Daniel 9.27, 2 Thessalonians 2.3-4-The Antichrist Breaks His Treaty with Israel in the Middle of Daniel's Seventieth Week
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday May 4, 2008
The Day of the Lord: Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4-The Antichrist Breaks His Treaty With Israel In The Middle of Daniel’s Seventieth Week
Lesson # 13
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 9:24.
This morning we will temporarily suspend our studies in the book of Romans as is our custom the first Sunday of every month in order to continue our study of the prophetic subject called “the Day of the Lord.”
“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.
The “Rapture” of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) triggers the beginning of the “Day of the Lord” and will come like a thief in the night meaning it will come upon the world, unexpectedly.
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 4:16-17, “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. 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.”
1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”
The Rapture is immediately followed by the Tribulation period, which is also known by students of prophecy as, “Daniel’s Seventieth Week.”
“Daniel’s Seventieth Week” refers to the last seven of the four hundred ninety prophetic years of Israel’s history, which is called by students of prophecy, “The Seventy Weeks of Daniel” and is recorded in Daniel 9:24-27.
A “week” in the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 refers to seven prophetic years of three hundred sixty days; therefore, the prophecy of the seventy weeks of Daniel refers to four hundred ninety prophetic years of Israel’s history.
“Daniel’s Seventieth Week” refers to a seven-year period that extends from Antichrist’s peace treaty with Israel after 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 (Daniel 9:24-27).
The Bible also teaches that the church is delivered from the wrath to come during the Great Tribulation period.
1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This seven-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).
This period will end with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which is the visible return of Christ to planet earth with the elect angels and the Church in order to deliver Israel from her enemies and establish Jesus Christ’s millennial reign (Dan. 2:44-45; Zech. 14; Mt. 24:29-31; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-21).
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.”
These “seventy weeks” or 490 years are divided into three periods: (1) 7 weeks=49 years (2) 62 weeks=434 years (3) 1 week=7 years.
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.”
“The issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” refers to the decree issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus’ decree in 444 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-8).
“Seven weeks” refers 49 prophetic biblical years beginning with the decree of Artaxerxes in 444 B.C. (Neh. 2:1-8) to the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Dan. 9:25).
“Sixty-two weeks” refers to 434 prophetic biblical years beginning with the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem to Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and crucifixion in 33 A.D. (Dan. 9:25-26).
Daniel 9:26, “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.”
The statement “after the sixty-two weeks” refers to the completion of 69 of the 70 weeks of Daniel, 483 prophetic years and “the Messiah will be cut off” refers to the death of Christ.
Sixty-nine of these seventy weeks, four hundred eighty-three prophetic years, has been fulfilled in human history.
However, the seventieth week has not but will take place after the rapture of the church and will begin with Antichrist’s peace treaty with Israel and will last seven years and will end with the Second Advent of Christ.
The church age takes place between Daniel 9:26 and 27 and thus takes place between the 69th and 70th weeks.
It was a “mystery” (Eph. 3:9) meaning it was not known to Old Testament prophets such as Daniel.
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 to fulfill the Times of the Gentiles 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).
Daniel 9:26, “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.”
“The people” refers to the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. and the phrase “the prince who shall come” refers to the Antichrist.
The Scriptures give the Antichrist many titles and names: (1) “The beast” (Revelation 13:1-2) (2) “The prince that will come” (Daniel 9:26-27) (3) The “man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10) (4) The “scarlet beast” (Revelation 17:3) (5) The willful king (Daniel 11:36-40) (6) “The man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3), (7) “The son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) (8) The Desolater (Daniel 9:27). (9) The “little horn” (Daniel 7:8).
He will not appear until the Day of the Lord has begun (2 Thessalonians 2:2) and his manifestation is being hindered by the Restrainer (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7) and this appearance will be pre¬ceded by the rapture of the church (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
Antichrist will be a Gentile since he arises from the sea according to Revelation 13:1 and the sea depicts the Gentile nations according to Revelation 17:15.
He will be a Roman since he is a ruler of the people who destroyed Jerusalem (Dan. 9:26).
Daniel 7:21-22 reveals the following regarding the little horn: (1) He will persecute the saints of the Most High and is thus a person and Daniel 7:24 says that he is a king. (2) He will overcome the nation of Israel and will bring that nation under his authority (Revelation 12:13-17; 17:7). (3) He will be judged by God (Revelation 19:19-20) and Israel will thus enter into her millennial reign.
Daniel 7:23 reveals that the little horn will have a world-wide kingdom (Compare Revelation 13:7).
Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 13:1-10 reveal the following about the little horn: (1) He will oppose God’s authority as indicated by the phrase “He will speak out against the Most High” (Compare Revelation 13:6). (2) He will oppress born-again Israel as indicated by the statement “wear down the saints of the Highest One”. (3) He will introduce an entirely new era in which he will abandon all previous laws and institute his own system as indicated by the statement “he will intend to make alterations in times in law” (Compare Daniel 11:36-37; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
Daniel 9:27a indicates that he will pretend to be Israel’s benefactor and make a treaty with her but will turn against her in the mid way point of Daniel’s Seventieth Week and will persecute Israel and occupy Jerusalem for three and a half years.
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.”
The statement “he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week” refers to Antichrist making a 7 year covenant with Israel, which actually begins Daniel’s 70th week (See 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
Thus far, we have studied the following major events that will take place during the first three and an half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week:
(1) The rise of the Ten Nation Confederacy called the Revived Roman Empire at the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week (Dan. 2; 7).
(2) Antichrist rises to power as the King of the Western Confederacy in Europe (Dan. 7:20, 24; 9:27; Rev. 13:1-10).
(3) The rise of the revived form of the Roman Empire under Antichrist during the first three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week will be accompanied by the formulation of a false religious system under the false prophet (Rev. 13:11-18).
(4) Antichrist’s peace treaty with the leadership of Israel, which takes place after the rapture of the church and actually begins Daniel’s Seventieth Week.
(5) Toward the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, Michael the archangel and his legions of elect-angels will expel Satan and his legions from heaven (Rev. 12:7).
Once Satan is thrown down permanently on the earth, he will inspire the leader of Russia and her allies to invade Israel during the midway point of Daniel’s Seventieth Week according to Ezekiel 38-39.
Ezekiel chapters thirty eight and thirty nine reveals that the Lord Himself will destroy this invasion by Russia who will be accompanied by Georgia, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Ethiopia, Sudan and Libya.
The next major event will be Antichrist breaking his treaty with the Israel.
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.”
“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,” refers to the antichrist stopping the Levitical sacrifices that will be reestablished in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week.
The Russian led invasion of Israel will cause the Antichrist to break his treaty with Israel and occupy Israel according to Daniel 11:41.
Daniel 11:40-41, “At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon.”
In His Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus Christ specifically referred to this event of the Antichrist breaking his treaty with Israel, and He tells Israel that at that time, they must flee to the mountains surrounding Judea.
Matthew 24:15-16, “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.”
The apostle Paul also mentions this event in 2 Thessalonians 2 and teaches that at that time, Antichrist will declare himself to be the object of the world’s worship and display himself as being God in the rebuilt Jewish temple.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”
2 Thessalonians 2:5, “Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?”
2 Thessalonians 2:6, “And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.”
2 Thessalonians 2:7, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.”
2 Thessalonians 2:8-10, “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.”
2 Thessalonians 2:11-13, “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 took pleasure in wickedness. But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”
This leads us to the communion service and so therefore, could we have our ushers 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.
1 Corinthians 11:23, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread.”
1 Corinthians 11:24, “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:25, “In the same way {He took} the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink {it} in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”