Partial Rapture, Tribulation

My favorite reasoning is all those verses that speak of Jesus returning with saints (e.g. Jude 14,15) to reign, it wouldn't make much sense for overcomers to return with Christ to earth only to plop back up to heaven. They are going to stay around for 1000 years to reign with a rod of iron (Rev. 12.5) over the nations (2.26), not in some fantasy amillennial way, before the New City and New Earth commence.

"In the regeneration" (Matt. 19.28)—This word "regeneration" is used twice in the Bible: once in Titus 3.5 where it points to personal recovery—which is a being born again, and here in this verse 28 where it refers to the recovery of the world—the consequence of which is the millennium (see also Rom. 8.19-23 and Is. 11. 6-9). From Adam until Moses sin was in the world (Rom. 12.14), and from Moses until the Lord Jesus sin reigned (see Rom. 5.12-14, 21). All who are born again in this age are delivered from the power of sin, but not delivered from the presence of sin. Likewise in the regeneration of the world, first comes the deliverance from the power of sin (for Satan is bound for a thousand years—the period of the millennial kingdom—which is done by the Lord and not through any social reform done by men), and then shall come the new heaven and the new earth with deliverance from the presence of sin.

Revelation 20.3 says the nations won't be deceived in the 1000 years, so obviously it is not happening now. Rev. 2.26, 12.5, 20.4-6 say.

Zech. 8.2 "'I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.' 3 "Thus says the Lord: 'I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.' 4 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. 5 The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls. 8. Playing in its streets.' 6 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?' Says the Lord of hosts. 7 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west; 8 I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem (Matt. 24.31 "elect"). They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.'

Simplified version: http://biblocality.com/forums/showth...-Way-Around-It!

Have you guys heard about these Lunar Tetrads all over the internet that tell us when Jesus returns?

Jesus was cursing the fig tree representing Israel for not showing its leaves, symbolizing Israel has no life then Jesus said, "Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near" (Matt. 24.32). The summer points to the millennial kingdom when Jesus reigns on earth. Israel's branches started to bud when Israel became a nation again May 14, 1948. And its leaves are sprouting again as they continue to get more land to the Euphrates River (Gen. 15.18) and in June 7, 1967 took over Jerusalem. Then Matt. 24.33 says, "In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door." There is nothing that suggests you can't know the day as you approach that day though of course you can't know the hour. "Very near" would be within a lifetime so within 70 to 80 years according to Ps. 90.10 so no later than 2023 or earlier. Some people suggest you can't know the day, but this only applies to believers in their day these words were spoken to or to the end of the world (Matt. 24.35-36) or prior to the time when Israel would become a nation again (1948) according to Matt. 24.32-33 as the "you can know" is dependent on when Israel is a nation again. Ezekiel prophesied on his side when Israel would become a nation again to the month of May, 1948. Daniel prophesied to when Jesus would be cut off. How very specific is God's word! Therefore, Satan must be behind the "You can't know when Jesus returns" movement. We are to be watchful if we don't know the day as still most won't know the day, but even if you do know the day, still be prepared to be received up before the Tribulation otherwise you will lose this blessing.

Gen. 1.14 says "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs...." And we are told before the great and terrible day of the Lord which is the Tribulation period, specifically there will be a great earthquake, a black sackcloth solar eclipse and a red blood moon in that order (Joel 2.31, Acts 2.20, Rev. 6.12). Earthquakes happen all the time, and total eclipses are not that rare so these must be of a rare kind preceding the Tribulation. Are there any clues to exactly what kind of eclipses?

In 1949/50 there was a Lunar Tetrad in which the total eclipse occurred on passover, tabernacles, and again on passover and tabernacles over 2 years. It happened again 1967/68. The 8th time since Christ it will occur is 2014/15. The 20th century was the first time in history when two Tetrads on feasts occurred within 18 years apart. Surely this should not go unnoticed and has been placed for us in plain site to realize when Jesus returns. This Tetrad won't happen again till 2582/83 so the time is upon us. There is no rare solar eclipse around the 2582/83 Tetrad. The Temple will be built during the 8th Tetrad following when Israel became a nation after 2500 years and reclaimed Jerusalem.

However, none of this holds much water if there is not a substantial solar eclipse just prior to the four red blood moons in 2014/15. To our surprise there is. There is a Long Hybrid, H3 Solar Eclipse, November 3, 2013. This will be the 4th time since Christ it has occurred, and it is the rarest kind of solar eclipse. It finishes off by being a total eclipse which produces that black sackcloth effect noted in Rev. 6.12. But this isn't solidified unless there is a substantial earthquake preceding the solar eclipse. And in fact, there is the earthquakes of Haiti 2010 and Japan 2011. Never in history have two great earthquakes occurred back to back of such magnitude and killed so many people and destroyed so much property. Even in their own right by themselves they are significant breaking new records.

So there you have it, we know the Tribulation can't start before 2015 because Rev. 6.12 is before the Tribulation in keeping with Joel 2.31 and Acts 2.20. But neither can it start after 2016 because it must be completed no later than 2023. We have two 7 year periods to choose from which are 2015-2022 and 2016-2023. Is there more we can examine to determine which of these two periods is the correct one?

Well we know the Tribulation is a 7 year period of 2,520 days like all of Daniel's sixty-nine sevens (Dan. 9.24-27) which began and ended on key holidays. And 2,520 is the smallest number divisible by all numbers from 2 to 10 so that seems like it is of some importance (a basic working unit). As an aside, Israel circled Jericho seven times on the seventh day with seven trumpets. One can say the Trumpets are the Tribulation (loud), not the Seals (Seals are the past 20 centuries opened in secret), and the first time we see any saints in 3rd heaven is in Rev. 7.9 "before the throne". This occurs before the first trumpet of the Tribulation (8.7), therefore there is a rapture before the Tribulation starts; however, it is not for the whole Church, just those in the Church who are alive who are watchful (Matt. 24.40-42), prayerful (Luke 21.36) and who keep the word of His patience (Rev. 3.10). We may include martyrs from the past 20 centuries as well as per the 5th Seal.

As the first four feasts pertain to Jesus' first coming, the last 3 feasts deal with His second coming. The first of those last three feasts is the Feast of Trumpets which represents rapture. This agrees with Revelation 7.9 because it occurs before 8.7. The problem though is if the 2,520th day doesn't land on a special day then there is something wrong with our analysis. The 2,520th day from Feast of Trumpets in 2016 does not land on any special day in 2023. In 2015 Feast of Trumpets is Sept. 14, 2015 but again, on the 2,520th day there is no noticeable holiday...until one realizes that whenever Tisha B'Av, Av 9, falls on a Saturday it is held the day after instead. What is Tisha B'Av? This is when the 1st and 2nd Temples were destroyed-a very sad day for Israel. Is it any wonder Jesus steps down on the mount of olives just as He left (Zech. 14.4, Acts. 1.11, Rev. 1.7) on Sunday, Tisha B'Av, Aug. 7, 2022? His plan is to reign in the 3rd Temple for 1000 years. Many do not have faith to believe in this Jesus who created the universe shall return to reign with His overcomers (Matt. 25.1-13; Jude 14,15; Rev. 19.11-16, 20.4-6) over the nations (2.26) with a "rod of iron" (12.5)-this reward given only to believers who "overcometh" (chapters 2 & 3).

Perhaps I am misunderstanding something, but this seems to be a lock solid proof to know when Jesus returns, and there is no budging on it. The exact date is confined and restricted specifically. You can't get around it. When you try to push it up it is blocked by certain constraints, and when you try to push it out farther, you're prevented by the above factors. Are there any other corroborating points? In Dan. 8.14 we are told the Temple is cleansed after 2300 days. There is, in fact, 2300 days from the 4th day inspection of the lamb, Thursday, April 21, 2016 to Aug. 7, 2022. Fascinating! Passover is April 22.

To dedicate the lamb and red heifer, the Temple would need to be completed by April 20, 2016, the 3rd day inspection of the lamb. Some say it would take 2 years to build the Temple, others say just a couple months. If it takes up to 2 years, construction would need to begin in the year 2014 at the latest you would think.

What are the probabilities of all this? From the year 0 AD there is a 1 in 2010 chance we could have had such amazing earthquakes right when they occurred. Since there has only been one century since Christ when there were two Tetrads that's approximately a 1 in 20 chance for two Tetrads to occur in the 20th century, 2/100 chance one of those Tetrads land on one of the two periods for Israel, and a 1/99 chance for the remaining Tetrad to land on the remaining period (a 1 in 100,000 chance altogether). There is a 1 in 700 chance the rare solar eclipse could have occurred in 2013 right where it needs to be before the 2014/15 Tetrad. There's a 1 in 7 chance Jesus would return on Sunday and a 1 in 7 chance Tisha B'Av would land on a Saturday to be commemorated the day after instead. There is a 1 in 6 chance these 3 events would occur in this precise order according to the Scriptures. And there is a 7 out of 19 chance a seven year period is exactly 2,520 days from Feast of Trumpets to Tisha B'Av when an extra month is added to the Jewish calendar. All told that's a 112 trillion to 1 probability. I would say that is more than ample evidence to know when Jesus returns and to know the signs Jesus said to watch out for for His return.

Scholars add up the dates of people in the OT and they come to 4004 BC. Adam would have been 18 years old in 3986 BC (perhaps the age of accountability for him). There are 6,000 years or 120 Jubilees from 3986 BC to 2015 AD. So the Day of Atonement, Sept. 23, 2015 should be of great importance that year. From June 7, 1967 when Israel entered Jerusalem there are 49 sets of 7 years, 360 days each, to the Day of Atonement in 2015 (a total of 17,640 days). Wow! This is a double fulfillment of the declaration to rebuild the Temple Nisan 1, 444 BC that would be rebuilt in troublous times and take seven sets of seven to complete; then there would be 62 more sets of seven for a total of 69 sets of seven or 173,880 days that takes us to exactly Monday, Nisan 10, March 28, 33 AD (Gregorian)-the first day of the 4 day inspection of the lamb. The 4th day is Thursday, March 31, 33 AD when Jesus was captured. He died the following day on Passover, Nisan 14, April 1, 33 AD. Satan calls this day April Fool's Day. How evil Satan is!

I was curious about when the 1260 days of the Two Witnesses Enoch and Elijah would take place. It doesn't make sense they are killed in the middle of the Tribulation, nor at the very end because it seems they are killed in Revelation 11 before the 7th trumpet rapture and resurrection takes place in Rev. 11.15. As it turns out there are exactly 1260 days from Monday, Nisan 10, April 18, 2016-the 1st day of the 4 day inspection of the lamb-to Feast of Trumpets Sept. 30, 2019. Other verses for the 7th trumpet rapture and resurrection are 1 Cor. 15.23,52; 1 Thess. 4.14-18; Rev. 14.14-16, 15.2-4. After the Great Tribulation starts (Rev. 9.1) of 42 months, there will be 5 months of the 5th trumpet (1st woe) plus a year, a month, a day, and an hour of the 6th trumpet (2nd woe) then follows the 7th trumpet rapture and resurrection which leaves 24 months till the end of the Tribulation (42 - 5 - 13 = 24). Based on these verses, the date for the final harvest would be Aug. 19, 2020 give or take a day (and this is the start of the 3rd woe or 7th trumpet). The 7th trumpet contains and pours out the 7 bowls of wrath. We are not appointed unto wrath. Even then people don't repent (9.20-21).

From the 1260th day Aug. 7, 2022 to the 1290th day are 30 days more for Jesus to judge the nations then there are 45 days more after that to the 1335th day for Jesus to set up Israel as the center of all nations. This 1335th day would be Oct. 21, 2022 after the last 3 feasts. Tabernacles runs from Oct. 10 to 16. Next follows the last two holidays of the year on the 17th and 18th; the second of which is called Simchat Torah when Israel takes out the Torah Scroll from the Holy of Holies to read it once a year (as well as the 3 items of the Ark of the Covenant). If we apply a 4 day inspection for the Lamb before the Son of Man officially reigns in the millennial kingdom, those 4 days are Oct. 18, 19, 20, 21. That's amazing!

What is the sign of the Son of Man in Matt. 24.30 for His return? I propose it is Jupiter in the sky in 2022 which occurs earlier in the year. It will be the closest to earth it has been in hundreds of years, visible for us to see, and the the NASA site for this occurrence, says it will sparkle with many comets hitting its surface. What a beautiful site that would be. Let us give praise to God for His soon return! Amen.

Pure Logic Proves the Day Jesus Returns

Rev. 6.12 tells us shortly before the Tribulation starts there must be the rarest of solar eclipses (H3 Solar Eclipse) and rarest of lunar eclipses (Lunar Tetrad) in that order and sealed with a unique earthquake just ahead of the solar eclipse. Furthermore, Jesus returns not long after Israel becomes a nation (Matt. 24.33). Not long after would not be more than a lifetime of 70 to 80 years (Ps. 90.10) after 1948 that takes us to 2018 to 2028. Split the difference we get 2023. And we need to find a 2,520 day period for Daniel's final seven (9.27) because Jesus steps down on that last day.

The Tetrads when Israel became a nation 1949/50 and entered Jerusalem 1967/68 tell us to look for the next Tetrad to begin rebuilding the Temple which is 2014/15 (8th since Christ). If it doesn't have a unique solar eclipse preceding it then it is not the Tetrad Jesus was talking about (Joel 2.31, Luke 21.25, Acts 2.20, Rev. 6.12). Nov. 3, 2013 is the H3 Solar Eclipse (4th since Christ) and it was sealed by the Haiti 2010 and Japan 2011 earthquakes (greatest in history in certain respects).

The next Tetrad is not till 2582/83, but it doesn't qualify anyhow because we should not consider 634 years later as "very near" (Matt. 24.33). Besides there is no unique solar eclipse associated to that Tetrad nearly six hundred years from now, and the probability of a record breaking earthquake in 2579-80 is not likely.

But where can we find a 2,520 day period that is done before 2023? Well, the last 3 feasts of the 7 feasts of Israel pertain to Jesus' return so just like Daniel's 69 sevens were on specific key festival dates, we should expect the same for the last seven since God's word is consistent and will not throw us for a loop. God would not do that to us!

Feast of Trumpets is the 1st of the three feasts, so it is a good starting point. We need a miracle though for what are the odds of a significant holiday on exactly the 2,520th day from this feast? Not likely at all. And only one or two holidays would really be worthy of that 2,520th day. Well as it turns out, every 7 out of 19 years the 2,520th day lands on Tisha B'Av. What's that? That's when the 1st and 2nd Temples were destroyed. Certainly of significance considering Jesus will reign in the 3rd Temple on earth for 1000 years. In fact, I can think of no better holiday for the 2,520th day. The 2,520th day actually is on Sunday Av 10 not Av 9 Tisha B'Av, but whenever Tisha B'Av is on a Saturday (Sabbath to the Jews) it is held the day after instead.

But which 7 year period does this fit into? 2014-21 and 2016-23 don't work. That leaves just 2015-22. That's it then. It is the only possible 7 year period for the Tribulation! Mystery solved. Not too difficult at all. Elementary dear Watson. And of course, other items like the 2300 days (Dan. 8.14), 1260 days (Dan. 9.27; Rev. 11.2, 13.5), 1290 days (Dan. 12.11) and 1335 days (Dan. 12.12) should fit as well by occurring on key dates. As it turns out there are 2300 days from the 4th day inspection of the lamb April 21, 2016 to Aug. 7, 2022. Passover is April 22, 2016. Oct. 21, 2022 is the 1335th day, that is, 75 days from the 1260th day Aug. 7, 2022. Oct. 21, 2022 is after the last 3 feasts (tabernacles is on Oct. 10, 2022) and lands on the 4th day of inspection of the lamb, the Son of Man, who reigns with a "rod of iron". The first day of that four day inspection is Simchat Torah Oct. 18, 2022 when the Torah Scroll is taken out of the Holy of Holies once a year to be read.

Have you noticed there are so many deceived souls out there who say you can't know when Jesus returns? Satan has them in a bind mentally and spiritually. Why does Jesus let us know when He returns after Israel becomes a nation again? This is special grace given to the last generation because we are approaching very troublous times unlike the world has ever seen or will ever see again. The aim is to make your temple (spirit, soul and body) ready for the Lord so you may be included and received up in the first rapture according to readiness on Sept. 14, 2015 as well as receive the reward of returning with Christ to reign during the 1000 years. Some may find this too distasteful. Nonetheless, the offer is there to us all. If this is not what you want or you do not overcometh in time, you will lose this reward by being sent to outer darkness which has no furnace or fire about it, outside the light of reward of reigning over the nations with Christ for 1000 years. The choice is set before you.

I'm just a messenger of this truth in God's word like Jeremiah preached 40 years and nobody listened. Few will receive this message. Even fewer will accept it.

There does not appear to be any difference between the two persons, neither in work nor in place; yet in rapture there does come a difference! In a twinkling, what a vast difference!

A most serious problem is presented here. If we wish to be raptured, to see the Lord, and to enter the kingdom, we must first lose our souls in this age. For the sake of the Lord, we must forsake the world, forsake all which is not in accordance with the will of God, forsake all which will entangle us, and forsake all that would hinder our hearts from thinking on the things above.

Should we be like Lot’s wife, trying to preserve the soul and unwilling to forsake anything, we will not be taken up to where the Lord ordains us to be, even though we may not perish in Sodom and Gomorrah with the sinners. There may be no difference in eternal life, but there will be a difference in rapture.

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring" (Luke 21.25).

The 3 comets coming very close to earth in 2011-12 within 5 months of each other is a sign that something is going to happen 4 years out.

4 years out is the 2,520 days of the Tribulation Feast of Trumpets, Sept. 14, 2015 to Tisha B'Av, Aug. 7, 2022. Wow!

Thanks to Joe Blackford for sending this.

After you watch this video ask yourself these questions.

Since Perry Stone believes the entire Church is raptured before the Tribulation and it is not according to readiness (Matt. 24.40-42, Luke 21.36, Rev. 3.10) to him then is he ready for teaching falsely?

Is a Christian really ready lying on a bed of fornication? Does he deserve to be raptured ahead time as firstfruits (Rev. 12.5, 14.1-5) to the throne in 3rd heaven (Rev. 7.9) before the events of the Tribulation unfold, before the later harvest (vv.14-16)?

If he is not ready for teaching falsely then when he is in the Tribulation will he even realize it is the Tribulation since he would assume if it was the Tribulation he would have been raptured beforehand.

When there is a couple million vanished Sept. 14, 2015 will he accuse them of being a fake rapture? accusing the brethren day and night (Rev. 12.10).

It's interesting from my point of view how the other speaker in this video doesn't see the Tribulation 2015 to 2022 either. This is a testament to the fact that if you don't believe in partial rapture and how the book of Revelation should be read according to partial rapture, you will miss it and be perplexed.

Why do you need to be ready for Jesus if you are going to be raptured before the Tribulation anyway? Even the posttribber onylist has a problem, because if everything is "single glory syndrome" and there is no difference between overcomers and non-overcomers to reign during the 1000 years then why should it matter? You can be a carnal Christian, accuse those saints raptured at the first rapture, and be rewarded just the same as the next guy who consecrated himself to the Lord.

After Daniel had confessed the sins of his people, God sent Gabriel to say this to him: "Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy" (v.24). Since Daniel prayed to God for His people and His holy city, God in His answer also mentioned "thy people and thy holy city." Let us understand that "thy people" points to the children of Israel, and "thy holy city" refers to Jerusalem. What God means is this: When the seventy sevens are passed, the transgression of Israel and the holy city will be finished, their sins will come to an end, their iniquity will receive reconciliation, and the everlasting righteousness will be brought to them. Have all these been fulfilled? No, the children of Israel continue today to be "Lo-ammi . . . not my people" (Hosea 1.9). Hence her restoration is yet in the future. These things still remain unfulfilled because the prophecy concerning the seventy sevens has not been fulfilled. But at the second coming of the Lord Jesus, all the prophecies shall be fulfilled.

We know the Anointed One did come after the sixty-nine sevens (seven sevens plus sixty-two sevens). From the time of the decree concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the moment of the coming of the Anointed One, there were to be four hundred eighty-three years. Now that the sixty-nine sevens have already passed and the Anointed One (Christ) has also come, what is left is the last seven. As soon as the last seven is fulfilled the children of Israel will receive the fullness of blessing of Daniel 9.24. However, within the seven years of the death of Christ, was there any day which could have been deemed as a time when transgression was finished for the children of Israel and upon Jerusalem? No, not even a single day. And have there not been over nineteen hundred more years since the time of Christ and still no end of transgression? Hence, it is quite evident that the seventieth seven did not follow immediately after the sixty-nine sevens.

Why is it that this one seven has not been fulfilled and that the children of Israel have not yet received the full blessing? Because "after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing." Christ has died, and consequently the children of Israel did not receive the blessing. It was because they would not receive Him with willing hearts but crucified Him instead, and therefore punishment came upon them. "The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" (v.26). When the Jews insisted on killing the Lord Jesus, they openly declared: "His blood be on us, and on our children" (Matt. 27.25). Naturally God is treating them according to their own word by temporarily rejecting them and showing grace towards the Gentiles. But after the number of the Gentiles has been fulfilled, He will give grace once again to the children of Israel. And at that time, this last seven shall be fulfilled. As soon as the last seven is over, God will deliver the children of Israel according to promise (Dan. 9.24).

"The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary." All students of Revelation know that this refers to the Romans. After the death of Christ the Jews incurred God’s severe judgment: the Romans came and destroyed Jerusalem and its temple sanctuary in 70 A.D. Since the term "the people" refers to the Romans, many accordingly think that the term "the prince" obviously points to the Roman prince Titus who led the Romans. But there are many reasons to refute this conclusion. Why is it that the Scripture here does not say the prince shall destroy the city but rather says the people of the prince? Although the prince must work through his people, it is still unnatural to say the people and not directly say the prince. Since the Holy Spirit mentions both the prince and the people, while nevertheless putting a primary emphasis on the people, can it be that He is implying by this that these people represent the people of that prince who is yet to come? If so, then the prince in question here is not Titus, and the people who attacked Jerusalem in the former day were in spirit and in attitude morally the people of the future prince. This prince whom Daniel prophecies about will be a world renown figure in the future, who is the Antichrist. "The prince that shall come" is therefore the Antichrist.

"The end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined" (v.26). "The end" here is not the end of the city nor of the sanctuary. According to correct grammatical construction, "the end thereof" should be connected to the phrase "the prince that shall come." The fulfillment did not come at the time of Titus but is yet to come in the future. The people of the prince who shall come shall destroy this city and the sanctuary, but "the end thereof" (that is to say, the end of the prince)* shall come as a flood. We know that this superman is soon to come, and the world will have no peace. But thank God, we shall be gone before the Antichrist arrives.

* The Revised Standard Version (1952) recognizes this construction of the verse, as follows: ". . . and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. His end shall come with a flood . . ." (9.26 mg.). And the footnote in the English Standard Version reads: "His end will come with a flood..."

"And he shall confirm a covenant with the many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" (v.27a Darby). The preceding verse tells us of the destructive actions of Antichrist; this next verse continues to speak of his action. The last seven is divided into two halves. At the beginning of the last seven, the Antichrist will confirm a covenant with many. This covenant is not the Old Covenant which God singularly covenanted with His people, for the use of the indefinite article "a" here proves it. The phrase "the many" with the use of the definite article "the" refers to a special group of people — even the Jews. So that this covenant will be a political pact between the Jews and the Antichrist. The duration of the pact is to be seven years, but in the middle of this term of years Antichrist will break it. This is the meaning of the words, "he shall think to change the times and the law," found in chapter 7 and verse 25. Here we may see the similarity disclosed between this prince and the little horn mentioned in chapter 7.

In the midst of these seven years in question, Antichrist shall break the covenant, and thus the rest of this period of the seven (that is to say, three years and a half) shall be in his hand. During these three and a half years he shall also wear out the saints (7.25). And during the same three and a half years, this little horn will attempt to change time and season, and cause sacrifice and oblation to cease. At the present moment the Jews have neither sacrifice nor oblation; but in the future these will be restored. We have seen the the return of the Jews to Palestine and have also heard of their desire to restore the Temple. The end is truly near.

Why will the Antichrist cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease? Because at that time he will speak blasphemously against God (see ch. 7). Since sacrifice and oblation are offered to God, he will naturally forbid them. "And upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end" (v.27b). "The wing of abominations" speaks of idols. In the temple of God the wings of the cherubim covered the ark. Yet Antichrist shall enter God’s temple and proclaim himself God (2 Thess. 2), thus having the wings of abominations. Due to this idolatry, God will permit desolations to extend for three and a half years until the end of the seventy sevens. "And that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate" (v.27c). The desolate is Jerusalem. As the end of the seventy sevens approaches, the nations shall gather to attack Jerusalem. Then shall the Lord fight for her (Zech. 14.1-6). And so shall the word of Daniel 9.24 be fulfilled.

We may here perceive just how Satan uses man. Antichrist is only a man; but by his obeying Satan he is given devilish power to rule over nations. Though his actual coming is still in the future, nonetheless even in 70 A.D. the Romans had already become Antichrist’s people! For they had his spirit. Today we see the many turmoils among the nations. Satan is actually manipulating at the back. He gives power to this person and to that, using many in the political arena as his puppets to disturb the world. The last person he is to use will be the Antichrist.

The Church of Christ needs to be matured for rapture!