Transcript Document

Last Week we studied:
Four Interpretive Approaches to Revelation
Idealist – Preterist – Historicist - Futurist
Three views of the Millenium
Pre-Millennial – Post-millennial
A-Millennial
Four views of the rapture
Pre-Tribulation – Mid-Tribulation – Prewrath Tribulation – Post-Tribulation
Eight reasons why prophecy is so important
Two primary ways to interpret scripture:
the literal and the allegorical
We learned what we don’t want to do
Put God in a Box
No man has a perfect handle on
prophecy. Every point of view has its
complications, but God is bigger than any
system in which we place Him!!!
Above all we learned the most
important thing to know when
studying prophecy is:
No study of prophecy is good
if it doesn’t encourage us to
“watch, pray, and be wise”.
Tonight we take a
look at the…
Tonight we will learn:
The Various Terms for the Tribulation
The Nature of the Tribulation
The Three-Fold Purpose of the Tribulation
The Seventy Weeks of Daniel
Why the Tribulation is Seven Years Long
Why there is a Gap Between the 69th & 70th
week
The event that initiates the Tribulation
TERMS FOR THE TRIBULATION
1. The Great Tribulation - Mt. 24:21
2. Daniel’s Seventieth Week
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression,” Dan. 9:24
3. The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble
Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is]
like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob's trouble ; but
he shall be saved out of it. Jer. 30:7
4. The Day of the Lord – Multiple Ref.
The Nature of the Tribulation
For then shall be great tribulation, such as
was not since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor ever shall be. Mt. 24:21
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the
great prince which stands for the children of thy
people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as
never was since there was a nation [even] to that
same time: and at that time thy people shall be
delivered, every one that shall be found written in
the book. Dan 12:1
The Tribulation will be a time of
unprecedented:
1. Tribulation
2. Satanic and Human Wrath
3. Wrath of God on unbelievers
4. Destruction
5. Global Famine, Disease, and starvation
6. Global Death - Billions
7. Persecution of Israel
8. Martyrdom of the Saints
9. Global Government Authority
10. Supernatural Events
The Three-Fold Purpose of
th
the 70 Week
There are only three stated
reasons given in the scripture
as to the purpose of a “Great
Tribulation”.
1. To Punish the Whole World
For, behold, the
The same shall
LORD cometh out of his drink of the wine of
place to punish the
the wrath of God,
inhabitants of the earth which is poured out
for their iniquity: the
without mixture into the
earth also shall disclose
cup of his indignation
her blood, and shall no
Rev. 14:10
more cover her slain. Is.
26:21
Why? Because the earth chooses an antiChrist and rejects His Christ, and chooses
a harlot religion who kills God’s saints.
2. To Complete Israel’s punishment
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon thy holy city…. Dan. 9:24
• To Finish the Transgression
• To Make an End to Sins
• To Make Reconciliation for Iniquity
• To Bring in Everlasting Righteousness
• To Seal Up the Vision
• To Anoint the Most Holy
3. To prepare Israel to receive their
Messiah
7 Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like
it: it [is] even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he
shall be saved out of it. 8 For it shall come to pass
in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, [that] I will
break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy
bonds, and strangers shall no more serve
themselves of him: 9 But they shall serve the
LORD their God, and David their king, whom I
will raise up unto them. Cont.
10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant
Jacob, says the LORD; neither be dismayed, O
Israel: for, lo, I will save you from afar, and your
seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob
shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and
none shall make [him] afraid. Jer. 30:7-10
…and they shall look upon me whom they
have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one
mourns for [his] only [son], and shall be in
bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for
[his] firstborn. Zech. 12: 10
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is
written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer,
Romans 11:26
Cont.
"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is close to me!" declares the
LORD Almighty. "Strike the shepherd, and the
sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand
against the little ones. 8 In the whole land,"
declares the LORD, "two-thirds will be struck
down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. 9
This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine
them like silver and test them like gold. They will
call on my name and I will answer them; I will
say, `They are my people,' and they will say, `The
LORD is our God.'" Zech. 13:7-9
One can clearly see the Jewish nature of the
Tribulation
WHAT IS A WEEK?
Seventy – Heb. “Shibiym”
Weeks – Heb. “Shabua” literally “sevens”
It can mean a week of days, years, or
millennia
And you shall number seven Sabbaths of
years unto you, seven times seven years ; and the
space of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be unto
thee forty and nine years . (7x7= 7 weeks) Lev. 25:8
The Jews were just as familiar with weeks of
years as they were with weeks of days.
THE ACTUAL TIME OF
JUDGMENT
Seventy sevens or weeks is 490 years
The purpose of this 490 year judgment is
to punish Israel for failing to keep her land
Sabbaths.
70 years of exile into Babylon was one
year of punishment for every Sabbath year
not kept. God inflicted Israel also with a
7-fold judgment that multiplied 70 into 490.
WHY SEVENTY WEEKS?
Israel was supposed to keep land Sabbaths
When ye come into the land which I give you,
then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the LORD.
3 Six years thou shall sow thy field, and six years
thou shall prune thy vineyard, and gather in the
fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a
Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the
LORD: …But in the seventh year shall be a
Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the
LORD: … Read Lev. 25:2-8
God warned Israel if they were disobedient
Then shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths, as long as
it lies desolate, and you [be] in your enemies' land;
[even] then shall the land rest, and enjoy her
Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate it shall rest;
because it did not rest in your Sabbaths, when you
dwelt upon it. Lev. 26:34
If Israel disobeyed her punishment
would be seven-fold
And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me,
then I will punish you seven times more for your
sins. Lev. 26:18
The 70 years is not seven-fold
For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy
years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you,
and perform my good word toward you, in causing
you to return to this place.
Jer. 29:10
To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth
of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her
Sabbaths: [for] as long as she lay desolate she kept
Sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years.
II Chron. 36:21
7X70 = 490 years = 70 weeks
Israel spent one year in Babylon for every land Sabbath they
did not keep. But God also inflicts them with a seven-fold judgment
of 7X70. We always reap more than we sow when we disobey God.
th
70
WEEK EQUATION
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: Dan. 9:25-26
th
70
WEEK EQUATION
Cont.
…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. 27 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.
Dan. 9:26-27
th
70
WEEK EQUATION
Cont.
7 weeks =
49 years
62 weeks = 434 years
1 week =
7 years
70 weeks = 490 years
483 years have been fulfilled
The Command to Rebuild Jerusalem
March 14th 445 BC – Dan. 9:25a; Neh. 2:1-8
Unto Messiah the Prince – Triumphal Entry
April 6th, 32 AD
483 years – 69 weeks
Messiah cut off – crucifixion
2000 year gap
1 week remains
70th Week Illustrated in Chart
Messiah cut
off after 69
weeks (3)
(5)
(4)
69 weeks
(1)
483 Years
Command to
rebuild
Jerusalem
Neh. 2:1-8
March 14th,
445 BC
(2)
2000 yr. Gap
Unto Messiah
the Prince –
Triumphal
Entry
April 6th 32ad
1 Week
7 Years
Daniel’s 70th week
Dan. 9:24, 26b, 27
WHY THE GAP?
Wherefore remember, that you [being] in time
past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the
Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That
at that time you were without Christ, being aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and
without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ
Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made
near by the blood of Christ…. Eph. 2:11-14
The Revelation of the Mystery
of the Church
Which in other ages was not made known
unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his
holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That
the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same
body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the
gospel: Eph. 3:5,6
The Church of God Consisting of Jew and
Gentile in the One Spiritual Body of Christ,
as His Bride.
What Is the Catalyst that
Initiates the Great
Tribulation?
It is not the rapture.
It is the signing of a covenant
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,
Dan 9:27
This is a future event – See Mt. 24:15; Is. 28:15
Conclusion
Purpose of the tribulation
Punishment of the world’s sins
To complete the punishment of Israel’s sin To
prepare Israel for their Messiah
The Nature of the Tribulation
Unprecedented wrath
The Length of the Tribulation
7 Years – Daniel’s 70th week
The Initiation of the Tribulation
Israel’s signing of the 7 year covenant with
the Anti-Christ
Notice the strong Jewish flavor of the
Tribulation
Daniel’s people, False Messiah, gospel of the
kingdom, flight on the Sabbath, the Temple,
The Holy Place, Jerusalem, Geographics of
Israel, the twelve tribes, etc.
Israel is center stage, not the church.