Date: June 2005 Series: - “I Want to be Left Behind” (VIII) Title: "Tribulation" and Daniel 9:24-27

       "Tribulation" - The popular dispensational view is that the Church age will end with a "7-year tribulation" period and they get this from Daniel 9:24-27.  Having placed all of their eggs in the 2^nd Coming basket, leading dispensationalists assert that "until Messiah the prince" (v. 25) means "until his death," assuming that Jesus' 1^st coming and ministry are not the main topic of this prophecy.  They then focus on "the prince who is to come," assuming this to be the end-of-the-church age "antichrist" and apply everything that follows (vv. 26b-27) to him and events to allegedly occur around the time of the 2^nd coming.  How do they accomplish this feat?  Simple - downplay and ignore Messiah's first coming and assert that you must insert the entire Church age between verses 26-27 so as to "understand" the prophecy.  With "church-age gap" inserted, then the "he" (v. 27) is claimed to be "antichrist" making a covenant with restored Israel and 3.5 year later he corrupts a rebuilt temple just before Jesus returns "visibly."  This "interpretation" emphasizes the antichrist instead of the Christ and pretty well demolishes the purpose of a 70x7 (490-year) prophecy, turning it into a time period of at least 2,500 (483/2,000+/7) years.  That's like claiming that it is 490 miles from New York City to Fairbanks, Alaska  - sure, drive 483 miles from New York City, disconnect your speedometer until you are 7 miles outside of Fairbanks, and then reconnect it for the last seven.  I believe that this is one of the major foundational mistakes of the dispensational understanding of Scripture.  Let's take another look.

       The "Spirit of Prophecy" - Jesus (Luke 18:31-34; 24:25-27) and Peter (Acts 3:17-26; 1Peter 1:10-12) taught that Jesus' first coming and suffering was central to prophecy.  John was told that the testimony of Jesus was the "spirit" (the wind, living breath) of prophecy (Revelation 19:10), so maybe we should consider Daniel 9:24-27 as though the Christ (rather than the "antichrist") is the main character.  God declared that a 490-year period, from a specific starting point, would complete His dealings focused on the Jews and Jerusalem.  Remember that God's plan was presented to Abraham as a 2-phaser - his physical descendants would be a nation in Canaan, followed by international blessing thru his messianic seed (Genesis 12:1-3).  I believe that killing the Messiah finished Israel's transgression (see Matthew 21:33-44), while Jesus' self-sacrifice provided a final solution to the sin/righteousness problem (Hebrews 10:12,14) and provided both everlasting righteousness and a new covenant.

       Daniel 9:24-27 - Daniel 9 begins with Daniel's awareness (vv. 1-2) of the approaching end of Jeremiah's predicted 70 years of Babylonian exile (Jeremiah 25:11,12; 29:10).  Daniel then prayed and acknowledged that God had predicted such a judgment in the Law and that Israel deserved what happened (vv. 3-19).  As Daniel concluded his prayer, Gabriel appeared to give him a response (vv. 20-27) and the message was built upon the "70 years" of Daniel's concern.  God had decreed a period of 7 times the 70 (490) years for "your people and holy city" (i.e. the Jews and Jerusalem) and within that time period the transgression would be finished, sin would be dealt with, atonement would be made, everlasting righteousness would be provided, vision and prophecy would be sealed up, and the most holy (place or thing) would be anointed (v. 24).

       When would this 490 year period begin?  It would commence with a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and from that point it would be 7x7 + 62x7 (483 years) "until Messiah the Prince" (v. 25).  There are several "decrees" available - from Cyrus (536 B.C. - Ezra 1:2-4), Darius (518 B.C. - Ezra 6), (3) and Artaxerxes (457 B.C. - Ezra 7 recorded in full in the original Aramaic version / 444 B.C. - Nehemiah 2).  Doing a little math and reflecting on history, my vote is for the decree of Artaxerxes in 457 B.C., which allowed for the restoration of the Jewish commonwealth.  This is the only one recorded in its full and original Aramaic form and it also yields an interesting fulfillment - 483 years after 457 B.C. John baptized Jesus (26 A.D.) and declared this to be the Messiah's official presentation to Israel (John 1:29-34).  Thus, Jesus' 3 1/2 year ministry occupied the first half of the final "seven" years (vs.27) and this has major ramifications for understanding elements in that verse.

       I would contend that Messiah's "appearance," rather than His death, is what is meant by "until Messiah the Prince" in verse 25.  I really doubt that God had the prophets "gloss over" the Messiah's first coming so as to focus on a 2^nd coming "antichrist," as dispensationalists do.

       Having appeared 483 years after the intended decree, Messiah would then be "cut-off" at some point "after the 62 sevens" - probably "in the midst of" the final seven years and His death would terminate the usefulness of the Temple offerings.

       Now you may be wondering "who's who" in the last two verses, so let me offer an explanation.  If a 2^nd coming "antichrist" is really the "he" who makes a covenant with Israel (27a), then Gabriel was throwing all of us a major hermeneutical curveball - using a personal pronoun ("he") right after an alleged 2,000-year "break" in the context between vv. 26-27!  However, if Jesus' first coming is the focus of this prophecy, then verses 26-27 are a common Hebrew literary device called "parallelism" (the same thing is discussed in two parallel verses/lines/wordings).  Verses 26-27 both discuss the same two figures - first the Messiah, and then one who follows him and brings destruction on the Jews and Jerusalem.  Thus, vv. 26a,27a^[1] tell us about Messiah - He would be cut-off/die and have nothing, but He would (by His death) establish a new covenant and end the usefulness of the Temple offerings.  After Messiah's "first coming," another will come with many "people" to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, bringing a complete desolation (vv. 26b,27b).  This is why Jesus referred to "Daniel the prophet" and the "abomination of desolation" (Matthew 24:15) in referring to the Roman destruction of the Temple and city coming within a generation of His first coming (70 A.D.).  This is what Matthew 24:1-34; Luke 19:41-44; 21:20-24 are all about.  I am convinced that everything in Daniel 9:24-27 was fulfilled and completed by 70 A.D.  (to be continued)