Chapter 14: Tribulation – The 70th Week of Daniel
There is a certain sense in which we are going to face tribulation our whole lives. “Blessed are you when they revile, persecute, and slander you, because that is how they treated the prophets that came before you”.{ccclxxxviii} Jesus told His disciples in John 15:18-27 that they will face persecution and hardship. They will receive it because the world is in darkness and has been handed over to the evil one. If they crucified Jesus, why would we expect anything less? Tribulation and persecution is normative for the Christian. What that does not mean, however, is that we should pray for persecution. That is masochistic.
It is the wisdom of the world to persecute. It might not necessarily be violent or hostile persecution in the sense of beatings and murder. There can be equally hostile and violent persecution in the words and deeds of others against us. I cannot repeat what I have heard some people say to me. I have heard even from the mouth of other Christians such anger and resentment because I have spoken something that caused offense. Their Christianity leaves as soon as they have been offended. Once the area of flesh that they have been clinging onto is exposed, violence and hatred spew from their lips. Brothers and sisters have apologized to me because of their venom that they were only too quick to spit out, even on public posts and forums, because I simply disagreed with what they were saying.
I’ve been on the end of spitting out that venom. There is something about truth that hurts. While the sword of the prophets of Baal cut far enough to emit blood, the word of God cuts deep enough to separate bone and marrow, soul and spirit.{ccclxxxix} It takes that deep incision to find healing. The person that you speak the word to might not react kindly. Thus, we are on the receiving end of trauma. Yet, the persecution that comes from the world is a lot easier to handle. I expect that those who are in rebellion against God and His righteousness would continue to rebel and oppose righteousness. I delight when I speak to people that are welcoming to truth, even if they are unwilling to live according to that truth. But I understand from where it comes when people don’t welcome it.
The persecution that comes from the Church is much harder to bear. But this is not the Tribulation that we have in mind. Tribulation and hardship that comes to us from those in the world, and even those that are our brethren, is only persecution. To define terms, the Tribulation is the last period of time before Jesus returns. Some have said it pertains to the last seven years, while others claim that it is only the last three and a half years. For the sake of this writing, I will refer to it as the last seven years before the Second Advent. From where does such a number come? It actually only comes from one verse in the Bible, but there is a pattern of sevens that have preceded it. Daniel 9:27 reads, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
The “he” being referred to is the Antichrist.{cccxc} The “seven” mentioned is a seven-year period of time. The context of Daniel 9 is that the prophet was praying for the restoration of Israel. Some have speculated that Daniel had been in exile for close to 70 years when he started praying this. The prophet Jeremiah said, “Build houses and get comfortable because you’re going to be there for 70 years”.{cccxci}
Daniel then takes this to the Lord and starts to pray for the restoration of Israel. God did not give Jeremiah this understanding, but it is hinted at in Jeremiah 30 that the prophet knew that the restoration after 70 years was not the final restoration.{cccxcii} God reveals to Daniel a plan that goes beyond 70 years. God says, “It is not just 70 years, but 70 seven year periods”.{cccxciii} It is at the end of those 70 “sevens” that God says He will, “finish transgression, put an end to sin, atone for wickedness, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and anoint the most holy place.”
Has that happened? Here is where we get in trouble. There is a technical yes, but also a technical no. God breaks the 70 ‘sevens’ into three distinct parts: seven sevens, sixty-two sevens, and a final seven. It will be 49 years from the issuing of the decree (whatever that means, no one is certain) and then the rebuilding of the Temple will be complete. From there, count another sixty-two sevens (434 years), and the “anointed one” will be “cut off.” The anointed one being spoken of here is the Messiah Jesus. Then the subject changes to another ‘prince’ that is not the Messiah, but instead a wicked ruler that will destroy the sanctuary.
This is the context of the last seven-year period. It is speaking of a time where some wicked ruler will destroy the sanctuary and set up an abomination that causes desolation. Jesus actually references this in Matthew 24:15 as a future event (future from Jesus’ time). Many have claimed that the book of Daniel was fulfilled in the time of the Macabees, and that Antiochus Ephiphanes was the wicked ruler. There are a lot of similarities, but ultimately the word of Jesus trumps the commentators. If we’re looking at a future even from the time of Jesus, what event has happened to fit this description?
There is only one event that can possibly fit that description: the destruction of the second Temple. There is a problem here. We’ve separated the 70th week from the other 69 weeks. Those that use this argument that you cannot separate the 70th week from the other 69 weeks actually perform the same flaw. Others form heresy for the sake of “being right.”{cccxciv} This last week, or seven, must still be future. The reason for this is simple. Daniel 9:24 has not been brought to fulfillment.
Though it is true that there are a lot of parallels and similarities between Jesus’ sacrifice in fulfilling the Law and the accomplishment of Daniel 9:24, it ultimately falls short. One of the struggles is that according to the context of the book of Daniel, this had to happen before the destruction of the second temple in 70 A.D. How do we reconcile that this has not yet happened, and we are almost 2000 years after the destruction of that second temple? In prophecy, there is a general rule of thumb. Many times there is this sense of immediate fulfillment, but then it looks past that immediate fulfillment to an ultimate fulfillment at the end of the age. Some call this the “now, not yet”.
Jesus did indeed finish transgression. He put an end to sin. He atoned for wickedness. He brought everlasting righteousness. These are fulfilled in Jesus, at least symbolically if we’re unwilling to admit spiritually. But there is a literal fulfillment of those as well. All of the prophets spoke of a time when these things would have literal meaning, and there would be no more war. It comes at the consummation of the age. At the very end of this era, these prophecies are to be fulfilled. So, I have no issue with separating the 70th week of Daniel from the 69th week. I see a fulfillment in the first century, yes, but I also see a more complete fulfillment at the end of the age.
Lets ask the question of why God would choose the number seven. The number seven is vitally important to the Scriptures. There were seven days of creation; some of the rabbis have speculated the world is on a 7000 yearlong clock, the last 1000 years being the reign of Messiah. Joshua marched around Jericho for seven days, seven times on the seventh day, and blew seven trumpets on the seventh circle of the seventh day. When you offer a sin offering, you pour out the blood seven times upon the altar. Jacob worked seven years for Rachel and seven years for Leah. The number seven speaks of perfection, not merely completion. For the age to end with a seven year Tribulation seems perfectly legitimate and absolutely patterned.{cccxcv}
This Tribulation is the final judgment upon the nations. Any nation that continues to endure after this judgment{cccxcvi} must submit to the authority of God by “entering the tent of Shem.”{cccxcvii} For a more literal understanding of what that means, they must send representatives up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.{cccxcviii} The Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration that God has “tabernacled” with men. He is Emanuel, God with us.{cccxcix} To answer the question of how we know that this is the final judgment and that there is no more judgment after this, we simply need to ask “why?” Why is God sending the Tribulation? It is to redeem a people that have rejected Him, and to establish His literal Kingdom upon this earth.
If His people are no longer disobedient, and the world is in peace, then why would there need to be another judgment upon the earth? The Judgment Seat comes after the 1000-year reign of Christ, and after certain peoples and nations gather again against Jerusalem led by Satan Himself.{cd} So there is a final judgment that is not on the earth, but this is the final judgment upon the earth. This last seven years (specifically Armageddon) is when God gathers all nations together in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Armageddon comes from two words: har [strata/hill] and Megiddo [an ancient city in Israel]) and enters into judgment with them.{cdi}
The way that God enters into judgment with the nations in the Jezreel Valley (where Megiddo is located) is by the return of Christ. It is mentioned in Daniel 2:34 that a stone cut out from a mountain, but not by human hands, is cast at the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. It strikes the feet of the statue, and the whole kingdom crumbles. We can parallel this with Matthew 25:31-32, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” This parable is actually Jesus’ exegesis of Joel 3:1-3. It explains why the nations are gathering, why they are being judged, and ultimately describes who will be found worthy to remain in His Kingdom. There is also a statement found at the end of Daniel 11, that the Antichrist “will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help.”
Everything about the end times revolves around this. When we read the book of Revelation, we need to understand that it is a repetition of the same seven-year cycle over and over again. The vision comes to the end, and then it backtracks to either the beginning or the middle to add more details. Then it comes up to the end, only to backtrack and add more details. Then it comes up to the end, only to backtrack and fill in more details. With only a few exceptions (like the first few chapters, Revelation 12, and the last several chapters), the only thing being expressed is the last seven years.
It isn’t until we reach Revelation 19 that we find the completion of the story: Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom upon this earth. The return of Christ is called “the Day of the Lord.” That final persecution that breaks out upon His people is called the “time of Jacob’s Trouble.”{cdii} The time of Jacob’s Trouble is specifically the last three and a half years before the return of Christ. For the first three and a half years, there is peace, and then the last three and a half years are havoc. Now, in Daniel we have the mystery of God being expressed fully. We have in Daniel 9:26 the speaking of the Messiah being cut off, but not for Himself, and then the last part of the verse speaks of the sanctuary and the city being destroyed. Looking backward, I would assume that this is the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.
When we come to Daniel 9:27, we are talking about a different “he”. That he is ultimately Satan, but we learn from Daniel 8:10-11 that the same man who sets up the abomination of desolation in Daniel 9:27 is the Antichrist. When we compare Daniel 2:34, 7:11, 8:25, 9:27, 11:21, 31, and 45, we see that the same man is being communicated the whole time.
I tried to put emphasis on the things that match, but maybe it came out more confusing than helpful. That which is only italicized shows the pattern of the Antichrist’s destruction coming from something other than human hands – Christ. That which is only bold faced shows the destruction of the Antichrist. That which is only underlined shows the boastfulness of the Antichrist – even to challenge God Himself. That which is bold and underlined shows the pattern of the Antichrist taking away the sacrifice and destroying the sanctuary. That which is bold and italicized shows both the Antichrist’s deceit as well as the timing of his destruction of the sanctuary. He destroys the sanctuary in the middle of the seven years, when the people feel secure. That which is italicized and underlined shows the passages dealing with the abomination of desolation:
“While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them… Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire… It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low… He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of Princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power… He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’. In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him… He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue… His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation… He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.”
There are many more passages through the prophecies of Daniel that line up, but I think that this is a good place to start. Also in the book of Daniel, we have the revelation of two comings of the messiah. In Daniel 7:11-14, we see the Antichrist slain and the coming of the messiah on the clouds of heaven. We then turn to Daniel 9:26, and we find the messiah – the anointed one – being cut off, but not for himself. Then we find at the end of Daniel 9:27 that the Antichrist comes to an end. How does that end come? It comes by the messiah coming on the clouds. So, we have in Daniel 9:26 a coming of the messiah as a ransom for many, and then in Daniel 9:27, we have the same messiah coming a second time to destroy the Antichrist.
The Jewish people have recognized this and have come up with a theory of two messiahs. One is a son of David, and he will be king. But he comes after the messiah, son of Aaron, who dies in battle. One comes meek and lowly riding on a donkey,{cdiii} and the other comes on the clouds of heaven. How much of a willing ignorance must you place upon yourself to go through all the trouble of coming up with two messiahs in order to reject the obvious conclusion of Christ Jesus coming twice? This sums up the Tribulation. We’ll now venture into more detail and try to better understand the timeline of that last seven years.