its iniquity, but through a purging process the nation has been brought to a place of repentance and restoration. The time of tribulation is over, God has forgiven their unbelief and sin, their guilt has been erased, and the time of punishment is over, never to occur again.

This is in answer to Daniel's pleading on behalf of his people Israel, and his holy city Jerusalem. The restoration needed has to be accomplished. The Babylonian captivity did not do a thorough job. Although a people returned to the land, they were not yet as a nation living within the bond of the covenant. This will be the purpose of what is known as the time of Jacob's trouble or great tribulation (see Daniel 12:1-7).

At this point vision and prophecy will have reached it's fulfillment. What has been prophecied concerning these days will have come to pass. Imagine what the Old Testament prophets wrote, what Jesus foretold, John's revelation all coming to fruition. The world is now entering the millennial age. The Kingdom has been restored to Israel (Acts 1:6) with Jesus, their Messiah ruling from Jerusalem. 

This brings us to the final purpose statement, the annointing of the most holy place. Yes, there will be a temple in Jerusalem in the days of the millennium. This is something that may be hard for some of us to fathom, but passages such as Isaiah 2:1-5, 60:1-7, Ezekiel 40:1-43:27 confirm this. 

In Daniel we read of the cleansing of a temple after the time of tribulation.

13. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, "How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?"

14. He said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored."

                              Daniel 8:13-14 NASB

This refers to the abomination of desolation, which is placed in a temple yet to come. When this event occurs we are 3.5 years into the final seven years of the seventy weeks (more to come on this). This marks the start of the great tribulation. We can know from these verses that once the sacrificial system begins in Jerusalem there will be 2,300 days until the restoration of the holy place. This event is likely to take place shortly after the return of Christ. Somewhere around the 1,290 to 1,335 days mentioned in Daniel 12:11-12. This would place the start of the sacrifices just before the end of the first year of Daniel's 70th week. 

It's my belief, that the temple that is defiled by the Antichrist is not necessarily the temple that will exist during the millennial kingdom. The description given in Ezekiel is not of something that would fit alongside the Al Aqsa mosque today on the temple mount (see Rev 11:1-2). Right now with the Dome of the rock, and Al Aqsa occupying the temple mount there is little room for a larger temple. Also, the temple mount is under Muslim control presently, so we will have to wait and see how this all plays out. 

As we look at the timeline presented in the next two verses of our passage we will gain more understanding, especially as it deals with the events of the latter days.

  

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel (Part 1, Background Information)

Daniel chapter 9 records Daniel's prayer of repentance on behalf of himself and his nation who have been in captivity in Babylon for almost seventy years. The Medo-Persian empire has recently defeated the Babylonian empire, and Daniel  observed  the prophecy previously given by Jeremiah, that the desolation of Jerusalem was to last seventy years.

This is what motivated Daniel to seek the Lord God with prayer and fasting. Daniel's prayer, recorded in Daniel 9:4-19 is well worth the study. It shows a truly humbled and contrite individual pleading with God on behalf of His chosen, yet rebellious people. Daniel understands that God alone is righteous and just with His judgement against the nation. All he can do is to plead for mercy, and deliverance from their captivity for the sake of God, as they, the Israelites, are called by His name.

In response to his prayer, Gabriel comes with a message for Daniel concerning his people, and what was to come in the future concerning them.

24. "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to annoint the most holy place.

25. "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

26. "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

27. "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

                              Daniel 9:24-27 NASB

Daniel, as I stated above, had been observant that the time for Jeremiah's prophecy concerning the end of the Babylonian captivity was drawing near. Jeremiah's ministry began years before Daniel, but he still prophecied during the early days of Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Jerusalem, and therefore much of what he spoke had been written down and was available to those who had been carried off to Babylon. Years had past by, and now Daniel was stirred by these prophetic words,

10. "For this says the LORD, 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

11. 'For I know the plans that I have for you, 'declares the LORD, 'Plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope.

12. 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

13. 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

14. 'I will be found by you' declares the LORD, 'And I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, 'declares the LORD, 'And I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.' 

                     Jeremiah 29:10-14 NASB

This is what Daniel does. He believes the words of God spoken by Jeremiah. He acts upon them by fervently seeking the Lord in prayer and fasting. He understands why the nation had gone into exile. The problem was sin, disobedience to God. All that had happened to them as a nation was the result of violating the covenant God had made with them at Sinai. Just a few chapters back in Jeremiah this is addressed,

3. "From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

4. " And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets again and again, but you have not inclined your ear to hear,

5. saying, 'Turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the LORD has given to you and your forefathers forever and ever;

6. and do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.'

7. "Yet you have not listened to Me," declares the LORD, "In order that you might provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

8. "Therefore this says the LORD of hosts, 'Because you have not obeyed My words,

9. 'Behold I will send and take all the families of the north, 'declares the LORD, 'and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation.

10. 'Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

11. 'This whole land will be a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

12. 'Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, ' declares the LORD, ' forv their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it a everlasting desolation.

                          Jeremiah 25:3-12 NASB

Over and over God reached out to His rebellious people, through the prophets, urging them to repent and obey. Now the covenant curses had come upon them and they were driven from the land into exile (see Leviticus 26:14-46 and Deuteronomy 4: 23-31, 28:15-68, 30:1-20 these passages describe the consequences for rebellion against the LORD, yet hold out the offer of mercy and restoration upon heartfelt repentance).

This was Israel's dilemma. They, as God's chosen people, had broken covenant with Him. The land they possessed belonged to them as an everlasting possession (see Genesis 13:14-17, 26:1-5, 28:3-4, 35:11-12 the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) however, they as a nation were required to live in faithful obedience to the LORD to remain in it.

Now, just as Jeremiah spoke, Babylon had been defeated by Cyrus, and Darius the Mede was now on the throne. Daniel understands why they are there, and what it will take to dwell in the land of promise once again.

This the point of Gabriel's message. It is a message that ultimately points to the restoration of Israel, not only to the land promised them, but to be the holy people that God requires, never again falling away into apostasy, a light to the nations as God has called them to be.

Abide in Him

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.

They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out , in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.

But you have an annointing from the Holy one, and you all know.

I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

As for you, let that abide in you which you have heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.

These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.

And as for you, the annointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His annointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

And now little children abide in Him, so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him with shame at His coming.

If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

                             1 John 2:18-29 NASB

My previous post dealt with the topic of deception in the last days. You can read it here. I would like to continue with this theme as I believe that it is vital for us to be well grounded in the faith, not just in the end times, but even now, as false teachers have always been among us.

John is writing to Christians who have received the faith (the gospel, doctrine etc.) firsthand from the eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ (see 1John 1:1-4). These Christians as John states, knew the truth. That was the purpose of his epistle. He was confronting false teaching that threatened the Church. He was not protecting a group of believers who didn't have a grasp on the truth, but they knew the truth from the beginning. They were literally grounded in the apostle's teachings.

This is important in so many ways. We must be firmly grounded in the truth. Although the original Apostles are long gone, the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3) is the same faith built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Himself being the chief corner stone (Ephesians 2:20) that has been handed down to us through the word of God. 

Let us endeavor to grasp it, understand it, believe it, and make it ours. It must not merely be a faith of the head, but a living, active faith that is obeyed and followed, and allowed to transform us into the image of Christ. Anything less than that is not the faith found in the pages of scripture.

What we believe about Jesus affects our worship and submission to Him. Anything other than what is revealed in scripture will impact our faith in a negative way. Ultimately, the danger is that we will end up believing a different gospel, and following a different Jesus than the only Jesus who can save us (Galatians 1:6-9, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4). Our abiding in the truth, and consequently in Christ, is where our safety is found. To be outside of the truth is to be outside of Christ, and to be susceptible to all forms of error.

John was confronting heresy in his day that twisted the truth of who Jesus truly was. This was, and is the spirit of antichrist. There is nothing new under the sun, and new twists on old heresies still abound today. No doubt when the final beast kingdom arises, false prophets will arise out of it deceiving many with the same attacks on the person and work of Jesus.

It is my firm belief that the end time beast prophecied to arise will be made up of the Muslim nations surrounding Israel today. The scriptures are clear, all the nations mentioned in prophetic passages concerning end times events surrounding the day of the LORD are Muslim majority nations today. While many teachers are looking to a coalition of European nations to spawn the antichrist, the Bible actually directs us to look at the Middle East. 

You must understand that Islam has its version of "Jesus." The Jesus (Issa) of Islam is a mere man. He never claimed to be God, He was never crucified, and in the last days He will return to help an individual referred to as the Mahdi (the antichrist?) eliminate Jews and Christians, and install Islam as the final religion. This Issa destroys a man known as the Dajaal, (Islam's version of the antichrist) who by the way refers to himself as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." That's a bit eerie isn't it?

It wouldn't be too farfetched to imagine the false prophet of Revelation 13:11-18 claim to be Issa (Jesus), deny his deity, deny that he was crucified, and instead direct all worship to the man known as the Mahdi. Now I admit this is speculation at this point in time. We don't know how everything will play out, but we have the warnings found in the scriptures telling us of false prophets and false Christs raising and deceiving many. 

I want to make something clear. I love Muslim people. My wife and I are aquainted with many Muslims. We have had some of them in our home, and been in their homes as well. We see a people who are themselves blinded by a deception that has run for 1,400 years now. They are born into this, and desperately need the light of Christ to shine into their hearts. Just as you or I at one time also were lost without Christ, so are they. Unless they come to a knowledge of the truth and surrender their lives to Jesus, they too will perish. God loves all people and sent Jesus to die for the Muslim as well as the Hindu, atheist etc. We are all on level ground at the foot of the cross.

So with that in mind, we must know what we believe, why we believe it, and make sure it is the truth. It can be hard to debate a Jehovah's witness, a Mormon, or a Muslim. Many people fall for the deception that these groups spread. It is amazing how similar these three cults are in their beliefs. An attack against the person and work of Jesus Christ is at the heart of these group's message. Indeed they preach a different gospel and a different Jesus than that which has been revealed in scripture.

Back to our passage, John speaks of an annointing that we as believers possess. This annointing is the Holy Spirit, who Jesus also refers to as "the Spirit of truth" in John 14:15-26. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to come and dwell in each believer. Through the indwelling presence of the Spirit we have fellowship with the Father and Son. This is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27). 

The Holy Spirit is referred to by Christ as the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit guides us into the truth, and without the revelation of the Holy Spirit we cannot expect to abide in truth in our own strength. With this annointing we do not need the opinions of men to direct us into the truth. While the ministry gifts are meant for the edification of the Church, and are vital in guiding the Church through deception and on to maturity (Ephesians 4:12-15), ultimately we have the responsibility to study these things for ourselves with the annointing of the Holy Spirit.

Men are fallible, prone to make mistakes, and even deliberately mislead. We must always back up what we hear with the word of God, made clear to us by the Holy Spirit. That is the meaning of this passage.

If we remain in the truth, submitted to Christ in trust and obedience, we have nothing to fear at His return. His truth will preserve us from error. With the Holy Spirit to guide us we can be confident in these days we live in. I read something years ago, and I don't remember who said it, 

"The Holy Spirit will not lead you where the word of God cannot keep you."

These are meaningful words for us to ponder. By the power of the Holy Spirit, let us press on to know Christ, abiding in His presence, safe in the storm, and not ashamed at His return.

For further reading

The Spirit of Antichrist.

Do Not Be Deceived

Deception has been Satan's weapon from the very beginning when he approached Eve saying, "Indeed, has God said..."  (Gen 3:1). It has always been a deadly thing to watch out for, and will be until the very end when Satan is ultimately destroyed in the lake of fire (see Rev 20:10).

We find verses throughout the scriptures warning us against deception. If we are to stand before the Son of man at His return, we must be strong in our faith, unmoved in the face of what might be the strongest deception the earth has ever seen.

On one occasion Jesus' disciples asked about the signs of His second coming. Jesus begins His reply with a warning against deception.

It is quite amazing to look at the various "prophecies" concerning the return of Christ that have been floated out there over the last few centuries. Up to this point none of them have come to pass. As a result, people have been disappointed, disillusioned, and the word of God has been malinged. People have been deceived by men who could have been easily refuted if someone would have only tested them against the word of God. Therefore it becomes us to make sure that we are not deceived. Our souls, and the souls of others depend on it.

So in Matthew 24:4 Jesus says to His disciples, "See to it that no one misleads you."

Immediately He explains that many will come in His name, declaring that they are the Christ, and mislead many (verse 5). 

He then goes through the signs of the end. Wars and rumors of wars, nations rising up against nations, kingdoms against kingdoms, famines and earthquakes in various places. Note in verse 8, these are not the end, but the beginning of the birth pains!

Then severe tribulation, persecution and death, a great falling away, people betraying one another. The arrival of false prophets with more deception. Here we hear that the love of most will grow cold, but the one who endures all of this to the end will be saved.

This is the general flow of things that Jesus lays out in Matthew 24:3-14.

Jesus zeros in on the final great tribulation (3 1/2 years) leading up to His return and gathering of His elect in the next section of this chapter (Matt 24:15-31. Starting with the event that signals the start of this time of tribulation, the abomination of desolation, Jesus again describes the events leading up to His second coming. He warns of false Christ's and false prophets deceiving many. The signs and wonders performed by them will be so powerful as to mislead the elect if that is possible (Matt 24:23-24).   

This is the same thing Paul warns of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. Note here that Paul, in his response to those who were confused about the timing of Christ's return and the gathering of the saints (rapture) tells them, "Let no one in any way deceive you." (2 Thess 2:3).

He then states that His second coming and the rapture/gathering of the elect, will not occur until after the great falling away occurs, and the man of lawlessness is revealed (the abomination of desolation). Just like Jesus, Paul does not want us to be in the dark about the events leading up to the return of Christ. When these events begin to unfold we dare not be taken by surprise, as the deception will only get worse.

And like Jesus,  Paul also tells of a time of false signs and wonders that will decieve many. Let's compare these scriptures,

"For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect."

                                   Matt 24:24 NASB

Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.

That is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,

in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but too pleasure in wickedness.

                          2 Thess 2:8-13 NASB

Jesus and Paul are speaking of the same thing. The revealing of the Antichrist corresponds with the abomination of desolation. This is that. He will sit in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God (2 Thess 2:3-4). This is going to be a time of great deception, as we also see in Revelation 13:11-18.

Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.

He exercises all the authority of he first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out if heaven to the earth in the presence of men.

And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the the image of the beast to be killed.

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to he given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,

And he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that if a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty six.

Here we are introduced to another beast, who is later referred to as the "false prophet" ( Rev 19:20). He operates with the same authority as the first beast or Antichrist. This period in time will be filled with all sort of miraculous signs, perhaps the most stunning will be the resurrection from the dead of the Antichrist ( see Rev 13:3). This event will cause the whole earth to follow after the beast in amazement. The false prophet, just as Jesus predicted, will perform amazing signs to deceive the world into worshipping the beast and his image. The whole economic system will be tied into this worship. It will be a line drawn in the sand so to speak, an irrevocable choice to make.

I fear that we won't be ready for this when it happens. Most Christians are not expecting to see these things unfold. As I previously stated, no one talks about this, no Sunday sermons on this topic, no midweek Bible studies. We need to understand what will someday come, perhaps in our lifetime, and prepare ourselves, by God's grace to stand firm come what may.

How can we be strong? How can we keep our focus and avoid falling into deception?

In John 8:32-32 Jesus exhorted to those who had come to believe in Him,

"If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

There is freedom in the truth. To hold the truth dear, to love it, and to put it into practice is costly, but freeing. To stand in the truth in the midst of Earth's darkest hour might cost you everything in the physical realm, but you will be spiritually free. 

There is no need to be misled. God has given us by His word, everything we need to know to make it through whatever we may face in this life. We have His Holy Spirit within us bringing to our remembrance what we need, when we need it (John 14:26). Study the word, rely on the Holy Spirit to teach you. Now is the time to prepare. Keep your lamps full of oil, and a little extra as well, for some day there might not be time to buy more ( see Matt 25:1-13).

Those who do not love the truth, but instead reject it, can expect to be deceived. In fact, God will send them a deluding influence as a judgement because they did not love the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness (2 Thess 2:10-12). People may be shocked by this, but God will not be mocked, you reap what you sow (Gal 6:7-8). At this time in history evil will have reached it's fullness. To allow yourself to fall into deception, to worship the beast and receive his mark will involve a deliberate choice to align yourself with evil. 

But again, God gives more grace, and we can depend on Him to bring us through. We have His word which is truth. By taking heed to it we can see clearly in the midst of error, and avoid the pitfalls and traps that would otherwise ensnare us.

Watch and Pray

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgement and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

                                1 Peter 4:7 NASB

If we look back at the previous verses in this chapter we read that the time past is sufficient for us to pursue a course of sensuality and self indulgence (see 1 Peter 4:1-7). This is the way the rest of the world lives, but we are no longer of this world, but seek a heavenly kingdom (John 18:14, Heb 13:14). 

In keeping with the theme of 2 Peter 3:10-11, But the day of the Lord will cone like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and it's works will be burned up.

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness...

How then should we be living now? How should we prepare for the coming day of the Lord? As I previously have stated, we may not be the generation to see the final days of Earth's history, but yet we will all stand before God someday, so how can we be prepared for that day?

Prayer is vital to our spiritual survival. Just as the air we breath is necessary to our physical well being, prayer is necessary for our spiritual well being. Without air we die, likewise, without prayer we die.

So according to the above passage we can see that sound judgement and self control are absolutely necessary if we are to maintain a healthy prayer life. How can one be alert and focused on the spiritual realm while indulging in the flesh? 

As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle for our very souls. As we approach the end of time things can only intensify. Therefore we must be alert, and understand what is going on around us. It is time to be sober minded, and constantly bringing everything to God in prayer. I think that focused prayer is one of the hardest things for us as believers to maintain. I speak for myself here. We can be so easily distracted, the "noise" in our busy minds smothering our faith.

Jesus, in His discourse on the last days and the signs of His return, says this,

"Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;

for it will come up on all those that dwell on the face of all the earth.

"But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of man."

                           Luke 21:34-36 NASB

Jesus is telling us the same thing here. If we become wrapped up in the cares of life, or spend our time indulging our fleshly desires, we will be taken by surprise when the things He has foretold begin to take place. We will be blindsided when actual tribulation arrives, when deception abounds everywhere. We are to be alert, vigilant, watching, and fervently praying for the grace to stand in the face of a trial unseen yet by the world.

If we aren't alert now, how can we expect to "spring into action" when the rubber meets the road? Jesus tells us that it is by our endurance we will gain our lives (Luke 21:19). He foretells of a time when the love of many will grow cold, but the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt 24:12-13).

In Luke 18:1-8 we have a parable that is meant to encourage persistent prayer. We are to pray and not give up, we have the promise that God will bring justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night. But here Jesus makes a statement that should cause each one of us to stop and think. "However, when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

When Jesus comes back will He find me, you, watching, praying, trusting Him while everything is falling apart around us? That is a challenge for each one of us as we "see the day approaching."