Daniel Interprets The Dream
Daniel's Seventy Weeks, the backbone of prophecy, is one of the greatest prophecy studies in the entire Bible and is one of the closest things that can be proven time wise. The one aspect of this lesson herein discussed is: Will the church go through the Tribulation Period? The Biblical answer is - NO! Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people - what people? Who was the Lord addressing? He was addressing Daniel who was a Jew. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people - the Jewish people. This has nothing to do with the Gentile Church or the Bride of Christ. The Church Will Not Go Through The Tribulation Period! There are six things specifically outlined by God in verse 24 that He intends to accomplish against Israel for her failure to serve Him: l - to finish the transgression 2 - to make an end of sins 3 - to make reconciliation for iniquity 4 - to bring in everlasting righteousness 5 - to seal up the vision and prophecy 6 - to anoint the most Holy
| ||||||
______________________
Definition: Herein when the word Tribulation is used it distinctly refers to the Great Tribulation, Day of the Lord, or the Great Day of the Lord as stated in the Scriptures. It does not refer to daily trials and tribulations. Understanding: There are ‘Mainstream Truths’ in the Bible. The ‘Oneness’ of God is a ‘Mainstream’ Truth,” The Mercy of God is a ‘Mainstream Truth,’ the Love of God is a ‘Mainstream Truth,’ etc. The church will not go through the Tribulation Period is also a “Mainstream Truth.” There are Old Testament saints, there are New Testament saints, and there are Tribulation saints. We can look back upon the Old Testament saints and see what they were and what qualified them to be saints. We see New Testament saints because we live here. We do not know all the particulars about Tribulation saints; only that they will most definitely exist during those most horrific times in Bible prophecy. It is of utmost importance to understand that the Old Testament prophets did not see the Church Age. Abraham looked for a city whose builder and maker was God - we found it!!! Isaiah of all the prophets had the greatest insight into the messianicship of Jesus of Nazareth, but not the church age. The Jewish prophets saw the Day of the Lord or the Tribulation as mentioned in: (Joel 2:1 KJV) Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; and (Joel 2:11 KJV) And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? God is most definitely referring to a certain day or a certain time as again we see in: (Rev 16:14 KJV) For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Zec 14:1 KJV) Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. (Zec 14:2 KJV) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Rev 7:14 KJV) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. God’s direct displeasure was poured out upon the Jews and their nation through the voices of the Prophets of old and because of their failure to serve Him - punishment was eminent. Again refer with me to (Dan 9:24 KJV) Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Notice here that God says, “Seventy weeks are determined upon THY PEOPLE. THY PEOPLE without question refers directly to the people of Daniel, the Jewish people. This pronouncement of judgment and future events has nothing to do with the New Testament Church. It refers only to the Jewish nation and the Jewish people. God knew by foreknowledge that the Jews in the end result would not serve Him. He knew He was going to set the Jews aside for a period of time and take a people out of the Gentiles for His Name’s sake because the Gentiles who sat in darkness would see and receive a ‘great light.’ In other words, the Gentiles would hear and believe… ______________________
Further Understanding: When Babylon came across and conquered Israel in 606 BC and carried them away captive into Babylon, the nation of Israel ceased to be a world empire and the ‘Times of the Gentiles’ began with Israel being in seventy years of captivity directly under Babylon. From the going forth of the commandment until the building of Jerusalem was seven weeks as noted in (Dan 9:25 KJV). Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. We know from history that it took Nehemiah 49 years to rebuild and complete his building project in Jerusalem. If the Bible stated seven weeks, then by dividing 49 years by seven weeks, we can find out how long a week is. It was seven years long. With this understanding, now we can determine how long it was from the going forth of the commandment to rebuild and restore Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince. We have seven weeks plus threescore and two weeks or Sandwiched in between the 69th and 70th week is the period of the Church Age out of which God will take a people for His Name’s sake… Herein is glorious understanding!
______________________
The prophets had prophesied this very thing! Jesus did not come with an earthly kingdom, He came with a spiritual kingdom and the Jewish nation missed it! They were looking for someone to throw out the Romans. If Jesus had thrown out the Romans, they would most assuredly have hailed Him as the Messiah. Today they are doing the same thing again - they are looking for a political figure to throw out the Arabs and Palestinians... The man who steps on the scene in his own name and makes this political arrangement possible, giving them the Temple Mount and the rights thereon, will be hailed as the Messiah (sent one). The stage, as we can see, is set and most regrettably Israel will fall into the hands of the Anti-Christ… This period of time will be known to Israel as ‘Jacob’s Troubles.’ Pray for the House of Israel throughout all the earth to recognize in Jesus Christ of Nazareth the fullness of their Messianic hopes and dreams. _____________________ Proof Units of Biblical and Revelatory InsightThe Bible teaches that the Anti-Christ will be the most powerful figure in the world; so powerful in fact that if you do not take his mark in your hand or forehead, you can neither buy nor sell. He will literally control the whole world and that system and spirit is alive in the earth NOW!!! However, the same Bible that teaches the Anti-Christ will be the most powerful figure in the earth, also teaches that “….greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) Herein is wisdom, YOU CAN’T HAVE TWO ‘GREATERS’ HERE AT THE SAME TIME. Of necessity one of them has to be gone; thus it is written in: (2 Th 2:7 KJV) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. (2 Th 2:8 KJV) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Here we can see plainly that ‘he’ letteth or hinders. He that hinders will continue to hinder until he (the church) be taken out of the way and then shall that Wicked (Anti-Christ) be revealed! Note: the word Wicked is capitalized. The Anti-Christ cannot step on the world scene as long as the Church is here because the Church is GREATER in every way than the powers of the Anti-Christ. We would totally destroy him by fasting and prayer… It is unbiblical to believe anything else. If the church were going through the Tribulation Period; if we were actually going through something as monumental, as trying, as treacherous as outlined in the book of Revelation and elsewhere in the scriptures, wouldn’t you think God would have given some instructions in the New Testament to the Church on how to prepare, how to get through the Tribulation Period? There is not one line, not one word of any such instruction because: The Church Will Not Go Through The Tribulation Period! God gave 21 books of epistles or letters to the Church on how to live, how to prepare for His coming, to watch for His appearing… but not ONE INSTRUCTION on how to get through it because: The Church Will Not Go Through The Tribulation Period. ______________________ Old Testament Shadows The Old Testament Typifies A PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE
For Example: Noah was in the ark before the judgment came – he and his family were born above the destruction… Lot was taken out of Sodom the same day the fire fell… Joseph married a Gentile Bride and saved her from seven years of famine… Rahab was saved from the judgment of the city… Moses and the Hebrew children suffered persecution, but before God destroyed Egypt in the Red Sea they were safe on the other side… We will continue to see persecution of the Church before the coming of the Lord, but this has been going on since 33 AD. Persecution comes from your fellow man, but the Wrath of God is not reserved for His Bride, His Church… it is reserved for those who know not God and those who refuse to serve Him. It may be of interest for you to know that more Christians were martyred in the last century than all other centuries put together since 33 AD when the church was born… all of that came from our fellow man, not the wrath of God upon the earth… ______________________ |
One of the most powerful influences from the Scriptures pointing to a Pre-Tribulation Rapture is the study of the Seven Annual Feasts of The Lord. These feasts were kept by the Hebrew Children from year to year throughout their generations. The annual keeping of the seven feasts by the Hebrew Children was a 'Rehearsal' in type and shadow of things to come. The book of Leviticus outlines these feasts and the laws of observance surrounding them. Please study from Leviticus chapter 23.
The feasts were celebrated annually in an exact order and on set dates WITHOUT EXCEPTION!!! The Laws of God as given to the Hebrew Children were to be executed exactly as he had outlined them. Again, there were NO EXCEPTIONS to the requirements, nor the dates, nor the order of the dates. The Hebrew Children kept these feast days annually from generation to generation. A close study of the chart below will bring you to a conclusive conclusion concerning the Rapture of the Church in relationship to the Tribulation Period. The Church Will Not Go Through The Tribulation Period.
The Lord required the Hebrew Children to worship in type and shadow the entire Church Age as it would appear and progress to a conclusive end in His master plan for man... The Church Will Not Go Through The Tribulation Period.
Please Note:
The Seven Annual Feasts Point to a Pre-Tribulation Rapture:
|
The Seven Annual Feasts of the Lord were celebrated in type and shadow forecasting the entire Church Age. In detail the Hebrew Children celebrated these feasts with dedication and consecration annually throughout their generations for thousands of years. It was, I reiterate, a 'Rehearsal' of things to come!
The Passover Feast was a type of the Crucifixion,
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a type of the Burial,
The Feast of First Fruits was a type of the Resurrection,
The Feast of Pentecost was a type of the Birth of the Church,
The Feast of Trumpets was a type of the Rapture of the Church,
The Feast of Atonement was a type of the Tribulation Period, and finally
The Feast of Tabernacles was a type of the Millennial Reign as diagramed above.
It is of utmost importance to remember, I reiterate, that without exception the feasts were celebrated in order of God's direction, on the same day each year, and in the same order each year. THERE WERE NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
Note that the Feast of Trumpets (a type of the Rapture) was celebrated on Oct 1st. The Feast of Atonement (a type of the Tribulation Period) was celebrated nine days later on Oct 10th. The Feast of Trumpets was never celebrated in the 'middle' of the Day of Atonement or the typed Tribulation Period. Nor was it celebrated at the 'end' of the Feast of Atonement or the typed Tribulation Period. The Church Will Not Go Through The Tribulation Period. Copyright © 1999-2001 Lee Stoneking Ministries - All Rights Reserved