Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.
Many—particularly those called “preterists”--believe Daniel 9:27 was fulfilled by Christ. The first half of the "70th Week" (being a 7 year period) was fulfilled by Christ in his ministry ending in the middle of the "week" by His death by which came the end of the sacrifice and offering.
The second half of the “week” was fulfilled by His disciples' ministry. Some (preterists) believe there is a gap in the 70th Week of about 40 years: the first half fulfilled by Christ, while the second half fulfilled in the events of AD 70 with what happened in Jerusalem with its destruction and the temple.
I believe Daniel 9:27 was not fulfilled by Christ and his disciples or in the events of AD70.
I believe Jesus was referring to Danel 9:27 when He said, Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains ... For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. Matthew 24:15-16, 21.
The Septuagint (LXX) is used by Christ and the New Testament in quotes of the OT. The reference to the Abomination of Desolation spoken by Daniel standing in the Holy Place comes from Dan 9:27 in the LXX.
The LXX reads:
And one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midsts of the week my sacrifice and drink offering shall be taken away:
and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of the time an end shall be put to the desolation.
The abomination of desolation, according to Christ, is followed by Great Tribulation, which is followed by the second coming.
The 42 months and 1260 days referenced in Revelation would correspond to that second half of the 7 years of the 70th Week, being 3 1/2 years (42 months, or 1260 days).
Those time references cover the Great Tribulation period that follows the Abomination of Desolation (AOD) which is brought to an end by the coming of Christ.
The wording of Daniel 9:27 is similar to other references in Daniel concerning the taking away of sacrifices and the abomination of desolation. There are 4 places in Daniel (8.13, 9.27, 11.31, 12.11) that speak of the daily sacrifice being taken away and the AOD being set up.
A few of them were fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanies IV, but the others refer to the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 in which we have the time frame for complete restoration of Jerusalem and Israel (Daniel 9:24).
Daniel 8:11: (NKJV) "He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down."
Daniel 8:13: "(NKJV) “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation?"
Daniel 9:27: (LXX) "and in the midsts of the week my sacrifice and drink offering shall be taken away: and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations"
Daniel 11:31 "(NKJV) And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation."
Daniel 12:11: "(NKJV) “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days."
Those who believe the AOD took place in AD70 are usually anti-futurists. "Preterism" is the view that most prophecy has been fulfilled in the past, mostly in the events of AD70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. They would argue that the temple cannot exist in the future since Israel was judged and the Church and New Covenant replaces Israel, the Law, and the Temple. Therefore, there can't be any Divine approval for a restoration of sacrifices that will be stopped.
The reference in 2 Thesalonians 2:4 to the “temple” has to be the Church and not the Jewish temple according to Preterism: the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
They would not correlate the holy place of Daniel's prophecy (referenced by Jesus) with Paul’s reference in 2 Thes 2:4 to the temple—Daniel’s and Jesus’ references were fulfilled in AD70, and Paul’s reference in history by maybe the Pope. Though those who believe the disciples fulfilled the second half of the "Week" can't believe Dan 9:27's "desolation" was fulfilled in AD70; Jesus' reference to Daniel's prophecy has to be a different from a different text and time, unrelated to Daniel’s 9:27 taking away of sacrifices and AOD.
Yet if an AOD could happen 40 years after the Church began--as some preterists believe, who believe the second half of the “Week” was fulfilled in AD70 and not by the ministry of the Disciples of Christ, then, likewise, it could happen in a future temple in Jerusalem during the existence of the Church. For if the sacrifices were stopped in AD70, and this is considered part of the AOD, 40 years after the Church began, then why couldn’t the futurist view work the same way, being a future AOD in a future Jewish Temple during the Church age? Preterists have to have gaps just like futurists (between 69th and 70th Week), because of those 2 things, if the end of sacrifices was by the death of Christ and the AOD was during the events of AD70--about a 40-year gap. If any Preterists say all of the prophecy happened in AD70, what was the first half of the 70th Week about, and what is the second half of the Week about?
2 Thesalonians 2:1-4 corresponds to Revelation 13.3-8 and Matthew 24:15-22 concerning the “Great Tribulation.” Revelation 13:5 has 42 months and Daniel 7:25 has time, times, half a time with reference to persecution of the saints: Rev. 12:14 has the same time reference, and Rev. 11:2,3 has 42 months and 1260 days, and Rev 12:6 has 1260 days. Daniel chapter 12 speaks of the unparalleled affliction/ tribulation, "time of the end," a "time, times, and half a time," and the "power of the holy people" being "completely shattered." The correlation is 3 ½ years of the Second half of Daniel’s Week.
No comments:
Post a Comment