Apostles and Elders Organizing the Church

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!

Preterists believe that Dan. 9.27 is not the Antichrist but Jesus who broke a seven year covenant after verse 26 says the Messiah was cut off and Titus destroyed the 2nd Temple 70 AD. Do you see the problems?

(a) We have the covenant made in Dan. 9.27 that follows the Temple destruction in 70 AD (v.26), but the preterist yanks this covenant back into the first part of Dan. 9.26 when Jesus was cut off. How can you make a covenant for 7 years if you are dead? Makes no sense.

(b) The 69th seven and 70th seven produce an overlap in preterism because three and a half years after their Jesus died, the 70th seven was completed. If that were true, the 2nd half of the 69th seven would have to overlap the 1st half of the 70th seven by three and a half years, because Jesus died immediately after the 69th seven. We all know this overlap is totally inconsistent with the consecutive accounting of the 69 sevens. (The declaration to rebuild the Temple was Nisan 1, 444 BC. 69 sevens is 173,880 days and takes us to exactly Monday, March 28, 33 AD [Gregorian] which is the 1st day of the 4 day inspection of the Lamb. The four days were March 28, 29, 30 and 31. Then Jesus dies on the cross on Friday, Nisan 14, April 1, 33 AD. Satan calls this day April Fool's Day to mock the atoning sacrifice.)

(c) Jesus died after the 69th seven, but if verse 27 completes the 70th seven 3.5 years after Jesus died, where's the everlasting righteousness upon Israel, its Temple and its people (v.24) that should immediately follow?

(d) Even with 20-20 hindsight there is no clear 7 year covenant established around when Jesus died. No historical record. And Jesus only ministered 3 years.

(e) Such allegorizing of a 7 years covenant surrounding the cross leads to more allegorization and misreading of Scripture, and pretty soon there are as many different interpretations of the past 20 centuries applied to the book of Revelation as there are prophets in the historicist churches who no longer treat it as a book of the future as Genesis is about beginnings.

Based on this evidence, we can conclude preterism is devised to reject the Jesus who will return to reign on earth with His overcomers (Jude 14,15; Rev. 2.26, 19.11-16, 20.4-6) for 1000 years. Who can say Jesus is reigning now with His overcomers over the nations with a "rod of iron"? Such preterists deny the coming 3rd Temple that Jesus will reign in for 1000 years. They claim that Jesus is reigning now and the nations are no longer deceived even though Rev. 20.3 says the nations won't be deceived in the 1000 years. To reject the millennial kingdom is considered antinomian because if you are saved according to them it doesn't matter what you do after, since there is is no time of recompense of the millennial kingdom where rewards are given to overcomers in Christ (e.g. 5 wise virgins, Matt. 25.1-13) and non-overcomers in Christ lose this reward. One's conscience is seriously degraded with that kind of attitude.

"Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matt. 24.40,42).

Who is to watch? The Christian since it speaks of "your Lord". What happens if you watch or don't watch?

If you watch, will you be taken or will you be left?

The Lord comes to take and not leave. A thief in the night comes to steal the best first.

So if you are watchful you will be taken at the first rapture before the Tribulation starts.

Death is no blessing so to be left and die is not good. To be taken is better than being martyred in the Tribulation.

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21.36).

All these things that come to pass is the Tribulation. To stand before the Son of Man is in 3rd heaven "before the throne" (Rev. 7.9).

To be accounted worthy to escape the Tribulation you would need to be prayerful.

But God can't promise you won't be martyred when you enter the Tribulation, so this promise to escape the Tribulation can only be assured if you are raptured for keeping the word of His patience.

If "thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Rev. 3.10.

This hour of trial is the Tribulation which comes upon the whole world. A Christian can only be assured escape it if he is raptured.

God can't promise you won't be martyred if you enter the Tribulation, so this referring to the first rapture "before the throne" (Rev. 7.9) before the trumpets of the Tribulation commence (8.7ff).

In summary: Overcomers are raptured at the first rapture (Rev. 7.9). Non-overcomers though saved pass through the Tribulation to be resurrected and/or raptured at the start of the 7th trumpet (1 Thess. 4.14-18, Rev. 11.15, 15-2-4) near the end of the Tribulation, but before the bowls of wrath, since it is the 7th trumpet that contains the bowls of wrath and we are not appointed unto wrath. Jesus returns with 10,000 overcomer believers (Jude 14,15) after the 7th trumpet-the 2,520 day of the Tribulation or 1260th day of the Great Tribulation-to reign with His overcomers over nations (Rev. 2.26) with a "rod of iron" for 1000 years (20.4-6). The Day of the Lord spans from the first rapture according to readiness to the 7th trumpet general rapture and resurrection according to completion to Jesus returning with His overcomers to reigning with them for 1000 years. As a day is to the Lord so is a 1000 years with us. "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet. 3.10).

Many have no faith to believe this, but it is amply proven in God's word in the plain reading of the Scriptures. And "Chiliasm" was the word used in the first and second centuries by the early church fathers for premillennialism so premillennialism existed long before the great schism.

"Man's will has its proper place in the matter of salvation," declared Spurgeon. "When a man receives the Divine Grace of Christ, he does not receive it against his will.... Nor again, mark you, is the will taken away. For God does not come and convert the intelligent free agent into a machine." Yet he also declared, "Where is free will? Man is so depraved, the way of salvation so obnoxious to his pride... that he cannot like it... unless he who ordained the plan shall...subdue his will."

If God must subdue our will, why does He ask us to choose (Joshua 24:15)? Calvin declared that "those who...seek for free-will in man...labour under manifold delusion." Yet Jesus said, "If any man will to do his [God's] will, he shall know" (John 7:17). God said to Israel, "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured" (Isaiah 1:19–20). Why such language that clearly puts the responsibility on them, if no one in Israel could will unless God did the willing?

"If ye offer a sacrifice...unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will" (Lev. 19.5). "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it" (saiah 1.19-20). If a person couldn't offer would not God have said so? That is sort of an important point to leave out. See Lev. 22.18; 23.38; Numb. 15.3; Deut. 12.6; 2 Chron. 31.14; Ps. 119.108. "Whosoever is of a willing heart" (Ex. 35.5); "who his spirt made willing" (v.21); "as many as were willing hearted" (v.22); "a heart with a willing mind" (1 Chron. 28.9; "who then is willing to consecrate his" (29.5); "offered willingly" (v.9); "I have willingly offered all these things" (v.17); "willingly offered himself utno the LORD" (2 Chron. 17.16); "princes gave willingly unto the people" (35.8). The NT contains many similar phrases: "The spirit indeed is willing (Matt. 26.41); "Pilate [was] willing (Luke 23.20); "Ye were willing" (John 5.35); "The centurian [was] willing" (Acts 27.43); "They were willing of themselves" (2 Cor. 8.3); "a willing mind" (v.12); "not by constraint, but willingly" (1 Pet. 5.2).

Are we to believe that that these Scriptures actually mean either man has no will or God causes him to be willing? Calvinism treats man as a puppet that God makes willing, yet the Bible gives man credit for having a willing heart as though the willingness were his own. The judgment seat of Christ, His promised rewards, the Great White Throne judgment, and the lake of fire are meaningless if all is of God and nothing is from the heart of man. The many statements about the person being willing from his heart become nonsensical.

(Debating Calvinism, pp. 336, 338-339, by Dave Hunt)

What kind of person may receive God’s direction? They who fear God; because "the secret of Jehovah is with them that fear him, that he may make known his covenant to them" (same verse, Darby’s translation). What is the meaning of "fear God"? To fear Him is to hallow His name—that is, to exalt Him. They who seek God’s will with singleness of heart and obey Him absolutely are those who fear Him. To such as these will He tell His secret and show His covenant.

Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn and Paul Crouch are all going to Hell. It is too late for them. They are too invested in their lie. In fact, they never once ever gave their lives to Christ to be born-again.