Antichrist Suspends the Worship of the God of Israel in the Rebuilt Jewish Temple

Daniel 7:25, 9:27 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4 teach that Antichrist will suspend the worship of the God of Israel in the rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

Daniel 9:24 “Seventy units of seven years have been decreed for the benefit of your people as well as for the benefit of your holy city in order to put an end to the rebellion and in addition to bring sin to an end as well as to atone for iniquity likewise to bring about everlasting righteousness as well as to seal up prophetic vision and in addition to anoint the most holy place. 25 Therefore, please know, yes please carefully consider: From the issuing of the command to restore, yes to rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince, there will be seven units of seven years and sixty-two units of seven years. It will be restored, yes it will be rebuilt with a public square as well as a defensive trench even during distressful times. 26 Then, after the sixty-two units of seven years, the Messiah will be executed so that He possesses nothing. Next, the people of the coming leader will destroy the city as well as the sanctuary. Indeed, its end will take place with a flood. Yes, there will be war up to the end. Desolations have been decreed. 27 Then, he will establish a firm covenant with the leaders, which will be one unit of seven years. However, he will cause the sacrificial offering to stop in the middle of this unit of seven years while between the wings which results in abominations, he will cause desecration. Indeed, until a decreed complete destruction is poured out against the desecrater.” (My translation)

In Daniel 9:27, Gabriel informs Daniel that after the coming leader mentioned in Daniel 9:26 establishes a seven-year treaty with the leadership of Israel which marks the beginning of the seventieth week or seventieth unit of seven years, he will cause the sacrificial offering to stop in the middle of this seventieth week.

This means that three and a half years into this treaty, the Antichrist will cause the sacrificial offering in the temple to stop.

This implies that the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and the Levitical sacrifices will be reestablished.

The coming ruler who breaks this treaty with Israel during the seventieth week could not be Antiochus Epiphanes IV since nowhere in history or the Old Testament is he said to establish a seven-year treaty with Israel and then break this treaty after three and a half years.

In fact, Paul teaches in 2 Thessalonians 2 that it will be the Antichrist who does this and the apostle John also teaches this in the book of Revelation.

Antiochus Epiphanes IV put a stop to the sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. as predicted by Daniel chapter eight.

However, nowhere is he said to have established a seven-year treaty with Israel and then break it after three and a half years.

Antiochus’ actions though do typify or foreshadow the actions of Antichrist during the seventieth week.

The coming ruler who establishes this treaty with Israel and then after three and a half years breaks is by no means Jesus Christ since our Lord’s ministry did not last seven years.

Also, His death on the cross did not bring a stop to the sacrifices in the temple and furthermore, he never set up an abomination that causes desolation in the temple.

In Matthew 24:15-16, in His Olivet Discourse, the Lord Jesus Christ makes mention of this event.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13, the apostle Paul also refers to the Antichrist’s desecrating the temple and declaring himself God and demanding the worship of the world.

Paul’s statement in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 that Antichrist will “take his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as God” is a reference to the statement in Daniel 9:27, “on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate.”

Revelation 13:14-15 also mentions Antichrist exalting himself as God and receiving the worship of the world as such.

Paul’s statement that the Antichrist “opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship” means that he ranks himself superior to all the supreme beings worshiped by the various religions of the world, which will be a fulfillment of Daniel 11:36.

Daniel 7:25 makes mention of the Antichrist putting an end to the sacrificial offering during the final three and a half years of the seventieth week.

Daniel 7:7-8 mentions the Antichrist, identifying him as “the little horn” and Daniel 7:23-25 interprets Daniel 7:7-8.

In Daniel 7:23-25, the unidentified interpreter who is more than likely the elect angel Gabriel continues to provide Daniel the interpretation of the vision he received from God.

In verse 24, the angel informed Daniel that the little horn will ascend to power after the ten kings represented by the ten horns ascend to power.

Then, he tells him that in contrast to these ten, this king will be different in comparison to them.

He becomes more specific telling Daniel that he will conquer three of these ten kings.

Now, in verse 25, the angel continues to describe this king and specifically what he will do in relation to God and His people.

First of all, Gabriel informs Daniel that this king will issue statements against the Most High.

This interprets the statement in Daniel 7:8 and 20 that the little horn spoke boastfully.

The angel then tells Daniel that this king will make it his habit of persecuting the saints of the Most High.

This interprets the statement in Daniel 7:21 that the little horn was continually waging war against the saints.

Then, Gabriel informs Daniel that this king will attempt to change the times, yes even the Law.

This does not appear to interpret anything from Daniel’s vision but is additional information which will be further developed in Daniel 9:27.

Some interpret this attempt to change times and law as an attempt to change moral and natural law of the universe.

However, there is nothing in the context of chapter seven or the book of Daniel which would seem to indicate this as the case.

There are others who think that this statement means that the Antichrist will “impose a new legal system on all his subjects, doubtless based on totalitarian principles in which the service of the government or the state will be substituted for the absolute standards of God's moral law.[1]

Some speculate the Antichrist will attempt to adjust the time schedule so that there will no longer be a twenty-four hour day or attack the moral foundations of society.

However, it is better to interpret this statement that the Antichrist will attempt to change times and law as a reference to abolishing the various Levitical sacrifices which are related to the worship of Yahweh and replacing them with those pertaining to the worship of the Antichrist.

It would also indicate that he will attempt to abolish the observance of the seven great feasts of Israel: (1) Passover (2) Unleavened bread (3) First-fruits (4) Pentecost (5) Trumpets (6) Day of Atonement (7) Tabernacles.

This is supported by the fact that this statement does not interpret anything in Daniel’s vision in chapter seven but is an addition which is developed further by Daniel 9:27, which says that Antichrist will put an end to these sacrifices.

In Daniel 7:25, the noun dāṯ means “law” referring to the Mosaic Law and specifically to the Levitical laws concerning sacrifices since Daniel 9:27, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and Revelation 13:1-8 indicate that Antichrist will put an end to the Levitical sacrifices in order to establish the worship of himself during Daniel’s Seventieth Week.

The angelic interpreter’s last statement in Daniel 7:25 is emphatic informing Daniel that the saints of the Most High will be given into the power of this king represented by the little horn, who we know as the Antichrist.

This interprets the statement in Daniel 7:21 that the little horn will overpower the saints.

This refers to God’s people being killed by the Antichrist.

Then, Daniel is told that this will take place for three and a half years which is a reference to the last three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, which constitutes the tribulation portion of this seven-year period.

These three and a half years correspond with the “for a time (one year), times (two years), and a half time (six months)” in Daniel 7:25 and the “one thousand two hundred and sixty days” in Revelation 12:6 and the “forty-two months” in Revelation 11:2.

This three-and-a-half-year period is also not an interpretation of anything in Daniel’s vision in chapter seven but is added by the angel.

It is looking ahead to Daniel 9:27, which is a reference to the Seventieth Week of Daniel in which these future events described by the angel in Daniel 7:23-25 will take place.

This three-and-a-half-year period thus corresponds to the Antichrist putting an end to the sacrificial offering in the middle of the seventieth week.

The Antichrist will abolish the Levitical offerings in the temple in the middle of the seventieth week because he will establish a world-wide worship of himself.

Revelation 13:14-15 mentions Antichrist exalting himself as God and receiving the worship of the world as such.

Daniel 7:25 corresponds to Revelation 13:1-10.

[1] Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary OT 7 Volume Set: Books: Zondervan Publishing