The Nature, Source and Purpose of Daniel's Seventieth Week (Great Tribulation)
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday July 1, 2007
The Day of the Lord: The Nature, Source and Purpose of Daniel’s 70th Week (Great Tribulation Period)
Lesson # 3
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 9:24.
This morning we will temporarily suspend our studies in the book of Romans by continuing our series dealing with the prophetic subject called “the Day of the Lord,” which I will conduct each time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
“The Day of the Lord” is “not” a literal twenty-four period but rather is an extended period of time beginning with God’s dealing with Israel after the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation period and extending through the 2nd Advent and the millennial age unto the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.
In our first hour of study, we studied the “Rapture,” which triggers the beginning of this period called the “Day of the Lord.”
The “Rapture” refers to the resurrection of the church, which is imminent, invisible to the world, and terminates the church age and will take place in the earth’s atmosphere when the Lord Jesus Christ will suddenly and forcefully remove the church from planet earth in order to deliver her from the Tribulation period.
1 Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of {the} archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
1 Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
Last month we continued this study of the “Day of the Lord” by beginning a study of the Tribulation period, which immediately follows the Rapture of the church.
The Tribulation is also called by students of prophecy as “Daniel’s 70th Week” and so therefore, last month we studied the great prophecy that appears in Daniel 9:24-27 that is called by theologians, “The Seventy Weeks of Daniel.”
A “week” in the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 refers to 7 prophetic years of 360 days; therefore, the prophecy of the 70 weeks of Daniel refers to 490 prophetic years of Israel’s history.
These 490 prophetic years are divided into three segments: (1) 7 “sevens” (49 years): The decree of Artaxerxes in 444 B.C. (Neh. 2:1-8) to the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Dan. 9:25). (2) 62 “sevens” (434 years): The completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem to Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and crucifixion in 33 A.D. (Dan. 9:25-26) (3) 1 “seven” (7 years): Tribulation period (Dan. 9:27).
Daniel 9:24, “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 anoint the most holy place.”
Daniel 9:25, “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 9:26, “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people (Romans) of the prince who is to come (Antichrist) 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.”
Daniel 9:27, “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’s 70th week refers to a 7-year period that extends from the rapture of the church to the 2nd Advent of Christ and is concerned with the nation of Israel exclusively and will be the worst period in all of Israel’s and the world’s history.
This 7-year period is divided into two three and a half year periods with the first three and a half years characterized as a cold war (Mt. 24:6) whereas the last three and a half years are characterized as a hot war (Mt. 24:21-22).
The church age takes place between Daniel 9:26 and 27 and was a “mystery” (Eph. 3:9) meaning it was not known to Old Testament prophets such as Daniel.
Ephesians 3:8-9, “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to bring to light what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things.”
God has temporarily set aside Israel because of her rejection of Jesus Christ as Messiah (Rom. 9-11) in order to form the church and so therefore, the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy have yet to be fulfilled but will be fulfilled after the rapture of the church (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
Romans 11:25, “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery so that you will not be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
A survey of many passages that refer to the Tribulation portion of the Day of the Lord indicates that the nature or character of this particular period of history is that of: (1) Wrath (Zeph. 1:15, 18; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9; Rev. 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19). (2) Judgment (Rev. 14:7; 15:4; 16:5, 7; 19:2). (3) Indignation (Isa. 26:20-21; 34:1-3). (4) Trial (Rev. 3:10). (5) Trouble (Jer. 30:7; Zeph. 1:14-15; Dan. 12:1. (6) Destruction (Joel 1:15; 1 Thess. 5:3). (7) Darkness (Joel 2:2; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:14-18). (8) Desolation (Dan. 9:27; Zeph. 1:14-15). (9) Overturning (Isa. 24:1-4, 19-21). (10) Punishment (Isa. 24:20-21).
The tribulation period will witness the wrath of Satan in his animosity against Israel (Rev. 12:12-17) and of Satan’s man, the Beast, also known as Antichrist, in his animosity against the saints (Rev. 13:7) but even Satan’s wrath does “not” come close to the intensity of God’s wrath.
The Scriptures plainly teach that the wrath poured out during the Great Tribulation period originates with God and is therefore a time of God’s wrath upon a Christ rejecting a world that is deceived by the devil (See Isaiah 34:1-2; Joel 1:15; Obadiah 15; Revelation 15:1, 7; 16:1; Revelation 19:11-21).
Zephaniah 1:14, “Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly.”
Zephaniah 1:15-16, “A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.”
Zephaniah 1:17, “I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD; And their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.”
Zephaniah 1:18, “Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the LORD'S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.”
The Scriptures plainly reveal that Daniel’s 70th week, also known as the Great Tribulation period is distinctly the time when God’s wrath and judgment fall upon the earth.
This is not wrath from men, nor from Satan, except as God may use these agencies as instruments for the execution of His will, thus the wrath during Daniel’s 70th week is tribulation from God.
This period differs from all preceding tribulation, not only in intensity but also in the kind of tribulation, since it comes from God Himself.
The first great purpose of the tribulation is to prepare the nation Israel for her Messiah (Deut. 4:30; Jer. 30:7; Ezek. 20:37; Dan. 12:1; Zech. 13:8-9).
Many in Israel will accept Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah during the Tribulation period and along with Old Testament saints, they will enter into the millennial reign of Christ, which is subsequent to the 2nd Advent of Christ, which terminates the Tribulation period.
Our Lord, in His Olivet Discourse makes it clear the tribulation will be the worst period in Israel’s history (Matt. 24:9-26).
Matthew 24:21, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”
Matthew 24:22, “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
The book of Revelation teaches that the Tribulation period is a time when God deals with His covenant people Israel (Rev. 7:4-6; 12:1-2; 17).
God’s purpose for Israel in the Tribulation is “crisis evangelism” or in other words, to lead them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
These Jews who turn to Jesus Christ as Savior will enter into the blessings of the Christ’s millennial kingdom and experience the fulfillment of all Israel’s covenants.
The good news that the King is about to return will be preached (Matt. 24:14) so that Israel may be turned to their Deliverer.
The book of Revelation teaches that many Jews will believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior (Rev. 7:1-8; Matt. 25:1-13) and also, many Gentiles will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and will be martyred according to Revelation 7:9-17.
The second great purpose of the tribulation is to pour out judgment on unbelieving man and nations.
Revelation 3:11, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Joel 3:2, “I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations and they have divided up My land.”
God judges the nations since they have fallen for the deception of the apostate religious system (Rev. 14:8) and have partaken of the “wine of the wrath of her fornication” and they have followed the false prophet in the worship of the beast (Rev. 13:11-18) and therefore must be judged (Rev. 6:15-17).
Since the kingdom to follow is a reign of righteousness, this judgment must be viewed as another step in the progress of God’s program in dealing with sin so that the Messiah may reign.
This program of judgment on sinners constitutes the second great purpose of the tribulation period.
The divine judgments that will fall on the inhabitants of the earth are designed to lead men to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ since God desires all men to be saved.
2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
The divine judgments that will fall on the earth are also designed to destroy Satan’s cosmic system and establish Christ’s millennial rule.
Revelation 11:15, “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.’”
The Bible also teaches that the church is delivered from the wrath to come during the Great Tribulation period.
1 Thessalonians 1:10, “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This leads us to the communion service and so therefore, could we have the deacons pass out the communion elements and let us take a few minutes to meditate upon the Lord and prepare ourselves for the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is a commandment given by the Lord Jesus Christ to every church age believer to bring into remembrance His Unique Person and Finished Work on the Cross, both of which serve as the basis for fellowship with God and each other as members of the Body of Christ.
In the communion service, the bread portrays the sinless humanity of Christ, which was sacrificed for us and the wine portrays His spiritual death as our Substitute, both of which serve as the basis for fellowship with God and each other.
Luke 22:14, “When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.”
Luke 22:15-16, “And He said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’”
Luke 22:17-18, “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.’”
Luke 22:19, “And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”
Luke 22:20, “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.’”