The 70th week is for Israel not the Church!
All the other false views on the timing of the rapture have one thing in common. They don't understand that God has a plan for the Church and God has a plan for Israel. The Church is a mystery, a called out people between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel's prophecy.
"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." (Daniel 9:24)
**Note: notice that the 70 weeks are 'determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city'. This is the Jewish people of Israel and Jerusalem. We could stop right here as Daniel specifically says that the 70 weeks are for Israel and not the Church. The Church is a called out people between the 69th and 70th week. To put the Church on earth during the 70th week is to contradict Daniel above.
I repeat..... the 70 weeks are for Israel and not the Church!!! THY PEOPLE... THY PEOPLE.. THY PEOPLE!!! (ISRAEL)
Again looking at Daniel 9:24, notice that 70 Weeks of years (490 years) are determined upon the people of Israel to:
* finish the transgression
* to make an end of sins
* to make reconciliation for iniquity
* to bring in everlasting righteousness
* to seal up the vision and prophecy
* to annoint the most Holy (The Lord Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom)
All the above has NOT yet been fulfilled. It will certainly be fulfilled upon the nation of Israel just like Daniel was told. Lets continue on in the prophecy:
25 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.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined." (Daniel 9:25,26)
These verses are talking about the 7 weeks and 62 weeks of years which add up to 69 weeks. At the end of the 69th week the Messiah will be cut off. This happened at the cross of Calvary. So all that is left is that final week of 7 years. This final week of years will occur after the rapture of the Church and when the anti-Christ comes to power and confirms a covenant with the nation of Israel.
For a review of what we have already covered: Daniel said there was appointed 70 weeks of years for Israel to bring in all righteousness and setup Messaiah. When Jesus entered Jerusalem in His triumphal entry it marked the end of the 69 weeks. At this time Messaiah was 'cut off'. We are now living in the time frame between the 69th and the beginning of the 70th week. After the rapture of the church the restrainer will be removed allowing the anti-Christ to rise to power. So right now we are waiting for the 70th week which is yet to be to be fulfilled. Also the 70th week is not for the church but is is for the nation of Israel just like the previous 69 weeks were for Israel. To put the church in the 70th week is a form of Scripture twisting.
The 70th week begins when the anti-Christ confirms a covenant with Israel for 7 years. In the middle of the week ( 3 1/2 years) he will break his covenant and commit the abomination of desolation. At that point he will stop the sacrifice in the rebuilt temple in Israel and there he will claim to be God and demand worship. At this time the mark of the beast will be issued.
"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." (Daniel 9:27)
Now between the 69th and the 70th week there is a time gap...commonly refered to as the Church age. Here it is in list form:
* Israel goes through the first 69 weeks of years.
* At the end of the 69 weeks of years Messiah is cut off... and He dies for the sins of lost mankind.
* After Jesus was crucified He rose from the dead. He later went back to heaven.
* At Pentacost the Holy Spirit came upon the saved and the Church was born.
* From Pentacost to today we have been in a time period referred to as the Church age. The Church is composed of saved Jews and Gentiles.
* The Church in the world is a restraining influence keeping the anti-Christ from rising to power.
* After the rapture of the Church the restrainer will be removed and the anti-Christ will then be able to rise to power.
* After the rapture the Holy Spirit will still be in the world. The Church will be absent but the Holy Spirit will be present. How can an omni-present being be removed from anywhere????
* The anti-Christ will confirm a 7 year covenant with Israel.
* This will start the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy. Then there will be just 7 short years to go before the Lord Jesus returns.
* A Prophetic year is 360 days.
Points to consider:
- The prophetic 70 weeks stopped at the rejection and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, The Messaiah.
- That occured after 69 weeks or 483 years.
- God has been using the Church (invisible body of Christ) during that time period.
QUESTION: What caused God's prophetic time-clock to stop ticking after 69 weeks and what will cause it to resume at the 70th Week?
Notice the following Scripture:
3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.
8 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:
9 [Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders," (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9)
God is currently restraining the anti-christ by His Holy Spirit working in and through the Church (all the Spirit-reborn believers). When this restrainer (The Church) is removed, then and only then may the anti-christ be revealed so he can rise to power and confirm the covenant with Israel. As long as that restrainer is in the world the anti-christ cannot come to power...God's restrainer is preventing that. (2 Thess 2:7)
None of the other rapture positions can give any account for what is restraining the anti-christ. To clear up any misconceptions I'll say that the Holy Spirit will NOT be removed from the world. This is a common argument - based on lack of knowledge of the pre-trib rapture. It is usually given by those who say this 'proves' the pre-trib rapture is wrong. But the pre-tribulation rapture does NOT state that the Holy Spirit will be removed, but rather the Church will be removed. How can an omni-present being be removed from anywhere? It cannot be done. God the Holy Spirit is omnipresent and will never cease to be anything less than that.
However in this Church age, God is restraining the Wicked One by His Holy Spirit through the Church. When the Church is removed the Holy Spirit will still be here....but the restrainer won't! At that point the anti-christ will be free to rise to power and confirm that covenant with Israel to start the 70th Week of Daniel.
To restate, the 70th week is a prophetic week for the Nation of Israel (not the Church!!). The first 69 Weeks were for Israel and so it is with the 70th week. During the 70th week God again deals with Israel and there is really no need for the Church to be present on earth during that time period which spotlights Israel.
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