began last Sunday evening discussing
the subject of the tribulation as Given us in the Olivet discourse
of Matthew chapter 24 beginning with verse 4 through 28 We actually
introduced the subject Discuss in the first half of the tribulation
period last Sunday evening now tonight we need to review briefly
some of the things that we have given and And then we want to
look into the prophetical aspect of this subject. In order to
do this, I'm asking you this evening to open your Bibles to
Daniel chapter 9. We want to read Daniel 9, verses
24 through 27, Revelation once again, chapter 6, verses 1 through
3, Revelation chapter 13, verses 1 through 9, and we may look briefly at verses
13 through 18. Quite a few passages of scripture
we want to read this evening. The lesson tonight will necessitate,
actually, you taking some notes if you can. I'm going to give
you some contrasts and some comparisons, ten of each, that'll be very
important. Then in conclusion tonight, we
want to look at the passage that we will read to begin with, Daniel
chapter 9, verses 24 through 27, raising the question, has
this passage been fulfilled? Is it now history or is it prophecy? Let us read first of all, Daniel
9, beginning with verse 24. Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people, please underscore those two words, thy people,
and upon the holy city, underscore the words 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.
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. 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 the flood, and
unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 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 determent shall be poured
upon the desolate. Now turn to Revelation 6 verses
1 through 3. Last Sunday evening, we studied
verses 4 through 8 of Matthew chapter 24 in connection with
Revelation 6, 1 through 8. We introduce what we believe
to be the Antichrist in the first part of Revelation chapter 6,
showing that we believe we have the same rider, not only who
rides the white horse, but also the red horse, the black horse,
and the ashen or pale horse. That person being none other
than the Antichrist, the son of perdition, the man of sin.
Now we read the first three verses again. And I saw when the Lamb
opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise
of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw,
and behold, a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow,
and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering
and to conquer. And when he had opened the second
seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. Turn now to
the 13th chapter, and let us read the first nine verses. And I stood upon the sand of
the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon
his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was
like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear,
and his mouth as the mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave him
his power and his seat and great authority. And I saw one of his
heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed,
and all the world wondered, wondered after the beast. And they worshipped
the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshipped
the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to
make war with him? And there was given unto him
a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was
given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened
his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and
his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given
unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them,
and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and
nations. And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of
life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any
man have an ear, let him hear. We'll look at verses 13 through
18 later. Now turn back to Matthew chapter
24, looking only at verse 5 this evening. For many shall come
in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. One of the most amazing political
phenomena of modern times is the rise of totalitarian governments
and their respective dictators. The willingness of the masses
to be ruled in such a manner can be understood in the light
of their fear of imminent defeat or utter destruction. This is
a good place to insert a few statements that are up to date.
Why did men go to Moscow this last week? Why did they spend
days discussing disarmament, that is, trying to reduce the
weapons that are so destructive? I heard yesterday, and some of
you did, from the lips of Billy Graham, that there were Buddhists
present, and there were persons from all religious persuasions
in Moscow for that meeting, for that Congress, as they referred
to it. Now, why did they go? Only for one reason, fear. The
thing that is so amusing to me about Billy Graham is that he
claims to preach the gospel. And yet we can see now that he
is gradually going more and more into the social gospel. He's
talking about peace, world peace. And he has said that he has changed
his mind a lot in the last four years. He thinks now that his
main purpose in life is to try to bring about world peace. Beloved, God never ordained a
preacher to try to bring about world peace. The only peace that
the man of God is to proclaim is the peace which is the fruit
of regeneration. It is personal, individual peace. God never called his servants
to try to bring about world peace. Now, the reason they had that
Congress is because of fear. All you have to do is to turn
on your television some Sunday morning early, in fact, I'll
give you the time, 630, on Channel 39, and you'll hear another character.
And all he can talk about is the destructive weapons of warfare
today. And he's preaching doom. He thinks
he's the only one who's really preaching, and he'll tell you
that in no uncertain terms. But it's fear. Now, I may sound
a little strange to you, I don't think so, but I may right now.
I'm not worried about the world being destroyed by either the
hydrogen or the atomic bombs. I don't think that either one
is going to destroy the world. It is contrary to Scripture.
Now someone may release, he may push the button, and he may start
a warfare, and there may be great destruction. But if I know anything
about the Scriptures, I do not believe that man is going to
bring about the great destruction that is spoken of in the book
of Revelation. That will be brought about by the hand of God Himself. But all these things are bringing
about fear in the hearts of people. And for a reason. And what is
the reason? Preparing them for the acceptance, for the embracing
of the Antichrist when he manifests himself. We are already seeing
precursors of this. And what I have related to you,
which some of you saw today on Channel 13, is a demonstration
of this very thing. Such fear will cause the multitudes
of people throughout the world to look for a national redeemer. I said a national redeemer. To
save them from threatened annihilation. That's the cry today. They say
that man has within his grasp, within his power, within his
ability, to destroy, to annihilate all mankind. Well, man has certainly
brought into being some very destructive weapons of warfare.
But I have a lost sight of the fact that God is still sitting
on the throne. He's still the sovereign God.
And no man can push a button to release an atomic or a hydrogen
bomb without the permissive will of the God whom I serve and worship. But fear, consternation, are filling the hearts of people
today, preparing them as they look for a world or a universal
Redeemer that will save them And I'm using now a common expression
that we hear almost every week, almost every day, from annihilation,
from extinction. Results of the hydrogen and atomic
bombs we know have caused conversation about the ultimate annihilation
of man from the face of the earth. And so, such fear is causing
men to look for someone to bring about peace. And when you hear
these so-called preachers talking about bringing about such a peace,
we'll never have such a peace. And whenever a preacher talks
like that, he is no different from a politician who's running
for an office. And he's always talking about peace, peace, when
there is no peace. The only peace that is going
to ever be experienced unto the coming of Jesus Christ who shall
establish universal worldwide peace when he sets up his kingdom
is the peace that the individual has as a result of being justified
in the presence of God. So Antichrist is what we're talking
about tonight, the false messiah. He is going to come. And this
is what we have in Revelation chapter 6 verses 1 through 3,
especially verses 1 and 2. He'll be the great impersonator
of Jesus Christ, deceiving the masses to believe
that he is the one who can bring peace and prosperity to a troubled
world. I'm going to give several comparisons
between the Lord Jesus Christ and the Antichrist. Keep in mind
now, Daniel 9, 24 through 27, Revelation 6, verse 2, Matthew
24, verse 5, Revelation chapter 13, verses 1 through 9. Keep
those verses in mind. Here are the comparisons. I said
comparisons, ten of them. Then we're going to look, secondly,
at ten contrasts. The comparisons are as follows. Number one, Jesus Christ is the
subject of Old Testament prophecy. So is Antichrist. There are many
great types of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.
Anyone who has made a study of typology and it is a fascinating
study, knows that there are many types of Jesus Christ in the
Old Testament. Joseph was a type of Christ.
Even Adam is a type of Christ in certain respects. Isaac is a tremendous type of
Christ, and we know that from the 11th chapter of Hebrews.
So there are many types of Christ. There are also many types of
the Antichrist. I'm not going to name a great
number of them tonight. We'll do that in a subsequent
lesson. But as the Old Testament is a prophecy of Jesus Christ,
it is also a prophecy of the Antichrist. There are many types
of the Antichrist and there are many prophecies concerning the
coming of the Antichrist. Secondly, Jesus Christ was revealed
at God's appointed time Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4 at God's
appointed time the Lord Jesus Christ was revealed and Antichrist
will be made manifest at God's appointed time 2nd Thessalonians
2 verses 1 through 7 I'm not going to take the time to read
these passages. I'll give the references and
you can do that later Galatians 4 for the Lord Jesus appeared
at God's appointed time And the Antichrist will appear at God's
appointed time, 2 Thessalonians 2, 1-7. Number three, Jesus Christ
was the man. Now I'm going to use a definite
article here. Jesus Christ was the man. Some might say, Jesus Christ
was a man. He was more than a man, as I'll
show you in a moment. But there are some references in the New
Testament where Jesus Christ is referred to as being a man.
He's a man approved of God among you by mighty works and wonders. Acts chapter 2 and verse 22.
In the 19th chapter of the Gospel according to John, he's referred
to as a man. So is the Antichrist referred
to as a man. So the Lord Jesus Christ is referred
to as a man. The Antichrist is also referred
to as a man. Of course, he's the false Messiah.
And I might add, the Antichrist is not a system. You're going
to read some works that some of you have. In fact, a great
number of you have some works in your home libraries. I know
because you have bought the books. And references made to Antichrist
as being a system. Beloved, Antichrist is not a
system. The Antichrist is a man, he's a person. Just as Jesus
Christ is a person, so is the Antichrist a person. We've said
it before, but we'll repeat it again. As the mystery of godliness
was imbibed in the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Timothy chapter 3 and
verse 16, so the mystery of iniquity is going to find imbibement in
the man of sin, the son of perdition, the Antichrist. So we have the
mystery of godliness and we have the mystery of iniquity. But
Jesus Christ is referred to as a man. The Antichrist is also
referred to as a man. We know, of course, that Jesus
Christ is the only mediator between God and men. Number four. Jesus Christ was more than a
man. More than a man. Not just a man.
He was more than a man. He was, He is, the God-man. 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 5. Antichrist will be a superman. Now that word has become part
of today's vocabulary. It is used in talking about superstars,
whether a person is a superstar in the field of athletics, or
a superstar in the field of drama or something else. And so that's
a statement that is used frequently today. But I want you to know
the Antichrist will be a superman. A superman. So the Lord Jesus,
more than a man, the God-man, Antichrist will be a superman. Number five, Jesus Christ was
a Jew, according to the flesh. Romans chapter 1 verse 3 made
of the seed of David according to the flesh Declared the Son
of God with power according the Spirit of holiness, but the resurrection
out from among the dead Paul said in Romans chapter 1 verses
3 and 4 but made of the seed of David Made of the seed of
David so Jesus Christ was a Jew Salvation is of the Jews John
chapter 4 And I think it's verse 22 The Antichrist, I believe,
will also be a Jew. Now, there's great controversy
on this last point that I've just made. There are many who
are premillennial, but they do not believe that the Antichrist
will be a Jew. I stake everything on the interpretation
of John chapter 5, verse 43. When the Lord Jesus said, I am
come in my Father's name and you receive me not, But another
shall come in his own name, and him ye will receive." Now, I
believe that's a great proof text, and we'll be looking at
it more in detail later. I do not believe for one second
that the Jews could be fooled by a Gentile. That's enough for
me. Since the Antichrist is going
to make a seven-year treaty with the Jews, according to the passage
I read in Daniel chapter 9, Verses 24 through 27. Do you think that
the Jewish people would be deceived by a Gentile? I don't. So when
the Lord Jesus said, I am come in my Father's name, and you
receive me not, but another shall come in his own name, and him
ye will receive. I believe the Jew, I believe
the Antichrist will be a Jew. That's number five. Number six. Jesus Christ wrought
miracles, did wonders, proved himself to be more than a man,
a man approved of God by many works and signs and so forth.
We've already given you the reference in Acts 2 verse 22. We know that
he wrought miracles, he raised the dead, he restored sight to
the blind, he healed the leper. On and on we could go. The Antichrist,
now get the terminology here, will perform lying wonders. Please observe the statement. He will perform lying wonders,
Revelation chapter 13. He will not perform miracles
in the same sense that Jesus Christ performed miracles. He
will perform lying wonders, but those lying wonders will cause
the masses of the people to believe that He is the Messiah. He is the one who
has come to bring peace and prosperity to a troubled and confused world. That's number six. Number seven,
when Jesus Christ returns, He will ride a white horse. Revelation
19, 11 through 16. We have already seen in the study
of Revelation chapter 6, verse 2, that the rider of the white
horse, and I proved it to my thinking, and I hope you remember
the arguments, three fundamental arguments that I gave last Sunday
evening. The Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven, the Lamb in heaven,
who opens the seals, and He releases the Antichrist, so to speak,
who rides the white horse. And then the names that are ascribed
to Jesus Christ are not ascribed to the Antichrist. And there
are other arguments, and you remember them. But when Jesus
Christ returns, he will ride a white horse. So will the Antichrist
when he appears on the scene, Revelation 6, verse 2. I said
the Antichrist is the great impersonator. We're looking at comparisons.
Number eight, Jesus Christ will come to bring peace. He's the
Prince of Peace. Antichrist will come, introducing
an era of peace by making a covenant with the Jews for seven years.
Daniel 9, and we'll be looking at that more in just a few minutes.
Number nine, Jesus Christ died and rose again for those who
are given to Him in the covenant of redemption. Now, why did I read Revelation
chapter 13? To show you that the Antichrist
will be wounded and will be left as dead and the third day he
will rise. He's the great impersonator.
Finally, number 10. Jesus Christ will be the object
of universal worship. Every knee shall bow and every
tongue shall confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the
Father. Philippians 2, 9 through 11. But we also find that the Antichrist
will receive universal worship except, except, get this, for the, except from the elect
of God. So the whole world shall wonder
after the beast. Now here's a great proof text
to prove that the statement the whole world does not mean every
individual without exception. Here's a classic example. We're
told in Revelation 13 that the whole world shall wonder after
the beast. I know some who will not wonder
after the beast. The elect of God. The elect of God. So when the Lord Jesus Christ
comes, we know He's going to be the object of worship, universally
speaking. Antichrist will receive universal
worship, except from the elect of God. They'll become martyrs
for the cause of Christ during the tribulation period. And we'll
be going into that more later. Now these are the comparisons,
ten comparisons, between Christ and the Antichrist. Now let's
look at the other side of the page, please. The following are
ten contrasts between Jesus Christ, the anointed one of God, and
the Antichrist, the great impersonator of the Lord Jesus. Number one,
Jesus Christ is the eternal son of God. Antichrist is the son of perdition. He too is a son. He's called
the son of perdition. What a contrast. The contrast
between Jesus Christ, the eternal son of God, and the Antichrist,
the son of perdition. Number two, Jesus Christ was
the man of sorrows. Acquainted with grief as the
prophet Isaiah tells us in the 53rd chapter of his prophecy
Antichrist is Not the man of sorrows, but the man of sin the
man of sin number three Jesus Christ is the son of God the
son of God Antichrist is the son of perdition Number four,
Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the
world. Antichrist shall destroy. Shall destroy. Number five, Jesus
Christ committed himself to God the Father. Antichrist shall
exalt himself above God. You remember that in 2 Thessalonians
2? Number seven, Jesus Christ was rejected of men when he came
the first time. Was rejected of men when he came
the first time. Antichrist will be received by
the masses when he appears. He'll be embraced and the world
is fast being prepared for that very event. Number eight, Jesus Christ was
slain for the elect of God. Antichrist will slay the elect
of God What a contrast Jesus Christ slain for you and me The
Antichrist slays the elect of God we saw that revelation 13.
That's why I read it verses 1 through 9 for our scripture reading tonight
Number 9 Jesus Christ leads his flock He's the Good Shepherd
We're the sheep. He knows His sheep. He calls
His sheep by name. He's not a hireling prophet.
So He leads His flock. He's the captain of our salvation,
leading many sons to glory. The writer of Hebrews tells us
in Hebrews 2.10. Antichrist will forsake his followers. He'll forsake them. What a contrast. Number 10. Jesus Christ was received
up into heaven. Antichrist shall descend into
the lake of fire to be punished eternally. What a contrast. And yet, the masses of people
throughout the world are now being prepared to embrace the
Antichrist that we're talking about tonight. Not the Christ,
but the Antichrist. Let's look at something else.
There is an evil as well as a holy trinity. I said the devil is the great
impersonator. You and I believe that there
are three persons in the one Godhead. God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is God. And we'll discuss that more later
in detail. God is a triunity in our God
is series, but not tonight. But all of us believe in the
divine triunity. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. Now why did I read the verses
in Revelation 19? Because there we have the trinity
of evil. Here they are. First of all,
The beast is the Antichrist, when you look at verses 1 and
2. The dragon in verse 2 is the anti-god. The dragon is the anti-god. The first beast is the Antichrist. And the second beast of Revelation
13 is the anti-spirit. Thus you have an evil triunity. You'll also notice that the second
beast, the false spirit, will exercise the same power as the
first beast, that is the Antichrist. Don't forget that when you're
studying the 13th chapter of Revelation. Power will be given
to the Antichrist to continue 42 months, which is three and
one half years. All on the earth except God's
elect will worship the Antichrist. And then we have the second beast
being the false prophet, the anti-spirit. Now I want you to
go back with me to Daniel chapter 9. Daniel chapter 9. We're going to spend the rest
of the time tonight looking at Daniel chapter 9. Here's the great prophecy. This
is the outstanding prophecy concerning the tribulation period in the
Old Testament. It is true that in Jeremiah chapter 31 we have
the prophecy of the time of Jacob's trouble. That's also a great
prophecy of the tribulation. There are many other prophecies
given by both the major and minor prophets, but this is the one
outstanding prophecy of the Old Testament concerning the period
called the tribulation. Now the tribulation is divided
into two periods of three and one half years. The first three
and a half years will not be so bad. Be bad enough, but they'll
not be so bad. The last three and a half years
will be the great tribulation. It'll be the worst part of the
tribulation period. Now we notice in the ninth chapter
of Daniel's prophecy, Gabriel revealed to Daniel that 70 weeks,
70 weeks, look at verse 24, are determined upon thy people. Now
that's the Jews, beloved, that's not Gentiles. Whenever a person
takes this passage and translates it to mean, it refers to history,
that is, it is the experience of God's people during the dispensation
of grace, He is going out of his bounds. He is stepping out of bounds. That's an eisegesis of the passage
and not exegesis. Look at it again. Seventy weeks
are determined upon thy people. Now look at the context. Thy
people refers to the Jews. and upon thy holy city." That's
Jerusalem. And you cannot twist that and
spiritualize that to mean something other than the city of Jerusalem,
as it applies to the Jews. And I'm not going to take time
this evening. I'll do that in a subsequent
lesson. showing the different interpretations, first of all,
the interpretation that our millennialist has of this passage, and the
interpretation that the historical pre-millennialist gives of this
passage. I'm going to take time to give
both of their interpretations of this passage, but tonight,
I'm simply laying the foundation. So Gabriel revealed to Daniel
that 70 weeks Seventy periods of seven years each, giving a
total of 490 years. I wish I had time. In fact, I
would need a chart to do it. But something that is very interesting.
There are three great periods in the Old Testament consisting
of 490 years each. And I'll be sharing some of those
things with you a little later. Three outstanding periods of
490 years each. Now this is the one that we're
looking at now, which is the great prophecy. So 490 years,
70 weeks. Well how do you determine that
70 weeks are 70 periods of 7 years giving a total of 490 years? Well, Gabriel revealed to Daniel,
I'll give you the proof in a moment, that 70 weeks are needed, get
this, to fulfill God's program with Israel as a nation. As a nation. The use of the word
weeks with reference to years was familiar language to the
Jews. How do I know that? Seven years
are called a week Here it is, Genesis 29 verse 27. Seventy
weeks are determined. Now look at the word determined.
What does it mean? It means it's fixed. It is set. It is planned. We talked about
God's purpose this morning. And nothing can happen to thwart
God's purpose. So, seven years are called a
week, and seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, the Jews, and
upon thy holy city, Jerusalem. They're related to the people
of Israel, not to the church of Jesus Christ. Let me emphasize
that. This prophecy is related to Israel,
and not to the Church of Jesus Christ. The usual interpretation of Daniel
9, 24-27 is that this was fulfilled at the first advent of Jesus
Christ. Do you believe that? Do you really
believe? Now if you believe that, I'm
going to destroy it tonight. If you'll listen, I'm going to just
tear out all your foundation if you believe that. You say,
do you believe you can do it? I surely believe I can do it
if you'll listen. If you believe that Daniel 9, 24 through 27
was fulfilled at the first advent of Jesus Christ, I want you to
listen to me closely tonight because I'm going to destroy
that foundation. Can you do it? Yes, sir, I can do it. You're
dogmatic about it? Yes, I'm dogmatic about it. So
follow me. That view corresponds with neither
the spirit of Daniel's prayer nor biblical prophecy. I said such a view corresponds
neither with the spirit of Daniel's prayer nor with biblical prophecy
as a whole. That's an important statement.
Don't forget it. Daniel prayed for his people. Look at the context. Go back to the 19th verse of
this same chapter, Daniel chapter 9. Daniel prayed for his people
to apply this passage to the church age. Beloved, is contrary
to the spirit of Daniel's prayer, as well as prophecy. Why? Because Daniel prayed for his
people, that is the Jews. He also prayed for the city of
Jerusalem. The holy mountain, the Lord's people, the sanctuary.
All of these things referring to, listen, national Israel. National Israel. Now let's look
at the 70 weeks that are mentioned in verse 24. The prophetic era
is divided into two periods. Two periods. One of 7 plus 62. and the other of a single period. Now let's get this. I said the
prophetic era is divided into two periods, one of 7 plus 62,
and the other of a single period. I'm going to use the word heptad. I'll spell it for you. That's
H-E-P-T-A-D. Now a heptad is simply a collection
of seven things. So when you come across that
word, don't become confused. So I'll repeat it again. The
prophetic era is divided into two periods. One of 7 plus 62
heptads, and the other of a single heptad, that is a collection
of 7 things. Now look at verse 25 of Daniel
chapter 9. 7 weeks and 3 score and 2 weeks Now there, we have the first
division. First of all, seven weeks, and then three score and
two weeks. When you add these up, what do
you have? The seven weeks and the three score and two weeks
constitute the first era of seven plus 62 heptads. That's Daniel
9, verse 29. Now the first era closed with
the death of Messiah. The first era closed with the
death of Messiah, that is, at the end of the 69th week. The beginning of the second era
dates from the covenant or treaty which the second prince, not
the Messiah now, but the second prince, that is the Antichrist,
Will make with the people now listen to it verse 27 and he
shall confirm The covenant with many for how long a period of
time for one week? That's a heptad for one week,
that's the last heptad Now let's go back and look at a little
closer Connected with the two ages Two princes are prominently
mentioned. Two princes are prominently mentioned. Now just forget about verse 24
for a moment. Look at verse 25. Know therefore
and understand, Gabriel said to Daniel, that from the going
forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the
Messiah, the prince, shall be seven weeks and three score and
two weeks. Now you may ask the question,
why do we have a division here between the seven and the 62?
Why is there a division? I'll show you why that division
is in just a moment. The streets should be built again and the
wall even in troubleless times. Now let's look at that. So connected
with the two ages, two princes are prominently mentioned. The
first is Messiah, verse 25. Messiah was cut off. He was cut
off 2,000 years ago. He died for you and me. The just
one for unjust ones, as we're told by Peter in 1 Peter chapter
1. So Messiah was cut off signifying the death of Jesus Christ. The people of the second prince,
and this is in verse 26, the second prince shall destroy the
city and the sanctuary. That's in verse 26. Who is the
second prince? He's the Antichrist. He's the
great impersonator. He's the son of perdition. He's
the one about whom we have been speaking. We have shown you who
he is by way of not only comparison but also by contrast. ten comparisons
and ten contrasts. He'll be the prince of the Jews,
making a seven-year treaty with them. But in the middle of that
week, or in the middle of the single heptad, what will happen? He will break his covenant with
the Jews. Then the time of the great tribulation
shall begin. There'll be a little sense of
peace little bit of peace in different parts of the world
during the first three and a half years. But when he breaks the
treaty, all peace will be taken from the earth. You remember
that in Revelation chapter 6? All peace will be taken from
the earth. And you remember last Sunday night when I made the
statement how awful it is to think about the time coming when
there will not be even one spot on the globe anywhere where there
will be any peace in any sense. All peace shall be taken from
the earth. So he breaks his treaty with the Jews in the middle of
the week of the last heptad. This must necessarily be understood
to come to comprehend the teaching, of course, the Olivet Discourse,
which we're now studying. And all of this is connected
with it. That's why we're going back and looking at the prophecy.
Now, it'd be well for us to, at this point, but we can't do
it tonight. This will take a lesson all of its own. Daniel's vision
of the four beasts of Daniel chapter 7 is a commentary on
the very thing that I have just mentioned. Now the 70 weeks,
the 70 weeks, let's look at them again, are divided into three
periods, three periods, let's look at them. Number one, from
the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah
was seven weeks. From the commandment to restore
and build Jerusalem until Messiah was seven weeks. Jerusalem was
that long in building. Go to Nehemiah chapter 2 verse
1 for the proof of this. Jerusalem was that long in building. That's the first division. Now
let's look at the second division. After the building of Jerusalem,
to the time Messiah was cut off, that is the crucifixion, three
score and two weeks, 62. Heptaz, giving us a total of
434 years. Now what do we have left? The
first two divisions have been fulfilled. But beloved, the last
has not been fulfilled. It is not being fulfilled now.
It is not a matter of history. It is yet future. The one single
heptad remains, beginning with the manifestation of the second
prince, who is the Antichrist, and continuing until Messiah's
coming again, who shall destroy the Antichrist with the brightness
of his coming. The first two divisions are history. The last division Consisting
of one single heptad seven years if you please one week of seven
years is prophecy and by the way, it takes revelation beginning
with chapter 6 through chapter 18 and Even a part of chapter
19 to describe that seven year period John gives chapter 6 through
18 to describe that one week of seven years that is yet future. So put that down, don't forget
it. Not only do we have Matthew 24, verse 4 through 28 that also
describes the tribulation period, and this happens to be the message
that Jesus Christ gave to the disciples. But John gives chapter
6 through 18 to describe this one week, this one heptad that
is yet to come, to pass. So the remaining heptad is in
excess to Christ's death on the cross. Too brief a time elapsed
from His death to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by Titus
to constitute this last seven years. Furthermore, inasmuch
as national Israel rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah,
God has turned to the Gentiles. He is visiting them, and we've
already dealt with the times of the Gentiles, so I shouldn't
have to repeat anything there. After the fullness of the Gentiles,
Luke 21, 24, and Romans 11, 25-27, Israel will again be recognized
in their national capacity. I know that doesn't set very
well with a great portion of Christians today. But I believe
that with all of my heart, and I'm not alone in it. Not that
I have to look to somebody else for support. I'm looking to Scripture
for support. You know, I've been reading the
work of a man for some time. He's a Canadian theologian, author
of Custance by name. We have two or three books by
him in the library. And he has a Presbyterian background. Tremendous
on God's absolute sovereignty. Great on the five points of Calvinism. Right down the line. And I was surprised recently
to find that he's a premillennialist. And that's a little strange. Not that it made me feel any
different, that, well, I'm justified in what I believe, but I did
appreciate the fact that here is a man who is a thinker. In
other words, he's not going to be restricted by his denomination
as to what he believes the Bible teaches. And when you read after
him very long, you'll soon find out that he's a person, he's
his own man. He's a great philosopher, I'll
say that. He has spent most of his life as a professor and hasn't
preached too much. About 70 years of age. My good friend down in Miami,
Florida communicates with him. In fact, Brother Rooks has given
him some money for the publishing of some of his books. And Brother
Rooks was corresponding with him recently. He said, tell him
about Brother Bess. He said, Brother Bess is going
to write you a letter. Well, I do intend to write him a letter.
I intend to communicate with him. I appreciate a lot of things
that the man has to say. He's very much alive and he has
some other books, some other manuscripts to come off the press
sometime in the near future. And he's a great thinker. Great
thinker. I quoted some of his statements
on passing out of time into eternity. And they were a great blessing
to me. But it did surprise me a little bit to find that he
is a pre-millenarian. Of course, I listen to a man
who's a Presbyterian quite often, early in the morning on Sunday
mornings. I listened to him this morning, heard about 25 minutes
of his message. He too is a pre-millenarian.
He's a Presbyterian. Pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in
Peoria, Illinois. So they're not all, not all covenant
theologians are all millennialists. Most of them are, but not all. Now, are you ready for this?
Got about 10 minutes to do this. And this is going to be the most
important thing that I'm going to say tonight. What I'm going
to give you now. Daniel 9 24 cannot be applied
to the present experience of believers without violation I
said, without violation to the prediction. I want to make that
as plain as I possibly can. Let's look at verse 24. Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon the holy city.
Now before we mention six things that are recorded in this verse,
and we're going to look at each one briefly, let me repeat once again. Verse 24 of Daniel chapter 9
cannot be applied to the present experience of believers without
violating the prediction given in the text, in the context. Can I make it any plainer than
that? According to the context, the six great areas of prophecy
are related to Daniel's people and the Holy City and not to
you and me today in the dispensation of grace. Now that's a strong
statement, I realize it. And just because I've given a
great number of years to the study of it doesn't mean, and
I'm not relying on that as proof that I'm right, But beloved,
I do beg of you to listen and to take some notes and make some
comparisons and see if what I'm saying is true or false. You're
obligated to be like the Bereans. Let's take them step by step.
Number one, 70 weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy
holy city to finish the transgression. Let's stop with that. That's
number one. We're going to divide this up into six parts. So number
one, 70 weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy
holy city to finish the transgression. To finish the transgression means
what? What does it mean? To restrict
transgression. I said it means to restrict transgression. Beloved, that did not occur at
the first advent of Jesus Christ. And I challenge you to prove
it. Was transgression restricted at the first advent of Christ?
No, it wasn't restricted, it was increased. Follow me, please. Think about the Scriptures. Think
about all four of the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Think about the acts of the apostles. Don't forget the church epistles.
Don't forget the pastoral epistles. Please don't forget the general
epistles. Transgression was not restricted at the first advent
of Jesus Christ. But transgression is going to
be restricted at the second advent of Jesus Christ. This is not
history. Not history. We do know that transgression
will be restricted when Jesus Christ comes as King of Kings
and Lord of Lords. Now let's look at something else.
Number two. To make an end of sins. That's number two. To make
an end of sins. What does this mean? It means
to seal up sin. to seal up sin. That was not
accomplished at the first advent of Jesus Christ. But it will
be accomplished when Jesus Christ comes and seals up the devil
in the pit for a thousand years. No way in the world a person
can say this is history. That this was accomplished at
the first advent of Jesus Christ. This is prophecy. This is prophecy
that has not yet been fulfilled. This is prophecy that shall be
fulfilled when Jesus Christ comes. Okay, number three. To make reconciliation
for iniquity. This is described in the Atonement,
Leviticus chapter 16. Now let me describe this briefly
for you. In order to understand this,
you're going to have to go back when you have time during the
week and make a study of the entire 16th chapter of Leviticus. That's the atonement chapter.
There were two goats, do you remember? One was slain and the
other was left alive and sent into a land uninhabited. Two
goats on the day of atonement. The sins of the Israelites were
not forgiven. Get this. And I can't go back
now and make a study of the 16th chapter. I'm going to ask you
to do that. But I'll give you the basic things that I don't
want you to forget. The sins of the Israelites were
not forgiven until the high priest came out of the most holy place. And when he came out of the most
holy place, then he identified himself by laying his hand on
the live goat, and the live goat was sent into a land uninhabited. Do you know what that symbolizes? There will be no redemption,
there will be no forgiveness for Israel, nationally speaking,
until the Lord Jesus Christ comes again, comes out of heaven, comes
out of the holy place. Now let me review this point
briefly. To make reconciliation for iniquity. And this is described
only in the atonement. And that's Leviticus chapter
16. So there were two goats, one slain. Now you have to go back and study
about the priest, Aaron and his sons, and they represent the
common priesthood of all believers, and we are redeemed by his going
in now, see? But there'd be no redemption
The application of that work will not be applied to Israel,
nationally speaking, until the high priest, the Lord Jesus,
comes out of the most holy place, identifies himself with a live
goat, and sends a live goat into a land uninhabited. So the sins
of the Israelites were not given until the high priest came out.
So from the standpoint of national Israel, their redemption will
not take place until the high priest, the Lord Jesus, returns. That is, he comes again the second
time. That will be his second advent, when national Israel
will be reconciled. Now let me pause a moment. We're still on the third point.
The Jews are still feeling the effects of God's withdrawal. They're still feeling the effects
of God's withdrawal. But their iniquity shall be forgiven,
we're told. At that time, a nation shall
be born in a day, Matthew 23, 39, Isaiah chapter 65 and 66,
Romans 11, 25 and 26. You see, this third point is
a very important one. Now look at number four. To bring in everlasting
righteousness. denotes that the Lord will cause
a permanent, enduring state of righteousness. And that is yet
to come. When righteousness shall cover
the earth as waters cover the sea. When? When? At the second
advent. Righteousness now exists in the
heart of every born-again person, but there is no permanent, enduring
state of righteousness on earth today and will not be until the
coming of Jesus Christ. Beloved, I'm not worried about
anybody contradicting that, if he uses scripture. That will
occur only when the Lord Jesus comes to establish his kingdom.
Number five. Notice he says, to seal up the
vision and prophecy. To seal it up. This pertains
to national Israel. I said it pertains to national
Israel. It does not pertain to you and me. This will be accomplished
at the end of the tribulation period. The nation did not, does not,
and will not comprehend this prophecy until Jesus Christ comes
in power and great glory. to seal up the vision and prophecy. That's number five. Finally,
number six, to anoint the most holy. To anoint the most holy
is an act of consecration because of its connection with the preceding
five things. Its accomplishment awaits the
Lord's second advent. Where is Jesus Christ today?
He is seated at the right hand of the Father. The saved of the
Lord presently share in the blessings provided by Jesus Christ's death
on the cross. Nevertheless, His death will
not be applied to national Israel, to the remnant, until Jesus Christ
comes to establish the kingdom when He comes the second time.
No way in the world Beloved, a person can take this passage,
Daniel 9, 24-27, and make it apply to the present experience
of believers during the dispensation of grace. It applies to national
Israel. It is all prophecy and will not
be fulfilled until His second advent. I share in the work of
His first advent. You share in the work of His
first advent. We are seated in the heaven as
in Christ Jesus. We are to set our affection on
things above. Things above. Where Christ sitteth
at the right hand of the Father. And when Christ, who is the very
source of our lives, shall appear, we shall appear with Him in glory.
But that redemptive work of Jesus Christ accomplished 2,000 years
ago will not be applied to national Israel until the Lord Jesus comes
out of the most holy place and identifies himself with national
Israel. I'd just like for you, and I've
read the Amillenniist interpretation of this, and you talk about stretching
things. Brother, they stretch it. They've
got to do some tall spiritualizing. Please look at it in the light
of this context. This is a prayer of Daniel for his people. Here
we have Gabriel making known the vision to Daniel and all
of it pertains to the nation of Israel and to the holy city. To the holy city. So there are
three periods of time. seven heptads, 62 heptads, one heptad, one week left. Of course, people today, there
are many who scoff at the idea of this being a period of time,
a great period of time between the 69th and the 70th week in
all of this 2,000 years. before God deals with Israel
once again. It's God's plan. If He wanted
to do it that way, it's all right with me. I don't have any argument
about it. But no way in the world you can apply this, this passage,
to the saints of God during the dispensation of grace. It is
true He's come. He's been cut off. He's died.
He arose out from among the dead. He sits at the right hand of
the Father. He's coming again in power and great glory. That'll
be when these things shall be fulfilled that are mentioned
in verse 24. Let's stand as we sing.